Question:
I guess I'm wondering now, am I just being weak.
Would the depression have lifted naturally in time if I had not
gone back on?
The other question is do the newer drugs available today have
more of a propensity to create a pyschological dependence than the older
tricyclic type drugs?
I didn't have the same experience of crashing after
stopping Sinequan like I have with the other drugs I've been on.
Answer:
Excuse the long post, but I feel the need to vent about this and hopefully
get some balanced feedback. I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was very young.
I never took any drugs to cope , well prescription drugs anyway
until I was 28 years old. I took Sinequan for about a year and gained 30
pounds or so.
I never considered taking drugs again until another 8 or 9 years later.
I was having very scary OCD symptoms, which was causing me serious
depression and anxiety.
I went back to therapy and the therapist thought I might be helped in
working out the issues in my life with meds.
So I started down the SSRI path with Zoloft.
Soon after, feeling much better and feeling uncomfortable with
the pressure the therapist was putting on me I quit therapy.
The psychiatrist who subscribed the drugs said no problem, it's
your choice. So I began to believe and accept a medical, biological
definition of my depression.
3 years later I decided enough of the meds.
3 months later I crashed and went back on Zoloft and then went to Paxil,
About 2 years later I again decided that I wanted to try to get off them,
same result.
Now I'm on Effexor XR and back in therapy,
I guess my question is that I got along 36 years of my life without
medications, why can't I get off them now?
I was strongly encouraged to go back on meds by my GP and
psychologist to go back on meds. I finally gave in.
I guess I'm wondering now, am I just being weak.
Would the depression have lifted naturally in time if I had not
gone back on?
The other question is do the newer drugs available today have
more of a propensity to create a pyschological dependence than the older
tricyclic type drugs?
I didn't have the same experience of crashing after
stopping Sinequan like I have with the other drugs I've been on.
The third question is whether all types of depression being lumped together
as being biological in nature and are drugs being handed out too willingly
as a solution?
My parent were far from being OK themselves and I can't call either of
siblings happy or well adjusted.
But is that a sign of a genetic biological condition or a sign of growing up
in a dysfunctional family and being taught to be anxious and unhappy?
I'm hoping to really put effort into therapy this time and make changes in
my life that I've never been willing or able to before.
Hopefully I can then break the cycle.
Your opinions and experiences are welcome. Talking can help to release repressed anger/shame/hurt and return (or allow
for first time) you to feel better about past traumas and inner conflicts.
I know it works, but it takes alot of time and trust. Shop for your
therapist. Meds are for stabilization. They will not resolve anything. It
takes both. IMO. It takes courage to open up. Many people can't find the
patience & strength to persevere. Its scary and painful. So is life if you
meet it on its terms but there are rewards. You are asking a complicated question, that I don't think any human being
can answer with certainty. I am not an expert, a doctor, or a therapist, but I
have struggled with some of the same issues you have and will share my thoughts
for what they are worth. Yes, I think that a tendency for depression is
inherited. I think that depression, however it develops, has a
physical/chemical element. I also think our lives and patterns of behavior
affect our happiness, our stress, and the chemicals in our brain. Some of us
(to avoid blame?) will say that they think depression is purely physical, but
it is well established that mental stress can cause many physical diseases, and
lower our resistance to others. Specifically, heart disease and cancer are
more likely in stressed persons. You are even more likely to catch cold when
you are stressed and run down. Likewise, your mental state can cause
depression.
I do believe that changes in your life -- changes in how you manage
stress, in how you interact in your relationships, how you may dwell on
negative things--can change your level of stress and change your mental state. I believe that changes in your life can lower the level of stress and
frustration in your life. You can live your life in a way that is more
comfortable and pleasing to you. Would you still need meds? I don't know, and
nobody else does either. However, if you have a therapist you trust I do think
it can help you make changes in your life and that you perhaps can feel well
enough that you will not need meds. No guarantees, but it might work.
For a rather silly and trite example, If you have a headache and are
hitting yourself over the head with a hammer the first thing you should do is
stop hitting yourself over the head. Maybe you would still have a headache,
maybe not. But if you don't stop pounding on your head, it will keep hurting
for sure.
I have some experience here, Silver Lining, because I have taken
combinations of antidepressants and lengthy intense therapy. I think they both
helped, and I have been off meds for three months now. Things aren't perfect,
my stress level is high, but I am making it so far.
One more thought, because the level of attacks on thiswebsites has gotten so
high. There are some who say just take drugs forever and don't worry about it.
There are others who say never take drugs. The best course for most of us is
probably somewhere in between, drugs and therapy can both help us. For many,
I believe some medicaiton may be needed indefinitly. For others, especially if
we can make changes in how we are living, there may be an end to medication.
Finally, Silver Lining, this is about you and nobody else. Those of us
here can share our experiences, but you need to find out for yourself what will
work for you. I think that by putting effort into your therapy and making
changes in your life you are giving yourself a great chance to break the cycle. I think it's time to for you to realize that there are other shades of
color than black or white. In terms of OCD, I suggest you check out a book
called Brain Block. It details a method for treating OCD without drugs and
shows photographs of the brain showing the changes in electrical activtity
in patients that have been treated without drugs. No one can absolutely claim that depression is biological in nature.
The question will always remain are the changes in brain chemistry due to a
genetic condition or are the changes due to being depressed.
In my case I'm feeling that I've been using meds as a crutch
and have avoided dealing with real concerns and issues in my life.
I'm not stating that this is the case for everyone or that drugs don't have
a place for people who aren't incapacitated to the point of needing
hospitalization or are suicidal.
I'm just stating my own situation and my analysis of it.
You can't possibly know enough about me to make a judgement as to what my
future prognosis is.
I wish I had your email silver, I've been struggling with this myself, If
you'd like to write me, feel free. i'll be at work all night.
