My opinion on anti depressants for anxiety

Mental health
1

I don't really believe in medication for anxiety and I was wondering what other people's thoughts were.

For me, I dont really know what medication can 'do' for people. Here is why:

It will not change your thoughts, it may possibly mask some of your symptoms until the real situation is dealt with. In the UK, it is not even recommended that anti-d's are used alone, the NICE guidelines encourage therapies. 

Whats so good about CBT, Psychotherapy ect? Well for one the power is with you. For a lot of people, medication is given as the be all and end all. They are told anti d's will 'cure' them and if they don't theyre not taking the right ones. And what does that make people feel like? That their well being is in the hands of someone else. How does that teach someone confidence in themselves, responsibility and resilience? How do they then learn that they have the power to change things?

Every single time that person has an issue, theyre straight back to anti-d's. Why? because that's all theyve been told and taught. people are told they cannot cope, and they shouldnt cope without medication.

Has anybody looked up the medical journals for anti-d's? That are actually funded by the pharmacutical companies themselves anyway.

Most of them are less effective than CBT, and minorly more effective than a placebo.

How long have these drugs been around? Around 50 years. That says to me they're not actually sure what's going on in the brain to make claims about depression yet.

If they make you feel better thats brilliant. But are you sure you're not feeling better because you have been told they will work?

The power is always and will forever be with you with anxiety and depression. To me, they are both maladpative coping mechanisms.

Mental health can be very closely linked to physical health. When people are overweight, they look for pills, miracle drugs, but they dont address the real issue. It's the same with this. A pill might change the way you feel, but it will not change what you think. A diet pill will temporarily make you lose weight, but it will pile back on when you stop taking them because you've not actually changed anything.

That is a habit that you must break. If you can think your way into depression and anxiety, why can you not think your way out? 

I'm not saying think more.

That is digging yourself out of a hole (and making it bigger)

I'm saying, if you're brain is capable of making an issue, it is certainly capable of taking it away.

Thoughts? xx 

 

2

I think your right with most cases but sometimes it can be so severe that medication is needed.

3

yes I agree if you are in a crisis, just not as a full treatment plan. It frightens me some poeple have been on anti dp's for 20+years with no access to therapy and wonder why they are still depressed. Awful 

4

Yes I agree especially for situational anxiety or depression. The ability to work through it made me stronger. I have social anxiety and it keeps me quite isolated for fear of panic but I've really made the best of it. after about thirty years I developed the inability to sleep. I went with it for months but it wasn't working so I did take medication, that looking back I wish I would have avoided. It's so easy for me to say that now.

but I agree for the average person without mental illness, ( we all have bouts of depression and anxiety) but mental illness is different and probably does need to be treated with medication. What and how much or how long depends on the person and their doctor.

5

Hi Sarah,

Have you yourself suffered with mental illness?  I do agree with what you are saying and I believe alot of people underestimate the power of their thoughts.

When I first started anti-d's it was to stop my mind from racing, thought after thought after thought.  I needed time to be able to think for myself as my own anxious brain would not let me get a positive word in.  Medication should be used alongside CBT training, however I do also beleive that some people do have genetic differences which can create chemical imbalances, for instance cronic stomach issues can cause a lack of Serotonin production and I believe around 80% of Serotonin produce by the body is in the stomach.  We all have moments when we are busy and our mind forgets about our anxiety, this is what we must continue to work on rather than thinking about it all the time.

6

Mmmm, very difficult one! I do believe some doctors hand them out too easily, but in my case they have been a godsend! I have taken them before for short periods for depression, and i have been on them again for almost 4 weeks this time, for anxiety and i'm sorry, but they have been a life saver for me! I am also having CBT, just had my second session today out of a planned 8 i have been offered. All i can say is that my doctor never suggested them to me, in fact she never even suggested all the problems i have had over the last year were even down to anxiety! She was away when i needed a doctor and i saw a different one and he recommended me for CBT and thank goodness, it's really helping, as well as the medication. I have tried and struggled for a year with meditation, over the counter remedies, relaxation, yoga, reiki... Blah blah blah... And i was just getting worse and worse! The therapist explains all the reasons why my body reacts the way it does to certain stimuli and it is really making a difference...i think medication has it's place alongside other methods

7

If you don't mind me asking Tracie what med do you take? I've tried Zoloft no help. I take ativan but think I need something that last longer.. 

8

The best times ive had in my life is when ive been on meds, the worst times is when ive been off meds or weening myself off them. Ive had more 'therapy' than I care to remember, I am 99.99999% certain I have some form of chemical imbalance, I have never felt "normal"........I NEED MEDICATION!!

9

I know not everyone likes meds but without my ativan I'm a mess.. I've been able to ween myself in the past with no side affects.. You need to get medicated and do things that relax you to get your mind off the bad stuff.. Xx

10

I take fluoxetine, also known as prozac Tony, smallest dose, once a day.

11

My mother was on anti depressant/anxiety medication for as long as I can remember,from around  the late50's until 1998  when she took  an overdose  as she could no longer face feeling so bad.whatever she was prescribed (you name it ,she took it) did not work, fir her in the end,so I am therefore against pills,especially as doctors are so quick to prescribe all sorts of medication for me.As I live alone I am much too scared to have too many pills around me and I live in fear of side effects.

I only take medication to sleep and wish so could stop them ,but find it impossible to sleep without their help.

from my experience of my mother's long term suffering which ended tragically  I cannot think of medication in a positive way.

'

12

I think this post us not helpful on this forum to be honest, for someone who is relying on them to help them get better and then deal with the cause it can be a frightening post to them. A post like this could tip someone over the edge especially if they have suicidal thoughts. I think your views could be worded differently. 

13

I don't think the post is unhelpful... Every one has different experiences of medication, for some it's the answer, for others it's not the best route! We all have to find our balance and what works for us, and discussion is good! No body judges on here, but some do have very strong thoughts or opinions, depending on experiences they have had in the past

14

Whoops sorry, just replied to sarah when i meant to reply to you, doh... Wasn't concentrating!

15

Then that's good for them, but I dont believe in them. If you're suicidal, you feel powerless, helpless. And by handing people pills-only, you are not showing them otherwise. I think more focus needs to be on therapy

16

Yes Ive had depression for a short time and GAD for four years. 

That sounds great and Im glad you presented another point of view. Have you had a look at any evidence that supports this? Id love the see it! x 

17

Yes I think they do too, but I do believe they can help some people and I am not disagreeing that they can work in a crisis for some too. Are you sure the effects are not down to CBT? I also had this and it worked great for me.

I diagree with medication being the only route for people, Ive not found anybody who has recovered from medication alone. I think theres a lot more study needed int the brain, serotonin and drugs which to my mind are little more than placebos at the moment x  

18

Are you sure they were not the best times, because you believed you were taking something that worked. The very fact you state that as a rule tells me that you are already setting yourself up for a bed time when you stop taking them. Could that be true? 

19

I hope i didnt offend anyone. That was not my intention I just wanted to get some opinion sand have a bit of a debate, I just don't believe medication works.(If it works for you great!)

But If it did work, why should it be continued? Surely the 'problem' should have come to an end after using them?

This issue of a chemical imbalance.. Where is the evidence of this? If this was the case, why were you not born sad or anxious? If your imblanace started later on, can it be attributed to a major life event or a culmination of a few smaller ones?

Im not saying anyone should stop taking drugs but have you got any thoughts on this?

Whats the suicide in the third world like? Extremely low. Why? because these people are fighting to live every single day of their lives. They are not handed drugs, told feelings are abnormal and need to be medicated and understand feelings as feelings and not illnesses. The responsibility and control is not taken from them. 

With drugs, The feelings that are a consequence of the problem are being changed, and in some cases not changed at all.

Now I dont want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but it is in the interest of pharmaceutical companies to ensure their drugs are for long term use, so is anything more than a minor change in your feelings what they want? No, why would it be? They need to make money from the Government in the UK or from you in other countries. 

Please google some medical journals and find some evidence to back up the use of medication. It is being recommended less and less.

If somebody dies in your family, you are understandabley going to be devastated, crushed and deeply saddened. Why as a culture are we trying to brand this as abnormal, giving out tablets to skip this step? Same with job losses, divorces.

Here in the UK, for anything less than major depression, therapy is recommended by Mind, the mental health charity. 

I think it would be more useful to give poeple sleeping pills, vigilently. Allowing for proper physical routins to be set, and the mind will come to terms with fxcing itself with the help of therapy.

I dont think there is an issue with benzo's however, to me that's the same as having two brandys. But using alcohol isnt ok, wheras taking perscribed drugs with the same effects is. Strange 

20

Yes I think other mental illnesses are a different ball game!