Should Religious People Use Anti-Depressants?

[rayne89]

StephiePea:

Now hold on a second. I used Zoloft for 3 years because I was manipulated by the doctors and my mother into thinking I needed it. I didn’t. I’m not talking about people who have bi-polar disorder, or other phycosis. I’m saying they are over prescribed, and many people use them as a band-aide instead of dealing with the actual problem that is causing depression. Pain, both physical and emotional, is very real, and I know…I have experienced both. But medicating in order to avoid real life is not the answer. And they didn’t all kill themselves…suicide is the highest now with all the anti-depressants. They are starting to put warnings on these drug stating that the risk of suicide is high while on them…now isn’t that interesting?

My husband went on anti-depressants because he was suicidal. He was on them for 3 years and also went to counciling for a while. Not all anti-depressant work for all people, my husband had to switch meds several times. The contraversy behind people being suicidal on anti-depressants is that usually you go on anti-depressants because you are depressed. Depressed people can be suicidal. If that particular med isn’t working, your still going to be depressed. Sometimes even more so because of the frustration of it not working and some cause unpleasant side effects in some people.

I saw an amazing change in my husband once his depression was treated. He went from barely being able to get himself off the couch, to working out in the yard and growing his own garden. I used to have to harrass him just to get the grass cut. He smiled, he laughed, he started living again. He is off them now and doing fine. When your in darkness it’s often hard to find the light. With anti depressants my husband found the light and now can live a “normal” life. Just because your experience was negative doesn’t mean anti depressants can’t help others.

I resent people calling anti-deppressants a crutch. Like I said before life is painful physically and emotionally. After surgery we need meds to help us with the pain, people who suffer migraines take meds to help them. Nobody says to them it’s life, deal with it. Trauma can cause very real emotionally pain. Anti-deppressants can help in the healing process.

 

[Exporter]

Hello dear people,
The word “anti-depressant” has been tossed around as if every mental problem one may have is treated by an "anti–depressant.
It is just not true.

Another problem on this thread is that some are talking about Bipolar condition and others are talking about clinical depression. Then others are speaking of axiety attacks. Hey, boys and girls - they are not all the same!

Those who have had psychiatric care with prescription drug treatment are more likely to know more about mental illness that the lucky ones who never required professional help.

Most of the drugs that are prescribed for these conditions are not "anti-depressants. They can be mood elevators, mood stabilisers or mood depresors.
Some of the indicators that suggest a problem are:

1. Sleep problems, waking up after 3 hours sleep, trouble going to sleep.
2. Loss of interest in what used to be fun activities.
3. Super concentration on a task, not hearing other people.
4. Loss of apitite or starving and then gorging.
5. Fatigue in the morning hours

 

[Dismas2004]

Calbreese:

One of the side effects of Prozac is the taking of one’s life. Read the warning label. Is that risk worth a twelve hour vacation to the tropic of Psycho? IHS Daryl

The warning labels are FDA approved, but if you listen to the deliberations and read the research - it was a warning for children. Prozac is not one of those. If you have a label on a Prozac bottle, then it shouldn’t be there and your pharmacist is making a big blunder. The warning labels are for children only, for most of the SSRI anti-depressants(Prozac excluded - it is the only one apprved byt he FDA for use in children)

Also, the claim that it causes suicide in adults has not been proven in research, but it is being re-evaluted now in light of the research done in the UK on children. The present research at best shows that there is no efficacy in using some anti-depressants in adults.

If anyone would like to know more, you can google it or just ask me I’ll send you some links or copies of the articles/research journals.