Can not we heal without taking antidepressants?

[desperatehousewife]

I mean after leaving antidepresaants, person will be same and SA will go on.And I think medicine is a temporary solve and after breaking up them SA person will same.
Then why doctors gave SA people medicines?

 

[miss_amy]

I believe that meds don't fix anthing. Though they can be helpful to hold you together while you deal with SA in other ways.

 

[dpr]

I think meds can be helpful to some people, but they were not helpful to me. In fact I think they made my situation worse which is why I decided to stop taking them.

A big mistake a lot of people make I think is to only take meds and not do any form of therapy (CBT, exposure therapy, etc). I read somewhere that taking meds alone is statistically much less effective than meds combined with therapy.

 

[ljwwriter]

To be honest I don't think I'd do so well without medication. Sometimes my anxiety, in all of its complexity and severity, is so purely physical that learning to deal with it through mere logical techniques (as you do through exposure therapy) is not enough. I have to have something that will calm me down or I am completely miserable. Life in itself is exposure and I find that it truly never gets any easier. I think you can become numb to certain situations after being in them for a while and lull yourself into a false sense of security. You can do the same with medication.

I've taken meds and been in therapy together and it has helped in the past. However, I highly doubt the therapy alone would have been enough. But I scarcely believe that there is a true solution to this kind of anxiety. It is such a part of us that neither therapy nor medication will ever fully free us from this hell. Even those who claim that by placing themselves constantly in stressful social situation they have overcome their anxieties still seem to find their way to this site quite frequently. Is it merely to encourage others or is it because, despite what they tell themselves, they're still nearly as anxious and socially aloof as they had always been? I tend to suspect the latter.

 

[asubscriber99]

actually , medications are meant to be long-term, which means that you may need to take them for the rest of your life.

behavioral therapy, specifically insight oriented, which means, for example, knowing how you think in certain situations might be effective.

you might apply that by your self, just watch your reactions in certain situations, define your anxiety and why it happened, and find ways to overcome it.

i apply that sometimes.

have a face \/:0 (faith!)

 

[Screwdriver1020]

qrewqfasdvsfas fas

 

[heretochange]

medications have helped me a lot. Almost immediately i was able to do things that i was never able to do. I realize this is probably completely a placebo/proud that i could finally do something about my problems mentality rather than the actual medication. i did have a terrible week for like the 4th week but ive been able to do much better after that. My prozac took me from a stoic life of no emotion to actually displaying emotion even thought that meant lows sometimes as well. Obviously this alone won't do anything but i can't imagine i would of had the courage to make any differences about my SA without this medication

 

[mustang]

I implore anyone not taking Meds to at least try them.

Meds have made the difference between light and day for me. I'm confident to say I've conquered 70% of my S.A.D and Depression/PTSD due in large amount to the medications I've been prescribed.

 

[sabbath92002]

Thankfully, with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) I don't need to take any medications. ACT shows us that we can embrace our thoughts and emotions, even the "negative" ones. ACT uses our own values to guide and motivate us. And mindfulness can be learned and practiced to help us focus on tasks at hand.

 

[wooaah]

I think meds are great for bringing you up to the point where you have the motivation to beat SA. It shouldn't be treated as a solution, more like an aid in reaching the solution.

 

[JustAnotherDay]

almost had it

"SA" is a VERY complicated issue. I went through my wholelife with SA untill i was a senior in high school. I was to the point where i was going to kill myself, but i figured meds should be the second to last resort.. I started taking Effexor 75 milligrams, and within the first3 weeks, i went from being the most unconfident, depressed and angry kid in theschool to being the most confident, and socialable guy in the senior class!(no exageration)
Too bad my nightmare came true. I ended up moving to ohio withmy dad, started smoking weed, and now allof asudden the meds have no effect towards my SA. Ever since i smoked weed for those 4 months(alot of smoking), ive been going down hill. I quit smoking 8 months ago, tried every med there is in the book, spent thousands on psychiatrists and here i am. Living in ohio withmydd, cant keepa job and feellike i let myself down. Ihave no one toblaim but myself for making the decision to light up for a few months. If i keep doing everything in the right direction and keep suffering with this crap, im done.

 

[villacjs]

I take Lexapro and it has helped me quite a bit. However, meds a just one part of the jigsaw.

 

[shon]

I've been taking Paxil for 6 wks and it's helped me so much. I also see a therapist but she's not very helpful. The meds makes me less anxious (and depressed) so that I can work on beating SA. It has also boosted my confidence. If I have to take meds the rest of my life, I don't care. Since we have to deal with SA our whole lives, there's nothing wrong with taking meds to function and be happier (if it works for you).

It's kind of like if you developed hypothyroidism and had to take synthroid the rest of your life (as I do). If you need the meds, there's nothing wrong with that.