I never hear of any "medication" success stories

JosephG

Well-known member
Well - I certainly hear a lot more about people having negative experiences with medication than they do positive.
I just literally watched the film "Prozac Nation" about Elizabeth Wurtzel and her struggles with depression. She had success with Prozac - in the film it says it allowed her to have "breathing space" to be able to sort her problems out.
Anyway I was wondering whether anyone here has had any success with medication and whether they wouldn't mind sharing it with us.

I have a meeting with a professional tomorrow and one of the topics of conversation is going to be whether I'd consider taking medication - so I'm interested to hear of any positive experiences...


Edit: Messed the title up - should be "medication success stories"
 
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Moke64916

Member
Medications only solve half the problem. The other half is coping skills. People think medication is the solution so the rely on the medication alone. It might help the symptoms, but th true work comes with coping skills. I believe all medication should be used with coping skills. Then there would be more sucess. Now in days it seems like psychiatrists are just drug dispensers. They went to med school. They know coping skills. They dont teach thm though. It keeps bringing the patients back for more medication. It's all about the bengermins. Psychiatry combined with psychologists is the solution.
 

Deus_Ex_Lemur

Well-known member
If you have a chemical imbalance and medication "balances" that - you still have lived most of life with a mindset and habit. Medication may allow you to cope better and be more open to changing - but meds alone from what I've seen and heard longterm aren't a total solution as Moke said. You need the psychological part. In fact, really changing that, or dealing, will affect brain chemistry. Imo there's no quick fix for our deep issues.

BTW I DONT MEAN to further change this topic - there ARE many positive results with meds my point is I think ppl with best experience did more than JUST take meds =D I think it's worth starting if you're careful and have a good doctor.
 

amnesiacinsomniac

Active member
Moke is correct, Meds are only part of solving the problem. The rest is up to you. There is no "Magic" pill. Meds simply are the stepping stones to a better life, pointing you in the right direction. What you do with it is up to you.

Without medication, I wouldn't be alive today.
I've been on meds for 10 years, trying everything under the sun and mixes/matches. It's been hard, VERY hard, it wasn't easy in the slightest. And at times I really hated my medication but I kept trying, it's a roller coaster with side effects... ups and downs and in betweens. I finally found a mix that helped me lead a semi-normal life. There is light at the end of the tunnel!!!

I made it to a place in my life that I never thought possible, and more. With the help of medication and perseverence on my part. But I'm telling you, it's gonna be a long HARD road. But is it worth it? Absolutely, without a doubt.
 

amnesiacinsomniac

Active member
Thanks Kam!
Meditation and Mindfulness are EXCELLENT tools when coping with
anxiety. These, medication and a whole toolbox of other tools are also stepping stones headed in the right direction!

Perfect example. You can't just take meds and expect the world to fall into place, you have to take ACTION. Meds can take you from the worst of the worse to just feeling "pretty bad" A lot of people just expect the anxiety to go away. The truth is it only lessens it, the rest is up to you. But feeling "pretty bad" vs. The worst of the worse , you have an advantage! Take advantage of that feeling to branch out and help yourself. So what else can you do even if you're feeling a teensy bit better? Learn what Meditation and Mindfulness is... and try them out! READ! Books=knowledge. I'm currently exploring ACT therapy and surprisingly pleased with the results, even more tools for my toolbox!
 

Looking_in105

Well-known member
I think medication has it's place. I know that medication has helped me quite a bit in certain situations.

I don't think it's a good idea to completely disregard medication since there is a lot of good that it can do.
 

Kamen

Well-known member
Medication works like a cane - it won't heal your leg, but will help you to move. Some people take medication for more than 10 years and this is the only thing they do. If they stop taking it, their problems come back. One should work on one's mind. Medication alone rarely solves these problems effectively.
 

Magicmuffin

Active member
A thing called "Topiramato" helped a lot with my depression. I took that pill and sad feelings desappeared just like that. But as another person here said, the pill made only half the work, the other half is on your own

I support medication
 

lyricalliaisons

Well-known member
Just for myself, I can say that what progress I have made has been made solely because of medication. Medication is not a bad thing & not all people have horror stories to tell. I've been on 6 different medications in the last almost four years & have only had bad side effects from one. All six were not taken at once, btw. Atm, I'm taking two regular medications: an SSRI & a mood stabilizer, & one as needed medication: a benzodiazepine. I haven't even experienced withdrawal symptoms from the benzo (Klonopin) while without it. I have with the SSRI, but they were pretty mild. All I can say is that, NO, medication will not SOLVE the problem, but it can greatly alleviate the symptoms & make it more possible for a person to better their lives.
 
I've been on just about every med out there, only thing I think helps some is Inderal, it's a beta blocker. Not saying it's a cure, but it makes the worst less worse. I started taking it for another reason, but it helped my anxiety so much, I've been on it for years.

Depakote worked for me for years, but I started having serious side effects. Depakote can be a nasty drug, it works for some and can be prescribed offlabel just for anxiety usually along with an SSRI. Guess it was an alternative to what really works, benzos.
 

Davevanza

Active member
I have been on numerous meds, including antianxiety, antidepressants,and painkiller.

I find Mirtazapine is good for sleep
Clonazepam for my anxiety
Also my doc prescribes Tramadol twice a day
 

razzle dazzle rose

Well-known member
I have been on meds on and off throughout the years. Never did have a good response, and the side effects were too much for me (drowsiness and sleeping all the time.) Reading this thread, I am now curious about other medications I have not tried that may help me. I don't have a doctor at the moment, and no insurance, so not sure how to go about doing that.

Mindfulness has helped me. When I remember to practice the exercises. Like observing and describing my environment...but I do too much observing and not enough participating. I need to look more into it. Anyone has books or sites they recommend on the subject?
 
People only give you breathing space if there's a special circumstance.
The uptake of a wonder pill is such a circumstance.

If society allowed people not on medication a period of grace then a lot more of us would be in good mental health.
Otherwise it's business as usual.
 
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