Guys,

Lets remember to be civil to each other while we discuss these issues. This topic comes up from time to time and we need to allow each other to express legitimate opinions in a non confrontational way without fear of angry or disparaging response.

John

I'm a believer in both the spirit and in chemistry. Part of my belief system is that my higher power has provided me the tools to take care of myself through various means, be they spiritual or manmade. A combination of the two works for me.

I take Welbutrin because I have a chemical imbalance in my brain, and I ask my higher power for help with other things. The Welbutrin keeps me more or less at an even keel, or a stable baseline. I still have swings around that, but my basic mood is much higher than it was when I was taking other meds or no meds at all.

What it boils down to is different things work for different folks. It's a matter of experience that tells us what is right for us, what is right for us isn't necessarily right for anyone else, and nothing is right for everyone.

Morning Star, this comment strikes me as rather judgmental. I don't understand how you can know this with respect to everyone, or even with respect to anyone other than yourself. Even the term, "popping a pill" is a pejorative one. I understand that you have strong feelings about this, but so do people who take different positions on the issue. I am truly glad you have found a way to overcome depression without medication, but not everybody can or will have your experience.

What I know about myself is that taking antidepressant medication is what keeps me stable enough to work on healing myself. It's what allows me to develop patience, reverence, and serenity. I think I have those in good measure, and I take Wellbutrin XL and Celexa -- not because I want to, but because I have to. That said, I also believe that my work on healing has helped me more in learning to be happy than my meds have. But that does not discredit the medication. Depression is an insidious disease, and taking away people's medication can create deeper depressions and lead to suicide. Please be careful about disparaging the use of antidepressant medication, as many people need it simply to survive.

Thanks for all of the information here guys. I appreciate the input - even some of the stuff that I disagree with. I'm just glad we have a forum here to discuss this stuff. I wouldn't know where to begin otherwise.

I'm going to start seeing a new T next week. My first (and only other) T was a 100+ mile commute and I just couldn't see her on a regular basis. And I need someone I can see regularly. I'll take Morning Star's prayers when it comes to making a big change such as this one.

Prayer is powerful, but I don't blindly leave my fate up to faith. An "educated faith" is what i follow if there is such a thing. Does that make sense? i.e. I have faith that God protects me, but I don't think he's gonna save me if I step into traffic. Therefore I choose not to step into traffic. I still have faith in God's love - but I have to be realistic about how much devine intervention I can expect in my life.

Peace,
Andrew

Andrew, I justsaw this post. I started taking Celexa 4 years ago. I don't typically like taking meds for long periods, but i've found that it takes the edge off. I still have to do a lot of work on my own, but the meds make the process more managable. The side effects have been mild, the most noticable is it takes longer to ejaculate... sort of like when you've had a few drinks... they actually prescribe SSRIs for premature ejqculation.

So, I have had a good experience. I also journal, workout 7 days a week, therapy and this site... there is no magic pill, but meds be an effective tool to add to your arsonal.

Dan

AJC-

I have taken just about everything! Fact is I ended up in the hospital 5 times- via the ER (Emergency Room) and damn near died from really fucked up side effects.

You are depressed because you are realizing what happened to you and are processing it. Taking drugs will only prolong the enevitable.

This is the TRUTH. We all need to mourn the loss of our childhood. I highly recommend reading the book "The Grief Recovery Handbook". And also "Victims No Loner" by Mike Lew.

Information is far more powerful than drugs. Drugs are designed to quell feelings and emotions that are necessary to process.

You and WE ALL need to understand and comprehend the un-understandable and the incomprehensible. Its fucking hard- I will not lie to you about that- but its worth it.

I used to lay in bed or isolate for weeks on end- now I am down to just a few hours- sometimes even minutes. Some days are better than others.

My ultimate point is- when I stopped taking prescribed drugs- it was hell on earth for about 5 weeks- but then things got better- slowly.

Drugs are just another way of saying "We don't want to hear your misery...So take these...."

Fuck That!

When you read those two books- Don't just buy them and use them as decoration! I did that for years and I paid a very high price! These two books will stop your tables from wobbling- But they will also stop your heart from wobbling if you read them.

If you cannot afford them- let me know- and I will send copies to you.

You need to find out who you are- and not who you think you are and take drugs to accept the unacceptable.

In the interim- try to know that FEELING ARE NOT FACTS- they are simply remnants of our past- that DESERVE A VOICE.

You are safe here and we HEAR YOU!

Sometimes in the extreme we need drugs to calm us so we do not do harm to ourselves or others in reaction to what happened in our childhood.

If you ARE NOT in danger and nor are others in Danger around you... Then fuck drugs- you have the strength to perceiveer.


My brother ended up in prison and he will never get out because his trauma led him in that direction. Mine was even worse- but here I am- and after two years of fucked-up diagnostics and drug pre>

Morning Star,

No pills or prayer can fix anything quick. We have to work hard to fix our issues both health wise and mentally. So, no, I do not beleive there is a pill to fix anything.

Any quick fixes, ya they don't fix anything, they just put a coat of white wash over the issue. Its all about the hard work and effort needed to heal.

However anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds help us when we are at our weakest psychologically speaking. When a panic attack used to hit me, no matter how centered I was, I was very hard to survive them nor was it neccessary to repeatedly snap or panic at work. We all have adult lives and we can not sit at home a deal with these things. So the meds are not the fix all but they let me lead a fairly "normal" life while going through one of the worst struggles of my life.

Brian

I can see this thread is touching on some very deep personal feelings about medication.

It might be a good idea to proceed with caution - attitudes about drugs and medications are VERY personal. A little diplomacy goes a long way.

So far I can see how every individual post has value in it's philosophy. No one can say that one is better for someone else than another, the matter is far more complex than we may pretend to know. Each one of us is responsible for finding our own "medicine", and it doesn't matter what that may be.

Personally, I feel that my antidepressant is helping me to attenuate overwhelmingly chaotic feelings of despair. It is also very likely that there is something I need to face that is lurking in that very dark place. But that's my decision to make, and being the highly pragmatic and scientific person that I am, I choose a pill. This way, I can tackle my demons one at a time, as I am ready, and not be buried by them all at once.