Does it surprise you that 1 in 4 American women are on anti-depressants?

[KungFuPanda]

I'm actually surprised. I would have guessed 1 in 20 . . . and I just got through a ROUGH couple of years, so this is NOT a charmed life talking.

[jennynd]

I believe it. i think I should on it

[Joker]

I'm not too surprised. I've been on/off them a few times since my dad and brother died (so has my mom). There are times when I do get a bit overwhelmed with grief/anxiety and just can't function normally. I've been in therapy and it helps a great deal but it was like when they died a switch was flipped (stangely enough, in both my mom and myself) and I need additional help sometimes. Those who know me would never guess and some of these comments have reminded me why I never tell.

[AvasMom]

More like a muffled thud.

 

Part of all of this is that psychiatric care is expensive and often not covered. So, the family practitioner is asked to do it. If you refer to a therapist the patient won't go (expensive and/or stigma).

 

I recall one patient from many years ago. Her hubby dumped her and her 16 year old for a young woman and a motorcycle. She came in week after week for her "blood pressure" appointment, and wept. After a few weeks I started to think there was more than simple grief going on. I encouraged the usual: getting out, walking, talking to her pastor, etc. etc. After about 2 months of this her (lovely, smart, caring) daughter came in and said, "Mom is falling apart and needs help. She can't ask for antidepressants, but she needs them, and if you offer she will gratefully take them. But they have to be your idea."

 

Woman got better. It was slow, but she did get better. Once she was out of her bed she could start doing the things I'd been advising. That daughter helped me see I should always ask if there was anything I could do to help. Quite often the reply has been a request for anti-depressants.

 

In the world of meds, SSRIs have very few damaging side effects. Who am I to say, "no, you aren't suffering enough to try these"? Are they more damaging than lying in bed in the dark day after day? Or binge-drinking?

I feel a strong moral responsibility to use antibiotics wisely, but a strict "evidence-based medical model" is difficult in this situation, where there is no nice, neat 140/90 or lower goal.

 

But does this describe 25% of women you see? 25%???? That is what I'm totally hung up on in this discussion. I KNOW there are plenty of cases of depression and I KNOW there are plenty of people who need these meds to cope and, for that reason, I'm glad we have the ability to make them and that people can use them if they need to. By all means, if you need them to get through the day please take them and don't be ashamed...but....25%?!?! 1 in 4?!?! :confused: I'm completely stuck on that number. If 25% of women are in situations as bad as this and what a few other posters have described then we have a big problem in this country. I just can't imagine that this describes 1 in 4 women. I just do not believe that to be true.

[pfamilygal]

Nope, they're delicious!

 

Dh calls them my "anti-b$%^h pills."

 

I know when I run a lot I can go off them (and my bp meds). But right now, with my back injury, I can't run 25-30 miles a week. So I take my Lexapro and stay sane.

[kalanamak]

I just can't imagine that this describes 1 in 4 women. I just do not believe that to be true.

 

Well, back when I worked in the community, I saw 70% psych patients. Their insurance covered visits with me, and there were SO FEW psychiatrists in the area, dream on to see one. Of that 70%, 20% had major problems, like schizophrenia or significant bipolar (i.e. bipolar with hospitalizations). The other 50% were usually on anti-depressants for depression, anxiety, or panic. 95% of my patients were women. So, I did their pap smears, handled panic-attack phone calls, managed diabetes, took off scary moles, etc. etc. Anything and everything.

 

However, some people came in with a canned list of "symptoms" to get onto prozac because they'd heard you'd lose a few pounds on it. More than once I wondered if I was being tricked so the woman could take the pills home to a very difficult to live with man (?? sneaking it into his beer??). Those were the rarities, however.

 

Any doc who shows him/herself "tolerant" of what are called "behavioral health issues" will be swamped by them. Word gets out, and depression, etc runs in families. I saw whole racks of families.

[JessReplanted]

Sometimes I feel like I am the only woman in the group who is not taking anti-depressants. And then I wonder if I should be. :confused:

[AvasMom]

Well, back when I worked in the community, I saw 70% psych patients. Their insurance covered visits with me, and there were SO FEW psychiatrists in the area, dream on to see one. Of that 70%, 20% had major problems, like schizophrenia or significant bipolar (i.e. bipolar with hospitalizations). The other 50% were usually on anti-depressants for depression, anxiety, or panic. 95% of my patients were women. So, I did their pap smears, handled panic-attack phone calls, managed diabetes, took off scary moles, etc. etc. Anything and everything.

 

However, some people came in with a canned list of "symptoms" to get onto prozac because they'd heard you'd lose a few pounds on it. More than once I wondered if I was being tricked so the woman could take the pills home to a very difficult to live with man (?? sneaking it into his beer??). Those were the rarities, however.

 

Any doc who shows him/herself "tolerant" of what are called "behavioral health issues" will be swamped by them. Word gets out, and depression, etc runs in families. I saw whole racks of families.

 

Now there's an idea! That could explain it! :tongue_smilie:

[TravelingChris]

To gingerH and Cera-

 

My dd will be on a certain AD for many years. As I said, she is not now nor has she ever been depressed. Not that depression is a sin but it just isn't her problem. She suffered from a non-stop Migraine for 7 months. She couldn't do things like math and science at that time because she couldn't concentrate on matters like that when the pain in her head was a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1-10. For that entire time, her pain never went below 3 and that was first thing in some mornings. It would daily increase to at least a 5 and all too often up to a 10 where she was completely non functional. She tried diets, supplements, about seven different drugs and the last one tried which the doctor was very reluctant to try because it was a AD was Lexapro. It gave her back her life.

 

Oh- and two of us in my family are "Better living through Chemistry". That daughter above has to take medications for four chronic conditions, though we hope that one will go away in her mid 20's and one other will go away with menopause, if not sooner. She wouldn't be a getting a 4.0 so far in all her college classes both in dual enrollment and university. She may not even be alive since one of her conditions is neurally mediated hypotension which means her blood pressure drops dangerously low. It leads to fainting and confusion as her brain loses blood. With me, I have my life dependent on asthma medications, immune suppressants, and coumadin. I am able to continue functioning as a normal human being with my use of pain killers and muscle relaxants. I still have more pain than most people but these reduce it to a more manageble level for me. So yes, our lives are better because of medications. I consider it better to be alive than dead.

[kalanamak]

Sometimes I feel like I am the only woman in the group who is not taking anti-depressants. And then I wonder if I should be. :confused:

 

:lol: I'm sure I'd avoid them to the bitter end. I'm too cheap.

[TravelingChris]

They are expensive. We pay co-pays but I see the bills. Lexapro is hundreds of dollars a month, I believe. My asthma medicine is also.

[Stellalarella]

If I thought that i could take an anti-d and I would not gain weight and lose out in the intimate life, I would take a prescription and run to the pharmacy right. this. minute. I'm tired, stressed, and sad. And how in the heck I am supposed to figure out when to exercise I. Don't. Know.

 

People that I care about that are on anti-depressents still seem depressed.

I am telling you that if I thought they would actually work for me, I would stand in line.

[kalanamak]

T

 

Oh- and two of us in my family are "Better living through Chemistry".

 

BTW, that term is used for people taking meds they not only don't need, but will be worse off for. Scratching the bottom of my brain, I think it started in the early 60s by ???Auden??? who took uppers to get up and downers to go down. (And her stole the phrase from DuPont.)

 

(A thousand pardons if I'm getting Auden mixed up with someone. I know it wasn't Timothy Leary.)

 

In the medical world it means a chronic recreational drug user, usually meant ironically in that they look "rode hard and put away wet".

[JessReplanted]

:lol: I'm sure I'd avoid them to the bitter end. I'm too cheap.

 

I agree with you! I recently bought a $12 bottle of vitamin D3 instead. ;)

[zaichiki]

It's astonishing really. I have found it extremely difficult to find a doctor willing to look for underlying causes for illness, preferring instead to try to pawn a drug off on me. Even my teen dd, when dealing with allergies and insomnia, was asked if she thought she'd like to try an anti-depressant...because she was run down and tired. (Could it have anything to do with the mile long list of allergies she has?)

 

Don't get me wrong, I am glad they exist for those that truly need them, but they are WAY over prescribed IMHO.

 

We've had similar experiences in our families. I'm a little extra anti-medications because of it.

[kwg]

I agree with you! I recently bought a $12 bottle of vitamin D3 instead. ;)

 

 

Mine only cost 5.00. I still take vitamin D though.

[zaichiki]

You might want to reconsider how harshly you denigrate the woman who are on these. I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it had gotten to the point that I couldn't function without medication. The standard treatment is anti-depressants, and has made a huge difference for me. I have a very healthy diet, and dd and I walk everywhere. When you have an actual mental health condition, eating some vegetables and going for a run isn't going to cure you. OCD doesn't magically get better after a year or two.

 

It's also this stigma that keeps so many women from seeking treatment for PPD and PPP. New mothers read things like your post, and think it would be somehow weak or shameful to seek medical treatment, and that endangers both the mother and her children.

 

I suppose it makes people feel better to sit around and judge something you have no experience with, but you might want to think about the people you're judging so harshly, as well.

 

Do you believe that 1/4 of the women in this population have mental illness??

[T'smom]

Do you believe that 1/4 of the women in this population have mental illness??

 

Probably not. But who gets to decide who is actually mentally ill and who isn't?

[JessReplanted]

Mine only cost 5.00. I still take vitamin D though.

 

You must have that wild, elusive thing called "Insurance". :lol:

[kalanamak]

You must have that wild, elusive thing called "Insurance". :lol:

 

Let's modify that: good insurance.

[HiddenJewel]

Doesn't surprise me. Low thyroid is huge in women and it can easy cause depression and other such symptoms. Really drives me crazy that drs prescribe anti-depressants without finding the root cause. But then that would mean that drs would actually need to know how to diagnose thyroid issues which so many do not.

[kwg]

true. :lol: And we do pay out the you know what for that :glare:

 

I don't know what I think. I know I need them. I feel the judgmental attitudes here and it hurts my feelings, even though it shouldn't. That is a high statistic but when i go off them it is ugly so who am I to say really?

[Heidi]

Yes, that surprises me. How sad!

[AvasMom]

Probably not. But who gets to decide who is actually mentally ill and who isn't?

 

The DSM-IV.

[justamouse]

:iagree:

 

My sister's PCOS, vitamin D deficiency, b-12 deficiency, wheat and corn allergies, and IBS (mostly caused from the food allergies) went undiagnosed for 5 straight years. But, every single doctor (ten in all) offered anti-depressants on the first visit! Doctor #11, a D.O. instead of an M.D., was more of a, "Let's see what underlying conditions maybe causing all of these symptoms. I'd be depressed too, if I were you and no one in the medical profession would listen to me." She is not taking anti-depressants. Treating the diseases has made her a much happier person!

 

Plus, I think the general rat-race of this very hectic society means too many people are sleep deprived, vitamin deprived, fellowship deprived, etc. and at some point, it's going to crash down on them. Since women are far more likely to ask for help, they are more likely to get meds. Guys tend to "suck it up" until it gets VERY bad.

 

Faith

:iagree:

[Cera]

There is nothing easy about knowing you have to take medication every day of your life to be able to function. Nothing. You know the old adage about walking a mile in someone else's shoes?

 

Comments like yours make me physically ill.

 

That's a bit harsh.

 

I didn't say that there is no place for them, I said I know quite a few women who are taking them because it is the easy way out (and we have discussed it enough that I am confident in saying that). I also know a few women who truly need them and I am very glad that it is an option for them.

 

I also didn't say it was easy to live a medication dependent life (I have been dependent on medication in the past, though not antidepressants). I said that it is often easier to take a medication than devote the time and effort needed to avoid using the medication (which many people who choose antidepressants could do, again I have discussed it extensively with the women I am speaking of).

[Perry]

Do you believe that 1/4 of the women in this population have mental illness??

SSRIs are used to treat depression, anxiety and panic disorders, OCD, some eating disorders, fibromyalgia, hot flashes, migraines, and PMS. I don't know the prevalence of each of these, but I do know that the prevalence of anxiety disorders is about 15% of the population. So I would not be at all surprised that 25% of women have conditions that would benefit from treatment with an SSRI.

[Nakia]

That's a bit harsh.

 

I didn't say that there is no place for them, I said I know quite a few women who are taking them because it is the easy way out (and we have discussed it enough that I am confident in saying that). I also know a few women who truly need them and I am very glad that it is an option for them.

 

I also didn't say it was easy to live a medication dependent life (I have been dependent on medication in the past, though not antidepressants). I said that it is often easier to take a medication than devote the time and effort needed to avoid using the medication (which many people who choose antidepressants could do, again I have discussed it extensively with the women I am speaking of).

 

You're right; it was a bit harsh. I am just tired of seeing and hearing the harsh judgements that come from people who have never had to live with mental illness. It is a hard life to live. It's hard to be told you need to eat this or that, take this supplement, exercise more...all the time knowing you've tried all those so maybe you're a failure since they didn't work. It hurts. Few people IRL know I have bipolar disorder because I don't want or need people to try and fix me. I need my medication. Plain and simple.

 

I'm sorry if I offended you. I have no idea what you mean by discussing it extensively with the women you are referring to. I would ask, on their behalf, that you take a moment to realize maybe they have tried all those things and they are not taking the easy way out. Maybe they are at the end of their rope. Take a moment to tell them you support them, and you may have already done that. If so, that's fantastic; you are a good friend. Even if you truly know they have not tried anything before going on medication, you can still support them. You don't have to try and talk them out of the meds, tell them there's a better way, etc. Support them. Love them. Trust me, that's what they need.

[LibraryLover]

Easy way out? If I've known women who've shared their meds situation with me, it was shared in shame. Of the women I've known, even a loss of a few pounds on Prozac, say, does makes up for the shame of their own perceived 'imperfection' ('What's wrong with me? Everyone else seems to manage?"), or even guilt about their lowered sex drive. Is there even a med on the market with no down side? The nursing mothers I've known were/are tormented by their choices.

 

What the heck is 'the easy way out'?

Edited December 6, 2011 by LibraryLover

[Nakia]

Easy way out? If I've known women who've shared their meds situation with me, it was shared in shame. Of the women I've known, even a loss of a few pounds on Prozac, say, does makes up for their shame of their own 'imperfection' (everyone else seems to manage), or their guilt about their lowered sex drive. Is there even a med on the market with no down side? The nursing mothers I've known have been tormented by their choices.

 

What the heck is 'the easy way out'?

 

Yes, this exactly. My meds give me terrible brain fog and C.R.S. syndrome. It's bad. But if I don't take them, I am stuck in my kitchen canning jams and jellies for weeks on end with very little sleep (just one example). It's not easy. Paying for them every month is not easy, even with insurance. It is not easy to admit that your "normal" life is dependent on medication. It sucks. I just can't believe it's ever considered the easy way out.

[RoughCollie]

People that I care about that are on anti-depressents still seem depressed.

 

I know someone who is in that boat. Sometimes it is tricky to find the right drug or combination of drugs. It can take a long time and be very frustrating. The person I know is no longer suicidal, but they still have no enjoyment of life and their level of functioning is rather low.

[gaillardia]

You might want to reconsider how harshly you denigrate the woman who are on these. I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it had gotten to the point that I couldn't function without medication. The standard treatment is anti-depressants, and has made a huge difference for me. I have a very healthy diet, and dd and I walk everywhere. When you have an actual mental health condition, eating some vegetables and going for a run isn't going to cure you. OCD doesn't magically get better after a year or two.

 

It's also this stigma that keeps so many women from seeking treatment for PPD and PPP. New mothers read things like your post, and think it would be somehow weak or shameful to seek medical treatment, and that endangers both the mother and her children.

 

I suppose it makes people feel better to sit around and judge something you have no experience with, but you might want to think about the people you're judging so harshly, as well.

I am very sorry, and didn't take time to keep up with this thread, Mergath, I'm sorry if I offended you.

While I understand that there are women who definitely need medical treatment, that also includes drugs that are overprescribed, I know there are too many that aren't offered counseling.

No, it doesn't make me feel better to sit around and judge something I have no experience with, I don't consider it as judgement.

I'm sorry I offended you, really.

I think the question was about 1 in 4 American women on anti-depressants, does it surprise you? I didn't know that OCD women were put on anti-depressants as well. My main thought was about being on anti-depressants for depression, and that that is the end of that, doctor continues to prescribe instead of trying to uncover any other underlying causes of depression. I wasn't referring to OCD or any other mental health conditions.

[enviromommy]

That's a bit harsh.

 

I didn't say that there is no place for them, I said I know quite a few women who are taking them because it is the easy way out (and we have discussed it enough that I am confident in saying that). I also know a few women who truly need them and I am very glad that it is an option for them.

 

One thing I don't get is why people think that an "easy way out" is a bad thing?? Is something necessarily morally wrong because it is easier than something else? Suppose to walk from Point A to Point B I can either hike up and down a steep mountain, or I can walk around the base of the mountain in less time and with less effort. Is it so terrible to "take the easy way out" and walk the short, flat route?

 

In addition, medication works best in combination with therapy. Therapy itself can work a lot better when depression and anxiety are relieved enough to allow therapy to be productive. How many of the women on antidepressants are also in therapy? Are they taking the easy way out?

 

SSRIs are used to treat depression, anxiety and panic disorders, OCD, some eating disorders, fibromyalgia, hot flashes, migraines, and PMS. I don't know the prevalence of each of these, but I do know that the prevalence of anxiety disorders is about 15% of the population. So I would not be at all surprised that 25% of women have conditions that would benefit from treatment with an SSRI.

 

:iagree: Just because something is very prevalent doesn't make it not real. Even if 60% of a population has a given disease, that doesn't necessarily mean it is over diagnosed. Isn't it possible there are diseases that are simply very common?

 

In addition, suppose we grant, for the sake of argument, that not all the people on these medications really "need" them. So what is so wrong with taking something that helps you, even if you could technically manage without it? Does a kitten die every time someone takes an unnecessary Prozac? (Or should I say "take's"? :tongue_smilie:)

 

Easy way out? If I've known women who've shared their meds situation with me, it was shared in shame. Of the women I've known, even a loss of a few pounds on Prozac, say, does makes up for their shame of their own 'imperfection' ('What's wrong with me? Everyone else seems to manage?"), or their guilt about their lowered sex drive. Is there even a med on the market with no down side? The nursing mothers I've known have been tormented by their choices.

 

What the heck is 'the easy way out'?

 

:iagree: As you may have guessed from this post, I am a veteran of SSRIs. I have been limping along without them for several months, wanting to go back on but terrified of the side effects. Believe me, if I go back on, it will not be the easy way out. It will be because, despite the many things I hate about these meds, I need them. What would you say to your daughter if she came to you and said "Mommy, will you ever be happy the way you used to be? I miss the way you used to smile at me all the time."

[TechWife]

You might want to reconsider how harshly you denigrate the woman who are on these. I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it had gotten to the point that I couldn't function without medication. The standard treatment is anti-depressants, and has made a huge difference for me. I have a very healthy diet, and dd and I walk everywhere. When you have an actual mental health condition, eating some vegetables and going for a run isn't going to cure you. OCD doesn't magically get better after a year or two.

 

It's also this stigma that keeps so many women from seeking treatment for PPD and PPP. New mothers read things like your post, and think it would be somehow weak or shameful to seek medical treatment, and that endangers both the mother and her children.

 

I suppose it makes people feel better to sit around and judge something you have no experience with, but you might want to think about the people you're judging so harshly, as well.

 

 

:hurray::hurray::hurray: Thank you for saying this! I totally agree.

[gaillardia]

I really think there is a lot of misunderstanding going on in this thread, I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone! Condescending, not me. I just know that I have read enough of this thread to see that many are offended, and some of us are speaking in general terms and specifically not about any of the others...I would never shame anyone for mental illness and I'm sorry you think I am doing that.

I am bowing out now.:grouphug:

[kalanamak]

C.R.S. syndrome.

 

Rubella??

[Nakia]

Rubella??

 

Can't Remember Sh*t

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[klmama]

Doesn't surprise me. Low thyroid is huge in women and it can easy cause depression and other such symptoms. Really drives me crazy that drs prescribe anti-depressants without finding the root cause. But then that would mean that drs would actually need to know how to diagnose thyroid issues which so many do not.

 

:iagree: It would help if they would look for vitamin D deficiency, too, but most don't.

[Plucky]

What was the rate of institutionalizing people in the 1930s-1950s? Does anyone know? It seems like it wasn't super uncommon for housewives to get a rest at a facility.

 

I was always anti-meds, not even tylenol. I am so thankful for the meds for adhd/tourettes/trichotillomania/anxiety. It used to be that people were shunned, and/or institutionalized. I know my dh has a lot of shame from growing up with the same issues my ds has.

 

Honestly, I would rather doctors look at each person on a case-by-case basis. Yes, do the work ups, but also if someone needs it prescribe something to help them get by.

 

I have a whole family tree full of alcoholics self-medicating for anxiety or adhd. If an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety helps them to be whole, functioning people, there for their family, then I am all for it.

Edited December 6, 2011 by True Blue

[hollyh]

I totally believe it. I am shocked at the amount of people who are on them - mostly people in their 40s+. However, I am more bothered by the women who are in their young 20s who I meet who are on them - seem to get prescribed for the lamest reasons. How about actually DEALING with your problems instead of popping a pill to make you not feel? (and I am not talking about HUGE issues, I am talking about simply learning to cope with life).

[Twilight Woods]

I totally believe it. I am shocked at the amount of people who are on them - mostly people in their 40s+. However, I am more bothered by the women who are in their young 20s who I meet who are on them - seem to get prescribed for the lamest reasons. How about actually DEALING with your problems instead of popping a pill to make you not feel? (and I am not talking about HUGE issues, I am talking about simply learning to cope with life).

 

 

ACTUALLY popping "the pill" makes it so you can DEAL with problems huge or not.

[annandatje]

No, it does not surprise me. However, I think that our culture bears more of the blame than does the individual woman.

[nancypantsgirl]

Sadly, it doesn't surprise me at all because that is what they throw at women all of the time now. You could have any number of legitimate illnesses or conditions and they would immediately jump to, "you need to be on anti-depressants." I know because this happened to me after a miserable virus left me with some lasting neurological side effects that were severe enough to cause me to be unable to fall asleep naturally (propriospinal myoclonus of sleep onset). No doctor would really listen to me for over a year. More than one figured I had suddenly developed sleep apnea, another figured I had an anxiety disorder (I have had approx. three panic attacks in my life. One was in a blizzard. One was not even a full on panic attack but just a near one because of severe vertigo - the main symptom of the virus I had. The other was in college and purely stress related.) My stress levels were certainly higher simply for the lack of sleep and the complete disregard with which I was treated by the medical community) and still another Dr. (the worst of all because she was my own beloved family doctor) told me that I "just needed to think differently about sleep," even though I had spoken to her a handful of times over the few years previously about recurring sleep disturbances that would come and go at random. Antidepressants were suggested. But I was adamant. "I am not depressed!! I'm discouraged because no one will listen to me!" I had done enough research (during many, many, many sleepless tear-filled nights) to know just what I had and what medication would actually treat the myoclonic jerks. But I went through four regular physicians, a sleep physician (my symptoms did not appear, unfortunately, on the night I went for my sleep clinic) and two neurologists before the second neurologist finally LISTENED completely. Really listened and prescribed the right medication. One night after starting the medication, my symptoms were almost non-existent.

 

All that to say that more than once the idea of anti-depressants was thrown at me and I was unwilling. The sleep Dr. had prescribed a very small dose of one at bedtime because of its "sleepy" side effects but it made me feel horrible and I didn't really need to feel more sleepy. I needed an anti-seizure sort of medication.

 

I absolutely hate it that I still have to be on this medication as it is a major bummer to get off of if I ever find that my symptoms are really gone (which I can only discover rightly after getting off of the medication and going through withdrawal... what a picnic!) But I prefer to have my actual malady treated and to get sleep (not sleeping will most definitely bring you to the very edge of sanity) than to have a doctor assume I'm just not coping well because I happen to have four kids. I kid you not, the minute I told any doctor that I had four sons whom I homeschooled they were practically running for the Rx pad. :banghead:

 

That's my long version of: No, I'm not surprised. It makes me angry.

 

This is not to say that I don't believe anyone should be on them. But I do believe that it's an insult to women to always assume that their symptoms are of a psychological nature rather than a physical one.

Edited December 6, 2011 by nancypantsgirl

[melissel]

Sadly, it doesn't surprise me at all because that is what they throw at women all of the time now. You could have any number of legitimate illnesses or conditions and they would immediately jump to, "you need to be on anti-depressants." I know because this happened to me after a miserable virus left me with some lasting neurological side effects that were severe enough to cause me to be unable to fall asleep naturally (propriospinal myoclonus of sleep onset). No doctor would really listen to me for over a year. More than one figured I had suddenly developed sleep apnea, another figured I had an anxiety disorder (I have had approx. three panic attacks in my life. One was in a blizzard. One was not even a full on panic attack but just a near one because of severe vertigo - the main symptom of the virus I had. The other was in college and purely stress related.) My stress levels were certainly higher simply for the lack of sleep and the complete disregard with which I was treated by the medical community) and still another Dr. (the worst of all because she was my own beloved family doctor) told me that I "just needed to think differently about sleep," even though I had spoken to her a handful of times over the few years previously about recurring sleep disturbances that would come and go at random. Antidepressants were suggested. But I was adamant. "I am not depressed!! I'm discouraged because no one will listen to me!" I had done enough research (during many, many, many sleepless tear-filled nights) to know just what I had and what medication would actually treat the myoclonic jerks. But I went through four regular physicians, a sleep physician (my symptoms did not appear, unfortunately, on the night I went for my sleep clinic) and two neurologists before the second neurologist finally LISTENED completely. Really listened and prescribed the right medication. One night after starting the medication, my symptoms were almost non-existent.

 

All that to say that more than once the idea of anti-depressants was thrown at me and I was unwilling. The sleep Dr. had prescribed a very small dose of one at bedtime because of its "sleepy" side effects but it made me feel horrible and I didn't really need to feel more sleepy. I needed an anti-seizure sort of medication.

 

I absolutely hate it that I still have to be on this medication as it is a major bummer to get off of if I ever find that my symptoms are really gone (which I can only discover rightly after getting off of the medication and going through withdrawal... what a picnic!) But I prefer to have my actual malady treated and to get sleep (not sleeping will most definitely bring you to the very edge of sanity) than to have a doctor assume I'm just not coping well because I happen to have four kids. I kid you not, the minute I told any doctor that I had four sons whom I homeschooled they were practically running for the Rx pad. :banghead:

 

That's my long version of: No, I'm not surprised. It makes me angry.

 

This is not to say that I don't believe anyone should be on them. But I do believe that it's an insult to women to always assume that their symptoms are of a psychological nature rather than a physical one.

 

Nancy, I've been wanting to say, "Welcome back!" to you since I spotted you the other day. I've been wondering for a long time how you were doing. I'm glad that you finally (mostly) resolved what was happening to you :grouphug:

[SKL]

It would help if they would look for vitamin D deficiency, too, but most don't.

 

This was the first thing that was proposed by the last doctor I went to for an overall wellness check. I was just a little deficient, but she recommended liquid Vit. D (also a mega-multivitamin and fish oil) and I must say, it made a big difference. I did not go for "depression" but probably mentioned that I was always tired (which I attributed to being a single mom of 2 tots with long work hours etc.).

 

Unfortunately, that doctor quit the practice, and those who remain are not so "holistic" oriented.

[Mergath]

I totally believe it. I am shocked at the amount of people who are on them - mostly people in their 40s+. However, I am more bothered by the women who are in their young 20s who I meet who are on them - seem to get prescribed for the lamest reasons. How about actually DEALING with your problems instead of popping a pill to make you not feel? (and I am not talking about HUGE issues, I am talking about simply learning to cope with life).

 

I have never once met anyone who took anti-depressants so they wouldn't have to "cope with life." I have, however, met women who have been on them for clinical depression, OCD, and other anxiety disorders.

 

There is nothing shameful about using medication in order to be a happier, more functional person and a better parent. I don't see any threads here dissecting the people who choose to use blood pressure medication instead of a diet regimen, or who take vitamins instead of eating a broader range of food. No, it's only mental health issues that have such a stigma, and it's fairly obvious that most of you doing the judging have no experience with that, or you would understand that having one of these conditions goes way beyond "learning to cope with life." Until you've spent two weeks curled up in a corner every night, crying because you are irrationally convinced there is a person in your attic (yeah, that was me), you shouldn't judge those of us that have dealt with the horrors of these conditions.

 

There's nothing admirable about feeling more if those feelings are limited to soul-crushing depression and abject terror.

[AvasMom]

There is nothing wrong with criticizing a medical community that gives way too many pills (of all kinds). There is nothing wrong with people sharing their experiences with these meds being unnecessarily thrown at them. We should be able to discuss this issue without hyperdefensiveness.

[Joy at Home]

There is nothing wrong with criticizing a medical community that gives way too many pills (of all kinds). There is nothing wrong with people sharing their experiences with these meds being unnecessarily thrown at them. We should be able to discuss this issue without hyperdefensiveness.

 

Sharing personal experiences, yes. Making sweeping, uninformed generalization will create backlash every time. Such is the nature of the board. Strong opinions will always be challenged, so be prepared to defend them. Big girl panties, you know.

 

Lisa

 

ETA: that's one of the things I love about this board, the spirited debate.

 

Lisa

[AvasMom]

Sharing personal experiences, yes. Making sweeping, uninformed generalization will create backlash every time. Such is the nature of the board. Strong opinions will always be challenged, so be prepared to defend them. Big girl panties, you know.

 

Lisa

 

ETA: that's one of the things I love about this board, the spirited debate.

 

Lisa

 

That's my point.

[MSNative]

 

But I prefer to have my actual malady treated and to get sleep (not sleeping will most definitely bring you to the very edge of sanity) than to have a doctor assume I'm just not coping well because I happen to have four kids. I kid you not, the minute I told any doctor that I had four sons whom I homeschooled they were practically running for the Rx pad. :banghead:

 

That's my long version of: No, I'm not surprised. It makes me angry.

 

This is not to say that I don't believe anyone should be on them. But I do believe that it's an insult to women to always assume that their symptoms are of a psychological nature rather than a physical one.

 

:iagree: Yes, yes, yes. Most times I go to the drs. I get offered an RX for some a.d. I don't think that zoloft is a proper therapy for a torn rotator cuff. I am delighted that the drugs are there for those who need them. I have good friends on them who NEED them. My concern is for the people who go in needing a different treatment and come out with an unnecessary prescription.