"You'll always have to take meds."
I can tell you that I was on medication for 3 years and I FORCED my doctor to taper me off. He tried to put me on other things and tried to get me to keep taking them. I insisited that he help me taper off and that if it didn't work, I'd go back on. I've been med free for a year now and this program has helped tremendously. In addition to this program, I have read "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Claire Weekes. I also just purchased "From Panic to Power" by Lucinda Bassett. I am DETERMINED to beat this. Your mind is a very powerful thing...just look what we allow our minds to do to our bodies with anxiety....you can beat this without medication if you work at it. I am not a doctor but I have successfully done what you are trying to do. It takes time though. You MUST wean yourself off the medication very slowly. I would get a second opinion from a different doctor and see they that doctor will help wean you off slowly.
Anxiety is living in the future, Depression is living in the past.
I actually really like this thread because alot of people (including myself at times) get treated like complete idiots by doctors of all sorts. Yes, we need doctors and there are some great ones out there but come on, I can't believe that psychiatrist would say that and on the first appointment no less!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! My doctor actually told me I didn't have to taper....(yes, you read that right) because I was on the lowest dose....yep, I listened and paid for it dearly. I have been off for two years. You can do anything you put your mind to. Keep working the program (Lucinda talks about this same type of thing in the program) and be your own advocate. Good Luck.
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Guest
I'll add a line to this discussion.
Hi Everyone!
I was told by several Doctors, psychiatrist and M.D.'s that I'd have to take psychiatric drugs all my life.
You just can't believe everything they tell you.
They don't know enough to say "forever". It is a guessing game. They have to experiement to even find the 'right' med. at the time.
Well, to cut this down to size ------ I do not have to take those types of meds now.
It was hard to get off the meds. But I did.
And I do feel better off them.
But whoa! here. I am no advising others to go off their meds.
I'd say work the program and see how you feel.
There are some really good doctors out there.
And some that shouldn't have a license.
In doubt, get more than one opinion.
Blessings!
mj
Hi Everyone!
I was told by several Doctors, psychiatrist and M.D.'s that I'd have to take psychiatric drugs all my life.
You just can't believe everything they tell you.
They don't know enough to say "forever". It is a guessing game. They have to experiement to even find the 'right' med. at the time.
Well, to cut this down to size ------ I do not have to take those types of meds now.
It was hard to get off the meds. But I did.
And I do feel better off them.
But whoa! here. I am no advising others to go off their meds.
I'd say work the program and see how you feel.
There are some really good doctors out there.
And some that shouldn't have a license.
In doubt, get more than one opinion.
Blessings!
mj
If the meds are working for you, and youare going through some tough times with your Dad, maybe you should just wait for now, and don't make any decisions about it right away. Be careful that your not shoulding yourself, like "I should be able to do this without meds by now." "I should be stronger." We all have to find our own path to recovery, what works for some might not work for others. Be kind to yourself, don't make decisions based on fear.
Hi missgsr...if you are considering going on Effexor, and it is strictly because of your anxiety, I have to tell ya that I had a nightmare of an experience last winter with this med. After being on a relatively small dose for 2 weeks, I began to fall into a horrible depression. I had never felt true depression before, and by 4 weeks, I tried to OD two times. My doc did taper me off...it was one of the hardest things I EVER experienced. the withdrawal symptoms were terrifying...just keep that in mind if you are sensitive to some meds. Believe what you read about Effexor!!
Wow, you guys have given me a lot of good input. I was really bothered by what the doc said but I realize that he was taught to "fix" things with medicine. He's an older man and has been prescribing psychiatric medicine for a very long time and is probably stuck in that mindframe. I'm sure to him, natural remedies is just a bunch of hogwash.
I think for now, I will stick with my Celexa. With all of this going on with my Dad, I need to feel sane in order to take care of him. I can't be dealing with severe anxiety when I need to be strong for him.
When things have mellowed out, I'm going to try to taper off the Celexa. That is my ultimate goal and I don't think switching to another medication would do anything to move in that direction.
Thank you so much, everyone.
I think for now, I will stick with my Celexa. With all of this going on with my Dad, I need to feel sane in order to take care of him. I can't be dealing with severe anxiety when I need to be strong for him.
When things have mellowed out, I'm going to try to taper off the Celexa. That is my ultimate goal and I don't think switching to another medication would do anything to move in that direction.
Thank you so much, everyone.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss
You can steer yourself any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss
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cosmicpixie
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:20 am
I work in insurance and I know there are kickbacks (everything from free drug samples, to specially marketed pens and paper, to lavish trips to exotic places for "training meetings," to capital gain) provided to doctors from insurance companies, as well pharmaceutical companies, if your doctor prescribes certain drugs.
For example, I went to my doctor two years ago and explained that I was having panic attacks at work during meetings. She left the room and came back 30 seconds later with sample packs of free Lexapro (enough for a whole month at no cost. What a great marketing strategy!) It seemed a little strange to me that she would prescribe Lexapro for my anxiety since I wasn't depressed! I really started thinking about it and did some research and found all sorts of information about these kickbacks. Now I am skeptical about prescriptions and always do my research before taking anything. Getting a second opinion from another doctor isn't a bad idea either. Just be careful out there. Find what works best for you and don't always believe the marketing hype. Keep your doctor(s) informed if you're going to wean yourself off the medication.
For example, I went to my doctor two years ago and explained that I was having panic attacks at work during meetings. She left the room and came back 30 seconds later with sample packs of free Lexapro (enough for a whole month at no cost. What a great marketing strategy!) It seemed a little strange to me that she would prescribe Lexapro for my anxiety since I wasn't depressed! I really started thinking about it and did some research and found all sorts of information about these kickbacks. Now I am skeptical about prescriptions and always do my research before taking anything. Getting a second opinion from another doctor isn't a bad idea either. Just be careful out there. Find what works best for you and don't always believe the marketing hype. Keep your doctor(s) informed if you're going to wean yourself off the medication.
well missgsr,
i am sorry that you had to encounter such a baffoon.
i agree with don57; don't give your power away so easily- regardless if someone has an infinite number of letters after their name.
if there is anything that i have learned from life and more especially from this site, you need to be your own best friend and truly care for yourself first.
you are not stuck with this "individual". i am reading an interesting book right now, called One Nation Under Therapy. It talks about how a large movement of people who are supposed to be helping actually are hurting. Grief counselors after things like 9/11, counselors and the like who believe that everybody has mental health issues and needs counseling, etc. This is very real, and don't think for a minute that the pharmaceutical industry does not in some part drive this.
if you really are in need of medication, then by all means do what needs be done for your health.
but don't for a moment believe that you are stuck on some medication.
i, believe like Lucinda. anxiety is not mental illness. mental illness is schizophrenia, manic/depressive, etc and medication in these cases can be very much necessary for the betterment of these patients.
anxiety is a perfectly normal response to stress. it becomes a problem when it interferes with normal functioning in life; thus if severe enough is called a disorder. the treatment therefore, should revolve around cognitive restructuring to stop the bad thinking that leads to the circular trap of anxiety, and in refocusing on the positive.
trust me, this is not easy. i am still working on it. but you are WORTH it. anxiety is a part of every human being. i truly can't believe that so many people afflicted with anxiety as evidence by this site, simply could not survive prior to counseling and modern "medicine". i mean, how did people deal 100 years ago with things? and i think historically speaking, it would not be too difficult to argue that we have it much, much easier these days than back then.
get a new psychiatrist. don't trust someone because they have a degree. No lie, the first psychologist i saw when my panic attacks were terrible last March, was a real quack.
basically, i was having a period where i was terrified to be alone. i dreaded the thought of my wife going to work. i thought that i would die, or have a heart attack, or something and be alone. well, this psychologist who was labelled as a counselor, after I told him that my wife was going away for a week and that i was scared to be alone...told me to "get a dog". he then proceeded to tell me that dogs make "excellent companions".
now, here is someone paid to dispense advice such as this? i literally felt as though my life was in danger and his best help to me is to "get a dog"? now, i have always had a dog in the house, even back to being a pre-teen. i have had a dog since before this stuff started for me. but that is not the point. the point is, what about the added stress of getting a pet? the pet will not be comfortable with me and my house during that week? the additional stress will only prolong the problem. and not only that, more importantly he did nothing to assist me in GETTING THE SKILLS TO COPE with the problem in the first place- the fear of being alone.
no, keep going until you find what YOU want from a medical professional. just like there are all kinds of people that you meet in the street, just because a person has M.D. at the end of their name, does not mean that they are not an ass.
more power to you. you CAN do it!
GOD BLESS,
i am sorry that you had to encounter such a baffoon.
i agree with don57; don't give your power away so easily- regardless if someone has an infinite number of letters after their name.
if there is anything that i have learned from life and more especially from this site, you need to be your own best friend and truly care for yourself first.
you are not stuck with this "individual". i am reading an interesting book right now, called One Nation Under Therapy. It talks about how a large movement of people who are supposed to be helping actually are hurting. Grief counselors after things like 9/11, counselors and the like who believe that everybody has mental health issues and needs counseling, etc. This is very real, and don't think for a minute that the pharmaceutical industry does not in some part drive this.
if you really are in need of medication, then by all means do what needs be done for your health.
but don't for a moment believe that you are stuck on some medication.
i, believe like Lucinda. anxiety is not mental illness. mental illness is schizophrenia, manic/depressive, etc and medication in these cases can be very much necessary for the betterment of these patients.
anxiety is a perfectly normal response to stress. it becomes a problem when it interferes with normal functioning in life; thus if severe enough is called a disorder. the treatment therefore, should revolve around cognitive restructuring to stop the bad thinking that leads to the circular trap of anxiety, and in refocusing on the positive.
trust me, this is not easy. i am still working on it. but you are WORTH it. anxiety is a part of every human being. i truly can't believe that so many people afflicted with anxiety as evidence by this site, simply could not survive prior to counseling and modern "medicine". i mean, how did people deal 100 years ago with things? and i think historically speaking, it would not be too difficult to argue that we have it much, much easier these days than back then.
get a new psychiatrist. don't trust someone because they have a degree. No lie, the first psychologist i saw when my panic attacks were terrible last March, was a real quack.
basically, i was having a period where i was terrified to be alone. i dreaded the thought of my wife going to work. i thought that i would die, or have a heart attack, or something and be alone. well, this psychologist who was labelled as a counselor, after I told him that my wife was going away for a week and that i was scared to be alone...told me to "get a dog". he then proceeded to tell me that dogs make "excellent companions".
now, here is someone paid to dispense advice such as this? i literally felt as though my life was in danger and his best help to me is to "get a dog"? now, i have always had a dog in the house, even back to being a pre-teen. i have had a dog since before this stuff started for me. but that is not the point. the point is, what about the added stress of getting a pet? the pet will not be comfortable with me and my house during that week? the additional stress will only prolong the problem. and not only that, more importantly he did nothing to assist me in GETTING THE SKILLS TO COPE with the problem in the first place- the fear of being alone.
no, keep going until you find what YOU want from a medical professional. just like there are all kinds of people that you meet in the street, just because a person has M.D. at the end of their name, does not mean that they are not an ass.
more power to you. you CAN do it!
GOD BLESS,