Mental Illness: Do you truly need these pills or can you treat ANY mental disorder/illness with the mind

[ASYD-PAPI]

I bet most of you reading this have had this exact situation happen to you; You feel off, depressed more than usual, or, your anxious and can't figure out why. You go to the doctor and he instantly, almost without pause, tells you that you need anti depressants and/or benzodiazepines( Xanax, Clonazepam, Ativan, etc.. ) Writes you a prescription, then informs you that the medication will only take effect anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks from starting the medication. So you wait, and you wait.... and you wait... And BOOM, You're either angry, irritable, more depressed than before, even suicidal. You go back to your doctor, and he says those famous words; "Oh this is normal. It's to be expected that the first, or even the first few medications you try will either, not work, or give adverse effects. We may have to have you try a few different medications before you feel positive results..." Here opens the medicine cabinet of a revolving door, you're now trapped in the loop. For the next year, few, or even decade, you will be stuck riding the big pharma roller coaster, going though mania's, extreme up's and down's, extreme impulse, etc.. "adverse effects" that are, most likely, even worse than the feelings you had before you first went to that doctor. And we know, especially now, that doctors are pushed to prescribe these new drugs, with bonuses, trips to tropical places for a week, all to attend a 1 hour convention, rap videos even. Prozac, and then, Oxycontin, paved the way for this new system where profits are held way higher than peoples safety. So, it's easy to think; 'are they really trying to help us, or.." are these new anti depressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers, etc.. just made to keep us "chasing the dragon" their way or is this really the answer?

I am a recovering addict from opiates, and opioid synthetics. I am now on methadone, clonodine, clonazepam, quitiapine( seroquel ), slow and quick release. I can say that without those pills, I don't know if I would still be "sober" today, BUT, not because they are helping me quit, no, they just help me feel "ok", while still being hooked to an opiate with no difference to any other. They say methadone has an opiate blocker, and suboxone has something that makes you even more sick, inside of them, but anyone who has been near a clinic knows, if they aren't truly trying to get clean, they are either, getting high directly from the methadone/suboxone and getting sky high doses, or trading it off for other drugs. The doctors are paid by the amount of patients they see so the higher the dose they give, makes it, in a way, an investment. And a lot of doctors know this well, and use it too their advantage. They hold your dose and meds above you, like drug dealers having a laugh, making you feel like they hold the keys to your sobriety in their hands and know it. And in some cases, they use the methadone or suboxone as a buffer, just to kick the withdrawal or "dope sickness" and do their drug of choice every other day.

So, in saying all of that, and, with what we know about Purdue and big pharma. Do we trust them to actually help us? Help us beat mental illness, addiction and everything that comes with it? Or, are they giving us half-a** medications that, just to say, touch the problem, but never actually help? One hour of mindfulness can be more productive than 100 days on an anti depressant( this is a self made statement, no statistics ). No pill has ever made me feel the wholeness and calm that a good session of stretching, yoga and meditation can. Be it prescribed or illicit. No drug can mimic the feeling of being engrossed in nature, hearing the birds, watching squirrels run about. But, on the other side, there are those who, if they did not take these meds, they could become a danger, not only to themselves, but to anyone and everyone around them. So my question is, where is the balance? And if we could even find it, between pointless that point between obsolete and extremely beneficial, would we even adopt it and change? If you were told that you could ween yourself off of all those pills in record time, not feel any adverse effects and feel better from doing so, but, it will be the hardest thing you've ever done. Needing extreme focus, motivation to be able to take time out of your day to actually practice, and learn further and the drive to push yourself "beyond". You will go through hell to find heaven, but, in doing so, you will reveal things about yourself that you never knew were even possible! Would you take this route? The hard route. Or, do you still trust that doctors, and big pharma, somewhere down beneath the greed, are still trying to help?

The main question is; "Do you take the easy road and stay numb for the rest of your life or do you take the hard route and truly connect? Especially with all the pressure pushing you to just go see a doctor instead of looking within

Yes, I know this will come off biased, I type these off the top of my head so I am sorry in advance for forming my own opinion before even asking the question, and for the jumbled mess that is this post. Looking forward to your reply's!!

[JackDaydream]

I bet most of you reading this have had this exact situation happen to you; You feel off, depressed more than usual, or, your anxious and can't figure out why. You go to the doctor and he instantly, almost without pause, tells you that you need anti depressants and/or benzodiazepines( Xanax, Clonazepam, Ativan, etc.. ) Writes you a prescription, then informs you that the medication will only take effect anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks from starting the medication. So you wait, and you wait.... and you wait... And BOOM, You're either angry, irritable, more depressed than before, even suicidal. You go back to your doctor, and he says those famous words; "Oh this is normal. It's to be expected that the first, or even the first few medications you try will either, not work, or give adverse effects. We may have to have you try a few different medications before you feel positive results..." Here opens the medicine cabinet of a revolving door, you're now trapped in the loop. For the next year, few, or even decade, you will be stuck riding the big pharma roller coaster, going though mania's, extreme up's and down's, extreme impulse, etc.. "adverse effects" that are, most likely, even worse than the feelings you had before you first went to that doctor. And we know, especially now, that doctors are pushed to prescribe these new drugs, with bonuses, trips to tropical places for a week, all to attend a 1 hour convention, rap videos even. Prozac, and then, Oxycontin, paved the way for this new system where profits are held way higher than peoples safety. So, it's easy to think; 'are they really trying to help us, or.." are these new anti depressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers, etc.. just made to keep us "chasing the dragon" their way or is this really the answer?

I am a recovering addict from opiates, and opioid synthetics. I am now on methadone, clonodine, clonazepam, quitiapine( seroquel ), slow and quick release. I can say that without those pills, I don't know if I would still be "sober" today, BUT, not because they are helping me quit, no, they just help me feel "ok", while still being hooked to an opiate with no difference to any other. They say methadone has an opiate blocker, and suboxone has something that makes you even more sick, inside of them, but anyone who has been near a clinic knows, if they aren't truly trying to get clean, they are either, getting high directly from the methadone/suboxone and getting sky high doses, or trading it off for other drugs. The doctors are paid by the amount of patients they see so the higher the dose they give, makes it, in a way, an investment. And a lot of doctors know this well, and use it too their advantage. They hold your dose and meds above you, like drug dealers having a laugh, making you feel like they hold the keys to your sobriety in their hands and know it. And in some cases, they use the methadone or suboxone as a buffer, just to kick the withdrawal or "dope sickness" and do their drug of choice every other day.

So, in saying all of that, and, with what we know about Purdue and big pharma. Do we trust them to actually help us? Help us beat mental illness, addiction and everything that comes with it? Or, are they giving us half-a** medications that, just to say, touch the problem, but never actually help? One hour of mindfulness can be more productive than 100 days on an anti depressant( this is a self made statement, no statistics ). No pill has ever made me feel the wholeness and calm that a good session of stretching, yoga and meditation can. Be it prescribed or illicit. No drug can mimic the feeling of being engrossed in nature, hearing the birds, watching squirrels run about. But, on the other side, there are those who, if they did not take these meds, they could become a danger, not only to themselves, but to anyone and everyone around them. So my question is, where is the balance? And if we could even find it, between pointless that point between obsolete and extremely beneficial, would we even adopt it and change? If you were told that you could ween yourself off of all those pills in record time, not feel any adverse effects and feel better from doing so, but, it will be the hardest thing you've ever done. Needing extreme focus, motivation to be able to take time out of your day to actually practice, and learn further and the drive to push yourself "beyond". You will go through hell to find heaven, but, in doing so, you will reveal things about yourself that you never knew were even possible! Would you take this route? The hard route. Or, do you still trust that doctors, and big pharma, somewhere down beneath the greed, are still trying to help?

The main question is; "Do you take the easy road and stay numb for the rest of your life or do you take the hard route and truly connect? Especially with all the pressure pushing you to just go see a doctor instead of looking within

Yes, I know this will come off biased, I type these off the top of my head so I am sorry in advance for forming my own opinion before even asking the question, and for the jumbled mess that is this post. Looking forward to your reply's!!

It is not necessarily a clear choice between medication or other means of coping. From your own description it sounds as if you have experienced an addiction problem. Sometimes, such problems coexist with other issues because both addiction and mental health issues are complicated. I come from the perspective of having worked in mental health care and I do take antidepressants (Prozac) as well for anxiety and depression. I also have friends who take antidepressants/ antipsychotics.

In some cases, it may be that medication for mental health may appear as an easy option but, on the other, many people do feel they benefit from them. I know people who have been without medication for a very short while and have become extremely unwell, including feeling or resorting to suicide or self harm. One important issue may be that the medication given is one which a person feels helpful and that doctors, especially psychiatrists, listen to the views of service users about how they feel on medication. Side-effects can be severe. Also, the right dosages can be important to prevent a person being dysfunctional and, of feeling numb.

There are plenty of other options for mental health and wellbeing, including various therapies and therapeutic activities, as well as relaxation, meditation. Many people find that it helps to combine medication with such activities. In England, there is a move towards a recovery model which is about enabling a person to identify goals which will help them in life and in finding wellbeing.

Each individual is different and unique, so it is extremely difficult to generalise. Also, what helps at one stage in life may hinder at another. While some people don't wish to take medication others may feel that it is a lifesaver. In some situations, people are expected to take medication against their will, often due to risk concerns, including risks to others. On the other hand, some people may find it hard to access services or support when they need it.

Coming off medication can be extremely difficult as well.
I have been on antidepressants for several years and would like to come off them. However, when I have spoken to doctors about this they are cautious because they know that I have a lot of stress. I am not always sure if my tablets are helping, but it is fairly possible that I would be feeling a lot worse without them. However, I definitely don't see medication as the complete answer to life's difficulties, because so many other factors and coping resources are extremely important as well.

[chewybrian]

The main question is; "Do you take the easy road and stay numb for the rest of your life or do you take the hard route and truly connect? Especially with all the pressure pushing you to just go see a doctor instead of looking within

I took the hard road by dumb luck rather than resolve or wisdom.

I was suffering with anxiety and depression when I went for a check-up. However, I was in denial about it as my generation mostly attaches a severe stigma to mental illness. Of course, no aspect of a regular check-up, in the U.S., at least, involves a check on your mental well-being. The doctor told me I had high blood pressure and gave me a prescription. I had a moment of insight and foresaw that using only meds to treat this problem would lead inevitably to stronger meds and a slow deterioration of my health until I might have ended up riding the cart around Walmart.

I never filled the prescription, but bought a bike instead, which allowed me to lose weight and lower my blood pressure without the meds. A surprising (to me, then) side effect was that my mental health began to improve as I exercised. My anxiety went far enough into remission that I was able to read again, and I chose, for no particular reason, to devote my reading to philosophy. I soon discovered a link between philosophy and psychology and willingly took that long road to recovery through things like stoic philosophy and cognitive behavioral therapy.

I don't know how bad off I ever was on the clinical scale, or whether I should be considered cured at the present. Further, I cannot say how I would have progressed if I only used meds for my blood pressure or somehow got up the nerve to ask for meds for anxiety or depression. I can say that, subjectively, I feel miles better since pursuing exercise, philosophy and psychology with an aim toward minimizing anxiety and depression. This feeling goes well beyond the physical and even beyond mood. The things I learned color my impressions of my entire world, including politics, economics, and especially relationships and interactions with others. The outside world doesn't make me angry, fearful or sad as it once did. I don't long for much. I have a bit more self-respect and more respect for others.

This is a complicated issue. Presumably, some people need meds and won't make progress without them. Some of the people in between might gain enough benefit from the meds to more than offset the side effects. Finally, many people, I presume, can make better progress without the meds, and the side effects could be worse than than the possible benefit. I suppose a few opinions from doctors and psychologists might allow one to decide where they fall on that spectrum and what path might benefit them best. All I can say with certainty from experience is that some people can make good progress without meds and that there is great benefit, at least to some, to exercise, philosophy and psychology sans meds.

[EricPH]

I took the hard road by dumb luck rather than resolve or wisdom.

I never filled the prescription, but bought a bike instead, which allowed me to lose weight and lower my blood pressure without the meds. A surprising (to me, then) side effect was that my mental health began to improve as I exercised. My anxiety went far enough into remission

I went on a similar journey with no meds and took up cycling to an extreme level. Within two years, I rode a 1200k event in France on a single speed fixed wheel bike. I had to turn the peddles round some 225,000 times in 84 hours. 2000 riders from all over the world turned up for the event, I was the only person to start and finish on a single speed fixed. Of course there was a 200k ride to the start of the event and the return home. In all I turned the peddles round nearly a third of a million times in a week to complete 1600K.

Doing the above ride was about 90% to do with sorting the mind out, only about ten percent related to the physical challenge. Many more riders were fitter, faster, and more experienced than I was, they thought what I did was impossible. What they lacked was the mindset to try.

As hard or as impossible as the above ride may seem, it was far easier to do, than to live with addiction and mental health issues. Dealing with addiction and mental health needs a stronger and more determined mind than I had to do the above ride.

My point is this, hard does not mean impossible, it just means we have to try harder. We have a human spirit, we can rise to the challenge. You don't have to believe me, you have to believe in yourself.

[LuckyR]

I bet most of you reading this have had this exact situation happen to you; You feel off, depressed more than usual, or, your anxious and can't figure out why. You go to the doctor and he instantly, almost without pause, tells you that you need anti depressants and/or benzodiazepines( Xanax, Clonazepam, Ativan, etc.. ) Writes you a prescription, then informs you that the medication will only take effect anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks from starting the medication. So you wait, and you wait.... and you wait... And BOOM, You're either angry, irritable, more depressed than before, even suicidal. You go back to your doctor, and he says those famous words; "Oh this is normal. It's to be expected that the first, or even the first few medications you try will either, not work, or give adverse effects. We may have to have you try a few different medications before you feel positive results..." Here opens the medicine cabinet of a revolving door, you're now trapped in the loop. For the next year, few, or even decade, you will be stuck riding the big pharma roller coaster, going though mania's, extreme up's and down's, extreme impulse, etc.. "adverse effects" that are, most likely, even worse than the feelings you had before you first went to that doctor. And we know, especially now, that doctors are pushed to prescribe these new drugs, with bonuses, trips to tropical places for a week, all to attend a 1 hour convention, rap videos even. Prozac, and then, Oxycontin, paved the way for this new system where profits are held way higher than peoples safety. So, it's easy to think; 'are they really trying to help us, or.." are these new anti depressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers, etc.. just made to keep us "chasing the dragon" their way or is this really the answer?

I am a recovering addict from opiates, and opioid synthetics. I am now on methadone, clonodine, clonazepam, quitiapine( seroquel ), slow and quick release. I can say that without those pills, I don't know if I would still be "sober" today, BUT, not because they are helping me quit, no, they just help me feel "ok", while still being hooked to an opiate with no difference to any other. They say methadone has an opiate blocker, and suboxone has something that makes you even more sick, inside of them, but anyone who has been near a clinic knows, if they aren't truly trying to get clean, they are either, getting high directly from the methadone/suboxone and getting sky high doses, or trading it off for other drugs. The doctors are paid by the amount of patients they see so the higher the dose they give, makes it, in a way, an investment. And a lot of doctors know this well, and use it too their advantage. They hold your dose and meds above you, like drug dealers having a laugh, making you feel like they hold the keys to your sobriety in their hands and know it. And in some cases, they use the methadone or suboxone as a buffer, just to kick the withdrawal or "dope sickness" and do their drug of choice every other day.

So, in saying all of that, and, with what we know about Purdue and big pharma. Do we trust them to actually help us? Help us beat mental illness, addiction and everything that comes with it? Or, are they giving us half-a** medications that, just to say, touch the problem, but never actually help? One hour of mindfulness can be more productive than 100 days on an anti depressant( this is a self made statement, no statistics ). No pill has ever made me feel the wholeness and calm that a good session of stretching, yoga and meditation can. Be it prescribed or illicit. No drug can mimic the feeling of being engrossed in nature, hearing the birds, watching squirrels run about. But, on the other side, there are those who, if they did not take these meds, they could become a danger, not only to themselves, but to anyone and everyone around them. So my question is, where is the balance? And if we could even find it, between pointless that point between obsolete and extremely beneficial, would we even adopt it and change? If you were told that you could ween yourself off of all those pills in record time, not feel any adverse effects and feel better from doing so, but, it will be the hardest thing you've ever done. Needing extreme focus, motivation to be able to take time out of your day to actually practice, and learn further and the drive to push yourself "beyond". You will go through hell to find heaven, but, in doing so, you will reveal things about yourself that you never knew were even possible! Would you take this route? The hard route. Or, do you still trust that doctors, and big pharma, somewhere down beneath the greed, are still trying to help?

The main question is; "Do you take the easy road and stay numb for the rest of your life or do you take the hard route and truly connect? Especially with all the pressure pushing you to just go see a doctor instead of looking within

Yes, I know this will come off biased, I type these off the top of my head so I am sorry in advance for forming my own opinion before even asking the question, and for the jumbled mess that is this post. Looking forward to your reply's!!

Firstly, I don't doubt your description of your personal experience is accurate.

Having said that, your post is full of inaccuracies. For example, no one should expect talk therapy from a Primary Care provider. They have little to no training in that. If that's what you want, go to a therapist, whether psychiatrist, psychologist or actual therapist. Next, no one is giving Primary Care providers any compensation to prescribe drugs that went generic a decade ago. Lastly, if you want to blame something for PCs quickly writing prescriptions, blame low compensation for office visits necessitating 15 minute appointment durations.

As to the question you pose, mood disorders have a pretty good track record of control without drugs. Psychoses do not.

[Gertie]

I bet most of you reading this have had this exact situation happen to you; You feel off, depressed more than usual, or, your anxious and can't figure out why. You go to the doctor and he instantly, almost without pause, tells you that you need anti depressants and/or benzodiazepines( Xanax, Clonazepam, Ativan, etc.. ) Writes you a prescription, then informs you that the medication will only take effect anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks from starting the medication. So you wait, and you wait.... and you wait... And BOOM, You're either angry, irritable, more depressed than before, even suicidal. You go back to your doctor, and he says those famous words; "Oh this is normal. It's to be expected that the first, or even the first few medications you try will either, not work, or give adverse effects. We may have to have you try a few different medications before you feel positive results..." Here opens the medicine cabinet of a revolving door, you're now trapped in the loop. For the next year, few, or even decade, you will be stuck riding the big pharma roller coaster, going though mania's, extreme up's and down's, extreme impulse, etc.. "adverse effects" that are, most likely, even worse than the feelings you had before you first went to that doctor. And we know, especially now, that doctors are pushed to prescribe these new drugs, with bonuses, trips to tropical places for a week, all to attend a 1 hour convention, rap videos even. Prozac, and then, Oxycontin, paved the way for this new system where profits are held way higher than peoples safety. So, it's easy to think; 'are they really trying to help us, or.." are these new anti depressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers, etc.. just made to keep us "chasing the dragon" their way or is this really the answer?

I am a recovering addict from opiates, and opioid synthetics. I am now on methadone, clonodine, clonazepam, quitiapine( seroquel ), slow and quick release. I can say that without those pills, I don't know if I would still be "sober" today, BUT, not because they are helping me quit, no, they just help me feel "ok", while still being hooked to an opiate with no difference to any other. They say methadone has an opiate blocker, and suboxone has something that makes you even more sick, inside of them, but anyone who has been near a clinic knows, if they aren't truly trying to get clean, they are either, getting high directly from the methadone/suboxone and getting sky high doses, or trading it off for other drugs. The doctors are paid by the amount of patients they see so the higher the dose they give, makes it, in a way, an investment. And a lot of doctors know this well, and use it too their advantage. They hold your dose and meds above you, like drug dealers having a laugh, making you feel like they hold the keys to your sobriety in their hands and know it. And in some cases, they use the methadone or suboxone as a buffer, just to kick the withdrawal or "dope sickness" and do their drug of choice every other day.

So, in saying all of that, and, with what we know about Purdue and big pharma. Do we trust them to actually help us? Help us beat mental illness, addiction and everything that comes with it? Or, are they giving us half-a** medications that, just to say, touch the problem, but never actually help? One hour of mindfulness can be more productive than 100 days on an anti depressant( this is a self made statement, no statistics ). No pill has ever made me feel the wholeness and calm that a good session of stretching, yoga and meditation can. Be it prescribed or illicit. No drug can mimic the feeling of being engrossed in nature, hearing the birds, watching squirrels run about. But, on the other side, there are those who, if they did not take these meds, they could become a danger, not only to themselves, but to anyone and everyone around them. So my question is, where is the balance? And if we could even find it, between pointless that point between obsolete and extremely beneficial, would we even adopt it and change? If you were told that you could ween yourself off of all those pills in record time, not feel any adverse effects and feel better from doing so, but, it will be the hardest thing you've ever done. Needing extreme focus, motivation to be able to take time out of your day to actually practice, and learn further and the drive to push yourself "beyond". You will go through hell to find heaven, but, in doing so, you will reveal things about yourself that you never knew were even possible! Would you take this route? The hard route. Or, do you still trust that doctors, and big pharma, somewhere down beneath the greed, are still trying to help?

The main question is; "Do you take the easy road and stay numb for the rest of your life or do you take the hard route and truly connect? Especially with all the pressure pushing you to just go see a doctor instead of looking within

Yes, I know this will come off biased, I type these off the top of my head so I am sorry in advance for forming my own opinion before even asking the question, and for the jumbled mess that is this post. Looking forward to your reply's!!

Whatever works for you I reckon.

Psychiatry is currently incredibly crude considering what complex critters we are. If you find your own way to being mentally healthier that's brill. Just bear in mind we're all different and generalising from your own experience is natural but won't always work.

It does seem certain brain chemicals are related to mood disorders, so if they're out of kilter, endogenously or temporarily as a response to **** happening, it's OK to fix that with a tablet too. (I think it's often a combo which results in seeking help).

Having confidence your doctor is putting your welfare first is something we shouldn't have to worry about in a decent society... healthcare as a capitalist enterprise is itself a symptom of a sick society.

[chewybrian]

I took the hard road by dumb luck rather than resolve or wisdom.

I never filled the prescription, but bought a bike instead, which allowed me to lose weight and lower my blood pressure without the meds. A surprising (to me, then) side effect was that my mental health began to improve as I exercised. My anxiety went far enough into remission

I went on a similar journey with no meds and took up cycling to an extreme level. Within two years, I rode a 1200k event in France on a single speed fixed wheel bike. I had to turn the peddles round some 225,000 times in 84 hours. 2000 riders from all over the world turned up for the event, I was the only person to start and finish on a single speed fixed. Of course there was a 200k ride to the start of the event and the return home. In all I turned the peddles round nearly a third of a million times in a week to complete 1600K.

Doing the above ride was about 90% to do with sorting the mind out, only about ten percent related to the physical challenge. Many more riders were fitter, faster, and more experienced than I was, they thought what I did was impossible. What they lacked was the mindset to try.

As hard or as impossible as the above ride may seem, it was far easier to do, than to live with addiction and mental health issues. Dealing with addiction and mental health needs a stronger and more determined mind than I had to do the above ride.

My point is this, hard does not mean impossible, it just means we have to try harder. We have a human spirit, we can rise to the challenge. You don't have to believe me, you have to believe in yourself.

The odds of you connecting with me on this are incredible. I am a super randonneur a couple times over, and I completed a 1000k here in Florida. My favorite event, though, was the Michigan National 24 Hour Challenge. I managed to do 300 miles in a day up there. I qualified and entered PBP in 2011. However, at just that time our real estate market went completely in the toilet. I faced a tough decision, and ultimately used my expense fund for PBP to buy a condo and skipped the ride. Not having paid rent in a decade, I have no second thoughts about the decision.

For me, the mental challenge was there until I completed a century. After that, I never felt mentally challenged to complete any of my rides. My main issue was getting the nutrition right so I didn't bonk or barf. I never started a ride I didn't finish within the limit, so I got it right enough, anyway.

What I love about randonneuring is the spirit of cooperation. Since it is not about being the fastest, everyone always helps and encourages each other (in my experience). I believe we should have many other athletic activities with a similar spirit, rather that teaching everyone that life is always about competing, that you can only ever win by beating someone else.

[ASYD-PAPI]

I bet most of you reading this have had this exact situation happen to you; You feel off, depressed more than usual, or, your anxious and can't figure out why. You go to the doctor and he instantly, almost without pause, tells you that you need anti depressants and/or benzodiazepines( Xanax, Clonazepam, Ativan, etc.. ) Writes you a prescription, then informs you that the medication will only take effect anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks from starting the medication. So you wait, and you wait.... and you wait... And BOOM, You're either angry, irritable, more depressed than before, even suicidal. You go back to your doctor, and he says those famous words; "Oh this is normal. It's to be expected that the first, or even the first few medications you try will either, not work, or give adverse effects. We may have to have you try a few different medications before you feel positive results..." Here opens the medicine cabinet of a revolving door, you're now trapped in the loop. For the next year, few, or even decade, you will be stuck riding the big pharma roller coaster, going though mania's, extreme up's and down's, extreme impulse, etc.. "adverse effects" that are, most likely, even worse than the feelings you had before you first went to that doctor. And we know, especially now, that doctors are pushed to prescribe these new drugs, with bonuses, trips to tropical places for a week, all to attend a 1 hour convention, rap videos even. Prozac, and then, Oxycontin, paved the way for this new system where profits are held way higher than peoples safety. So, it's easy to think; 'are they really trying to help us, or.." are these new anti depressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers, etc.. just made to keep us "chasing the dragon" their way or is this really the answer?

I am a recovering addict from opiates, and opioid synthetics. I am now on methadone, clonodine, clonazepam, quitiapine( seroquel ), slow and quick release. I can say that without those pills, I don't know if I would still be "sober" today, BUT, not because they are helping me quit, no, they just help me feel "ok", while still being hooked to an opiate with no difference to any other. They say methadone has an opiate blocker, and suboxone has something that makes you even more sick, inside of them, but anyone who has been near a clinic knows, if they aren't truly trying to get clean, they are either, getting high directly from the methadone/suboxone and getting sky high doses, or trading it off for other drugs. The doctors are paid by the amount of patients they see so the higher the dose they give, makes it, in a way, an investment. And a lot of doctors know this well, and use it too their advantage. They hold your dose and meds above you, like drug dealers having a laugh, making you feel like they hold the keys to your sobriety in their hands and know it. And in some cases, they use the methadone or suboxone as a buffer, just to kick the withdrawal or "dope sickness" and do their drug of choice every other day.

So, in saying all of that, and, with what we know about Purdue and big pharma. Do we trust them to actually help us? Help us beat mental illness, addiction and everything that comes with it? Or, are they giving us half-a** medications that, just to say, touch the problem, but never actually help? One hour of mindfulness can be more productive than 100 days on an anti depressant( this is a self made statement, no statistics ). No pill has ever made me feel the wholeness and calm that a good session of stretching, yoga and meditation can. Be it prescribed or illicit. No drug can mimic the feeling of being engrossed in nature, hearing the birds, watching squirrels run about. But, on the other side, there are those who, if they did not take these meds, they could become a danger, not only to themselves, but to anyone and everyone around them. So my question is, where is the balance? And if we could even find it, between pointless that point between obsolete and extremely beneficial, would we even adopt it and change? If you were told that you could ween yourself off of all those pills in record time, not feel any adverse effects and feel better from doing so, but, it will be the hardest thing you've ever done. Needing extreme focus, motivation to be able to take time out of your day to actually practice, and learn further and the drive to push yourself "beyond". You will go through hell to find heaven, but, in doing so, you will reveal things about yourself that you never knew were even possible! Would you take this route? The hard route. Or, do you still trust that doctors, and big pharma, somewhere down beneath the greed, are still trying to help?

The main question is; "Do you take the easy road and stay numb for the rest of your life or do you take the hard route and truly connect? Especially with all the pressure pushing you to just go see a doctor instead of looking within

Yes, I know this will come off biased, I type these off the top of my head so I am sorry in advance for forming my own opinion before even asking the question, and for the jumbled mess that is this post. Looking forward to your reply's!!

Firstly, I don't doubt your description of your personal experience is accurate.

Having said that, your post is full of inaccuracies. For example, no one should expect talk therapy from a Primary Care provider. They have little to no training in that. If that's what you want, go to a therapist, whether psychiatrist, psychologist or actual therapist. Next, no one is giving Primary Care providers any compensation to prescribe drugs that went generic a decade ago. Lastly, if you want to blame something for PCs quickly writing prescriptions, blame low compensation for office visits necessitating 15 minute appointment durations.

As to the question you pose, mood disorders have a pretty good track record of control without drugs. Psychoses do not.

Research the methadone system, they are actually. And on the first part, I never even insinuated that doctors should be counselors.. I'm really confused about these "inaccuracies" and will correct anything if you have the proof for me to do so.

[stevie]

I bet most of you reading this have had this exact situation happen to you; You feel off, depressed more than usual, or, your anxious and can't figure out why. You go to the doctor and he instantly, almost without pause, tells you that you need anti depressants and/or benzodiazepines( Xanax, Clonazepam, Ativan, etc.. ) Writes you a prescription,...

Alien to me, so I stopped reading further.