Anti-Depressants - do we really need them?

[RadioactiveWolfboy]

I joined the Church 12 years ago this september. Up until that point my life was chaos. Shortly after joining the Church a thought came to me....something is wrong with me. I prayed and searched the net for answers. Ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder was what I found. I went to my Doctor and when he asked what was up, I told him what I thought. He got a checklist of symptoms and went down the list. I had every symptom but one. That one symptom was have you ever been suicidal or tried to hurt yourself. I had not. But I was in serious need of meds and therapy. He tried me on tegretol, but after a couple months it just made me groggy all the time. Finally they got me on Zyprexa, an anti-psychotic and wow life just got better over a couple of weeks. Then I was still suffering a bit from depression, so they added a slight dose of celexa, which worked wonders. That was switched out for lexapro, due to insurance and now I live an almost normal life. I say almost because even medicated I still have some symptoms. But for the most part I am stable and happy. My Wife of then had been through the ringer and unfortunately she left. The worse thing about that was I was stable and improving myself. She couldn't bear she said dealing with me if my meds failed. The separation and following divorce was a hard time. Many a night I cried myself to sleep. Had I not been on the right meds, I would have fallen completely apart. My life is better now because my faith in the Gospel pointed me to my medical problem, for which I got help. Until that time in my life I hated any kind of pill. But now I respect what the right pill can do. I married a returned Missionary from Salt Lake and my ex-wife's friend went up to her after she moved here and told her some things about me before I got on meds. My wife said to her "I don't know that man." I am nothing like I was pre meds. Of course living the Gospel helps, but I couldn't do it without those very meds that some people think people don't need. Medication can be used for good or bad. Kids and some people these days are sometimes medicated un-necessarily. But there are those of us whose lives are so much better with them. They make us productive and successful and for me happy. My kids like me so much better now. We have a great relationship. I am happily married, attending college at 41 (3 months to go), and running a successful business. I couldn't ask for more.

Rich

[Guest HEthePrimate]

WordFlood,

My opinion (and I'm not a doctor) is that you were right to eventually stop taking antidepressants. There's nothing wrong with antidepressants, but it sounds like yours was a situational depression brought on by your divorce. I'm sure it was helpful to take them for a while, to help you through some rough times, but your depression was not a permanent medical condition, so it seems healthy to stop taking the antidepressants after a while and learn to work through the emotions.

All the same, there are forms of depression caused by medical conditions such as clinical depression and bipolar disorder. These are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain and can be permanent, so it is advisable to continue taking antidepressants (and a mood stabilizer, in the case of bipolar) if you have a condition like one of these.

Basically, it all depends on what the cause of the depression is, and individual circumstances. The way I look at it is if I have an allergy or a headache, then I'll take allergy medication or Advil, and if I don't, I won't.

I wonder if, when someone stops taking a medication such as antidepressants, it might be a good idea to do so gradually, to taper it off so as to avoid suddenly being hit anew by severe depression. But I don't know--I'm not a psychiatrist.

BTW, I see no reason why taking antidepressants would interfere with revelation from the Lord--if He has something to tell you, I'm sure He can find a way!

DH

[Guest Username-Removed]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Its wonderful to see people post without getting bent out of shape! This has to be one of my favorite threads, not because I started it, but because of the wonderful comments.

[booboo]

Anti-depressants ---- i never saw the need y ppl would take them, well things here are getting bad in south africa, so i sent my wife back to the USA to get started on my imergration. so im stuck now with out her, we were planning to live here forever, but the econmmic situation and crime is so out of control we decided to go to POST FALLS , ID. now we have been apart for 3 months and life sux. i sit at home and do nothing. life is boring, cant get a job not even part time, but im ok as just before my wife left i sold my business and so i got cash, actully i dont i gave it all to her. so that she can get an apartment look for land get a car and keep her going till i get there. and been away from my babe has made me mope i went to my DOC and he said i should try this {{{CILIFT}}} a tiny little tab, well i still miss my wife but i know its only a matter of time till we are together and i dont mope arround anymore, ANIT-DE. do help

[RachelleDrew]

Up until I was 13, doctors had my parents convinced I was ADHD and had me on a huge dose of medication. They never did any psychiatric evaluation, they just told my mom "oh, she's hyperactive and defiant? must be ADHD." So they put me on medication and turned me lose more or less.

Gee, what a wonder that it didn't work! I progressively became worse and worse on the Ritalin and Adderall, and the doctor just kept upping the dosage. It wasn't until I was 13 that I was finally diagnosed as Bi-Polar 1 with mania-induced psychosis after my parents took me to a hospital for an insane tantrum I was throwing that resulted in me breaking my own arm.

The damage that the doctor who "diagnosed" me ADHD was permanent. My psychologists and psychiatrists believe that if that doctor hadn't given me so much medication for the misdiagnosis, then my current Bi-Polar wouldn't be as severe as it is today. I take 5 medications a day right now for this condition, my current doctors said that if I had been correctly diagnosed sooner then I wouldn't be on so many.

Moral of the story? THINK about the drugs that they are putting you on. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion. Like any drugs, anti-depressants and other mood disorder drugs can worsen your mental state if not taken with great care. The effects of such drugs if not correctly given or taken can be permanent. My Bi-Polar is twice as bad now as it would have been if I had just gone to a psychologist who knew what they were doing, and not some rinky-dink family practitioner that doesn't know the first thing about mental illness and gives out Paxil and Adderall like candy.

These drugs are highly over-used in my opinion. However, I know that were I not on my current "cocktail" of mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics and anti-depressants I would be a threat to myself and other people.

It took a very long time to find the right medicines, dosages and combinations. Medicating a mental illness takes time, don't expect a quick fix and don't expect them to do their job without some therapy in the mix.

Just be very careful when dealing with them. That's all I have to say.

[mightynancy]

Indeed. Someone close to me may need to go on Seroquel at some point...but we're putting it off as long as we can. Cognitive therapy was our first treatment. If the condition worsens to the point that medication is needed, we'll redouble our efforts in therapy as well.

I'm sorry for your misdiagnosis - my friend's niece went through something similar and ultimately died as a result.

[Redbeard]

Just thought I'd comment too, I also have personal experience:

I was on celexa for quite a while, I had attempted a couple times and if it wasn't for antideppresents AND therapy I would probably not be here today. Anti depressants are not "voodoo pharmacology" we know exactly what part of the brain we are effecting, unfortunatly, because people's brains are different, the effect will be different as well.

anti's (shortened cause I'm lazy) help bring the bottom up, you will still have emotions, but because your brain is releasing more serotonin you are better equiped to deal with the "low" times.

I personally would not recomend anti's unless you are going to try and work on the root of your problems. They are great to help you get through the rough times, but you will still have problems if you don't learn to face what's troubling you. I do believe there are some people that it is just a chemical imbalance and for those people using anti's long term is deffinatly important.

If you do decide you want to stop taking your medication, your therapist and doc should check off on it. What they will do at that point is start lowering your doses (DO NOT TRY TO QUIT COLD TURKEY!!!!) If at any point you get the inkling of suicide/ultranegative feelings, get yourself to a doc ASAP. Usually suicidal thoughts are brought on from negative memories, so if you learn what those triggers are (this is what your therapist should be helping you with), and you learn to deal with them in a healthy manner you shouldn't need therapy or drugs for the rest of your life. I've been of all meds now for quite a while and I feel very prepared for dealing with stress, deppression, and anger.

Do yourself a favor, if you are depressed, do something about it! There are also alternatives to therapy and medication such as therapy and eating correctly, exersize, healthy enviroment, but those require huge lifestyle changes which most depressed people don't have the ability to deal with, but they are possible if you will not consider medicinal routes.

Dealing with, and dare I say CONQUERING, depression will change your life around and make everything so much more satisfying... don't live life with something that can be fixed for so little trouble!

Just in case anyone is wondering, I am not a doctor, shrink, or anything fancy, and I do not work for any pharmacological companies (is that a word?). I did a lot of research before I considered taking drugs.

If you would like personal information of my experience please let me know, I am happy to provide as much info as possible to whomever needs it!

[Guest Username-Removed]

Does anybody think that some medication can take away from receiving the spirit or gaining revelation?

I say this because we some that things like too much caffiene and alcohol can impair our spiritual reception. Are there some other meds that can do the same thing?

[GoodK]

Does anybody think that some medication can take away from receiving the spirit or gaining revelation?

I say this because we some that things like too much caffiene and alcohol can impair our spiritual reception. Are there some other meds that can do the same thing?

I don't see how one thing has to do with another. Don't you think that if God wanted to reveal something to us, no matter how "impaired" we are, he would be able to get through to us?

I think these sort of drugs are over-prescribed and a bit dangerous, but I don't see the difference in taking Zoloft for depression and taking an anti-biotic for an infection.

[Guest Username-Removed]

I don't see how one thing has to do with another. Don't you think that if God wanted to reveal something to us, no matter how "impaired" we are, he would be able to get through to us?

Yes, I do think that we do remove ourselves from his influence by the use of some things like I mentioned. However, Im not sure if this also may apply to anti-depressants or other prescription meds. Which is why I threw the question out there.

[MormonMama]

Does anybody think that some medication can take away from receiving the spirit or gaining revelation?

I say this because we some that things like too much caffiene and alcohol can impair our spiritual reception. Are there some other meds that can do the same thing?

I think that anything that affects us physically, emotionally and mentally can also affect us spiritually. I think that's true in all walks of life. I don't feel the spirit when I watch violent movies or listen to music with profanity.

But I also agree with GoodK that if God really wants to get through to us, He can. Look how un-spiritual Paul and Alma the Younger were, but God managed to get through to them.

[Hemidakota]

I was reading some of the medical threads and wanted to comment on my own experience with an Anti-Depressant called Effexor.

About 8 years ago I started taking Effexor after my divorce. I admit, I had a bit of a hard time dealing with my son and my daughter moving far away from me. Yes, I wanted the divorce because of circumstances with my wife. However, I never thought that she would have been that ruthless when it came to working with the kids to help them understand what was going on. She just decided to leave and I had about 10 seconds to say goodbye to them.

After trying to deal with the loss of my kids, I noticed my career was suffering. To make things worse, I became inactive in the church. I just couldnt go because of rumor after rumor that I was the womanizer! LOL which is really silly! But the reputation that I had worked so hard on was gone.

So after about a year trying to deal with the changes, I talked to my doctor about anti-depressants. After trying several types, I ended up on Effexor. I was prescribed 1/2 of the minimum dosage. One thing I noticed about these anti-depressants is that there was very little "good times" and very little "bad times". I was in my dream career, and I could care less. I was a project manager for several major telecom companies working on their DSL projects. The joy of my career simply wasn’t there. And of course, there was no feeling of despair either.

After a few years, I felt I was ready to stop my medication. After consulting with my doctor, He advised me not to stop. About that time there were news articles about people killing themselves after suffering severe depression as a result of discontinuing their medication.

I prayed a lot about it. Then, finally 6 months later, I stopped. I was ready for the worse. The next day, I had those same symptoms that the news articles published. Luckily, my logical mind knew where this was coming from, and, after a week I was fine. In two weeks, I was feeling the normal ups and downs that I love so much about living in the world.

Now, 10 years after my divorce, I am in a great career, well respected by my work peers and fellow church members. My life has great purpose and I look back at the learning experiences of my life and cherish them with no regrets.

I often wonder if my use of anti-depressants simply delayed me dealing with the loss of my kids. I also wonder if the anti-depressants may have blocked some of the revelation that I would normally have received to help me deal with the loss.

Regardless, I wanted to post this personal thread to anybody that might be considering taking anti-depressants. Also please read some of the most recent articles on anti-depressants such as what the FDA is now saying that even the effectiveness of popular antidepressants have been exaggerated. These include: Wyeth's Effexor and Pfizer Inc.'s Zoloft.

The purpose of this post is not a political statement from me that I am anti-medication. I am not. I simply wanted to share my experience with the forum that it, in some way, may help someone else.

I wish we can stop the military in handing out this 'candy' to the kids upon return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Guest Username-Removed]

I think that anything that affects us physically, emotionally and mentally can also affect us spiritually. I think that's true in all walks of life. I don't feel the spirit when I watch violent movies or listen to music with profanity.

But I also agree with GoodK that if God really wants to get through to us, He can. Look how un-spiritual Paul and Alma the Younger were, but God managed to get through to them.

So, I guess it begs to question whether or not the impressions and direction that we get everyday would be removed, and if its worth it to be removed. I dont think there are any hard answers as all these meds affect us differently, but just throwing things out to be part of the consideration process when thinking about these meds. When I was on Effexor, I did notice a change and although I believe as you do, larger revelations would have been recieved, I really enjoy the still small voice, the daily promtings that direct me. Its the loss of those promptings that led me to the desire to remove that med from my life. It was a personal decision for me.

[Hemidakota]

I did notice the same while being placed on certain forms of medication in not receiving those daily promptings.

This thread has great merits...thanks for posting it.

[Hemidakota]

Does anybody think that some medication can take away from receiving the spirit or gaining revelation?

I say this because we some that things like too much caffeine and alcohol can impair our spiritual reception. Are there some other meds that can do the same thing?

Yes and no...Depending on the amount and what is being affected.

Beside medication, even loss of sleep can cause the same poor spiritual reception. There are many other that can be listed here but not needful at this time.

[ruthiechan]

Yes and no...Depending on the amount and what is being affected.

Beside medication, even loss of sleep can cause the same poor spiritual reception. There are many other that can be listed here but not needful at this time.

Right you are there.

Ditto for not eating well.

Psychiatry is the only medical profession (and psychiatrists are medical doctors) where the psychiatrist largely does not look at the organ that's being treated (the brain). A heart doctor (forget what they're called) does not say, "oh you have heart disease" and gives everyone with heart disease the same medication. That would be ludicrously horrible. But this is what happens to people with depression, ADD, anxiety, and other mental issues.

If you are having trouble learning in school, even while sitting in the front row, what happens? Do they call you in for counseling and help you, "get over it" or "work harder" or "buck up"? No, they take you to an eye doctor to have your eyes checked because it is suspected that you have bad eye sight. Then, after you have glasses, they work with you to develop a strategy to catch up with the rest of the class. You succeed, because now you can see, and you were given the needed study tools.

About the Spirit, if you have negative thoughts looping inside your head, and everything is doom and gloom you are not going to be very receptive to the Spirit. When you do feel it you have a momentary nice fuzzy feeling but then you're right back to the doom and gloom. You need that to stop before you can appreciate the good things in life. So, you go the doctor so you can see again, and after that you obtain the tools needed to "catch up".

[MormonMama]

So, I guess it begs to question whether or not the impressions and direction that we get everyday would be removed, and if its worth it to be removed.

RuthieChan beat me to the punch, and answered your question better than I could have:

About the Spirit, if you have negative thoughts looping inside your head, and everything is doom and gloom you are not going to be very receptive to the Spirit.

I think all factors really have to be weighed. Are you better off with the medication or without it? As others have said, it's all very individual. I've known people who truly would not be here today without anti-depressants and other mood-altering medications. Similarly, I know people who were basically zombies on the meds and did not fare well at all.

[Hemidakota]

This leads to another medical condition known as BI-POLAR, which drugs prescribed can enhanced or destroy members lives.

[Hemidakota]

I guess I will need another 'bannana' for tomorrow's class. LOL

[RachelleDrew]

This leads to another medical condition known as BI-POLAR, which drugs prescribed can enhanced or destroy members lives.

Agreed, I was in group therapy with about 20 others who were diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder and a few with clythomania (similar). It became very apparent to myself and other members that a lot of them were either self-diagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed. *slaps forehead*.

When I heard these people whining about feeling a little grumpy one day and a little happy the next I couldn't help but think about the idiot doctors or parents who had them convinced they were Bi-Polar. Which with constant over-medicating and reassurance that there is something wrong with you, you actually can develop a REAL disorder.

If you call a duck a dog enough times one day the duck will bark at you.

During my first hospital stay I was put on a lockdown and given nothing for amusement but a few softcover books and some paper and crayons (pens and pencils were not allowed). I was manic out of my mind and did nothing for the first three hours but write down my thoughts exactly as they were. I still have those pages (around 35 in all) and to look at them from my now medicated state is still astounding to me almost ten years later. I may find some excerpts from them that don't contain foul language and scan them so people can see what the mind of someone with a mental disorder is like.

I can tell you this much, I feel the spirit much stronger now that I actually have control over my thought process. I thank heavenly father for the group of doctors I encountered at the hospital every day, I feel that by providing me with good medical attention and medicine he was providing a way for me to actually hear the holy spirit.

[Guest Username-Removed]

If you call a duck a dog enough times one day the duck will bark at you.

Thats for sure! Loved your post! Thank you!

[Moksha]

I may find some excerpts from them that don't contain foul language and scan them so people can see what the mind of someone with a mental disorder is like.

Sounds interesting.

[GoodK]

Yes and no...Depending on the amount and what is being affected.

Beside medication, even loss of sleep can cause the same poor spiritual reception. There are many other that can be listed here but not needful at this time.

Where can I read about the many others? Who said loss of sleep can cause poor spiritual reception? (can you hear me now)

I don't expect this to be founded in doctrine, but maybe something. Anything. Besides Mormon folklore. Please.

[MormonMama]

Where can I read about the many others? Who said loss of sleep can cause poor spiritual reception? (can you hear me now)

I don't expect this to be founded in doctrine, but maybe something. Anything. Besides Mormon folklore. Please.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I get poor sleep or not enough sleep I'm not as receptive to the spirit (or anything else, for that matter).

[Hemidakota]

Where can I read about the many others? Who said loss of sleep can cause poor spiritual reception? (can you hear me now)

I don't expect this to be founded in doctrine, but maybe something. Anything. Besides Mormon folklore. Please.

Your posting is revealing your true maturity level...take heed.