To all the people looking to take medication to solve their ADD/anxiety/depression...

V

Vampire

Veteran XV
Don't do it.

There has been an absurd number of threads on these issues in the past week, and everytime I see the same theme. Person just wants to pop some pills to try to find the easy way out. Most of these people are taking medication without counseling, that will fuck you up worse than you were to begin with.

I've been going through this stuff for 5 or 6 years now. I was originally diagnosed with depression, then ADD, then ADD/depression/OCD, then ADD/anxiety/OCD, and now they've finally figured out that I never had ADD at all, and what I do have is a social anxiety disorder. I did have some minor OCD at one point, but through a little counseling and some determination, I got past that. No more locking doors a billion times for me ;)

I've been on wellbutron, paxil, and zoloft. Wellbutron just made me irritable, while paxil has some pretty bad sexual side effects. My girlfriend wanted me off that stuff as fast as possible. :p

Zoloft is a happy drug that seems to be what is prescribed the most lately. Sure it makes you feel great when you're on it, but it has some very very bad side effects once you stop taking it. Once I was off of it, I felt worse than I ever did before. Much greater anxiety problems, depression, etc.

At the moment I'm doing counseling with the RICBT (Rhode Island Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). Anybody in Rhode Island looking to get an evaluation, I highly recommend these people.

I cannot emphasize enough that medication is not the easy answer.

Counseling is not a fast process, but it goes at your own pace. I've been doing this for 2 months now and the differences made in my life are amazing. The best part about it is, I don't have to rely on any medication to keep it that way. I recommend all the people with these issues check it out, you may end up with medication (alongside counseling) in the end anyways, but you will be all the better if you take that first step.

Cliff notes:
- medication screws people up more than it helps
- counseling can provide much better longterm effects
- medication is great as long as it is with counseling
 
Last edited:
im going to my psychopharmacologist today at 5 to start an SSRI like zoloft or paxil. I am also going to cognitive-behavorial thearpy.

meds arent for everyone, but they actually work for some people. i hope they work for me
 
dr. nick said:
im going to my psychopharmacologist today at 5 to start an SSRI like zoloft or paxil. I am also going to cognitive-behavorial thearpy.

meds arent for everyone, but they actually work for some people. i hope they work for me
Click to expand...

As long as you're pairing it with counseling its great. I go no-meds personally, but I've heard good things about people who pair the two.

If you have a choice, I'd recommend Zoloft with counseling as that avoids the chance of sexual side effects. Then again, if that isn't an issue for you at the moment, I suppose it doesn't matter. :p I did also have some insomnia problems with Paxil, but that was a fairly odd occurence.
 
This has been my stance for quite some time. I was going to counseling for a period of time, and even the doctor suggested I try something for depression but I refuse to. Another chemical just doesn't seem like the right path, and at the very least only a short term solution.

I'm not one for the easy path in a wold of hard roads.
 
While never having been diagnosed with anything myself.. I have seen plenty of people (I used to work with primary, elementary in the US I guess) kids and it was plain to me to see who were the ones that really did have these problems and those that were taking it for an easy solution to a problem that they could have managed. Over the course of years it made their problems worse, and made them make excuses for things, when if they had gotten councelling and had their parents do their job and support them properly instead of paying for pills, they would have been far better off.
 
This makes total sense since EVERYONE shares the EXACT SAME physiology and mental state as YOU DO.

:)

Just because a certain path of treatment isn't best for you doesn't mean that it isn't good for someone else.

You can't generalize something like this, sorry.

(P.S. I'm a 28-year-old adult, and I still take Ritalin for a severe case of ADD that I was originally diagnosed with at age 10. I CAN tell a difference. I'm trying to phase to incorporating a more balanced diet and better sleep patterns, because those do make a difference, but I guarantee that FOR ME, the medication has done wonders. And no, there is NO easy way out for any of these conditions ... medication ALONE will not solve your problems.)

Edit: I missed the last part of your post, which I agree with ... ;)
 
Beren said:
While never having been diagnosed with anything myself.. I have seen plenty of people (I used to work with primary, elementary in the US I guess) kids and it was plain to me to see who were the ones that really did have these problems and those that were taking it for an easy solution to a problem that they could have managed. Over the course of years it made their problems worse, and made them make excuses for things, when if they had gotten councelling and had their parents do their job and support them properly instead of paying for pills, they would have been far better off.
Click to expand...

if a kid tries to be a kid... being hyper, running around, etc.... they need a pill. i don't get it ;(
 
Bounty said:
This makes total sense since EVERYONE shares the EXACT SAME physiology and mental state as YOU DO.

:)

Just because a certain path of treatment isn't best for you doesn't mean that it isn't good for someone else.

You can't generalize something like this, sorry.

(P.S. I'm a 28-year-old adult, and I still take Ritalin for a severe case of ADD that I was originally diagnosed with at age 10. I CAN tell a difference. I'm trying to phase to incorporating a more balanced diet and better sleep patterns, because those do make a difference, but I guarantee that FOR ME, the medication has done wonders. And no, there is NO easy way out for any of these conditions ... medication ALONE will not solve your problems.)

Edit: I missed the last part of your post, which I agree with ... ;)
Click to expand...

I diagnose you with Didn't fully read post syndrome ;) :p

I'm not saying medication is bad in the least bit. I'm saying medication by itself only causes more problems. That I can generalize. If you're doing other things along with it, then by all means, whatever works for you.

The problem I see is a ton of people going online and self-diagnosing themselves and thinking "hey a few pills and I'm all set" when it is really far beyond that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top