Is There Anyone Else Not Taking Meds?

[Anarchy]

I picked a book up on mood lifting herbs, I'll look the ref up and post it.
Incidentally, the herbs do have side effects, for example St John s wort, hypericum, has long been known to cause birth defects and miscarriage in animals.
Bacon is much safer, not perfect, I'll grant you, but still good :-)

 

[Saint Nik]

Bacon is much safer, not perfect, I'll grant you, but still good

:roflmao: Brilliant!

 

[WillyKat]

I quit meds four years ago. I had started I think about 9 years before, on Serzone, which worked just fine for me. It helped me sleep better and improved my mood without making me feel medicated. After Serzone was pulled from the market around 2007 (??), I had to switch to Lexapro, then Effexor, and finally Cymbalta. None of the last three were nearly as good as Serzone.

So four years ago, I was slipping into a very dark place, didn't feel the meds were doing me any good, and just didn't give much of a damn about anything. So I just stopped refilling the prescription. Only later did I tell my GP doctor. He seemed OK with it, just asked me how I was doing. Honestly, the only thing I noticed, and this took a few months, was a weird taste in my mouth and much more difficulty dealing with anger.

A year later, I went back to therapy.

What's working for me right now is the therapy and spending much more time outside, communing with the animals, woods. I go on fairly insane wilderness trips by myself when I need to seriously recharge. I'm doing better now than ever.

 

[Saint Nik]

I'm doing better now than ever.

That's brilliant WillyKat! Love the idea of going as you put it fairly insane wilderness trips sounds immense! :tup:

 

[Tinyflame]

Over time I have learnt to.. address the way I increased my symptoms

Dear @shell , may I ask what this means? (Or perhaps rather, what were the ways that you identified as contributing to increasing your symptoms that thus had to be changed?)

Thank you! :hug:

 

[WillyKat]

I should say that my "insane" wilderness trips aren't all that insane. I only say that because many people have a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of going to the wilderness alone.

For the record, I'm extremely careful, I've taken several courses in wilderness survival, and so on. I also have a quite a bit of experience getting my ass kicked by Mother Nature, meaning that I've been overextended a couple of times and learned from it. It's actually far less dangerous than, say, hurtling down the freeway at 70 MPH in a tinfoil box.

 

[StellaBlue]

I know I posted earlier - but some of the responses here have gotten me thinking a bit more. I do think that anti-depressants are overprescribed - especially here in the US. I think there are a number of factors involved in this - including the influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies. For me, none of the anti-depressants worked for my depression. I did take Ambien for insomnia for a while - then realized I was sleep-eating - thousands of calories - and I worried that the next step might be getting into my car while I was under the influence, so to speak, so I stopped that. I had one asshat doctor prescribe me a cocktail of lithium, Wellbutrin and Seroquel - I was ready to crawl out of my skin after about two weeks (but the first two weeks I felt GREAT!).

By the time I realized that I was actually experiencing a lot of anxiety (I never knew that's what that feeling was - and I drank a lot to make it go away), my primary care provider refused to prescribe anything for it and told me to go into counseling. As I said before, it's probably a good think I don't have a script for anti-anxiolytics - I would definitely abuse them (I also have a love of pain pills - my first chemical love, besides alcohol, was Quaaludes [I'm definitely dating myself here!]).

The best thing I did to help combat the depression was to quit drinking. Cutting out the caffeine has helped somewhat with the anxiety - but it's still a struggle. I use mindfulness and DBT skills to tolerate it. Same with the insomnia. As I get further along in my healing, I have been trying to eat better, get some exercise, meditate, take time to do things I use to enjoy doing - all of these help.

I agree that it's really up to an individual to decide what he or she needs to do for themselves. I really hate when doctor's (or other mental health care providers) use the "well, you would take medication if you had diabetes, wouldn't you?". Well, maybe. But let's look at all of those clinical studies for the psychotropics (especially the anti-depressants) and then we'll talk...I'm in the group where I've found they just don't work for me - and the withdrawal effects suck wankers.

Wow - I have certainly babbled on - and I have 100 more thoughts on this :).

I should say that my "insane" wilderness trips aren't all that insane. I only say that because many people have a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of going to the wilderness alone.

...and I think most of the "big name" spiritual teachers did this at one time or another (I'm thinking the prince from Nepal or that rebel out of Jerusalem to name a couple ;)).

 

[WillyKat]

Yes they did.

Anyway, wilderness and therapy are a powerful combination, and work better *for me* than therapy and meds. But that's *my* experience; you're mileage may vary.

 

[shell]

Dear @shell , may I ask what this means? (Or perhaps rather, what were the ways that y...

@Junebug my faulty thinking was responsible for so much of my depression, I can honesty say I talked my self into my moods, anxiety and suicidality, just as I did and still do with fear. Fear has been something I have really struggled to control, but depression, nightmares and numbing I have addressed with addressing my disfunctional thinking. I know I have discussed self compassion with you, which helped address my massively abusive self critic, but correcting my thoughts and stopping dead in it's tracks the abuser (which was my mother) which I had internalized was the most healing thing I ever did.

It was only by going back through my past journals that I really saw who was running the show, and it wasn't a pretty sight, I had this really nasty part of me that was so abusive and nasty, it once had a function to protect me from doing things bad to avoid attracting attention.

These days if I am struggling I walk, I ground myself to the present, I listen to loud upbeat music, and if that doesn't help I light a candle, have a warm bath, and I self care, and am kind to myself by accepting this will pass, and it does.

I found the mindful way through depression enormously helpful in getting me started, as I do breathwork, and addressing my posture. A simple little thing like dropping my shoulders helped even reduce my anxiety level. Tensing my body feeds my anxiety, so I work on checking in on my body at regular intervals, and addressing the tension. Today it was my hands, I had the grip of death on my steering wheel going to work, it lead to my whole body locking up like I was about to be attacked, it wasn't true. I addressed my posture, loosened my grip and the anxiety I had been creating, just flowed out of me.

Becoming self aware has been the best medicine for me.

 

[Tinyflame]

It was only by going back through my past journals that I really saw who was running the show, and it wasn't a pretty sight, I had this really nasty part of me that was so abusive and nasty, it once had a function to protect me from doing things bad to avoid attracting attention.

That is interesting, I mean only in the way of it's function. Never thought of that. But I agree. I think for me the 2 most difficult parts of dismantling the inner critic is if I do recognize lousy self-talk, sometimes I can trace the words (or say phrases) back to others, sometimes I can't. Not sure if when I can't if I've just internalized it. The second difficult part is if it is how I 'feel', as in a silent inner critic but a vile one at that. However typing this I suppose it is 'thoughts' about myself. Terrible fear of harming others.

Come to think of it, ^, perhaps given my history that's just something I'll have to accept (the fear)/ live with.

Yes, thank you re: the self-compassion, though for one reason or another though I try to follow the principles I can't seem to self-generate it.

I found the mindful way through depression enormously helpful in getting me started, as I do breathwork, and addressing my posture. A simple little thing like dropping my shoulders helped even reduce my anxiety level. Tensing my body feeds my anxiety, so I work on checking in on my body at regular intervals, and addressing the tension. Today it was my hands, I had the grip of death on my steering wheel going to work, it lead to my whole body locking up like I was about to be attacked, it wasn't true. I addressed my posture, loosened my grip and the anxiety I had been creating, just flowed out of me.

Funny you should say that & though I know my body is frequently like a vise (I have to work on that), my breathing is horrendously shallow, it actually hurts to breathe properly (the action), but likely a big help & I am trying to remember to do it. I notice a lot of red leaves my eyes (& I don't smoke MJ! lol).

I should/ hope I will follow through- I know I should- to do the mindful way through depression.

I guess as you say we carry on where others left off. I just feel like I don't have substantial enough 'abuse' suffered to justify that explanation (to my mind).

Thank you sweet @shell. :hug: :hug:

 

[iwannadeletethis]

Hey @Saint Nik i do!! It's very hard sometimes. And now and again, I'll smoke a bit to take a break. But I've never taken meds. Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down. I feel like learning more about how your PTSD effects you and working with that is the most important thing.

 

[Saint Nik]

I'll smoke a bit to take a break

This too is one of my coping mechanisms!