Side effects

I used to be hooked on a drug. I was not informed of side effects. I certainly wasn't informed of how physically addictive it was. I used to take this drug every single day, doubling the dose every so often, until I was taking so much that my supplier would limit how much she'd give me at a time in case I went over the top. The side effects included hypertension, twitching, stomach cramps. I tried to come off it cold turkey several times but never could. My supplier finally suggested weening myself of slowly. I did. For over a month, I would have days where I literally couldn't stand, was constantly sick, was suicidal, dizzy all the time, couldn't concentrate on conversation or even hold a thought in my head. A few days were just like that scene in trainspotting where Ewen McGregor is coming off heroin! I was on this drug for over two years. I'm finally off it now, but still get a few "flashbacks" occasionally.The drug was an Anti-depressant. The supplier was my GP.

The moral? I'm not sure to be honest. I do know that over 60% of my friends/relatives are on anti-depressants. If my mother misses one dose, 12 hours late she's bent double, being violently sick.
The side effects of most recreational drugs are nothing compared to the shit I've gone through thanks to my doctor. I wasn't even depressed when I was prescribed them!
I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with prescribed medicines or has any opinion on the current trend for doctors giving out Anti-depressants for almost every mental issue?

Also, if anyone is prescribed ANYTHING be their doctor, do some research before using it. Do NOT TRUST a doctor to know everything. They dont.

 

*looks nervously at his packet of Citalopram

 

Oh dear! Very similar to what I was on.

http://www.prozactruth.com/celexastories.htm

Celexa is another name for what you are taking by the way. (You probably knew that!)

 

Thanks for the linkage

My pills are pretty low grade (20mg) and I last took an experimental break from them about 7 weeks ago, so I know I'm still cool.

Sorry to hear yer had such a rough time tho'. And, sadly, your's isn't the only horror story I've heard about anti-depressants

 

That's what really bugs me. If mine was the only story I'd heard, then fair enough, I guess I'm the 0.01% of the population that suffered an adverse effect. But it's not. There's tons of these stories around. Plus, there's been loads of reports in the last few years about the way that pharmaceutical companies cover up negative results during trials. They're evil.

 

I totally agree, people put faith in doctors far too easily. And too many doctors (especially with the state of the NHS) take the easy route of perscribing the most convenient thing, instead of dealing with a patients problems more indepth (I'm lucky, I have a very good doctor who requests that I see her regularly, if I'm on pills....instead of just handing out endless repeat perscriptons).

As for the pharmaceutical companies, well they just love doctors like that....pills=profit :H

 

My GP was definately taking the easy route. I only went in to see her because I was shy and lacked confidence and wondered if maybe there was some kind of counselling or assertiveness course I could go on.
I always request a different doctor now. I'm glad that you've not had any problems with your pills mate. To be honest, you're the first person I've heard from who HASN'T had any trouble while taking SSRI's!

 

yes i have had similar troubles, the doctor decided a high dosage of antidepressants would shut me up for a while!

however the little happyplls she prescribed to me when taken reacted with my body just like an exstacy pill. anyone who caught sigt of me would just presume id been popping pills for the fun of it, and the only thing they had done for me was made me feel more crazy and also yes built up an addiction of sorts!

it in my opinion is a quick fix not thouroughly thought through, and a way for the medical system to avoid long term more costly treatments!

love peace and smiles
jx

 

My step mummys just come off them. she was on them for a LOOOOONG time. and she was in DISPAIR over the withdrawl symptoms, much like what you described with mood swings etc on top. maggie is a very level headed person and controls even her PMT (which as girls will know its hard to control). However she went onto the internet at my dad sujjestion (my dads a net freak with all of his fishing friends where as my step mums only just getting into the world wide web) and she found a forum FULL of people all experiancing the same symptoms and just talking to each otehr. she'd been so tempted just to go back on them to stop oit but knowing there were otehrs out there feeling the same she didnt and now she seems so much better.

She said when she was on the she just felt numb to everything.




Throught my depression and through my anxiety and my panick attacks ... a large amount of people i ve told about it told me to go to the doctor, but from experiance of others (and i was only 14 when this started) i realised all id get was shoved on pills. now i dont go to doctors unless it an emergency.

 

Hmm... I've been on Cipralex (escitalopram) for a few months now... It has kinda worked, but then again not...

I still feel very depressed at times, I want to hurt myself, want to die, I have severe memory loss, I can't even remember most of last week, I have almost no energy, I'm yawning a lot... Oh and I can't cry like I used to. I have no interest in working, studying, cleaning, even basic hygiene really...

Yet I somehow manage to function "normally", I go to work, sometimes tidy up my home, do the laundry, wash my hair (yeah like once a week ), go shopping, see my friends (there's not many of them around nowadays), hang out with my hubby and our cats...

I feel like my life is going nowhere. But I think I'm still better off than a lot of people, so I gotta keep that in mind and try to stay positive...

I've no idea what I'm talking about anymore. Thanks for the thread.

~lovetulip.

 

With illegal and legal drugs people are never told the side effects.

I think when giving drug ed' people should be told about the side effects and long termn effects and stuff!

 

Love you all people.

I tried to ask for some help, when my lady was very ill in hospital over xmas. My doctor said don't worry about it, there's plenty of possible brides on the net. Outraged at the time but not now.

 

I have 2 local doctors: one is practically obese and the other has already had 2 heart attacks and has had to retire early! Is it me or is that slightly worrying!? if they can't look after themselves should we really trust these people to look after us!? Doctors seem to prefer trying to stop the symptoms instead of getting to the root of problems. I mean a healthy diet (eg. fruit veg seeds and fish) can have a massive impact in peoples lives and will prevent most people from getting complaints in the first place. Why don't doctors give out advice like that rather than giving out tablets. Surely long term health is better than short term relief ??

 

unfortunately my mother was prescribed some evil shit in the 70's.
they then gave her other stuff to counter that.
and so on and so on.
it's too late now. without them she goes paranoid-psychotic. got a box with a diff pill for each day of the week now.
fucking bastards with their haughty ignorance totally messed with my mother's brain and body.
all because she was a bit stressed out being married to a bully.

 

Blame should get passed onto the training schemes these doctors have to go through, maybe the universities and their course content condone pill pushing!? and i guess eventually blame should land at the government's feet as it usually does.

Bad bad bad situation!

 

I dunno. I'd imagine that for most doctors, the reality of being a GP is far removed from what they invisioned when they first started Med school. It must be very easy to become disillusioned with their career path and enter into a state of complacency when dealing with the same mundane issues day in, day out. Plus, the ammount of literature that comes with any new drug release, multiplied by the gigantic ammount of new drugs hitting the market every year must make it an absolute nightmare trying to keep up. Dr's are only human, and although slightly more educated about biology and medicines, they should not be percieved as infallable.
Doctors are only good for ADVICE but not for ANSWERS.

 

well-there-seems-to-be-more-and-more-evidence-to-support-the-fact-that-diet-has-immense-impacts-on-psychological-and-physical-illnesses.

I'm-not-saying-that-diet-has-all-the-answers...but-it's--huge-factor-in-my-opinion...along-with-personal-environment,-pollution-and-exercise

 

I think your dead right claire. If everyone stuck to organic fruit veg seeds and oily fish strictly, ate no processed foods. I'd wager that cancer/diabetes/arthritus/heart disease even depression would pretty much dissapear. Its been proven that carbohydrates are naturally I'd trust a nutritionist far more than a doctor, and sites like www.whfood.com are as good as a nutritionist any day of the week

Its not going to happen in this society obviously and yeah pollution and amount of excercise definately come into it too. Diets not the be all and end all but it is a massive factor like-claire-said.

 

Like you do, eh BD?! I've seen the shit you put in your
stomach after a night on the town!

 

Nobody is perfect ehh HHSB. Besides I never said I adhered to that..Well its what i try to adhere to but the will power is sadly lacking sometimes, especially after a few pints