Antidepressants

Forums: Philosophy
Email this Topic • Print this Page

I would put this under the 'taking drugs' thread but the title of that last one seemed to confuse a lot of people.

Antidepressants are scary. I'm not talking about side-effects. Assume they are working. They make you happy when you would otherwise be sad. It seems wrong. If YOU would be sad without them, then who is this person who is now happy? It's like you've killed yourself and handed your life over to someone else...

There's a movie called The Prestige where two magicians compete to outdo each other in a transporting man trick. One of them discovers a "scientific" way to make a clone of himself at a new location. To make the trick work, he has to duplicate himself and then let the clone kill off his current self.

That's freaking scary. It seems like antidepressants are very similar to me. Your new self may be more happy, but it's not really YOU anymore!

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 5,947 • Replies: 121

No top replies

Speaking as a long term taker of Prozac I can tell you that it is not a difference between "happy" and "sad" but a difference between functional and not.

Who is this person?

It is still me. But a me who can pull the covers off of her head and walk around in the world.

0 Replies

Both myself, and others. I've been pretty depressed most of life...but I've always felt that taking drugs to solve my problems is weak and that I should just suck it up like everything else. And like I said, I'm scared of them.

0 Replies

If I were diabetic would you criticize me for taking drugs to improve my condition?

0 Replies

stuh505 wrote:

Both myself, and others. I've been pretty depressed most of life...but I've always felt that taking drugs to solve my problems is weak and that I should just suck it up like everything else. And like I said, I'm scared of them.

I think you are assuming no one has a worse level of depression than you've experienced.

Big mistake.

0 Replies

Well, did anyone analyze the chemical levels in your brain before prescribing you medication? Or did they just notice that you were sad, and give you a drug to make you happy..

0 Replies

Lash wrote:

I think you are assuming no one has a worse level of depression than you've experienced.
Big mistake.

I don't know what I said that made you think that...I never asked for pity, I just said I had been depressed my whole life.

0 Replies

stuh505 wrote:

Both myself, and others. I've been pretty depressed most of life...but I've always felt that taking drugs to solve my problems is weak and that I should just suck it up like everything else. And like I said, I'm scared of them.

Hi. I wanted to clarify that I'm not angry or anything--but look at your post.

You are speaking from your level of depression. "I've always been pretty depressed, but I've always felt taking drugs to solve my problems is weak."

Had you experienced the level of depression that some have, you wouldn't say that.

If you can do without antidepressants, you should.

Some people can't.

I'm happy your depression has been managable. I didn't think you'd asked for pity. I just thought you may not know what depression can be like for some people.

0 Replies

depression- emotional low
clinical depression-severely dysfunctional

0 Replies

I went through several tests and several rounds of "talk" therapy.

They didn't notice I was "sad" they noticed that I hadn't spoken a word in several weeks and that I wasn't functioning as a regular person. I really don't want to go into my irregularities in a public forum.

I've taken a lot of criticism over the fact that I take a drug to help me regulate my mood but I know it is coming from people who have never been there, done that, have the T-shirt, blahblahblah.

I'm not Ms. Activist or anything but I hate for anyone to feel bad about the fact that they take an anti-depressant.

I will not be ashamed and I hope they won't either.

0 Replies

Boomerang, you right, you shouldn't be ashamed.

Depression sucks.
Some can manage without drugs.
Some can't.
Whatever it takes to not be depressed -is a good thing.

0 Replies

stuh, I understand not liking drugs.
I don't like the idea of them myself.
But if that's what it would take, then that's what I would do.

Not just with depression, but alot of things... physical and mental,
when it gets bad enough, you will try whatever it takes...

It's not weak and it stops being scary, when all other options have been tried and have failed.

And no one can judge, or should judge another's pain.

0 Replies

boomerang wrote:

I'm not Ms. Activist or anything but I hate for anyone to feel bad about the fact that they take an anti-depressant.

I will not be ashamed and I hope they won't either.

boomerang

Kurt Vonnegut, at the age of 50, was lucky enough to have his life-long struggle with depression alleviated. A doctor finally prescribed what he (Kurt) called the right "good chemicals" to counter the influence of the "bad chemicals". He said that it was a revelation to finally experience life as it was meant to be. Just one small dose of good chemicals every day changed everything. He was not in the slightest bit ashamed!

0 Replies

stuh505 wrote:

Well, did anyone analyze the chemical levels in your brain before prescribing you medication? Or did they just notice that you were sad, and give you a drug to make you happy..

Saying anti-depressant drugs will make you "happy" is an oversimplification. This is a matter of being functional and feeling more connected to life. Unless you've taken the drugs I don't believe you are in a position to knock them. Once you've tried them then you can complain, but please erase the thought that taking them is a sign of weakness-- as a matter of fact it's the opposite.

0 Replies

I don't think I knocked the drugs, I am just saying why they are scary to me.

The point about taking them only if you cannot function as a human being doesn't make any sense. Different people have widely varying tolerances for pain and suffering and may be able to put on a smile or whatever it takes to conceal their inner feelings. It's not about functionality it's about feelings.

How can any of us know what depression "can be like" for another? How can you say that one person has it worse, or better? You can't really compare one's actions like attempted suicide, that doesn't mean anything because some people don't have the personality to attempt something and not go through with it.

0 Replies

stuh505 wrote:

How can any of us know what depression "can be like" for another? How can you say that one person has it worse, or better? You can't really compare one's actions like attempted suicide, that doesn't mean anything because some people don't have the personality to attempt something and not go through with it.

I can see absolutely no point in making such comparisions, stuh.
The point is how a particular individual feels & is functioning ... & that is something to be discussed with their own doctor.

0 Replies

Antidepressants scare me too, Stuh. Though for different reasons.

stuh505 wrote:

The point about taking them only if you cannot function as a human being doesn't make any sense. Different people have widely varying tolerances for pain and suffering and may be able to put on a smile or whatever it takes to conceal their inner feelings. It's not about functionality it's about feelings.

It isn't necessarily a matter of individual tolerance for pain and suffering.

I do not think it is about feelings.

0 Replies

As I understand it, modern anti-depressants are designed to level out abnormal chemical imbalances, rather than to impose their own.

In other words, you should feel more like yourself, rather than less so...able to feel sad, but in way that is appropriate and proportional to the situation.

0 Replies

My Mom has been on Effexor for years now.

Before they found the "right" drug for her, my parent's lives had been
a nightmare.

My Mom had real trouble just getting out of bed, getting dressed. Actually, she really couldn't do anything anymore, except lay on the couch with a constant frown.

Before I experienced this in my family, I never thought depression was
that bad. Well, it is, believe me.

Thank God, Mom seems very much like her old self today. I can't tell
any difference from the way she was before her depression, other than she's gained a bit of weight.

0 Replies

Eorl wrote:

As I understand it, modern anti-depressants are designed to level out abnormal chemical imbalances, rather than to impose their own.

Makes sense in concept but it doesn't seem to be a very well understood area. First I'm not convinced anyone knows whats really normal chemical levels and as I pointed out earlier I doubt they measure the chemical levels in your brain before prescribing your medication.

Secondly if emotions are tied to chemicals in your brain then every emotion would have different chemical levels. I'm sure getting dumped or having your mother die is going to change your chemical levels too, should you run off and get yourself pumped full of drugs to take away your sadness then?

I don't see any real evidence that chronic depression is any different. Just because it's happening for long periods of time or recurrently doesn't mean it's not natural. Even if it is so great that it is debilitating.

0 Replies

Antidepressants

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know