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androbot01
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26 Jul 2016, 9:58 am

Last night I was awakened by my roommate fussing around the kitchen. I got up and went out to see what he was doing at 3am and found him beet red, profusely sweating, carrying a flyswatter and wearing a police issue illuminating headlight.
Turns out he saw a centipede and was now consumed with ridding our entire house of them. He told me he had killed two, maybe three. He was bending down to look under things, opening doors. Now I'm no fan of centipedes but this seemed a bit much.
I went out for a smoke and he followed me out, removing his police light and putting down his flyswatter. He told me that if this issue wasn't resolved he would have to move.
I mentioned that I take anxiety meds and they help; maybe they could help with his panic triggers.

He said, "I don't want to lose myself to medication; I would rather be who I am."

That's his business, of course, but I couldn't help but wonder at his weighing of the pros and cons. Is it truly better to have to move because of a ridiculous phobia than it is to take medication to deal with it. To my mind he was avoiding the problem by ignoring a good solution. So, I left him to his anxiety and went back to bed.

But why do people not want to take medication for mental illness? Why do they think they will be less of who they are? I take a lot of meds and I find that I am able to be myself with them rather than being crippled by illness.

Does a person with high blood pressure become not as much themselves when they take pills to regulate it?

I don't get it.



kraftiekortie
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26 Jul 2016, 10:44 am

Because, sometimes, medications for medical illness makes people zombies. You can actually see this in mental hospital wards.

I, myself, don't like feeling zombiefied.

But I also, most definitely, agree with what you say, too.



androbot01
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26 Jul 2016, 11:08 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
I, myself, don't like feeling zombiefied.

This is exactly the sort of prejudice I am talking about.
Why is it assumed that any mental health medication will turn you into a "zombie?" And what does that even mean? I haven't heard of all that many people turning to cannibalism as a result of taking medication.



kraftiekortie
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26 Jul 2016, 11:34 am

I don't mean cannibalism.

I mean they make people permanently stoned and always tired. I've seen the results in mental hospital wards.

I'm not against using medications always....they are needed at times. I'm just not an advocate of using it exclusively in lieu of therapy.



naturalplastic
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26 Jul 2016, 11:38 am

androbot01 wrote:
kraftiekortie wrote:
I, myself, don't like feeling zombiefied.

This is exactly the sort of prejudice I am talking about.
Why is it assumed that any mental health medication will turn you into a "zombie?" And what does that even mean? I haven't heard of all that many people turning to cannibalism as a result of taking medication.


He obviously doesnt mean "that you will turn into an extra in a Romero movie and start to march across the land looking for brains".

What he means is that you will become a "vegetable". That is sitting around like a passive piece of furniture in front of the tube unable to do anything (or even emote, or think much). Thats what folks mean by "being a zombie"(living dead-that sorta metaphor).

Not trying to take sides (in fact Im kinda with you -that in the case of your room mate he should consider medication).

Sometimes medication works wonders. A young energeticic brainy attractive young lady I was aquainted with (and whom I still think about :heart: years later) confided that she took meds because "I am crazy as a loon". I would never have guessed because she functioned so well.

On the other hand a buddy of mine hears voices. I asked him if there was medication for that. He said there were meds to stop voices but "they turn you into a vegetable/zombie" so the cure is worse than the condition. So I just live with the voices." Which made sense to me.

So ...it all depends.



Aristophanes
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26 Jul 2016, 11:46 am

Well, at the heart of it, it's just like marijuana-- drugs affect people differently, even psychotropic drugs. When I was younger and they had me diagnosed with ahedonia, they also had me on all kinds of drugs like wellbutrin, zyprexa, etc. I did feel "zombified", basically like my mind had turned to mush. I couldn't focus, my deep recall memory (which is probably my greatest asset) was gone, and I didn't really feel "better" because I missed my memory so much. That's not to say that drugs can't help people, just that the mileage may vary from person to person-- and that's why it should always be an individual's decision what gets put in their body.

On a side note, I'm glad your medication is helping.

edit: changed wrong "effect" to "affect". I grammar police myself.



Last edited by Aristophanes on 26 Jul 2016, 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Noca
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26 Jul 2016, 1:15 pm

androbot01 wrote:
kraftiekortie wrote:
I, myself, don't like feeling zombiefied.

This is exactly the sort of prejudice I am talking about.
Why is it assumed that any mental health medication will turn you into a "zombie?" And what does that even mean? I haven't heard of all that many people turning to cannibalism as a result of taking medication.

High doses of antipsychotics which are way over prescribed can make someone feel like a zombie(not cannibalism or the definition of walking dead zombie), unable to think clearly, they literally shuffle their feet,been there. Meds arent going to change you into another person but depending on the medication they may make you lethargic or have negative effects on cognition(ex)brain fog. Some people have jobs or education that demand they remain mentally sharp, and others simply don't want to endure those side effects.

I should also note I think centipedes freak me out more than any other animal or insect there is. No amount of drugs will change that. I can be mellowed out on lots of clonazepam and I would still fear them.



Last edited by Noca on 26 Jul 2016, 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

SteelMaiden
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26 Jul 2016, 1:20 pm

I am on high doses of antipsychotics and I am not 'zombified', in fact antipsychotics saved my life several times over. I function very highly cognitively and I go to uni (with a full time support worker).

And I am a pharmacology student. Yes antipsychotics can cause severe sedation and weight gain. But it's all about pros and cons. They're not for everyone but you can't say they're got no one.


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androbot01
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26 Jul 2016, 1:40 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
I've seen the results in mental hospital wards.

That's a bit of a jump. People in hospitals for mental illness are in serious condition to begin with. Then add in that they are likely starting new meds, or discontinuing old ones and it's hard to say what the cause of their behaviour is.

naturalplastic wrote:
Sometimes medication works wonders. A young energeticic brainy attractive young lady I was aquainted with (and whom I still think about :heart: years later) confided that she took meds because "I am crazy as a loon". I would never have guessed because she functioned so well.

On the other hand a buddy of mine hears voices. I asked him if there was medication for that. He said there were meds to stop voices but "they turn you into a vegetable/zombie" so the cure is worse than the condition. So I just live with the voices." Which made sense to me.

So ...it all depends.

Exactly. Thank you for giving illustrations of both.

Aristophanes wrote:
... and that's why it should always be an individual's decision what gets put in their body.

Absolutely agreed. There are the rare cases where a family will step in to gain power of attorney, but this is rightly rare and not without justified concern.

Noca wrote:
...Some people have jobs or education that demand they remain mentally sharp, and others simply don't want to endure those side effects.

Sure, but what about the people who become sharper and do better at their jobs and education when medicated, like myself. Just because some people do not respond or respond badly to medication does not mean that the medication is flawed. It means that it is ineffective on a specific person, but could still help others.

SteelMaiden wrote:
I am on high doses of antipsychotics and I am not 'zombified', in fact antipsychotics saved my life several times over. I function very highly cognitively and I go to uni (with a full time support worker).

Thank you for sharing. I would not be functional without them.



kraftiekortie
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26 Jul 2016, 1:48 pm

LOL...you're acting like I'm radically against meds.

I am not. If they help, I'm all for them.

But you have to be careful with them.

That's my message.

Psychiatrists in mental hospitals frequently overprescribe things like Thorazine (chlorpromazine) and Haldol. Both are still used today, though Thorazine might be pretty rare now. They also cause something called "tardive dyskinesia," which is not a nice thing. I suppose the newer ones are better, though.

I am an advocate, though, of weaning somebody off meds, and trying to have a patient live without meds, if it is possible.



androbot01
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26 Jul 2016, 1:53 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
They also cause something called "tardive dyskinesia," which is not a nice thing. I suppose the newer ones are better, though.

Yes, two of my meds are known to cause tardive dyskinesia. I have occasional involuntary twitches, but not to the point of being a problem. I think with the older style meds it could get quite bad for people and that would be totally unpleasant. They have made great strides in the past few years with different types of drugs. I took Prozac for years and it didn't do me much good, like a band-aid for a break.



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26 Jul 2016, 2:31 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
LOL...you're acting like I'm radically against meds.


Sorry I misinterpreted.


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SteelMaiden
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26 Jul 2016, 2:32 pm

androbot01 wrote:
I took Prozac for years and it didn't do me much good, like a band-aid for a break.


Fluoxetine (Prozac) was like a sugar pill for me. No side-effects but no positive effects either. Even at 40mg/day.


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androbot01
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26 Jul 2016, 2:47 pm

SteelMaiden wrote:
androbot01 wrote:
I took Prozac for years and it didn't do me much good, like a band-aid for a break.


Fluoxetine (Prozac) was like a sugar pill for me. No side-effects but no positive effects either. Even at 40mg/day.


Yeah. I'm so glad they are exploring brain chemistry and coming up with these new medications. I would like to experience normal even for just a little while before I die.



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26 Jul 2016, 2:50 pm

androbot01 wrote:
Yeah. I'm so glad they are exploring brain chemistry and coming up with these new medications. I would like to experience normal even for just a little while before I die.


It is good. I am looking at the new antipsychotics as I'm already on an antidepressant for my OCD but it doesn't help with anything else. Antipsychotics have helped more with my challenging behaviour than any other class of psychiatric drug that i've tried.


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26 Jul 2016, 4:09 pm

androbot01 wrote:
To my mind he was avoiding the problem by ignoring a good solution.


I think the same way when I hear someone talking about taking medication for a problem that I think could be resolved without taking a pharmaceutical drug, with a lifestyle change or diet change or a natural remedy. But if they don't ask my opinion then it's really none of my business. People are different and what works for me might not work for someone else or vice versa.

I don't take any medications, other than an occasional mild OTC drug. For me they are ALL mind altering drugs. I don't like the way most medicines me feel, physically, emotionally, or mentally. Most have side effects I can't deal with. So the last thing I want to hear from anyone is how their favorite medication helps them so much or how it could help me too.

I feel like if other people choose to take medication and they feel like it helps them then good for them. But all the same I don't expect them to prescribe the same for me. Once they open that door then all bets are off. If it comes across as prejudice, it IS, because I am prejudiced for my own health and well-being.

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Is it truly better to have to move because of a ridiculous phobia than it is to take medication to deal with it.


That's pretty dismissive to call it ridiculous. It's understandable to see it that way, when you don't see the inner workings of a person's mind, but underneath even some of the strangest behaviors there is still a reason why their mind works that way. Sometimes phobias can be resolved in therapy. Or maybe he wants to move for some other reason, and his mind has to come up with a convoluted reason to act on it.

Medication for mental illness is best prescribed in conjunction with therapy and proper healthcare, by someone who knows what they are doing. But ultimately people need to seek their own treatment - and if they don't, unless they are completely non-functional or dangerous to others, then they have the right to decline any type of treatment they don't want.