Anyone else have problems with medication side effects?

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I have had a lot of problems with anti depressents and anti anxiety meds over the last decade and a half. The meds that did do some good did me more harm than anything. I just went throught this again. I have resolved myself to seek non chemical teatment for my issues since I have had a lot of side effect nightmares from blured vision, headaches, psychotic symtomes, to extreem body discomfort, wieght gain, nightmares and so on....etc!! !! !! !! ! The only ones who realy benifit from those meds are the companies that make them!! I hate it when doctors try and push them on me!! ! What's up with this? Do they get some kind of $$$ for getting some one on these rotten chemicals that do MOSTLY harm??! !!

I haven't had much of a problem besides getting very very very nauseous upon starting any new medication. There are some that I will refuse to take because they make me vomit for days on end.

The docs just say "oh, that's a side effect", to which I respond "that's a side effect I can live without."

I do find I react a lot differently to some meds than most... for instance, vicodin makes me very hyper rather than tired (sometimes I get the tired effect, but mostly just the hyperness). Darvocet has absolutely no effect on me, nor does tramadol/ultram.

I took something for my restless leg syndrome a good while back that made my arm go numb. The doctor claims that had nothing to do with it, as rarely has anyone ever reported that... I dunno.

Muscle relaxers also seem to have very little effect on me whatsoever.

Xanax (which I take for anxiety, and only take it before bed time as I'm afraid to take it during the day unless I'm really really bad off and am not going anywhere) wipes me out more than most.

Oh, and yes, of course they get extra money for getting people on new anti-depressants. Ever notice everything in a doctor's office (the ink pens, the paper pads, the signs all over, the bags they give you anything in, etc.) all have some sort of new drug name on it? They are supposed to push these new things as they get them in.

You can demand that they give you something older (I asked specifically for prozac for a while), because they know FOR SURE what the majority of people experience while on them. If one doesn't work, I request an even older medication, lol.

I don't like this new stuff they are coming out with all the time.

I was in a special wing once-the mental patient wing, for severe depression, and they put me on neurontin when it was first put out there. About 6 months to a year later (my time frame memory is terrible), I saw on TV they wanted people who had taken neurontin to call in because there was a huge law suit because it was causing people to become suicidal and more depressed than they already were... except, you know, to an EXTREME. As we know, all anti depressants have possibility of this, but this stuff was apparently really really bad.

Medication can do some good but I admit I think for psychiatric condition in most case it is useless if there is no psychological work to go along with it.

Now that I am back in in a better condition I asked my psychiatrist to start eliminating my medication, she accepted without any trouble, couldn't have prevented it without providing a detailed report that I am no longer able to act of my own free will anyway if she had refuse (but wouldn't happen with her since she take time to listen)


Has for medication don't ask too old stuff (some of older psychiatric medication sure have some nasty side effect), just ask for generic medication in place of brand medication (generic are never the latest stuff anyway for those are always brand since of copyright restriction), generic are always cheaper then brand and actually do the same thing and pharmacist has no right to refuse you a generic version even if the medic wrote the brand version on the prescription (actually a good pharmacist should tell you himself if there is a generic available for the prescription you were given)

Yes. LOT'S of $$$. The pharmaceutical biz is a very evil one.

Yes. My hypertension medication is causing "flue like" symptoms, so I never know if I actually have the flu or if they just are the side effects. And my SSRI medication is practically hindering my ability to orgasm.

Well, some medications do help some people. Sometimes it's the wrong medication for the wrong person. I've had some pretty nasty ones myself.
The Carlat Psychiatry Blog has some interesting stories about pharmaceutical company BS. The book Mad in America by Robert Whitaker is also good for info.
(I took Social Problems and Biotechnology in the same semester... this is a bit of a sticking point for me. )

None of that can really discount the fact that there are some medications that really save lives. You have to be careful, do your research(Crazymeds.us is a good place to start), find a good psychiatrist who doesn't just listen to everything pharmaceutical reps tell them, and make sure you're medicating the right issues. You have to weigh the risks and benefits. One of the biggest problems comes in using psych meds frivolously.. you shouldn't just take them because there's a medication that might help, it should be for a problem bad enough that you really need to. (For example, my shrink got me started taking medication for trichotillomania. (hair pulling) As I've sublimated my hair pulling to leg hairs, it's quite silly to take drugs for it; the drugs cause more problems than the problem does to begin with.. it also meant that I had no tolerance for any side effects. Moral of the story: don't drug a non-issue.)
At the same time, if there are things that are huge issues that you need to fix in order to function.. by all means, take medication! If I don't take my Adderall, I can't focus-- on ANYTHING. Besides maybe food.

I don't take any medications for moods or anything like that, but in the past I've certainly been on medication for other things, and it can get so bad that they prescribe you four other pills just to help with the side effects of that one pill

Glad I'm well now and off the meds...now the most I'll swallow is vitamins.

Some do indeed, but it depends on the country. In the Netherlands for example, direct money from pharma to doctors is prohibited, but hospitals can still get $$$ from pharma (and usually the GP will prescribe whatever the hospital did), and most continuing ed is sponsored by pharma.