A slave to medication

Post Reply New Topic

You'rte probably thinking of a different stimulant. I'm blanking on the name, but I think it starts with a C. It's rarely prescribed because of that side effect, and if it is prescribed you have to be monitored carefully.

I' m probably too far brain damaged now to even think of recovery, no thanks to Big PHARMA. Besides, I'm 55, diagnosed with Asperger's last June, (and according to the diagnostician the highest scores he's ever seen on the ADOS level 4 and the highest verbal scores on the WAIS he's ever seen.). I'm currently working with Vocational Rehab here in PA, but PA politics being even more Schizophrenic than the federal government, I'm really not expecting anything. I sometimes wonder if the government were a concrete thinkers as those of us with Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Asperger's. Unfortunately, most of my family think it's all my fault, despite the fact my disability attorney says Social Security Disability is my right, despite what some people in Congress think about entitlement programs.

It was a rough start, but I ended the slavery years ago. It made sense, especially with Ritalin and [insert random Benzo here]. My body became resistant to everything tossed at it over the course of 13 years (I was medicated fully age 12-25 then fully detoxed by 26). It was a hard road going from what started with one Ritalin and one Prozac to a multitude of new meds to combat the initial trials, it was the early-mid 90s when literally pills were tossed at everyone. The detox from 28 pills a day (taken as prescribed) was so painful and I had to relearn how to live, but I will take treating my lifelong chronic insomnia with hypnotics and furthering my coping for anxiety and ADHD (the only 2 disorders I truly believe the diagnosis) through avoiding triggers and advance planning.

I can't believe my youth was robbed, many of the meds they now do not give to kids that I was placed on in high school. Ritalin did a world of good until my body became immune and an effective dose crossed to toxicity threshold. When dealing if addictive substances make sure to address the tolerance with your doctor and see if going to something else in the class would combat the tolerance with a hiatus to a similar compound. You can also see if another strategy would work or treatment. I will tell you it took nearly 2 years for my "full" detox and it was an initially hard withdrawal like you'd imagine from a hardcore drug addict, but a year of that was learning how to live without any chemical intervention. You need support and help to do this, please talk to people who know about this before trying it because it can be very dangerous.

I'm finally free from chemical enslavement and even though I still suffer from a few conditions, I suffer less now than from being medicated and having my triggers set off from treatment norms. I have other friends who battle tolerance honestly with doctors who understand and know how to manage the delicate chemical changes on scheduled substances to fight off that long term dependancy. Talk to your doctor and many other "non-medical" (holistic practitioners, chemists, etc) and discover your options. Make sure your levels and organ function are being checked regularly, you really have to push for this if its overlooked.

Adderall is a double-edged sword... really remarkable what effect it can have in the moment, but it's amphetamine, which can exacerbate psychological problems. I got really crazy while taking it (not to mention lost a lot of weight).

Hey, we're all slaves to food and water too, aren't we? Think about your meds as being that important to you- something you need to continue to consume to survive.

We're dependent on all SORTS of things- people, animals, music, culture, a comfortable living space... medication is simply one more part of one's overall wellbeing. That's how I've come to look at my meds.

Believe me, it took me years to reach such a perspective. I felt ashamed of taking them for a long time, and held off on starting Lexapro for months because of it. I'm environmentally-minded, and eat mostly health food. The idea of having to succumb to medication was very depressing for me. Eventually, I came to understand that without it, I can't fully offer myself to others, or to the people I love.

I would argue that by my definition the slavery is not from "having to take the meds to survive", the slavery is from "losing the ability to make conscious choices on your own and to think and feel". When you're stripped of you're own reasoning that is not the same definition of slavery as you're using.

The meds were killing me, I still live with the damage, and without them I'm doing way better and learning how to live since my development was stolen by medication.

When you compare these effects of many psychiatric medications many are more powerful than compounds used for date rape. Many are more powerful than illicit psychedelics. It's just not black and white, it's not simple, and it is different for everyone. In my opinion it's a psuedoscience because the facts needed to back up theories and treatment are just not enough to justify the danger and damage. It's not that there is no legitimacy and no progress, but it is not enough to put it all on the line and have blind faith. Many pro-psychiatry stances sound like religion to be completely honest and that is frightening.

Posts like this make me very sad, that anyone would become dependent on stimulants, particularly stuff for ADD