Posted by rjk on July 22, 2002, at 13:04:03
In reply to Re: Can't take any meds, what now? » rjk, posted by fachad on July 22, 2002, at 12:42:30
Thanks for the advice. I agree with all that you have said, however there is nothing that is particularly troubling me and I do already lead a fairly healthy lifestyle. My problem relates to the fact that A/Ds have left my brain so sensitive that if I so much as eat spicy food I will spend the next day crying my eyes out. Excercise makes me feel worse, rather than better and taking a paracetamol makes me feel extremely depressed. I obviously avoid all the things that do make me feel worse, but I still feel absolutely awful most of the time.
> Start by asking yourself what is troubling you. What are the target symptoms? I think you would do well to ignore the DSM diagnostic categories and just try to define what doesn’t' feel right in your life. From there, you can begin to try different ways of making things better.
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> Physical health is the most basic requirement for an overall state of well being. Do you eat healthy? Do you drink plenty of water? Do you exercise regularly? Do you maintain regular sleep wake times? If you promote general physical health in your body, your body can often correct any imbalances that may arise and cause distress.
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> How are you managing your thoughts and feelings? CBT and RET are extremely effective techniques of taking control of the process by which thoughts create emotions. Read "Feeling Good" by David Burns and "A New Guide to Rational Living" by Albert Ellis. If you really apply the material in those two books, you can eradicate much emotional suffering, despite your external circumstances.
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> Finally, are you in any life situations that are contributing to your distress? Pharmacotherapy will never make a person feel permanently happy if they are in a bad marriage, or hate their job, or are not living with integrity to their true nature.
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> Without denying the value of medication, I will say that meds do more harm than good when people take them instead of looking at these three key areas (physical health, mental hygiene, and life situations). I would never recommend that someone not take meds, but I think that meds can only go so far and then the rest is up to you. In your case, life has presented you a situation where you are forced to move to the level of total self-responsibility right now.
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> I hope you don't take offence at these suggestions. This advice is offered in a spirit of compassion. I'm just telling you what I've found in my own life, and relating it to your situation. Ultimately, you will have to work out your own solutions. Meds and therapy are both passive in that they are things someone else gives you. The real fix is in something you do yourself.
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> > I am now in a situation where I cannot take any meds, thanks to the clown that advised me to combine Effexor and Remeron. Has anyone got any suggestions? Oh, forget therapy, I am doing that and it's not made the slightest difference.
poster:rjk
thread:113254
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020718/msgs/113265.html