Posted by MM on March 6, 2005, at 2:22:52
In reply to a few drug questions...anyone??, posted by rainbowbrite on March 5, 2005, at 23:09:06
Um, I can't answer any of your questions with any kind of authority, other than my experiences.
What do drugs do to our brains? The AD's, which is one you asked about, change our brains' environment while we're on them...There is usually more of a chemical in our brain than there was organically/naturally (or more of that chemical available...ya I probably shouldn't even answer these because I am quite the amateur). Have you ever been to mcmanweb.com? I found the articles on AD's and other meds to be some of the most helpful things I've read on them. What exactly reuptake is is kind of hard (for me) to explain, so I won't try, but that might be a good specific thing to ask about. I personally don't know what exactly classifies as "dependent" but I had some horrible withdrawl experiences (physical, mental/emotional) with SSRI's and I've heard that qualifies as addiction. Does a crash mean go back to where we were or become worse? I did become worse because of the withdrawl....Got on other meds so I don't know if they made me forever worse after that, although I do have personal hunches that my brain was forever changed, in a way I don't like. I think, yes, whenever you take a drug, you COULD be damaging yourself, but it doesn't mean you are. I don't know much about sleeping pills. I was given AD's from the time I was 14 on, which I think is pretty young, and I do think that changed my brain/personality, but I can't be sure what my brain would have been like had I not been on the meds. Is a depressed child's brain a normal brain? Even if it's not, I'm not sure the meds we have now are what can fix it. I guess it depends what you mean by normal development. I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, and you might think this post was a waste of time. I'm sorry if it was one, but it was meant to be helpful if possible. I hope you get some actual helpful responses :D.
The bottom line I have found for a lot of this stuff is that there is a huge grey area.
MM
poster:MM
thread:467193
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050304/msgs/467227.html