Posted by LIFE on July 14, 2006, at 2:08:15
In reply to Re: mirtazapine/remeron updates?, posted by LIFE on July 13, 2006, at 19:09:39
i am about to take my meds and look forward to a restful sleep. did i spell milligram correctly in my first entry? i don't know, i just know that i really feel for those of us who have to take meds to survive,as well as those of us trying to get off meds and are suffering withdrawal symptoms. i do find it odd that i seem to be one of a few who are not having adverse reactions to remeron. paxil, prozac,and others have caused problems for me. so, dr. bob, does that mean i am a severe case, and what seems too strong for others is the norm for me? withdrawal for me is always a relapse , or lapse into the disease itself. just pure depression. paxil gave me a rash and prozac kept me up all night. from the few entries i have read, it appears that others have been prescribed low doses of remeron, i requested a higher dose, i have found it easier to withdraw from higher doses than lower doses during fasts. perhaps because of residual amounts in my system. when getting off meds, what is the goal? if the depressive state is purely chemical rather than an emotional reaction to a traumatic event, or an oppressive lifestyle, where is one to go for relief? crazy? i do believe living in a petrochemical climate has affected my body's ability to balance itself and has some impact on my need for medication. from the entries i have read, it seems to me that many are still in some state of denial and guilt concerning our illness and the serious impact it has on our lives. would we put ourselves through withdrawal if we were taking meds for aids or cancer? who has decided that meds for depression are taboo? who has made us feel guilty about taking something to keep us alive? isn't depression like a walking state of death? aspirin, ibuprofin, allergy medications, and breathing are as bad for your bodies' organs as psychotherapeutic meds. i doubt we would even be discussing trying to withdraw from something if we were talking about accepted ailments. are we trying to get off our meds for health reasons, or are we trying to get off them because somehow they condemn us and validate us as behaviorally abnormal? our ailments are as real and as life threatening as any cancer. in fact, they may be worse because they make us feel bad about theotherwise wonderful gift of life. a life that a few of my own terminally ill relatives would be happy to have. we owe life appreciation and happiness everyday, why are we fighting so hard against something that can help us achieve that? we are behaving as if we were on illegal drugs. when not on meds what are we on? booze? sex? bad relationships? food? self-abuse? where does going without meds take us? is it so important to our egos to be able to say we can tough out our bad periods that we waste days and years trying to do so? without our meds would we even be able to make rational entries here, or would our heads be so bad that we could not function rationally enough to do so? i tried to tough it out for three years and practically f'd up everything i tried to do because of depression and pride. withdrawal. from meds, or from life. i say stop being so hard on ourselves and stop trying to rush off our meds as soon as we think we feel better. our illnesses are legitimate, so are our meds, and withdrawal for us is a bit more involved than a few physical symtoms. for me, withdrawal is a non gratuitous trip to hell. i hope we all find something other than meds to take, but so does an individual suffering from heart disease. LIFE
poster:LIFE
thread:613132
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20060627/msgs/666949.html