Posted by musky on October 1, 2006, at 11:36:09
In reply to Re: Withdrawal from long term antidepressants » musky, posted by Philip N. on September 29, 2006, at 9:52:02
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Hello Philip
Yes I understand what you are saying, but I think that anxiety itself "distorts" our view of life. There is a saying that goes "If you think it , so shall you be" ... something like that.
I know that anxiety will take its toll on the body /mind which is exactly my point. We want to get at the anxiety ,, not just block it as meds will ultimately do.. Sure you may feel fine when on meds(in my case not).. but are you REALLY??? I mean did issues really get dealt with? personal issues, etc.
Pay attention to your thoughts.. cognitive therapy has taught me that our feelings are ultimately stemming from our thoughts. Think of when you feel anxious, depressed... ask your self , what were you thinking just at that time?? I bet if you wrote this thought(s) down that you would find its NEGATIVE self defeating.
We can CHOOSE how we think.. that is what is inherent in us.
When a person is under alot of anxiety they tend to have negative distortion thoughts.
We think we are victims of anxiety and feel hopeless, helpless. Our tendency as human beings is to retreat into a hermit like state, like a wounded animal.. this is a sign that our bodies are giving us to tell us something is wrong.. but of course we know this, that is why we feel this way.
But we have to get at the "root " of the anxiety. Alot of time anxiety/depression is just a manifistation of what the REAL issues are going on in our lives. If we really do some soul searching we find what is truly bothering us in life..)personal issues, self esteem and overall health all play an important role.
You say that the "experts" say that untreated anxiety can take its toll, well everyone knows this including yourself. but if you only choose one path for treating anxiety, such as meds then you will always end up with the same result.
I hear ya when you say you want to be around for your family... that is yourwill to live talking which is good!! but i disagree when the so called experts(who dont take the med themselves) say that withdrawls dont last that long.. Sorry I dont believe it..
There is also alot of proof out there with peoples testimonies that say it does occur despite the "experts" .. Experts dont live in your body, experts dont experience the drugs effects, experts dont live in your relationships.. so how could they know about what you are feeling??? Sure they may have facts, based on "certain data", but they still dont really know how all this works... Statisitics and data can show anything you want it to show.. but it doesnt get at the root of our problems..
Our body/mind /spirit connection is very complex. and we each are different but I am just saying that meds dont cure the problem.. mask it maybe, but take the med away and you still have the same problem.. much like the alcoholic who takes that drink to "feel " better.. did it cure his depression?? ya maybe for that few hours, but then when the booze wore off they were depressed again.. and the problem was still there. so you see, we can take all the "happy pills" we want and use this as a crutch if you will, but to me that is no way to live.
Yesterday after 4months of Remeron free and fairly stable mood, I had a bit of a downswing in mood... I at first was worried and really feeling scared and down. but I am just riding it out.. cause I know this will passs.. I dont let my negative thinking suck me into believing I need a drug to stay happy, which in my case it didnt make me feel anything but numb/nonexistent.. I would rather feel panic/anxiety/ depressed states and work through it and OVERCOME them , than to be trapped on pills.
I believe that we all can heal and maybe the few percentage( and I mean very few) of people who truly have an organic disorder (like your psychic killers, etc.) maybe, need meds. But majority of your anxiety, depressive cases truly are just cognitive and can be treated with cognitive therapy very sucessfully.. the "experts" should know this!!!
Sorry this is my opinion.. do what you have to.. I strongly urge you to think about this before making a decision.. If you only think that meds is the answer for your well being , then you have already narrowed your choices.
We all want to feel well, and Im sure you have tried , but dont think negative about something before it happens.
You say you want to be med free, yet you say BUT.. therefore you have already locked yourself into a choice of meds only.. I know this may sound harsh, but sometimes we have to just kick %%%** and fight our way through... If you keep telling yourself you are not one of those strong ones, then you wont be.. if you keep telling yourself you are strong, over and over then you will be..Good luck in whatever you decide.
I know for me its med free, and I am glad Im off of this Remeron for 4months now... I will suffer throught the mood stuff..no matter what..
Musky
Hi Musky.
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> I hear exactly what you are saying. The problem I've encountered is that in this fight I have lost ground. I'm now concerned about the effects this is having on my mental and physiacl well being. The is alot of proof that untreated Depression/Anxiety can extract a heavy toll on us up to and including killing us.
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> Right now I think I'm having a hard time coming to an acceptance that I may not be one of those who has an episodic form of this stuff that you just kick *ss on and move on. I have never in my life been in this shape and many "experts" are saying that enough time has passed for it to be a discontinuation from meds. Even though I don't have a true opinion on that I know that at my current rate I won't last to make 2 years to find out.
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> I'm at that point of considering the lesser of the 2: Waste away untreated or find some remission and rejoin my family so I can still be there for them. What is the ideal situation? Many including myself would say to be med free but that may bring with it some consequences that are worse than being on the stuff. I just celebrated my 30 year wedding anniversary by retreating to my bed to see if I could go to sleep.
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> I don't smoke or drink alcohol (8 years sobriety) or life a wild life. I try to eat right and look at alternatives and such but at the same time the grip this thing has on me is becoming too paralytic. I don't want to lose it all trying to reach a plateau that for now is set too high. Maybe by relenting to medication I can rejoin my own life. Does any of this make sense?
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> Thanks....let me know
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poster:musky
thread:689668
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20060809/msgs/690800.html