“The Medication Wars”
by Dennis
A lot of people with mood disorders are constantly at war with their own medications. I'd like to explore the reasons for this, and what can be done about it.
First off, though, let me say that I don't intend to "push" medication on people. Far from it. You should take medication only on the advice of a doctor, based upon a solid diagnosis, for which the medication is appropriate. Nor am I suggesting that medication alone can "cure" a mood disorder. In my opinion, all mood disorder patients should have therapy, as well; studies have proven time and again, that a combination of medication and therapy are far and away the best treatment.
Having said that, many depressives and manic-depressives who've had medications prescribed for them, are at war with those medications. It's an ongoing struggle for many, with unfortunate consequences.
There are good reasons to stop a medication. If a drug is having no effect, there's no point in taking it. If the side effects are intolerable, then it can be aggravating, if not impossible, to keep taking it. If the drug is too expensive, well, you can't take what you can't afford.
Often, however, these sensible reasons for not taking a drug are not what bothers people. They're bothered by the idea of taking medication for their depression or manic-depression.
This is due, I think, to the way our society views mood disorders. They're seen not as medical problems — which is what they are — but as personal failings or inadequacies, and nothing more. Other forms of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, are not even seen this way. So the notion that a mood disorder is something which needs to be "fixed," by medication, seems alien. Even to those of us who know better!
Complicating this is the fact that many depressives are under pressure, by friends or family, to stop taking medication. They hear, "You shouldn't need a pill to feel better," or "Pharmaceuticals are dangerous," or some other garbage.
Think about this. If you had high blood pressure, would you have a problem with taking medication for that? Would your friends tell you not to take it? If you were diabetic, would you have a problem with taking insulin? Would your family tell you that you don't really need it? If you had arthritis, would you have a problem with taking medication for that? Would those around you tell you how dangerous anti-inflammatory drugs are?
Of course not!
Well, mood disorders are no different.
The reason that this endless struggle with one's medication is so troublesome, is that it can have dire consequences. Depressives sometimes cut back on their medications, or stop them altogether, because they can't shake the idea that they ought not to have to take them. I can't tell you how many people have wound up in the hospital because of this. In some cases, it leads to suicide. So this is a very serious matter.
If you're a depressive who has a problem with your medication, please ask yourself: Why don't I want to take it? What are your reasons? Are they solid, rational reasons (expense, side effects, ineffectiveness)? Or are they just excuses? Is it to satisfy others who think you ought not to take them, due to their own prejudices?
Many of the problems you may have with your medications, can be handled. Side effects often go away of their own accord; if not, dosages can be dropped, or the medication changed. Dosages can be raised, or medications changed, if a drug isn't working. There are ways to save money on medications, such as pill-splitting, or applying to the manufacturer's own subsidy program. These are all problems that you and your prescriber can handle, together.
Your future is in your own hands, and no one else's. Whether or not you get better is partly out of your control, but one thing you can do, and should do, is to follow your treatment plan. If it includes medication, take it — period. There's no need to feel bad about it, and no reason to "buy into" the popular misconception that mood disorders shouldn't be treated with medication. If you have an honest problem with your medication, solve it, with the help of your prescriber.
But whatever you do, don't live your life, constantly at war with medication. There's no need for it. It takes up precious energy which you can scarcely afford to waste on something that just isn't worth it.