Why do people resist taking antidepressants?

[coatbridge]

Hi Ya All:

Excellent thread.

I am one who has resisted AD's from the very beginning (2007). I'll tell you the reason why I research things to death, since I was allowed to slip through the cracks in our medical system for about 5 months I had a lot of time on my hands. I wanted to know as much as I could about this first line of treatment, so I went to the drug manufacturers web sites. What I read on some (I'm not saying all) their just blew me away. We think it works this way, it could do this, it might work this way, that was enough for me. They way I saw it they are the ones manufacturing this mood ( I have to be careful in my wording as I don't dispute there effectiveness for a lot of people, but my choice was to stay clear of them) altering drugs and if they weren't even sure how they worked no way was I taking them!

Another huge factor for me was the possibility of numerous side affects, I know what some of you might be thinking not everyone gets side affects and if they do they subside through time. Then there's the placebo affect which has been well documented, the unpublished trials by the drug companies which have been obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Taking these into account some have reported not so favorable results with AD's.

My bottom line is I do not in anyway diminish the role AD's play in the role of a person's recovery from these life altering disorders. I know a lot of people who have benefited from them. My 3 year struggle has not been an easy one but it has been my choice based on the information I have obtained from what I might add are credible sources.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I am one who has resisted AD's from the very beginning (2007). I'll tell you the reason why I research things to death, since I was allowed to slip through the cracks in our medical system for about 5 months I had a lot of time on my hands. I wanted to know as much as I could about this first line of treatment, so I went to the drug manufacturers web sites. What I read on some (I'm not saying all) their just blew me away. We think it works this way, it could do this, it might work this way, that was enough for me. They way I saw it they are the ones manufacturing this mood ( I have to be careful in my wording as I don't dispute there effectiveness for a lot of people, but my choice was to stay clear of them) altering drugs and if they weren't even sure how they worked no way was I taking them!

We don't know how ECT works either. We just know that it works. We don't know how anti-psychotics work but they do. We don't really know how a lot of drugs, pain-killers, anesthetics work, but they do work.

Another huge factor for me was the possibility of numerous side affects, I know what some of you might be thinking not everyone gets side affects and if they do they subside through time.

Do you take aspirin or tylenol or ibuprofen? Have you ever looked at the list of possible side effects for those?

Do you eat? Have you ever looked at the list of potential adverse effects for some people of various foods?

Do you drink alcohol at all? Smoke weed? Have you looked at the adverse effects of those drugs?

the unpublished trials by the drug companies which have been obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Taking these into account some have reported not so favorable results with AD's.

That should read some drug companies and trials of some drugs. Don't paint them all with them same brush.

My bottom line is I do not in anyway diminish the role AD's play in the role of a person's recovery from these life altering disorders. I know a lot of people who have benefited from them. My 3 year struggle has not been an easy one but it has been my choice based on the information I have obtained from what I might add are credible sources.

Whether the sources are all that credible is debatable but even if for the moment I grant you that, knowing the source does not tell you all you need to know. Data is subject to statistical validation and interpretation - and that requires knowledge beyond what you read in the papers or on the net.

 

[Cat Dancer]

I am way more afraid of death by suicide (for me) and severe, severe self injury than I am of the side effects of anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. Way more afraid. I resisted them for years and years and finally went on them and they helped me so much.

 

[forgetmenot]

I am like you Coatbridge so terrified of medication the side effects. The changing me into someone else etc etc. I still fight these messages in my head but i know without these meds my family would live lives of pain and confusion. My daughter is no longer suicidal she has hope again where as before there was no hope. Medication gave that back to her and a doctor who was open to trying something new.

 

[Retired]

Now the family doc suggested an antidepressant, which I figure is different from those long-ago tranx

tranx: presuming you mean tranquilizers

The most common form of minor tranquilizer likely used twenty years ago, and still in use today is from the class of medications referred to as benzodiazepines. Used appropriately, benzodiazepines help relieve anxiety, insomnia and in some cases muscle tension.

Antidepressants in use today are usually in the class of medications referred to as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI). The mechanism of action is distinctly different from that of benzodiazepines, as the development of SSRI's came from the more recent technologies of designing a medication to target specific receptors in the body, like a key in a lock.

They target and regulate the neurotransmitter serotonin, the brain chemical thought to be be implicated in the illness of depression.

Treatment options are chosen on a benefits vs risks assessment, so whether the treatment is for a heart condition, for cancer or for mental illness, you and your doctor decide on what will provide the best effectiveness with minimal adverse reaction.

It's not uncommon for most of us to resist taking medications to correct a medical condition, because we would all like to feel we are in complete control of our body and mind.

The reality is that many medical conditions require the introduction of external medical influences, either as medication or surgical intervention, to reset or readjust our body or brain functionality.

Our bodies are regulated by complex chemical and electrical systems, most of which use resources from within; but occasionally some of those systems malfunction and require external help.

As has been said, there is no reason for anyone to suffer pain, illness or distress when proven treatments are available. There is never any 100% guarantee for cure, and sometimes the beneficial effect of treatment comes with adverse side effects, and that's where the benefits vs risk evaluation is made.

If your life can be prolonged, or your quality of life improved at the expense of occasional side effects, it is usually worth the price of the mild discomfort.

Understanding the risks and potential side effects is important before starting any treatment, so the doctor and or pharmacist should explain what should be expected.

Using credible resources to learn about treatments or medications provides the information needed to fully understand what to expect.

Knowledge is power!