Posted by ChrisK on November 22, 2001, at 5:35:43
In reply to Long Term Medication and Prognosis Concerns, posted by Simcha on November 21, 2001, at 7:39:06
Simcha,
I must admit that I don't have the slightest reflex to give up my meds. They have given me a life back that I haven't known for such a long time. I watched my father take his meds every day for most of his adult life. It was just a given that the meds were part of life that we needed to survive as "normal."
Due to many years of depression and alcoholism (brought on primarily from self medicating) I ended up in the hospital twice in the last five years. Once was due to liver failure and the most recent due to Congestive Heart Failure. I am only 38 and will now probably be on meds for those conditions for the rest of my life. It's just a part of living. Stopping them means that I am taking a big risk of dying. I look at my psych meds the same way.
Some people can get through short term depressions with meds and then go off of them. I am not one of those people. I will need to stay on these meds for the rest of my life if I want that life to be a long one.
IMO, anyone who has had a serious problem with mental illness who wants to just quit taking meds that are working for them is playing with fire. The key is that you have meds that are working for you. Why quit just for the sake of quitting? It's not a weekness to need meds to starighten out your body chemistry.
I am a firm believer in Darwinism and I believe that decades ago most of us on this board right now would have been dead well before our time if it weren't for these meds that we take. There would have been nothing to help stop the suicidal tendencies or the self medication or the risky behaviors.
We have a chance to make a livable life with the help of modern science. Why not take advantage of that? It's what will get me through the rest of my life and I appreciate it.
Please grasp on to that idea and appreciate that you have a way of dealing with your illness that has obviously helped you to lead a more fulfilling life. It's there, accept it and live.
Chris
poster:ChrisK
thread:14149
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20011117/msgs/14173.html