From the sound of it, you did try, and it's not just battling emotions, but a true chemical issue. And good for you for trying to fight it out first!

What concerns me are people who have a sad event like family death, break-up, etc., and just quickly pop a pill for awhile instead of confronting it in a sober/realistic state. Those meds can take a person who is chemically balanced and throw 'em off-kilter, thus building a dependency. And, it's a prescribed dependency, similar to the level of dependency of other substances. The former is considered ok, yet the latter is considered bad. And, that's scary.

And, I'm with iSm on the whole "natural" substance thing, versus prescribed addictive substances.

It'd be interesting to see a comparison study on the lasting effects of pot versus prescribed meds.

One thing that has always concerned me is what affect taking these meds will have on me long term. Am I trading a longer/healthier life for the ability to survive now?

A choice I would still make BTW, even if I knew that the meds would shorten my life somehow.

I think the issue of anti-depressants is MUCH different than the sheer amount of different drugs Heath had taken.

Temazepam and Oxycodone are both VERY strong drugs. I've taken one - Temazepam - and it absolutely knocks me out (and I've got a good resistance to drug effects). Oxycodone has been on the rise as a VERY addictive drug and you see a lot of people in recovery who have become addicted to it. I wouldn't take it if you paid me. Add some vicodine (hydrocodone) and Vallium (diazepam) to the mix and that alone seems lethal (there are 2 opiates in that mix - think heroin overdose).

It's really sad that it came to this. People rely on sleep meds more and more - but has anyone ever died from lack of sleep?

Yes, the anti-depressant tangent is interesting ... but i think a far more pressing problem is that people with pain and sleep issues (quite common) will often have sleeping pills, muscle relaxants and pain killers around and, in times of frustration brought on by nagging pain and sleep deprivation, will take them all at once ...


... to see if that works. Or, tragically possible, to never see anything again.


:(

Kevy, if anything, I think your experiences allow you to speak with a great deal of personal knowledge. You accept that not everyone is the same and that there is no blanket treatment for what ails anyone. I think that's pretty great.

As many of you know, I take medication to keep me from having seizures (Depakote). One of the side effects is sudden liver failure (fun fun fun). So I have to have my liver function checked every 6 months. It might shorten my life, but the quality of my life ON Depakote is far better than the alternative, which would be seizures bringing on more and more brain damage. It does have one awesome positive side effect, too- when my medication level is right, I have no migraines, and sleep incredibly restful sleep.

Addressing the broader topic of drug dependence by doctors and patients, we are definitely a quick fix culture. However, I think the real problem lies in that fact that there's usually no follow-up once a medication has been prescribed to changed the things that may have brought on the need for pills in the first place.

Depression is usually caused by a chemical reaction (or lack there-of) as well as a result of life situations. Anti-depressants can be used very successfully for the short term to alter chemistry and get the patient out of the deep well and into more manageable waters and deal with the situation causing the problem. Six months or a year on anti-depressants may work as a great bridge for someone stuck in depression and they can probably live successfully without the drugs IF they deal with the cause. But, the pills alone should not be the long term solution.

Even people with permanent chemical imbalances and who need to take anti-depressants on a permanent basis usually have other issues that contribute to the problem. (A lot of depressed people self medicate with OTC drugs, alcohol and illegal drugs).

Sadly, the people that seem to REALLY NEED to address their chemical imbalances are the ones who seem to be the more "stoic" of the population. (Or, maybe it's just delution. ;))

FINE! I'll start taking Xanax. Can anybody score me some?

Try your doctor. They give them out like candy.

Meanwhile, I will continue to smoke pot, eat psylicibin mushrooms and trip on LSD with absolutely no ill effects.