A Life Lesson From the Prozac Poster Child
I have major depression. All of my family has major depression. A lot of people we come into contact with have one form of chronic illness or another. When I was homeless in England, I met more physically and mentally ill people than Sigmund Freud. And it is amazing how hostile they were to the idea of going to the doctor to get medication, whether for bronchitis or bipolar disorder, even if the medication could be given to them for free.
I used to be the same way about my depression. I thought if I needed to go on an antidepressant, I was somehow defective. Boy, was I an idiot.
Now, I call myself "The Prozac Poster Child". Things finally got so bad in England that the day after a failed suicide attempt, I went to the doctor offered at the local homeless shelter and they put me on medication, and at least an hour of natural sunlight per day. They said I would need to be on medication for six months. That was about three and a half years ago. I’ll most likely be on medication for the rest of my life. So what?
The Stigma
Now, granted, I’m not a doctor and whatever you read here in this blog should not be used as a substitute for a doctor’s advice. But there does seem to be an unusually harsh stigma against taking man-made medications. Now, I’m all for alternative medicine, but in conjunction with conventional medicine, not as a substitution. And I’m the first to admit that pills alone will not help you in either a physical or mental illness. You have to do your part, such as excercise regulary, eat right and take counseling in order for the medicines to do their job.
Like them or hate them, medicines do their job in helping you get on with your life. Now, if you are taking medications and don’t actually have an illness, then that’s weird. But if you are ill, there’s no shame in having to ask for help.
Idiot Me
I’ve been depressed since the womb. I saw what the forst generation of anti-depressants did to my Mom in the early 1980’s and vowed I’d never touch the stuff. As if I could diagnose myself without spending one day in medical school! But, I thought I could, because I was mentally ill.
With my kind of depression, I can’t make decsions, I can’t sleep and can do suicidal behaviors. I beleived that the light at the end of any tunnel was a train. I refused to go see a doctor, even when a new generation of medicnes became available.
It took being homeless, beaten up and left for dead by the guy I’d run away from home for and then am immediate failed suicide attempt to force me to go ask for help. Don’t wait like I did. Go to the doctor, whether you have depression or dermatitis. There are ways of being able to afford a doctor visit when you ask the universe for help. That sounds corny, I know, but it’s true. Ironically, being homeless and penniless made me a canidate for the free Prozac that helped change my life around.
So, to make a long blog post short, I used affirmations, Prozac and the love of a good dog and great family to dump the abusive guy, go back to America and start my own freelance writing business. I look forward to getting out of bed now.
Prozac doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why there are a lot of antidepressants to choose from. If your doctor thinks you can reduce your dose, go for it. But don’t take any more — or less — than you are perscribed. And if you don’t have depression, but have another illness, still go to the doctor and at least try to follow his or her advice. There’s no shame in it. And it might even work.
Hope this helps.
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5 Comments
Write a Comment»Great points, I know several people who are friends or members of my family who are on antidepressants for either depression or anxiety. Some of them have been helped and some have not. I think it is a mistake to think that a pill is going to fix everything, and not to steer people to other forms of treatment, either through self-help, group therapy or just therapy with a psychiatrist. I find that Doctors these days prescribe way too many antidepressants, especially just your regular family doctors without referring you to a Psychiatrist. The worst part is I see this happening with kids too.
Thanks for the comments, Czecho. Like you said, pills aren’t going to work all by themselves. But they can help you in the time it takes to help you change your behaviors, such as helping you sleep more regularly. Paxil (another antidepressant) is in big trouble from being overperscribed for kids. For some people, Paxil or Prozac or whatever can worsen the depression. I’m very lucky that Prozac worked for me. You need to let your doctor or therapist know if you are feeling worse when on any new meds. Everybody’s just gotta be different!
I actually went through three different medications before I found one that worked for me. You’d think they are all SSRI’s, they all work the same right? Well for whatever reason, they all had immensely different side-effects on me. First I was started on Zoloft. That one was okay, I was just dry all the time and sexual side-effects. Then I moved to Paxil and that one was the worst for me actually. I couldn’t take it for more than 2 days or so, the side-effects were just overwhelming. And then I finally tried Lexapro and I’ve been on that for about 3 years now (for OCD). So work with a doctor who knows what they’re doing and will work to find the best solution for you, don’t give up if one particular medication doesn’t work.
Excellent advice, Kevin. Just like any other family, the SSRI family has members you get along with and those you can’t stand. Good for you to make your health a priority and keep on trying. Happy anniversary with the Lexapro
I couldn’t agree anymore. Great post.
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