YES I do. I'm almost afraid to ask what you are taking. I have been on Paxil and Prozac in the past, I know people who have been on Zoloft and other SSRI’s and it is my experience that any they are bad news for most people.

In my very strong opinion Physicians including family doctors and specialists have absolutely no business prescribing these kinds of drugs. We should only accept these sorts of prescriptions from a psychiatrist. These drugs need to be monitored very closely with the complete knowledge of a patient’s history that is only revealed in therapy. I am sorry if I am coming on too strong but I have a real beef with this stuff and there are much better drugs out there that MD’s don’t get financial kick backs for prescribing. My T agrees that some of these drugs frequently prescribed do not belong out there.

If your T is not licensed to prescribe ask her for a referral to someone who is. Don't leave it to your medical doctor.

In my expereince and my T's urging, I have managed to get through therapy w/o anti-anxiety/depression drugs. It could have come in handy but my T encouraged me to try to work through this if I could. She keeps a good eye on me and I trust her. There are times that I think I would like to take something (and I have nothing aginst those who do)but I usually pull through it ok. However, my MD has offered me a script a couple of times. He is a really good DR but that's all he knows.

So if YOU feel you really need it, get it from a Psych MD. You wouldn't let your family doctor perform surgery on you, right?

Once again my very (humble?) opinion.

I know medication is a hot topic - and I've lived with several folks on meds. For some of them, it really worked; it let them get a handle on life and stop a spiral of behavior that was wrecking their lives, relationships, or functioning.

I've also lived with folks who weren't on the 'right' meds.

I would encourage you to monitor your reaction to them, to keep in contact with anyone you might have who can help you monitor your reactions to them, and to keep in good communication with the doc who proscribed them. Things can go wrong, and it often takes a while to get the right combination of treatments down.

Katskill,
I've been on antidepressants for a number of years. Fought my T tooth and nail about them for around a year, because there's so much self medication in the my family I was really wary of getting dependent on a drug. Finally gave in (cause at the time I was in pretty bad shape) and got a script from my GP. At my insurance company's insistance I went to a psychopharmocologist (psych who specializes in meds just in case you haven't heard the term). I started out on Nortripyline which is a really old one at this point and it helped except it had two side effects for me, increased appetite (last thing I needed as I'm morbibly obese (but not for long!!)) and it decreased my libido, which I didn't really clue into until I got off it and suddenly new life returned (Sorry, if that's TMI). At my doctor's suggestion I moved to Wellbutrin which took a while for me to settle into but I'm doing well on it, and its definitely been better in the food department. I seem to do well on meds because it stabalizes my low point so to speak. There's only so far I go down and no further. I would like to get off them eventually (and I have been doing therapy the whole time I've been on them. I've never viewed them as a solution, simply one more resource to allow me to do the work in therapy to heal) but things are going really well, I'm feeling good and really aren't suffering any side effects so my meds doc and I have decided to leave well enough alone.

I will agree with a lot of what you've heard which is different people can have very different reactions to different medications. It takes a little while to see if one works for you and it can take some time to find the right one. All that said, I would have to say on balance that they've helped me. But I do go once every three months to check in with my doctor. And I agree with JM that its important to see a specialist for them. They really do have a lot more knowledge and experience using these types of meds.

AG

Antidepressants I feel saved my life. I suffered from frequent panic attacks and horrible depression and the meds were the only thing that helped me get my feet under me so that I could be able to do the work in therapy. But yes, like you have heard here they do have unattractive side effects that vary from person to person but weight gain and loss of libio are the most common. I've also had muscle tension, vivid dreams, night sweats, and forgetfulness.

I've been on a few different kinds. It took almost 6 months to find the right combo initially and those worked for about 5-6 years but then stopped being effective so I had to kind of start over finding a new combo that would work for me. It can get complicated and this is why you need to work with a psychiatrist to get the right prescription.

I didn't take any meds for the first year of treatment and I saw some progress. However, then I had a traumatic event happen that sent me so close to the edge I knew that I had to try something else too. I've also been on the meds during a long period between therapists and they can keep you stable but they don't make you better. For me, the most effective treatment has been the combination of meds and talk therapy.

I hope this wasn't more info than you wanted. But just in case you do want more info check out the CrazyMeds website. It is a very informative website and funny as hell.

Thanks everyone. I called my T and explained that the Dr. had put me anti depressants. I guess I should have mentioned this before, but it is to deal with my anxiety...since I have quit drinking. Anyway, she seemed fto think because the dose was low, that it would not affect the work that we are doing, and infact might help me out a bit.

Still not 100% sure about taking them, will still have to think that one through a little more.

Katskill

Katskill,

I just wanted to let you know that I just recently quit drinking too. I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I have posted about it here and there. I just wanted to extend my hand and let you know that you are not alone in this either. While it’s not easy and it has its ups and downs, it does get better.

I don’t know if you find this helpful, but I have come up with some personal affirmations that keep my thinking straight and when I get a strong craving I read them out loud as often as I need to.

1) When I don’t drink, I am in control. When I do drink, alcohol is in control.

2) My urge to drink is strong, but by defeating it I feel much better about myself than if I were to give into it.

Hang in there and if you ever want to talk about it I am here whether you want to address me directly or in general, because everyone here has been very supportive to me when I've addressed my need.

As for the anti-anxiety meds, it was a good idea that you called your T about that so that she could be aware of it too and determine that it would not hinder your therapy. Certainly if it eases your anxiety enough in order to fucntion there is nothing wrong with taking them temporarily. I still consider it from time to time myself. (it's tough sometimes)
JM (73 days sober.)

Thank you very for your support JM. It means the world to me. As you can probably relate the drinking I was doing was the symptom of a deeper problem of which T and I are working on. Some days I do really well, and some days, I just feel like a broken person. I shouldn't say broken I should say refurbished. Getting better, but I will never be the person I was. Makes me sad some days.

I think I will try the anti's for awhile and see if they help.

Again thanks for your support.

Pl feel to contact me personally.

Kat.

I do relate, Kat. And some days alcohol can seem like your only friend. When you give it up, you give up a friend. A rather backstabbing one, but a friend, nonetheless. At least that is what my AC (alcohol counselor) tells me. Some days are harder than others, but EVERY morning when I wake up and didn’t succumb to the urge to drink the day before I am so happy and so pleased with myself. I know if it were the other way around, I’d be down for the count for a very long time. I’ve watched both of my brothers battle alcohol and drug addiction. I hope I’ve learned something. Your brave to face it and deal with what really hurts.
Peace!
JM