Oxycontin and Drug Company

[Cheering472]

I am beyond amazed at the level of misunderstanding people have about how antidepressants work. yboi_kma, I only assume you've never taken them. It's distressing to me that people assume others go on antidepressants because they want "happy pills" or to escape from their lives. Nothing could be further than the truth; it's more typical the drugs pull people from the depths and restore them to normal--and that's best-case scenario.
Lynne, I also am amazed at your story. It's disheartening, but I'm so glad you came through it all right.

Even sadder Pea, is the way the stigma attached to taking antidepressants can have lasting effects on peoples lives. Once you've been on anti depressants, even for a short period of time, insurance companies can use that as a reason to disallow coverage or make you pay higher premiums for coverage. You recover, you get off the antidepressant (which by the way can be a very difficult process) and you are still judged. It stinks.

 

[kathydwells]

I am soon to be 46 years old. My mother passed away 6 years ago. She was on "meds" for debilitating depression my entire life. Had it not been for those "meds", I am sure she would not have been with me very long. They literally saved her life. Her sisters and brothers as well. Mental illness was rampant on her side of the family. They all needed these "meds" to survive. Someone very close to me now, is also on "meds" for depression. These "meds" have allowed this person to get up out of the bed and live. So, I for one am totally and completely NOT against anyone who needs these "meds" to function like a normal person.

Seacrestkristi.....I am very, very sorry for the loss of your friend.

 

[kathydwells]

Even sadder Pea, is the way the stigma attached to taking antidepressants can have lasting effects on peoples lives. Once you've been on anti depressants, even for a short period of time, insurance companies can use that as a reason to disallow coverage or make you pay higher premiums for coverage. You recover, you get off the antidepressant (which by the way can be a very difficult process) and you are still judged. It stinks.

It doesn't stink..it sucks. Plain and simple.

Lynne,

 

[Cheering472]

It doesn't stink..it sucks. Plain and simple.

Lynne,

There ya go!

Darlene I had to cry reading about your mom. How sad that she experienced so much pain and sadness. I know that overwhelming sadness and anxiety is crippling. My daddy was the most positive, funn loving, well adjusted man I know but he needed antidepressants at the end of his life. It helped make the time he had left bearable for him and for us. Hugs to you sweetie

 

[rancid]

I am beyond amazed at the level of misunderstanding people have about how antidepressants work. yboi_kma, I only assume you've never taken them. It's distressing to me that people assume others go on antidepressants because they want "happy pills" or to escape from their lives. Nothing could be further than the truth; it's more typical the drugs pull people from the depths and restore them to normal--and that's best-case scenario.
Lynne, I also am amazed at your story. It's disheartening, but I'm so glad you came through it all right.

As a health care provider, I deal with this issue daily. There are definitely people who need and benefit from anti-depressants. However, I see far more individuals who are looking for the easy cure in a pill for all their problems. Roughly 10% of the U.S adult population uses these medications. I do not see how this can be normal. Depression is a very tricky thing to define. I see it as a spectrum from very mild symtoms to severe. At either end of the spectrum, it is easy to see the patients who clearly do or don't need medication. It is the large gray area in between these two extremes where overuse of medications occur. It is very arbitrary where one draws the line to treat with meds or not.
There are numerous studies showing talk therapy, exercise and many other treatment modalities work equally well when compared to medications.
When you combine the sales tactics used by pharmaceutical reps on physicians and direct advertising to the public, it is easy to see how these medications are abused.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Sorry to hear about this Kristi, but this is a great thread you started. A few observations: Xanax is in a family of medications called benzodiazapenes;they are intended to alleviate anxiety, not depression. Furthermore, some benzodiazapenes work fast, others, slower...the manner in which xanax works makes it easier for psychological dependence to set in. I can't explain it, but from what I have seen, if you looked in the medicine cabinets of 100 middle and upper class women, you would find 20-30 of those cabinets with a bottle of xanax. In my opinion, it is a terrible medication to use because of the addictive potential. There are other 'benzos' which are better choices for anxiety, and even then, I only write a prescription for them in small quantities, perhaps 5 pills for somebody going on a trip who is afraid of flying, for example.

Oxycontin is a whole other issue-obviously, it is a pain medication, and way too many people end up on the pills long enough to where they are physically and mentally dependent. With that said, it is easy to play 'armchair' physician and second guess well intended decisions...chronic pain is challenging for both the patient and the physician who desires to alleviate suffering. I think the best procedure when using this and similar meds is to draft a pain medication contract that the patient signs, stating that they will not have frequent refills, refills will be stopped if the patient makes no effort to attend physical therapy, not attempt to seek pain meds from a second source, etc.

As far as the antidepressant meds go, I think the SSRI meds such as Prozac are perhaps the third most useful categories of medication available behind antibiotics and cardiovascular medication. When used correctly, SSRIs can work near miracles in improving depression and helping people live better lives. I witnessed this first-hand in New Orleans after Katrina, perhaps the most depressed place in the country;I wonder what the suicide rate would be in the region had SSRIs not been available!?

Finally, all the above mentioned meds are available in generic form, so these are not the types of medications drug reps try to sell you on.

 

[yboi_kma]

I am beyond amazed at the level of misunderstanding people have about how antidepressants work. yboi_kma, I only assume you've never taken them. It's distressing to me that people assume others go on antidepressants because they want "happy pills" or to escape from their lives. Nothing could be further than the truth; it's more typical the drugs pull people from the depths and restore them to normal--and that's best-case scenario.
Lynne, I also am amazed at your story. It's disheartening, but I'm so glad you came through it all right.

During the time i had to take care of hubby is when doctors ask me if i wanted some relief and they would prescribe me anti depressants til hubby got back on his feet. I refused because i had seen what my husband was going through and sure didnt want my children to have both parents in a zoned state. I also admitted in my post that some people do need these meds to function. So i really dont think the misunderstanding comes into play with me. If you have been diagnosed with depression, that is very sad and unfortunate and maybe the "pills" are what one needs to be "normal" again. But in my personal opinion and experience i have had, i saw first hand doctors free willingly wanting to prescribe me medicine to get me over a hump per say.

If a doctor does screening and effectively diagnoses a patient needing these mind altering drugs to function in society then so be it. I have no problem at all.Some people truly have had hard times dealing with depression and this is the alternative for them. But when you have first hand seen the effects of addiction and knowing this could have been prevented, then it leaves a bad taste in your mouth with how certain doctors can so easily ruin someones life just to take the edge off at times. I hope i explained myself here to where i dont get beaten down. What works for some surely dont for others. Some people do need the meds.

Kristi was just stating how dangerous these things are and alerting people of the dangers and what can happen. I agree 100 % with her on all this and know the families of all involved are in my prayers.

 

[Teresa]

I've known friends who have doctors who prescribe anything and everything. Rehab resulted for one of these friends. She learned the hard way about drugs and a certain kind of drug-happy doctor. She was responsible for her own addiction, her doctor helped her get there.

I think we have to be careful about selecting physicians and taking responsibility for knowledge of our own health and available treatment options.

That said, I also believe its up to you as the consumer to find out about drug treatments and work closely with your doctor about what you believe to be right for you regarding a drug or treatment. Drugs can be life saving in so many ways, when used properly and respectfully.

It's very sad about seakristi's friend. I am sorry to hear about it. Perhaps we all need to learn more about how drugs interact, especially heavy duty pain killers. We know they can be dangerous, but we don't know much about specific drug interactions.

 

[scooterbug44]

My family is having the opposite of the problem that started the thread - we can't get Grandma to TAKE her meds. (She is one of those people who only takes a fraction of the recommended dosage because she is convinced her system is so sensitive............then wants to stop taking them all together because she doesn't see results .)

Addiction, drug abuse, and dependency are all awful problems, but don't dismiss medications that can do a LOT of good because of the problems that occur when they aren't used properly.

Most of those medications take weeks or months to take effect/get the correct dosage on and anyone who thinks of them as "happy pills" doesn't really understand how they work.

One related issue that constantly appalls me is how often they are prescribing these kinds of medications for kids!

 

[Rudyjohn]

One related issue that constantly appalls me is how often they are prescribing these kinds of medications for kids!

It does seem appalling at first, until you know the whole picture. I've known a few kids and teens that have had to take them. There's a lot teen suicide because of misdiagnosis. Bi-polar, & schizophrenia is usually diagnosed in the late teen years. Thankfully, there is medication to help.