Your Doctors' Drugs for You

[Grigori Rho Gharveyn]

 

Your Doctors' Drugs for You

 

Anyone currently using any form of prescribed psychopharmeceuticals for any conditions, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolarity, or psychosis may often feel ashamed or stigmatized.

If these medicines sincerely help someone cope with their problems then it is unfair for anyone to find fault with them for relying on these therapies.

A life free of drugs may not be best for all people; we may all be well advised to learn respect the difficult life choices anyone using such medications must make, choices that may too often contribute to situations where they may sometimes feel very uncomfortable or even alienated when experiencing the sometimes poor regards some people may sometimes express regarding their painful, very personal life choices.

One reason it is important to avoid any judgmental statements regarding these difficult choices is that any hurtful remark may be remembered and may be re-examined so often that the person who felt hurt by this remark comes to habituate themselves to believe these remarks are true, rather than understanding these remarks are only opinions, opinions that are never worth nearly as much as the good regard they deserve to always hold for themselves.

Alas, it becomes easy for such people to lose self-confidence when faced with casual hostility for their life choices; this can help put such people at risk in several ways.

If you are a patient relying on psychopharmeceuticals with any success please do not allow yourself to be dissuaded from using your medications by the criticism of people who cannot place themselves in your own shoes well enough to understand how you feel about your medications.

Most people who rely on such medications are ambivalent about using their medicines.  Small pushes, tiny criticisms, can build up to a social pressure to conform to expectations that they should, perhaps, be drug-free.

Deciding to quit successfully managed pharmaceutical therapies may often bring many patients immediately into crises.  It is rarely safe to rapidly withdraw from most of these medications without a physician's guidance.

So please, if you are a successful or even partially successful patient on a chemical regimen that seems to work for you, please do not allow yourself to feel pressured to stop using your meds or to change whatever else is working for you.

It's ok to be you however being you will work best for you.

However, please understand, that while many people are successfully treated with various psychopharmeceuticals, as so many people already feel is true for themselves, many other people have had very poor, often critically traumatic responses to their medications; for these people, the traumas they have experienced as a result of poorly or inappropriately administered therapies make them very suspicious that anyone relying on such therapies may be at risk of dangerous, frightening experiences like their own.

 

When people from these two camps of rugged survivors meet, both are dependent on belief systems that may sometimes come into conflict with each other's.

One group must choose to believe in the value of their therapies because believing this helps their therapies be more effective.

The other group must believe in the dangers of such therapies because they are attracted to anything which may help ease their suffering but must painfully deny themselves this sort of help because for them it seems to consistently do them more harm than good.

Both groups of patients have very personal experiences they deserve validation for, but both groups often invalidate each other, because they are afraid that their own core beliefs, beliefs essential to their well-being, may be challenged.

Together, both groups have a wealth of experience that can unite them and help each other to grow beyond whatever limits they still experience as a consequence of the successes or failures of their respective therapies.

Some may find new meds that will work for them in spite of their fears, while others may discover safe ways to withdraw from their medications under their doctor's guidance because they learn new coping skills from those who must learn to manage without any meds.

Together we can form a stronger mental health care community and support groups to help each other to heal.

            

Namaste

 

[1wutqdr6pd0t0]

This was a pretty good piece Brother Grigori, perspective is Key as it always is...Another thing that we have to contend with is the excepted definitions. The primary terms here are prescribed psychopharmeceuticals, drug therapies, medications, meds, medicines, and drugs. So where will these terms lead us?

 

1) Psychopharmecuticals = A loosely defined grouping of "drugs" that have effects on psychological function. Here the psychotropic agents include the antidepressive agents, hallucinogens, and tranquilizing agents (including the antipsychotics and anti-anxiety agents).

 

2) Drugs intended for human or veterinary use, presented in their finished dosage form. Included here are materials used in the preparation and/or formulation of the finished dosage form. A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. A chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.

 

3) Prescription is the directions written for the preparation and adminstration of a drug.

 

4) Medicines are the art and science of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease, as well as the maintenance of health. A drug or other preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease.

 

In conclusion, it boils down to most of these terms having to do with a drug, and a drug is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. This applies to most all the foods and drinks we consume in our bodies. "Coffee is the most widely used psychoactive drug beverage in the world." Finally, we haven't even touched upon the Religious use of natural substances to open the gates of time and space. The gate keepers are revered by the users and put down by the non-users whom have never experienced the sacred initiation of the underworld. 

 

And God said Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed to you it shall be for meat  And God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good And the evening and the morning were the sixth day -Genesis 1:29 and 1:31

 

"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! [dare to know] "Have courage to use your own understanding!"--that is the motto of enlightenment." -Kant : What is Enlightenment?

 

Under the Shadow of Thy wings,
AmenMaatRa

 

 

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[Grigori Rho Gharveyn]

Thank you AmenMaatRa,

We play a little loose with our definitions because we cannot expect all of our readers to agree upon definitions or to be precise with their prefered definitions, and because we cannot anticipate how individual readers may emotionally respond to different ways of saying the same thing.

Meds and medicines are two different words, in part because the abreviated form may be used to dismiss the perception of threat or importance while the longer form may be used to underscore their safety or importance.

Drugs has a more negative connotation in some cultures than pharmeceuticals, and vice versa.

So switching terms where the meaning remains clear in context to the usage allows us to distribute the possibility of using a negatively laden or misunderstood word across a wider spectrum of our audiences, there is then less chance of consistently upsetting the same person by using the same terms repeatedly.

We will hold off on the natural drugs that may be used in conjunction with a search for enlightenment, as the specific focus of this discussion is the use of prescribed medications to assist with diagnosed disorders, and the problems that arise with these from either side of the fence, those who can use these safely and should, and those who can not and should not.

Neither group may be aware of seeking enlightenment per se, but both groups may need help accepting and living with their choices in order to learn better strategies to cope with their issues.

 

Namaste

 

[Leila Raven]

We are such unique biological individuals that what I have found is what is one man's cure is another's poison, we can't universally expect the same results and experiences with individuals and drugs. Many people who require medications to maintain functioning have a biological deficit. It's like some people need insulin to function, yet giving that insulin to someone who doesn't need it would be disastrous. I know for myself, that without certain drugs/medications in my system, I am in so much mental, emotional and physical distress from my own lacking biochemistry that maintaining life without them is not an option. I have to use medications to increase serotonin production and regulate other brain chemicals and hormones because my body does not create normal levels on it's own. Given my personal severity, not taking them would be as deadly to me as a severe diabetic not taking their insulin.

[Grigori Rho Gharveyn]

Thank you Leila,

For people such as yourself who clearly benefit from the their choice to agree with their doctors and benefit from the therapies they provide it may be a little easier to accept the possibility that some people may criticise your choice.  The benefits are very clear to you.

MAny people benefiting from their therapies may still be in very negative states emotionally and intellectually, thye may fail to see any benefit, even if their friends or family see improvements.

Sometimes the improvements perceived by others may not be valued as highly as the defitits they see in themselves, and sometiems these deficits may be incorrectly presumed to be side effects of their therapies.  Alas sometimes they may be right, their therapies may be having deleterious side effects.

In less clear circumstances too many people may struggle to know what may really be in their best interests.

We hope to make their healthiest choices easier for them to make by trying to clear up misunderstandings, poor cognitive behavior, or social stigmata, as well as by uniting them in mutual support.

 

Blessed be...

 

[Grigori Rho Gharveyn]

The Other Side of the Fence

We have tried to initially present the issues regarding psychopharmeceuticals from the points of view of people who rely on pharmeceutical therapies to maintain their mental, emotional, and social equilibriums because this group, when pressured to stop using their meds, may place themselves at very high risk.

People who have had serious problems with prescribed psychopharmeceutical therapies are often very vocal compared to those who successfully use these therapies, so people with bad experiences may often, with good intentions, give advise that is good for themselves to someone who may be put at risk by their advice.

There is very little risk telling somene who will not take their meds not to take their meds.

So we began this discussion with the intention to reinforce the confidence and social acceptance of people successfully using their prescribed therapies.

On the other side of the fence, there is a large community of people who should not take psychopharmeceuticals, and who may be put at risk by even a short trial on such drugs.

Fortunately, people harmed by conventional medicinal therapies may be in the minority, if we can accept statistics describing the range of effects over large populations.

We, personally, fall into the second group.

We cannot safely use any psychiatric pharmeceuticals.

This is a big problem in some respects.

We lived with unrelieved, or poorly relieved, frequently suicidal depression for most of our life, 40 years or more of our 53 year journey-to-date have been spent critically depressed and socially isolated as a result, including parts of our childhood, years critical to our social and emotional development.

Cognitively, we may have turned out very well, however our chronic depression contributed to many problems physically, socially, and emotionally.

Of course, some people would say we are a cognitive wreck as well, some may say we sound as crazy as a loon.

So be it.

Today we love who we are, but our love for oursevles is less than 4-1/2 years old; we still have occasional setbacks.

Our quality of life might inarguably have been much better had psych meds worked for us, but our meds consistently failed for us, sometimes putting us seriously at risk.

Our doctors had to learn the hard way not to give us these medicines, in a mental hospital.

During our hospitalization we spent 2-3 months being experimented on, as our doctors tried different combinations of drugs to help us with no success.

Some of the side effects were very upsetting; particularly form our doctors' points of views, we were becoming increasingly delusional.

Our doctors withdrew all of our meds and we then spent 6 months in cognitive therapy with a little group and occupational therapy mixed in before being released, not because we were 'cured' but because Ronald Reagan cut the budget and our hospital 'dumped' us.

We were put on welfare and assisted to find a safe affordable home, but we had no idea how to help ourselves, nor did anyone esle.

We had many breakdowns over the years that might have been prevented with successful professional therapies.

And of course, we returned to using street drugs many times, or alcohol.

We were always desperate to end our deep, agonizing, emotional pain, we felt abandoned by a system that did not know how to help us.

We became reactionary, we joined activists who publically advised all people that psych meds were dangerous, based on our own experiences, but deep down inside we were very jealous of the lucky majority of people being successfully helped while we felt left behind.

Our advice may have hurt people then, we never considered that possibility; we believed we were serving the best interests of the general public. 

It was easy to point out the flaws and mistakes in the system, it was much harder for us to see the virtues then.

Individuals caught in such circumstances often adopt an 'us-vs-the-world' mentality, it often becomes much more difficult to see things in any way other than our own.

We hated the world at times and wanted to destroy it, but really we wanted to destroy ourselves to end our pain.

Activism to curtail the use of drugs that had harmed us became a way to find community and support.

We failed to consider the possibility that our community might actively be harming people on the fence; people unaware or uncertain that their meds were helping them may have been harmed by choosing to follow our advice.

That we may have helped many people who were being harmed by their therapies does not justify the potential harm we may also have caused.

We could have learned a better way to deliver our messages, a way that supported people stigmatized by society for safely using prescribed therapies successfully.

 

Seems we are exploring how to do that now...

Blessed be...

 

[0s5i6ga6ttcwi]

I have taken medication for depression for over 6 years now. Since developing post-natal depression/ borderline post-natal psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder after the birth of my youngest son. I have tried multiple times to wean off of this drug but have realised that I will need to be on it the rest of my life. Without it, I cannot function.

 

 

[1wutqdr6pd0t0]

Thanks for speaking up Maedrona, most people minimize how traumatic pregnancy can be, it is almost never talked about among women. I am not sure if you have reseached your options or not, but you may find some natural options for your depression, and then again what you are taking now might be the best thing for you.

 

The video below is about a study that the US Goverment funded until the outcome didn't follow the American policies on Marijuana. Depending on what state you live in and how you react to Marijuana this could be a safer option for you. It is legal if you get a recommendation from a Doctor in 15 states now with 12 more on the way. The study below proved that Marijuana use during and after pregnancy effects nothing, and that in some areas benefited the children and mother. I enjoyed learning about this study, and there are numerous other videos worth watching on the subject. It is also can be recommended for depression, and helps thousands of people in that way.

 

15 legal Medical Marijuana states

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881

 

[Leila Raven]

Cannabis is a great medicine. I have no experience with it recreation-ally, just medicinally.  As wild as I've been in experimenting with alternative sexuality, spirituality, and other things. I've always been conservative when it comes to drugs, and never even tried marijuana/cannabis until I turned 40. I've still never smoked it. I'm a member of a local compassion club, and I use edibles, predominantly cannabutter, which I buy already made or make myself. I haven't used it in months now, but go through periods of time where I take it on occasion. I would use it more if it were covered, but it costs money I don't have, and my prescription medications are covered. What I do rely on primarily for pain is actually a synthetic cannibinoid medication, Nabalone, also known as Cesamet, it's not as good as the natural cannabutter I've found, but again. One comes to me free, the other I have to pay for... so that effects my choices.

Out of ANY medication I've used, canabis has been the most effective for pain, nausea, muscle tension, sleep, apetite, and several other health issues I struggle with regularly, it deals with more of my symptoms than any other medication, with the LEAST amount of side effects. I could literally replace most of the medications I currently use with cannabis use alone if it were affordable for me to do so.

No wonder there's a war on drugs... the powers that be would not make the money they do if we were all growing for free this fast growing plant that is a multi-purpose medication, as well as a super food, and many other things. - Super food wise, I also eat hemp seed daily, as it's complete protein in a plant with amazing omega oils and other benefits.

You'd think with how I rave about it that I've been smoking it all my life, instead of someone whose never inhaled once... lol.

[Grigori Rho Gharveyn]

Hi sister Leila,

We may need to evaluate Nabalone if we can get a doctor to prescribe it for us.

We spend about $125 a month for marijauna, loved the butter but not the added sugar calories as we try to manage our diabetes without insulin.

Its money we feel we can ill afford, but its a lot safer for our chronic pain than anything our doctors have given us to date, as well as much more effective.

We also smoke tobacco for our chronic pain, but primarily to enhance our cognitive functions, particularly our telepathy, we read people much more easily with tobacco.

We expect to get around to many alternative health issues related to psychopharmeceuticals as this new subject areas evolve, thanks for your contributions sweetie and all your good works... 

 

Blessed be...

 

[Leila Raven]

The synthetic is definitely not as good as the natural, but definitely better the synthetic cannibinoid than the synthetic opioid for pain, for me anyways.

[1wutqdr6pd0t0]

I concur the Synthetic is a monster, and can kill people, unlike the real thing...

[Leila Raven]

Absolutely, it's a whole different thing really. If people at all have the option of going the natural route I'd recommend sticking with that.