who is on happy pills

[Edgy]

I feel that they do help me and i have tried to go off them, but my persona changes and i become a very short and angry person.it helps balance the endorphyn level in my body.


You become short???....absolutely no chance of that buddy!

[Rory mundy]

going to try vegetable garden therapy first as im not depressed by any means just frustrated/stressed about the way people seem to be going business these days

[travelmember]

Nothing wrong with the homeopathic route Rory.
Not my place to say so, but is this not perhaps a symptom of your recent bad experiences.


Sometimes another path may be better in order to seek a solution. Recently a bud of mine took up MMA with a personal trainer after a hijacking - costs about the same as seeing a counsellor / shrink but she is fitter, stronger, more confident, eats and sleeps better and will not be caught out again.
She doesn't laugh as much though

[MichaelK]

The only pills I take are for babbelaas.Seasick pills don't work

You forgetting your viagra pills boet 

[maganything]

I feel that they do help me and i have tried to go off them, but my persona changes and i become a very short and angry person.it helps balance the endorphyn level in my body.


You become short???....absolutely no chance of that buddy!

 

[Plugger]

The only pills I take are for babbelaas.Seasick pills don't work

You forgetting your viagra pills boet 

They have them in powdered form now, you mix it in your tea. Doesn't do much for your love life but it stops your biscuits from going soggy!

[isivuba]

cant believe how many people are on them in my circle of friends

It's ridiculous! I might get shot down here, but I don't agree with this kind of therapy at all. All it does is make you forget about your problems and issues, without tackling them head on and dealing with the problems that made you depressed in the first place. 6 months after being on anti-depressants, your problems will still all be there because all you've done is swept them under the carpet!!
It's a similar position to the whole cholesterol medication debacle, where the marketing of Prozac/anti-depressants etc is funded by a multi-billion dollar industry, bogus research all funded by them! The Pharmaceutical Industry has a lot to answer for.

Have to agree with Reefz.......your brain is so powerful and you control it.

[WalkersKiller]

Was diagnosed 4 years a go with Chronic Depression. I was an absolute mess, made wrong decisions when running my won business, full of anxiety to the effect that I would throw up 3-4 times a day (This was over 2 and a half years). Tried to stay away from pills, but since I accepted it and started taking the pills my life has changed around completely. They worked for me. I could not function, literally. My problem is a genetic problem as my father, brother and Aunt all have bipolar, and with regards to the genes, a son or daughter will either get bipolar or chronic depression at some stage in their life (Well there is a 50% chance). So I am lucky enough in that case, because Bipolar is the most horrible chemical imbalance I have ever seen.

I am all for the pills. Started off on a bout 7, stabilised and now I take 3. I have never felt better, and accepting the fact that I needed to take pills changed my life.

[Half-Pint]

Was diagnosed 4 years a go with Chronic Depression. I was an absolute mess, made wrong decisions when running my won business, full of anxiety to the effect that I would throw up 3-4 times a day (This was over 2 and a half years). Tried to stay away from pills, but since I accepted it and started taking the pills my life has changed around completely. They worked for me. I could not function, literally. My problem is a genetic problem as my father, brother and Aunt all have bipolar, and with regards to the genes, a son or daughter will either get bipolar or chronic depression at some stage in their life (Well there is a 50% chance). So I am lucky enough in that case, because Bipolar is the most horrible chemical imbalance I have ever seen.

I am all for the pills. Started off on a bout 7, stabilised and now I take 3. I have never felt better, and accepting the fact that I needed to take pills changed my life.

 

Depression and bi-polar are terrible diseases that can tear a family apart. Unfortunately I speak from experience.

Glad to hear you are getting treatment G

[Willie]

Eish!!! Reading the post on Mission Rocks I need some pills 

[WalkersKiller]

Was diagnosed 4 years a go with Chronic Depression. I was an absolute mess, made wrong decisions when running my won business, full of anxiety to the effect that I would throw up 3-4 times a day (This was over 2 and a half years). Tried to stay away from pills, but since I accepted it and started taking the pills my life has changed around completely. They worked for me. I could not function, literally. My problem is a genetic problem as my father, brother and Aunt all have bipolar, and with regards to the genes, a son or daughter will either get bipolar or chronic depression at some stage in their life (Well there is a 50% chance). So I am lucky enough in that case, because Bipolar is the most horrible chemical imbalance I have ever seen.

I am all for the pills. Started off on a bout 7, stabilised and now I take 3. I have never felt better, and accepting the fact that I needed to take pills changed my life.

 

Depression and bi-polar are terrible diseases that can tear a family apart. Unfortunately I speak from experience.

Glad to hear you are getting treatment G

It is a tough one bru... I can sympathize with your experience.

Thanks bru 

[Sizer]

Tough one and sometimes even tougher to admit / disclose to friends and more specifically to "bosses" in the corporate world.
Took strain for many years .......a monster at times.......swallowed pride went for help.......BI POLAR.


Worst of all despite meds i ended up losing my job as a very senior manager in a corporate ( 15yrs ) 2 years ago. I had just lost my Ballie and had a heart attack  yet ones judgement, focus still can go awry.......end up in altercations etc.


Fortunately for my FAMILY, my FAITH and my FISHING ( maybe that should be first lol ) I see the glass half full and take it day by day.


There are tooooo many people out there that NEED help and sometimes the Happy pills are inevitable.


HAPPIER NOTE.....despite this crap weather I am going to my local dammetjie and spin for a cople of hours and even if I just catch a smile I'm cool with that.

[FishStyx]

cant believe how many people are on them in my circle of friends

It's ridiculous! I might get shot down here, but I don't agree with this kind of therapy at all. All it does is make you forget about your problems and issues, without tackling them head on and dealing with the problems that made you depressed in the first place. 6 months after being on anti-depressants, your problems will still all be there because all you've done is swept them under the carpet!!
It's a similar position to the whole cholesterol medication debacle, where the marketing of Prozac/anti-depressants etc is funded by a multi-billion dollar industry, bogus research all funded by them! The Pharmaceutical Industry has a lot to answer for.

Reefz... as a medical man, I'm a little surprised at your comment. That being said, I was of the same opinion until it happened to me. There's no doubt that there is over-prescription of a lot of meds, and you're right, Big Pharma has a lot to answer for.


I had a pretty rough setback some years ago and was unable to cope on a daily basis. I could not think coherently, could not focus on any job at hand and basically fell apart spectacularly. I started on Fluoxetine and within a few days, I was pretty much back in control (most patients take longer to feel the effects). I had no idea how debilitating depression could be.


The thing about my case was that I was not clinically (or chronically) depressed. It was an event that set off a kind of emotional snowball effect in me, and it needed a chemical intervention to interrupt that snowball. I cannot speak for those who are clinically depressed, but I can only imagine it must be awful.


I was on antidepressants for about 6 months and then stopped. I really disliked taking them and disliked the fact that they interrupted my sleep a lot. But they served their purpose until I was able to function again at work and socially.

[REEFMAN]

I don't doubt that there are certain cases that actually NEED the medication for a genuine problem. My issue is with the GP prescribing these willy-nilly. The whole crux of this thread is the shocking fact of how many people are taking them, when the vast majority really don't need them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3024604/More-two-thirds-people-taking-antidepressants-NOT-actually-depression-Doctors-discover-not-meet-official-criteria.html

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/astounding-increase-in-antidepressant-use-by-americans-201110203624

[FishStyx]

I don't doubt that there are certain cases that actually NEED the medication for a genuine problem. My issue is with the GP prescribing these willy-nilly. The whole crux of this thread is the shocking fact of how many people are taking them, when the vast majority really don't need them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3024604/More-two-thirds-people-taking-antidepressants-NOT-actually-depression-Doctors-discover-not-meet-official-criteria.html

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/astounding-increase-in-antidepressant-use-by-americans-201110203624

  ... quite scary!!!

[Marthin]

I don't doubt that there are certain cases that actually NEED the medication for a genuine problem. My issue is with the GP prescribing these willy-nilly. The whole crux of this thread is the shocking fact of how many people are taking them, when the vast majority really don't need them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3024604/More-two-thirds-people-taking-antidepressants-NOT-actually-depression-Doctors-discover-not-meet-official-criteria.html

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/astounding-increase-in-antidepressant-use-by-americans-201110203624

Now that i can't fault at all... not just happy drugs add antibiotics and others but yes... easy way out is usually first option.

[dodger]

I've been on them this time for a couple of years; many years ago I contracted teh Epstein Barr virus or is it's popularly known yuppy flu, I never had a cell phone or a BMW so not sure exactly how I qualified to be a yuppie 


Over time about 3 years in total I got back to normal, if anyone whose been through that can define normal, and with a little pill every day I was fine.


I stopped taking them about 5+ years ago and went on my way, as the pressures of living and working here increased I changed back into a very difficult if not impossible to deal with individual, with a complete sense of humour breakdown.
 I went to my GP and asked if I could go back onto the pills and that's where we are.


Just ask my beloved wife of 37 years which version of me she prefers and it's the one with a sense of humour.


I don't think I could drink enough Malt every day to make the same difference on a continual basis


So it does work for me

[Lenny]

I would really like to respond to this thread next week . Bit pressed for time right now.


A very ,very interesting subject .

[PatrickH]

Medicine should be seen in the same light as a crutch is to someone with a broken leg.You use the crutch till you are strong enough to walk without it Unfortunately there are some people who are crippled and can never throw their crutches away.As a practising pharmacist for the last 33 years, I have seen both scenarios played out countless times.
Yes I do agree that often medicine is prescribed for a seemingly quick fix instead of more time spent on addressing the source of the problem.However I have seen countless people who have benefited in life changing ways from so called happy pills.
(Some examples quoted above)
If you have never suffered from depression or bipolar or Add you can never know the life changing effect many of these medicines have on the sufferers or their families.
I firmly believe that medicine is a gift from God, its just man that sometimes uses it indiscriminately.
Perhaps be a little more gentle and supportive to those folk who have no choice but to take these meds

[ianf]

That makes sense.