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Anti-depressants and suicide...its in the new, why care?


ecook

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I have been off depressants since my pregnancy last summer. For professional reasons, I decided that I needed the drugs in order to be more "productive."

 

I went back on my dose of 150mgs of Effexor on January 15th. I spent the weekend sick as hell, but toughed it through.

 

On Thursday, I attempted suicide in my office. I took over 20 Klonopin. I felt like I couldn't deal with life anymore. I was found several hours later when coworkers realized that I didn't come out and yell, "Attention Smokers!" as a call for us to all take a break together. Its the only time smoking has ever saved a life. They broke the lock on my door fearing I had had a seizure. Instead, they found me surrounded by an open pill bottle.

 

I was rushed to the ER, and they were told to get ahold of emergency contacts because I might not make it. I made it to the ICU where I spent several days.

 

IT IS A PROVEN FACT THAT ANTI-DEPRESSANTS CAN LEAD TO SUICIDE.

 

Just because you're not on Zoloft or one of the others that has gotten the most press, doesn't mean you're not at risk especially when starting the meds or changing the dose.

 

What happened to me never should have happened. Please, don't let it happen to you. I got to live to talk about it. Will you?

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ecooper

First of all I am glad you were foundin time and nothing happened that was permanent. I have another story quite opposite of yours involving a co-worker. This co-worker decided to get off their medication without consulting any doctors. At first they said they felt 100% better but then a few days later they started to fall off....To sum it all up the productiveness fell to almost nothing. The enevitable happened..he was let go. After the person was let go they they decided ending their own life was a long-term solution to a short term problem. I am not a doctor. I do know that over medication happens quite frequently. More ever people feel side effects from a variety of drug interaction (not just individuals on ant-depressents). I am not saying that these drugs can cause some one to be suicidal. But to make it seem like staying off of these drugs because they can make you suicidal could hurt someone down the road. Doctors should be involved in any decision wether to stay on or stayy off a drug.Sometimes doctors are not always right, sometimes we have to change doctors etc. I post this in the channel because I strongly feel that more people would be hurt by taking the advice of getting off of or not seeking help with anti-depressents. I have never personally taken them. But I could see a difference in this co-worker. Everyones experience with each individual drug is different. Thats why you must keep in touch with medical or psychiatric professionals. Ecooper: I am glad your attempt was just that...an attempt....When that co-worker committed suicide I employed a gentleman by the name of kimble richardson from the st vincent stress center. I suggest anyone reading this that may have similar thoughts or just need help dealing with stress should contact him or someone like him.

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Are these symptoms of depression interfering with your life?

 

Not involved with family and friends the way you used to be?

Low on energy?

Not motivated to do the things you once looked forward to doing?

Not feeling as good as you used to?

 

This is off of the Effexor site. If you were to ask me those questions I would definitely need to be medicated. I'm 25, work in an office, never excercise(can't even spell it!) and eat crap, so ya I don't feel as good as I used to when I was 16, eating healthy and on my HS soccer team. for those same reasons I'm also low on energy. This whole world is over medicated. People that may have a slight chemical imbalance will have everything thrown way off by adding more chemicals. I have quite a few relatives that are addicted to anti-depressants. It's like heroin, the feeling that they have when they're not on the drugs is almost unbearable to them, so they always have to have it. I think that anti-depressants and muscle relaxers are extremely dangerous. I just try prayer, but that's just me :D

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the questions are relative. The main factor is it interfering with your life or not. Some people do need the drugs. Does it get used more than it should? Yes. But to say that it is a proven fact that these drugs lead to suicide I think is misleading. I am not going to go into this because of the sensitivity of the subject. We are not doctors or psychiatrists.

ed

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My point was just that the manufacturers of these drugs are misleading people into thinking that they need these drugs when they don't. Like drugs that say "Do you wake up in the moring and not wanna get out of bed??" That's me, every day since I was born. I never wanna get out of bed, I'm comfortable. Or "Do you feel uncomfortable in a room full of people that you don't know?", that doesn't mean you need drugs, it means you're shy. I'm just sayin that this world is over medicated, mostly because these drug companies are pushing their product like it's a furniture company and won't hurt the recepients. ecooper, from reading your post, I see you have a child that is under a year old. If that is the case then it doesn't matter if you have to spend your entire life with a hot poker dug into your spine, you tough it out for the sake of your child. There is nothing in hell or earth that could hurt you more than your love for your child. Keep that in mind if you ever think of this again. I wouldn't be a shadow of the man I am if it were not for my mother. $.02

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Hay i know how ya feel, Im on effexxor and when I miss a dose I feel like total horse dung. I have tried to take my self off but feel like crap when off then start taking to feel better and feel like crap from that. Never win!! I do agree that we are way over medicated though. Just figured I would let you know your not alone and hang in there!

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Em, I am so glad that you are able to read this and are here today! I barely know you but I would miss you so much if anything happened! You have a lot going on, I know, but there are a lot of us here who care very much about you. I'm not a therapist and don't know how to fix this kind of thing, however, I can always provide a listening ear. Call me, email me, whatever it takes, I do care and will help however I can.

 

Hugs,

Christy

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  • 1 month later...

What's the difference between a mild psycological disorder and normality? What is the definition in a Psych class of "normal"? I don't think I have turrets(If I recall the profanity type illness?) but if I were in a public restaurant and someone came by and dumped my spaghetti in my lap I'd probably be diagnosed with it. The problem(IMHO) is psych doctors getting a kickback from meds they sell. I remember hearing about like a "National Mental Health Awareness Day" or something like that. Psych docs were being nice enough to give free diagnosis's(sp??) that day. I wonder how many people went in to get checked out for free and the doctor said "Congrats! You're perfectly normal and don't need my help at all!". Ya.

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But who draws the line between ocd and really having a problem when a job is half-***ed? I know for a fact that there are doctors out there that would say I have mild ocd because I can't stand a crooked picture. IMO I don't think pictures should be crooked, I think it looks silly. I'll spend 15-20 minutes(depending on where it is) hanging a picture, because why do it if you're not going to do it right? But instead of putting me on medication I think everyone should just get a laser-level. My point being that everyone is screwed up one way or another, especially if you ask enough people. P.S. I am now alot more self concious about my excessive "throat clearing".

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Charity, my wife, though now non-precticing, holds an MS in Psyc, soc, education in counseling, and therapy. She's met mr. Dolfan and a tic is the LEAST of his concerns! Seriously, Tony there is not a thing wrong with you. Other than the constant worry about what "defines" normal, you are a completly "normal" person. It is the conservative in you (not the borderline-personality disorder) that has a problem with the feild of the analysis of the mind.

 

R-

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Just for the record...

 

Many people like to talk about doctors getting kickbacks from prescribing drugs. Having worked in the medical field in the past I would just like to say this... that is illigal, and it doesn't happen. The closest thing to "kickbacks" the drug companies give to doctors is paying for lunch when their reps visit them to explain new drugs. That is really a good thing though. It gives doctors a chance to question the drug reps about the drugs and ask questions. Remember, doctors aren't pharmacists... they don't have the same understanding about prescription drugs. After discussing a new drug with the reps, the Dr can do his own research on the drug. At no time does the doctor get paid according to how many prescriptions they write. In fact, there is no way for the drug companies to KNOW how many prescriptions they write. For them to do this, they would have to disclose patient information, which is also prohibited by law.

 

Why would a drug company risk losing its part in a multi-billion dollar market to give a doctor money for writing prescriptions, of which the numbers could have simply been made up by the doctor?

 

They do give samples to the doctors, which I guess is sort of an incentive to prescribe it. However I don't know of a single drug that samples aren't given to doctors. Again, it is supposed to be a convenience thing... means the patient can try it for free to make sure everything is OK with it before shelling out $$$$.

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I actually have a small correction...

 

 

Drug companies can pay doctors to prescribe drugs that are in the testing phase. They must be an approved test facility and keep very detailed paperwork on the drug. The patients must consent to participate and information is given to the drug company. The money given to the doctor is supposed to be a reimbursement for their time in participating (paperwork, documentation, etc.). I would agree that some doctors abuse this.

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Where I work the drugs are still in the testing stages. In order to get the drug accepted for the clinical trials, I have seen all kinds of incentives for the doctors and the research staff. I have seen multiple trips, gifts, meals and many other things. It may not happen legally, but it does happen occasionally.

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They are allowed to wine and dine them as much as they want... they aren't however allowed to do it on a per prescription basis (again, unless it is a test drug that requires extra work on the part of the doctors office). Drug companies wine and dine doctors all the time, but the doctors don't have to prescribe the drug to get special treatment, they simply have to sit through the companies sales pitches. It is kind of like time shares. That is perfectly legal. You won't find any companies giving the doctors money in exchange for prescribing the drugs.

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Charity, I feel horrible hijacking Em's post but I think this is a good discussion and somehow quite related. Yes my wife stopped practicing. Yes she got very tired of it. Initially she dealt with day treatment for schizophreniacs and was because it was a state facility the ratio of therapists to clients was horrid and security was even worse. The day her life was in jeopardy is the day that phase ended (long scary story). Then she specialized in children and pre-adolescents. You can only listen to the molested and abused and watch the state send them back into the "rehabilitated" environment only for bad things to happen again before you lose it yourself. Combine that with less pay then your average teacher and it isn't long before you walk away. She is now an air traffic controller and much happier. Good luck, it takes a special kind of people to stick with it and dedicate a life to helping others.

 

R-

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  • 5 months later...

OK well for what its worth here's my story about depression, I don't really like talking about it but if my experience can help somebody then that would make me feel good.

 

My older sister was diagnosed with (lets see if I spell this right) Pschitzophrenia/Manic depression when I was a teen ager. She had some serious issues. I think some of those issues was because of her recreational drug use to be honest but anyways... She did have bouts of serious depression. During these times of serious depression she did have a lot of things going on in her life.. She got pregnant by a guy and he disapeared, she was a VERY emotional person to begin with. For one reason or another she lost her job and moved back in with me and my mom and dad. She started behaving really wierd, don't really know if it was the medication she was on or the mental disorder or whatever but she would have like spontaneous outbursts of laughter and other strange behavior. Trust me for a 15yr old kid watching this stuff it was a trip. I'll never forget it I tell you that. I had to get the hell out of the house so I just started riding my bike all over the place for hours just to be away from the crazyness. My sister ended up committing suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning by starting the car in the garage.

 

So they say depression is a hereditary thing. Maybe so I don't know. I think sometimes in some circumstances depression is justified and some people do have real mental health issues that need to be treated with medication.

 

Most people though could benefit much greater by exercise. When I started biking all over town I noticed after a while my mood was soo much better and I was a lot happier and outgoing. It wasn't until when I was in college that I learned of the physiological effects of exercise. When you exercise your body releases endorphins. The same chemicals these mood altering drugs trigger your body to release to make you happy. Only thing is that exercise is natural. I think modern pharmacology can never really replicate what should happen naturally in our brains without side effects and of course all medications don't effect all people the same way. So I guess the point I am trying to make is that a good majority of the depressed people might try and give exercise a shot. In my case it worked for me.

 

Be good to yourself. I'm OUT!!! 8O

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