Poll: Antidepressants, do people really want these?

[SinisterGehe]

Antidepressants, a word that is being tossed around around a lot now days. And I am bit worried of this.

I am in Gymnasium atm, Thats 2nd level education in Finnish system (and also in commonly in Scandinavia) to clear it for those who do not know.
I been listening my friends and other students in my school and many of them complain about depression or something similar and would like to have antidepressants. But they aren't given out that much in Finland, at least not the more potent ones.

To understand my point here you need to hear part my story.
I myself have to take a potent antidepressants as part of my pain medication for my nerve damaged hand (It is used to help me to sleep and increase my pain tolerance level), along with other medication. The antidepressant was the last part of the pain medication given to me.
After a while of use I started to have severe side-effects, these include; Fast blood pressure changes that cause headaches, my heartbeat goes up and down extremely easy example: I laugh and my heart start pounding really hard and I have issues with sleeping, I fall asleep easy sure, but I can wake up middle of the night feeling like I had nightmare but I do not remember it, also I sleep really heavy and waking up is painful (Which is not normal to me). I was warned of these ahead and yes I have reported them to the doctor but she doesn't want to take me off them yet, before she has done some more tests.

I feel extremely ill because of these, but the medication allows me to use my hand. Before this full medication I had to spend time out of school because the pain spikes on my hand got too severe. So there is pro's and con's
I have chatted with few other friends of mine who also used or has used antidepressant, they have had similar experiences.

So my question is:
Why do people willingly want these drugs? They have more side-effects that positive ones. They are horrible to use. Why do people want these?
I have chatted with few people and they don't even know how they work or what they are used for. Is this the reason? Is it some kind of running fad? Is it cool to be on antidepressant medication?

I am worried of the people I care for around me who want these. I don't want them to even try how horrible it feels to be on these, thats why I tell them with my other friends how horrible they are, but they still want them.

Sorry for the language, I am not native to English.

 

[Actual]

I believe people just want to feel good, they believe that anti-depressants are a happy drug without the negative connections of recreational illegal drugs.

Also as these are school kids you're talking about there's likely a cool aspect, they think getting the attention for being the medicated student will somehow be cool.

Hope your hand gets better, and if it doesn't I'm sure you'll find a medicine balance which will make it less horrible.

 

[Gxas]

Depression is becoming the "mental disease of the month" if you will. Many people are saying they have it. I'm not quite sure why they do, though. I mean, I get depressed, but I don't have any sort of depression. I just get sad sometimes.

That may be the reason, actually. Because it is called depression, and the word depressed is used to describe when you're sad, people (stupid ones) think that the two are related. So when they feel depressed, they think they have depression, thus driving them to crave these antidepressants.

It's stupid. No one should want medication without knowing for a fact that life would change for the better because of it.

 

[Marter]

They don't all have those kinds of effects though. And, you have to remember that they'll affect each person differently. Like...I haven't been on antidepressants before, but I've been on other medication where they told me that I would have bad side effects, but didn't have much of a choice whether or not to take them.

I ended up getting no side effects at all from them.

If the antidepressants are actually required, and the quality of life of the person would improve--even with the side effects, (meaning they are actually depressed)--then yeah, I think they should be administered.

 

[SinisterGehe]

They don't all have those kinds of effects though. And, you have to remember that they'll affect each person differently. Like...I haven't been on antidepressants before, but I've been on other medication where they told me that I would have bad side effects, but didn't have much of a choice whether or not to take them.

I ended up getting no side effects at all from them.

If the antidepressants are actually required, and the quality of life of the person would improve--even with the side effects, (meaning they are actually depressed)--then yeah, I think they should be administered.

Lately I been seeing that if person has any type of issue that doctors don't bother really to waste resources on they just say, you are depressed.

 

[rockingnic]

After a while of use I started to have severe side-effects, these include; Fast blood pressure changes that cause headaches, my heartbeat goes up and down extremely easy example: I laugh and my heart start pounding really hard and I have issues with sleeping, I fall asleep easy sure, but I can wake up middle of the night feeling like I had nightmare but I do not remember it, also I sleep really heavy and waking up is painful (Which is not normal to me).

All of those side effects listed I have occur constantly and I am only on one medication (not an antidepressant) and none of the known side effects say this.

On topic, I know people on antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds and it seems to work for them. Although I did't know how most of them were before they started, I don't see them having any side-effect issues. I do think that it's odd that there are a lot of people on antidepressants but if it works for some people, it works.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

10 years ago, when i was 20, i went through the worst mental turmoil of my life. my mind was constantly filled with thoughts of suicide. my mental reaction to pretty much every event in my daily life was to picture myself blowing my brains out. eventually, i actually attempted suicide (well... not so much "attempted"... i had the gun under my chin and the only thing that stopped me was realizing that if i went through with it i'd be putting my little sisters in therapy for the rest of their lives).

at this point, it became clear to me and my loved ones that i had a serious problem (well duh!). thus, i went to the doctor and was put on some medication.

now, don't get me wrong. the side effects were horrible. not only did they make me completely apathetic, they also numbed my genitals. however, they were what i needed at the time. with the help of the medication, i was able to have the clarity and focus i needed to make changes in my life that helped remove a lot of the underlying causes of my depression and anxiety. once i made those changes, i stopped taking the meds. i still have occasional bouts of depression, due to the chemical component of depression, but for the most part i'm happy with my life.

i agree with you, the OP, to an extent. i don't think antidepressants should be viewed as a magic pill that will make all problems go away. but if used as a tool to facilitate real, lasting changes in an unhappy life, they can be very useful. that being said, i really hope i never have to take them again.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

I'm on antidepressants because it's illegal for me to truly get help for my real problem untill I'm 18 for some reason.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

No-one should want to have anti depressants.

I was on Fluoxitene, 40mg and while it was good for a few weeks, having confidence and being carefree, when I started to come off them, I was a mess. Vicious mood swings were prominent when I even heard about it. Even when you're on it, it's hell. When I became upset, it hit hard, as by ANTI-Depressants, it keeps the depression away. But really, it's still there, and it will explode out of you.

I'd like to take my time to thank and aplogise to the community when that happened, both times. One was casual, the other was me feeling like everything sucked and was out to kill me.

Calumon: Normal happy is the best happy. :3

 

[SinisterGehe]

I'm on antidepressants because it's illegal for me to truly get help for my real problem untill I'm 18 for some reason.

Does it have something to do with gender? Because one of the friends who I spend most of my time chatting in School has this problem. But she can't get hep to it until shes 18.

 

[Aetera]

Depression is over-diagnosed, yes, but not all antidepressants have such extreme side effects, and not everyone experiences them. I do wish that doctors didn't automatically jump to assuming that everyone has depression, though. I have severe type II bipolar disorder, aka bipolar depression, which is a different thing entirely to clinical depression, but I kept just being thrown antidepressants for the longest time growing up until I was finally properly diagnosed. I need mood stabilizers, not antidepressants. It seems almost like doctors don't even consider other things before making the knee-jerk clinical depression assumption.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

*Snippet*

Yeah. Depends on where you live though.

 

[CactiComplex]

I've seen people become train wrecks with anti-depressants (both still on them and attempting to come off of them). I was offered anti-depressants shortly after I got diagnosed with depression and I had to argue the person down twice because I refused. They insisted it would be for the best, and yet here I am months later coping without the good ol' happy pills.

I think one of the problems is that so many people see them as a quick, permanent fix to a complex problem. There are pros and cons in every individual case, and ultimately some people will need them and some won't. Either more information should be available about the pills, or people should actually read the stuff out there to make an informed decision.

 

[Valate_v1legacy]

I'm on antidepressants because it's illegal for me to truly get help for my real problem untill I'm 18 for some reason.

...what would your "real problem" be? I'm sure if you had an honest problem they'd give you the medication you need for it.

As for these kids wanting anti-depressants and other medicines... they just think it would be cool. Stupid, I know, but for some reason most kids think drugs are what they need to have fun.

Well, I don't *want* to be on antidepressants(I've had bad experiences with them) But if I stopped they'd send me back to an institution for a couple weeks and that is not fun. Seriously, I can't wait till I'm 18 for many reasons.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Different drugs have different effect on different people. Some people can take antidepressant x and find it really helps, others can take the same and find its really unpleasant. Often doctors just have to use trial and error to get medication right. Side effects can also build up over time or only occur once you stop taking them (technically withdrawal symptoms but w/e).

If someone really is clinically depressed and the medication helps them then it probably is very much worth it for them. Teenagers feeling a bit depressed is another matter, but then just because you're a teenager doesn't mean you couldn't be bad enough that medication would be an improvement. You have to take it on a case by case basis. IDK what things are like in your country but in some places it seems doctors just throw antidepressants at people as a sort of placebo...except they aren't a placebo, they're a powerful mind altering substance.

I have to say I haven't met anyone who's had entirely positive things to say about antidepressants, but then I suppose if they work you don't feel the need to complain about them so it's less likely I would have heard about it.

 

[BRex21]

Anti-depressants are pretty frightening if you've read actual trials on them. most are very addictive, harder on the liver/kidneys than binge drinking and almost double your chances of suicide. all this with limited to no tangible effects.
With clinical result studies that are out there, i don't really understand why many of these drugs got approved.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Anti-depressants are pretty frightening if you've read actual trials on them. most are very addictive, harder on the liver/kidneys than binge drinking and almost double your chances of suicide. all this with limited to no tangible effects.
With clinical result studies that are out there, i don't really understand why many of these drugs got approved.

Well they gave me what they were promised to do, but they weren't used to treat depression, they were used to treat pain condition. I refused the treatment for depression, since I clearly in my opinion didn't have any, I was just angry that something like this took away my ability draw/write/play percussion (I was quite successful with percussion I had a stipend to go study it after I graduated) and still I am not able to write properly, let alone drive a bike and I am in constant pain.
But yeah. Antidepressants that weren't used for their real use but to enhance other other medications grip on me, it was either I take these little white pills 2 a day or I take almost double the dosage of the other medication.

 

[beniki]

I don't like them. I don't like what they do to people, and I don't like the culture that some of the kids that use them have built up. And I especially don't like that many people on them use them to excuse bad behaviour.

Honestly, at this point, if a doctor prescribed them to me, I'd give him the finger and invite him to swivel on it.

Disclaimer: We here at Beniki Co. realise that there are many honest people that do use them, and in no way wish to insult or offend such decent folk that are simply struggling under a heavy burden. Rock on you depressed dudes.

 

[Blitzwarp]

I want my anti-depressants because they stop me from wanting to kill myself. The peace of mind they give me is worth the lethargy they cause in me.

In b4 "well you could just cheer up" and other uninformed opinions. :/