How many prescriptions drugs do you take?

None

I am asking out of pure interest. I'm about to start another which makes me feel more an old lady than ever. I'm going to have to get a bigger box for them all. In their glory:

Lithium
Lamictal
Klonipin
Prozac
Advair
Albuterol
A special lady pill
birth control (my insurance will not cover an IUD, arggh!)
Allegra
soon to be a synthetic thyroid hormone

I think that's it. . .

Crikey!

I'm sure I'm not the only one on ILx who would benefit from a little M-F AM/PM pill holder.

i hate this thread

:( sorry!

Not something I'd really be so keen to be boasting about on an internet messageboard. 1 and holding.

Who's boasting?

One for me too.

Boasting would be an odd way to put it. I often like to know who takes similar meds to compare notes. Also that's why I said "if so inclined" b/c I'm sure others aren't as interested in sharing their experiences.

<i>(my insurance will not cover an IUD, arggh!)</i>

That sucks!! With my insurance the whole thing, device and insertion, was around 20 or 30 bucks.

As for my prescriptions, I only take 2.

Daily: Effexor
As needed: Ativan

I don't take any prescription pills. I do take Omnibionta (pronatal pill) and Biofer (iron suppliment). I also sometimes have some Dafalgan (for my migraines). Other than that, nothing. As soon as I have delivered and quit breastfeeding, I'll have the birth control pill which is obv a prescription pill.

Why should it be boasting? She's just being honest about it.

I told my doctor last week about some phobias ive developed since ive been in USA land, with the idea of getting a referral to a psychiatrist and maybe a little valium or xanax for the interim, but he kept pushing lexipro instead even though i said i didnt want to take an antidepressant because im not depressed and the anxiety is only in certain situations, not all the time. then he bullied me out of the office so fast he forgot to give me the prescription for the stupid drug i didnt even want to take. new doctor please.

so i stand at zero

Daily: Effexor

argh, that really messed with me. It was fantastic for lifting me out of a dark depression but the side effects killed me.

I probably should talk to my obgyn about it. maybe she can fight them for it. I hate ins. companies dictating what you can and can't do. I think it would be about $500 cash otherwise.

Lexapro was good as a mild anti-depressant for me but not sure how it did with anxiety. The SSRIs are good for anxiety but the side effects are horrible. I only take a minuscule amount of prozac for long-term anxiety now. no side effects with it, which is good. If you're not on an HMO, go see a different doctor.

i take GABA for anxiety
i dont suppose anyone's tried that/had any experiences with it?

Is that a prescription or a supplement?

Anxiety is still a big problem for me and we can't find a good solution for it. Buspar didn't work.

supplement
i was on paxil for 9 months many moons ago
hated hated HATED it
GABA's the best thing i've found
it works but its not overwhelming and personality-altering

a bit more info on GABA
some people i know only take it as needed
either during/after a panic attack or before they go to sleep
i take 750mg orally almost every day

Hmm, that's worth looking to. I'm always hesitant to add stuff like that in with all of my prescription mix, though. I'll mention it to my doctor though.

<i>Daily: Effexor

argh, that really messed with me. It was fantastic for lifting me out of a dark depression but the side effects killed me.</i>

It's strange how drugs effect everyone so differently. I haven't had a single side effect from Effexor (taken for anxiety, btw) which I've been on for the better part of the last five years.

I was on Paxil for about a month prior to starting Effexor and HATED it. I was um how you say . . . completely sexually numb. That was horrible!

stop it me forgetting how to format things!

I just wrote a long blah blah blah about how I got over my phobias w/out drugs, but obviously it ended up on some other thread. Hmmm. Maybe I have ADD.

xpost

That's what I hated about all the SSRIs. Which was unfortunate b/c Zolofot worked well for me. Effexor just gave those weird brain tremors even if I was a little bit late, which freaked me out. I've heard from a lot of people though that's all that it did for them.

Likewise I've heard from so many people that Lithium was nothing but hell for them but it's been fantastic for me.

Beth, sometimes with a poll you don't realize there's an xpost b/c it takes you to the top of the poll.

I told my doctor last week about some phobias ive developed since ive been in USA land, with the idea of getting a referral to a psychiatrist and maybe a little valium or xanax for the interim, but he kept pushing lexipro instead even though i said i didnt want to take an antidepressant because im not depressed and the anxiety is only in certain situations, not all the time. then he bullied me out of the office so fast he forgot to give me the prescription for the stupid drug i didnt even want to take. new doctor please.

My therapist just ignored my talks about anxiety attacks. When I said I was thinking about taking some pills, he flatly refused saying you just have to take more and more to suppress'em. I quit therapy soon after. I still have anxiety attacks. Not heavy though. Then again I can't really compare or measure the attacks. I do feel they should be addressed but how? I'm not sure.

I take Paxil and Avonex, an intra-muscular injection I give myself once a week. Tonight's the night for the needle, too.
I was taking a drug to lower my white blood cell count, too, something normally given to transplant recipients. It was making me puke, so I stopped. MS is really annoying and hard to treat. You end up taking all kinds of different stuff just to see what ends up helping. Luckily, I'm doing okay, so I've stayed with what I've been on since the beginning.

Effexor just gave those weird brain tremors even if I was a little bit late, which freaked me out. I've heard from a lot of people though that's all that it did for them.

Oh, I do get those if I don't take it regularly. I ran out of my supply a couple of month after I moved to England but before I'd registered with a GP and was forced to quit cold turkey. I won't lie - it sucked and I suffered really bad withdrawal symptoms for about a week. I was off for about two years and back on again earlier this year. Now I know better and if I decide to go off again in the future, it will definitely be under a doctor's supervision.

xxpost

Anxiety (and this is just for me, not generalizing for others) is the one thing I don't believe is truly biochemical. I do believe I can overcome it in time. We work on it alot in therapy and my psychiatrist's approach with the drugs is to allow me the mental clarity and emotional energy to let the therapy actually work.

It's kind of like I have a flesh memory of traumatic things and the slightest thing can trigger these memories, rendering me completely panicked, in fear, and helpless. The klonpin is short term to help me in these situations. The long term stuff (general fear of people and certain situations) so far hasn't be helped by medication. Still banging away at it in therapy though.

That still didn't come out right. I know GAD can be biochemical for some, I just don't think that is what gives me problems.

TripMaker, did you need to learn how to give an injection? I suppose so. Probably a dumb question.

Sam, you are probably right. But he never seemed to address how I could cope with it. So i basically quit therapy. :-(

Find a new one. Seriously, I think it takes a while to find one who fits you. Keep trying.

Okay, that came out silly. Injections are probably the least of your worries. :-(

not to be cynical, ms misery
but ive tried to 'solve' my anxiety for years
with logic and lateral thinking, etc
it led to me moving someplace in the middle of nowhere for a year, not telling anyone where i was, cutting off communication/access to anything
total isolation for the sake of trying to get rid of any and all anxiety
uh, it didnt work

anxiety is irrational by nature
you cant think it away
or, at least i cant

If it's in you, moving away won't help - you're just taking the problem with you. You need to find a coping mechanism.

xpost

it led to me moving someplace in the middle of nowhere for a year, not telling anyone where i was, cutting off communication/access to anything
total isolation for the sake of trying to get rid of any and all anxiety

I completely understand this. It's an impulse I fight constantly.

Maybe you are right and I will not be successful in trying to work it away. I'm not opposed to treating it medicinally I just feel most of it is tied to specific events in my life (think PTSD) and that maybe I can work through it.

Again, I'm just speaking for myself. I know everyone's experience is different.

Nathalie, a nurse did come to my apartment and show me how to self-inject the first time. It's really easy. Some people still can't do it, though. I think it's probably just needle-phobia. Sometimes I hit a nerve or a muscle and that hurts. Never for very long, though. What's worse is the fatigue the day after, usually.
I've been on Avonex for about three and a half years.

If you don't mind me asking, how would were you when you developed MS?

There's an inexpensive beta-blocker that helps PTSD tremendously; I wonder if it helps w/ anxiety. Mr Jaq knew the guy who was doing the research at the VA with it. I'll find out what it was and see what happened with it - he was having a tough time getting research funding because the drug was cheap and generic.

I feel fortunate to not be taking anything more than aspirin and a multivitamin just yet, it feels like it's only a matter of time though. Mr. Jaq takes plenty, and it seems there's more every year.

I was prescribed beta-blockers on the run-up to my wedding to relieve anxiety, they really did help me as I was really fractious and panicky about a whole bunch of stuff around that time (especially flying post-9/11).

wow, this is actually a really good thread. i'm not on any medications, but i probably would be if my doctor had her way. i get minor anxiety attacks on a semi-regular basis (although much less in recent months), but i have certain behavioural tricks for managing them. twice in the last couple of years i've had a massive attack which has lasted for 3 days. the physical symptoms are really awful for me, and only compound the mental fucked-uppedness. during the first one i went to an emergency doctor and got a 3 day script for valium, which helped a little. but i didn't want to deal with the bigger problem so never went to my gp till the second time, about a year ago.

i fought my way out of the last attack basically through an overwhelming sense of anger at the person who had contributed to the circumstances which fed the attack. but afterwards i went to speak to my gp. the first thing she did was try to get me on a daily anti-anxiety medication, even though i told her that i was ok on a daily basis and it was only the very rare big ones i was concerned about. and that pretty much ended the conversation. she recommended i go see 'someone' but didn't really offer anything less vague than that.

it's comforting, in a weird way, to know other ppl have gone thru/are going thru something similar. and also really helpful reading about the effects, both good and bad, of certain meds.

I'm on 3 if you count Nasonex which is a prescription nasal spray which I have to take all year round cos of pesky perennial rhinitis.

I kind of want to get off Prozac but fear the withdrawal. If I run out for a week I start to get really depressed so I can imagine it not being much fun at least for a few weeks.

Ruby, if you feel the anxiety is negatively affecting your quality of life, then I would agree you should try and see a psychiatrist. Otherwise it sounds like you understand what's going on and control it to a certain extent. Although I don't think trips to the ER support this too well (if they happen more than once).

There's too many people in the world on anti-depressants

I'm high on life

There's too many people suffering from depression.

Hmmmmmm

I think anti-depressants are a useful way of being able to cope with the harder parts of depression alongside other methods of being able to try and deal with the underlying illness. I don't think they should be a life-long solution in a lot of cases, but I see little harm in using them as as you would a painkiller or a splint to aid the recovery process.

My old doctor told me I might as well stay on them for the rest of my life, which I didn't like very much. Now I've moved though so will get a new doctor soon.

i've been on SSRIs for over a decade :/

Some people have to be. But not as many as are.

I don't care to get into a discussion about the worth of anti-depressants here. Not only has it been done to death but I don't like discussing medical issues in depth where most people have limited knowledge. I also am done with justifying my medical treatments to others. Other people with chronic, debilitating illnesses don't have to, so why should I?

Suffice it say unless modern medicine comes up with a way to directly extract/repair certain parts of our brains, I will be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life. And I have made peace with this.

If you don't mind me asking, how would were you when you developed MS?
It was kind of a long and terrifying process of discovery over the ages of 23 and 24 that involved a vision self-test on the campus that I worked at (the very first sign that something was wrong, but it didn't seem like a big deal) then a visit to an optometrist (which was, of course, completely useless) then an opthalmologist (slightly less useless) then an MRI (kinda scary, the first time, it's nothing now) then a visit to a neuro-opthalmologist then a trip to my first Neurologist (who insisted that I DID NOT have MS, but thought we should start treating me as though I did?) then, finally, my second neurologist told me I had MS and put me on the Avonex injections. About one year from the first step to the last.

I dislike doctors of all kinds and Neurologists are especially annoying.
I'm not happy about it, but there's little to be done while I'm here in Mid-Missouri. I've already been to all the neurology clinics in the area.
Yes, BOTH of them. I may have a chance of finding a neurologist I actually LIKE in Chicago, but based on other MS'er experience, it seems unlikely. Neuro's suck.

There are Myspace MS discussion groups which are actually very helpful.

Paxil is the first anti-depressant I've taken. My Neuro put me on it after a bad MRI (not THAT bad, but showing signs). I told him I'd been slightly depressed (pretty natural for an MS'er) and he wanted to get me on IV steroid treatment. So, I went back to see him after one month on Paxil and he'd changed his mind about the IV steroid treatment. That really annoyed me since I'd been gearing up for the steroids and almost looking forward to it, just to see what would happen. I asked him about the paxil and he told me I should continue on it if I thought it helped.

My neurologist leaves a lot of these decisions up to me. It's unnerving.

0, but mostly because I have no insurance.

Steriods are very rough on your body though TP. Probably more so than an SSRI like Paxil.

Milo during my 6 mths of unemployment almost all of unemployment check was eaten up buying have to buy my meds. :( We live in a very sad place indeed.

ms. m, the er was only the one time, and the anxiety attack was exacerbated by not having slept/eaten for week. my heart was thudding like i was about to go into cardiac arrest or some shit, and i couldn't catch my breath (added to that was this overwhelming sensation like my mind was actually fragmenting). but like i said, there's only been two big ones in two years, and i wasn't 'mental' during the last one. i've taught myself a whole bunch of stuff that helps me deal with this crap up to a certain point (it's the no eating/no sleeping thing that has gotten me both times). i know i should probably see someone, but it freaks the fuck out of me :/.

flomax

I don't care to get into a discussion about the worth of anti-depressants here. Not only has it been done to death but I don't like discussing medical issues in depth where most people have limited knowledge.

Well posting a thread about prescription drugs wasn't a particularly great idea then

While I expected a large amount of us to be on anti-depressants I didn't ask "How many drugs do take and why in the hell do you think you need them?"

Also,I'm not saying you shouldn't discuss it. It's just not a discussion I wish to participate in on ILx anymore.

That's cool

toot toot

I didn't realize cocaine was by prescription now RJG.

Can I just point out I said "in a lot of cases" not "in all cases". I've worked with various people with mental health issues in the past and a lot of them seem resigned to not trying to get better, just in papering over the cracks. In some cases, that's all that can be done, I know, but in other cases there are other things that can help as well, reducing the need for medication.

(Apologies if use of phrases like "mental health issues" and "get better" offend anyone)

Are there any of you that feel that you were encouraged into taking certain medications, and now either withdrawing from them would be so bad it would be self-defeating, or feel you have become dependent on them (which needn't necessarily have happened)?

Only asking as I know some people who feel that way about some medication they've been on for a long time. I'm wondering how wide-spread it might be in the area of anti-depressants generally because it seems quite upsetting to me that anti-depression medication seems to be thrown about so randomly when it has BIG TIME EFFECTS!

I am on zero prescription medication - occasionally I have had a run of ANTIBIOTICS! I am not even on ye pill but this is really a laziness/scatty issue cz I am rub at remembering to take medicine every day (unless it is tasty like COVONIA COFF MEDICINE and then you can't keep me away).

Ailsa, I wasn't speaking to you directly. I understood what you meant. It's just obv. a touchy, slippery slope for me so I wanted to calmly say my piece and then remove myself.

sarah, I don't think I've ever felt that way about any meds but when I've gone off them I've been sure to do the slow, correct way. One of my old pyschs was annoying in that she just threw whatever new med at me. I often said no to her and made her take me off stuff.

Aye, I didn't think you were Sam, I was just covering myself in case I'd sounded a bit up myself. I've done my stints on anti-depressants (and beta-blockers as mentioned upthread) myself, but I'm not always sure it's the right long-term route for everyone. On those occasions, I've always worked through whatever it is, while taking pharmaceutical help to allow me to do that when necessary, then trying to manage without the medication. It mostly goes quite well (though evidently not well enough or I'd be off them full-time).

Are there any of you that feel that you were encouraged into taking certain medications

My wife's endocrinologist pushed Crestor at her for her cholesterol -- a classic "the first hit is free" situation with a bag full of samples, "let's just see how this does for six months or so." Her bad cholesterol number went from 230+ to 174, so it's hard to argue with him. It's expensive, but a couple of her meds became available in generic at the same time, so the net expense stayed the same.

One for me.

I covered all my drug habits on the how many cups of coffee do you drink thread.

I'm skipping over the reading bcz a quick scan makes me think it de-evolves into "oh but really why don't you try something I recommend that isn't meds," which I hate.

I'm out of my RX of Provigil until the 28th, to counteract the apathy/malaise/I-don't-give-a-fuckitis Lexapro was giving me. So, I've been rather "buh" lately. Rest of the cocktail I'm not sharing right now.

I do like those little things that hold each of your weekday's pills in its own little chamber, if only because it helps me remember whether I've taken them or not.

I asked my pysch about Provigil and he said he wasn't against trying it though most insurance didn't cover it (?!). We're going to wait and see how the thyroid meds work out though.

three for me on the daily:
Allegra-D (120 mg horsepill)
Fluticasone (aka Flonase, for sinus issues)
Lexapro (10 mg. i haven't had ANY negative side effects from it at all)

1. citalopram.

that's weird that most insurance carriers don't do Provigil. i mean, what if yr really a narcoleptic?

zero

i don't even like taking ibuprofen/aspirin/whatever

i am v v skeptical of the pharmaceutical business, and i say that as someone who will be giving ppl drugs for a living

What will be your career?

applying for med school

as in, i plan on applying to med school, profesionally, for the rest of my life

on a regular basis, zero - altho I'll take painkillers if prescribed for something specific. Otherwise, past experiences have led me to conclude that the pharmaceutical industry is 99% evil, and I want as little to do with it as possible.

isn't every industry about 99% evil?

But they only make goods!

isn't every industry about 99% evil?

goes double for industries that spend over 50% of their annual budgets on advertising

(sorry I've just had really negative professional experiences dealing with the pharmaceutical industry - without a doubt some of the most vile people I have ever personally come into contact with, completely without scruples)

Don't take SSRI's and hormonal birth control at the same time.
Because you will end up pregnant.

Don't take SSRI's and hormonal birth control at the same time.
Because you will end up pregnant.

Wait - what?! I have never heard that before, not even when I was training to be a family planning counselor.

Don't take SSRI's and hormonal birth control at the same time.
Because you will end up pregnant.

haha, I did for probably 7 years and did not end up pregnant. Some of my mood stabilizers however (lithium, trileptal) have weakened my pills in which case my obgyn just gave me a stronger one.

Yeah, I just looked it up to be certain and it's not true. I don't know where she got that from.

As far as I know, St. John's Wort has been noted to cause some interactions and is not recommended but not SSRIs.

In most cases, insurance will only cover provigil for its on label indications, i.e., narcolepsy or chronic fatigue, because it's expensive. It's not abusable, in other words, you can't get high from it, but it's in demand as a performance enhancement drug for obvious reasons...the effects of speed without the speediness and assorted negative side effects. A friend of mine who has MS and has to take a lot of meds that wipe him out takes it and says it's a godsend that allows him the energy to do stuff. His insurance pays for it.

i take a daily dose of JESUS

Is that covered by your insurance?

i live in CANADA and it comes freeee with purchase of socialiamsm!
i also take 'this time for sure i'm moving way north' in the evening
and a morning suppository of 'fuuuucccckkk this shit'
and a twice daily sublingual dose of 'hahahahahalalasigh'

Provigil is a fascinating drug, and has been a total lifesaver for me. The first few days on it felt odd, but being able to focus and function is worth that short period of adjustment.

I don't currently take any prescriptions though i recently finished a course of Amoxicillin for Lymes.

I am more than skeptical of the pharmaceutical industry, but know that drugs are a godsend for many. My dad worked on the campaign to make generic drugs available. He got actual death threats from people in the pharmaceutical industry. I once had to translate a Standard Operating Procedure marked highly confidential for a large pharmaceutical company that described how they ground up the competition's pills and repackaged them. Also papers about how to convince women in the newly open East Bloc that their perfectly good, affordable contraceptives were risky and that they should buy Western pills.

I think it's funny though how many of my peers are so quick to be judgemental about use of antidepressants and other prescribed drugs, but have absolutely no problem with people "self-medicating" with street drugs. One instance is abetting the man and one is sticking it to the man, I suppose. Both are just about feeling better, though.

I've got what I guess I would call social anxiety (shyness among people) and have considered going to a professional and hyping the symptoms to get drugs and I'm sure the drugs would help, but I'm not debilitated. But I know people who are, and who have described how the cloud lifts and they become themselves again when they finally get on a scrip.

Asacol and 6-Mercaptopurine, both for Crohn's disease.

Asacol is an unfortunate name for a Crohns medication *childish grin*

i'm also highly skeptical of the pharma industry (but aren't most people by now?? they should be) - my brother is diabetic (childhood-onset) and holy crap has insulin etc become a total racket in the past decade. on the one hand pharma companies putting tonnes of money into discovering and researching better treatments is a good thing but obv on the other hand they're creating Products, not all of which are 'better'. in a way it kinda reminds me of how military defense research works. hrm.

i find it interesting that most talk on this thread is about mental health prescription treatments, which are still in this grey area of stigma and 'let's try it and see.' which is just frustrating b/c the drugs still treat our physiological/neurological parts, not our hard-to-quantify 'feelings.' and holy shit the ad hype and media hype re: these treatments. which brings me to how in fact most drugs for most 'disorders' are trial and error from patient to patient. i mean, not even penicillin works for everyone obv.

i totally understand the necessity of certain drugs for certain people, and i know some people wld say that diet and exercise and spiritual practice and alt therapies don't have a place on this thread, but the brain/body already has a lot of drugs in it naturally that can be altered by many dif kinds of stimulation. and foods are drugs too.

btw, Curt1s, have you tried this kind of diet?
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/index.htm
it's helping me with digestion/inflammation/skin issues (though i don't have anything like crohn's)

anyway, yeah, i am doing a lot of work abt medical/scientific discourse and how the inner body is just as diverse from person to person as the outer body. am both fascinated and frustrated by medical establishment and drug industry :/

Hey thanks for that link Rrobyn :) My ex suffers very much with psoriasis and bad stomach issues (I think it could be celiac disease but hes not sure). Ive showed him the site.

it seems like it'd be tough but srsly, feeling and looking crappy are way worse than cutting out stupid grains and sugar when there are a million other things to eat
(no offense of course to those whose systems thrive on grains and sugar! i know you exist and are people too)

Does "taking prescription drugs" imply that they've been prescribed for me?

0

the pill - no more babies for me thanks

certain

That was a test, certain.
I made a sweeping generalization, and that was stupid.

I apologize to ENBB - I think I have offended you in the past.

The efficacy of hormonal birth control and anti-depressants really depends on the pills.
They CAN be counter indicative.
St. John's Wort is a really good example. Because it is an ingredient in most anti depressant pills.

So, the advice is not to take it in big doses because it will fuck up your birth control.

0

I was pretty sure I'd head of contraindications btwn birth control and anti depressants before. I could be misremembering though.

I know theres an issue with bc pills and speed. As a friend of mine found out when she ended up knocked up despite being on the pill.

I suppose they don't really put that in a meth PI sheet, do they.

Haha. "Do not drive, operate machinery, or attempt to pick up at clubs while on this medication"

thanks for that link rrrobyn! The meds are working great for me without any real dietary changes -- I have few issues aside from the occasional flare -- but I'm definitely looking into alternatives so I don't have to stay on pills forever.

I sent the link to Nick and he took one look at diet and went NO WAI =(

I cant blame him tho, I was on an allergy elimination diet once and it was hardcore and so annoying. I basically couldnt eat out.

I'm not sure about St Johns Wort being an ingredient in most anti-depressants - you're flat out told NOT to take it if you take Prozac as it interferes with it pretty badly.

xanax, though seldom take it really.

zomig, take it for migraines when I can afford to pay 10 euro per pill.

losec, two daily, for acid reflux. no idea if it even works or not, but scared to stop taking it.

losec works for dad and worked for my mum, ronan

i suspect i will have to start taking it at some point

xpost I take something else which is just over the counter. it tastes like shit, but it really helps.

oh and i'll probably be begging for something against my migraines once i delvered and stopped breastfeeding.

None for me but I take a shit load of over-the-counter pain killers.

none. take the occasional ibuprofen for hangovers but not happily.

just a weird little note to migraine sufferers: i know a woman who used to get debilitating migraines, and she got botox in her temples and forehead, and...*poof* she's only had ONE in the past year and a half.

and she used to get them like once every two weeks.

None for me but I take a shit load of over-the-counter pain killers.

Oh god I am so glad to see someone else say this. I take so many panadienes (paracetamol/codiene) it is embarrasing. I had a bad neck, or something, and I didnt keep track, and suddenly 10 years later I realised I was taking them all the time for no reason and KIDS CODIENE IS ADDICTIVE OK.

And over here it is prescription. I wonder how much this varies from country to country? (something being OTC or script)

bc pills and speed

Yes I think speed would contraindicate just about anything.

xpost - i srsly don't understand it when people say no wai to something (esp something as simple as altering what you eat) that could possibly make them suffer less - not pinpointing yr ex, t, but, getting to into a whole other side of health&illness, it wld seem that some people are prone to identifying with their suffering (from whatever kind of illness/pain) so much that it's hard for them to take action and let it go.

i say this as someone who went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago to see what could be done abt my persistent (all of july) low-level fever and rosacea flares, fully wanting a prescription b/c i didn't know what else to do (hadn't taken any antibiotics for at least 10 yrs, just never had a cause to) and was feeling pretty sick of it all and v busy with my own work and kinda just wanting someone to tell me things could change. he gave rx, i took them for a week and started feeling crappy after a few days and my hair started coming out in significant clumps! and there was no change in my health/skin! fuck that! so i did some research, found this scd diet, tried it and it started working within a couple of days. fingers crossed n all.

i guess what bothers me as well in this is that it's more socially acceptable to take a pill than it is to change your diet or seek out alt methods, esp when that diet/method doesn't conform to what the mainstream is doing. if a drug really does work and gives someone control of their life again, then great, but if it messes them up even more or puts them on more drugs to counter-act side-effects, and makes them overlook what else can be done? ugh.

to think that everything there is to know about the body/mind is only conferred upon those experts in the institutions of health and science just makes for a more passive society and an acceptance of that passivity. again, fuck that.

You're right with that last bit. It's much easier to take a pill than make major lifestyle changes.

I've got what I guess I would call social anxiety (shyness among people) and have considered going to a professional and hyping the symptoms to get drugs and I'm sure the drugs would help, but I'm not debilitated.

I once convinced a very reluctant HMO psychotherapist to refer me to a psychiatrist so I could try paxil, presenting myself as having a case of social anxiety. I couldn't get past the first few weeks, so I don't know what it might have done for me long-term, but it sure put me off the idea of trying anything else. She pretty much said (in other words): see, I told you it sucked. (I probably don't really have hard-core social anxiety, but I'm too close for comfort. But still, it varies a lot from situation to situation, and there are non-medical things I can do about it, when I'm healthy enough to be physically active.)

there is no way i would ever consider drugs for that kind of thing, and it kind of freaks me out that they're produced to be honest. if was something like, you take these drugs for a course (as with antibiotics) and somehow your shyness went away, then ok; but is there any possible end-point for a drug like that?

it's not just shyness, but anxiety. Where you avoid things all together (even as far as leaving the house or applying for jobs, going to the doctor, etc) out of fear. Where the thought of having to interact with people cause stomach cramps so severe you double-up in pain, etc. etc. (obv this is me, YMMV)

i. take anti-shyness drug
ii. meet future partner who is outgoing
iii. make feelings known
iv. hook up forever <3 <3 <3
v. come off drug and leave social interactivity largely to partner

win-win

<3 <3 <3 = major lifestyle change (plus biochemical)

vi. partner gets a bit 'ech' with set-up.

none

used to take one for acne in my teens, think it made me more miserable. and took ventolin capsulers for asthma. i could've done with some of these back in may but it hasn't been a problem for 10 years or so really.

thought about trying st johns wort a few times more recently ("oh go on then i'll have a half")

vii. but puts up with it bcz hey <3 <3 <3

I predict poll results will be 3-4.

St Johns Wort did absolutely nothing for me, but YMMV obv.

Echinacea anyone?

A friend takes it fairly regularly but he still gets coffs'n'sneezes (spreadin' diseases) and I started going to the gym and haven't been ill for ages so er there you go.

I want to start taking multi-vits but I am just k-rub at remembering.

Sorry to get off topic!

0.

Had an ex that was over-prescribed Prozac during her teens (back during the heroic doses era of early anti-depressants), and despite her valiant frequent attempts to get off it, she couldn't. Scared the hell out of me.

If you feel on the fence about taking meds for social anxiety, then it's possible that you might get some improvement from cognitive-behavioral therapy. I'd only start trying SSRIs when you have anxiety (social or otherwise) that is debilitating and/or intrusive, as Ms Misery says. Also, just because you had a bad reaction to Paxil doesn't mean that you will have a bad reaction to every SSRI. People respond to each of them differently which is one reason there are so many on the market--that and big pharma companies like to make money on drugs similar to what their competitors offers. Lastly, esp. in the case of anxiety disorders, those drugs can increase your anxiety for a few days or weeks before you notice improvement.

rrobyn could you tell me where you got the diet for rosacea from or what it consists of? I am taking antibiotics for it (only side effect: farting like a trooper. Nice!) early days yet, but if I could make lifestyle changes such as diet will be better overall I reckon. Cheers!

I predict poll results will be 3-4.

What about those of us who ticked none and then happily left the thread, having nothing to contribute?

One day I accidentally took my boyfriend's digitalis and everything had spooky halos all day.

What about those of us who ticked none and then happily left the thread, having nothing to contribute?

I still predict the top vote getter will be 3-4.

xpost - it's the SCD diet - http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ - there are other sites too if you google it - oh hey! i actually do have one prescription! the topical metronidazole (noritate) cream which i use once every two days - it sorta works but minorly - the diet and trying not to be a stressball works much better

I still predict the top vote getter will be 3-4.

-- Ms Misery, Wednesday, August 15, 2007 6:50 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

....is this because you assume the average person, and thus the average ILXor, is on about 3--4? or because the average ILXor (and not the average person) is on 3--4 (because of rampant mentalism)?

That's just my prediction! And will probably be wrong.

Lots of people have allergies/asthma/migranes/contraception/anti-depressants etc and those add up. I think that's a fairly normal number. The amount of meds you are prescribed certainly does not equal "mentalism". See some of the people on this thread who said 0-1 for example.

just joeks about mentalism!

I actually wasn't joking.

What about those of us who ticked none and then happily left the thread, having nothing to contribute?

why not go for a fucking walk in the park

WHILE THE REST OF US ARE DOWN HERE IN THE SEWER

One day I accidentally took my boyfriend's digitalis and everything had spooky halos all day.

My mom once took her dog's heartworm pill.

none

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Does this sound like a jump-rope rhyme to anybody else?

You're depressed and your back aches,
How many prescription drugs do you take?
1...2...3...4...5...6...7...etc.

no

Yeah, jump-ropin' girl gangs need rhymes, but I'm not the one to write them.

xycntn ftp

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Okay—you two who take more than 20 drugs—I want a list!

This is epic number of votes here. EPIC.

Well, it gives me faith in the pharmeceutical industry again that we aren't too over prescribed around here.

More than 20? Cripes. I feel for you guys.

I was kinda hoping that anyone who answered "over 20" was joking, but then realised that my friend who has MS probably takes about that many different medications. Eep. I'll never complain again.

my amnesiac, 93-year-old grandmother only takes about four (inc prozac), hells if i could even keep track of 20! with the timing and whatnot.

I think they are liars. Bald-faced, even.

Who knows, if Rogaine is one of those 20 meds, they might not be *bald* faced liars!

i think they should share, if they have anything good.

But not the Rogaine. I have enough of a grooming problem as it is, with the foot-long pubes sprouting out of my neck, etc.

But I bet if you take enough Adderall you become a very thorough plucker.

See—one drug leads to another.

my # of drugs is up 1 since i voted! just maintenance antibiotics, nothing fun :(

I've known a handful of people in the 20+ category. Generally about 10 were maintenance meds, and the others were if one condition or another was giving them trouble.

Whoa! my prediction way off the mark. I wonder how many of that zero are b/c they don't have ins./can't afford them?

this is the most popular poll I've ever seen on ILX

I'm on zero meds because I've never found anything that's worked (for anxiety/depression)

That's a bummer. I hope you've tried some alternative therapies.

ooh, i missed this one. i'd be in the 1-2 category thanks to my best friend Concerta. I'd love something for the accompanying anxiety but I haven't bothered to ask my doctor yet.

I'm curious about the reactions to the results of this poll. I'm trying not to have the typical "Bad Science" reaction of "well, it's quite typical of the layman non-scientist to react to experimental data in this way - rather than change one's preconceptions to fit the data, looking to change or invalidate the data to fit one's preconceptions.

What leads someone to believe that the average (mean? median? mode?) number of medications an ILX0r takes is as high as 4? The default state of a human being is actually 0 medications, so why estimate so high, even with a sample subset?

I mean, I've had my preconceptions challenged, that I always believed that medications were overprescribed, but with an overwhelming median and mode of 0, that preconception might be challenged. Even the mean, (based on the first of the two numbers) seems to be only 1.327.

Sorry for this geekery, I do this kind of mathematical analysis for a living - it's always as interesting to see how people *interpret* the data as much as what the data actually is.

number of medications an ILX0r takes is as high as 4?

I was not interpreting any data (as if any reliable data could be obtained from an internet messageboard.) I was merely subjectively projecting based on the number of posts I read on allergies, asthma, migranes, depression and other fairly common ailments.