Anti-depression meds and guns

[indianjack]

Before taking any med read the book "I'm Dancing as Fast as I can." Give you a whole new perspective.
Furthermore I though the best medicine for being depressed was buying a new gun, works for me every time.

[HiredGoon]

Furthermore I thought the best medicine for being depressed was buying a new gun, works for me every time.

And you don't even need a prescription for that!

[kx90]

And you don't even need a prescription for that!

No but you do need quite a bit of money for that.

[Cyte]

Don't know if this was mentioned, DON'T TAKE THE PILLS. Sorry, personal opinion. To back it up with a little science, this is from the American Journal of Psychiatry. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/...act/164/7/1029


So, in short, take the meds if you LIKE feeling depressed/anxious, or want to leave this world with a mess. If you want to be yourself, and be respected for it, don't take the mark. Try meditation, (not the hollywood version). I personally take 35 min. of EVERY day to meditate. Meditation can be anything that takes your mind away from the monotonous tasks of daily life. My meditation time consists of working out, or caring for my "tools". If that doesn't work listen to Lamb of God. (that was a joke, not a serious suggestion)

[photoshooter]

Not responding to any post in particular.

There is an ugly stigma that accompanies antidepressants. Clinical depression is not the same as "being depressed". It's difficult to snap out of it because it's often bigger than you. It can cause irrational fear or persistent anxiety. If a person suffering from clinical depression can be helped by antidepressants there is no good reason not to take them and certainly no shame in it. No one has an obligation to suffer on any level if they don't want to.

I'm not a doctor but I do know that in general, antidepressants such as zoloft and xanax don't change who you are, don't affect your judgement, don't make you feel stoned, don't make you hallucinate or hear voices, aren't addictive and typically have negligible or no side effects at all. Like any other meds they can be wrongly prescribed or misused but that's a different conversation.

All that being said, for all non-clinical issues I'm a huge fan of retail therapy. It goes something like: if I have a shitty day I buy a new gun and feel better. If something great happens I treat myself to a new gun to celebrate. So far it's working well and keeps the safe manufacturers in business

[XD40coyote]

Yeah but if you are self employed and get too depressed to work, then you can't afford any new guns.

[Cyte]

Not responding to any post in particular

I'm not a doctor but I do know that in general, antidepressants such as zoloft and xanax don't change who you are, don't affect your judgement, don't make you feel stoned, don't make you hallucinate or hear voices, aren't addictive and typically have negligible or no side effects at all. Like any other meds they can be wrongly prescribed or misused but that's a different conversation.

Er...ok, not trying to be belligerent, but.......Xanax is a highly addictive drug, reference Erowid.com for more information, or my personal favorite The American Journal of Medicine. Furthermore Xanax actually has a multitude of side-effects, the most common being: disorientation, dry mouth, inablility to control speech patterns, and a feeling of haze. Some of the more severe problems include: Extreme weakness, the fact that the chemical composure of the pill destroys stomach lining leading to ulcers, and short term memory loss. With that being said, just doing some quick research on what you are putting in your body will ALWAYS help you make a smarter decision. As a side note, I have personally witnessed about 12 different people who have had their lives ruined by "anti" depression medication, one being in my own circle. Always remember, with any anti depression medication, the risk for suicidal tendancies INCREASES!

[Lycanthrope]

Xanax really isn't for depression.....it's typically for anxiety treatment. (It is, however, not uncommon for depression and anxiety to be traveling companions of a sort.....)

Benzodiazepines are often used to treat anxiety, but cognitive therapy is a much safer route since "Benzos" can be addictive. I see a lot of general practitioners handing out benzos.....everyone used to know a grandmother on "nerve pills".

SSRI's like Zoloft are relatively safe compared to anti-depression meds common 15 years ago.....although the SSRI's are somewhat notorious for sexual side-effects (and no, I'm not getting into that right now so don't ask)

And....although there is a correlation for patients taking antidepressent medication to have suicide attempts, this does not infer causation.

It's rather common knowledge in the field that the pattern of depression can follow a sort of "U" shaped curve.......when a patient begins is in the deepest depths of depression they may have suicidal ideations.....but are not always motivated to carry out any sort of plan. When a patient begins to actually feel a bit more energized (which can be a precursor to improvement) they tend to be at the highest level of risk for carrying out the plans they formulated when at the deepest level of depression/apathy.

This holds true even for patients who are not taking psychotropic medication and who are engaged in talk-therapy.

There are a lot of variables and factors that need to be assessed which brings me back to cautioning everyone about blanket statements.

Lycantoobusytowritemorethrope

[XD40coyote]

Before taking any med read the book "I'm Dancing as Fast as I can." Give you a whole new perspective.
Furthermore I though the best medicine for being depressed was buying a new gun, works for me every time.

I haven't had a chance to look that one up, but I seem to recall that book anyway and that it has something to do with bipolar disorder, which is a totally seperate disorder from clinical depression.

[bogey1]

Ok to sum things, counselor said she thinks i might need anti-depression meds, but i dont think i do. Before i go get them just to fancy her idea, will that tarnish my record? I carry and own a couple guns. I heard that the state can pull my LCTF and keep me from buying another gun. I dont think i need them but i dont want to get them just to see if the counselor is right and end up losing my right to own and carry. Anyone have any input? Would greatly appreciate it

dont take them. there are other ways to deal with stress and anxiety and depression. lots of nasty side effects from those drugs.

four years of paxil for me, took me over 7 months to ween myself off of them, bot that was hell.

never again.