Psychotropic medication discussion thread
in Psychology & Therapy ·
I’m actually going through this book again, ˝Natural Remedies They Don't Want You to Know About,˝ which basically dives into how the pharmaceutical industry gets rich off our backs.
The author even touches on antidepressants. He makes this claim that all those violent incidents in American schools were carried out by people who were either on antidepressants or had been taking them.
Honestly, when my therapist told me I needed to start on Zoloft, I felt like my entire world just collapsed right then and there.
I was terrified I was losing my mind, and I worried that the meds would only make things worse—maybe offering some temporary fix while emotionally, or maybe even mentally, leaving me permanently damaged.
So, fast forward nearly a year of taking Zoloft to deal with obsessive thoughts, and I have to say, it really helps. It’s almost like it just won't let me spiral into that sick way of thinking—getting stuck on some crazy idea and then spiraling into anxiety because of it.
But I guess you have to wonder: how much of the credit goes to the AD, and how much of it is just because I already knew how to manage obsessive thoughts? I mean, I've dealt with them before, which probably helped me cope... As far as side effects go, I haven't really had any. My mood feels totally normal; I still get happy or sad just like I always would. The only thing is, those nasty, obsessive thoughts are gone, and I finally feel like the old me again—the version of myself from before all the intrusive thoughts and fears kicked in.
If you want proof that ADs actually change your brain chemistry, look at my coffee habit. Before I started them, I couldn't even touch a cup of coffee without practically losing my mind. In my layman's terms, I think my nerves were just so fried and hypersensitive that any little bit of stimulation—whether it was caffeine, nicotine, or just my surroundings—would trigger massive anxiety, panic attacks, and all that mess.
Nowadays, I can drink several cups of coffee back-to-back and feel absolutely nothing. To put it in health-nut terms, I think the Zoloft basically "reset my nervous system."
What I'm scared of now, though, is that maybe my gut instinct was right—that initial rejection, the crying in front of my doctor when she suggested them, the pure disappointment and the fear that I was messing with my own brain... maybe I was onto something.
Because in a month or two, I'm going to face something that nobody in my circle has ever had to deal with: stopping the ADs.
I am genuinely terrified of hitting some kind of chemical yo-yo effect🤣, specifically with serotonin, where my levels spike to the max and then crash to an all-time low once I stop the medication.
I'm scared I'll end up being just another one of those psychiatric guinea pigs who, because of the decision to take that first pill of Zoloft, ends up being dependent on a new box of them forever...
I'm afraid I might never be able to find my way back to being my old self through a natural remedy.
And that maybe the author of that book I mentioned earlier was actually right after all...😢
The author even touches on antidepressants. He makes this claim that all those violent incidents in American schools were carried out by people who were either on antidepressants or had been taking them.
Honestly, when my therapist told me I needed to start on Zoloft, I felt like my entire world just collapsed right then and there.
I was terrified I was losing my mind, and I worried that the meds would only make things worse—maybe offering some temporary fix while emotionally, or maybe even mentally, leaving me permanently damaged.
So, fast forward nearly a year of taking Zoloft to deal with obsessive thoughts, and I have to say, it really helps. It’s almost like it just won't let me spiral into that sick way of thinking—getting stuck on some crazy idea and then spiraling into anxiety because of it.
But I guess you have to wonder: how much of the credit goes to the AD, and how much of it is just because I already knew how to manage obsessive thoughts? I mean, I've dealt with them before, which probably helped me cope... As far as side effects go, I haven't really had any. My mood feels totally normal; I still get happy or sad just like I always would. The only thing is, those nasty, obsessive thoughts are gone, and I finally feel like the old me again—the version of myself from before all the intrusive thoughts and fears kicked in.
If you want proof that ADs actually change your brain chemistry, look at my coffee habit. Before I started them, I couldn't even touch a cup of coffee without practically losing my mind. In my layman's terms, I think my nerves were just so fried and hypersensitive that any little bit of stimulation—whether it was caffeine, nicotine, or just my surroundings—would trigger massive anxiety, panic attacks, and all that mess.
Nowadays, I can drink several cups of coffee back-to-back and feel absolutely nothing. To put it in health-nut terms, I think the Zoloft basically "reset my nervous system."
What I'm scared of now, though, is that maybe my gut instinct was right—that initial rejection, the crying in front of my doctor when she suggested them, the pure disappointment and the fear that I was messing with my own brain... maybe I was onto something.
Because in a month or two, I'm going to face something that nobody in my circle has ever had to deal with: stopping the ADs.
I am genuinely terrified of hitting some kind of chemical yo-yo effect🤣, specifically with serotonin, where my levels spike to the max and then crash to an all-time low once I stop the medication.
I'm scared I'll end up being just another one of those psychiatric guinea pigs who, because of the decision to take that first pill of Zoloft, ends up being dependent on a new box of them forever...
I'm afraid I might never be able to find my way back to being my old self through a natural remedy.
And that maybe the author of that book I mentioned earlier was actually right after all...😢