Aspirin, Antibiotics, and Mental Health

[JmpMster]

Antibiotics are amazing things. Saved millions of lives and cure people of all sorts of infections and bacterial based health problems. They either work or they do not work, and if they do not work there are a line of others to try that you will know for certain if they work or not in a few days. When they work, it is done and you are cured - not just feel better , though obviously that as well - but genuinely cured.

Aspirin are different. If you have a headache you take an aspirin. Often it makes the headache go away. Sometimes not. If it does not then you can try Ibuprofen , acetaminophen, naproxen, or any number of other pain relievers. Some work for some kinds of pain, some do not. Some work for some people, some do not. The one thing they all have in common? They do not cure anything. They may you feel better, but they do not cure the problem that caused the pain. Ibuprofen makes the wrist hurt less, it does not repair the sprain or cure the pulled muscle. If you have a headache and you take an aspirin hopefully the headache goes away. If the headache comes back the next day or the next week - even months later- you do not think the aspirin did not work, you happily take more. Sometimes it does not make the pain go away completely, you take aspirin, and it still hurts, just not as bad. This may make you want to try ibuprofen next time to see if it works better, but even if it does not you will still take it to feel less pain than you did without it. You do not think all pain relievers are useless because they did not cure you forever, and you do not think they were useless because they only made it some better, you still take them because they are better than nothing at all.

Medications for depression, bi-polar, anxiety, any number of other disorders,syndromes or illnesses. They are not antibiotics. They do not "cure" anything. They are not even supposed to cure anything nor do the manufactures that make them or Dr's that prescribe claim they cure anything. They are aspirin. You try one and if it works and the pain is gone then you are happy. If the pain is just a little better then you may try a different one to see if it is more effective, but if it is not then you still accept the relief you get and be glad it is not worse. If the problem comes back six months later you do not say they are useless and never take them again, you instead try them again because you know they were not supposed to cure it anyway, just make it hurt a little bit less. People always say the medications did not help so they quit taking them a month ago- but a month ago they were not on here saying "tonight is the THE night", so I would have to ask - is it possible they were in fact making it a little bit better?

 

[total eclipse]

I guess the stigma is there though when someone takes medication for mental health they are looked upon as being weak. It should be no different then people taking meds for diabetes ashma ect but the stigma is what prevents i think people from staying on it.

Medication it stabilizes. one it takes the edge off the depression but one has to also work with therapy to keep well and not depend on meds alone. When one starts to feel better like with any medication they stop taking it thinking they don't need it any more but in fact they do.

so I would have to ask - is it possible they were in fact making it a little bit better? Yes i think alot of members here would say yes to that thought.

 

[JmpMster]

I guess the stigma is there though when someone takes medication for mental health they are looked upon as being weak. It should be no different then people taking meds for diabetes ashma ect but the stigma is what prevents i think people from staying on it.

Medication it stabilizes. one it takes the edge off the depression but one has to also work with therapy to keep well and not depend on meds alone. When one starts to feel better like with any medication they stop taking it thinking they don't need it any more but in fact they do.

so I would have to ask - is it possible they were in fact making it a little bit better? Yes i think alot of members here would say yes to that thought.

Agree completely, especially the meds are not the in answer completely but rather possible piece of the puzzle.

On the point of stigma - there is a stigma but it is really unfounded - being more of a case that people do not discuss than that it is not very very common- the 10 best selling drugs in the United States - and 2 (number 5 and 6 out of 10)of them are mental health medications -

Lipitor, a cholesterol-lowering statin drug -- $7.2 billion
Nexium, an antacid drug -- $6.3 billion
Plavix, a blood thinner -- $6.1 billion
Advair Diskus, an asthma inhaler -- $4.7 billion
Abilify, an antipsychotic drug -- $4.6 billion
Seroquel, an antipsychotic drug -- $4.4 billion
Singulair, an oral asthma drug -- $4.1 billion
Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering statin drug -- $3.8 billion
Actos, a diabetes drug -- $3.5 billion
Epogen, an injectable anemia drug -- $3.3 billion

 

[total eclipse]

Wow That is interesting really thanks for stats i would not have thought mental health meds would be that high

 

[Blossom25]

Medication it stabilizes. one it takes the edge off the depression but one has to also work with therapy to keep well and not depend on meds alone. When one starts to feel better like with any medication they stop taking it thinking they don't need it any more but in fact they do.

I do agree with this. Depression or other mental related health issue cannot be cured by depending on medication alone. It should be paired with therapy or something. Nice share total eclipse

 

[Acy]

I remember being resistant to taking anti-depressants. Pdoc explained that the meds would decrease the depression enough to "allow" talk therapy, CBT, etc. to have more use and better impact on helping me. It makes sense that meds are only part of the answer. Similarly, a broken bone can be helped with ingestion of extra calcium. But that might mean little if there's no cast and then no physio afterwards. Medicine is not a precise art and science - so there are frequently multiple components to each individual case.

What I wish is that the stigma of mental health issues would go away. Even doctors themselves are sometimes guilty of promoting a stigmatized attitude. It's sad.