View Full Version : Why is it that any medication used to help us always has side effects?
Why isn't there a proven medication/medicine that can be used to help people like us without disgusting side effects? More money needs to be pumped into this area of study if you ask me...
I was just checking anti-anxiety medication and NOT ONE didn't have some sort of side effect attached to it... That cant be right???
I think some of it is to cover themselves,but also the fact that our chemistrys are all different.
What works well for one person,doesn't for another.
Although we've come a long way with this,there's still so much about the human brain that they just don't know,its almost like trying to crack a nut with a sledgehammer,taking meds.
Its difficult to take a med when you've got anxiety and depression, that has a side effect of anxiety!!
I guess we have a lot to be thankful for though,its a lot better than it was,although mental health in general is underfunded,and overstretched.
I think some of it is to cover themselves,but also the fact that our chemistrys are all different.
What works well for one person,doesn't for another.
Although we've come a long way with this,there's still so much about the human brain that they just don't know,its almost like trying to crack a nut with a sledgehammer,taking meds.
Its difficult to take a med when you've got anxiety and depression, that has a side effect of anxiety!!
I guess we have a lot to be thankful for though,its a lot better than it was,although mental health in general is underfunded,and overstretched.
Yes some good point there. I have never been on meds myself but I am considering it if things don't change. May I ask how long you have had anxiety and if you have ever used medication and how did they effect you???
As aprilmoon said, it's all about DNA and body chemistry. At some point in the not too distant future, it's likely that we could be DNA tested to see which drugs are likely to work best on us for any disease. This would significantly reduce the chances of side effects.
Also, drug manufacturers have to declare side effects as part of the licensing process, and there are really strict rules about what level of side effects are acceptable for a drug to be released for sale. Also, they are required to list all the observed side effects, even the ones that are very rare.
ankietyjoe
12-06-14, 12:53
These are chemicals that change your own chemical make up and the way the chemicals react to each other in your body.
Everybody's reaction to these things is different.
A side effect free medication will never happen.
And that's why I choose not to take medication in my fight.
The advent of drugs since the beginning has shown to have side effects. Even aspirin, which was considered a miracle drug, can have side effects.
Psychotropics (SSRIs) are still a fickle thing and as many have said and experienced (including myself), they can have both beneficial and negative side effects. Some can treat themselves or be treated without them and some need the addition of meds. Unfortunately, it's not like prescribing an antibiotic to rid the body of an infection. I was given Zoloft (Sertraline) after my first heart attack as I suffered from some depression. That along with therapy helped get me through that valley. While the drug was effective, I did have side effects (stomach and bowel issues).
There are non psychotropics that can be effective as well. My GP prescribed one called buspirone for me when scan time comes around. I can start taking it a couple of weeks prior to my check ups and it helps take the edge off the stress and worry. I can stop immediately with no ill effects after getting the all clear. Another benefit is that it doesn't have the same physical effect as something like diazapam or other tranquilizing type drug.
IMO, the first step in any battle with an illness, be it physical or mental, is acceptance. Acceptance of the malady itself as well as acceptance that you need help to deal with it. If you had heart problems, would you seek other methods to treat it or diagnosis' that try to explain the symptoms? I would hope not! You would see a cardiologist and get treatment.
In a situation where the illness is of the mind, one should seek an expert in that area. Treatment may include psychotherapy, therapies like CBT and/or medication. Recognizing and accepting you're suffering from a mental illness is really no different than accepting you have a physical illness and seeking treatment. Both can be debilitating and both can have treatments that aren't exactly a walk in the park but both can be treated and you can heal. Again, with physical illness and mental illness, it takes work and discipline. You need to follow doctors orders. With my physical issues, I have many such orders. It's not easy but I do them. If I don't I'll suffer the consequences. The same goes for illnesses of the mind. If your doctor tells you to stop drinking and Googling and you'll start feeling better, you have to do that to start feeling better. It's sound medical advice as well as common sense.
I have damage to my throat from cancer treatment it's difficult for me to swallow. My doctors told me that I have to do swallowing exercises for the rest of my life. They're difficult to do (even for one who doesn't have issues) and it sucks but if I don't do them, I'll eventually lose the ability to swallow and eat. That would mean having a PEG tube put in and getting my nourishment through a tube the rest of my life. Guess which path I'm taking ;)
I think I've made my point. Accept that you have a problem and seek the proper help with it. Find a doctor that you like and have confidence in and work on healing. You can get to a place where the "new normal" is a good place to be. Many here have done it successfully.
Positive thoughts
Yes some good point there. I have never been on meds myself but I am considering it if things don't change. May I ask how long you have had anxiety and if you have ever used medication and how did they effect you???
How long have you got? :D
I've had anxiety and depression at different times in my life,but my last episode earlier this year was one of my worst,and came after a series of traumatic life events,and a major operation.
I've used meds off and on and have mainly had very good results with them,I was brought out of a deep depression this time with a combination of meds,and I can honestly say it was like having a light switched on in my brain.
I'm sorting out the best combo and doses to help with the anxiety I'm still having,which has been severe,but I'll get there.
There's usually some side effects to deal with,but I find that's a small price to pay.
I'm on a list for CBT at the moment,and intend to reduce the meds when I feel ready.
Overall,my experience has been positive,I think they are a useful tool in helping yourself be proactive in your recovery.
Because it's not natural to take medication
Its not natural to have surgery either,but most people wouldn't turn that down.
Why needlessly suffer?
You only get one life.:)
I never meant he shouldn't take them. I meant it's not natural as in years ago they had holistic ways of dealing with these type of conditions. I take medication but even I know it's not natural to take pills as it has more bad side effects than good.
You're right.The stresses of today don't help either do they?
I've just got Ruby Wax's new book,Sane New World,its explains how we've got these primitive responses,that are totally at odds with the world we live in today,and how this turns into a lot of the mental illnesses that we get.
I don't believe in these new stresses of the world as that is saying we are weak as people. Which we than feel even more stressed so the only solution is to take a pill. I think the world's always been this way but it's just that you get conditioned into believing that you are weak , ill and stressed. It's called social conditioning. Looking back at the old day's when there was war that must of been more stressful than now.
ankietyjoe
12-06-14, 15:38
I don't believe in these new stresses of the world as that is saying we are weak as people. Which we than feel even more stressed so the only solution is to take a pill. I think the world's always been this way but it's just that you get conditioned into believing that you are weak , ill and stressed. It's called social conditioning. Looking back at the old day's when there was war that must of been more stressful than now.
I don't think you get what modern stress does.
It's the long hours, long term low level stress that includes glorifying being busy all the time and lack of sleep that's messing people up.
If you look deeply into mindful thought and buddhist ways of thinking there is also some truth in the idea that consumerism is also perceived as stress by the mind, as you're always wanting more, and basing your happiness on the next level of financial or materialistic goals. No matter how much you 'get', it's never enough. There's the social conditioning you mention.
The human stress response is designed to deal with something that happens, then ends. It's not designed to handle low/medium levels of stress for months or years on end.
It's got literally nothing to do with being weak.
Longer hours , less sleep ? The body only needs 6 hours sleep. My body does anyway. Well if we want more then I suggest people should learn to want less. The world may not be the world people wish to have but I guess it never will be so learn to get with it.
I don't think you get what modern stress does.
It's the long hours, long term low level stress that includes glorifying being busy all the time and lack of sleep that's messing people up.
If you look deeply into mindful thought and buddhist ways of thinking there is also some truth in the idea that consumerism is also perceived as stress by the mind, as you're always wanting more, and basing your happiness on the next level of financial or materialistic goals. No matter how much you 'get', it's never enough. There's the social conditioning you mention.
The human stress response is designed to deal with something that happens, then ends. It's not designed to handle low/medium levels of stress for months or years on end.
It's got literally nothing to do with being weak.
That's a really good point. When you look at all the advertisements for some of the drugs out today, especially in the US, you'll see many are designed and marketed to help you keep going, work harder and do more despite your body and mind telling you otherwise. And what for?.... That promotion at work or that car or clothes that glorify your success? That's just business and has been around in some shape or form since.... forever. From the hawker on the street selling the miracle elixir from the back of a horse drawn wagon to the millions of ads and pop ups that bombard us daily while we're on the internet.
If you watch some of the drug ads in the US, especially the drugs for depression and such, you'll see a very happy picture being painted, but listen closely to the disclaimers... it's actually rather scary (I don't think 'anal leakage' is something anyone wants to experience and it's listed as a possible side effect on most SSRIs). I'm in sales and marketing. I study and use some of the very techniques used. Those side effects are portrayed in such a way that your mind glosses over them and grabs the positives. It's called "selective hearing" and it works.
Positive thoughts
Yeah but no one is forcing these people to consume them are they ? It's not there is like people literally force feeding you...
Yeah but no one is forcing these people to consume them are they ? It's not there is like people literally force feeding you...
In a way they are... subconsciously. "I feel this so I need that".... How many products and services are there that promise the world? Take this pill, use this machine etc. It still comes down to a conscious decision to do something about a situation regardless of what it is.
Concerning meds and the side effects which is the subject of the OP? It comes down to making the decision to accept and treat the illness and discussing which method will present the greatest benefit vs. risk. If meds are part of that, then so be it. It's certainly much better than doing nothing at all and suffering.
Positive thoughts
Catherine S
12-06-14, 17:25
Interesting thread and some interesting points made too.
My mum's generation weren't so quick to ask the doctors for help with anxiety issues. I'm purposely not including depression in this because true depression...and not just feeling fed up... is a different thing, its an illness and as we all know is the result of a chemical change and needed treatment even in those days...anybody remember electric shock therapy? Do they still do that for depression? But to have something like health anxiety...once known as hyperchondria if ive spelt that right, wasn't looked upon with any sympathy and you were expected to deal with it yourself. The old saying was that they didn't have time to have a nervous breakdown :lac::D
Sorry Callum if that's going off subject a bit. Re meds, I take a beta blocker to calm my heart down which it does...makes the missed beats and flutters much less than before so in turn helps with anxiety. The side effect of it is that sometimes I feel I have no energy, but the benefits outweigh that feeling, and since I had the dose reduced from 80mgs to 40mgs, that side effect isn't too bad these days.
ISB x
---------- Post added at 16:25 ---------- Previous post was at 16:23 ----------
Fishman also made a good point when he talked about getting to a new 'normal' and I agree. Going through what we all go through changes us, and its a mistake to strive to get back to who we were before...maybe we have to accept our new selves, our new normal place?
Rennie1989
12-06-14, 17:59
Medication for physical ailments can have just as much, if not worse, side effects.
ankietyjoe
12-06-14, 18:49
Longer hours , less sleep ? The body only needs 6 hours sleep.
Proven inaccurate in study after study.
For the vast majority of people anyway. Just because you can function on 6 hours or less per night, it doesn't mean it's physically mentally not causing damage.
'Study after study' lol is that study done by the same people that tell us one week coffee is good than the next bad ? Ha ha study after study
Rennie1989
12-06-14, 19:47
He means different studies conducted and paid by different organisations....
I feel the same as you Callum, and as Rennie says pretty much all medications can have side effects, even the ones for physical illness. It's frustrating. But it's important to remember that just because a drug has possible side effect doesn't mean that you will suffer them. There's been research into the expectation of side effects and the likelihood of you suffering them based on your expectations, it's very interesting.
I've recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and there's pretty much no way of avoiding the medication for it as without it this disease is only likely to progress. It's a big challenge for me to have to take the kind of medication prescribed for it as they're quite a hefty thing with a lot of possible problems. So I've been doing a lot of work around meditation and settling a deep belief into myself that these drugs will be *good* for me, and creating positive feelings around taking them. It takes a lot of the anxiety out of the thought of taking them, perhaps you could try something similar with this? Has your doctor prescribed something to you?
ankietyjoe
12-06-14, 20:27
'Study after study' lol is that study done by the same people that tell us one week coffee is good than the next bad ? Ha ha study after study
You're right. You're always right.
I never meant he shouldn't take them. I meant it's not natural as in years ago they had holistic ways of dealing with these type of conditions. I take medication but even I know it's not natural to take pills as it has more bad side effects than good.
Years ago they didn't have the same medical knowledge that we do now and life expectancy was considerably lower if you got sick.
They used to do things like bloodletting or using leeches, things that had no effect on the condition they were supposed to be treating. They used to drill holes in people's skulls to treat mental illness! Those cures were just as unnatural as the ones we use today. Even perceived natural or alternative cures can come with side effects.
If we wanted medicine to be "natural" we'd have to pretty much do nothing about our illnesses and just let our bodies deal with it as nature intended, but I doubt that we'd have the same chances of surviving if we let that happen!
Rennie1989
12-06-14, 21:33
I think the increase in life expectancy as a result of medical advancement shows that our bodies sometimes need a help in hand in getting better. Sure, there are more natural ways of curing illnesses or alleviating their symptoms, but in our world we all want a quick or a total fix. Sometimes, natural or medical, they don't exist.
I was kind of surprised that the thread took a bit of a detour when ISB wrote about health anxiety. I have to say I think it's true that those with health anxiety (as much as any of the rest of us) do play into the hands of the big pharmaceuticals with their tv advertising for a pill to fix anything at all. The first time I heard the word hypochondria was when it was applied to my own sister, by my own parents. She herself is so convinced (and convincing) about suffering from various interchangeable ailments that I didn't believe my parents at first. But, sure enough, right after a new drug is touted as "correcting" high cholesterol or pins and needles in the feet or what have you, she is in the doctor's office and out with a prescription in hand. What she really needs to do is lose some weight, stay active, and to stop trying to prevent future illnesses by taking pills for them now. (This is where her prescription for high cholesterol came from, her fear that by "missing out" on a pill that can prevent heart problems in future, she was surely ignoring a looming threat.) Virtually all medications have side effects, and by insisting on taking them unnecessarily, I am afraid she is taking the health risks they themselves present. Thankfully, most of the time the start-up side effects put her off and she forgets about having that malady. She couldn't handle the cramps the cholesterol pills caused, so she dropped them. Most other meds either make her nauseated, too drowsy during the day or cause headaches, so they fall by the wayside within weeks.
That said, I don't understand why her doctor keeps reinforcing this behaviour (the health anxiety) by handing out prescriptions willy nilly to her. He's not doing her any favours. She is highly strung and at one point a doctor told her she is bi-polar, and she was taking lithium for that. When I noticed she was no longer taking it and asked her about it, she didn't remember and couldn't believe I would suggest such a thing! The same goes for the hypoglycemia, the vitamin deficiencies and so on. She always seems to manage okay without those pills too after the novelty wears off. Sorry, didn't mean to rant. And I am not sitting in judgement of people who are caught up in this form of anxiety. And I suppose it's true, she isn't harming anyone else, just as the rest of the folks with what is today called health anxiety aren't either... Unless you figure in the cost of (here in Canada and the UK) all those tests and doctor's visits. And even hospitalizations and surgeries, when it gets that far. ... I think, in the old days, families were used to at least one over-worrier, and knew that a nice cup of tea and a chat about how things were going for them was probably all these family members needed, and didn't mind taking time out and doing just that. There was always someone who could go for coffee with auntie or sit with uncle with a photo album or some other distraction. My mother was a champ at distraction, we didn't realize for years how many times she had said "no" to our demands without ever actually saying the word! ... I guess we just don't have time for that anymore. More's the pity.
Anyway, to the question: another member and I just had a pm chat about our meds and our expectations, and side effects that almost undo the good. We have come to the conclusion that no treatment is "perfect", and so the wisest choice is acceptance of something less than perfection. If we ask those with health anxiety to be realistic and focus in on help for the underlying anxiety that is really the problem, then those of us who are trying to make things work with medications also have to be realistic too, to take that leap of faith but not to expect a miracle cure-all. The nausea, constipation and headaches will pass in a matter of weeks and hopefully the medication will help us. If not, then acceptance dictates that we move on with as much hope and positive attitude as we can muster. That's all the best of us can do.
Much love to us all xx
Marie
Catherine S
12-06-14, 23:58
The thread took a bit of a detour before my reply actually, and I was simply adding to what a few others before me had said. I did talk about medication side effects too though so it wasn't a complete detour.
ISB x
You're right, my apologies, ISB. Awkward wording. Not what I meant to say there. I should have re-read before posting. :flowers:
Marie
---------- Post added at 20:41 ---------- Previous post was at 20:09 ----------
I am kind of in awe really, with how far they've come with medications for mental issues these past 60 years or so. I have to think that someone along the way cares and is trying to help us. But they're only human. Currently, as is often the case with a lot of patients, I am not fully responding to med #1. So the doctor has started me on med #2 which is suggested to help fill the gap. It has ... but there's a fine line between helping and getting a little over-the-top, lol! :ohmy: Which I'm told is the way it works, but also kind of a side effect. Here's where my expectations have to be realistic. It's a medication, not a magic wand.
It's a little iffy for sleep, so I'm making sure I have lots of time in bed to try to make up for that. Calumcco, good news, there are tips and work-arounds for a lot of s/e, right here on this forum. If you don't see anything on what's bugging you at the moment, ask away and I'll bet someone has some suggestions to try! :yesyes:
Catherine S
13-06-14, 09:44
No probs :D
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