Take Two Antidepressants And Call Me In The Morning
February 18, 2005
I decided to watch the Superbowl this weekend. To be honest, I’m not a big football fan, but I do have a great appreciation for smart marketing. And when someone is spending 2.4 million dollars for 15 seconds of your time, you know they hired the brightest marketing minds in the country.
So contrary to most, I work while the game is on (and give my full attention to the commercials).
What’s funny is that no matter how crassly commercial and full of political agenda this event becomes, there’s always a moment when I find myself heart-moved by the sheer humanity of the tens of thousands all gathered together in one place.
You can’t help but feel the unity of sharing this little planet together, and the compassion for each one living their life, loving, suffering, striving for a sense of purpose and peace.
1 in 30 Americans Are On Some Kind of Antidepressant
Something struck me though as I was writing this newsletter and gazing over the sea of faces at the Superbowl. According to statistics, 1 in 30 Americans are on some kind of antidepressant (for women, it’s 1 in 10.)
So, of the 76,000 thousand people sitting in the Alltell Stadium in Florida, watching the Superbowl, that means that 2,300 had taken an antidepressant that morning with the hope that their day would be free of depression, anxiety and fear.
Thanks to aggressive and persistent marketing by drug companies, relying on drugs to keep you emotionally balanced is becoming more and more common, from teens to the elderly.
Watch Network TV For a Day and Count The Drug Commercials
How many of the TV commercials are telling you that all your unhappiness, anxiety, and depression can be erased with the help of a little pill...
Drug companies know how to market. It’s subtle and packaged with happy faces and gentle music. If you have an emotional problem, there’s a pill out there for you that can take away the pain.
How many people are taking that little pill because life is just not working out the way they planned, or they just don’t know enough about alternatives to choose something other than what’s on their doctor’s prescription pad. After all, why would your doctor give you something that’s not good for you?
I don’t want to suggest that depression and anxiety are not real. They are very real for those who suffer from them. Chemical imbalance is a disease that can be corrected. And many people find help in prescription drugs.
I’m not a medical doctor and I’m not qualified to personally direct people on the use of antidepressants, but like any choices we make in life, I highly recommend that you educate yourself on the full disclosure of antidepressants.
I Have 5 Friends Who Take Antidepressants Every Day
Out of those five, I feel that only one really needs to.
The other four are just like you and me. They’re looking for something that life isn’t giving them. They’re searching for happiness and not finding it, and they’re trying a chemical approach to finding a way out of their pain.
For some people, antidepressants not only fail to deliver the peace of mind they seek, but they can lead to addiction, complex side effects, severe and sometimes life threatening withdrawal symptoms and in some cases, greater suffering than most will ever want to experience.
So, in that light, and in support of those who are fighting their own personal battle, I offer you this story, told to me a couple years back by Dr. Ann Blake Tracy.
She’s the founder of DrugAwareness.org and a true expert in the field of serotonin-based drugs (such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Effexor, Serzone, Remeron, Seraphim, etc…)
This story is also a testament to the power of essential oils and the natural path to healing and well-being.
* * *
This is a True Story...
“I appreciate the opportunity to tell you my story. I recently had a major life change. This came about because of information that was passed on to me by Young Living Essential Oils. It also came out because of encouragement from my family, friends and because of my faith.
Close to eleven years ago I experienced some serious depression. I now recognize that it was most likely postpartum depression since it began following the birth of my third child. The condition was serious enough to cause me to be unable to function normally.
This Was The Beginning Of a Ten Year Nightmare
After a visit to the doctor I came home with a prescription for Prozac. This was the beginning of a ten year nightmare. Almost immediately within the first few days I began having side effects such as hallucinations, hearing voices and no relief from depression. I went back to the doctor who now prescribed Paxil, temporarily it seemed to help with the depression, but I was a zombie all the time. I felt like I had a hang over every morning. With Paxil and all the antidepressants I took, I had from then on what is called a withdrawal or a wear-off effect.
Basically, my body adjusted to the dosage and then I would need a higher dosage. I had symptoms of electrical sensations throughout by body. Shutters and a woosh sound and trailings every time I moved my head. This continued to increase until the doctor would change my medication and I would begin the cycle again.
My Symptoms Had Become Like That of a Bipolar Patient
I started seeing a therapist. The therapist referred me to a psychiatrist. She put me on Zoloft next, starting with a fairly low dose. My initial diagnosis began as a major depression disorder, but soon became a severe disorder. After trying different antidepressants like Effexor and Serzone (now off the market due to the fact that it causes liver failure) and Wellbutrin, all of which only gave me temporary relief. She then decided to try Lythium because my symptoms had become like that of a bipolar patient. So now the diagnosis became bipolar 2 disorder.
My condition began to worsen. At this time the doctor began to experiment with different types of drugs which were anti-siezure medications and anti-psychotics -- all causing me to have a multitude of other side effects such as tremors, visual disturbances, anxiety and nervous problems for which I was then prescribed benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax.
I Was More Depressed and I Was More Ill Than I’d Ever Been in My Life
Of course my children were suffering during this whole time because I was unable to provide nurturing. I could not feel joy or affection. I didn’t want anyone to touch me. I cried sometimes uncontrollably, but could never explain why. I felt hopeless. I felt like a burden to everyone. The tremors became so severe that I could no longer write a check or sign my name.
Every month I went to my doctor and each time my medication and dosage were changed or increased. There was a point during the next ten years when I realized it was the medication that was making me sick. I was panicky with constant nausea and severe headaches which alarmed my husband and he called my doctor who told me to stop taking the medication immediately. This stopped the toxicity from progressing, but the immediate withdrawal caused me to crash into an even deeper depression. More medication without relief.
Back at Home My Family Searched For Answers
They were looking for ways to help me. Some close friends of mine went to a Young Living Essential Oil conference in California. They returned with help. An audiotape and a book by Dr. Ann Blake Tracy. The tape opened our eyes to the destruction of people’s lives these drugs cause.
I know today that I have a disposition towards depression, but I am not bipolar. I am not psychotic. I do not have a borderline personality disorder. My mental and physical disorders were caused primarily by the medication I was given by my doctors.
I lost ten years of my life.
I followed Dr. Tracy’s guidelines for tapering off the medication and I've been using various supplements as well as essential oils, particularly Peace and Calming, Valor and Clarity, without which I know it would have been much more difficult to break free from these drugs.
The weaning process is a long one. It can last for almost up to two years, depending on how long you’ve been taking them, but it’s worth it.
Today I’ve Been Completely Free of My Medications for Five Months
Although I still have some residual side effects, I am living my life again and enjoying it.
I thank Young Living Oils and Dr. Ann Blake Tracy for making me aware. Thanks to my family for their persistence and love and searching for something to help. I appreciate my friends who were there for me, even though I didn’t know it. And I am especially grateful for my faith for giving me the strength and courage to succeed. My husband feels like he’s on a honeymoon and he has his wife back again.”
______________________
After I listened to this letter, Dr. Tracy mentioned that she gets letters just like this every week.
Now I don't know enough about antidepressants to go to battle here with the drug companies, but I just wanted to speak to those who have written to me about their need for something to cope with depression.
There are so many oils like Valor, Peace and Calming, and Clarity that can help to reduce depression and uplift the spirit. Read some of the science page at FeelingToInfinity, listen to my CD, and learn how the oils work to change brain chemistry.
But most importantly -- if your doctor prescibes antidepressants to you, ask questions, educate yourself on them. Consider alternatives. Become your body's greatest advocate and protector.
If you do, you'll make the right decisions...with a sensitivity to your own body and emotional make-up that in the end, only you can authentically know.
Until next week...
--c.