I switched around some of my psych
meds today, as the previous combo had lost a bit of its normal "oomph." And they messed with my sleep habits (however
un -habitual they are), so I decided it was time for a change.
I'm starting back on Prozac. My psychiatrist presented me with several options, and part of me initially shied away from Prozac because it seemed so cliche. Girl gets sad. Girl takes Prozac.
Except, of course, sadness ain't depression. Not by a long shot.
I don't want to have to take
meds and know that I will likely need to keep taking them for the rest of my life. I don't do well without psych
meds. That being said, diabetics don't do well without insulin and while it might be a pain to stick yourself with a needle several times a day, the alternative sucks. Same here. For me, it's more of the idea of
being dependent on some little pill, a little organic molecule, just to get out of bed in the morning.
And this got me thinking: I'm lucky enough to have treatment providers and family and friends who understand that my depression, anxiety, and anorexia are biologically based mental illnesses. Granted, it took some of them quite a long time to understand this and even longer for some of them to get beyond the "you can just snap out of this" mentality as well. I'm also lucky enough to be able to understand and access some of the latest research.
If I'm having this difficulty accepting my illnesses and the need for medication, what must it be like for other people?
Maybe Prozac is cliche. Maybe it is
overprescribed - I don't know. But that doesn't mean it's not necessary for me and for others like me. I am trying to be grateful that effective treatments for depression and anxiety and anorexia exist, period, however cliche it may be and however much I may resent needing the treatment.
Really, it's just a pill. It's not a judgment of me or my ability to cope. Nor is depression a reflection of my character. It's the hand of cards I got, the genetic luck of the draw, and sometimes you just have to suck it up and start playing the hand you've got.
I'm starting back on Prozac. My psychiatrist presented me with several options, and part of me initially shied away from Prozac because it seemed so cliche. Girl gets sad. Girl takes Prozac.
Except, of course, sadness ain't depression. Not by a long shot.
I don't want to have to take meds and know that I will likely need to keep taking them for the rest of my life. I don't do well without psych meds. That being said, diabetics don't do well without insulin and while it might be a pain to stick yourself with a needle several times a day, the alternative sucks. Same here. For me, it's more of the idea of being dependent on some little pill, a little organic molecule, just to get out of bed in the morning.
And this got me thinking: I'm lucky enough to have treatment providers and family and friends who understand that my depression, anxiety, and anorexia are biologically based mental illnesses. Granted, it took some of them quite a long time to understand this and even longer for some of them to get beyond the "you can just snap out of this" mentality as well. I'm also lucky enough to be able to understand and access some of the latest research.
If I'm having this difficulty accepting my illnesses and the need for medication, what must it be like for other people?
Maybe Prozac is cliche. Maybe it is overprescribed - I don't know. But that doesn't mean it's not necessary for me and for others like me. I am trying to be grateful that effective treatments for depression and anxiety and anorexia exist, period, however cliche it may be and however much I may resent needing the treatment.
Really, it's just a pill. It's not a judgment of me or my ability to cope. Nor is depression a reflection of my character. It's the hand of cards I got, the genetic luck of the draw, and sometimes you just have to suck it up and start playing the hand you've got.