Here's another philosophical thread...

Do you think a medication's effectiveness is partially determined by how we feel about it? I'm thinking along the lines of a placebo effect.

Let's use Abilify as an example:
Say you're depressed and you start taking Abilify to help eliminate (or at least reduce) your depression. After 10 days, your depression hasn't gone away. Is this because Abilify doesn't work, or is this maybe because we think it doesn't work?

Similarly, what do you think about therapy's effectiveness? Is this effectiveness influenced by our thoughts?

[raspberrytorte]

In the book I'm reading right now: PRESCRIPTION FOR DISASTER! The Hidden Dangers in Your Medicine Cabinet, it talks about the placebo effect and how people just think a med is going to work and then they feel better and think it was the medication, when in reality it wasn't.

I don't agree with that at all.

I've had a lot of medications that I assumed wouldn't work, but they did to an extent.

No placebo effect for me.

[raspberrytorte]

Or maybe there was...

I don't know. I'm thinking about this too much.

[hahayeahtotallylol]

I don't know.

Seroquel really did help in retrospect. Now, just on wellbutrin, i am sort of a nut. But with my personal emotional makeup and such, i would much rather be a nut than be lifeless. As if i don't know what it's like.

I developed involuntary twitches from seroquel though and i had only been on it for a year. It was nice, but almost too nice. I was too content with nothingness. Reminds me of Lithium by nirvana how i felt.

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

In the book I'm reading right now: PRESCRIPTION FOR DISASTER! The Hidden Dangers in Your Medicine Cabinet, it talks about the placebo effect and how people just think a med is going to work and then they feel better and think it was the medication, when in reality it wasn't.

I don't agree with that at all.

I've had a lot of medications that I assumed wouldn't work, but they did to an extent.

No placebo effect for me.

That's good. Sometimes I wonder if the placebo effect is real, too.

I can't tell if I get a placebo effect. I've not been very diligent about monitoring my medication and mood.

Originally Posted by hahayeahtotallylol

I don't know.

Seroquel really did help in retrospect. Now, just on wellbutrin, i am sort of a nut. But with my personal emotional makeup and such, i would much rather be a nut than be lifeless. As if i don't know what it's like.

I developed involuntary twitches from seroquel though and i had only been on it for a year. It was nice, but almost too nice. I was too content with nothingness. Reminds me of Lithium by nirvana how i felt.

Very interesting...

I agree I'd rather be a nut than be lifeless. Being lifeless is no fun.

[OctobersBlackRose]

Personally I think it is a little bit of both, I was put on Abilify for both the depression and the voices I hear, it worked for the voices, but not so much the depression. We had to up my Lamictal for the depression and that only worked a little.

As for therapy yeah I think it depends on how you feel.about it, if you go in thinking it isn't going to work then it won't work, but if you're committed and you think therapy will work then it should work, it may not always, but at least it may work better than it would if the person thought it wouldn't work.

[DaveyJones]

Research has proven that placebo effect is real... And your beliefs can definitely affect your mood. I do know there have been times when meds have literally saved my life, and I don't think it was just placebo. Same with therapy. Of course you want to do both, they do help.

But realistically, does it really matter whether it's the meds actually doing something or if it's placebo effect? As long as you're feeling better...

[Victoria'smom]

No, Effectiveness I don’t feel is based on our feelings. Medication doesn’t completely take away the illness just lessen it. So if your depression is lessened then the med is doing it’s job. That said my pdoc use to prescribe placebo's to clients before he came to US when he felt it was a situational issue.

Therapy is based on learning skills so your attitude does affect how well the coping skills work. I say that because it takes practice to really be effective.

[Unrigged64072835]

I think we all want the best out of a med or therapy, so that could be factored in somehow. But inevitably either the med works or it doesn't. Therapy, though, takes a commitment to the process, so one's mindset definitely is at work.

[JustJace2u]

It's hard for me to say. My father is a doctor (trauma surgeon) so I was always taught that meds are absolutely to be used only as a very last resort. As far as the placebo effect is concerned, I do believe that at least to some extent, the way a person perceives a certain medication to be will determine the ultimate outcome of the effectiveness of the medication. Use myself for an example...I'm currently participating in a research study that is looking at the effects of DNA and medication to treat Bipolar Disorder. One of the meds I'm on is hard to tell if it's working or not. My psychiatrist claims it is used as a mood stabilizer but I'm wondering why I'm still having so many roller coaster issues with my mood swings, if that makes sense?