Med Naysayers

I hope I am posting in the right place, but I keep coming across the same thing over and over again.

I've used both Celexa and Ambien. Right now, I am off Celexa. Still taking Ambien. Both reasons are under a PDOC's supervision/care.

Now, there have been several times, already, where the mere mention of Ambien, get's the biggest reactions out of people.

What an awful med, you shouldn't take that, I had the worst experiences on it, and on and on and on.

I find it, the most invalidation ever! And I am left wondering, if those that claim to have had a bad time on it, did so, from taking it from someone's medicine cabinet, instead of having their own script?!

This thread, need not be about Ambien alone, but I am wondering why the naysayers come out in full force?

Any ideas? Anyone with similar experiences?

I've experienced the same thing when I tell people that I take Xanax. They instantly start in with horror stories of addictions and withdrawals. I usually respond by saying that my pdoc and I are monitoring my usage and I have found it more beneficial than not.

I think some people really have had bad experiences with many different meds. And some people just read about the bad experiences and then find it necessary to take what they've read as the eventual end result of anyone taking the medication. There is risk in taking any medication. You have to weigh the risks and benefits, and decide what is right for you. What I've found, though is that the people that have had a bad experience with anything tend to be much more vocal than those that have had a good experience. Those that are doing well on a med tend to just keep taking it and not really say much about it.

I have had similar experiences with people's reactions to my meds. Some think that I must be abusing them--some think they are evil--some think my doses are too high and some just base their opinion on the reaction they have had in the past, but what they don't realize that everybody is different and has different reactions to various meds. I consider it to be between my pdoc and me because my pdoc is the profession and I know how my body reacts to meds. Keep your head up and try not to let the naysayers get to you...after all, it's them who have the problem--not you.

I've known coworkers, who, on plane flights during business trips went a bit crazy drinking while taking someone else's ambien. I've heard a lot of bad things but only because people abuse it and use it as a cocktail chaser. And the script isn't theirs.

If it works for you, then let the naysayers complain. Do what works for you.

PS I've heard of people horrified over use of "benzos" and how addictive they are. I had to laugh internally-- I have a "take as needed" rx of lorazepam and I had the same bottle for over 1.5 years. I didn't find it addicting.

People just like to b!tch and try to freak people out. For what reason ??? hell if I know.
If your meds are working for you , that is all that matters.

and this isn't an awful invalidation? If somebody had awful time on prescription, should they just suck it up and let others enjoy?

I actually wonder the say about meds yay-sayers... I remember how I freaked out some people here when admiting I don't take anything. Kindling, suicide, not really ill... heard it all.

Maybe we need bit more tolerance on BOTH sides. And depends who it says. If it's a good friend, take it as a genuine worry. Friends tend to freak out over what you put in your body at times. Been at both sides of the worry.

I seen personally people get addicted to benzos (so I don!t laugh at that), or completelly fade under ADs (as I mentioned before... I hope this girl is alive and just hates facebook and moved to different city. She was my best friend at one point...). Some really do have personal experience. So yeah. That's roughtly "why".

Never used that medication but in general as a "naysayer" to a lot of medications:

First off, I don't know about anyone else, but I NEVER blindly try stuff like that.....Not to say I never did any unsupervised experimenting, but not as you described. What I attempted was only after reading a lot first, double check - basically all the stuff a doc would, only took me longer due to not dealing with it all the time. And then unless the dose was the lowest made, still can't say much.
When I do complain - it is ONLY after trying it the so called "right" way, and still had issues. So it's never and just grab it and try it anyway - also, still not gona say much unless someone that SHOULD know more than me dose the work (or a few times, just re-did it to verify my work).
Also not all drug effect everyone the same way - I can only tell you my personal experiences.

I have experienced similar things, and at times I thought that I might have got addicted. However, one of my friends suggested me to quit medication and opt for therapy instead. Trust me it worked and today I am leading a healthy life.

Some people do have some horrid reactions/side effects to certain medications, and once you've experienced an awful reaction, it is very tempting to condemn the medication flat out for all users. I get that. What people need to remember though is that those severe reactions, while very real, are generally the exception and not the rule. Some people just seem to lack the ability to communicate the problems THEY may have had with a particular med without making it a blanket, judgmental statement.

If I were to run into this, I would probably validate their personal experience as being horrible while holding my ground that I am aware of possible side effects and my doctor and I are keeping watch for such problems, but so far so good.

I have been on ambien alone then with several different benzos and opiates. Right now I am on it with antipsychotics. I have not had an unusual time really, you have to expect it to be a bit stronger on an antipsychotic, I have never had to really rehab off ambien just endur 3 sleepless nights while it gets out of my system. All the others, benzos, opiates. and antipsychitocs take weaning and time to get off off

And then there is the other side where someone has the "same problem" as you and they dealt with it by exercising, a book, changing their diet, etc. so they think they have the universal solution and "advise" you to dump the needless med and do what they did.

Yes, these are the people I find most irritating. It isn't just psych issues they do this with either. My husband has a debilitating degenerative neurological pain disorder that he has coped with since 1985. The pain is so bad that doctors implanted a morphine pump to gain some semblance of control over his pain (that is NOT a casually made decision by a doctor). It amazes me how thoughtlessly people will say things like if he would just do this exercise or take this vitamin or whatever then it would take care of his pain, like a) he hasn't tried hard enough, and b) his pain isn't so bad. BUTT OUT!

Honestly I find it great that you can use that type of medication and not have any problems. They were designed with a positive and therapeutic purpose in mind. However, you can’t blame people for being a little bit apprehensive of some medications. Benzodiazepines, Ambien, some ADHD medication like Adderall are abused on a regular basis. In fact, there are some psychiatrists who have quit prescribing the above medication because of that. My dislike for these medications came out of personal experience with multiple loved ones who had addictions. I do not want to see anybody suffer that way. If you are okay then please continue to take them, but they are not a bed of roses for a lot of people even under supervision.

As far as the “I know how to fix you” people they mean well but they are annoying sometimes!

I find folks who are vehemently anti-med annoying. I find those who "know" what I should be doing especially annoying. As someone else said, "butt out!". I've had both positive and negative responses to different meds. I spent ages in therapy trying to get a handle on my depression. It wasn't until I started meds that I saw major improvement. A few years ago I tried going off the meds under my pdoc's supervision. I did a slow taper. I found myself making plans for suicide again after I was off the meds. That was enough to convince me I need to be on meds. Other folks overcome depression using other means. That's great for them. Me? I need the meds to remain stable.

On the flip side, I tried a popular medication for my fibro. Again under the supervision of my pdoc. I could NOT tolerate the side effects. I don't take the med as a result. However, if someone asks me about the med because they are considering taking it, I tell them that I had a bad experience, but that might not happen for them.

I agree with the poster who asked if we could have some tolerance on both sides. Some meds help some people. Some meds are a negative experience for others. We can't paint the whole subject as either good or bad.

I say nay now, but I wasn't saying nay then.

They helped me tremendously early on, then the side effects got to be too much and they had to take me off of 'em ... the withdrawal was really very nasty.

That doesn't mean it's gonna have the same effect on someone else though.

Thanks for this. I didn't fare well on AD's or MS meds. This seems to be one of the only meds that works to at least keep me on a regular sleep schedule, which I need. It does contain an anti-oxidant(GABA), is how I view it, at this point.
Sometimes, therapy alone isn't enough. Sometimes meds alone isn't enough. We are all very different people. Usually, the naysayers I've encountered, have really vilified various meds. Opting to try to push their 'natural' remedies, vitamins and otcs included. Usually, when I do encounter the naysayer here and there, I just say, sorry it didn't work for you, but this works for me, and I am under doctors supervision.
I try to be tolerant of others, and I would hope the same tolerance would be extended back at me, which isn't always the case.

Ultimately, it is a personal decision how you handle your own health care. No one has a right to tell you one way or the other the right way to be healthy. If you have something that works for you, good for you. Let others do the same. It's alright to explain your logic but only in a non-judgmental, non-threatening way.

I think people get defensive when it comes to health decision, especially mental health, so wanting everyone to be like them in their care is a form of validation.

Yup - that drives me nuts too. Even worse are the medical professionals who know nothing about your specific issues and say "all you need to do is this to overcome whatever you're dealing with." I'm sorry, but no one has the exact same problem, because no one is exactly the same person.

I get really frustrated when people tell me "just take some deep breaths and you'll be fine, everyone gets nervous." Yeah...it's not just nervous, it's full blown panic with nausea, shaking hands, racing heart, frozen in fear. If it were just being nervous, I wouldn't need therapy or meds.

I took Ambien under pdoc orders and had a horrible time on it. I was not using it to chase alcohol, trying to get high, or taking someone else's prescription. I was trying to sleep. It didn't work and I had awful side effects. If someone is talking about ambien, I have a right to say what my experience was like. No, I don't think everyone is going to react the same way, and hey, if it works for you, take it by all means. If I talk about my experience on a drug, that is how I phrase it -- This was MY experience and it won't necessarily be yours. If you're going to have a conversation about anything, you're going to expect all sorts of opinions. Sharing a personal experience doesn't automatically make you a naysayer or yea-sayer. And if you don't want to deal with the negative responses, only discuss those topics, medications or whatever, with people you know have similar opinions.

But please don't invalidate my experience by lumping me and others in with people who misuse or abuse drugs.

My apologies for feeling invalidated, myself when I brought up this post. At the same time, there is a difference between mentioning a negative experience, and insisting that a person not take a medication due to that negative experience.

And I will not, just post to places where I feel people have the same exact feelings on topics as myself.

And it is true, there are those of us, that know people or know of people that have abused prescription medications, that have also gone on to be naysayers, themselves. Knowing of people who have abused meds, isn't to say that ALL people that have had negative experiences are abusers of meds.

To me, there is a difference.

Each of us, to come to a support community, is perhaps looking for some sense of validation to our experience, are we not?

Well, sometimes a woman after particulary bad relationship goes bitter and man-hating... and will warn people about "men". Does it make her horrible, intolerant person?

I guess same goes for bad experience "nay-sayers". They most likely think they are trying to protect you from the same horror story. 99% of them are not likely thinking "now I am gonna invalidate her" or share horror stories for lulz.

then I find it funny how you thanked selectively to opinions you agreeing with your own.

It isn't the average sharing of information anyone is talking about here. It is the person who comes off as pushy, bossy, meddling that is the problem. And . . . I'm an adult here. Who put you (hypothetical you) in charge of protecting me?

Again, it's about how people approach sharing the information, not really the information itself.

My friend thinks I take tons of meds and tells others what I take. Sigh.

I sat down with her and explained to her that yea, I take a few meds, but they all have different effects and the dosages are small. One med I even take half a child's starting dosage. I'm pretty sure she will forget and think I'm chomping down meds like crazy.

Many people who take psych meds have been through a lot and it might be a last try in getting better. No one should be punished for that. More people take blood pressure meds and cholesterol meds not knowing what they do, if they need them, if they do any good, if there are side effects. Just the doc told them and they accepted. For some reason it is not socially acceptable to be on someone's case for those meds... but psych meds, yea, fair game...

I certainly don't believe in telling others what to do. However, I've suggested that people stop doing things that I believe are self destructive, like engaging in hardcore drug abuse or staying in abusive relationships. I might make my case very strongly, but I would never try to force someone not to do something just because I didn't believe it was right. My judgements aren't theirs, and everyone has a right to make their own decisions.

Prescription drug use can be inappropriate and downright dangerous. It can sometimes fall into the above category. Somebody who believed that might make a very strong case against continuing a drug regimen, particularly if they cared. However, you're well within your right to tell the person that you've heard them but disagree and that you don't wish to discuss the topic any further. Everyone has opinions. You get to choose whether you want to discuss those opinions. Arguing with someone is a choice you make that involves sharing ideas.

If a stranger is very insistently trying to force you to do something, then you would obviously just tell that person to go to hell unless you believed they had something insightful to say. I wouldn't take it personally though. Look at the information itself. Personally, if somebody had a bad experience with a drug that I used, I would want to know about it so I could be watchful in the future.

Knowledge is power, not an attack. I would hate to see the day that we didn't pursue information just because someone's feelings might be hurt. If someone feels invalidated by the mere mention that a drug can be dangerous, then that signals a lack of comfort with oneself. If someone isn't being seriously intrusive, and you still feel invalidated by their comments, then the issue is probably with you rather than them. Address your own feelings of discomfort and the root of them.

I don't know which of the above scenarios applies to anyone here. It's up to all of you to judge for yourselves.