Are you NOT taking medication?

[N64boy96]

I'm not, for the longest time I was diagnosed with ADD until I was diagnosed with Aspergers when I was 18. They had me on D Amphetamine and Prozac but I never really felt happy on the drugs so I stopped taking them. I'm happier now and since I'm a musician I think getting off the drugs made me a better writer

 

[Beverly]

I do take prescription pain meds, but only when I need to push my body beyond what it is comfortable doing - just when I have to perform because no 50 year old with arthritis is going to jump and dance like a 20 year old without something to numb the pain.

I've tried antidepressants ONCE, ditched them after a month.

I won't deny a bit of self medication beyond the normal OTC meds available at times in my life. I don't use anything now but, I've at least tried just about everything. Don't like most, do like a couple of things but, I respect myself and my body enough not to do that stuff anymore.

 

[shinkansen]

Being both on the spectrum and being diagnosed with ADD, therapist always thought that being on Ritalin or anything would probably make me a lot more introvert and in a sense "more autistic" which seems to be just as much of a problem.

Your comment about Ritalin and being 'more autistic' is interesting.

I have both ADHD and ASD. For ADHD, I take Concerta, the slow release version of Ritalin and think it can make me feel more withdrawn (perhaps more autistic).

I take other pills which help. Longer term, I'd like to stop taking my medication altogether and the issue is nothing to do with cost. The pills have some unpleasant side-effects. And I'd prefer to use some self-discipline to better manage things.

 

[Astroganga]

I'm not, I have been on anti-depressants in the past but the only one that ever really worked for me, I developed an allergy to the active ingredient. All the others have debilitating side effects that outweigh any benefits, such as needing to sleep eighteen hours out of twenty four; while others cause extreme insomnia and agitation.

 

[jfk]

Had quite a few episodes of bad reactive depression in my past and been prescribed Prozac, interestingly I've always felt like I am slightly 'cyclical', as part of receiving CBT I kept a mood-diary and noticed a certainly cyclical tendency going up and down every few weeks.

The meds helped at the time, they were a short-term mental crutch.

I really disliked the side-effects, how they left me 'emotionally blunted' and couldn't really feel much. At the time they helped though.

Anyway, I'm med-free. Ever since pretty much coming to terms that I may be Aspie I feel a bit more comfortable in my skin. I came off the meds a couple of years ago and don't really want to go back to them.

To take care of my mental health I've really changed my diet and lifestyle, eating as little processed food as possible, preparing my own. I do a fair bit of physical activity (kickboxing / jiu-jitsu) each week which helps , and started a Mindfullness course at work for de-stressing. Also, coming to terms that I'm probably Aspie has helped me with coping strategies for interacting with this world

 

[As sweet as-pie]

I've never been on any medication as I tend not to go to the gp. (anxiety) I'm currently trying OTC meds for anxiety and depression, but I've made a conscious decision that if I was ever offered or prescribed medication that I would only use them as a last resort. I'm very sensitive to a lot of med's and so I prefer to stay completely level-headed. Best to avoid nasty side effects...

 

[Alaska]

Sadly I am and hate it but, currently there is no choice. I have to take medicine for severe GERD and without it, I would end up in hospital!

Other than that, it is all natural. I take: Gingko Biloba for bad leg circulation; I use charcoal to ease bloatedness ( but not working these days, rather annoying).

When I start on the road of the menopause, I know I will get all the nasty symptoms, but discovered a herb that can counteract the affects and so, will go on that.

I HATE chemicals inside me.

I will take paracetamol for headaches and cramps and am blessed that they work.

Oh and I was on Prozac for nearly 16 and it was only me taking courage and doing cold turkey that got me to a place of complete understanding that the tablets were causing depression; severe headaches that rendered me in bed for 2 days and violently sick and I HAD to sleep often and oh, the horrible weight gain! I appreciated after this, that I had social depression and thus, should never have been put on them to begin with.

I am frightened of chemical meds, because of what damage they can do to the body. My husband arrives home with a huge bag of meds ( following the French way) and said that this med was to counteract the side effects of that and this one, to counteract the side effects of the one used to counteract the side effects of the first one and so forth and I am looking at him, marveling how he just ACCEPTS it all!

In one month, I got my cholesterol levels down, my blood back to normal; normal tension and all without medication!

I came close to dying from really bad GERD before I found some alternatives to pharmaceuticals. One of the main ones was oats. The most helpful form of oats was grinding rolled oats, also called old fashioned oats, to powder. The best way for me to use this was to take it dry and very slowly eat a teaspoon or less at a time.

I started doing this because I noticed that a lot of animals ate wild oats for digestive problems.

I have also had great success giving this to pets. I uaually catch cats and dogs digestive problems fast enough that a small amount of oat powder added to their food makes them better. I have also used this for goats, horses, and chickens.

I have gotten careful about catching reflux problems before they escalate to GERD, after a few bouts with GERD. As soon as I notice more than a very mild reflux problem, I quit eating acidic foods, most spices, any caffeine (including chocolate), and a few things I read are really bad for causing or aggravating GERD, like cucumbers.

Once I get the reflux/GERD under control, I am able to go back to my normal diet.

I am not trying to tell you what to do about really serious GERD, because it has been life threatening to me, and it might have been that way for you also. You might want to try the oat powder to see it helps you, however. The way I do with it is to grind some up and keep it handy in the freezer. That way I can take it immediately if I have a problem.

 

[Alaska]

I wanted to reply to the theme of this thread separately, from the oats and GERD.

I do not usually take any pharmaceuticals, but do so occasionally to placate my GP doctor. Even when I do that, I do not usually do more than pick up one bottle. The latest was an inhaler for asthma. I do carry that around for emergencies.

Most of my health problems are solved by alternative health methods, especially herbs and nutrition.

Even if I was not plagued with myriad and horrible side effects, including drugs causing the opposite of the intended effects, like making something worse instead of better, I would still hate taking them.

One reason I do not like taking pharmaceutical drugs is because many disaster scenarios would mean not being able to get pharmaceuticals. Some types of disasters like EMPs or regular nukes, could mean never being able to get pharmaceuticals again. I would hate to be dependent on pharmaceuticals in one of those situations.

Another big reason why I do not like taking pharmaceuticals is that I do not like donating to the enormous and too powerful Pharmaceutical industry. This is the most profitable industry in the world. It is also the most powerful industry in the world. They are not my favorite charity. I do not like the way they use their power.

 

[Sabrina]

This may not be a compelling question.
But I was wondering, are there people here
who aren't taking any prescription medications?

There are discussions about what drugs are or
aren't working for people, and while I don't feel
"left out," I was starting to feel like I was in the
minority.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. lol

If you aren't using prescription medication for
anything, are you considering doing so? How does
it happen that you don't? Is it because you
can't afford to? Or think you'd be worse off for
using medication? Or there aren't any medications
that would do you any good? Or there are no
medicatable situations in your life?

Thanks.

I suppose you mean medication for psychological issues, right? If that's the case, I don't take anything (I could afford them, since you are asking). A few months ago I thought I might need antidepressants, but the clouds cleared by themselves.

I pay a lot of attention to my mental health, it is at the top of my everyday to-do-list. I know I am fragile and I experienced what it was like to be out of control when I was a teen (eating compulsively), and back then, when I recovered in my twenties, I promised to myself not to go back to that.

Along with binge eating (or the cause of it) I suffered depression, and also, perfectionism was making my life very tough (so I lowered my career and academic standards). But all that, the temptation of overeating (ot even overdrinking), fall into depression (I do allow my self to be sad, BTW, that's a way of releasing emotions and not accumulating them) or even perfectionism (I have to "control the controlling") are situations that I ALWAYS have to watch, I can never let my guard down.

I also have been seeing a therapist for two years, once a week now, but there was a tough period in my life when I saw him twice a week. He's my antidepressant pill .

I also write and exercise; both activities help to make the clouds go away. My kids also bring me lots of joy and grab myself to the ground.

My case doesn't apply to everybody, though. I know that there's a lot of people that can benefit from medication, and maybe even myself in the future, who knows?

 

[tree]

@Sabrina
No, actually I mean any medications at all.
OTC or prescription, for anything

 

[Streetwise]

I wanted to reply to the theme of this thread separately, from the oats and GERD.

I do not usually take any pharmaceuticals, but do so occasionally to placate my GP doctor. Even when I do that, I do not usually do more than pick up one bottle. The latest was an inhaler for asthma. I do carry that around for emergencies.

Most of my health problems are solved by alternative health methods, especially herbs and nutrition.

Even if I was not plagued with myriad and horrible side effects, including drugs causing the opposite of the intended effects, like making something worse instead of better, I would still hate taking them.

One reason I do not like taking pharmaceutical drugs is because many disaster scenarios would mean not being able to get pharmaceuticals. Some types of disasters like EMPs or regular nukes, could mean never being able to get pharmaceuticals again. I would hate to be dependent on pharmaceuticals in one of those situations.

Another big reason why I do not like taking pharmaceuticals is that I do not like donating to the enormous and too powerful Pharmaceutical industry. This is the most profitable industry in the world. It is also the most powerful industry in the world. They are not my favorite charity. I do not like the way they use their power.

Wish I didn't have to take lanzoprapole for GERD! but the sinister pain that begins in my lower region and then becomes indescribable makes it necessary ,as the panic disorder never allows it to heal.

 

[Sabrina]

@Sabrina
No, actually I mean any medications at all.
OTC or prescription, for anything

Then I do, I have a bit of hypothyroidism.
OTC, melatonin to sleep, Glucosamin chondroitin for joints.

 

[Alaska]

Wish I didn't have to take lanzoprapole for GERD! but the sinister pain that begins in my lower region and then becomes indescribable makes it necessary ,as the panic disorder never allows it to heal.

I know that feeling. My GERD was horrible too. Mine is more often activated by an incident that kicks in my PTSD, so does not always stay. I do not know if you have any chance of being able to find and go to a good hypnotist, but they can often do wonders with things like panic disorder.

 

[Alaska]

Ugh, chocolate is the one thing that causes my GERD to violently flare up. A single Hershey's Kiss can mess me up for an entire day, which sucks because I like chocolate. There are other things that aggravate it, but none that have the effect of chocolate.

They put me Nexium years ago, but I moved and was unable to get a script for it; that's when it still required a prescription. Another doctor put me on prescription strength Prilosec, which did nothing for me. Now I'm seeing things on TV that both medications have been linked to some serious health problems. It seems that they release medications without knowing for sure what they will do to people. It's as though the cure is worse than the disease.

Like you, I've learned what I can and cannot eat and keep it in check that way. Those who have never had it don't know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night drowning in stomach acid. More than once I've jumped out of bed unable to breathe because of it.

I have also experienced the breathing problem, aggravated by Sleep Apnea. A brick under each leg at the head of your bed a
Is a cheap and easy way to make a difference in this. A foam wedge to elevate your upper torso could be worth the cost. I have less GERD problems and breathe better all the time since I got mine. If the bricks help, you might want the foam wedge.

I am also a chocolate addict. I prefer the real thing, of course, but health food stores and some grocery stores have a fair substitute. It is called carob. It is not exactly the same, but it helps curb the cravings for chocolate. Here is a link about chocolate substitutes: http://www.bhg.com/recipes/desserts/chocolate/chocolate-substitute/

 

[Streetwise]

I have also experienced the breathing problem, aggravated by Sleep Apnea. A brick under each leg at the head of your bed a
Is a cheap and easy way to make a difference in this. A foam wedge to elevate your upper torso could be worth the cost. I have less GERD problems and breathe better all the time since I got mine. If the bricks help, you might want the foam wedge.

I am also a chocolate addict. I prefer the real thing, of course, but health food stores and some grocery stores have a fair substitute. It is called carob. It is not exactly the same, but it helps curb the cravings for chocolate. Here is a link about chocolate substitutes: Chocolate Substitutes

Another one is vanilla,it's a natural appetite suppressant, get it from eBay as vanilla powder.
I don't like cocoa! or carob! ,what I like is the sugar and vanilla usually milk sometimes dark but I think that's the tryptophan and magnesium hit.

 

[watersprite]

I don't take any medication. Unless vit C and D count?

Maybe once or twice a year I'll take an otc if I have flu, or if I over-do it at my exercises and am hurt.

 

[Mia]

No, actually I mean any medications at all.
OTC or prescription, for anything

I don't take anything at all normally. I've taken aspirin for joint pain and bruising after a cycling accident. And was proscribed morphine for an injury, but didn't take it.
Medication is essentially paid for, through our taxes and insurance so I wouldn't have to worry about the costs for medication.

They simply don't work properly for me, either they cause depression, awful dreams, or sleeplessness or allergic reactions like rashes.

Lately I've been drinking fermented milk, in this case kefir for digestive problems. And it seems to work. It tastes like old-fashioned buttermilk. Think I might switch from drinking soy milk.

Do you take any medications or otc's tree?

 

[the_tortoise]

I have been thinking I should take a medication holiday from my ADHD medication.....maybe a nice long one.

I don't like being slowed down so much, lately.

 

[Keigan]

No meds. I take vitamins.

 

[Bolletje]

The only prescription I take daily is my birth control I have some prescription meds for a few ailments, but I only take them as needed.