Do you think too many people are over-medicated?
November 20th, 2008 | by Anthony |jacks_insanity asked:
i know so many people that are on so many anti-depressants just because they wont take the time to learn to properly deal with circumstances and day to day problems and stress. it seems silly to me to take pills every day to alter your body’s chemical make-up when all most people need is proper stress management techniques.
CHARLINE
6 Responses to “Do you think too many people are over-medicated?”
By deshane2530 on Nov 21, 2008 | Reply
I am on a lot of medications and yes I believe that people can be over medicated.
By broncoguy2005 on Nov 22, 2008 | Reply
But for some people its way harder to handle stress. We all go through different stuff, and we all have different abilities to cope with stress. I personally am weak with a lot of stress and would probably be dead without meds. But I agree pills alone don’t work.
By Karen S on Nov 22, 2008 | Reply
I happen to work on a locked adult mental health unit. First of all, yes, I think too many people take prescription anti depressants. Some could make some healthy changes and find great improvement with their mood,such as changing their diets and exercising regularly. However, for those persons with clinical depression, who are unable to function, and do basic ADL’s (bathing, etc.), ,and who are finding it very difficult to make it to work and perform work responsibilities, and are isolating selves from others, then very definitely at least a trial on an anti depressant, and if warranted a low dose of anti psychotic meds may be in order. I obviously have much more to say on this topic. Email me if you have more questions.
By BigBadWolf on Nov 25, 2008 | Reply
Oh he-ll yea especially us older folks…
Every time I go to the doctor the write me a long shopping list of meds…if I really did go out and fill everyone my medicine cabinet would be filled to overflowing with little pills…
do I really need them all??? well maybe the one to control my blood pressure…and twice a year I do need to take a single codeine…bad back ya know…but as for the rest??? Naw…
By reg on Nov 27, 2008 | Reply
Yes. I think one of the reasons for this is advertising of drugs. I don’t think drug companies should take out advertisements. Drugs are expensive enough because of all the research needed to develop them. We don’t need to pay endorsers on top of that too. The practice of self-medication too is contributing to this. People are now taking anti-biotics for everything even the common cold. What they don’t know is that anti-biotics don’t cure colds. Nothing cures the common cold except the anti-bodies inherent in all human beings. As a result of this, drug-resistant viruses develop quickly.
However, it seems to be a growing trend among physicians to minimize prescriptions and educating their patients on the chemical reactions of combining different drugs in ones system. That at least seems promising.
By Memo on Nov 29, 2008 | Reply
Although I can’t comment on anti-depressants, I’ve noticed that we rely on medicine a lot more today than we ever have. There are some types that must be important that the general public has probably never heard about, medicine that treats very specific problems, usually serious. But a lot of OTC stuff like pain pills and allergy medicine is being taken for really minor things that our bodies are more than capable of handling.
What’s especially sad is seeing children who have no allergies being given allergy relief drugs when they wake up with a headache. It works. Definitely. They are designed to alleviate those symptoms. But hold back on the pills and an hour later, they’ll be going at full speed once again. We are creating a dependence on medicine. We are also creating a future generation that sees pills are a quick and easy fix to a problem. When I was growing up, if you were taking medication, you must have been really sick. I was never once given allergy relief medication. Why should I? I don’t have allergies. Neither did any of my friends. Although this is possible, has there been an incredibly change in our environment that so many more children have allergies?
Why do they have single-dose Tylenol at the movie theatre? Are movies so bad nowadays that we can get headaches? Headaches so bad we need immediate relief? Anyone with recurring problems with headaches would probably be carrying some of pain meds of their own. If it were an emergency, walk or drive five minutes in any direction and you’ll see a CVS/Pharmacy, Brooks, or Walgreens.