Paxil or self medication?

[Stinkbug]

I know some people- a family as a matter of factman woman and girl about 15- all on paxil. Now I realize life is full of stresses and melancholy can strike us all, but is this normal? What is worse? Selfmedication by alcohol or letting big pharma control your moods and life?

Something doesnt seem quite right

[Memphis Mike]

Fart

[LeeG]

does Stinkbug have a real name?

[StevenBauer]

Yeah, it's Dutchrub.

[rbgarr]

Oh yeah. Self medication by the depressed with alcohol (a depressant) is the way to go alright. Especially when rational outlook and strong judgment are shaky at best.

'... big pharma control your life?' Worried about conspiracy much?

"Something doesnt seem quite right"

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

OK......... you asked!

With my co-pay Lexapro is only 25 bucks a month and I feel just peachy.
Paxil didn't do much for me but I have a friend at work who is doing well with Paxil.
Some good pot and a few good (cold of course) beers would be my second pick, but I would usually spend more than 25 bucks a month on those.
Feeling better is good and I say go for what ever works for you.
Life is too short to spend it in misery.
Don't knock the legal meds until you've actually tried them.
Better living through Chemistry eh?

[Stinkbug]

im not knocking anything kevin. everyone has to get through this world the best way they know how. but what gets my gorge up is folk who look down their nose at me if i get up in the morning and have a beer or two to get my brain waves back into balance, but they sneak off to the bathroom and pop their pills. it just doesnt add up. the world is full of so many kinds of hypocrisy

i see the hippocracy of it all- thats what drives me crazy

[Leon m]

Healthy living...If the body is healthy the mind will follow...start with the body.

[Stinkbug]

while i agree wiht you to a certain point leon, i think youre being over simplistic, there are a whole host of reasons some people display anxieties and other behaviours which require medication in order to keep that person on an even keel while traveling through life. what my gripe is is the fact that half the country is on prescription dope for this or that, yet someone who drinks every day is labeled a drunk and treated with scorn. there is such a thing as a functioning alcoholic, many who self medicate - to think less of those people than drug dependent folk doesnt make any sense to me

[Leon m]

there is such a thing as a functioning alcoholic, many who self medicate - to think less of those people than drug dependent folk doesnt make any sense to me

Good point

OK maybe I was being a little simplistic ...take care of the body first,and get far away from this goofy society we've created.
You ever see that show about the guy who lived alone in the widerness,I believe it was called "Alone in the wilderness". I think
people who stress out too much should live like that.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Self medication is for people who don't trust doctors.
I know I was one of them.
Self medication usually dosen't treat the problem as well as meds and can create more problems than just people looking down their noses at you.
When my doctor got me on the right medication, I felt like a retard for not doing something sooner.
While I do enjoy a good beer buzz early in the morning, if I did it every morning I'd probably lose my job.
No one has to know you're on medication either and it's easier to hide than beer breath.

[LeeG]

1. dutch, you won't lose anything by having a name
2. alcohol isn't a medicine.

3. here's an example of self-medicating :

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=5295669&nav=menu45_2

[Katherine]

There are a lot of ways to self-medicate that are legal, but you end up just as dead.

[Bob Cleek]

In this case, Mr. Know It All does.

[Stinkbug]

There are a lot of ways to self-medicate that are legal, but you end up just as dead.

I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, and I have thought about it for a while. That is the essence of life- death in the end. Otherwise you arent alive are you? Everyone dies sooner or later from something. Just because the doctor prescribes the medication doesnt neccesarily mean you will be around any longer than the self medicater. As a amatter of fact I dont dtrust the medical community. By and large they are no more than pill pushing whores. When was the last time your doctor told you that you are responsible for your own health- to loose some wieght or exercise more or stop smoking or knock off the cheese fries and meaty lifestyle? Take a look at the television any night of the week. Its all about pills solving your problems