Warning: I'm peeved.

"Well, I don't know how religion plays into it, but there are Christian Scientists who go that route."
Duh, could that sentence be more ironic?

If a doctor puts you on meds, and you decide you want to go off of them, you talk to him or her about it, and then you let the doctor tell you how to wean yourself off of them, if they agree. If you're not happy with what they tell you, you see another PROFESSIONAL. Not someone with an agenda who thinks their way is the only way to be sober.

"Have you ever done a whiff of research before posting sweeping generalizations?" Duh, again. Becoming an MD or DO, completing a four year residency and perhaps even another four years of specialized training - that qualifies someone to tell me about how to stay healthy moreso than someone who is going by hearsay and/or surfed the net for an hour.

Personally I found that when I quit drinking, the meds actually worked better. Because of this, the dosage was lowered. Now I am almost completely off of them. This is due to what my doctor told me to do. If I had listened to the people in AA, I would have gone off of them too quickly, or even cold turkey, and had a relapse. That's why I am obviously so angry when I hear people say things like this.

Being told by a non-professional to go off your meds is absurd. What does that have to do with quitting drinking? Do they tell diabetics to stop take their insulin?

kind of interested in this because I take psychotropic meds since 1982 and without them I become a babbling boob....schizophrenia returns when I go off the meds...only when doctor has tried to take me off have I gone off and the two or three times they tried it failed...so I stay on my med....it has tardivdiskenisia as permanent side effect which I do not care about because it is not so bad as schizophrenia....

First off, this post has gone way OT for some.

I think this post was born out of the one dealing with a drug to stop drinking and how it's controversial...

1. @clover- Insulin is not the same, but then again, if you have type two diabetes, there's this concept called... losing weight. But that's not fun. NOW, they have a pill to just reduce one's blood sugar! The easy way out. There's also this concept as... NOT drinking. Again, NOT easy.

2. @itsall- how is my Christian Science comment "ironic?" Someone brought religion into the mix. I was just saying that faith does come into some people's decisions when it comes to their life choices. I don't personally agree with hit, but it's their choice...

Also, I never said there's only ONE way; I was actually suggesting to seek out other, alternative, opinions to make a balanced decision. So I think we are actually in agreement. Why so peeved?

As for a medical degree, yes, they have more official training in ONE area- MEDicine- and the Western variety. But there are also other approaches- holistic, Eastern, preventative... And you do not know the extent to which I've read, and from what sources and for how long, so why do you assume my research is insufficient?

Many times, *I've* been the one to tell my GP about things... My daughter's "doctors" wanted to do all kinds of medical interventions on her and even accused me of not feeding her... JUST because she was low birth weight and stayed small. I've been through just a little bit of Hell regarding that time in my life, so you'll pardon me if I don't bow down to the medical industry. I'm sure gr8tful could tell you things that could make your skin crawl... What do you call the one who graduated lowest in medical school? Doctor. Just b/c they did the time doesn't mean they are all knowing... Same goes for lawyers.

3. @wf- how does one "accidentally" type "f r e a k" instead of "theorist?" Not nice.

4. @Bill- I think that's my point... Thank you for sharing your struggles with schizophrenia. That's very different from the original topic of anabuse... Your profile reveals my point- yes, you can't get better with your condition w/o meds... but you also realize the power of your faith to get you through. Blessings to you.

Balance in everything, gentle posters. : )

righteous indignation.... seen it somewhere else... where was that?

God bless my lexapro. It keeps the freak at bay

The mirror, perhaps?

Deli: Let me put this simply then.
You are not a doctor.
Period.
It is irresponsible for anyone to say hey, your doctor is probably an idiot, do this and that instead. And here is exactly what upsets me about the whole topic. I have been to many many AA meetings so I know exactly where all this is coming from; this is the layman's (and non-med taker's) belief that meds for mood disorders and whatnot are in some way the same as alcohol, and alcoholics shouldn't do them either, or they are cheating. If your doctor prescribed them for you, they say, you're doctor is just getting paid by big pharma and doesn't care if you live or die. You are still using a crutch. This, to answer your question, is why I am peeved. I worry about people who go to AA and feel that they need to go off their meds because of what they hear in there. It is something that really has no place in an AA meeting. It's not the same thing as addiction to alcohol. Not to the people who need it to live.
Anyway, you are the one who answered someone else's post, who only gave two non-inflammatory sentences, and you keep going on and on here (or did anyway, I've been off DS for over a while), so it seems to me that you have an agenda. And the last thing I have to say to you is...who cares, you're not a doctor.

Golf clap.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

@itsallajoke- Thanks for explaining your pov.

I do have an agenda- to make informed decisions and not blindly rely on doctors' opinions because there are good and bad ones.

Some like being on meds; some don't. My point is, there are options. I don't think meds are cheating at all. But I do think that they are not the only viable solutions. That's my opinion on the topic.

I've told the story many times (maybe not on this link) about my choice not to go on meds for anxiety... I know I self medicated by drinking. Which, of course, made me worse. I also had horrible relationships that were abusive and codependent.

It got to the point where I thought I was crazy, so I went to a psychiatrist, warning him that meds were a last result for me, but I'd do it if necessary to feel normal. He told me to get rid of all the things I could that made me feel crazy. First, I dropped the abusive BF. It took me a while to drop the booze. I'm now 95% better.

I also had a slew of doctors who wanted to jam a feeding tube into my daughter just because she was 0-5 percentile on the growth chart. We had tests to rule out about 30 disorders- Celiac, Cystic Fibrosis, GI malformation... you name it. I said that until you can diagnose her with something, I'm not doing that to her. Of course, I had great insurance and it all would've been covered...

So yes, when I hear people saying that their doctor diagnosed them with something or gave them a prescription or recommended a treatment, I'm always curious as to WHY.

Back to the OP, I only put in my 2 cents because so many people pipped up that the anabuse drug wreaked havoc with their bodies.

No, I'm not a doctor; but I'm just as smart and I'm not trusting anybody to make a decision for me. They may be an expert, but I can read up and have me own educated standpoint and get second opinions. Many just go to their GP and take it at face value. I think that can be very dangerous.

I've also been teaching for 15 years and have seen a lot of over diagnosed/over medicated kids because it's easier to get a dx and a pill and accommodate instead of doing behavior modification. But that's another topic...

I hope this helps people to understand my pov...

I agree. However, in some cases ( ie pain killers) you must also be vigilant .

Agree and totally disagree.
Agree on taking advice from Doctors; but also suggest researching each and every medication that is prescribed; and asking questions prior to taking anything.
If you don't get an answer that sits right; get a second opinion.
One of my best friends took high cholesterol medication for years. Many awful side effects and his overall health didnt improve.
He read a few books on nutrition, asked his Dr questions and didnt get the answers he needed. He got second opinions. Long story short today he is medication free, 30 pounds lighter, and has a healthy diet and exercise regime. We often treat symptoms with western medication and ignore causes. Many ailments can be treated with great nutrition, exercise, rest and the like. Many can't. We need to be our own best health advocates.