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Drug Addiction Dangers?

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  • 05-02-2009 10:34am
    #1
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭


    I am contemplating using drug therapy to get through this difficult time in my life but was wondering one thing. People often say "oh you shouldn't take too much of Xanax/Effexor/Insert Drug here etc. because you can get addicted". My answer is so what? If a drug helps you to change your life and you are addicted, so what? Is there any particularly bad event that can happen after being addicted to a drug long term. People might say, "oh it's bad" or "you don't want to be dependent on that stuff", but at the end of the day why does it matter? I'm yet to hear an excuse beyond the examples I have given and I'm wondering before I embark on drug therapy, am I missing something? Why is taking a drug for the rest of your life so god awful, provided side effects are minimal? Not to be too morbid but at the end of the day we all die anyway, so what the hell if you need to take a few pills to help you through life? I can get over the feeling of being dependant on a drug, I'm not so sure I can get over my depression/anxiety without drug intervention. As I said, am I missing something because I'm constatly being told to avoid getting addicted and its putting me off.


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    #2
    Odysseus
    Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    Hi mate, I'm a therapist in a Drug Treatment Clinic. If there is a geniune reason for going on meds, my opinion is you go on meds. However, you do it for a reason; here you seem to be talking about mainly your mood. Certain meds can help people through a rough period in their lives.

    What meds don't do is address the underlying issues which ate the aetiological factors which are the causative fators underlying the "rough period". For example a person going on an anti-deppressant following a difficult bereavement, the meds may life a person mood enabling them to engage in life. However, they still have to go through a grieving process.

    The same goes with a mood disorder, they can help a person engage in life to a fuller extent; however, the person still needs to address the ubderlying issues.

    You need to talk to a professional if you think you need to go on meds. Dependency on SSRI's isn't really an issue. However, you did metion xanax these are a completely different type of drug called benzo's for short. These are highly addictive if taken over a period of time. The general suggested guidelines are they should not be prescribed for more than 3 months.

    To give you a sense ther damgers most of the chaotic users I dealt with use heroin and benzos and the benzos cause us a bigger problem that the heroin use. So unless you really need them avoid the, however, this is something your dctor will decide. Hope that help a bit.


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    #3
    LegacyUser
    Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    many thanks for the reply. I see what you're saying. My mood is certainly down, and has been for a while, for no apparant reason. I'm experiencing weird symptoms and I think it may be time for a med. You mention xanax being troublesome. Why so? It's just I feel that my depression has been caused by lifelong anxiety and I'm not sure SSRI's would address that?


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    #4
    Odysseus
    Registered Users Posts: 6,754 ✭✭✭Odysseus


    Unregistered wrote: »
    many thanks for the reply. I see what you're saying. My mood is certainly down, and has been for a while, for no apparant reason. I'm experiencing weird symptoms and I think it may be time for a med. You mention xanax being troublesome. Why so? It's just I feel that my depression has been caused by lifelong anxiety and I'm not sure SSRI's would address that?

    I'm just prefacing this by noting I'm not a medic and your doctor will decide in consultation with you about what would be suitable.

    Xanax are a benzo and are habit forming that is my initial isuue with them in general. With saying that I do believe that they can be a useful aid in treating what I would view as psychological issues.

    The best I can say to you is that I see people who are addicted to benzos everyday and because of what I see I would be very concerned if a family member was on them long term. I have had family members use them for a set period of time to help them facilitate addressing the issues that they needed to address. I have seen this with clients too.


    Edit: Just to add SSRI's can help with anxiety but your doctor will fill you in on that.

    However, I have also seen people just collect repeat scripts for a long period of time and not realise they are dependent until its too late. Often a person can experience rebound anxiety when they stop taking them. Also the withdrawal from benzos can be difficult and prolonged.

    However, I can't tell you whether you need them over the net. You need to speak to a medic and work out a treatment plan. However, I strongly suggest that whatever med you go on or not as may be the case, don't just rely on the meds add some form of psychotherapy with it. Best of luck with it. I'm not sure what you mean by weird symptoms but that makes it sound like you need to see a professional. Best of luck with it.


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