... and that is all that matters.
This came up on another forum, and I thought I'd share my thoughts here.
I take medication every day. Mostly vitamins and minerals, which help to keep the worst of my Fibromyalgia pain at bay. I don't know whether I have trouble absorbing these things in general, whether it's because of my restricted diet, or a combination of the two. As for prescribed meds, among others, I take medication for anxiety and depression. There is a stigma attached to antidepressants, and I really don't understand it. You're not less of a person because you can't "deal" with stress and depression. It's no different than being diabetic or having high blood pressure. It's an imbalance that can -- and should -- be treated, and yet there is this perception that you're less of a person because you need these things!
Why is that? At least some of the people reading this (lurkers, most likely ) are now thinking that I'm less of a person because I take these meds, and I don't care. I am who I am, and that hasn't changed since you found out that I take *gasp* antidepressants! I am still the ever-optimistic you knew before you read this post. I need medications to keep my body running properly, and there should be no shame in that, and so I say it loud and proud. I take medications because I need them, and my health would suffer terribly if I didn't have them. I know because I came close to dying three years ago (no, not because of depression), but those health woes are a whole different story. I've been doing much better since starting some new meds and vitamins, so no worries there
The above was directed at no one, I was just thinking about it because of something a "friend" once said to me about depression meds. There are many reasons we are no longer friends, and this is just one of them.
As for recreational drugs and alcohol, I do neither. I can't stand the taste of alcohol, nor the effect it has on me, and I detest the feeling of being drugged (which is why I balk at any prescribed drug that has the effect.) My dentist offered me nitrous (aka laughing gas) when I was last having work done, and though the work took FOUR hours, I declined, 'cause I absolutely can't stand the feeling.
To sum up I don't think that anyone should be judged based upon the meds that they need to take. As for the other drugs and alcohol/cigarettes, as long as they're not hurting themselves and/or others, it's their own choice, and I can respect that
This came up on another forum, and I thought I'd share my thoughts here.
I take medication every day. Mostly vitamins and minerals, which help to keep the worst of my Fibromyalgia pain at bay. I don't know whether I have trouble absorbing these things in general, whether it's because of my restricted diet, or a combination of the two. As for prescribed meds, among others, I take medication for anxiety and depression. There is a stigma attached to antidepressants, and I really don't understand it. You're not less of a person because you can't "deal" with stress and depression. It's no different than being diabetic or having high blood pressure. It's an imbalance that can -- and should -- be treated, and yet there is this perception that you're less of a person because you need these things!
Why is that? At least some of the people reading this (lurkers, most likely ) are now thinking that I'm less of a person because I take these meds, and I don't care. I am who I am, and that hasn't changed since you found out that I take *gasp* antidepressants! I am still the ever-optimistic you knew before you read this post. I need medications to keep my body running properly, and there should be no shame in that, and so I say it loud and proud. I take medications because I need them, and my health would suffer terribly if I didn't have them. I know because I came close to dying three years ago (no, not because of depression), but those health woes are a whole different story. I've been doing much better since starting some new meds and vitamins, so no worries there
The above was directed at no one, I was just thinking about it because of something a "friend" once said to me about depression meds. There are many reasons we are no longer friends, and this is just one of them.
As for recreational drugs and alcohol, I do neither. I can't stand the taste of alcohol, nor the effect it has on me, and I detest the feeling of being drugged (which is why I balk at any prescribed drug that has the effect.) My dentist offered me nitrous (aka laughing gas) when I was last having work done, and though the work took FOUR hours, I declined, 'cause I absolutely can't stand the feeling.
To sum up I don't think that anyone should be judged based upon the meds that they need to take. As for the other drugs and alcohol/cigarettes, as long as they're not hurting themselves and/or others, it's their own choice, and I can respect that