Notice how there is a medication for virtually everything these days. You’re kicking back, watching regular TV -or even streaming free movies with commercials, and here it comes…the magic pill. It can help with the pain of psoriatic arthritis, or lower your blood sugar, or is a foolproof birth control, and my fave – for the treatment of depression. Sure they try to make it sound miraculous and healthy (next time pay attention to the background music -or music bed); they show families or couples or an individual absolutely enjoying life. It’s always at the beach or on a waterslide or in a conference room meeting…and you get about 8 – 12 full seconds of this. Then…
You hear these words: “possible side effects may include:” and the advertisement goes on for another 45 seconds about the rest of this.
Camel mouth: this is what I like to call the side effect that causes unquenchable thirst and a consistently yucky taste in your mouth.
Puffalump: this is when the med causes such bad water retention that you instantly swell up to the size of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day float; this goes along with
Blimpalump: when the med causes such rapid weight gain that you become the size of a GoodYear blimp and burst from your clothes like the Hulk. This frequently accompanies Puffalump.
Poo-poo Bottom: this is when you discover that you no longer have control of your bowels thanks to the miracle med. Yikes. And my favorite…
Spazzyout: which covers a variety of side effects from tremors and shaking to confusion
Oh and there is another thing about medication side effects that really bothers me:
“The FDA requires a black-box warning on trazodone, noting that taking the drug could increase the chance of becoming suicidal.” –What is a black box warning???
“Depression may become worse before it gets better when someone starts taking trazodone.” –According to my psychiatrist, I should have never been prescribed this to begin with!
“If you have any thoughts of suicide or if a friend or family member thinks you are acting strangely, call a doctor right away.” –What??? I am often acting strangely!
“Stopping trazodone suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms that include anxiety, agitation, and difficulty sleeping” –That’s all I need; another round of withdrawal.
These are the “common” side effects:
- Headache
- Muscle ache
- Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or stomachache
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Loss of interest in sex (erectile dysfunction in men)
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Dry mouth or dry eyes
- Numbness, burning, or tingling sensations
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Nervousness or confusion
- Rash
- Sweating
- Weakness or fatigue
THESE are the SERIOUS ONES:
- Worsening depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- A severe rash or hives
- Swelling of the face, lips, or tongue
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- A painful erection that will not go away (priapism)
- Panic attack
- Irregular heartbeat
- Fainting
- Unusual bruising or bleeding
- Seizure
And ALL OF THIS for just ONE MEDICATION. My point is simple, we are a society that is completely dependent on medications for everything. And the population is screaming (pun intended) for another path.
This is where you have to go your own way. Eastern philosophy and medicine has surged in the southwest. I am going to be reviewing and possibly guest-posting an article from another author on the topic of alternative recovery methods. This may contain a viewpoint that is intuitively counterproductive to the method you are currently using to stay clean in recovery. I know there is a huge debate on the subject. I, myself, am debating whether to continue on with the method I have been using. We all need to maintain our openmindedness and may, in fact, learn something new and beneficial to our recovery. Please, no judgments. Will let you know more soon. In the interim,
Peace, love and blessings to all….
NMRecoveryHOPE 