Warning: May Cause Growth Enhancement
Eat me! Drink me! Drugs. Where would we be without them? Drugs have radically changed our society. Penicillan has helped millions (unless they are allergic to it – hello – and then it just makes them swell up). But generally speaking, Penicillan was a lifesaver.
But just like Penicillan, all drugs have side effects. Some are dangerous if taken too often. We are learning all the time. Like, for instance, it’s not the best idea to give your child narcotics for teething pain. (Don’t believe me, check out the newspaper ads from the early 1900s.)
A few grams of opium ought to do the trick.
So we’ve come a long way. Eventually we got the FDA, or the Federal Drug Administration, to regulate this stuff. Which meant, for starters, actually labeling what was in the bottle. (Something more than ‘drink me’ was usually preferred). Granted, the FDA isn’t perfect. And even approved drugs have their nasty side effects. So now we have people afraid to take so much as an aspirin.
But does that mean we fear all drugs? Even drugs that can save our lives? What about drugs that help regulate the brain? Now there’s something that really bothers people, especially Scientologists. Do people need “quick fixes” like antidepressants? Do we need a nation of people on “happy pills”? I don’t know about you, but I’ve yet to have a “happy pill”. A “somewhat normal and doesn’t want to jump off a cliff pill” is really quite okay with me. And that is what is in your average antidepressant. If you get REALLY happy off antidepressants, chances are you’re manic depressive. Here’s a quick test. If you managed to paint the house and reshingle the roof in one night, you probably need a little help in that department.
Anyway, antidepressants are obviously not for everybody. And they aren’t the only solution. Diet and exercise are always beneficial. But for many people, antidepressants do help. Antidepressants can give people the will to eat and exercise. They don’t make one “happy” and they are far from a “quick fix” as most take at least two weeks to either work or let you know that they are definitely not working. And most come with side effects. It’s a matter of what risks you prefer to take. I prefer “drowsy” over “suicidal” myself.
And if someone has a problem with that, well, they can “eat me”.
aliceatwonderland 
Would it be impertinent to point out a spelling error?Ask me about the "carbolic smoke ball" sometime.
This is one of the most level headed take on antidepressants I’ve ever read. Ironic, perhaps, since I’m crooked headed most days.
Thank you. I get so tired of people acting like people take these drugs because they don’t want to handle real life or something. One person said “You don’t know what they do to your brain in the long run.” Yeah, well, I know what not taking them does in the short run, and I’ll take my chances. Sometimes I think maybe we are the level headed, and everyone else is crooked headed. This is Wonderland, after all.
[…] a gander at her first post, one of her snazziest cyber-messages, and one of her latest masterpieces. My mind has been adrift in a sea of confusion […]
As someone who had counselled people suffering from depression before, I do believe that some drugs/medication are necessary. Some cases are severe and they do need all the help they can get. Also, I have a few friends who are suicidal and they definitely need to take their pills. It is too easy to dismiss that all drugs are bad in the long run. Honestly, if there were no drugs, these friends could have just gone ahead and killed themselves. So, we need to assess what’s the worse damage here.
On another note – even in Wonderland, there is a price to pay for happiness. Heck, there is a price for every single bloody thing. No freebies here. Yup, I learnt it from Mister Gold in Once Upon A Time. LOL
Great post, Alice!
Thank you. I do pay a price, it’s true – the copay.
🙂