Are we over medicating ourselves?

[jewscout]

I feel i'm a bit ignorant on this topic but coming from what i've seen in the media and all i feel like we've got a pill for everything...even if you don't need it they have a pill for you...

"Do you sleep 6-8 hours a night? Do you walk upright? Do you ingest food? Do you breath? Then maybe you should ask your doctor about zylofinoptobob
warning: side effects could include bleeding, stomach pains or possible death"

Is it just me?

 

[Jaymes]

No. I honestly think we're medicating the youth to death. I was put on anti-depressants for a year without making any headway in my problems. I talked to a shrink for 15 minutes every other week, and somehow he was able to see in those 15 minutes where he did most of the talking that I still needed my medicine. Right. :sarcastic

A year ago, after a year of being on the anti-depressants, I got fed up with it and quit cold turkey. I was pretty ill for a couple of days, but I've been better after stopping taking it than I have the entire time I took it, and I've only had one lapse.

Too often we want to be able to pop a pill and have good health, be perfectly happy, a great sex life, this that and the other. We don't want to work for it, and it solves nothing.

That being said, I know some people need anti-depressants to be able to function, and I hold nothing against them for needing it.

 

[jewscout]

true but i think that for every 1 person who needs it there are 100 who don't.

 

[Saw11_2000]

Overmedicating: Yes

But, there will be things we need pills for.

Antibiotics are an example.

Anticoagulants (warfarin) and other things are necessary to some.

Certain pills are extremely neccessary while others are just "good to have", viagra and such.....

 

[Saw11_2000]

Oh, and what about people who need anti-rejection medication due to having a transplant of some sort, I would consider that neccessary.

 

[jewscout]

i understand that there are people who need certain medications but what about people that don't really need to be medicated yet are anyways....

i think ridlin comes to mind the most...seems like every little kid is becoming diagnosed w/ ADD

maybe it's just me...wouldn't be the first time

 

[Saw11_2000]

^Well, I've read some research that suggests everyone has ADD/ADHD tendencies. It's the level of intensity that matters. People with uncontrollable ADHD needs medication or some other method of treatment.

 

[Jaymes]

Along with ADD in younger kids, bipolar seems to be the new ADD for teenagers.

"Your teenager has moodswings, is hostile for no reason, and wants nothing to do with you? Holy crap, s/he must be bipolar! There's no way it could be normal!"

 

[jewscout]

Along with ADD in younger kids, bipolar seems to be the new ADD for teenagers.

"Your teenager has moodswings, is hostile for no reason, and wants nothing to do with you? Holy crap, s/he must be bipolar! There's no way it could be normal!"

exactly...it's like if your kid's not calm and controlable there must be something wrong w/ them...

I'm like...their a frigin kid!!! i'd be worried if they WERE calm and controlable

 

[Saw11_2000]

Well I expect young children to be hyper, but again not severly hyper.

To the point of them not being able to sleep or calm down at all. Also the AD part, in which the kids cannot concentrate on anything school/etc.

 

[No*s]

I feel i'm a bit ignorant on this topic but coming from what i've seen in the media and all i feel like we've got a pill for everything...even if you don't need it they have a pill for you...

"Do you sleep 6-8 hours a night? Do you walk upright? Do you ingest food? Do you breath? Then maybe you should ask your doctor about zylofinoptobob
warning: side effects could include bleeding, stomach pains or possible death"

Is it just me?

I don't take many pills (actually, I avoid them like the plague), and it seems that way to me. It seems if there's anything on a person that doesn't feel right at the moment, they will pop a pill for it if they can.

I don't like this, but it's here to stay and will only get worse .

 

[jewscout]

Well I expect young children to be hyper, but again not severly hyper.

To the point of them not being able to sleep or calm down at all. Also the AD part, in which the kids cannot concentrate on anything school/etc.

well i can tell you that they tried to put my 13 yo cousin and Rachel's lil sister on the stuff but the problem was they couldn't concentrate...the problem was they were too smart and got through their work so fast they got bored and figity...they weren't challenged enough...
It's like they expect every child to learn at some predetermined level and if they exceed that level then there's a problem w/ the child.

A side note...the day care Rachel's sister went to was getting kick backs for putting the kids on medication...they flat out told her dad...yes we get money from the governement for every kid we get on this stuff

 

[Dr. Nosophoros]

Take this pill for that and take that pill to counteract the side effects of the first one and take the third to counteract the effects of the second- my mind says it is nothing but the $$$. The major pharmecutical companies are the same ones that wanted to ban over the counter sales of herbs a few years ago because they were "unsafe" in untrained hands- considering the very few deaths that have actually occured by the few who used herbs incorrectly and the ammount of deaths, birth deformities, and serious illnesses caused by approved pharmecuticals made and approved by "experts", I don't see where the "experts" can point the finger, but they have the $$$ to afford access to better PR machinery. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of medicines out there that are extremely beneficial, but there are also many more that are not needed but hawked to turn a buck in my opinion.

Thistle root is good for strep throat- and free. use a pair of leather gloves to pull them up in the summer, chop off the green and wash the root, hang with the roots pointing down (as they would if they were still in the ground) and let completely dry. In the later winter months when strep (at least around here) is active and if you actually get it, break up and steep the roots in boiling water for about 20-30 minutes covered, put a little sugar in it and drink a full coffee cup 4-6 times a day, in about 2 days it should be about gone, if not drink more a few more days. (some prescribed medicines that cost over $75 take a week to knock it out) I have used it 3 or 4 times and it has worked without fail.

 

[No*s]

well i can tell you that they tried to put my 13 yo cousin and Rachel's lil sister on the stuff but the problem was they couldn't concentrate...the problem was they were too smart and got through their work so fast they got bored and figity...they weren't challenged enough...
It's like they expect every child to learn at some predetermined level and if they exceed that level then there's a problem w/ the child.

A side note...the day care Rachel's sister went to was getting kick backs for putting the kids on medication...they flat out told her dad...yes we get money from the governement for every kid we get on this stuff

That is also something I've noticed. Any person that gets figity or impatient has some sord of attention deficit disorder and needs to get medicated on it. Heck, a psych major in college tried to tell me that I needed it...until she saw how long I could keep my attention on something beyond rudimentary.

 

[Saw11_2000]

well i can tell you that they tried to put my 13 yo cousin and Rachel's lil sister on the stuff but the problem was they couldn't concentrate...the problem was they were too smart and got through their work so fast they got bored and figity...they weren't challenged enough...
It's like they expect every child to learn at some predetermined level and if they exceed that level then there's a problem w/ the child.

A side note...the day care Rachel's sister went to was getting kick backs for putting the kids on medication...they flat out told her dad...yes we get money from the governement for every kid we get on this stuff

That's strange that they gave them ADHD meds in that situation.

ADHD medication is more for the person who can't concentrate and is to hyper to do any work. Not the person that is figity after work because they're bored.

I'm surprised they told you they got money for getting children on this medication, I have heard nothing of this. Perhaps it would be a good conspiracy for TranceAm to investigate.

 

[Saw11_2000]

Take this pill for that and take that pill to counteract the side effects of the first one and take the third to counteract the effects of the second- my mind says it is nothing but the $$$. The major pharmecutical companies are the same ones that wanted to ban over the counter sales of herbs a few years ago because they were "unsafe" in untrained hands- considering the very few deaths that have actually occured by the few who used herbs incorrectly and the ammount of deaths, birth deformities, and serious illnesses caused by approved pharmecuticals made and approved by "experts", I don't see where the "experts" can point the finger, but they have the $$$ to afford access to better PR machinery. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of medicines out there that are extremely beneficial, but there are also many more that are not needed but hawked to turn a buck in my opinion.

Thistle root is good for strep throat- and free. use a pair of leather gloves to pull them up in the summer, chop off the green and wash the root, hang with the roots pointing down (as they would if they were still in the ground) and let completely dry. In the later winter months when strep (at least around here) is active and if you actually get it, break up and steep the roots in boiling water for about 20-30 minutes covered, put a little sugar in it and drink a full coffee cup 4-6 times a day, in about 2 days it should be about gone, if not drink more a few more days. (some prescribed medicines that cost over $75 take a week to knock it out) I have used it 3 or 4 times and it has worked without fail.

But, the times I have had strep, I got Zithromax and knocked it out in the same amount of time with no side affects.

 

[michel]

Overmedicating: Yes

But, there will be things we need pills for.

Antibiotics are an example.

Anticoagulants (warfarin) and other things are necessary to some.

Certain pills are extremely neccessary while others are just "good to have", viagra and such.....

I'd argue with you about antibiotics; although they are very necessary, they are often given out when you own body would heal itself - get into the habit of taking antibiotics too often, and they'll have lesser an effect in the future, when you might need them badly (added to which you are taking antibiotics when eating meat (unless you don't have meat), because the farmers tend to 'lace' the feed with antibiotics. have you heard of MRSA ? here's a link:-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2572841.stm; that is down to overuse of antibiotics.

I have to admit to being on a mixture of rather a lot of medication, and unfortunately, I can't see myself comming off any of it.
My intake is:- Morning:- 2 antidepressants, one anti inflamatory, one pill to stop the danger of the anti inflamatory giving me ulcers, two strong pain-killers, two sedatives (mainly to help stop muscular spasms), Heavy dose of calcium and another that does much the same (I have osteoporosis and osteopaena)one other pill for arthritis.
Lunch:-two strong pain killers again, more sedatives if the muscular pain is really bad
Night time :- anti inflamatory, two strong pain killers, more sedatives, 7 pills to regulate my sleep (because although I sleep a lot, I spend virtually the whole night in R.E.M sleep - ie no real 'deep' benefit sleep)- and whilst that lot is on a 'reasonable' day, I might increase the sedatives by quite a large amount on a bad day, and alternate another lot of pain-killers in between the other ones.
Apart from that, I'm just fine!:woohoo:

 

[Saw11_2000]

I have done a little research into MRSA and VRSA and I have to confess, we are lessening the effectiveness of certain antibiotics.

But, new ones are constantly being developed.

And also, there is promise in the field of bacteriophages.

 

[Jaymes]

Thistle root is good for strep throat- and free. use a pair of leather gloves to pull them up in the summer, chop off the green and wash the root, hang with the roots pointing down (as they would if they were still in the ground) and let completely dry. In the later winter months when strep (at least around here) is active and if you actually get it, break up and steep the roots in boiling water for about 20-30 minutes covered, put a little sugar in it and drink a full coffee cup 4-6 times a day, in about 2 days it should be about gone, if not drink more a few more days. (some prescribed medicines that cost over $75 take a week to knock it out) I have used it 3 or 4 times and it has worked without fail.

Do you have a source for this? It's not that I disbelieve you, I'm just very scared of not treating strep properly. My grandma didn't when she was younger, caught rheumatic fever, and had to have heart surgery because of it.

 

[Lightkeeper]

I think the medical profession is pill happy and hands out pills too rapidly. ONe time a doctor wanted to give me a tranquilizer, I refused. After going through tests with another Dr., what I needed was a thryroid medication.