I've been on medication since I was 17. I'm now 37. I've never been off of Zoloft as an adult, but does it matter? I was put on Zoloft. I say this, not because I was forced, but I also did not have a choice. My choice was to live or die. I resent the way some people talk about how they
I'd like to challenge the idea that "society teaches" one can't be on antidepressants. Something like 15% of people in the US take antidepressants for a variety of reasons. The issue I have is the majority of people taking them who rely solely on them without recognizing that they treat only the physical symptoms. Talk therapy helps reshape and change thinking. For some, that is indeed a path to coming off of them, but for others that may be a a lifelong process.
I personally dislike how I feel while on antidepressants because I feel disconnected from my own body, but definitely have found them helpful.
From what I can gather, you ARE a goddamn success!
And an inspiration.
Many of us were socialized to believe being on meds = bad/not normal. But the more we share success stories like yours, the more normalized they become.
This post is everything. Thank you for this necessary reframing. I wish I could hug high school you. So glad you’re here and so thankful for all your wisdom, as always!
Great post and so sorry you’ve been through all this! I too have been on antidepressants for about 30 years and got a talking to when I went to apply for life insurance after I had a kid. Not only did it raise my premium (!?) but they were shitty about me still being on it. I fail to see how proactively managing my mental illness in a way that keeps me healthy and available for my family should be punished but ooookkkkkk... Anyway kudos to you and here’s to defining success for ourselves.
Thank you so much for sharing this. As someone who is on antidepressant myself I often wonder if I'm failure for still using them. So thank you for showing us this side of you. It really encourages me. And it makes me view my mental illness in a different light.
Oh my lord! I'm so sorry you went through all that so young, and equally grateful you've written this supportive post. I've been on lamictal since 2007 after a horrendous breakdown and a good attempt to get out of being alive. If I had started to take it when I was a teenager the next thirty years wouldn't have been such a painful struggle. The times I've written about it my family and friends question if it's smart--more damaging--to be so candid and revealing. The hardest thing is getting people to understand that if I wasn't on a drug I wouldn't be a quarter of who I am now, certainly I would be gone. You've said it so well for the rest of us I'm sharing it with my little group of doubters!
This one hits! It hits me from two perspectives - 1. My horrible experience of being a young adult who had my Zoloft taken away because I was “too happy.” No offers to adjust, just accusations of me getting high when I just wanted to get out of bed without sobbing. 2. Being a mom of a kid on meds. I gave my kid info, doc and therapy appointments, and ultimately let them decide in a stigma free safe space. They were on meds, then off for awhile. Recently they went back on and they carry themselves so much lighter. I can’t see their future, I just know that I want and need them to have one.
Thank you for sharing your story and for being vulnerable here. You are appreciated, respected, and loved!
I'd like to challenge the idea that "society teaches" one can't be on antidepressants. Something like 15% of people in the US take antidepressants for a variety of reasons. The issue I have is the majority of people taking them who rely solely on them without recognizing that they treat only the physical symptoms. Talk therapy helps reshape and change thinking. For some, that is indeed a path to coming off of them, but for others that may be a a lifelong process.
I personally dislike how I feel while on antidepressants because I feel disconnected from my own body, but definitely have found them helpful.
From what I can gather, you ARE a goddamn success!
And an inspiration.
Many of us were socialized to believe being on meds = bad/not normal. But the more we share success stories like yours, the more normalized they become.
This post is everything. Thank you for this necessary reframing. I wish I could hug high school you. So glad you’re here and so thankful for all your wisdom, as always!
This is one of the most comforting things I've ever read.
Soooo relatable. And so appreciative to read this today -- I needed it.
Great post and so sorry you’ve been through all this! I too have been on antidepressants for about 30 years and got a talking to when I went to apply for life insurance after I had a kid. Not only did it raise my premium (!?) but they were shitty about me still being on it. I fail to see how proactively managing my mental illness in a way that keeps me healthy and available for my family should be punished but ooookkkkkk... Anyway kudos to you and here’s to defining success for ourselves.
Thank you so much for sharing this. As someone who is on antidepressant myself I often wonder if I'm failure for still using them. So thank you for showing us this side of you. It really encourages me. And it makes me view my mental illness in a different light.
Oh my lord! I'm so sorry you went through all that so young, and equally grateful you've written this supportive post. I've been on lamictal since 2007 after a horrendous breakdown and a good attempt to get out of being alive. If I had started to take it when I was a teenager the next thirty years wouldn't have been such a painful struggle. The times I've written about it my family and friends question if it's smart--more damaging--to be so candid and revealing. The hardest thing is getting people to understand that if I wasn't on a drug I wouldn't be a quarter of who I am now, certainly I would be gone. You've said it so well for the rest of us I'm sharing it with my little group of doubters!
Thank you so much for sharing this, friend <3 You are such a success story, and I am so glad you are here.
This one hits! It hits me from two perspectives - 1. My horrible experience of being a young adult who had my Zoloft taken away because I was “too happy.” No offers to adjust, just accusations of me getting high when I just wanted to get out of bed without sobbing. 2. Being a mom of a kid on meds. I gave my kid info, doc and therapy appointments, and ultimately let them decide in a stigma free safe space. They were on meds, then off for awhile. Recently they went back on and they carry themselves so much lighter. I can’t see their future, I just know that I want and need them to have one.
Thank you for sharing your story and for being vulnerable here. You are appreciated, respected, and loved!