Why do people stop taking their medication?!


Question: Its now been learned that the shooting in Illinois was done by an outstanding honor student who went off his meds. From personal experience, can you tell me why one goes off the meds? Im sure theres a lot of different reasons.


Answers: Its now been learned that the shooting in Illinois was done by an outstanding honor student who went off his meds. From personal experience, can you tell me why one goes off the meds? Im sure theres a lot of different reasons.

You've heard my experiences with the bipolar meds...

To someone suffering from a mental illness, medication becomes a sort of nagging proof of your inability to function in society. Acknowledging that you are simply dysfunctional without living on drugs is devastating and even more depressing than the disorder itself. You come to believe you don't need it, and that you aren't really ill... you manipulate your sensibility into believing that this sickness is all a fabrication of those around you and you are going to show them that you are capable. Control is a factor, as well- we all want control of our lives, and when medications dampen who you are, illness or not, we panic in our sort of helplessness.

As an honors student, I am sure the control factor and the pride played a substantial role in it... he believed he was smarter and more capable than he was given credit for, I suppose.

Sorry, that answer was all over the place. Just speculating.

Anna

-You feel better, and think that you don't need to be on your medication.

-You don't like dealing with the side effects, such as lowered sex drive, weight gain, etc

-You simply can't get your medication, because it is too expensive and you don't have insurance

Different reasons, but the main reason especially with older people is that they simply can't afford it. Medications are just toooo expensive in the US

frustration... the side effects outweigh the actual benefits. there are some stats out there that say 60% of people who are on meds for a mental illness are not symptom free even when they take them every day. only around 20% of people completely respond.

money... i know of meds that are over $500 per month for serious mental illnesses. impossible without assistance or insurance.

side effects... they can just be awful and sometimes they pile on different kinds and it becomes a zombie-fication of what is supposed to be a human being.

moods... when people feel better, they don't want to rely on them. it's simpler and sounds good at the time....

I went off my meds (Zoloft) because: (1) I felt that I never really needed them; and (2) financial reasons.

Generally its because they feel better and really don't realize its the meds that are the reason for this. Or the side effects are too bad or because they can't afford the medication, or simply they aren't taking responsibility for their own mental health and don't want to.

I know someone who does this frequently because of the cost. Others do because the side effects of the medicine can sometimes be worse than the disorder being treated. It's very sad, the world we live it. I was on depression meds as a teen and I stopped taking them, cause they made me feel like i was in a dream, but i was still depressed. I was in a sad depressing dream all the time. I grew out of it as i grew away from the issues in my life that were causing it. Not everyone will get better from their anxiety though, until God steps in and returns things to the peaceful state they were meant to be in.

because people with mental disorders don't think clearly and they often dont like the idea of being controlled by meds, so they attempt to self medicate

I'd bet this guy was symptomatic before he stopped his meds, so in his irrational mind, stopping them made sense.

meds aren't working

side effects suck, and not all psychiatrists value quality of life as much as treating the illness

think you are better and no longer need them

tired of feeling like a sick person who has to swallow pills everyday (i.e. denial)

expense of meds and doctor appts

want to try alternative medicines

religious beliefs (this one is a real travesty IMO)

[Fred Mac doesn't know squat about what ppl w/mental illnesses think or believe. Personally, the gross generalization is offensive.]

I do this frequently. I know I go crazy if i don't take them, at least i know that right now because i just went through that cycle. But when everything is feeling good, its so hard to realize that its because of the meds that you feel good. You feel like a "normal" person, and "normal" people don't need psychiatric meds. It really is a vicious cycle. For me, cost isn't an issue, because i live in Canada, and if you can't afford psych meds but your doc says you require them, the government pays for them. It's called "Plan G".

Everyone has pretty much covered it. I've only stopped for days at a time, but about three days is all it takes for me to notice a difference. I hate the concept that I'm dependent on some stupid little pills for my stability and I want to believe I could be okay without them. I hate the side effects and feeling like I'm not really me because I'm full of mood altering substances. Fortunately, most of the time I hate being as out of control as I am off my meds even more. Then there's the fact that if I didn't have insurance I'd be screwed. Even with the insurance I spend almost $150 a month on my meds, and that's saving me almost $1000.

I went off them 25 yrs ago because they made me feel so bad and I couldn't do anything that was difficult.. It was necessary too learn how to avoid the psychotic event. That was only after several depressions so it was necessary to learn what caused depression. I am always recovering as is anyone. The chemicals can be made by your own brain during depression . I use the 12 step cure for depression.





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