Posted by wordwitch on November 19, 2003, at 8:27:45
In reply to Re: GAD? I think not. » Viridis, posted by Stavros on November 18, 2003, at 23:58:30
Oh, no. I no longer buy into the modern medical practice of trading one set of symptoms for another. More often than not, the side effects are far worse than the symptoms the drug was meant to control.
BTW, lest you think I am an uneducated peasant who views doctors the same way isolated tribal cultures view anthropologists doing field work: I edit medical books for a living and have done so for the past nine years. I also edit various science and medical journals. So no, I don't fear doctors and look upon them as evil wizards practicing black magic and trying to steal my soul. I'm an informed consumer--I read labels and do research about everything I put into my body and I concluded recently that the disadvantages far outweigh the benefits for many, if not most, of the drugs presently used to "treat" various mood disorders.
Another thing: My comments refer exclusively to my own mood disorder--not to anyone else's. I'm well aware that there are many disorders and illnesses that must be controlled with medication, regardless of the side effects. I realize that sometimes the symptoms are infinitely worse than any side effects might be. I'm simply stating that in my case, they aren't. I can't live with medication that controls my impatience and anxiety while simultaneously opening up a Pandora's box of equally unpleasant side effects.
poster:wordwitch
thread:280889
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031116/msgs/281172.html