I don't view it that way.
I view it as a way to help us. We don't ALWAYS need it, and there is a dark side to it. Often things that we are medicated for can be helped through diligence, exercise and diet.
When I found out I was going to need medication for my ADHD, I was a little apprehensive. I've heard so many horror stories of kids and adults going onto ADHD meds and becoming zombies. I've even experienced it when I was in University. My doctor at that time prescribed me Wellbutrin. I hyper-focused. Jeff had to physically move me to get my attention. It was like tunnel vision. It was uncomfortable, so I stopped taking the medication and stopped going to the psychiatrist.
My justification? I was in the States. The doctors there just love to prescribe medication. We've all heard about the pharmaceutical companies, sitting behind closed doors, inventing the next possible big medication to "help" people, and of course, make them piles and piles of money. And the doctors, they just push it. I was 19, idealistic and naive, but I knew everything. What I heard on TV had to be real right? I considered myself to be a free thinker at that age, and somewhat open minded, and while I was, I just wasn't as much of a free thinker as I thought. Critical thinking wasn't always my forte, so to speak.
I'm not particularly happy being on so much medication right now, but knowing what it is all for and having done my research, I feel comfortable with it. I also know that with work, I can get rid of at least four of them.
The Concerta, it definitely freaked me out. I wasn't sure what would happen. The first week was up and down, but by the end of that week, I was feeling better. Now, I'm almost 2 weeks in, and I can say, I feel a REAL difference. My brain doesn't go as fast, I can think more clearly, I'm being more consistent and I get less frustrated. If I DO feel frustrated, I can deal with it in that moment, instead of blowing up. This is a big deal. When I'm in stores, I think more about what I'm buying, which builds on what I was already doing before. It's just easier now. When I was the gym the other day, the work out went by so fast. It was nice.
The medication isn't changing ME, but it's changing how I react to my environment. It's helping me make better, calmer decisions. I'm sleeping better, I'm eating better, I'm feeling better. I'm calmer, more reflective and it's easier for me to correct myself in the moment.
I do have to think twice before what I take for my cold or sleep issue. Not that I have a big sleep issue. I'm using Melatonin and a sleep aid (occasionally, primarily the melatonin) and I'm just drifting off. Not worrying, sweating, tossing, turning, composing letters or blogs in my brain. I wake up the next morning, feeling rested and I wake up relatively easily. This does NOT mean I'm giving up coffee. You'll have to pry that out of my hand...and you won't succeed. I have a cold right now, so I have to be sure of what I'm taking that way too. But I've been careful of cold meds since having the kids and diabetes. And if I'm unsure, I call the herbal and medication advice line here in Alberta, which is part of the Poison Control department.
Living through 20th Century science sure is nice when it's effective and taken responsibly. That's really my whole point. Not everything we see in the news is right, positive or negative. And we need to be capable of taking our own health care into our hands and ask questions. Not follow it blindly, assuming that every pharmasist, doctor and anyone else who practices some sort of medicine, whether pharmaceutical or natural, knows everything about everyone. Medications work differently on all of us, for different reasons. Sometimes, we have to try more than one, not give up, and if we can't find a proper, effective solution, we research some more, and look into other options. The world is a pretty big place, and with 7 billion humans on it, someone, somewhere will have a thought...we just have to ask!
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