America's Medicated Army

Originally posted by derfred33
Of course the military take drugs, in the ww2 the nazis took amphetamines in a regular basis, the allied soldiers probably took them too, among many other drugs.

Allied troops took them, too. I know they were on stuff that kept them awake for long periods. Had side effects like overly violent and seeing double.

These medications are very safe and effective when used properly and there is no reason why they should not be made available to the troops.

As it is, we are deploying the hell out of our volunteer forces, while our streets are filled with head-banging knuckleheads with droopy pants.

As for those who accuse our troops of atrocities or who believe these drugs are necessary because of atrocities committed are taking cheap shots the best America has to offer and lack the intestinal fortitude to serve.

It's called lying.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
These medications are very safe and effective when used properly and there is no reason why they should not be made available to the troops.

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish." -Euripides.

I'm going to play the fool and call you foolish.

Side effects Ambien:

Side effects at any dose may include:

* Anterograde amnesia
* Hallucinations, through all physical senses, of varying intensity
* Delusions
* Altered thought patterns
* Ataxia or poor motor coordination, difficulty maintaining balance[30]
* Euphoria and/or dysphoria
* Impaired judgment and reasoning
* Uninhibited extroversion in social or interpersonal settings
* Increased impulsivity

wikipedia - zolpidem

Side effects of Prozac:

insomnia
somnolence [drowsiness]
anxiety
nervousness
asthenia [physical weakness]
tremor
Akathisia, that is inner tension, restlessness, and the inability to stay still,
often accompanied by
constant pacing, purposeless movements of the feet and legs, []suicidal attempts,

More rarely, fluoxetine has been associated with related movement disorders acute dystonia and tardive dyskinesia.[16][21][22]

wikipedia - fluoxetine

Just keep shooting, grow some intestines... everything is fine, do as you're told, take your pills.

I can't help but keep you on my "foe list" Grady; wake up.

I am,

Sri Oracle

[edit on 21-6-2008 by Sri Oracle]

Originally posted by derfred33
Of course the military take drugs, in the ww2 the nazis took amphetamines in a regular basis, the allied soldiers probably took them too, among many other drugs.

what do you thing war is???

To me, war is when one tribe asserts themselves as level headed, sober, and rational. FROM MORAL HIGH GROUND, they impose themselves on another tribe lacking righteousness to preserve the greater order and create an environment of long lasting peace.

I find it hard to believe anyone can be on moral high ground when their troops are high on synthetic hallucinogens, their mind locked into delusions, and their body twitching with the occasional uncontrollable movements.

My pen is my sword, my words my high ground, your ignorance my war.

twitch,

Sri Oracle

PLEASE TAKE NOTE



Inappropriate, off topic and posts that are rude and ill-mannered will not be tolerated!. I might suggest that everyone review the ATS Terms & Conditions and to consider
that being polite with one another is more than "just a good idea"....On ATS Courtesy is Mandatory

This is an interesting topic let us all conduct ourselves appropriately. There is no reason to resort to name-calling or to fling insults at one another. If you do not have anything constructive to add to this discussion....please....don't add anything at all.



[edit on 6/21/2008 by benevolent tyrant]

[edit on 6/21/2008 by benevolent tyrant]

reply to post by Sri Oracle


First of all, you don't realize how rare these side effects are and you fail to note that these medications are prescribed under the care of an MD. These side effects don't affect everyone and when they are experienced the numbers of subjects who experience them is usually small.

Small doses rarely produce anything but mild side effects that subside after a few days. The PDR publishes a synopsis of the trial studies for each drug. Sensationalizing these effects is irresponsible.

Second, Prozac is, if memory serves, the first generation SSRI and is probably not used by the military. At any rate, the military has a veritable arsenal of SSRI medications to choose from and to tailor to the needs of a given soldier.

Clearly, these measures are not suitable for someone who needs to be removed from the battlefield, but giving our troops access to the same advantages that are taken for granted in the private sector is a good thing, especially if the performance of the soldiers can be maintained or enhanced by the use of small doses over short periods of time.

So, it takes just a bit more knowledge about the medications, how they work, what their indications and contraindications are to be able to rationally determine if their use is good or bad.

Each service department of the Department of Defense has its own medical corps and other resources to make these determinations. They also have field experience in how these meds are doing.

A quick trip to Wikipedia is not going to yield anything but some random facts that when evaluated by a non-professional can be twisted or cherry-picked to make any point.

As for your foe list, that's your business. I never concern myself with those matters. It's the truth that matters to me.

Originally posted by Sri Oracle
I find it hard to believe anyone can be on moral high ground when their troops are high on synthetic hallucinogens, their mind locked into delusions, and their body twitching with the occasional uncontrollable movements.

Again, this description of the medications is distorted and down right untruthful.

The drugs in question are the most prescribe drugs in history and when they are used as directed under the supervision of an MD, they do their jobs quite well.

The thing is not everybody is going to tell you what they are pumping you full of when they are doing it.

Especially if its for their OWN TESTS.

The Bigger, better, faster approach we should be weary of. You can't throw a band aid on a gashing wound.

There are some illegal experiments ran by military nobody likes fessing up to it because it hits too close to home. I did but it wasn't me directly but I will take family word for it would you not depending on there character?

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


You know Grady knowing by first hand what the so call miracle pharma pills can do, you have not clue what they are doing to our soldiers.

I almost got killed by the toxic side effects of a blood pressure pill, after only using it for 5 days, the doctor was so clueless that he gave me antidepressants because he believe that is was all in my head, after I told him that I was feeling sick I was shocking, that same day I ended in the emergency room, but I got antidepressants.

That is how in this nation people are dealt with, get more pills to cover up the side effects of those that are supposed to do you good.

That is what is going to happen with our soldiers, they will comeback to be nothing more than milking cows to big corporate Pharma.

Take your time and read the warnings and side effects of any pill you take and then come back and talk to me.

Yes, most of the side effects are very carefully put aside for convenience and hey is always another pill to take.

What a shame our nation has become. On top of that this soldiers on antidepressants will have a record and they will be denied the ownership of guns.

So more excuses to take away constitutional rights.

reply to post by marg6043


I would like to point out to this response this is just like the medical field that would rather get you hooked on drugs then FIX THE PROBLEM.

It's one big agency working together to help the top dog of that agency out.

Now supplying more problems to people that had less to begin with from
natural causes.

more people are killed by Doctors yearly then by guns.

Sidenote:There are doctors that will pass you around to make a buck for their fellow doctors, I am sure the same applies in the military field. Put another star on that uniform sir, yes sir.

reply to post by menguard


You now that is how our over inflated private medical field in this nation has become, everything is for sale and to guarantee profits.

Nobody give a darn to the ones that will affected for life.

As the exodus of soldiers starts, they will be back into their families, society, they will be carefully monitored and already hook on medications to ensure that the medical system and the big pharma have a fresh supply of money.

The knew and now in the market anti-depressant pristig is suppose to be none addictive and will less side effects.

Well that is until you read the side effects. Then you wonder who is lying to who.

I got a bag of free samples after my incident related with the blood pressure pill call tropol (generic version).

Incredible how doctors will give you free supplies, just to get you started on the antidepressant money train.



[edit on 21-6-2008 by marg6043]

reply to post by marg6043


marg, I know what I'm talking about.

These are matters with which I have first hand experience, as well as academic and professional experience.

jeez i dont think so many soldiers should be on meds, while on duty. can these drugs make you lose concentration and feel drowsy?
Maybe this is why so many american troops are coming home in a box.
Cant imagine the horrors there but i think councelling might be better.

reply to post by GradyPhilpott



Then Grady you know that as with everything, some people and soldiers have medical needs for certain treatments, but they are supposed to be under the expertise of trained medical doctors after a long time of other ways to deal with problems related to depression.

But as you can see many will just dispense medications for free to start you up with a new medication and you will just become dependent.

Without even taking the time to find out if the problem they are treating is treated with the right medication.

The side effect and toxicity of the blood pressure pill I was given gave me panic attacks, palpitations and depression to the point that I coud not even drive and all I was think was about death.

Before this I never had any problems with depression and the only thing I have is slight high blood pressure.

I Always felt that people with depression were weak minded, now I know how depression feels thanks to a medication that was suppoused to help me with blood pressure.

My hart goes to the people that have to live their lives with this chronic disease.

After getting off the pill it took me almost two weeks to feel normal again, I am now afraid of what other pills will do to me.

I still have a bag full of Pristiq at home the new antidepressant.

People wonder why I put up such an emphasis on this behavior it becomes all to common for those in need of hard core cash. Especially if you are hooked on one type of drug then the side effect pops up another more devasting effect then the first one, its all to kill you off slowly and surely not only you but your bank account with doctors, not all are proven innocent until proven guilty.

The thing is I think its become a fad now, too fill the pockets of doctors and others in the medical field. Very distastefull if you ask me.

If your going to suppress someone do it with RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOMEBODYS WELFARE.

There are only a few that care about you, when you remember that in the medical field, the better off you will be.

Other then that you are just another name and number.

Watch Patch Adams, you will understand it goes way deeper then that.

Doctors are undercover drugdealers fullfilling the nation's needs to balance population how close it that to factual statistics, pretty close.



Wonder if they go for who can have the most KILLS IN ONE YEAR.


At least thirty two percent of doctors out there are quacks.

[edit on 21-6-2008 by menguard]

reply to post by marg6043


Doctors do provide medications free of charge sometimes and these drugs are provided by the drug companies.

The use of sample packs is a legitimate practice and very often those medications go to patients who are strapped for cash and can't afford a prescription without some budgeting.

Your own experience with the effects of drugs is just the reason that drugs are not to be used recreationally and are to be taken under the supervision of an MD.

We take drugs for the effects they have on us. The desired effects are called main effects and the less desirable are called side effect, but they are all effects. That's why the FDA publishes these data, so that the MD and the patient can know what to look for.

You should also know that in trial studies if a subject gets a headache after taking a medication, that headache gets listed regardless if it is an effect of the drug or not. Also, some side effects are not permanent, so even if they are an effect of the drug and even if that effect (say, dry mouth) abates after a few days, the effect is still listed.

These are the reasons we should seek out professional advice when we require treatment, rather than depending on conspiracy bulletin boards, although seeking out social support on the internet can be very beneficial.

[edit on 2008/6/21 by GradyPhilpott]

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


Gradyphilpott you must be one of the only -good doctors- out there because you show compassion that is lacking in most along with empathy.

Are you A DOCTOR?

just curious

No, I'm not a doctor.

I am trained as a clinical social worker and I have more personal experience with psychotropic drugs than I probably should admit.

You will note that beyond providing readily available data and personal experience, my most common advice regarding medical matters is to seek professional help.

Our system is flawed and some doctors are not good doctors, so being a well-informed consumer is important. Still we need to find an MD whom we can trust and follow his advice.

We take medical science for granted these days, but at the beginning of the last century, things were very different and much of what we complain about today is a direct response to the human suffering that was experienced before the advent of modern medical science.

[edit on 2008/6/21 by GradyPhilpott]

reply to post by GradyPhilpott


I agree with your post there are the psychologically fit, and then there are the sociopathic doctors.

Good for you.

[edit on 21-6-2008 by menguard]

Originally posted by menguard
I agree with your post there are the psychologically fit, and then there are the sociopathic doctors.

"Sociopathic" is not a term I would apply to a category of doctors. There are documented cases of health care workers with personality and mental disorders, just as these problems exist in the larger population. Antisocial Personality Disorder as the condition is now called is pretty rare and it is even more rare for a person with that disorder to survive the rigorous training and scrutiniy that MDs must undergo.

But, to suggest that all doctors fall into two categories of psychologically fit and "sociopathic" is as irresponsible as claiming that "Patch Adams" is a documentary.