There is a time and place for drug free treatment and a time and place for drugs - from what you have written your husband needs medication - I too would not offer assistance if were unwilling to take what is prescribed..... his refusal to take the medication actually sounds like part of what is part of the problem - reconsider your position.

I stated this in several threads... anymore, doctors want to pump you full of drugs before they even have a diagnosis figured out...if nothing else to numb your mind and make you stop complaining. I had a neurologist tell me that I was experiencing migraines without the pain because I was seeing flashes of light in my eyes...he then proceeded to write me a scrip for pain meds...??? I commented to him that since I was having "migraines without the pain" what did I need with pain meds...he told me I was being difficult and he couldn't help me... I have argued many times with doctors about giving me crap I do NOT NEED! It is easier to take the poison they give you than to look for other remedies, but kudos to your husband and you for supporting him!!

I'm going to repost what I posted in the other thread about this...

I take anti depressants because I used to have severe depression and I am bi polar so I take meds for that too. I don't know why people say these drugs make them feel like a zombie because for me they make me able to do so much stuff and they don't make me feel weird at all. I feel weird as hell without them and without them I get extremely bad mental states and can't think about anything except my #ty childhood and war and stuff. I know, I know everyone says to let the past go but its not so easy for some people.

Plus I have a wife and a kid and have to get up for work everyday and I've tried not taking the meds and I can't cope with my problems without them. If I didn't take them I probably wouldn't be fit to raise a family, so for now I take 'em! No way in hell I'm giving my family up just so I don't have to take some meds! I'll continue to take them until I figure out how to cope without them, I've tried therapists and all kind of stuff and none of it works. I'm only in my mid twenties though so I'm sure I'll figure out how to cope someday.

But I personally think a lot of people who take these meds don't even need them. They go through a slight depression and think they need meds when most the time all they really need to do is talk to someone or change their lifestyle.

my second post....

Yeah thats what I was kind of trying to say at the end of my post. There are many people who take these meds and don't need them, but there are also many people who could truly benefit from them. The way I look at prescription drugs is none of them are really "bad" (except oxycontin and stuff, do we really need prescription heroin?) but they become "bad" when they get in the wrong peoples hands, which happens way to often. For instance I have friends who have just minor anxiety and they go and get stuff like xanax or other benzos prescribed and now these people are pretty much addicts and can't live without the drug when they didn't even need it in the first place! Its sad. I know you can turn that around after reading my last post and say I appear to not be able to live without them either, but I literally can't! I have been through so much # in the past 10 years of life and all the way til last year I was against taking meds and I tried therapists and alternative medicine for about 5 years until I started taking meds. Nothing has worked except the meds, I hope oneday I can figure somethng out because I don't really like taking meds!

Also a lot of people talk about how bad meds are and stuff (atleast some people I know) but then they'll go smoke pot and stuff, I find it funny! and I'm not anti pot, I'm all for medical marijuana and stuff, I live in CA and its legal here and it helps many people. But I still find it funny, because pot is still a drug and messes with your brain. Although pot is probably much better for you than a lot of meds, I know that.

Anyways I'm ranting, sorry lol.

Peace


[edit on 3-8-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

I'm really sorry your husband is going through so much trouble. I hope he and you can find some good solutions to this.

Unfortunately, drugs are considered the "treatment of choice" for many types of psychological problem, including depression and PTSD. The reason has much to do with money. Antidepressants will give a good result in most people, after a few weeks. Sometimes the first drug doesn't work and they have to try a different one. Each time they change, it may take weeks for the new drug to work, so it can take months to finally find the drug that works. But from what I've read, good results can be had in 90% or more of patients. Drugs can get someone back on his feet and working again within weeks or months.

But "works" is a relative term. All the drugs do is relieve the symptoms. Whatever underlying psychological problems may have led to the symptoms in the first place remain. Trying to deal with the underlying causes often requires a long, drawn-out, and expensive course of talking therapy. Many insurers simply refuse to pay for that.

Drugs are cheap. Even the costliest new psychological drug out there is cheaper than ongoing therapy. Many older drugs, such as Prozac, have generic versions that make them even cheaper. Therapy is expensive, as I said. If it works at all, it is much slower. And it doesn't have such a high "recovery" rate as drugs do. Another issue is that some researchers think that once the brain's chemistry goes awry (and the person becomes depressed), then talk therapy can't fix it - drugs are necessary. I would not be surprised to find that these researchers were funded by drug companies, but I don't have any evidence to that effect. Still, it does seem very convenient for Big Pharma.

I've been on both sides of this issue. I've had some extremely debilitating bouts of depression that left me unable to function at all - unable even to feed myself. During the worst I wound up weighing around 125 pounds. For that one I had no treatment; it took me years to get back to something like "normal". For other bouts, I've taken the meds and in many cases they worked. After a while on them I'd usually stop, and I could go along for years without problems.

The last couple of times, the meds haven't worked. Trying to tell these guys I don't want them has been difficult. They tend to view such talk as a symptom of my problems, and not as a legitimate decision about my health. Fortunately, I am in an arrangement where I get the therapy, even if I don't take the drugs.

I hope your husband is able to find something similar that works for him. Meditation is actually an excellent start. Whatever else is going on, it can be very helpful to sit quietly and to relax for a while. If he needs it, I hope he is also able to find someone willing to treat him without requiring drugs, if he really doesn't want them. This should be an option, not a requirement.

If everybody had to cold-turkey off their Paxil all at once? Wow, i'd like to see that. From a safe distance, I mean.

I feel very badly for you and husband. Very sorry to hear of your troubles and I would like to thank your husband for his service.

i can vouch for EMDR. NO DRUGS AND IT WORKS!!! PLZ PLZ PLZ try it! It has helped me enormously fighting chronic pain from a spinal condition. Don't give up hope!

Update and need to rant due to anger....Sorry again if I am a bit all over the place.

Well we have had quite a few things go down over the last few months.
We had the police force attempt to kick him out based on "made up" information that they had given to various psych "reviewers" in a report.
One Psychiatrist, whom is supposed to be the final word on the matter has turned around with his report stating that Hubby is being difficult by not taking the tabs (that is one of the reasons he has issues and is seeing a regular Psychiatrist, he was stabbed with a needle and had to take the HIV drugs, which feel like death unto themselves, so now due to his sufferings on this drug, he doesnt trust drugs, among other things as well, Ie Another Dr that forgot what drugs they had prescribed Hubby, and then denied doing it, that gives us real confidence in taking these bloody things).
But this Psych Doc that was nominated by the Police force, asked him only a few questions and these were based around his family!! Go figure, WTF does that have to do with what the police force has put him through and done to him....
So we gets a report back form this Dr, which we are supposed to receive 14 days following the appointment, it arrived 6 weeks late, and there is only an allowance of 14 days to redress the issues brought up by this doctor, and he says in the report:

"That hubby is being difficult as he wont take the drugs that are prescribed him"
"He has relationship issues, not being able to hold one down (cause when the Dr asked him about his previous relationships, Hubby said that he never thought of marriage until he met me!) How does that constitute relationship issues!!!!!
Then he stated that Hubby had refused to see particular Dr's that have been recommended to him.....
Again this rests with the Insurance company to authorise, and the Insurance company has not authorised this, why is this Hubbies fault!!!!
Again this Dr has gone off the blatant lies that were falsely reported by the Police force, he has seen him once for half and hour, and he is supposed to know what is going on!!!
There are many other things that they addressed as well, but its all LIES... They couldnt even get right how he was injured in the first place, they gave a completely different scenario as to what really happened... again WTF!!! How the Frock are people supposed to cope with this pooh when you get nothing but lies.... God I am so very angry!
There is no justice left in this world anymore, and if things dont work out, its not their fault its ours. Where is the bloody JUSTICE!!!

I also forgot to add that the Psych had put in his report that he though Hubby was faking as he took to long to seek support.
Now the story behind this, which again he was not questioned on was as follows:
On identifying that he had issue with regards to panic attacks and severe depression, he sought help from his supervisors.
A meeting was organised with his managers and supers and he explained to them the issues that he was having and that he needed help, after which he just broke down crying, he was under extreme pressure.
This is what was said to him:

Firstly they laughed at him
Then they said "here is a box of tissues, grow up and be a man" That put him right off... He was ridiculed because he had a problem.

Originally posted by The_Seeker
My husband is a policeman. He has been doing this work for 20 years now, and is broken. He has suffered so much over the last 20 years that this was the last straw for him... He had been beaten, had his back kicked in, had his back hammered in, had his face torn off, been stabbed, has a bung hand through the fights he has had to deal with, and soooo much more that its just too long to list..
Over the last few years it seems that the violence has gotten more and more out of hand, and its not only the by standers that are suffering, but also, very seriously hurting our police men and women.
Not long ago, hubby was stabbed with a needle that contained blood, from this he had to have a lot of treatments and the drugs that were given to him nearly killed him as well. The drugs for HIV are lethal, they really stuff with you.. so much so that sometime hubby was not on the planet as such, I couldnt even touch him for fear that the slightest (and yes it would only be a feather touch) would bruise him, because of these drugs...
This was the straw that broke the camels back. He is so stressed and wound up that he is now a wreck, not only from what the drugs had done to him, but he was also suffering panic attacks and severe depression due to the lack of suppport that is NOT given to the Police men and women here in Australia, I am sorry, but they are treated like total and utter crap, the worst is that they get treated like this for constantly risking their lives, and much more. Its horrid to see... and it hard to deal with.
With this in mind, the Police Dept decided that perhaps it might be good to do something about this (YAY Finally), and he was sent to a Psychiatrist for help.
Great you say... well after a few sessions, and after hubby turned around and said I want nothing given to me that has to do with drugs, I am over them, I have issues with them, and will not take them....he was.. you guessed it.... given some anti-depressants, nothing outta the ordinary you say, well he was "given" these by the Doc, and it was 3 different types, when hubby questioned the Doc about this, he then "forgot" that he had "given" hubby these drugs and called him a liar.... Great Start.. Hubby starts to take them, then realises that he should read the instructions first.. they state that these drugs when complete "YOU MUST BE WEENED OFF THEM"... AGAIN GREAT....
So he stop straight away, goes to the Doc and says I really cant cope with these and they scare me.... Doc says take them.
Now Hubby has been going to said Doc for a few weeks now, and all that is done during these session is the Doc sits there and tells Hubby to talk.... Hubby is talking and Doc is offering nothing... for all of the session, apart from trying to make Hubby take these drugs, even after telling doc that he is scared and wants to try a natural way of doing things...
So whilst the Doc is not listening to him and his worries, and is offering NO advice on anyway to help Hubby, he then turns around and say, dont come back again, I cant help you..


So in other words, if you dont take the drugs we have given you then I wont help you!!! Why are drugs a remedy to everything!!!
WTF is with that..... Why do we have to take Anti-whatever drugs to fix our problems, why is no one willing to offer drug free support.....
People go to these guys for help, not for drugs (or in this case)........

THAT IS WHY,i always take the red pill

That is how psychiatrists tend to treat... With medicine... What you want and your husband is asking for is called a psychologist. They try to treat psychological problems through therapy, talking and other non drug related methods...

Go find him a psychologist

No more drugs. Please do so some research into alternatives. Doctors aren't here to help.