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Making a Critical Decision

It has been seventeen years since I began taking medication for depression and now I have made one of the most critical decisions that I will ever make in my life. Perhaps I should explain the reason for such a dramatic statement. I have been taking many different types of medications for depression over the years and dealing with the side effects, and now I do not know which is worse, the depression or the medications. Yes, I am taking a chance of how I will function without medication, but I am ready to find out.

When I was first diagnosed with depression, it was after my father had passed away, but I knew much earlier in life that I was suffering from something due to having highs and lows, and the lows lasting for days on end. Believe me this is not the way to live life, although I did manage to function and live for 44 years without medication.

I never thought about what would be involved once I started taking medication, except that I would be better and would never have to worry about being depressed again. What a joke and nothing could be further from the truth. Each medication has some type of side effects and these side effects determine whether one can tolerate the particular medication that is prescribed.

The side effects take in a whole range of problems such as constipation, sleeplessness, shakiness, fever, headaches, loss of sexual desire, and the list goes on. Depending on the side effect and the degree in which the medication affects one, another medication maybe added or a whole new prescription maybe given causing the process to start all over. Sometimes a person can remain on a prescribed medication for months and that is a blessing, when there is a change a person's body has to readjust all over again to the side effects.

This past year, I ended up on five different types of medications and eventually I realized I did not know whether I was coming or going and it was costing me almost six hundred dollars a month. I went to my doctor looking for some solution to the situation I was in and it was suggested that I try one of the newer medications that is out now. Wow, was that a mistake! I became so ill that I could hardly get out of bed and I could not even eat because I had also developed an infection. I had to come off the medication slowly, which took weeks for me to begin to feel better.

By the time all was said and done, I had completely stopped taking any medication for my depression and have not resumed as of the present time. Now, I am taking one day at a time for now, trying to stay away any stress that can aggregate my depression. It is not easy, but for the moment, it is better then dealing with any medication and the side effects along with the cost. I am looking into taking a more natural approach to my depression and until I can find something better, this will be the way I handle my depression for now.

Learn more about this author, Cheryl Paul.
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