Medication

My Experiences of (Temporarily) Going Off Psychiatric Medications

I have never had a problem with medications in general, and in my work as a nurse, I’ve seen how much good they can do. Despite that, I’ve gone off the meds I take for depression a few times, and that’s what this post is about. My first episode of depression was in 2007. I …

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Our Complicated Relationships with Psychiatric Medications

I can’t think of any other type of health condition that has such polarized relationships with medications as mental illness. In some ways, to medicate or not to medicate has become a moral issue, with various involved parties taking a stance based on principle. Often, this stance is very broad, making sweeping generalizations. Public misconceptions …

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Evidence-based treatment of mental illness

Do Antidepressants Work Better Than Placebo?

Do antidepressants work? There’s a lot of stigma around psychiatric medications, and plenty of people would argue that no, antidepressants don’t work. There are also people, that argue that medication is life-saving. Those are personal experiences, but what does the research have to say? A recent paper published in the Lancet, and reported on in …

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Medications That Can Cause Psychiatric Side Effects

We work so hard on our mental health, but sometimes we can get knocked down by an unexpected source—prescription medication. Sure, we all know that some street drugs can adversely affect mental health, but there are also a number of prescription medications for conditions totally unrelated to mental health that can trigger psychiatric side effects, …

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Psych Meds 101 series: Anti-anxiety meds, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and sleep meds

Psych Meds 101: Medications for Sleep

The Psych Meds 101 series on my perspective as a mental health nurse, former pharmacist, and person with depression. This final post in the series focuses on sleep meds. While some of these meds are primarily for sleep, many have other uses as well. The choice of medication for any given person will be based …

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