Legally prescribed pharmaceuticals. Specifically, for some sort of mental not physical illness.

Bill

I voted no, as I am not on any sort of mood altering substances-I do take a prescription pain killer from time to time, as needed (Vicodin)-but I try to refrain from taking it unless my pain is unbearable.

I am deathly afraid of addiction, and I don't even take Aspirin or Tylenol unless I fell I have no choice.

I have never had any personal experience with psychotropics, unless you count dealing with people in the line of duty.

Hey - I'm all for pain meds, especially with what I just went through!

I'm on non-narcotic opiate for pain management due to a totally fucked up back (nerve pain).  Other than that, I don't take a lot.

Oh wait...Aciphex...for reflux...

Look into it Paul - It's called Ultram (generic tramadol).  I've taken it for years and my body has no physical resistence built up.  It's just enough to take off the edge of the pain, but not enough to alter your mental facilities.

I'll have to check it out. I have some displaced ribs, and potentially some torn tissue/cartilage in my shoulder. So I'm some pretty interesting pain-my first time experiencing back pain (Or for that matter any serious injury) in both my career, and my life.

No. I have ADD or ADHD. Whichever. Was diagnosed as a child and given Ritalin. Was diagnosed again as an adult, but refused medication.

Seanchai

My surgery was 11 years ago in September.  It was about 3 months after that I started on the tramadol.

So I've taken it for 10 years...?

I noticed in the last year I started taking a little more...so I backed off.  So that was nine years before there was any change in it's effectiveness.

And then, after about a week or three of consciously taking less, it's back to the same level of effectiveness.

And no side effects as of yet - and I get blood test every six months to check of it's doing anything to my liver/kidneys/etc.

I consider it my miracle drug.

just the occasional over-the-counter allergy pill (maybe once a month, if that).  i try to avoid it if i have to do reference desk duty at my library.  normally i like the stoned mellowness it brings, but it hinders any question-answering ability when i have to deal with the public.  

other than that, just a melatonin pill before bed to fall asleep.

Paxil once daily for a major depressive episode I had last December.  I hope to phase off it in 6 months to a year - once I've moved and gotten a job, and things have settled down a bit.

I occasionally take Remerron (mirtazapine) for an acute and chronic sleep deprivation problem induced by stress. I supplement it with 150mg tablets of trazodone when necessary.

Let's see:
Cymbalta, Imaprim, Buspar, and Trileptal

I have taken: Trazadone, Lithium, Lamictal, Geodon, Effexor, Lexapro, Zoloft, and many many others.

I'm diagnosed bipolar (type 2, hypomanic, no psychosis), for those of you who don't know Bipolar Disorder of this sort means I don't have noticeable manic episodes for the most part--instead my "highs" phase seems pretty low mood, and my low moods are day wrecking affairs of depression.

The thing is after three years and over a dozen different medications this current set seems to be bringing the illness under control. I've always suffered mild-moderate depression (since I was 8, D&D for many years was a suicide prevention for me after I discovered it, because I just KNEW they'd blame  it on D&D which had nothing to do with how I felt--since my depression predated some months my playing of D&D )

Though functional until three years ago (jobs held for months and years, leaving only due to frustrations with advancement or money) after a traumatic event, I became significantly more ill. Then a doctor's refusal to believe I was ill after hospitalization, and continued lack of sleep due to said doctors refusal to render appropriate aid/support/medication, led to me having to change doctors (difficult since its  a state run program), and new doctor who brought the new diagnosis--and after two years under his care, a HUGE amount of improvement.

It's not particularly fun to be ill to the degree I was (and am still), its frustrating at the least. I'm was hindered I think in part because even at my worst, I was still the same intelligent, witty (even if depressed to the point of suicide) person I was before falling more ill, just less able to deal with people in face to face environments. (I was socially adept before, being quite a good salesman and customer support agent in jobs, and having not one but three fiancees over the course of my life--not counting the girlfriends before and after them.)  Now however, I'm not quite as functional in uncontrolled environments, the stress is sometimes overwhelming.


I can manage well enough to game with friends, goto a Tae Kwon Do class, and make runs to small convenience stores, or sometimes other places. But find larger stores (Wal-Mart, Hastings) daunting to deal with because of anxiety.  (Part I think of the severity of my illness is my absolute refusal to let it completely control my life and continued pushing myself to go to places which vex me due to that anxiety and stress--which of course cause severe mood drops.)

It's really interesting in some ways to see how the world works from this side of it--prejudice, fear, lack of empathy/sympathy,  from people as well as truly barbaric and backwards some medical professionals are.

I will say, without gaming, and the friends I have from there, I might have succumbed to the depression and offed myself, but the continued drive of those friends to get me out and support me, is a very valuable thing.

In spite of my illness (and it severely impacting my life) I managed still to review several books over at the big purple (I know Truth & Justice, and Godsend Agenda, were both reviewed after I had the new diagnosis and more severe level of illness.) I completed my own Hearts & Souls, and continued work on many other games. I'd probably be finished now with about half a dozen games with my work ethic if not for the illness (its not entirely to blame, admittedly some times I'm just lazy too. Like anyone else.)

I've also discovered the quality of real friends as well. Not always the people you'd expect to be there when the chips are down, yet its the people I thought would be there that often let me down the most. (Admittedly they don't know, the entire truth of what triggered the illness, and I'm not going to tell them if they aren't close enough to support me when I'm down and ill.)

In the end, I'm a hard-headed, smart guy (not bad looking either. ) , who has flaws, but one of them is not easily giving up, despite what seems like a hell on earth.


I'm open and honest about my illness, and willing to answer questions for the most part. Ignorance is not a good trait to have when it comes to this kind of thing.

I'm curious, Bill, why do you ask?

!i!

There was a similar thread on RPGnet recently.

I voted no. Although i've been on medication for migraine headaches for over 10 years now and those drugs are a pain in the arse because they do alter my mood on occasion. :deflated:  Stops the worst of the blinding pain though, so i'm ok with it.

Quote from: HinterWeltLegally prescribed pharmaceuticals. Specifically, for some sort of mental not physical illness.

Bill

Nope.

I'm not on any medication of any kind.  I take the odd paracetamol or ibuprofen occasionally if I have a bad headache or a temperature but that's about it.

And now I must echo Ian and query quite why you are asking about this?

Nope.

Well, if high blood pressure gets reclassified as a mental illness, then...yes.

But it won't.

So.

No.