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20110101

How I Overcame the Fear of Medication

I used to be afraid of medication until I tried them.

Now they have made it harder for nicotine to addict me, and even harder for THC to make me anxious and paranoid.

I'm even wise to the meth BS. Why would anyone take crappy street amphetamines when there are ADHD meds which are safer and less toxic when used as directed?

As well, if you seriously used nicotine, then you'd have an over-the-counter antidepressant in inhalant format called cigarettes. In low doses nicotine is a stimulant; in high doses, it is as effective as a first-generation anti-histamine in sedation and "calming the nerves".

The good news is, THC still is a sedative in low doses. The terrific news is, mirtazapine blocks the munchies because as an antihistamine, it's an effective sedative with munchies as side effect. :p

Of course, I'd never mix alcohol or hard drugs with my medication, because that's a waste of my effort to manage my disease, which is depression.

Since humor is a mature way of dealing with uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, fear and dread, I plan on dealing with depression with humor to counteract any negativity arising from those feelings.

In this way I have overcome my initial fear of medication by choosing which of them I wish to take. I chose mirtazapine because of its safety profile for sedative action, and chose gabapentin of its safety in relieving pain and helping me to express myself.

However, this blog entry does not represent the full picture of depression. It only represents the protective effect of mirtazapine and gabapentin on my brain. They are more useful than cigarettes and marijuana, because of their safety profile. Yet I would be foolish to solely rely on them, for they are not magic bullets.


References:

Nicotine's psychological effects: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Psychoactive_effects
Gabapentin and alcohol withdrawal syndrome: Am J Health-Syst Pharm—Vol 65 Jun 1, 2008
p. 1039

Comparison of Gabapentin and Phenobarbital for treatment of alcohol withdrawal: DOI: 10.1080/10550490500419110

Comparison of Gabapentin and bupropion SR for stopping smoking: Nicotine & Tobacco Research Volume 7, Number 5 (October 2005) 809–813

Gabapentin for stopping smoking: Nicotine & Tobacco Research Volume 9, Number 2 (February 2007) 291–298

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