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Medication

An expanding range of medications are available. While medications do not cure these illnesses, they reduce symptoms markedly for most people, and are generally considered the first line of treatment for a severe mental illness.
In addition, many people may profit from behavioral therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy and from community rehabilitation programs (if available) that build self-confidence and teach independent living skills. With well-developed programs and the right medications, some patients recover substantially and achieve a satisfactory life. Others may need some support for all or most of their lives. The goal is to help each achieve the highest degree of independence
and productivity possible.

Medications may be one of several ways used to treat mental illness. In many cases medication can help a person to better function and cope. It is important to be informed about prescribed medications and to work closely with the doctor to manage one’s condition. The information on this website, and in the resource links provided, is designed to help you gain a better understanding of medications (the role they play, their mode of action, adherence challenges, and skills for coping). The ultimate goal is improved treatment and compliance.

THE PROBLEM WITH PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS

Things might be picture-perfect if psychotropic* drugs were “Silver Bullets”—that is, if the main effect of the drug was confined to a single, specific brain area and targeted only those areas that control specific symptoms of mental illness. But this is not the case. Psychotropic medications are more like buckshot; they hit the target and everything else around it. They impact many parts of the brain and can often include unpleasant side-effects*. These vary from person to person and depend on the type of drug and dose being given. Sometimes the side effects disappear after a few days or weeks. Other side effects are more troublesome and long lasting. It is very important to report any unwanted effects the medication seems to be having to the prescribing doctor. The unpleasant effects can often be eliminated, reduced in severity, or made more tolerable by making some simple changes. Psychopharmacology* is still an inexact science, and its blessings are decidedly mixed.

Everyone taking these medications must ask the question, “Are the
unpleasant side effects of a drug worth tolerating to gain the symptom relief
the drug provides?”

Psychotropic drugs in use today provide one of the most powerful tools we have to control symptoms of mental illness and prevent relapses. Attentive, informed, and well-managed treatment succeeds in these illnesses most of the time. Overall, medications for mood disorders tend to be more effective than those for thought disorders. Some medications work just a little bit, some a lot, some not at all. A small percentage of people do not experience any relief from their symptoms with medications. For them, and for those receiving inadequate care, the struggle and the choice will be harder.

In the last sixty years, the story of the advances in tolerability and effectiveness is one of steady advances to make it easier for people who must take these drugs. There are setbacks and successes, but overall, problems with psychotropic drugs are outweighed by their benefits.

Glossary of Terms:

psychopharmacology: The study of the action of drugs that affect thinking, emotion and behavior; the branch of medicine that specializes in medications to treat mental illnesses

psychotropic drugs: Drugs that alter psychological functioning and/or mood, thoughts, motor abilities, balance, movement, and coordination.

side-effect: A drug response that accompanies the principal response for which a medication is taken. Most side effects are undesirable yet cause only minor disturbances; others may cause serious problems.

FOOLING AROUND WITH PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS

Just to get a perspective on some of the problems with taking prescribed psychotropic medications, it is helpful to start with some background on how people approach taking medication in general. Studies indicate that eight out of ten people fail to “adhere” to their prescription as directed! In other words, most of us “fool around” with prescribed medications.

Does the following look familiar to you?

Have you experienced any of these normal reactions to taking prescribed drugs?

• Did you ever feel drugged by the medication you were taking?
  What did you do?
• Did you ever stop taking medication when you started feeling better? Why?
• Did you ever have medication that made you feel sick?
  Did you continue taking it anyway?
• What would you do if you had to take a medication that made you
  gain weight?
• What would you do if you had to take a medication that took away your sexual responses?
• Do you usually finish a prescribed dose of medication?

Does this give you a greater appreciation of the tough cost/benefit choices people with mental illness have to make? We have all had the experience of being ill and “taking charge” of our medications. It helps us feel in control. The fact is that drug adherence is poor in most illnesses, not just mental illness.

For detailed information on many of the commonly prescribed psychotropic medications, follow this link http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=About_Medications

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