The Depression / Anti Depressants Merged Thread

[cathtaylor]

I have to agree with willy about this.Basic is not only physically demanding but more so mentally exhausting for sure. We are not doctors and we certainly don‘t know what you are going through personally but don‘t you think your health is more important? Please talk to somebody about this, your doctor and your recruiter.

 

[Lajeunesse]

OK well I wasn‘t gonna get into this but here goes; I wasnt sure if there was anything wrong with me a couple months ago, there was no reason for it other then (my grilfriend and the atmosphere I was in) picture a 16yr old on his own having to worry about rent, bills, having a job, food ect.. and then having a really really bad relationship[ with a GF from **** that i would catch cheating on me and a whole world of other screwed up mind games and bull ****.
Now I live with my mom until I can afford to make it on my own again but this time i‘m gonna be in a job that i‘ve always wanted to be apart of, the teamwork the feeling of being apart of somthing...feeling elite..ect I don‘t think I need the meds anymore I actually forget to take them alot and I feel like my old self again. Maybey all i needed was to get away from all that BS I was stuck in. So in short I no I‘m mentally strong enough to handle Basic its always been my dream, So I don‘t think re-thinking about my decision is a thought in my head.

I‘m gonna be stright up with me recruiting officer and let him know I plan on getting off them before I go to basic. Hopefully they understand were I was coming from and give me a break for not telling them about the meds.

 

[Ex Ranger Instructor]

Well, it‘s obviously your decision to try and go ahead with BMQ or not. But you‘re going to have to tell the army about this. It may or may not cause you to be removed from training, like I said. I know that isn‘t what you want to hear, but that‘s unfortunately the way it is. Be honest with them, and I have no doubt that things will work out for the best in the long term.

 

[brneil]

Here‘s my two cents worth.

‘Technically‘ CF members are not allowed to ingest any medication that is not prescribed by a CF doctor, including tylenol.

If you have medication at BMQ it is likely that it will be seen during inspection and you will be questioned about it. If you have not been forthcoming with recruiting it is possible that you could face charges related to the medication (military not criminal).

You have an obligation to inform you recruiter and seek their advice.

Best of luck

 

[Lajeunesse]

So are you seriuosly implying that i‘m already up to my neck in **** for not informing my recuiter, even though I‘m not technically even considered offical yet?
I haven‘t even been sworn in yet.....
****it I‘ll be so disapointed if this blows up in my face...just for trying to help myself.
They can‘t seriously charge me for doctor prescribed anti-depresents, that as of today i‘m no longer taking. Like **** you guys are scaring me please no bullshit if you seriously know what your talking about then please inform me what ou think but if your just blowing smoke up my *** then this isn‘t funny, i‘m trying really hard to do my best and it would really suck if I got discharged for somthing this petty.

 

[brneil]

No, but you are better off approaching it head on before it looks like you have been trying to get away with something. Just re-inforcing other posts which have said you should deal with the issue upfront.

 

[rdschultz]

I think he‘s talking about facing charges after the fact if you try to sneak around about taking them. You‘re not going to get charged with anything now, it just might affect your going to basic later this month.

Also, I know very little about paxil, but isn‘t it an SSRI? If you‘re just stopping it cold turkey, you might want to check with a doctor first (I don‘t know if thats the best method, or if there‘s a weening-off method). I believe paxil was the medication in the states that was the subject of some lawsuits where people quit taking it and then killed their family and stuff. Not that I‘m saying you‘re going to do that, but its probably not a bad idea to check with your doctor before just stopping it because you don‘t want the fact that you‘re taking it to interfere with your plans.

 

[rdschultz]

and if you check brneil‘s profile, you‘d realize that he‘s JAG. So I don‘t think his comments are just "blowing smoke up your ***".

 

[brneil]

Pte. Lajeunesse,

We are not tryinig to scare you just trying to give you advice and emphasize the importance of being upfront with the recruiting office.

Imagine if you were the employer and you had a rule that your employees had to consult with a company physician regarding any medical condition. You hire an individual and then find that this individual has brought medication obtained without your knowledge. Two problems:

1. The employers physician was not involved therefore the employer was denied knowledge of the condition.

2. The employee was told not to do it so it weighs against the employees credibility.

All anyone is saying is be upfront and honest with your recruiting officer. The worst thing you could do in this situation is arrive to basic with a prescription only medication and be found hiding it.

You have mentioned that you are now off Paxil. I agree with hoser rd that you should definitely discuss how to stop with your physician.

On the positive side if you discuss this with your physician and he/she agrees that you don‘t really need the meds any more than all you have done was to take a prescribed medication under the guidance of your physician prior to swearing in, no problem.

What some people don‘t realize is that after being sworn in they are not normally entitled to go to a civilian doctor or hospital any more. When you join the forces you definitely give up some of your autonomy and independance but for many of us that is balanced off by the benefits of the career/lifestyle.

To re-stated my advice and that of others who have responded, first talk to your doctor, then if it is determined that you should still be taking the medication talk to your recruiter, and no matter what don‘t try to sneak anything into basic it will be found and and at that point you would likely face charges.

Best of luck

 

[Lajeunesse]

Thanks for all your advice I was not planning on Bing the meds to Basic and I‘ve already consulted my Doctor...You stated that

"On the positive side if you discuss this with your physician and he/she agrees that you don‘t really need the meds any more than all you have done was to take a prescribed medication under the guidance of your physician prior to swearing in, no problem."

So therefore I should have no problems then right?

 

[brneil]

It seems to me that if you have consulted with your doctor about ceasing the medication then you should be fine. Just remember to always be straight-up during your career as the little twists of truth or avoidance of truth have a way of coming back and biting you in the ***.

 

[Lajeunesse]

well thanx for the good advice..Those of you that said that i can be excluded from BMQ for non-prescribed anti-depressents that actually was a sample trial period which i was taking before I was even made an offical member please get your facts straight befor scaring the **** out of another recruit with different questions and rather what you think that should or might happen.

 

[Ex Ranger Instructor]

Dont get whiny. As stated above, no one was trying to scare you just for s***s and giggles. You asked a question, and you got an answer.

 

[cathtaylor]

Be HONEST, Pte Lajeunesse that‘s all we are saying, we are certainly not here to scare you. In fact in this forum I read a lot of supportive posts;we have so many questions, while venturing out on this "big step" in life. I wish you the best of luck, and be well in mind and in body.

 

[cathtaylor]

One more thing, Life is sure going to throw a lot more curves your way; that‘s a given. You‘re young, try to face them head on, I truly believe that you do not need a little pill to help you through it, unless it‘s serious.

 

[PharmO]

Private Lajeunesse, I was a military pharmacist (PharmO) for 8 years. First off, there is no reason not to tell your recruiter about your anti-depressant medication. There are lots of military personnel being treated for depression, just as there are lots of civilians. The only meds I dispensed more than anti-depressants were anti-inflammatories, Tylenol#3, and amoxicillin. In fact, the MAJORITY, not minority, of people will be treated for a depressant episode at least once in their lives. It is nothing to be ebarassed or ashamed of, no more so than a diabetic should be ashamed of the need to take insulin. This is not some thing you had control over.
Second, drug tests in the military DO NOT screen for anti-depressant medications - they look ONLY at drugs of abuse so you will not be "found out" as it were. It is, however, important that the military doctors and pharmacists know all of you medical conditions and the meds you are taking to ensure you are diagnosed and treated properly for any other medical problem that develops.
Trust me, being on an antidepressant is nothing to be ashamed of and certainly not a reason to deny admission into the forces. It will also not make you less likely to survive basic. Just keep your ears open and your mouth shut and you‘ll be fine.

Allan

E-mail me if you have any questions about your medication.

 

[PharmO]

Brneil,
I realize that you are a JAG, but there is no way a member will be charged, not even a recruit, for bringing a prescription medication, being used to treat a diagnosed medical condition, to basic training. Good advice is a good thing to give but that kind of over-blown scare tactic only makes people LESS likely to be honest. There is too much of that in the CF ethos as it is.

Allan

 

[PharmO]

CathTaylor,
You are certianly entitled to your opinion but MY opinion is that you are severely misinformed concerning your statement of "..not needing a little pill to help you through it." Perhaps the Parkinson‘s patient should just suck it up and get over it?
Depression is a real illness - it can occur to anyone regardless of their phyisical, mental, or emotional capacity. There is little you can do about it on your own. It will not just go away without proper treatment.
The belief that people who suffer from depression are just using anti-depressants as a crutch because they can‘t cope is the single biggest barrier patients face to treatment. You may want to educate yourself before passing judgements such as this.

Allan

 

[cathtaylor]

Thank you PharmO that was well put, I certainly did‘nt mean to undermind his condition or anyone elses. I do know what you are talking about I‘ve worked in the medical field for a few years and personally have known people with this illness, I just wanted him to be honest with his future employer. Sorry if I seemed to be have judged him wrongly.

 

[kbowes]

Hello Allan, I posted the following a week ago regarding the topic at hand but didn‘t find any follow-up posts. I was wondering if you‘d mind giving some feedback when you have a chance?

Thanks,
K.

Originally posted by Kurbo:
[QB] I just had my CFAT, PT, and medical for the reserves. Everything went great, but the medical is pending. The reason is because I take Paxil. I started it in Nov/01 and have since since tapered to 1/2 the dosage. I‘m actually tapering even more as I don‘t feel the need for it anymore. I was experiencing a little bit of anxiety at the time and decided to consult with my Doc. Upon telling this to the medic, he said I could be temporarily rejected or maybe rejected outright. I just wanted to ask if anyone (or knows of anyone) out there who has dealt with this while applying to the Army. Recruiting is waiting for the follow-up letter from my Doc. I‘m wondering if anybody has any input on what the CF‘s views on these medications are. It seems widely accepted in society, but perhaps not so with the CF.