MyJoey

Need a little feedback on this. My son has been in rehab 1 month, things are going really well. He looks great, he is saying the right things. Not that I think he really gets it yet, but it is still early in the program. The program is called STRIVE and I can't say enough about how wonderful it is so far, they are even making sure he makes it to his graduation in June, taking him back and forth for rehearsals and everything. I am really excited about him graduating with his class. The biggest complaint my son has is that he can't sleep and he is up most nights tossing and turning till 3 in the morning. I think it is still part of the withdraw myself. Joey has always been happy go lucky, with a smile on his face. Even now he looks pleasant and cracks a joke or throws out the charm and boy he is a charmer. My problem is they think he has an underlying problem with depression and may put him on pills for it. They are going to wait till next month, but this was mentioned the second week he was there and brought up again yesterday. I really don't see my son as depressed and hate the thought of them putting him on pills that change the chemistry of his brain (he has done enough of that on his own). Since he is in state custody I don't know how much of a say I get in this, but I did tell them the first time I really don't want him taking pills, I would prefer him to deal with life without relying on any drugs. I know there are many people that really need antidepressants, but my son is not one of them. I have to wonder what they are thinking by wanting him on them. Am I over reacting here?

Seren

When I went through two separate bouts of depression, I could not sleep, I still seemed to be happy when I interacted with people at work, and no one would have really been able to tell except that I looked and sounded very, very tired. I was placed on antidepressants for a short time each time, and was able to come off of them after a few months.

A short course may be all the program managers have in mind for your Joey. If it will help him past this particular down time with sleeping and so on, then it might be useful while he learns to deal with life on life's terms.

Antidepressants can seem scary and unnecessary to those who have never taken them, but my experience has been all positive.

Hugs and prayers, HG

winnie12

in my son's case i still have a say in his medical care - do they use your insurance at all? if so that's a good indication that you are still responsible for that but i do find that they will listen to me when it comes to these things - there are a lot of legal ramifications if they did something medically that caused him problems. in my state if they are with the county courts i still have custody and control but if they are in state courts then they have more control - either way i still am his mom so have rights to speak on his behalf especially when it comes to his health. is the facility actually run by the state or is it a private facility that the state uses - if its private you'll have more rights - not many rehabs are actually owned by the gov - usually they are outsourced and accept people from the state as well as the general public.

the not sleeping is pretty common - he's in a strange place surrounded by others - it will take 2-3 months to get used to this. depression is common especially when they stop using - their brain has to readjust to being sober. if he never had depression before then i would suspect that its coming off the drugs that is causing it more than a chemical embalance. remember all those posts about dopamine? it takes months, sometimes years for the brain to start producing dopamine properly on its own so this is common. you can help it along but eventually he'll have to wean off of the anti-depressants too.

for my son - they tried the drugs and it was conflicting to what we were telling him. hey kid dont do the drugs you like do the drugs that we think you need. it just didnt work for my son and i wont do that again unless he asks for them and is something that he wants to do. the first few weeks on an anti-depressant can be worse especially with sleep so expect that if they do try it.

that all being said - my doc put me on meds a few weeks ago and i have to say that they have really helped me. so its really a case by case basis and i would be sure to talk to Joey to see what he wants and to talk to the doc to see if this is really needed or is just something that Joey needs to go through for a while. you can also see if they would be willing to let him try some herbal remedies for sleeping like melatonin - my son's doc recommended those because my son didnt like how he felt the next day with sleeping pills.

Freedom1990

I'm going to give you a perspective on this from someone who has suffered from clinical depression most of her life since adolescence, and who has a mother that thinks I should just 'snap out of it'.

I am very careful to not 'diagnose' whether someone else truly needs antidepressants or not, and that includes women I have sponsored in AA.

When I was about 17 months clean/sober, I ended up in a women's treatment program because I was suffering from depression so deep that I couldn't even make a simple decision. At that time, I had a complete psychological evaluation, and it was suggested to me that I consider an antidepressant. I declined because I was 6 months pregnant at the time.

I believe I was about 5 years sober after my relapse at 4 years clean/sober, and I had reached a point in my depression again where if I had a gun, I would have stuck it in my mouth. I was active in my recovery, attending meetings, working the steps, working with others, etc.

Through trial and error, and several times where I have hit a bottom like that in recovery, I have come to accept I have a chemical imbalance, and I may very well need antidepressants the rest of my life.

Neither of my parents accept this, and last year at one point my dad told me that I must not have a good relationship with God if I needed to take an antidepressant. I can't tell you how much that statement hurt.

Do I think antidepressants are overprescribed? Yes, I do. However, that does not negate the fact there are people with a true chemical imbalance who need them in order to live a happy and productive life.

Just some food for thought for you.

Callie

I agree with the others - not sleeping is very common. I know with AH/RAH he's taken melatonin, valerian root and calms forte (you can find it in the pharmacy aisle - it's all natural) to help him sleep - it's helped to some degree.

Depression is also pretty commom as their seratonin levels can become all out of whack. With my AH they wanted him clean for a few months and then would address depression and anti-d's. Personally, I'd rather him be on an anti d that works because based on his past history, he'd just pop some oxy's to combat depression.

MyJoey

Thank you all for your input, it really helps to look at it through someone else's eyes. Still not real sure how I feel about it, but I do feel better if he needs to have them that maybe it will not be long term. You guys/gals are great as always, thanks. Julie

PS I miss you winnie! Hope things are going better.