Anxiety/Depression Meds

[1John2:15-17]

In all humility I ask this...

Is it OK for one who is saved to use prescription anti-anxiety and/or anti-depressants, under the supervision of his/her physician? If long-term use is not OK, what about temporary use?

I know Jesus is the great healer, but I'm curious for input on this issue as it sort of hits close to home.

Thanks to all in advance.

[Bakershalfdozen]

If at all possible, try to identify the reason for the anxiety/depression first. Not everything is a chemical imbalance. Anxiety/depression can be caused by physical conditions, hormone deficiencies, diet, stress, unconfessed sin in one's life, etc.

When my 3rd child was born, my husband was deployed in the Persian Gulf and I had 2 small children at home. I was living in a state far from family and friends. My hormones whacked out and I experienced anxiety attacks and depression for many months. Even after my husband returned from his deployment, was out of the military and we had moved back to our home area, I still would have attacks periodically. Diet, exercise helped the most and eventually the hormones returned to normal. At one low point I asked the doc about anti-anxiety meds and he gave me a prescription. I never did get it filled though because I really didn't want to get to that point. Those things are addicting and can cause other problems the user didn't have in the first place.

[HappyChristian]

Good thoughts, Jess. In line with your comments about diet...sometimes anxiety and/or depression can come from a blood sugar imbalance. Anxiety and even paranoi, resulting in mild or even stronger depression can be the result of being imbalanced for awhile. Bad dreams come which interrupt sleep and further compounds the problem. So - change of diet is necessary - eliminating sugar and eating more protein, walking more, etc, will help if that is the case.

To my knowledge there is no test to determine whether or not depression is from a chemical imbalance. But once the avenues that Jess mentioned are explored thorougly, if the depression doesn't lift, I don't believe there would be sin...God did give us doctors. We have to use wisdom,though, and find out sometimes for ourselves what the need is.

[deputydog530]

I have seen a variety of mental illness both long term and short term in my career. The first thing that fires me up is when a brother says " you need to pray more" or what sin is in your life". in some cases this is true. How we eat, sleep, excercise etc. is a big deal in the battle for depression and anxiety.

Remember, the brain is an organ just like the liver, kiddneys, heart, lungs, etc. i never hear a christain tell someone with lung cancer they dont pray enough or thier is sin in there life.

As said all organs of the body can be affected by diet, excercise, and abuse of the body(alcohol, smoking etc.)

about 80% of mental illness is "situational" or having to do with diet, exercise, abuse of hte body etc.

However, there are those people who have issues that are organ illnesses, such as BI-polar, depression etc. It is a physical illness regardless if its in the brain or somewhere else.

My wife is Bi-polar and has been on meds for years. She has gone off of them for about 4 months now and it appears the Lord has heald her or is sustaining her.

No, it is not a sin to use meds if they are needed. Sometimes they are needed for a short time. (six months) to get stable and are never needed again.

These new PET scans of the brain show the affects of mental illness and has opened the medical field to things they never knew in the past about it.

My suggestion is, if you are doing what the Word of God says in all areas of your life and your getting enough sleep, taking care of your self, then its a medical issue.

Hope this helps :thumb

[Guest Guest]

As said all organs of the body can be affected by diet, excercise, and abuse of the body(alcohol, smoking etc.)

about 80% of mental illness is "situational" or having to do with diet, exercise, abuse of hte body etc.

However, there are those people who have issues that are organ illnesses, such as BI-polar, depression etc. It is a physical illness regardless if its in the brain or somewhere else.

My wife is Bi-polar and has been on meds for years. She has gone off of them for about 4 months now and it appears the Lord has heald her or is sustaining her.

When I was placed on Dilantin (for partial-epilepsy) the doctor told me it was a "necessary evil". I thought those two words were fitting. I take this medication because it is saving my life. It is a heavy-duty drug mainly prescribed for seizures. Every drug has it's side effects, though. My situation comes from when I was a child. I had febrile (fever) related convulsions due to strep-throat, mono, and scarlet fever. It went untreated, other than the use of anti-biotics. Later, at age 33 they came back due to stress from work. I will add, that I have not taken any anti-biotics since I was in my late 20's. I am now 44. As far as anti-depressants/anxiety medications? I would follow the advice of a doctor (who you feel comfortable with) and not listen to arm-chair physicians. Most people have an opinion. :-S

I agree with deputydog, 100%. I feel safer knowing that a person is properly treated, rather than having them "running about" society putting lives at risk. BTW, the last sentence is referring to people in general. Prayer is a MUST (for the believer), but medication...if properly managed is also a helpful tool, IMO. :wave:

[JerryNumbers]

deputydog530 and candle light both did a good job on this. medicines that doctors prescribe can be a great tool for us, and worthless if we don't use them.

Depression can cause some horrible things if left untreated, as candle light stated, many arm chair doctors will put down their use, but fail to understand what depression can cause is left untreated.

deputydog530 spoke a truth that needed to be said, with his comparison of cancer and when to comes to depression or anxiety. Both of these can be more dangerous than cancer, the one who suffers depression sometime does some horrible things, killing self and or others or even just doing harm to others.

Depression and anxiety is just as real as cancer. I think its great they do have medicines that will help with it.

I've also seem the results of those who brush it off, those who said don't take no medicines, what happened was an ugly site to look to have printed in ones memory.

Its amazing to me at the number of Baptist who are becoming anti-medical doctors, anti-medicine and blaming so much sickness and or depression or mental illness on one sins and or diet.

[deputydog530]

Jerry80871852 wrote:

I've also seem the results of those who brush it off, those who said don't take no medicines, what happened was an ugly site to look to have printed in ones memory.

So have I brother. Some scenes not fitting for description here. :sad

I have a friend who will not go on meds, im afriad for that person... enough said. :pray

[Bakershalfdozen]

I don't recall anyone being anti-meds yet in this thread. I gave my scenario and suggested that other things be ruled out first. In my case, stopping junk food did and still does a world of good. If I start "junking" again, I start feeling bad again. I never said the person involved in the OP should go anti-meds or anti-doctor.

[deputydog530]

Bakershalfdozen

If you took my post that way, im sorry. I totally agree with you and ment in no way to insinuate you made such a stance. I, like Jerry have noted several persons in society (mostly IFB folks I know hold that stance.) Did not mean to insinuate that was your position. :smile :thumb

[Bakershalfdozen]

That's ok. I'm sorry if I came off roughly. I just wanted to make it known that I'm not anti-meds. I'm thankful for doctors as they are often the tools through which God chooses to heal us. I'm also thankful for the natural medicines He has provided in nature.

[Guest Guest]

I don't think it is always "wrong" to use anti-depression meds, BUT I think it should be absolutely a last resort. For one thing, often,(but not always) depression results from spiritual deficiencies. At times it is Gods warning that all is not right with him. Obviously we don't want to try to medicate our way out of it if the Lord is telling us something, that would only make things worse...

Assuming it is really bad, and the person searches their heart and knows there is nothing between them and the Lord, they might want to proceed but please be REALLY careful. At various times I have had relatives who have been on anti-depressants and it does not always work as advertised. Sometimes "anti-depressants" can make things even worse, to the point that some people(like the relative I have in mind) may have huge mood swings and start thinking suicidal thoughts even though they were not depressed to that degree before...

Anti-depressants mess with you emotions in a unpredictable fashion... They are quite dangerous in my opinion... Not something to be used until everything else has been tried...

[HappyChristian]

I guess my post wasn't clear enough...I agreed with Jess and still do. There are things that need to be checked out before just willy-nilly going on a med that can destroy a life. Does that make me anti-medicine? No - that's not even close to what I said.

Let me tell you a story, since others have posted some...

A friend called me in despair. Why? She was having panic attacks and extreme anxiety, causing her to slide into depression - because she thought it might be a spiritual problem, as did her husband and pastor, because of the panic...you know, not trusting the Lord.

Well, I have had some personal experience with just what she was going through, only not to the point of full blown panic attacks. Bad dreams that cause you to wake up in a fright, hardly able to breathe from the fear and the intense pounding of the heart (almost like a hammer ringing on the inner ear). Anxious about everything, yet not knowing why because there really isn't any reason - and sliding into depression because the tears just won't stop coming because you're so sure you've sinned somehow....

Funny thing, I was going through exactly that to a minor degree in comparison to her at the exact time she called me. And I knew what it was...my blood sugar was wacky. I am hypoglycemic, and so is she. I told her what her symptoms were, and she couldn't believe that I knew. Because I've been there, more often than I like, that's for sure! She started crying because she was SO relieved that she wasn't going crazy.

She had finally gone to the doctor to get some meds for anxiety, but was afraid she would be sinning if she took them. My advice? Take the pills so she could sleep at night, because sleeplessness just makes it worse. Blood sugar doesn't always go wacky because of the way someone is eating. Stress has a lot to do with it. And other factors. All of these factors were present in her life at the time of her call. So I recommended that she get on a B complex because women lose a lot of vitamin B during stress, and it just makes the situation worse. And I told her some stuff that she could get to help level her blood sugar - again, 'cause I've been there.

And I assured her it wasn't a spiritual thing, but very definitely a physical thing. The last time I talked with her about this, she was taking the meds at night so she could sleep, and doing what she could to build her blood sugar back to normal levels to stay - and feeling better! :thumb

Nowhere in my first post did I indicate that meds were wrong. Many times they are necessary. Sometimes they aren't. And people can investigate some things for themselves...God has given us good brains, usually.

If depression has set in, there are several things that could cause it. Spiritual, physical and chemical - sometimes just one of them, sometimes a combination of two, and sometimes all three. All three avenues need to be explored to find out the root of the problem and take care of it. If it's spiritual, take care of it with the Lord. If it's physical, find out what's needed and take care of it. If it's chemical, get on the meds needed and stay on them.

[BlessedChristianlady8]

This Question came to almost one year since I almost eneded my life because someone told me I wasn't good enough. So when I went into mental ward. They wanted to be on some medication for depression. I really don't think none works only the hope of Jesus and living a Godly life and example will get away depression.

[brosmith]

Its amazing to me at the number of Baptist who are becoming anti-medical doctors' date=' anti-medicine and blaming so much sickness and or depression or mental illness on one sins and or diet.[/quote']

I am not anti-medical doctors nor am I anti-medicine but I do believe that anxiety, depression, and mental illness for the most part are all symptoms of spiritual problems. If there is a hormone problem or a diet problem usually these are temporary and can be worked through without medications. Satan is the great tormenter. If we dwell too much on our past failures, embarrassing moments, how we feel, or what others say about us, we can give Satan the opportunity to torment our minds. Medicine cannot remove what is on the inside of our hearts and minds. Only God can heal a sick mind and a sick heart.

[Guest Guest]

I don't recall anyone being anti-meds yet in this thread. I gave my scenario and suggested that other things be ruled out first. In my case' date=' stopping junk food did and still does a world of good. If I start "junking" again, I start feeling bad again. I never said the person involved in the OP should go anti-meds or anti-doctor.[/quote']


Hi Bakers. :smile My post was not directed to you or anyone in this thread, either. I apologize that it came off as that in my post. I have witnessed born-again believers and the unsaved (for that matter) who are highly against anti-depression/anxiety medications. Last I checked, though, they did not have a medical degree to be making such claims. :thumb

I agree with alternate routes first...yet, as deputy dog and Jerry# mentioned, I have also seen some frightening outcomes when people are left untreated or refuse to take the medication that is prescribed by their doctor. I have also seen a huge improvement in those who take these medications as prescribed. Again, I think the words the doctor used with me..."necessary-evil" still hold true here, IMO. Also, I had a neurologist say years ago that they have done much research in the area of prescribed medication. They don't just mix a concoction together and hope it works. :lol Much study and research goes into the process. :wave: