Do we need to take drugs.. in order to do our job?

netglow, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

I say, take the drugs. I hope they help ya. Make your time away from work busy. Don't sleep it away or spend it eating and on the sofa watching TV.

Then, when you can get your self together a bit, look for a different place to work.

VENT :redlight:: I am sick THE HECK tired of nurses who jump all over other nurses for trying to manage anxiety, depression etc. There have been many thread posts in AN HX where, someone wanting help was bashed for getting help. I WOULD BET BIG MONEY that those who rant against and try to belittle nurses who do seek help, are snuggl'in a big old bottle of Jack (or wine for you really ridiculous types) -or- wrecking their families.

Guess what - that's worse.

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

There are days I'm very irritable. There are days that I just want to cry. There are days that I have no desire to get out of bed.

There are days that I love to hear the birds sing. There are days that I love the warmth of sunshine on my face. There are days that a smile is plastered on my face and I don't even know why.

(Before you all think I'm really nuts - I'm usually viewed as the most stable mood in a crowd on any given day).

Isn't this life? Don't we all have these extremes? Seems the older I get the little more erratic it all becomes due to hormonal changes - but that too is to be expected.

Not to downplay the true psych conditions at all, but it seems the vast majority of people never learned to put on their big girl panties and just deal with it. I was taught to cope and it seems so many of my coworkers were never taught any coping skills.

Don't flame...I am well aware that there are true psych & depression issues but I am a firm believer that it can't be more than 25-50% of the population on meds that have a true condition.

DookieMeisterRN · Mar 3, 2012

This is what's wrong with our society. Many people think there is a pill to fix their problems.

annietart · Mar 3, 2012

I guess I'm the opposite of most people. Work is one of the few times where I'm most comfortable with myself! Yes, the job is stressful but that's the nature of the game. I have to take antidepressents though, but not because of work or school. I don't want to take them but I've come to accept them as part of my daily life, just as weekly talk therapy and all the extra stuff I do to take care of myself so I don't end up in the hospital again.

I think a lot of people don't know the difference between normal, life situations that can produce depression and anxiety, and depression and anxiety as disorders. Unfortunately that includes a lot of primary care providers. I think that's why meds don't work for so many people, but talking it out and finding solutions does. My meds help me with my messed up brain chemistry, and my therapy helps me deal with that and all the crap life has handed to me.

My job makes me feel a healthy kind of insane.

sbostonRN · Mar 3, 2012

I posted on the other thread as well. I think the difference between this generation and a generation ago is due to a number of factors. First, nurses are more overworked than they were a generation ago. No matter which dept you work in, whether in a hospital, or subacute, or home health, you see more patients in a day than you would have 20 years ago. Second, the patients are sicker. And I also think it's more acceptable to bring these things out on the table, especially to our peers, who are supposed to be able to offer support. 20 years ago, it was considered more shameful to be depressed or anxious. And 50 years ago, I've heard about "mother's little helper"?? Not sure how many mother's and working nurses took that to get through the stress of their lives. The pharmaceutical industry produces more meds that of course makes it easier and more available.

I struggled with panic attacks in my final semester of nursing school. My doc prescribed Ativan PRN and I took it upon myself to start using the "relaxation response" via Ipod downloads which really helped me get through a difficult time. I come on this board to offer support to others going through a similar situation because at the time, I found it very difficult to turn to meds at a time when I needed them. Yes, I needed a benzo while my body learned how to use the relaxation response. Once in awhile (once every few months) I still use a small dose to help me sleep or get through a very stressful shift. I've never suffered any side effects and have worked very hard to keep myself from feeling anxious and shameful about using it. I think you need to know what works for you, and what works for you might not be the right choice for others.

I also wanted to add that I recently started doing yoga and that has done wonders for my psyche and my figure too! I just think it takes time to get to that point. Medication can only be used as a crutch for so long before something else needs to support you.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Mar 3, 2012

And then there are those of us for whom 'putting on our big girl panties' and learning how to 'cope' aren't enough. We need help getting our brain chemistry straightened out so that we CAN do these things to make life better for ourselves and those around us.

Truly, meds are a LAST resort for many of us....and we really do not need to have more guilt piled on for doing what we have to do to take care of ourselves properly. No one would tell a stroke patient to pull herself up by her bootstraps, or deny the need for lifesaving medications that get her through the immediate crisis and help to prevent another from occurring. Physical illness is almost always looked upon as deserving of treatment; mental illness is just as real, and it's not OK for healthcare providers to decide that sufferers are just lazy or weak and should be made to tough it out on their own.

SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS · Mar 3, 2012

There is a place for talking (counseling) where you work on problem-solving, I statements, and assertiveness- all those skills that you need at work and in life. Then there is a place for getting your brain chemistry sorted out, your dopamine and your serotonin. That's a different thing. Medication does have a place.

It's sort of like, with a sleep med, sure you can take a week of Ambien to get your sleep/wake cycles on track, while doing sleep rituals and all that, and then the idea is you shouldn't need it anymore. An SSRI could be thought of like that- just another tool to get on track, but the other stuff has to come with.

There is no magic.

inthedistrict · Mar 3, 2012

Here's how I see it:

If you had physical pain that made it hard to do your job, you would take a pill. Joints ache after 10 hours, do you quit? All of these people scoffing how they'd never take a pill to do a job....have you toughed out every work-related migraine? If so, why???

Meds aren't an easy fix. The side effects can be terrible. Switching to find a good fit is common ( all those chemical changing your brain all the time are no fun). And no doc I've ever worked with doesn't also recommend, if not require, therapy. And even on meds, you'll have days where you are anxious, days when you are blue, days when you are happy. It doesn't make everything sunshine, roses, and smiles. Plus, if you have good, healthy brain chemistry, they aren't going to do much to help you in the first place (except a benzo or something, I guess). A normal person taking my anti-epileptic wouldn't notice a difference in mood, according to my doc. I do. Q.E.D.

I'm saddened that so many health care providers still hold the old "buck up" attitude. Trust me, trust me, trust me, I'd kill to be able to buck up, and NOT need all these interventions...not drag myself out of bed in the mornings, not wake up with dry mouth all night, and to be able to lose the 10 lbs I've gained on my meds. I'd have a lot more cash and a lot more free time without all the doctors appointments.

I agree it is sad that people are given meds by their PCP instead of therapy. The coverage system is wacky, and we need to do a better job providing therapy and proactive education about coping skills. I'm shocked hospitals don't require training in stress management. But....telling someone in crisis to shoulder the burden of getting themselves well, and somehow implying it is a moral failing or a lack of will that they aren't coping better is pretty crap-tastic.

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

Do we need to take drugs in order to do our jobs? Yes. Most people use legal non-prescription drugs such as caffeine, Tylenol, and Motrin to deal with the crap they have to deal with. Others need more help than that. I feel like I am getting to the point where I may need something to cope with all of this. I'm not a nurse yet, but my job is pretty damn stressful, and it's going to be more of the same crap as a nurse.

tippytootagon · Mar 3, 2012

While I see where some of the comments about essentially stating that "popping a pill" is the easy way out, etc.. are coming from, I want to express to you how hurtful that comment can be to someone who really does need medication. To be a nurse, you need to have empathy. Think about it, if a loved one was so depressed that he was on the verge of killing himself, wouldn't you want him to do everything possible to get better? That means medication AND counseling. Counseling provides the tools to help you cope. Medication gives you the ability to get your butt out of bed and to the counselor.

I am proud to say that I had a 10+ year long history of depression, and self-harm, was medicated briefly, and can say today that I am completely over it, and off medication. However, at my worst, I couldn't eat, sleep, stop crying, or get out of bed. The medication didn't "cure" my depression, but it got me to where I could perform activities of daily living, and seek counseling to give me the tools to cope with it.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Mar 3, 2012

you all do know that head-to-dead comparisons of meds and "talk therapy," basically cognitive therapy for reframing, showed that the therapy was more effective for depression and anxiety?

the studies i saw showed that "talk therapy" and meds together worked better than either one alone.

it's too bad that the psych med stigma still exists, even among nurses. no one is expected to "just get over" cancer, or a broken leg.

maelstrom143 · Mar 3, 2012

I think the medication issue should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. There are individuals who need medications in order to just get out of bed in the morning, for whom clinical depression is a very real problem and who might not be able to function without medications. Antidepressants can be used short-term or long-term, depending on the individual and his doctor.

I personally could not function on narcotics and benzo's (very low tolerance!). I am unable to function the next morning after taking 25mg Benadryl the previous night, so being on anything else would have me drooling on the floor cross-eyed. However, there are people that suffer from panic attacks and anxiety disorder that do quite well on meds and lead productive lives.

Nurses I have worked with over the years have been on antidepressants, some even on benzo's, and have done a good job on the floor. Those who I have asked have told me that without their meds they would be unable to function. Not being in their shoes, I am not qualified to judge whether they were right or not. They had legal prescriptions, supervisors aware of meds in their files, and these were older, outstanding nurses.

Life happens. People deal with it in the best way they know how.