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

MunoRN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

More and more employers are banning the use of prescriptions drugs in their employees, mainly benzos and opiates (yes that's legal for employers to do this even if the employee has a valid prescription).

I am very much against employers trying to control the lives of their employees, although at the same time there is some decent evidence that these meds significantly increase the potential for an error or accident. I also think that if employers are so concerned about safety they need to address the causes of fatigue that can be just as dangerous, even though just banning certain meds in their employees is cheaper.

If people are looking for alternatives, I have an anxiety disorder that's caused panic attacks where I "escape" from crowded situations and then can't remember how I ended up blocks away, including ending up in a field on the other side of busy 4-lane road, with no recollection of crossing the street . I did Biofeedback and have found it to be very useful and haven't had any panic attacks since.

cstatic · Mar 3, 2012

A boy I grew up with and cherished had parents who had the same negative attitude about psych drugs some of these posts do. Went off to college and tried to kill himself. While in 24 hour watch he succeeded by swallowing the pillowcase he had removed from his pillow. There is a huge difference between being stressed out and unhappy, and being depressed. One can be addressed with therapy and altering of job, school, relationships etc.... The other is chemical and no amount of therapy alone is going to fix that. As for being a temporary solution while working towards living off meds, for some people, especially those who were abused or traumatized long term as children, too much stress long term or too intense causes a drop in brain chemicals that does not bounce back like other peoples, many have been predisposed to depression and even though they may wean off meds and stay stable for quite some time.... too much intense or chronic stress usually causes a relapse. Consider this, someone high on ecstasy who has a brain flooded with serotonin is unable to make rational normal choices because they have a skewed perspective that everything in the world is wonderful and people really are good and nothing bad could happen and they are so happy and euphoric life is SOOO WONDERFUL! it feels so great just to exist! Well depression is the opposite of that. When someone is deficit in serotonin they don't feel happiness, or hope, and are unable to function like other people. In long term depression things like suicide and despair become totally normal, rational, and logical.

I do think AD's are over prescribed for people who are temporarily depressed due to life situations or events, but for those chemically depressed it is literally a life saver! Really though, if someone is living life unhappy and in shades of gray why so much animosity towards them for making a choice to change it? Why so much righteous judgement about someone else's choice to try medication instead of what you feel they should try first?

zorabanks · Mar 3, 2012

[quote=tippytootagon;

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.

Congrats on overcoming you depression and moving foeward with your life! That takes alot ...God Bless you! :yeah:

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

Well they say opinions are like butt holes and everyone has got one...my opinion seems to be a little bit offensive right now. Please understand, I am not trying to be disrespectful and I fully understand there are many psych/depressive issues that require medication. I get it - I really do. Have worked along side some great nurses that were only functional because of their meds.

To use diabetes as an example given - You're right, I would never deny a poorly controlled patient the medication they needed. I would also provide education on life style choices that can be made in an effort to control their disease process (ie: coping mechanisms). Now if their blood sugar always lingered around 140 and their diet was horrendous then they need to get a grip - pull up their big girl panties - and deal with the problem. They need coping mechanisms more then they need a pill.

Again, no disrespect intended. Maybe I just got born lucky to have stable levels of brain chemicals that keep me stable. I will accept maybe I just don't "get it".

allnurses Guide · Mar 3, 2012

People who are using the rationale that "nurses weren't as stressed out, sicker patients" etc - unless you were there you don't know. Even if you were there and your job was a walk in the park you don't know how stressful millions of other nurses jobs were. Antidepressant meds were already on the market, people wondered if they should take a psychoactive drug to deal with it - and I had knots in my stomach on my way to work, too.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Mar 3, 2012

I dont need to.....but I like to

paddler · Mar 3, 2012

I will contribute as I believe my other post today about having decided to start antidepressants for the first time to help me cope with a job I detest (and a long series of undisclosed life circumstances), has probably sparked this conversation.

Let me first say I am grateful for everybody's input and it's interesting to read. I can pretty much hear my own words in almost every post, even the conflicting ones. Starting antidepressants was a HUGE step for me. My father is a psychologist and believe me I grew up with "everyone in the family has this or that mental disorder, and needs this or that medication." He used to analyze me, give me tests and inventories and attempt to "diagnose" me. I went to years of counseling to get over my fears that I was all mentally screwed up and have been verified by several counselors and psychologists that I am NORMAL after all. It took me only my entire adult life (16 years) to come to trust that is true. One time, after I moved out of the house and began dating and living my own life which dad didn't approve of, he took me "out for lunch" and instead we showed up at a hospital and attempted to have me committed against my will because he thought I was on drugs and suicidal (NONE of which was EVER true). He kept trying to push medication on me. I always refused. I made it out of the hospital without being admitted and was deemed to not in fact be on drugs or suicidal. It damaged my relationship with him forever. So, yes, everyone has stress. I have been in counseling, and frankly the hours I keep working the job I hate so much prevent me from doing anything but work, drive 2 hours a day to/from work, come home, attempt to wind down, relax, zone out and catch up on the DVR, force myself to fall asleep at a decent time and wash/rinse/repeat 5 days a week. Days off are spent cleaning, chores, shopping, cooking for the week, making time for family and trying to forget about last week and half of my second day off is spent fretting about the upcoming week at work.

I have become a bitterly irritable woman and my poor, sweet, supportive husband is suffering because of it. My sex life is suffering, my body hurts, and I am just so far beyond unhappy with my job that I need the extra help. And yes, I TOTALLY agree that I could get a different job. The problem is I recently relocated, and the first job I had for 3 months when I moved here didn't work out (was supposed to be full time but turned out wasn't and I had to quit that one to find a full time job), and the second job I got is more than full time but is not the job I was hired for, and (long story, corporate B.S.) and I have only been there 2 months. I can't just job-hop around like this! It doesn't look good. I have previously been a fairly loyal employee, working for the same company for 2-5 years at a time. And yes, I had had nursing jobs that I loved. So there is hope for me someday... after I do my time again.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

I cannot think of any other profession facing this dilemma. Why are care givers driven to the point of self medication to perform?

Just about every other profession is facing this dilemma. Anyone and everyone is going on these things - despite the fact that studies show antidepressants don't work any better than placebo on mild to moderate depression.

tippytootagon · Mar 3, 2012

Just about every other profession is facing this dilemma. Anyone and everyone is going on these things - despite the fact that studies show antidepressants don't work any better than placebo on mild to moderate depression.

I realize you saw this on 60 minutes.

HOWEVER

It's not "studies" it's one study. Second of all, this one particular study is extremely controversial, and the American Psychiatric Association has basically slammed the study for being "irresponsible and dangerous", and the results of the study have already been discredited by the FDA and the European Medicine Agency.

More info here: http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2012-News-Releases/60-Minutes-Segment-on-Antidepressants-Irresponsible-and-Dangerous.aspx?FT=.pdf

up-n-atom · Mar 3, 2012

I like turtles!

Guttercat, ASN, RN · Mar 3, 2012

I like turtles!

And bicycles?

As to the thread topic...

...I'm not on meds, but I simply cannot blame or judge anyone who chooses to seek bona fide help via pharmaceuticals, counseling/therapy or both. This profession is like no other.

kmarie724 · Mar 3, 2012

I've had to go on BP meds since I started my job; does that count? Never had HTN in my life until I started working as a nurse.

I work in LTC and have a resident who was a nurse and always asks me what all her pill are and what they are for and when I give her her metoprolol, she says "Oh, I probably don't need that anymore now that I'm retired. I got high blood pressure from my job."