Medication, Faith and the Stigma - Can all of these work together for Good or is Medication always wrong

Of Medication, Faith , and Emotional Healing

Can the two co-exists ?

Dear fellow sufferer of the dark world of depression anxiety and all that goes with it.

Well to add to our pain is the judgmental-ism that gets placed on top of our pain by so called people who seem to care but can be so narrow minded and blind.

I speak of those of us who go to Church, believe in God or maybe just feel guilty because we have chosen to use medication. I have seen this foolish blind ignorance through the testimony of so many poor sufferers who just want to feel better but get stigmatized for even thinking of using medication. The worst people in this department are “Church” people, “Health Obsessed naturalists “, “Clergy” and even your dearest friend. The ones who say- I would never put my son or daughter on medication, I would never go on medication, You just need more faith more will power more patience s. If you have ever been there you know the guilt, the shame, the feeling of letting everyone down or the feeling of -”maybe their right , maybe I can fight this on my own “. Or maybe I do need more faith or to trust God more. Well before I delve into this subject be it briefly please understand I know this topic well. So well that I wrote not 1 but 2 books on this subject. #1 Depression Anxiety and the Child of God ( Can faith and even medication co-exist ) ? #2 Book is called – depression anxiety and the Child of God ( the Daily Devotional) – Both go head on into this taboo subject with ( ALL ) sides of the coin being looked at. Please look for them at your local book store from Tate Publication or order them on line at Amazon. Yet to the point at hand – is medication a sin ? Should medication NEVER be used by a Christian or anyone for that matter ? Well to understand the answer we must ask some questions and also point out the upsides and downsides of the issue.

The truthful downside to using medication for emotional issues.

If you get medicated through your general MD and or from the street ( self medication). Well your asking for trouble.

Some medications are very hard to get off of and sometime almost impossible.

Some medications can be addictive to the point where you need them to feel a buzz and then live for that buzz. Tranquilizers and the such are very dangerous and should be used under great supervision and even at that for a short period of time to get through some of the very hard humps.

Some can make you gain weight

Some can change your libido ( Sexual drive ) in men ID

Some can make you sleepy suicidal and cause more harm then good.

Some need to be changed every few years.

Some people just don't get the help they need from medication

Some can cause liver and kidney issues with many other complications

Some can have conflicts with other medications

So that is the down side with many more issues but not in all cases.

Now one would think – well then medication is not good and should be avoided. Well yes and no and following is the list of what they can do.

The truthful upside of medication

They can work and sometimes very well

They can give you the breather you need to see things clearer and understand what God is trying to show you.

They can keep you out of the hospital

They can make you 100% - which BTW does not mean your on a happy pill. It angers me that so many people think that antidepressants are happy pills. They do no such thing and at their best they just make it possible to live a normal balanced life.

They can be very temporary and only needed for a short time and once you are over the hump you can ( under a doctors care ) be weened off. NOTE – no one should take these type of medications for less then a year. So many try them for a few months ; feel good then stop and they fall deeper then they were before.

When should you decide to try medication

When you have tried as hard as you can to pull yourself out of your pain but it just isn’t happening

When suicide starts to become a thought that you cant stop thinking about

When daily functioning is an issue

When life no longer brings any joy at all

When a “GOOD” Psychiatrist feels they by be an option for you

When you don’t have the natural time to heal on your own as in taking a sabbatical which most of us cant afford to do.

When God seems to not be pulling you out and your faith is growing weak.

When anger becomes more apart of your life then joy

When should you avoid medications

When you have other issues that would conflict with it

When you are struggling with substance abuse and drinking

When you haven t given God and counseling enough time to work

When you want a quick fix without really trying to see if other things such a holistic treatments can help ( which they can )

When there is no one to keep and eye on your progress. ( alone too much )

Now in closing please understand that this is a VERY basic list and not applicable in all cases. Finding the right medication can happen very quickly and or sometimes you can never really get the right mix. Sometimes multiple medications are needed which tends to be a dangerous game but can work as long as a real good Doctor who knows their stuff is in control.

In my years of practice I have seen great success and I have also seen some people who never really find that “right med”.

NOTE: There is no better med only a med that works well with you.

Some are depression only oriented and some anxiety oriented and some are crossovers which handle both. A WARNING here is - being diagnosed for depression when you really have an issue with anxiety can be a dangerous problem which I see all too often and can set you back greatly. Many doctors really mess this up but it should be Psychology 101. Allot of this problem is from the patient not giving definitive info to the Doctor. See Depression and Anxiety are confusing and knowing which ONE came first is paramount to treating them.

Also on a last note is this – Before ANYONE comes down on you for thinking of using medications remind them of this. ( Until you walk a mile in my shoes dont tell me to just deal with it and be happy ). Most people have no idea what a day of real clinical depression or Anxiety is like. They think its just a down day a sad day or just being a little nervous. That is NOT what we are talking about and God forbid their child is ever in the grips of this pain- Would they let their child suffer UN-endingly if proper medication could save their life.

Friends – I know this all to be true for many reasons. I know that I would be dead today if I didn’t swallow my pride and go against the tide and take medication. I COULD NOT beat my depression and anxiety and I thank GOD for the meds that pulled me out of that deep dark hole. In my case it worked amazingly and over time my humbled soul was able to be lifted up. Could I have beaten it without the med ? Maybe if I could have went away into the wilderness and medicated with God with no responsibilities for about a year. See thats why people of past days and distant history could get by.. they could commune and go off into the wilderness to find their peace but sometimes you just cant today. I am truly glad God made people who came up with meds for blood pressure and heart issues and so many other things. And when people say just have faith – well tell them next time they have a headache , tooth ache or whatever to just pray and tough it out.

So should we all be running to take meds > NO NO NO but we should never say never or we might just be telling God - ( I will do this my way and because of my pride I will never take the help you maybe have for me).

People – diet, exercise and a great relationship with Jesus Christ is a must. Good counseling from a Bible based counselor should be the next step. Prayer being number one. All of these things must be tried first and in most cases its all you will ever need. Vitamins , staying away from SO MANY chemicals in our foods and cleaning products which BTW are probably causing much of this epidemic of emotional disorder.. All of these are very important BUT if you still are falling and getting into a very dark place- Dont ever discount the RIGHT medication.

S.R. Kraniak Th,B – M.M.C.C

Email be for comments or questions

depressionanxietygod@gmail.com and please get my two books.. they will open your eyes the the fact of real healing. With or without medications