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Jasmine

There are many pros and cons of taking medications to manage one's mental health. One pro is that medication can help manage many mental health conditions. One con is that some medications can have bad side effects. Some medicines keep you up at night, or may give you more anxiety or other problems. Only certain medications do this, and I'm not sure why.

I know because I take medication; I take Wellbutrin for manic depression. Manic depression occurs when there is an imbalance with the neurotransmitters. When I take my medicine every day, I feel amazing and rejuvenated. Medication helps balance the chemicals in my brain and makes me feel better. However, there are downsides to taking my medication. The main side effect that I experience from taking Wellbutrin is I don't get much sleep at night. So I was prescribed Melatonin, which helps me sleep.

I take medication and I personally like it. I feel if you need a little help you should take it. But, if your side effects make it seem like your medication is doing more harm than good, tell your doctor. It's your doctor's job to make sure you have the proper medication; or help you decide if you need it at all.

Dana

Medication is often seen as the first line of defense by doctors when a patient presents themselves as having negative psychiatric symptoms. While a medication recommended by a doctor may seem like a suitable solution, youth and their parents need to be cautious. There are pros to taking medication but there are also cons.

One of the pros of taking medication is that it is often the quickest temporary fix. For example, if someone was depressed because of trauma in their past, an anti-depressant would take from a few days to a few weeks to start making a difference. In contrast, therapy could take months or even years for a person to start feeling better from it.

Medication is also the most easily accessible way to manage mental health. Even rural areas will have a pharmacy, while a therapist may be harder to find. It can also be cheaper for a person to take medication than to see a therapist.

Another pro of medication is the placebo effect. It can be a huge relief when a doctor tells a patient taking a medication will make them feel better. For me, the doctor having confidence in the medication was enough for me to have confidence it was going to work.

However, there are cons to taking medication that should be considered. Psychiatric medications do not just travel immediately to the brain. They also go to other parts of the body. This is why there are so many side effects from taking medications – some lasting. Individuals on psychiatric medications often have problems with obesity, kidney functioning, bowel and urinary issues, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and thyroid disease. The longer a person is on medication, the more risky some of these medications become.

There is also the issue of informed consent. Some doctors do not take the time to educate their patients about the risks associated with the medication they are prescribing. Common side effects, precautions, potential interactions with other drugs, and drug warnings should all be discussed with patients.

I believe medication has been an essential part in stabilizing me so that I could learn the coping skills necessary to handle the negative emotions on my own. Now that other parts of my body have been negatively affecting me, I am working with my doctor to get off the medications that put me most in danger. I have also learned it is important to ask my doctor the questions about the medications he is prescribing such as:

• How long will it take before I start feeling a benefit?
• What are the common side effects?
• What are side effects that I should be concerned enough about to call you?

You need to be an active part of your treatment. Do your own research and ask questions. It is your health that will be positively or negatively affected by medication, not the doctor's or your parent's.