The new me...

[Mike Vande]

Guys, I want to ask some questions. It would serve me right to get a lot of jokes and razzing in response, because that has been my approach to so many of you in the past. But if you have a real take on this, say so, okay?

I has become obvious to a few people here that a big change has come over me recently. I have become less confrontive and am attempting to avoid dispute and verbal fighting, and remain positive. No one is more surprized about it than me.

The physical reason for the change is a new medication I started taking for adult ADD called Vyvance. My sister, the psychologist, and my mother, the mother, had been comparing notes about me and came to the conclusion that I was ADD as a kid. I didn't act out in class or get violent with other kids, I was a daydreamer, my mind flitting off in a hundred different directions, with limited ability to concentrate for extended periods of time, and becoming bored with things in very short times. I did lousy in school up through the 11th grade. After that, it was all review anyway, so I graduated high school as a C student.

My IQ scores said I should have been doing much better, and it angered and frustrated my father so much that he couldn't think of anything to do but berate and beat me over and over to make me obey him about school and live up to my potential. That just drove me deeper into me, and reinforced the bad things I already thought about myself.

Cut to now; the doctor I have been seeing has been trying different meds in an effort to find one that helps me focus and not run off on a hundred bunny trails in my head. We've tried several, with poor results. But this new one has really made a difference in a lot of things, not the least in my outlook on life.

The drug itself is a form of dextroamphetamine, speed for those who aren't in the know about street drugs. I asked if I was gonna become addicted to the stuff, and the doctor told me no, and that I wouldn't develop a tolerance to it and have to keep increasing the dosage either.

When I looked it up on the iinternet this morning, it said one of the side efffects could be a feeling of well-being. Suffice it to say, I have that side effect. Despite losing my job, I feel like things might just work out for me, instead of feeling like a failure doomed to die alone in poverty. I have hope, and I didn't really have much before. I can't tell you what a relief it is.

I have to say that when I lost the job with Sprint, the thing that bothered me most was the fact that my insurance was going away. I am told Vyvance is REALLY expensive. There is no patient assistance program for anyone over the age of 12 till next year, and without a med card, it could easily be more than I could swing.

My questions are thus; Is the use of this drug giving me a false image of the world around me, or letting me see what really is going on without the filter of depression?

Is this a "happy pill" that keeps me from feeling what I should, or is it helping me be who I should be?

Should Christians use antidepressants?

Am I getting something from the drug that I should be getting from God?

[scooter]

Does the pill adversly effect you in other ways?

If you lose the ability to get the pills do you think you have tasted of something that God could help you keep without the them?

Anyway we will be praying that it works out the best for you.

[Mike Vande]

Does the pill adversly effect you in other ways?

If you lose the ability to get the pills do you think you have tasted of something that God could help you keep without the them?

Anyway we will be praying that it works out the best for you.

No adverse effects yet. Obviously God could do whatever He wanted, but so far, He hasn't done anything to affect the depressive side of me.

Thanx for the prayers, brah. I'll take all of that I can get.

[MrDanger]

Mike I wouldn't want to make light of your situation. I just received a little whiplash from one of the BIG DOGS turning out to be a poodle.

If the meds are helping and not adversely affecting you, then continue to take them. As long as it isn't something that is controlling your life, I don't believe it is wrong.

[justsam]

Mike- The Bible says that a merry heart doeth good, like a medicine and that the sick hath need of a physician. If you didn't genuinely need that medication, you would be bouncing off the walls instead of being calmed down.

However, if you are concerned that your feelings of euphoria may keep you from dealing appropriately with negative situations since you no longer feel the same way about them, you may want to discuss that with your therapist.

God Bless You- Sam Smith

[Pastor Gary]

Mike, this sounds like better living through chemistry. If a person's pancreas doesn't function correctly, and they need insulin to sustain and normalize life, nobody blinks. Your body, apparently, lacks the ability to produce some chemical balance needed to stabilize your emotional state of well-being or prevent the onset of depression --- sounds like a medical success story to me.

How expensive is the med? I mean, are we talking $50/month or $500/month or what?

I know God can heal anything, and yet I wear glasses. Some here take high blood-pressure meds, have false teeth, inject insulin, or use other means of medical intervention to enhance or normalize life. Let he who is without medical difficulties cast the first stone.

(On a side note: if they make that med in other forms, we could change the world. Imagine communion wafers infused with a chemical that would reduce pessimism and elevate mood... or the kool-aid at the next gathering of MoveOn.org...)

[Full Quiver]

Have you ever had your temperament profiled? Doing so by a certified Christian Counselor could be of great help and may actually tell you that you do not have ADD. Such a profile will help you know how that you will interact with people, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and will help you know what type of job would suit you best.
Since being profiled several weeks ago I have seen some very vivid things about myself, had a better relationship with my wife and friends, and found why I love my job so much. It's really cool and sure couldn't hurt. Dr. ron could help you out.

[Jennifer Smith]

Mike, I am glad you have found more peace and a more positive outlook! I'm happy for you, and I hope we can attribute that to God working in your life, as well as or through this medication. I don't believe it is wrong for a believer to take medications. A sibling of mine has had severe depression and I've learned some things through experiences with her. From what I have learned about depression, there is often a physical depletion of seratonin, which is needed in order to have a sense of happiness and well-being. I don't know anything about Vyvance, but do you think it is possible this medication has helped restore your normal sense of well-being, as a believer in Jesus? I have also learned that many times, once the sense of well-being and seratonin levels have been restored, the medication at times may be discontinued without losing that sense of well-being. If you're concerned you won't be able to continue to have the insurance, perhaps there is also another medication that could be substituted?

If you feel a peace and calm in the midst of a storm, perhaps this medication has helped you realize what it means to experience the peace that passes understanding, the peace that God gives us! Praying for wisdom, blessings, and an open door for you.

[Darling]

Pastor Gary, well said post.

[Mike Vande]

How expensive is the med? I mean, are we talking $50/month or $500/month or what?

I think somewhere around $300.

[Mike Vande]

If you're concerned you won't be able to continue to have the insurance, perhaps there is also another medication that could be substituted?

The doctor told me Vyvance was the last one we hadn't tried, and if it didn't work, I was gonna have to learn to live with ADD.

[Gerald Creasy]

Forgive me if this has been asked:

Did your sales figures go down before or after the medication?

It seems like you've had this job for a couple of years at least, right?

Did the medication affect your sales demeanor?

Just some questions.

[Mike Vande]

Forgive me if this has been asked:

Did your sales figures go down before or after the medication?

Nope, they have been down for 4 months, I have been on the med for 2 1/2 months, full strength for about 3 weeks.

It seems like you've had this job for a couple of years at least, right?

2 years as of August 15th.

Did the medication affect your sales demeanor?

According to my last quality evaluation (done by listening in to one of my calls) I was upbeat, knoledgeable and very good at dealing with the customer.