When you are disabled or chronically ill taking medication will most likely be part of your life. Medications are what you need to functions but unfortunately, most people who aren’t disabled or chronically ill don’t understand that. All they see is us popping pills so they will start asking us questions like have you tried natural remedies or maybe your medication is making your pain worse. No, actually my medication is making my pain better and you should never try and diagnose someone(especially if you’re not a doctor) because you feel there are better options because often times there aren’t. It’s okay if you don’t understand why we take certain medications it’s not okay to shame us for taking them. There is nothing wrong with taking medications and today I am going to talk a little bit about why it’s okay.
Are you denial?- The very first thing you need to ask yourself are you in denial? Has your doctor suggested that you take a certain medication and you completely refused it for no reason at all? If you are refusing medication for no reason at all then yes you are! Maybe you have convinced yourself that natural remedies will fix your pain and that you don’t need them. There is nothing wrong with using natural remedies to treat your pain and I fully support them but if you have used natural remedies for several months with no results then they probably don’t work. There is nothing wrong with taking medication and if natural remedies are not working for you then the only way you will be on the road to recovery is by taking that next step. It might be scary and not something you want to do but if you truly want to feel better you need to be open to other options in your pain management plan.
Sometimes it’s not a choice- When you have a complexed condition taking pain medication may not be the desired choice but often times there are no other options. I fully support natural remedies but for treating pain they aren’t always very effective because sometimes pain becomes so intense it isn’t strong enough. The ultimate goal is to feel better and that cannot always be done by having natural remedies as the primary source in our pain management plan. It would be nice if they did cure everything but unfortunately, they don’t and in those instances, you need a backup plan!
Chosen to get better– Sometimes when people see others taking medications they will immediately start judging that person. Why are they taking that medication? Do they really need to be on it? It’s unfair to judge someone for all, you know that person could be going through a very difficult cancer battle. When someone is taking a bunch of pills what most people see is failure and that they have given up but what I see is strength. What I see when someone taking medication I see strength because that tells me that person is choosing to do what it takes to get better. There is nothing wrong with taking medication and it is not a sign of failure! It is actually the exact opposite of failure because you are choosing to do what it takes to get better! Giving up would mean you are doing absolutely nothing about your condition and as far as I am concerned taking medication is doing the complete opposite of that.
If pain was worsened I wouldn’t be on it- When you tell someone that maybe your medications are making your pain worse I really want you to think about that statement. Do you really think that if my pain was being worsened I would continue to take that medication? Absolutely not! If that were to happen I would immediately notify my doctor and it is likely they would either change the dosage or take me off of it and put me on something else. My doctor put me on all my medications for a reason and if they thought that my pain would go away by simply applying peppermint oil then I would have no need to go to a neurologist. The reality of it is my doctor doesn’t think that my pain will go away with peppermint oil alone and the only way to get effective treatment is by taking my prescribed medications. Peppermint oil has it’s place but for many migraineurs, it has very little effect because after all if it was the ultimate cure for migraines medicine would not exist.
People will shame others for taking medications and as wrong as it is there is nothing you can do to stop it! If someone is shaming you for taking medication you can express your feeling to them but that doesn’t mean they will stop. You have to try and not let it bother you and know that what they are saying is not true. At the end of the end what your medication is doing for you is what is important and the opinions of your friends should not influence that and be the deciding factor of whether or not you will take it. Sometimes people are just trying and they don’t realize that they actually are not being helpful. If someone has shamed for taking medication try and not let it bother you and if does find people who have your condition and who are in your situation and talk to them. They may be able to give you some tips on how to deal with these feelings better than your peers that don’t take medications. You will feel so much better after talking to people that know and understand your condition! Have you ever been shamed for taking medications?
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