Medication Cramp Your Creativity?

Does medication cramp your creativity? Unless you have been living under a rock, you would have heard recently in the news about how mental health medication may cramp one's creativity.  This comes to light in the midst of what some people allegedly say is a Kanye West Bipolar episode, as he runs for president of the United States of America.  The pinnacle event viewed globally of Kanye West's first presidential rally held in South Carolina whereby he loudly wept that he opted to abort the pregnancy of his firstborn daughter with Kim Kardashian-West, North West.  This globally viewed incident led to his alleged rant to be seen by many as a Bipolar episode, further enforced through his own past admission of suffering from this condition  And yes, mental health medication may dampen the fire of creativity, but what's better, having your freedom and being able to function productively and take care of yourself better or being able to say that you are negatively struggling with your situation or condition without medication? Is it worth it? If you have been diagnosed and mandated to take medication, and don't, you could be locked up! Locked up in an institution just because you won't take what has been mandated for you to take. 

Life gets real simple when your freedom is taken away from you. It comes down to, can I live my life the way I want to. It comes down to, can I come and go as I please. It comes down to, can I eat what I want to eat. It comes down to, can I go to sleep when I want to. And that is just the most basic. Not including, children and the freedom to raise your children yourself, if you can, and if that's what you want to do. Why would we not want to do or use something that may help us? Why? Because our creativity is cramped? Why? Because the medication makes us tired? Why? Because the medication makes us gain weight? Why? Because we were wrongly diagnosed and its everyone else and not us, that's crazy? Or is it the stigma?

They'll call you Mad either way, you might as well take your meds.

I, myself, in the past, like you, didn't want these side effects either. But really in most cases that is what has been prescribed and even though the medication is not perfect, the overall effect should be beneficial in the long-term. In most cases, this medication was prescribed for a purpose. Most likely at the time you exhibited symptoms that brought you to this predicament. Mental illness is a tricky kind of illness because it affects not only you, but those around you, and that is why there are more ramifications involved. Whether it was your fault or not, taking the medication means your freedom and so much more. The medication can aid you in handling life. Sure at first you may gain weight. But I can tell you that after a while you can get a handle on that. Soon enough after taking your meds, you will be able to understand how it affects your body, you will be able to control how tired you feel with the use of vitamins like I do. And you will be able to control your appetite, by eating only at specified times with amounts you can control.

Well, if your creativity has been cramped. It's likely that your not an acclaimed artist and it probably

doesn't really matter in your life. Secondly, if you are a true artist of some type, once you take your medication for a good amount of time, you can work hard at enabling your creativity.  It is very possible that through your efforts to fight the medication you can achieve your creativity once again. It may take time to get your creativity to the original level, but it is attainable. When I say fight the medication I mean by taking the medication as prescribed. But fighting the side effects, purely through will or even through prescribed medication.  For example, I take this medication and due to it, I am tired and sleepy. But I fight it, by taking my medication, and when I am tired I have methods apart from taking additional medication or ingesting foreign substances to fight and get all the things I need to get done and do all the things I want to do in spite of being tired.  

My creativity has graduated from being purely recreational,
to being functional.

There are many options to try to deal with medication side effects like drowsiness or even lack of creativity. Personally, I have always been an artistic person and I exercise different aspects of my creativity. Initially, at the beginning of my journey taking mental health medication, I experienced sedation and lackluster moods.  But over time I worked hard to continue to be creative and I can say that I have found ways to be creative even though the avenue of my medication, my sedation. I realize that yes I may have been even more creative when I was not on it. But my life was not in balance. Sure I was quite creative, but I was not as equipped to handle myself productively in other important areas of my life.  I can look back after taking medication for the past 25 years and know that my decision to follow my doctor's orders and take my medication is the right one. I know that having my freedom is more important, than being creative. I prefer to be able to live my life the way I want to generally than to be concerned if I am not quite as creative. Should I prefer to be creative, not take my medication, and be in an institution? Where I would not have any freedom and would be forced to take

the same medication anyways. We have to look at what the priorities are and what's most important.

With the help of my medication, my creativity helps keep me productive!
(Gutter/Spouting DIY home repair project above me in pic)

Take your medication and keep your liberty!