Was at work today and my (female) coworkers started talking about medication for some reason. Keep in mind we are 12 women and 2 men (I'm a high school teacher, grade 9).

Six of the women were there and they started chatting about what medication they take, because that's a normal topic of conversation apparently. It went something like this:

Women1: "I started taking Prozac after my second pregnancy. I had a postpartum."

Women 2: "I did too, but I was prescribed attivan, but I got too many side effects with my Seroquel"

Women 3: "Doc wanted to put me on Seroquel but he upped my Prozac dose instead."

Women 4: "Oh my god, my concerta dose got increased too and to help me sleep, he put me on Rivotril. I hate Rivotril, it makes me like a zombie."

Women 1: "The dose is too high. Try to add some Vyvense too."

Women 5: "Vyvense? They wanted to put my son on that because Ritalin wasn't working."

Women 2: Buproprion was a really lifechanger for me. Helps me function during the day

If this is hard to follow, sorry, but it was hard to follow for me too. All this to say that out of the six women that were there, at least five were on some of that garbage.

I understand that it's a teaching job, but... C'mon. Those women were defending their medication as if their entire life was depending on it. And they seemed proud of it too, like a badge of honor. "Omg I'm taking some chemical shit with tons of side effects just so I can pretend I'm happy!"

And apparently, they talk about it openly like it's no big deal.

I found it absolutely pathetic. But it got even worse, later, when I was discussing alone with one of the few coworkers I don't find unbearable (she wasn't there in the interaction above, let's call her Women #7).

Woman #7 is one of the rare women I consider "adjusted" and "normal".

"Can you believe this? They were talking about all the medication they take and the list was so long we could have opened a pharmacy just with their prescriptions."

"I understand, I got very severe side effects when I started medication.

"What?"

"My heart would be pumping hard and I couldn't sleep at night. I'd get panic attacks in the middle of the nights and they wanted to add something to 'knock me out' like the doctor said, but I said no. They had to cut my doses, but now I just don't feel anything. Everything is flat."

I swear, I've never felt so low in my life. I really thought this woman was "normal" and had an okay life. She always seemed like a good teacher, happy, "épanouïe." Bleh.

At least 50% of the women that I work with are medicated/sedated with garbage pills. And let's face it, the real number is probably higher than that. As I said, I understand, teaching is a shitjob and it's their way to cope with how horrible this job is, but still...

And then I got to think of a pic of her I saw on the fridge (in the teachers room) and how thin she was. She gained a good 40 lbs in the last 2-3 years I'd say. Which is a normal side effect of antidepressants.

Seriously, what the fuck