The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs • Hacker News Board

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#51

Post by unquietcode » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:23 PM UTC

ctdonath wrote: post #2

Underdiscussed: the horror of missing a couple doses of antidepressants. Being on such meds may work, keeping the patient stable. Nobody mentions that when a couple doses are missed, the result can be a week of anger & angst as resumed medication balances back out again - living hell not just for the patient, but for those around. Weaning off such meds is difficult, reducing doses by literally counting out & down ind…

It is the single strongest reason I continually try to migrate myself away from long-term use of these drugs. While I have basically accepted that I will probably need to be on these or similar medications for the rest of my life, the side effect profiles and withdrawal symptoms of even a single missed dose is a punch to the gut. As soon as you are feeling better and like you want to go and enjoy life, you can't. It is all very frustrating and makes me question whether being alive will for me ever be a truly enjoyable experience.

Nausea, tremors, memory loss--these are just the basics. Throw in anhedonia and loss of desire for good measure, and long after you've stopped the medications too.

The options as I see them are either: be miserable, and probably just die, or: be not miserable, but sabotaged and unable to actually enjoy your newfound life. This usually just leads to a cycle of starting and stopping medications, desperately trying to have a happy yet functional life that is worth living.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#52

Post by GuB-42 » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:23 PM UTC

com2kid wrote: post #25

nerdponx wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Psychiatry should not be front-line treatment for most people. End of story.

For most people, psychiatry is overkill, sure sure. But heck, look at the diagnostic criteria for Bi-Polar, > The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features. That line about "marked impairment in occupationa…

The article mentions talking about wanting to die, cutting oneself with razor blades, drinking through the night and doing cocaine. And that's before treatment, so it is not at fault. That's not something to take lightly, especially combined together.

Also, that story somehow reminds me of someone I know who really is bipolar, she looked somewhat normal until she went completely bonkers, burning down most of her stuff at home, etc... It is serious. She now takes mood stabilizers (lithium) and lives a healthy life. So don't dismiss psychiatry.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#53

Post by mnm1 » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:24 PM UTC

GlenTheMachine wrote: post #10

I am on Klonopin and Remeron. My diagnosis is anxiety, but really it's insomnia. I had a horrible, multiple-year episode of insomnia that started in my early thirties. For about three years I got maybe one night a week of decent sleep. I was mentally and emotionally out of it; I'm kind of surprised I still have a job after that. A few years in, I found a psychiatrist who was willing to experiment and we discovered th…

Tapering is the only solution for kolonipin. Please check out https://www.benzo.org.uk/index.htm It sounds like you're on the right path. It took me around 3-4 months also, but time varies from person to person. Stay strong. I did it and you can definitely do it! It's so worth it.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#54

Post by limeblack » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:25 PM UTC

"Lamictal, a mood stabilizer; Lexapro, an antidepressant; and Seroquel, an antipsychotic that she was told to use as a sleep aid."

Lamictal and Seroquel can cause an often permanent condition called tardive dyskinesia[1]. Basically the dopamine receptors tend to permanent up scale leading to sleep disorders. This is fairly unique compared to most Psychiatric drugs out there.

[1]: http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/tardive-dyskinesia/seroque...

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#55

Post by tamaharbor » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:38 PM UTC

Supplemental iron and magnesium saved me. No more GAD, panic attacks, night sweats, or insomnia, and no more RX drugs!

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#56

Post by abstractbarista » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:44 PM UTC

colesdefectum wrote: post #43

I rarely comment on anything but this hits rather close to home. After a rather severe bout of depression my doctor started feeding me drugs. SSRIs, NDRIs, benzos, and a handful of misc other prescriptions that were the flavor of the week. I felt like every visit was a game of 'lets try this new drug!' which would lead to negative side effects more often than not. Fast forward a couple years and I'm realizing that me…

I am really glad to hear you are taking action on your own, despite the ignorance of people who are supposed to be there to help you! Thanks for writing this; stay strong and I believe you will continue to recover in the coming months. :)

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#57

Post by com2kid » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:48 PM UTC

stronglikedan wrote: post #44

com2kid wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally the next sentence I wrote: > They can only create the possibility for happiness for those who need some extra help.

Literally what I expounded upon.

True, apologizes for the rudeness on my part.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#58

Post by JamesBarney » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:50 PM UTC

com2kid wrote: post #9

I generally am supportive of people seeking psychiatric treatment, but wow, this woman's case seems, in retrospect, rather mismanaged. It is like her doctors tried to medicate away an epiphany. Realizing that "the glittering balls and designer clothing has no real underlying substance" and being depressed that one's life is limited to such things, is not a cause for medication. It sounds like she was struggling to be…

> Medication cannot make people happy. (Well at least not the legal drugs, and the illegal ones won't work long term!) They can only create the possibility for happiness for those who need some extra help.

There are phase 3 randomized controlled trials that prove differently.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#59

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:51 PM UTC

LyndsySimon wrote: post #21

azernik wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Mood stabilizer" is a quite accurate description of the usual function of the drug - in bipolar patients like me, it reduces the magnitude and stabilizes the period of mood swings. Mood stabilizers also tend to be anti-seizure meds, and have all kinds of off-label uses because of neurological phenomena we don't understand, but the label is a very useful one. Same for antidepressants - often the same drugs (especiall…

I think what the parent was trying to say was that "antibiotic" describes the drugs' method of action, while "antidepressant" describes the drugs' intended affect. > due to the ill-understood nature of the brain, I think this is exactly the problem. We have a bunch of drugs that seem to work, and we think we know how and why they work, but we're not able to directly measure the problem in those terms. If someone has…

[deleted]

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#60

Post by KerryJones » Mon, Apr 01, 2019, 7:53 PM UTC

JamesBarney wrote: post #58

com2kid wrote: post #9

I generally am supportive of people seeking psychiatric treatment, but wow, this woman's case seems, in retrospect, rather mismanaged. It is like her doctors tried to medicate away an epiphany. Realizing that "the glittering balls and designer clothing has no real underlying substance" and being depressed that one's life is limited to such things, is not a cause for medication. It sounds like she was struggling to be…

> Medication cannot make people happy. (Well at least not the legal drugs, and the illegal ones won't work long term!) They can only create the possibility for happiness for those who need some extra help. There are phase 3 randomized controlled trials that prove differently.

And they are?

Your statement is completely anecdotal and carries no weight without the references.