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The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

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Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#61

Post by tcj_phx »

clydethefrog wrote: post #35
LyndsySimon wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had similar experiences with myself. After high school I was prescribed two drugs in combination (Lexapro and Abilify) that helped me deal with and get a handle on my (serious) depression, and that was really easy. When I told them that I hated the way they made me feel and wanted to taper off of them once I was stabilized... that wasn't so easy. At the end of the day I had to issue a sort of ultimatum: I was go…

The high mention of Abilify in the article and your comment makes me worried. I am currently on Abilify (10mg) for antipsychotic reasons. It seemed to be a "new generation" safer antipsychotic. Reading the Wikipedia article about it makes it sound a lot of research is unclear about the side effects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aripiprazole

Abilify is one of the least-bad of its class. But it doesn't address the metabolic problem that is at the root of psychosis.

Coconut oil, niacin/niacinamide (vitamin B-3), and other pro-metabolic interventions help get at the actual causes behind the diagnosis.

Coconut oil is helpful because it can be directly metabolized by the cells, whereas longer saturated fats have to be ... processed somehow before they can be used for energy (I forget the exact name of the step). Coconut oil is also helpful for alcohol cravings.

Cortisol deficiency is now associated with psychosis [0]. This is one of the manifestations of the metabolic problem at the root of the behavioral symptom (psychosis).

[0] https://psychcentral.com/news/2016/06/04/low-morning-cortiso...

Sometimes metabolic problems are caused or amplified by emotional stress.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#62

Post by mmjaa »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #46
mmjaa wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consumerism: the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers I think there are very definitely market forces at work, keeping people in the mindset that pharmaceuticals are the only 'real' effective solution to their ills - when so, so many other alternatives are available. I don't doubt that chemicals can make peoples lives happier - I see it all the time. What I resist, however, is the notion that individ…

> What I resist, however, is the notion that individuals should subjugate themselves to collective will just because everyone says pharmaceuticals are the way. Maybe strengthening ones resistance to groupthink and collective-derived thought processes is also an effective way to strengthen ones mental health .. alas, this point of view is too often overwhelmed by the very mob it serves to service, however ... What I'm…

The alternative: question what you are being told about why you don't feel good, and don't just go along with the pack - its not always headed in the right direction.

Case in point: The West's mental health addiction problem. It isn't getting better because of pharmaceutical treatment: its getting worse.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#63

Post by KerryJones »

dmortin wrote: post #8

Does depression go away after a while if taking meds? Or does the person having depression need to take meds for the rest of his/her life to avoid relapsing?

There is no causal relationship with meds and getting rid of depression.

It can "numb" the feelings, like pain meds (as others have said).

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#64

Post by azernik »

dmortin wrote: post #8

Does depression go away after a while if taking meds? Or does the person having depression need to take meds for the rest of his/her life to avoid relapsing?

Depression is a symptom, not a disease. If the underlying cause is long-lasting, then you're stuck on the meds forever e.g. bipolar disorder is a chronic disease and requires mood stabilizers (and, in type II, antidepressants) to be taken indefinitely. But in the case of treatable or temporary conditions like PTSD, anti-depressants can just be used to reduce symptoms while other treatments are under way.

Major Depressive Disorder is a specific disease that's commonly called "depression", and I have no idea what the long-term treatments look like there.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#65

Post by penagwin »

beenBoutIT wrote: post #45
nerdponx wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

It should be a last resort for people who have been thoroughly screened by MDs and neurologists. According to sleep experts at Stanford at least 25% of people with ADHD/ADD are narcoleptics who've been misdiagnosed. That's a shitload of people who are currently living suboptimal lives because they went to a psychiatrist prior to being evaluated by a neurologist.

Might not be the best example, as narcolepsy is usually treated with stimulants and antidepressants, so adding say ritalin may still improve symptoms regardless of if it's actual ADD/ADHD or narcolepsy

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#66

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

mmjaa wrote: post #62
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What I resist, however, is the notion that individuals should subjugate themselves to collective will just because everyone says pharmaceuticals are the way. Maybe strengthening ones resistance to groupthink and collective-derived thought processes is also an effective way to strengthen ones mental health .. alas, this point of view is too often overwhelmed by the very mob it serves to service, however ... What I'm…

The alternative: question what you are being told about why you don't feel good, and don't just go along with the pack - its not always headed in the right direction. Case in point: The West's mental health addiction problem. It isn't getting better because of pharmaceutical treatment: its getting worse .

So reject the best known treatments, flawed as they may be, and instead choose internal reflection, when for many conditions being unable to accurately reflect is either a cause or a symptom of the condition?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#67

Post by clydethefrog »

tcj_phx wrote: post #61
clydethefrog wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The high mention of Abilify in the article and your comment makes me worried. I am currently on Abilify (10mg) for antipsychotic reasons. It seemed to be a "new generation" safer antipsychotic. Reading the Wikipedia article about it makes it sound a lot of research is unclear about the side effects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aripiprazole

Abilify is one of the least-bad of its class. But it doesn't address the metabolic problem that is at the root of psychosis. Coconut oil, niacin/niacinamide (vitamin B-3), and other pro-metabolic interventions help get at the actual causes behind the diagnosis. Coconut oil is helpful because it can be directly metabolized by the cells, whereas longer saturated fats have to be ... processed somehow before they can be…

Very interesting, especially for someone which psychosis was alcohol induced. Thanks. I avoid coconut oil because of the fats, but I will change it now! I already noticed probiotic foods make me much happier.

Question:

Cortisol is a stress hormone, how can a deficiency cause psychosis?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#68

Post by GlenTheMachine »

QualityReboot wrote: post #19
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…

Just so you know, because it sound like nobody told you... you really need to taper those drugs or the chance of seizure goes way up. It's not like other addictions, you can't just cold turkey benzos or alcohol if you've been using them daily for a long time. It can literally kill you, and you won't see it coming. There's various schedules on how to do it, here's a good starting point: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/1…

Indeed, nobody told me. I experienced the immediate effects of withdrawal when my stomach started tensing up for no good reason, and I started sweating. That was enough to convince me to stop with the cold withdrawal and start tapering.

I did not know this could have been life threatening. That's... comforting...

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#69

Post by gwbas1c »

throwaway55254 wrote: post #11

This terrifies me. I've been trying to get up the nerve to talk to my doctor about my mental health for years now. I've been depressed on and off for a large portion of my life. I've always been really wary of pills though and reading things like this makes me worry even more. I wonder if the efficacy is actually there or if the withdrawal is worth it.

Look up the history of heroin, or methamphetamine. They both were marketed as safe in the early days.

Drug companies like to sell drugs like soda companies like to sell soda.

The conflict of interest is so awful that sometimes I wonder if we should ban for-profit drug companies.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#70

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

com2kid wrote: post #39
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The definitions can be more easily met when you consider "Cause significant distress" or "reduce the quality of, social, school, or work functioning" - that's much larger, and people can be visibly firing on all cylinders, but if they report reduced quality or distress, then it meets those criteria.

But as the article made clear, the drugs were reducing her performance at school! This is one area where I think the ADHD community has pulled ahead, good doctors will, when someone starts a new treatment, do weekly check-ins[1] with how one's quality of life is going across multiple metrics. Mood, self image, social life, and work/school performance. The fact this isn't done for all forms of psychiatric treatment is…

> But as the article made clear, the drugs were reducing her performance at school!

She was by no means stable before the medication. In fact - Bipolar, if the hypomanic/manic states hit at the right time, could be a huge help with school. I'm not saying it's in any way right, I'm saying there are broad criteria for getting on medication, and there's no DSM criteria for when she should be coming off.

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