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The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

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Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#101

Post by pbhjpbhj »

Gibbon1 wrote: post #90
stronglikedan wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Medication cannot make people happy. But it can allow one to find happiness. Depression is a chemical imbalance, and not everyone can overcome it on their own - especially if left untreated for extended lengths of time. The medicine helps people get back into balance, so they can start to work on their happiness again, whatever that may be.

> Depression is a chemical imbalance That is literally drug company marketing propaganda.

So, human bodies are perfectly self-regulating in brain chemistry?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#102

Post by eecc »

Well, haven’t read through more than the first intro paragraph and whatever hollowness Miss Delano might have felt can be also attributed to the spleen of a comfortable yet purposeless life, planting daffodils and watching them wither.

With this I don’t want to disparage her personal odyssey or that of people suffering from psychiatric difficulties, but the framing of this article is unfortunate. Very much

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#103

Post by mastox »

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 .

I'm not sure I understand what this means: "The West's mental health addiction problem."

Do you mean a over reliance on antidepressants for treatment?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#104

Post by mmjaa »

martinald wrote: post #79
GlenTheMachine wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most chronic insomnia is psychosomatic. The problem with calling it "psychosomatic" is that people who haven't experienced it think that means it isn't real. But it is. You can't just talk yourself out of psychosomatic illnesses. They're as real as any other kind. You need some sort of medical care to manage or overcome them, just as much as if you had a broken leg. In my case, I see my psychiatrist once a quarter fo…

I dont mean to be alarmist but taking benzodiazepines for an extended time (anything more than 2 weeks is probably a bad idea, especially with strong ones such as clonazepam), is definitely not a great idea. There is a very prolonged withdrawal syndrome, with many not reporting feeling completely better after many years in cases of high dose long term usage. You may take the view that you can always take them, but ci…

.. and here, another reason to distrust the Lords of Pharmaceuticals: the cloaking of danger by way of re-branding. Why, exactly, is this necessary again?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#105

Post by DanBC »

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.

I'm not a medical professional (obviously) and you shouldn't take medical advice from anyone on the Internet.

With any medical decision one of the important questions to ask is "What happens if we do nothing? What happens if we just watch and wait?" This isn't just for mental health. Whatever it is you should ask your doctor that question.

Then you have to balance the risk of side effects and discontinuation against not doing anything.

If you want evidence-based advice from a credible source you can read the NICE guidance: https://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/depression

And here: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg90

Personally - I liked venlafaxine for the first two years but one of the side effects was hard to live with. I was on a high dose for years, and coming off it was rough for two weeks. I'm currently on Mirtazipine which doesn't feel liek it's working, and causes me to feel hungry all the time, but I'm not dead so maybe it is working. I think I would have preferred a more active "off-boarding", although I can understand why in my case people were reluctant to take me off a med that appears to keep me alive. I had low-intensity IAPT (a UK talking therapy thing) which was not good, and I had high intensity IAPT (one to one, face to face with an experienced therapist using CBT for 14 weeks) which was considerably better. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has a good evidence base and is effective for about 60% of the people who do it (although those numbers are tricky).

EDIT: I forgot to mention that whatever you do I hope things pick up, and good luck!!

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#106

Post by iooi »

GlenTheMachine wrote: post #68
QualityReboot wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Be very careful tapering off benzos, the withdrawals are more dangerous than that of heroin [1]. You should definitely get your doctor involved in this process. You might also want to read through this [2]. 8 months might not be enough time to taper off depending on the time and dosage you've been on.

[1] https://qz.com/677980/opioids-arent-the-most-dangerous-drug-...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_synd...

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#107

Post by SketchySeaBeast »

mastox wrote: post #98
SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a bit concerned about a figure it out yourself approach to this sort of thing - it can be very hard for someone who is cognitively compromised to make an objectively good choice. Also it can be hard to make an actual good choice when you don't have all the right education - the pro-plague crowd honestly think they are making the correct choice based upon their consideration of all the alternatives.

I don't know if it was the intent by comparing "pro-plague" to anti-vaxxers, but please don't analogize anti-vaxxers with people's choice on mental health treatment. That's how we stigmatize mental health issues...

Yeah, I think "pro-plague" is the better term for the anti-vax, but I have no desire to stigmatize mental health. I absolutely believe that it should be discussed, and that people should feel safe. I just want there to be an awareness that all therapies aren't created equal, and people could be lead some bad places depending on how poorly educated they become. After all, people still use alcohol to cope with mental health. Who knows what ridiculous notions someone could come up with given enough ingenuity and misinformation?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#108

Post by rednerrus »

limeblack wrote: post #54

"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/tar…

I don't see Lamictal on that list: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000685.htm

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#109

Post by mastox »

GuB-42 wrote: post #52
com2kid wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 stuf…

I don't consider being on lithium a win. My Dad was on lithium for bipolar for 40 years, trashed his kidney's to the point of renal failure, and committed suicide...

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#110

Post by mastox »

stronglikedan wrote: post #37
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. But it can allow one to find happiness. Depression is a chemical imbalance, and not everyone can overcome it on their own - especially if left untreated for extended lengths of time. The medicine helps people get back into balance, so they can start to work on their happiness again, whatever that may be.

Which is fine as long as its sold as a tool not a cure.
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