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The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

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Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#151

Post by mastox »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #107
mastox wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 h…

> I absolutely believe that it should be discussed, and that people should feel safe.

Agreed!!

> 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?

Unfortunately in my experience, the level of education doesn't help. I've known medical doctors that know exactly the risks involved yet still make poor choices because they haven't resolved the underlying issues. Medical doctors can be good at treating other people, but very bad at "treating" themselves and family.

So the best answer I can come up with is, who cares if someone wants to use alcohol (or heroine, etc.) to get relief as long as it's not causing anyone else physical or mental harm, recognition by that individual that its a crutch therefore temporary, and a focus in resolving the real issues.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#152

Post by tachyonbeam »

tylerjwilk00 wrote: post #150

I was prescribed a benzo for insomnia and thought nothing of it. I went from enjoying a good night's sleep to completely dependant on it just to function. The only way to describe it was that I became "psychologically fragile" such as if things didn't go exactly according to expectations I would be in a state of panic and fear. It was horrible. I decided then to go cold turkey (no one told me otherwise) and it was he…

It's awful how easily they prescribe addictive medications, and how uninformed doctors are. Benzo withdrawal can cause seizures and even death. There are much less addictive sleep aids such as trazodone, and those should probably be prescribed first.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#153

Post by tylerjwilk00 »

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 had the left side numb thing too! It was like a line ran down the center of my body and everything on the left side of that line was numb.

(I have a pet theory that some psych meds "de-integrate" the left and right hemispheres of the brain)

Dr. said I was crazy and it had nothing to do with the meds. Sent me for MRI for that and the "brain zaps".

Eventually the left side numb thing went away.

Good luck and wish you well!

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#154

Post by bobowzki »

tylerjwilk00 wrote: post #150

I was prescribed a benzo for insomnia and thought nothing of it. I went from enjoying a good night's sleep to completely dependant on it just to function. The only way to describe it was that I became "psychologically fragile" such as if things didn't go exactly according to expectations I would be in a state of panic and fear. It was horrible. I decided then to go cold turkey (no one told me otherwise) and it was he…

I'm curious what type and dosis you were prescribed? (I'm an MD).

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#155

Post by sjg007 »

tylerjwilk00 wrote: post #150

I was prescribed a benzo for insomnia and thought nothing of it. I went from enjoying a good night's sleep to completely dependant on it just to function. The only way to describe it was that I became "psychologically fragile" such as if things didn't go exactly according to expectations I would be in a state of panic and fear. It was horrible. I decided then to go cold turkey (no one told me otherwise) and it was he…

One benzo? What dose?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#156

Post by mastox »

tylerjwilk00 wrote: post #153
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 had the left side numb thing too! It was like a line ran down the center of my body and everything on the left side of that line was numb. (I have a pet theory that some psych meds "de-integrate" the left and right hemispheres of the brain) Dr. said I was crazy and it had nothing to do with the meds. Sent me for MRI for that and the "brain zaps". Eventually the left side numb thing went away. Good luck and wish you…

> I have a pet theory that some psych meds "de-integrate" the left and right hemispheres of the brain

I could believe it. Could you explain more?

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#157

Post by tachyonbeam »

kmm wrote: post #131

When I stopped taking Venlafaxine (Effexor), the side-effects were immensely unpleasant. Brain zaps, panic attacks, hypersensitivity to light, barely any cognitive function. My psychiatrist was a sweet lady, but she did not appear to understand how tough it was for me. It boggles my mind she did not get it, she must have had so many patients stop with the medication, did she just not take any of them seriously? In th…

It may be that most psychiatrist don't follow patients long term, or that when things don't go well for a patient, they stop seeing that psychiatrist, and so they don't hear about bad withdrawals very often. Crazy idea, but maybe psychiatrists should take antidepressants for a short bit as part of their training. It would give them some perspective.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#158

Post by sjg007 »

captainredbeard wrote: post #130
JamesBarney wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Let’s not forget that 8% of SSRI users end up having an SSRI-induced [hypo]manic episode. It’s a hidden epidemic. Additionally, there are few longitudinal studies that show antidepressants as being effective and reasonably side effect free. Worse, neuroleptics leave the majority of long term users with lifelong tics, tremors, rigidity, and other Parkinson’s style symptoms. But yeah, there’s a study showing they make…

That 8% are likely bipolar.

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#159

Post by tcj_phx »

fraudsyndrome wrote: post #149
tcj_phx wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes less treatment is better than more treatment. If your friend will let you go to his appointments, maybe you can advocate on your friend's behalf. If he's ordered to submit to involuntary mental health treatment, you can probably request judicial review on his behalf. This would be to let the court know that your friend was doing better before the ECT treatment, and that you are concerned that some of his pr…

Thanks for the reply How can I, advocate on my friend's behalf against a Psychiatrist who has been working with him for years when I have no expertise in the field? Do I trust that his Psychiatrist has already thought the same thing? Maybe I can leak some info to him (like those articles) so he can think for himself and talk to his Psychiatrist about it. Technically he was doing better pre-ECT, but stress got to him…

You've been a passive observer for a long time. Psychiatrists usually see their patients for a few minutes when they're at their worst, and have no perspective on how the patient actually does on a day-to-day basis. They haven't observed the patient between 'episodes'. You can help fill in the gaps in the psychiatrist's profile of your friend.

> but stress got to him and when comparing to when he had his episode

Stress is the major factor in most of these conditions. My recent comment about the Quakers and their asylums [0] is relevant: most of their patients got better with nothing more than 4 meals a day and the expectation that they could recover if given appropriate support.

Malnourishment is the other major factor. My friend's involuntary treatment provider eventually did a genetic test that found she can't turn folic acid into folate. Getting supplemental folate has made a big difference for her misdiagnosed "mental" condition. B-vitamins... eggs... more coconut oil, less vegetable oil... fewer grains, more fruit (juice, apples, etc).

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19243417

Re: The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs

#160

Post by mastox »

sjg007 wrote: post #158
captainredbeard wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let’s not forget that 8% of SSRI users end up having an SSRI-induced [hypo]manic episode. It’s a hidden epidemic. Additionally, there are few longitudinal studies that show antidepressants as being effective and reasonably side effect free. Worse, neuroleptics leave the majority of long term users with lifelong tics, tremors, rigidity, and other Parkinson’s style symptoms. But yeah, there’s a study showing they make…

That 8% are likely bipolar.

Source? My understanding is the 8% would also include people with just family history.
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