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Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

madinamerica.com

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Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#81

Post by HBlix »

baumgarn wrote: post #75
op00to wrote: post #47

This article is absolute bullshit and quite frankly dangerous. It seems to me this woman was emotionally vulnerable and taken in by a snake oil huckster masquerading as a doctor. > Shortly after I started seeing him, my new doctor had me read the book Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker. Robert Whitaker's theses in that book have repeatedly been scientifically disproven. It's anti-science drivel. > The pharmace…

I think you're stepping into a fallacy here. Of course every thought process is bound to biological processes in the brain. So we can see this as some sort of biochemical mapping of our understanding and perception of the world, and our social status in it. Why should the solution to a negative outlook be to mess with the chemistry alone, through drugs? You can just as well ask the other way around, what kind of worl…

If you had a childhood full of physical abuse, and your right leg was frequently broken until it became malformed, then the solution might involve crutches. All of which is to say, just because the damage done is in the past, doesn’t mean that it can’t have lasting effects you can’t just wish away. The developing human brain, it has been shown time and again, undergoes permanent changes associated with abusive environments. Those are real, physical changes that may require interventions beyond talking or therapy. It’s not just learned insecurity, it’s the biochemical changes wrought by years of stress during a formative period.

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#82

Post by throwaway895237 »

Fnoord wrote: post #51
throwaway895237 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hope big pharma comes up with something else than benzos and SSRIs for anxiety, so that I can be relieved from the task of living my life spiting anxiety 70% of the day. Have you tried psilocybin mushrooms or DMT? I'd been on meds for years treating depression and anxiety. A few mushroom and DMT experiences have basically cured my depression and anxiety and opened up a whole new way of looking at things.

Yeah, I have used psilocybin mushrooms, DMT, and MDMA (and marihuana as well) before I went to seek professional help (or, rather, after I was disappointed with a previous professional endeavour and discredited the psych scientific community as a whole). After that, I tried the psychiatrist route (got a prescription) and eventually tried chronic gaming and alcoholism. None of that helped. Until I once more went via t…

Fair enough, it sounds like you've found something that works well for you. Prescriptions worked pretty well for me for a while, but psychedelics have been a game changer for me. The mind and living life with it is a tricky thing.

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#83

Post by Alex3917 »

chrisweekly wrote: post #77
throwaway895237 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hope big pharma comes up with something else than benzos and SSRIs for anxiety, so that I can be relieved from the task of living my life spiting anxiety 70% of the day. Have you tried psilocybin mushrooms or DMT? I'd been on meds for years treating depression and anxiety. A few mushroom and DMT experiences have basically cured my depression and anxiety and opened up a whole new way of looking at things.

How'd you get access to the psilocybin mushrooms?

Just go outside, they’re pretty much everywhere. Join your local mycological association, there’s a list on that NAMA website:

https://www.namyco.org/clubs.php

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#84

Post by curun1r »

ssorina wrote: post #23
psergeant wrote: post #4

The only thing that seems to be universally true about mental health is that we’re all different, and someone else’s experiences rarely apply perfectly to your own. I put off getting on the meds for at least 15 years longer than I should have done because of stories like this. They have been life changing lot positive for me with almost no downsides. In addition, I’ve read more than one story like this where the pers…

I am also a bit skeptical when strong anti-Pharma opinions are expressed, based on personal experience only. Meta-analyses have shown that for severe depression, antidepressants are a first line of attack, only seconded or aided by CBT, but not interchangeable in terms of efficacy. It's kind of stupid to counterargue with yet another personal story, but for me not being able to take SSRIs has proven to be a real prob…

Have you considered meditation? It's been somewhat of a godsend for me after more than a decade of horrible side effects from anti-depressants. I'd highly recommend the eastern variety since I got no benefit from the watered-down "mindfulness" variety peddled by my psychologist and didn't have that "aha" moment until my first 10-day retreat.

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#86

Post by darkerside »

kryogen1c wrote: post #71
dwaltrip wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you believe she is lying about doing much better after quitting her meds and trying other treatments such as meditation and group therapy, the article is not complete bullshit. That being said, I would not be surprised if there is truth to what you said about that book.

> Unless you believe she is lying about doing much better after quitting her meds This is an unscientific and inaccurate. The placebo and nocebo affects are real with actual health effects. Sometimes drugs don't make it to market because they have positive effects less effective than placebo.

Let's assume you are right and the positive effects were completely attributed to placebo effect. If placebo effect is an effective treatment that results in a cure, what exactly is your complaint?

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#87

Post by odiroot »

I'm a bit worried how many people on social media and Internet in general (also here) are fighting some personal war against antidepressants. This is not helping and may cause a lot of suffering to some people.

We're in some wacky second generation New Age where everything illogical is the the obvious solution, just for the sake of breaking with the old.

There's really many people for whom literally no amount of talking, meditation or working out (Internet's favourites) will help. Yes, for them, before they can even start thinking about successful therapy (etc.), the chemical imbalance is so strong they need to bring their bodies to the baseline (or close to it).

Again, militantly opposing SSRIs creates very dangerous situation where people in need can end up getting hurt or dead.

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#88

Post by kryogen1c »

darkerside wrote: post #86
kryogen1c wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unless you believe she is lying about doing much better after quitting her meds This is an unscientific and inaccurate. The placebo and nocebo affects are real with actual health effects. Sometimes drugs don't make it to market because they have positive effects less effective than placebo.

Let's assume you are right and the positive effects were completely attributed to placebo effect. If placebo effect is an effective treatment that results in a cure, what exactly is your complaint?

> If placebo effect is an effective treatment that results in a cure, what exactly is your complaint?

It's not reproducible because it's not medicine.

Re: Recovering Emotions After 24 Years on Antidepressants

#89

Post by nopenope412523 »

[deleted] wrote: post #80

[deleted]

The hellish Sertraline withdrawal experience convinced me that my mental health cannot depend on Sertraline or anything like it in the future. Building up a dependence on a substance like that is just something I cannot fathom being a part of a healthy, normal life, and the way I reacted coming off it had every hallmark of dependence.
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