Ron Unger at Recovery from schizophrenia and other “psychotic” disorders, presents a PDF file that presents a document that expresses what a mental health organization might tell someone if they were actually telling the truth when someone seeks medication.
Ron calls it Truth Injection.
I might add if one does decide to stop the medications one should be told it needs to be done incredibly slowly and carefully and most psychiatrists don’t know how to do it, so be sure to present your ideas to your psychiatrist with plenty of research and preperation. One can look here for various sources of information regarding safe psychiatric drug withdrawal.
Gianna, unfortunately I agree with everything you said. Arguing is no fun when both people agree. I guess I’ll have to go elsewhere to get my fix.
I also read most of “Undiagnosing myself. You’re quite a good writer. You express your opinions and experiences very well on this issue, and without too much anger. That’s what will help people listen and keep an open mind about mental health and psychiatric medications who otherwise wouldn’t.
My shrink told me going off 200 mg. of Seroquel cold turkey would be no problem at all. He considered it a small does. Well my body didn’t.
When I repeatedly called his office for help they said for me to go to the ER. No way was I going to any ER coming off psyche drugs”’
Thanks goodness I didn’t die but many times during the cold turkey I thought I was or had.
Later I found a medical record and the amount of Seroquel I was on was 400mg.
I’ve heard BPD is the dumping ground diagnosis for people who are considered too needy.
Arianna: “Actually, NOBODY tells you that you will have withdrawal at all.”
No. Because withdrawal is something people experience who are addicted. Street drugs are addictive. Psych drugs aren’t – the following in small print/whispering quickly – except for some potential in benzos. Maybe. Street drugs are dope. Psych drugs are medicine. Huge difference! According to the “experts” at least…
Maybe I’m getting excited (or anxious) again for no reason, but here is a truth injection that came from a mainstream news publication:
From TIME magazine: The Mystery of Borderline Personality Disorder By John Cloud / Seattle Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009
yeah, I thought it was pretty well done myself, though I don’t think DBT is for everyone. I do think that a lot of us with Bipolar DX’s really just have characterological difficulties though…and that is exactly why drugs do nothing but make us worse…
I wrote in Undiagnosing myself of exactly that.
I still don’t like labeling, mostly because labels are so black and white..you either are or you’re not…
everyone on the planet has some characterological issues…
but this is a refreshing take on BPD in the mainstream media, you’re quite right…
I’m with you sister!!
I don’t know too much about using blood pressure meds as anti-anxiety agents except that it happens quite a bit…
but since I don’t have personal experience and I’ve not personally known people using them I don’t have much collected anecdotal info…
I know however that in one of my withdrawal groups there is a basic belief that they are also toxic and should be avoided…but I’ve not paid too much attention to those threads…
you might want to try to do some research and get the underground scoop on them to be safe…I’m sorry I don’t know more than what I’ve said.
If I feel so inspired at some point I’ll try to do a bit of research…I’m realizing it’s something I’d actually like to know more about…
doctors always tell you the drugs they prescribe are safe…
I have been taking atenolol for anxiety. It lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. My family doctor said that it’s a great medication that “protects the heart”. It’s label use is for people with high blood pressure, which I do not have. But because it lowers your blood pressure and pulse, it helps with anxiety symptoms without being a tranquilizer.
Great. That’s all fine. That’s working out. But, what I recently found out is that if you do not reduce the medication slowly that you can have anything from anxiety attack to an actual heart attack. My prescribing doctor did not tell me about that, at all.
Just watch the Abilify advertisement on TV. They aren’t doing anywhere near full disclosure. It is the most egregiosly dangerous advertisement I’ve ever seen in my life. Then they also use the techniqe of putting side effects either small print, or, on TV, a person whispering quickly. That is generally interpreted as it being “less important”. In reality the side effects should be fully read to you by your prescribing doctor, in a normal tone of voice, and that you should take it seriously. If the ad in on TV, the tone of voice, should also be normal toned, and not some rapid whispering at the end of a commercial.
Don’t even get me started on how wrong it is to put medications on TV and advertise directly to the public . . . .
Sorry, I started out with withdrawal, and wound up at the Abilify ad again. Grrr. . . .
Actually, NOBODY tells you that you will have withdrawal at all. It is nowhere in the literature. It is nowhere in the advertisements. It is basically nowhere to be found. My doctor sure never told me and I go to a expensive, elite doctor, and have already gotten second opinion by another doctor. NOBODY tells you psychiatric drugs are, if not blatantly addictive, and that every pill you take can have a serious withdrawal, which is not the same as a relapse.
Best,
Ari
I couldn’t agree more, Gianna! The biggest problem I see with those people withdrawing that I’ve worked with are the ones who get overly eager to be drug free. Once you start to regain your sense of beingness, the tendency is to rush the tapering process in an attempt to feel even more alive…or, to just cold-turkey the remaining medication. That can have negative to disasterous consequences as we both know!
You didn’t get where you are overnight. You will not get back overnight. And, remember, you may see many of the same “sign posts” on the journey home to your authentic Self. For some of us, it can be a very unpleasant return trip!
“I might add if one does decide to stop the medications one should be told it needs to be done incredibly slowly and carefully and most psychiatrists don’t know how to do it…”
Just learning that lesson now! My doctor was under the impression I should be fine stopping when I got down to 5mg of Lexapro, and didn’t mention that I might have any problems. Well, 6 days, 3 sleepless nights, short-term memory loss, and a host of other problems later, I’m back on it.
Thanks for posting this…just wish I had heeded the advice sooner.
Well, I’m glad you found out at all…some people don’t and get told either that they are sick because they need the drugs for the rest of their lives, or alternately they suffer through needlessly horrible withdrawals…
best of luck to you in finishing the journey off…I’ve known people to take months to get off tiny amounts like what you’re on…try not to make getting off the goal…try making staying healthy and sane the goal and just slowly remove the drug while living your life…