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Mental Health Psychiatric Treatments Debate vs trot out your medications bias and lemme at it

I'm pretty sure you were experiencing withdrawal symptoms. It's one of the risks of starting a new medicine if you ever were to decide to stop. If you would have tapered gradually you probably wouldnt have felt the way you did.

For me antipsychotic medications make me feel empty and I dont like that they wipe out your dopamine which is an essential chemical in our brain. HeedHigh was saying it balances your dopamine but thats not the case, APs get rid of them because it was thought to be the cause of psychosis but good evidence of this was never found, the studies were criticized.

Medication for psychosis, especially something that lets you sleep, can be good for the short term to get you back on your feet but long term use isnt a good idea and can actually be harmful because of the side effects and other problems antipsychotics cause to people.
 
Anti-psychotics can cause very serious withdrawal symptoms including a return of original symptoms with vengeance, nausea, vomiting, racing thoughts, hallucinations, psychosis, mania and other lovely symptoms depending on the anti-psychotic. So taper taper taper if you intend on withdrawing from it. Most importantly don't withdraw from it unless you consult your doctor first
 
Medication for psychosis, especially something that lets you sleep, can be good for the short term to get you back on your feet but long term use isnt a good idea and can actually be harmful because of the side effects and other problems antipsychotics cause to people.

As a blanket statement, this is false. There are lots of people who need to stay on medication long-term for their health, and lots of people do it without adverse side effects.
 
...Medication for psychosis, especially something that lets you sleep, can be good for the short term to get you back on your feet but long term use isnt a good idea and can actually be harmful because of the side effects and other problems antipsychotics cause to people.
Agreed. Pharmaceuticals cover up symptoms, are addictive, and usually have long-term consequences. If you are really honest with yourself, you will likely discover the source of your original psychotic episode (stress, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, THC, other illicit drugs, lack of sleep, poor diet, even food sensitivities or allergies). Getting your body healthy is the best way to keep your brain healthy.
 
Agreed. Pharmaceuticals cover up symptoms, are addictive, and usually have long-term consequences. If you are really honest with yourself, you will likely discover the source of your original psychotic episode (stress, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, THC, other illicit drugs, lack of sleep, poor diet, even food sensitivities or allergies). Getting your body healthy is the best way to keep your brain healthy.

The experience of a psychotic illness is completely incomparable to anything that might come from eating too much sugar or drinking energy drinks. If your experience tells you these things are similar, you are probably not equipped to give advice on antipsychotic medication for severe mental illness.

It's wildly irresponsible to tell people that they can self-analyse their way out of psychosis instead of taking their prescription medication.
 
The experience of a psychotic illness is completely incomparable to anything that might come from eating too much sugar or drinking energy drinks. If your experience tells you these things are similar, you are probably not equipped to give advice on antipsychotic medication for severe mental illness.

It's wildly irresponsible to tell people that they can self-analyse their way out of psychosis instead of taking their prescription medication.

Shes saying being given only the choice of a life of medication isnt the only path to recovery.
 
They do for a time but they deplete my dopamine and make me fat and lazy. Its either anti-psychotic and a lifetime of being a fat lazy fuck on disability or just dealing with my miserable bipolar life with drugs I earn by working. I choose the later. Its not the same for everyone some people totally turn their live around with the shit but ALOT of people are in my situation. Its easier for me to work and drink the monsters away than to just sit around in a fat lazy stupor.
 
They do for a time but they deplete my dopamine and make me fat and lazy. Its either anti-psychotic and a lifetime of being a fat lazy fuck on disability or just dealing with my miserable bipolar life with drugs I earn by working. I choose the later. Its not the same for everyone some people totally turn their live around with the shit but ALOT of people are in my situation. Its easier for me to work and drink the monsters away than to just sit around in a fat lazy stupor.

This. Forced antipsychotic medication bought me down from a beautifully powerful but lucid & non-violent mania to a drooling, depressed, soulless zombie. Whilst I have seen them work wonders for schziophrenics, I truly believe they are overprescribed for bipolar disorder, and should really only be used for us in the extreme short term to bring us down if we lose touch with reality entirely during a manic episode.
 
Shes saying being given only the choice of a life of medication isnt the only path to recovery.

Then the post wasn't very well phrased.

They do for a time but they deplete my dopamine and make me fat and lazy. Its either anti-psychotic and a lifetime of being a fat lazy fuck on disability or just dealing with my miserable bipolar life with drugs I earn by working. I choose the later. Its not the same for everyone some people totally turn their live around with the shit but ALOT of people are in my situation. Its easier for me to work and drink the monsters away than to just sit around in a fat lazy stupor.

That's unfortunate, and sadly common. My previous medication had me sleeping 16 hours a day, which didn't lend itself to working. I managed to find an antipsychotic that doesn't sedate me, though, and now I work two jobs and study at university. I'm sure you're on top of your treatment, but it's definitely worth exploring other medications until you find one that works for you.

(I'm still fat, though. You win some, you lose some.)

This. Forced antipsychotic medication bought me down from a beautifully powerful but lucid & non-violent mania to a drooling, depressed, soulless zombie. Whilst I have seen them work wonders for schziophrenics, I truly believe they are overprescribed for bipolar disorder, and should really only be used for us in the extreme short term to bring us down if we lose touch with reality entirely during a manic episode.

I have bipolar and antipsychotic medication is one of the best things that ever happened to me. The idea that I should only be given medication short-term and after I inevitably go manic is horrifying to me - why would I want to live like that? Medication isn't the best choice for everyone, and more power to you if you can handle the ups and downs without it, but it gives a lot of people with bipolar back their lives.
 
Then the post wasn't very well phrased.



That's unfortunate, and sadly common. My previous medication had me sleeping 16 hours a day, which didn't lend itself to working. I managed to find an antipsychotic that doesn't sedate me, though, and now I work two jobs and study at university. I'm sure you're on top of your treatment, but it's definitely worth exploring other medications until you find one that works for you.

(I'm still fat, though. You win some, you lose some.)



I have bipolar and antipsychotic medication is one of the best things that ever happened to me. The idea that I should only be given medication short-term and after I inevitably go manic is horrifying to me - why would I want to live like that? Medication isn't the best choice for everyone, and more power to you if you can handle the ups and downs without it, but it gives a lot of people with bipolar back their lives.

Well it's your decision. I personally wouldn't want to take neurotoxic drugs for the rest of my life that carry with them some lethal risks to prevent mania.
 
What's wrong with mania? Some of my most profound moments came from manic states... in combination with altered states of mind (shamanic states). I used to come up with some of the best jokes... like jokes that would blow your fucking mind how well-put-together they were.
 
^ Mania is not good if you become homicidal, suicidal, or can't function in daily activities.
 
... you are probably not equipped to give advice on antipsychotic medication for severe mental illness.

It's wildly irresponsible to tell people that they can self-analyse their way out of psychosis instead of taking their prescription medication.
Psychiatrists say that it is important to use antipsychotics. However, antipsychotics lead to shrinkage of the brain, and this effect is directly related to the dose and duration of the treatment. Hundreds of thousands of people have suffered serious debilitating, often permanent side effects from their prescribed medication, have much shorter life expectancies, and are often permanently disabled.

Psychiatrists have no idea about which interplay of psychosocial conditions, biochemical processes, receptors and neural pathways that lead to mental disorders. The theories that patients with depression lack serotonin and that patients with schizophrenia have too much dopamine have long been refuted. Yet they continue to quote the “chemical imbalance” argument to justify prescribing drugs. Dissenting psychiatrists must remain quiet in their objections for fear of hurting their careers.

That is what I would consider “wildly irresponsible”.
 
^ Mania is not good if you become homicidal, suicidal, or can't function in daily activities.

As with everything else, on a day to day basis most of the time mania wouldnt be such a bad thing to have. What I hate is how every damn human emotion is labeled as a mental illness. Oh no we cant have mania! It will lead to murders and rapes! Pop that pill you dont want to live like life has some extra meaning every once in a while! And the funny thing is that the people saying this are either people who are on meds that are too scared to break out from their shells on any matter in fear of what theyve been told will put them back in the hospital or freaking people whove never been on them yet probably involve mania in there daily functioning when there cracking that funny joke or hitting on that beautiful women and it gets them WAY more ahead in life then the person who represses it. When will we see that people just need to be given the chance to learn from their mistakes instead of having pills shoved down their throats?!
 
Antipsychotics make you feel like shit. My friend became psychotic from abusing speed. He got prescribed risperidone. I asked him what effect they had on him and he just said they make you feel like a zombie. I was interested what this zombie feeling was like so I tried a single 4mg tablet. At first it made me real drowsy but then the next day I started feeling restless and on edge. It also felt like my thinking and ability to visualize things in my head was cut off. It was really like a lobotomy. Imagine your worst amphetamine crash. Now imagine feeling like that all the time, but on top of that, also feeling highly restless. I was so exhausted but I couldn't stop jigging my legs for four days off that one 4mg tablet. I also had basically no emotions or drive to do anything. Everyone was asking me what the fuck happened because I went from being normal to a complete zombie in one day lol. I took that single tablet a week ago and tried shrooms yesterday and got pretty much no effect. Usually I get crazy visuals and explore the depths of my mind but yesterday I a slight dizzy feeling and that was it.

I found this study which shows that risperidone stays in the brain for a very long time even after its been eliminated from your blood. This may be the reason why so many invega sustenna users have problems months after stopping the drug. If you got a high dose, it might actually still be blocking a significant amount of your dopamine receptors even months after stopping.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11920159
 
Taper off, lifestyle, exercise, healthy eating, cbt, no drugs, moderate to no alcohol, find new hobbies, take up the bag pipes, learn mandarin or go to Sweden.(for e.g)

Man this is subject is way to deep to go any further.
 
I'm bipolar and it took trying several different combinations and several different drugs but I'm much happier and much more stable and functional on my meds. I truly think I would be dead if I had continued to go back and forth between manic states.
 
BiPolar meds

They do for a time but they deplete my dopamine and make me fat and lazy. Its either anti-psychotic and a lifetime of being a fat lazy fuck on disability or just dealing with my miserable bipolar life with drugs I earn by working. I choose the later. Its not the same for everyone some people totally turn their live around with the shit but ALOT of people are in my situation. Its easier for me to work and drink the monsters away than to just sit around in a fat lazy stupor.

This was my experience, also. I tried every med for Bi polar and they all made me feel like an elephant encased in pillows; not a single thought could form.
I have many friends with scitzophrenia (sp?), who have many troubles both off and on their meds, so I feel fortunate that I can chose to not use the brain numbing garbage that has been available to me through the public health system.
I was able to get opiates, which cost over $200/month Rx. They kept me much more sane, happy ( and pain free) than any psych meds - and allowed me to work.
 
Idk but Zyprexa and Haldol make me feel better. It's just that once you get acclimated to them, you're dependent on them for a good while at least. I wish I could stop. I feel like I now use antipsychotics as a crutch and not a very safe crutch for my health in the long run, either. I mean, just do a little reading about neuroleptic malignant syndrome or tardive dyskinesia. I wish I had never been force fed them to begin with 19 years ago by the mental health profession at the age of 19 years old. Charter Hospital: Get Help Somewhere my ass!!! Maybe I'll make that goal for myself for this year--ditch taking the antipsychotics no matter how gradually as long as I'm done by 2017 and don't land myself in a mental hospital like I did last time!!! Hey, I don't have to tell everybody like my parents or psychiatrist about my little plan, right? Would one of you fellow drug enthusiasts please give me even a modicum of encouragement here?
 
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… Maybe I'll make that goal for myself for this year--ditch taking the antipsychotics no matter how gradually as long as I'm done by 2017 and don't land myself in a mental hospital like I did last time!!! Hey, I don't have to tell everybody like my parents or psychiatrist about my little plan, right? Would one of you fellow drug enthusiasts please give me even a modicum of encouragement here?

Good plan IMO! Yeah Haldol can help in a dire emergency. But when you look at the long term prognosis of people on anti-psychotics – it’s bad. Not just the side effects – but your original symptoms become treatment resistant. The longer you stay on anti-psychotics the more damage they do to your brain. But be sure to taper down, don't just quit.

Don’t believe me though. Look at main stream psychiatric studies that have known this since the 1980’s.

Antipsychotics: Taking the Long View (NIH)

Here’s a great UTube discussing numerous studies and data that shows how anti-psychotics and anti-depressants perpetuate illness in the long term.
Psychiatric Epidemic - The Roots


One great way to help protect yourself against future psychotic events could be supplementing with CBD oil from industrial hemp (not the cannabis that will get you high)

A critical review of the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol: 30 years of a translational investigation.


Good luck with your plan! But don’t expect any support from your family, a single psychiatrist, or half the people on this website.
 
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