About to get started on Anti-Psychotic medication... need advice

reply to post by RenegadeScholar


This video could be helpful and could just save your life.........enjoy

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by nixie_nox

Yes nixie I work with a fella with Bi-polar and he had it for 30 years, he goes thru stage's of mania for maybe 6 months and then pow he is so low for the next 3, when he is low he is convinced he has Huntington's (which he hasnt) and he is so scared of dying.
It's tragic cos he is a cracking fella

reply to post by radpetey

I have been active on that thread and to be frank the video is BS and dangerous ........grrrrr

reply to post by nixie_nox


I forgot to mention in my 1st post, that my boyfriend has INITIALLY been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
I never really believed it, nor did I know about it until after his 1st psychotic episode.
The "good" doctor we found diagnosed a bipolar disorder with strong psychotic episodes. He also said that those most likely came from the lack of/wrong medication.
The treatment is basically the same, as we only have a handful of meds available for mental disorders.
As someone who has seen it 24/7, read a lot on the subject and has been confronted with a lot of patients, I have to agree.(not that it really makes a difference)

reply to post by boymonkey74


I fully understand what you mean and agree.
However, there are some people who are just in the wrong field. They kind of just slid in to the profession or something of that sort.
Also, there ARE people who simply do not care much for others and also a whole bunch of people who think mental illness is either non existent or the patient just doesn't feel like being "normal" or getting it together.
Sadly...

My experience with medication has ranged from "pretty good" to "disastrous".

First of all, out a dozen "professionals", I would honestly say only ONE was someone knowledgeable, competent and honest. Others ranged from drug dealers who ask one question and write prescriptions to others who ask a few questions and write prescriptions.

I'm not saying medication doesn't help anyone, but it doesn't help everyone. It might not even help most people.

I remember asking one doctor point blank are there any side effects to this drug, he said quickly answered "no". After just a few weeks I didn't like the effect and went off them, I suffered electric "jolts" and jerks every 15 minutes for weeks afterwards. When I confronted him later, he said "oh yeah, that can happen". I put my nose 2 inches from his and said "You're fired", "You're either incompetent or a liar and I have no tolerance for either". These people are not "gods", stop respecting ones that don't deserve it. Let them know you're not some idiot that will believe everything they tell you.

Another doctor, more recent, explained everything properly and how to approach it, what to expect etc. Very down to earth and realistic with a genuine concern, he was with the VA, so maybe not enticed from sales reps pushing crap. Of course he did have the standard Pen, pencil holder, business card holder, desktop display of Big Pharma goodies.

Finding someone who works with your own personality and needs is just as important as the medication when it comes to these types of problems.

One overlying attitude from the dozen doctors I've met with is that MEDICATION is the only answer. Attempts at counseling hinge on just yapping about your issues, NO PRACTICAL advice is ever given in my experience.

This left me discouraged and still having problems. I almost hate to admit it, but MOST of the "cure" does come from within when it comes to this type of problem. Maybe you will get some short term relief from medication as I did, but is it worth the long term issues? is it worth the unknown damage it may be causing? Depends on the person I guess.

YOU are your best advocate. Research everything, more than just the first 2 Google hits you see are required for this type of thing. Also, don't rely on "professionals" exclusively, who's to say the information they're getting is 100% accurate?

I'm sorry you are going through this. I am sorry to say that in my expierence with phychotrophic drugs, I didn't like the long term effect of antipsychotic or antidepressant drugs. They are highly addictive in that they are almost impossible to get off of without wanting to kill yourself or thinking you are going to die because withdrawal is so bad. I had a nervous breakdown and psychotic episode that involved involentary body movements and extremely exagerated convulsions with extremely slow speach, hallucinations, and delusions. Thats what it means when they say consult your doctor before you stop taking the meds because of an increased risk of suicide. Yes they made me calmer but honestly I was sedated. I was a zombie. I wasnt myself. I didnt trust myself. My eybrows started getting thinner and disapeared eventually so my confidence went with it. Now i can spot people who are putting those chemicals in their bodies by looking at their eybrows. I now believe in medical marijuana. It's natural, and knowone has ever died from THC overdose. I have had more positive results from smoking weed every day then with any of the pills the doctors switched me to. I have been off all the pills for almost 2 years now. My eybrows came back and so has my confidence and personality. My advice, slowly wean yourself off the pills and try something natural and nonaddictive instead.

Originally posted by unityemissions
reply to post by JohnnyCanuck

 

I tired paxil as well. No dice.
Listen, you don't seem to see how much of a hypocrite you're being here.
We're doing the same thing.
You believe in the effectiveness of allopathic medicine. I believe in the effectiveness of certain alternative medical practices. We're both advocating what we feel/think is best, and dogging the other. Both can potentially save lives, and kill people off. I could essentially make the exact same argument you are...that by telling people not to try out alternatives, they are potentially losing their life. You see how easily this goes both ways?

I'm not telling people to ignore alternatives, I'm saying that you need to work with your doctor in the process. If paxil doesn't work, move on. I suggested herbals for a situation and my GP explained that yes, they do have an effect but they should be considered in the same terms as very early antidepressants. Research has made them much more finely-tuned and they can be applied in a case-specific manner. I choose not to eschew allopathic medicine. It tweaked me when I needed tweaking, and it cured my cancer. No hypocrisy there.

reply to post by VivaLaEvolution


Please show me the test that shows that my brain chemicals are unbalanced....

Before you give me a substance that will surely alter the balance that is supposed to be imbalanced.

Oh yea! As of yet, they can not measure those chemicals.

That's crazy!

Originally posted by radpetey
reply to post by VivaLaEvolution

 

Please show me the test that shows that my brain chemicals are unbalanced....

Before you give me a substance that will surely alter the balance that is supposed to be imbalanced.

Oh yea! As of yet, they can not measure those chemicals.

That's crazy!

edit on 9-12-2011 by radpetey because: (no reason given)

edit on 9-12-2011 by radpetey because: (no reason given)

Having been stuck on antipsychotics for about 18 years, I really regret having been put on them - I am currently trying to wean myself off amisulpride and yes, I tried seroquel too as i was persuaded by psychiatrists at the time that they were the way to go for the illness i had - I now know better and would choose good nutrition and talking therapies. The science behind them is in the dark ages - I now have metabolic syndrome as a result of taking them (am morbidly obese) and am diabetic. The trouble is that they can be incredibly difficult to get off without getting awful withdrawal effects - they can actually cause shrinkage of the brain and you can become supersensitive to psychosis.

If you would like to hear more from a psychiatrist's perspective about the dangers or actions of these drugs then google Dr Bob Johnson (UK) and Dr Joanna Moncrieff (UK) - both of whom have books written on the subject. I have only just come across them and am currently reading a book by Dr Johnson.