I’m a benzodiazepine survivor and have been off of them for almost 7 years. Even though I’ve experienced tremendous healing, I’m still damaged from them and went through incredible agony and torment getting to where I’m at today. I’d love to help people in the situation I was years ago, but not sure how I can. I’d make it my life’s work if I could support my family helping others who have no hope.
It took 4 years to see any improvement. Completely non functional, now close to 5 years off a benzodiazepine , I still have bad days but so grateful I have my life back. It has been the worst experience in my life.
41 months off Xanax, Lexapro and Vicodin. 36 months off Seroquel.. Still can’t sleep well but so much better. Air hunger and histamine problems are my worst symptoms. I pray things will improve.. You are all in my prayers.
I just lay in bed all night. the alarm never wakes me up! I just pray I can keep going to work with so little sleep. What a mistake I made by taking sleep aids Seroquell especially!
It's 14 years 10 months since i was told it safe to cold turkey off Prozac and started suffering in hell, in September 2007,and then went back on it, after 12 weeks. It's 8 years and 9 months since i stopped Prozac after tapering it on my own with no advice from any doctor , in October 2013. I am still wrecked and pretty much disabled and unable to do hardly anything without it being a massive effort. Since the cold turkey in September 2007, on a GP and Psychiatrists advice that it was safe to do that and them saying " Prozac withdrawal is unheard of" It's a nightmare beyond words or explanation. I still suffer so many very severe symptoms. It's an unexplainable nightmare of pure torture. My life and health have been completely destroyed.
It would be really great of we could actually get someone to research what kind of iatrogenic injury we have. No one has even begun to research our nervous system and why we are left disabled for years. I know there is no money in curing those of us disabled but I don't want to die not knowing how my brain was injured and what exactly these drugs did to my nervous system.
I’m celebrating 4 years PAWS. I can’t believe I suffered so much thanks to my doctors fast taper plan off Cymbalta. These drugs are so dangerous and coupled with the fact that doctors are so uneducated about withdrawals. Suicide is on the rise for good reason.
@@robertodelcastillo3769 i Recomend you don’t start with Cymbalta. It’s well known to be the hardest drug to get off. Heroin would be a walk in the park compared to Cymbalta. Such a dangerous drug and should not be on the market. Doc started me on 30 and then up to 90mg. After two years I changed as a person and lost myself. Please try something safer like THC and CBD products. Research “the Endocannabinoid System.
@@robertodelcastillo3769 These videos are generally about getting off psych meds. But good on you for asking around about a medication before taking it. I'd recommend reading "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" before taking any psych meds. However, I'm also biased. After I'm done tapering, I'll never take another psych med again.
@@montesa9136 On my 5 year journey i quit alcohol, broke up with my girl friend and her weird family, started daily exercise, increased my vitamin D by sitting in the sun exposing most of my skin, started medical Cannabis to enhance my endocannabinoid System, started seeing an amazing Italian lady 😂 and so much more. It was day to day bit by bit healing and health improvement process.
The fact that they prescribed you antidepressants for sciatica pain it's a sign that antidepressants are psycoactive drugs with no specific clinical effect for depression, but a more general numbing effect that may be "helpful" for making different situations more bearable, without curing anything at all.
At 5 yrs off meds i’m sill housebound, majority bed bound. I can’t do 6/7 yrs or more so i guess i’ll call time on this life and trying to heal and get my life back. i can’t take it anymore. I’m defeated and have no more fight in me with this unrelenting intolerable suffering. All the gurus and support people telling lies about recovering from this has only forced my hand. There is no help. so Adios everybody. I hope you make it.
Is there someone you can talk to? Family or trusted friend? I know you are hurting so much. Please don’t end your life. There must be something to keep fighting for
Hey SNAFU, hang in there - don't give up. You will heal. The purpose of this clip was not to scare people, but rather just to validate that it can persist, as it has for you. As you know, it's difficult for protracted people to be believed, and so we need doctors to speak out-as Dr. Wright has here-to let other medical professionals/family members/etc know that this is, in fact, possible.
@@MedicatingNormal Your videos are terrifying. I have been on benzos 13 years. Slow tapered three times with doctors and ended up in hospital and psych ward three times only to be put back on them. I could never taper again……I am 69 and I would not make it. I have all sorts of problems from these meds on a daily basis from mornin until night. Your videos let me know that there is no hope for a normal life. You need to give hope. You are killing us too.
@@deniselebeau9874 Hi, we are not a support group - but there are many, and many who offer hope. We are a documentary film that discusses and exposes the issues, regardless of if they are hopeful. That said, many people do get off these meds and heal. And not everyone goes on to develop protracted syndromes. When we posted this video, some people who already have protracted contacted us to say that this video was incredibly validating for them-so everyone is at a different place on this journey and has different needs.
Sorry you are going through all that. It must be terrible for you to deal with. But please keep going, it will get better. Seek more help & advice. If you can, pray to the Lord to get well. May not be instant but it worked for me. Jesus promises help to those who trust & believe in Him. I will pray for you too. X
I was 30 years on antidepressants. I weaned of 2.5 years ago & I'm completely dysfunctional. I haven't healed one tiny bit. I feel the damage is permanent!
I'm tapering off antidepressants after decades of use as well. I'm so sorry to hear you haven't healed. Has nothing brought relief? I truly believe everyone can heal, albeit slowly. I wish you the best and I'm sorry you're struggling.
@@cowboyjohnsontown @chrishoughtonart - Thanks for your comment! Why do you want to stop using them? I would recommend to anyone out there, not to stop your meds! Remember, you were originally prescribed them for a good reason. The underlying condition you were taking your meds for does not magically disappear just because you decide you want to stop the drugs. If you do stop you meds, you will be left with your underlying condition, that will have gotten worse over time, plus all the damage caused by the long term use of medication. All I can say is, you better plan on living a long time to make it worthwhile ... I don't believe many people make a full recovery. Of course it's going to depend on may variables, but if you've been on them decades & decades (30 years) & are already old (like I am) ..... well, I'm not about to wait around .....
@@snafu22 @SNAFU - I'm sorry to hear what your going through! What makes you think you will fully recover? In my case, I don't have that much time left, as I'm already old. Thank God for Physician Assisted Suicide for prolonged psychological suffering. I've applied & am ready to end this suffering .......
@@snafu22 It truly is a slow process. Have you tried supplements or looked into any kind of meditation or therapy involving cannabis or psilocybin? As we come off these drugs, we have to deal with not only the withdrawal symptoms but we have to address the underlying issues that made us take the pills in the first place. I've joined a support group that has also been extremely helpful. We all need love, support, and encouragement in this difficult journey.
I was prescribed Lyrica for my sciatica nerve pain(happens once a year or even less)... One 25mg pill and the side effects were horrible. Stopped immediately. Asked doctor for something else. When I saw the name of the new medication on bottle(Cymbalta), I knew what it was... I looked at the pharmacist and said no. My gut feeling was to not take them. I would rather have pain, do some light physio exercises when able to... it will eventually pass. Why on earth was I given antidepressants for sciatica that is NOT chronic? On top of it, I'm not in the least depressed! A short term painkiller would have been better, but I could be wrong. Anyhow... I suffered needlessly of side effects of Lyrica and then would have become addicted to antidepressants(with more side effects surely) on top of it... I'm glad I refused them.
People with mental illnesses suffer immensely. Sometimes i have clarity of mind and i remember the difference. Its like two different lives. One with a certain peace of mind and the other with a troubled brain. Its incredibly hard to live with and me heat feels for other people who live with these problems.
They have destroyed mine too but I took an 8 week course in Neuroplasticity and it has changed my life and my brain. I highly recommend it to anyone as it is all on the science that our brains can change and heal. Takes work but so worth it. The psychiatric community knew this years ago but it’s just simpler to write a prescription for antidepressants and then leave one on them indefinitely. Very very sad.
So how do you get better from anti depressant withdrawl causing near 247 anxiety ? Im eating way more fiber, exersise daily... Its been months of no work and I can't sustain this any more. If you found a solution please help
@@backalleygaming7096 meditation and breathing techniques have been life changing. I've also found cannabis to be helpful in helping work through difficult withdrawal symptoms. Healing from psych meds is very individual though. Try reading the Tao Te Ching. Support from loved ones is important (even if it's just one person, maybe a close friend even). Know that you are not broken, only temporarily injured. But meditation is crucial and it can help strengthen your central nervous system. Also, I've found light exercise and cold showers to be helpful for anxiety.
@Anto BioETY - I'm sorry to hear what has happened to you! I've been destroyed after coming off my antidepressant! I'm housebound, bedbound, tearful, Depressed, anxious. How has these drugs affected you?
The last sleep specialist I went to. All she does is listen to your symptoms and list off medication to get ya hooked on! Telling me I will be on meds for life! IM suffering but IM off the shit.
How many have brain injury showing on MRIs or other scans? Dr. Healy has spoken about this as related to hyponatremia. My brain injury is diffuse lesions consistent with vasculitis/ lupus cerebritis. Also Frontotemporal atrophy that is progressing despite stopping the drugs. Zoloft was my gateway drug, so to speak, and permanently disabled me (very painful dystonias and rhabdomyolysis). I have many autoimmune issues that appeared shortly after I began Zoloft (for mild fatigue 🤬). There are so many ways that these drugs damage the entire body.
I'm also tapering off paxil. Tough stuff. Over the past year, I slowly worked my way from 40mg/day to 10mg/day. I had to pause at 10 for a few months to adjust and am preparing to once again slowly taper down some more. Sending strength to you my dude!
Oh god. I went cold turkey off Paxil. Horrible but I had no choice. I thought I was going to die. No one should ever do what I did, but I remain off it to this day 15 years later
@@jessicafalstein yes it is. I tried twice before, many years ago. I tapered too quickly and experienced derealization, horrible anxiety, etc. This time, I tapered from 40mg/day to 10mg over the course of 13 months. I've since remained at 10mg and now that my symptoms have calmed, I plan to start liquid tapering again. The past year has been very difficult. Lots of depression, insomnia, night sweats, no appetite, anxiety, and even some hallucinating. For me, there's a bit of a pattern to the withdrawal cycles. I'll make a 10% drop and in the first week, I'd usually feel fine. The second week, the symptoms would start up. Third week, feel shitty, then start to see the light again after about 4 weeks. Sometimes I did larger drops, sometimes smaller more frequent drops. I've read that it has less to do with "getting the drug out of your system" and more to do with "how quickly can your CNS heal?" So the theory is, remove no more than 10% of the paxil, no faster than every 2-4 weeks. It's proven to be my most success taper. I also try to focus on keeping my confidence up because I often feel like shit, small and unsafe. I'm learning about trauma healing, doing yoga, journaling, meditating, the whole bit. Cannabis has helped mitigate symptoms, specifically a strange sense of dissociation that I've felt from paxil withdrawal. 1-2 hits of a sativa instantly brings me back to reality and makes me feel like myself again. But so does meditation or a long walk. Anyone withdrawing from psych meds is a bad ass. Anyway, I'll end it here.
@@m0ckingB1rd42 wow, I'm so sorry you experienced such pain! Paxil withdrawal can be horrible. How awesome that you're feeling better these days. It really does seem like time is your best friend when it comes to healing from these types of drugs.
I’ve been working on getting off Effexor. I started last year and it was such a disaster ended up going back on the lowest dose to even things out. Took almost a year to feel good. I started again this May with the help of a Naturopath who has been more helpful than my GP I’m slowly weaning off but still experience side effects with each drop in dose. This drug has ruined my life and is one of the hardest to come off of.
I'm also working with a Naturopath to taper off of paxil after decades of use. I've found a bit of a "rhythm" to my drops in dose that perhaps you can relate to? I'll do a 10% drop and the first week will feel ok, the second week the symptoms start to creep up. The third week sucks and then the fourth week, there seems to be a bit of relief. From everything I've read, it seems like psych med withdrawal is less about getting the drug out of your system, and more about slowly reducing the psych drug at a similar rate to which your body's CNS can heal. So getting off of psych meds may come with a variety of issues: acute withdrawal, a slow healing of the CNS, as well as a re-surfacing of any pre-existing issues that caused the individual to seek out the psych drug in the first place. Learning about this process has really helped me in my withdrawal. It makes me feel less panic-y and I very rarely wonder, "What's happening to me?!" These days, I reassure myself that it's all part of the process. I recently stalled my taper at 10mg (I was originally at 40mg). I stayed at 10mg for about 6 months because my withdrawal symptoms had gotten so intense. After a number of months, my symptoms have reduced greatly which reassured me that what I've learned may be true. I resumed tapering this week and am now down to 9mg/day of paxil. I'll stay at 9mg for a month and then drop to 8mg. One day at a time.
@Rose Nichiporuk - Why do you want to stop your meds? I was 30 years on lexapro, & I'm now almost 3 years off. I'm completely & totally dysfunctional. My life has been destroyed! My advice to people is not to stop your meds. Your original underlying condition does not magically disappear just because you decide you don't want to take drugs anymore. You will also be left with all the damage the drug has done .... There is no upside to stopping meds, especially if you've been on them a long time...
@@montesa9136 I was out on meds after I had my youngest son and suffered with severe post natal psychosis. That was 32 years ago. I started with imipramine then it stopped working, switched to Paxil it stopped working, then I was put on Effexor the new drug 10 years ago. In 2019 I felt it was doing nothing for me and had a conversation with my Doctor who told me she could medicate me until I felt nothing but would not do that as we need to have feelings. She was right! Drugs only masked my anxiety, sadness and I needed to learn to deal with issues. So that’s what I did. I got counselling, took two workshops on Neuroplasticity which is the belief the brain can change with methods I learned. I learned the nervous system is incredibly powerful and responsible for everything I experienced. I had a traumatic childhood that in those days was never addressed. I also learned the psychiatric community knew this science long, long ago but chose to go the medication route which was easier and let’s face it the money made on psychiatric drugs is astronomical. Yes I have experienced side effects when I went off to quickly. However this year I am going very slowly and am under the care of a very competent Doctor of Naturopathy as well I see a Natural Bioenergetic Practitioner who works with the energy in my system and with the methods I do which I learned in my Neuroplasticity course the side effects are minimal. I’m a completely different person than I was a year ago. I’m calmer, able to handle crisis’s without freaking out, my anxiety is gone. Does it take a lot of work? Absolutely but for me it is worth it to be free of a drug that made me feel like crap, lost my sex drive for 30 years of marriage and didn’t fix my anxiety.
@@cowboyjohnsontown Wow! That’s sounds awesome! Yes I have the same thing as I taper, exactly like yours, incredible! The last drop was the toughest so like you and with my Naturopaths full support I will stay at this one for longer too. Yes, yes, the CNS is most amazing as I learned so much about it in my Neuroplasticity course! It will heal no doubt about it. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me it’s so so encouraging!
I'm dying every day. I was on many drugs for my OCD and then they misdiagnosed me with bipolar put me on many other drugs my life is over. It's been six months. I am off my meds, but it's like nightmare😢 Akhatisia,anhedonia, cognitive impairment, insomnia, DPDR, racing thoughts, and severe mood swings،Hyper sensitive nervous system. Hyper salivation,horrofic nightmare. I'm getting worse every day. I can't take it anymore 😢😢 I really want to live, but I can't take it anymore. I am so close to suside everyday.
thats freaky to.hear ppl say they never get better..was on.venlaxine 30 years...half of the min. dose and it wasnt working..now ...so I stopped...hope damage isnt irreparable...or take 10 or 20 years..lol..I am 53...
Is there hope to have a healthy brain and healthy thoughts ? The concensus is to take psych medecin and psychiatric help. This, i’m sure, can give some releif. Hope for a complete recovery ? Some have very good success and others not so much. I think avoiding meds is risky but taking meds comes at a price. These are my thoughts anyways.
Is there hope to have a healthy brain and healthy thoughts ? The concensus is to take psych medecin and psychiatric help. This, i’m sure, can give some releif. Hope for a complete recovery ? Some have very good success and others not so much. I think avoiding meds is risky but taking meds comes at a price. These are my thoughts anyways.
Thx 4 the recommendation. Just watched it. Excellent video, esp. for providing the historical background as to how Big Pharma got to this super powerful position in the USA.
I suffered on the drugs, and suffered weening off the drugs. So, as Dr. PETER BREGGIN says, the psychiatric drugs are toxic.
I’m a benzodiazepine survivor and have been off of them for almost 7 years. Even though I’ve experienced tremendous healing, I’m still damaged from them and went through incredible agony and torment getting to where I’m at today. I’d love to help people in the situation I was years ago, but not sure how I can. I’d make it my life’s work if I could support my family helping others who have no hope.
How long until you healed
where are you still damaged?
@@russellconstant1202 it was a very gradual healing. The first year was very rough. I’d say in my 4-5th year I healing a lot, almost 80% better
@@Jonathan-ov7pz I still have benzo belly bloating and pain, sometimes tight achy muscles, and brain fog. But, everything else has really healed!
Start a TikTok, Instagram or Facebook page and start sharing videos of your story and challenges. Share tips and suggestions. I do this
It took 4 years to see any improvement. Completely non functional, now close to 5 years off a benzodiazepine , I still have bad days but so grateful I have my life back. It has been the worst experience in my life.
Thanks for sharing..why some recover so quickly?
41 months off Xanax, Lexapro and Vicodin. 36 months off Seroquel.. Still can’t sleep well but so much better. Air hunger and histamine problems are my worst symptoms. I pray things will improve.. You are all in my prayers.
I just lay in bed all night. the alarm never wakes me up! I just pray I can keep going to work with so little sleep. What a mistake I made by taking sleep aids Seroquell especially!
It's 14 years 10 months since i was told it safe to cold turkey off Prozac and started suffering in hell, in September 2007,and then went back on it, after 12 weeks.
It's 8 years and 9 months since i stopped Prozac after tapering it on my own with no advice from any doctor , in October 2013.
I am still wrecked and pretty much disabled and unable to do hardly anything without it being a massive effort.
Since the cold turkey in September 2007, on a GP and Psychiatrists advice that it was safe to do that and them saying " Prozac withdrawal is unheard of" It's a nightmare beyond words or explanation.
I still suffer so many very severe symptoms.
It's an unexplainable nightmare of pure torture.
My life and health have been completely destroyed.
what do you still suffer from friend?
It would be really great of we could actually get someone to research what kind of iatrogenic injury we have. No one has even begun to research our nervous system and why we are left disabled for years. I know there is no money in curing those of us disabled but I don't want to die not knowing how my brain was injured and what exactly these drugs did to my nervous system.
Yes exactly.
yeah they fucked my up with the seoquell they always liked giving it to me. they said it was safe. I 've lost my ability to sleep at all.
It's neurotoxicity. Psychiatrists play "pretend doctor" and make people sick and profit off them.
I’m celebrating 4 years PAWS. I can’t believe I suffered so much thanks to my doctors fast taper plan off Cymbalta. These drugs are so dangerous and coupled with the fact that doctors are so uneducated about withdrawals. Suicide is on the rise for good reason.
How long did you take cymbalta? At what dosage? Im planning to take it for my fibromyalgia pain and stiffness…i’m scared..please advise me…thanks
@@robertodelcastillo3769 i Recomend you don’t start with Cymbalta. It’s well known to be the hardest drug to get off. Heroin would be a walk in the park compared to Cymbalta. Such a dangerous drug and should not be on the market. Doc started me on
30 and then up to 90mg. After two years I changed as a person and lost myself.
Please try something safer like THC and CBD products. Research “the Endocannabinoid System.
@@robertodelcastillo3769 These videos are generally about getting off psych meds. But good on you for asking around about a medication before taking it. I'd recommend reading "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" before taking any psych meds. However, I'm also biased. After I'm done tapering, I'll never take another psych med again.
@Brendan Smyth - How are you managing your original underlying condition without the meds?
@@montesa9136 On my 5 year journey i quit alcohol, broke up with my girl friend and her weird family, started daily exercise, increased my vitamin D by sitting in the sun exposing most of my skin, started medical Cannabis to enhance my endocannabinoid System, started seeing an amazing Italian lady 😂 and so much more. It was day to day bit by bit healing and health improvement process.
This system already killed me i'm just a living corpse
Same. Over 4 years off and can't do much of anything. So exhausted.
3 years off these drugs and i feel devestated.I lost my mind coming off them.Gradually im starting to see what ive done..I will never be the same.
Yes you will. It will take time and discipline, but you’ll get there. Stay strong!
@@banquo3873did you heal
I got permanent brain damage from these drugs, constant tension headaches daily for a decade after being off. Neurotoxicity.
Was on meds for 8 years.. came off a year ago and still don’t feel the same :(
The fact that they prescribed you antidepressants for sciatica pain it's a sign that antidepressants are psycoactive drugs with no specific clinical effect for depression, but a more general numbing effect that may be "helpful" for making different situations more bearable, without curing anything at all.
At 5 yrs off meds i’m sill housebound, majority bed bound. I can’t do 6/7 yrs or more so i guess i’ll call time on this life and trying to heal and get my life back. i can’t take it anymore. I’m defeated and have no more fight in me with this unrelenting intolerable suffering. All the gurus and support people telling lies about recovering from this has only forced my hand. There is no help. so Adios everybody. I hope you make it.
Is there someone you can talk to? Family or trusted friend? I know you are hurting so much. Please don’t end your life. There must be something to keep fighting for
Hey SNAFU, hang in there - don't give up. You will heal. The purpose of this clip was not to scare people, but rather just to validate that it can persist, as it has for you. As you know, it's difficult for protracted people to be believed, and so we need doctors to speak out-as Dr. Wright has here-to let other medical professionals/family members/etc know that this is, in fact, possible.
@@MedicatingNormal
Your videos are terrifying. I have been on benzos 13 years. Slow tapered three times with doctors and ended up in hospital and psych ward three times only to be put back on them. I could never taper again……I am 69 and I would not make it. I have all sorts of problems from these meds on a daily basis from mornin until night. Your videos let me know that there is no hope for a normal life. You need to give hope. You are killing us too.
@@deniselebeau9874 Hi, we are not a support group - but there are many, and many who offer hope. We are a documentary film that discusses and exposes the issues, regardless of if they are hopeful. That said, many people do get off these meds and heal. And not everyone goes on to develop protracted syndromes. When we posted this video, some people who already have protracted contacted us to say that this video was incredibly validating for them-so everyone is at a different place on this journey and has different needs.
Sorry you are going through all that. It must be terrible for you to deal with. But please keep going, it will get better. Seek more help & advice. If you can, pray to the Lord to get well. May not be instant but it worked for me. Jesus promises help to those who trust & believe in Him. I will pray for you too. X
I was 30 years on antidepressants. I weaned of 2.5 years ago & I'm completely dysfunctional. I haven't healed one tiny bit. I feel the damage is permanent!
I'm tapering off antidepressants after decades of use as well. I'm so sorry to hear you haven't healed. Has nothing brought relief? I truly believe everyone can heal, albeit slowly. I wish you the best and I'm sorry you're struggling.
@@cowboyjohnsontown @chrishoughtonart - Thanks for your comment!
Why do you want to stop using them? I would recommend to anyone out there, not to stop your meds! Remember, you were originally prescribed them for a good reason. The underlying condition you were taking your meds for does not magically disappear just because you decide you want to stop the drugs.
If you do stop you meds, you will be left with your underlying condition, that will have gotten worse over time, plus all the damage caused by the long term use of medication. All I can say is, you better plan on living a long time to make it worthwhile ...
I don't believe many people make a full recovery. Of course it's going to depend on may variables, but if you've been on them decades & decades (30 years) & are already old (like I am) ..... well, I'm not about to wait around .....
It takes an unbelievable amount of time. I’m 5 yrs off a CT and still can’t function. Can’t leave home.
@@snafu22 @SNAFU - I'm sorry to hear what your going through! What makes you think you will fully recover?
In my case, I don't have that much time left, as I'm already old. Thank God for Physician Assisted Suicide for prolonged psychological suffering. I've applied & am ready to end this suffering .......
@@snafu22 It truly is a slow process. Have you tried supplements or looked into any kind of meditation or therapy involving cannabis or psilocybin? As we come off these drugs, we have to deal with not only the withdrawal symptoms but we have to address the underlying issues that made us take the pills in the first place. I've joined a support group that has also been extremely helpful. We all need love, support, and encouragement in this difficult journey.
I was prescribed Lyrica for my sciatica nerve pain(happens once a year or even less)... One 25mg pill and the side effects were horrible. Stopped immediately. Asked doctor for something else. When I saw the name of the new medication on bottle(Cymbalta), I knew what it was... I looked at the pharmacist and said no. My gut feeling was to not take them. I would rather have pain, do some light physio exercises when able to... it will eventually pass. Why on earth was I given antidepressants for sciatica that is NOT chronic? On top of it, I'm not in the least depressed! A short term painkiller would have been better, but I could be wrong. Anyhow... I suffered needlessly of side effects of Lyrica and then would have become addicted to antidepressants(with more side effects surely) on top of it... I'm glad I refused them.
So proud of you and your refusal to be Compliant with doctors ignorance and arrogance.
People with mental illnesses suffer immensely. Sometimes i have clarity of mind and i remember the difference. Its like two different lives. One with a certain peace of mind and the other with a troubled brain. Its incredibly hard to live with and me heat feels for other people who live with these problems.
Antidepressants destroyed my brain
They have destroyed mine too but I took an 8 week course in Neuroplasticity and it has changed my life and my brain. I highly recommend it to anyone as it is all on the science that our brains can change and heal. Takes work but so worth it. The psychiatric community knew this years ago but it’s just simpler to write a prescription for antidepressants and then leave one on them indefinitely. Very very sad.
Agreed- 24 years on an SSRI and for the past year I've been slowly tapering off. Hang in there Anto. Sending love and strength. Time heals all wounds.
So how do you get better from anti depressant withdrawl causing near 247 anxiety ?
Im eating way more fiber, exersise daily...
Its been months of no work and I can't sustain this any more. If you found a solution please help
@@backalleygaming7096 meditation and breathing techniques have been life changing. I've also found cannabis to be helpful in helping work through difficult withdrawal symptoms. Healing from psych meds is very individual though. Try reading the Tao Te Ching. Support from loved ones is important (even if it's just one person, maybe a close friend even). Know that you are not broken, only temporarily injured. But meditation is crucial and it can help strengthen your central nervous system. Also, I've found light exercise and cold showers to be helpful for anxiety.
@Anto BioETY - I'm sorry to hear what has happened to you! I've been destroyed after coming off my antidepressant! I'm housebound, bedbound, tearful, Depressed, anxious. How has these drugs affected you?
The last sleep specialist I went to. All she does is listen to your symptoms and list off medication to get ya hooked on! Telling me I will be on meds for life! IM suffering but IM off the shit.
How many have brain injury showing on MRIs or other scans? Dr. Healy has spoken about this as related to hyponatremia.
My brain injury is diffuse lesions consistent with vasculitis/ lupus cerebritis. Also Frontotemporal atrophy that is progressing despite stopping the drugs.
Zoloft was my gateway drug, so to speak, and permanently disabled me (very painful dystonias and rhabdomyolysis). I have many autoimmune issues that appeared shortly after I began Zoloft (for mild fatigue 🤬).
There are so many ways that these drugs damage the entire body.
Gabapentin has been the worst withdrawal. 4 years and still going...
I can't get off paxil myself. Longest I have made it was 2 weeks. I couldn't imagine years.
I'm also tapering off paxil. Tough stuff. Over the past year, I slowly worked my way from 40mg/day to 10mg/day. I had to pause at 10 for a few months to adjust and am preparing to once again slowly taper down some more. Sending strength to you my dude!
Very difficult drug too get off. Micro taper very slowly.
Oh god. I went cold turkey off Paxil. Horrible but I had no choice. I thought I was going to die. No one should ever do what I did, but I remain off it to this day 15 years later
@@jessicafalstein yes it is. I tried twice before, many years ago. I tapered too quickly and experienced derealization, horrible anxiety, etc. This time, I tapered from 40mg/day to 10mg over the course of 13 months. I've since remained at 10mg and now that my symptoms have calmed, I plan to start liquid tapering again.
The past year has been very difficult. Lots of depression, insomnia, night sweats, no appetite, anxiety, and even some hallucinating. For me, there's a bit of a pattern to the withdrawal cycles. I'll make a 10% drop and in the first week, I'd usually feel fine. The second week, the symptoms would start up. Third week, feel shitty, then start to see the light again after about 4 weeks. Sometimes I did larger drops, sometimes smaller more frequent drops. I've read that it has less to do with "getting the drug out of your system" and more to do with "how quickly can your CNS heal?" So the theory is, remove no more than 10% of the paxil, no faster than every 2-4 weeks. It's proven to be my most success taper. I also try to focus on keeping my confidence up because I often feel like shit, small and unsafe. I'm learning about trauma healing, doing yoga, journaling, meditating, the whole bit. Cannabis has helped mitigate symptoms, specifically a strange sense of dissociation that I've felt from paxil withdrawal. 1-2 hits of a sativa instantly brings me back to reality and makes me feel like myself again. But so does meditation or a long walk. Anyone withdrawing from psych meds is a bad ass. Anyway, I'll end it here.
@@m0ckingB1rd42 wow, I'm so sorry you experienced such pain! Paxil withdrawal can be horrible. How awesome that you're feeling better these days. It really does seem like time is your best friend when it comes to healing from these types of drugs.
I’ve been working on getting off Effexor. I started last year and it was such a disaster ended up going back on the lowest dose to even things out. Took almost a year to feel good. I started again this May with the help of a Naturopath who has been more helpful than my GP I’m slowly weaning off but still experience side effects with each drop in dose. This drug has ruined my life and is one of the hardest to come off of.
I sympathize with you. I had to come off efexor quickly in 2017. It wasn't pretty.
I'm also working with a Naturopath to taper off of paxil after decades of use. I've found a bit of a "rhythm" to my drops in dose that perhaps you can relate to? I'll do a 10% drop and the first week will feel ok, the second week the symptoms start to creep up. The third week sucks and then the fourth week, there seems to be a bit of relief.
From everything I've read, it seems like psych med withdrawal is less about getting the drug out of your system, and more about slowly reducing the psych drug at a similar rate to which your body's CNS can heal. So getting off of psych meds may come with a variety of issues: acute withdrawal, a slow healing of the CNS, as well as a re-surfacing of any pre-existing issues that caused the individual to seek out the psych drug in the first place.
Learning about this process has really helped me in my withdrawal. It makes me feel less panic-y and I very rarely wonder, "What's happening to me?!" These days, I reassure myself that it's all part of the process.
I recently stalled my taper at 10mg (I was originally at 40mg). I stayed at 10mg for about 6 months because my withdrawal symptoms had gotten so intense. After a number of months, my symptoms have reduced greatly which reassured me that what I've learned may be true. I resumed tapering this week and am now down to 9mg/day of paxil. I'll stay at 9mg for a month and then drop to 8mg. One day at a time.
@Rose Nichiporuk - Why do you want to stop your meds? I was 30 years on lexapro, & I'm now almost 3 years off. I'm completely & totally dysfunctional. My life has been destroyed!
My advice to people is not to stop your meds. Your original underlying condition does not magically disappear just because you decide you don't want to take drugs anymore. You will also be left with all the damage the drug has done ....
There is no upside to stopping meds, especially if you've been on them a long time...
@@montesa9136 I was out on meds after I had my youngest son and suffered with severe post natal psychosis. That was 32 years ago. I started with imipramine then it stopped working, switched to Paxil it stopped working, then I was put on Effexor the new drug 10 years ago. In 2019 I felt it was doing nothing for me and had a conversation with my Doctor who told me she could medicate me until I felt nothing but would not do that as we need to have feelings. She was right! Drugs only masked my anxiety, sadness and I needed to learn to deal with issues. So that’s what I did. I got counselling, took two workshops on Neuroplasticity which is the belief the brain can change with methods I learned. I learned the nervous system is incredibly powerful and responsible for everything I experienced. I had a traumatic childhood that in those days was never addressed. I also learned the psychiatric community knew this science long, long ago but chose to go the medication route which was easier and let’s face it the money made on psychiatric drugs is astronomical. Yes I have experienced side effects when I went off to quickly. However this year I am going very slowly and am under the care of a very competent Doctor of Naturopathy as well I see a Natural Bioenergetic Practitioner who works with the energy in my system and with the methods I do which I learned in my Neuroplasticity course the side effects are minimal. I’m a completely different person than I was a year ago. I’m calmer, able to handle crisis’s without freaking out, my anxiety is gone. Does it take a lot of work? Absolutely but for me it is worth it to be free of a drug that made me feel like crap, lost my sex drive for 30 years of marriage and didn’t fix my anxiety.
@@cowboyjohnsontown Wow! That’s sounds awesome! Yes I have the same thing as I taper, exactly like yours, incredible! The last drop was the toughest so like you and with my Naturopaths full support I will stay at this one for longer too. Yes, yes, the CNS is most amazing as I learned so much about it in my Neuroplasticity course! It will heal no doubt about it. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me it’s so so encouraging!
Maybe this might be a resource, Dr. Breggin wrote a book about pmed withdrawal. He is also a patient advocate.
I'm dying every day. I was on many drugs for my OCD and then they misdiagnosed me with bipolar put me on many other drugs my life is over. It's been six months. I am off my meds, but it's like nightmare😢 Akhatisia,anhedonia, cognitive impairment, insomnia, DPDR, racing thoughts, and severe mood swings،Hyper sensitive nervous system. Hyper salivation,horrofic nightmare. I'm getting worse every day. I can't take it anymore 😢😢 I really want to live, but I can't take it anymore. I am so close to suside everyday.
Please make the words larger and easier to read, love the information in this series
thats freaky to.hear ppl say they never get better..was on.venlaxine 30 years...half of the min. dose and it wasnt working..now ...so I stopped...hope damage isnt irreparable...or take 10 or 20 years..lol..I am 53...
Doctor, the withdrawal effects can be very longterm - it can be a question of adapting to them i.e. they never go.
Is there no hope?
Of course there is hope. This is just validating those who go on to endure protracted syndromes - they need hope too. It is real.
Is there hope to have a healthy brain and healthy thoughts ? The concensus is to take psych medecin and psychiatric help. This, i’m sure, can give some releif. Hope for a complete recovery ? Some have very good success and others not so much. I think avoiding meds is risky but taking meds comes at a price. These are my thoughts anyways.
Is there hope to have a healthy brain and healthy thoughts ? The concensus is to take psych medecin and psychiatric help. This, i’m sure, can give some releif. Hope for a complete recovery ? Some have very good success and others not so much. I think avoiding meds is risky but taking meds comes at a price. These are my thoughts anyways.
@@MedicatingNormal Hope for what exactly??
Jesus heals and restores what is broken.
I would also recommend watching 👁️👁️ Prescription Thugs (2015) by Chris Bell->
ua-cam.com/video/AP5JUuw2ZOs/v-deo.html
Great Documentary‼️
Thx 4 the recommendation. Just watched it. Excellent video, esp. for providing the historical background as to how Big Pharma got to this super powerful position in the USA.
@@Faffy58 You're must welcome‼️