The Rabbit Hole of Psychiatric Drugs: Dave speaks with Medical Journalist Robert Whitaker
Вставка
- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- For more information, including links to the scientific evidence base for the statements in this video, as well as further resources: medicatingnorma...
Robert Whitaker on Wikipedia: bit.ly/33tgN4n
Robert Whitaker’s books provide much more detail about this subject, including citations to the scientific research. His book “Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America” is available here: amzn.to/2OO45tI
More information about polypharmacy: lowninstitute....
How Polypharmacy Has Become a Medical Burden Worldwide: www.pharmaceut...
Mad in America has a number of resources regarding psychiatric drug withdrawal: www.madinameri...
Mad in America provides an overview of antidepressant drugs, with links to scientific articles. The review explains their biological action as well as the research on their short- and long-term efficacy: www.madinameri...
Medicating Normal on Facebook: / medicatingnormalfilm
Medicating Normal on Twitter: me...
Donate: medicatingnorm...
Note: This video does not constitute medical advice. Stopping psychiatric drugs, especially abruptly, can be dangerous, as withdrawal effects may be severe, disabling or even life-threatening.
Music: www.purple-pla...
That's when I stopped trusting the psychiatrist. I told him I was having bad side effects, but his answer was that I needed to take more. No other doctor would do that!
many doctors do that
@@aimlessintopeka No mainstream doctor will do that. If a medication is not working or resulting in adverse effect, it's discontinued.
All doctors do that, they took an oath to do no harm but they break that oath daily. Don't want to be them on judgment day.
Same happened to me
Sadly, way too many do that.
In September 2019, I argued with my family doctor (who gave me the prescription for Clonazepam - I took it for 3 years) to give me a timetable to withdraw and she said “well you already got off cold turkeys so after 3 weeks now you should be Benzo-free” - she finally agreed to prescribe a tapering off prescription for 3 months - I’m Clonazepam free for 2.5 years now and I still feel the effect of this drug. It’s getting much better though.
I’m done with psychiatric meds!
I'm in Australia, my bf is in America. What made me worry was when he had panic attacks and went to the hospital because he thought he was dying due to a heart attack, the doctor wanted to give him Xanax. Not ask him to see a psychologist that can find the root of his anxiety and learn coping skills, but straigh to Xanax. Sure, Xanax can help make you calm but it does not teach you how to cope with anxiety and how to overcome it or why does it happen and what is the trigger to it.
In Australia, they will never allow Xanax to be prescribed so freely unless if it's some lazy and dangerous Dr. They will refer you to a psychologist or some social services to help out.
psychiatry bad science + bad drugs = bad outcomes for many caught in the rabbit hole.
Good to see you here again Cameron we have to stand up for what happens to us and others!
Psychiatry is evil and fraud
Amazing and I am so glad that it is coming out the truth about this psychiatric drugs and the harm and horrible things. In wherever profession if you do something wrong you pay for it but the psychiatrists and the pharmaceuticals never pays for the damages they caused to millions of people.
I am so relieved to see a documentary like this getting some views and recognition. At 19 I was having panic attacks, went to try and get help for that, ended up over the next 6 years on at least 16 different meds. Polypharmed by a truly terrible doc. In the first session which I remember the most out of any other session I told him that I didn’t really like taking anything even Advil. But ultimately I listened to the upper East Side important doctor who I should have never trusted. Probably gave me what the pharma sales rep just sold him. Anyway have since learned what really happened and why the brain should never have been put through that.
I can't express how important it is to educate this message to people. I had no idea of the many side effects that i would experience from taking and then attempting to withdraw from medication. Looking back I wish that I had made different decisions. I just hope I can prevent others from making the same mistakes that I have. It's great that I feel less alone in my experience now.
Being alone in this is the worst part. The fact that I can't find a single doctor or therapist that understands or has solutions is the most frustrating.
OMG this hurts me sooo bad to listen to bc now I'm thinking back to where everything started with myself, and I don't even know exactly how many different drugs,but mine went so MUCH WORST
In 2001, after 9/11 and living in NYC, my primary prescribed me Klonopin 2mg per day without any warnings. It sent me down the rabbit hole described in the video. Benzo withdrawal can do that.
Hell yes
I’m so glad you didn’t go on Cymbalta. Unfortunately I did and then I found out that doctors have never been formally trained in safe, slow tapering methods. I’m still protracted Acute withdrawal
Syndrome after 34 months. I write to politicians and health ministers with no reply’s. Sad state of affairs. Love and peace from Australia 🇦🇺
I've never listened to doctors or psychiatrist, I diagnose and treat myself. If I'm in a black space of depression, I take meds for 6 weeks and then I'm off. Yes, it works. You need only micro levels. I once had mania, I took 1/4 of lithium for a few days and got myself out of it and stopped it, no issues after that. Be your own physician. Know that your body only need small amounts of anything. I was prescribed 2mg melatonin, experimented and found that 1mg was the sweet spot. I hate doctors, I'm better at treating myself than any of them.
Too true, after Temazepam as intern I was getting told I had major depression, the SSRI sent me manic, SNRI sent me psychotic and antipsychotics made me a cognitive zombie while trying to do hospital emergency medicine..ended up in suicidal psychosis, switched to cannabis which helped but banned from practice and given criminal conviction after raided for one cannabis plant...and during the destruction of my mind I was indoctrinated to believe I had genetic medical illness, all psychosocial issues dismissed as insignificant...faced ITO where told I was incapable of informed consent even though I've now researched it for 2 decades and know more about adverse effects of psyche meds than head if psychiatry who wouldn't even acknowledge Mims full Prescribing information or cannabis had medical use..willful ignorance, but at least there's a Royal Commission in Victoria and Productivity Commission into Mental Illness has some screenshots of your talk about antipsychotics and vocational decline Mr Whitaker..you are my hero for raising awareness and all you do..thank you, and to David for his honesty and awareness also, plus media team at medicating normal
SSRIs made me sleepy and tired which what I needed because I couldn't sleep at all.
@@matronarona You are very blessed if you took them without side effects and were able to get off them easily. The horrific side effects only affects about 30% of patients and it gets worse the longer you are on them.
That's also a good trick of them: incapable of informed consent. So they avoid getting sued. Patient was incapable, yeah, alright.
After many years of suffering from depression I went to a psychiatrist, he was really kind and patient with me in therapy but the first time I took venlafaxine which he prescribed to me, I had horrible nausea, I was shaking uncontrollably, clenching my teeth horribly and had tachycardia, I swear on god I thought I was going to die, he told me to start with a lower dose but honestly I’m not really sure right now if antidepressants are for me
I will never touch a phyche drug again
It’s like Prescribing AGENT ORANGE without people knowing!!!
This man by his own expeeience and further education saved his boss's wife, thereby his boss as well, and the mental health of their three children.
The primary thing I require in a psychiatrist is that they make it their mission to prescribe the absolute minimum of meds and on the lowest dosage that a patient (I have to say it) needs. I've seen people zombified by meds in the most prestigious hospital in the States.
That is the way they keep the business
The problem is if a patient comes in complaining of something that can't be seen (in their psyche). It's hard right now to try and evaluate the validity of their claims. Unlike when someone complains of hyperglycemia, which can be easily checked through a blood test or even a simple blood-glucose test.
The "branch" me medicine that went on to discover the issues with the psyche believe that there is a biological bases to it like other medical diseases and illnesses.
I've seem recent reports linking some symptoms to autoimmune disease and infection. It was some time ago that I found an article called "Missing the Diagnosis" that had a list of actual medical conditions, including exposure to toxins allergies, organ damage, diseases and infections that could all manifest symptoms of "mental illness." Unfortunately treating the symptoms of "mental illness" without looking for the underlying condition that caused the symptoms doesn't help the patient .
Thank you, for being a voice! 🙏🙏
Informed consent for ANY psychoactive drug should be made obligatory. GPs should not be allowed by any means to prescribe on accounts of relatives. This is even more tragic when minors are put on these drugs and parents, sadly, more or less unwittingly do not question the 'specialist'.I am a strong advocate for any psychiatric drug to made illegal for minors as alcohool is. There should be best parctice supervisors.The deontological superficiality and ethical laxity is overlooked, way too often. Unfortunately, these stories are far more common than what one would imagine. People are left dealing with the damage and impairement in total isolation, ostracized and blamed by family , wondering if they will ever be able to have their life back. Thans to Dave for sharing his story and to the brave doctors who are exposing this.
Thank you for your comments. I agree with you 100%. My son's psychiatrist did not inform me of these dangerous side effects. I had not clue what was happening to my son. In his first hysterical episode on the ant-depressant, I rushed him into the psychiatrists office, little around the corner from me. I was told he couldn't see me because I didn't have an appointment. I was told to take him to the Emergency Room. It made no sense to me why they psychiatry office was sending me to the Emergency Room. I felt like he is the one who prescribed this medicine, he should have been the one to listen and offer support. I wasn't told my son's behavior could be due to the medication. Four more years went by before I put it all together. Of course, I feel stupid now. Because the side effect appears like bipolor so we quicly assume it is the person and not the drug. It's awful!
@@gailflanagan1214So sorry to hear about your experience with your son. Sadly enough this is standard practice fir this non-evidence based, unscientific, cult-like 'specialty'. The side effects are not only behavioural but also physical, provoking inflammation to the CNS. The awful thing is that these side effects will be completely ignored as per se and rather considered "Symptoms" of yet another 'disorder' or a worsening of the previous 'condition' thus more drug-pushing and putting the person into an endless vicious cycle of prescribing for life. You shouldn't feel stupid the way it wirks is very Stockholm-syndrome-like. All the best to you and your son.
@@inHTW Thank you for your kind words. Yes, his CNS is damaged and it will take more time to heal. I would never have known any of this if I didn't find the information on the internet. Sigh.
My fmr B.F. went through this; I was there. Unbelievable; as he put it All Hell Broke Loose with a combo of Cipralex and Cymbalta.
I'm currently undergoing withdrawals from, tegretol, resperidol consta, klonopin, and wellbutrin. I quit all of them cold turkey a few months back. It's been very difficult to cope. It is not, and I repeat not recommended for those with a weak mental fortitude.
I observed my son going through withdrawals from celexa. He's been med free for 2 years. He's now 22. He has improved but it is ever so slow and painful to watch him suffer without any support from the medical world. Are you feeling better now? He still cannot socialize with ANYONE not even me and he lives with me.
"Mommy's helpers" is what the doctors prescribed for the bosses wife. Doctors have been medicating women like this since the tranquilizer, opiates, barbiturates and speed, was invented. Women and now men are being prescribed "Mommy's helpers".
I told my doctors NO tranquilizers and just so he would understand I reiterated No "Mommy's helpers" He explained that they don't prescribe 'tranquilizers' anymore. I was relieved only to discover they changed from drug to another over the generations. Doctors lie. I asked if they were addictive and he told me I could stop taking them cold turkey anytime I wanted. He lied, just lie to my face when I thought I was doing everything I could not to get stuck in this trap.
Doctors gave 10x more then it should.
I am on smallest therapeutic dose SSRI that doctors give it just for a start and patients end up taking 10x more.
It is saving my life.
I am tapering only 10% every month of the current dose to avoid withdrawals.
It may take two years to come off 25mg but I won’t risk to harm myself with horrible withdrawals if coming off too quick.
What are you taking ?
@@2002films I’m at 7mg Zoloft now and 7.5mg Mirtazepine for sleep and I rushed the taper unfortunately.
I was in very bad shape for one month, basically bed ridden and home bound. I see the light of the tunnel finally.
I’m taking 300mg CBD isolate a day from indigo naturals and saved me.
These meds are very dangerous when stopped. It was tortured to my soul. I cannot explain the terror I went through and because I love God , my son and my mom, I am here. I understand why some people stopped their lives.
They should not sell these evil poisons.
In some people’s lives, it can be a matter of be damned if you do & damned if you don’t....I hate drugs & big pharma & they never tell you the hell you will will go through for ever it seems....I never see how you could live w/ anxiety ( that you don’t even know where it comes from for 24/7 , 7 days a week! Everyone is different & respond differently towards every thing in our life! I HATE drugs!!!!
They are NOT doctors who adhere to, "do know harm".
psychiatrists are criminals and they are destroying many peoples lives with pseudoscience.
May I suggest that nowadays so I have heard, many people are diabetic... this may be linked to moods... I recall how hyper kids would get around Halloween and I suspect too much sugar... I could be wrong but it is worth thinking about.
Complex post traumatic stress can cause cortisol levels to drop and affect insulin resistance - it happened to me. The nervous system in relation to social/environmental context gets too little attention in all of this, largely because of the profit incentives of pharma and the treatment industrial complex and the generational trauma at play that society refuses to acknowledge and deal with.
I take fluoxetine, suboxone and Vyvanse. These are all of the psych meds I take. I had asked for all 3 of these... I used to take Valium, but only when I felt like I really needed it. Benzos are 'expletive' addicting.
Well, they actually more often cause physical dependence (which is different from addiction). True addiction to benzos is quite rare (
@MedicatingNormal Excellent point. The disease of addiction, Being primarily of genetics, only affects about 10-15% of the US population. But anyone can become physically dependent upon benzos. The difference between addicts and non addicts? The addict is chasing the high. We tend to use much higher doses.
@@charleswomack2166 It's important to make this clarification because people need to know they're at risk when using the benzodiazepines even exactly as directed by their doctors (and, often, the doctors do not warn them of such)!
I really appreciate this conversation, I'm kind of new to the subject. But I'm not new to antidepressants. I have been taking a SSRI call trintellix. It is one of the newer antidepressants, and it did work fairly well, it did help me to return to what I thought was normal. I am now 5 days off from taking the drug, and my desire is to be free from taking it. Do you know anything about this SSRI called trintellix?
30 meds tried on me over my insomnia. I don't even have mania.. It was a bad reaction I had to going back on zoloft that screwed me up.. And 2 years later I am not fixed.. but 30 types of pills???
I was in a psyche hospital recently. At “medication time” I saw the load of boxes of the woman in front of me and on a cursory count I made 13 boxes of psyche and pain meds. It took forever to dole out her pills (and she was at that window 3 times per day). This is dangerous. I hate to agree with anything Tom Cruise has to say, but on this I think he’s been right by default. We have been poly-drugged into insanity.
I’m now on one “bead” of Effexor (I open the capsules and have tapered by 1 bead out of 12 per month- over a year I’m nearly off it) 2 diazepam and propranolol for terrifying and resultant akathesia. I’m an atheist but in my pain I have almost fallen to my knees in prayer for deliverance from this perdition.
Dave, I hope you and your wife are doing well in the recovery from the pharmaceutical drugs. If you see this, can you tell me if you experienced painful tactile hallucinations? Also, were you put on Depakote? I am asking because my adult son is experiencing horrible pain that comes and goes and we, often, wonder if it's from the meds. It's frustrating and sad, especially when he ends up hitting his head to get relief. If it's not too difficult on you, please respond back to our questions. We are all either trying to heal or helping someone else to heal. Thank you.
Would like to know how Dave is doing today.
Dave
Are you recovered pretty much now?
Working?
How is Dave doing today? Is there any follow up? I'm extremely curious if his memory has improved.
I don't like to share his personal information, out of respect for his privacy, but sometimes he reads the comments here and replies.
@@MedicatingNormal Thank you. I completely respect and understand his need for privacy. I will keep my fingers crossed that he replies. Dave has the most fascinating story that helped me understand my son, who was a fine student pre-antidepressants. It's been one year since withdrawal from Celexa and he is struggling with 1 college English class due to memory loss and foggy brain. Thanks to Medicating Normal, I can empathize, pray this is just temporary, as Dave said to his family, just give him some time. :)
@@gailflanagan1214 How is your son doing now?
@@jrman413 He has improved every so slowly. Sadly, he still refuses to socialize. Not because he doesn't want to but because it's too difficult. He know longer shares his symptoms with me and doesn't like to talk about it. He doesn't talk to ANYONE. I think he tried in the beginning, over a year ago, but his old friends didn't understand what was wrong with him. He wasn't his old self, fun, athletic, enjoyable to be around. He's become a recluse. On a positive note, he's taking 2 college classes a semester. He's 22 and trying so hard to get his AA when some of his friends already received their bachelor's degree. However, he is very ambitious and goal oriented. Last year he was working in a restaurant but people gave him a hard time because he didn't want to talk to anyone. He just worked in the kitchen. Finally, he found a job delivering for Fedex. He gets up every morning at 6am and does his deliveries. He just doesn't say "hello" when he walks in the door or "good-bye" when he leaves. He just goes to his room alone. I don't say anything because I know he's struggling mentally, physically and emotionally. It seems like the only thing I can do is let him be.
@@jrman413 Thank you for asking. Hope all is well with you.
i was forced to take risperdal then went on to have 4 shots of paliperidone. i had my last one was feburary, i didnt have schizophrenia or anything, i was in hospital due my eating disorder. i am worried its done permanent brain damage. i have severe anhedonia, lack of motivation , slow thinking cant concentrate,no periods , sucidal and imsomia. its now june and no improvement, i have no dopamine or serotonin . i am doomed and going to be like this forever
I understand the beef with benzos... but I'm bipolar and on lithium, epilum and dopaquel. Haven't had up or down episode in 3 years. So itz hard for me to try and make head or tail of these videos... would I love to come off my meds? Of course I would! Do I think I can? Not really... have they saved my life? I believe they have.
Someone once said to me that I gave the medication too much credit. For me, it was possible that I was responsible for my "recovery."
@@MedicatingNormal are you completely healed now?
I would like to know how Dave is doing?
I am so glad my father didn't live to see how they destroyed me. It would have killed him. I loved him so much.
Olanzapine
Fluoxetine
Zopiclone
Diazepam
Promethazine
Propranolol
Meptazinol
Asprin
30 years old
Same it’s all poison
That's a lot for your age... I only see this in the elderly :(
That's one hell of a cocktail.
How can i help?
Please could I ask, how do you explain people who do hugely improve? I've been given sertraline and refused to take 3 times so I'm anti meds but some of my friends have improved and keep trying to convince me
I take sertaline it gives me spasms I take such a low dose honestly it's not done much for me still v v anxious but I have two friends and they really like it , I u do try it , try a very low dose and see how it makes u feel .
Worse side effects for me are flatness, lack of excitement and absolutely no sex drive for yeeeaaars.
Benefits were that I suddenly became much less tired, less depressed, less obsessive compulsive, and felt like someone had put cotton wool or aloe vera around my soul. The longer I am on them the less they seem to work though.
I have come off a few times - was pretty miserable and had flu symptoms and sore throat and shaking fingers and cognitive problems, but just thought I kept getting ill or getting infections as I didn't realise these were all withdrawal symptoms.
I stayed off for a year or two each time, but sex drive and joie de vivre has never come back. Ended up going back on them after getting severely down and OCD again.
If you can find something else that works - goals, relationships, exercise etc. do that. I do think they have saved my life a few times, but they have also made life pretty grey and empty. Or at least they haven't helped with all depressive symptoms, just really reduced the pain and emotion, and compulsive ocd parts. I no longer necessarily know what is causing what!
The strange part is that everybody is different. Only 30% of people have bad side effects so others can take these drugs and do feel fine, at least for a while. Wait until they try to get off of it. But some people can quit and still be fine. That's the problem. It makes it hard to prove to the FDA when the clinical trials show that it helps so many people.
@@gailflanagan1214 were did u find that statistics only 30% let me guess a government website ???
@@gailflanagan1214 I can assure you that it's a lot more than 30% and one of the worst effects is that psychiatric drugs blunt people's empathy, which is causing HUGE issues for family members and friends, along with society in general! 🙁
im on seroquel lamotrigine and abilify feel no wayout
withdrawal.theinnercompass.org/learn/psychiatric-drug-taper-rates-review-and-discussion
I was on the same. Took myself off of the Seroquel over the course of two months. Now I'm working on the lamotrgine. I will be lamotrgine free in February. My psychiatric nurse has blanched twice when I approached her about tapering off of the lamotrgine. The first time she concocted this story that I had to be on it for 6 months before I could taper. At the 6 month marker I broached the subject again. She said she "didn't want to throw me under the bus" because I might be starting back to work after over a year of not working (due to relocation and then the pandemic); she claimed that I might experience some anxiety with this change. I've been out of work before. I've never experienced anxiety at work unless I was being bullied.
It's just one bullshit excuse after another with these people. Little does she know that I was already tapering off when I approached her with the request the first time. I find it disgustingly paternalistic how they try to infantilize you rather than letting you take your health into your own hands.
I disagree with their diagnoses. I know my mind and body better than they EVER will. I've been with it for 50 years.
The difference between a GP and a pdoc is that the GP is into preventive medicine. You go to one for regular checkups. Not so with the pdoc. When you go to the latter, you don't walk away until you have been diagnosed with something.
@@archiesimpson5172 do you have bipolar disorder
@@danoconnell4536 No.
wen is rob fighting izzy again ?
I told my psychiatrist that i am having trouble in staying still just after taking the med and it dont happen when i dont take it…..he replied its not the drug its ur mind😂😂😂 wtf
Have you tried cymbalta, no have you??!!
tht is what cause flash backs ik it happen to me so i gave my pills to a dog an watched his behavior he ran in the street head first in to a car
THREE MG OF ATIVAN A DAY?!?! A single 4mg dose can kill most adults.
Not true. It's very hard to die from an overdose of a benzodiazepine. It's easier to die while withdrawing from them.
@@MedicatingNormal I understand withdrawal.. I went through it myself, but you can't be serious. It's hard to die from benzo overdose?
@@ryanhikes14ers It's true. Look on google scholar. It's one thing if you mix it with opioids or alcohol that's certain death. Benzo alone - no.
I was given 2000mg of lithium at one point in time.
I have to take mental health drugs or I will be thrown out put on conservatorship and live in some godforsaken group home.
Offensively ignorant.
This is Dave's lived experience. Which part is offensive to you?
Are you okay Matthew?
My dr put me on klonopin for eighteen months. I went cold turkey on my own and didn’t know I shouldn’t I didn’t know I was addicted. I had been drugged as a child and made the choice to not ever do drugs short of weed. It was a slide from day one. The sedation was horrific. I never took more than the dr told me too. But I’m five foot four. 215 lbs and I’ve had gastric bypass surgery. The reaction to klonopin were awful. Including continuing UTI’s that wouldn’t go away. I had an mri that brought back memories and I told my dr the Xanax was not ok that I was having a reaction to it, it was an as needed, so he put me on 1mg of klonopin before bed. Life was never the same. Then he put me on 1.5mg a day…………. During this process my husband got a therapist he needed and this person is gaslighting him. He had a reaction to Wellbutrin and Zoloft which made him enraged. He then went cold turkey off them and life blew up. And the narcissistic therapist was not helpful. Our marriage is a mess because of these medications and his therapist.
Something has to be done
You probably didn't know you were physically dependent. Addiction is a behavior of abuse. They aren't the same issue.
So sorry for what you've endured.