Antipsycotics

[[jo...]]

Has anyone ever been given these in withdrawl? What are your experiences?

[[Ma...]]

Please do not touch them. You are not psychotic, they are extremely serious medications, can cause irreversible tardive disconesia, are known to shrink the brain and are exceptionally difficult to get off.

I am not a doctor by any means. 

[[Lo...]]

@[jo...] I have also been thinking about them , are you thinking of trying them ? 

[[jo...]]

Yeah it was in my thinking. I just get desperate sometimes. I need relief. My situation is that I cant be this disfunctional and suffering.

There's to much stress in my living situation and I feel like I'm going backwards because of it. I need somthing to work. I'm taking mirt but it's not helping much yet. It has to be given time I know but I'm thinking what if that doesn't work.

I know some people are against using other meds but not everyone's situation is the same. I have stuff in my family thats really stressful at the moment and feel like it's all gonna come tumbling down.

[[Lo...]]

@[jo...] I get it , I have 4 children and I’m not functioning at all , I really need to be able to function to some degree , I’ve been thinking of taking it too 😞 gosh what do we do 

[[jo...]]

I'm not sure what advice to give as I'm struggling to work out what to do for the best myself. Just trying to work something out.

[[Cr...]]

6 hours ago, [[j...] said:

I'm not sure what advice to give as I'm struggling to work out what to do for the best myself. Just trying to work something out.

We understand Jon. The fear and frustration this process causes is unlike anything else.

I will not fear-monger you about trying anti-psychotics, but I will caution you not to make the decision lightly. When people are barely hanging on, I don't find it helpful to tell them that they absolutely cannot and should not consider things that may have a chance at bringing relief. Having potential options, in the background, can often provide some hope of knowing they are a potential solution "just in case".

More often than not, the "just in case" scenario never happens and they never need to try the med.

We should definitely clear some things up. No AP meds will cure or prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring. They might mask/dull certain symptoms, but often at the cost of adding their own side effects into the mix.

If an AP finally quieted your restless mind you may be fine with accepting the potential risks. However, the reason some members like to caution others is because we don't want to see other members end up in a situation where they have a bad reaction to a med and wish someone would have talked them out of it.

Certain AP meds have helped other members in sub-therapeutic doses (like Seroquel for sleep), but for mental symptoms these meds will need to be taken at higher doses where the increased risks come into play.

Jonwil, where are you at as far as the mirt? How many days in a row so far and what dose? It may be far too soon to rule mirt out as ineffective and adding other meds into the mix.

[[jo...]]

Hi Crono. I'm still quite early with the mirt, not quite a week which isn't long enough to get the effect I know. 15mg dose. I am willing to go up dose also. Infact I'm probably going to. I am just speculating at the moment about AP's. I just don't know what to expect from the mirt. I don't know if it's going to help or not. 

[[jo...]]

I feel like I need to move up dose as soon as possible. I think 30mg is whats recommended as the dose for mood disorder.

[[mo...]]

Earlier this year, before I started tapering but could no longer feel the effects of my Xanax, my doctor prescribed me an antipsychotic to take as needed. It’s called Zyprexa. This is not at all a typical method of prescribing it, but it has given me something to reach for when the anxiety is too match. It has very serious systemic effects, so I’ve only taken it once or twice a month. It completely knocks me out. I’m not into the suffering phase of my taper yet, so I don’t know how it would affect withdrawal.

I should mention that I do struggle with mental illness(debilitating anxiety/depression/possible bipolar) and was prescribed when I was experiencing a “mental breakdown,” so this may not be appropriate for others.

[[Kr...]]

3 hours ago, [[j...] said:

I know some people are against using other meds

Who cares about other people , it's your life and you know your limitations. It's very easy to tell someone what they should be doing in an online forum. You're vulnerable and your brain is vulnerable to suggestion, this is a very delicate state to be in and remember please, no one here is a doctor. Take what you read with a grain of salt. It's unfortunate that we are left to trust a group of strangers becasue there is such little help available from the medical community. There is always risk trusting both sides.  

There is nothing easy about this, jonwill.  Its heartbreakingly difficult.

And yes, antipsychotics are no laughing matter, but neither is being on the edge 24/7 with limited resources and atypical family stressors.

[[jo...]]

That's exactly how I feel. It's hard to know what advice to take and how to make the right decisions. It's an almost impossible situation.

[[jo...]]

I dont think I'd even be prescribed AP's anyway. I'm just kind of thinking out loud.

[[Fa...]]

5 hours ago, [[C...] said:

We should definitely clear some things up. No AP meds will cure or prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring. They might mask/dull certain symptoms, but often at the cost of adding their own side effects into the mix.

If an AP finally quieted your restless mind you may be fine the potential risks. However, the reason some members like to caution others is because we don't want to see other members end up in a situation where they have a bad reaction to a med and wish someone would have talked them out of it.

I find it very difficult to offer replies to posts such as this.  I quoted @[Cr...] because these two paragraphs are very well expressed.

When we offer our experience, we do NOT want to scare people.  Nor do we want to imply what we believe another should do.  Having said that, it is very difficult to not want to strongly caution other members when we have lived through something that we would never wish upon another.  So, how do we tread carefully and mindfully?  I suppose by just stating personal facts.

I was placed on an AP prior to having the knowledge I have acquired over the last almost three years.  I was placed on it specifically to 'reduce' WD symptoms as I was tapering.  That was the sole purpose of being placed on it.  The AP caused severe Akathisia for 14 months.  That is my story.

I realize mental symptoms are horrific.  They have been my worst symptom along side the AKA.  The AP only made my situation more complicated.  There were no benefits for me.

Warmly,

F 

[[jo...]]

Doesn't sound good. I don't fancy 14 months of any symptom never mind aka.

[[Fa...]]

@[jo...]  No.  It was not good for me.

This is the thing, in my experience.  There are many 'rings of hell' one can experience during withdrawal.  When we are feeling so completely at the end of our rope, we feel as though we have reached the bottom.  However, with a NS that is so beaten up and sensitized, we don't realize that 'poking the bear' can very possibly send us into another level that we did not think could exist.  No one can know the suffering of another.  The worst suffering is our own suffering.

While moving through WD, we have to find the delicate balance of managing our suffering and knowing when we may need to make a decision that may be necessary to carry us through to the finish line.  No one can make that call for another.  All we can do is offer information based on our experience to help others make an informed decision for themselves.  And, we all just want to see everyone heal and be well.

I wish you the very best.

Warmly,

F 

[[Fr...]]

I should be more diplomatic maybe but dont do it. I read a comment here saying “None of us are doctors”. Doctors are what create messes like this. They will finish you off if you let them. Offer you one thing after another and never give you enough time to recover. It is a very young profession and has really progressed not at all. It wasn’t long ago at all that they were sticking spikes into peoples brains saying they were curing anxiety. Bunch of morons and cannot be trusted. 

Work on living healthy and recovering. That will work. More iatrogenic illnesses wont. 

[[Fa...]]

@[Fr...]  Reminds me of a conversation I had with an ER physician.  He stated that psychiatry is not a science, it's an art.  I come from the medical community and worked for mental health professionals.  I no longer will.  I've now seen and heard too much along with my personal experience.  What I can do is pass on information regarding tapering and general education surrounding this massive problem.  That's about all I can do at this point.