Drug Dysregulation Syndrome: Webinar, Sept 7, 2024

[[Li...]]

 

Dr. David Healy will discuss "Drug Dysregulation Syndrome” — where prolonged SSRI use causes damage to the sensory nervous system — in this online webinar on Saturday, September 7th at 1 PM EDT, US.  The full title is: 

“Why Are Antidepressants So Difficult to Stop? A New Understanding of Drug Dysregulation Syndrome and How to Manage It"  

Although this webinar is about SSRI antidepressants, it sounds like the concept of Drug Dysregulation Syndrome may also be relevant for benzodiazepines from the description below.

Description

Many people who stop taking SSRI antidepressants experience what is often described as “protracted withdrawal syndrome.” In this webinar, David Healy presents a different understanding of the biology of this injury: people withdrawing from SSRIs are suffering a “dysregulation” of their sensory nervous system. He will tell of how drug companies knew of this hazard when they developed SSRIs, and how they sought to hide it from the public. As most of serotonin is found outside our brain, SSRIs primarily impact our “bodies”, especially our senses. The target effect of SSRIs is a sensory muting, but they may also cause a sensory irritation, giving rise to akathisia. Both muting and irritation can cause problems, especially on stopping.

As such, the drugs give rise to a “Drug Dysregulation Syndrome” affecting different systems, especially after extended exposure. These syndromes are not manifestations of psychological or physiological drug dependence. They are not linked to binding at the serotonin reuptake sites, and they are not caused by the speed of tapering. What we do know about managing these syndromes has come from people with lived experience with these problems.

This webinar will sketch a way forward for managing this "syndrome." 

For More Information and Tickets

Follow this link:

Why Are Antidepressants So Difficult to Stop? A New Understanding of Drug Dysregulation Syndrome and How to Manage It
Sat, Sep 7, 2024 at 1:00 PM EDT, USA

[[Na...]]

Thanks for this notice. I hope he has some ideas about managing the symptoms of this dysregulated nervous system and that maybe some of that will apply to the similar experiences benzo users experience as well. 

[[Li...]]

 

You’re welcome, @[Na...]. I share your hope.  Dr. Healy does indeed have ideas about managing the symptoms of a nervous system dysregulated by antidepressant use and withdrawal, gleaned in large part from individuals with lived experience. My hope is we can find ways to engage more individuals who have lived experience with benzodiazepine use and withdrawal with Dr. Healy and his network.

 

[[st...]]

 

In this “New Understanding of Drug Dysregulation Syndrome and How to Manage It” webinar description above,
- there are two paragraphs talking about the “New Understanding” part, but
- there is zero mention about the “How to Manage It” part.

Which left me to wonder, what are some of their management suggestions? Does anyone know? Why isn’t there even one mention of the types of treatments possible to spur my interest? So I’ll include some info below that might be relevant.

Per wikipedia, “Healy directs an Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) clinic in Wales.”

 

Manufacturer of ECT machines includes this disclaimer:

“Further, no representation or warranty is made that a Somatics, LLC product will not fail or cause temporary or permanent cognitive deficits. Somatics, LLC disclaims responsibility for any medical complications directly or indirectly resulting from the use of this product.”

https://www.thymatron.com/downloads/System_IV_Instruction_Manual_Rev22.pdf

 

"What these shock doctors don't know is about writers and such things as remorse and contrition and what they do to them . . . Well, what is the sense of ruining my head and erasing my memory, which is my capital, and putting me out of business? It was a brilliant cure, but we lost the patient."
- Ernest Hemingway

 

 

[[Na...]]

@[Li...] I've definitely heard of Dr. Healy but confess that I don't know that much about his work and positions aside from him generally being on the side of "psych drugs are vastly overprescribed".

Does he focus mainly on SSRIs/antipsychotics or does he address benzos as well?

I definitely intend to attend his webinar.

[[Li...]]

I’m delighted you plan to attend David’s webinar, @[Na...]

You have impressed me as having a ‘big picture’ view of DDS related to benzodiazepines and z-drugs as well as the multitude of ‘theories’ and remedies that have been tried over the years to address it.  If this webinar follows the same format as previous ones, there will be a question and answer period at the end — I hope you’ll take advantage of it.

David is a psychopharmacologist so he is well-versed in a variety of psychotropic drugs.  He’s also keenly interested in raising awareness about problems with these drugs and the pharmaceutical companies that develop and market them.

David operates RxISK.org, a website dedicated to making medicines safer through online direct patient reporting of drug side effects.  My sense is he uses these patient reports as well as interactions with patients who respond to his RxISK blog posts to inform his work. For example, my understanding is he was an ‘early detector’ of what is now known as PSSD (Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction).