This is a follow-up to Katie’s post, Girl on a Hot Tin Roof, about drug withdrawal and burning feet.
I have been profoundly affected by adverse events from medications. I attempted repeatedly to talk to my psychiatrist about my concerns and hoped he would believe what had occurred so that he could partner with me. This hasn’t been the case. I decided to try again, this time by writing him a letter and reading it to him during an appointment. This is what I read:
Dear Dr. D.,
It is important for my healing that I express a number of things to you. My life has been significantly and irreversibly altered by tapering the Lexapro and the gabapentin. In March 2013 when I began the Lexapro taper you stated that “I might have more symptoms” indicating that I could have more psychiatric symptoms without the medication. You provided me with no other information of what the risks are of tapering and this omission is a failure to provide informed consent to treatment. It is negligence to ignore the alarms that have been sounded for many years about psychotropic medications and their reduction process. My rights have been violated because I was not able to exercise choice about my medical decisions without the necessary information. You took my choice away from me. The initial Lexapro taper was wildly too fast and may have substantially contributed to the damage. My efforts to express the severity of my withdrawal symptoms and physical damage have been met with denial, blame, and minimization since I began voicing serious concerns in July 2013. To say that my situation is rare is inaccurate. And to say that you did not purposely intend to hurt me does not reduce culpability.
As a result of the Lexapro taper I have pudential neuralgia and interstitial cystitis. As a result of the gabapentin taper I have peripheral neuropathy. I have pain and abnormal sensations in my pelvis, butt, feet, and hands every day. My pain is made worse by both sitting and standing. There are many important activities I can no longer participate in. I have gone through over six months of akathisia. My nervous system remains in a constant state of activation and I experience intense physiological arousal that has persisted now for two years. I can no longer tolerate many medications due to physiological instability, which severely limits my treatment options for these conditions. After a new medication trial, I suffer substantial withdrawal symptoms.
What you did to me is an interpersonal trauma. I am filled with rage. I no longer want to live. Worse than these feelings is the terror that I live with. My beliefs about people and the world have changed. I no longer believe that the world is a safe place. I am almost totally alone, like an outsider looking in. There are many, many days when in the throes of intense physiological arousal and/or physical pain when I wish I could go to the emergency room. But I know there will be no help for me. No one can undo the damage or significantly mitigate the after effects.
It would mean a lot to me if you would apologize. It would help the inferno that is blazing. It would mean that we could work towards a partnership so I wouldn’t feel as alone as I do now. I am not suing you or reporting you to the state licensing board. An apology means more—from one human being to another. What would help me would be to hear the following: That you are truly sorry for hurting me. That you take some responsibility for hurting me. That you believe me that what happened to me and is happening to me is due to the medications. And that what happened to me and is happening to me is NOT ok.
K.B.
As I read the letter, he took notes, which had a distancing effect on our interaction. Instead of a repair in the therapeutic relationship and an apology for the harm, we had a debate. It felt as if I squeezed it out of him, but he did acknowledge responsibility in that he prescribed the medication, though he denied any further culpability. He even commented that if I wasn’t in emotional pain he would throw me out of his office for using words like “culpable” and speaking to him the way I was.
He did appear to acknowledge that the persistent physiological arousal I experience was due to the medication tapers but did not comment on the pain disorders. In a previous discussion he was unwilling to draw a link between the pain conditions and the medication tapers. He maintained that what happened to me was rare and could not have been foreseen. That very few psychiatrists are aware of enduring problems from psychiatric medication tapers means that in his mind, he is not responsible for failing to provide informed consent. He relies on peer reviewed journal articles and consultation with his colleagues but does not put value in other sources.
Further, he does not plan to inform future patients who are considering tapering psychotropic medications because he did not want to invoke “a psychosomatic illness” and that “doctors routinely withhold information from patients.” Then as to throw acid on a wound, he remarked that “people get hurt from medications and treatments all of the time,” as if the frequency of this occurrence makes what happened to me acceptable (though, he contradicted what he said about my situation being rare). He also commented that my response to the medication taper could be due to my genetics, which implies that my body rather than the medication is to blame.
Towards the end of our conversation I uttered, “I trusted you and you hurt me.” For just a moment, I felt something—that I could be reaching him. Several days later I contacted him because my persistent physiological arousal symptoms worsened. For the first time, he called it dysautonomia. A couple of months later, he remarked that I “sound like someone headed for disability.”
While no longer minimizing, he overshot. At the end of our appointment he shared, “that one of the hardest things for physicians is to acknowledge when they have harmed a patient.” This statement means a lot to me. I remain quite guarded with my outlook of the therapeutic relationship, but I hope that this is a turning point.
See the Guide to Stopping Antidepressants from RxISK’s Medical Team.
Illustration: Is There Life After Meds?, © 2014 created by Billiam James
Marilyn Welton says
This post/letter is excellent. Every medication damaged person should use thus as a guide to present to their doctors, court officials, families, etc., their own stories and the drug effects they have been left with. This is excellent!
PCNG says
What people need to realise is that the Docs don’t have the answers. The Docs don’t know.
People turn to the Docs, because they believe they have some special, complete and expert knowledge, which is unavailable elsewhere, but this is nonsense. Docs are just fallible members of another fallible profession. Docs would do well to admit this and stop reinforcing the notion that they are some kind of all seeing, all knowing, superior life form.
No one knows more about the real world effects of the drugs the Docs dish out than the people who take them. Unless you have personally been through antidepressant hell, you have no idea what it is really like and the Docs don’t even have an inkling, because the information they feed on is biased, non-independent, drug company research info. Just because the Doc dished out the pills in the first place doesn’t mean he can help with the damage they do. He will just tell you that the withdrawal effects and the permanent damage done by the pills are in fact symptoms of a worsening depressive illness. This is complete bull and displays their total ignorance of what these drugs they have prescribed really do. At some point, those intellectually gifted people that choose to become Doctors completely lose the ability for independent thinking and critical analysis. They do no work outside the box, they do not even look outside the box. They perform no independent research or picture building of their own. They consume what science they are fed, assimilate it and repeat it. It is a tragedy of immense magnitude. The pills ARE the problem, and the real problem is being able to get off them. Once exposed to the pills the brain cannot regain its former function. The symptoms experienced when you do stop them are not depressive illness, they are expressions of the damage done by the poisonous pills. I know, it happened to me.
Will Young says
An excellent summary PCNG.
I’d like to add that I always thought GP’s were doing their best but, upon losing my father, the GP prescribed me Prozac. Sixteen months later I lost my mother and he said I was too emotionally labile to consider withdrawing it. When I lost my wife 4 years later he wanted to double the dose from 20 mgs to 40 mgs daily. I said “NO, I WANT MY LIFE BACK”, but he still refused any withdrawal program.
Sadly my late wife’s cause of death is now proven erroneous and a medical negligence case is under way. Fortunately the medical research I had to do brought me to realise the dangers of pharmaceutical drugs and I asked my GP for a Vitamin D test. Unbelievably, he declined twice, on grounds that it’s not a regular test the NHS perform because of cost?
I paid privately to discover I was deficient and self supplemented with Vitamin D3 5000 IU’s daily.
Unexpectedly I experienced chest pain, but knew it was not heart pain. Some instinction told me it was the UNWANTED Prozac interacting with the MUCH NEEDED D3 and made me begin tapering a withdrawal of Prozac, against the GP’s advice. On a 20 mg daily dose (140 mg per week) I began missing one dose, down to 120 mg per week, for 4 weeks, then reduce to 100 mgs four weeks later.
Prozac withdrawal is easier than other SSRI’s because of its 72 hours half life, but I did have tingling and brain zaps, together with shortness of breath. Three years later, after 12 years of the damned poison, I have never felt better.
PCNG is 100% about doctors “Docs don’t have the answers. The Docs don’t know”. My experienced opinion is that they’re legal drug pushers for ‘Big Pharma’. Medicine has gone downhill since Doctors no longer practice preventive medicine, with diet and/or nutrition.
Pharma drugs deplete our bodies of minerals and vitamins and we have a double whammy when, because of intense farming, todays food has less nutrition that our parents once enjoyed years ago.
Thank God for being able to glean information from the internet and the many ‘Maverick’ doctors willing to go against the practice of orthodox western medicine.
Dr David Tanton states “no one is drug deficient”, we’re nutritionally deficient, but how we’ll ever educate GP’s, who are programmed to get the prescription pad out, to protect ‘Big Pharma’s vested interests in bankrolling medical schools, is a tall ask?
PCNG says
Thank you for your complimentary comment. It sounds as if life and death have put you through the mill…I know how that feels, but the worst of it is the pills in my opinion. Life is hard enough, without that mind, body and soul warping poison thrown into the mix. Strangely enough, I have recently paid out a fortune for private tests and a vitamin D deficiency has been identified, for which I am now on supplements. Cheaper to buy them privately than pay the NHS prescription charge though!
Pamela richards says
I know how you feel exactly. I was put on antidepressants 30yrs ago when I suffered from post natal depression. I was eventually sectioned and put on depixol injections as well as the antideresents. I was given ECT too. Over the years I was given various antidepressants , I decided myself that I wanted to one of the depixol I’m injections. My mind for 27yrs was fogged! My life was non existent , I was under the control of the psychiatrists and mental health nurses! I felt I had to do everything they told me, because they said it would be good for me! However during those 27yrs I tried numerous times to stop my antidepressants. But if I had a small hiccup I was again told that I should start taking them again! I did, but each time the meds made me feel worse, I didn’t have a life, I was just existing! The worst antidepressant was duloxitine! My god I really felt I’d been poisoned !! I kept telling the consultant, the GP, the out of hours and my CPN, but they all told me it was in my mind!! Yes it was! It was destroying me! It made me feel worse than ever, I didn’t want my grandkids round, I felt suicidal!! So as no one would listen , one Dr even told me to increase the dose, I decided I’d stop taking it myself! Much to their horror! I consulted someone else and he said I didn’t have a mental illness! So I’d suffered for 27yrs, I’d lost all that time out of my life, which I can’t get back. After my consult with Prof H, I decided that I wouldn’t take antidepressants ever again!! I have now been off all antidepressants and psychotic drugs for three yrs and I feel great! I can now distinguish between all my different emotions. Yes I get depressed, but I now talk instead of medicate. I did tell my psychiatrist, not the Prof, that all she did was hand out medication and not try and find out why the person felt like they did? Now if I get down, my CPN and my psychiatrist try and get me to take meds again! No way!! I’ve told them that they didn’t know me before I started antidepressants, so the person they are seeing now, is the real me, and I feel great!!! My elder sister has told me that she has her sister back! I consider myself a normal person, but who is normal? I’m not text book, nobody is? We all have emotions, we are all different! These psychiatrists should remember that!! Medication is not the be all and end all. However, now these so called professionals, don’t believe what I say, and still try and push medication down me. I wonder, do they get commission on these tablets and potions? Yes I think they do!!
annie says
Excellent.
Brave; without a doubt.
Is ‘lessons will be learnt’ the most over used phrase in the history of the human language…
The all say it……repeatedly…..the politicians, the medical health council, the social workers….et al
Cold Hand Luke did it his way…extract
There are other ways to skin a cat….I would not jeopardise my case of professional medical miss conduct by a confrontation, thereby, jeopardising my case of medical miss conduct….also, I have no wish to be insulted, yet again, soooooooooo….thinking caps on…how do we name and shame, with, or, without the law….we don’t all have the funds to:
One
Find a vaguely understanding lawyer with the will to support us against surgeries and hospitals
Two
Convince the medical health council that ssris and benzodiazepines are causing death by torture
Three
If the MHRA and the MHC don’t get it, yet, how do we convince them?
Extract:
Newman’s character endures “physical punishment, psychological cruelty, hopelessness and equal parts of sadism and masochism”. His influence on his prison mates and the torture that he endures is compared to that of Jesus, and Christian symbolism is used throughout the film, culminating in a photograph superimposed over crossroads at the end of the film in comparison to the crucifixion.
Jacqueline says
Hello 🙂
Thank you for your blog
I was an articulate high functioning Emergency Nurse
I was prescribed seroquel for depression. Every attempt I made to get off this toxin resulted in a horrendous cessation syndrome, with nil help from any medical professional. I made my 5th attempt with a very slow reduction over 2 years, again with nil help from the psych profession.
I now have tardive dyskinesia resulting from the damage seroquel has wrought upon my body.
I am unable to work and my life quality is poor
I have not found any doctor with any understanding of either the cessation syndrome or the dyskinesia. I am horrified at the health profession.
The damage done to me, by not only the drug but by the attitude of the medics who insisted I was mentally ill almost broke me.
The drug companies and the psychs are dangerous and their insistence on these potent awful damaging toxins needs to be stopped and they need to be brought to justice over the grevious bodily harm they perpetrate
PCNG says
Hear, hear! Well said!
Caroline says
Is this your first post here? I hope you stay around. This might be a box of broken toys but we, including you, are articulate and something will happen. I hate to heard what happened to you and how you were nearly broken.
We have to figure out how to publicize what’s happened and is happening every day as more innocents open their mouths to what might be the wrecking of their mind, health, work, love and happiness.
We lack credibility because we mostly took drugs for emotional or behavioral issues, because it’s hard to believe a drug could be so harmful if the government approved it, and because we are angry. A weak, apparently delusional, angry person is just a crazy person to the cold hearted and a object of pity — not empathy — to the rest.
It’s a winnable battle. It’s an information battle.
Ariel Gail MacLean says
This shared story opens up so many important discussions which need to happen. My most pressing is this: although this author exhibits one of the most mature and loving of all human traits, the desire for forgiveness & reconciliation, I believe we must pursue for her and us all, a different ending to this story. I respectfully disagree that Physicians should be allowed to get off the hook this easily. Medical Doctors are the tip-of-the-spear in the total corruption of medicine and science worldwide. Doctors, who enable the for-profit conduit for KNOWN dangerous drugs into the hands of their intimately KNOWN vulnerable patients, are not only complicit and culpable, they must be indicted. I also believe this job needs to be taken up by someone other than the victims who have already done enough to drag themselves to the bullhorn and relive their traumatization. I just discovered this website today, what a blessing for us all. I will assist in spreading this platform.
Jay says
Good Job….That takes alot of guts to confront you’r Dr. I always feel like I’m part of the Stockholm syndrome Dr. Healy describes because I would go completely out of my mind if My Dr. did not prescribe the meds that have finally gotten me out of the hell I went through for 25 years by being placed on wrong ineffective medication by a previous shrink. I feel I would do absolutely anything (except take a human life) to keep my Dr. prescribing my meds.
It’s not a cool situation to be in and I wouldn’t want her to know I said that because God only knows if she would get certain ideas. dr’s are only human. Again good job, you’r really brave. Can’t say I would have the guts to do that. Jay
Kem Minnick says
Why aren’t doctors talking about serotonin and tryptophan deficiency? Neurotransmitters can only be replaced with food. Medications do not produce neurotransmitters, they only use available stores. When there is a deficiency, the diet must be addressed as well as discussing wether or not recreational drugs and alcohol are being used as these deplete tryptophan, dopamine and serotonin. Thank goodness RISK is available for people to share their stories.
Carla says
Hi David,
Thank you for giving everyone a voice.
Keep doing good because we who have been ‘impacted’ will certainly appreciate your mission.
You are a genius.
I feel humbled and grateful to have had the privilege to be part of your website.
Keep ‘chipping away’, for you never know where the path of ‘goodness’ will lead you.
You resonate with people and humanity.
You focus people’s concerns and create an awareness like no other.
When you allow people to focus, you give them an opportunity to be part of that integral CHANGE.
Your strong sense of understanding the issues at hand have given many others to be part of your extraordinary impact.
The connection you have created through this website is a testimony of creating the CHANGES that will benefit many , for generations to come………………….
Thank you from the depths of my heart.
With Sincerest Gratitude,
Carla
Noel Hershfield says
There is much anecdotal stuff in your letters.Has there ever been a decent study that compares two groups of people with a psychiatric diagnosis,one group on SSRI,and another on one of the other older antipsychotics?What were the adverse effects,including suicide and the multiple other effects that you report?Any corroboration about these effects.
Larry says
Everyone that is affected by psychotropic disorders is searching for answers. The comments
made are very insightful. The majority of the doctors do not have the answers because they
have little or no background in nutrition. Male doctors seem to be the worst because their
egos won’t let them admit that they don’t know. Personal experience is the best teacher. It is
unfortunate that patients have to experience the downside of prescription drugs before they
can learn the truth about the drugs and health. Over thirty years ago, my oldest sister was
on the verge of her fourth nervous breakdown when she came to stay with me. Fortunately
at that time, I was in contact with a knowledgeable lady who saved my sister’s life. Prior to
this visit, my sister had been on heavy psychotropic prescription drugs for a period of ten years. She was so badly affected by the drugs that food was going through her system and
being eliminated the same way it went into her mouth (completely undigested). It took one
year to cure my sister. The solution was megavitamin therapy. There is a book called
“Mental and Elemental Nutrients.” The author is Dr. Carl Pheiffer. It is the solution to mental
disorders. My sister’s psychiatrist told me there was no solution to her problem. How wrong
he was. Today, at the age of 76, she has been off all drugs for over thirty years and is
currently employed (working 28 hours a week). Just think for a minute, do you know anyone
who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and having had the background my sister has
had, who could do what she is doing today? So much pain and misery has been and is being
caused by the pharmaceutical industry and they are dictating to the majority of medical doctors today. You must take responsibility for your own health. It is the most precious
thing you possess. Why put that responsibility into the hands of someone who is motivated
by profit?
Carla says
Experience is more valuable than research which is ‘flawed’. I believe that those who have died ingesting these medicines are the missing ‘link’ to the puzzle. Those who are alive can speak for the dead. What more research, facts and proof do you need? I am certain that a lot of research goes on behind the scene. The consumers never get to see it. Eventually, they make the connection and don’t need ‘flawed’ information to reach a solid conclusion.
D. Bresler says
It’s important for people to realize that reporting of adverse side effects is NOT mandatory and that most physicians and hospitals simply don’t bother to make those reports to the FDA. That’s why statistics on such events only represent a small percentage of the actual numbers. In my opinion, Big Pharma runs the show, so of course they are not invested in knowing how many people are sickened or die from their products.
Carla says
This is a website where people who have become impacted by these medicines can voice their concerns.
You try living with all the health issues that these medicines induce, permanently?
Some consumers are prescribed these medicines for the wrong reasons.
I can only imagine what they do to some depressed people.
Then we shall see if you require further proof/evidence!
The system has failed a lot of people, but I can only guess how many poor souls have fallen through the ‘cracks!’
Carla says
Unfortunately, many consumers do not have mental disorders.
These medicines are prescribed for conditions that do not require this kind of medication.
For example: they give it to women who suffer from menopause, people who are suffering from grief, feeling run down, suffering from hot flushes, feeling scared etc.
Before one prescribes, you have to think: ‘Would I give these medicines to a loved one for conditions that are a normal part of life?’
To think that many medical conditions can be cured without a pill, is simply amazing.
How did generations before us survive before all these medicines came out?
We have become too accustomed to ‘popping’ a pill for every ailment under the sun and then when something happens we question ‘everything’ about life’.
People have to research diligently and earnestly to find the answers on how to heal themselves.
Even after decades of research you can do all the right things however, a medical issue may be part of you permanently.
Sure, you can eat al the right foods, exercise, rest, think positively however, at the end of the day one also has to be realistic and accept that there is no magic solution to a medical problem.
One can only remain positive in spite of everything they have tried.
So many are accustomed to thinking that Western Medicine is the only cure.
A lot of doctors can learn from consumers who have been impacted by medicines. Unfortunately, changes only come about after the damage has been done.
So many people are suffering in silence and no longer can trust or put their faith in a doctor(s). This is fine. This is a natural way of protecting yourself.
I can relate with the above mentioned story ‘The Cat On A Tin Roof’.
Perhaps, by reaching out to those who failed her, they can learn from each other.
To really understand how someone suffers, you have to put yourself in their shoes.
Walk in their shoes for just one day and try to imagine how you would cope.
Many, unfortunately suffer in silence because medicines no longer help.
The blood brain barrier may be damaged and they have no other choice but to look after themselves with diet, positive thinking and other means…………
You have to be strong in the mind to adapt to any form of tragedy.
Knowing what I know, I would never recommend or encourage someone to ingest these medicines because I know what it did to my husband and I.
If you never experience an unpleasant experience, you will never understand what drives or motivates that person, so that it does not happen to another.
In built mechanisms ‘to protect’, are put in place automatically because you don’t want anyone to suffer the way I did.
It is like natural instinct that ‘kicks’ in place.
Madeline Winter says
I am a survivor of antidepressants and benzodiazepines which I took for almost 20 years. I have been off of them all for 18 months. It has been very difficult. I have frequently been suicidal. I have managed to slowly recover through many means. I have used nutrition, faith and exercise. I have learned through trial and error and the internet. I have suffered. I would like to share what I have learned to help others get through without killing themselves. Simple things like avoiding neuro toxins can make an incredible difference. I s any one listening? Does anyone want to know?
Dr. David Healy says
I think everyone is listening
DH
Anne Ekdoat says
But WHO is listening, and what are they actually doing about it?
Yet another SSRI withdrawal account appeared today in The Telegraph. This time relating to 7 years of Citalopram.
Heartening to see these stories in the national press but disheartening as they disappear unremarked upon, just discrete anecdotes that fill a few column inches.
Meanwhile, KOLs like David Nutt continue to have an unassailable public platform to “ correct and clarify the biased information that often make(sic) it in to the public domain” (Public Lecture in Bristol last week, reported in The Guardian last Friday).
I am trying to do my bit, under difficult circumstances. I threw caution to the wind last month and sent a Letter to the Editor (stating real name etc) in response to the 5-page glossy spread about Luke Montagu in The Times. Was it printed? Was it heck! Not surprised.
Maybe it wasn’t a Times-standard letter? Maybe it was my lack of noble title or lay status? Or maybe it’s just that the BBC licence fee, re-painting telephone boxes red and killer seagulls are more important? Judge for yourselves.
So as not to waste my effort I’ll post it here, for whomever to do whatever they wish with it:
Sir, Luke Montagu speaks for thousands of us in describing the physical and mental horrors caused by long-term use of, and withdrawal from, prescribed psychoactive medications. (How antidepressants drove me to the edge of madness, Magazine 18th July). Montagu rightly states that we are dismissed as anecdotes. After 26 years of swallowing 46 different drugs prescribed by countless NHS psychiatrists whilst gaining at least 4 different diagnoses I remain trapped, an accidental addict.
The NHS has neither protocols nor resources to help rectify an epidemic-in-the-making largely attributable to its own prescribing.
In a week where Public Health England highlighted the shocking number of vulnerable people wrongly prescribed antipsychotics and antidepressants and left on them for years without proper checks, the MHRA continues to downplay the dangers of psychiatric drugs, official drug PILs effectively exonerate the drug companies, and the buck stops with the doctors who deny the evidence of their own eyes. Meanwhile, ever more damaged individuals have to endure disbelief, denials and disingenuousness from the medical profession and an already crippled NHS will increasingly have to foot the bill for investigating ‘unexplainable’ drug-induced illnesses, and treating so-called chronic psychiatric patients.
(THE REVEREND BARONESS DR ANNE EKDOAT PhD OBE, president of some Royal College or Other)
Thank you Rxisk Team
Charles says
yes I would like to know
karl friend says
13 years on seroxat 3 years and four months off and still suffering terribly pray I will get better there is no help for me anywhere this post is so true the only difference I was given this drug by a gp who told me it was safe etc Turned down to join the current seroxat litigation thats going through in the uk because I took it more than nine years there is a medical clause that excludes you. So basicaly left maimed no recognition and dont know if ill ever recover every day is torture im not kidding no improvement for three years. Beware off these drugs they can induce a hell you couldnt belive existed that dosent necesarily end.
K.B. says
I wanted to also highlight by posting my doctor letter how the extensive damage can be permanent. Last year when I wrote about trying to exercise in my Girl on a Hot Tin Roof, I was overly optimistic. (And just overly optimistic in general about this nightmare). I haven’t been able to stand or walk for very long. When I exert myself I also get nausea, headaches, chills, muscle pains. These days the burning is shifted to more pain-pain. I probably really need a wheelchair but haven’t been able to bear this. And we haven’t even gotten to the pain I have when I sit. I think we need to talk more about all of the types of permanent damage from tapers–we talk about tardive conditions (which I also have) but I don’t hear as much about the pain conditions. Although I noticed the woman who just posted the Paxil story has bladder and pelvic symptoms. I hope hers do not become life long. My life has been completely destroyed.
K.B. says
Lastly, I wanted to say that while my psychiatrist did go overboard by saying that I “sound like someone headed for disability,” my life has become just about going to work and trying to survive. That is all. I try to hold onto hope, though this is very trying.
Carla says
My hat goes off to everyone who has suffered from these ‘python medicines’.
Those who make policies about the safety of medicines, really need to listen to those who have been impacted by them. This includes loved ones who have to live with their love ones who have been permanently damaged. If ‘No ONE’ sits down and listens, how on earth can changes come about? Too many are dead and too many may have permanent damages to the brain, to come forward. You are all brave souls doing your best despite the circumstances you are in. We don’t need time. We need action! The louder we get the more chance of positive change. Dr David Healy said: They are listening! Perhaps if we extend our ‘voice’ outside of this forum they will get the message. By being silent, we only give those permission to do more harm.
karl friend says
HI David could you answer me a question ? As I said before I have had a terrible time stopping Seroxat with terrifying mental and physical symptoms which I still have over 3 years latter to a lesser degree. The only thing I find strange is the terrifying physical symptoms never started till 18 months after I quit have you ever heard off symptoms taking that long to show themselves after stopping ?? I am happy to say these physical symptoms that made me feel like im dieing terrified arent as bad now but find it strange they never started till 18 months off. The strange thing is I had 18 months off insomnia where im not kidding I slept an hour a night if any chronic for 18 months never thought id sleep again zaps every night but then the insomnia lifted and once I started sleeping the physical symptoms begain severley. I had brain zaps for 3 years and some mornings after severe zaps at night would have ruptured blood vessels in left eye. Just wanted to know if you had heard off any other cases where people had symptoms get alot worse delayed onset after stopping thanks Karl
Terry says
I know I am replying to a old post but I can relate to everything Karl has said above I am now 21 months of all medication after being switched from one to another by my doctor and phyciatrist all with no tapers at 21 months I have been hit with such devastating withdrawal problems akathisia insomnia crushing depression apathy suicidal thoughts that are far worse than anything I have ever had to endure can you explain why this happens dr Healy I thought that we healed as time went by my problem started when I hit tolerance to effexor and then doctors changed my meds no more than 8 times over a 18 month period this caused a huge impact on my cns and I was withdrawn from all medications abruptly
I felt better but not great at all 12 months ago at least I could function to some degree but now I am house bound unable to work and I don’t get payed I am unable to get any benefits as I am deemed to be well enough to make myself a cup of tea yet my suffering is horrendous the physical side is torturous and the mental side has me reaching for a rope to ease my suffering. I don’t know if Karl has recovered now as his post was from 2015 but how does one survive this why after 21 months have I been hit with such a wave of despair and disabling symptoms no one should live with akathisia
Dr David Healy you have been a witness to this suffering for years why is there no research or help coming forward to help us why do people have such a delayed response so far out after taking a medication is there really any hope for us how do you get help when we are not believed this is so unfair my family who I dearly love have all but given up on me I live in a world of fear of loosing my mind and them I have become house bound and so isolated the light is slowly fading away for me any suggestions would be appreciated
Vivien says
Hello Terry I can relate to your post very much. I have awful mental akathisia and it makes me feel suicidal. I have neurological pain all over my body and have become agoraphobic. I fear I am losing my mind. I’m sorry I can’t help you but I understand your suffering.
I am still tapering Seroxat but am frightened to taper any more.
Best wishes Vivien
Karl says
Hi Terry never fully recovered but have had better months and bad months see this old post also now been diagnosed with fibromyalgia which I’m sure was caused by sheer hell off side affects stopping. Still getting spells off brain zaps at night which are horrendous I’m nine years off in March 2021 and get symptoms every day some days are manageable make the most off life I can. Never give up mate it’s a joke going through this stuff unbelievable the term you used torture is spot on and it’s relentless don’t know how they got away with it .
Gep says
how are your physical symptoms Terry? like the chalkboard-nerve feelings? Did they resolve?
karl friend says
Just wanted to clarify if other people have had delayed withdrawal because mine definately got a hundred times worse after a year and a half off and nearly 3 and half years off has improved slightly mainly the physical symptoms cheers
Miss Diagnosed says
Fantastic articulate letter!!
I am totally understanding the way the blame is shifted onto the patient and `rarity` of adverse affects.
I am shocked he shared that the hardest thing for a physician to do is admit they have harmed a patient.
After I had discovered what was happening (symptoms that I double checked via clinical trials) I was bullied and ridiculed the entire time, made to sound if any ounce of intelligence I had concerning my own body and mind was just a joke.
To have ever have had an apology would have relieved the trauma tenfold, would have still had a mountain of excruciating symptoms and withdrawal no less traumatizing….
But, still acknowledgement and a hint of compassion would have made hell easier to live in.
Aria says
I had a chat with my psychiatrist years ago after I was told I had the worst drug induced Akathisia ever seen by a neurologist (I had no idea what Akathisia was). It was when I realized the drugs he was prescribing were poisoning me. His reaction?? The man started crying in his office and asking me to forgive him. Unbelievable. Next visit he actually turned away from me saying the drugs were not the problem. I figured he’d talked to his attorney about a mentally ill patient causing waves. I successfully tapered off the drugs and reclaimed my life. I never fully recovered physically but we know these drugs are not benign.
To be prescribed more drugs for toxic reactions to psychiatric drugs is crazy. The pharmacy insert describes what may happen and when I told the psychiatrist about new bothersome symptoms he said it was ME, not the drugs. By the way the psychiatrist is still being voted my city’s Best Psychiatrist. What a joke.
karl friend says
Can anyone relate with my last posts on physical symptoms after stopping being delayed after quitting these drugs ?
Dr. David Healy says
Karl
Were you on any other drugs at all – over the counter, herbal – anything?
D
karl friend says
Hi David thanks for your reply the only drug I took after I stopped Seroxat was amitryptyline 10mg which I was given by my gp to help with the withdrawal insomnia I took this some nights but found it made the head zaps I was getting at night worse so broke them in half. Took these for a year off and on some nights but eventually stopped them because they wasn’t doing much for my insomnia.I havent taken anything for the last 2 and a half years the physical symptoms are somewhat better but mental ones that ive had since stopping as ever present. Do you think taking the low dose off amitriptyline could off masked some off the withdrawal and possibly made it worse when I stopped its the only thing I can think off ? When the 18 month off never ending insomnia finished where I never felt like I would sleep stopped and I was sleeping the physical symptoms went through the roof and the worst ones started constant terrifying headaches with my jaw gurning and akathisia this went on for a good year made worse by bright sunlight at the time which was odd and worrying.
karl friend says
The symptoms I am left with now are very odd and terrifying at times. I get constant intrusive images in my head off strange stuff patterns horrible things horrible thoughts about people I love constant introspection about everything. I never had any off this and dont drink or do drugs. And the strangest worse thing as well which im having loads lately is feelings like knives running on my skin which make me cringe and when im round any power tools like a saw or something its goes through me horribly its like im ultra sensitive to things. The only thing I can compare it with is like when some people cringe by the sound off chalk on a blackboard or sandpaper sound etc but what im experincing is 100 times more intense im sure its some kind off nerve damage. Anyway sorry to rant but this sites a lifesaver when you have nowhere to turn to im just going to try and carry on and hold on to hope ill get better but its still hell 3 and half years off but I refuse to take anything because I was never like this.
karl friend says
I somtimes worry that someone has spiked me with drugs because these symptoms are so strange I only ever tried cannabis as a teenager and it didnt agree with me so never done any other drugs all my life but these symptoms are like being on a permanent lsd trip from what ive read about lsd strange images intospection ?can coming off seroxat realy do this? all I know I was never ever like this till I quit
PCNG says
Something I’ll drop in here, as briefly as I can, although not so much about withdrawal as repair.
There certainly is withdrawal. It is all manner of hells and is a hugely protracted process. However, it would seem to me that one is still left with some permanent damage, probably the worst of which is the sexual deadness, which in itself can lead to a block in engaging in so many other aspects of the fullness of life. This brings with it a resultant state of depressed mood, unrelated to whatever original diagnosis might have been made before the administration of the deadly pills.
In seeking a repair of my damage, I have, over many years, tried all manner of prescription and non-prescription medications, none of which have been the magic bullet and most, if not all of which, have probably merely complicated matters.
I would mention, that as part of my medication journey, I found St John’s Wort, Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng to be very powerful drugs and overall, to be very negative in terms of achieving any permanent or semi-permanent relief of symptoms and damage. I really would advise strongly against messing around with these oft touted cures.
But now to my main point. Having not tried any medication to cure my permanent damage for a number of years now, I very recently took a very small dose of psilocybe cubensis. Probably not even one tenth of what one might consider to be an average recreational dose. The effect was remarkable. Almost instant and trouble free relief of so many of my symptoms. A reconnection with life and the world around me. A lifting of worries and anxiety. A feeling that I am fine and there is life to be lived and happiness ahead. I can even remember what funny is and how to laugh at it. It feels so curative and repairing. I don’t know how long this new state will last, but my find feels so fixed and refreshed. I emphasize that this was a very small dose. I did not hallucinate, or trip out, or anything approaching that. The effect was merely to tickle my mind in the right direction, and so far, it has remained so very, very much better.
Based on my many years of experience and experimentation in trying to cure the damage done by SSRIs, this one small dose of psilocybin is an absolute revelation to me. I just feel OK. It is amazing to feel normal, as if the years of SSRI hell have just evaporated.
I imagine the way in which psilocybin/psilocin works and the effect it has had on me, confirms that the root problem area is indeed centred on serotonin function in the brain. My firm belief is that the brain serotonin dysfunction I have, which is the cause of, I believe, all my symptoms, is the result of permanent damage caused by SSRI medications.
I am convinced that there is mileage in researching the use of psilocybin in treating SSRI caused damage/depression and in treating original “pure” depression.
Sadly, the total sexual wipe out remains. I would have rather SSRIs had made one of my legs drop off than to have robbed me of my balls.
Kate says
Hi! Im Kate from Hungary. How are you? I bought psylocibe because i wanna try this. What were your symtopms? Thanks your letter, have a nice day, Kate
karl friend says
I luckily wasnt affected sexually after stopping ssris but have read off many others who have been permanently or affected a long time after they quit sorry to here you was affected in this way.
Carla says
My eyes well up with tears when I read all these tragic stories.
I am also very happy when I read success stories, also.
~It gives everyone HOPE.
I just want to reach out to you all and give you a big hug.
I hope and pray that each and every individual who has been impacted by any medicine, will have their stories marked in the minds of those who have to do WRONG.
How would they feel if their sense of well being was dramatically impacted?
There is nothing worse than seeing someone healthy lose all their zest for life especially, when it is in regards to someone’s sexuality.
This is what makes a man a man and a woman a woman.
Sexuality is one of the very essences of a harmonious relationship.
It is an intimate response to someone you love.
If you can’t feel anything when you make love it must make someone feel lonely and down in spirits.
This breaks my heart.
Some may choose to disagree however, to me feeling all those wonderful, human, emotional sensations when you make love to someone is part of a normal response which keeps relationships alive.
How can a drug cause so much harm to many innocent people?
It is like castrating someone’s soul.
karl friend says
I agree with your above comment Carla how these drugs are allowed to be handed out like smarties is a disgrace.
Martin says
I too have seen incredible malpractice in psychiatry.
What they have done to many is this – take someone who has a problem – tell them that their life can never be fixed and that they are mentally ill (making up a label to brandish them with) force them to get poisoned which makes them mentally ill then say that that is actually the persons mental illness and not the poisons – then when they complain just say – your mad who cares what you say. Works very well for them.
I have seen many times drugs CAUSING mental illness then the illness being called their natural state even though it blatantly never occurred before the PILLS and started straight after them, I have seen too much – even though I myself have never been poisoned by it directly(never been ‘treated’) still I have suffered so much that I have become broken and need to heal. Many people have taken their lives because of what psychiatry has done to them (three of my friends have lost multiple friends each because of this) – these psychiatrists who gave out the pills should be put in jail as they destroy lives as a constant in their job.
I PRAY FOR YOU ALL.
Once one of these fake doctors was told by my girlfriend that she was depressed because of the drugs he told her to take – he told her that that was the desired effect – I wanted to beat the shit out of him. When things went wrong and VERY wrong (many many many times) they have never taken responsibility.
In the christian bible it says angels have been sent to kill bad people – these guys will one day pay badly for their extreme errors – here or in hell – I pray for them but they will pay if they dont repent – thats what I believe.
Carla says
Dear Karl Friend and other concerned participants,
the best advice I would give to anyone trying to come off these horrendous medicines is to do what you think is best for you.
Many times, clinicians may not understand how these pills work.
Follow your gut instincts and try not to be persuaded by too much nonsense.
What works best for one individual, may not necessarily be the best option for another.
I ingested one ‘python of a tablet’ and after going to hell and back, was told that I was suffering from severe depression.
Perhaps if the GP concerned had meningitis or a cerebral aneurysm or blood brain barrier damage, they would feel severely depressed, also.
The GP told me to go home and educate myself about depression and understand the benefits of taking antidepressants.
I viewed 5mins of that ‘FUTILE” video, that was most likely given to the GP by Big Pharma and was ready to throw it in the bin.
I went to hell and back, with ONE ‘python of a medicine’ and I was not going to trust Big Pharma or the GP with my life again- HELL NO!
How humiliating?
If I had listened to the GP and the nonsense information on that video, I most likely would not be here today.
What I went through was sheer hell.
Being so damaged I had to do everything I could, to survive.
Eating bland vegetables, brown rice and drinking plenty of unadulterated water, is what saved my life.
every time, I would eat something that had preservatives, additives or numbers, I would have an anaphylactic reaction.
I had to quickly learn how to survive without ingesting more prescribed medicines that could have cost me, my life.
I had to learn why I was having anaphylactic reactions and what I had to do to get better.
I avoided western medicine as well as natural medicine because nothing was benefitting my health. I was also reacting to ‘so called’ natural medicines that were considered safe for babies.
Something was not right.
I learnt what foods to eat and what to avoid.
It took me such a long time to figure out what was going on.
Through the pain and suffering, my gut instincts took over and I began to listen to my own body and what it needed.
It was a long and painful process however, given time I knew that treating my body/mind with the respect that it deserved, I was going to make it through.
You can all get through it by listening to your gut instincts.
Trial and error, got me through.
Other things that go me through was:
– my family
– positive affirmations
– strong belief in God
– surrounding myself with positive people
– eating wholesome/nutritious foods
– staying away from Western Medicine
– Meditation
– Listening to classical music
– Drinking plenty of water
– Training my mind to block out pain through visualization (not easy to master)
– Being kind to myself
– Kind words from strangers
These are just a few things that help with my journey to survive.
Hopefully, I can help some unfortunate person who may be experiencing similar unfortunate health issues.
As a kind stranger once told me: ‘ Hang in there!’
Three words, believe it or not, kept me strong.
Please, don’t give up.
If I can do it, so can you :0
Carla says
Life after meds can be a living nightmare for many.
Once the neural pathways have been damaged or re-wired, we don’t fully understand the further damage these drugs can induce in the future.
Experiencing:
– Gradual hair loss
– loss of libido
– mild stuttering, which I have noticed recently (occurs when I try to speak too quickly)
– memory mal function when under stress
– nerve pain especially when the weather is cold and other physical maladies mentioned in my previous posts ( a trip through the polypharma blender’ are all residual symptoms of the poison slowly damaging the myelin sheath that protects the nerves of the brain.
I believe, that gradual degeneration of myelin sheath lead to all kind of medical maladies, over time. Hopefully, I can keep these medical diseases at bay by taking care of my mind and body.
– Parkinson disease
– Alzheimer’s disease
– Speech disorders
Just to name a few, are caused by vaccinations, antidepressants or other medicines causing damage to the myelin sheath.
I am just touching the surface to better understand, why I am experiencing some of these medical issues.
I understand, with time someone will have all the answers.
Aura says
Hi Carla 🙂 Congrats on your quitting of antidepressants! I my self I am 1 year off 6 years of Zyprexa and 3 years of Cipralex.I am still in protracted withdrawal,big insomnia and muscular problems.Pain comes from nowhere,I can`t tolerate the cold or Air Conditioning,cold air and very low stress tolerance.May I ask you how long it took for you to heal and are you 100% symptoms free?
Are you the exact person as before taking the Ad`s ?
I becomed a vegan and followed a 80-90% raw diet hoping that will help with my symptoms with no joy,I actually think raw food made it worse because it gave me a lot of energy and anxiety and I believe it actually provoked my insomnia.
Could you please help me and let me know what you ate as a bland diet? Could you give a complete list of everything you ate during your withdrawal? Many thanks in advance
lodmini@yahoo.it
Carla says
Hi Aura,
To cut the long story short, I had ingested one tablet of diazepam.
I thought it was prescribed to me for pain relief.
At the time it was prescribed, I had excruciating ear pain.
I had to go in for an MRI and the ENT prescribed the medication, to my husband to get for me, over the phone.
Looking back, the biggest mistake of my life :’ (
You can read about my story above.
Aura, autoimmune disorders are induced by these medicines. I am sure X-rays combined with these medicines, don’t help either.
The myelin sheath, simply putting it, is similar to an electrical cord. Once the protective layers are damaged, the electrical cord is no longer protected.
Myelin sheath, once damaged, predisposes an individual to all kinds of medical problems.
It can regenerate however, the sheath that protects the nerves will never be the same as before it was damaged.
I try to keep all my problems at bay by eating all the ‘right’ foods however, I must stress, there will always be problems that I cope with that will never, mysteriously disappear.
I eat a lot of vegetables, eggs, beans, nuts, gluten free bread, brown rice, fruits rich in antioxidants, powdered milk and unadulterated water.
Osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, ocular pressure, spasmodic high blood pressure, nerve pain of the brain, memory fog, chemical sensitivities and so on, can worsen if the incorrect foods are eaten. Sometimes I do go off linear : (
If I have a tiny sip of alcohol, it feels like I have lead in my head for three-four days. I suffer from intense migraines, if I do not follow my ‘protocol diet’.
A well balanced nutritious diet, drinking plenty of water, exercise (although I feel extremely tired when I do this-try to do this before I go to bed), being positive, spending time with nature and surrounding myself with positive people, does wonders for my spirit, mind, body and soul.
Trial and error, of what foods agree with you, is part of the process, to determine what works best for you.
Keep a journal.
You will be able to understand what triggers positive/negative effects to your well being.
I am not 100% healed but I do my best with what I have got.
Aura, we can only do our best.
Good luck and all the best towards a healthy journey.
Carla says
To All Participants of the website:
A useful book, that was my greatest teacher when I was experiencing a tremendous amount of pain, during the darkest times of my life was:
Foods That Fight Pain ~ Neal Barnard, M.D.
author of food for life.
Informative book that gives insight on which foods fight inflammation and which foods can keep cancer at bay. A must for everyone experiencing chemical toxicity, autoimmune disorders and cancer.
This book totally re-educated and transformed my whole way of looking at how foods can heal and keep inflammation at bay.
My life saviour, during times of need.
Highly recommended.
Dmitry says
Anyhow psychiatry kills. This is its purpose. Psychiatrists make no mistakes and they don’t cause random, “unfavorable” effects. They know, how to destroy the humans nature. They transform a human to an alive nothing. And it quite satisfies them. They are the criminals. And we have to struggle with them as with the criminals. Don’t lie to yourselves, gentlemen. Support the petiton https://goo.gl/sMnJ6y This is necessary as air. It’s enough to open eyes to understand it.
Nameless Autistic says
Hello Dmitry,
I like your statement. Strange enough, my caregiver of same name has said something similar. Yes, psychiatry kills. So are psychotropic drugs. My caregiver does not want me to be on medication and is doing his very best to keep me away from hospital (and psychiatrists). He took me to autism specialists a few months ago and learnt how to support me. I am forever grateful for his care as my experiences with psychotropic drugs were very unpleasant, even traumatic.
I am autistic. Sad to say, many autistics are medicated to control their symptoms of anxiety, ADHD and many other issues. Drugs should be the last resort, but medicating children to eliminate “unwanted” behaviours seems to be solution favored by many psychiatrists. Autism Spectrum experts say that medications can be used but in very small dose only. Unfortunately, that does not often happen.
I would like to note here that Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has many new mental conditions or diseases. They created them for the reason we all know. More people fit under these categories, more medications will be prescribed.
Compared to others, I was lucky to stop all those medications within a short period of time. Four times I was sent to see psychiatrist in my three decades of life. The longest I was on psychotropic drugs was six months and I was 14 years old. At that time, I was put on five drugs. As an autistic, I, of course, tend to have problems with mental health, but I don’t feel I need medications. I function well without tablets. I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and this year I was put on Lexapro 10mg for five weeks. I was vague, weak and unproductive. I fell over countless times because of weakness. Such an awful experience!
By the way, I was a nurse and I know what is going on in the medical world. I no longer work as a nurse because I have too many questions about medications, particularly psychotropic drugs. I have witnessed a lot and also experienced myself. I am aware that some of mental patients do better on medications. However, I believe that majority of us don’t need medications, but we take them because doctors prescribe us or we think they are magic pills to help us cope with stress we face in our demanding and fast-paced society.
Dee Doherty says
Sorry to hear what happened to you and thanks for sharing a great letter – it will really help me articulate what I need to say to a psychiatrist when I was flaying and after a totally unexpected episode of Carry On Psychiatry. Can’t believe you sat and read it to him: fair play to you.
Dr. David Healy says
Carry on Psychiatry is a marvelous creation
DH
Louise says
During the last 2 months I have spent many hours trying to find out as much information as possible to help with my personal situation – 8 weeks cold turkey from 9 years of SSRI prescription of 200mg dose.
Today this resulted in the discovery of an article published on the benzo.org website. written by Dr David Healy, “Dependence on Antidepressants & Halting SSRIs” which at the time of reading gave me hope that despite searching on so many blog sites and published articles on SSRI withdrawal syndrome, that finally I may have come across some information with regards to NHS providing help with this condition?
So prompted me to send the below email directly to Dr Healy, as a last hope to find help.
Date: 15 April 2016 at 14:51:44 BST
To: Dr David Healy
Subject: “Dependence on Antidepressants & Halting SSRIs”
Good afternoon Dr Healy,
I am writing to you, with regards to your article “Dependence on Antidepressants & Halting SSRIs” As displayed on the benzo.org.uk website.
After reading this article and in line with your professional profile as a specialist in this area, I am hopping you can provide me with some advice regarding my personal situation.
I will try to keep this brief, though very happy to discuss in greater detail if required.
I was prescribed Sertraline approx 9 years ago, to treat the sudden onset of panic attacks.
Unfortunately 9 years ago the connection between Diannete / Yasmin (3rd generation type of contraception pill, of which I have been taking for 30 years) with regards to causing anxiety and panic attacks was not recognised.
6 months ago, on discovering the reason for my panic attacks, I stopped taking Yasmin and at the same time started to slowly reduce the dose of sertraline (from 200mg).
As a result of the withdrawal symptoms from these, my GP’s advise was first to increase back to 200mg of sertraline and then following the worsening of my condition on 23rd February this year, to swap to a different antidepressant. After 7 days of which, I discontinued.
As I write to you today, I am aprox 8 weeks on from stopping dead the 200 mg of sertraline. The effect of the withdrawal of these drugs for me has been so debilitating, that for the first time in 30 years I have been signed off work (to date, a duration of 2 months). For me, my husband and our 9 year old son, copping with the consequences of this, has and is having a devastating impact on our lives.
With the lack of knowledge and understanding, I am continually experiencing within the NHS medical profession, trying to get any support and help through this withdrawal period is proving impossible.
Is there any advice or contacts that you can provide me with, to pursue the care and help I need?
—–
Unfortunately, I can only conclude that of all the information contained in this “RxISK” website, I cannot find any information on where to get help, that this to this date still doesn’t exist.
Unless you can afford to go privately, for some reason the private sector seem to be far more knowledgable about this syndrome and the withdrawal from SSRI drugs is reported as one of the treatments available under prescribed drug withdrawal treatments.
At the beginning of my journey of coming off these and experiencing the same thing as many others. Firstly miss diagnoses by GP of a worsening of the mental health condition (even though pre SSRI withdrawal I had never previously experienced any of these “worsening” conditions ) the increase of dose and then when this didn’t solve the problem but in fact made it worse. Swapping from 200mg dose of Sertraline to a completely differant type of antidepressant –
Mirtazapine dose of 15mg. Which following 7 days of these on which I could not function in any way, had to stop.
As mentioned above, I have had a lot of time to research and think about this, and the global effects the acknowledgment of the problems caused by being on these I.e killing the receptors in the brain, changing people’s behaviour and causing mental illness, so effectively leaving the patient in a far worse condition either by remaining on these or by coming off them. That following this being widely reported, what impact would this have on the confidence patients would have with their GP’s on every aspect of diagnoses and Perscription. Along with so many of the population wanting to come off these drugs once it is recognised the harm that they are doing. The massive resource on the NHS and the country’s economy’s, who could potentially lose a significant percentage of their workforce, as rendered unfit to perform their jobs due to the withdrawal syndrome of these drugs.
So despite all the information on so many websites reporting the issues and recognising the withdrawal syndrome and the potentially permanent damage these drugs have caused. Could the NHS ever offically recognise this and hence put resource into treatments to help? Honestly I cannot see how they can.
What with this and the conflicts of interest deep routed into the so called independent bodies such as “NICE” and the billion pound drug industries, whose only motivation is wealth with no regard for the benefit to humanity.
It would provide for interesting reading to know what % of key employees and their families, were on these drugs and if this number was in any way representative to the % in the general population. As only the drug companies themselves have complete access to all their funded research. And are still able to select for publishing the research with favourable results.
With drug companies with a history such as Bayer, -,”History of Medicine: The former Chairman of Bayer, maker of children’s aspirin, was found guilty of Nazi war crimes and sentenced to prison”
Why are these companies still so much in control?
Listed below are just some of the articles that I found informative –
Despite what most articles recommend, this report doesn’t agree that tapering withdrawal will reduce the withdrawal symptoms.
“Gradual tapering does not eliminate the risk of withdrawal reactions. Indeed, a significant advantage of gradual tapering compared to abrupt discontinuation did not emerge” full article – http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/370338
https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribe#t-790005
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/reaction.htm
https://npanth.wordpress.com/tag/ssri-withdrawal-symptoms/
https://npanth.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/how-long-do-ssri-withdrawal-symptoms-last/
https://npanth.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/phases-of-ssri-withdrawal/
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/pinealstory.htm
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/side-effects/201107/antidepressant-withdrawal-syndrome
http://survivingantidepressants.org/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3627130/
http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/13/6/447
http://d8enmlqxfszw.cloudfront.net/content/aptrcpsych/13/6/447/F1.large.jpg
http://drstoop.com/antidepressants-and-your-ability-to-love/
Dr. David Healy says
Louise
There is no private hospital or service that I am aware of that has an answer to SSRI withdrawal problems, particularly when these get complex. Within the UK I have been happy for years to see anyone referred by their GP and can usually see them very quickly – i make sure there is no waiting list. But the health board have very recently suspended this option – for some people right in the middle of the referral process. This may include you.
D
Louise says
Dr Healy,
Many thanks for your reply.
With regards to the private sector, It was more that this problem is at least recognised and acknowledged. Which to date from my experience of the NHS within my location (GP practice and the Mental Health Assesment team I have since been referred to) has not been the case.
However recognising the issue doesn’t mean that they have a solution to the problem, but as a patient looking for help, it would at least offer a better starting point.
It is an ongoing battle for me, having to first convince the people available to provide help, what the cause of the problem is. With out re-in forcing their view, that I am relapsing into “anxiety” (especially when for me, the condition, which resulted in the prescribing of the SSRI was a result of the side effect of another drug and not something that was triggered internally.) Let alone, that the further detriment to my mental health is again a side effect of being on and the subsequent withdrawal of the SSRI.
Thank you also for agreeing to see me, unfortunately as you advise in your reply –
“the health board have very recently suspended this option – for some people right in the referral process. This may include you”
Which leaves me unable to pursue this option until the procedure is in place to transfer the “cost” from one NHS region to another.
In the meantime, simply being able to refer to you as an example of an NHS doctor who recognises the problems caused by SSRI withdrawal, has at least helped in providing credence to the cause of my current and ongoing situation.
Tony jackson says
Hi Louise,
I’m 33 & been taking escitalopram since I was 21.
I began taking them due to anxiety in relation to a head injury I suffered. Been taking 20mg for god knows how long.
I could count on one hand how many times the docs have wanted to review me!
I have been slowly stripped of my emotions and empathy. Then while trying to start new med docs told me to taper off 20mg over a week then start new meds. 7 days in began to get really excited, heart pumping real fast and strong sucidal thoughts. Thoughts so bad I attempted it. Docs didn’t acknowledge any wrong doing and now reading how evil this drug is and how I should have tapered way way slower I think the NHS is a disgrace
John Cruz says
Where you go to get help when you have no insurance. Ive been on antidepressants for five and a half years. Workers compensation controls my meds i have a very bad experience when they cut my meds cold turkey from 300mg amitriptyline
Christine Cox says
It’s nice to know I’m not alone.
60mg of Paxil for 12 years.
I can not function. I tried to taper off. No go.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE TO GO FOR HELP ??????
GV says
How is the lady now
Is she doing better? With the pains neuropathy etc??
Very annoying that there are no follow up stories
Peter says
Thanks for all the posts. It really helps to know that I’m not alone. I’m currently tapering off Sertraline as I have become tolerant to it. Every day is a real struggle for me. I now feel ten times worse than I did before starting treatment on SSRI’s over twenty years ago. My psychiatrist doesn’t believe in antidepressant tolerance and keeps spouting the same nonsense about serotonin deficiency.
Becky says
Folks, There are many psychotropic drug withdrawal support groups on Facebook and online. For example, I’m in the Facebook group Cymbalta hurts worse.
Jennifer says
OMG. Finally someone who confirms that my so called diagnosed Interstitial cystitis is caused by withdrawal of Zoloft. The discomfort is real and there is no food or drink that makes it flare up. Trying to heal following guidance of functional nurse who says my gut needs to heal. I believe her!