Poisoned by Prescription

[Dee Dee Warren]

Wow, Becky you have great courage to speak up like this. I have had one episode of severe clinical depression and was put on Xanax and Serzone. I cannot say that I had a "bad experience" but can honestly say that the medications I believe saved my life... I was in absolutely uncontrollable downward spiral. However, once I was able to begin to claw my way up.... I saw that my supervising doctor really wanted me to stay on these drugs long term. For me personally (and of course each person will be different and would need to discuss this thoroughly with their doctor) I am glad that I insisted that I get off of them and begin to "do life" on my own, especially since the depression was brought on by a specific situation that was becoming under control.

Anti-depressants are an odd thing... for me, it put in this unnatural state of "even-ness." I did not get bummed, but I did not get happy either... it was being an android or something... and I experienced visual aberrations such as continual "trails" from fast movement.

God bless you Becky.. I am so glad to hear you conquered this situation.

 

[yog^sothoth]

on vacation but i'll post a few good bits o info again!

on vacation but i'll post a few good bits o info again!

These Seratonin reuptake things are fun to watch work. We'll see a family come in and all of them get on this drug (i can think of about 2 or 3 families that have done this so far, it's totally scary, like a cult or something) and the next time they come in all sense of individuality in these family members have disappeared. The pharmacists hate to perscribe these drugs but do so because it is such huge business. I personally, regardless of whether i see ADD like symptoms or not, will never put my kids on anything like this (i still have a lot of christian scientist in me I guess).

As a random fact, the FDA made the makers of prozac do a blind test study and the results were that the placebo was more effective than the actual drug itself. Why is this? My PERSONAL OPINION (to cover all legal bases as I am not a pharmacist, merely a tech), is that these drugs work as a sort of training wheel to those who are having difficult times and need some sort of help in getting out of their depression. It is an ingenius idea, but may offer false hope to those to cynical to think a so-called "happy-pill" can help them. And any medication actually in the pills can end up causing a more horrid effect than what is actually wrong with the paitent. Me thinks that more research is needed but it is a work in progress i suppose untill they map all human neural pathways and brain related fucntions (which is going to be a while. They really don't know exactly how some drugs work Vicodin (hydrocodone/APAP, most pain killers) will say on their insert that they have an unproven theory on how certain drugs work but no solid proof). Pharmacokinetics is a scary scary thing.

Good to see you working through your problems without meds! I haven't taken anything other than supplements and or excedrin in such a long time (10 years or so) and i'm fine.

Nick

 

[Prisca]

Thanks Dee Dee. I really struggled with whether or not to post this article here or not. I began writing it well over a month ago, but couldn’t seem to finish it. Then, a few nights ago, I read a post by another TOL member that convinced me to go ahead with it. I don’t want to go into who or why, but this person said something that made me suspect they were also dealing with drugs of this nature. That post helped give me the courage to finish writing my story, even though I hated drudging up all those horrible feelings.

Isn’t it amazing that different drugs can cause so many different reactions? My sister takes an antidepressant (I’m not sure which one) and it has helped her a great deal. The only problem is that it helps so much she tells me she sometimes doesn’t care about things she should care about (balancing her checkbook, etc, lol). At the same time, she is afraid of how she would feel if she wasn’t taking this medication. I certainly understand. Depression is such a horrible state of mind to experience.

Perhaps I am more sensitive to medications than most people. I rarely take anything stronger than an aspirin. In any case, I learned a lot from this experience. I will definitely be more cautious about any medication my doctor prescribes. But most importantly, I really learned to depend on God for strength and guidance. I can’t imagine how much more lost I would have been without Him. Stumbling across verses such as the following truly helped me to remain focused on getting better:

Psalms 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

 

[Prisca]

yog^sothoth

yog^sothoth

You said, “As a random fact, the FDA made the makers of prozac do a blind test study and the results were that the placebo was more effective than the actual drug itself. Why is this? My PERSONAL OPINION (to cover all legal bases as I am not a pharmacist, merely a tech), is that these drugs work as a sort of training wheel to those who are having difficult times and need some sort of help in getting out of their depression. It is an ingenius idea, but may offer false hope to those to cynical to think a so-called "happy-pill" can help them. And any medication actually in the pills can end up causing a more horrid effect than what is actually wrong with the patient.”

Wow, I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here. People don’t often realize the self-healing abilities of their own bodies. I unwisely thought the Ativan would help me get past the initial feelings of anxiety I was having. Instead, it complicated matters more than I could have ever imagined.

You said, “Good to see you working through your problems without meds! I haven't taken anything other than supplements and or excedrin in such a long time (10 years or so) and i'm fine.”

Thanks! I’m with you. Except for the levothyroxine, I’m stickin’ with just an occasional aspirin and antibiotics when needed.

 

[temple2006]

Did I mention that I am in my tenth year of therapy with a psychoanalyst. Let me tell you that what sometimes is revealed is very painful to deal with, but afterwards the freedom from fear of death which was at the root of my problems (of course there are many branches from this root) is awesome. I am at such a good place now. A place I could not even have imagined before.
I too remember lying in a hospital bed thinking that death would be a welcome visitor and silently praying "Speak, Lord, for thy servant listeneth" and no answer came until much, much later. Zoloft did me absolutely no good. I have had over 30 EST and they are no fun either. Talk about scary...the doctor gave me a prescription for Parnate (MAO) and did not tell me to not ingest foods high in tyrosamine until two weeks later, when he realized his mistake (this was years ago) and it is very fortunate i did not eat some aged cheese as I do love it.
I am not posting this for any kind of sympathy or whatever, I just want people to know what one can overcome and how good God is. Amen

 

[firechyld]

Ouch! Not being warned about the potential fatality of a MAO inhibiter?? That's.... horrifying. :/

 

[Prisca]

To hell and back....almost

To hell and back....almost

Temple, it sounds as though you've been through some very difficult times. I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm also happy to know that you are doing well now.

You said, "I too remember lying in a hospital bed thinking that death would be a welcome visitor and silently praying "Speak, Lord, for thy servant listeneth" and no answer came until much, much later."

There were times during my ordeal that I felt cut off from God, but I know now that it was the drug clouding my ability to communicate with Him. He was ever faithful and always near. It was during rare moments of clarity that He was able to get through to me and lead me toward the answers I was seeking.

During one of these moments, I asked God for help in dealing with the horrible feelings I was having. Suddenly the words "Be still and know that I am God" (Psa. 46:10) came to me. I laid down in a patch of warm sunlight and just meditated on who God is and what He has done for me. I felt so much better. This experience helped to reassure me that He was with me no matter how much I felt "cut off" from Him.

You said, “I am not posting this for any kind of sympathy or whatever, I just want people to know what one can overcome and how good God is.”

And thank you for doing so!

 

[firechyld]

I've finally finished my detox from my old anti-depressent (grew an extreme resistance to it, it's a gift) and was started on the new one two days ago.

Cue wild rapid cycling mood swings and fluey symptoms.

*sigh*

I have to give it two weeks to see if it works. Then we'll probly up my dosage. I'm on a lot of medication.

firechyld

 

[Prisca]

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

You said, “I've finally finished my detox from my old anti-depressent (grew an extreme resistance to it, it's a gift) and was started on the new one two days ago.”

I’m glad to hear that. I hope all goes well!

You said, “Cue wild rapid cycling mood swings and fluey symptoms.”

Sounds all too familiar. My w/d symptoms are getting milder all the time. Still, every four or five days, I start feeling sick again. At least I am seeing steady progress. I sure understand about the “wild rapid cycling mood swings.” For the first few days off of Ativan it was up one minute, down the next.

You said, “I have to give it two weeks to see if it works. Then we'll probly up my dosage. I'm on a lot of medication.”

What are you still taking and why? (If you don’t mind my asking)

Becky

 

[firechyld]

Sounds all too familiar. My w/d symptoms are getting milder all the time. Still, every four or five days, I start feeling sick again. At least I am seeing steady progress. I sure understand about the “wild rapid cycling mood swings.” For the first few days off of Ativan it was up one minute, down the next.

Tell me about it. I was dropping down 75mg every wednesday... which meant that the nausea hit in for the weekend, and the mood swings carried me through until monday.

What am I on now? *deep breath*

A twice daily 1000mg dose of a mood stabiliser (epilim)
An evening 500mg dose of an anti-psychotic (seroquel)
An evening 30mg dose of my new anti-depressent (avanza)
An evening 10mg dose of a sleeping tablet (stilnox) and
An as needed 5mg dose of Valium if I have panic attacks.



At the moment, unfortunately, it's all necessary... without it I go mad, think people are trying to kill me, all sorts of nastiness. My doctor has high hopes for me, however... we're hoping I'll be unmedicated and functional by the end of the year.

firechyld

 

[Prisca]

firechyld,

Sorry I didn't respond right away. I was gone all weekend. What do you think led to the problems you now have (if you don't mind my asking). Do you think you are getting better?

Thanks,
Becky

 

[firechyld]

To tell you the truth, I don't know. I know my perceptions are warped at the moment, but sometimes it just seems so hopeless and hard...

Sorry, I'm not in the best place at the moment...

What led to this? More than likely a combination of hereditary (mental illness runs in both sides of my family) and the events of my life up until now... certain traumas made a different impact than they would on someone with a predilection towards healthy brain chemistry.

firechyld