Posted by Trans-Human on January 14, 2009, at 19:55:57
In reply to Re: Amisulpride Withdrawal?, posted by bleauberry on January 14, 2009, at 18:59:26
bleauberry - "This statement has me confused. When you say you don't want to be ill again, that kind of implies that you are not terribly ill right now while on the drug. Which means the drug must be doing some sort of benefit, even if not perfect. You say you don't want to be on it for life. Why not? If your life is better with some med, this med or any med, why would someone want to not have that?"
The bigger picture is that I don't think my life is better on this med. It is too simplistic a view to say I'm OK on the meds & not OK off them. The genuine recovery & progress I have made has not come from meds.
My brain is dependant on this med for function - stopping this med indicates that what I am experiencing is a withdrawal effect - my experiences of withdrawal are in line with this being what is happening - rather than the experiences being primarily any underlying "illness".
Quote - "How can I tell the difference between withdrawal problems and relapse? There are three ways to tell if symptoms are the result of withdrawal, according to one expert, David Healy, who applied it to SSRIs in particular:
The problems begin immediately after reducing or stopping the drug. (If the original problem has been treated, it should be some time before the symptoms come back, if ever.)
The symptoms disappear if you go back on the drug, or raise the dose.
You are experiencing new symptoms as well as some of those that were a feature of your original condition (flu-like symptoms as well as depression, for instance).
These are the kind of withdrawal effects you might encounter:
Antipsychotics:
Withdrawal psychosis and tardive dyskinesia are two of the most serious problems. There could also be other less severe but still unpleasant effects to contend with: flu-like effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, chills, sweating, runny nose); movement problems (involuntary twitches, muscle spasms and tics); psychological effects (insomnia, anxiety, agitation, irritability, and psychosis, including hallucinations, delusions, confusion and disorientation). The psychological effects may be little different from the symptoms of the original problem, and it may be very hard to know for certain which it is.
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a very serious condition, which some people have developed on drug withdrawal. It can also occur as a side effect of the drugs. It can be life-threatening and involves changes in consciousness, abnormal movements and fever. It is important to seek medical treatment immediately" - Quote from MIND
Had I been given proper therapeutic support & proper help initially; then I do not now think I would presently be med dependant. These meds have the potential for very severe side effects & long term health risks - which increase with length of use. I presently have a number of disabling side effects from these meds. Looking at the bigger picture - is life better being dependant on a powerful mind/mood altering med of this kind?
If I cannot find a way of successfully getting med free - then it may well be a lesser of two evils to reluctantly stay on it; which I do for the time being anyway. It is very much the case that I know it is possible for people to get "med free" & have a better quality of life being med free. My hope is to eventually get off this med.
All my research & understandings are that many people can live perfectly well & healthily med free; & indeed many do.
Sorry I don't buy into what is spouted out to us by big pharma & orthodox psychiatry.
bleauberry - "None of us want to be on meds longterm. Neither do diabetics with their insulin meds, or heart patients with their heart meds, or hypertension patients with their blood meds, and on and on"
I don't understand the analogies? "Mental Illness" is wholly different to all of those conditions. Do Doctors tell their Diabetic patients that their condition is similar to Schizophrenia!? - to my mind such comparisons are silly stories to coerce people to take meds.
The biological basis to "Schizophrenia" has never been proved. It is false to compare it to other "Biological" conditions & relate them in similarity on that basis.
bleauberry - "I'm sure some of the deterioration after the drug is withdrawal rebounds. But some of it is likely the original problem which is probably worse now years later than it was before. It is probably a mix of both, not either or."
How do you know it is not all withdrawal?
Possibly there is some truth in what you say. But I don't go with the general perception of progressive mental ill health - statistically the majority of people often do recover; & have the real potential to recover; Med Free - if given half a chance. This fact is being reflected more & more in treatment services - especially in countries with more progressive mental health services; including Scandinavian areas as example.
bleauberry - "You might consider swithcing to a different med? Zyprexa? Abilify? Maybe in combination with an antidepressant since they do well with antipsychotics?"
Why would I want to take more drugs? & why an anti depressant - I'm not depressed! I have no desire to mess around with meds. The long term aim; hope & eventual goal is to get med free.
Sorry to have confused you - I posted the OP to ask for assistance in the best way of withdrawing from Amisulpride & if anyone here had done so?
poster:Trans-Human
thread:873876
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/874043.html