Posted by bleauberry on January 10, 2014, at 8:48:39
In reply to Risperdal/Risperidone Questions, posted by alfbarks007 on January 10, 2014, at 7:38:48
Psychiatric drugs treat the symptoms of whatever else is actually wrong. They do not usually fix what the real problem is. They offer a bridge over a roadblock, a path around a pothole, or a detour to manipulate traffic direction.
That said, with that approach, it is almost always a benefit-risk trade-off situation. Sometimes our drugs don't have any side effects, we get a lot of benefit, and no appreciable risk. Sometimes we don't get much benefit but we get tons of side effects and risks. Mileage varies and each person is unique and different in their response to a certain medication. We each have to make our own decisions as to whether the benefits justify tolerating the side effects. For example, let's say 3 months from now you are feeling great but you've gained 20 pounds from risperdal. Risk benefit. To get the benefits you like, weight gain risk came with the package. But, that is something that can be managed and tamed down. Maybe not completely eliminated, but managed well for sure. Is it worth it? Is it not worth it? Only you can answer that.
With a very long psychiatric history myself, I have come to disdain psych drugs as long term remedies, but I think they are awesome for shorter term time frames. Where we go wrong, in organized medicine, in my opinion, is that we stop there. We do not further investigation as to why the symptoms are there in the first place. It's not hard to do those investigations, but doctors are not generally trained to think in that way, and most tests are unreliable or give confusing results. It is the patient's body, the patient's life, and the patient's responsibility. A doctor can only do so much. What they know, especially in psychiatry, is extremely limited when it comes to identifying the cause of symptoms. So instead they focus merely on minimizing the symptoms, and meanwhile the disease continues on, and at some point in the future the med no longer works as good. That is a common outcome called poopout. Not universal, but common.
I like the doc's choice of meds. Other good ones could include either zyprexa or depakote.
In the natural world, which I have personally found more effective and thorough than the psychiatric world, take a serious look at a plant medicine called Rhodiola Rosea. If you buy some, make sure to talk with me about it before you begin dosing it. It is a magical herb, but tricky at first. It is very specific for your symptoms. In that same category would be Eleuthero or Ashwaganda. Mileage varies. I do much better with Rhodiola than the others, but someone else will not be the same as me. All three should be tried separately at some point so as to know which is best for you personally.
I think it's awesome that risperdal is bringing you some relief so quickly. Antipsychotics can do that. All I really want to add to that is, don't stop there.
This will sound bizarre but it is so true. If you were to treat yourself with herbs as if you had Lyme disease, even if you don't have it, you will cover pretty much all the bases that would cause the symptoms you have. They include hidden infection such as lyme and others, toxin accumulation, adrenal malfunction, or inflammation. They all kind of go together actually. The book Healing Lyme by Stephan Buhner has everything in it you need, but there is also a wealth of information on the net. Focus on the topics I mentioned and you should be able to make good progress.
What all stresses and chronic conditions do is put undue excess strain on our adrenal glands, which are responsible for protecting us from the stress you are feeling. The glands can become overworked and incapable of keeping up with the heavy demand. That's where the rage stuff, the overwhelmed stuff, the mountains-out-of-molehills stuff, comes from. And that's why I mentioned those herbs. They target that stuff.
Rhodiola is well known and studied for depression, anxiety, stress, sleep, energy, and endurance. It can, and is, combined with any of the psychiatric drugs except MAOI antidepressants.
In the meantime, I'm so glad you got some fast relief! What an amazing feeling, huh? Awesome.
poster:bleauberry
thread:1058170
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140104/msgs/1058177.html