Posted by poser938 on February 4, 2014, at 22:11:14
In reply to Re: Wrong about mental illness. Phidippus » poser938, posted by SLS on February 3, 2014, at 17:05:47
> I would not be so quick to discredit your experiences. I am convinced that exposure to some psychiatric drugs results in changes in brain function that can persist after they are discontinued.
>
> How is your condition different now compared to before drug treatment? Which drugs do you feel are most responsible for these changes?
>
> It is important to note that Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) tends to get worse over time in untreated individuals. It also has a tendency to morph in a way where melancholic thoughts recede and cognitive impairments predominate. I believe that when MDD first emerges in late-life, it also looks a lot like dementia.
>
> 1. How old are you?
>
> 2. At what age did MDD appear?
>
> 3. What was the course of your illness before treatment? Was it chronic or recurrent?
>
> 4. Are there any first-degree relatives with depression, bipolar disorder, or schizoid disorder?
>
>
> - Scott
>Just turned 26. You know how more and more people are prescribed Antidepressants and other Psychiatric Meds, when medication should have never even been seen as an option for their case? That's me. Its a bit embarrassing to say it, but what
pushed me into taking Psychiatric medication was after getting out of a relationship with my "first love". I was 17 and i had thought I lost everything after we broke up.But when I went to see a Psychiatrist and was prescribed meds, 4 different meds all at once on my first appointment.(Adderall, Aricept, Cymbalta and Geodon.. I was thinking "My situation isn't THAT bad, definitely not as bad as some people I hear about." I ended up only taking the Cymbalta and Adderall. I also did therapy. And before my first appt with the Therapist, I remember telling my mom "How can this guy just talking to me actually help?" I got my answer after my first appointment. All I
needed was to be shown the errors in my thought processes. I went back for more appointments and continued to benefit from it.Adder all made me feel hyped up and I don't think I ever noticed an effect from Cymbalta. But as time went by, I ended up having a panic attack. , my first panic attack ever. And from this day is when Psychiatric Meds first had its serious, long-term/permanent effect on me. The next day after the panic attack, I felt bad. I ended up discontinuing the meds and my mood never reverted back to normal. I could no longer spend a whole day in school. I had extreme anxiety, agitation and felt like I was in hell. Weeks, months and then a year went by and my mood never reverted back to how I get before starting meds. And at this time I didn't credit the meds for causing me to feel this way, since I had discontinued them.
So, after a year, I went back to the Psychiatrist and tried more meds. Cymbalta again, then Zoloft, then Wellbutrin and then Effexor. At 75 mugs of Effexor, I noticed a slight effect on my mood, but was insure if it was good or bad. So I asked to raise it to 150mgs. At this dose, I started feeling more agitation. And muscles in my face started tensing up on their own and it was a bit painful. It reminded me of the Tar dive Dyskinesia has read about, but I figured "Only Antipsychotics can cause that". My hair was also falling out and I felt an abnormal sensitivity with my moods being affected by foods I ate. But I kept taking it, and after a few, my emotions went completely blank....
I stopped taking it. After a few weeks, the blankness never went away. So I ended up trying Cyproheptadine to counter this. After a few weeks on it, slowly working up the dose, I suddenly felt much better one morning. Not all the way better, but I guess i felt about 75% myself again. But I still had the effect of my moods being strongly affected by foods I ate.
Anyway, I stopped all meds for over 2 years, hoping I'd go completely back to normal. My life was finally liveable, I never did revert back to my pre meds self.
I went to see a regular doctor. Had many tests done with nothing abnormal showing up. So, I decided on trying Mirapex.felt a slight benefit for a few weeks, then one day BAM, I was back to feeling I was in hell. I stopped taking it, after some weeks my mood never went to feeling better. I then tried Tianeptine and after 10 days it made me even worse. Then tried Ritalin, and after the first dose, this worsening was compounded.Then onto Cyproheptadine., since it was the only Nev to benefit me ever. After a few days it was clear it was helping me again. But this time MUCH more slowly, with each dose only having a slight effect . But I continued it for about 3 months, having to up the dose after about every 3 days because one dose would stop working. But over time, my mood got better and better and better. Until I got to such a high dose that I could no longer take it. That was 3 years ago, and since I've Bern off it, I've VERY slowly regressed back. I'm STILL regressing a tiny but every day. And I will until I get to how I was before I started it.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Effexor had made me less able to do anything strenuous. And Mirapex compounded this. To where I can't reach my arms out without becoming weak all over and even more depressed feeling for the rest of the day.
I know my experience might be unheard of by many, but this is just how it as been.Anyway, I feel I've made this long enough. But that's my main experiences describing why I'm in the state I'm in now.
poster:poser938
thread:1060040
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140123/msgs/1060260.html