Life after Meds

Hi, I don't know whether anyone has mentioned this before, but there is such a term known as "iatrogenic" referring to illnesses caused by medications. As a person who was medicated at 18 and ceased meds against doctor's orders, and went on to study and work. . I can tell you that these meds do cause symptoms that present as mental disorders. If you go into a psych clinic and seek help for these disorders, more often than not you will be medicated for "mental illness" or some anxiety state.
I do not have any desicive opinion as to whether or not the meds work or are a good idea. But I am pretty sure i don't want to take them again when I reflect back on what happened to me and I read about what can happen when you are on them.
Conditions like akathisia that can be mistaken for anxiety states - where the psych then ups the dose of your anti-psychotic if it isn't working to control the "symptoms" (read: "sideeffects) ; withdrawal symptoms that doctors can't tell from disorders (or they label as a recurrence of the disorder for which you were treated) and I'm not denying that it can happen but how do they tell the difference?!; I read of one death from withdrawal where the young teen was tremoring and spasming from her meds, was then restrained and was given some antipsychotic and promptly died (yes, she died) . .and they said that she died from a mystery virus!
Anyhow, my point is LIFE AFTER MEDS: get a naturopathic test done which tests for neurotransmitters and is called an organic acid test. See a naturopath, ask for this and then take what they suggest to treat the deficiencies. They can show you things like dopamine levels, serotonin, the normal range of readings and where you fit into the spectrum. I have low dopamine. . two possible causes are: high stress or anti-psychotic meds.
I am still researching the naturopathic treatments as I did with the psych meds and am still undergoing testing but haven't started supplements yet. But I know it is a valid option for if you are considering discontinuing treatment.

benzobaby wrote:these meds do cause symptoms that present as mental disorders. If you go into a psych clinic and seek help for these disorders, more often than not you will be medicated for "mental illness" or some anxiety state.

Of course. Asthma medication even cause a symptom that can look like paranoia and anxiety for which an antipsychotic would be given. Oh gosh - there was this comment from someone... I can't think where... she had been diagnosed with BIPOLAR disorder when she was actually suffering from KIDNEY FAILURE!

Obviously diagnosing by psychiatric symptoms without really looking for medical problems - including side-effects of medications, can be a huge problem!

I'd to be the first person to thank the OP for such an uplifting thread. I've been a psychiatric survivor for a year and can honestly say that I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's. I'm still in the process of integrating and maturing into my true self, it's a tough process that includes integrating episodic materials which were once terrifying into my personality. But the insights I've gained are so fantastic.

I'm actually on some of the groups on facebook like Schizophrenia, where I'm gently trying to push people off the psych-drugs and on their own path to sanity and well being, which most consumers look at as too good to be true, as an impossibility.

Stay free,

I am currently a mental health counseling student/intern and have been reading the posts on this thread for a bit. I started to wonder, out of curiosity, whether any of you have gone to psychotherapy? And if so, did you go while taking the psych meds or while not taking them? Did either help? Did one help more than the other? This is something I'm interested in learning more about before entering the profession. Thanks for any replies!

I had psychotherapy during substance abuse treatment that was very helpful. I had to ignore the "bio" in the biopsychosocial model that claims everyone has a "disease" and biological defects ect.

The dirty scam of substance abuse treatment is "dual diagnosis", almost everyone who gets substance abuse treatment is labelled and psych-drugged from the start during acute and post acute withdrawal.

I heard the program director and doctor talking "Axis I and get them medicated" exact words, and the clients constantly talking about side effects and the meds not working.

Psychiatry also gives out addictive drugs then blames the victim by calling it substance abuse when they can't stop and get worse then claims "we gave you the wrong drugs" no apology, ever.

Try these, they only cause dependence and withdrawal reactions but are "non-addictive".

“you can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”