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[quote=Scooby Snacks;47359744]Is there a need for them? Absolutely. My dearly departed grandmother, a Depression baby, told me about a few people she knew way back when who desperately needed drugs such as SSRIs. One of them even committed suicide from depression. /QUOTE]
I agree, some people benefit from these drugs. BUT, these meds have also contributed to suicides and murders! I had to hide our guns during withdrawal. I hid them because of what I was seeing in him then a couple of weeks later he said he didn't want to scare me, but he thought it'd be a good idea if I hid them. Well, if he brought it up, it had to mean he was scared about what his brain was doing or making him think. And we took withdrawal REALLY slow.
It's a good thing you were self-aware and figured it out yourself. Too many people, even unmedicated, aren't self-aware enough to pay attention to what's happening in their bodies and why. My husband is not one, but especially when he was a zombie thanks to Effexor. Most people who "change" on these meds aren't aware of it. It's like the lobster in a pot of water then set on the stove and heated up. They can't see it happening to themselves. I think any body who is put on these mind/mood/LIFE-altering meds should have a partner (or parent or trusted friend) who is also made aware of what to look for. My husband never reported ANYTHING back to his psychiatrist. I think anyone who is married needs to have spousal awareness of what some side-effects might be. Google about SSRIs and divorce. There is a "relationships" thread at a forum called survivingantidepressants dot org
I researched beneficial supplements to support the brain/mood during withdrawal. I have hubby on D3 and Magnesium, BUT he doesn't take any in the afternoon. I'll have to have him try that, thanks! He's on a good magnesium, but I'll take a look at yours. Sometimes different forms work better than others, and experimenting to see which is the best match is good (I simply put him on the one I take). He also takes a B-complex and extra B1 (benfotiamine, because he drinks), CoQ10, Omega-3, and celery seed extract (blood pressure aid).
Among other things, one physical side-effect was extreme Restless Leg Syndrome (I called it JERKING LEG syndrome because it was so violent in bed at night. ALL freakin' night long, his legs would jerk and kick out and he would toss and turn and thrash about and "scratch" at the bed with his hand.). We (I) didn't know it was a side-effect, and I tried to get him to the doctor about it. He also developed sleep apnea while on it (because of the weight gain while on it?) and it was horrible as neither one of us could sleep (I had to escape every night to the couch). No amount of begging could get him to go to the doctor. On at least the RLS, I'm now very happy about that. I came across a woman whose husband was on Effexor then went on another drug for the RLS and yet another drug as a sleep aid. In the end, they had 3 meds to withdraw from and had huge issues. Anyway, the very first side-effect to drop by the wayside when he started withdrawing was the RLS. One night I noticed that he simply did not move around at all. I was scared for a few seconds--I thought he'd died! And when he'd reached that half-way point in his withdrawal and his "awareness" came back, he let me schedule him a sleep study. He came home extremely apologetic for not believing me--his study showed he averaged 110.8 apnea events PER HOUR. That's 2 every minute. On Effexor, I'd never have gotten him there because he didn't care enough about himself. Eventually, it'd have killed him in some way--either the alcohol or the stress from living with no restorative sleep / oxygen deprivation on his brain, etc.
Except for dire need to function or save a depressed life, these drugs should not be used OR used with hyper-vigilance for side-effects (that the patients themselves don't usually report!). The side-effects are sometimes way worse....or the withdrawals are worse.....OR, they have to remain on them forever. I personally know women who were put on Effexor or Pristique (sp?) for MENOPAUSAL symptoms. Hello! Menopause is a natural event which will end, but these meds and/or their side-effects/withdrawal can potentially be much worse and last much longer.
I know there are people who are helped by these meds. I know there are people who manage to get off successfully. The thing is, you don't know if you're going to be one of the unlucky ones until it's too late! Our experience was not good, yet it was better than some whose marriage didn't survive.
The RLS is one thing I never thought about. But it used to be awful. I've never gone to sleep well, my mind takes lay down and rest as a key to go off in all sorts of neat new ways, but I just couldn't physically stay still. I'd walk, I'd get up and have some milk, I'd watch a movie, no help. It still happens very rarely, mostly when I'm still too 'up' to sleep, but I can relax and sleep now. I'm sure a bed mate wouldn't get much sleep either. I used to get dirty looks from the cat and dog...
I have mood swings still, but they usually aren't bad and the up ones are moderately nice. But I love writing, and write fanfiction which won some awards. So I'm really picky that it is just right. I can usually go into the character and see and hear the room, then I write the scene. But I would stare at the screen and nothing came. I couldn't let go of the present and go there to see this new place. I couldn't feel with my characters. Since this and other creative things is very important to me, and it keeps life better, when I realized that as soon as I took the pill I zoned out of life. It was odd since I wasn't unhappy, but not happy either. I was stuck in neutral. I think a lot of times people who have mood swings and downs are *assumed* to be better off if they just can't FEEL. And when there's bad stuff your just ignoring it still has a way of finding you anyway.
I'm so glad you were able to reach him, and he didn't fight your efforts. My ex did. He was sick from an old injury which infected, and he lost part of a leg. But while he had all sort of pills, for pain and other things, I just don't think he *wanted* to get better. I'd been very sick out of high school, and had bad times, but I didn't let the sickness own me, but he did.
I agree these drugs should not ever be used without a good justification and carefully followed as well. Your husband is so lucky that you were able to help pull him through and advocate for him. He is a lucky man.
these meds have also contributed to suicides and murders!
Psychiatric Meds Kill More Americans than Heroin Tragically so true. Psychiatric Medications Kill More Americans than Heroin
That demonic 'medical' practice must STOP. And
beyond that: https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2...oying-america/ - "the medical cartel is destroying America"
"The CDC, which regularly reports mortality figures, doesn’t receive data, nor does it require data, from doctors, on errors which lead to patients’ deaths. - So CDC completely in the dark on 3rd leading cause of death in the US. This, of course, is the same agency that assures the public that vaccines are wonderfully safe and effective." - the medical cartel must also stop.
Psychiatric Meds Kill More Americans than Heroin Tragically so true. Psychiatric Medications Kill More Americans than Heroin
That demonic 'medical' practice must STOP. And
beyond that: https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2...oying-america/ - "the medical cartel is destroying America"
"The CDC, which regularly reports mortality figures, doesn’t receive data, nor does it require data, from doctors, on errors which lead to patients’ deaths. - So CDC completely in the dark on 3rd leading cause of death in the US. This, of course, is the same agency that assures the public that vaccines are wonderfully safe and effective." - the medical cartel must also stop.
Vaccines are fantastically effective - as discovered about 220 yrs ago. (Before abject stupidity became a badge of honor).
What about the conspiracy theory cartels? The ones who have done jack for society except promote ignorance, hearsay and backwardness?
Also, the funding is not there for psychiatrists to be able to purchase and use ECT machines, TMS, and other alternative forms of therapy. And...let's not forget the high cost of malpractice insurance that physicians face these days. The more alternative therapies (like ECT) that psychiatrists take on, the higher their malpractice insurance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 rainbows
...So they used electrocution (the gall to call that therapy), or lobotomy, or drugs: ALL harmfully destroy....
The use of ECT has declined dramatically over the last 20-30 years, as antidepressants and counseling techniques have become more effective in treating depression. Most psychiatrists nowadays will not recommend (or perform) ECT, unless the patient (1) has severe depression, and (2) has failed on multiple antidepressant medications. With severe treatment-resistant depression, the benefits of ECT (e.g. preventing a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head) often outweigh the risks.
As with the case of any medical treatment, the physician should explain the risks and benefits of any medication that he or she plans to prescribe. At that point, it is the patient's decision (NOT the physician's) as to where or not the medication will be used.
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