06-07-2024, 10:51 AM
(06-07-2024, 09:23 AM)Tecate Wrote: Maxmars, to your original question, “ Have you ever quit antidepressants?”
Yes I have. I was on Effexor for about 4.5 years and it was a special hell that I finally decided to escape from. My physician and ex-wife peer pressured me into them believing that I was suffering from PTSD (35 years as a frontline Advanced Care Paramedic) when in reality I was unable to cope with her and her family’s bullshit.
I had read everything I could regarding weaning myself off them first and then just said ok, let’s do this. I had already ridden myself of their insanity and influences so I had nothing to lose.
I started by skipping a day in 4 for about 3 weeks, then skipping one in 3 days etc. until I just quit.
I’m certainly not going to say that it was easy, the “brain zaps”, forgetfulness and sleepless nights were transitory.
Like I have heard from previous drug addicts “ there’s a whole new world on the other side “, I can attest to this.
SSRI’s are the work of the devil. All of a sudden I had emotions, energy and vitality return, enough for people to notice and comment on!!
Knowing physicians as well as I do, I can agree that they truly have no idea what to do with these people and their issues. Most of them truly only know about 8-10 medications well enough to prescribe without looking them up. This is 8-10 medications for anything, NOT antidepressants. I’m talking family doctors here.
Mental health and illness treatment is an absolute shitshow across the board in North America. I can’t speak to other countries, but my wife is a Neuropsychologist in Mexico, and she agrees wholeheartedly that it’s not well understood and treatment modalities are based on ineffectual studies etc.
Tecate
Sorry to hear what you ve gone through but there is hope. I have zero confidence in medical treatments that target mental health issues. It's my understanding these drugs exacerbate the problem in most cases rather then helping the patient to cope. I don't have personal experience but I get to reviews everyone else who has been in similar positions.
I will agree strongly with what another poster said above, physical exercise and counselling could help very much and if I was you I would have avoided any medication in the first place. But that's me.