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What's worse is that the longer you take certain psychiatric drugs, the greater the long-term damage it can possibly cause to almost disability. It's being betw

What's worse is that the longer you take certain psychiatric drugs, the greater the long-term damage it can possibly cause to almost disability. It's being between a rock and a hard place. I've taken Abilify, Wellbutrin, Seroquel, and a number of other drugs. The biggest problem when you enter the psychiatric system is you go through pill roulette. You take a drug, try it, see what works, and keep trying till you find what works. Even worse is that I entered the system in high school which is a tumultuous developmental period. One sad personal story is that a psychiatrist started me on a developmental drug. A drug that was approved for other problems but was "in development" for other uses. I tried it and it was worse than Seroquel. Seroquel, if I missed a dose, I couldn't sleep. For this new drug, if I missed a dose, I had a panic attack and if I took it, I would fall asleep. So if I was out too long, let's say traveling, I had to choose between a panic attack or falling asleep. When I confronted my psychiatrist about this problem, instead of taking me off the drug, he prescribed me medication for panic attacks.

dbasedweeb 9y ago
Seroquel is part of a family of drugs (antipsychotics) which have some of the worst long term adverse effects of all psychiatric drugs. Everything from tardive dyskenisia to enlargement of the ventricles of the brain are routinely observed over decades of use, and that’s not even mentioning adverse effects which appear almost immediately. In general though, these drugs have little or nothing to do with antidepressants, SSRI’s or anything most poeple will ever take. Of course the adverse effects of psyshcosis and untreated psychotic illness are much worse, including homelessness and death. So while these drugs are undeniably difficult to live with, people who have been prescribed the family including Seroquel generally really need them to function. All of which is to say that the struggles of people on neuroleptic therapy are generally very different from what’s being discussed in the article here.
- ada1981 9y ago
  An alternate to psychosis as something to interrupt is that it's a biological process that happens when the default mode network isn't sufficient. The ideal environment is one in which the psychosis can complete. It's very similar to a psychedelic journey in that with the right set and setting it can lead to deeper compassion, clarity and connection. I've been through a number of such experiences over the years; I used to be terrified of them and tried to avoid them at all costs. Now, it's very much an initiation into whatever the next level of my life demands of me. I've learned to make symptoms bigger vs supressing them and in doing so, I recover vital parts of myself. Without this orientation, I would never have survived so called schizophrenia, bipolar, suicidal depression, psychosis.
  - dbasedweeb 9y ago
    I’m not going to be able to debate the validity of your experiences of course, and I won’t try to. I can say with confidence however that for most people, psychosis is strongly correlated with poor outcomes including homelessness and suicide. Early intervention and prevention leads to the best outcomes, and the more psychotic events in a persons life, the worse the outcomes are on average.
    - ada1981 9y ago
      Of course, this isn't a study, but if you are interested in the beautifully rich world of "altpsy" I just came across this TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/speakers/eleanor_longden https://www.ted.com/speakers/eleanor_longden
    - ada1981 9y ago
      Oh I don't disagree. I think the entire culture and system isn't set up for proper integration of psychosis. So given the current landscape, it makes sense that outcomes are so poor. It takes resources of time and emotional capacity to make it through. Dr. Paris Williams has an incredible book called Rethinking Madness that was instrumental in helping me adopt a framework to complete a psychosis.
- Regardsyjc 9y ago
  "Seroquel is only approved for schizophrenia, mania and bipolar disorders. ... Yet the ISMP found that 47 percent of all adverse events linked to Seroquel since 2004 occurred when the drug was being used for unapproved or "off-label" purposes, such as depression." May 27, 2011 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-seroquel-a-risky-antipsychotic-became-a-general-purpose-mental-health-drug/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-seroquel-a-risky-antipsycho...

dbasedweeb 9y ago

Seroquel is part of a family of drugs (antipsychotics) which have some of the worst long term adverse effects of all psychiatric drugs. Everything from tardive dyskenisia to enlargement of the ventricles of the brain are routinely observed over decades of use, and that’s not even mentioning adverse effects which appear almost immediately. In general though, these drugs have little or nothing to do with antidepressants, SSRI’s or anything most poeple will ever take. Of course the adverse effects of psyshcosis and untreated psychotic illness are much worse, including homelessness and death. So while these drugs are undeniably difficult to live with, people who have been prescribed the family including Seroquel generally really need them to function. All of which is to say that the struggles of people on neuroleptic therapy are generally very different from what’s being discussed in the article here.

ada1981 9y ago
An alternate to psychosis as something to interrupt is that it's a biological process that happens when the default mode network isn't sufficient. The ideal environment is one in which the psychosis can complete. It's very similar to a psychedelic journey in that with the right set and setting it can lead to deeper compassion, clarity and connection. I've been through a number of such experiences over the years; I used to be terrified of them and tried to avoid them at all costs. Now, it's very much an initiation into whatever the next level of my life demands of me. I've learned to make symptoms bigger vs supressing them and in doing so, I recover vital parts of myself. Without this orientation, I would never have survived so called schizophrenia, bipolar, suicidal depression, psychosis.
- dbasedweeb 9y ago
  I’m not going to be able to debate the validity of your experiences of course, and I won’t try to. I can say with confidence however that for most people, psychosis is strongly correlated with poor outcomes including homelessness and suicide. Early intervention and prevention leads to the best outcomes, and the more psychotic events in a persons life, the worse the outcomes are on average.
  - ada1981 9y ago
    Of course, this isn't a study, but if you are interested in the beautifully rich world of "altpsy" I just came across this TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/speakers/eleanor_longden https://www.ted.com/speakers/eleanor_longden
  - ada1981 9y ago
    Oh I don't disagree. I think the entire culture and system isn't set up for proper integration of psychosis. So given the current landscape, it makes sense that outcomes are so poor. It takes resources of time and emotional capacity to make it through. Dr. Paris Williams has an incredible book called Rethinking Madness that was instrumental in helping me adopt a framework to complete a psychosis.
Regardsyjc 9y ago
"Seroquel is only approved for schizophrenia, mania and bipolar disorders. ... Yet the ISMP found that 47 percent of all adverse events linked to Seroquel since 2004 occurred when the drug was being used for unapproved or "off-label" purposes, such as depression." May 27, 2011 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-seroquel-a-risky-antipsychotic-became-a-general-purpose-mental-health-drug/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-seroquel-a-risky-antipsycho...