3 ms·

Maybe psychiatry interns should spend a month taking antipsychotics, just to experience the side effects. It would greatly reduce their faith in big pharma.

bookofjoe 8y ago
Odd you should mention this: I have suffered a total of four major depressive episodes including my first at age 29, which culminated in a massive barbiturate/alcohol OD in a serious attempt to commit suicide. Lucky for me, while I was unconscious I vomited and fell out of the bed I chose to die in, landing face down. After three days on a ventilator in a coma, I woke up — still seriously depressed. Then I was transferred to the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, where I spent the summer of 1977 and recovered, being discharged on several medications including an antipsychotic. I remained on the drugs for about five years, then went off per my psychiatrist's OK. I was started back on antidepressants and antipsychotics after I became depressed for the second time, in 1991. This time I was able to self-admit myself to a psychiatric hospital before doing myself any harm. I remained on antipsychotics for five years or so, then for the second time withdrew per my psychiatrist's OK. In 2001 my third depression happened, and the usual drug regimen was reinstituted, with the caveat that I needed to stay on them for life. I was fine with that until 2013, when I decided I didn't want to be on them even though for me the side effects weren't that bad. I spent the entire year slowly tapering off each of the four drugs I was on, one at a time. Sure enough, in January 2015, when I was finally drug free, my fourth major depression struck. This one was — by far — the longest, lasting 1.75 YEARS. Once again, onto the usual drugs, but after I recovered in October of 2015, I decided that I'm never again going to stop taking them. As regards Big Pharma, I am thankful for it: without the drugs — and their side effects — I would died a long time ago.
0xcde4c3db 8y ago
It's not just the side effects, it's also that antipsychotics don't really target the "negative" symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia and avolition, which can be just as destructive to the prospect of a stable and fulfilling life as delusions and hallucinations.
- bookofjoe 8y ago
  You're spot-on. The hammer-type drugs/aka antipsychotics dull down everything.

bookofjoe 8y ago

Odd you should mention this: I have suffered a total of four major depressive episodes including my first at age 29, which culminated in a massive barbiturate/alcohol OD in a serious attempt to commit suicide. Lucky for me, while I was unconscious I vomited and fell out of the bed I chose to die in, landing face down. After three days on a ventilator in a coma, I woke up — still seriously depressed. Then I was transferred to the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, where I spent the summer of 1977 and recovered, being discharged on several medications including an antipsychotic. I remained on the drugs for about five years, then went off per my psychiatrist's OK. I was started back on antidepressants and antipsychotics after I became depressed for the second time, in 1991. This time I was able to self-admit myself to a psychiatric hospital before doing myself any harm. I remained on antipsychotics for five years or so, then for the second time withdrew per my psychiatrist's OK. In 2001 my third depression happened, and the usual drug regimen was reinstituted, with the caveat that I needed to stay on them for life. I was fine with that until 2013, when I decided I didn't want to be on them even though for me the side effects weren't that bad. I spent the entire year slowly tapering off each of the four drugs I was on, one at a time. Sure enough, in January 2015, when I was finally drug free, my fourth major depression struck. This one was — by far — the longest, lasting 1.75 YEARS. Once again, onto the usual drugs, but after I recovered in October of 2015, I decided that I'm never again going to stop taking them. As regards Big Pharma, I am thankful for it: without the drugs — and their side effects — I would died a long time ago.

0xcde4c3db 8y ago

It's not just the side effects, it's also that antipsychotics don't really target the "negative" symptoms of schizophrenia such as anhedonia and avolition, which can be just as destructive to the prospect of a stable and fulfilling life as delusions and hallucinations.

bookofjoe 8y ago
You're spot-on. The hammer-type drugs/aka antipsychotics dull down everything.