I just posted my rant as I withdraw from my psych meds. There is one thing I meant to say but forgot. I tend to forget...
I have come to consider psych drugs dangerous and not to be trifled with. Why? They are necessary for some.
Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors alter brain chemistry. Most psych meds alter brain chemistry. Pain meds do the same thing: alter brain chemistry. There are times, I suppose, that brain chemistry needs to be altered. If you are of the "buck up and take it like a man" mentale, then I don't expect you to understand the misery of anxiety that can dog you day after day. If someone says they have a way to mediate that anxiety, you certainly will jump at it.
I am not trying to dissuade anyone from taking necessary medication. I am telling you to be aware of what you are taking and how it will affect your brain. If, like me, you are told you may have to take these drugs the rest of your life, please do your research. It could save you some agony.
Depression is a brain condition in which seratonin is depleted. There are thousands of reasons it gets depleted. Mine is caused by chronic stress and anxiety that I have had since I was a child. Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors keep your synapses from releasing too much seratonin. They do this by fooling your brain into thinking there is already enough seratonin going back and forth between the synapses and your symptoms of depression are alleviated. The thing is, you have to keep taking the drug in order for this to happen. It rewires your brain. In order for the rewire to continue, you have to keep taking the pill. Every day. Don't miss a dose ore else there will be a relapse, however large or small.
Benzodiazapines effectively block the norepinephrine synapses so that you are less anxious. They also block dopamine. That's why you can get sleepy on them. They are shutting down your synapses.
If you are taking a drug like Effexor, a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor AND benzos, then you are effectively negating one drug for another. The thing is, norepinephrine and dopamine have a lot to do with motivation and energy level. You take Effexor and your brain thinks it has energy, you feel confident, you do things. Benzodiazapines counteract this effect. The Effexor, though, can build up to a point where you have too much energy that causes anxiety. So you take, say, Xanax, and this counteracts the anxiety. See where I'm going with this? Eventually, I think, the benzos can cause depression.
You take one to offset the other. Is that a good thing? Does it seem like you are chasing your tail? You are!
Your brain rewires itself. It quits making the necessary chemicals because you are introducing them into your system every day. If, for whatever reason, you decide to stop taking these drugs, be aware that there is a price to pay in the form of withdrawal. Your brain and body need these chemicals and since you have been giving them to your brain and body every day, sometimes for years, your body needs you to keep giving them to it.
If you decide to stop taking your meds, do so slowly. Don't be a blockhead like me. I am smart, intelligent, whatever. I know what I've gotten myself into so I figure it is up to me to get myself out. I don't like cold turkey but I know what to expect so I do it. It is a very scary proposition if you don't know what to expect. Even if you know what to expect, it is still scary.
If you decide to go off your meds, be sure to eat properly. Take your vitamins. Drink lots of water. Stay busy. Think positive. That's the hard part. Tell yourself you are a good person over and over. Tell yourself the agony is worth it because you will eventually feel better. Once you feel better, stay healthy. Exercise. You don't have to go to the gym but get some exercise; walk, run, ride your bike, lift weights, swim, rollerblade but stay active. This will help.
If this is your decision, know that others have done it and succeeded. It may take a few tries before you gain success. Safe journey.
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