Recovering from Neuroleptic ('Antipsychotic') Drugs

[jo1261]

I have found this list of what to do to be useful when recovering from neuroleptic drugs such as clozapine, olanzapine etc.:

sleep as much as possible, do nothing stressful;
exercise to get the blood flowing;
drink lucozade, the original type because it contains the most glucose;
eat celery, at least 3 sticks per day;
freshly squeezed oranges, (not the reconstituted stuff in cartons that have local tap water added);
travelling to new places and doing new things *(must be NEW places that you've never seen before)*;
and loud music.

[Apotheosis]

Some good advice

[jo1261]

and avoid eating curry

[Apotheosis]

http://theicarusproject.net/alternat...chiatric-drugs

http://www.comingoff.com/

http://spiritualemergency.blogspot.com/

http://www.breggin.com/

http://www.theroadback.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ-Y0YlyfXk

[ntuc]

Antipsychotics / Neuroleptics basically and normally are meant for the treatment of chronic mental illnesses. Actually, clinical evidences indicate that those troubled with mental disorders, especially the serious ones, shouldn't just rely solely upon the medications as the one and only means of solution to their mental problems.


Well, to put it bluntly, such antipsychotics / neuroleptics medications, they are no different from sleeping pills whereby their calming effects just 'come and go' after the lapse of their effective period whilst their potential disastrous side effects can be permanent upon manifestations. In medical sense, such mental disorders, especially the serious ones is mainly caused by the malfunctionings of the mood regulator neurotransmitter, especially Serotonin in the brain. Next, though the related medications can to a certain extent bring such a severe mental disorder under control by 'artificially' regulating, blocking and controlling the re-uptake of it in the brain of the persons suffering from it, medications alone however, by no means would be able to deal conclusively with the problems due to the fact that the root causes of such a disorder is actually resulting largely from the environmental, circumstantial and other interpersonal factors (or the changes of them) that are deemed to be emotionally and adversely unacceptable to the ones suffering from it to a very great extent. Such negative changes in turn actually account for the negative behavioural changes in them as described


In short, it remains the truth that most of the antipsychotics / neuroleptics meant for especially the treatment of chronic mental illnesses would tend to work in such a way that they would need to change / alter the chemical balances in the brain of those taking such medications in the process of bringing such disorders under control. In the process of doing so, such a mechanism would unavoidably and eventually antagonize the neurotransmitters of the nervous system, especially the serotonin and dopamine (which is necessary for various neuromuscular functions), and hence disturb and interfere with the normal functionings of the nerves of the human body.


Next, though it may take years for such undesirable side effects / scenario to manifest onto the ones taking such medications, I am just in the opinion that in the case of the medications having potentially such unwanted side effects, it would naturally be the duty of the medical personnel / specialists-in-charge to take all the precautionary measures to safeguard the well-being of the patients for the sake of their healthcare and welfare.


The real-life examples that I have come across so far is such that for the ones relying merely upon medications and nothing else to deal with their mental disorders, they would tend to develop both emotional and psychological dependences upon such medictions over the long-term whilst getting their mental conditions deteriorated from time to time, eg, from neurosis to psychosis and then just acquire all those almost irreversibly disastrous undesirable side effects like Extrapyramidal Symptoms, Tardive Dyskinesia, Dystonia, Akathisia, Parkinsonism disorders etc from such medications in the end.


In such a connection, psychotherapy, emotional and other communication supports would be needed to complement the use of the related medications to achieve greater curative effects for such patients troubled by chronic mental disorder.


As such, medications is one thing, but the mental / cognitive abilities of the patients themselves to eventually change their views and perceptions about their environments / surroundings, circumstances and people they are facing in a more positve way, particularly developed through the help of such counselling supports from the others in order for them to really get better and gradually develop positive behavioural / personal changes, is simply another thing that cannot achieved solely with the help of medications alone.


In a nutshell, medications alone by no means can be a substitute for the positive interpersonal experiences that such patients would eventually need for genuine improvement and recovery of their sanity and the use of them should at the same time be complemented by other psychotherapy efforts to achieve the purpose of holistic healing.

[Apotheosis]

Originally Posted by ntuc

In a nutshell, medications alone by no means can be a substitute for the positive interpersonal experiences that such patients would eventually need for genuine improvement and recovery of their sanity and the use of them should at the same time be complemented by other psychotherapy efforts to achieve the purpose of holistic healing.

Thanks for your post. I agree. What you have written is intelligent, honest, rational & accurately sums up the whole situation of illness/meds/genuine recovery.

It's a shame so few people see it.

[ntuc]

Thanks for the positive comments and I truly and greatly appreciate that. Next, I hope that my explanations above would turn out to be helpful to the intended readders especially in terms of seeking holistic therapy for the mental illnesses, particularly the serious ones.

[jo1261]

Originally Posted by ntuc

Antipsychotics / Neuroleptics basically and normally are meant for the treatment of chronic mental illnesses. Actually, clinical evidences indicate that those troubled with mental disorders, especially the serious ones, shouldn't just rely solely upon the medications as the one and only means of solution to their mental problems.

when i was in the hospital the patients there were given the drugs as something to take 'to keep you safe' or 'just in case you you are ill'. the neuroleptic ('antipsychotic') drugs were dished out like antibiotics which seems unacceptable to me. if any1 complained about the drugs in anyway the dose was increased because all nurses/docs presumed that we all must find the drugs pleasurable or the dose wasnt high enough. at least 3 patients there that i know of were having fits on these drugs. some of them had to concentrate hard to be able to speak coherently

Originally Posted by ntuc

Next, though it may take years for such undesirable side effects / scenario to manifest onto the ones taking such medications, I am just in the opinion that in the case of the medications having potentially such unwanted side effects, it would naturally be the duty of the medical personnel / specialists-in-charge to take all the precautionary measures to safeguard the well-being of the patients for the sake of their healthcare and welfare.

my undesirable side effects were the main effects and they have always been there in varying forms, - oscillating between pain and paranoia and apathy and absentmindness, dizzyness etc

Originally Posted by ntuc

In a nutshell, medications alone by no means can be a substitute for the positive interpersonal experiences that such patients would eventually need for genuine improvement and recovery of their sanity and the use of them should at the same time be complemented by other psychotherapy efforts to achieve the purpose of holistic healing.

so you know what will help to restore my brain to the state it was in before the drug abuse ?

[jo1261]

these days my side effects , or i should call them withdrawal effects because i dont take the drugs anymore, are mainly pain and narcolepsy

[ntuc]

'when i was in the hospital the patients there were given the drugs as something to take 'to keep you safe' or 'just in case you you are ill'. the neuroleptic ('antipsychotic') drugs were dished out like antibiotics which seems unacceptable to me.


Well, my opinion is that the medical personnel dispensing the antipsychotics / neuroleptics should have intead exercised close monitioring with due diligence and medical ethics on the mental conditions of their patients troubled with mental disorders particularly in terms of determining the appropriate dosage of such medications given to their patients rather than just giving them an ever-increasing dosage over time for the sake of their very health care.


At the same time, the patients should also be given cognitive behavioural therapies / psychotherapies by the medical personnel-in-charge and if possible, all the necessary helpful and emotionally inspiring advices, communication supports as well as the counselling assistances from their kin, relatives and friends who really care about their well-being.


To the minimum extent, the particular patients should be taught on the effective ways of calming themselves down and to remain optimistic about the conditions of their illnesses. One particular example would be to help them to divert most of their unwanted attentions from worring, grieving and feeling deeply depressed / concerned about their mental illnesses to the other light and simple activities in which they are deeply interested, such as drawing, listening to music (especially the sentimental ones) , watching funny comedies, playing video games, surfing the internet etc. Besides, somtimes an inspiring and yet casual chat with them conducted by the counselling therapist, their kin /relatives / close friends about the topics / issues at which they are good at / deeply interested in would also be helpful in lifting up their spirits.



The key point here would be to make all the necessary efforts to help these patients to cheer up / boost their sense of personal confidences and enable them to have lesser worries about their mental illnesses as well as to help them to develop their own ability to cool down so as to bring their conditions under control especially during the times of the manifestations / recurrences of all the undesirable symptoms of their mental illnesses.


Next, when these patients are able to change their perceptions (about what they see and mentally feel, naturally rather then artificially through the intake of medications) in a positively inspiring way about their surroundings, environments, people around them and then their mental conditions, particularly through the non-medication helps of psychotherapy, emotional, counselling and communication supports, then it would be very much easier for them to form their own positive thoughts and subsequently develop positive behavioural changes (as opposed to the prior / existing negative ones that are resulting from their negative views about their surroundings, environments, people around them, or any changes in them which in turn may be deemed to be stressful, emotionally unacceptable to them).

[ntuc]

'if any1 complained about the drugs in anyway the dose was increased because all nurses/docs presumed that we all must find the drugs pleasurable or the dose wasnt high enough. at least 3 patients there that i know of were having fits on these drugs. some of them had to concentrate hard to be able to speak coherently'



'these days my side effects , or i should call them withdrawal effects because i dont take the drugs anymore, are mainly pain and narcolepsy'



I quite agree with that.


As a matter of fact, based on my own personal experiences, the tranquilizers, especially the ones with strong medical effects and would induce a slight delightful effect of euphoria other than the tremendous nerve-calming effects, would tend to turn out to me pleasurable to me, and supposedly anyone taking them especially when one feel irritable, mentally-unstable, deeply anxious and emotionally desperate over certain issues, and in most cases, when one is unable to cool oneself down / having persistent / great trouble / difficulties of getting to sleep naturally.


However, the ones, especially those regularly taking such medications should take note, if not at least be wary of the very fact that all these 'pleasurable effects' that one get from the intake of such medications do come with a price.


In reality, such drugs do have their side effects. To the least extent, those depending solely on such medications would just get addicted to them so as to develop physical and emotional dependences upon them and get their conditions gradually plunged into such a desperate scenario ' I simply cannot live without these drugs'.


As a result, given that human bodies would tend to get used to whatever medications fed to them consistently, these people may just end up taking larger and larger dosage of such medications from time to time over the long-term.


Next, the really serious consequences associated with such physical and emotional dependences on such drugs in the long-run would be still the potentially harmful and undesirable side effects that these medications may gradually pose upon the ones taking them especially the disastrous, physically-incapacitating and nearly irreversible syndrome of Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS) -

http://www.hubin.org/publicfamilyinf...ects_6_en.html / Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) - http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz...dyskinesia.jsp



In short, the ones taking such medications should at least be warned by the appropriate persons-in-charge / take the necessary learned precautions themselves that for the 'pleasurable effects' they experience with such medications upon taking them, they are at the same time actually also taking the very risk of exposing themselves to the nerve-disrupting side effects of these medications. Furthermore, one simply cannot deny the very truth that anything 'artificially achieved' upon the human bodies, especially their nerves, particularly with the helps of medications would almost certainly lead to dire health consequences and it is just a matter of time for such disastrous side effects to manifest themselves onto the patients. Next, once such side effects manifest themselves, it's very likely for them to become permanent and hardly reversible / curable.


In the meantime, the patients themselves should try to understand that the very purpose of taking such medications would be no more than bringing their current acute, critical and serious symptoms (which manifest and is manifesting ) under control so that they in turn would be able to cool down and deal effectively with these symptoms, emotional attacks, outbursts etc.


Next, by the time these patients could calm themselves down with the helps of such medications, then such non-medicational efforts of psychotherapies, cognitive behavioural therapies, counselling services, helpful advices, emotional and communication supports should be made / set in to realistically help such patients to change their views / perceptions / opinions about their surroundings / environments, people around them as well as the ones they are dealing with etc so as to enable them to gradually get better and develop all the desirable positive behavioural changes for themselves for the very sake of holistic healings.


In a nutshell, both medication and non-medicational efforts of psychotherapies, counselling services, emotional and communication supports etc are both equally important in gradually improving the mental conditions of such patients troubled with mental disorders so that they would really regain their sanities in the end and could lead a life just exactly of / like any other normal human beings who are free of any mental problems.


For further references, please refer to the post entitled 'My Subsequent Experience With Seroquel After Quiting Risperdal' made in the webpage -


http://www.tcmdiscovery.com/bbs/foru...s.asp?TID=4393


and I hope that the information given will turn out to be helpful to the intended readers. Thank you.

[ntuc]

In regard of my personal experiences, the entire process could be difficult and troublesome for the patients themselves at the very begining especially in terms of making all the positive mental and physical / bodily adjustments / changes and other necessary adaptations for the sake of improving their mental conditions.


Nevertheless, it would certainly worth one's while for the patients to make such necessary efforts for the sake of improving their mental conditions, regaining their sanities for the very purposes of recovering from their mental illnesses and then living a completely normal life just like any other healthy persons in the end.


Thank you.

[ntuc]

'if any1 complained about the drugs in anyway the dose was increased because all nurses/docs presumed that we all must find the drugs pleasurable or the dose wasnt high enough. at least 3 patients there that i know of were having fits on these drugs.'


As a matter of fact, I myself had experienced exactly the same thing myself when the psychiatrist who had attended to my mental illnesses before simply told me that 'just take one tablet of that pill I have given you whenever you feel emotionally-distressed in order to make you feel better and as so to produce good performance for your job and live your life in a seemingly and perfectly normal way that at least the others around you would consider and perceive it to be'.


In fact, those antipsychotics / neuroleptics just worked out something really satisfactory to me at the very beginning whereby I just simply appeared and fell to be perfectly normal with almost complete sanity under the influence of these drugs in the sense that they simply just fully expel all the unwanted hard feelings that I tended to have in my mind especially each time when I faced work-related pressures from my superiors, colleagues and other demanding and sometimes totally unreasonable clients at my workplace. By that time, those drugs really work like magic to me.


However, at the very point of time when the disastrous side effects of those drugs just set in as I just kept on taking them regularly and consistenly for about a year, the unavoidable symptom of Tardive Dyskinesia - uncontrollable, involuntary, purposeless rapid eye-blinking just manifested upon me.


As a matter of fact, by the time it occurred, it totally shocked me to the core and completely caught me off guard.


From that time onwards, no doubt such antipsychotics / neuroleptics to a certain minute extent would be able to continue to artificially make me feel better, they nevertheless simply could not get rid of / compensate for the deep annoyances and grievances that I fell for such a disastrous symptoms, and neither could such medications any way be able to eliminate such a visually-incapacitating symptoms of rapid eye-blinking.


In essence, all the inconveniences, irritations, distresses, bitterness, hopelessness caused by the disastrous symptom / side effects of those medications themselves would simply be tremendously far greater than the previous so-called 'pleasurable feelings' that the drugs could give to me / the others prior to the manifestations of their disastrous side effects.


Luckily, I somehow have managed to finally get such a debilitating symptom fully cured through acupuncture and thank God for that.


Next, that's simply and exactly the similar scenario that I would tend to come across over and over again during my numerous and on-going visits to the government-funded psychiatric wards / other special-care nursing homes in the course of carrying out my duty as a part-time social worker giving counselling services to the mentally-troubled patients.


In their cases, those antipsychotics / neuroleptics which have worked like miralces and magics to them in the past simply or rather strictly speaking, no longer work out that way for these people any more by the time they develop all those disastrous and largely irreversible side effects from the medications whereby having taken those medications, they nevertheless would still tend to feel frustrated with all those violent outbursts and at times feel deeply depressed and dejected over such disastrous, physically-debilitating symptoms manifesting upon them


Therefore, my conclusion is such that the ones taking such antipsychotics / neuroleptics shouldn't be blinded by the 'pleasurable' effects / feelings that these drugs would seem to never fail to give to the ones taking them to the very fact that such medications do pose great and disastrous risks for their health care in the long-term and these drugs never ever should be relied on as the one and only means / absolute solution to dealing with their mental illnesses conclusively.


Lastly, other constructive therapies, namely all the non-medicational efforts of psychotherapies, cognitive behavioural therapies, emotional and psychological as well as communication supports should work alongside with those medications in achieving holistic healings for such patients troubled with mental illnesses.

[ntuc]

'some of them had to concentrate hard to be able to speak coherently'


'my undesirable side effects were the main effects and they have always been there in varying forms, - oscillating between pain and paranoia and apathy and absentmindness, dizzyness etc


'these days my side effects , or i should call them withdrawal effects because i dont take the drugs anymore, are mainly pain and narcolepsy'


In respect of the remarks above, apart from my very own experiences, I do have come across cases like these quite a couple of times in my real life.


As a matter of fact, any attemtps to improve one's mental state / condition and to substantially recover from one's mental illnesses so as to really regain one's very own sanity may very well not turn out to be an easily accomplished task.


In this regard, all the ever-ongoing positive improvements, turning points, leaps, transitions etc from the prior given unsatisfactory mental conditions to the subsequent better and better ones later on (up to the point of full recovery if possible) on the part of the patients themselves etc would be necessary, if not essential for the realistic and substantial improvement of their mental illnesses.


In this case, apart from all the medicational and non-medicational efforts of psychotherapies, cognitive behavioural therapies, counselling services, emotional, psychological and communication advices / supports etc from other related parties, the patients troubled with such mental illnesses would need to take all the necessary and essential initiatives themselves to exercise strictly-adhered self-disciplines on their very own for the sake of really improving their own sanities.


To elaborate it further, having received all those assistances as described above, these patients in turn should try their very best to think more rationally, positively and optimistically whilst at the same time, refraining themselves from indulging in all those fanciful and yet unrealistic thoughts, daydreams as well as other preposterous whims (which may have always existed vividly in their wild imaginations, hallucinations etc - which is being a striking symptom of schizophrenia) that are totally out of the world of realities. If possible, it would actually better serve their purposes if they could just get rid of such negative thoughts out of their minds little by little as time goes on. While for the ones troubled with prior traumatic shocks, they themselves, having been advised and counselled by the related persons / the ones close to them, these people should in turn look for all the effective ways to mentally get over with all the past unhappy experiences, make a clean break with the saddening past and try to start a new life afresh in a more positive manner possibly with their close / loved ones.


Next, in order to achieve that, instead of just isolating themselves from the others whilst living a life of their own wallowing in anxiety, depression other unhappy memories, the patients themselves would need to occupy themselves with other more meaningful activities such as indoor / outdoor sports, reading, watching tv, movies, mixing around with their kin / relatives / friends and anything positively interactive, inspiring and conducive to improving their state of mind / mental conditions. The key points of making these efforts would be to enable the patients themselves to re-focus their attentions on something more meaningful, realize the self-worth of their very own existences so as to boost their personal sense of confidence and finally to help them achieve serenity on their own which in turn would make they themselves think more positively, rationally and sensibly as well as to have a more optimistic views, perceptions and opinions about their own lives as well as the surroundings, environment, people and other things that they need to deal with.


As to the symptoms mentioned above by the other respondents, they would very well need to overcome and try their very best to eliminate these undesirable disorders through continuous practices. For the ones who are unable to speak coherently, then they should make it an effort to communicate more often with the others, especially their loved ones so as to be able to speak more fluently and articulately in the end. In fact, many people putting in the right effort could actually achieve that in the real life and under normal circumstances, one certainly would not need medications to 'concentrate hard' or to 'speak coherently'.


While for such symptoms as pain, paranoia, apathy, absentmindness, dizzyness etc, I would advise the related persons to re-focus their attentions on something else, particularly the slightly energetic exercises done collectively with the others, especially their close ones such as light jogging, short, brisk walks in the leisure parks, some light forms of exercises in the gyms, or even sharing some daily household chores / routines with the loved ones. Next, all these activities, apart from the fact that they would eventually make such persons physically more fit and healthy, they in turn would let such persons acutally work on something which are occupationally meaningful. Whilst in the process of doing so, they will to a really great extent slowly and naturally expel all those negative thoughts which arise, supposedly out of idleness.


Speaking of narcolepsy - a sleep disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep, maybe you and the ones having such a symptom, apart from engaging / occupying yourselves in / with other more meaningful activities such as the ones mentioned above, you all would probably need the help from an alarm clock to re-set your biological clocks in such a way that you all would be able to live a normal life again. Next, instead of living one's life upside down, one would on the other hand, need to take, if not stick firmly to a balanced approach of life so as to live orderly and more healthily.


'so you know what will help to restore my brain to the state it was in before the drug abuse ?'


In short, the ones involved would need to have this unrelenting and steadfast self-willingness and strong unswaying self-determinations to take all the essential self-initiatives and make all the necessary interpersonal / interactive efforts required to break themselves away from all those previous episods of undesirable negative patterns / behaviours / personalities and then begin to develop the new positive ones (which are perfectly normal and acceptable to the others) little by little and step by step. In such a connection, it would be helpful for the ones involved to actually get helps from a religious belief and then take active participation in the related religious activities for the sake of one's inner peace, greater self-faith and then better serenities.


Lastly, it would be very much the firmly-adhered self-disclipines of living a balanced, healthy, normal and meaningful life and tremendous amounts of patience to be exercised especially on the part of the patients themselves and then psychological / emotional / interpersonal / interactive / counselling / communication supports from the other parties close to them in regard of all the constructive efforts and therapeutical activities as mentioned above that will be very much indispensible and inseparable in helping such persons troubled with mental disorders to regain their sanities, if not to live more healthily and meaningfully in a much more inspiring manner.

[ntuc]

'these days my side effects , or i should call them withdrawal effects because i dont take the drugs anymore, are mainly pain and narcolepsy'


Well, when you have mentioned 'narcolepsy', it actually and somehow reminds me of all the insomnia disorders and sleepless nights as well as all the difficulties of getting to sleep at night in my distant past which in turn have been very much annoying and frustrating to me.


In fact, I initially actually resort to taking sleeping pills and tranquilizers as the one and only solutions to my insomnia and sleeping problems.


Subsequently, when my new psychiatrist put me on a new antipsychotic drug which is additionally capable of inducing deep and tremendous drowsiness effects on its users ( Please refer to 'My Subsequent Experience With Seroquel After Quiting Risperdal' in that TCM website above), I just quit taking those tranquilizers and sleeping pills given that I practically do not need them anymore to solve my insomnia / sleeping problems.


Next, thank God that I substantially do not require any of those drugs nowadays to help me to get to sleep or to run my normal everyday life.


In this regard, the very lessons that I have learnt from the experiences with these drugs are such that in terms of the medicational mind-calming / tranquilizing and drowsiness effects that these medicines could induce upon the human bodies, we, the human beings ourselves are actually able to achieve all these 'sleep-inducing' effects on our own without actually the helps from such medications.


In such a connection, tranquilizers / most other sleeping pills actually and almost invariably work in such a way that they actually calm down one's mind / head / nerves, making one feel quiet and peaceful 'innerly' and then just make one go to sleep eventually under the influences of those medications.


As such, instead of depending on such medications to get to sleep, the ones especially those who desperately require such medications to solve their sleeping problems (especially because of their problems of addictions, psychological and emotional dependences upon them and nothing else), they could instead try their very best to calm themselves down on their own when lying in their beds with their minds thinking about nothing else while having their eyes closed and muscles and nerves freely loosened up. Next, one at the same time also shouldn't take sleeping itself as a burden, but instead try to understand that it's actually a very natural and simply a very basic physiological need of the human beings to get the necessary rest they need in order to get on with their normal everyday lives and one would certainly do not require sleeping pills to get to sleep under normal cirumstances. With such a mindset in motion, it would then be much easier for them to calm / 'tranquilize' themselves down in a natural manner and to resist the urge for a 'tranquilizer rush' and eventually to get to sleep naturally rather than 'artifiically' without the helps of medications.


In short, when one subconsciously thinks that 'when I am able to calm myself down and the natural cognitive mind-calming effects that I could produce are just as good as the artificial calming effects medically derived from the tranquilizers / other sleeping pills', it would then very much easier for one to just fall asleep in the end without the helps from such tranquilizers.


In this regard, the same theory would be applicable to the drugs that induce deep drowsiness effects on its users whereby when one subconsciously reflects deeply on some of one's really tiring and yet hardly erasable experiences especially while doing something boring, tedious and time-consuming (such as getting stuck in an airport for long hours / days due to flight delays etc and desperately needs to take a good sleep sometime in between but was practically unable to do so), one would then truly apppreciate the fact that one is now actually lying in one's cosy bed and a good sleep desperately needed is readily possible and possibly just a wink away.


Well, the methods proposed above may actually contain some elements of self-hypnotizing with one's subconscious mind, I however firmly believe that they are the far better ways of helping the ones, especially those getting seriously addicted to sleeping pills / tranquilizers to effectively quit such medications and train themselves to get to sleep naturally rather than artificially.


Lastly, I hope that the information given above will truly turn out to be helpful to its intended readers. Thank you.