I quit taking my psych meds

[Chronic]

I've been on zyprexa, buspar, prozac, and hydroxyzine. Diagnosis varies from anxiety/depression, bipolar, schizoaffective. I quit taking my meds for several reasons. One is my doc now says I only have anxiety/depression so I am frustrated and wondering why I am on an anti-psychotic med then? Another reason is I am worried I am going to lose my health insurance in the USA due to community engagement requirements that I cannot meet and my doc said they won't help me get a exemption so before I lose access I wanted to see if I could go off my meds so I stopped all of them. The first day was really bad and I felt like I was going crazy again but now it's not so bad. I know it can take a few weeks of being off prozac and zyprexa before it's out of my system but I am curious to see if I'll have delusions again without the meds. I was in Utah when I started on most of the meds and was going crazy there with most people being Mormon and I am ex-mormon...they think I'm delusional and I think they are. Anyway, it's been a long time since I have drastically changed my meds but I feel it's time. I haven't had a suicide attempt in 4 years but I still think about it daily and have for years. I've been going to therapy but may have to stop that as well if I lose my insurance. I'm so frustrated with how things are going in the USA and it's incredibly depressing. Has anyone else stopped their meds? If so, how did it go?

 

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Another reason is I am worried I am going to lose my health insurance in the USA due to community engagement requirements that I cannot meet and my doc said they won't help me get a exemption so before I lose access I wanted to see if I could go off my meds so I stopped all of them

One single doctor doesn't have the authority to gatekeep a legitimate exemption claim.

Regardless of whether a doctor is willing to support a claim, continuing treatment (along with the medication regimen) would go towards maintaining medical documentation that could support an exemption. To stop treatment altogether is to also stop the paper trail that supports the severity of your mental illness, and that could make it more difficult to get an exemption, even with a supportive doctor.

The fact that you're willing to stop all medication over this, especially in light of past psychotic symptoms ("delusions"?) is, I think, evidence in your favour.

Assuming your doctor's statement against an exemption isn't in line with the reality (severity) of your situation, I would guess either your doctor doesn't have enough information to justify your claim against would-be oversight scrutiny, or your doctor is just inefficient. If they don't have enough information, you could look at being more forthcoming(?) about your symptoms and how they're impacting your day-to-day functioning. If they're just inefficient or being otherwise unreasonable, I'd look at legal aid options or patient rights advocates in your community as far as how to overcome a doctor who's gatekeeping a legitimate exemption claim. I'd also research how other people have handled this kind of situation with success, with a focus on people who live in your state. This would be a regretably common situation, so other people will have stories to tell, and some of them will have overcome the kinds of barriers that you're dealing with, yourself.

I'd be cautious about suddenly stopping medication without the guidance of a doctor, especially if you've experienced symptoms of psychosis in the past, and I would instead start taking them again and see about pursuing that exemption.

Whatever you decide, I do wish you well as can be with this.

 

[Chronic]

Thanks for your response. I am seeing another psychiatrist but it won't be until September. I am still going to my therapy appointments in the meantime which are about once a month. I added buspar back because I was struggling. My main concern is zyprexa as I've gained a lot of weight on it and I don't understand why I am on it if they no longer think I have issues with psychosis but being without it is different. Things feel noisy in my head and I can't play chess anymore...usually I play 20 games a day online and solve a lot of chess puzzles but I can't see 3 moves ahead and do calculations now so maybe I should go back on it. I wanted to see if I really needed it and maybe I do, I don't know, and I am worried about losing access to them anyway in a few months like I said and would rather it be on my own terms I guess.

 

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My main concern is zyprexa as I've gained a lot of weight on it and I don't understand why I am on it if they no longer think I have issues with psychosis but being without it is different.

The simplest answer, I think, would be that the Zyprexa is working as intended -- just at the cost of weight gain.

You could ask about trying a different antipsychotic, like Abilify (aripiprazole), which is thought to be less likely to cause weight gain at all and that if it does, the average gain is less.

Theoretically, if the Zyprexa is causing the weight gain and you (eventually) switch to something that causes you no weight gain (or less weight gain), then over time, you would naturally return to baseline (or at least lose the difference between the Zyprexa and its replacement). Theoretically.

I am seeing another psychiatrist but it won't be until September.

I'd look at trying to get your psychiatrist referral bumped up with more priority, if possible... maybe contacting the office of the new psychiatrist and telling them 1) your diagnoses, 2) that you have a history of psychotic symptoms, and 3) you've stopped (or want to stop asap) the Zyprexa due to the distress of weight gain. With this information, I'd expect the average psychiatrist would triage the patient with a higher priority. If they can't bump up the full referral, you could ask if it's possible to get a medication consult sooner, even if brief.

And then hopefully this new psychiatrist will be accommodating on the exemption.