Who thinks antipsychotics are just modern lobothomy?

[phersper]

I've noticed that on this forum a lot of people take antipsychotics. How do you all feel about it?

I suffer from pssd (mostly anhedonia and emotional blunting) because of an ssri and lamictal I took between October and December 2022. Even after two months of discontinuation the symptoms of pssd were unbereable and so I tried to ctb fir the first time in february 2023, I failed and I was sent for 3 months into a psych ward. At the beginning they were giving me invega and a huge dose (3x per day) of nozinan, a super strong old antispychotic. For one month I was barely able to walk and talk. Then for the last two months of hospitalization they changed the therapy to zyprexa and lithium. Things got a little better, but still not recovered to how I was feelin as before the first zombie therapy (nozinan and invega).
Now it's been 2 months I m completely off all this poisonous drugs but I still feel numbed, dumb, having troubles with my speech and muscle twitching (when I contract them), loss of coordination in my body, especially legs, feet and hands (my writing became smaller and shaky). Cognitively I feel like I lost 40% of my capabilities.
All these meds ruined me and I'm wondering if I ll ever recover, but when I talk to doctors they deny with utter decision that these drugs can ruin your brain, they state that once you're out you go back to your normal self.
The only drug I still take is 5mg lorazepam (which does nothing but if I miss the dose I feel the wd symptoms which is not pleasant). I'm very suicidal when I think of how smart, sporty, brilliant, chatty and energetic I was. AD and especially AP took all that away from me.

Is there someone who can relate to my story? Is healing possible (emotionally, cognitively and body coordination)? I'll be able to go back to my "normal" self? I really lost my personality, plus the only feeling I have is insane anxiety and I'm really considering an antidepressant (but I m scared of worsening the situation) to cure at least this symptom, otherwise I ll stay in my bed all day shaking with tachycardia.

Considering a lot of people here take psych meds, I d really love to have a good debate on this important topic and get to know if these drugs help you, screw your mind, makes you a walking zombie, etc?

 

[Lulzacruel]

there is a quote from a known research paper over the efficacy of antipsychs that really sums up the problems you are having

(from memory)

"Most people on antipsychotics either do somewhat bad or somewhat good. It is rare to have someone without side effects or someone with all the side effects."

 

[phersper]

there is a quote from a known research paper over the efficacy of antipsychs that really sums up the problems you are having

(from memory)

"Most people on antipsychotics either do somewhat bad or somewhat good. It is rare to have someone without side effects or someone with all the side effects."

Interesting!

 

[snowcloud9]

This is quite a popular position on even mainstream spaces like Reddit. I am guessing that prescribed medications in the psych ward are really different from the ones you'd regularly get. The psychiatrist I saw there wanted me on a strong mood stabilizer even though I had no history of bipolar or any type of disorder that would require such a thing. I personally would never take a mood stabilizer or anti-psychotic, and mistrust SSRIs generally. I found out that one of the other patients was forced to take a shit ton of meds for her schizo even though she was refusing, and the nurses were upset she was still so loud and 'acted out'. She did have a temper, but she was pretty harmless beyond that. Fuck the psych ward. They never help you in any substantiative way, they just heavily medicate you until you have no will to cbt, whether in a break you down or build you up way, it doesn't matter to them.

My primary doctor is really nice though, she lets me choose the lowest dose of whatever SNRI/SSRI I want to try. I've tried a few that didn't work for me, but those had no long term side effects. A lot of anti-depressants take 3-4 weeks to kick in, but you can try hydroxyzine (antihistamine). It works as a sedative which is why it's anti-anxiety, but I've found that it makes me too sleepy even at the lowest dose, so I gave up using it. It also made me a little aggressive and honest, but I'm a really timid people pleaser usually, so that wasn't a problematic side effect for me. My friend's had good luck with Wellbutrin (SNRI). That's a really popular med for those that don't like SSRIs. I have yet to try it because I lost the pill bottle I've been prescribed.

With SSRI side effects, if you still want to try them, most go away if you take a new SSRI after stopping the old one. Which kinda sucks, but hey at least it's not permanent. Here's a bit on what I know about SSRIs, with research and anecdotal evidence. Many people I met in the psych ward liked Zoloft, though I've never looked into that one. I want to try Prozac/fluoxetine because it creates appetite loss--I'm an anorexic--but I hear a lot of people have had bad experiences with it. Lexapro is the most common one, but be careful with it because you can get brain shocks from withdrawal, which is a lesser mentioned symptom. Like... your brain feels like it's gotten electrocuted, and this keeps happening for a few months? Ignore doctors that say you won't get withdrawal if you don't taper off. They're often wrong about this. You can get withdrawal even if you're fine in the first week, some withdrawal symptoms may only appear a week after or even longer.

 

[phersper]

This is quite a popular position on even mainstream spaces like Reddit. I am guessing that prescribed medications in the psych ward are really different from the ones you'd regularly get. The psychiatrist I saw there wanted me on a strong mood stabilizer even though I had no history of bipolar or any type of disorder that would require such a thing. I personally would never take a mood stabilizer or anti-psychotic, and mistrust SSRIs generally. I found out that one of the other patients was forced to take a shit ton of meds for her schizo even though she was refusing, and the nurses were upset she was still so loud and 'acted out'. She did have a temper, but she was pretty harmless beyond that. Fuck the psych ward. They never help you in any substantiative way, they just heavily medicate you until you have no will to cbt, whether in a break you down or build you up way, it doesn't matter to them.

My primary doctor is really nice though, she lets me choose the lowest dose of whatever SNRI/SSRI I want to try. I've tried a few that didn't work for me, but those had no long term side effects. A lot of anti-depressants take 3-4 weeks to kick in, but you can try hydroxyzine (antihistamine). It works as a sedative which is why it's anti-anxiety, but I've found that it makes me too sleepy even at the lowest dose, so I gave up using it. It also made me a little aggressive and honest, but I'm a really timid people pleaser usually, so that wasn't a problematic side effect for me. My friend's had good luck with Wellbutrin (SNRI). That's a really popular med for those that don't like SSRIs. I have yet to try it because I lost the pill bottle I've been prescribed.

With SSRI side effects, if you still want to try them, most go away if you take a new SSRI after stopping the old one. Which kinda sucks, but hey at least it's not permanent. Here's a bit on what I know about SSRIs, with research and anecdotal evidence. Many people I met in the psych ward liked Zoloft, though I've never looked into that one. I want to try Prozac/fluoxetine because it creates appetite loss--I'm an anorexic--but I hear a lot of people have had bad experiences with it. Lexapro is the most common one, but be careful with it because you can get brain shocks from withdrawal, which is a lesser mentioned symptom. Like... your brain feels like it's gotten electrocuted, and this keeps happening for a few months? Ignore doctors that say you won't get withdrawal if you don't taper off. They're often wrong about this. You can get withdrawal even if you're fine in the first week, some withdrawal symptoms may only appear a week after or even longer.

Thanks for replying. Yeah they thought I was bipolar so they bombarded me with mood stabilizers and AP. Anyway, ssri are for sure safer than AP, but still, it all started because of a combination of an ssri with a mood stabilizer. I got full blown pssd with anhedonia, emotional blunting, not able to feel alcohol, cigs, coffee, weed, insomnia, akathisia, loss of motivation and curiosity, low libido, etc etc. I mean, even ssri screwed some people s life, and I know thousands of them them thru reddit and surviving antidepressants.com

Ps im gonna look hydroxiquine up :)

 

[LaVieEnRose]

They're absolutely terrible medications that are just better than mania or psychosis.

 

[spiderheadphonesred]

personally it was pretty whatever when I took them. I got prescribed risperidone for auditory hallucinations I was having and emotionally, I didn't really felt anything. Body wise I did got some changes, I think I gained weight and other permanent thing I won't mention but nothing that really impacts me. I assume it's on each body and each med.

 

[Liamyzzuf]

I've been prescribed Aripiprazole, Lamotrigine, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Venlafaxine, Latuda, Zyprexa. I saw little to no effects except for withdrawal symptoms when coming off of them. After 2 years of taking whatever my psychiatrist prescribed, I've determined that they are ineffective for me and I refused to take anymore mood altering medication.

 

[Ampsvx123]

It is lobotomy and an abomination of our barren Earth, but it's no big deal considering the brief of a human life and trial. With pain comes empathy, surely the angels must be pleased...

 

[nicotine_goblin]

I used to take invega as well as a bunch of other antipsychotics when I was misdiagnosed with schizotypal disorder. They really do dumb you down and it felt awful for me, glad I'm off those now. Had one that made my eyes roll upward painfully and the doctors at the ward said I was faking it at first (???). However I believe there is still a need for them in cases of actual schizophrenia and other disorders like that, since only they can stop psychosis effectively, but there is always a huge risk of side effects and health problems associated with them. Though I believe they are largely over prescribed, at least where I live

I've been prescribed Aripiprazole, Lamotrigine, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Venlafaxine, Latuda, Zyprexa. I saw little to no effects except for withdrawal symptoms when coming off of them. After 2 years of taking whatever my psychiatrist prescribed, I've determined that they are ineffective for me and I refused to take anymore mood altering medication.

You might have been misdiagnosed like me. I have recurrent depression but they used to give me antipsychotics, some that you mentioned, because they misdiagnosed me. Saw no improvement just awful side effects

 

[Ashu]

SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors permanently destroy the sexuality of a large minority of people who take them. Anyone who wishes to know more can look up the blog of Dr David Healy, a champion of the victims of this condition and of the harms caused by psychiatric and other medical drugs in general.

All these meds ruined me and I'm wondering if I ll ever recover, but when I talk to doctors they deny with utter decision that these drugs can ruin your brain, they state that once you're out you go back to your normal self.

Worthless lying reptilian technocrats, I'd love to pump them full of their own poisons.