There must be a better way

Generally, for bipolar patients, the doctor will administer an SSRI, mood stabilizer, an anti-anxiety drug as well as, a sedative all at the same time. This is standard practice.

But let us stop and think about that. Theoretically, an SSRI (such as Welbutrin, or Celexa) improves the person’s disposition, moving them out of a “sad” state to a hypermanic condition. In a bipolar patient, this is known to make the hypermanic episodes not just even more constant, but more intense. The anti-anxiety medications produce the opposite results, switching the individual in the direction of a less happy state. Each of these different types of pharmaceuticals serve to make either of the 2 conditions even worse, as well as to try and counter each other.

Additionally there’s anti-psychotics, which includes lithium. Anti-psychotics try to minimize the effects of the anti-depressants together with the anti-anxiety medications. In principle, they help reduce both the depressive as well as manic states. This does seem beneficial.

Unfortunately they will do so by putting the patient in a dream-like state. Time is drastically impacted. Short term memory can become just about non-existent. Thought slows down to a crawl and so makes the individual come across as screwed up and dopey. A lot more so then a pot user.

Last of all, in case the bipolar person isn’t doped up well enough, sedatives. Presumably used for a sleep aid, a large amount of people continue to suffer from sleep problems , which is of course a known side effect of all three aforementioned meds. And these, as you can imagine decrease brain activity even further.

The result is, that only the doctors and or pharmaceutical drug firms are happy. The person is still having severe mood swings. The only change is that now they are really too drugged up to complain. And in addition, they have to fork over big money each month for the opportunity.

In the event the individual challenges the craziness of this, they typically are faced with rudeness or a common “we simply need to modify your dosage” reply. To make use of my personal experiences, I at one time questioned this line with regard to changing the pills. I explained that we were already tweaking my pills in excess of ten years and nothing good had happened yet, let alone the craziness of using 3 or more prescribed medicines, all of which were designed to work against every other. That led to the psychologist being unwilling to treat me any more.

I had comparable experiences with a variety of psychologists. Any time you ask about the rationale behind all those drugs, initially they attempt to mollify, then they become condescending or aggressive. There will probably be some that don’t, but generally, they are totally not willing to acknowledge that this just might not be the most effective plan. Yes, they have used this a long period of time. Yet, it used to be, the same thing would have been stated for lead dishes, but look at how well that worked.

There is of course more to this contrast than what first you might think. Every one of these drugs have dangerous, and yet seldom mentioned side-effects. For instance, the anti-psychotics are known to cause serious liver harm as well as liver breakdown. At one time a medical doctor pointed out to me (and was confirmed by the med lab nurse) that the average dose of the medications was believed to have a similar impact on your liver organ as consuming a dozen beer every single day.

Or there’s the anti-anxiety medicines. Only a small amount of people consuming these pills have any notion that it is extremely habit forming. Xanax for instance, is considered one of the most frequently administered prescriptions in its category. Some have become addicted to this drug after only 2 to 3 weeks! Yet still, the majority that are prescribed it are prescribed a couple of months supply of refills yet not one person takes the time to inform them of this.

In the last few weeks, We have sought out a couple dozen people who find themselves having to take this medication. A mere 2 of which have been made aware of the potential issues connected to them. There is certainly something really bad in this. If packs of cigarettes and liquor bottles must have warning labeling educating consumers of the health risks , then how about prescribed drugs?

What’s really disturbing with regards to the approaches mentioned previously, is the fact that it’s decades old. The respective medication names may be updated every now and then. However, the exercise of mixing these kinds of meds, is older than the majority of the people using these drugs. But psych patients and doctors alike, don’t think on it. There is major medical improvements year after year in nearly every department of medical science. So why not psychology?

Of course, it really works out good for the pharmaceutical companies. Why get hundreds of thousands of people to purchase one medicine from you, if you could make them buy a variety? And then because all these medications will not cure anybody, they should continue to buy all of these pills forever.

In my own experience as a bipolar person, virtually every shrink I’ve been seen by (and there were many) made it a point to let me know there is no hope of getting better and so I most certainly will be taking these types of pills all my life. They ALL make it a point to state this. Yet still they rarely ever attempt to identify the dangers or shortcomings associated with it. Treachery aside, there really should be an easier way. With just how far scientific developments have progressed in the last two or three decades, without doubt a healthier treatment can be developed. But only if those who had the budget to achieve this, were prepared to try.

The fact is, I proved the doctors wrong.

Officially, I have been diagnosed as a rapid-cycling bipolar with a borderline personality disorder. Among the more extreme varieties of bipolar disorder. After submissively using the drugs for more than ten years, I have been medicine free for upwards of five-and-a-half years. While I was still taking prescriptions, my meaningful relationships with friends and family (among them my spouse) crumbled. I had become simply too drugged to go to work, as such I had no choice but to be on social assistance. I ended up almost never ready to leave the house or even do much in the house. I lost what seemed like years staring at the floor all the while trapped within my very own drug addled psyche.

At present, I’m clear headed. My relationships (and marriage) are being restored. I have been making a living without assistance. And additionally, I have a social life once more. I can’t say it was effortless. I face it day in and day out. Yet, for myself, I happily choose to have difficulties for control of my life, than to take the meaningless lack-of-reality essence that the drugs cause.

Which in turn brings me to a surprising story. After I concluded I was all finished with medications, I was addicted and I was aware of it. I knew that stopping the medications all at once could be bad news. Because of this, I headed over to my family physician. Throughout the years he had always been kept in the loop about my situation, however he let the psychologists and therapists to take care of my therapy. I told him everything that I have just outlined to you. Then I informed him the I was quitting, and absolutely would not be bullied into changing my mind. I wanted him to help me quit the meds carefully.

At first, he did try and encourage me to change my mind. However when he realised he was losing the fight, he eventually gave up and after that helped me formulate a program to get off the medications. In spite of this, before leaving that afternoon, he told me a certain method “off the record”. Apparently, it happens to be an acknowledged fact in the world of medicine that there exists one substance that single-handedly handles bipolar a lot better than any mix of medicines. This is a breathed in, regulated drug (nevertheless very easily found) which had been widely used in the course of the sixties and seventies. For understandable issues, I’m not going to name that material. But it doesn’t require a nobel prize winner to realize exactly what I’m speaking of. Make of that what you will.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not stating that everybody dance around and embrace their hippie origins. Having said that a little quantity (and I mean very little quantity) on a daily basis has given me my life back. If something that simple offers these kinds of effective outcomes, well then I ask you, precisely why? For what reason are untold numbers of folks getting just about everything (including their organs) destroyed by having to take loads of damaging pills ? Why are the dangers rarely spoken of? And also, why exactly are we lead to believe that we have virtually no chance of being cured, and all these medications are the single method by which we are able to exist?

Provided that some thing so simple is capable of a good job, isn’t it practical to suggest that with all our new advancements, we could do better?