Dodging Abilify
Editorial Note: This post is by Johanna Ryan, who has a unique ability to capture the American Nightmare
The best-selling drug in the United States isn’t a blood pressure pill, a painkiller or even an antidepressant. It’s Abilify, an antipsychotic agent with $6.3 billion in 2013 sales. Granted, Abilify isn’t the most prescribed pill, but its #1 status is sealed by popularity and high price: the current retail price of a 30-day supply is now a whopping $900, and it’s 23rd in sheer numbers of prescriptions. In 2011 the Medicaid program in my home state of Illinois spent $53.6 million on Abilify for its poorest citizens, more than it spent on any other drug.
I’m not the first to ask, what the hell is going on here? However, my interest in Abilify is personal: Wherever I go in the healthcare system, people have been urging me to take it, and even suggesting there’s something irrational about my reluctance.
Phase 1: Dodging bipolar disorder
A brief word about my situation: I’ve been treated for depression, at times severe, since 1975. Over the years I’ve been unable to work for brief periods, fairly miserable but officially “functional” more often. Still, I’ve never once experienced psychotic symptoms. No voices, no visions, no strange beliefs or fears, and no “manic” periods of wild activity and grandiose plans. Back in the 1980’s I was hospitalized a few times as actively suicidal, and was once given antipsychotics – but only for the first week or so. I didn’t like them then; I felt more passive than truly calm, and unable to complete an intelligent thought.
Having watched the rollout of “new and improved” antipsychotics in the 1990’s that turned out to have just as many problems as the old ones, I still don’t like them. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that I really got skeptical about psychiatric drugs in general. Despite a long trail of meds that had done me no good, stopped working or had miserable side effects, I was always willing to try the next milestone in the march of science – unless it was an antipsychotic.
Ten years ago, the new antipsychotics were easy to refuse. The theory behind giving them to people like me was that repeatedly depressed people might have “bipolar disorder type II”, a mood disorder without actual mania, and should take these drugs as “mood stabilizers.” My longtime psychiatrist, Dr. A, knew me too well to really believe I was bipolar; he told me he thought it made little difference what label he put on my depression since none of them could be verified. Still, he thought these drugs well worth a try. “They’re not necessarily antipsychotics,” he said. “That’s just a label, they’re used for lots of things.” “I know,” I replied, “but they’re still neuroleptics. I want to hang on to all the brain function I can.”
“Oh, come on,” he coaxed. “We’re talking about little baby doses here, just a fraction what they give people for schizophrenia.” That sounded somewhat reassuring – but I still said no. (Today I’m glad I didn’t listen to that particular sales pitch, as I’ll explain later.)
Back in those days, I could tell a family doctor, OB/GYN or nurse that Dr. A wanted me to take antipsychotics, and they’d look bewildered. Even flinch a bit. “But you’re not… I mean …” “Right,” I’d say. “Not psychotic. And unless and until I start hearing voices, I’m not touching that stuff. Even if I do start hearing voices, I’m not taking it a day longer than I have to.” They all thought that made sense.
Phase 2: Nowhere to hide
Then came Abilify. Now no one flinched anymore. Instead, they all seemed to think I should try it. “I’ve heard tremendous things about that drug,” they’d say. “It’s different.” Some even told me they’ve seen it work wonders for this patient or that. Even those who were usually skeptical of Pharma’s newest miracle drugs seemed won over. What the hell was happening?
I knew of one big event: Abilify had been officially approved for depression alone, for those who did not “fully recover” after six weeks on an antidepressant. And that, the TV ads informed us, included two-thirds of patients. Everyone had seen these ads, featuring the little cartoon woman who could get up and go back to work, but was still followed around by that small black cloud of unresolved depression. They’d also listened, mouths agape, to the recital of possible side effects, from suicidal thoughts and hallucinations to involuntary movements, coma and death. For awhile, the ads were fodder for late-night comics. Yet these warnings came with a new twist: Abilify, “like all antidepressants”, could lead to thoughts of suicide, they said. Dr. A’s “not really an antipsychotic” gambit was becoming an official line.
Reading up on Abilify told me its side effects were no joke. Like other antipsychotics, it blocked certain dopamine receptors; unlike them, it was a “partial agonist” or stimulator for others. While this made it less likely than Zyprexa or Seroquel to cause obesity, diabetes and sedation, some patients were still plagued with all three. Moreover, “less sedation” had a nasty catch: Abilify caused lots of akathisia, an agonizing mental and physical restlessness that can lead to suicide. The official FDA leaflet said that 10-12% of patients experienced akathisia and an incredible 25% had “agitation,” which I figured was either a layman’s word or a polite euphemism for the same thing.
There were also reports of tardive dyskinesia and similar disabling or disfiguring involuntary movements. This was a problem the new “atypical” antipsychotics were supposed to have greatly decreased, if not eliminated, but Abilify’s record made it look more like the bad old drugs. And tardive dyskinesia, I knew, could linger long after the drug was stopped.
What about the benefits? The FDA’s decision to approve Abilify as an add-on to antidepressants had been based on two studies done by the drugmaker itself. Even they had shown Abilify only slightly better than placebo on a scale used by doctors to rate depression. On a rating scale filled out by the patients themselves, there’d been no difference at all. This despite a study design that had favored Abilify by first putting everyone on an antidepressant alone, and screening out those who did well.
Worse yet, patients in many Abilify studies were being allowed as many benzodiazepine tranquilizers as they needed to tolerate the side effects – and up to 70% had said yes, please. Perhaps a lot more than 25% of them were feeling that famous agitation. If they felt slightly better at study’s end, could that be due more to the tranquilizers than Abilify? It alarmed me to think this drug was being given to teenagers diagnosed as bipolar, patients with depression linked to borderline personality disorder, and irritable and disruptive autistic children. Most of these people would be considered “agitated” to begin with. How many would feel worse without realizing Abilify was the cause – or even if they did, would be unable to convince their doctors?
Phase 3: Going underground
A few years after Abilify’s debut, I found myself consulting a psychiatrist again, after several years’ absence. Listening to Dr. B, I could tell a lot had changed in that time. You didn’t need to be shoehorned into the bipolar category anymore to need a mood stabilizer; they were essential for everyone. There was a large motley heap of mood stabilizers, ranging from antipsychotics to seizure drugs, and Abilify was king of the hill. Again I heard there was no need to label it an antipsychotic, and in any case a “little baby dose” was enough to combat depression.
Soon I found myself dodging Abilify at every appointment. This had to be done in stages: starting with denial (“But really, I don’t think I’m doing THAT badly!”); moving on to bargaining (“I’ll take lithium instead. Or Lamictal. Or something”), and then to simple delay (“Give me three months, and if I’m not feeling better I promise I’ll take it.”). The coaxing grew stranger: “Why don’t you think of these awful depressions you get as a type of seizure,” suggested Dr. B. (Abilify, by the way, is not an anti-convulsant; it actually lowers your seizure threshold.) Finally, it seemed like every session was spent dodging Abilify. “Sure, you’re functional,” Dr. B. told me. “But that’s not much of a goal. I’d hate to see you miss a chance at true happiness.”
Holy crap. Had I just heard a psychiatrist say “true happiness”? Either this was quite some drug, or quite some advertising campaign! I had felt lucky to be seeing Dr. B, since at least he listened and was open to negotiation. But if I didn’t give in on this, he might just unload me onto the hospital clinic. It’s my way or the highway in those places, and their way would be Abilify for sure. Finally, reluctantly, I agreed to give it a try. But on the train home, I found myself eyeing that prescription slip like it was an improvised explosive device. Was I really going to fill it?
No, as it turned out, I wasn’t. Instead I did something I wasn’t entirely proud of: I simply e-mailed Dr. B a week later, telling him I was taking 2 mg per day. I didn’t feel better or worse, I said, just kind of scatterbrained, with some trouble concentrating. He emailed back: So you’re sedated and mentally slowed on 2 mg? He sounded skeptical. I hurriedly assured him I wasn’t sedated, not really. It was more like having a bit of ADHD, but without being hyperactive. OK, said Dr. B, don’t go up to 4 mg yet. Wait another week or so. Ten days later I e-mailed him saying I still felt the same, and it was making things difficult at work. To my relief, he told me I could stop. I had gotten my “trial of Abilify” under my belt, without taking any actual Abilify, and could now move on.
If this was what it took to dodge Abilify, I decided, we had a real problem—and I wanted serious answers. First I dug into some of that official research for myself. More importantly, I asked RxISK to give me access to the reports patients had made on the website about Abilify, minus the names and other identifiers, of course. I promised to sort through these, compare them with the clinical trials and the FDA side effect statistics on RxISK, and write a report for a blog.
My friends at RxISK were all for it. Next week, I’ll report on what I learned.
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Make your voice heard!
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I take 30 mg of Abilify every day. Having been diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder with psychotic features, my doctor thinks it’s a necessary treatment for me. I can’t say I disagree, because it works. But the tremor in my leg is getting worse and I still have labile thoughts of suicide. Can anyone recommend another treatment that will “cure” my psychotic symptoms (visual and auditory hallucinations as well as paranoia) in place of the preferred Abilify? I also take 2mg of Haldol every day.
Cheryl, I’m no expert, and I’ve never been in your shoes, so I can’t say for sure. But being plagued with thoughts of suicide is dreadful—I do know that first hand. Probably more dangerous than hearing voices, too. You deserve some alternatives.
There are a lot of people these days working on non-drug approaches to “psychotic” symptoms. They include networks of “Voice Hearers” with lived experience, working with open-minded professionals. Some of them are open to using antipsychotic meds for an acute flareup, while others use no drugs at all. Getting off these meds is difficult, and has to be done gradually – but many people are succeeding!
David Healy is part of a mini-conference on this exact subject next Friday, 4/24, at Yale in New Haven CT. If by any chance you’re in the Boston-New York-Philly region, it’d be great if you could come (it’s free). More info here: http://www.mentalhealthexcellence.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Yale-Symposium-2015_021915.pdf If not, you might want to check out http://www.madinamerica.com or http://www.mentalhealthexcellence.org
– two good sites that have info on these alternative approaches.
One more idea, if you can’t find alternative treatment right now. RxISK has gotten a few reports from people diagnosed with psychosis who take Abilify, and have found that a much smaller dose than they were originally prescribed works just as well or better to control their symptoms. More on that in next week’s column. Thanks so much for being part of the dialog – hope to hear more from you!
Johanna, I am the liaison for Chicago Hearing Voices and will be starting a peer support group in Chicago very soon. I look forward to getting support and feedback from my peers. However, I work full time as a peer support specialist on an inpatient unit and my treatment as it stands keeps me employable and safe. I hesitate to titrate down, as I have low-grade ideas of reference sometimes and paranoia too. The doctor has taken me off the Haldol at least for now because I had a tremor in my right leg. I appreciate your thoughts and feedback and will keep you posted.
Akathisia is what you describe. At the dosages You describe if it was me or my family I would try systemic or psychological approaches.
Best wishes
David
I thought the SSRI’s were the holy grail…I can see where this person is coming from. I’m sure everyone has seen the commercial for Abilify. My friend who was over one day saw the commercial, started laughing and thought a joke was being played on him. I asked what he was laughing about; He stated, “They actually give that shit to people?” I told him, “yes they do.” I’m not sure what Abilify can offer someone except Hell in a pill. Being a PARTIAL agonist at dopamine receptors tells me its not going to offer anyone any benefits to any one except weight gain, high blood sugar, agitation, somnolence, etc. Mirapex is a full agonist at these receptors, specifically D2 and D3. If the Dr. is so gung-ho about treating depression Mirapex I feel should be tried first. It has some irritating side effects, but I can tolerate them. They have gone away for the most part since taking it for 3 months now. Abilify must still be under Patent, that’s why Docs are pushing it so much. I’d take an MAOI before going on to Abilify. Clearly the Insurance Companies are being ripped off blindly. No wonder why are premiums and co-pays are so high. The makers of Abilify did themselves serious injury by creating a commercial for this stuff. The cartoon girl going to a baseball game after getting her script filled. LOL,LOL.
I knew Abilify was total BS. If an antidepressant isn’t working, then the initial claim of the effectiveness of the antidepressant was false. Plus, I had a severe adverse reaction to one SSRI pill in 2006 that turned my life upside down. Thanks for this great article.
I Am very interested in these comments as I constantly try to work out what medicine does the least harm particularly for psychotic symptoms. I still do not know for sure
I am so fed up with the experimentation on my 28 year old daughter that I have turned to experts in Holland for the P450 Cytrochrome drugs. None of the drugs have worked. Abilify gave terrible side effects and my daughter took herself off in one go leading to psychosis and the other side effect seemed to be extreme anxiety and bulimia so it appeared. My daughter was not at all well on this drug. Right now she is on Clozapine – supposedly for Schizophrenia but more and more Professors I am in touch with say there is no such thing so what on earth has she been put on all these mind altering drugs for when she should have had counselling for trauma and what is more I have proven through endocrinologist tests that there are problems. All these drugs long term have caused serious physical health problems all of which have been ignored and this is why I am turning to experts in Holland as these tests are not available in the UK. Proper assessments should be given BEFORE someone is put on these drugs as they may have a physical health problem instead but the drugs just make someone worse. There are leading experts in Holland and I hope to write about this on my website psychiatricabuse UK in due course.
Susan,
If you’re daughter’s initial problem was trauma, which is not actually a “chemical imbalance” in her brain. She likely should never have been put on any of these mind altering drugs at all.
I dealt with idiot doctors who, unbeknownst to me at the time, claimed my concerns of the abuse of my child was psychosis. I was put on a neuroleptic. It made me psychotic within two weeks. All the antipsychotics / neuroleptics can cause psychosis in those wrongly put on them for reasons of trauma. Proof from drugs.com:
“neuroleptics … may result in … the anticholinergic intoxication syndrome … Central symptoms may include memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, hallucinations, psychosis, delirium, hyperactivity, twitching or jerking movements, stereotypy, and seizures.”
But be careful if / when you wean your daughter off the drugs, since this will likely result in drug withdrawal induced super sensitivity manic psychosis, which doctors almost always claim is a return of the original illness. In other words, she may become psychotic again (for me it happened 6 months after I was supposedly properly weaned off the drugs). But once she gets through that (and it may require a BRIEF reinstatement of the drugs), she should be able to heal drug free. Best of luck to you and your daughter.
By the way, after ten years of research, it looks to me as if the most common etiology of schizophrenia is likely doctors misdiagnosing traumatic experiences as psychosis. Then putting those so misdiagnosed onto the neuroleptics. And then creating the actual schizophrenia symptoms via the central symptoms of neuroleptic induced anticholinergic intoxication syndrome.
The cause of most schizophrenia is likely misdiagnoses of the central symptoms of neuroleptic induced anticholinergic intoxication syndrome as schizophrenia. The supposed cure is the cause – “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”― Adolf Hitler. Congrats to the psychiatric industry.
We also have a script to try Abilify sitting at home. Even if we fill it, chances are I’ll never try it on my teenage son with autism. The bottle would sit here amongst others cause he is so happy and calm on his natural supplements like skullcap and St. John’s wort which I don’t think he even needs the latter as he’s normally a happy person. But this is also based on a very healthy kid who has followed a great diet 15 years with plenty of nutrients as a base by which to fully function in all ways.
Thanks Rosemary! After the column on the RxISK Abilify archive, we’ll feature a story from a young man who took Abilify to treat Tourette’s. He suffered physical & mental harm that he’s still struggling to overcome after stopping.
For those interested in alternative ways of dealing with hearing voices, paranoia, etc.:
Jacqui Dillon of the Hearing Voices Network sent us a link to some good resources, and a network of people who have been there themselves. You can reach them through their website or follow her on Twitter at @JacquiDillon :
http://www.hearing-voices.org/resources/free-downloads/
Hi Johanna,
Really appreciated your article. It reminds me of a lot of experiences that my brother has been going through.
Overall, though, his situation is probably different than yours, in that he developed Manic symptoms when he was 19 years old, after his Celexa (an SSRI anti-depressant) was increased from 20 to 40 mg. On 20mg he was silly and a little high; on 40 he became completely paranoid. Once put on anti-psychotics, he stabilized. We took him off the Celexa. He’s received a Bipolar Diagnosis, and has basically been on Zyprexa, an anti-psychotic, ever since.
I really feel for him, though. It hurts him cognitively, and he knows it. His reading is severely hampered, he’s put on a whole bunch of weight. It’s been a couple years since his first attack. Generally, he’s stable, but he’s still prone to relapses, say, once a year, and during those times his psychiatrist raises his Zyprexa. This always does the trick.
I’ve seen you post about open-minded psychiatrists who only use anti-psychotics for acute treatment of mania (not for ‘maintenance’ as most do), and some who are open to not using such drugs at all. I definitely feel that acute use would be just as effective as the ‘maintenance’ regimen he’s on now, and would like to even find people who have alternative approaches to the anti-psychotics approach.
How do I find these psychiatrists?
I’ve read so much of the psychiatry-critical literature–in particular some of Whitaker’s stuff, and some very informative stuff from Dr. Peter Breggin–but I can’t seem to find anyone who can help my brother. (I live in the NYC area).
Kirk,
If you go to http://www.madinamerica.com and look under the resources tab, there is a list of doctors who claim to help wean people off drugs.
Recently depressed because of a severe reaction to unlawful dismissal.Had all of the symptoms that go along with loss of self esteem,loss of self worth etc.Saw a psychiatrist who is very much against antidepressants.Was given some older ones but they were terrible! My GP suggested I resume my excercise program but go for it to the limit! (I ran marathons until I was 75!!Now I am much better,and am on no drugs.There is literature on the effect of excercise in mild to moderate depression,whatever that is!Someof you should try it out,.Why not? Just make sure tour heart and lungs are ok!
Noel, I remember reading in Robert Whitaker’s excellent “Anatomy of an Epidemic” – in the great chapter devoted to alternative approaches (other than medications) to mental health, that many primary care doctors in England prescribe walking and running as first line treatment for any patient who complains of depression/feeling low.
Good for you that it has helped you out!
Bravo Noel! And bravo to your GP for bucking the trend. You are 100% right, exercise can be hugely helpful — and if you’re “not an athlete” it doesn’t have to be anything like a marathon. Walking a mile may be enough of a challenge for some, and it can make a big difference. One of my many problems with antipsychotics is this: When I’m depressed, the LAST thing I need is a pill that will pack on the pounds and also make me tired and groggy.
People also need to be told that it’s natural to be depressed to some extent in response to real pain and loss — and even severe distress, consistent with clinical depression, does not mean they have a “biological brain disease.” How on earth can anyone tell people whose first episode of serious emotional trouble shows up in mid-adulthood, in response to an actual personal crisis, that they have a “lifelong disease requiring lifelong treatment”? It’s freaking bizarre. So glad you & your doc didn’t swallow it.
All I know is I never had psychosis, never suffered major Depression, never heard voices, never wanted to suicide, UNTIL, I was given antidepressants. Then of course later, came the antipsychotics, the mood stabilizers, the stuff so you can sleep, etc etc. In ten years, I became
unemployable, lost my marriage, lost everything I had worked for for 45 damn years. To finally realise, the only problem I ever had was a severe adverse reaction to valium, has crushed me. Anyone who says they have had any of these ailments, ask yourself… did you have them before the drugs? I didn’t. And giving them up now? I have spent 5 months walking through hell, and yes, suicidal, never ever been suicidal. These Pills Kill, trouble is, while on them, you cant see the forest for the trees. The real “”awakening”” is difficult, to realise what these poisons have cost me.
The doctors give you the drugs, see you happy and “high”, how many actually go back to the doctors, when their life is destroyed, and they trying to get off the stuff, how many have the emotional strength to tell these doctors the truth? Not me, cause I still have that fear, those docs have such a control over people. You dont have to hurt anyone, they can have you committed, or forcibly injected……. it takes a long time to recover from that fear. So to the doctors, arent we all success stories? Just wish they would read the true statistics, but that would invalidate everything they have stood for, so they chose not to see the forest.
Ang,
I did tell my psychiatrist how his 15 years of poly drugging was killing me and the guy burst into tears apologizing. Naturally I became a legal liability to him and he did major side stepping. I originally went to him because of insomnia (caused by car accident/physical injuries). He started prescribing and prescribing till I was no longer “me”. Any drug toxic side effects I reported to him he considered worsening mental illness and upped the drugs. So how did this help me?? It didn’t. After I realized how bogus he was with his drugs and the Akathisia was so bad I was up for days and nights pacing with it. He considered this “mania”. Geez, how did I ever got through this I don’t know but I’m drug free now and no more akathisia, weird thoughts, odd behavior, being 100 pounds overweight, profuse confusion, etc. I went under the radar but still felt the psychiatrist could do whatever he wanted to me if I officially complained. Yes, it is scarey to know this. I still think late at night please please don’t let the psychiatrist ever decide to have me forcefully drudged even though I quit seeing him years ago. The fear is real.
Someone said that they’re the liaison for Chicago hearing voices???? I’ve been reaching out for help for MONTHS. Email is lillian.lafollette@yahoo.com. Please contact me about peer support, any kind at all, anywhere in my area.
Why is it that countries who cannot afford these drugs find their rates of psychosocial disabilities are lower?
We ignore the person, and give them a bottle instead.
History will not be kind.
The things that gets me most about the articles I read on this web site and the responses are: 1. how absolutely opposed people are to almost all medications; 2. how poor their prescribers are, apparently, at listening and observing them; and 3: how frequently people disagree, not only with their own diagnoses but, in the diagnostic procedure in general and how it can lead to the prescribing of medications specifically.
Let me tell you, first, that I am a Nurse Practitioner with a specialty in psychiatry and I do medication management in a small clinic that sees almost totally Medicare and Medicaid patients. I may, in the future, say more about my general philosophy of mental illness (which does include diagnosing and prescribing) but right now I want to comment on Abilify, mood stabilizers in general, poly pharmacy, and patients who come in asking for medication.
First let me say that most medications serve a purpose and work for some people but not for all people. I don’t prescribe Abilify very often, not because it is a bad drug but it is not in my list of top 3-5 drugs to prescribe. The major reason for this is that I have seen too many people develop side effects such as EPS at low doses. I could give Cogentin but don’t think that the prescribing of a medication that requires another medication to control side effects is the best practice UNLESS every other appropriate medication has been tried and there is nothing else. I also am not convinced that it is effective as a mood stabilizer although I know some of my colleagues swear by it. I haven’t seen it.
I also don’t prescribe Zyprexa very often, as well. When choosing a medication, I always review the available medications with my patients and tell them why I would consider, say, 3 medications but not others. Zyprexa is a good drug for its primary indication- an antipsychotic. But, regardless of what the drug reps say, I have seen people put on a great deal of weight, develop diabetes and hypertension due to the weight gain, and then stop it on their own when the damage has been done. Believe me, the weight doesn’t just drop off. When it first came out, the drug reps insisted that it did not cause weight gain and visited the clinic I worked in at least weekly (bringing all kinds of food) so that I began to call them “the Stalkers”. Then, out of the blue, they came bearing a new patient education program on eating properly and losing weight – totally unrelated to our observations that patients were gaining weight because of the drug. If it didn’t cause weight gain, then why this whole comprehensive, expensive (for the pharmaceutical company) program? Duh! Would I ever prescribe it? Yes. In a patient who is psychotic but may have stopped eating and is losing a lot of weight to the point where the weight loss is more of a risk than the weight gain that the drug will, hopefully, cause.
To answer a question that might be forming in readers’ minds, yes, I do involve my patients in the selection of their medications as much as I can. The patients for whom I prescribe medication do need it. Without meds, at least half of my patients would end up on the street or in jail, neither of which is the best setting to regain control of their lives. But I don’t believe in overmedicating my patients and I definitely believe in getting the diagnosis right, even if it means contradicting the diagnosis given to them by some of the most famous institutions in the area. And my patients do get better – although some people don’t agree.
At one point I was seeing a number of patients from a specific agency’s group homes. Many of them were on a lot of medications – often 6 or 7, and of course the first thing they would ask me was to take them off. I would tell them that I would not do that until I got to know them, and then, I would only wean them off one medication at a time. Frequently I would end up re-diagnosing them. Then I would wean them off one medication at a time, requiring that they come in more frequently so I could do an ongoing assessment. Our appointments became less confrontational. As I listened to them, they began to listen to me. Our exchange of ideas became more “collegial” and we worked out the whole treatment plan together. Many were down to only 2 or three meds, were functioning better, getting along better. The problem was that they were also getting more assertive in their homes, asking questions, demanding explanations of policies that seemed unreasonable, expecting services that they had been promised.
The staff began to say that I was making too many mistakes; not giving them as much medication as the “should be” on. These patients were transferred to nother provider at the home’s request, are on more medication but are “much less of a problem”. (except to the new provider with whom they continuously argue about their meds).
Anyway, my philosophy of mental health varies from many of the doctors that I have worked with in that nurses generally come from a wellness perspective – a “Be all that you can be” viewpoint that I got from my years in the Army. But I do believe in the use of medication, appropriately prescribed, and listening to my patients about their experiences with their medications. I believe that my patients are less angry than a lot of people on this website; and I also believe (and so do they) that my patients get better on their medications.
Bonnie S,
You sound wonderful and unusual in the aspects of prescribing. My reasons and unfortunate experiencing for coming here to post are I was wrongly diagnosed and poly drugged to oblivion by a private psychiatrist. I thought he knew what he was doing and he didn’t (got all his office notes). He did not look into my questions of new unusual behavior and/or physical symptoms when he prescribed a new drug. He always seemed perplexed. I went to a different psychiatrist after 15 years who said I was in no way psychotic and had no reason at all to be on 7 drugs. There is little continuity in diagnosing and to have a profound mental illness in anyone’s medical chart will never go away even if it has been deemed incorrect.
Yes, I am angry and very upset with what happened to me. I was told I was permanently damaged and would need multiple psych drugs for the rest of my life. This proven to be wrong. I compare this to being told I had cancer and after having chemo, radiation and surgery found out I never had cancer. Psychiatry profoundly impacted my life in a very negative way. I can’t think most of the posters here are a few who had negative interactions with psychiatry. I was not in a group home but on various psych drugs my ability to function was lessen to a point I was chemically institutionalized. I think a lot of us here wish we had someone like you on our team when we were dealing with psychiatry. May you continue to listen really listen to your clients and help them.
I read these comments with interest as my son has just been changed from Clozapine to Abilify and he does not seem as drugged up and is functioning better. I am concerned about the long term effects of all these drugs too.
I am with a charity Bio-Balance Health that has brought a scientist to Australia to train Australian doctors to rebalance a person’s biochemistry using Nutrients and we have 170 doctors trained in Australia who love the success they are getting. His book “Nutrient Power, Heal Your Biochemistry, Heal Your Brain “by William J Walsh PhD is very informative.
Unfortunately, at this stage my son won’t go on the programme, but we have psychiatrists trained who are getting marvellous results. Not every time, but at least it is natural.
Well, I dunno why your doc was so skeptical. I was sedated on 2mg of Abilify. I slept 16 hours a day for nearly 2 months. Stopped taking the Abilify with no other regimen alterations and converted to 8 hours a night instantly.
The NP unfortunately is The EXCEPTION not The RULE.