Posted by med_empowered on December 3, 2005, at 6:37:39
In reply to really would like to get off meds, posted by MichaelJr on December 3, 2005, at 5:21:24
hi! No, I don't think being on meds--even if the DX is something pretty serious, like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder--means *always* being on meds. You've done a lot of therapy, which is great...plus, the skills you've learned while on medication, and the relationships you've developed, will help you when and if you decide to go off medication.
I'm off medication right now (diagnoses: bipolar of various sorts, schizophrenia, more severe unipolar disorder, mood disorder nos) and its a mixed bag. On the one hand, sometimes like seems a little harder. On the other hand, I seem to be functioning much better emotionally and cognitively, and my friends enjoy my company more. So..there you go. Its not a great day everyday, but overall I'd say its a definite improvement for the better.
My first piece of advice would be that if you opt to go off meds, especially antipsychotics, go *slowly*--do not rush this process, please--and be prepared before hand for problems (problems during withdrawal are really more the RULE; a problem-free withdrawal is pretty rare). With antipsychotics, you can expect some increase in aggression, mood swings, irritability, possibly tremor and shakes (withdrawal-emergent EPS). With the new generation of antipsychotics, so much of the brain is affected that you really need to give everything time to re-balance and establish a sort of equilibrium. My suggestion would be to make big cuts in your medication monthly, with smaller cuts made periodically within the monthly periods; depending on your dose, you should probably aim to reduce to nothing over several months. Going really fast on a taper with antipsychotics makes the withdrawal-emergent EPS a lot worse (trust me on that one) and makes the emotional stuff that inevitably pops up that much more difficult to deal with. Since you have a therapist, talk to him/her about it...hopefully, the two of you can address things that pop up as you discontinue medication.
The view of mental illness, even psychosis, as an ongoing, possibly chronic, deteriorating brain *disease* is relatively recent. Jung, for instance, thought that psychosis could actually prove to be a positive experience, resulting in personal growth and greater levels of integration and maturity. Viktor Frankel, whose book "Man's Search For Meaning" is probably one of the best books on human suffering **ever**, thought that suffering could give meaning to one's life. Viewed in that context, "mental illness" is really just another challenge that one must handle somehow, hopefully in a way that proves productive for both the individual and society. Also check out..."Modern Man In Search of A Soul"
Good luck!
poster:med_empowered
thread:584881
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051203/msgs/584883.html