Posted by bleauberry on May 24, 2010, at 16:09:23
In reply to Drug Holiday?, posted by MrTook on May 24, 2010, at 12:01:27
Well, if you like a horrific withdrawal syndrome that kicks in within a couple days and then the real risk of the drug not working like it did before, go for it.
I don't know who the therapist is and I can't comment on that, only to say it doesn't sound to me like they are trained on the workings of drugs.
With some meds, such as stimulants (adderall, ritalin), and benzos (xanax, klonopin), and opioids (pain killers, tramadol), then yes drug effectiveness can be restored via a drug holiday. That is, if you can weather a potentially severe withdrawal syndrome. They are characterized by intense anxiety, flu-like symptoms, dark depression.
I can't think of a single antidepressant or antipsychotic or mood stabilizer drug that you can just stop for a holiday and not experience the worst nightmare of your life.
It depends though on how long you've been on it. The longer, the harder to stop. Once in a while someone can just stop a med cold turkey and have no problem at all. That is rare.
As many have noted here over the years, too many to count, returning to a drug that previously worked is often a disappointment. It is not unusual for it to not work like it did before. This is mostly seen with any of the reuptake inhibitors. Granted, some people can start and restart their zoloft or prozac over the years and have it work every time, but that is rare.
If a drug you are taking is not working like it used to, then the best first step is to add another one to it that has a different mechanism. For example if the drug is zoloft, a serotonin med, then you would consider adding a norepinephrine med to it, such as nortriptyline. After a few add-on trials that don't work out, then the next step is to switch completely to a new med.
Bottom line though is that a therapist is not a doctor. If you have a trusting relationship with your doctor and you are confident of their expertise, then ask them if the therapist idea is a good one or not and ask if you can just stop the med cold turkey without any problems. I think most doctors would be very uncomfortable with that idea.
poster:bleauberry
thread:948597
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100524/msgs/948620.html