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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by janejj on June 7, 2002, at 13:40:35
Hi,
I just want to get off all my meds. Feel like my body is telling me to ! I don't know if this is a good idea ? I just want to be natural again.
I take prozac, trazodone, Lorazepam. Although I haven't take lorazepam for 2 weeks and i keep skipping the prozac.
Has anyone given up their meds and it worked ? Doctor told me I would be on them for the rest of my life (thanks !!),because he gave me the diagnosis Dysthymia. Been on them for 9 months now. I just want to be free !!!
Janejj
Posted by IsoM on June 7, 2002, at 13:59:32
In reply to Can I stop taking meds and feel great ???, posted by janejj on June 7, 2002, at 13:40:35
Jane, I have friends that took meds for a relatively short period of time (like you) & are now off them & doing good (their words). Others have tried being off meds & had to go back on (me included) to feel normal. I think it's a very individual thing.
But while the current theory is those who haven't been treated with meds long enough have to return for treatment, I disagree. In my experience, & talking with friends, the longer a person is on meds, the more they need to stay on them. We may just be anomalies in the medication profile, but it's what we've noticed.
Posted by deli on June 7, 2002, at 16:21:57
In reply to Re: Can I stop taking meds and feel great ??? » janejj, posted by IsoM on June 7, 2002, at 13:59:32
I was on meds Remeron and Prozac for one year then just prozac 30mg for three and Prozac weekly for one. I began skipping weeks on the Prozac weekly for the last six months. Kaboom I am back to square one. I had a breakdown three weeks ago.
My suggestion is I wouldn't.deli
Posted by judy1 on June 7, 2002, at 21:00:47
In reply to Can I stop taking meds and feel great ???, posted by janejj on June 7, 2002, at 13:40:35
Well it sounds like the only med you take on a regular basis is trazodone (if I read your post correctly). Since you've stopped 2 out of 3 and apparently are not having horrible problems, I see no reason to taper off the third med. Dysthymia is a condition that responds very well to therapy- why don't you work hard with a therapist, can the meds and see how you do. Best of luck- Judy
Posted by omega man on June 9, 2002, at 1:42:14
In reply to Can I stop taking meds and feel great ???, posted by janejj on June 7, 2002, at 13:40:35
I've been on meds of all types for 15 years..
I learned one thing ..don't take them constantly without a break...and that includes the ones I have to take for a chronic physical condition that would kill me...
We need food and many wise religions have fasting periods...I don't know why it helps...but I take constant breaks from my medication..and I have the good sense to recognize when I need them again....Some people are too ill or unsupported to do this..but I believe in that case they should be helped to..
for may reasons on many levels....the way biological processes work for example as a system..or in many areas of science where balanced evolving systems are expected to operate..anything thats too persistant in too dominant a role takes over...our brain seems to have the lions share over our well being...although I would like to see studies done on how physical illness affects the brain
medications take over our perceptions....thats why I use cocktails of a dozen types and rotate their use with a degree of randomness...
I would'nt recommend stopping a heart...but I would say that from some of the "stay bright in the face of all reality" behaviours I have seen on persistant AD users..I would say a break is needed just to sink into depression for a while and realize just how lucky you are to have a ticket out of it whenever you need to...
some recent research indicates people who fast have longer lifespans than average..
as creatures we evolved to be in hungry states...its not healthy to take meds the way drug companies and hence Pdocs indicate..
Just knowing I have all sorts of drugs sitting in my drawer helps me look for other ways to feel better..about 30-40% of the time.
Posted by Tabitha on June 9, 2002, at 3:47:48
In reply to Can I stop taking meds and feel great ???, posted by janejj on June 7, 2002, at 13:40:35
Hi Jane,
If your body is not feeling good then maybe you could reduce dosage or switch? The doctor might be able to help.
My body felt terrible on prozac, but I thought I was just supposed to put up with it. I didn't realize how individual the response to medication is, and that there were other choices that would be better for me. Alas, they all have some drawbacks.
I tried going off entirely several times. I always feel the best mentally and physically right after discontinuing. My body breathes a big sigh of relief, and it takes a while for the symptoms to return. For me unfortunately the depression comes back every time, and creeps up slowly to intolerable levels. I think quitting meds is part of the process of finding what works though.
Good luck
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