Posted by ed_uk on January 6, 2005, at 15:51:06
In reply to Re: Would like to know ..not a debate thinkfast, posted by Dan Perkins on January 6, 2005, at 14:15:07
>I think my biggest fear is what have these drugs done to me/or what consequences will I have to face? I FEAR TD! ...........I have been off the drugs for almost 10 months now. I just want to get on with my life but I don't know how. .........I think I may give all the forums and research a rest for now. That is all I do. I have been so consumed with this and it is time to rest.
Hi JACJ,
It's good to 'see' you again :-)
I truly believe that it is time for you to let go of the idea that the antipsychotics may have done permanent damage. Antipsychotic drugs have been used widely for many decades and yet there hasn't been a single report of TD appearing 10 months after the end of treatment. I promise... you do not need to worry about TD now. Symptoms of TD first occur either during treatment with an AP or very shortly after the drug has been discontinued. I know that it's easy for me to say but please, try not to worry yourself sick. I know you're having a lot of anxiety at the moment, probably at least partly due to benzo withdrawal. I think that you are right when you say that it's time to have a break from the forums and the research. Although forums can be a great help to many, reading so much about side effects can be very harmful to a person suffering from anxiety. I think that's it's no exaggeration to suggest that reading too much about side effects may be doing you more harm than the medications did. Reasearch can at time provoke a lot of anxiety, at the moment you give a strong impression that anxiety is your main problem. Although benzo withdrawal can be very painful, you must have faith in your body's capacity to heal itself. Try not to think about permanent damage. If the antipsychotics were going to cause you a movement disorder you'd have developed symptoms a long time ago. Caffeine can worsen anxiety for some, could you try to cut down? It might help you a great deal. Why do you eat tons of sugar?
I don't think that doing any more research into side effects of psychotropic drug will help you at all, it will most likely worsen your anxiety..... and your anxiety seems to be your main problem. I know it's hard, but try to concentrate on getting better, not on psychiatric drugs. Perhaps you could go to a different therapist. Maybe you would benefit from taking vitamins supplements as well. Niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3) might help, it has been discussed on the alternative board recently- have a look. When you go on the internet in future, please don't look up drugs, research the things which might help you to recover. Sometimes it is harmful to concentrate too much on the past. Read about vitamins and nutrients if you are interested, you could even ask Larry Hoover for advice! Most of all, try not to be angry, anger is very destructive. I'm sure the doctors who prescribed you the meds wanted to help you. They just didn't do it in the way which would have been best for you. It is easy to see that in hindsight.
Best Wishes,
Ed.
poster:ed_uk
thread:438051
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050103/msgs/438579.html