We anticipate that there will be significant media coverage next week around the issue of prescribed drug dependence and withdrawal.
We are therefore looking for individuals who have had a negative experience withdrawing from benzodiazepines, z-drugs, gaba-ergic drugs (e.g. neurontin), opioids or antidepressants who would be prepared to tell their story to the media, including on television. Personal stories can have tremendous impact by spreading awareness and warning others of the possible consequences of prescribed drug dependence.
If you are prepared to tell your story then please get in touch by emailing admin@cepuk.org with your contact details and a short sentence about your experience.
Thank you in advance!
I am a psychiatric survivor but also a subjective Bayesian Statistician , recently published author,active Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a founding Fellow of ISBA (the International Society of Bayesian Analysis). Given all the information I have collated during my and James Carter’s Scottish mental health campaign of the last five or more years, it is my subjective opinion that of the order of at least 20% of the population have suffered substantive physical side effects from toxic psych meds, Moreover, if an outpatient keeps taking an enzyme poisoning psych med indefinitely,he /she is extremely likely to develop debilitating side effects in the long-term. This qualifies all my previous assessments. Please feel free to quote me on this. I am the moderator of Mental Health Discussions Edinburgh
Please can you also start talking about the life destroying neuroleptic drugs. I was given six months of injections of Zuclopenthixol (Clopixol) in 2016 and it has caused atrophy in my brain as shown in brain scans. It has taken away my creativity, spirituality, motivation, affected my memory and given me Anhedonia (reduced inability to feel joy). These drugs destroy the dopamine centres in the brain and make life extremely difficult to live. I loved life before and had high intelligence, now every day is a struggle. This change in me has also significantly impacted my children and has strongly reduced our quality of life. I would very much like to talk to Joanna Moncrieff or other professionals who are aware of the dangers of these neurotoxic drugs, but it seems impossible to get in touch with them. Please can you help?
It’s unfortunate you’re unable to accept personal stories from USA by those who’s lives have been destroyed by psychiatric drugs. I was prescribed them for 35 years barely living through it. But God Bless you for your dedication in exposing the truth about them in UK. Dr. Breggin recently asked if we could sum up ‘psychiatric drugs in one word’. That was the easiest question I’ve answered in the 62 years on this planet – GENOCIDE.
I live in the U.S. alao. I was polydrugged beginning in 02. I first experienced a serious adverse reaction to an antidepressant. It was abruptly discontinued. Withdrawal symptoms were mistaken as newly emerging or worsening psychiatric symptoms. More meds were prescrebide leading to more side effects and more meds. At one point i was on 8 psych meds total, including 3 benzodiazepines, each of them prescribed by dr’s to be taken concurrently ( all originating from a situational episode of depression and 1 anti_depressant). I experienced a myriad of psychological, physical, neurological and cognitive symptoms from side effects, drug interactions, dependence, interdose withdrawal and toxicity in which was so severe it resulted in an end of employment in Dec ’05. I had been employed for 18 years prior. I filed for disability and Dr’s began to abruptly discontinue meds which began a series of a new emergence of unbearable, horrific and debilitating symptoms, including a seizure disorder that was non existent prior to the abrupt discontinuation off the benzodiazepines. It is 2018 and although some of my symptoms have improved, i am still no longer able to work and continue to experience debilitating psychological, physical, neurological and cognitive symptoms as a result of long term use of numerous psych meds, toxicity, and withdrawal.
I live in the US as well. I’m a woman, had PSSD since I was 21 and I’m 30 now. I took generic sertraline in late 2008 and experienced an instant and total loss of sex drive. I cold turkeyed off the meds after a few months, thinking I would get my sex drive back. It’s been nine years now, and it’s never come back.
I’ve tried everything to get it back, with very little success. This has been a completely life-altering experience that has vastly reduced my happiness, self-confidence, and quality of living. I applaud you for taking the time to collect personal stories and raise awareness about this very personal and devastating issue.
I live in Canada which is ranked among the top countries in the world and my life too has been drastically affected by benzodiazepines and subsequent mis-prescribing of psychiatric medication. I have been living in Hell for over 3 years. Drug addicts of all sorts are able to get help getting off their drugs but those of us dependent on prescribed medications saddled with severe iatrogenic damage are left in the dark.
I’m a 26 years old post-SSRI- victim from Austria, 9 years ago I was prescripted a SSRI.
3 hours after my first intake my life has changed forever.
I could feel ALL my emotions to be shut down and my Libido dissapeared forever.
I never did a second dose but it was too late.
Ever since I’m suffering from Post-SSRI-Sexual-Dysfunction and every day in my life is hell on earth.
I walk around as Zombie, no emotions, no anger, no joy, no fear, no love.
I see a beatuiful Girl and feel nothing, absolutely nothing and this for 9 years.
Doctors deny that SSRI’s could cause permanent side effects but a large community all over the world proof them wrong.
I once spoke to an Doctor from the USA and he told me that 0.5 to 1 Person out of 10 (!!!!) would develope permanent loss of Libido after Treatment with an SSRI.
I urge everyone NEVER take an antidepressant of the class SSRI.