getting off drugs

I want to get off all drugs. I took an MMPI and it doesn't look like I have any mood disorders, mainly personality issues.

I take Prozac, Adderall, Neurontin and sometimes Seroquel.

I wonder now how much of my symptoms could be caused by these drugs. There is only one way to find out. I know the adderall works and ADD has been confirmed. T says mood stabilizers can still help me and the same for the seroquel.

I wonder how hard it will be to do this? and if my T and p-doc will support me through it...?

Anyone have experience with this?

most pdocs will say that personality issues can not be treated with drugs. Sometimes the symptoms that go with a personality disorder are helped by drugs, for instance anxiety or sleep problems. Usually Aderall is for ADHD so if that is a problem you may want to keep on that. Make sure you tell pdoc that you are wanting to decrease meds. Cold turkey can be dangerous (seizures) at worst, uncomfortable and best.

Almeda, I'm pretty familar with the MMPI (from school-- know how to interpret scores, etc.), mood disorders (have one), personality disorders (have one), and drugs (take 'em) lol... so I think I can help you think about this.

Please don't place to much weight on the results from the MMPI in relation to your medication. It doesn't matter whether or not you "officially" have a mood disorder-- think about your symptoms instead. Do you feel depressed? Do your moods swing? Even if they swing as a result of personality issues, medication can still be helpful.

As you probably know, there is no medication to target a specific personality disorder, rather different medications are used to treat symptoms of personality disorders.

Don't place a whole lot of emphasis on what the MMPI said or what your diagnosis is... focus on what you are feeling. The feelings, the symptoms you have, are what you have to deal with-- not what category they fit under. It's never a neat fit, as you know already know.

I have spent the last eight years on and off medication constantly. I have wondered (especially now that I am on Lithium) how much of what I am feeling at this point is a result of the medication itself. Think a lot about yourself pre-medication verses now. What is better? What is worse? What can be attributed to therapy?

Although I am diagnosed with a mood disorder and have severe and sometimes lengthy depressive episodes, most of my problems lean more towards the personality spectrum as well. My pdoc and I chose a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant, as well as an anti-anxiety med.

And of course, most important-- whatever you are thinking of doing........ Talk to your pdoc!!!

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almeda24fan said:
I wonder how hard it will be to do this? and if my T and p-doc will support me through it...?

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">Can you tell them up front that you need their support as you wean off the meds? A therapist is there for support--hopefully he can help. The pdoc got you into this multiple meds situation and has the expertise to tell you how best to wean.

If people don't need ADs anymore (e.g. because they are no longer depressed), when they go off their meds they often feel worse first before they feel better. (And then they get discouraged and immediately go back onto meds.) This is due to the brain reacting to the changing biochemical landscape. In reaction to an SSRI such as Prozac, the brain down regulates the number of serotonin receptors to try to control the articially high (med-induced) amount of serotonin now in the synapses. When you stop the SSRI, suddenly you are left with lower serotonin because you aren't taking the med, PLUS you have a lower number of serotonin receptors due to your brain's reaction to long time use of the SSRI. So you need to give your brain a chance to get used to the lack of SSRI and upregulate the number of serotonin receptors again. This takes time. This is why you will be advised to go off of that SSRI gradually, to give the brain a chance to accommodate slowly and not throw you into an extremely low serotonin funk. Of course, you may find that even after months off of ADs, you are still depressed, and then you can revisit whether to start drugs again or rely more heavily on coping strategies learned in therapy.

I wish you luck!

P.S. I read a really interesting blog/essay today called The Politics of Depression. Not quite sure what I think of it yet, but I did agree with some of the points. There were also some really thoughtful responses in the comments section. Here is the link:
http://www.furiousseasons.com/archiv...epression.html

Hey Sunny and Pink, I just now saw your responses.

Pink: I'm definitely feeling better about the MMPI, T and I had a nice session last week after I faxed him 5 pages...I'm so annoying! You bring up very good points about stick to how I'm feeling and not the label... anyway, last session, he was very sweet and I felt at peace finally.

Sunny, I plan to come off Prozac and tell P-doc that tonight. I honestly don't think it is helping me as the Adderall, Neurontin and Seroquel already do. I'll check out the blog.

Thanks girls