In the past two decades, countless medical studies have shown that use of neuroleptic psychiatric drugs (also known as antipsychotics) is associated with structural brain changes, especially when taking high dosages for a long time. These brain changes can include actual shrinkage of the higher level parts of the brain. The shrinkage can be seen in brain scans and autopsy studies. In response to industry defenders who claim that this shrinkage is from the "mental illness," studies show neuroleptics lead to similar brain changes in animals. While the medical side of large libraries has this information, the public media side of the library does not. In other words, the public, patients and their families are not being informed about what medicine has long known.

Brain Damage Caused by Neuroleptic Psychiatric Drugs ? MFIPortal

What do people think about this?

[Ozisl]

I've always known that the cocktail of medications I am on is, in the long term, hazardous. I also know that I very well might not be alive or living a sustainable life without them. Having been suicidal most of my life, I'm not overly concerned about long term health effects. The clozapine I'm on is a medication that was taken off market in the 70s, and only reintroduced because it is just plain effective - but I have to have regular blood tests so they know how fast it is destroying my system. Maybe I have hope that some scientist will be able to 3d print new body parts before mine fail. If not, well, I'm given a chance at a somewhat stable life.

A patient needs to be informed of the risks and dangers of long term use of medications, and those medications probably should be rotate to mitigate the damage any one can do, but I fear that exposing all of this would raise the stigma of going on psych meds even further than it is now, which could cost lives (or at least really ruin them).

[Angelique67]

I've always known, ever since I was put on Stelazine in college and became severely dystonic. I never wanted to take any psych drug again. But now I have the problem of hearing that man when I try to sleep and I just don't care anymore. I would do anything to drug him away, so I'm trying to strengthen my body so I can get to appointments again. It's very hard.

[Sometimes psychotic]

I've also been aware of this for some time however I am robbing the future to save the present. If the literature is correct we will on average die sooner than our peers so it may not matter that these brain changes are slowly occurring.

I also try to maintain the lowest dose possible of AP and get off the meds when possible ie when non-symptomatic. However my delusions are dangerous enough that remaining non medicated would risk my life or others thus trying to simply fight the symptoms isn't a great option for me.

[neil w]

what's your delusion sometimesp, if you dont mind sharing. PM me if you want.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by neil w

what's your delusion sometimesp, if you dont mind sharing. PM me if you want.

They change all the time but the dangerous one was that I was someone else or they were me.....there was a real person who I thought I should kill to get my true position in society....that was dangerous and why I went inpatient.

I also thought I had some kind of transmitter in my teeth and was seriously considering breaking them out with a hammer.

Luckily all of these lasted mere hours, I don't seem to get the long lasting ones that are negative but I belive them while they are happening and I can't predict what delusion will crop up next.

Some were totally benign like I had to help a paralysed wind godess regain her powers so she would channel healing energy to the earth or that I was training to be a shaman or had psychic powers....those were long lasting but neutral to good.

I just don't trust myself at all becuase one of the last ones I had was that my pdoc was working with the devil so I might not even seek help if I did become delusional and depending on my insight I might not know it anyway.

[neil w]

Oh wow those are pretty extreme, thanks. i suppose most of mine are of the "neutral to good" variety ,for instance thinking that i was magical or that magical things happened to me.

[Loial]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

I also thought I had some kind of transmitter in my teeth and was seriously considering breaking them out with a hammer.

During my first period of psychosis when I was completely delusional, I thought I had a bug in my ear that real people were transmitting to causing the voices I was hearing.

Let's just say I was very distraught & was considering sticking a screwdriver in my ear to try get it out. Thankfully that never happened.

[neil w]

Haha i had a period of a month or two when i was convinced i had a spider living in my ear. i could feel it crawling around and coming near the outer ear. i kept going to ER and my GP asking them to look. Very frustrating when i believed them and had to accept it was tactile hallucination and nothing could be done about it!

[Sometimes psychotic]

I told my pdoc a mosquito had gotten in my ear and was causing the voices at one point....lol....I don't know how he kept a straight face....my mom was with me and she was like the mosquito was real.....it was but it wasn't in my ear talking to me

[neil w]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

I told my pdoc a mosquito had gotten in my ear and was causing the voices at one point....lol...

were so creative with this illness!

[Loial]

I swear, I have a new found appreciation of the power of the human mind having suffered with psychosis... it's amazing just what thoughts/hallucinations it can conjure up!

[neil w]

my delusions of grandeur maintained a consistent narrative for 40 years and counting! it would make a great matrix type movie!

[Angelique67]

The songs my mind wrote while I was tripping on benzo withdrawal and no sleep were amazing. The lyrics were bizarre.

[neil w]

post some up in a new thread! we've hijacked this one enough

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

I've also been aware of this for some time however I am robbing the future to save the present. If the literature is correct we will on average die sooner than our peers so it may not matter that these brain changes are slowly occurring.

Rethink (UK MH charity) are running a +20 campaign at the moment, saying that people with MI like sz (idk if the data is the same for all MIs) die on average 20 years younger than their peers, mostly through physical complications like heart disease & diabetes from meds & smoking & poor lifestyle. One guy with sz was 45 and he went to his GP surgery 3x with chest pain that was dismissed as anxiety, then died of a heart attack the day he went the last time! GPs get paid to do an annual review of MI patients to try to minimise this, but often physical symptoms get put down to MI and ignored, like with that example.

I am fully aware that APs are bad for brains. I already think I've got dementia, so why on earth would I voluntarily damage my brain even more?!

*Willow*

[Angelique67]

I know I'm getting stupider. But if my life can't improve I'd just as soon be dead anyway. Bring it on.

[The_little_didgee]

I have never taken antipsychotics for more than a year, because I don't feel like me on them. They make the world flat and dull so I only take them when I absolutely need them. I'm not on one right now.

I've never noticed any permanent mental side effects from neuroleptics. Most drugs caused postural hypotension, increased apetite and somnolence. One drug gave me dental problems. Now, I have no molars in my left jaw.

[Angelique67]

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

I have never taken antipsychotics for more than a year, because I don't feel like me on them. They make the world flat and dull so I only take them when I absolutely need them. I'm not on one right now.

I've never noticed any permanent mental side effects from neuroleptics. Most drugs caused postural hypotension, increased apetite and somnolence. One drug gave me dental problems. Now, I have no molars in left jaw.

Which ones did you take?

[The_little_didgee]

Originally Posted by Angelique67

Which ones did you take?

Perphenazine, Haldol, Loxapine, Flupentixol, Zyprexa, and Abilify. Why?

[Angelique67]

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

Perphenazine, Haldol, Loxapine, Flupentixol, Zyprexa, and Abilify. Why?

I'm just comparing, wondering if the problems were with the old ones or the new "atypical" ones. I don't want to get worse problems than I already have.

[SmileHere]

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

I have never taken antipsychotics for more than a year, because I don't feel like me on them. They make the world flat and dull so I only take them when I absolutely need them. I'm not on one right now.

Did you stop taking them with full approval of your psychiatrist or just 'on your own'? Tapering or just 'cold turkey'? What was the longest time you were med-free?

I've never noticed any permanent mental side effects from neuroleptics. Most drugs caused postural hypotension, increased apetite and somnolence. One drug gave me dental problems. Now, I have no molars in my left jaw.

Which one gave you dental problems?