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What are your thoughts on taking prescription medication?

Just after I was diagnosed, they put me on anti-anxiety tablets called Tegrotol Retard, I objected to the name of them because at the time I was getting called retarded online, and thought these tablets would make me that way.

Now I take Flupentixol, 2 tablets a time, 0.5 mg twice a day. I'm also on Metformin twice a day for type 2 Diabetes.
 
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I'm currently taking Prozac, but didn't necessarily start willingly. It was my mother, no doubt suffering from caregiver burnout as well as the effects of a surgical injury, who had me placed on the medication after seeing it advertised on TV and getting me on Medicaid. This was back in 2010, and the medication was prescribed for severe PMS rather than depression. Again, I believe she got the idea from a TV commercial. I was taking 10 mg starting the week before my period and through the period itself, then stopping until the next cycle. I did this until we moved from suburban Oklahoma to rural Missouri, and my last prescription ran out. It wasn't easy living in Missouri. The house was very poorly insulated, resulting in high utility bills. It was also pretty far from any doctor's office, so I pretty much went off cold turkey. This was frustrating to my parents when my period drew near and the meltdowns, full of inconsolable tears and irrational thought, but NEVER violence. Sometimes, my mother would call the doctor I was seeing back in Oklahoma to try to get me back onto the meds in Missouri.

After nine months in Missouri, aka Misery, I returned to Oklahoma. I managed to keep myself off the medication for a year and a half, but, by the tail end of 2012, my parents again had enough of my annoying meltdowns and Mom took me back to the doctor. I, as an adult and, legally, the one in control of my healthcare, insisted that hormonal imbalances be either addressed or ruled out before going back on Prozac. When hormone tests came back normal, I was put back on the Prozac. This time, I was put on 20 mg daily rather than the intermittent 10 mg dose I was taking in 2010.

The Prozac apparently DID help me with the PMS, but I eventually found myself craving and consuming more and more sugar, with weight creeping up on me over the years. I believe the Prozac to be at least partially responsible, as, while unmedicated, I was able to consume soda and sugar in moderation and maintain a healthy weight. My mother believes that I simply became addicted to sugar and that the medication has done nothing but good for me, mellowing me out during my cycle and, according to her, making me more mature.

It is the fact that I have to take this stuff that leads to much of my autism shame and mistrust of the Anti-Cure/Autism Pride Movement. I believe that, if I didn't have autism, I wouldn't need these meds. I also wouldn't be as likely to still be living at home at 34 and counting.

Now, I'm dealing with lapses in motivation, even to engage in hobbies like Super Mario World ROM hacking. I'm not even motivated to fight my mother and assert my right to control my own healthcare. Part of that may be out of the fear that my mother would try to seek guardianship over me to gain legal control over that part of my life because she knows best and I'm autistic, therefore, incompetent. I even had a dream a few years ago about her fighting to have me declared legally retarded.
 
I've been through the pharmaceutical alphabet in just over 10 years. I've experienced a wide range of unfortunate side effects, the worst of which was nearly ending my life. Currently I'm taking Cannabis, I stick to the strains with a lower THC content, and higher CBD. This works for both my depression and anxiety, and so far I haven't experienced any adverse side effects. The only advice I can give is to ask yourself what state of being is more tolerable to you? It's never going to be perfect, but you have to decide which one gives you better quality of life.
 
I actually saw the effects of risperidone on my brother. And I can say for a fact that he is less burned out. It works for the both of us. I waited a year to take them because I did my research. By the psyghiatric I got plently of information. And tbh, I understand your reaction, but I dont agree with you on certain points. Ofcourse I am not getting better, but that is because with autism you dont get better. I feel beter emotionally, I function better, but my autism will never get better.
And that is okay, iknow im diffrent, but that doesnt mean it has to be cured. Besides that there is nothing to be cured because there is nothing wrong with me like it is a illness. I dont feel like it is addictive at all. Besides that I was a dumb teen who was actually addicitve towards things. I dont feel the same about my meds. I feel like it benefits me, but I can live without.
I don't know too much about risperidone, but I definitely wouldn't trust it.

The problem is many people even love illegal narcotics for a while, many people take them and can have a great time and at first there often doesn't even seem to be many adverse effects, even after coming down, then some people feel that they were lied to when they were educated how bad drugs are as a child and that's why I think it's extremely important to educate children honestly about both the good and bad side of drugs (the bad side far outweighs the good), but that's another story. Many prescribed mind altering drugs are very similar, the effects might not the as blatant and as harsh as street narcotics, but the long term effects can be very similar and also detrimental. A person might find an antidepressant that appears to work well making them feel better, although it is only usually blocking a non physical pain that is there for a reason and without it the actual cause of the pain will probably never be addressed, the drug is therefore only putting off the inevitable unless it's taken until the day they die. Unfortunately however the body often gets used to the drug over time which reduces it's effect and doses have to be increased to compensate, long term use is also more likely to cause unwanted side effects, especially at higher doses and the dose can only go so high. As the body gets used to the drug it also becomes addicted and eventually people find that they're only taking the drug to feel as they did before taking it at all and it can become much worse, but if they stopped they would often suffer intolerable withdrawal symptoms which are psychological and can also be physical. Sometimes different, often stronger drugs are used which continue to make matters worse and the slippery slope is very similar to many narcotics. Also the risks of side effects are often high and some can be severe, many people on such drugs change personality, sometimes adversely and they're no longer themselves.

In fact various now illegal narcotics were once prescribed medicines, for instance the street drug named speed (amphetamine sulphate) is a very psychologically addictive stimulant and is a class B controlled substance in the UK that rightfully carries a penalty of up to a 5 year prison sentence for possession and up to 14 years for supply, but it still used to be commonly prescribed for depression and as a slimming drug. Adderall is similarly banned in the UK because it's contains amphetamine salts, it is virtually the same as speed and is just as detrimental, yet it's still legally prescribed in many countries including the USA even today, shockingly often to treat ADHD. Ritalin contains methylphenidate hydrochloride which is another very dangerous drug that is banned in the UK, again it's an addictive stimulant with similar effects to speed, but this is also prescribed in many countries such as the USA for the treatment of ADHD and I've even read that some members here are being prescribed this very dangerous and highly addictive narcotic which is in my opinion nothing short of abuse, but shockingly it's very common. Diazepam (AKA. Valium) is highly addictive and is one of a number of benzodiazepines (AKA. Benzos) that are often still prescribed today for a number of conditions including anxiety and there are many very desperate addicts, when I was younger and still a hard drug addict there was often various Benzo addicts that would wander around the city centre asking drug addicts and the homeless where they could buy them, since Benzos were also often prescribed to hard drug addicts they would commonly sell them to make more money to spend on heroin and crack instead. This is just a few examples of why many doctors and the pharmaceutical companies can't be trusted and there's masses of dangerous drugs that are used to treat various conditions including depression and anxiety that are commonly prescribed today. It's a cheap and "quick fix" for the doctors and despite knowing the harmful effects, the corrupt and very powerful pharmaceutical will do anything for this to continue since they're making mass $Millions from it and the fact that they're often addictive makes them even more money, but they certainly make sure they have a large team of very expensive and clever lawyers that will if necessary even pay people off to keep quiet.

Don't take antidepressants or other mind altering drugs and if you are already on them I recommend coming off them very gradually, I also recommend finding a good councillor if possible. You have to come off them gradually because otherwise you would most probably suffer severe adverse effects, much worse than the original condition due to their addictive nature (they are nearly always psychologically addictive and are sometimes also physically addictive).
 
I started fluoxetine at age 7 to hell with anxity and it changed my life. I was learning and learning the house because my brain won’t being completely controlled. If it helps do it. If it dousn’t or has other negative effects like my first anti anxity meds say no too taking them . You know what your body needs.
 
I actually saw the effects of risperidone on my brother. And I can say for a fact that he is less burned out. It works for the both of us. I waited a year to take them because I did my research. By the psyghiatric I got plently of information. And tbh, I understand your reaction, but I dont agree with you on certain points. Ofcourse I am not getting better, but that is because with autism you dont get better. I feel beter emotionally, I function better, but my autism will never get better.
And that is okay, iknow im diffrent, but that doesnt mean it has to be cured. Besides that there is nothing to be cured because there is nothing wrong with me like it is a illness. I dont feel like it is addictive at all. Besides that I was a dumb teen who was actually addicitve towards things. I dont feel the same about my meds. I feel like it benefits me, but I can live without.
You feel better because the drug stops you reacting to things that would normally bother you (well it is at the moment), the problem is you will care less about things in general, the drug is effectively reducing your consciousness and you are not your true self any more. So called medical professionals once gave my low functioning autistic adult brother who had serious behaviour difficulties similar drugs, he didn't misbehave any more, but he didn't do much else either, he was like a spaced out zombie and he definitely wasn't my brother any more, but the so called medical professionals went on about how much he'd improved. My parents soon took him off the drugs against medical advice and were shocked. This is a more severe case, but it will at least effect you similarly to a lessor degree and you may not be-able to see it or care so much while influenced by the drug itself. I could tell you about my even more severe experience on a now banned antidepressants too, but it's a long story, or even the true story of how an anti-psychotic drug caused someone I know very well liver failure and almost killed him, luckily he recovered and his severe jaundice (yellow skin) reverted after they found out the cause in hospital.

Also as usual people are being lied to by doctors and pharmaceutical companies because they often state that numerous mind altering drugs are not normally habit forming including risperidone, but there are numerous reports of very serious to severe psychological and physical withdrawal if stopped suddenly after long term use. Yes, you would go through a "cold turkey" if you stopped risperidone quickly and this also means that your body gets used to the drug, so I'm afraid the effects at the same dose will not be permanent and what I warned in my earlier reply is likely to eventually happen unless you stop taking them. Unfortunately you won't agree, especially while under the influence of this drug, but the earlier you start cutting down slowly the better.

Antipsychotic Withdrawal Signs, Symptoms, Detox & Treatment

Note: Risperidone is mentioned on the reference list at the bottom of the above article, there are also numerous articles similar to this and yet I still read various reports of doctors saying to people that withdrawal is not possible.

And they commonly give these to autistic people who are more likely to have an addictive personality!
 
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When I was younger, I was asked to take risperidone. I did and it caused my legs to twitch at night, terribly. The problem did not go away after cessation of the drug, and the twitches have continued to this day, almost 15 years later.
 
Never. For many reasons. Yes, they dull the brain. Yes, the do all those others things, but the worse thing is they make you are prisoner to someone else.

Look at the opiates. What people don't realize is that there is a way out, yet it costs too much. Uncle was on opiates prescribed, thought it was ok then BAM.......addicted. then BAM......what to do? Then BAM! He ends up at a methodone clinic!!! Then another BAM---there is a great medication that can free you. It's Suboxone. Insurance covers, GREAT, but then................ANOTHER HIT. The drs visists are NOT paid for. $100 a week or $400/month. Meanwhile he is losing his mind. P-R-I-S-O-N-E-R.

I never saw someone so screwed because of a doctor! He was not an addict at all.

Eventually he got the Suboxone, but what he endured and what he has to do!! He had tiny resources, but those who don't? Screwed.

So that woke me up. You get used to a med and it's off your Rx list. That happened to me with a gut medication I needed.

It's greed and you get screwed.

That is just my take.
 
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 3 and began taking Ritalin when I was 4 before trying Adderall and eventually switching to Concerta and being on it for around 11 or 12 years. I sporadically tried other stimulants (like Vyvanse) and non-stimulants (such as Strattera), but went off my Concerta for good once I reached the age of 17 and had passed the threshold of the 72mg dosage doing me any good. I've been rediagnosed with ADHD as an adult and put on various other drugs within the past three years (such as Evekeo, Adenzy, Adderall XR), but am currently not on anything because the Adenzy was causing me more anxiety than necessary and involved a more difficult process to take the medicine because of it being a dissolving tablet. I might eventually go on a different medicine, maybe even Concerta and/or Kapvay, but I'm not sure just yet.

I'm currently taking Prozac for my mood disorder and Ativan for my anxiety because it got incredibly bad in the past year. I'm trying to work up the courage to slowly wean myself off the Ativan because I've honestly been on it longer than I should have, but it is -- quite literally -- a terrifying process that I believe I'm going to need more hands on help from my psychiatrist for. I am also wanting to try something different from Prozac because it has mostly stopped working. That coupled with the fact that my psychiatrist believes there's more going on with me than simple clinical depression... well, it's definitely enough to get a headache over.

Nevertheless, I definitely believe medication can be a good tool to have, especially when they are combined with therapy and other support systems. I long ago gave up the notion that a simple "happy pill" would actually make me happy all on its own; there's a lot more to that emotion than swallowing a capsule. That said, I still believe that it can indeed make whatever someone is dealing with something more manageable and while I'm not having the best time of it right now I know that continuing to work with my providers and seeking out different and more support will only help me succeed in making me experience life in a more secure, sincere, and comfortable fashion.
 
You feel better because the drug stops you reacting to things that would normally bother you (well it is at the moment), the problem is you will care less about things in general, the drug is effectively reducing your consciousness and you are not your true self any more. So called medical professionals once gave my low functioning autistic adult brother who had serious behaviour difficulties similar drugs, he didn't misbehave any more, but he didn't do much else either, he was like a spaced out zombie and he definitely wasn't my brother any more, but the so called medical professionals went on about how much he'd improved. My parents soon took him off the drugs against medical advice and were shocked. This is a more severe case, but it will at least effect you similarly to a lessor degree and you may not be-able to see it or care so much while influenced by the drug itself. I could tell you about my even more severe experience on a now banned antidepressants too, but it's a long story, or even the true story of how an anti-psychotic drug caused someone I know very well liver failure and almost killed him, luckily he recovered and his severe jaundice (yellow skin) reverted after they found out the cause in hospital.

Also as usual people are being lied to by doctors and pharmaceutical companies because they often state that numerous mind altering drugs are not normally habit forming including risperidone, but there are numerous reports of very serious to severe psychological and physical withdrawal if stopped suddenly after long term use. Yes, you would go through a "cold turkey" if you stopped risperidone quickly and this also means that your body gets used to the drug, so I'm afraid the effects at the same dose will not be permanent and what I warned in my earlier reply is likely to eventually happen unless you stop taking them. Unfortunately you won't agree, especially while under the influence of this drug, but the earlier you start cutting down slowly the better.

Antipsychotic Withdrawal Signs, Symptoms, Detox & Treatment

Note: Risperidone is mentioned on the reference list at the bottom of the above article, there are also numerous articles similar to this and yet I still read various reports of doctors saying to people that withdrawal is not possible.

And they commonly give these to autistic people who are more likely to have an addictive personality!

I am not addictive towards these. Im not feeling like your brother , nor am I your brother. Just because you saw something else doesnt mean it works the same on others. Besides that I actually see, hear, smell and feel more in a good way. I used to be numb and didnt care about anything before my meds, mainly because I was so stressed and burned out.

For the "being my true self"? I am always my true self, but now I can express myself. Besides that you said you didnt know much about this drug, I dont want to throw hate or anything but I can tell you still havent done your research. Besides this, I would like you to keep your statement for yourself about how I am not supossed to be myself and how bad they are according to you while you havent experienced it with me or with yourself.
 
I am not addictive towards these. Im not feeling like your brother , nor am I your brother. Just because you saw something else doesnt mean it works the same on others. Besides that I actually see, hear, smell and feel more in a good way. I used to be numb and didnt care about anything before my meds, mainly because I was so stressed and burned out.

For the "being my true self"? I am always my true self, but now I can express myself. Besides that you said you didnt know much about this drug, I dont want to throw hate or anything but I can tell you still havent done your research. Besides this, I would like you to keep your statement for yourself about how I am not supossed to be myself and how bad they are according to you while you havent experienced it with me or with yourself.
Yes, if you feel so much hurt/pain it is unfortunately possible to reach below a level where people appear to want to do anything about it where they seem to give up, this is called "apathy" which can sink even lower into "deep apathy" and it can be short or long term. If you seeked medical help yourself however you must have at least been fluctuating above apathy unless others forcibly intervened. I still don't believe these drugs are the answer however because as I've previously written I believe they will only make matters even worse in the long term even if they do seem to help at first, there are in my opinion much better ways that can work. I originally said I didn't know much about the drug, but I read up on this particular anti-psychotic for my later response. I have experienced more than enough mind altering drugs in my past and I don't want to try this particular one, but I've also seen plenty of people on very similar anti-psychotics that work in exactly the same way to varying degrees, I've seen the good and also the bad effects. I hope I am wrong and you are an exception and at least try to use this time of feeling better to make things better for yourself. I will have to agree to disagree on this. Best of luck! :)
 
Everyone is different. Like everyone has suggested, definitely do your research and BE CAREFUL! If it doesn't feel right after you've gotten a blood-level up, then tell your doctor. There are certain side-effects that are pretty standard...skin crawling, twitchiness, over-eating, under-eating, sleeping too much, not sleeping at all, and you get used to those, but you will always feel them (or at least I did). The first one they put you on rarely ever works...you go through several before they find the "right" one (I put right in quotes for a reason I'll get to in a minute). That's the hardest part.

In my personal experience (and please don't let this be a deterrent for you, mine is a really bad one), anti-depressants tend to have the opposite effects on me and I have to fight with the psychiatrists not to take them (and lord do they push them, especially in the US). A 72-hour suicide hold because of a bad med is what led me to this forum in the first place (Trintellix was the drug in case anyone was wondering). I tend to get more surly, angry, moody, and more depressed than normal until either my job asks me to stop taking them or I refuse myself. Not one drug (and I think I've pretty much been through the entire range that I can take...OCD limits the range) has ever worked on me, but they kept pushing them. I think that by the time I tested several of them, my depressive swing was over anyway, so I just stopped going to the doctors until the next episode. For some reason I always went back.

I do currently take Xanax and Ritalin, both prescribed by my neurologist (for different reasons to do with my migraines) and both work very well for me for my ASD issues too (so bonus). I can go weeks without taking the Xanax and sometimes I need several in a day. I also take Topamax and Gapapentin for my headaches and they have anti-anxiety/mood stabilizer properties, so again, bonus. I don't notice a difference with those two like the Xanax and Ritalin, but I don't take them for those purposes which is probably why. As long as my mood and anxiety is stable, my depression seems to be too. But this is also the first time in my entire life that I've been on a routine regimen of stabilizers, so that might be why.

I sometimes wondered if my shrinks actually were trying to treat the depression or the ASD. I've even had a couple of shrinks say that certain meds would help with certain aspects of my Asperger's and I don't understand why they even mentioned it. In a way, the meds did affect my Asperness, but not in a good way. They tend to zombify your brain so that it shuts down and you stop "worrying" about things. I live in my head pretty much 24/7. When I'm depressed, my brain is running too fast and too hard and in all kinds of bad directions and it upsets me to no end (my sister, who is manic, says her depression manifests by her brain shutting down completely, so I guess everyone's is different on that front too). Zombification sounds good on paper (my sister loves it and has been that way for YEARS thanks to her meds), but when it actually happens, I can only stand for a little while, then I want my head space back, only the meds won't let me, so then the depression gets worse because my head is empty and I have no place to escape. It's an endless loop, but it's why the meds make things worse for me. Sometimes it takes a while for this to happen, which is why it took the Trintellix eight months to get me to the suicidal point, but eventually I did get there. Luckily, unlike most ADs, it only took three days for the drug to get out of my system and I immediately felt better (although being at the hospital almost killed me for other reasons...being locked up, not eating because I was too scared to leave my room - until they started bringing me my meals, being away from my "happy place" with my stuff, not being able to cross stitch, etc). Then I pretty much have to rebuild my headspace which makes me incredibly anti-social, but not depressed.

Literally, on my last day at "bad hospital" (which is what I call it), about 40 minutes before I was released, I had a 5 minute session (because that's all the shrink time we got) with the first psychiatrist that I've ever run across who was an Asper-specialist (although he was a child specialist), and he told me that he only gives mood stabilizers and anti-anxieties to his Asper patients and that I should have never been given Trintellix (no crap...bit late at that point). For depression issues, he uses other methods to treat it (but we never got around to discussing that...another reason why I came here and honestly, this forum has done more good for me than anything). He recommended a few other meds (Topamax and Gapapentin being two of them) as well as Propranolol, which I haven't tried.

In the end, I have come to realize that ASD, OCD, Social Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, and Manic Depressive Disorder and psychiatric hospitals do not make a good marriage for me, so if that means I need to stay away from anti-depressants, then so be it. I think I literally got the depression scared out of me. Bad day? I just remember that little room with its bi-colored walls, blinds that wouldn't close at night, lack of bathroom supplies, staff who wouldn't keep my door closed (and who constantly tried to get me to come out of the room for various things, which I WOULD NOT do), and things remarkably get a bit better. The wonder drug that works wonders...mental hospitals! If I do get to the point where this stops working, I may need to seek other options, but I think my days of ADs are done unless they come out with a new "miracle" drug. I ain't countin' my chickins tho.
 
This is an interesting one. I am in hospital right now, transitioning back into life out of a depression. I felt it was time to get off my medicine, for the reasons that I am not going to argue at this moment. The doctor that I see, did not like that idea and threatened to take away all of my privileges if I did not continue my medication. I am not even qualified to be kept in hospital, and now he threatened to take away what is left of my freedom to force chemicals down my throat



~~~~~~~Rant over~~~~~~~


Back to the point...​




I did, for most of my life need my medicine in order to function. I could not have gone through most of what I did achieve in my life so far without it. Now, it is time to change and to move on, but I am addicted. Being on drugs all of my life has made me dependent, physically and mentally. I have the ability to get off of them and to stay 'sane' without them, though my body will hurt from withdrawals, my mind will get worse than normal, and I will dip; all while the doctors are saying that it is not worth it and I should stay on.




They are necessary sometimes, but there are better ways.
 
My thoughts on taking prescription medication?

It's horses for courses. If it works for you and you would like to, don't hold back.

I've recently given sertraline another go in an attempt to reduce some anxiety and OCD symptoms.
It improved my memory and I could string a coherent thought together.

It amplified all else though. (Obsession with germs, order, control ... And of course because I could string a thought together, some intense catastrophising and panic buying ...I have a cupboard in which are stored 11 rolls of swing in liners????
...?... I wouldn't usually stock up like that.
I'm quite certain I was experiencing mild mania whilst on 150mg daily.
I won't spell out what it did to my digestive system but will add I probably have the cleanest colon in living memory and will perhaps be approx 3kg lighter :)

I've since weaned myself off the meds and am starting to feel like I've changed down a gear.
For me it's the lesser of two evils.
I don't enjoy the anxiety and so on but if the above is my alternative, I'll stick with the anxiety et al.

Find another way to calm myself. :)
 
I think it’s certainly fine take prescription medication if you need it. I take prescription medication too. I take abilify for my anxiety.
 

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