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The @nytimes ran a piece this morning on the psychiatric profession’s effort to take control of the conversation around “deprescribing” as attention grows under Secretary Kennedy and MAHA. On its surface, the new ASCP guidance reflects the work of psychiatrists who, I have no doubt, care deeply about their patients and are genuinely trying to improve practice. But it’s also a long overdue acknowledgment of something patients themselves forced into the open years ago, after being told their withdrawal was “relapse” and kept on medications without meaningful review. So many of us were cycling through prescriptions without anyone seriously asking whether we still needed them, or how to safely come off. Now the field is stepping in to define deprescribing for itself, at the same moment political pressure is forcing the issue into the mainstream. I keep coming back to the way that slow tapering is framed as “unscientific” in this article, and the dangerous suggestion that some long half-life drugs like Prozac can be stopped abruptly because they “auto-taper.” That view does not reflect what many patients have lived through. It’s also not what’s reflected in the hyperbolic tapering methods patients developed on their own, after being left without clinical guidance and finding each other instead

I used to take an antipsychotic, an antidepressant, and 5 Xanax a day. Taking these drugs had consequences. Those drugs were behind my declining health. After a psychotic break in 2008 I was put on an antipsychotic. Initially it was needed but I was told I would need it for the rest of my life. That wasn’t true. I developed serious life threatening side effects like drug induced Parkinsonism. Eating became impossible. I asked my psychiatrist to reduce my meds. She said no. We previously tried and it didn’t go well. I was barely able to function. I could barely eat or drink. My pulse was erratic. I gained 130lbs. I sometimes fainted Daily balance issues. Poor depth perception Poor night vision Inability to regulate my body temperature Electrolyte imbalances I had high triglycerides and high blood pressure. Bladder incontinence Bowl incontinence Memory issues Difficulty following along in conversations. Learning was hard. I had a flat expressionless face Systemic inflammation Itchy skin that I scratched until it bled. Drug side effects made me feel anxious and depressed. I was given a prescription for an antidepressant and Xanax. I got to the point I couldn’t leave my house. For 13 years I went to doctors with these complaints. Informed consent before drugging is needed. There’s a better way now. Please check out @Metabolic_Mind Medical keto, intermittent fasting, and daily exercise saved me. I reduced my geodon from 80mg to 14mg. I’m no longer taking Cymbalta or 5 Xanax a day. I monitor my ketones daily now. Staying well depends on it. Conventional “treatment” failed me.

ANTIDEPRESSANT WITHDRAWAL INJURY is a serious neurological brain injury that happens even when you stop an SSRI following “standard” doctor tapering advice. After long-term use, the brain & nervous system adapt and change but the rushed 2-4 week one-size-fits-all tapers doctors still use are dangerously fast and actively causing brain injuries on a massive scale. Right now, thousands of people are being harmed simply by doing exactly what their doctors tell them and end up with long-term neurological damage and years of disability. The system gaslights victims, denies the harm, and hides the truth. This rivals the opioid crisis. If you've been affected, you're not alone. Share your story. #antidepressantwithdrawal #pssd