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Post by Admin on Mar 20, 2020 0:09:05 GMT
MIA’s Drug Withdrawal Resources"We are in the process of expanding our resources regarding withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. We have published a new home page for this section, and completed our expanded informational resources related to withdrawal from antidepressants. The antidepressant page provides links to research on the safety and efficacy of antidepressants, a summary of studies related to antidepressant withdrawal, and a review of protocols for withdrawing from this class of drugs. The antidepressant withdrawal section also provides blogs, personal stories, podcasts, and videos related to this topic. This is a work in progress. We will be adding this same comprehensive mix of resources for antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, stimulants, mood stabilizers and “polypharmacy” in the coming weeks." www.madinamerica.com/drugs-withdrawal-home/
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Post by Admin on Apr 6, 2020 1:15:30 GMT
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Post by Admin on May 6, 2020 21:06:56 GMT
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Post by Admin on May 18, 2020 11:48:37 GMT
Prescribed drugs associated with dependence and withdrawalPrescribing of psychoactive drugs is a major clinical activity and a key therapeutic tool for influencing the health of patients. But often their use can lead to a patient becoming dependent or suffering withdrawal symptoms. www.bma.org.uk/what-we-do/population-health/prescription-and-illicit-drugs/prescribed-drugs-associated-with-dependence-and-withdrawalThis represents a significant public health issue, one that is central to doctors' clinical role, and one that the medical profession has a clear responsibility to help address. For a number of years, we have worked collaboratively with medical bodies and patients to identify what positive action can be taken to support patients. This has had a particular focus on the prescribed use of benzodiazepines, z-drugs, opioids and antidepressants. While there is a wide range of actions needed to address this issue comprehensively, the following recommendations set out key policy calls identified through our ongoing program of work.
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Post by Admin on Jun 2, 2020 18:31:58 GMT
Review Documents Severe Withdrawal Effects of Psychiatric Drugs Researchers find that most psychiatric drugs cause severe withdrawal despite attempts to gradually decrease the dosage. A new article in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics reviews the current literature on withdrawal syndromes after the discontinuation or decreased dosage of several psychiatric drugs. The review included antidepressant, antipsychotic, and anti-anxiety drugs. The researchers found that even with the use of gradual discontinuation, known as slow tapering, withdrawal symptoms were present for all classes of drugs studied. The review was conducted by Fiammetta Cosci of the University of Florence and Guy Chouinard of Maastricht University. The authors found that, contrary to popular belief, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI antidepressants), antipsychotics, and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI antidepressants) showed more severe and long-lasting post-withdrawal syndromes than benzodiazepines. This evidence challenges the suggestions of clinicians and researchers who propose replacing the use of benzodiazepines for anxiety with antidepressants and antipsychotics. www.madinamerica.com/2020/06/review-documents-short-long-term-withdrawal-effects-psychiatric-drugs/Acute and Persistent Withdrawal Syndromes Following Discontinuation of Psychotropic Medications pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32259826/
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Post by Admin on Jun 4, 2020 19:53:37 GMT
Supporting Children and Parents to Withdraw from Psychiatric Medication www.madinamerica.com/2020/06/supporting-children-parents-withdraw-psychiatric-medication/Part 1 of 2 "Few things are more frustrating and heartbreaking for a parent than having a child who struggles with anxiety, behavior, mood issues, or learning, doing everything they’re told to do to help that child and then watching them continue to struggle or get worse over time. Most parents want what is best for their children and will do whatever they can to help them be happy, healthy, and successful. Parents of children with challenges can quickly find themselves and their child on a twisted path of evaluations, treatment recommendations, and medications that seems to lead nowhere close to the destination they and their child desire – for the child to feel and function well. They are typically not given thorough information about potential root causes of their child’s challenges, all available options to address them, or what they should do before looking at medications for their child. So, parents do what they are told will be helpful – they fill the prescriptions and expect that their child will improve. But rarely is that the end of the story. For many, it is the beginning of a rollercoaster ride that neither parents nor child agreed to take. Psychiatric medications often do not lead to sustained improvement for children and can cause many adverse side effects that bring with them a host of new problems. Even when they do support symptom reduction, these drugs do not resolve the root causes of a child’s challenges and can lead to short and long-term health concerns. Yet they are widely used for symptoms and conditions that research has shown benefit from other approaches without the short and long-term safety concerns associated with these drugs." Nicole Beurkens, PhD, CNS nicolebeurkens.comWith advanced degrees in psychology, education, and nutrition, Dr. Nicole Beurkens is the world’s leading holistic child psychologist. She has dedicated her 22+ year, award-winning career to providing parents with research-based strategies that get to the root of children’s attention, anxiety, mood, and behavior challenges. She runs a multi-disciplinary evaluation and treatment clinic and is a best-selling author, published researcher, and mother of four.
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Post by Admin on Jun 8, 2020 20:11:26 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jun 18, 2020 17:13:26 GMT
UK Based Site Helps Users Manage Effects of Psychiatric Drugs A qualitative study on the social media site Elefriends illustrates how social networks create collective, affective knowledge about experiences with psychiatric medication. www.madinamerica.com/2020/06/uk-based-social-media-site-helps-users-manage-effects-psychiatric-medication/A paper published in the journal New Media and Society highlights the potential for social media and online platforms to support people navigating their experience on psychiatric drugs. Drawing on qualitative data gathered on user activity, authors Ian Tucker and Lewis Goodings explore how one peer-to-peer social media site in the UK, elefriends (http://www.elefriends.org.uk/), serves as a source of collective knowledge for those who take psychiatric medication, helping them manage the uncertain effects that such pills have on their bodies. Working in collaboration with a UK-based charity, members on elefriends provide direct peer-to-peer support to each other with a focus on issues of long-term psychosocial distress and psychiatric medication. According to Tucker and Goodings: “Elefriends is used at particular moments of reconfiguration (e.g., change in dosage and/or medication), periods of self-experimentation (when people tailor their regimen by altering prescriptions or ceasing medication) and when dealing with a present bodily concern (showing how members have a direct, immediate relationship with the site).” Medicated bodies: Mental distress, social media and affect Ian Tucker, Lewis GoodingsFirst Published August 19, 2016 Research Article doi.org/10.1177/1461444816664347journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444816664347
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Post by Admin on Jun 22, 2020 13:03:37 GMT
Amanda Burrill: Self-Advocacy and Self-Belief – Escaping Psychiatric Drugswww.madinamerica.com/2020/01/amanda-burrill-self-advocacy-self-belief-escaping-psychiatric-drugs/"This week on MIA Radio, we interview Amanda Burrill. After a successful career as a Surface Warfare Officer and Rescue Swimmer in the United States Navy, Amanda was on track to continue her career as a professional triathlete and marathon runner, as she had already been competing internationally while still in uniform. Around the time of her discharge, she was prescribed a cocktail of psychiatric medications that caused physical injuries, leading to an early end to her rapidly accelerating career. Amanda completed a Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University, a culinary arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and continued her work as a travel and culinary journalist; all while surviving a cocktail of over a dozen psychiatric drugs over eleven years. While being treated for a traumatic brain injury (TBI) by specialists at New York University in 2018, Amanda’s doctors raised concerns about the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), benzodiazepines, stimulants, sleeping medications and mood stabilizers concurrently prescribed to her by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Over the next 12 months, Amanda was successful in withdrawing from her cocktail of meds, which included the SSRI Zoloft. She now sees it as her mission to ensure that what happened to her does not happen to others." Derek Blumke www.madinamerica.com/2019/09/ambushed-antidepressant-withdrawal/Derek Blumke is the Veterans and Military Families Editor for Mad in America and is the co-founder of WalkThere.org. Previously, Derek co-founded and served as the President of Student Veterans of America (SVA), was the founding director of a national mental health program for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and was a NYC based tech entrepreneur. He is now leading efforts to investigate the role of antidepressants in causing the veteran suicide epidemic. www.madinamerica.com/author/dblumke/
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2020 17:11:07 GMT
A new review, published in Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, argues that while psychiatric drug withdrawal has been known to affect people who are trying to reduce their psychiatric drug use, psychiatrists and researchers have largely ignored this issue for decades. The authors, Peter Groot and Jim van Os, present compelling data showing that persons who would like to taper or come off psychiatric drugs receive little or no support. Often physicians lack training on psychiatric drug tapering, pharmaceutical companies do not produce dosages that would facilitate slow tapering, and insurance companies refuse to pay for tapering regimes. They argue that service-users’ first-hand experiences are essential for developing guidelines to support better those who would like to taper or come off psychiatric drugs while using tapering strips, tools to monitor withdrawal symptoms, and shared decision-making models. “Ironically and sadly,” Groot and van Os write, “what we see here is that the ‘evidence-based model’ of medical science has led to a culture of substantially ignoring patient experiences.” Service-User Knowledge Helps Researchers Develop Psychiatric Drug Tapering Approaches New strategies for tapering psychiatric drugs achieved by acknowledging withdrawal symptoms and valuing service-users’ first-hand knowledge. www.madinamerica.com/2020/07/service-user-knowledge-helps-researchers-develop-psychiatric-drug-tapering-approaches/How user knowledge of psychotropic drug withdrawal resulted in the development of person-specific tapering medication. Authors Peter C. Groot User Research Centre NL, Utrecht University UMC, The Netherlands Email: p.c.groot@umcutrecht.nl Tel: 31 (0) 622 290 233 Jim van Os UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands Email: p.c.groot@umcutrecht.nl iipdw.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PC-Groot-and-J-van-Os-User-knowledge-of-psychotropic-drug-withdrawal-Jan-2020.pdf
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Post by Admin on Jul 30, 2020 16:39:49 GMT
Strategies for Tapering and Discontinuing Antidepressants A new review of strategies to support both patients and practitioners through the process of discontinuing antidepressants. www.madinamerica.com/2020/07/strategies-tapering-discontinuing-antidepressants/A new review, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, identifies several strategies that prescribers can use to assist patients with coming off of antidepressants, and explores the barriers preventing individuals from doing so. The review highlights the need for further exploration of withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinuing antidepressants as well as to test whether the available tapering strategies work. The author, Tony Kendrick, a professor of medicine at the University of Southampton, writes: “Surveys of antidepressant users suggest 30-50% have no evidence-based indication to continue, but coming off antidepressants is often difficult due to fears of relapse, withdrawal symptoms, and a lack of psychological treatments to replace maintenance treatment and prevent relapse.” Strategies to reduce use of antidepressants Tony Kendrick First published: 12 July 2020 doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14475bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcp.14475Abstract Antidepressant prescribing has increased year on year since the introduction of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the 1980s. More than 10% of adults in England are now taking antidepressants for depression/anxiety, with a median length of treatment of more than 2 years, but antidepressants can cause side effects and withdrawal symptoms which increase with longer use. Surveys of antidepressant users suggest 30–50% have no evidence‐based indication to continue, but coming off antidepressants is often difficult due to fears of relapse, withdrawal symptoms and a lack of psychological treatments to replace maintenance treatment and prevent relapse. GPs should not prescribe antidepressants routinely for mild depressive/anxiety symptoms. Patients starting antidepressants should be advised that they are to be taken for a limited period only, and that there is a risk of withdrawal problems on stopping them. Prescribers should actively review long‐term antidepressant use and suggest coming off them slowly to patients who are well. The relationship between SSRI dose and serotonin transporter receptor occupancy suggests that hyperbolic tapering regimes may be helpful for patients with troubling withdrawal symptoms who cannot stop treatment within 4–8 weeks, and tapering strips can allow carefully titrated slower dose reduction over some months. Internet and telephone support to patients wanting to reduce their antidepressants is being trialled in the REDUCE programme. More research is needed to establish the incidence of withdrawal symptoms in representative samples of patients coming off antidepressants, and large randomised controlled trials are needed to test different tapering strategies.
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Post by Admin on Sept 1, 2020 18:35:53 GMT
An article in JAMA Psychiatry advises very slow tapering for best results when discontinuing antipsychotic drugs. The article was written by prominent UK researchers Mark Horowitz, Robin Murray, and David Taylor. Horowitz, Murray, and Taylor write, “As there is some evidence that not all patients need lifelong antipsychotic treatment and some may have improved social functioning when taking less or no antipsychotic, cautious deprescribing should be a component of high-quality prescribing practice.” Very Slow Taper Best for Antipsychotic Discontinuationwww.madinamerica.com/2020/09/slow-taper-best-antipsychotic-discontinuation/August 5, 2020 Tapering Antipsychotic Treatmentjamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2769191Antipsychotics are recommended for long-term treatment of schizophrenia because they reduce risk of relapse. However, antipsychotics have many adverse effects, including metabolic complications, tardive dyskinesia, and probable brain volume reduction.1 Patients may ask to reduce or stop their medication or do so abruptly without professional support, sometimes with dire consequences. As there is some evidence that not all patients need lifelong antipsychotic treatment and some may have improved social functioning when taking less or no antipsychotic,1 cautious deprescribing should be a component of high-quality prescribing practice. To our knowledge, there are currently no published guidelines on reduction or cessation of an antipsychotic; we propose principles relevant when deprescribing is thought appropriate.
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Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2020 1:04:52 GMT
A Straight Talking Introduction To Psychiatric Drugs (Second Edition): The Truth About How They Work And How To Come Off Them In stock ISBN 9781910919651 (PP.250) - PUBLISHING: 24TH SEPTEMBER Author: Joanna Moncrieff www.pccs-books.co.uk/products/a-straight-talking-introduction-to-psychiatric-drugs-second-editionIn an era when more people are taking psychiatric drugs than ever before, Joanna Moncrieff’s explosive book challenges the claims for their mythical powers. Drawing on extensive research, she demonstrates that psychiatric drugs do not ‘treat’ or ‘cure’ mental illness by acting on hypothesised chemical imbalances or other abnormalities in the brain. There is no evidence for any of these ideas. Moreover, any relief the drugs may offer from the distress and disturbance of a mental disorder can come at great cost to people’s physical health and their ability to function in day-to-day life. And, once on these drugs, coming off them can be very difficult indeed. This book is a wake-up call to the potential damage we are doing to ourselves by relying on chemical cures for human distress. Its clear, concise explanations will enable people to make a fully informed decision about the benefits and harms of these drugs and whether and how to come off them if they so choose.
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Post by Admin on Sept 12, 2020 14:50:48 GMT
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Post by Admin on Oct 15, 2020 18:24:27 GMT
New Study Explores Approaches to Discontinuing Antidepressants Psychiatrist and psychologist outline pharmacological and psychotherapeutic strategies for discontinuing antidepressants www.madinamerica.com/2018/11/new-study-explores-approaches-discontinuing-antidepressants/Discontinuing Antidepressant Drugs: Lesson from a Failed Trial and Extensive Clinical Experiencewww.karger.com/Article/FullText/492693Scholten et al. [1] reported on the first randomized controlled trial that attempted to prevent relapse in patients with remitted anxiety disorder who discontinued antidepressant drugs (AD) by use of a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) relapse prevention group compared to treatment as usual. The patients who were assigned to CBT received 8 group sessions of relapse prevention, targeting vulnerability factors and discontinuation symptoms. AD were tapered every 2 weeks within 4 months according to a fixed schedule. In the control group (treatment as usual), tapering and discontinuation of AD were carried out without CBT, in individual sessions, according to the same schedule [1]. Primary outcomes were occurrence/reoccurrence of any anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder. Secondary outcome was the success rate of discontinuation of AD. Seventy-three patients were enrolled. Over 16 months there were no significant differences between the CBT group and the treatment as usual group in any of the primary and secondary outcome measures. Despite guidance, only 36% of all participants succeeded in discontinuing AD, and only 28% did not have recurrence. One patient committed suicide. The trial was stopped prematurely for ethical reasons and futility [1]. However, it was certainly not futile and provided important insights into discontinuing AD. As the authors commented [1], the guidelines’ recommendations to discontinue AD were found neither feasible nor effective in their sample. The investigators, while convinced to apply the best evidence, found out that they had been simply misguided. Withdrawal symptoms and syndromes may occur during and despite slow tapering, do not magically vanish after a couple of weeks from discontinuation and may persist for a long time, leading to postwithdrawal syndromes [2, 3]. In this trial [1], the CBT group was thus stopped when it was more needed, as we are going to discuss below. Further, withdrawal symptoms and syndromes were not adequately assessed and addressed; they might have been misidentified as the occurrence of an anxiety disorder. That specific trial was bound to fail, but alternative routes may be feasible. We will describe the approach to discontinuing AD that we have developed over the years. It has not been tested in controlled trials but may inspire new research efforts in an area that badly needs investigation.
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