Mental Health Betrayal: My Life on Celexa

[@krbaughn]

Someone needs to take this to Congress and nationally televise the harm that is being done by these hideous drugs and how the pharma companies, government and doctors are complicit.

[@Haliotro]

Maybe televise how gullible u all are as well as ignorant of conversion disorder.

[@ajax700]

It has happened, search for the son of senator Stupak story 20 years ago: nothing happened.

[@kavitadeva]

There is a lot that you DONT KNOW about Dr Josef. Big Pharma sucks Totally agree, But be aware of this.

[@kassi4837]

We could also take these stories to manga writers.

[@pinkdostoyevsky]

Too much greed - they care about profits not people:(

[@gashacker1]

I was on a ventilator suffering my second bout of GBS. (The result of a cold virus infection, happened twice). About twenty days into my complete paralysis, the devious physicians added Elavil into my meds, without informing me. God it was terrible! Super drowsy, could not even stay awake for visits by my wife. I wondered what was going on, and with my message board I spelled out "meds review". Half a dozen meds in the doctor said "Elavil". What! I couldn't believe it, so I raised the biggest fuss possible, (wiggled my eyes). He reluctantly offered to stop the Elavil. Whew! I am glad that I stood up to those bastards.........

[@incognito595]

Because that is exactly what they are, to not believe their patients. I haven't taken their drugs in almost three years and I can barely get to the bathroom safely. My entire body and brain is so damaged, I worry that I am imminently dying, and maybe I AM.

[@delmar418]

You know, the problem with these young interns is that they are not taught the real world model of SSRI cessation. They aretaught that what's in the blood is the core, not what the state of the brain is, so in cases of benzo withdrawal for example, they reach for the convenient Abilify, or other convenient drugs that they are TAUGHT will help, but it's quite the opposite.

[@stevekaylor5606]

Empiricism has little to do with agapeic love - which is what mental health is!

[@yano391]

I lived the same story. Those drugs destroyed. Withdrawal made such a mess in my brain that I have never recovered even 8 years later. No doctors belive the patient when you just tell your story. This kind of testimony est very important to share so that doctors learn. Thank you Dr Josef to share patient's experiences.

[@Snowflake1374]

Going through the same. Long term sertraline, tapered off too fast. Protracted WD and damaged brain 16 months off. Dont know if I ever will be normal again.

[@yano391]

@@Snowflake1374 I'm sorry for you. I can tell you I improved over the years but I'm still not normal again and for now, it's been 3 years and don't see any improvements. I hope it's just too slow so that I can't see it. I try my best to support my brain. Nevertheless, this experience destroyed my whole life on different ways : professionnal, social, freinds, family.. No one seems to understand what we are going through. At best, we are considered as hyponcondriacs... As doctors do not beleive us, it's not surprising family and friends do not beleive us as THEY are still trusting the doctors. It's mabey the hardest part for me : feeling so alone and still have to fight while you have just been put on you knees by the medical system that will no longer support you aftermath.

[@Jen.K]

Protracted withdrawal from Lexapro messed up my life for about 10 years. It was so bad at first that I couldn’t leave my bedroom, the symptoms were overwhelming. There was no help from doctors because they only wanted to put me back on more medication, which made symptoms even worse. The problem with taking these kinds of drugs is that they change the way your brain works, the brain and nervous system adapts to the environment and when you try to remove the medication, for some people, everything goes into chaos, and it can take a long time for it to repair itself. There’s no treatment or medication that can help once the chaos starts. The only solution is to come off the drugs slowly enough, and for some people that means tapering over the course of years.

[@kavitadeva]

@Jen.K Jen I read your comment and I want to say I am so sorry that you went through that and that had to be and still is possibly a horrific traumatic situation. however, what I want to say is, that I left a comment, and people don't like it. to see this doctor is $12,000 just to consult one time. I am on Lexapro right now and I got off at once and that did not at all happened to me I got off it in 2 weeks and I was fine and then in a couple of years the Depression started coming back with the ideations etc etc got back on the Lexapro and it's better. not all people have the same experience that you did and that's unfortunate you did and again I'm sorry. but this doctor is taking advantage of the people that bad things have happened to and I have talked to him at length and everybody needs to be aware of who they are thinking is the greatest doctor in the world

[@Jen.K]

@@kavitadeva I'm happy to hear you have not had a bad experience with these drugs, and that they have helped you. As for this doctor charging disgusting amounts of money to see people, I don't know anything about that. But his free videos are helpful with alerting people to the possible dangers.

[@ljsc1265]

I experience some of the same physical symptoms that you mentioned. My eyesight is compromised, along wtith aggravating bouts of tinnitus. I also lost my ability to drive, which removed a significant portion of my freedom. Thank you for sharing your story.❤

[@julieowen5874]

Dr Josef!! You are absolutely doing God's work!!! These pharma companies need to be held accountable!!! Thank you for your work...

[@kevk741]

Dr Josef’s work has kept many of my friend’s alive with the hope that someday things will be different. I tell people, try going into an ER and say you are/were neurologically injured by the Prozac you stopped 4 years ago and you’ll understand the problem. It’s a gauntlet of ignorance once you become injured by your medication. Doctor’s are not being taught. Harm from prior medication exposure isn’t even in a doctor’s differential. The anxiety you feel might not be anxiety anymore. It might be neurological injury and things like “inner akathisia” from the same drug you used to try and “treat it”. No one told me this could happen. I don’t know one person w/chronic akathisia that even heard the word before becoming injured. They also had to find out themselves which is scary in itself.

[@i.ehrenfest349]

Yeah, I remember telling the psychiatrist-pharmacologist from the department of what the dunces called ‘biological psychiatry’ at Leiden’s university hospital (outpatient) that Paxil gave me akathisia. “No,” he said. That is not a side effect. To his credit, 2 weeks later he said he’d looked it up and whatdoyouknow, it’s a side effect. He was supposed to be among the best😮 of psychopharmacologists! Another psychopharmacologist told me to go on klonopin 3x a day permanently, and that reports of dependence were ‘exaggerated’. Did you manage to get off Prozac? I’m on Prozac, and I don’t think I can. So if you did, I really wonder how you managed it?

[@kassi4837]

@@kevk741 this.

[@kevk741]

@@i.ehrenfest349 my I got acute akathisia from a 4 week Prozac trial at 19 years old. I unknowingly became a pain patient by 22 year old b/c of some of this med harm. I was also injured by a 20mg ER (3x/day) Ritalin trial before I did. Find Bob Schwartz’s documentary “If I’d known the Rxisks” and hear how he was injured by a 54mg Concerts trial. In the end, it was primarily opiate + benzodiazepine that got me the last two times. I mean, benzodiazepines unknowingly got me a bunch of times. Each time the damage was worse and lasted longer. Kindling a benzodiazepine is definitely real. I believe you can kindle an opiate as well. Do yourself a favor and Find Dr. Stuart Shipko in Mad in America and read about his work with tardive akathisia. He doesn’t understand benzodiazepines injury but he does understand antidepressants injury. He has a lot of good insight to these injuries. Like Shipko, I have seen friends taper to specs of dust and still wind up with tardive injuries. I do believe tapering prevents some injuries but not all. I am also a big believer in hyperbolic tapering like Mark Horowitz suggests. I also believe you should ALWAYS try to taper the original offending medication. No two benzodiazepines or antidepressants are the same. If it’s a benzodiazepine, you should add dosing intervals before considering a switch. I’ve seen switches to Valium go wrong as often as they go right. My suggestion is to try tapering 5%. If you have trouble at the beginning, the chance of injury and ever coming off are high. You get way more hurt coming off and then trying to go back on. Four months off klonopin, I had tardive madness erupting. I tried one of everything “feel good” trying to wrestle this neurological gorilla. Nothing “worked” the same. My friends with chronic akathisia and other protracted injury will tell you, you can get so injured you become intolerant to ALL pharmaceuticals. If you are stable, consider riding it until the wheels fall off. Removing can be a tricky maneuver. It’s why they should never start people on these things. At least not keep them on them for more than the 14 weeks like the clinical trials said. I first got hurt by klonopin while “only” taking it 2x/week. I let the RX run out never thinking something like “this” could happen. I have friends crippled in pain 8 years after taking a benzo for 2 weeks. I feel strongly benzodiazepines should be procedural use only. Either that or give people an RX for 3 tablets and tell them not to use them all in one place. www.madinamerica.com/2020/08/ssri-withdrawal-elephant/

[@PhDdoctornurseAGACNP-BC]

My doctor prescribed it for my chronic pain. I took 1/2 a capsule. Within the next several hours, my heart pounded out of my chest and I couldn't sleep for 72 hours. I am a PhD Nurse Practitioner (advanced practice provider)... and I will neither prescribe celexa nor take it ever again!! I am glad that my body rejected it, immediately! At the time, I hadn't ever prescribed the med. Later, when I thought about it, I am very surprised that my doctor recommended 30 mg capsule a day to start! I am glad that I opened the capsule, and only took 1/2 of a capsule! I have seen patients trying to get off that, and other mental health medications (benzodiazepines)-- and it looks like a distressful hell!

[@ArtU4All]

🙏🌿 Stay safe Keep your patients safe ❤ Only four minutes into the episode, and I had to to start reading comments… Q for you as a health care pro from another health care pro: how does a psychologist, although not a Rxing clinician, but a mental health pro, not know about the ADRs and withdrawal potential… . Surely, she had to deal with numerous pts that already had been on various psychotrops at various lengths of time , dealing with physical and psychological and psychiatric issues … 🫣🤔

[@incognito595]

Precisely.

[@MOAB-UT]

oUCH. hOW ARE YOU FEELING NOW?

[@PhDdoctornurseAGACNP-BC]

@ - while I had that same question and thoughts, I can also envision that she was feeling so poorly that she wasn't a sound decision maker for herself-- and likely others under her care. She had a new job, which she was trying to keep, and she was really feeling very poorly. Not to mention the allergens in her midst. I would surmise that she wasn't sleeping well either-- which impacts decision-making. All in all- this combination of problems was a recipe for disaster. Just my take.

[@incognito595]

@@PhDdoctornurseAGACNP-BC There is simply no way to explain the Horror of BENZODIAZEPINES. There are NO words to describe how bad and HORRIBLE AND FRIGHTENING, and disabling it is. None.

[@claireh.7605]

After going from 20 mg Lexapro in three weeks skipping doses, I have so much anger and no sense of offending people. I am an evil nasty abusive miserable person now and overly sensitive to caffeine. I lost my job and said so many mean things to people.

[@dianecleary1054]

At least your self aware and owning up to your destructive behaviours . That's a great start . Go to church as a point of peace . The ketogenic diet may help you .

[@TAG-1984]

Also have/had anger issues since stopping Lexapro for 13 years (quit 1.5 years ago) I told my psych that long term use changes people personality’s. And of course she felt the need to defend the pharmaceutical industry ‘’there’s still no evidence for that blabla’’

[@Haliotro]

Sounds like your issue is one of self control rather than a med effect

[@ljsc1265]

@@claireh.7605 ♥️

[@SunnyCarnivore]

​@@HaliotroTroll

[@kj-sf4md]

I've a question regarding Dr's. Adding antidepressants to older people. Mom entered a rehab after a joint replacement surgery. They automatically prescribed an antidepressant. I asked why. They claimed it adds to bringing up the mood thus increasing the likelihood to promote positive interactions with therapeutic healing. What?? Six weeks later, When mom came home she was still on them. So what do these drugs do to the elder / aged? And why is this an "routinely prescribed" and can it ever be safely be removed?

[@ArtU4All]

16:05 into the episode. I am having the hardest time keeping straight the specifics of what the symptoms were at whatever dosages. As it seems, there are numerous underlying heath issues that had this patient on a very very fragile foundation. Much compassion to you Gloria 🌿🙏❤️

[@Jonibaloneyji]

Mental health meds almost killed me. I've been off of everything now for 14 years. My mental health started getting better after the first couple of years of hell coming off them.. I did it gradually with the help of a doctor who was in recovery.

[@thewhiterabbituk]

amazing to know that 10% reduction every 2-4 weeks is standard considering the number of young women i know like myself that have had long term valium scripts taken back by GP in a two week window or less.

[@nwicconsultants6640]

And please note: When speaking of a 10% reduction one who is tapering is usually referring to 10% of the LAST reduced amount and not 10% of the original prescribed dosage. The reduction is therefore spread out over a relatively longer period of time.

[@NegativeReferral]

I'm terrified of "reinstitutionalization" in the United States. Police should have no business enforcing what is essentially etiquette.

[@Charlotte74347]

I have manic depression and anxiety disorders. I was so anxious.I was put on Paxil 40mg and .25 alprazolam at age of 25. Been on these .still am I trying to cut down on my alprazolam and Paxil. It made me get brain zaps. I am stuck on the Paxil because the feeling of electric shock to my brain the zaps are awful. So I'm now 61yr old I can't deal with those Brain zaps.yes zap is bad. I am glad to be on my Paxil .I can not cope with out it

[@emmamitchell7179]

Yes the brain zaps were the main and most severe withdrawal symptoms from coming off antidepressants for me. I was continuously prescribed various SSRIs, have stopped escitalopram cold turkey while moving countries, and experienced brain zaps and dizziness if I turned my head suddenly, but after 2 weeks I was fine. I had taken it and citalopram immediately before that, for years. I was very lucky to not suffer protracted withdrawals. As none of these meds had any effect on my anxiety, depression and insomnia, I am now being prescribed an SNRI, Mirtazapine. This also has no effect on me. I have been taking 30 mgs a day, taken at night, for about 4 years now. I am on a few other prescribed drugs so I want to stop this medication. I am only taking 15 mgs daily now and hope to taper off it as soon as possible. I hope it won't be too much of a hassle. However, I have been taking opioids in a variety of forms for half my life (am nearly 60). Only one at a time, as with the antidepressants. Reducing these is not suiting my messed up neurochemistry at all. Have been half bedridden for 15 years now, and feel terrified to go out without taking my opioid first. No energy, no will to do anything. My bedroom is like a pigsty, as I live and eat in this room, despite having a 2 bedroom house all to myself. I hope to get a cat as a companion and emotional support animal. I have a lot of love and affection to give and would be able to take care of one without any neglect, unless I am in a very bad way. I would reach out for help if that was the case. I also have autism and haven't worked for 15 years. The thought of getting up in the morning to do housework, including cooking, bathing 🛁, changing bedlinen, doing anything (apart from reading, or watching KZbin Christian or medical podcasts/videos to educate me) makes me want to smash my head on something (I never have though, and am glad it's difficult for the public to own a gun here in England, which is a blessing for obvious reasons). Not that I would harm myself when in my right mind and have never cut myself. It's just the exhausting anxiety, mostly social, which spoils my quality of life. I have tried many herbs and vitamins to no avail, except I would recommend ashwaghanda for mild anxiety and/or depression. Oh, never take 5HTP supplements when on something like Mirtazapine. I was throwing up for 12 hours, I believe due to too much serotonin in my brain, which can be dangerous. After a certain age, the brain is not likely to attain homeostasis (unless you can achieve a very clean strict diet and exercise a lot) and this is starting to be recognised by some doctors in the mental health field. So unless you have a partner or other carer, sometimes it is not worth torturing ourselves into getting off all medication. The people who are determined to achieve this probably didn't suffer depression etc all their life and so can remember what feeling contented and happy was like. It was shocking to learn in this video that 12 and 13 year olds are being prescribed these powerful drugs, when our brains are only half way through to optimum development. I want to go back to studying Spanish and Welsh again. This is amazing for maintaining neural plasticity. I could actually feel my mind pop open with improved clarity, a feeling of lightness. So now I have described nearly all my medical life story, I hope someone manages to read it all and that this comment wasn't worthless. God bless.

[@briana5772]

I experienced sexual dysfunction the day after taking the first dose of celexa. Called my doctor and she said to stop taking it right away. Luckily the symptom didn't last.

[@therealdeal3672]

Thankfully I haven't had that side effect.

[@mikekelp2310]

I gave up on doctors after bad care. I feel better doing without

[@nataliemiles4430]

Same. They ignored way more than they actually tried to treat. Then the treatments injured me physically and psychologically. So it’s a no go for me. I’m off all the drugs now.

[@unshackledmind7863]

Zoloft gave me Peyronie's disease and Citalopram exacerbated it.

[@Paulaatmdbqdotnet]

I took Celexa for a month and felt like I was being poisoned from the inside out! It was awful! Fortunately, I stopped the drug after that month and never took another antidepressant after that! …And I’m FINE! 😊 No antidepressants needed!

[@princesspikachu3915]

I took Celexa for many years and quit “cold turkey” and against medical advice when I found out I was pregnant. I don’t know if my health problems were triggered by the Celexa or one of the many other medications I’ve taken since childhood. I’m currently not taking anything other than asthma medication. I have pretty bad dystonia as a result of being used as a psychiatric medication Guinea pig since age 6.

[@stevekaylor5606]

Anyone who is employed in Mental Health - must love the development of human potential!

[@margotbiggs4260]

I heard there might be some way to use sleep deprivation in the treatment of some types of depression, especially for those of us who suffer badly with diurnal mood variation. I would love it if you could give us some information on this!

[@konna200]

First time i have posted because this time i was so triggered! So my short story is = Klonopin 15y/4mg clonazepam ruined my 15y+ life and i have ADHD so next year i will be me and take meds for my ADHD? Whats the point? No meds ever anymore?

[@Haliotro]

Huh?

[@nettinoo]

@@Haliotro I think he's trying to say that He was later diagnosed with ADHD but before that diagnosis he was prescribed anti anxiety medications and they ruined his life. It's a very normal story. It happened to me too. I am also awaiting an autism assessment by because they didn't diagnose me correctly backin the day I was told to take some pretty powerful drugs that meant my life went downhill. I tried the medications for ADHD and once again had nasty side effects. I feel the same as @konna200. Is this correct?

[@rosebronikowski2022]

Sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to say.

[@javlynblue2024]

Research your options a d the causes. Mat I suggest McKayla Peterson to begin with.

[@mbhike]

Certainly believe her experience. We do not know reasons Dr. initially prescribed Celexa. It’s not clear quitting the stressful job was related to Celexa. Agree that many doctors do not understand how to discontinue antidepressants/benzos, safely.

[@dennismorin9024]

Celexa for me is a lifesaver !!

[@LindaLord-nr9pr]

How many harmful meds since the vioxx saga ???

[@ebert8756]

❤

[@ansnfbsknanssshshbsnsndnd5438]

.5mg?! Surely she meant 5mg

[@kavitadeva]

Dr. you are SENSATIONAL IZING IN SO MANY WAYS. IT IS UPSETTING. I am updating 12/31/24 To all the people that are leaving ridiculously stupid replies, you have never spoken to nor talked about anything privately with Dr Josef. But I have at length, so let me just tell you this. To go see him for a consultation is $12,000. I could go on and on but it's not worth it for me to waste my energy on people that leave stupid replies like "nope" so you just go ahead and keep your head in the sand or up your butt.

[@pinkdostoyevsky]

Nope.

[@Mr3DPrintWizard]

Not even close.

[@kavitadeva]

@Mr3DPrintWizard have you spoken to him personally. No. Your preply says NOTHING

[@kavitadeva]

@@pinkdostoyevsky wow pink, that was profound.

[@kavitadeva]

@Mr3DPrintWizard @Mr3D, is that ALL you can say? Then you do NOT KNOW ANYTHING

[@brandontomlinson4301]

This