Comments on: To hell and back

By: ross@gladtobegluten-free.com

ross@gladtobegluten-free.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:31:26 +0000

Thanks for posting this. Words that I think of are:
Unfathomable.
Inspiring.
Real.
Hard to express really.
Regards.
Ross.

By: giannakali

giannakali — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:04:07 +0000

Jane,
Lots of us have felt like you do now…I often still do. You just have to keep going and try to take care of yourself. If you cold-turkeyed off clonazepam and paxil — if it hasn’t been too long you might consider reinstating them and tapering extremely slowly. Both those drugs are agonizing to cold-turkey just by themselves…doing both of them is sure to make you feel like you’re dying…But you’re not.

If you can get a doctor to help you get back on them—if it’s been less than a month or so it will help tremendously—then go slow and easy. For Paxil check out the website paxilprogress:

http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/

for benzos check out:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/benzo-recovery-naturally/

You can survive. I’ve known of lots and lots of people who feel just like you do now and it will pass. Don’t give up and take care of yourself.

You can also check out my about page for general info on withdrawal and look at the Recovery Stories for inspiration…(the tabs are at the top of this web page)

By: Jane Kernighan

Jane Kernighan — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:40:57 +0000

I am sitting outside my house because I can’t bear to be inside. I have yanked off of clo. nazepam and paxil to quickly. I have also been on other psych meds. I am currently on a small amount of ativan which I should never have been put on in the first place as well as a small amount of manerix an MAOI. I am trying to wean off of these drugs slowly. My nervous system is so trashed I don’t think I will ever recover. It is all I can do to eat. I want to just give up. I have a trauma specialist who says she can help me but I can’t make it down to see her. Myu life is ruined. Has anyone been in a similar situation and how did they survive?
janek

By: Jazz

Jazz — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:29:07 +0000

This is a truly inspiring story. I can relate to much of what Thor says. I question my own diagnosis frequently…or at least, I question the doctors who tell me I need to be medicated for life.

By: Jim S

Jim S — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:32:31 +0000

Gianna,

Thanks for posting this story. You are getting quite a collection. We who suffer from a diagnosis of mental illness need real stories like this to give us hope.

The story shows how drugs are thrown around by doctors, and the side effects like weight gain–great weight gain, not just a few pounds. We also need to know that there are people out there in the world surviving without medication.

Thanks Again,
Jim S

By: giannakali

giannakali — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:37:05 +0000

yes, naturalgal…
it’s the tragedy of our time…kids becoming prescription drug addicts beaten into submission by the system…

Thank god Thor had the strength and confidence to see through it—-but at such a cost.

By: naturalgal

naturalgal — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:15:11 +0000

You know when I first got done reading his story I was so happy for him. Another success story, I thought.

But then, I went for a mid afternoon walk, and I came back steaming angry. This kinda crap is still going on! I wondered how many like Thor don’t get out…10, 20 or 30?

This kind of stuff is craziness.
People go in with problems and are made far worse than they ever were in the first place.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:14:47 +0000

Thanks for posting this in yet another forum. This story should be spread far and wide and I plan to share it with others myself. I truly wish Thor the best of luck in whatever endeavors he undertakes. He’s an amazing guy.

By: naturalgal

naturalgal — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:36:30 +0000

What a story. Good for him!

By: Doe

Doe — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:41:47 +0000

I really thought this was a very well-written, important article as well, and agree with the previous comment…so much suffering caused. I got diagnosed as bipolar and put on meds (Topamax) that caused me to be suicidal and depressed and for my friends and family to no longer recognize me. I no longer believe the diagnoses–I was suspicious of it from the start…I have no history of it in the family…none of the manic behavior…I was basically depressed with occasional reprieves from the depression that let me be creative (I wasn’t going on spending binges or staying up for hours at a time, none of that…I”ve always been an early to bed, early to rise person…)…but b/c of this diagnoses and the side effects that the bipolar drugs caused, I began to resemble an unstable person….

It is sad…and angering…we’ve all heard so many similar stories, and there are so many more untold stories.

As an interesting aside, it ends up I have a couple of other things in common with Thor–the exact same birthday, Aug. 28, and growing up in Kansas.

Thanks for sharing this, Gianna.

By: Bipolar Welllness Writer

Bipolar Welllness Writer — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:23:36 +0000

Gianna,
What an amazing story! When we think about the increasing number of people who are experiencing something similar, it makes me sad, and so very angry.

The aggressive marketing of pharmaceutical medication is increasingly responsible for such a high level of suffering that it should be criminal. For years, the NIMH reported that 2.1 million people in the U.S. suffered from bipolar disorder. Then suddenly the number jumped to 5.7 million. How could it suddenly increase so significantly?

It’s because the pharmaceutical industry sees bipolarity as a huge potential market–but only if it’s more frequently diagnosed. And it’s probably happening in every segment of the “mentally ill” population. What a nightmare!

Susan

By: Stephany

Stephany — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:29:12 +0000

He really is truly remarkable.