# prescription drugs, is there another way?



## 26fae89 (Nov 28, 2012)

Lifetime disabilities. prescriptions needed.
My question is for mental illness, such as bipolar, or anxiety.
If something were to happen where there would be no pres drugs left, whats the best thing i could do? Deff thinking will have to learn to live without but don't want to go cold turkey. what are the chances of staying mostly stable if they could be cut down slowly to nothing.? Are there any special foods/vitamens, etc to help?
Very Curious about some alternatives/ideas/advice..


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

You don't want to go cold turkey with Psychiatric drugs. Some, like Paxil, will make you very sick if you quit cold turkey. It you had a situatin where you could no longer get your meds, then I would start reducing the dosage over time... 3/4 a dose, to 1/2 a dose, to a 1/4 dose. If you can afford it, get yourself a Nurse's Drug guide or the Pill Book. If you cant buy one, you can make copies of the pages that pertain to your drugs. 

I have a child with severe psychiatric issues. We found that processed foods (especially lunchmeat) and red food colorings cause her to have aggitation and anxiety. You might keep a food journal and see how the foods you are eating affects your mood. 

Fish oil and Vitamin D are supposed to be mood stabilizers. Some people say they work, some say they don't. You might experiment with different supplements now and see if any of it helps or makes your symptoms worse. You don't want to be trying to experiment during a crisis situation.


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## deetheivy (Aug 7, 2012)

kejmack said:


> You don't want to go cold turkey with Psychiatric drugs. Some, like Paxil, will make you very sick if you quit cold turkey. It you had a situatin where you could no longer get your meds, then I would start reducing the dosage over time... 3/4 a dose, to 1/2 a dose, to a 1/4 dose. If you can afford it, get yourself a Nurse's Drug guide or the Pill Book. If you cant buy one, you can make copies of the pages that pertain to your drugs.
> 
> I have a child with severe psychiatric issues. We found that processed foods (especially lunchmeat) and red food colorings cause her to have aggitation and anxiety. You might keep a food journal and see how the foods you are eating affects your mood.
> 
> Fish oil and Vitamin D are supposed to be mood stabilizers. Some people say they work, some say they don't. You might experiment with different supplements now and see if any of it helps or makes your symptoms worse. You don't want to be trying to experiment during a crisis situation.


Awesome post Kej.

I agree, I had a friend who had been prescribed zanex for so long that if he quit taking it then he, I want to say, would go into cardiac arrest. Can't remember, but I know it was not a good ideal.

You could go Herbal, as there are states that have legallized it for either adult consumption, or for medicinal use. This won't help everyone, and I know alot of people on here are going to blast me for this but oh well, you asked and I'm just offering you my opinion. There is plenty of info out there I can post some here if you'd like.

I am bipolar, and manic. I have delt with these things by dealing with them. Recognizing them for what they are and doing my best to cope. No drugs in this regard. I have been in constant pain since I was a child. For several years now cannabus has alowed me to live without hurting everytime I turn around.

Just my two cents


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

prescription drugs, is there another way? 

Yes, but it will take some research on your side ... alright a lot of research.

One day at a time... best of luck.


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## 26fae89 (Nov 28, 2012)

kejmack said:


> You don't want to go cold turkey with Psychiatric drugs. Some, like Paxil, will make you very sick if you quit cold turkey. It you had a situatin where you could no longer get your meds, then I would start reducing the dosage over time... 3/4 a dose, to 1/2 a dose, to a 1/4 dose. If you can afford it, get yourself a Nurse's Drug guide or the Pill Book. If you cant buy one, you can make copies of the pages that pertain to your drugs.
> 
> I have a child with severe psychiatric issues. We found that processed foods (especially lunchmeat) and red food colorings cause her to have aggitation and anxiety. You might keep a food journal and see how the foods you are eating affects your mood.
> 
> Fish oil and Vitamin D are supposed to be mood stabilizers. Some people say they work, some say they don't. You might experiment with different supplements now and see if any of it helps or makes your symptoms worse. You don't want to be trying to experiment during a crisis situation.


I guess you could say may health is really bad right now, i have some bad habbits that ive formed. But in trying to get over the one, i realized cutting down slowly works for me. i was drinking 2 cans of monster a day (320mg of caffiene) went down to one, and now 12oz red bull. It may seem stupid but it was hell, i was so used to it, i experienced a lot of rapid/pounding heart beat, but now that im not consuming so much, i dont have as many chest pains. I have been taking emerg C, vit D, and probiotics. it has helped some, but i just started taking Vit B's, especially b12, and also magnesium/calcium/zinc recently. Its rough right now because i feel like my body is getting rid of a lot of bad bacteria, but in a week or two im hoping to feel a lot better. 
I heard that certain nutriants are depleted from taking antipsych meds.
I have BiPolar and Anxiety. Am on Seroquel, Kpin and Visteral.
I actually stopped taking a drug that they didnt want me to stop, i cut it in half for a couple of weeks and then 1/4, then gone...that was Pristique. LeT mE tEll you, i honestly felt like a was a zombie the whole time i was taking that, ive been off of that for about 6 months and have so much more energy.
I also have food allergies, 5% chance of thyroid cancer(biospy next week).
I could go on forever, 
but the main point is trying to take charge of ones self without the help of others.
The way things are happening around the US, im getting worried that i'll be stuck and possibly die if im not in a good state of health.
Trying to take charge of my body/overall health quickly but safely


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Predisposition to anxiety + caffiene = :gaah: 
definetly be aware of that link.

Some people have good results with valerian for anxiety or camomile.

The first thing I would do though is make sure I always had at least a month of pills at any point in time, that would make me less anxious


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

A good friend of mine has bi polar disorder and was on a high fish diet. I want to say salmon was the big thing. Also dark greens if I remember correctly. You may ask your doctor if he/she has any recommendations.


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## labotomi (Feb 14, 2010)

26fae89 said:


> I have BiPolar and Anxiety. Am on Seroquel, Kpin and Visteral.


Be very, very careful coming off the Klonopin. The side effects for benzodiazepine withdrawals are horrendous. Depending on what dosage and the length of time you've been taking them, it could take months or even years to wean yourself completely off of them. Unless you're on a very low dose, quitting cold turkey isn't an option or at least one anyone would willingly put themselves through.

I'd try to get off of them if at all possible. I've been on the other side of this and I would not want to find myself still dependent upon them with no supply. You will have trouble functioning, your senses will by hyperactive to the point of nausea to smells, blinded by bright lights, insomnia, confusion, fever, it will seem like your disconnected with the world and many other debilitating issues.

Look at the list of symptoms and decide how you would react if you suddenly were without your prescription.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome

There are many sites dedicated to weaning yourself off, but they mostly state the same thing. Switch to a longer acting benzo and reduce your dosage and hold for a few weeks. The higher your initial dose the larger the first few cuts can be, but the later ones and then taking yourself off completely is very difficult and where most people fail. You have to have the willpower to endure the symptoms will come even with gradual withdrawal. One sad thing is that some of the symptoms can last for quite a while after you completely quit.

If you start weaning yourself, I wish you the best of luck. Be careful and go slow. Your body will let you know if you've taken too large of a cut. Get your doctor involved. Hopefully they're understanding and will help you decide if switching to another type is better. It was for me. Tapering with klonopin made me feel like my head was being zapped every 30 seconds or so (thats the best description I can give).


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I suggest that you get a copy of "Nutritional Healing" by P. Balch. It has a lot of dietary and supplement treatments for a number of conditions. There are other good books but this is a good start.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Diet. I suggest stop going out to eat and stop buying pre-processed foods. Start trying different combinations of foods until you find something that makes you feel better. Organic isn’t really all that much more expensive if you cook from scratch. Compare the cost to buying all those pills and doctor’s visits, they will even out. Grow a garden in the summer.

I had a world of ills, all physical, that the Dr was giving me all sorts of pills for. Each pill would give me a side effect and sure enough there was another pill to take care of that! I changed the way I ate and what I ate. Lost some weight and got some exercise. That is where the lab puppy came in.

It took a few months but I started feeling better. Within a year I found what foods I could eat that not only gave me energy but made most of the pains and symptoms I had disappear. I am still tweaking the diet by trying new foods and ways of preparing them but have a good solid regime that I follow.

For suggestions, it really depends on the individual. It is like herbal teas, tinctures and decoctions, not all of them work for everyone. You have to experiment to find what works for you and the dosage that works too. I would start by cooking at home, perhaps add spinach and some fruits every day.

Find something that makes you happy! Do you have a hobby that you like? Do you take time to relax and smell the roses? Take a few breaks during the day and just look around. Watch a sunset from start to finish while sipping a mug of tea. Relax and forget about all your troubles for a few minutes. No, it will not make them go away but you can’t worry about them every second of the day.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

A lot of things are caused from deficiencies. 

I was spending 75.00 a month for an antidepressant and pain relief. Cymbalta. I had whole body pain! I also has some muscle relaxers and lortabs. So let's put that at 100.00 a month that I spent on meds.

Slowly lortabs stopped working, and I really wasn't feeling well. I continued swelling in my legs and barely able to get out of bed. This mostly started after a flu vaccine and tornado damaging our place of business with law suits everywhere. (stress or vaccine or ....)

I slowly weaned myself. I continued getting weekly massages, a saving grace. Then I realized how much money I had saved on medication and then I went to a Herbologist/naturopath doctor. She scanned me, I left with about 19 different herbs to take and main ones where for low vitamin D and low serotonin. See if you don't have any serotonin to begin with some of these drugs won't work at all.... 

Anyway, she also told me I had intolerance to wheat and milk! Wow, it's been hard but I'm getting those ou of my diet, wheat being the hardest of course.

But I'm not in a fog anymore, sure I get anxious and worry about things, but I'm not numb. 

All this to say, you can find help and get better. Good luck to ya!


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## AnonyManx (Oct 2, 2012)

There is a lot of info on nutritional solutions to emotional and psychiatric problems in "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. I was at a nutrition conference a couple of months ago, and she was one of the featured lecturers; very interesting stuff! We have implemented some of her supplement suggestions around here with very good results.


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