If psychiatric medications were suddenly unavailable

IronicMaidenIronicMaiden
in General

Some people believe psychiatric medications are unnecessary or even harmful. But for a lot of people, they're essential for normal daily functioning. This includes medications for things like depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, tic disorders, seizures, and other things that I'm not yet familiar with.

For me, I'm finally on an antidepressant that keeps me on a fairly even keel. Losing it would probably mean I'd have a lot of trouble doing my job. And I'd likely be a risk to myself and those around me.

If you or someone you know take any form of psychiatric medication, what would be the effect for you of the medication no longer being available?

«1

Comments

  • pmvinespmvines

    Interesting thing about psych meds is that it's a fairly young realm of pharmacology. All of the original ones were all medical meds that happened to also have side effects that have a dual effect of mood symptom management. I think that if there were a removal of the existence of psych meds, that certain conditions could still continue to be at least partially managed by certain medical meds as well as more holistic methods in my personal opinion.

  • MysteriumMysterium

    I take a couple anti-depressants as well as Adderall for my inattentive-type ADHD. Although it would REALLY suck to have my meds taken away, I feel that as long as my ADHD symptoms are kept in check, it will help prevent me from ruminating too much about all kinds of stuff.

    From what I've experienced, in my case it's definitely helpful to pair stuff like cognitive behavioral therapy along with ADHD meds, but if I keep a decent enough structure with therapy, I should find a way to overcome, I'd feel! It will be a helluva lot harder though! 💀

    Cuddle therapy has also helped for my feelings of self-worth and anxiety as well, so pairing that would be beneficial as well for me :>

  • AdragayleAdragayle

    When my grand stopped taking her meds last year, 4 months later she ended up in the hospital. I feel lucky that 5htp works well for lifting me out of depression and is available otc. It would be a horrible and cruel thing if psych meds were no longer available for those who need and benefit from them.

  • lilithgrowlithelilithgrowlithe

    I already got health insurance taken from me this year so had to cold turkey on all my meds...looks like many people will be following suit.

  • CuddleDuncanCuddleDuncan Mod

    I'd be completely fucked. Doesn't bear thinking about.

  • [Deleted User]easylike (deleted user)

    My mother went through hell in the 60's with depression. 30 years of anti-depressants kept her passive as hell but alive until the late 90's when suddenly weaned off with the advice of a family doctor, she spiraled right back to where she was 30 years prior eventually ending up in a nursing home and then finally God took her. May she rest in peace

  • [Deleted User]CharlesGrove (deleted user)

    This could have been a nice thread, but it is going to get political, and then be locked.

    If you live somewhere with For Profit Healthcare, you should ask your provider to alter your prescriptions to multiple months, if possible.

    Basically, do what you can to stock up.

    I truly wish you all luck.

  • CuddleDuncanCuddleDuncan Mod
    edited February 2025

    I live in the UK where prescription medicines outside hospital are charged at a standard fee. (Exemptions for certain groups. Medicines in hospital are not charged.) Here we do not know or care what such medicines actually cost.

    However, prompted by comments in the thread, I looked up the cost of mine. One is cheaper than the standard fee and the other is reasonable so if I had to pay the cost of the medicines it would be perfectly manageable. The cost of the bimonthly doctor's consultation for the prescription would be more.

    I have also been thinking about the various long term implications and effects of the medicine I used to take. Would I have been better off not going down this road? The answer is no, I'm better off with the medicine. But it's a real question and the answer took a bit of internal debating. (And yes of course I considered the effect of confirmation bias ... not that considering it necessarily eliminates it, or eliminates over-compensating.) And if you amended some underlying assumptions or changed a few weightings the answer could come out the other way.

    Citalopram c. 2009 - c. 2016
    Venlafaxine and Propanolol c. 2017 - present

  • Finnegan2017Finnegan2017

    As someone who works in a psych hospital, I'd rather not think about it. My job is dangerous enough already.

  • ChrissyNoirChrissyNoir

    lol @Finnegan2017 Awwwe I can feel your trouble . Through the phone .. Sendings Hugs 🫂

  • theHugAlchemisttheHugAlchemist

    I been stockpiling my meds, luckily they are as needed and not daily so I can do that.

    I'm not sure what would happen if they were unavailable completely. Many different possibilities, most of them chaotic beyond measure.

  • dennis22554dennis22554

    With all the need for these medicines

    ....I wonder if there is a coŕelation to what we eat

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    @dennis22554 Off-topic, but no, there isn't. People don't need psychiatric meds because they ate too many bananas.

  • SunsetSnugglesSunsetSnuggles

    Withdrawal.

    Side effects.

    Return of all symptoms at 100%.

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🫂 Enthusiast 🌄 Travel Junkie 📸 Shutter Bug

  • dennis22554dennis22554

    It's funny..food additives have done a lot of damage.....and studies have correlated them direcutllt to a njumber of nerologic disorders
    travel almost nywhere in Europe for a a couple of weeks..eat what you want..its amazing how good you will ill feel.when you return

  • Sunrise_SnuggleSunrise_Snuggle

    Nearly all psych meds would not be necessary if they weren't actively poisoning us.

  • Alan2018Alan2018

    For those with the more severe problems, really really bad.For the rest who are on prescriptions most will survive although not at an optimal level.

  • [Deleted User]gem7 (deleted user)

    It would be life threatening for me. Can not imagine going back to those dark days.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    @gem7 Welcome back!

    Personally I have never been on meds or needed help in that sense. But I know the before and after of some people in my life and I would hate for them to go back to before. It would definitely be a dark day for them.

  • [Deleted User]gem7 (deleted user)

    @TheFunCartel Thanks. It took me many years to find the correct medication and dosage. I don't want to turn to shit again.

  • [Deleted User]Ripley54566 (deleted user)

    My mind literally breaks if I stop taking my medicine.

    Anyone who ignorantly says psychiatric medicine is bad or unneeded clearly is able to enjoy the privilege of living life without them.

  • graceangelgraceangel

    i was on lexapro for almost 2 years, but my dr wouldnt' renew mine last june. I've actually been doing really good without it. i haven't really felt like i need it until the other week a little bit.
    But also my dr just wants me to go to the county health department to get evaluated. that's kind of far from me. i haven't done it yet. i'm really bad at procrastinating. i probably need to bite the bullet and go, so at hte very least i can have "official" diagnoses for stuff. i dont' want to be medicated to the point of it interfering with work though.

    When i ran out of lexapro, i felt so weird for almost 2 weeks.

  • EliezerEliezer

    If anybody thinks ADHD is not real, then come and see me in the morning and see if you still think it is a good idea to take those pills away from people like me (like RFK thinks). I can 100% guarantee you would not be able to handle me unmedicated (my energy). I could fly in the morning!

  • CuddleDuncanCuddleDuncan Mod
    edited February 2025

    @SunriseSnuggles

    Nearly all psych meds would not be necessary if they weren't actively poisoning us.

    That is a horrible, horrible lie. What a dismissive and appalling thing to say. Please don't say it ever again.

    @dennis22554

    With all the need for these medicines....I wonder if there is a coŕelation to what we eat

    NO THERE ISN'T.

    You guys are seriously suggesting that people who have been through horrific experiences and can barely survive in life, would be much better if they just ate a few more apples and cut down on the burgers. It's incredibly insulting.

    Yes of course there are specific cases of this additive or that process having poisonous consequences, some of which may to the ignorant appear to be psychological. (Spoiler alert: they are physical.) But to to assert that it's practically the whole show is to reach that depth of ignorance which is indistinguishable from malice.

    And why is it, in thread which addresses a hypothetical but very serious and very frightening question, that you feel the need to attack us

    This website is called "Cuddle Comfort". It's not called, "No cuddles with the added bonus of direct attacks when you're feeling vulernable".

  • xandriarainxandriarain

    Unfortunately, I have very unusual brain chemistry, and most psych meds make me feel worse or do absolutely nothing for me so I have to raw dog ADHD and anxiety and probably depression. However, I am facing that reality with my weight loss medication, which changed my life after years of battling with my weight because my insurance company and all the other insurance companies in my area chose profit over my long-term health and stopped covering GLP 1s used for weight loss/ longterm maintenance. And compound semiglutide and trizepitide has been taken off the FDAs shortage list so getting more affordable compounded versions, maybe impossible soon as well. So now I’m staring down the reality of potentially getting heavy again, which has financial, social and mental health consequences or being in financial ruin and having to pay $650 a month for Wegovy If I’m lucky enough to get the manufacturers coupon.

  • EliezerEliezer

    People with ADHD also feel emotions 1000 times more strongly than most people (all the emotions :anger, affection,etc...)

  • Janelle19Janelle19

    Personally I would be fine, I made a very personal choice to live with ADHD and OCD without medication because the side effects were too much for me, this is just me and not for everyone so I'm not all saying everyone can or should do what I did, I know this medication is much needed and many would suffer

  • SunsetSnugglesSunsetSnuggles

    @Eliezer posted: "People with ADHD also feel emotions 1000 times more strongly than most people (all the emotions :anger, affection,etc...)"

    Ooh, interesting. I definitely don't have ADHD (try Chronic Fatigue, haha), but your comment really stood out to me because I've tried to explain so many times to counselors that I feel like I experience emotions much more intensely than other people... I'd love to know if there's a clinical term for this.

    And I am not talking about being more "sensitive". I mean if a normal person on the street experiences an emotion at a Level 3, I experience it at a Level 8.

    I think there's a big difference between experiencing greater pain than another person, versus being more sensitive or reactive to the same level of pain.

    A good example from my life is empathy. When someone I love gets emotionally, or even socially hurt, it is like a physical punch in the gut to me. Other people don't report experiencing that at all. And I don't think feeling that punch is me being overly sensitive, I think it's me experiencing something at a more intense base level than those who don't feel that.

    Would love to hear from anyone who can relate to this. It hurts like hell.

    ~ Sunset Snuggles

    🫂 Enthusiast 🌄 Travel Junkie 📸 Shutter Bug

  • Janelle19Janelle19

    I don't think it is right to say just make yourself happy. Thats not how it works. For example I do not suffer from depression of any sort

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    @SunsetSnuggles On its own, that's a Highly Sensitive Person. Though (and this is unresearched speculation) I suspect it's usually part of something else.

Sign In or Register to comment.