Jump to content

Chemical imbalance


[Mi...]

Recommended Posts

Hi. Do u guys belive in this theory?

I was told i have to take antidepressants for the lifetime since i was on a few of them so far. But never had proper psychotherapy and always was on benzo.

I really want to do a psychotherapy now for as long as its needed even lifetime. Since my depression was on and off ( mostly off thanks to antidepressants and when not taking them the depression was coming back, maybe the anxiety and panic attacks were causing my depression but its another story) I'm being told that i need again antidepressants and for lifetime and i dont mind taking them if they are really necessary but i have my doubts and really belive that my anxiety and depression is due to my psychological issues and not some chemical imbalance. I wasn't born with a chemical imbalance coz i didn't have low moods til i was at 20. So why suddenly would i get a chemical imbalance and now i will have it for the lifetime? I looked up in google and saw that chemical imbalance isn't proven. What u guys think?

Chemical imbalance or not?

Antidepressants for lifetime if already was on them like 3 or 4 times?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • [Ma...]

    13

  • [Th...]

    11

  • [Me...]

    6

  • [Ca...]

    4

Top Posters In This Topic

I was on AD’s for 14 years when I finally tapered last year. I have absolutely no reason to ever go back on one. I tried in April of this year and it did nothing. Im suffering with severe depression but im just going to wait it out until my brain heals itself. it can take 18 months or so. You could always go to survivingantidepressants.org they can offer you some guidance

My depression is to strong. I cannot cope. All day long. Anxiety and panick attacks also. I think i have depression because i never cured the one i had before benzo. Not only depression that is caused by benzo :(

The question is if depression could be really caused by a chemical imbalance and not by our traumas, thinkiing, bahaviors ect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
[0d...]

I don't believe in the chemical imbalance theory of depression, there is no scientific evidence to support it, it's what people get told when the doc has no idea and prescribing a pill is easy way out (imo). I do believe taking ADs and benzos mess with our brain because they injure the neurotransmitter receptors and withdrawing from these poisonous substances will cause chemical imbalances due to the injured receptors resulting in the hallmark sxs of bwd - anxiety, panic and terror, all of which I've experienced and still do.

 

So, in answer to your question, my answer is No i don't believe your Dr's opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Nope. Which is why I quickly stopped Paxil.

The "chemical imbalance" theory is what psychologists and doctors are taught in medical school. It's a theory, not facts.

As we on BenzoBuddies know, the problem is not a chemical imbalance of GABA/glutamate (as in benzos) or serotonin (as in an SSRI).

The problem is in benzo dependence, the brain is inhibited or slowed down so much that the neurotransmitters don't fire correctly. Hormones are either produced in excess or deficit. The body cannot produce enzymes. Calcium ion channels close over after being open (from first introducing benzos) so the nervous system isn't as "calm" as it once was. The endocrine system misfires adrenaline at random times of the day or night, so you will get "surges" of adrenaline. GABA and glutamate are what the body needs to steady itself. Reinforce a benzo, and the brain and body become increasingly unsteady.

The body then attempts to compromise this state by down-regulating GABA receptors and up-regulating glutamate to try and bring the body back to homeostasis and normal functioning.

But try as the body might, it cannot repair in the presence of a benzo. It has to repair itself by healing without the benzo. Which is why true healing doesn't happen until you are off benzos.

So, why does exercise sort of work?

Well, two things happen.

Exercise naturally increases heart rate, which pumps blood. This clears toxins from your bloodstream.

Secondly, it acts as a natural antidepressant. Exercise makes us feel good because it releases serotonin and dopamine into the body.

Benzos affect something in our system known as the HPA axis or the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal axis. It is what controls our thoughts, our balance and our energy to get through the day. If this is inhibited as in the case with benzos, it affects our moods, makes us dizzy and lethargic. We need to be careful with exercise whilst on benzos, because too much throws out the HPA axis.

Dave.  8)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may ask the member Lapis, she is always posting the latest studies and I think I remember one or an article? that stated that this theory is pure nonsense.

 

I was told about that theory as well. Being polydrugged. Depression was worst under medication. Now without medication? No more panic, anxiety, dp, depression and and and....

 

If you suffer from depression because of a problem, you need to solve the problem or learn strategies how to cope with what makes you depressed. That is the psychological part. But besides this, there is another world out there, a world in which psychology and biochemistry are not separated, like in the traditional old chinese medicine, in which I have found a lot of help, cause they would teach you a special diet for your issues, they would give you nutrients and overall look on depression as a physical condition like organs are exhausted and energy cannot flow properly - its a holistic approach which makes much more sense to me than just swallowing one pill to ease symptoms.

And I do not want to talk about how other medications like birth control pills or other hormones can cause depression, too...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So you can have a issue with your thyroid/ liver/ etc. But the brain is immune to disease?? What if you’re depressed and don’t know why? I’m not saying pills are the answer but what if you’ve tried many things and you’re still depressed. I see a lot of people enduring the hell of benzo withdrawal and coming out the other end healed. If you’re healed and happy and living life then maybe you shouldn’t have even gone on medication to begin with. Maybe you should have taken cold showers, or drank some earl grey tea, or some breathing exercises. Sorry I’m just venting, but seriously what happens to the guy that used to have 5 panic attacks a day, or the person stuck in DPDR for years, or the person who is deeply depressed even before the benzos?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So you can have a issue with your thyroid/ liver/ etc. But the brain is immune to disease?? What if you’re depressed and don’t know why? I’m not saying pills are the answer but what if you’ve tried many things and you’re still depressed. I see a lot of people enduring the hell of benzo withdrawal and coming out the other end healed. If you’re healed and happy and living life then maybe you shouldn’t have even gone on medication to begin with. Maybe you should have taken cold showers, or drank some earl grey tea, or some breathing exercises. Sorry I’m just venting, but seriously what happens to the guy that used to have 5 panic attacks a day, or the person stuck in DPDR for years, or the person who is deeply depressed even before the benzos?

 

Haha, I am that guy!

I suffered from a PTSD and from depression, I had panic attacks and tried almost anything and that's why - in the end- I was polydrugged and first I was convinced that meds could be the only answer for my problems. Turned out that I was wrong! Meds made anything worse and I lost almost anything I had in life.

There are lots of reasons why someone can be depressed, and depression can show different faces. Some people react with anger and cannot really feel what's wrong, others implode into the inside - the only thing that everyone has in a depression is the feeling of "I just cannot go on any more". Very often its not the feeling of sadness alone, with it comes fatigue, anxiety, panic etc. All I wanted to say is, that its the best not to see the brain as source for depression (latest studies by the way say clearly that its coming from the gut, but of course you can have brain damage as well or other diseases in the brain which can cause depression - but the general idea that depression means "you have something wrong in your brain" is old and the new theory has a look on the gut and the microbiome). And not to tell people that they have a chemical imbalance in the brain, cause the hole body is in an imbalance.

 

So, back to your question, what happens to the guy?

I can only tell what I did. I changed my diet completely and studied different kinds of medicine, cause I had learned that the western approach could only deliver pills to me (and this did not help). I learned a lot of different strategies and I practiced them each day. For years. I made changes in my private life. I learned a lot about biochemistry and how food can deliver all my body needs to overcome a depression and stay stable - I would never had imagined how a food could lift my mood until I saw the amazing results. For my trauma I did a behavioural therapy with rapid eye movement therapy. For my panic attacks and anxiety I did exposure therapy and behavioral therapy.

 

People have coped for a long time without benzos and they will survive without them as well. If you can profit from an AD, its your decision if you want to take it or not. I am just telling that I had only horrible experience with all kind of meds and in the end I wished someone would have convinced me that I can overcome my problems without pills. If a doctor had told me this exactly the way they told me I would need a medication, I am sure things would be different now for me. Same for all the therapies. It was ME who had to search the web in a different language and it took me some years to discover a hole new world out there to find the best diet for me, the best strategies etc. Before that I was left alone and the only offer were meds.

 

I can feel your pain, the Greek, I really do. I do not want to convince anybody to do what I did, cause this is my personal path and you need to find yours. The topic was about the theory of chemical imbalance and I hope I could explain better what I think about that.

I will ask in the protracted board for the study about chemical imbalance, and then post the link here if you are interested.

 

Hugs!

Marigold

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I talked to the member who I say is the master of putting studies here on bb, but we both couldn't find the article I was talking about, but she has send me a simple google search result which contains a lot of articles about the myth of chemical imbalance, so feel free to have a look if you want:

 

 

https://www.google.ca/search?source=hp&ei=PAenXYKHNOzH_QbAsIrIDg&q=chemical+imbalance+myth&oq=chemical+imbalance&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.0i131j0l9.3857.10438..12877...3.0..0.129.1775.17j4......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i10j0i13i30.-HbJomaVA0k

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This woman has a good website I think about the reasons and solutions regarding depression and other mental symptoms: https://kellybroganmd.com

 

Here is a link (no idea if I am allowed to do it) to her ebook, in which she talks about the myths around depression, like chemical imbalance (on the first 3 pages, you do not need to go further if you do not want to read more):

 

https://kellybroganmd.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ChangeYourFoodHealYourMoodEBook.pdf

 

 

And - again - this is just what I think is helpful, if it is not for you, feel free to toss what I say please

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So you can have a issue with your thyroid/ liver/ etc. But the brain is immune to disease?? What if you’re depressed and don’t know why? I’m not saying pills are the answer but what if you’ve tried many things and you’re still depressed. I see a lot of people enduring the hell of benzo withdrawal and coming out the other end healed. If you’re healed and happy and living life then maybe you shouldn’t have even gone on medication to begin with. Maybe you should have taken cold showers, or drank some earl grey tea, or some breathing exercises. Sorry I’m just venting, but seriously what happens to the guy that used to have 5 panic attacks a day, or the person stuck in DPDR for years, or the person who is deeply depressed even before the benzos?

 

 

 

Haha, I am that guy!

I suffered from a PTSD and from depression, I had panic attacks and tried almost anything and that's why - in the end- I was polydrugged and first I was convinced that meds could be the only answer for my problems. Turned out that I was wrong! Meds made anything worse and I lost almost anything I had in life.

There are lots of reasons why someone can be depressed, and depression can show different faces. Some people react with anger and cannot really feel what's wrong, others implode into the inside - the only thing that everyone has in a depression is the feeling of "I just cannot go on any more". Very often its not the feeling of sadness alone, with it comes fatigue, anxiety, panic etc. All I wanted to say is, that its the best not to see the brain as source for depression (latest studies by the way say clearly that its coming from the gut, but of course you can have brain damage as well or other diseases in the brain which can cause depression - but the general idea that depression means "you have something wrong in your brain" is old and the new theory has a look on the gut and the microbiome). And not to tell people that they have a chemical imbalance in the brain, cause the hole body is in an imbalance.

 

So, back to your question, what happens to the guy?

I can only tell what I did. I changed my diet completely and studied different kinds of medicine, cause I had learned that the western approach could only deliver pills to me (and this did not help). I learned a lot of different strategies and I practiced them each day. For years. I made changes in my private life. I learned a lot about biochemistry and how food can deliver all my body needs to overcome a depression and stay stable - I would never had imagined how a food could lift my mood until I saw the amazing results. For my trauma I did a behavioural therapy with rapid eye movement therapy. For my panic attacks and anxiety I did exposure therapy and behavioral therapy.

 

People have coped for a long time without benzos and they will survive without them as well. If you can profit from an AD, its your decision if you want to take it or not. I am just telling that I had only horrible experience with all kind of meds and in the end I wished someone would have convinced me that I can overcome my problems without pills. If a doctor had told me this exactly the way they told me I would need a medication, I am sure things would be different now for me. Same for all the therapies. It was ME who had to search the web in a different language and it took me some years to discover a hole new world out there to find the best diet for me, the best strategies etc. Before that I was left alone and the only offer were meds.

 

I can feel your pain, the Greek, I really do. I do not want to convince anybody to do what I did, cause this is my personal path and you need to find yours. The topic was about the theory of chemical imbalance and I hope I could explain better what I think about that.

I will ask in the protracted board for the study about chemical imbalance, and then post the link here if you are interested.

 

Hugs!

Marigold

 

Thanks Marigold. I’m not saying pills are the answer for me. If fact I’m in a worse position now. I think my situation is a little different from a lot of the people on this forum. Usually people turn to drugs first then learn coping strategies, diet etc. In my situation drugs backfired immediately so I suffered for years with extreme anxiety ( DPDR, tinnitus, phobias etc.). I would hold my head in anguish because I could feel my brain was going dead. 16 years of constant head pressure, visual disturbances, hyperacusis.. basically a lot of the symptoms people suffer in benzo withdrawal. I tried diet, intermittent fasting, homeopathy, Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine, meditation, Tai chi, yoga, TMS, and I would always struggle to keep afloat. Winter would always make things worse. In the past 16 years I’ve had 3 windows lasting a total of 6 hours where I felt totally normal. The pressure in my head disappeared and so did all my problems. I had absolutely no problems. I was myself again, then the rumbling would start again in my brain and I would be back to feeling messed up. I don’t remember of any significant trauma in my life. I was extremely happy and content up until my early 20’s. For some reason my brain is stuck in fight or flight, causing me to feel like my head is full of concrete and constantly vibrating. The only reason I tried an SSRI last fall was because I overworked myself then got injured (refused pain medication), winter came and this cocktail of circumstances put my nervous system over the edge. All my coping methods could not calm my nervous system down. I couldent do it anymore. It’s like I was going through protracted benzo withdrawal for 16 years. I ended up taking that God forsaken pill that backfired and instead of helping my anxiety and depression put me into such a depression that I was ready to go to the hospital. That’s when I took a benzo and the rest is history. Now I’m taking 2 medications and feeling worse than I was before meds. If I already have inner vibration and head pressure imagine what withdrawal will do to me. I’ll never recover. I’ve already given my all to make it this far and my damn nervous system failed me again. What I feel is beyond frustration, hopeless. I basically have to get off this benzo, recover (whatever that means) then come off the Remeron.. Go into a deeper hell for years only to come out on the other side if I’m lucky with a compromised nervous system that is bound to fail me again, because it’s winter, or because I work too hard, or go through a life event. This is not a disease but a curse. Another thing that worries me is that I have already tried the strongest medication for anxiety and even that made me feel beyond horrible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Marigold. I’m not saying pills are the answer for me. If fact I’m in a worse position now. I think my situation is a little different from a lot of the people on this forum. Usually people turn to drugs first then learn coping strategies, diet etc.

I think its the opposite. A lot of people hunger for a quick fix and then get trapped by the medication. Others are given benzos for the wrong reasons / diseases... For me, no pill has ever had a good effect, I reacted the wrong way each time, became dependent very fast, paradoxical reactions, allergies.. and I was told just to hold on some more months or add a new med or change the med - it was a nightmare and I was a lab rat.. I still suffer from the consequences of this big experiment. And as you, the reaction of my body came right after I had taken the pill, as if my body knew that this stuff just was poison. I am sorry you also still have to face the "side effects" of pills we swallowed a decade before :(

 

The only reason I tried an SSRI last fall was because I overworked myself then got injured (refused pain medication), winter came and this cocktail of circumstances put my nervous system over the edge. All my coping methods could not calm my nervous system down. I couldent do it anymore. It’s like I was going through protracted benzo withdrawal for 16 years. I ended up taking that God forsaken pill that backfired and instead of helping my anxiety and depression put me into such a depression that I was ready to go to the hospital. That’s when I took a benzo and the rest is history.

I can totally understand that one can reach a point where we just cannot go on because its so horrible. It seems logical that the second time the pills did harm you again and then you were given the SSRI... but its also cruel because we are only humans and its so unfair. I also know the situation where you feel you have overdone it and your nervous system will not forgive you this. It's hard.

 

Now I’m taking 2 medications and feeling worse than I was before meds.  Another thing that worries me is that I have already tried the strongest medication for anxiety and even that made me feel beyond horrible.

Well I hope you will not try a new med again after the meds have hurt you so much. They just seem not to help and make things worse. I hope you will find something different to help you to cope but I understand how devastating it is to keep searching for a solution while we are suffering. It really feels like a torture or a curse sometimes. For me, my "new" meds are my supplements and my knowledge about biochemistry and bloodwork. At least the supplements seem to keep me going and that's a lot, but I still feel that if I had not taken all the different meds I would have a better, an at least normal life. And not be poor and invalid. Although I am thankful I am still here because these meds have nearly killed me. Maybe they still are and I will fight them til the end.

 

Sigh. This was not very positive and I did not want to hijack this topic. Just sending you a big hug. Are you in Greece or is it just a name you use:-)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No I live in Canada. I am Greek though but I should have come up with a more creative code name 😀. I should have chosen icantstopbitching
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No I live in Canada. I am Greek though but I should have come up with a more creative code name 😀. I should have chosen icantstopbitching

 

I think "The Greek" is a cool name. You might be the bad guy in a James Bond movie. "And The Greek turned around and all James Bond could see was a gun and a smile - and then it was over. The End."

8)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
[0b...]
I actually had a neurotransmitter test done, and got the results back yesterday. The whole chemical imbalance is real. My seratonin was extremely low, dopamine really high and GABA really really high, almost double what it should be. That was just my neurotransmitters, I'm sure my hormones are completely imbalanced as well.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually had a neurotransmitter test done, and got the results back yesterday. The whole chemical imbalance is real. My seratonin was extremely low, dopamine really high and GABA really really high, almost double what it should be. That was just my neurotransmitters, I'm sure my hormones are completely imbalanced as well.

 

Yeah of course because you are in withdrawal. How CAN you be chemical in balance while your brain is suffering from wd and trying to reinstate a balance of the chemicals you once surpressed or increased with meds.

 

The theory about chemical imbalance was not made about people in withdrawal it was an explanation once for people suffering from depression, and studies today show clearly that this is NOT the reason for depression.

 

.. you can check almost ANY marker right now, even your bone density will not be the best. Your body is in recovery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually had a neurotransmitter test done, and got the results back yesterday. The whole chemical imbalance is real. My seratonin was extremely low, dopamine really high and GABA really really high, almost double what it should be. That was just my neurotransmitters, I'm sure my hormones are completely imbalanced as well.

 

Hi, I’m curious to see if how you feel matches with your neurotransmitter profile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[0b...]
It did actually. My seratonin was super low, which would explain why I am really depressed. My dopamine was really high, which I think contributes to anxiety when I work out. Also my GABA was through the roof since my receptors are downregulated right now. Having too much can contribute to anxiety and a whole host of other symptoms. It was actually reassuring to see the evidence that there is an imbalance. It makes it easier for me to tell my benzo brain that this isn't me.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are no reliable tests for a chemical imbalance in the brain or evidence that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. Brain chemicals, like hormones and other chemicals in the body fluctuate throughout the day. On the other hand, antidepressants do have horrendous side effects and going off of them is difficult. Frequently the withdrawal effects are cited as the return of depression.

I know from experience what it is to want a "fix" for the problems we suffer from but a pill is not that "fix". Depression is not like diabetes - a frequently used comparison.

 

Some books to read that help understand this issue are:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R5TPV9C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501014269/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062229265/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307452425/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


×
×
  • Create New...