Please help

Went to see my shrink today and explained to her about my brain zaps and the sounds I hear when the zaps occur , she asked me if its a dream , I said no it realy happens , I don't think she believes me because she prescribed me Saphris ( I looked it up and it's an anti psychotic medication used mainly for schyzophrenia and bypolar neither of which I have ) , she told me to take it for 2 weeks and come back , I realy don't want to take it , the last thing I need is to get addicted to another medication , please help what should I do ? She said the medication will help me sleep .

The only thing shrinks have to offer are drugs and giving you a prescription supports their charges for service.  You know from your reading that those are w/d symptoms and that there is virtually no drug that doesn't create side effects.  I'd research it on a reputable webste, such as drugs.com or webmd and decide whether the potential benefitbisvworth the risks.

There is an alarmingly high correlation between benzo withdrawal (either acute, tolerance and/or interdose w/d) and what is referred to as a "prescription cascade" or as some call it "polydrugging".

 

What often happens is the benzo w/d symptoms are not recognized and misdiagnosed as a psychiatric or non-psychiatric disorder and other drugs are prescribed. As time goes on, these newly added drugs cause many adverse side effects and more drugs are prescribed to counteract these side effects..........my explanation is a simplified version.

 

There is a growing concern over the "abuse" or off label prescribing of aytpical antipsychotics for uses other than what they were designed for. Specifically lower doses of these drugs are being prescribed at an alarming rate for insomnia. What many people don't know is that this class of drugs at lower doses has a high binding affinity for the histamine receptors and this is what causes one to be very drowsy. However even if at low doses it does not act as an anti-psychotic it still has some binding affinity for other neuroreceptors like Dopamine and the alpha2 adrenergic receptors.

 

I cannot tell you what to do but I unfortunately was one of those people who fell into the trap of a prescription cascade which worsened after being prescribed benzos and then while in all stages of w/d.

 

Please be very careful with regard to taking any psychoactive drug especially while recovering from benzos and mostly importantly trust your gut.

If I were you, I wouldn’t take it. I was put on Seroquel (another atypical antipsychotic like Saphris) when I was off K for about 6 or 7 months. It was basically just a “shot in the dark” by my psych. I took it for 30 days. It made me dopey and extremely restless (akithisia). Although I was extremely fatigued from the benzo w/d, I had to move constantly – even when I was sitting. It was horrid. It only added to my misery. Severe akithisia is one of the common side effects of Saphris.

 

All psychs do anymore is write scripts for drugs that usually make matters worse – very sad.   

 

I cant agree more with Beeper, Mandala and Eli. There should be some psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM for psychiatrists in denial that their treatments (more rightfully called poisons and neurotoxins) are responsible for causing more harm than good and resulting in a far far worser condition than the original ailment; then again that's my opinion and the minority view but its my right to have such a view. What should this new psychiatric diagnosis be called? LOL !  But that's just what happens with these people. The only thing they have been taught and the only thing they know to offer is Drugs! more and more Brain Disabing Drugs! Ok, I said my piece/peace.

 

mtnhigh

Thank you , I'm not going to take it , drugs have caused me enough trouble , what should I tell her ? What can she do when I tell her I didn't take it ? I think she will be upset .

Ha y Bec.....I also got prescribed seraquel in w/d it made me so restless my legs would jump like 2 feet.

Bechlin,

 

You have the right not to take it, it's your choice.  You can tell doc that you don't want to complicate your withdrawal with potentially new adverse side effects from another med;  that's what I did, and I have no regrets.  Don't worry about  if your doc is upset with you, it's not your responsibility to caretake his/her feelings.  A true professional remains open and objective and includes the patient's goals in the care plan...

 

Sunnyside

Bechlin,

 

You have the right not to take it, it's your choice.  You can tell doc that you don't want to complicate your withdrawal with potentially new adverse side effects from another med;  that's what I did, and I have no regrets.  Don't worry about  if your doc is upset with you, it's not your responsibility to caretake his/her feelings.  A true professional remains open and objective and includes the patient's goals in the care plan...

 

 

Sunnyside

The problem is that when I told her I'm  trying to get off clonazepam she said not to do it and told me to take the full dose which I'm not going to do because I have already reduced by a quarter and I'm not going backwards , I'm so fed up with doctors and shrinks , they ruin people's life's , I'm considering not going back to her .

Bechlin,

 

You have the right not to take it, it's your choice.  You can tell doc that you don't want to complicate your withdrawal with potentially new adverse side effects from another med;  that's what I did, and I have no regrets.  Don't worry about  if your doc is upset with you, it's not your responsibility to caretake his/her feelings.  A true professional remains open and objective and includes the patient's goals in the care plan...

 

 

Sunnyside

The problem is that when I told her I'm  trying to get off clonazepam she said not to do it and told me to take the full dose which I'm not going to do because I have already reduced by a quarter and I'm not going backwards , I'm so fed up with doctors and shrinks , they ruin people's life's , I'm considering not going back to her .

 

Wow, I am not surprised by this at all but I am very glad that you are trusting your instincts and doing what is best for you. You have a choice here. A dr cannot bully you into staying on a drug. If you decide that you don't want to return to this dr do you have a dr who will continue to prescribe to you while you safely taper? I hope so. mandala

Bechlin,

 

You have the right not to take it, it's your choice.  You can tell doc that you don't want to complicate your withdrawal with potentially new adverse side effects from another med;  that's what I did, and I have no regrets.  Don't worry about  if your doc is upset with you, it's not your responsibility to caretake his/her feelings.  A true professional remains open and objective and includes the patient's goals in the care plan...

 

 

Sunnyside

The problem is that when I told her I'm  trying to get off clonazepam she said not to do it and told me to take the full dose which I'm not going to do because I have already reduced by a quarter and I'm not going backwards , I'm so fed up with doctors and shrinks , they ruin people's life's , I'm considering not going back to her .

 

Wow, I am not surprised by this at all but I am very glad that you are trusting your instincts and doing what is best for you. You have a choice here. A dr cannot bully you into staying on a drug. If you decide that you don't want to return to this dr do you have a dr who will continue to prescribe to you while you safely taper? I hope so. mandala

 

Ya I can get my refills from a walk in clinic , there are tons of them everywhere and I never had any problems getting refills from them .