antipsychotic horrors

[girlonabike]

I thought you guys would be interested in this article...

Psych meds drove my son crazy
At 17, my son was a funny, odd autistic boy. But a misdiagnosis turned him into a violent, unpredictable man, and drove our family to the brink.
By Ann Bauer

May. 18, 2007 | This is a story with a hopeful ending. Lucky, even. But be forewarned, you have to

Comments

Yeah I've seen it....

[irishtiger]

That's very similar to what started happening to me in high school when they said I was borderline Bipolar (based on genetics) and placed on Risperdal & Lithium. I was on it for maybe 3 months but neither my mom nor I could take the "side effects" so she forced them to take me off. I often wonder what would've happen if I had stayed on them :(

[idiotgrrl]

At least they found someone who understood what was happening and what to do about it! Now to get the word out... far and wide.

[girlonabike]

The article was from salon.com. Their 'life' (formerly 'mothers who think') section is frequently excellent.

Yes, this was an extreme case, and properly prescribed psychotropic medication can literally save lives. But it is really important that people are aware not only of the benefits of the drugs, but of exactly how badly these drugs can mess people up when not used properly (ranging from overmedication to not properly monitoring responses to medication)--given the pervasiveness of use of these drugs, it's really a matter of making sure you know enough about what's going on to be able to protect you and your loved ones.

[girlonabike]

The article was from salon.com. Their 'life' (formerly 'mothers who think') section is frequently excellent.

Yes, this was an extreme case, and properly prescribed psychotropic medication can literally save lives. But it is really important that people are aware not only of the benefits of the drugs, but of exactly how badly these drugs can mess people up when not used properly (ranging from overmedication to not properly monitoring responses to medication)--given the pervasiveness of use of these drugs, it's really a matter of making sure you know enough about what's going on to be able to protect yourself and your loved ones.

[wakasplat]

Reactions like that guy's (and mine, and many other people I know), whether that extreme or not, seem more common than reactions like yours, from my observations.

[sparrowrose]

I have had bad reactions from anti-depressants, including the sorts of reactions that are (I'm told) usually only seenin people on anti-psychotics. After the third time of having to go to the emergency room for injections due to a bad reaction to an anti-depressant, I said "no more!" and have refused to take any psychiatric medications ever since.

There have been times over the years when I have been suffering from deep depression and someone tried to talk me into trying "the new medication that's not at all like those older ones you had problems with" and I come very close to giving in because I'm suffering so much but then I remember all the bad effects I've had from drugs in the past and resist.

Fortunately, my problems with depression seem to have eased as I've aged.

I hadn't known about the specific autism/drug interactions. I dind't even stop to think that it might be an effect of my Asperger's. Thank you for posting this article as it helps me to draw connections in my mind.

[lordalfredhenry]

The so called anti-depressant was probably something like I keep getting prescribed. i.e.: a weight-gaining SSRI or a tricyclic. These do not work on me and end up making me gain weight. SSRI's can be very dangerous with some autistics but the psych profession keeps putting out anti-psychotics (like Risperdal) and SSRI's.