The Best Guide for the EN9 Area

Hooked on prescription drugs

Did you know you're more likely to be prescribed prescription drugs for anxiety or depression than counselling or psychotherapy?

Doctors won't usually refer patients for counselling or psychotherapy yet evidence shows that talking treatments can have a positive outcome on someone's mental wellbeing. No one should be taking a minor tranquilliser such as benzodiazepine, to treat anxiety or depression, long term. However, some doctors still think that a person with depression needs ongoing antidepressants; in the same way a person with diabetes needs insulin. A poor comparison. Diabetes is a physical condition with clear causes that are well understood.

Experts are still not sure about the role of psychiatric drugs in controlling moods, emotions and other aspects of the life of the mind. We don't know how they interact with life events and other environmental factors. The most problematic group of psychiatric drugs, the antipsychotics, developed simply because they were seen to work. On the basis that these drugs seemed to have a helpful effect, a key theory about psychosis - the 'dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia' - was constructed. In other words, the drugs were not developed to meet an error of chemical activity in the brain that was already identified, and there is still argument about whether this theory is correct. (See below for information about brain chemicals.)

How well will I cope with coming off?

Individuals respond in different ways to psychiatric drugs. Some people can tolerate them very well, with few side effects, and may come off them quickly with no withdrawal effects. Others may have the most severe and unpleasant side effects or horrible withdrawal symptoms, so they have to come off very slowly and carefully. Among the most commonly reported difficulties for people coming off are feelings of anxiety, panic attacks, and obsessions, while sleep disturbance are also very common.

For more information about possible withdrawal please contact: www.harmonycounsellingservice.co.uk  

Withdrawal from antipsychotics

Anti-depressants and Minor tranquilliser act as suppressants, they merely suppress your emotions, so when you begin to come off, you may find that your emotions are re awakened and you find them hard to deal with. Your doctor may interpret this as a sign that you need a higher does, but you could argue that unless you are given the chance to feel your emotions you will never find out how to deal with them. You may find it helpful to talk to a counsellor or therapist, who specialist in tranquiliser withdrawal programmes.

Minor tranquillisers

Benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms include: anxiety, depression, panic, agoraphobia, confusion, perceptual disturbances sleep, hallucinations, and insomnia, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, memory problems, cold sweats, heart palpitations, breathing problems, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, nose bleeds, tremor, muscle spasms, tinnitus, light-headedness, dizziness, detachment. Not everyone will experience the same or all of these symptoms.

Anti-depressants

Withdrawal symptoms for anti-depressants may include: excessive anxiety, restlessness, hyperactivity, insomnia, disturbing dreams and nightmares, flu-like symptoms, such as headache, sweating, diarrhoea, stomach ache, bowel discomfort, nausea, vomiting, hot and cold flushes, fast or irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure, and increased libido. Psychiatric effects include hypomania and mania, apathy, social withdrawal, depressed mood, panic attacks, aggression, delirium and psychoses.

What can I do to help myself?

Engaging in creative arts, music, drama or dance can help to reduce many symptoms. These may be quite informal or may be run by qualified arts therapists, sometimes through mental health organisations, such as local Mind associations, or your local adult education centre. Local churches, temples, or other religious centres often provide good support, or you could pursue your own form of spiritual practice. A large number of people have found that major lifestyle changes helped them to come off medication, as long as they were consciously taking control and revising the whole of their lives. One person coming off reported that she was so busy with other things that she forgot to take her medication, and realised that she had come off it almost by chance.

Family members can be very helpful, but may sometimes overrate the advantages of medication and not appreciate the importance of coming off. They may be much too anxious about you becoming ill again to support your wishes. This seems to be more common with antipsychotic and mood stabilisers than with anti-depressants.

Never just stop taking your medication. Speak to your GP, family, friends, medical practitioner, and always seek professional advice and support before making any changes.

Hycinth Taylor

MBACP Psychotherapist & Counsellor

Harmony Counselling Service

Many thanks to Hycinth for this enlightening article. We are very pleased to announce that Hycinth has agreed to contribute to AboutMyArea Health section throughout the year. 

Please check out our Health section with lots of interesting articles. Have you read Hycinth's article "What is Mental Illness?" 

Look out for more interesting articles from her coming soon....

Harrmony Counselling Service is based on the belief that their customers' needs are of the utmost importance. Their entire counselling team is committed to meeting those needs. They welcome clients experiencing stress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, low self esteem, lack of confidences, fear of the outside world and a loss of self direction.

The service covers the following areas: Loughton, Epping , Broxbourne, Harlow, Waltham Abbey, Nazeing, Cheshunt and Enfield.

For more information on their services please see their website: Harmony Counselling Service

For more information on local clubs and events, please see the Calendar and Clubs & Organisations sections of the AboutMyArea website.

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