13th May 2007
Ok, I get you and of course you should not be ashamed of anything, who would say that? I am curious, did you ever drink, smoke or take drugs in your youth? Did you go without sleep, or food at any time? The thing about our chemical balance is that it depends alot on what we intake. Our traumas/moods can sometimes cause us to do bad things to ourselves out of some sort of perceived punishment, not caring, or a way to escape for example.
What I'm getting at is that food itself, the amino acids, actually create our serotonin, dopamine, etc. Yes, look it up, amino acids from food are what turns into the various chemicals we need so badly. Strange you never hear one doctor mention this actual scientific fact. Drugs do not create them. This is not something usually shared with a patient.
Now alcohol, drugs and other chemicals we ingest or inhale also can alter our receptors, which are what "catch" and use the chemicals created by our food ingestion. The alterations can create lack of homeostatis which then the brain must instinctivly fight, which leads to drug tolerance, tolerance withdrawals, and other woes.
In other words, drug chemicals themselves can theoretically cause chemical imbalances.
I guess I'm just mentioning this because there is a reason sometimes when things go amuck in the brain, sometimes very basic things but the psychiatric community never intended to do anything to heal, but rather control. And I guess that's ok to a point, you know, but now it's out of hand...they critique everyone even 3 year olds' behaviors to the point that one step out of line and wha-la you've got mental illness at friggin 3 years old and thus begins a lifetime of potentially harmful drugs.
So though I feel for your situation and glad you are getting some relief for now, I have a bone to pick in general with the psychiatric institutions and drug co's on the way they manipulate certain theories and present them as factual.
And I suppose I don't know some of what you describe, you are right, looking from the "outside". However, I actually was "inside" for awhile. Yes, a prescribed, unabused codeine induced withdrawal syndrome caused me so much trouble I ended up on benzodiazepines,(never abused) which a became dependant and tolerant to to the point of having alot of BPII symptoms!
I spent a few days in a facility, I was on a downhill slide at the time. I was even diagnoised with obsessive compulsive by a psych I saw (for spending alot of time on the internet researching for some answers to my problems, no joke)
When I realized the root of the problem or what started it, I weaned off my remaining Ativan and went through benzodiazepine protracted withdrawal syndrome for a few years. Boy was that was hellish. One doctor I went to for a cold heard the story and insisted I get back on meds or would never improve. I respectfully declined. However now, I'm perfectly fine now and got my natural sleep back(which was all but lost before).
I know I don't have the ultimate answers here and don't know/understand your personal ordeal, but I have had some of my own so although I have that bone to pick with the psychiatric community(they caused me alot of pain I won't forget too soon), I can completely sympathize with your pain and hope whatever you do it does end up good for yourself and your wife.
Meanwhile, I'll keep picking at that bone along with others like me and who knows, maybe someday the demand for better treatments that don't always involve drugs might be developed more aggressively and less overdiagnosis of especially toddlers and children might be the norm.
What I'm getting at is that food itself, the amino acids, actually create our serotonin, dopamine, etc. Yes, look it up, amino acids from food are what turns into the various chemicals we need so badly. Strange you never hear one doctor mention this actual scientific fact. Drugs do not create them. This is not something usually shared with a patient.
Now alcohol, drugs and other chemicals we ingest or inhale also can alter our receptors, which are what "catch" and use the chemicals created by our food ingestion. The alterations can create lack of homeostatis which then the brain must instinctivly fight, which leads to drug tolerance, tolerance withdrawals, and other woes.
In other words, drug chemicals themselves can theoretically cause chemical imbalances.
I guess I'm just mentioning this because there is a reason sometimes when things go amuck in the brain, sometimes very basic things but the psychiatric community never intended to do anything to heal, but rather control. And I guess that's ok to a point, you know, but now it's out of hand...they critique everyone even 3 year olds' behaviors to the point that one step out of line and wha-la you've got mental illness at friggin 3 years old and thus begins a lifetime of potentially harmful drugs.
So though I feel for your situation and glad you are getting some relief for now, I have a bone to pick in general with the psychiatric institutions and drug co's on the way they manipulate certain theories and present them as factual.
And I suppose I don't know some of what you describe, you are right, looking from the "outside". However, I actually was "inside" for awhile. Yes, a prescribed, unabused codeine induced withdrawal syndrome caused me so much trouble I ended up on benzodiazepines,(never abused) which a became dependant and tolerant to to the point of having alot of BPII symptoms!
I spent a few days in a facility, I was on a downhill slide at the time. I was even diagnoised with obsessive compulsive by a psych I saw (for spending alot of time on the internet researching for some answers to my problems, no joke)
When I realized the root of the problem or what started it, I weaned off my remaining Ativan and went through benzodiazepine protracted withdrawal syndrome for a few years. Boy was that was hellish. One doctor I went to for a cold heard the story and insisted I get back on meds or would never improve. I respectfully declined. However now, I'm perfectly fine now and got my natural sleep back(which was all but lost before).
I know I don't have the ultimate answers here and don't know/understand your personal ordeal, but I have had some of my own so although I have that bone to pick with the psychiatric community(they caused me alot of pain I won't forget too soon), I can completely sympathize with your pain and hope whatever you do it does end up good for yourself and your wife.
Meanwhile, I'll keep picking at that bone along with others like me and who knows, maybe someday the demand for better treatments that don't always involve drugs might be developed more aggressively and less overdiagnosis of especially toddlers and children might be the norm.