This week, Susie tells us about her experiences of stopping her antidepressant drug cold turkey after 2 years of taking it. She also tells how her doctors failed to identify antidepressant withdrawal and didn’t listen when she tried to explain.
In this episode we discuss:
- How feeling lonely and having caring pressures led to Susie seeking help from her doctor.
- How Susie consulted a student doctor who prescribed her antidepressant.
- That Susie had previous positive experience with antidepressant drugs.
- That the doctor Susie consulted did not tell her about adverse effects or difficulties with withdrawal.
- That her antidepressant made her feel violent and angry.
- How the most difficult adverse effect was paralysis.
- How Susie took her antidepressant for 2 years and then stopped ‘cold turkey’.
- That Susie was misdiagnosed by three different doctors who failed to recognise or treat her for antidepressant withdrawal.
- That people in withdrawal need support from family or friends, sometimes even for basic things like being fed.
- That there is a lot of education of medical professionals needed on psychiatric drug withdrawal.
- That Susie feels fortunate to have finished with her medication but that she describes withdrawal as like ‘going through hell’.