Podcast 435: How Hard Is It to Stop Antidepressants, and Are There Better Alternatives?

The Dr. Leaf Show

Dr. Caroline Leaf

Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.7 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2022

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Download my new and improved brain detox app here: https://neurocycle.app SHOW DESCRIPTION: In this podcast I talk to clinical researcher and fellow at University College London Dr. Mark Horowitz on his own experience on psychiatric medication, the many myths surrounding antidepressants, safely withdrawing from psychiatric drugs, and so much more! Sign up to Patreon to get access to full AD-FREE episodes, exclusive downloads, live Q&As, and more: https://www.patreon.com/drcarolineleaf Read the blog here: https://drleaf.com/blogs/news/how-hard-is-it-to-stop-antidepressants OFFERS FROM OUR SPONSORS: -Everlywell: Get 20% OFF at-home lab test at everlywell.com/drleaf. -Noom: Sign up for your trial today at Noom.com/DRLEAF. And check out Noom’s first ever book, The Noom Mindset, a deep dive into the psychology of behavior change. Available for pre-order wherever books are sold! -Pique Tea’s Liposomal Vitamin C: or a Limited Time Special Offer Get 15% off and free shipping on your first month’s supply of Daily Radiance by going to piquelife.com/drleaf. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 3:55 Why Mark is passionate about mental health 6:10 Psychiatric withdrawal is often misunderstood or overlooked 8:00 Mark’s own experiences with psychiatric medication & withdrawal 14:45 How survivor-run sites are helping people suffering from psychiatric drug withdrawal 17:26 There is very little guidance on ho two stop psychiatric medication safely 22:00 Why the withdrawal process is so hard for so many people 23:00 Why it is important to withdraw from psychiatric medication gradually & under the guidance of a medical professional 28:00 How psychiatric medications affect the brain & body 32:38 Why some people mistake drug withdrawal for a return of their condition 33:28 What withdrawal symptoms from psychiatric medications like antidepressants can look like 41:20 The power of awareness & acceptance + how our experiences can shape us & help us grow 45:00 Research on how common withdrawal effects from medications are 47:16, 54:13 How to safely withdraw from psychiatric medications 58:53 Why we should be careful when it comes to drugs like esketamine ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: -Get my new book Cleaning up Your Mental Mess here: https://www.cleaningupyourmentalmess.com -Get a free Cleaning up Your Mental Mess workbook when you subscribe to my weekly email at drleaf.com! - Visit my website at https://drleaf.com for more free resources -Instagram: @drcarolineleaf: https://www.instagram.com/drcarolineleaf/- -Facebook: Dr. Caroline Leaf: https://www.facebook.com/drleaf -Twitter: @drcarolineleaf: https://twitter.com/DrCarolineLeaf -Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/drcarolineleaf *DISCLAIMER: This podcast and blog are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. We always encourage each person to make the decision that seems best for their situation with the guidance of a medical professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Dr Caroline Leef and welcome to my podcast, Cleaning Up the Mental Mace.
0:10.0	In today's podcast I have an incredibly important discussion with Dr. Mark Horowitz, who
0:14.3	is an MD, has a PhD in psycho-neurobiology and is a clinical research and training psychiatrist
0:20.8	fellow at University College London.
0:23.3	Mark tells his story from both sides of the desk, being a clinician and being a patient.
0:28.8	He explains the spite is extensive training.
0:31.6	He was told anti-depressants, which had been on since he was a medical student, were
0:35.4	safe and easy to come off, which was completely contrary to his experience personally and
0:40.1	those of his patients.
0:41.6	He found that experts in his field actually had little understanding on the withdrawal
0:45.6	effects of psychiatric drugs, saying to stop drugs over two to four weeks and that they
0:49.6	would only be mild symptoms.
0:51.6	Instead, the place where he found the most useful advice, which through research has
0:56.2	been shown to be the correct advice, was from online peer support websites of those who
1:01.3	had survived coming off anti-depressants.
1:04.0	We talk about this in depth and Mark explains exactly how to come off psychiatric drugs
1:07.9	in the proper way.
1:08.9	He provided a link to his protocol, which is on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website,
1:14.3	in these show notes.
1:15.3	We also touch on the dangers of a skater meme.
1:19.0	Let's begin.
1:20.2	Life can be hard and it's easy to feel stressed, anxious and out of control.
	...

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