Do Psychiatric Drugs Reduce Lifespan?

[Queen Boudica]

OK watching Q&A about mental health awareness this week. And talk about psychiatric drugs and how they reduce lifespan. Is that true?

Why wasn't I informed about that when prescribed them. Feel lied to again.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I've been wondering about that, too. And then I wonder if it's the stress that's causing people to take the meds, that reduces lifespans. And I also wonder if one's life span would be reduced if one wasn't taking the meds. Good question and I am interested in seeing the answers with which other reply.

 

[Queen Boudica]

According to the program, there is research showing it is the direct affects of taking the meds and side effects such as weight gain leading to diabetes etc.

 

[Ellabella44]

If you think about it, anything can cut your lifespan short. Crossing the street, viruses, food poisoning.....

I guess what I'm trying to say is even if that is true, isn't it better to have symptoms reduced to a level that you can nearly tolerate and have a better quality of life?

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

According to the program, there is research showing it is the direct affects of taking the meds and side ef...

That's very interesting and I definitely want to hear more.

 

[Queen Boudica]

I'm not sure whether they have reduced symptoms. Reduced anxiety, but depression terrible and would die if it were not for my kids. Like reducing the anxiety has put all the focus on the depression which, I just can't see reducing without drastic lifestyle change since I still have to deal with abuser and live in house he abused me and know he is a danger and I am trapped and really alone in this. Therapy has helped me move as far as I can and still a lot of stuff to work on. I don't know. Whatever you do you're buggered.

 

[Neverthesame]

This is just a guess, so take it with a grain of salt.

Perhaps, death caused by suicide and substance abuse were included in the equation. As they are related to the mental health problems treated by psychiatric drugs?

If it's true, that's bound to have an impact on the equation.

 

[lux.]

I've never heard of this before, but I did a quick Google search and found some information suggesting that psych meds can decrease the lifespan 15 to 25 years. These boards won't let me post links for some reason, but I just Googled "Do psychiatric meds reduce the lifespan?" First result was a Psychology Today article with the 15-25 years information.

 

[Stickler]

Further confusing this...there's studies that seem to indicate people with mental health issues, and people with schizophrenia in particular are ( at least in the US ) are dramatically undertreated for ordinary medical problems.

...So they die very much earlier of things like strokes from high blood pressure, or heart attacks from unchecked high cholesterol.

If you do not want to be one of them, take your medical records with you everywhere you go and try to get a doctor who doesn't dismiss your concerns as psychosomatic. Unfortunately, some will.

...antipsychotics can and do twink with your metabolism a bit, but your results will vary based on both the drug and your very personal reaction to it.

 

[shimmerz]

try to get a doctor who doesn't dismiss your concerns as psychosomatic.

This is a big one too. I think that any way one looks at it, it is risky business these days to be seen as 'mentally ill'.

 

[Stickler]

Oh!
I should further note that there's research to support the idea that schizophrenics who smoke have better-controlled negative symptoms.
There was also a very small study in which nicotine was shown to boost the moods of depressives.
Nicotine may work as a mood stabilizer, basically?

So smoking might also be part of the earlier mortality seen in MI people.

 

[Friday]

I would be incrediably surprised if this were true. "Psychiatric Meds" covers an enourmous range of medications; stimulants, depressants, anti-depressants, antipsychotics/ neuroleptics, anti seizure, hallucinogens, anti anxiety, antimanic/ mood stabilizers, anti hypertensive...

The idea that somehow all of these medications shorten the lifespan by 15-20 years? Simply doesn't compute.

What I would be completely unsurprised to find, however, is a strong correlation between the population taking psychiatric medication & a shortened lifespan of apx 15-20 years. But that would be caused by dozens of attendant issues, very few of which are related to the medications themselves, and most of which related to things like; suicide, poverty, deit, weight, exercise, smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, homelessness, inadequate healthcare, etc.

Correlation is not causation. There is a strong correlation of people inside of a catholic cathedral being catholic. But being inside the cathedral doesn't make one catholic.