Do Psychiatric Drugs Reduce Lifespan?

[Lucycat]

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

Did you read the Patient Information Leaflet?

 

[WillyKat]

Interesting thread. Consider too that meds may improve one's quality of life, one's outlook, etc. That alone may counterbalance or even negate any negative effects on physical health. If you feel better, you may exercise more, take better care of yourself.

Saying the same thing the opposite way: not having meds may affect your mood to such a point that you don't treat yourself well, hence shortening your life.

Although I no longer take meds, I'd rather have 10 years of a better quality of life than 25 stuck in a crappy hole.

 

[Powder]

No study can rule out the engine driving the whole thing, the preconditions that drove this person to take a pill for years.
I've been on meds for four years now. I have tried getting off about three times.

Each time I taper off, my BODY symptoms, secondary to living an entire life with an abuser, return. I end up nearly starving to death from digestive problems.

My point is, I can live with the MENTAL and EMOTIONAL weight of life with PTSD. BUT my BODY cannot tolerate it anymore.

On the other hand, I am willing to explore alternatives that are effective, such as nutrition, sleep, stress-reduction, exercise, yoga, breathing, visualization, positive thinking.

My goal is to get off the meds as soon as I get off the stressful job, using the above, which I am really quite good at when not Stress Cup Full daily.

I will taper off, I assume, as soon as I can replace meds with natural alternatives. Until then, I'm better off on the low doses I am on, than not on them.

While I am at it, I have heard that many people LOOK 10 years younger when they quit a job they hated and forced upon themselves. I also have heard that those kinds of jobs take years off of life, as well as induce health problems, due to stress. But you won't read anything about jobs that take away from your quality or quantity of life anywhere. Jobs are not optional for most of us, but neither are pills when stuck in said jobs. Just my 2 cents. I don't feel I'm right, just onto a point here somewhere. Hmm. Maybe not. :/

 

[Mammo]

Good book on exactly this topic is "Anatomy of an Epidemic" by Robert Whitaker...

 

[Queen Boudica]

I'm not arguing against the meds, but I guess it is the fact that more and more mental health patients are handed scripts for the meds or put on multiple concoctions or large doses, without any psychological support. The evidence is that the best result is when meds are supported by psychological therapies I believe. Also when coming off meds, then your symptoms will spike so I think that psychological support would be crucial at that point as you should be monitored and not left to do this on your own.

It is the ethical argument that if these meds do lead to shorter life-spans and secondary health conditions. As I know SSRI's are associated with weight gain and that has long term health implications. Then the psychological support should be there to reduce the time taking these meds, (if possible for the condition, talking more anxiety and depression) or enable the patient to use lower doses and the least meds possible and to help them start on meds and monitor and come off meds.

I understand about the lifetime of abuse with partner @Muse, and I am sorry you had to go through tha. I had that myself and realised when I went on meds, I have had severe stress and anxiety for a long time and did not know what it was to be calm in my head. I hope I will be able to come off, my psychologist said a year, I am getting weekly therapy. I need it, complex trauma is a serious condition and you don't recover by taking meds (as we all know) I wish I could lead that low stress lifestyle, I don't have a job, and wondering if I ever would be able to cope even with meds. But I have kids and abuser still around. Would love to take myself off to live by beach and live stress free lifestyle but not possible.

Also, yes I did read the leaflet and there was no information about reduced life-span, the leaflets are produced by the manufacturer, not sure they are entirely accurate portrayal, they will show the best outcomes I suspect.

 

[Mammo]

I'm not arguing against the meds, but I guess it is the fact that more and more mental health patients are...

I think a really big part of the problem, especially in the US, is that the "chemical imbalance" mantra is the focus of most psychiatrists. During an inpatient hospitalisation in NYC, I had reams of them trying to impose this dogma on me and my family:
- you have a physiological illness - this is why you are depressed and suicidal
- you don't have enough serotonin in your brain, and you have to take this medication just like a diabetic needs insulin
- you must take this medication for the long term, if not the rest of your life.

...or an alternative explanation could be something to do with what some describe as years of child abuse; multiple other traumatic experiences and in the months prior to hospitalisation, what some would describe as rape.

They provided no "therapy" during hospitalisation, it was entirely focussed on pushing pills. If I had believed what they said...I'd doubtless be taking some very strong drugs, "for the long term" on premised on an assumption that all the things that had happened in my life was irrelevant, it's all just a problem with my brain.

For me personally, I'm incredibly glad that I didn't believe them. I think the message given to people really drives what avenues they pursue (I'm not saying medication cannot or should not be one of them)...but given the effects, and the resulting shortening of life-span...I know which option I prefer if that makes sense.

 

[Queen Boudica]

I'm glad you did too @Mammo. Incredibly difficult to do that in that situation. Well done!

Over here they can section you and not let you go until you do take the meds they want you to. Which I think is really unethical.

 

[Mammo]

I'm glad you did too @Mammo. Incredibly difficult to do that in that situation. Well don...

Thanks Lizio.

Ha...it's precisely the same in the US...(I'm back in Sydney now) it was literally a pre-condition of them agreeing to discharge me that I was taking the meds. It was strange, they seemed personally insulted by the idea that someone would disagree with their analysis and not want their treatment.

I took what they prescribed (Mirtazepine) for one night, as it knocked me out, and I did get my sleep sorted (I had literally swapped night for day at that point)...after that though, I didn't take it, it ended up down the toilet. Most funny part was that they couldn't even tell...they just see what they want to see...aka confirmation bias.

It was a profoundly damaging experience, in that it burnt so much trust, and terrified me so much that I can never be honest with my T about things like self-harm, suicidal ideation, or planning...I can't trust him not to lock me up.

 

[joeylittle]

The psychology today article you mention, @lux, is this one, I believe: Link Removed

The piece is mostly an opinion piece, and the tangible evidence is based specifically on research done on schizophrenic patients (you'll see that in the footnotes).

I'm not coming up with much data on psychiatric drugs reducing lifespan in general, except for those used to treat schizophrenics for their schizophrenia. The fact is, many of these drugs haven't been around long enough to have those kinds of studies done; but there is substantial research into the lifespan of people with mental illness. This is worth a read: Dead Link Removed

 

[Mammo]

hi @joeylittle - there's one long term study called the Harrow study...the best plain english book, is the one I mention above.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22340278

 

[KwanYingirl]

You have to weigh the benefit/risk ratio when you consider any treatment, be it drugs or therapies. I am in the camp of wanting a better quality of life despite the risks of the drug I take. But now I am ready to wean off of it. It causes weight gain and leads to diabetes. I want to see how I do after making huge strides in therapy and the benefits I've gotten from non-traditional healing arts. I'll be very careful and wean off slowly. I'm starting in December.

 

[joeylittle]

@Mammo - the study you included is also for schizophrenia. Those meds (as well as bi-polar) have been around longer, so there is more research. I guess I think it's premature for anyone to know whether SNRIs or SSRIs reduce lifespan to a significant degree or not. And I think, due to the challenging nature of developing a control group, the research could turn out to be quite imprecise.

But the longitudinal studies on treating schizophrenia and bi-polar are very informative. Those are just not the same drugs as SSR or SNR.