Hi,
@Cath68, and welcome to the forum! We'd love to have you join our discussion group, though the forum is also a great way to get peer-support.
I'm so happy that you found Dr. Sarno's work. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and I feel like I have gotten my life back. It is a wonderful feeling to not feel fragile anymore.
From personal experience, I know how strong the desire can be to get off of psychopharmaceuticals. From personal experience and from the experience of friends, I also know how strong the effects of psychopharmaceuticals can be, both positive and negative. I think that you are very wise to be cautious about changing your dose.
When it comes to TMS healing, I think that the best rule of thumb to follow is "'get your mind right' and your body will get better as well." Alternatively, as Steve Ozanich puts it in the closing sentence of his book, "Happiness first, and good health will certainly follow...."
This means that as your are working on recovering from TMS, you want to focus on building equanimity in your heart. You want to focus on soothing yourself.
In contrast, think about the symptoms of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome that you mention on your profile. Your goal should be to calm your overstimulated nervous system, but discontinuing antidepressants too rapidly or at the wrong time could throw your life into chaos. This would be the opposite of what you would want to happen.
People often assume that Dr. Sarno is necessarily against psychopharmacological medications, but this is not the case. In
The Divided Mind, he wrote,
I have said elsewhere that it is essential for patient acceptance that a psychosomatic diagnosis be made by a physician. It is equally important that the physician and psychotherapist remain in communication throughout the course of treatment. The responsibilities are clearly delineated: the physician’s role is to educate patients on the nature of the psychosomatic process, essential for successful treatment whether or not psychotherapy is prescribed, and precedes the referral. The physician manages physical problems and answers questions that may arise during the course of psychotherapy. The psychologist, of course, has the major responsibility of diagnosing and treating the psychodynamics responsible for symptoms. The psychologist also determines whether psychoactive medication is necessary as an adjunct to therapy and refers the patient to a psychopharmacologist should that be the case. (emphasis mine)
One of the key things to prioritize in recovery from TMS is patience. You can do everything in its own time. Given how powerful antidepressants can be, it may be counterproductive to discontinue them while you are working on your physical symptoms. You can always discontinue them later, under the supervision of your physician.
Speaking of "supervision of your physician," on your profile page, you describe some of the possible terrible consequences of discontinuing antidepressants too rapidly.You write,
However, I dont like the fact Im on anti depressants & am afraid to start weaning due to the ill effects it will have on my mind what with how
the brain tries to compensate for the blockage of the serotonin and dopamine receptors by growing additional receptors for these neurotransmitters. When the medications are discontinued, these additional receptors contribute to an 'overload' of serotonin and dopamine flooding the receptor. This is known as 'super-sensitivity psychosis' and 'antidepressant discontinuation syndrome'."
I digress,
"BEMIDJI, MINN. -- Jeffrey Weise had ‘a good relationship' with the grandfather he shot and killed on Monday as prelude to his deadly assault on students and others at Red Lake High School, according to relatives who are struggling to understand what might have pushed the teenager from sometimes bizarre behaviour to mass murder and suicide. . . . They wondered, too, about medication he was supposedly taking for depression, and a recent increase in his prescribed dosage. . . . 60 milligrams a day of Prozac." --Star Tribune (Minnesota), March 24, 2005.
Consistent with the "zombie effect" noted above, many sources indicate that some perpetrators who survive their crime scenes report being in a dreamlike state in which they feel they are watching their actions but not in control of them. Some of the literature notes sleep disorders, and speculates that the drugs induce a state of waking dream in which one becomes a passive witness to one's actions. (Christopher Pittman, who killed his grandparents and set fire to their house told his father afterward that it had been like watching a TV show.) Other sources say the shooters do not remember their crimes or do not associate themselves with what occurred.
So, my question is, how will I go about doing this? As you can see from above, Ive read some horrific stories about coming off A/Dep's to the point of extreme violence, even murder & suicide! If I could find somebody who can help me through the transition of weaning of Effexor, step by step to get to the 'other side' of being totally free from pain & drugs & TMS , Id be ever so grateful.
The people in our community generally have personal experience with physical pain, but we are not experts on psychopharmacology or antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. We can share our personal experiences with our symptoms and provide peer support, but it would be unethical for us to provide medical advice on discontinuing medications prescribed by a physician.
If you would like to adjust your medications, I suggest working with a licensed professional. They can see you face-to-face in order to read your body language, and have a vast amount of experience in training that we just don't have. There are practitioners out there who are sensitive to your concerns about antidepressants. In particular, I would suggest, contacting
@Dr James Alexander, either through our forum or via the contact details on the Find a TMS Doctor or Therapist page:
http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Find_a_TMS_Doctor_or_Therapist
He has recovered from TMS himself, is the author of a book, and is a licensed psychologist in Lismore. I believe that he may be critical of antidepressants as well, so he would be a good source of referrals to a physician who could work with you.
