Americans have had a love-hate relationship with mood medicine for decades. During the 1970s and 1980s Valium was one of the most popular drugs in the country. This anti-anxiety agent was even the subject of the Rolling Stones’ song, “Mother’s little helper.”
When Prozac was introduced, some people thought this antidepressant was so wonderful it should be put in the water. But although such medicines can be valuable, initial enthusiasm may outstrip overall benefit. Some people react badly to this type of antidepressant. Agitation, insomnia and even suicidal thoughts can make treatment unbearable for susceptible patients.
Long-term use of Valium and similar anti-anxiety drugs can lead to dependency, and people who have been taking them may suffer physical symptoms of withdrawal if they stop suddenly. One reader reports a struggle: “I have been taking Xanax (alprazolam) for 12 years for anxiety. It used to calm my nerves, but it has stopped working. I get panic attacks and the shakes. When I try to stop the medicine, I go through hell.”
Many people need to taper the dose gradually to stop drugs like Ativan, Valium or Xanax. Even antidepressants like Effexor, Paxil and Zoloft may cause withdrawal symptoms if discontinued abruptly.
New antipsychotic drugs have revolutionized the treatment of severe mental illness, particularly schizophrenia. But these drugs too can be hazardous. Some health professionals may not appreciate the potential for serious adverse effects. One reader shared her heart-breaking story:
“I was put on antipsychotics for major depression after a car accident. I gained over 100 pounds, became disoriented, and had difficulty talking and trouble breathing. I often was extremely restless, not sleeping three or four days at a time because I had to pace. I also had body jerking, vision problems, fainting, nausea and vomiting, and worst of all, unrelenting, painful muscle spasms.
“My psychiatrist dismissed all of these as simple side effects. He told me I was schizo-affective manic-depressive and would never get better. He even wanted to put me in assisted living for the profoundly mentally ill.
“I was on Zyprexa and Seroquel for several years till I became critically ill with acute pancreatitis. They expected me to die, but somehow I pulled through. By the time I was moved to a regular hospital room, my friends were startled to see and hear me as I had been before starting on antipsychotics. The drugs had been flushed out of my system and I was normal.
“I never started back on antipsychotics. I saw a different psychiatrist who said there is nothing wrong with me, not even depression. And he said he’d never encountered a person with schizo-affective manic-depression who’d been suddenly cured. He suggested I suffered a toxic reaction to the drugs.”
In one sense, the life-threatening reaction that hospitalized this woman may have saved her life. It allowed a reevaluation of her condition and her medicines. Weight gain, diabetes and agitation are now recognized as reactions to a number of antipsychotic drugs.
Antianxiety agents, antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs can be highly beneficial for many. But it is crucial to recognize that they also pose some serious risks for some people.
