I'm thinking of going drug free (all drugs)

[gorillahung]

I watched Chris Bell's documentary "Prescription Thugs" about prescription drug use in the USA. Then I made a list of all of my prescriptions. I'm on 14 different prescription drugs! I'm thinking that it might be healthier to go all natural. I've been on Xanax or Klonopin for 27 years straight! Now my doctor decided to pull me off of the benzodiazepines and I'm in withdrawal just from having my dose lowered! I was taking 4mg/day of Klonopin for my panic attacks. I'm now down to 1.5mg. Despite still taking it, I'm feeling nasty withdrawal from this shit just from lowering the dose! Now I find out that you can have a seizure because of the withdrawal. The worst withdrawal is still to come when I stop completely. I was an ignorant teenager when they first gave me Xanax. Nobody told me I would have problems quitting it. Back then Xanax wasn't a household name and being abused. I had no idea what it was going to do to me. This psychiatrist treating my panic attacks was horrible. He kept increasing my dose to the point where I was taking 24mg/ daily! Yep, I was taking 12 Xanax bars per day my second year of college. It turned me into a zombie. After that year, I was struggling academically and transferred to a university close to home where I could stay with mom and dad and I could go to a different psychiatrist to get my dose lowered. I found a better doctor and got my dose down to 8mg of Xanax. Eventually I was switched to Klonopin which is almost the same thing. Now my doctor is cutting me off. He's an asshole for doing it abruptly putting me at risk and sending me into withdrawal. I have quit anabolic steroids though. Even though there's no withdrawal sickness they are mentally addictive and stopping increased my depression. I'm sure I will be healthier without gear although I'm still taking TRT at a dose of 100mg every 2 weeks of testosterone cypionate. I'm looking at the 14 different drugs I'm taking and taking a look to see which ones I can do without. Because of the pill popping culture of the USA, I never even questioned all of the drugs I'm using. I'm not sure all of these drugs are even helping me. I'm taking crap like gabapentin that's supposed to be for my shoulder pain. I don't even think it helps. Sorry, I know this isn't exactly about roids or sarms but I think it's definitely fitness related. Take a good look at what you are prescribed. It may be killing you.

 

[stevesmi]

I have no clue how a person ends up being on 14 drugs. this is why I hate doctors and I hate pharma companies

this is a failure of our society to give a fuck about any person and only care about $$$$

there is no fucking way any living being needs to be on that many drugs just to function daily. i would rather die than be put on that many drugs

 

[gorillahung]

I have no clue how a person ends up being on 14 drugs. this is why I hate doctors and I hate pharma companies

this is a failure of our society to give a fuck about any person and only care about $$$$

there is no fucking way any living being needs to be on that many drugs just to function daily. i would rather die than be put on that many drugs

I hate all of these drugs. Granted, I'm a diabetic so that explains two of the drugs, metformin and insulin. However, I take a statin for cholesterol. One of the side effects of the statin is erexctile dysfunction. Therefore I have to take viagra whenever I get lucky and get laid. It's horrible when you take one drug just to counter the side effects caused by another drugs. I'm tired of making big pharma rich. I'm doing some soul searching and hopefully going to get off of some of this junk. They give me gabapentin for pain and I don't even think it helps. Supposedly gabapentin is going to become a controlled substance soon but I have no idea how a junkie could get high off of that crap. It doesn't do squat for me.

 

[SteveMobsterG]

I've seen that documentary. We tend towards some parts of the US concepts and ideas here. One path we haven't followed as yet is the need to be prescribed drugs for every aspect of our life.

I'm 52. All I ever take is a tablet when I need to if my stomach is upset and a painkiller when I need to. That's it. Nothing for my mood (nothing self prescribed either). No blood thinners. No statins, No heart pills. Nothing else.

Back when I had my back injury last year they tried me on a bunch of pain meds inc Gabapentin as well as Tramadol. Both of these are reputed to cause some addiction issues etc in some. I am possibly non-reactive to opiate type pain killers cos they did f**k all for me. Codine just about helped and even then they never gave me more than 10mg pills.

I'd question being on anti-depressents for 27 years. Who's depressed for three decades? How does that work??

 

[SteveMobsterG]

Gorillahung - 2 thoughts. You want out and the doc wants you off them - that's the same thing. And EVERY pill packet I've ever taken comes with a slip of paper warning us of side effects. Did Xanax not have one? If it did did you not read it?

 

[Lev Butlerov]

Thank you for sharing your experience here. Indeed, doctors are not always right, and you always need to question their decisions. I have been mis-treated by doctors so many times, that I already prefer to deal with my problems on my own, and my wife is the second opinion here. Besides, all these doctors are usually repping their pharma companies, so they are always interested in prescribing shit that you may not need. In the era of the internet it is a crime not to check everything, because information is so readily available these days.

 

[stevesmi]

Mobster: the difference is the US is a for profit healthcare system (the ONLY country in the world that does has such a thing in place!) the #1 employer in most towns are hospitals and our top paying jobs are all medical related.. even these guys with zero education are making 150K per year as salesman for pharma companies.

great point about being depressed for 27 years. there is no such thing. it is a ruse. i've been depressed a lot in my life, i get over it. go do a hobby you like, go workout, go fuck your gf. you won't be depressed anymore. it is ridiculous and popping a pill everytime you have a bad day is just feeding your doctor and pharma companies more money

 

[SteveMobsterG]

Mobster: the difference is the US is a for profit healthcare system (the ONLY country in the world that does has such a thing in place!) the #1 employer in most towns are hospitals and our top paying jobs are all medical related.. even these guys with zero education are making 150K per year as salesman for pharma companies. Like I said I watched the documentary and I don't live under a stone - I know it's a big issue in the US.

great point about being depressed for 27 years. there is no such thing. it is a ruse. i've been depressed a lot in my life, i get over it. go do a hobby you like, go workout, go fuck your gf. you won't be depressed anymore. it is ridiculous and popping a pill everytime you have a bad day is just feeding your doctor and pharma companies more money. We've all had our darker moments and I doubt few, if any, go through life without at least one bout of mental illness. But 27 years?? No.

I'd say there's a root cause that's not ever been addressed.

 

[gorillahung]

Gorillahung - 2 thoughts. You want out and the doc wants you off them - that's the same thing. And EVERY pill packet I've ever taken comes with a slip of paper warning us of side effects. Did Xanax not have one? If it did did you not read it?

I'm sure it did but they got me hooked at age 17. hat 17 year old reads warnings? I think it's the doctor's responsibility to have informed my parents. I wasn't even able to pick up my RX at the pharmacy due to my age. By the time I figured it out I was already hooked.

 

[SteveMobsterG]

I'm sure it did but they got me hooked at age 17. hat 17 year old reads warnings? I think it's the doctor's responsibility to have informed my parents. I wasn't even able to pick up my RX at the pharmacy due to my age. By the time I figured it out I was already hooked.

Not to give you sh*t or anything but who listens to the pharmacist when they tell you the warnings? Who reads the slip or even googles the info? Doesn't matter what age. I switch off the moment they start talking same as everyone else

Now with that being true it's no good moaning and bitching 27 years later about being hard done by. That's, or so it seems, why we see so many legal claims where the complainant bitches after the fact. Fact is even if they never said back then the info has been there for you to know for years. You even say 'by the time I found out'... how long ago did you find out and what made you wait until now?

Short of someone bitch slapping you upside the head a few years ago screaming 'that stuff is evil' you need, as you ARE now, to take both control and some responsibility. You're not that kid from way back then - you're an adult (in your 40's).

Now you're already of a mind to get of the drugs so you're moving in the right direction. If cutting your meds too quickly will be tough you've two choices. One is to man up and sweat it out (hard I know) and the other is to go talk to the doc about either tapering down better or getting a med to take the crazy edge off.

I'm still concerned with the time scale - 27 years? Some meds bring their own issues with them. So, unless you've been mentally ill, inc depressed,for 3 decades then it's either being hooked that's caused problems or unaddressed issues. Be sure to work on those, if you have any, as you come off.

Best of luck

 

[stevesmi]

I think this thread can be a learning experience for others reading it

whenever i got to the dentist or doctor (not often cause they are scum) and if they give me any sort of Rx I go home right away and look up what they are giving me and I DECIDE if i should take it. it is my DECISION. I suggest anyone who is lucky enough to read this thread do the same.

I just saw a story today about a bipolar girl who went into the ER with stomach pains that she had for 3 fucking days, the doctor told her she had the flu after seeing her for 2 minutes (LMAO how the fuck can you seriously diagnose someone with the flu just like that?) and gave her a script and sent her home. she goes back to the same hospital and waits for 5 hours in the ER and then goes back home cause she is tired of waiting. 2 days later she fucking died from a burst appendix.

American healthcare at its finest right there. if you aren't your own doctor you don't stand a chance in this country. the people who think this sort of thing is okay because they believe in 'freedom' and that we shouldn't have healthcare.. i hope one day your kid dies from poor healthcare cause you believed in 'freedom'.. the freedom to die lol. just like how we shouldn't have seat belts cause it is against our freedoms, the freedom to go through the windshield in an accident.

 

[gorillahung]

I'm going to list what I currently take. I started to realize what a problem I had when I went to the doctor and could not even remember everything I was taking. Here's my current drug stack:
metformin
atorvostatin
tradjenta
lantus
clonazepam (currently tapering off)
remeron
trazodone
tizanidine
testosterone
propanolol
viagra
hydroxyzine
ibuprofen (RX dose)
gabapentin

This is just absurd!

 

[JaylovesDbol]

Hey man,
I feel your pain! Saw the documentary too and just like your doctor I got put on Tramadol, Valium, Xanax at a young age and had no idea about the side effects and withdrawals.
I can't even do a quick weekend trip without going back home first to pick up my RX stack.. it's really frustrating. Anyway, you can get through this, many have done this before you and been in your shoes.

First off, out of the 14 drugs almost all of them are identical. You can at least cut the stack by 50% without going into withdrawal. It's mostly your mind playing tricks on you.. seriously!

I know it's physical too but for example, I have to wake up and take 2x50mg Tramadol or I start sneezing 20-30mins later (first sign of withdrawal) and that's 20mins after I open my eyes.. So yes there are physical withdrawals but mostly mental!

Why are yo taking ibuprofen on a daily basis? What's the purpose?
Klonopin and Xanax are literally the same - drop one or the other and dosages of 24mg a day are just absurd. That would put someone in a coma if they don't have any tolerance with the drug.
Your doc is a real idiot..

 

[muskate]

I agree and support your decision 100%

However, some of these drugs are HIGHLY addictive and you won't be able to just stop them cold turkey.

Do a lot of research and learn how to taper off the drugs slowly. I would also consider hiring a naturopathic doctor to try and help you find natural alternatives.

 

[gorillahung]

I am just now waking up to the fact that I'm over-medicated. I guess I'm to blame for this but it couldn't have happened without my doctors. I see three different doctors, my general practitioner, a psychiatrist, and a pain management specialist. The pain management guy prescribes the gabapentin but I don't even think it helps me with my pain. He told me that it's probably going to become a controlled substance soon. I have no idea why. Are people getting high off of this stuff? Regardless, I think I can get by without it. I'm going to be having some long talks with these doctors to see what I can live without.

 

[gorillahung]

I was astounded that Americans use 75% of the world's prescription drugs. Maybe that's because big pharma is allowed to advertise directly to patients. In Chris Bell's documentary he said that only two countries in the world allow this. I've always said that capitalism and medicine don't mix well.

I took Paxil for 12 years. It never even helped me but I got sick when I tried to quit. I kept taking it because I didn't want to get sick and miss work. However, Paxil causes erectile dysfunction and I couldn't get a boner while on it. That had a negative effect on one relationship with a woman. She was upset thinking that I didn't find her attractive enough to get erect even though I explained to her that it was the drug causing it. She actually was pretty hot! Well, then I needed Viagra! Viagra does work but it costs $58 per pill! That's absurd. Most insurances don't cover it either. It's pathetic that they make pills to counter the side effects of other pills! I've seen ads for a drug to eliminate "opioid induced constipation"! Drug ads are shameful. Is restless leg syndrome even a real condition?

 

[MasonicBodybuilder]

It really is crazy what these doctors will do. Just prescribe a pill for everything. Make you numb to life and not realize that sometimes you should feel ups and downs.

I really support you here man. You know it wont be easy which is the proper mindset. Stick with it and get all that shit out of your system. Come here and vent whenever you need.

Just keep looking to the future when you body will be so much healthier!

 

[SteveMobsterG]

I was astounded that Americans use 75% of the world's prescription drugs. Maybe that's because big pharma is allowed to advertise directly to patients. In Chris Bell's documentary he said that only two countries in the world allow this. I've always said that capitalism and medicine don't mix well.

I took Paxil for 12 years. It never even helped me but I got sick when I tried to quit. I kept taking it because I didn't want to get sick and miss work. However, Paxil causes erectile dysfunction and I couldn't get a boner while on it. That had a negative effect on one relationship with a woman. She was upset thinking that I didn't find her attractive enough to get erect even though I explained to her that it was the drug causing it. She actually was pretty hot! Well, then I needed Viagra! Viagra does work but it costs $58 per pill! That's absurd. Most insurances don't cover it either. It's pathetic that they make pills to counter the side effects of other pills! I've seen ads for a drug to eliminate "opioid induced constipation"! Drug ads are shameful. Is restless leg syndrome even a real condition?

Does it f**k. There are a million ads for Viagra - no one pays $58 a pill.

Opiates do cause constipation. My dad was on mophine (back pain) briefly and it was a family joke he shit out diamonds.