altostratafan: It can be done! (Abilify survivor)

[altostratafan]

Hi all, 🙂

I found this website from a Mikhaila Peterson podcast episode. 

 

I took the drug Abilify as I was going through a rough patch in my life. I didn't know that it was a neurotoxin, a poison instead of a healing substance.

 

I took it for a few months and then began tapering. This tapering period was 1 year approximately. 

 

I am today in perfect health, and grateful to God for it. I was also lucky to go through zero withdrawal. But the period I was ingesting the drug was hell. Restlessness, sleeping for 14 hours everyday, no enjoyment in things I found joy in before( anhedonia?), loss of my ability to compose music, low physical strength. I got almost nothing productive done. 

 

When I searched online, for how to stop this neurotoxin, at first all I found was countless horror stories about how hard it was to come off this drug. But then I found the likes of Altostrata and all the others I am sure the people here are familiar with. I once again had hope.

 

I recommend those who read this to obviously take the tapering methods, from the likes of Altostrata and others who have done such a good job.

 

I personally did the 10% reduction of the last dose, held it for three weeks, and kept repeating this almost till the end. While I reached the final stages and the doses where extremely small ( I used to make a water suspension of the drug, and used syringes to ingest it in my mouth), I did get braver and started making bigger reductions. But I recommend all to follow the best practice of tapering, as I said, written by the likes of Altostrata.

 

I could write a lot about this whole episode of my life. For those who do read this, do take this away from here- it is possible. Never lose hope. Never give up. These drugs where meant for only the severely mentally ill among us, not for those going through a rough patch in their lives. But these drugs are overprescribed, by good intentioned, but severely incompetent psychiatrists,  a majority of whom not surprisingly,  themselves choose to visit a psychologist rather than take these drugs. Do they believe themselves to be superior to us?

 

Forgive. Forgive them for yourself. And wish them well from the bottom of your heart. 

 

All the horrors I went through, at times believing that I will remain a man, who will never regain the strength of his mind, have I believe accelerated my development in some deep way. There is now in me an urgency to do good in this world, to make the world a better place. Should I not be grateful for this?

 

 

“If we prescribed relational support, walks, exercise, animal contact, rest, nutrition, insightful films/literature, basic financial support, community activity, rather than only psych-drugs, I venture our nation's woeful mental health outcomes would at last significantly improve.”   -Dr James Davies PhD

 

 

 

 

 

 

[getofflex]

Congratulations on getting off of Abilify!  Your story is very inspiring, and will give a lot of people hope.  I'm really glad you have recovered 100% of your health.  

[eileen1111]

Congratulations!

I love this quote you included - 

“If we prescribed relational support, walks, exercise, animal contact, rest, nutrition, insightful films/literature, basic financial support, community activity, rather than only psych-drugs, I venture our nation's woeful mental health outcomes would at last significantly improve.”   

 

I think these are all the things people need in order to heal from the drugs as well. 

 

[thereishope33]

That is good to hear! Today is day one of No abilify. Almost a two year taper, jumped off at .08

in hindsight, maybe would have liked to go lower. 
thanks for your sharing your story!

[Seaweedbrain]

Thank you for sharing your success story. Just wanted to ask, how long did your anhedonia last? It’s one of the worst symptoms I have currently and I find a lot of people had this for years