btdt Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUtk8M3vykQ Neuroscientist Marc Lewis is a former drug addict. He talks about his descent into addiction, how he finally got clean and why he'll always be an addict. His book is "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain". He does say once the brain is damaged by drugs that is the end of that bit of brain.. we go around those bits but we do not heal them. Wonder how or if this applies to us. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 4, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 4, 2014 He says the brain is changed, not damaged. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted May 4, 2014 Author Share Posted May 4, 2014 ok I recall him saying the brain has to go around some things but don't want to listen to it again right now to see what and I can't recall exactly what he did say... I may buy his book..if it is not too much money. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bells Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 He says the brain is changed, not damaged. Isn't this just semantics? I mean if the brain is permanently altered in a negative way isn't that damage. Some people with TBI end up becoming more talented/productive in other areas follwing their injury which probably links in with the whole re-routing thing but they're still brain damaged and deficient in other areas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUtk8M3vykQ Neuroscientist Marc Lewis is a former drug addict. He talks about his descent into addiction, how he finally got clean and why he'll always be an addict. His book is "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain". He does say once the brain is damaged by drugs that is the end of that bit of brain.. we go around those bits but we do not heal them. Wonder how or if this applies to us. I'm sure it applies to some people and to different degrees. Antipsychotics cause brain shrinkage which afaik is not recoverable and I can't see how it can be considered anything but brain damage. But I consider brain damage induced by street drugs with the exception of methamphetamines, ectasy and a couple others for the most part childsplay compared to the damage psych drugs can do... Used SSRI's for mostly 8 years.Tapered over the course of approx. one year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 6, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 6, 2014 Listen to the video again. I do not believe he says the brain is changed in a bad way. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 Dopamine about drive not pleasure - when the opiate is gone drives one to get more ... dissociative split... in personality - doing things against his nature not a disease and not a weakness... addicts are not weak.. they work very hard to be addicts and very hard to stop part of the mind that does self control is a limited resource fighting all the time depletes glutamate and gaba....can't sit all day trying not to do it.. join 12 step go to tabet something else to think about and do.... to get off drugs things to do and think about to make it easier... neurological pathways are forever altered 11:39 he says yes the brain becomes different your stuck with that you can build other path ways around those networks and find other ways for the activation to use ride you bike read a book to build other networks that allow you to move away ... that is what I got from the second watching... ? may need to watch it again ... peace WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 another book he wrote http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-BRAIN-SELL-persuasion-influencing/dp/1857886011 http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-BRAIN-SELL-persuasion-influencing/dp/1857886011 how multimillion dollar businesses are using brain science to their advantage manipulating us to shop... well not me I have no money but maybe you... I will read this if the library has it interesting. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 further search on him got me this tho I see more than his name on it "The confusion comes about in part because of a now archaic distinction between whether specific drugs are “physically” or “psychologically”addicting. The distinction historically revolved around whether or not dramatic physical withdrawal symptoms occur when an individual stops taking a drug; what we in the field now call “physical dependence.” However, 20 years of scientific research has taught that focusing on this physical versus psychological distinction is off the mark and a distraction from the real issues. From both clinical and policy perspectives, it actually does not matter very much what physical withdrawal symptoms occur. Physical dependence is not that important, because even the dramatic withdrawal symptoms of heroin and alcohol addiction can now be easily managed with appropriate medications. Even more important, many of the most dangerous and addicting drugs, including methamphetamine and crack cocaine, do not produce very severe physical dependence symptoms upon withdrawal." Nice they know what to do about booze and heroine withdrawal now... but I am not sure it is true... I have seen people come out of dry out programs all messed up with things moving under their skin that looks like worms are crawling under the skin...not sure I buy it... From what I hear the withdrawal tho deadly can be kind of short compared to Ad withdrawal. http://www.addictionrecoveryguide.org/articles/ WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted May 9, 2014 Author Share Posted May 9, 2014 The Altered Brain - A Chronic IllnessUnfortunately, we do not yet have a clear biological or behavioral marker of that transition from voluntary drug use to addiction. However, a body of scientific evidence is rapidly developing that points to an array of cellular and molecular changes in specific brain circuits. Moreover, many of these brain changes are common to all chemical addictions, and some also are typical of other compulsive behaviors such as pathological overeating. Addiction should be understood as a chronic recurring illness. Although some addicts do gain full control over their drug use after a single treatment episode, many have relapses. The complexity of this brain disease is not atypical, because virtually no brain diseases are simply biological in nature and expression. All, including stroke, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and clinical depression, include some behavioral and social aspects. In fact, estimates are that between 50 and 70 percent of the variability in susceptibility to becoming addicted can be accounted for by genetic factors. Although genetic characteristics may predispose individuals to be more or less susceptible to becoming addicted, genes do not doom one to become an addict. Over time the addict loses substantial control over his or her initially voluntary behavior, and it becomes compulsive. For many people these behaviors are truly uncontrollable, just like the behavioral expression of any other brain disease. Schizophrenics cannot control their hallucinations and delusions. Parkinson’s patients cannot control their trembling. Clinically depressed patients cannot voluntarily control their moods. Thus, once one is addicted, the characteristics of the illness- and the treatment approaches- are not that different from most other brain diseases. No mater how one develops an illness, once one has it, one is in the diseased state and needs treatment. They have an illness that requires biomedical treatment. People often assume that because addiction begins with a voluntary behavior and is expressed in the form of excess behavior, people should just be able to quit by force of will alone. However, it is essential to understand when dealing with addicts that we are dealing with individuals whose brains have been altered by drug use. just the messenger folks .... peace WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 I follow this guy he sends me updates I am sure they got to millions of others and who knows if he reads emails. This links shows his new update .. he suggests the use of antidepressants to open a window. I have seen some people I being prescribed antidepressants when they come out of a withdrawal clinic. I don't like it but I am not God and can't stop them. I was not going to post about his update because of the what I said above but then reconsidered I don't know who out there may benefit from what he has to say and add it with my own doubts. http://www.memoirsofanaddictedbrain.com/connect/part-2-treatment-for-addiction-not-disease/?utm_source=Memoirs+of+an+Addicted+Brain&utm_campaign=13054b9c27-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4355f9df26-13054b9c27-343279661 I did however send him an email explaining what I think of his mention of Ad use for whatever it is worth and knowing full well he may have not interest in this if he even reads it. Sorry for the underlining I messed up and could not fix it... I was reading your page as it interests me. I know a lot of addicts some are life long loves of mine..family. I have been one of the poor souls who was caught in the medication trap of antidepressants for 18 years of my life until they stopped working and left my body completely rewired and disabled. I am part of a support and knowledge group trying to help people who have had severe adverse reactions/withdrawal & protracted withdrawal from antidepressants. We are forging new ground I believe as so much of what is written about antidepressant therapy is incorrect and incomplete and does not reflect the actual life experience of human beings. I have been following you for two reason: to learn about the brain from an addiction point of view second to try to apply some of what you have learned to antidepressant withdrawal. I am a protracted withdrawal sufferer and as such came to a screeching halt when I read that antidepressants some times open the stuck window for folks who addicted. I was about to promote you on the site where I am active until I read of this sentence that suggests antidepressants may be a way to open the addiction window.. on perspective. I know this is a knee jerk reaction to my own life experience yet given the trap these drugs have turned out to be for so many people who can't tolerate the withdrawal and stayed drugged for 20 years... the completely destruction withdrawal from them has on many peoples lives... for want of deleting the word antidepressant a text to your link would be on the website already. I realize this is not your area of interest and as such you may not be aware of the damage antidepressants are inflicting on people .. we are not in the streets for the most part we are in psych wards and hiding at home... we are invisible. There are not treatment programs for us... there should be. I know there are people who need the information your putting out at the same time I can't use it if the idea that taking antidepressants are a legitimate way of opening a window I can't do that to other people... I can't pull them out of the volcano fire and throw them into hell fire. Should you wish to take a look at what antidepressant use withdrawal and after math looks like please visit this site. http://survivingantidepressants.org/There have been many such sites over the past 10 years ...they all seem to suddenly shut down... I am hoping this one lasts but it may not so don't dawdle if your going to look do it now while it is still here. Should you ever decide to turn your understanding of the brain towards the problems with antidepressant damage we would be happy to see you at the site listed above. Blessed are the cracked for they are the ones who let in the light.Life is what happens when your busy making other plans. Peace all. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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