I have realized doctors may be experts on diagnosing diseases, but I’m the expert on me. With psychiatry, as with all healing modalities, I take what I like and leave the rest.
Daily meds work for many people, but didn’t work for me. I was told I would need to take meds for both my thyroid and brain every day for the rest of my life. After over 15 years on thyroid meds and 4 years on psych meds, I successfully tapered off all daily prescriptions in 2023, under the supervision of my psychiatrist, endocrinologist and acupuncturist.
Tapering was definitely the right decision for me long term. Short term, however, I wish I had researched tapering first because my psychiatrist’s pace was way too fast. He tapered me off the antidepressant over weeks, and it likely should have been months to reset my neurotransmitters more gently. It resulted in terrible withdrawals, and I thought I’d have to resume the antidepressant. Instead, I continued tapering off the mood stabilizer too.
Ultimately, I am healing from extremes by trying to find the middle path with every possible healing resource available to me.
The Middle Kath episode 3: Acupuncture
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6FXfOmeu52T2oDYGpcUDuw?si=DlcVq1rJRiOiaLtUASYo0Q
Additional resources:
Lauren Kennedy West - Metabolic Therapies youtube.com/@LivingWellAfterSchizophrenia
What This Year Taught Me About Being Human
Degrees of Health Podcast interview: Lauren Kennedy West | From Schizophrenia to Symptom-Free - Metabolic Therapies for Mental Health
Dr. Christopher Palmer - Metabolic Psychiatry & Brain Energy youtube.com/@ChrisPalmerMD
Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring - Taper Clinic youtube.com/@taperclinic