Are we addicted to our medicatons?

[John-Forrest]

I would like to bring up an issue I've been thinking about the past 30 years or so I have been on medications. From the outset, I've been told not to quit or I would get terminal seizures and possibly wind up brain dead. OK, so I went along with that and took my pills like a good boy.

Problem is: I have noted no real decrease in number and severity of seizures. In fact, they just seemed to be getting worse and worse. I have to ask myself: Why am I taking these pills if they are doing nothing for me?

Answer: I am taking these pills because my seizures will be worse if I stop taking them, it'll kill me. I have made various attempts to withdraw (gradually decreasing dose) - then had some whopping seizure/series of seizures - which would then scare me to go back on the stuff that's doing me no other good than to avoid the withdrawal symptoms.

People on heroin may start taking heroin because it makes them feel good. However, if they stop taking the heroin, they feel MUCH worse than they did prior to taking heroin. This is what is known as "withdrawal symptoms".

The purpose of these pills is to stop the brain from having seizures. When the pills aren't there anymore, our seizures come back - worse than prior to taking the pills.

Every neurologist has told me "there are no withdrawal symptoms with this medication". I'm not sure I agree with this. I wish I had never started taking those pills; now I'll have to keep taking them just to keep from making my condition worse - which is getting worse because of the pills as well.

I would like to present a very interesting story here: When I was 25 years old or so, I was presribed Dilantin as a relaxer by a psychotherapist, sort of like Valium. Prior to this I didn't have seizures. After ceasing to take this medication, I began to have my first seizures. So: did this medication cause my condition? Any studies on that?

Are we addicts to these medications?

[POSITIVEPERSON]

I have tried to get off my meds acouple of times. It was very difficult
MYsoline is addictive. I needed help from the acupuncturist and the gard diet.
The first time the Dr supposedly was helping me and just wanted me on the vns inplant.
Once the mysoline was out of my blood I had a violent withdrawel seizure and broke my leeds. What a mistake that was and I didn't forgive the Dr nor trust him after that.

When I moved to Portland and ran of meds I started on homeopathy and slowly dropped lycria and mysoline. I was left with 125 mgs of mysoline and I kept trying to drop the last 1/2 tab of mysoline and I kept having withdrawel seizures. Than I became toxic on mysoline. I called Donna crying and she she gave me a great idea to find out if their was a smaller tab of mysoline. Which their was , and of course no Dr ever told me. Instead of 125mgs of mysoline I now took 50 mgs of mysoline tried to wean off. Than I reread about the Gard diet and retried it. Oddly enough I like the diet this time around. First I started the diet and than a week later I dropped 25 mgs of mysoline and than a week later another 25 mgs and I have been ok. But it would have been very difficult without the Gard diet and acupuncture to help with the withdrawel systems.

Riva

[brain]

I would like to present a very interesting story here: When I was 25 years old or so, I was presribed Dilantin as a relaxer by a psychotherapist, sort of like Valium. Prior to this I didn't have seizures. After ceasing to take this medication, I began to have my first seizures. So: did this medication cause my condition? Any studies on that?

Are we addicts to these medications?

No. I was having seizures and was untreated.
And when being treated and on various medications
I wasn't addicted to any of them. But that is just
me speaking here, I don't know about the others.

But I had been on 'addictive' anti-epileptic drugs but I had no
problems going off of them, if you're referring
to withdrawl phases? But I did sustain allergy
or bad reaction to some anti-epileptic drug meds.

[POSITIVEPERSON]

I had the shakes and was super hyper from dropping mysoline . Thats why I always end up at the acupuncturist. They help me with the withdrawel I feel. Which is awful!!!!!


Riva

[Bernard]

Every neurologist has told me "there are no withdrawal symptoms with this medication". I'm not sure I agree with this. I wish I had never started taking those pills; now I'll have to keep taking them just to keep from making my condition worse - which is getting worse because of the pills as well.

I would like to present a very interesting story here: When I was 25 years old or so, I was presribed Dilantin as a relaxer by a psychotherapist, sort of like Valium. Prior to this I didn't have seizures. After ceasing to take this medication, I began to have my first seizures. So: did this medication cause my condition? Any studies on that?

abruptly quitting some AEDs can cause neurological problems...

[RobinN]

I think you have voiced a very interesting consideration John.
At this point in our journey, I would have to say I am in agreement with your observations. I am going to give an analogy that I went through as a teen. I was put on antibiotics for a year or more. Unmonitored, just because it was clearing up my teenage skin. So I went on and on, until one day I just got sick and tired of taking it. I - Q.U.I.T.
No help, no doctor, no protocol... just quit. I got so sick I wound up in the hospital with IV's. They gave me an even more powerful antibiotic to fight what my body clearly was unable to fight. When I came home and that antibiotic started to wear off I started to get really sick again. This time my mom helped me to fight a good fight with vitamins, and nutritional supplements. It took a while but it finally kicked it and I was free and clear of the "bad bugs".

My analogy here, is you have to replace what you are taking away with something your body needs more of. Make it as healthy as it can be and it will put up a good fight.

I would suggest if you consider this, you do it with a doctor on board and a very careing person at your side.

[Zoe]

I would like to present a very interesting story here: When I was 25 years old or so, I was presribed Dilantin as a relaxer by a psychotherapist, sort of like Valium. Prior to this I didn't have seizures. After ceasing to take this medication, I began to have my first seizures. So: did this medication cause my condition? Any studies on that?

Are we addicts to these medications?

Read the posts about kindling and seizures. Then do a google search on these topics, "phenytoin" "vitamin D metabolism" "phenytoin" " folic acid" "phenytoin" " vitamin B1".
Then do a search on these; "vitamin D deficiency" "seizure threshold" "folic acid deficiency" "seizure threshold" "vitamin B1 deficiency" " seizure threshold" "calcium deficiency" "seizure threshold" "vitamin D deficiency" "calcium". You may find some insight from those links, just for starters. Also try a search on "antidepressants" "seizure threshold." Then re-read the article on kindling and how seizures may develop.