Recovery Without Meds

Recovery without medications is a hot topic right now. There are many experts who believe that getting off meds is an important step in recovery. These opinions are controversial and any attempt to discontinue medication for a mental illness should be discussed with a psychiatrist.

I have seen a documentary recently on the subject of recovering from schizophrenia without meds. It was especially in favor of not using meds in recovery. It featured interviews with people who had successfully recovered from schizophrenia as well as doctors. They sighted studies that showed people are more often able to fully recover when they are not medicated.

In addition to watching this documentary I have spoken to mental health professionals on the issue. One of these was a peer specialist that I work with. She has made a full recovery from bi-polar disease. She still takes medication for her symptoms. I have spoken on the subject of medication more than once. She believes that medication is just one tool in your "tool box" that you can use to aid your recovery. She said to me that a person should feel it is alright to take meds for their illness if it is what's best.

I also spoke to my psychiatrist about the possibility of my getting off meds eventually as well. She informed me on the implications of getting off meds. First of all she said to not do it without the assistance of a doctor. She also said that to see the effects of lowering a med dosage you need to wait about 4 months. In order to reduce the possibility of relapse you must lower your dosage of medication slowly and incrementally over the course of 12 to 18 months. This way you may make a small change in dosage wait at least 4 months to see its effects and respond accordingly. She also told me that I should wait at least 1 year before I even begin tapering off my medication.

I will like to attempt to get off of meds eventually. However, I do believe they help me. I have had times in which I was not medicated and it adversely affected my ability to remain present. I would spend time talking to myself in large crowded rooms. I am not experiencing too much adverse side effects from the meds either. Although I do have to take cholesterol med to offset the zyprexa I take. I am not over weight. I am in fact quite healthy. I think that getting off meds might aid my recovery.