At the moment, this site makes just about enough money to break even, and that doesn’t include the many educational resources that I buy, all of which contribute to my writing. It’s ironic that you bring up this point because the profit incentives of the pharmaceutical industry are a major reason why prescription medication in general is so overused today.

The number you’re questioning was taken directly from the documentary. I suggest watching it and contacting the producers if you wish to bicker about the statistics or its ethical value.

I would never suggest that anyone stop taking medication already prescribed without them discussing it with their doctor. That would indeed be irresponsible. The point here is for people to be aware of the negative influences of the pharmaceutical industry and the potential risks of psychiatric drugs that may not even be necessary. My hope is that it will encourage people to pursue safer alternatives before resorting to prescription medication.

Over the course of 6 months, I was continually taking two different antibiotics. Looking back, I wish I didn’t take them, but I didn’t know what else to do at the time and it was part of the learning process that got me to where I am today. I recently found a new test that’s supposed to be very accurate and I tested negative, so I guess I didn’t need the antibiotics after all. If you’re interested, here’s a paper describing the testing methodology. If you want to have the test run, send me a message through the contact page and I’ll put you in touch with someone who can run it for you. Much of the testing for Lyme is believed to miss a lot of people which is why “Lyme literate” doctors will often diagnose someone with the disease despite negative test results. It’s not all that uncommon.

In my case, I was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome which can be caused by Lyme, and given that I had a history of being bitten by a tick, the specialist I was seeing had a strong suspicion of Lyme.

Based on my personal experience, unless you get a positive test result, I suggest you do everything you can to give your body the chance to recover on its own from whatever it is you’re suffering from before resorting to long term medication. If I didn’t decide to try a different approach, I could very well still be on the antibiotics and other pills that I was taking. After discontinuing my treatment program, I made tremendous improvements over the course of a few years by being meticulous with my lifestyle habits. A few of the things that I believe to have helped me most are almost completely eliminating processed foods, avoiding gluten entirely, paying more attention to my body’s need for rest, and learning how to better manage stress and negative thoughts.

Although I haven’t seen it yet, there’s a relatively new documentary on Lyme that’s supposed to be really good. You might want to check it out. It’s called Under Our Skin

Good luck, I hope you get some answers soon.

I ask, because I’m dealing with the possibility that I may have Lyme (not yet confirmed) but I don’ t want to drug myself unnecessarily.

I absolutely agree that drugs have their place, and I’m sure there are plenty of well informed psychiatrists out there with good intentions. Thanks for sharing your experience and adding balance to this discussion.

Obviously it’s ideal to treat all disorders of the body and mind with proper nutrition, exercise, and environment, but drugs do have their place. I know without my medication, I wouldn’t be able to work towards a healthier body with nutrition and exercise because I would be too depressed to care. It’s a whole lot easier to work on those when the world doesn’t feel like it’s pressing down on your chest, when you can actually breathe and move rather than suffocating and wondering when it’s all going to end because you just can’t stand the emptiness and pointlessness of everything anymore.

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had such a rough time and can certainly appreciate the frustration you’ve probably felt in regard to losing mental clarity. I hope your story will inspire others to pursue safer alternatives before resorting to psychiatric drugs, especially considering how difficult it can be to get off of them.

What they do in the brain is very interesting to me and is KEY in if they are worth it or not. If there is proof they change brain chemistry for the better (eg, I wasnt getting enough serotonin or whatever the case), then the meds are a good thing if someone is really suffering. It depends on what, if ANYTHING, brought on this dysfunctional brain chemistry; and that, imo, would decide if things other than meds can help. If the developers of the meds were just guessing, that’s something else.

My line of thinking, and a guess, is that whatever was wrong ‘up there’ wasn’t caused by anything I could see, and perhaps was some kind of defect, so it seemed meds were the only choice. It wasn’t in my family either, at least that I know of or that was diagnosed.
My neurologist has actually mentioned and urged exercise for me, which I do anyway. Stress is another thing though…especially worrying about the weird physical symptoms that I get. I am also a pretty sensitive person.

There’s no doubt that medication is necessary and perhaps the only solution for some people. However, the primary point of this article is that medication should generally be a last resort and that flaws in our medical system are encouraging it to be used prematurely and sometimes inappropriately.

It’s great that your psychiatrist suggested alternatives, but the value of this is dependent on their ability to truly facilitate the changes that they require, their willingness to fully support you in doing so, and your commitment to making the effort. It’s very possible for the doctor to only mention such alternatives in passing or for the patient to not be motivated. The latter is a personal choice, but the former is an unfortunate situation where the patient is not given a true appreciation for the significant improvements that lifestyle changes can bring.

In regard to alternative approaches being less powerful than medication, I think this depends on the circumstances as well as one’s interpretation of what powerful means. Is it powerful to have an instant effect, or to find success in a more natural and perhaps gradual manner that eliminates the potential risks and side effects commonly associated with medication? This is a personal choice, but the people who are faced with it should at least do themselves the favor of making a well informed decision. If you want to consider exercise as one potential alternative, here’s a study that showed exercise to be equally as effective as medication at improving major depression in people who are fifty or older. That’s pretty powerful if you ask me!

If you’re unhappy with your reliance on medication, you can try making lifestyle improvements while continuing to take it. Exercise is obviously an important one. So is controlling stress and reframing negative thoughts. Diet can make a significant difference as well and I highly recommend reading The Mood Cure by Julia Ross for more information. If such changes help you to feel well more consistently, you can explain to your doctor what you’re doing and ask for the dosage of your medication to be gradually reduced. Either way, I’m glad to hear that you’re feeling better and I wish you the best of luck making further progress.