Because medication withdrawal is poorly understood by psychiatrists and patients, it's easy to think of medication withdrawal as a single phenomenon. After all, conventional psychiatrists give the same advice for all the medications: lower the dose slowly or replace it with another similar medication. Beyond that, there is very little that conventional psychiatry can offer, which is a really sad state of affairs. It's like someone who studied how to climb up a mountain for ten years but never studied how to climb down.
As a holistic psychiatrist, everything I learned about medication withdrawal came after I graduated from my ten years of medical training. Along the way, it became clear to me that antidepressant and antipsychotic withdrawal require very different approaches. With my hypothesis in hand, I came up with creative strategies that made it much easier for patients to lower their medications. Today, I'm going to share just one important insight and its implication for treatment that will transform how you handle medication withdrawal.
Have a wonderful week!
The Key Difference Between Antidepressant and Antipsychotic Withdrawal
Why Antipsychotic Withdrawal is Harder Than Antidepressant Withdrawal
Most antidepressants used in the treatment of depression and anxiety block the reuptake of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and catecholamines (norepinephrine and some dopamine).
Antipsychotics, however, block the activity of neurotransmitter receptors, such as dopamine, histamine, and other important receptors.
Whether a medication blocks the reuptake of a neurotransmitter or blocks a receptor to a neurotransmitter leads to a key difference during withdrawal.
When a medication blocks the reuptake of a neurotransmitter, withdrawal is best managed by building more of that neurotransmitter. This is because the unblocking of these reuptake pumps lowers (probably already low) levels of neurotransmitters. Many nutraceutical companies have created products that increase the level of neurotransmitters in the body. So this problem can be addressed fairly easily.
However, if a medication blocks the receptor, then withdrawal from the medication must be managed by decreasing the level of neurotransmitters or lowering the number of its receptors. This is due to having more unblocked receptors when medication levels come down. There is no supplement that can do this.
Sure, you can add some GABA or some herbal supplements meant to calm the system down, but I've tried that in the past. It's not going to be enough for many patients.
What must happen to address the unique needs of a system with too many receptors and neurotransmitters?
The way to lower too many unblocked receptors is to shift the system through information.
The neurotransmitter system lives to serve the transmission of information. It responds to information very quickly. Because it is an information-based system, it can be healed through the use of proper information through available energy medicine techniques.
In the past, I would lower a patient's medication in very small increments and wait for the patient to adapt to the lower dosage over a week or two. This leads to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Now I use energy medicine techniques to inform the body how to prepare itself for an anticipated medication taper in a week or two. This leads to a much easier withdrawal process. The main thing patients report is feeling overmedicated just before the scheduled taper date. Click here to see my December 3, 2019 article on this approach.
Of course, the patient should be able to do this physiologically by having sufficient nutrients to support the adaptive process: vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, GI support, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories. A good diet, enough sleep, and regular exercise are essential. Once these ingredients are supplied to the body, I use EET + Logosynthesis and Ask and Receive techniques twice per week to prepare the patient for the anticipated antipsychotic withdrawal. Here is an example of a progress note in a patient's chart:
EET + Logosynthesis
“I now choose to align myself with Life Energy and be empowered to remove all non-me energy bound up in the co-dependent reactions of my body that keep the 20 mg Latuda at a homeostatic dose which interfere with my ability to safely, easily, and gradually taper down to ¾ tablet by Thursday, September 24, 2020, I remove this non-me energy from all of my physical body, energy systems, and personal space, and I send this energy back to where it truly belongs.”
“I now choose to align myself with Life Energy and be empowered to retrieve all of my energy bound up in the co-dependent reactions of my body that keep the 20 mg Latuda at a homeostatic dose which interfere with my ability to safely, easily, and gradually taper down to ¾ tablet by Thursday, September 24, 2020, and I bring this energy back to the correct place within myself.”
“I now choose to align myself with Life Energy and be empowered to retrieve all of my energy bound up in all of my reactions to the co-dependent reactions of my body that keep the 20 mg Latuda at a homeostatic dose which interfere with my ability to safely, easily, and gradually taper down to ¾ tablet by Thursday, September 24, 2020, and I bring this energy back to the correct place within myself.”
Ask and Receive
"There is a part of my being that already knows how to unhook, clear and dissolve, heal and release, the co-dependent reactions of my body that keep the 20 mg Latuda at a homeostatic dose which interfere with my ability to safely, easily, and gradually taper down to ¾ tablet by Thursday, September 24, 2020—all that it represents, all of its roots, and its points of entry, throughout all generations, across all time, dimensions, space, and reality, and that part of my being is willing to inform and heal the rest of me now—and it’s doing so now with grace and ease. My mind, body, and spirit are receiving this information and healing now. Information transfer and healing are now complete.”
"There is a part of my being that already knows how to strengthen, empower, and create the ability to safely, easily, and gradually taper down to ¾ tablet of 20 mg Latuda by Thursday, September 24, 2020—all of its representations, states of being, and ways of manifesting, throughout my life, across all generations, time, dimensions, space, and reality, and that part of my being is willing to inform, heal, and empower the rest of me now—and it’s doing so now with grace and ease. My mind, body, and spirit are receiving this information, healing, and empowerment now. Information transfer, healing, and empowerment are now complete."
During the session, I try to help my patient by saying it with them and using my energy medicine training to help them shift their energy through these intentions and statements. The patient in the above progress note has been able to lower his Lithium Carbonate from 1350 mg to 0 mg, Latuda 60 mg to 20 mg, and Klonopin 1 mg to 0.125 mg with good success. He has done well and has been stable since May 21, when he had his first session with me. The proof is in the pudding as I like to say.
In summary, for antidepressant withdrawal, you can get away with adding supplements and not relying on energy medicine techniques. Of course, using energy medicine techniques helps with any withdrawal, if you choose to use them. But, for antipsychotic withdrawal, you will need to use energy medicine techniques and nutritional support together for a successful process. Otherwise, the patient will likely relapse within three months of stopping their medication(s).
This has been my empirical experience from years of working on medication withdrawal. I hope my insights will be helpful to you.
Have a great week!