Product Description

From Ativan to Zoloft, Effexor to Prozac, this work describes at the dangers of psychiatric medication, and offers guidance on how to safely stop taking them. When first published in 1999, "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" was ahead of its time. The only book to provide an uncensored description of the dangers involved in taking every kind of psychiatric medication, it was also the first and only book to explain how to safely stop taking them. In the intervening years, there have been numerous studies suggesting or proving the dangers of some psychiatric medications, and more studies are underway to determine the long-term and withdrawal effects. In the meantime, this book continues to be ever relevant and helpful. Fully updated to include study results and new medications that have come on to the market, "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" will help countless readers exert control over their own psychiatric treatment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #227879 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Dr Peter Breggin is the author of a dozen books including Talking Back to Prozac and The Antidepressant Factbook. He lives in Ithaca, New York. David Cohen, PhD, is a professor of social work at Florida International University. He lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

Customer Reviews

giving choice through truth
This a must read for anyone who may wish to consider stopping taking psychiatric medication or wishes to be more informed about such drugs in general. There are few books around which give insight into how to stop taking psychiatric drugs and this is the best. On many occassions when people have stopped taking psychiatric drugs, they have become ill, often this is blamed on an underlying mental illness such as depression or schizophrenia and psychiatrists offer convincing arguments about the efficency of drugs to their patients, which helps establish a system of psychiatric slavery. Breggin and Cohen present the view that withdrawal or discontinuation of psychiatric drugs can in fact cause serious withdrawal syndromes, which in fact may mimic mental illnesses, such as psychosis or depression and some possible consequences of withdrawal may even cause death. It is of course vital to be properly informed about stopping any such medication and this book gives good information, whilst recommending clinical supervision, though this may not have to be from a psychiatrist.

Highlighted is the lack of open and honest research by drug companies and their inflated claims about their products. This is especially topical as it has recently come to light that Glaxo kept quiet information which showed seroxat to be no more effective than a placebo, whilst having potential for serious side effects. The way in which certain drugs, the neuroleptics, have and are used as chemical restraints, is also themed.

More and more drugs are being prescribed for mental illness and the truth is that very little is known about psychiatric drugs and their effects on the human brain, Breggin and Cohen do not pretend that they know all about the human brain but they do not have an arrogant attitude towards their fellow man either, some psychiatrists do and may even view those that they label as a different type of human being.

This book shows that there are alternatives to drug "therapy" but does not give easy answers either. The truth is that if stopping drugs is your goal, it may be a difficult journey with no guarantee of success but it may be a very rich and rewarding experience too, if only partly successful. The best advice given is not to start taking psychiatric drugs if at all possible and if you do then it is best to use the least possible for the shortest time.

It would be wonderful if all psychiatrists could read this book and affect changes but this will never happen. If you wish to stop taking psychiatric drugs then please read this book as a first step.

Excellent source of hard-to-find drug information.
This is the perfect book for anyone who wonders why she or he feels WORSE -- whether emotionally or physically -- when using psychiatric drugs like Prozac or lithium. Both easy to understand and thoroughly researched, "Your Drug May Be Your Problem" explains why the drugs are dangerous, how to safely stop using them, and how to deal with emotional crises without resorting to drugs. In a culture in which psychiatric drugs are pushed by everyone from the White House down to the neighborhood elementary school, this book is a refreshing change. I WISH I'd had the information contained in this book six years ago when doctors put me on a nightmarish regimen of psychiatric drugs. All in all, a fascinating and enlightening read.

Your Drug May NOT Be Your Problem
There are many good things about this book which could hugely benefit anyone trying to come off a psychiatric medication. It addresses some of the issues which psychiatrists all-too-often refuse to discuss about the adverse effects of medication and that they can make you feel worse, and teaches you how to SAFELY taper off a medication so your withdrawal symptoms are minimal.

However, it's also a deeply irresponsible book because it does NOT discuss the fact that MANY people actually DO need psychiatric medication and benefit GREATLY from them. I've always resisted taking psychiatric medication, preferring to stick to psychotherapy, partly because of fear-mongering by the media and people like this book's authors.

Finally I started taking Fluoxetine (Prozac), then Citalopram, the Escitalopram, and finally Venlafaxine (Effexor). My psychiatrist also tried supplementing my antidepressant with Quetiapine and then Aripiprazole but both made me feel like death - constantly exhausted and yet as if my neurones were all supercharged. My mind was going 1000 miles a minute and I had problems with my bladder and I was achy all over. I just flat-out stopped taking them and felt a lot better for it.

I still take 300mg of Venlafaxine. My depression was not brought on by a loss or trauma. There's a significant trend of mood disorders in my extended family and I believe that for me it was partly genetic. My meds don't make me feel numb, on the contrary, they make feel a lot better. I smile, I laugh, I talk, I read, I go out, I have fun. When before I just lied in bed and hoped to die. Antidepressants can be lifesaving for some people.

Yes, the point is valid, psychiatric medications are HORRIBLY over-prescribed in the United States in particular, and being on psychiatric medication when you DON'T need it is a very bad thing and for those people I recommend this book. But for others, those of us who lie in bed for weeks on end without our meds, it's not helpful at all. Some people really DO need to take their meds indefinitely. It's sad but true.

There is a time and place to stop taking your meds and it should ALWAYS be done under the supervision of a medical professional, preferably a psychiatrist. Having severe clinical depression is the psychological equivalent of a broken leg. You wouldn't tell somebody with a broken leg to rip their cast off and start walking a week after they broke it. The leg needs to be completely healed before the cast can come off and that is the same with psychiatric medication. If you're not well enough with them yet, coming off them will only make things worse.

Your drug may be your problem, and if it is then this is the book for you. But your drug may NOT be your problem. And if it's not then this will only scare you and make you want to stop taking a drug that you really need. My advice is if you're worried about being on psychiatric medication, read this book by all means, but then discuss it with your psychiatrist.