JBP Update and Psych Med Injury Discussion
In a Nutshell
The speaker updates on her father's severe akathisia flare-up from a prior clonazepam-induced neurological injury, triggered by stress, mold, and misdiagnoses leading to pneumonia/sepsis, amid family history of long-term psych med dependence causing mitochondrial dysfunction. She shares her own 2.5-year Lexapro withdrawal hell—intolerable inner restlessness, sensitivities, and impending doom—emphasizing psych meds as a national emergency affecting 1 in 6 Americans, often misdiagnosed as symptom recurrence. Key takeaways: Taper hyperbolically (10% reductions), prioritize ketogenic/carnivore diets for mitochondrial healing, avoid triggers like mold/stress, and check prescribed-harm.com for resources and stories.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
This is a video update on dad's health, as well as information about what he's suffering from, what a lot of people are suffering from, and personal experience with these issues. Updates are stressful; delayed because dad has been really sick and got worse over the last few months. Speaker is 25 weeks pregnant and couldn't record without weeping until this week. Talking about it online stresses the family, but not talking starts rumors, especially since dad is public.
Dad has been suffering from an old neurological injury that's more recently causing akathisia. Akathisia is the worst thing seen; talked about in 2020 and 2021 when he experienced it after clonazepam injured him. Speaker had a brief, less severe experience with akathisia symptoms during anti-depressant withdrawal from Lexapro just over 10 years ago. Withdrawal period lasted 2.5 years, nearly disabling; this was before having a public platform, just had a blog. Links to papers below for scientific background. Psych med injuries and psych meds should be considered a national emergency: one in six Americans (or more) on these medications; long-term use causes mitochondrial dysfunction manifesting as neurological injury.
Akathisia is a side effect way more common than known, usually caused by psychiatric medications (although other medications can cause it), sudden cessation from those medications (huge trigger), or sometimes Parkinson's. It is intolerable discomfort making people want to crawl out of their skin; a neurological injury. Many don't survive it; no quick fix, but ways to deal with it. Dad has not been on a psych medication since January 2020. Recent flare-up of neurological symptoms wasn't due to new medications; misdiagnosed repeatedly for 6 months. Then got pneumonia and sepsis. Recent flare-up started last August, likely due to stress of both parents (grandparents) dying last year, moving countries, selling home, and mold exposures, triggering recurrence after 5.5 years off psych meds. Psychiatrists confirm patients experience this.
Has been unbelievably hard; every day for the last year hell. Hasn't posted podcasts regularly because cried every day until a few days ago. Brother stressed, mom stressed, impacting everyone; dad most. Mom is strong, thank goodness, and faith helps. Good communication skills and family closeness helped endure; otherwise would crush them. Speaker in panic for almost a year; pregnancy hormones worsen. Journalist tried pinning symptoms on stem cell treatments; responded but shouldn't have. Dad had stem cell IVs over years for neurological pins/needles, pain, sensitivities. Last summer in June, stem cell IV from specialist (via friend); stayed in moldy hotel that brought back symptoms, not the IV (he's had many). Linking June IV to October pneumonia/sepsis insane; sepsis happens within days of infection.
Stress and mold exposure re-triggered old neurological injuries; misdiagnosed, then medications/supplements from doctors/hospitals worsened to recognize akathisia. Now with proper doctors, can be carefully healed like before. Infuriating that sensitivities/damage from psych meds last so long and re-trigger. Not an addiction; dad quit smoking/drinking at 27. Falls into category of people prescribed psych meds long-term for severe, crippling, life-ruining depression running in family (dad, speaker, grandpa, great-grandpa; great-great-grandpa abandoned). Not fixable by diet/exercise alone; before knowing meat-only diet.
Dad impacted by depression since kid; in '90s hard time lecturing, took SSRI. Told it was genetic serotonin problem; anti-depressants like vitamin for serotonin deficiency (debunked, but still told). Speaker as kid: OCD, suicidal thoughts, extreme anxiety, anger; psychiatrist (for kids with autoimmune disorders) put on Celexa, changed to Lexapro; helped initially, thought saved life from hellish depression (dad too). One in five or six US people on psychiatric medication; not addicts, unaware dependence-forming because doctors say not. Dangers not well-known.
Dependence: brain changes to adapt to medication; pulling out (especially quickly) brain can't handle. Not wanting/enjoying it; could cause severe side effects. Dad got akathisia on clonazepam, but pulling out impossible, worsens it.
Hit 2 weeks after stopping Lexapro in 2015, after ketogenic diet from elimination diet (meat, vegetables); depression remitted after 3 months, felt it go away, stopped everything (after 11 years on Lexapro, tapered over 2 weeks—cold turkey). Doctors still wean in 2-4 weeks; run if suggested—causes neurological injuries. Need hyperbolic taper: ~10% reduction every new dose (e.g., 20mg to 18mg, then smaller); can take years, sometimes can't complete.
Developed insane sensitivities: food, light, sound, stress, smells, chemicals, vitamins, supplements. Led to only eating meat (took 2 years to figure; suffered on paleo/keto). Akathisia/psych med injury: overwhelmed sense of impending doom stronger than natural (e.g., worse than hospital with newborn thought dying). Almost hallucinogenic stress response; felt like falling into volcano chased by bear, physical falling sensation. Soothing only by wrapping arms, rocking, stamping feet, shaking hands; severe restless legs in arms/body. Vision pixelated, couldn't see color (like upside down in Stranger Things). Music hurt ears; couldn't watch TV, lay in dark room to not panic. No comfortable position; light hurt eyes, sound ears, heightened smell, new allergies. Thought autoimmune or food sensitivities (limited to paleo keto); doesn't make sense (reintroducing doesn't cause hallucinations). Main flares: foods/preservatives.
Not on all-meat diet for fun; due to long-lasting sensitivities/neurological injuries. Dad more sensitive (older, longer SSRI, clonazepam).
Middle of withdrawal, after not sleeping from preservative sodium metabisulfite reaction (dad pale, near anaphylaxis, couldn't breathe; speaker threw up, didn't sleep 3 weeks). Dad prescribed clonazepam for insomnia (hadn't slept 3 weeks). Insomnia part of psych med injury; glutamate skyrockets when GABA damaged. Dad's doctor raised clonazepam dose when mom diagnosed with cancer, 8 months to live; caused full-blown akathisia ~2 years. Talked to hundreds, read thousands of similar stories over 6 years; not rare. Injured too sick for voice.
SSRI and benzodiazepine prescriptions long-term super common; majority long-term have withdrawal/neurological injury. Misdiagnosed as symptom recurrence; put on more medications. Psychiatrists unequipped, not taught in med school. Families outcast. Speaker on Celexa at 11: shoulders dropped, breathed deeply, no panic/suicidal/OCD. By 13 still depressed; stayed on thinking worse without. Got worse: diagnosed bipolar type 2, seizure from Wellbutrin, severe restless legs (thought autoimmune).
Focus on mitochondrial health. Mitochondrial dysfunction like ketogenic research: in 5 years mainstream. Mounting evidence: dementia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, long COVID, chronic fatigue, Lyme, POTS, MCAS due to mitochondrial dysfunction (impacts whole body/brain; 10% body weight mitochondria). Neurological injuries = mitochondrial dysfunction manifesting as such. Cutting-edge; links below.
Dad diagnosed with CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome, mold-induced illness); mold exposures cause neurological symptoms. Genetic predisposition to mold illness likely caused family severe mental illness treated with meds. Felt spiritual; hellish. If desperate people given meds that nearly kill on/off, that's evil. Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD): permanent genital numbness, anhedonia (emotional numbness), suicidal; from short-term use (e.g., finasteride, SSRIs). Family attacked spiritually; thank God Christian.
CIRS/mold illness, ketogenic/carnivore diet, psych med injury connect via mitochondria. Mold causes mitochondria to hibernate/shut down. Psych meds cause mitochondrial dysfunction manifesting as neurological injury. Ketogenic diet gives alternate fuel to heal mitochondria; why eating meat. Well-established research; mitochondrial dysfunction research blowing up. Promising; more on podcast.
Planning to discuss this more on the podcast because it's promising. Understanding what's wrong is the only way to figure out health problems. Papers linked below for verification. Created website prescribed-harm.com in frustration and anger at the unfair situation, detailing research on psychiatric medications and their effects. Viewers injured by these medications can submit their stories for posting. Website useful for explaining to family members or doctors who often don't know what's happening. Leave comments below to show this isn't uncommon.
Injured people are severely hurt, disabled, traumatized, gaslit, and misdiagnosed, struggling just to survive without telling their stories.
Will advocate vigorously until dangers are properly addressed, changed, or at least common knowledge before starting medications. Pharmaceutical companies rename neurological injuries and psych med side effects, using language to hide symptoms—malevolence involved. Example: calling akathisia "restlessness" ("may cause restlessness") is criminal.
No long-term studies on these medications, yet most people take them for more than 5 years, told they're safe or safer than original mental issue. One long-term study shows 60% recurrence of symptoms, requiring return to medication. Study fails to differentiate recurrence from withdrawal, which is almost always misdiagnosed as recurrence despite more severe symptoms including pain syndromes, sensitivities, and new symptoms—dismissed as "you just got worse."
Industry is crooked; travesty now with solid research linking ketogenic diets to improving mental disorders by providing brain energy.
Linked metabolicminds.com, great site on ketogenic diets and mental illnesses run by scientists. Ketogenic diet or carnivore diet should be first-line treatment for mental illness—they work, treat energy deficiency causing it. Especially crucial because psych medications cause long-term mitochondrial dysfunction manifesting as neurological injury, hard to treat without time and lifestyle interventions: ketogenic diet, sun, sleep, no stress, serious stress regulation.
Apologies for 33-minute length, wanted to cover everything. Prayers appreciated. Suffering hoped to raise awareness to help others avoid this.
"Withdrawal" is misleading name—what happens isn't solved by restarting original medication; symptoms don't resolve. This is neurological injury.
No promise of another update—grumpy, pregnant, stressed, barely surviving with pregnancy hormones. Husband supportive rock. Not sleeping well, wasn't eating well, not crying constantly now in second trimester.
Dad's update: neurological injury requires time to recover, speed up by avoiding provocation. Prayers for dad, brother, mom, self, and helpers.
Light at end of tunnel, but people need awareness of medications' dangers, especially long-term but not only. Check linked resources—spent time finding good articles.
Recent study posted on carnivore vs keto vs standard American diet for rheumatoid arthritis and IBD, run by research team, linked below. prescribed-harm.com for safe tapering to avoid neurological injury and reading others' experiences.
Thanks for listening and support. Sorry for anyone damaged by these medications, but hope exists: recover with time, ketogenic diets unbelievably helpful. Avoid worsening—bodies and brains want to recover.
"I don't think I had any happiness at all for three years pretty much. It was dire."
"My wife spent a year hovering on the brink of death in a variety of different ways. Before that, my daughter had catastrophic health problems which have mostly resolved. And then I got extremely ill. We've been in that at the same time we were facing social pressure of unparalleled magnitude. People trying to bring this enterprise to a halt."
"Most of that time I was hoping that I would die. I've been grateful for the good things that have happened to me, but I don't think I was grateful enough before just for mundane normality. You think you don't have everything you could have and perhaps that's true, but if you can sit down and breathe, there's lots of people who don't have that."
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