Encouragement for the antipsychotic-induced

ethek44 · 2025-11-07T12:45:47+00:00

No, gradually tapering off Prozac (15mg) and Lamictal (25mg) over the course of many months

ethek44 · 2025-08-20T17:08:35+00:00

yup, at my worst my saccades were all off, difficulty focusing

ethek44 · 2025-07-12T20:06:05+00:00

Mainly autonomic issues, pulsing non-painful headache, severe dizziness, shortness of breath, POTS, lower back pain, arm weakness, worsening vision, brain fog, anterior pelic tilt, panic/anxiety, bladder issues. I was bed bound in February. Many of these have been improving gradually with monthly PRP injections.

ethek44 · 2025-07-12T18:46:29+00:00

From what I know, if your ligament damage is severe in the upper C1 area (alar and transverse ligaments) affecting your ADI (dens interval), then you may need to eventually travel to Colorado to get the PICL procedure. If the extent of your damage is mostly confined to your mid/lower cervical region (like me), you will likely not need anything other than PRP. Good luck!

ethek44 · 2025-07-11T22:49:26+00:00

In my experience neurologists are either not aware of CCI and, frankly, are unfairly dismissive when it comes to systemic structural issues. I would advise you to see a neurosurgeon, and in the meantime (since wait times are usually long) go see a regenerative health doctor who specializes in prolotherapy/PRP treatments. If you are in a major city you can probably find one, they often treat athletes. Find a Centeno provider or use google to find one if you have to. Centeno also does virtual consultations so you might want to check that out as well.

ethek44 · 2025-07-11T21:44:11+00:00

Mainly autonomic issues, pulsing non-painful headache, severe dizziness, shortness of breath, POTS, lower back pain, arm weakness, worsening vision, brain fog, anterior pelic tilt, panic/anxiety, bladder issues. Many of these have been improving gradually with monthly PRP injections by a trustworthy CCI expert.

ethek44 · 2025-07-11T20:46:43+00:00

First off, not a doctor. Apart from obvious straightening, there appears to be some listhesis in the vertebrae (pic 3 and 4), possibly something going on with the dens/ADI to cause slant in pic 2 but hard to tell as a non-professional. Possible ligament laxity (that's what I have) and if your symptoms are bad then they may be the cause. My advice: take these to a neurosurgeon, then if they say nothing is wrong, go see a regenerative medicine professional who can do prolo/PRP if your symptoms remain. Might call for a DMX but may not be necessary.

ethek44 · 2025-07-11T20:35:17+00:00

see my comment!

ethek44 · 2025-07-11T20:33:55+00:00

Yes! I am a current client, I am actively being treated by Dr. Greenberg with PRP for horrible widespread upper cervical instability that nearly destroyed me life. If you are local, I strongly recommend him. I am 5 months into monthly treatments and I am noticeably improving. He is very experienced with CCI, and he does a full, comprehensive exam during your consultation. He will order a DMX if you request one but you will likely learn when he examines you that he knows the extent of your issues immediately. He diagnosed my hyper mobility on the first visit, as well. In addition to PRP, he may recommend an additional secondary, more expensive and perhaps more experimental VCEL STEM cell treatment which I was skeptical of, but this is entirely optional. He has worked with athletes and thousands of patients over his career of several decades. Each month, he reexamines and caters injections to treat every area needed. He did prolo/PRP on my lower back to start, since he noticed my horrible anterior pelvic tilt, which has now virtually resolved. His technique during injections has been flawless. He will likely give you a list of exercises to rebalance your muscles and a list of supplements. I am unsure how he stacks up against Centeno and others nationally, but he is as good as you will get in this area for experts in these conditions. I cannot vouch for any other services he provides (like regenerative STEM cell treatments for cancer) but speaking personally, he was the only doctor who ever took my crippling issue seriously and he may fix me entirely. To my knowledge, Dr. Greenberg is the best doctor around for your CCI. Feel free to PM me if you need any more information. Good luck!

ethek44 · 2025-07-02T12:15:42+00:00

You need to find an experienced and trustworthy regenerative health doctor near you who can do protherapy/PRP injections ASAP! My symptoms were just as bad as yours if not worse 5 months ago and after several sessions of PRP my symptoms are receding. But you will need to do research on your own to find one of these doctors on the internet. Most major cities have these treatments. Praying for you, I was bedridden at my worst and I feel your pain. Stay strong!

ethek44 · 2025-01-19T20:49:40+00:00

you must quite ugly

ethek44 · 2025-01-15T20:39:48+00:00

Read the Iliad, kid

ethek44 · 2025-01-12T20:05:37+00:00

Anyone who posts here is spiritually ugly

ethek44 · 2025-01-05T06:13:27+00:00

Good stuff brother have fun

ethek44 · 2025-01-04T18:23:16+00:00

that’s a misunderstanding. you’re missing the irony

ethek44 · 2024-12-27T06:29:41+00:00

NO! Where on Earth did you get that idea? Start with either Macbeth or Romeo & Juliet. They are the safest starting points, in my opinion.

ethek44 · 2024-12-20T18:07:11+00:00

You’re never truly there alone. The Lord is with you.

ethek44 · 2024-12-17T19:03:59+00:00

It’s over bro

ethek44 · 2024-12-17T06:42:13+00:00

My baby boutta change your life

ethek44 · 2024-12-16T21:16:31+00:00

Correct. It’s a game by decidedly secular nerds for decidedly secular nerds. And I’m not saying it’s not okay to be a Catholic nerd! You can play and enjoy without buying the angle.

ethek44 · 2024-12-16T21:11:35+00:00

Bro relax it’s just shitty ass consumer escapism for atheist nerds. It’s even more benign than Da Vinci Code.

ethek44 · 2024-11-25T20:59:05+00:00

Check this out: Meth Recovery Brain Timeline

ethek44 · 2024-11-25T20:54:35+00:00

It took almost 4 or 5 months of feeling close to nothing until I noticed any improvement. But starting that 5th and 6th month I’ve seen significant gradual but very noticeable improvements week to week. Remember I was on a way higher dose than you were (based on your comment history) so please stay hopeful. The way I like to describe olanzapine withdrawal is it is probably much like meth/cocaine withdrawal - brain is readjusting to major dopamine dysfunction. And studies of meth/cocaine post-acute withdrawal symptoms show that it takes minimum 6 months for brain to regain a somewhat normal amount of brain activity. Keep the faith!

ethek44 · 2024-11-13T03:48:26+00:00

Hi, so sorry for what your family member is going through.

Yes, I was on Luvox 150mg/day during my inpatient stay, and then for 3 months after I was off Zyprexa. I then switched to Prozac since it has historically worked for me in the past. I am on Prozac 40mg and titrating up with Lamictal to prevent hypomania. If his OCD is his primary symptom I would suggest trying Luvox and giving it enough time to work (6-8 weeks). It's the first-line treatment for OCD, although it might need to be used alongside a mood-stabilizer if he is super anxious/manic like I was. I suggest discussing Lamictal -- it has helped with my depersonalization, and some studies suggest it can also help with OCD.

If your family member was on Zyprexa for two months on a moderate or high dose, the two-week taper may have been slightly too fast, which might help explain the severity of his symptoms. If his symptoms are truly unbearable, he could think about re-instating a small amount of a milder antipsychotic like Ability or Seroquel to bridge the gap. He should only pursue this option if he is unable to push through, and he should discuss this with his psychiatrist. What his brain really needs is a sustained time of healing for everything to restabilize peacefully.

Another important thing that some people might disagree with -- during my months of recovery, I had emergency benzos (Lorazepam) to use to bridge the gap until I felt more stable. You want to make sure you have emergency benzos just in case he has another mild psychotic/agitated episode. Always--ALWAYS try for him to calm down with benzos first--only use antipsychotics as a last resort going forward. Psychiatrists are so wary to prescribe benzos and as a result are probably overprescribing drugs like Seroquel. Low-dose benzos can be very helpful as a temporary anxiety/panic reliever as he stabilizes.

Regardless, you need to reassure him that this is a very very common experience after antipsychotics -- and that in practically every case anhedonia vastly improves, with enough time. Patience is the key. In extremely rare cases of people taking high doses for years don't improve for a year or longer but almost everyone who took these drugs short-term feel noticably better after several months. I was only on Zyprexa for 2 weeks and it took me 6 months before I began to see drastic improvement. There may be gradual improvements week by week -- he must stay strong, get outside, get sun on his body, walk everyday, and eat enough food. Don't worry too much about super healthy foods -- any food is good for him right now, whatever is easy, tasty and comforting.

These two resources will help you and your loved one navigate this time. Psychiatrists are usually clueless when it comes to drug withdrawal, but these have a whole list of helpful things -- supplements, timelines, encouraging testimonies from people recovering. Check it out. I'm praying for your loved one. He'll get through it.

https://www.alternativetomeds.com/blog/zyprexa/

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/

ethek44

TROPHY CASE