Symptoms: Akathisia, Insomnia, Depersonalization/Derealization, Suicidal ideation, Severe anxiety/panic
My daughter Sayo experienced stress and anxiety related to her studies at the age of 19. Following advice from those around her, she went to see a psychiatrist. At the very first appointment, she was prescribed Escitalopram and Imovane.
After starting the treatment, she became more anxious, sad, and depressed than before. Four months later, a shocking event that happened in Paris deeply traumatized her despite the treatment. Her psychiatrist then added Xanax and Xeroquel.
From that moment on, her condition deteriorated significantly. She began taking large amounts of medication and was sent to the emergency room. This was considered a suicide attempt, although she herself said she was confused, disoriented, and unable to understand what was happening to her.
She was then very quickly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated with lithium, Prozac, and other psychiatric medications. Her condition continued to worsen: manic behavior, severe insomnia, suicidal actions she had never shown before, loss of concentration, and complete loss of independence.
Over three and a half years, the prescriptions accumulated to a total of eleven different psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, and sleeping pills. She was hospitalized several times after suicidal episodes. She could no longer continue her studies or work. She had lost her cognitive abilities and her ability to concentrate, and no longer understood what she was becoming. She had become unrecognizable.
Doctors kept saying that she was suffering from a severe psychiatric illness and continued increasing the medications.
Desperate about her condition, she eventually took cocaine, which she had never used before, in an attempt to regain some mental clarity and energy. The combination with all her medications caused a heart attack. Julie died at the age of 23.
After her death, my own research led me to discover the potentially serious adverse effects of these medications, as well as many similar testimonies.
I believe these tragedies happen because antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs are prescribed too easily, often without explanation of their risks or how to stop them safely. Too often, when a patient's condition worsens due to the treatment, this is not recognized as an adverse effect. Instead, the prescriptions simply become heavier and heavier.
This is a tragedy that should not be ignored.