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Abilify

Age: 26–35  ·  Duration of use: 1–6 months  ·  Current status: No, have stopped
Symptoms: Cognitive impairment, Depersonalization/Derealization, Suicidal ideation, Dyskinesia, GI disturbances

I had been having family trouble and didn't eat enough. So I lost weight and was perhaps a little affected by mold. A 5-minute conversation that I didn't sign up for, where my family brought the doctor in, resulted in me being put in a closed psychiatric ward. I was given no defense. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was impossible for that to happen without a court case. I had neurological, digestive and other health issues, including reacting to indoor air quality, some hygiene products and more. They put me on Abilify without listening to what I said, really. I resisted, so I was forcefully injected for, I think, 10-14 days, until I agreed to take it as pills because the rashes worried me. I got rashes from worsening psoriasis, my digestion got worse, I got mild headaches, I became more aggressive, I had trouble keeping my body still, and it was harder for me to think at peak thinking. But I managed to divert the symptoms in part through eating as much as I could, especially meat and eggs and coffee with milk in it. But also some carbs. And I got as much sun as I could manage to get, and I did walking.

When I got out from there I cold turkeyed and got mood swings. I'm an adult male. I believe this and my food and sun strategy helped. I'm now doing better through food and lifestyle. Work in progress. Definitely better than pills. I don't believe I ever needed pills. What I needed was to be heard, understood, treated humanely. The employees were not treating us as equals. We were spoken down to. I have had to manage all this myself. Though online reading and videos before and after I got out have helped.

My symptoms began originally years back due to antibiotics and antifungals, and got worse when I received vaccines in 2018. I had no blood test or any biological test of any kind done to me before they put me on medicine. It was simply bizarre. They did not even weigh my body. I had muscle, I was thin but not too badly, I could hold my own body weight. The pills made it so walking at times feels weird, like I have had to fight more to move my legs, and if I didn't eat enough my hands and arms would shake a bit, especially when trying to use fine motor skills. Thankfully I have managed to navigate all this. And mostly I am out of withdrawal. And have kept myself well. My body is doing better again. Though my arms feel a little weird at times, it is bearable. And probably gets better. God bless you all. Thank you to everyone out there doing what they can.

Has a prescribed medication affected your life?

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