Meghann describes starting antidepressant drugs for OCD at the age of 9, how she came to consider her withdrawal after 17 years and how she feels now, 2 years after finishing with the drugs.
In this episode we discuss:
- How Meghann was first prescribed Paxil for OCD at the age of 9, partly because therapy was ineffective
- How she took those drugs until the age of 26
- How Meghann felt labelled by her diagnosis when she looks back now
- How other issues started to arise in addition to the OCD including depression, weight gain, confusion and mood swings
- How bullying at school over the weight gain caused by her antidepressant led to Meghann experiencing body image issues
- How she felt that she would never be able to manage without the drugs
- How, in her early 20s, anxiety started to creep in as well as the other issues
- That Meghann felt that the drugs did nothing but hold her back
- How OCD affected Meghann’s day to day life
- How reading Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker changed Meghann’s whole view of psychiatric drugs
- How insurance considerations led to Meghann thinking about stopping her drugs
- How, 2 years after stopping the drugs, Meghann feels near fully recovered
- How having a support system in family and friends is crucial
- How Meghann’s withdrawal was isolating and very difficult and she was fighting what she was going through
- How Meghann feels that she was recovering from a brain injury while withdrawing from the drugs
Relevant links
Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker
