The book looks promising and, although I am now retired and practised in the UK, I have bought it as I enjoy the pharmacology in your blog. Good luck with it!
I’d be grateful if I could purchase a print copy from you or from the publisher I’m training resident I would love to use it as a teaching tool . Thanks so much. Scott Berman MD.
I couldn't comment on your DAWS article but have commented previously about my RLS and some of the issues I had with pramipexole.
I cried reading your story. The only time I was hospitalized for bipolar disorder was when my pramipexole gave me psychosis and suicidal ideation. I've always been cautious about saying what my plan was but I was tortured for months with obsessive thoughts about pouring glue over myself and setting myself on fire. The inner turmoil and conflict and terror inside myself over it was horrific. It was made worse by my psychiatrist telling the nurses, and the med student she wanted to interview me to get practice, and to my face, that I had a weird sense of humour and didn't mean it. For something that was a horrific lonely experience to go through and have me Dr publically tell everyone that it was just a joke was a soul destroying moment. My Dr never once spoke to me individually about my obsessive thoughts so made this conclusion off of my intake notes.
I was on between .25mg and .50mg pramipexole for only 2 years. My Dr immediately took me off pramipexole cold turkey (my ward did not carry any DA agonists at all anyway), causing rebound RLS across my whole body and pain in my thighs. I slept 30 mins for three nights before being able to go home to get clothes and I then brought my pramipexole back to the ward.
I know it is weird but THANK YOU for sharing your story. It rips my soul whenever my experience is trivialised because this was such a terrifying few months. I had a previous "pseudo-psychosis" 6 months before this. I was off of quetiapine but still taking pramipexole. I eventually caved and too 50 to 100mg of quetiapine for 4 weeks until I snapped out of it. As it was such a small dose the episode was refrained as "pseudo-psychosis" because the Dr did not believe the dose was high enough to treat psychosis.
My life off of pramipexole since 2017 has been never ending grey. It has taken years of it never ending for me to narrow it down to the removal of the pramipexole. Any motivation of action or thought has evaporated. I'm like a single cell organism reacting to an immediate stimulus. If I didn't comment here, now, I'd never be bothered to actually get down to writing this.
Sorry for leaving this comment here. I'm now unemployed and living on very little money. I'm so sorry this happened to you but thank you thank you thank you for sharing because I've never found anyone who has experienced something so similar
I used to cover amnesic syndromes in my 2nd and 4th year lectures. In the 4th year I'd do a lecture on dissociative amnesias and would briefly discuss with students whether fugue states could be a defense mechanism against suicide. The fugue state would kinda put the person in a holding state and remove them fron the external stressors. I think the article mentioning this was by Leucht at al (it was a few years ago!), and it was a discursive review of possible mechanisms.
I have bipolar disorder and mood stabilizers plus antidepressants literally saved my life. I went from constant depression, mood swings, constant suicidal thoughts, multiple suicide attempts, staying in bed constantly, failing out of school, unable to hold a job. In and out of the hospital every few months.
Therapy did nothing for me. I went through a string of therapists, nothing helped.
My mom opposed medicine and had me brainwashed so I wouldn't accept it.
Finally, I went on a mood stabilizer and an anti-depressant, and my whole world changed. within two months, I felt normal. It was like coming out from under a cloud. it was like night and day.
To say these meds don't work is criminally wrong and is hurting so many vulnerable people like me.
For 13 years, I worked full time, paid my rent, and lived a normal life. Then I was diagnosed with RA, and I'm now in a wheelchair, and on disability due to my physical illness.
A few times over the decades I've fallen into a depression again, and had to have my medication changed. Every time it's changed, like clockwork, 6-8 weeks later the depression lifts and I don't feel depressed again for years.
If I had continued to listen to my mother and toxic voices like yours, I'm sure I'd be dead now- not living a mentally healthy life.
I also have bipolar disorder, and review the data in the book on lithium, depakote, seroquel, and many other evidence based treatments for bipolar disorder in specific. I appreciate your advocacy for your expeience, however, i'd suggest reading the chapters. You criticism assumes a stance that isn't mine.
The book looks promising and, although I am now retired and practised in the UK, I have bought it as I enjoy the pharmacology in your blog. Good luck with it!
Thrilled to have you as a reader! Thank you for supporting the work, and feel free to leave a review.
I would be interested in helping to edit if you want that and I have a friend who is a semi-retired freelance book designer.
http://www.km-design.com
While I don’t always agree with your opinions I really appreciate your work and look forward to seeing the book!
I don't always agree with my opinions either. Feel free to drop me an email owen@fermata.health
I’d be grateful if I could purchase a print copy from you or from the publisher I’m training resident I would love to use it as a teaching tool . Thanks so much. Scott Berman MD.
I have to make a print copy first. Haven't had the bandwidth yet. The reformatting of the image files is not trivial.
I am the publisher in this case!
I couldn't comment on your DAWS article but have commented previously about my RLS and some of the issues I had with pramipexole.
I cried reading your story. The only time I was hospitalized for bipolar disorder was when my pramipexole gave me psychosis and suicidal ideation. I've always been cautious about saying what my plan was but I was tortured for months with obsessive thoughts about pouring glue over myself and setting myself on fire. The inner turmoil and conflict and terror inside myself over it was horrific. It was made worse by my psychiatrist telling the nurses, and the med student she wanted to interview me to get practice, and to my face, that I had a weird sense of humour and didn't mean it. For something that was a horrific lonely experience to go through and have me Dr publically tell everyone that it was just a joke was a soul destroying moment. My Dr never once spoke to me individually about my obsessive thoughts so made this conclusion off of my intake notes.
I was on between .25mg and .50mg pramipexole for only 2 years. My Dr immediately took me off pramipexole cold turkey (my ward did not carry any DA agonists at all anyway), causing rebound RLS across my whole body and pain in my thighs. I slept 30 mins for three nights before being able to go home to get clothes and I then brought my pramipexole back to the ward.
I know it is weird but THANK YOU for sharing your story. It rips my soul whenever my experience is trivialised because this was such a terrifying few months. I had a previous "pseudo-psychosis" 6 months before this. I was off of quetiapine but still taking pramipexole. I eventually caved and too 50 to 100mg of quetiapine for 4 weeks until I snapped out of it. As it was such a small dose the episode was refrained as "pseudo-psychosis" because the Dr did not believe the dose was high enough to treat psychosis.
My life off of pramipexole since 2017 has been never ending grey. It has taken years of it never ending for me to narrow it down to the removal of the pramipexole. Any motivation of action or thought has evaporated. I'm like a single cell organism reacting to an immediate stimulus. If I didn't comment here, now, I'd never be bothered to actually get down to writing this.
Sorry for leaving this comment here. I'm now unemployed and living on very little money. I'm so sorry this happened to you but thank you thank you thank you for sharing because I've never found anyone who has experienced something so similar
Well, I feel seen. I also unlocked the comments on the new article. I sorry for what you went through, as one co-traveler to another
I wrote an article about a new theory of mental illness that bears on the value of psychiatric medication. According to C.A. Soper, mental illnesses aren't illnesses at all, but evolutionary adaptations designed to keep us from killing ourselves. Consequently, Soper is skeptical of psychiatric medication, as he believes mental illness is itself a kind of medication for suicidal ideation. https://open.substack.com/pub/eclecticinquiries/p/what-if-mental-illnesses-arent-illnesses?r=4952v2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks for sharing and reading.
I used to cover amnesic syndromes in my 2nd and 4th year lectures. In the 4th year I'd do a lecture on dissociative amnesias and would briefly discuss with students whether fugue states could be a defense mechanism against suicide. The fugue state would kinda put the person in a holding state and remove them fron the external stressors. I think the article mentioning this was by Leucht at al (it was a few years ago!), and it was a discursive review of possible mechanisms.
Hey congrats! 🎊 I just recently discovered your Substack, and look forward to reading your new book on Kindle.
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy it. There is a lot here. The search tool is your friend.
Smashing job with the title! and I am sure the book as well!
I have bipolar disorder and mood stabilizers plus antidepressants literally saved my life. I went from constant depression, mood swings, constant suicidal thoughts, multiple suicide attempts, staying in bed constantly, failing out of school, unable to hold a job. In and out of the hospital every few months.
Therapy did nothing for me. I went through a string of therapists, nothing helped.
My mom opposed medicine and had me brainwashed so I wouldn't accept it.
Finally, I went on a mood stabilizer and an anti-depressant, and my whole world changed. within two months, I felt normal. It was like coming out from under a cloud. it was like night and day.
To say these meds don't work is criminally wrong and is hurting so many vulnerable people like me.
For 13 years, I worked full time, paid my rent, and lived a normal life. Then I was diagnosed with RA, and I'm now in a wheelchair, and on disability due to my physical illness.
A few times over the decades I've fallen into a depression again, and had to have my medication changed. Every time it's changed, like clockwork, 6-8 weeks later the depression lifts and I don't feel depressed again for years.
If I had continued to listen to my mother and toxic voices like yours, I'm sure I'd be dead now- not living a mentally healthy life.
I also have bipolar disorder, and review the data in the book on lithium, depakote, seroquel, and many other evidence based treatments for bipolar disorder in specific. I appreciate your advocacy for your expeience, however, i'd suggest reading the chapters. You criticism assumes a stance that isn't mine.