Safe

Re: Drug Medication Maintenance

Can drug medication be maintained during orthomolecular treatment?

The answer is two-fold:

1.) Orthomolecular medicine is a well-known, established and safe ‘non-drug’ psychiatric alternative treatment.

Orthomolecular treatment can be used safely when taking psychotropic* medication. Orthomolecular treatment does not interfere with psychotropic medication which works at the brain receptor or terminal neuron level.

2.) Yes, clients who have been maintained on psychotropic medication should continue to do so during orthomolecular treatment.

This is the case because most drug maintenance protocols impose a synthetic receptor profile that if you withdraw from the medication, will increase the risk for receptor decompensation and relapse. See our blogs on receptor decompensation aspects of neuroleptic and anti-depressant treatment. Not all psychotropic medication is associated with receptor decompensation aspects. The bottom line is that the majority of anti-psychotic, mood disorder, mood stabilizer and benzodiazepine-class medications have an addictive potential because they are very often difficult to withdraw from without symptom remergent side effects. The other side of the coin is that appropriately prescribed psychotropic medications can succeed in palliating symptoms to some degree so many patients are leary about coming off a medication and losing palliative benifits. It is not uncommon to see this ‘dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t’ meltdown. Conventional practitioners are aware of this and consider the risk warranted because they have no treatment alternative.

Orthomolecular medicine can help here; those who show 40-60% improvement with orthomolecular treatment are considered best served by maintaining the lowest effective dose of medication under MD supervision

Medication Management Considerations

If you are doing poorly on your psychotropic medication or the medication prescribed is not optimally managed, we suggest you get your medication history assessed and are provided with viable alternatives. First address these concerns with the prescribing MD or get a referral to the CAMH for a Meds Review. You can also make an appointment with a pharmacologist who specializes in psycho-pharmacology.

When Psychotropic Medications are Useful

Psychotropic medications are useful in cases that require a short-term palliative measure to potently suppress presenting symptoms. These cases often present in crisis and sometimes after years of avoiding medical help. Many medications yield marginal improvement and have to be taken long-term due to receptor decompensation and secondary dependency. Many current psychotropic medication efficacy studies are showing dismal responses. The cost of palliating symptoms and easing a portion of the suffering needs to be weighed. These drugs assume a synthetic brain chemistry profile that is not well targeted. Today we see palliation an integral part of a cyclic relapse syndrome that defines ‘the revolving door era’ of mental health treatment. In crisis situations, nutritional orthomolecular interventions, no matter how targeted, often do not act quick enough to achieve an immediate positive response.

If orthomolecular medicine is used from the beginning as an integral part of patient care, it could, in the majority of cases, virtually eliminate the revolving door effect

In summary, when indicated in crisis, psychotropic medication should be implemented at the lowest effective dose while orthomolecular treatment addresses other causative aspects. Psychotropic medication can be used as a crutch to hopefully stabilize the problem while orthomolecular treatment addresses the underlying cause so the use of the crutch becomes obsolete.

* Psychotropic substances alter brain function directly by inducing changes in perception, mood, thinking, consciousness and behaviour. Psychotropic medications include anti-depressants (SSRI’s/NRI’s/SNRI’s/MAOI’s/Tricyclics/etc.), anti-anxiety medications, mood stabilizers (anti-convulsants/lithium/etc.), anti-psychotics (neuroleptics/tranquilizers/major sedative class), sleeping pills, stimulants (Adderall/Ritalin/etc.), etc. Recreational drugs also have addictive and psychoactive components.