The clinical use of Meprobamate, marketed as Miltown, Equanil and Meprospan, in the mid-1950’s, replaced barbiturates as the predominate psychoactive medication. Jacqueline Susann’s novel, Valley of the Dolls, published in 1966, exposed the pitfalls of barbiturates used as sleep aids.

The benzodiazepine class of drugs was introduced in the 1960’s and replaced Meprobamate and like-medications. This was launched primarily with Librium and Valium as anxiolytic drugs. More recently, this class includes Xanax and Ativan and their generic forms.

Clinical psychiatry has undergone a major paradigm shift in recent years in which the pendulum has swung predominately toward prescription of psychoactive or psychotropic medications at the expense of cognitive regeneration techniques. These medications are prescribed for a host of predominately situational symptoms such as depression and anxiety syndromes. Patients are often told that they have a chemical imbalance which can be regulated by these medications. There is currently no laboratory marker to support this claim and the notion is based primarily on subjective assessments and assumptions. However, there is a concerted research effort to find chemical markers.

The SSRI antidepressant medications and the anxiolytic drugs have serious and disabling withdrawal side effects which are commonly interpreted as representing a flare-up of the patients’ presumed chemical imbalance. Contributing to the withdrawal symptoms is the documented reduction of important brain substrates such as glutathione, a powerful antioxidant. Optimal glutathione levels are instrumental in contributing to a smoother withdrawal process involving psychotropic drugs. The rationale for withdrawal from these drugs relates to significant side effects and need for increasing doses or adding additional like-medications. In addition, favorable adjustments to past stressful living situations tend to eliminate any perceived need for the further use of these drugs. Many patients discontinue their medications on their own with often devastating side effects.

My personal interest in the psychoactive drug withdrawal process stems from an observation made in a wellness evaluation clinic, from March, 2003-December, 2005. While there I personally evaluated some 2500 detailed medical records which addressed an extensive review-of-systems in addition to comprehensive laboratory data. One of the questions in the psychological review asked the patients whether they had depression. Hundreds said they did and of these a high percentage were on antidepressant medications. This study was done by record evaluation alone without personal interview and without any opportunity to have follow-up discussions with the patients. Data were gathered by nurses visiting patients at their worksite with a subsequent collation of all clinical data at the wellness clinic. The finding of depression among those patients taking antidepressant medications was unexpected. At that time I did not yet appreciate the pitfalls of antidepressant medications. Consequently, no effort was made at that time to follow-up with them and advise them on discontinuation of their medications.

Subsequently, I worked in a family practice clinic where many patients were noted to have previously been placed on psychoactive drugs by other care givers. These were prescribed, primarily, for depression and anxiety syndromes. I learned about the prevalence of prescription drug addiction, in Boston, some six months after starting at the clinic and this problem was continually observed until I left that clinic in October, 2009. After the Boston experience, I discovered the gradual reduction rule for psychotropic drug withdrawal and began to follow this strategy, but the withdrawal course was characterized, for the most part, by uncertainty and fear which tended to produce delays in compliance with the time-recommendations of the withdrawal plan. I have since adopted the protocols of Point of Return, utilizing their nutritional supplementation combined with the gradual reduction rates. This dramatically improved the withdrawal experience for my patients.

On a more personal note, I had a nine year experience with Valium with later disagreeable withdrawal symptoms, when, after five years of daily use I decided to stop the drug abruptly. After five days of this, I hastened back on the drug for relief of the symptoms which were characterized by constant sweating, light-headedness and a sense of crawling in my skin. My last Valium pill was over 30 years ago after an 18 month gradual taper off the Valium. It still took a few years for me to be free of all of the withdrawal symptoms. My life is blessed today without the use and need of psychotropic drugs.

Point of Return is committed to helping patients withdraw from their psychotropic drugs by prescribing a gradual reduction of dosage according to a controlled schedule with the aide of appropriate nutritional supplementation designed to minimize side effects of withdrawal. This is carried out by focused accountability between the patient and their monitoring physician.

Raymond G. Armstrong, M.D., Medical Advisor for Point of Return