I don’t know anyone who isn’t taking one kind of pill or another and I kept wanting to give them unsolicited advice about psychiatric medications, behavioral therapies, and the biopsychosocial theroy of mental illness. I have learned sharing my experience, strength, and hope on these matters is not welcome.

I wanted to call my site “Unsolicited Advice”, but a quick search turned up a podcast with that name. Instead, I decided to call it Meds Are Not the Answer. I am learning things that my friends do not yet know. I’ve done Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), completed a structural functional restoration program for managing chronic pain, a variety of recovery programs, in addition to learning about psychiatric medications. 

Several months ago, I came across the work of Dr. Christopher Palmer on the Huberman Lab Podcast. He had written a new book called Brain Energy asserting that “mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain.” and not chemical imbalances. I tried to bring this book to the attention of my psychiatrist. I sent him a message in the patient portal stating:

“Hello,

I can imagine that your workload is intense and learning things outside of your residency obligations could be a huge challenge.

I mentioned Dr Palmer in our last appointment. If you are interested, I am sending you a link to a YouTube podcast to a Dr Christopher Palmer explaining how the ketogenic diet helps in treating mental illness. It is only an hour long. It is led by a Cardiologist who doesn’t digress like some popular Podcast hosts.

The keto diet is only one way to repair mitochondrial functioning. HIs book “Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health—and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More” goes into the science behind how he ties all mental illness, and metabolic syndrome to mitochondrial dysfunction. If you would like to learn more about him. This is a link to his website https://www.chrispalmermd.com/articles/

See you on the 24th

Best,

Cheryl”

He did not respond. and a few days later I sent him this message:

“Hello Dr B.,

Thanks again for the extra time and the conversations. Here are links to the items I mentioned in today’s appointment. 

best,

Cheryl

• University of Michigan Prechter Bipolar Research Program. 
• The Baszucki Brain Research Fund: The University of Edinburgh  
• Stanford Medicine: Metabolic Psychiatry“

He did not respond and would not talk to me about how to safely go off psychiatric medications. He would have been happy to switch me from Quetiapine to the anticonvulsant Lamotrigine. When I asked why bipolar disorder could be treated with an epilepsy medication but not the keto diet (an evidenced based 100-year-old treatment for epilepsy) he evaded my question. 

I decided to start a modified ketogenic diet, got a ketone meter, and started tapering my medication. The first drop I was still working with him. He was not supportive of my choice and at my final meeting with him and his supervisor I was judged to have poor judgement on my mental status exam. They would not tell me why they believed that my judgement was poor, and I am betting it was because I want to see if I do indeed need medications for my bipolar disorder for the rest of my life.

I have never said that I do not need them. I have said let’s try to see if I can go off them. I educated myself on the dangers of coming off psychiatric medications and that an incredibly slow taper may be needed.

I am currently working on my medication taper under the supervision of my primary care provider (PCP). June was the first month that I had to “up dose” because my sleep was starting to suffer. I had attempted to go from 75 mg to 50 mg. In July, I will be asking my PCP for a prescription to be sent to a compounding pharmacy because regular pharmacies do not have a dose smaller than 25 mg.

I have been told that the closer you get to the end of the taper the more challenging it can be and that it can take an exceptionally long time to entirely come off of it. I was at 200 mg in January, I am currently on 75 mg. My mood is stable, and I am sleeping well. I am content and hopeful about the future.

I am concerned that the world has been told a lie by the pharmaceutical companies in which most psychiatrists believe. The lie is that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance, that side effects rarely happen, and that if you go off your medications when symptoms return it is proof that you need the medications. 

The lie is the starting point for my site. I am not a college trained researcher, and I may be prone to cherry picking books, studies, and articles. You get to make up your own mind, and you cannot make up your own mind without knowing that there is more information available than what your doctor may be telling you.