Not For Much Longer –  

SEP. 6, 2019  – Painkillers, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, tranquilizers, stimulants — each can affect users’ bodies so intensely that severe withdrawal symptoms are possible, even likely, if you stop taking them.

Such symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, nausea, mood swings and other conditions that can make daily life miserable. In some cases, suicidal tendencies can occur. Adam Bisaga, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, said that “most people aren’t prepared for the changes these drugs can cause to the body.”

“It’s easy to just take a pill every day,” he said. “To come off a drug means you’re going to have to do a lot more work.” Don’t get me wrong: These drugs aren’t inherently bad. For many, a painkiller or an antidepressant can be the difference between a functional life and a life of unrelenting despair.

Full Story @ LATimes.com