Interwoven issues can make withdrawal difficult
After years of exposure to daily medications, some patients' symptoms may inexplicably worsen over time. In an effort to reduce these symptoms, they try to lower their medications.
Unfortunately, lowering their dosage typically results in withdrawal side effects. And when they try to use supplements to lessen the withdrawal side effects, some experience negative side effects from the supplements as well. Caught between these side effects, it can be nearly impossible to heal through a functional/orthomolecular approach.
Why does this happen and what can be done to resolve this situation?
Here's a list of what I believe are significant contributing factors (why's) and what to do about it (how's):
Why the medication stops working:
Hypersensitivity to the medication has exceeded the medication's capacity to ameliorate symptoms.
Decreased neurotransmitter storage levels caused by the medication.
Changes in receptor numbers.
Problems with toxicity levels and detoxification.
All of the above.
How to treat:
Use energy medicine to decrease hypersensitivity to neurotransmitters, medications, and their receptors.
Add supplements that support the undermined neurotransmitter system (unless one is hypersensitive to supplements as well, then use energy medicine to decrease hypersensitivity to the supplements first).
Use energy medicine techniques to optimize the receptor profile (e.g. use Minimizing Withdrawal Problems).
Add liver support, lymph drainage (homeopathic), or methylation support (methylated B12 and folate) to strengthen detoxification.
Do all of the above.
Why supplements cause side effects:
A leaky gut can allow partially digested food to leak through, which leads to the immune system metabolizing and breaking it down through inflammation. This reaction then generalizes to affect supplements that are similar to the hyper-sensitized foods.
Difficulty with metabolizing, or intolerance to, the supplement.
How to deal with it:
Heal the leaky gut by decreasing inflammation through supplements, remove inflammatory foods (usually wheat, dairy, refined white sugar, or nightshades), and heal any GI infections.
Change the brand of, or delivery system for, the supplement.
Why medication withdrawal results in uncomfortable side effects:
The underlying causes have not healed yet.
Neurotransmitter storage levels are too low to meet functional needs without the medication(s) being present.
Unblocked receptors create excessive neurotransmitter function.
Social stressors exceed tolerable levels.
Dysfunctional hormonal conditions.
Past episodes of oxidative stress and inflammation have caused permanent damage to the patient's health.
All of the above.
How to address these issues:
Heal underlying causes which are often due to infections, toxins, or metabolic insufficiencies or dysfunctions.
Support neurotransmitter function with amino acids or homeopathic products.
Each type of excessive receptor function requires its own intervention (see the article on antipsychotic withdrawal for examples of specific functional interventions), or use the "Minimizing Withdrawal Problems" track for an energy medicine intervention.
Do not reduce medications when under social stress.
Support hormonal function naturally first, then decrease the medication later.
However, in the event of permanent damage due to past episodes of severe oxidative stress or inflammation, healing may be limited.
The immune system's role in medication withdrawal:
The immune system is an underestimated factor in both the success and failure of medication withdrawal. Fortunately, energy medicine can be used to improve the immune system because it is highly responsive to information and energy interventions. Many energy medicine techniques can lessen hypersensitivity reactions. I have used EFT, EET, and Logosynthesis with promising results in my practice.
From a functional medicine perspective, inflammation can be decreased by using curcumin, removing inflammatory foods, taking antihistamines, or decreasing toxins, pollens, and other xenobiotics. When inflammation decreases, the patient will feel more relaxed, sleep better, and have a smoother withdrawal process.
Actually, on Lillian McDermott's February 9th radio show, Dr. Keesha Ewers will talk about the link between trauma and the immune system. Using energy medicine to reduce the negative energetic effects of trauma can heal inflammatory conditions. I experienced this personally! Her book is titled Solving the Autoimmune Puzzle.
To test for hypersensitivity reactions, I often ask the patient to "tap into all the energies and information associated with any hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to ___." I will muscle test the patient before and after the energy medicine intervention to see if it has created a positive shift.
This brief summary can show you how to approach some of the most difficult withdrawal situations one can encounter. I hope this helps!