154. Breaking Free From Psychiatric Drug Dependency w/ Pharmacist Dr. Shawn Gill

An alarming number of individuals find themselves dependent on antidepressants and psychiatric medications, desperately seeking guidance on how to safely discontinue their use. The general medical community has failed to assist people in safely getting off these drugs. The dependency can create severe withdrawal symptoms. Most doctors have no clue how to get their patients off safely keeping them in a cycle of drug dependency. The worst of prescribers will frame the withdrawal symptoms as worsening "depression" and justification for staying on drugs. On Episode 154 of the Radically Genuine Podcast Dr. Roger McFillin dives into the topic of deprescribing and tapering off psychiatric drugs with a pharmacist.
Dr. Shawn Gill, PharmD, is a pharmacist, writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur dedicated to sparking change in healthcare through deprescribing. He is the founder of Deprescribe Solutions, an independent consulting practice focused on reversing early-stage chronic conditions in mental health, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. He hosts the "Deprescribe" podcast and writes the Substack newsletter "B.U.D.S," where he explores topics in health, deprescribing, parenting, and personal growth.

Chapters

00:00 The Silent Epidemic of Over-Prescription

03:06 The Role of Pharmacists in Mental Health

06:11 Understanding Compounding Pharmacy

09:01 Polypharmacy: A Growing Concern

11:58 The Dangers of SSRIs and SNRIs

15:12 The Ethics of Prescribing Practices

18:01 Navigating Withdrawal and Tapering

20:57 Hyperbolic vs. Linear Tapering

24:14 Protracted Withdrawal: Understanding the Risks

26:49 Preventing Dependency: Education and Awareness

29:58 The Future of Mental Health Treatment

Resources:
Systematic review detailing the relationship between SERT occupancy and SSRI dosing.

- This is a great systematic review that breaks down the hyperbolic nature of SSRIs. It also elucidates on the potential pharmacology and mechanism behind protracted withdrawal, which we touched upon.
RELEASE Clinical Trial - RCT which will be investigating hyperbolic tapering vs. linear tapering. The trial will begin in 2025.
Outro Health - Fantastic organization trying to scale and make hyperbolic tapering accessible to the US. 

Dr. Sean Gill Substack
Deprescribe Podcast w/ Dr. Sean Gill

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