Renegade Psych

Hey everyone, join us for our teaser for the upcoming series on the role of female reproductive hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, on women's health.  The title centers around clinical experiences with women having their first episode of psychosis and inpatient psychiatric hospitalization during menopause and I am joined by my friend and colleague, Dr. Jenny Wood, as well as another loca...

This extra segment involves a nuanced discussion about the role of long-term benzodiazepine use in the ability to learn and the risk of dementia.  We know that Alcohol causes a specific type of dementia, but, despite their similarities in mechanism of action, don't regularly talk about Benzodiazepines carrying the same risk.  Hope you enjoyed listening to this series on Benzodiazepines.  Feel free...

Michael and I give our closing thoughts and recommendations on benzodiazepine use.  In summary, while benzo's have many appropriate uses, there is no good data to promote long-term regular use of benzodiazepines for anxiety or other conditions , Use Xanax/Alprazolam for Xanax/Alprazolam withdrawal (other benzo's will provide incomplete coverage of the withdrawal syndrome), and DO NOT USE (or presc...

-Here, we start off with a discussion about why the question of whether someone with long-term benzo use and abrupt discontinuation experiences symptoms of benzo withdrawal or if those represent rebound symptoms of the original anxiety or panic.  If you're on a benzo (or any other powerful neurotransmitter-altering substance, for that matter) for long enough, YOU WILL HAVE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS when...

This segment includes one of the most important and under-recognized phenomena when it comes to benzo withdrawal... that Xanax, or Alprazolam, has a unique chemical structure that makes its' withdrawal resistant to other benzo's.  In other words, patients in Xanax withdrawal can present to the hospital with Altered Mental Status and possibly convulsions and/or hallucinations, and their withdrawal...

Here, Michael and I go back to the origins of benzodiazepines, the cultural factors that increased their popularity in the United States, the evolution of what drug class they have belonged to over time (named, of course, by pharmaceutical marketing divisions), and surmise about what 'new' classes of drugs might replace them.  We then give a basic explanation of how they work and why they cause a...

Here, Michael and I reveal several historical, and more recent, statistics and common-sense findings regarding the dangers of benzodiazepines.  It is so explicit to us that, while this class of medications does have several beneficial short-term uses, the longer-term uses of benzodiazepines undoubtedly do more harm than good.  Benzo's combined with opiates exacerbate the respiratory depression eff...

Per usual, in this first episode of the series, I give my rant on the subject of benzodiazepines, followed by an introduction to our repeat guest for this series, Michael Shuman, a clinical pharmacist with expertise in psychopharmacology.  Benzo's include medications such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan.  Join us as we discuss historical trends in benzo  prescribing, appropriate and inappro...

In this month's series, we're talking about Benzodiazepines, or Benzo's, which include medications like Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan, among others.  Joining me for the 2nd time in this series is Michael Shuman, PharmD.  In the segments that follow, we'll discuss historical trends in benzo prescribing and use, appropriate and inappropriate uses of benzo's, scary med-med interactions that kil...

Enjoy this extra segment that didn't fit into the main topic on SSRIs, but is very interesting and relevant to current times.  First, we talk about the potential benefits and pitfalls of using Artificial Intelligence in medicine.  Then, a brief question about Dr. Healy's exposure to Robert F. Kennedy's platform leads to another interesting story about the first coronavirus vaccine trial that start...

Dr. Healy and I discuss how providers can navigate the current system we operate in, and offer our closing thoughts on the series.   What follows is the most uplifting part of this entire series and one of my favorite songs by a local Louisville artist that we've included in the podcast thus far, "Roses" by 'Nolia Noon.'  I hope you enjoy.  You can find more of their music at their YouTube link be...

Dr. Healy talks about trends in falling life expectancy (worst in the US of developed nations) and relates it to being over-medicated, or poly-pharmacy.  He emphasizes the importance of listening to your patients, educating them on the untoward effects of being on too many medications, and involving them in the decision-making process.  This clinical practice has led him to learn so much from his...

Dr. Healy tells us how the industry's commanding influence over medical literature has allowed them to create guidelines and take over clinical practice at the extreme detriment of people's health.  They use Randomized Controlled Trials as a gold-standard and a crutch to justify stating medications work and de-legitimize any anectdotal experiences from doctors and their patients because 'its not a...

In 1987, roughly 0.2% of American kids were taking psychiatric medications.  Now, over 15% are taking psych meds, with some estimates much higher than that; the majority of these are SSRIs.  Dr. Healy gives us the inside scoop on how companies like Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline manipulate data for FDA approval and wonders what the effects of so many SSRI prescriptions are on the next generation.  Som...

Dr. Healy discusses Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD), caused by the discontinuation of SSRIs.  He has been trying to get the media and FDA/EMA and other regulatory agencies to recognize and list PSSD as a known side effect, but has been met with staunch resistance, despite thousands upon thousands of patients reporting this problem.  Throughout his 30 year journey of trying to illuminate the fr...

This segment is about suicide and homicide as known side effects of SSRIs (and some other psychiatric drugs).  I start out by outlining a recent local mass shooting and compare it to a 1989 Louisville shooting involving Joseph Wesbecker in which the Wesbecker family later agreed to settle with Eli Lilly and intentionally present a weak case (unbeknownst to the judge and not publicly reported for s...

For the first time, I am combining my intro monologue/rant with my guest introduction of Dr. David Healy.  In our series, our primary topic is the dark side of SSRIs, with segments emphasizing the true side effect profile of SSRIs, which include suicide/homicide, and sexual dysfunction - oftentimes lasting long after patients stop taking the antidepressant, the industry and FDA's negative impact o...

For this series, my guest is Dr. David Healy, MD, and the series topic is "The Dark Side of SSRIs."  Please enjoy these selected best clips from the upcoming December 2023 series.  A new episode will drop every Tuesday and Friday through December on this topic and includes sections on suicide and homicide as side effects of SSRIs, PSSD or Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction, the effects of over-medicatin...

Here, Jaime talks more about the RAGE system, which may provide further explanation and depth to our discussion.  This one's quite a bit more scientific fyi. Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd like to be a guest to the sho...

We give our closing thoughts on the neuron doctrine and how it has impacted scientific research over the last century +, and finish out with an awesome song, "Texas Thornbush" by local Louisville artist, Jack Rabbit and the Dirty Hares. Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges...

Jaime and I try to break down the problems that human's level of consciousness brings, as well as discuss the Root of our Thoughts, and how simple neuron-to-neuron communication fails to provide an adequate explanation for how us humans perceive ourselves, others and the world around us. Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych...

This is fascinating segment where Jaime and I discuss ways in which glial cell dysfunction likely provides a better explanation for some common NeuroDevelopmental (Autism, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder) and NeuroDegenerative (Alzheimer's Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, Epilepsy, Traumatic Brain Injury) conditions. Thanks for listening.  For more social media content,...

In this segment, Jaime and I reveal some of the more common-sense reasons why glial cells are more important to our brain function than historically given credit for, and also review some research over the last 60 years on glial cells, further highlighting their impact on brain function and psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on...

My guest, Dr. Jaime Shoup, MD, explains the different types of brain cells in an easy-to-understand way and then I discuss the history, origins, and implications of the neuron doctrine. Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych. If you have any comments, questions or challenges to the information we've presented here, if you'd l...

In this segment, I introduce Dr. Jaime Shoup, a child neurologist.  He gives us his professional journey, including his background and training, as well as why this topic is important to him, and later discusses some of his personal journey Thanks for listening.  For more social media content, check us out on all social media platforms @Renegadepsych. If you have any comments, questions or challen...