What Happens When Everbody Comes Off Their Meds ?

I wasn't really sure where on ATS to post this so it goes into general. On another forum a member expressed dismay that so many of his colleagues where now on legal drugs of all sorts and most of them were for emotional and mental support and control. That has made me reflect on this situation.

More and more people are depending on legal drugs to cope with life's issues, some are of their own doing, some are thrust upon them through no fault of there own. However the dependency on legal drug use is skyrocketing. For example I have relative that works at a large company that has health benefits.They track the percentage of expenses used and where they are going. 10 years ago only 10% went to legal mental and emotional support drugs, now 80% goes towards it, remember this is 80% of ALL health claims. It rose a staggering 70% in just 10 years.

Now here is my concern if a terrible major calamity strikes of any type, and these people can't get there meds refilled, where does that leave them and the people around them. If they couldn't cope when things were basically "normal" how will they react when things are very ugly and they have no meds.
If you have 75% of the population suddenly coming off all there meds at the same time the result for society won't be good.

Let's hope they don't all own guns either. Because massive suicides and raging are a real possibility.

So if the TBTB cause a SHTF scenario and it's worldwide, and within lets say 3 months all the prescription meds have run out, and everybody is coming off at the same time.

Am I the only one that see's a major problem developing with this level of dependency ?

I would say if you are survivalist wean yourself off all mental an emotional support drugs.
Personally I refuse to take them, even though a councillor once recommended them to me after I had a death in the family.
Another doctor told a friend of mine that was majorly depressed, I could give you a subscription to help you, but first I want to ask you, can you work this out without medical assistance of drugs, thinking about it he realized he would be using these meds as a fake way to cope with reality. He declined and got better.

This is something to think about.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


Add onto that scenario the amount of people who will die from not having access to medicines that they rely on to keep them alive.......

I have seen news articles popping up the past year that a lot of medicines that people need are no longer being manufactured by big pharm and there are shortages already happening for these drugs. I cannot fathom this happening by no other design other than it is being done on purpose...

Current Drug Shortages

reply to post by Blue_Jay33

Glenn Beck looked at this in a serious way, years ago and before he became a talking head for TV ratings. This was back when he was humble with a simple radio show and tried to entertain as much as doom everyone to death. lol...

Anyway, back then (mid Bush term I'd guess for time) he looked at how many are on and now dependent on things like Blood Pressure, Diabetes and other life/death type meds ..including himself as I recall.

The conclusion wasn't pretty. In fact, it's ugly. The only saving grace in the short term is that punks are morons. Punks loot a drug store for the feel good crap and leave the life saving medicines sit to rot. So...at least short term. the quicker among those needing life supporting meds have something.

Long term? Well, for some conditions, people will learn what they refused to do all this time..or they'll simply die. Dietary control of major bodily issues..like blood and sugar. The rest who cannot control a condition by other means? Well, we have a wonderful system if nothing ever breaks it, don't we? If it breaks though....10's of millions won't survive the first full month without a pharmacy, I fear.

It will be a cold day in hell before those greedy Aholes in big pharma stop making meds.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33

i think you will find that most of the people that are on prescription drugs don't realy need them
they are an easy fix that doctors dish out to placate their patients.

also please remember that the drug companies do not make profit from curing people
the profits come from treating and repeat prescriptions .

The problem isnt nearly as bad as one would think.

For one thing about 90% of all diabetes cases are preventable.
High blood pressure too.
Same with cholesterol.

Plenty of psychological issues are treatable or at least manageable without medications.

The leading causes of death are mostly in the "it's your fault" category.

If even the remote possibility of losing access to your meds frightens you then do what you have to do to get off of them while you still can.

reply to post by tom.farnhill


I'd throw a different side to that, knowing a few people in my family on the '"Pharm-Roulette' wheel of combination approaches.

I think there are a great many who didn't START as being dependent on their meds for life. I think a good % within that group never WOULD have become dependent on meds as they are now. The system though has made this to where if one med doesn't hook you, the one to counter the side effects of the first one ...or perhaps the one to counter the issues from those TWO first ones...WILL be the hook that makes quitting them an outright dangerous, not just uncomfortable proposition.

Street scum addicts their customers.....Big Pharma makes it a question of actual life and death. Who is worse? I know my answer.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


Discussing psych meds specifically.

If I came off of my meds the only difference would be that I'd be a bit irritable for a few days and then would have more pronounced mood swings afterwards. If this sounds scary, consider that I lived 40 years of my life off meds and have no criminal record. I was dysfunctional as I could be - but I was also socialized, popular, and living a full life.

There are people who are worse off. I have known quite a number who, without meds, simply wouldn't function at all. And that's what scares me. I can only think of a couple who I would fear becoming predatory or violent. The rest would simply shut down and become prey for "normal" predators. In other words, I, having years of interaction with mentally ill people, are more afraid of what we would do to them, than what they would do to us.

History shows that, in a world without those meds, it's the "sane" people who tend to treat the sick like animals - not the other way around.

~Heff

As bad as a SHTF situation would be, that would certainly multiply the problem. Imagine a person who depends on painkiller to get through the day. Willingly or not , that person is physically dependent. Their body would suffer massive withdraw within about 2 days, some even less than that. You would see many looting the local drug store just for those and when they met up with the ones looting for profit or fun.....Well you can imagine what happens from there. Throw in the store owner with a shotgun trying to protect his business and it gets worse.

I would start cycling into periods of depression. I know that eventually I come out of them. I can live without them, but life is more balanced with them. I have clinical depression, not situational so I know I will have this for the rest of my life. As Heff said, I functioned in normal society without them for longer than not. I just won't be as full of ha ha as I am now.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33

With regards to the discontinuation of psychotropic meds, youll see more mass shootings and bizarre acts of violence.

These drugs are truly dangerous.

The point about big pharma losing money is mute, in this scenario, we are talking about a situation so far beyond that. A situation where civilization is breaking down or even gone. Big pharma would simply be gone. The factories that make all these meds abandoned. This is what I am talking about.

Originally posted by Hefficide
If I came off of my meds the only difference would be that I'd be a bit irritable for a few days and then would have more pronounced mood swings afterwards. If this sounds scary, consider that I lived 40 years of my life off meds and have no criminal record. I was dysfunctional as I could be - but I was also socialized, popular, and living a full life.

Sounds exactly like my story. I don't take the meds for me, I take them for my family's sanity. When I was single, the "super" non-med me wasn't an issue. In fact, my default non-med self is what most people take drugs to be like..

So, in a zombie apocalypse scenario, I'll ditch the pills and be ready to rock. With a smile, no less.

Well, of course it depends on the meds. If it's benzodiazepams (such as Xanax), hopefully those on them will immediately cut back on the dose and try to come off them with what they have left....Same thing with most psych meds. Many psychotropic medications will have a nasty backlash effect if one simply stops taking them. It would behoove people to build up a little bit of a supply in case of a SHTF scenario, so they can wean off. It won't be comfortable, but it's better than just stopping cold turkey.

For people addicted to opiates, if they don't have a supply built up for weaning off, they will go through a week of pure hell, in which they won't be able to do anything but lay in one spot, shake, sweat, have diarrhea and vomiting, and scream in pain. The higher the dose of opiates, the more nasty the withdrawal. These people may not survive, especially if they do not have clean water and some ready food available.

People on medications for things like diabetes, coronary artery disease, etc., will not suffer any real immediate effects, unless that person has type I diabetes. Those people may die rather rapidly, depending on what food source is available.

This subject was just on my mind the other day, as some friends just had a baby with a metabolic disorder in which the child has to eat every few hours or they will die.

A SHTF scenario will indeed be a large culling of the population. Anybody with food issues should have certain foods stored, just in case. Others on meds should try to save some if possible.

This reminds me of a story I read a few years ago: A pharmacy was robbed, but because the robbers were somewhat uneducated and probably dyslexic, they ripped off a box of "oxytocin", thinking it was "oxycontin". Oxytocin is used to stimulate labor in women who are overdue, or to help some women after childbirth get their parts back in order. LOL.

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
The problem isnt nearly as bad as one would think.

For one thing about 90% of all diabetes cases are preventable.
High blood pressure too.
Same with cholesterol.

Plenty of psychological issues are treatable or at least manageable without medications.

The leading causes of death are mostly in the "it's your fault" category.

If even the remote possibility of losing access to your meds frightens you then do what you have to do to get off of them while you still can.

Leading cause of death are mostly in the "its your fault" category????????

What a ridiculous statement. The leading cause of death is birth!

Tired of Control Freaks

Originally posted by FissionSurplus



A SHTF scenario will indeed be a large culling of the population. Anybody with food issues should have certain foods stored, just in case. Others on meds should try to save some if possible.

Here is the conspiracy part, is that not what the Georgia guide stones call for, so the TBTB let it happen having promoted a drug dependency populace for decades, they go underground come back in a year to a vastly culled populace and start over.
But that's not going to happen, even if they want it to happen, once it starts it won't end with their survival, like they think.

I'm on an ssri for anxiety and tbh I'm pretty damn addicted now, ran out a year ago and went through 2 days off hell until I got some more from doctors

I'd probably start training hard again at muay Thai If I was looking at loss of supply in the face of unrest/war/apocalypse etc as I'm very relaxed and placid now, but less the meds I'd be a nightmare for most people, and tbh I'd buzz of my anxiety and aggression ... I'd have to turn it into a plus but be aware and measured that would be the hard part, hell that's why I'm on 'em

What about all the veterans on meds, from an almost constant state of war America has been in since 9/11.
They have a high rate of suicide, so that would happen. But some would go aggressive.

I hear Xanax is a pain in the ass to get off of.. guess the withdrawals are super bad?? I won't touch anything that messes with my mind... I have a high IQ, and would like to keep it that way. LOL...

Edit -- friend said you can't sleep for days and your sense of smell is increased like 20x it seems.. sounds scary.

reply to post by Blue_Jay33


There very well could be a conspiracy here. I myself am on Xanax and Ambien. I store extra whenever possible just in case of a societal collapse, and I have other things that are over the counter which I stock up on to keep myself from going ballistic and freaking out from lack of sleep and frayed nerves.

I recommend benadryl (diphenhydramine), valerian root, and sam-e. These things are cheap and easy to stock up on, and can take the place of the higher powered pharmaceuticals if necessary.

I always have enough to wean off, and my home pharmacy is stocked with OTCs.

However, a whole society of people on psychotropic meds that suddenly run out is a scary situation. I imagine most people would become paranoid and isolated, but there are those few whose aggressive tendencies might become over-the-top.

The elites who are hiding underground better plan on staying there for a really long time. Like you said, it's not going to work out like they think.