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Psych meds can change a life, but not always in the direction we intend. We sit down with psychiatrist Christian Monsalve to wrestle with a question most people never hear in a medication appointment: are we aiming for symptom control, or are we helping someone build a life that actually feels worth living? Christian brings a rare blend of psychiatry, ethics, and philosophy to the table, and it reshapes how we think about “successful treatment.”

We get specific about psychiatric medications, especially SSRIs, and the real-world tradeoffs patients report like emotional blunting, feeling numb, and losing connection with a partner or kids. We also talk SSRI withdrawal, tolerance, and why increasing the dose can sometimes delay the day you can safely come off. Christian explains why deprescribing and medication tapering often require slow, individualized plans and why he calls good tapering work a “graduation date” that lets people get back to purpose, relationships, and meaningful work.

We also unpack the uncomfortable systems issue: many clinicians train in acute hospital settings where they learn how to start medications to stabilize a crisis, but they don’t always see the long arc of dependence, withdrawal, and long tapers that happen in outpatient life. We discuss informed consent, when to refer out, practical resources like the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines, and research-informed frameworks for well-being including Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your treatment plan is helping you flourish or just helping you cope, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone navigating a taper, leave a review, and tell us: what do you wish you had been told before you ever filled that first prescription?

We're recruiting for a first-of-its-kind psychiatric medication withdrawal research study. If you've experienced psychiatric medication withdrawal, you may be eligible to participate. Email DrTeralyn@DrTeralyn.com to learn more.

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💊 Ready to Deprescribe Your Psych Meds?

Psych meds have harmed us—and we’re not just survivors, we’re deeply educated in psychopharmacology, psychology, and nutrition. As hosts of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, we guide people safely off psychiatric medications with strategies grounded in science and brain health

🔥 You’ve been harmed. You’ve been dismissed. It’s time to take your brain back—with guidance from people who’ve been there and know their stuff.

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