How to Get Off Psychoactive
Drugs Safely
All of the chapters of the book, How to Get Off Psychoactive Drugs
Safely, are available here in their entirety, just click on the chapter
heading. If you would like to receive the book as a free pdf file and
save to your computer, click here.
Introduction by James Harper
AFTER ELEVEN YEARS of research, assisting tens of thousands of
people to get off their psychotropic medication, this book is the final
and closing chapter of the development of The Road Back Program.
More...
1. The Road Back Basics
THE ROAD BACK Program is a very specific, heavily researched,
proven program. This program is designed to help people get off all
types of psychoactive medications, while reducing to almost zero the
crippling side effects often associated with coming off the medication.
More...
2. The Four Simple Steps
STEP ONE
Do Not Stop Your Medications Abruptly. More...
3. "Nutritionals" Used on The Road Back Program
In 1999, we were assisting individuals off their medication without
using nutritional supplements by having people gradually reduce the
dosage. We came up with a slow tapering process, wherein the drug
was only tapered further when a person felt they could handle the
withdrawal side effects caused by the previous taper of the
medication. Roughly 50% of the people could taper off their
medication using a gradual taper, but the 50% that successfully got
off their medication still suffered extreme withdrawal side effects.
More...
4. Drug Side Effects
This chapter lists many possible side effects experienced from either
taking these drugs, or when trying to withdraw from them. If you, or
anyone you know, are taking any of these drugs the “real you” could
well be buried under some of the following symptoms. But rest
assured, no one has all of these side effects, and no single drug or
combination of these drugs can produce all the side effects listed
here. More...
5. Things to Be Aware of
THERE ARE SEVERAL medical situations you need to be aware of
before you start this program. First let me repeat, check with your
doctor before starting this program. Medically and physically, do this
for your health and safety as you travel through this process. More...
6. General Pre-Tapering and Taper Instructions
As you start your road back, I want your journey to be as successful
and as smooth as possible. Therefore, I repeat; you cannot simply quit
your prescription medications cold turkey. The illegal use of
prescription drugs are the most abused drugs by young adults and
teens at this time, and that may present a little difficulty with tapering
off of psychoactive medications slowly for you, if you are using the
drug without a prescription. You still need to taper the drugs to help
prevent the psychotic episodes associated with an abrupt withdrawal.
Go to the chapter of this book that details how to reduce the
medication and follow the instructions as closely as possible. More...
7. Daily Journal
8. Graph Your Success
It will greatly help you track your progress and allow you to look back
at how far you have come by using a graph for each symptom you are
rating each day. More...
9. Antianxiety, Anticonvulsants, Benzodiazepine, and
Sleep Medication Pre-Taper
This pre-taper addresses several types of medication, as indicated in
the chapter title. For the rest of this chapter, the word
“benzodiazepine” is used alone to encompass all of the medications
included in the chapter title (Benzodiazepine, Antianxiety,
Anticonvulsant and Sleep Medication). More...
10. Time Release Antidepressant Pre-Taper
Please Note: This pre-taper is for individuals taking a time-release
antidepressant. Your brand may be called; extended release
sustained release or any other name that means the antidepressant
will metabolize slowly, over an extended period of time. More....
11. Antidepressant Pre-Taper
You may already be in withdrawal before you found The Road Back
Program. Please hang in there; relief can come very quickly for you.
Most people are never able to get off an antidepressant due to the
head symptoms that are common with reducing this type of
medication. It does not matter if you are taking one of the old types of
antidepressants or the newer SSRI’s, relief is possible and the
symptoms can be reversed quickly. More...
12. Antipsychotic Medication Pre-Taper
Antipsychotics disrupt additional balances within the body and the
drug created conditions need to be addressed. In the past years,
antipsychotics were only prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar,
psychosis and extreme mental disturbances, but that is no longer the
case. This edition of the book includes the recent breakthroughs that
dramatically reduce the side effects and major symptoms associated
with antipsychotic medication as well as the normal mental symptoms
people may be experiencing that might prompt a physician to
prescribe this class of medication initially. More...
13. ADD, ADHD Medication and Stimulants Pre-Taper
The authors are assuming you were prescribed this class of
medication for Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder. The pre-taper and the supplements used in
this program will not only help eliminate withdrawal, but will probably
give your body some basic nutrients it was lacking before the
diagnosis and are probably one of the root causes of the symptoms
you experienced. More...
14. How to Taper Antianxiety, Anticonvulsants,
Benzodiazepines, and Sleep Medication
Reduce the medication gradually and if side effects begin that are too
severe, go back to the last dosage you were doing fine with, get stable
again and then reduce the medication again, but this time at a slower
reduction amount. More...
15. How to Taper Antidepressants
THE FDA HAS published approved guidelines for tapering off these
medications. Those guidelines are what the authors published a
decade ago and this approach is as effective now as it was in 1999.
The American Medical Association published a report in 2010
acknowledging at least 10% of the population will not be able to get off
their antidepressant because of the withdrawal side effects. One
particular side effect associated with antidepressant withdrawal is the
“brain zaps.” This is an electrical jolt that runs from the base of the
neck to the base of the skull and the jolt can happen several times a
day or non-stop. More...
16. How to Taper Antipsychotic Medication
THE FDA HAS published approved guidelines for tapering off these
medications. Those guidelines are what the authors published a
decade ago and this approach is as effective now as it was in 1999.
More...
17. How to Taper ADD, ADHD Medication and Stimulant
Medication
Reducing the Medication
Reduce the medication gradually and if side effects begin that are too
severe, go back to the last dosage you were doing fine with, get stable
again and then reduce the medication again, but this time at a slower
reduction amount. More...
18. How to Taper Multiple Medications
With our breakthroughs this past year, people are now able to taper
off more than one medication at a time. The JNK Formula Complete,
Neuro Day, Neuro Night have made this possible and this new
breakthrough cuts the time it takes a person to be medication free
dramatically. There are still some things that need to be watched when
reducing more than one medication at a time. More...
19. What to Do If You Are Already in Withdrawal or Quit
Your Medication Cold Turkey
The key to handling withdrawal side effects when you begin to reduce
the medication is: Put Control Back in the Process Again.
Roughly 80% of the people who begin The Road Back Program have
already started to taper off their medication or have gone off their
medication abruptly and are experiencing withdrawal side effects. The
recommendations or suggestions offered in this chapter come from
years of experience assisting these individuals. More...
20. Once Off All Medication
C
ON
G
R
A
T
U
L
A
T
I
ON
S
!
If
anyone ever deserved
a
celebration party
for
an
accomplishment ,
it
is you. You
not
only made
it
off your medication,
but
a
l
s
o
adhered to a
schedule most
other people have never had to
confront. Only you can know what I mean. More...
21. What Can be Done If You Have Never Taken
Psychoactive Medication
If you are
suffering
from
anxiety, stress
that
does
not
seem
to end,
fatigue or a
host
of
symptoms,
you
absolutely
have an
alternative
to
p
s
y
c
h
o
ac
t
i
v
e
medication.
First:
Get a
complete physical
and
have
the
physician rule
out
all
d
i
s
e
a
s
e
or
i
ll
n
e
ss
.
There can be
life events
that
were
the
direct cause
of
depression,
anxiety,
stress, fatigue
and more.
Usually, these feelings
go
away
on their own in
a matter of
days
or
weeks
without you doing
anything
other than letting
s
o
m
e
time
p
a
ss
. More...
22. Frequently Asked Questions
THIS CHAPTER MAINLY addresses questions about the supplements
used on the program. Reducing the medication is fairly
straightforward. You reduce the drug slowly and if side effects become
too unbearable, go back to the last dosage you were doing fine with,
get stable and the next time you reduce the drug, reduce it slower.
More...
23. The Science
Statements of fact: All psychoactive medications metabolize through
specific pathways. All psychoactive medications alter the
Hypothalamus Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to some degree. To some extent,
you can predict the duration before drug-adverse reactions begin with
most psychoactive drugs; if the patient's P450 (CYP) enzymes have
been screened. More...
References
Copyright and Patent Information
Since 1999, over 19 million
people throughout the world
have used this information
to change their life, and get
back into life.
The book and all information
is free on this website. If you
are not sure how to start or
what to do as your first step
send Jim Harper an email.
If you are located in Europe
Click Here and our
European team will assist.
How to Get Off
Psychoactive Drugs
Safely
All of the chapters of the book, How to Get Off
Psychoactive Drugs Safely, are available here in
their entirety, just click on the chapter heading. If you
would like to receive the book as a free pdf file and
save to your computer, click here.
Introduction by James Harper
AFTER ELEVEN YEARS of research, assisting tens
of thousands of people to get off their psychotropic
medication, this book is the final and closing chapter
of the development of The Road Back Program.
More...
1. The Road Back Basics
THE ROAD BACK Program is a very specific, heavily
researched, proven program. This program is
designed to help people get off all types of
psychoactive medications, while reducing to almost
zero the crippling side effects often associated with
coming off the medication. More...
2. The Four Simple Steps
STEP ONE
Do Not Stop Your Medications Abruptly. More...
3. "Nutritionals" Used on The Road Back
Program
In 1999, we were assisting individuals off their
medication without using nutritional supplements by
having people gradually reduce the dosage. We
came up with a slow tapering process, wherein the
drug was only tapered further when a person felt
they could handle the withdrawal side effects
caused by the previous taper of the medication.
Roughly 50% of the people could taper off their
medication using a gradual taper, but the 50% that
successfully got off their medication still suffered
extreme withdrawal side effects. More...
4. Drug Side Effects
This chapter lists many possible side effects
experienced from either taking these drugs, or when
trying to withdraw from them. If you, or anyone you
know, are taking any of these drugs the “real you”
could well be buried under some of the following
symptoms. But rest assured, no one has all of these
side effects, and no single drug or combination of
these drugs can produce all the side effects listed
here. More...
5. Things to Be Aware of
THERE ARE SEVERAL medical situations you need
to be aware of before you start this program. First let
me repeat, check with your doctor before starting this
program. Medically and physically, do this for your
health and safety as you travel through this process.
More...
6. General Pre-Tapering and Taper
Instructions
As you start your road back, I want your journey to
be as successful and as smooth as possible.
Therefore, I repeat; you cannot simply quit your
prescription medications cold turkey. The illegal use
of prescription drugs are the most abused drugs by
young adults and teens at this time, and that may
present a little difficulty with tapering off of
psychoactive medications slowly for you, if you are
using the drug without a prescription. You still need
to taper the drugs to help prevent the psychotic
episodes associated with an abrupt withdrawal. Go
to the chapter of this book that details how to reduce
the medication and follow the instructions as closely
as possible. More...
7. Daily Journal
8. Graph Your Success
It will greatly help you track your progress and allow
you to look back at how far you have come by using
a graph for each symptom you are rating each day.
More...
9. Antianxiety, Anticonvulsants,
Benzodiazepine, and Sleep Medication Pre-
Taper
This pre-taper addresses several types of
medication, as indicated in the chapter title. For the
rest of this chapter, the word “benzodiazepine” is
used alone to encompass all of the medications
included in the chapter title (Benzodiazepine,
Antianxiety, Anticonvulsant and Sleep Medication).
More...
10. Time Release Antidepressant Pre-Taper
Please Note: This pre-taper is for individuals taking
a time-release antidepressant. Your brand may be
called; extended release sustained release or any
other name that means the antidepressant will
metabolize slowly, over an extended period of time.
More....
11. Antidepressant Pre-Taper
You may already be in withdrawal before you found
The Road Back Program. Please hang in there; relief
can come very quickly for you. Most people are
never able to get off an antidepressant due to the
head symptoms that are common with reducing this
type of medication. It does not matter if you are
taking one of the old types of antidepressants or the
newer SSRI’s, relief is possible and the symptoms
can be reversed quickly. More...
12. Antipsychotic Medication Pre-Taper
Antipsychotics disrupt additional balances within the
body and the drug created conditions need to be
addressed. In the past years, antipsychotics were
only prescribed for schizophrenia, bipolar, psychosis
and extreme mental disturbances, but that is no
longer the case. This edition of the book includes the
recent breakthroughs that dramatically reduce the
side effects and major symptoms associated with
antipsychotic medication as well as the normal
mental symptoms people may be experiencing that
might prompt a physician to prescribe this class of
medication initially. More...
13. ADD, ADHD Medication and Stimulants
Pre-Taper
The authors are assuming you were prescribed this
class of medication for Attention Deficit Disorder or
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The pre-
taper and the supplements used in this program will
not only help eliminate withdrawal, but will probably
give your body some basic nutrients it was lacking
before the diagnosis and are probably one of the root
causes of the symptoms you experienced. More...
14. How to Taper Antianxiety,
Anticonvulsants, Benzodiazepines, and
Sleep Medication
Reduce the medication gradually and if side effects
begin that are too severe, go back to the last dosage
you were doing fine with, get stable again and then
reduce the medication again, but this time at a
slower reduction amount. More...
15. How to Taper Antidepressants
THE FDA HAS published approved guidelines for
tapering off these medications. Those guidelines are
what the authors published a decade ago and this
approach is as effective now as it was in 1999. The
American Medical Association published a report in
2010 acknowledging at least 10% of the population
will not be able to get off their antidepressant
because of the withdrawal side effects. One
particular side effect associated with antidepressant
withdrawal is the “brain zaps.” This is an electrical jolt
that runs from the base of the neck to the base of the
skull and the jolt can happen several times a day or
non-stop. More...
16. How to Taper Antipsychotic Medication
THE FDA HAS published approved guidelines for
tapering off these medications. Those guidelines are
what the authors published a decade ago and this
approach is as effective now as it was in 1999.
More...
17. How to Taper ADD, ADHD Medication
and Stimulant Medication
Reducing the Medication
Reduce the medication gradually and if side effects
begin that are too severe, go back to the last dosage
you were doing fine with, get stable again and then
reduce the medication again, but this time at a
slower reduction amount. More...
18. How to Taper Multiple Medications
With our breakthroughs this past year, people are
now able to taper off more than one medication at a
time. The JNK Formula Complete, Neuro Day, Neuro
Night have made this possible and this new
breakthrough cuts the time it takes a person to be
medication free dramatically. There are still some
things that need to be watched when reducing more
than one medication at a time. More...
19. What to Do If You Are Already in
Withdrawal or Quit Your Medication Cold
Turkey
The key to handling withdrawal side effects when
you begin to reduce the medication is: Put Control
Back in the Process Again.
Roughly 80% of the people who begin The Road
Back Program have already started to taper off their
medication or have gone off their medication abruptly
and are experiencing withdrawal side effects. The
recommendations or suggestions offered in this
chapter come from years of experience assisting
these individuals. More...
20. Once Off All Medication
C
ON
G
R
A
T
U
L
A
T
I
ON
S
!
If
anyone ever deserved
a
celebration party
for an
accomplishment ,
it
is you. You
not
only made
it
off your medication,
but
a
l
s
o
adhered
to a
schedule most
other people have never had to
confront. Only you can know what I mean. More...
21. What Can be Done If You Have Never
Taken Psychoactive Medication
If you are
suffering
from
anxiety, stress
that
does
not
seem
to end, fatigue or a
host
of
symptoms,
you
absolutely
have an
alternative
to
p
s
y
c
h
o
ac
t
i
v
e
medication.
First:
Get a
complete physical
and
have
the
physician
rule
out
all
d
i
s
e
a
s
e
or
i
ll
n
e
ss
.
There can be
life events
that
were
the
direct cause
of
depression,
anxiety,
stress, fatigue
and more.
Usually,
these feelings
go
away
on their own in a matter of
days
or
weeks
without you doing
anything
other than letting
s
o
m
e
time
p
a
ss
. More...
22. Frequently Asked Questions
THIS CHAPTER MAINLY addresses questions about
the supplements used on the program. Reducing the
medication is fairly straightforward. You reduce the
drug slowly and if side effects become too
unbearable, go back to the last dosage you were
doing fine with, get stable and the next time you
reduce the drug, reduce it slower. More...
23. The Science
Statements of fact: All psychoactive medications
metabolize through specific pathways. All
psychoactive medications alter the Hypothalamus
Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to some degree. To some
extent, you can predict the duration before drug-
adverse reactions begin with most psychoactive
drugs; if the patient's P450 (CYP) enzymes have
been screened. More...
References
Copyright and Patent Information