She Was on 5 Psychiatric Drugs at 27. The Pills Were the Problem All Along | Laura Delano

Laura Delano was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 14 and spent the next 13 years on psychiatric medications including lithium, Lamictal, Abilify, Effexor, and Ativan. After being labeled “treatment resistant” and nearly ending her life, she started questioning whether the medications themselves were part of the problem. In this conversation, Laura walks through what happened when she came off five psychiatric drugs, the years-long withdrawal process that followed, and how she rebuilt her health afterward. She also explains why she founded the Inner Compass Initiative, a nonprofit helping people taper off psychiatric medications safely. We discuss: • Psychiatric drug dependence and withdrawal • Withdrawal vs. relapse • Hyperbolic tapering • The chemical imbalance theory • Akathisia and neurological symptoms • Diet and recovery • Birth control and psychiatric medication • RFK Jr. and psychiatric drug policy • TikTok censorship • Why 1 in 4 Americans are now on psych meds Find Laura: lauradelano.com innercompass.org X: @LauraDeLano Book: Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance - unshrunkthebook.com Submit your experience at: prescribed-harm.com Resources for tapering/studies: prescribed-harm.com Chapters: For a high quality education and community consider enrolling in Peterson Academy:

Chapters

1. 0:00Intro
2. 2:08Why Laura Delano Thinks the RFK Moment Is a Real Opportunity
3. 7:45Laura Delano Believed She Would Be a Monster Without the Medications
4. 10:13How Psychiatry Turns Every Human Experience Into a Symptom
5. 17:24What Long Term Psychiatric Medications Actually Do to the Brain
6. 20:32The Moment Laura Delano Asked: What If It's the Treatment, Not the Illness
7. 23:04The First Year Off All 5 Drugs: Brushing Teeth Was the Whole Day
8. 36:27The First Time Laura Delano Was Free From Pharmaceuticals as an Adult
9. 43:58What Laura Delano Actually Thinks About the RFK Psychiatric Medication Rumor
10. 53:01Withdrawal vs Relapse: The Distortion Keeping 65 Million Americans on These Meds
11. 56:45What Akathisia Actually Feels Like From the Inside
12. 1:00:09Laura Delano's Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Come Off These Medications
13. 1:02:12Tapering Is Not About the Drugs. It Is About Reclaiming Your Life and Your Agency.
14. 1:10:45Why Laura Delano Thinks a Genetic Sensitivity to Mold May Explain the Worst Reactions
15. 1:16:03The Real Mental Health Crisis: Our Relationship to Emotional Pain and What It Means to Be Human
16. 1:16:47Laura Delano Is Still Intense, Still Cries, Still Gets Anxious. She Just Does Not Call It Illness Anymore.
17. 1:19:39What SSRIs Did to Sexual Function and What Laura Delano Didn't Know Until She Was 21
18. 1:32:21Where to Find Laura Delano, the Free Tapering Guide and the Book Unshrunk