A psychotropic medication is any psychiatric medication capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior by altering chemical levels in the brain.

The phrase, “psychotropic drugs” is a technical term for psychiatric medicines that alter chemical levels in the brain which impact mood and behavior. A psychotropic medication is any medication capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior.

Antipsychotics, antidepressants, ADHD drugs, anti-anxiety medications and mood stabilizers are some of the more commonly used psychotropic drugs in the United States.

A person who is psychotic is out of touch with reality. People with psychosis may hear “voices” or have strange and illogical ideas (for example, thinking that others can hear their thoughts, or are trying to harm them or that they are some famous or important person. They may get excited or angry for no apparent reason, or spend a lot of time by themselves, or in bed, sleeping during the day and staying awake at night. The person may neglect appearance, not bathing or changing clothes, and may be hard to talk to–barely talking or saying things that make no sense. They often are initially unaware that their condition is an illness.

These kinds of behaviors are symptoms of a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications act against these symptoms. These medications cannot “cure” the illness, but they can control many of the symptoms or make them milder.

Although they cannot cure psychotic illness, there are over 72 documented side effects of antipsychotic medications including anxiety, birth defects, depression, diabetes, heart problems, muscle spasms, seizures, and thoughts of suicide that result in their use.

Antidepressant medication, used under the guidance of a mental health professional, may relieve symptoms of depression. But antidepressants also come with side effects and dangers. Most mental health experts agree that when depression is severe enough to impact your ability to function in life, medication can be helpful—even lifesaving. However, research shows that antidepressants fall short for many people.

A major National Institute of Mental Health study showed that fewer than 50 percent of people become symptom-free on antidepressants, even after trying two different medications. Furthermore, many who do respond to medication soon slip back into depression, despite sticking with drug treatment.

Other studies show that the benefits of depression medication have been exaggerated, with some researchers concluding that—when it comes to mild to moderate depression—antidepressants are only slightly more effective than placebos.

When you first begin antidepressant treatment, depression medication side effects can be physical symptoms like headache, joint pain, muscle aches, nausea, skin rashes, or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and temporary.

Many people notice trouble sleeping when they first start taking an antidepressant — trouble falling asleep or that they wake up easily during the night. Other side effects include increased appetite and weight gain, fatigue and drowsiness, blurred vision, constipation and irritability.

It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time, especially if your life is stressful. However, excessive, ongoing anxiety and worry that interfere with day-to-day activities may be a sign of generalized anxiety disorder. People with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).

These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.

Examples of anxiety disorders include social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. A person can have more than one anxiety disorder.

Anxiety medicines do have some severe side effects in some cases. But it’s actually not the side effects that are the reason to try to avoid medications. The main reason is because they can cause physiological and psychological dependence. This is when your body and mind actually start to need to drug to cope with anxiety, so that it becomes even harder to cure the anxiety without medication over time.

But the most common side effects of anxiety medicines such as Xanax and Valium, etc. are as follows: Hypotension (low blood pressure), decreased libido, nausea, lack of coordination, depression, memory loss and difficulty thinking.

Fully 1 in 5 Americans take at least one psychiatric medication.

Fueling the perception that America is an overmedicated society, a new Mayo Clinic study finds that nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two.

Researchers found antibiotics, antidepressants, and painkilling opioids are the most commonly prescribed. And one of five patients are on five or more prescription medications, according to the findings, published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Modern day psychiatric diagnosis of psychosis, depression, general anxiety or a particular phobia often result in the psychiatrist prescribing one or more psychotropic medications that do not cure the problem but only help alleviate the symptoms. These medications all have deleterious side-effects.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1Timothy 6:10

The global pharmaceuticals market is worth $300 billion a year, a figure expected to rise to $400 billion within three years. The 10 largest drugs companies control over one-third of this market, several with sales of more than $10 billion a year and profit margins of about 30%. Six are based in the United States and four in Europe. It is predicted that North and South America, Europe and Japan will continue to account for a full 85% of the global pharmaceuticals market well into the 21st century. Companies currently spend one-third of all sales revenue on marketing their products – roughly twice what they spend on research and development.

According to the World Health Organization, as a result of this pressure to maintain sales, there is now, “an inherent conflict of interest between the legitimate business goals of manufacturers and the social, medical and economic needs of providers and the public to select and use drugs in the most rational way”. This is particularly true where drugs companies are the main source of information as to which products are most effective. Even in the United Kingdom, where the medical profession receives more independent, publicly-funded information than in many other countries, promotional spending by pharmaceuticals companies is 50 times greater than spending on public information on health.

With an insatiable appetite for more profits, the pharmaceutical industry is constantly barraging the public with promises of instant relief from physical and emotional pain. Instead of promoting healthier lifestyle practices and the use of natural supplements, doctors are over prescribing medications. Prescription drugs are now killing far more people than illegal drugs, and while most major causes of preventable deaths are declining, those from prescription drug use are increasing.

Pharmakeia is a word found three times in the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Following is the definition of the Greek word “Pharmakeia” as found in The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon:

• The use or the administering of drugs
• Poisoning
• Sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
• Metaphorically speaking as “the deceptions and seductions of idolatry”

Drug abuse is not just a physical addiction or a biological or chemical problem – it is a spiritual stronghold. Pharmakeia is the root word from which we get our English word pharmacy or pharmacist. Pharmakeia is translated as witchcraft or sorcery. It speaks of the occult magical arts which are often found in connection with idolatry. Psychotropic drug dependency, like witchcraft, becomes a powerful, demonic stronghold.

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

 “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. Mark 9:17-26

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38

Natural science encompasses any of the sciences (as physics, chemistry, or biology) that deal with matter, energy, and their interrelations and transformations or with objectively measurable phenomena. Since God is not measurable, a much larger percentage of scientists in the United Stated are atheists compared to that in the general population.

The majority of psychiatrists and evolutionists teach that man’s inborn instinct to have faith in God is a product of evolution. Materialist neuroscientists and philosophers hold that mind, consciousness, and self are by-products of the brain’s electrical and chemical processes, and that RSMEs [religious/spiritual/mystical experiences] are “nothing but” brain states or delusions created by neural activity. Accordingly these scientists and philosophers believe that there is no spiritual source for RSMEs, that is, they think that the human brain creates these experiences and, in so doing, creates God.

Due to the rejection of God and disbelief in the spirit realm, most psychiatrists seek to treat emotional and mental disorders by prescribing medications and provide secular counseling. The medications only suppress the symptoms and have a plethora of side effects. The secular counseling seeks to promote behavior modification without addressing the inner man (the person’s heart) and possible spiritual issues that a person may be dealing with.

Instead of seeking instant relief through pharmaceutical medications, it might be more beneficial take time and effort to address the core issues that led to mental and emotional illness.

A lifestyle that includes regular exercise, good nutrition, getting a proper amount of sleep, reading the Bible and praying regularly not only enhances physical and mental health but also spiritual wellbeing. Biblical counseling and deliverance can address spiritual oppression.

Some practical tips to combat anxiety, depression and fatigue include:

• Greatly reduce or completely eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates (white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc…). The reason for this is that big fluctuations in blood sugar create stress in our bodies and too much sugar weakens the immune system.

• Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and enhances anxiety

• Get enough sunshine by walking outside for 20 minutes 3 or 4 times a week.

• Use herbal supplements that naturally enhance emotional health

• Use the medicine of God’s Word to combat the spirit of heaviness

Prescription Drug Alternatives

DEPRESSION:

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 42:5

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

INSOMNIA:

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves. Psalm 127:2

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3:21-24

ANXIETY:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

If you are abusing alcohol or other drugs and want to lead a victorious life and be set free from addiction you need to have a relationship with the LORD God, Creator of the heavens and the earth. To find forgiveness and freedom, pray the following prayer or a similar prayer in your own words – 

“Lord Jesus Christ,

I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to earn my way to heaven. Although I deserve God’s wrath, by God’s mercy, I accept your free gift of eternal life by faith. I believe that You were born of a virgin and died on the cross to pay the price of my sins. I believe you were buried, rose again on the third day, have ascended into heaven, and will soon come again.

Lord, please forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and take control of my life.” AMEN

 If you sincerely prayed this prayer, then you have just made a decision by faith, to accept the free gift (God’s grace) of the substitutionary sacrifice of the Messiah (the Christ), whose suffering and death paid the price of your sins. You have been born again. As a new born, you need to be nourished.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

In order to grow and mature spiritually you need to:

• Be baptized into Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ)
• Speak to God each day through prayer. (Pray each day in the name of Yeshua/Jesus).
• Read your Bible every day. When you read the Bible, God speaks to you through His Word. (If you don’t own a Bible, then we will help you get one.)
• Find a Bible believing church and attend regularly – both worship services and a Bible study.
• Share with someone what God has done for you.

We have a variety of resources for you on our website such as:

Biblical Insights into Combating Addiction, Teachings on Prayer and Fasting, links to Christian resources for the addicted: Find Help, Healing Scriptures and information on our Annual Weekend of Prayer event.