Psychiatric Drugs and Nutrient Loss: The Missing Piece in Mental Health | The Gaslit Truth Podcast with Dr Teralyn Sell and Therapist Jenn Schmitz
For years, I did what most of us are told to do. I trusted that psychiatric medication was the answer and that if I ever wanted to stop taking it, it would be simple. What I've learned both professionally and personally, is that the story is far more complicated.
I'm now two and a half years into tapering off Lexapro after decades of use, and one thing I've become passionate about is helping people understand that medication doesn't exist in a vacuum. While psych meds may change symptoms, they can also deplete nutrients that your brain and body rely on to function. Yet very few people are ever told that. Then when symptoms like anxiety, depression, fatigue, and brain fog show up, they're often treated as proof of a worsening mental illness rather than a sign that something else may be happening.
In our latest episode of The Gaslit Truth Podcast, Dr. Teralyn and I discuss the nutrients commonly impacted by psychiatric medications and other drugs like birth control—including B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, and more. This isn't about chasing miracle supplements. It's about making sure your nervous system has the resources it needs, especially during an SSRI taper.
That's exactly why I chose to do micronutrient testing before I started tapering and why I continue testing throughout my withdrawal journey. I want real data, not guesswork. If you don’t test - you guess and isn’t that how you got put on the psych drugs in the first place? We also discuss why we like a 90-day "warm-up" before tapering, the importance of protein and blood sugar stability, and how reducing ultra-processed foods can support healing without forcing people into restrictive diets.
If you're tapering, supporting someone who is, or simply questioning what you've been told about starting or stopping psych meds, this episode offers a different perspective. Because informed consent isn't just understanding the benefits of a medication. It's understanding the trade-offs too.
