VA Prescribed Me This Drug... It Turned Me Into a Psychotic Shooter

About this video

Ritland’s guest, a former JSOC intelligence contractor, recounts how he was prescribed Nuvigil by the VA in 2017 for PTSD and sleep issues related to deployment stress. He describes being kept on the medication for four and a half years despite FDA guidelines limiting use to twelve weeks, which he attributes to the VA misdiagnosing his TBI as PTSD. In February 2022, while under extreme work stress and sleep deprivation, he experienced what he describes as a psychotic episode and blackout that led to firing his weapon in public, resulting in felony charges and a years-long legal battle.

Key takeaways

• The guest attributes a 2022 psychotic episode to being prescribed Nuvigil (a controlled stimulant) by the VA for over four years, far exceeding the FDA’s recommended twelve-week limit
• He recounts the VA rated him 0% for traumatic brain injury despite documented TBIs, which he believes led to the contraindicated prescription that triggered hallucinations and a complete blackout
• Following arrest on felony charges for discharging a firearm during the medication-induced episode, the guest describes choosing intensive mental health treatment at the VA and rejecting what he calls a victimhood mindset

Episode details: published January 15, 2026 · 41.9K views · 29:32 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

← Previous: Pete Hegseth: Venezuela Strike, Counterterrorism Ops, Drug War · Next: The Weight of Command: Jocko Willink on Losing Soldiers in Ramadi →

All Mike Ritland videos · Mike Ritland profile · Mike Drop (official site)