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I want to thank everyone that is a part of Survivingantidepressants.org. Without you guys, I would have been lost or dead, by now. Every time I have had a problem, I would go to this website and read. The support here has kept me sane, especially since my husband has issues that he has to take care of and cannot relate to antidepressant withdrawal. I have no friends (do not want any friends right now) and I have no other family. Most of the time, this site and its people are all the support I get. For twenty years, I have been taking Bupropion. After 20 years of ingesting this poison, the time and situation were right for me to taper. In a year and a half, I went from 300 mg down to 100 mg: currently, I'm holding at 100-mg. It has been rough. From what I've read, Bupropion is one of the 'easier' antidepressants to get off. If so, the people who taper off of SSRIs have my total respect! I've noticed that after eating a meal, fatigue, which is almost debilitating, plagues me. After doing some research, I came across this article which I copied part of for your review, which might be the reason why I get fatigue after I eat: Your body is equipped with a natural stress-fighting mechanism called the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response system. It is an intricate network of various organs and six circuits, including the bioenergetics circuit, which functions in close coordination to help fight stress. A pair of walnut-shaped adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, are also part of the response system. During stressful situations, the NEM signals your adrenal glands to secrete the anti-stress hormone cortisol. However, when stress is constant, the adrenals can get overburdened and are no longer able to secrete adequate cortisol. This can affect the natural stress-fighting ability of your body, which can lead to adrenal fatigue. Frequently experiencing extreme fatigue along with symptoms such as low energy levels, difficulty in waking up, insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, stubborn weight gain, constipation, low concentration levels, and craving for salty and fatty food indicate signs of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). As the adrenals get more and more overworked with consistent stress, the result is a cortisol imbalance which can disturb the entire NEM stress response system. As the NEM connects various organs and circuits, the function of related organs is also affected. People in the advanced stages of AFS have a weak body. Everyday functions of the body and organs - including the liver, pancreas, and thyroid of the bioenergetics circuit - gradually begin to slow down. This can complicate the actions necessary for maintaining the health of the body, which in turn can trigger negative reactions such as experiencing fatigue after eating. The bioenergetics circuit of the NEM system comprises of the liver, pancreas, and thyroid. Any imbalance in this circuit can lead to mitochondrial disorder, sugar cravings, reactive hypoglycemia, catabolism, dizziness, insulin resistance, and weight gain. The pancreas and liver play key roles in the digestion process. The pancreas secretes enzymes such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, amylase, and lipase which help digest proteins, breakdown carbohydrates, and convert fat to cholesterol and fatty acids. It also helps transport glucose to tissues through the blood and helps the liver absorb glucose. A significant detoxification center of your body, the liver performs multiple crucial functions. It secretes bile, which helps in detoxification and digestion. It also helps in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, and it maintains a healthy level of blood glucose and various other chemicals in the body. Dysfunction of the liver or pancreas has a direct impact on the digestion process, which can contribute to fatigue after eating. Reference: Why Do You Experience Fatigue After Eating? By: Michael Lam, MD, MPH https://www.drlamcoaching.com/diet/adrenal-fatigue-diet/fatigue-after-eating/ I don't eat processed foods but only eat fresh or frozen meats and vegetables and fruits and some nuts. I have also cut back on the sugar and sweets. I discovered that my body couldn't tolerate coffee or chocolate, so I have dropped them from my diet. To lessen my fatigue, I have taken to intermediate fasting. I eat one substantial meal each a day the then drink water (with lemon or lime) throughout the day. I stop drinking water at 6-pm. I reason that I spike my cortisol after I eat, so I get that out of the way early in the day. I've noticed that when I fast like this, I have more energy throughout the day, and at night I don't get up throughout the night to relieve myself. Have other people suffered fatigue after eating and how did you solve the problem? Let me know

jancarol-undiagnosed-off-all-bipolar-drugs G'day folks! I've only just arrived, I've read a few threads here, but not had much to say. I've been lucky, really. Because I'm not heavily medicated and never have been - I've fought that every step of the way. Likewise, I've never been hospitalized or jailed - I've fought against that every step of the way. It started in my 20's when Doc's decided that my depression would clear up better with a bit of Prozac. Just to help me "over the bump" until I had frank hallucinations, watching Bigfoot amble about in traffic and around town. Time to get off the Prozac. So I go off, and persist in an empty marriage with unfulfilling work. So the Doc's (I can't even remember which Doctors did this, it's strange because I was in a new town in Indiana, and you'd think I"d remember going to the clinic or Doc's office, but oh well) prescribe Zooloft. I get jittery and palpitations, so I go off again. Over the next 10 years, from about 25-35, I'm prescribed various antidepressants, and most of them fail. The only one to stick was Wellbutrin, but I get ahead of myself. So after these 3 month each infusions of brain chemical bursts, for 10 years, is it any wonder that when the marriage fell apart in 1995 I went full blown, psychotic mad manic? At the time I described it as if a weight that I had held on my shoulders for years and years was suddenly pulled away and I came unstuck. I was talking to bees (and making contracts with them), stalking potential lovers, stripping my clothes off in the woods so as to be "invisible," paranoid that the lights in my windows were UFO's. This was not treated by medical doctors as mania. Nor was it treated as psychosis at any time: because here is the key - even though I was mad and manic, I was LUCID. I could tell you, "This just isn't right, I need to get help." Ergo, I escaped hospitalization, and the overdrugging that happens there. This was treated with yet another antidepressant (Wellbutrin?) and antianxiety meds (likely Xanax). I met a yoga guru at about that time, and he "cleaned me up" and stabilized me but that was another abusive relationship - because now I "owed him" my life. I was on Wellbutrin for 3 years after this, but the depression just kept sinking deeper and deeper as I had sold my soul to this yogi. When I told the yogi, finally, to go away, that I would be happier without him telling me "who to be," and "how to be it," I got marginally better. At the same time I met my birthfamily, Birth Mom, birth aunt, a sister and 2 brothers. When I got the family history and heard about great-grandma hanging in the shower, and grandma finding her, and the resultant paranoia about menopause this caused....when I heard about the uncles who were chameleons and bigamists....I thought, well. Maybe I am "manic depressive" or "bipolar." So again: with lucidity and clarity I presented myself to the hospital charity system for treatment. to be continued.......