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hello everyone, its been more than 5 month i took one buspirone 5mg pill which caused me to have overavtive bladder and some mild overaacyove bowels.at first my overactive bladder was very bad like urgent need to go to toilet after evry 10 minutes but now its been 5 months its better then first few months but i still i feel urgency and pain in pelvic..anyone to guide me...thank you

Hello, I am 68 and this is my first experience with antidepressants. I began having severe stomach pain summer 2020 and lost 20 pounds. A gastroenterologist prescribed 7.5mg of Buspirone taken 2x/day. Because I was depressed about my stomach issues, my family insisted I see a psychiatrist who prescribed 7.5mg of Mirtazapine 1x/day. I began taking both about the same time in early December. In addition I began taking Hcl with pepsin for the stomach issues. My stomach issues have resolved and I have gained 6 pounds. But the drugs make me so lethargic and fuzzy brained. At first the Mirtazapine helped with sleep but now I frequently sleep very little, often less than 2 hours a night. I have decided to taper off the Mirtazapine and have just started with a 10% drop begun 5 days ago. I have felt ok so far just a little nausea. I need encouragement and ideas for sleep please as well as for my journey. I currently take 400mg of magnesium glycinate (100mg in the morning, 300 mg before bed), do restorative yoga before bed, do guided meditation, and meet with a therapist. Can’t take melatonin, gives me diarrhea. Also my gastroenterologist told me to get off the Mirtazapine but he thinks it can be done in 2 weeks. I am very frightened and anxious about the whole thing.

Hi everyone. I used to have mild driving anxiety or be a little anxious when out at stores. I went to my pcp and they have a behavioral Health side to it. The NP I saw there swore I am bipolar because I am irritable and have mood swings. I told her I’m irritable because I haven’t slept through the night since my son was born in March 2021 and he still nurses all night. She swore I was bipolar and put me on lamictal 25mg to go up by 25 every two weeks. When I got to 75mg I started having worse anxiety and panic attacks. I went down to 50mg and the panic stopped. I went back to her and she said the anxiety was because I was bipolar and I needed to go back to 75. I did and the same thing happened this time when I went down to 50mg I was still having anxiety and panic. I went to another psychiatric Np and he had me wean the lamictal and start buspirone. After weaning the lamictal I felt much better. I started the buspirone while weaning off lamictal. The first week of buspirone I noticed some heavy brain fog and derealization. I would look in the mirror and not recognize myself. The second week of buspirone threw me into panic attacks and anxiety worse than anything I’ve experienced. I had tremors and vomiting. The NP said to stop cold Turkey so I did. Two days later I was extremely anxious and shaking and sick. This lasted two days. I have been off buspirone for 8 weeks and I am having bouts of severe anxiety. I am still having brain fog and derealization and I feel like I’m losing my mind. I am woken up out of my sleep with a racing heart. I know I am sleep deprived because my son does not sleep but I experience panic at bed time. When the panic gets too bad I will take an ativan but I know this isn’t a long term solution. Could these drugs have caused this? Thank you for your help. I just want to feel normal again. I have taken the ativan four times this week. I’m not sure if I am experiencing a wave or if I should be ok by now. Around October 20 the anxiety kicked up pretty bad for 4-5 days then settled down. The derealization and brain fog is always present. On Tuesday the anxiety picked back up again and is still going today. I am terrified I will never feel normal again and will miss out on my kids lives. I can’t rely on ativan. My new psych NP just gives me more ativan and tells me he doesn’t know why I don’t feel better yet. Lamictal July 6-September 2 started at 25mg and increased 25 mg every two weeks Buspirone august 29- September 14 7.5mg at night Ativan 0.5mg as needed

I have struggled with the evil twins of depression and anxiety for all of my adult life. I'm now in my late 60s. Current meds: citalopram 40mg/day; bupropion SR 100mg/day; buspirone 20mg/day; I've been on citalopram and bupropion for many years. Buspirone was added about three years ago. Under medical guidance I tapered too fast off benzos two years ago, a hellish withdrawal experience. I'm 99% recovered and ready to chip away at the heavy load of psych meds I'm on. I'm determined to do a slow careful taper to avoid anything resembling what I went through with benzo withdrawal. I just ordered the Gem I'm not certain which med to start with. I'm thinking the citalopram dose is the most immediate concern because it's so high but I'm hoping to get feedback on SA. Thanks

I hope you are well. I am on Escitalopram 10mg reduced overnight from 20mg. After being on this specific medication for 7 months and having been on Citalopram from the age of 22. Meaning I have been on an SSRI for 22 years. Last year after my breakdown in April (I’m actually thinking it might have been my medication stopping working that caused all this) I was put on Venlafaxine immediately without any tapering off citalopram for 2 weeks (Actually wanted to commit suicide due to that drugs side effects) I was then put on Sertraline without any tapering off Venlafaxine. That caused incredibly unpleasant side effects. In August without tapering again I was put on Escitalopram 10mg then two months later upped to 20mg to “give it a go” by psychiatrists. Not one of these medications have worked and have made me worse. Come more recently I suggested I wanted to wean off Escitalopram because I felt constantly in fight or flight. That was about a month ago. I was then prescribed buspirone 5mg x 3 a day and had my Escitalopram reduced to 10mg overnight, no tapering. A week into that regime I stopped Buspirone of my own accord and am currently on just the 10mg of Escitalopram that hadn’t been working in the first place. I actually think I’ve been withdrawing from all the antidepressants since April in some peculiar way. Since I first started antidepressants in 2002 I haven’t once had a doctor review my medication, not once have they asked me about coming off, the only time things changed is to up my medication or “give another” on a go. Today I have chronic muscle twitches, that don’t stop. My mind is clearer bizarrely and less brain fog but my physical symptoms are another matter, I’m aching considerably, I wake up shaking in the morning, and the cold makes my body shiver uncontrollably. The muscle twitches in my legs are 24 hours a day every minute. I try to go to the gym but it’s hard as my calves cramp. I have contacted a nutritionist as I’ve had dozens of blood tests thinking something must be out of sync, deficient. I’m on a good diet plan of protein and high fibre. And supplements. I currently don't know where to turn or what to do, as I am now on 10mg Escitalopram only, I don't know whether to go up gradually to try and resolve these physical constant muscle spasms/twitches even though the medication itself offered me no relief from anxiety/depression etc and actually made me 100 times worse, or to taper down. Either way I'm stuck. My body is a mess, that was once absolutely fine, it's now all over the place. Something that’s keeping me going is knowing someone is highlighting the daily struggle of these drugs and the complete disregard for the patients that are prescribed them. I hope this email reaches you all in good health.

HISTORY: *1998-2010: Buspar, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Paxil, etc. *2018: started sertraline/Zoloft *2019: Went to ketamine clinic seeking ketamine, but was dx with bipolar II instead. Started Vraylar, Topomax, and Ropinirole. Continued sertraline. *January 2020: Got pregnant. Was advised by psychiatrist to cold turkey Vraylar, Topomax, and Ropinirole and quickly taper sertraline. Began my sertraline taper but was having such intense w/d symptoms from the Vraylar, etc., I was a mess and I cold-turkeyed the sertraline, too. *March 2020: Psychiatric hospitalization. Miscarried in hospital. Hospital docs determined bipolar II dx was a mistake. Started ECT but quit when pandemic started. Started escitalopram/Lexapro 20mg, and aripiprazole/Abilify 5mg as an adjunct. *2021: Started bupropion/Wellbutrin 300mg to help with daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Continued escitalopram and aripiprazole. Increased bupropion to 450mg, then decreased back to 300mg for seizure safety for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy. *Early 2022: Replaced escitalopram with venlafaxine/Effexor 150mg (cross-tapered over a few weeks). *Summer 2022: Dx with sleep disorder (alpha wave intrusion). Started trazodone 50mg as a sleep aid. *November 2022: Started phasing out aripiprazole by going down to 2mg from 5mg (p-doc's idea). Had symptoms, went back up to 5mg for the holidays. *January 2023: Began tapering aripiprazole again, this time decreasing to 4mg for three weeks. ********************************************** As you can see, I am on a big, hot, tangled mess of psychotropic drugs. Since my diagnosis in summer 2022 with a sleep disorder, and treatment, I am doing better than ever (no depression symptoms for several months). And I'm on way too many drugs. My psychiatrist has agreed with me that it's appropriate to phase out at least one. We're starting with the Abilify/aripiprazole. P-doc wants to go fast; I want to go slow. I checked the drug interaction website that is recommended here. It seems the Wellbutrin/bupropion has major interactions with everything else, so I believe that should go next. I would like one day to get down to nothing except trazodone, since it is treating my sleep problem. Questions: How do you handle disagreements with your psychiatrist? I need to keep her on my side enough that she keeps prescribing my medication. Bonus if she will prescribe the smaller pills that make it easy to taper. What if I want to go slower than she wants to? What if she does not agree that I should get off a particular med? My goal is to keep feeling good through the tapers. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, Tezz

20 years on effexor and buspiron due to depression - anxiety. One year on lamotrigin. I started tapering in 2016 because of adverse effect. Effexor 150 mg to 75 mg by addwise from doc. No problems. Next on 37,5 and hell broke loose. Reinstated on 75 and kept it there. While tapering I was sat on lamotrigin 300 mg over a couple of month. No effect! Started tapering buspiron 10 mg x 2 august 2017 and is know on 6+6 Started tapering lamotrigin nov 2017 and is now on200 mg. After reading here I got in doubt. Am I tapering in the best way? Recomondation?

I have bad brain fog, can’t focus, can’t remember anything, have problems falling asleep and staying asleep. I also get headaches, anxiety, digestive problems, dry mouth, neck and shoulder stiffness, crying spells, and tinnitus. I suspect a lot of these are side effects from taking Citalopram or Buspirone, or both. I have had depressions off and on since I was a teenager. 2003 I had a burnout, and started taking Lyrica for anxiety. Some years after that I got diagnosed GAD and started taking Citalopram, the doc thought my anxiety was caused by an underlying depression. 2014 I replaced Lyrica with Buspirone. I dont know if I am depressed anymore, and I still have anxiety (but less the last 3-4 years) so I am not convinced my meds are doing much. Im not seeing a psychiatrist ’cause I don’t have insurance. I get my medicine from a GM. A couple of times I tried tapering buspirone on my own (can’t remember when or how, but maybe three times the last six years), but every time it got so bad I had to start taking them again. After reading about tapering and how accelerators and brakes work, I now realize I did it wrong... My plan is to start tapering Citalopram VERY SLOWLY. If it takes years that’s fine, as long as it’s working. I’m pretty sure I will have plenty withdrawal symptoms even if I go slowly. For now I’m reading up on slow tapering, and thinking about how to do it. How much do I go down, and how often? Do I cut pieces off the tablets? I’m glad I found this forum, and any input is welcome, I know basically nothing about tapering.

I (31F) had some anxiety around getting pregnant back in June 2023 and my doctor recommended proactively starting on anti-anxiety meds to help. Unfortunately, no one really explained to me that the meds could make me feel worse before better and I ended up on a drug cocktail of Buspirone 30mg, Mirtazapine 30mg, Ativan 1.5mg and Promethazine 12.5mg. I finally stabilized on all these meds around Sep ‘23, but I am devastated because it has delayed our plans of starting a family and will do so even further due to taper. I have done some tapering and am down to 0.5 Ativan and 18.75mg of Mirt (see signature for taper times). I am now holding Ativan and working on Mirt taper, but currently trying to hold and stabilize before continuing to taper as I have learned I was tapering too quickly. I have a few questions: What are the risks of tapering Mirt at 20% every 4 weeks (vs 10%)? Could the withdrawal compound? If I follow this rate I could realistically be at a pretty low dose in 18 months and resume my plans of starting a family, but I don’t want to mess it up and cause further delays. What do people define as stable? I’m have some GI issues with the Mirt taper and some increased anxiety, but it’s coming in waves and windows, and it’s not nearly as bad as when I went on all the meds. Should I continue to push forward or wait for further stabilization? Does anyone have experience tapering Mirt during pregnancy? I’ve done research and know this drug doesn’t have as much research as other ADs but existing research results don’t differ significantly from other ADs, but just trying to understand my options. I am taking Promethazine for nausea, but I’ve now learned it’s also an antihistamine, could this be curbing my Mirt withdrawal and ultimately cause me more trouble when I stop it in the future? I am devastated I am in this position and know it is temporary, but feel like I am on the reproductive clock. I know this is a long post, but appreciate the support.

I was offered various prescriptions for antidepressants in my early 20's, but the side effects were terrible and nothing helped with the generalized anxiety and social anxiety I experienced. I took ativan on and off for 10 years, though there's been large stretches where I didn't take it all. I knew it wasn't good to taken ativan, but since I wasn't taking it every day, I presumed I was avoiding physical dependence. After taking time off work for children, I had recently returned and felt it worth trying medication one more time, to avoid taking ativan. I began Buspar March 2 - started at 2.5mg and titrated up to 45mg over 4 months, but at this dose I began having numbness in my legs, uncomfortable head rushes, and pins and needles everywhere. At the advice of my doctor, I tapered down over 2 months (until end of July) - although my doctor said I could taper even faster. Started on Wellbutrin Aug 2 and took it for 5 days and quit cold turkey, as per my doctor, due to side effects like Raynaud's and numbness to hands on waking, extreme head rushes and pins/needles. Lastly, started mirtazapine 7.5mg on August 18. Took for 7 days, but it caused panic attacks and I started having chest pains. I ended up titrating down for 7 days, although again, my doctor said I could just quit. So here I am about 1 month with no drugs. I had panic attacks almost every day for two weeks. I have pins/needles in my head in the evenings and I still wake with a part of my hand or fingers having gone numb. The panic attacks are difficult to control and I have chest tightness most days. On the days when I cannot get them under control with breathing and/or meditation, I take lorazepam. In the last two weeks, I am also having weird fluttering/vibrations across my chest when I sleep at night, causing me to have short bouts of anxiety and shortness of breath. The side effects have been so bad, I have not been able to work for the past month. So, as of this morning, I have just restarted buspar at 1.25mg to see if this helps to curb the side effects. I am hoping the reinstatement will not make things worse. But one of my questions is - Buspar has a relatively short half life - so should I be taking 1.25mg again this evening, or just waiting to take it in the morning again.

Introduction topic: ☼-mranxious-3-months-off-effexor-xr-6-years-on Heyyyyyy 😊 I am alive !!!!!! Out there living a life that I am proud of and comfortable with. Pheww I am one of the blessed ones to have breached the other side and lived to talk about and YOU WILL TOO !! That was one hell of a ride. One that is FAR FAR FAR in the rearview mirror 🙃 If you have read my story, you will know that I went through literally the most traumatic event in my life and that was "Effexor Withdrawal". From start to finish I was unsure I would make it through this time, but here I am and let me tell you "Its a process". This will not happen overnight...BUT if you make the right moves, eat healthy and take your vitamins, time will heal, only time BUT everything you do in the mean time will make the difference in the end. Here is what I did : -Increased Omega 3:6:9 daily -Lots of purified water -Maximize sleep if you can and set a goof environment to be able to sleep(No sleeping drugs) -eliminated processed foods and to a whole food plant based lifestyle(THE BIGGEST GAME CHANGER for me and healer I believe* -Cut out all toxic people -light walks/bikes/swims daily(Key word "light". -meditation- daily(Prayer as well daily) -Church -daily mantras "I will heal" "I will get better" "I am getting better" -Reading books, occupying my time -Multivitamin and mineral support tablet I went from being a very anxious person once off Effexor for months and months of withdrawal , to now years later, a fully functional human being again 😎 I fully believe that in order to fully heal, you need to be fully off any pharmatheuticals (Per doctors orders of course, my disclosure) ughh 😋 Oh yes and find a good doctor that will listen to you and meet your needs "YOUR NEEDS". I have found a wonderful doctor and he is all about my plant life and healing and he is all about me living my best life drug free. Whatever you are going through right now, just know it gets so much better. It can takes months to years to recover. Realize this is your journey and a special one. Myself personally believes that god has transformed my old life into my new life and I can't be ever more thankful and grateful. One hell of a adventure but "hey" I love who I am more now and have grown exponentially since this ordeal. I have days where I cry happy tears over the smallest things, butterfly on a flower, old person smiling, to the breeze blowing off the lake , to the food on my plate. I never appreciated it before Effexor and I took it for granted, now it just happens and i love it 😊 I guess it all depends how you look at it, but when things get grim and they will, come back here, read my story and just know you are all in good hands😊 The effort you put out now in the throws of this awful withdrawal, will eventually become the reward you see in your future !!!!! YOU ARE GOING TO RECOVER MY FRIENDS, ALL OF YOU !!!! STAY CALM AND SOLDIER ON, stay safe and always consult your doctor before making any moves and if they don't listen to you : FIND A NEW ONE !!!! But always stay in close touch with them please 😎 This website has been a game changer and so are all the admins* Beautiful hard working volunteers 🧡💛💚💜💖 *Taper, taper, taper your mediction , this is most important, don't rush a taper just because you start feeling good. It will catch up to you, stay the course 😎 or possibly suffer grave setbacks * *Feel free to message me* MR. A

Hello everyone! I'm writing this because I told myself I also wanted to be of help for those struggling one I made out of the mess psych drigs withdrawal is. While I still struggle with anxiety and some ocd, therapy is currently my only prescription haha along with a few other natural supplements like cbd, magnesium chloride spray, pregnenolone, and a few others. My main objective with this is not to say mental illness is not real and that the meds don't work, because they do sometimes and when we decide to come off them is not like our traumas and mental struggles will disappear. But I hope to say with this that it is possible to overcome ssri withdrawal and start a drug free life along with different coping strategies and a good support system. I was put on sertraline 25 mg along with buspar 10 mgwhen I was 15. I was never very consistent with it, but would experience the effects every time I'd try to come off it. I kept going on and off until 21 when I went cold turkey and my life was almost paralzyed from the withdrawals, I was then put on sertraline 50 mg and aripiprazole. The sertraline game me horrible side effects at first and most of the time i was on it. I believe it was giving me mild serotonin syndrome. I then tried to come off and again withdrawals so I was put on prozac and buspar. Stayed on it until 25. I decided to come off, but did a very small tapper compared to what is needed. The withdrawals were manageable at first, but then they came full force. I was throwing up, head spinning, brain zaps, you name it. I thought it'd never end. that's when I found this group and a few other people hwo have through the same on intagram. The success stories in here gave me so much hope, and that's why I wanted to create mine. Yes, it was horrible. The worse was aroound 6 months, then took 18 months to feel almost close to normal, and now its almost two years, and my nervous system is no where near where it was when I came off the drugs. I'm able to drive, exercise, run, wake up with energy in the morning, go to the store without feeling like my world is spinning, and so much more. For me prayer, supporting my body, and believing I was going to be ok, were huge in my recovery. DUring my worst times where I'd feel hopeless prayer became my strenght and usually something would come that reminded i'd be ok. i also found the work of Dr. Ray peat on serotonin. OS when we come off these drugs our serotonin receptors are all over the place and we actually need to lower them most time. This why I decided to go bakc to the doctors and asked ot be presribed Vistaril, hydroxizine, which is a non addictive, take as needed anciety med. Its simply a potent antihistamine, so there is no withdrawals from it. It realy was of huge help at my very worst to bring some stabiity from the nausea, dizinness and racing heart. I really recommend anyone going through withdrawal to try this if they feel like they can;t simply handle it before going back on the ssri's. I no longer really take it as I now take cbd, but it is usually considered a safe drug free of withdrawals if given at small doses as is simply once again, a potent antihistamine. Apart from that, I worked on bettering my thyroid, nutritional level, and make sure to stay hydrated with mineral water and coconut water to help my nervous system. I also impletened a lot of grounding which is supper healing for the nervous system. AT my worst, I'd simply wake up early in the morning to sit on the grass and take in some sun while sipping on coconut water and listening to worship music. That was very healing for me. But I really encourage anyone here to check out the Walsh protocol and perhaps work with Walsh practiciner as they're expect in treating mental illness naturlaly and healing the many hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies behind long lasting withdrawal symptoms. Please also research mind syndrome and german new medicine so you can learn more how your brain has the ability to keep creating symptoms even after the withdrawl is over and also to learn how the body has immense healing abilities and if taken care of and supported it is very well capable of healing from psych drugs withdrawals. To anyone reading this going through the worse right now, please hang in there, it gets better, it truly does! But makes ure you're getting enough rest, being gentel with yourself, and supporting your body with sunshine, minerals, and plenty of grounding if you also wish. I truly think constant grounding was huge in shortening the duration of my nervous system breakdown. Also find your grounding stone, by that I mean that something that gives you a little hope when it all seems lost. I remember when I was barely even levaing my room, I had a lttile picture with a Bible verse letting me know God was in control. I'd look at it everytime i;d feel panic and repeat myself the words in it. I also hope with this post inspires some to find their support in The Faithful father we have in heaven. As you go through this, I promise you, that you're not alone. I remember reading another srri success story on instagram and how at her worst moment she pleaded with God and a humming bird suddenly appeared on her window. She also beautifully stated how most times when she'd feel low the humming bird would suddenly appear. For me it was an orange butterfly and owl. Many times when life just felt hopeless i'd go to my backyard and boom an orange butterfly would come to my greeting. other times, an owl would literally appear out of nowhere, and my mom also oftentimes saw it, so I wasn;t hallucinating form the withdrawls haha! But I hope this encourgaes you and reminds you that this universe is huge and there is a purpose and a reaosn why you're here. You're loved and cared for, trust that. With a little faith and time you'll be an even stronger and better version than you were before all of this. Oh! I also found @cherellethinks page on instagram very helpful. HSe had her own journeyw ith anxiety, a truly life changing one and also took psych drugs. SHe does one on one coaching and can be of huge help for many in here! @brookesiem is also extremely knowledgeable and has her own encouragng story! SHe also answers dm's and helps answers questions you might have, Last one is @livingrootswellness. Theresa is awsome and also usually answers questions about her withdrawal story. SHe also has an eft tapping group and offers incredible information on improbving withdrawals symptoms! Hang in there my friends! This is truly horrible what you;re experiencing. But with some faith and dedication from our part it gets better! Also, I;m sorry for the many errors. I'll come back soon to fix it. I'm very sleepy but felt liek it was alreay time I wrote my story to hopefully help someone out there. I;m not anit psych drugs by any means, I knwo there were likely of help for me at a time, but I do find there are many alternatives to try before putting somoen on a drug cocktail. ALso, i feel like there is no medical training or experience when it comes to tappering patienst of these drugs. Hopefully, with time this chnages.

Hi Everyone, I’ve been on Bupropion 300xl since beginning of 2019 so almost 5 years. I also was taking Trazodone 50mg nightly for sleep and dropped to 25mg for a month or so then discontinuing it around June 2023. I also discontinued Losartan a blood pressure med around the same time. The doctor said my blood pressure was doing great and I could come off if, I wanted to. Around July 2023, I started to experience anxiety creeping in slowly due to a trigger thought from my past. I let it manifest and get bigger and bigger day by day until I went in full panic mode. It got so bad I went to VA hospital where I get care and they gave me Hydroxyzine for anxiety and panic attacks. I took it but it really didn’t help the anxiety was too strong at this point. I wasn’t sleeping very good. Had a couple more panic attacks. I then went back to the VA and saw mental health provider who told the Bupropion was causing the anxiety. He dropped me from 300xl to 150mg (75 ir X 2 a day).and started buspar 5mg morning and 5mg night. This was 21 Sep 23. I take the bupropion at 6am and 2pm. I also had a blood panel, thyroid test, and ekg to rule those out for the anxiety. All came back normal. I also started therapy. I stopped taking the buspar after a week. Didn’t really feel it was doing anything and made me feel weird. The anxiety has been debilitating at times it seems to be getting better slowly day by day. I’ve never had it this extreme in my 47 years. I’m retired from the Navy after 20 years and have had some stressful situations but this has really got me. I went back and saw mental health twice saying this a rough ride not being able to sleep a full night and the anxiety. They gave me rameron 30mg to take at night. I took it one time and then didn’t take it again. Didn’t want to get started on something else and the side effects of weight gain not worth it to me. Also tried Trazodone again 100mg just to see if I could get some relief made me too groggy and didn’t really help same with Hydroxyzine 25mg. I just feel off, tired, irritable, frustrated, depression and anxiety comes and goes. Sometimes I have passing suicidal thoughts but would never act on them and I share this with my wife just so she knows what’s going through my head. They definitely scare me. Definitely affects your quality of life. I guess I just deal with it now. It’s no where near like before or at panic level. Oh and they want to put me on Prozac now. I haven’t touched it yet. I mentioned my sister is on it with good results so they feel that would be a good fit. I think I was dropped too fast on the bupropion and I’m feeling the withdrawal. It’s been five weeks now and just wanted to see what everyone’s input on this is. I want to try and be done with these meds and go natural. I don’t want to introduce more stuff that I’ll have to come off of. The biggest thing I’m dealing with is anxiety and poor sleep. I’ve looked at the taper schedule and guess I’m beyond the taper from 300xl spot. What are your recommendations at this point? I think it was odd I was dropped to 75ir x 2 a day. Any recommendations to ease the burden? Many Thanks!

I recently got pregnant and went from 10mg paxil to 5mg in one week and then completely stopped. I then had a miscarriage (about 2 months ago) and am having severe withdrawal symptoms. Would it be safe to go back on a low dose of paxil and try to taper off properly, or is it too late? I am miserable! Thanks in advance. Update as of March 29, 2017: Link to post below

So may of 2022 I started my SSRI journey I had bad anxiety and my doctor recommended I take Zoloft. I listened and started with a low dose I completely forget what dose I took but I know I had a terrible reaction to it I lasted like 2 months and then got switched to lexapro. Once I was in lexapro I went from 2.5mg to 10mg wayyyy to fast my psychiatrist was terrible and I got so so many side effects from 10mg so she had me taper off within a month from 10mg-0mg and I had every side effect in the book, you name it I had it. (Brain Zaps were the worst). She then switched me to buspar 5mg 3 times a day and man I could only last 9 days on it. It gave such bad intrusive thoughts it was scary. So I decided to get back on lexapro in January of 2023 and go super slow like start with 2.5 mg and I knew I was sensitive because 2.5 gave me side effects so I started slowly upping my dose and the intrusive thoughts got worse, blurry vision, urge to cry daily, dizzy, and after about 5 months in it I became numb. Nothing would give me anxiety but also nothing would give me excitement. So I started tapering very very slow I went from 5mg to 2.5mg to 1.25mg and then 1.25mg every other day and it was definitely a better taper from last time because I got no brain zaps so far. So currently I’m almost 4 weeks in off of lexapro and man this is hard. I’ve technically been on meds for 1 year just not consistently so I do understand that it will take awhile to heal but man these side effects are weird. I don’t feel happy but I don’t feel sad it is such a weird feeling. I have days where I feel amazing like back to normal and then the next day sucks. Just feels like my motivation is low right now and excitement, I thought that would come back after almost 4 weeks off the pill. Another big thing is the insomnia it is so hard to stay asleep at night. It’s like I have an urge to cry but can’t. just wanted to know if these side effects are common with someone who’s been on ssris for a year

Hello all. I have been taking buspirone 7.5 once a day for about a year. Recently, i've been dealing with some intense obsessive/intrusive thoughts, and i started up an online psychiatric/talk therapy subscription to Brightside. In my first meeting with my provider, she took my medication history and asked about my symptoms and then prescribed me Fluvoxemine 50mg. She also told me to discontinue the buspirone, as those should not be taken together. My life has been hell ever since. (this was exactly two weeks ago). I thought i was just having severe side effects from the initial start of Fluvoxemine - which have been loss of appetite, stomach queasyness, intense never-before-experienced anxiety and edginess, insomnia, suicidal ideations, and have lost about 15 pounds. I have been taking .25mg of xanax to ease the anxiety, but that seems to be helping less and less. Having done some research here, it appears that stopping buspirone cold turkey was something that my provider should have not have recommended. I have message her in the app several times and have heard nothing back from her. I reached out to my friend who is a psych nurse practitioner who suggested that I do a quick taper off of Fluvoxemine (since i've only been on it for 2 weeks). I have already taken just half the dose of fluvoxemine yesterday and will take another half dose tonight. My question is - should I start back on Buspirone once I'm completely off of Fluvoxemine (in two days)? What happens when people go cold turkey off of a med and then after a couple of weeks, restart that med to ease withdrawl symptoms? I'm really in over my head here. I'll be looking for a new provider pronto but could be weeks until i can get a consultation. Thanks everyone - I'm thankful for this community.

I was on Viibryd for 4 years, I recently completely tapered off in February of 2023. After reading experiences I feel that my doctor DEFINITELY had me taper too quickly. He gave me a tapering schedule to get off of it in 1 month. It was one week at one dosage and then the next week I would go down to the next lowest dosage. Since getting off I have been in a continuous emotional spiral of angry outbursts over the smallest things, obsessive thoughts, debilitating anxiety, inability to handle stressors I previously could and an overall depressive mood. I am at the end of my rope, and I’m contemplating going back on a low dosage to help me cope. My dr. Has me on a 10mg twice daily dose of buspar, and I’m on Vyvanse for adult adhd that was diagnosed 5 years ago. The only thing that has helped me through this is cannabis and therapy. The buspar does little to help with my anxious state. Sometimes I don’t even understand the spiral that is happening in my mind until I’ve come down from it. I don’t want to go back on the antidepressant but I almost feel like I have no choice due to the current stressors in my life owning a business, having a toddler, marriage and teenager who has suffered from mental Illness. I need to know there is a light at the of the end of this dark tunnel, and that it’s not all in my head.

I tried Citalopram for 2 weeks had terrible symptoms so stopped, was given buspirone stopped after a week then trazodone because i couldn’t sleep, stopped that after 5 days was horrible, now I can’t eat or sleep can barely function, that’s been 5 weeks since then

Hi, this is my first post. I just joined. I don't know what to do about my situation. I started 10 years ago with Cymbalta at 30mg, but did not take it consistently until 2018 at 60mg. In 2018, I also started 15mg of Buspirone/Buspar and went up to 30 mg in 2019. I never heard about withdrawal systems so I just tapered off Buspirone on my own while I was on Cymbalta. I was fine at that time. Then I told my Psych PA last year summer/fall while on Cymbalta and no Buspirone that I wanted to get off Cymbalta. She told me to do it in 6 weeks, 60-40-20-0. So I did. And it's been 3 months and I'm going through hell. So I asked to be put back on Buspirone. It's been 3 weeks and I can't find the right timing and dosage for the Buspirone to work. I'm nervous, anxious, restless, can't sleep. I don't know what to do. I'm really hoping the Buspirone will help because I don't want to go back on Cymbalta. I just don't know what to do.

2008 Lexapro (no idea mg) I was 17 years old 2009 Sertraline (no idea mg) 2011 Pristique (no idea mg) 2011 Viibryd (no idea mg) 2011 – 2021 Fluoxetine (over the years 10mg - 40mg) 12/2/2020 Woke up with tingling and muscle weakness in extremities. (Never went away.) 2/16/2021 Woke up with sharp, traveling pain in my head, dizziness, vertigo, lightheaded, shaking hands and legs/weakness, nausea, muscle spasms, fatigue, sensitivity to light and sound, out of breath doing anything at all, ringing in my ears, obstructions in vision, white and black dots flashing in vision, want to lie down all the time, hot and cold sensations in arms and legs. (Never went away.) (Saw these specialists and had all of these tests within 2 years after symptoms began) Had two MRIs and CT scan – everything was normal Saw Rheumatologist – tested negative for any autoimmune diseases Blood work was normal Saw Ophthamologist about vision issues – everything was normal Met with Nuerologist and had EEG and EMG nerve testing – everything was normal Saw ENT and had VNG exam– everything normal. 6/2021 Saw holistic doctor and was told I may be having an allergic reaction of sorts to the Fluoxetine. I was at 40mg and I began tapering off with help from my GP. 6/26/2021 began 30mg 7/8/2021 began 20mg 7/19/2021 began 10mg 7/26/2021 completely off meds for the first time in 13 years. Within months, anxiety and depression got progressively worse, unbearable empathy, suicidal thoughts, intrusive and bone chilling fear, thinking I was dead, impending doom, hopelessness, while also experiencing the above physical symptoms. I had days where I could get out of bed, drive and even go jogging or to the gym. Other days I could barely dress myself due to the fatigue and weakness. My physical symptoms improved a lot over the first year of symptoms. Looking back, I was living a very normal life, physically speaking, but my emotional symptoms became increasingly unendurable. Thanatophobia and also the above emotional symptoms led me to take Buspirone (Buspar), prescribed by my GP. I began having brain zaps, extreme brain fog, difficulty completing sentences, memory issues, inability to stop crying, panic attacks, etc. I felt like my life was a simulation and that nothing was real. It was a low dosage and I discontinued cold turkey, advised by my GP. Since I was still experiencing a mild form of the physical symptoms, I believed that Fluoxetine wasn't the culprit, and I needed immediate relief from what was happening in my head, so my GP prescribed 20mg again. I can say now that this was the worst decision of my whole life. 3/13/2022 I took Fluoxetine 20mg for 3 days. After the 3rd capsule, I was barely conscious, my vision was black and I couldn't stand up, my legs shook so badly that I could barely walk from the bed to the bathroom. Dizziness and vertigo were unbearable...sometimes objects would move, other times the room moved, other times I was moving when I wasn't. I felt like my head wasn't connected to my body. My coordination was off and fine motor skills were difficult, like holding a fork or texting. My eyes couldn't follow and I felt like they were jerking side to side. Unbearable pressure at base of neck and forehead. Felt like my brain was hot. My boyfriend brought food to my bed for about a month. I believe that if I had continued taking 1 or 2 more capsules, I would be a vegetable. Since then I've seen 3 psychiatrists, asking if they have any experience with this sort of thing. All 3 had no answers and tried to push other medications on me. I took the GeneSight test and both Buspar and Fluoxetine showed as a “good match” for me. I've developed sensitivities to several medications, which exacerbate the symptoms that I feel and put me in bed for days, making me afraid to take anything other than Tylenol. I definitely turned to alcohol on a daily basis because the effects of drinking make me feel like I'm not crazy. When I drink, it's comforting to me to know that I have a reason to feel dizzy and foggy. I learned that tequila gives me enough energy to do basic daily physical things, like clean the house and take my dog to the park. On a good day, if I drink A LOT, I can even go out dancing. This in itself makes me feel like my symptoms are all in my head and make me feel like I've lost my mind. Not drinking every day to give me relief from my symptoms has been difficult. Other than the holistic doctor's suspicions, doctors have left me completely on my own. No one could help me or had any answers. It feels like death will be the only solution. Over the months, I gradually improved enough to drive short distances and take short walks. It has been 1 year since I took the 3 capsules and I have improved physically about 30% and emotionally 10%, on good days When the waves happen, I am in bed all day. The brain fog, dizziness and fatigue are what bother me the most and the brain zaps still wake me up occasionally. Sometimes I jolt awake thinking I am dead. I still feel as though my life is not real. I am seeing a talk therapist, doing intensive Nuerofeedback therapy, eating an anti-inflammatory and high omega 3 diet, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, taking vitamins, exercising as much as I physically can, and clinging to hope. I owe my life to my boyfriend who has encouraged and cared for me over these 2 horrific years. Finding this forum has encouraged me so much. My story is different because why did these “withdrawal” symptoms begin while I was still on Fluoxetine? And why did taking it again make everything 100 times worse? Has anyone else experienced this?

Hello to all! I was tapered, over a period of two months w/doctor's help, off of venlafaxine xr, buspirone, trazadone, and abilify. I had taken venlafaxine xr and abilify for 7 years and the other two for 14 years. Prior to the venlafaxine and abilify, I was on lexapro for 7 years. Considering the multiple meds and number of years of having taken them, I believe that my doctor tapered me down much too quickly. What is a real kicker is that when I contacted her to tell her I was having terrible symptoms, she diagnosed me over the phone with allergies and told me to go see my GP for further help. I did that, and he said they were all withdrawal symptoms. He assured me that time will heal me. He advised me to drink a lot of water, get exercise, and a lot of sleep. It's been over 5 months now, and I'm still symptomatic although they have reduced in minute degrees of intensity. I go from always being sick to feeling sicker and then back to being sick. My symptoms include burning, stinging, tingling skin on my arms; hot flashes (did those years ago with menopause); insomnia; lack of energy and motivation; icy-cold feeling hands, lower legs, and feet; brain-freeze feeling in the right backside of my head; and sensations of being stabbed throughout my body. The skin sensations are constant. The only thing I take now is fish oil--nothing else. When I first went off the drugs I also had terrible, intense, insatiable itching. The more I scratched, the more I itched. That has subsided, thank goodness. Has anyone experienced any similar symptoms? If so, did they eventually disappear? Did you ever experience a window? So far, I don't think I've had one. I would appreciate any help.

I had postpartum depression 18 years ago. I started antidepressants then. Over the years, I was switched to Zoloft, Lexapro, Cymbalta, Prozac, Wellbutrin and Buspirone. In that time period, my PCP never considered I may not need the meds. I have a very stressful job, I raised three kids, went through a divorce, and was diagnosed with MS. In that time period, more and more meds were added until the last 6 months when I asked myself, WHY are we adding more meds instead of taking some away? Why are we not looking at the big picture and trying to figure out what I actually have and don't have? Why has no one considered this? Not even me? My original doctor "lost my file" after being with her for 20+ years when I decided to get another opinion and find a doctor to listen. I don't have exact dates or drugs, just memories of being switched and a long history of taking them. The straw that broke the camel's back... I was taking Wellbutrin 300 mg since I can remember Buspirone 10 mg (added 6/2022 by new PCP) Trazadone 150-200 mg since I can remember for sleep (I didn't even know it was an antidepressant) Xanax .5mg-1 mg since I can remember- only recently did my new PCP suggest this was not a safe drug to continue The new PCP didn't "feel comfortable" prescribing mental health meds, so I was sent to a psychiatrist. I have only met him via virtual visits. He prescribed: Clonazepam 1 mg in place of Xanax .5-1 mg Mirtazapine 7.5 mg in place of Trazadone (cold turkey) He also suggested if the mirtazapine didn't work, go ahead and take it with the Trazadone, and the Wellbutrin, and the Buspirone! I read about the drug interactions and Serotonin Syndrome and started freaking out. FOUR MEDS??? WTH? I am NOT EVEN SURE I NEED THESE MEDS!!!!!!!! I completed the psych forms and marked all 0's for anxiety/depression. My anxiety does happen at night mostly in regards to family issues and work. I do need something to take at this point because the Trazadone wasn't working. I was pacing the house, awake for hours-insomnia. I was struggling with agitation, restlessness, high BP, and other things. I agreed to stop the Trazadone 200 mg and replace with mirtazapine 7.5 mg. I also discontinued the Busipirone 10mg due to a drug interaction suggested with the filling of the mirtazapine. That was one week ago. After stopping Trazadone 200 mg nightly and the Buspirone 10mg daily (due to a potential interaction), I do believe I am experiencing withdrawal or Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome. A day or two later, I experienced feeling like I was "on speed", if I actually knew what that felt like. It has continued through the weekend and I am now aware of it and can breathe through it happening. Last week, I was extremely anxious and irritable. Over the weekend my husband also noticed these symptoms persisting. My sense of smell/taste/hearing has been extremely heightened and so has my arousal level. I feel like I have tunnel vision and am disoriented, dizzy, and nauseous a few times. Today I had to leave work and come home. I took .5 Xanax to calm myself. My MS protocol for fatigue is to take Adderal 10mg daily. BIG mistake. It was a horrible morning. It was classic- I sent a message and a made a phone call to him and 6 hours later I got a MyChart message. I asked for help today in dealing with these symptoms. He denied Trazadone would have this effect and told me I shouldn't be taking Adderall and Xanax. Well, NO FREAKING KIDDING! It was either that and come home from work to bed, or go to the ER. He said nothing more other than he'd see me at my appointment this week. He basically has deemed me a drug addict with never meeting me, I think. I had been researching for the past week and came upon the article by Adele Framer. I am a very educated person and have lost faith in medical doctors. I was able to find the article with information I needed to know what this is I am feeling and how my psych would react. It's been a week out and he didn't suggest titrating or any help. I have never been so frustrated with medical doctors. My "chief complaint/concern" that no one asked me about is actually how to stop taking all these meds and do I really need them??? Do I have depression? Anxiety? I found this group, and hope to learn more. I hope to have support from people experiencing similar issues when medicine and doctors no longer seem to be listening. Thanks for reading. Tomorrow is a new day, and I know I can make it better.

Hello, I'm here because I'm hoping to gain insight into whether or not some symptoms I've been experiencing could possibly be caused by buspirone withdrawal. I really don't think my symptoms are due to a recurrence of anxiety or depression because I feel good aside from these physical symptoms. I'm in better spirits and less stressed than I've been in a long time. I exercise regularly, eat reasonably well, sleep 7 hours per night, and enjoy several hobbies. For the past month, I've been experiencing: A constant mild tension headache throughout the entire day. Ibuprofen doesn't help. Worsening brain fog. I had already been experiencing brain fog for quite some time, possibly since before starting buspirone in June 2021. I noticed the brain fog had increased in severity in May 2022, and then even more over the past month. Increased sensitivity to light and sound. I've been wearing sunglasses indoors all day and earplugs most of the time. I don't remember what withdrawal symptoms I experienced during my tapering off aside from brain zaps, some bouts of confusion, and possibly increased anxiety. There was likely a short window of buspirone-free time (late July 2022 to early August 2022) when I did not suffer from light and sound sensitivity and headaches. However, my memory of the timeline is hazy. It's possible these symptoms started and then have been gradually increasing ever since I stopped buspirone. Has anyone else experienced this after stopping buspirone?

My first post... I decided to get off Prestiq because it doesn't help me and I'm weary of side effects. Has anyone else done this? This is how my conversations go with the doc. Me: I don't want to take Prestiq anymore. Doc: You can go from 100 to 50 then off. Me: How about 100 to 75, then 50?