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epidashen i recovered with b12 injections after 3 years of hell


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I just wanted to share in case it points anyone in the right direction. A friend of mine has pernicious anemia... we had some similar symptoms and it gave me a clue.

60 mg Straterra November 2009

80 mg Straterra November 2010

80 mg Straterra -> 60 mg Straterra October 2011

60 mg Straterra -> 0 mg Straterra March 2012

Mostly recovered with b12 injections from April 2015

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Hi epidashen and welcome to the site!    Can you describe your drug experiences and symptoms?  It's great to hear you have recovered!  Did you have a lab test for B12 or did you manage to get someone to give you the shots without one?  Also did you ever find you were sensitive to the shots?

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Hey and thank you :)

 

My withdrawal symptoms were:

- nerve pain, pins and needles, and eventually numbness

- brain fog

- irritability

- impaired sleep cycle (stayed in REM whenever I slept -  as a result I never woke up feeling rested even when I could sleep)

- muscle loss, muscle spasms and problems building muscle

- extreme fatigue

- breathlessness

- akathisia

- vision problems - blurry eyes

- vision problems - aura/lack of peripheral vision

- light headedness/vision loss/head-rush feeling even when sitting down

- immune issues (contstant colds and infections)

- seizures

- very dry skin

- brain zaps

- loss of cognitive ability

- loss of short term memory

- headaches

- dizziness

- nausea

- lack of appetite

- clumisiness

- tinnitus

- loss of coordination

-  didn't enjoy anything anymore, loss of libido etc

 

There's more... lot's of little things  that came and went without me paying much mind because so much else was going on. Probably some big things that I missed too.

 

My 2 blood tests never showed anything wrong at the begining, but I don't know what they would have looked like at the end. I had seizures during two blood tests so I didn't want to risk it again. Also B12 blood tests can also be non-representative of how much b12 is actually going to tissues, and there's disagreement in the medical community of where cut offs for "normal" and "low" should be. If anyone reading this is curious there's more information on b12 if you look through b12 deficiency and pernicious anemia advocacy websites, or search google scholar. I suck at explaining and you'll learn more that way. I self inject, but I definitely recommend people considering b12 injections do everything they can to work with a doctor. I'm trying to find one who will work with me self-injecting b12. It's pretty low risk, but it's important to keep an eye on other levels (folate, ferritin), and learn to do an injection properly etc. A dr who is experienced in the area would be able to give helpful insight too... Please, please don't take my word for any of this there's loads of real sources for information that are much better than me :P 

My symptoms on injections:

- increased dizziness which was improved by taking an electrolyte supplement (sodium + potassium). (most people doing injections seem to do fine with eating potassium rich foods, but I needed to supplement both sodium + potassium)

- immediately improved mood (brain fog, irritability, general socialness) after the first shot

- nerve pain increased for 1 month, but I regained feeling in my feet and hands, and havn't had nerve pain since unless skip injections

- all symptoms were gone after two months EXCEPTIONS: - Dizziness, which still comes and goes, especially if I skip injections, or folic acid supplements. - Cognitive ability is still awful, but it's slowly improving. - Fatigue & stamina, which got massively better in the first month, but I have to be cautious not to push too far physically or I will crash. Crashes are improved with injections, and it takes a couple days to recover from a crash vs. a month or two before.

- increased ability to continue feeling well if daily injection is skipped as time goes on.

 

 

 

Also If anyone reading this is planning to get blood tests, just make sure you don't supplement before the test, as it will give you a false high and be a waste of the test. Also get folate and ferritin (iron) tested because there's a relationship between the three.

60 mg Straterra November 2009

80 mg Straterra November 2010

80 mg Straterra -> 60 mg Straterra October 2011

60 mg Straterra -> 0 mg Straterra March 2012

Mostly recovered with b12 injections from April 2015

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  • Administrator

Hello, epidashen.

 

You've only just posted your Intro topic here epidashen: Hi I'm new :) doing better but feel traum... in which you do not mention the B12 injections.

 

What drug were you taking? How did you go off it? When did you start B12 injections?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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From my signature:
60 mg Straterra November 2009

80 mg Straterra November 2010

80 mg Straterra -> 60 mg Straterra October 2011

60 mg Straterra -> 0 mg Straterra March 2012

Mostly recovered with b12 injections from April 2015

 

I didn't mention them because the primary thing I am dealing with is recovery from the trauma a withdrawal, which is why I joined. I did mention being in recovery, but felt mentioning the specifics of recovery distracted from what I was trying to express and get support for. I did say that I was refused my prescription and forced to go off cold-turkey.

60 mg Straterra November 2009

80 mg Straterra November 2010

80 mg Straterra -> 60 mg Straterra October 2011

60 mg Straterra -> 0 mg Straterra March 2012

Mostly recovered with b12 injections from April 2015

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Thanks for sharing this! This is one of the proofs that recovering is possible. I have noticed that there is many different mechanisms to fix problems which are caused by drugs. This is a new one at least for me. Everything don't work for everybody but its always good to hear that there is options and people really recover.

 

Congratulations for getting your life back! Enjoy because finally you can! :)

I'm not a native english speaker, sorry!

 

My history with Sertraline:

 

November 2009 - September 2013: most of the time my dose was 100 mg but when I stoped taking it first time my dose was 25 mg.

 

Unfornately I decided to start taking Sertraline again in April 2014. My new dose was 50 mg.

I took my last pill of Sertraline in November 2014. Then my dose was 25 mg.

 

Symptoms: PSSD, anhedonia and emotional anesthesia

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your drug is  Classified as a norepinephrine (noradrenaline) reuptake inhibitor

 

I am happy it worked for you I tried the pill B12 and had anxiety same as D3 for me... so odd how many different things work for some and not others it is crazy making.  I have this idea in my head that once we find the real deal it will work for everybody but since we are all so different that may just be a dream of mine.

Happy for you and wishing you peace

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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Thanks epidashen for the details.  Wow it sounds like you were put through quite an ordeal--I had a lot of that but thankfully no seizures.  You must be thrilled with your improvements!

 

I tried B12 injections at the beginning of my withdrawal when things were bad and I'm not sure they did help me.  I can't say if they made things worse either, I was so out of it at the time (and also on drugs for a reaction I had had) that I couldn't tell if they were making my situation more unbearable.

 

However, I do wonder if now maybe I could tolerate them.  I had some B12 pills somewhere that I never did wind up trying...and my iron was on the  lower side too and if there's a relationship then maybe it's worth looking more deeply into this.  So thank you so much for posting! 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Is the b12 shot a viable option?, or something to really consider!? I'm willing to do anything, as I am sure everybody is. If it worked for one person why not me or someone else!?

Starting taking Anafranil when I was in 8th grade for OCD. I only took it for about one year. I had no withdrawel coming off as a freshman in high school. 

Then started various SSRI's my first two years of college. I felt side effects from all different meds but they were still prescribed by docs.

2010-Finally landed on lexapro for about one year and I noticed cognitive issues while on it.

Taper quickly off and felt very depressed for around four months. Was put on 50 mg Pristiq and symptoms got better but still had depression to a certain degree. Started getting severe issues from Pristiq so I tapered off over a four month period and have been dealing with withdrawal and healing from withdrawal since.

I was on Pristiq for about 2.5 years and then tapered off in the fall of 13'.

I am currently taking:

 

-255mg of gabapentin (holding for now)

-10 mg viibryd (holding for now)

-5 mg buspar (2.5 in the morn and 2.5 at night) (I weighed out half a tablet and it weighed about .053 on my scale so I started measuring it out to .050 with a nail file morning and night. That was my first cut. Beginning of December was when it was made). 

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I tried the pills reacted then read later the b12 strips that go under your tongue are the way to go... tried them too but sorry I can't say what happened it could not have been good cause I used only one one half a strip the rest are in the box I had one injection once at half dose cause I was scared of a full dose nothing happened... 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • Administrator

I found B12 shots to be very helpful, I had been on Zantac for several years while I was taking Paxil, and I have no doubt my B12 was depleted.

 

However, people do sometime react badly to B12 shots and tablets, as the B vitamins tend to be activating -- causing nervousness, anxiety, sleeplessness, palpitations, etc.

 

So it's a risk to jump into B12 shots.

 

These combination of tests can determine subclinical B12 deficiency:

  • serum B12
  • measurement of serum methylmalonic acid
  • homocysteine levels
  • holotranscobalamin II (holoTC)

Make sure your doctor knows how to interpret them.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 4 months later...

Btdt your the first person I've heard of who reacted badly to D3. I too had a bad experience with it and after a month of taking it I couldn't catch my breath. It went on for awhile until I decided to stop taking it. Within days I could breathe again so I figured it was the cause. I am also oversensitive to B vitamins for the first time in my life and the made me dizzy and sick. Now the only supplement I can take is magnesium. I had to start small and gradually build up with that. When my withdrawal started almost 2 years ago I suddenly found myself sensitive to ingesting everything including food. I remember even trying a couple of tbsp of Kevin for probiotic and it made me so sleepy and low blood pressure I felt drugged like a sedative.

 

Discovering what is happening in my system since all this started has been a learning experience. I was completely in the dark about my symptoms. It has taken a very long time to understand what is happening in my body. None of my information has come from doctors. I now live with a clear understanding that the body works to find its own balance and tries to heal itself when you add rest and nutrition. For me I know perceive that all pharmaceuticals in my body are toxins that add stress and my system registers them as foreign substances that don't belong and it actively tries to deal with getting them out.

 

I am looking forward to the day when my system is clear of the Cymbalta that I am still trying to taper off after almost a year and a half. Besides my body trying to adjust itself to being off the drug it is also trying to heal from the damage of being on ssri's.

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  • 2 years later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi there,

 

The staff at SA are wondering how you are.  We'd love to hear how you are doing now.   Would you mind dropping by and giving an update?

 

Thanks.

CC

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 2 years later...

@epidashenHow are you doing now ? You mentioned excessive REM sleep. DID they go by now ?

2017 october--2018 march->(6 month) fluoxetine 20,30 mg-->cold turkey= after 2 month semen leakage

2018 july---2018 Aug-->(24 days) fluoxetine 20 mg --> cold turkey = vivid dreams begin

2018 december 2019 Jan-->(1 month) Amitriptyline 25--> cold turkey
--------++++--horror of drugs begins. Taking one after another and cold turkey-------+++------------------
2019 May--2019 May--> (12 days) Lexapro cold turkey

2019 May--2019 august -->(3 month)Cobazam 10 mg +amitriptyline 25 mg --> clobazam cold turkey

----2019 october ---> went cold turkey amitriptyline 25 mg.

2019 october--2020 Jan -->(3 months) duloxetine cymbalta 30mg --->cold turkey

2020 jan-2020 Apr--> (3 months) paroxetine 25 mg --> Cold turkey

2020 July--2021 Jan--> (6 months) amitriptyline 50 mg ,75 mg,100 mg ,125 mg -> cold turkey

2021 jan--2021 May--> (4 months) imipramine 75 mg -->cold turkey

2021 may-2021 Aug--> (3 months) nortriptyline 25 mg --> cold turkey== still semen leakage and vivid dream

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