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☼ Happy2Heal: Hope I'm doing this right


Happy2Heal

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Link: 

 

I had been on the highest dose of celexa before this.

 

my dose was quickly raised from 20mgs to 30mgs to 40 mgs, where it stayed for many years.

My insurance balked at the 40mg dose, saying that over 30mgs was not shown to have any additional effect so about 2 yrs ago, my dose was reduced to 30mgs.

I don't even know how many times I have tried to go off this drug. I do not believe it is helping me at all. It seems all I have is the side effecs but no benefit whatsoever. I have had several severe depressions in the past couple of years.

 

I am now commited to getting off this stuff for good. For a lot of reasons that I'm too tired to go into now.

 

I am down to taking about 1/8 of a 20mg tablet every couple of days, or whenever the insomnia and/or feelings of rage get to be too much.

 

I am very lucky, this time I have NOT had any of the brain zaps, nor that feeling of losing my balance, etc.

Primarily I am dealing with severe insomnia that may or may not be from going off the lexapro-

see, I lost my 17 yr old cat on Nov 29th and I have not been able to sleep much at all since. I think it's a really weird grief reaction, but I don't know, maybe it's partly withdrawal too....?


the rages are totally out of character for me. Part of me thinks they are due to extreme fatigue but even when I am not feeling too terribly tired, I will have these "episode" of just terrible anger out of nowhere.

it scares me. I think of doing awful terrible things, violent things. I screamed at my doctor's nurse. for no reason, really, I just felt out of control and that she was not hearing me about how bad things are.

 

anyway, I did not know a place like this existed, I've been on forums for ppl with mental illness before and they all get totally freaked out when you talk about going off your meds.

 

I hope I can find some support and help for this and mostly I hope to be able to be OFF of this drug for good!

 

thanks for listening to my long rambling post, off to look around the forum

 

Edited by ChessieCat
added link

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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Hey

 

Thanks for the post.  You are at the right place.  Struggling with insomnia and rage issues, ah yep, you are going to find that is quite a common theme around these parts.  Insomnia is brutal.   I have terrible issues with memory and concentration which can be horribly frustrating and lead me to tears and swearing.  I got off the meds in feb 2014 and at first, went 6 straight days without sleep while constantly vomiting everywhere (there's a lady on here who went 12 days without sleeping and had to be hospitalized).  During the first year after withdrawal, there was about an 80% chance that I would leave my apt with my fly down.  I never had that problem before. I now feel like a zombie at times and call my condition, Inzombia. 

 

I have a similar story to yours I am guessing, I was on Zoloft and zyprexa for about 15 years while living with a succession of three cats.  I had my first cat of 6 years, Babes taking away,when i was institutionalized in 2004 after going off my meds and cutting contact with everyone around me.  When i lost my cat, it felt like something inside me had died.  In the 15 years i was on the pills, I was constantly trying to get off of them. Every couple of months I would go off the pills for 2-3 days, but then nausea and insomnia would set in and would be forced to take them again. 

 

I am glad you were able to taper down to an 1/8 of a pill. Hopefully you'll find ways to manage the insomnia.  i am still looking. i found long brisk walks of 4-6 miles helps, along with strenuous labor.  I spend 6 to 8 hours a day biking to local golf courses gathering up wayward golf balls and then selling them on craigslist to make a little money.  i sleep better at night even though i never feel very rested when i wake. 

 

take care

Poet Jester

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

Court committed to take Prozac, Paxci, and Respiradol from 8/95 to 3/96.   developed severe akithisia and brain damage.  Was unable to speak and walking in circles 15 hours a day.  Went in for 5 sessions of ECT during a 10 day period in March of '96 and my forced medication was discontinued at that time.  My akithisia and brain damage cleared up within a few days of stopping the meds.

 

On Zoloft (200 mg) and Zyprexa (17.5 mg) March 1998- Feb 2014

In between was placed on Effexor 200 mg and Abilify for six months in 2004.  Developed mild akithisia which went away once I stopped the Abilify.  Developed severe GI issues in Dec 2001 and from that time on suffered from fatigue and hypersomnia where I would sleep between 12 and 20 hours a day and rarely ever left my apartment. 

 

Had tapered to 100 mg of Zoloft and 7.5 mg of Zyprexa at the time of going cold turkey Feb. 2014

Went 5 days without sleep at the beginning while vomiting all over my apt.  Had brain zaps for a number of weeks and also lightheadedness which both eventually went away.  However 2 1/2 yrs later I still struggle with insomnia, depression, and fatigue.

 

 

 

 

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  • Mentor

hi PoetJester, thank you for your reply

 

I am so sorry that you have, and are, going thru all that. I can relate to the going out wiht your fly down, I've gone out and wondered, omg did I remember to put on pants? I am so scattered sometimes I have a hard time figuring out HOW to leave the house, even. :P

 

I left out most of my med history since I am nearly 60 and have been on psych meds since I was 18, with about a dozen different diagnoses and roughly the same number of inpatient admits.

 

sucks, don't it? Oh I've done a LOT of swearing the past couple of weeks. a LOT. no crying though, which worries me because I lost my cat and I am not able to grieve. I don't know why.

 

funny you mention zyprexa, right now, I am trying to get ON Zyprexa!! just for prn.

I only want 3 pills at most at the lowest possible dose which if I remember correctly is 2.5mgs. I have been on a cocktail of zyprexa, lithium, depakote and ativan for bipolar psychotic mania, and when I got out of the hospital, I went off everything except the lithium cold turkey. Bad bad idea! I ended up back in the hospital a couple of months later, suicidially depressed and barely able to move, I was so depressed. it literally hurt to breathe.

 

so why do I want the zyprexa now? cuz I KNOW it will wipe out the intrusive thoughts, depersonalization &dissociation, and it will also help me to sleep. Don't know about the rage, this is new, never had that before. I don't want to be on it for more than a couple of days because it makes you so groggy and you eat anything and everything that isn't tied down.

My doc let me do this about 3yrs ago, she Rxed the zyprexa, and it worked great! turned everything around for me. WHY she is refusing to do so now, I have no clue. Some BS about "red flags" and being worried that she's gonna be "burned". I have no idea wha the hell that means.

 

I don't have a psychiatrist any more, so I'm stuck with a PCP (internal med doc) When I lost my shrink she reluctantly agreed to Rx the lexapro and klonopin (which I take only for restless legs, and very rarely at that)

 

it seems utterly absurd to me that I am unable to get a med that helped me in the past...

 

OH by the way, my PCP does NOT know that I am going off the lexapro.

 

For insomnia and the PTSD symptoms she Rxed clonidine, a blood pressure med.

it has not helped me sleep at all. It's only made the tightness in my chest go away, and when I do sleep, never for more than 2hrs at time, I do not have the horrible nightmares I normally do, just bad dreams.

 

 

I don't know, It's all too much some days. I have been trying to be more active physically but it's hard when you are so tired you are bouncing off the walls.

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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Hey

 

About almost not being able to leave the house, I can relate.  Sometimes I get so confused trying to remember everything I need to bring along to wherever I am going, that I have to sit down and have a coffee and smoke and cool down for a couple minutes and try and put my thoughts in order.  Have ruined quite a few things cooking, too, either screwing up ingredients or spacing off something on the stove.

 

Yeah, you will eat everything under the sun on zyprexa.  I was a svelte 6' 160 lbs 28 year old when I started taking it in 1998. By the time I quit taking it I weighed about 230 lbs.   I would sleep all the time.  12-20 hours a day.  one time I took a 10 hour nap! and I hardly even did anything to make me tired.  I had to have sweets on hand (chocolate bars and ice cream sandwichs or donuts) just to give myself the will to get out of bed.

 

With this insomnia I often bump into walls and will quite often forget what I am doing or was going to do. Sucks.  Hope you find more support on this site.

 

Take Care

PoetJester

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

Court committed to take Prozac, Paxci, and Respiradol from 8/95 to 3/96.   developed severe akithisia and brain damage.  Was unable to speak and walking in circles 15 hours a day.  Went in for 5 sessions of ECT during a 10 day period in March of '96 and my forced medication was discontinued at that time.  My akithisia and brain damage cleared up within a few days of stopping the meds.

 

On Zoloft (200 mg) and Zyprexa (17.5 mg) March 1998- Feb 2014

In between was placed on Effexor 200 mg and Abilify for six months in 2004.  Developed mild akithisia which went away once I stopped the Abilify.  Developed severe GI issues in Dec 2001 and from that time on suffered from fatigue and hypersomnia where I would sleep between 12 and 20 hours a day and rarely ever left my apartment. 

 

Had tapered to 100 mg of Zoloft and 7.5 mg of Zyprexa at the time of going cold turkey Feb. 2014

Went 5 days without sleep at the beginning while vomiting all over my apt.  Had brain zaps for a number of weeks and also lightheadedness which both eventually went away.  However 2 1/2 yrs later I still struggle with insomnia, depression, and fatigue.

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi  welcome to the site.   Coming off antidepressants after more than 40 years is no mean feat , and

you'll find alot of support and information here.

There's so much information -   I don't want you to feel overwhelmed , but here's what jumps out at me as I read

your posts.

 

The symptoms you are having are typical of decreasing too fast.  Tapering by alternating days is dangerous -

it's bouncing the brain around without offering any chance for it to get stable (that's when the w/d symptoms stop).

You will be much better off taking a daily dose as you move forward , and may find your symptoms resolve after a 

period of regular medication.

"About an 1/8 of a 20mg tablet" . . . again , consistency is the key to a gentle recovery.  Try reading threads on how

to measure precisely.   

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

Using a digital scale to measure doses

Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 
Could you add a summary of the meds you've taken over the years to your sig.   This info. comes up each time you post.
 
There's definitely a way out of this , and I think the first step is to get you stable.
 
Glad you found your way here ,  Fresh
 
Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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Welcome,

the rages are totally out of character for me.

i can totally relate to this, the brain has been significantly impaired  and even more so especially with a fast taper.

In hindsight i realised that in acute wdl my emotions were incredibly amplified ...there is a good thread on neuro-emotions, another name for this i believe is supersensitivity psychosis.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9809-neuro-emotions/

 

I couldn't believe the anger that would spring up in me if i felt criticized or slighted in any way. i have no doubt that these teenager gun shootings maybe not all but a large amount may in fact be driven by teenagers on these brain altering drugs trying to wd and experiencing these neuro emotions.

 

Fresh has given you some great links and i also agree that alternating or taking intermittently is very destabilizing to the cns. Take the same dose each day and taper off it as per rec here.

 

This link is also well worth reading and very informative.

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

I have had several severe depressions in the past couple of years.

You have also been trying to get of the drug several times in the past years ...'d' is a withdrawal effect.

Heres one of my favourite links ssri wdl effects ...there are 58 on this list...depression and crying spells are right up there.

 

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Mentor

wow thank you all for your replies and support! it's so refreshing to be in a place where people don't automatically assume that if your doc Rxed something for you, you *must* need it.

I don't know that I ever needed half- or possibly all- of the meds I've been given, and at times, FORCED to take (inpatient hospitalizations before you were allowed to refuse meds- yes I am *that* old, hahaha)

 

Fresh I will def read the info on tapering and proceed more cautiously. I may have more questions after I read thru those links.

 

so now that I am taking the approx 1/8 of a 20mg tablet,  as I understand what you've said, I should be taking that 1/8 tablet daily, instead of every few days, right?

 

and then reducing the pc/amnt that I take, instead of skipping days, right?

 

I don't know if I can cut the pills up much smaller without it turning to powder, but I could possibly grind it up and maybe divide it up that way?
I can't ask the doctor for a different size pill, she does not know I am doing this and would not support it.

 

I can't recall the exact order that my meds were prescribed over the past 40+ years, and doing so may trigger my PTSD, but I can do a brief summary if that helps any.

I have had involunatary hospitalizations in state institutions where I was forced to take some heavy duty meds, the first one being stelazine, when my diagnosis was "adjustment reaction to adolesence"

so um, yeh, I have a lot be angry about, when it comes to these drugs and the treatment I've recieved over the years. It just seemed to build on itself, each new doc assuming the previous doc had good reason to Rx the heavy duty sh*t I was given, so they just added on more and more, you know the drill, then the meds for the side effect to the meds

 

I still have nightmares about this stuff.

 

but anyway! gotta change the topic or that may feed these rages.

nz11 I have had the same thought, that some of these teens and young adults are possibly going off meds,or on them, and having these rage reactions. I know when I was given prozac, one single dose made me feel like I had the worst PMS EVER, I literally felt like I could rip my skin off, and was afraid to be around any one, for fear of what I might do or say. that was from ONE DOSE! I feel for the people who have had worse reactions and didn't know it was the drug, or found out too late.

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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  • Mentor

after finally getting some sleep I was able to read that our intro posts can be used as a diary for our recovery journey.

so here is the start of mine:

 

Dec 16th due to scary rages and severe insomnia, decided to take 2.5mgs of lexapro (can't recall the last time I took any at all, to be honest, my memory is so bad!) I was finally able to sleep approx 7hrs, then just stayed in bed a few hours longer, because I've had almost NO sleep (max 2hrs at a time, w/maybe a total of 4 hrs/night) for over 2 weeks

ahhhhhhh sleep! feel so good I almost fear I might become hypomanic

 

 

[a bit of backgroudn info: due to insomnia, dissociation and visual hallucinations and other things I don't recall now, I requested a low dose of zyprexa from my PCP, which she'd Rxed in the past as a PRN. I did not see any connection with these symptoms and withdrawal from lexapro, it didn't even cross my mind. This time of year is a known PTSD trigger for me and having suffered several losses, I assumed that the problems were PTSD/grief related. Anyway, for reasons I can't comprehend, my PCP  refused to Rx zyprexa and instead  rxed 0.1mgs clonidine BID for sleep problems/PTSD symptoms on Dec 10th,

This did NOT help with sleep but did reduce physical tightness in chest and severity of PTSD nightmares;

 Dec 14th Dr increased clonidine dose to 0.1 X2 at night, and 0.1 in the morning.  Was so dizzy I could barely walk, slammed into the doorway when I got up in the middle of the night, very dry mouth, chest pain and palpitations afraid I was about to go into afib. swell!

15 hrs after taking that dose increase, I checked my blood pressure at the drug store and it was 125 over 67! I have hypertension & my blood pressure runs 130/85 even on meds, so while 67 may not technically be low blood pressure it's low for me! I can't even imagine what my blood pressure was in the first 8 hrs after taking the clonidine. I have decided to titrate OFF the clonidine]

 

Dec 17th (today)  OK so seeing that the lexapro helped me to get some sleep I have taken the ~2.5mg pc that I chipped off the 20mg tablet today and will work on finding out how to get the dose more accurate, maybe by mixing with water.

 

I'm NOT at all happy about having that crap in my system, but if this is the way to get off lexapro for good without killing myself or anyone else, I'm all for it!

 

a little bit more about me and my health journey in general:

I have made some significant changes in my diet in the past 3 years, I am now vegan and am trying to follow the Nutritarian diet by Dr Furhman, also known as a whole foods plant based diet with emphasis on the most nurtient dense foods. I do drink some coffee.

I am trying to further reduce my carb intake but was recently told by a gastro enterologist that the treatment for my IBD is a low fod-map diet, which excludes most of the healthy veggies and legumes I currently enjoy but INcludes simple carbs that I am trying to avoid. Geez, just can't win!

 

my other meds/supplements include:

daily:

eliquis (BID) anticoagulant due to afib and stroke risk

verapamil for hypertension

celebrex (generic) for osteoarthritis, C & L spinal stenosis, degenerative disk disease, SI joint dysfunction

clonazapam (aka klonopin) PRN for restless leg syndrome and as a mild muscle relaxer, also can be used for anxiety but I take this med RARELY. like once or twice a year and only a fraction of the tiny 0.5mg dose

Vit D3

Methyl B 12

chromium

magnesium citrate

biotin

tapering off clonidine 0.1mg BID

PRNs:

prevacid generic for GERD

gabapentin for idiopathic neuropathy

claritin generic for allergies

fluticasone nasal spray for allergies

 

I may have forgotten a few things..........

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment

"you know the drill,"

Believe you me  ...you are preaching to the choir here.....

 

as I understand what you've said, I should be taking that 1/8 tablet daily, instead of every few days, right? Yep thats what Fresh is saying.

 

and then reducing the pc/amnt that I take, instead of skipping days, right? yep you are onto it.

 

Lets not forget that in 2005 the FDA issued a public statement saying 'abrupt changes in dose can cause suicidal and homicidal ideations. ' And dont we all know it.

 

Don't worry you don't have to go back 40 years in your drug sig just the last couple i'm sure would be fine.

 

Hey im so glad yu found sa...cant help but feel i'm welcoming another person into the  escape tunnel from Colditz ...hasn't society gone so terribly wrong when we start seeing the med prof as being as dangerous as the Gestapo.

Heres a great book rec 'anatomy of an epidemic' by R Whitaker. It is just so informative ..you may be able to get it from your library.

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Administrator

Welcome,

 

Please do not ever skip a dose of a psychiatric drug to taper.

 

You will need to measure your dose more accurately at this point. Lexapro comes in a liquid, or you can make your own. Going off carefully and gradually protects your nervous system. Your "rages" and insomnia are only a taste of how bad withdrawal syndrome can be.

 

I would hold at your present dosage for a good while, maybe a month or two, until your nervous system settles down.

 

See Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

Please put ALL the drugs you take in the Drug Interactions Checker http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and copy and paste the results in this topic.


 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

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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Interactions between your selected drugs

Moderate clonidine verapamil

Applies to: Clonidine ER (clonidine), verapamil

Using cloNIDine together with verapamil may cause excessively low blood pressure and heart rate. You may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications. Contact your doctor if your condition changes during treatment with these medications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Moderate clonidine clonazepam

Applies to: Clonidine ER (clonidine), clonazepam

CloNIDine and clonazePAM may have additive effects in lowering your blood pressure. You may experience headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, and/or changes in pulse or heart rate. These side effects are most likely to be seen at the beginning of treatment, following a dose increase, or when treatment is restarted after an interruption. Let your doctor know if you develop these symptoms and they do not go away after a few days or they become troublesome. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you, and use caution when getting up from a sitting or lying position. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Moderate clonidine gabapentin

Applies to: Clonidine ER (clonidine), gabapentin

Using cloNIDine together with gabapentin may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience some impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Moderate loratadine celecoxib

Applies to: Claritin (loratadine), Celebrex (celecoxib)

Celecoxib may increase the blood levels and effects of loratadine. If your doctor does prescribe these medications together, you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications. Contact your doctor if you experience increased side effects or if your condition changes. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Moderate verapamil apixaban

Applies to: verapamil, Eliquis (apixaban)

Verapamil may increase the blood levels of apixaban, which may result in a higher risk of bleeding complications. You may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience any unusual bleeding or bruising, or have other signs and symptoms of bleeding such as dizziness; lightheadedness; red or black, tarry stools; coughing up or vomiting fresh or dried blood that looks like coffee grounds; severe headache; and weakness. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Moderate celecoxib apixaban

Applies to: Celebrex (celecoxib), Eliquis (apixaban)

Using celecoxib together with apixaban can increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding complications. If treatment with the combination is required, you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications. Alternatively, your doctor may prescribe a medication to help protect your stomach while you are being treated with these medications. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience any unusual bleeding or bruising, or have other signs and symptoms of bleeding such as dizziness; lightheadedness; red or black, tarry stools; coughing up or vomiting fresh or dried blood that looks like coffee grounds; severe headache; and weakness. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

No other interactions were found between your selected drugs.
Note: this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. ALWAYS consult with your doctor or pharmacist.

Other drugs that your selected drugs interact with

Interactions between your selected drugs and food

Moderate verapamil food

Applies to: verapamil

You may take verapamil with or without food, but take it the same way every time. You should avoid consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice as much as possible during treatment with verapamil. If you have been regularly consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice with verapamil, do not increase or decrease the amounts of these products in your diet without first talking to your doctor. Grapefruit juice can increase the blood levels and effects of verapamil. Contact your doctor if you experience sudden, unexplained weight gain; swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; chest pain; or difficulty breathing. Avoid driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you, and use caution when getting up from a sitting or lying position. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Moderate gabapentin food

Applies to: gabapentin

Consumer information for this interaction is not currently available.

GENERALLY AVOID: Alcohol may potentiate some of the pharmacologic effects of CNS-active agents. Use in combination may result in additive central nervous system depression and/or impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills.

MANAGEMENT: Patients receiving CNS-active agents should be warned of this interaction and advised to avoid or limit consumption of alcohol. Ambulatory patients should be counseled to avoid hazardous activities requiring complete mental alertness and motor coordination until they know how these agents affect them, and to notify their physician if they experience excessive or prolonged CNS effects that interfere with their normal activities.

Minor loratadine food

Applies to: Claritin (loratadine)

Consumer information for this minor interaction is not currently available. Some minor drug interactions may not be clinically relevant in all patients. Minor drug interactions do not usually cause harm or require a change in therapy. However, your healthcare provider can determine if adjustments to your medications are needed.

 

Therapeutic duplication warnings

Therapeutic duplication is the use of more than one medicine from the same drug category or therapeutic class to treat the same condition. This can be intentional in cases where drugs with similar actions are used together for demonstrated therapeutic benefit. It can also be unintentional in cases where a patient has been treated by more than one doctor, or had prescriptions filled at more than one pharmacy, and can have potentially adverse consequences.

Duplication CNS drugs

Therapeutic duplication

The recommended maximum number of medicines in the 'CNS drugs' category to be taken concurrently is usually three. Your list includes four medicines belonging to the 'CNS drugs' category:

  • clonazepam
  • gabapentin

Note: The benefits of taking this combination of medicines may outweigh any risks associated with therapeutic duplication. This information does not take the place of talking to your doctor. Always check with your healthcare provider to determine if any adjustments to your medications are needed.

 

...............................................//...................

I know you probably arent taking clonazepam but i put it in in case you did.

Hope i got them all.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment
  • Mentor

thanks for copying and pasting all that drug info nz11 you didn't need to do that but thanks!

 

holy sheep, I did not know that verapamil and eliquis interact at all. that never showed up when I searched interactions! geez!

 

my cardiologist would like me to not be taking celebrex  (as shown above, it can increase bleeding risk when you are on oral anticoagulants=eliquis) but since I do not want to be on OACs, he's "allowing" me to continue with it.
I am waiting to hear back from a pain care clinic, to see if they have any other viable options for me. Surgery has been suggested but I'm not really interested in that either. the celebrex works great, I've tried going off it many times but each time the pain is unbearable. Celebrex is also safer than ibuprofen. so....... I don't know, we'll see how that goes.

 

as far as I know, SSRIs can also increase bleeding risk but the cardiologist didn't seem at all concerned about that. *shrug*

 

well I got some good sleep yesterday but then I was up all night. and I just got some very bad news, so this day is starting off pretty crappy.

:/

 

 

hey if you don't mind my asking, what does this stand for, from your signature? "cf, cmw"

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment

chronic fatigue , chronic muscle weakness

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment
  • Administrator

as you can see, your drug cocktail may be interacting and causing you problems.

 

Take a look at each drug and figure out if it's really necessary for you to be taking it constantly. Are you also taking a stomach acid blocker?

 

Have you exhausted all non-drug treatments for the pain: physical therapy, osteopathic manual manipulation, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage? Do you get regular, gentle exercise each day, such as 1/2 hour walking?

 

One "red flag" for Zyprexa might be an increase in blood sugar that might lead to diabetes. Aside from tapering Zyprexa, you might want to minimize eating any sugar other than that naturally occurring in fruits and veggies. This does wonders for general health.

 

Your four "CNS drugs" (others, such as the antihistamines, also act on the CNS):

  • clonazepam
  • gabapentin
  • Lexapro
  • Zyprexa

 

Why are you taking both clonazepam and Zyprexa?

 

Your cat is very beautiful. He looks just like my friend's cat. Very sorry for your loss.

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

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.

Link to comment
  • Mentor

 Hi Altostrata

 

I think you are confusing my medication HISTORY with my current meds

 

I think I should remove that from my signature, it's too long and depressing and I was afraid ppl would be confused by it, so yeh,
I'll delete all the stuff that's not needed

 

My current meds are:

verapamil for high blood pressure, it is NOT an optoin to go off this med. I had untreated high blood pressure caused in part by seroquel, and now have mild but permanent heart damage from it

 

eliquis - an anti coagulatant, for stroke prevention. I do not want to take this but my cardiologist tells me my risk for a stroke is very high.

 

generic celebrex for pain.

 

generic prevacid PRN for symptoms of acid reflux, I do not take this unless I have symptoms, there are major problems wiht taking these meds daily or long term

 

generic lexapro the med I am tapering off of

 

I have prescriptions for drugs to use as needed (antihistimines, etc) but since I RARELY use them, I will leave them out to try to keep things clearer.

 

I do not currently take zyprexa, and I do not want to take zyprexa daily, I requested a PRN of no more than 3 low dose pills, that's all. My doctor has prescribed this for me in the past in this exact same way, as a PRN, but she is not willing to do that now.

I *was* on zyprexa for about 6 mos but that almost 20yrs ago. I will take zyprexa on a regular basis

 

I am also not taking gabapentin, although I been prescribed it.

 

I only RARELY take a tiny tiny dose of klonopin, for, as I said, restless leg syndrome or as a mild muscle relaxer

 

as for pain, I have tried everything that is available and covered by my insurance. I am waiting to get into a pain clinic to see if there are other options.

I just "failed" physical therapy again, that is, I went for PT but it only made my pain worse and so we had to quit. Walking and standing cause too much pain, I am at the point of being referred for surgery.

 

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Administrator

Thank you, I was confused.

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/
 

The magnesium in particular is good for restless leg -- it and the fish oil are very good for your heart.

 

Osteopaths (DOs) are equivalent to MDs. If you can find one who offers osteopathic manual therapy, he or she might be able to help or give you an assessment of your treatment options.

 

It might be a good idea for you to hold on tapering Lexapro until your sleep settles down.

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.

Link to comment
  • Mentor

ok, yeh its easy to get confused esp the way I write. I am all over the place, sorry!

 

I take 400mgs of magnesium citrate daily for my heart condition

I am an ethical vegan so no fish oil, I get nutritional advice from a vegan nutritionist so I'm all set there, thanks!

 

i have seen an osteopath, I am waiting for further tests to be approved by my insurance, nerve conduction tests and I don't know what all else, yet

hahaha, mostly it's whatever my insurance will approve

I want to go for biofeedback but my insurance will not cover that, and I am 25% below the fed poverty level so it's def not something I can afford :/

 

I finally crashed for an hour so watching TV, hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep tonight

Got a call back from the doctor about tapering off the clonidine, that will only take 2 days.

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Administrator

Please taper a bit slower than that off clonidine, how about a week?

 

Magnesium glycinate is more absorbable than mag citrate. Mag is best absorbed taken in divided doses throughout the day. There is a magnesium oil you can rub on your legs when they twitch.

 

If you are a vegan, you must supplement with vitamin B12, as this vitamin, essential to neurological health, is found only in animal products.

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.

Link to comment
  • Mentor

magnesium citrate is what I can afford; I'm sure there's lots of other things out there but I am trying to get away from buying more and more stuff that I don't need and cant' afford. :(

 

i am on B12

;-)

 

the leg twitching may be caused by pressure on my spine from the stenosis, i have to have nerve conduction tests to find out where the nerve is compressed and all that, the doc already had me try all the supplements etc and things did not improve, so that's where I am at with that.

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Mentor

oh crap I have not updated, I wish I had done that!
I have had a few bad days, with some good parts thrown in, so.....

 

I finally admitted to my PCPs nurse that I am going off the lexapro, for good. She can help me or not, I don't care (well, no really I care, but I'm doing this, with or without her)

I requested the liquid generic lexapro, I hope she'll rx it because I don't want to have to crush pills and mix it with water, this stuff is bitter hahahah

plus I'm not too good with the "maths"

 

I will have to start a notebook or something, and try to keep this info in a couple of different places, so I don't lose track of it

 

I am still kind of in shock that this is what withdrawal is like, all this time, the problems I've had, I attributed them to other things.

I am so glad I found this site!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi,

 

Thought I'd just repost your post from the other topic for you so you have it in your Topic.  Also, if you want to search for things on SA, go to google and type in survivingantidepressants.org and whatever you are looking for.  It works better than the in-site search.

 

Hope you're warm enough, I mean cool enough, er no warm ... :wacko: CC

 

  

On 12/23/2015 at 8:24 PM, Happy2Heal said:

Hi

Meow backatcha

 

just seeing this now, thanks so much for finding that for me ChessieCat

 

omg this is horrible, I am so cold- even when it's 70degrees in here, I turn the heat on, and put on sweatshirts and even a hat, just to warm up

 

then suddenly, wham! I can feel the heat just radiating out from inside me and I am racing to strip off the extra clothes, some times I strip down to no clothes, the heat is so bad

I know this is not night sweats or menopausal hot flashes, those have always come with sweating, and never last this long

 

this is hell

 

I am so angry at my doctor right now, I asked for the liquid generic lexapro and after a lot of back and forth with her nurse, etc, she refused to prescribe it, instead she called in a prescription for 5mgs lexapro (generic) with the instructions to take one a day for a month, then half of one a day for another month, and then we'd "talk about maybe going to every other day"

I'm currently taking 2.5mgs (1/8th of 20mg tablet)

and she wants me to double it, and they drop it down by 50%?!?!?
 

NOT HAPPENING!
I am so angry.

 

my sleep is starting to improve, in spurts (I can get decent sleep every OTHER night, which is ironic since, before I found this site, I was tapering doing 2.5mgs every other day)

 

this sucks sooooooooooo bad

 

in the time that it's taken to write this, I've gone from a normal temp to super hot, stripped off my hat and sweatshirt,

and now, I"m freezing again..........

oy!

 

gonna go stand in front of the heater and try to warm up

 

it's like 4:30 am here and I've not slept, so that's not helping much either

 

thanks again for finding that thread.

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name/requoted post

* 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

Link to comment
  • Mentor

thank you SO much for doing this ChessieCat, I'm having a hard time finding my way around here at SA

there are a lot of abbreviations that I don't understand, is there a post somewhere that explains them?

will a google search like you recommend work for those?

er, doh, I guess I could just go and try it out, huh? but I've already forgotten what the abrev was that I wanted to look inoto it had a lot of Ps in it...

 

 

I've been on a FB group for ppl with atrial fibrillation and it was like learning a whole new language: OAC, NSR, PVC, PAC, etc etc,

 

 

 

my brain is so muddled now I am having a hard time just holding onto it, keeping it attached to my body...I am afraid it's going to wander off on it's own and get lost for good

 

heh, thanks! yeh still sitting here up and down and up again with the temps.

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

The temperature disregulation is part of the package  . . . extremely annoying , nay , debilitating.

It should resolve as you stabilize.

 

I found the best thing for the hots is applying a damp cotton tea-towel around the shoulders/accross the body.

Cotton wicks away the heat.  And big bags of frozen peas.

For deep , deep cold , I used to get in and out of a hot bath , many times each night.

It was the only thing that touched it.

You'll be back to normal in another week or so.  If your sleep is already improving , that's a really good sign

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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  • Mentor

copy and paste a post from elsewhere, to try to keep track of things:

 

Posted 24 December 2015 - 02:59 AM

I don't know what the heck happened but I was suddenly hit with a terrible episode of some kind of dizziness or vertigo and bad nausea

 

I was afraid I was having a stroke. (Ok my aunt just had one so it's kind of on my mind, plus I have a high risk of stroke as I have afib and a history of PE and hypertension)

 

I called the nurse hotline cuz if I go to the ER and it's not a "real" emergency my insurance can refuse to pay

they said that what I was describing was not "emergent"

geez ppl couldn't ya just say it doesn't sound like an emergency? my mind gets so muddled I kept repeating that word, and asking her what she meant, and she just kept saying, it's not emergent

well, thank you very much, miss smarty pants, I'm glad YOU know what that means, but repeating the same word over and over did not explain much to me with my scared and addled brain

smh.

 

I can actually recreate the dizziness by putting my head down, bending it as if I'm going to put my chin on my chest (I dont need to go that far to recreate the sensation)

 

the nausea seems both related and un related, I dont 'get nausea from bending my neck

 

I am trying to sort out, is this a WD symptom or something to do wiht the cervical spinal stenosis?

 

i have had dizzy spells since last Spring that the dr has not been able to diagnose with more than something tentative (she thinks it's vagal, from a sudden drop in blood pressure)

but she never did the testing she said I should have (a 24hr blood pressure monitoring)

 

wow, what a crappy night.

I still feel really awful but in ways I can't even describe

 

I'm glad I do not  appear to be having a stroke but wow, this sucks

I had such a great day, to have a night like this is discouraging"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Update from the past couple of days, things I keep forgetting to mention (having serious memory issues, is this part of WD?)

in spite of sleep problems coming and going, and the dizziness/off feeling, I have had some really great periods of time (windows?)

I have felt genuine happiness, for the first time in, OMG I dont' know, YEARS, maybe even decades?

 

It is so good to be able to literally laugh out loud at something funny, or to just feel content with my life and at peace. I am thoroughly enjoying these "windows" when I get them

It's discouraging when the waves hit, but hey, I know I'll get thru them!

 

please have patience with me I repeat the same questions several times, my memory has been bad for a long time. I thought I was getting alzhiemers disease or something similar, back when I was in my 40s, and my memory is even worse now (at just a month shy of 60)

 

I thought I had more to update, but that's all I can think of now

 

OH< I am holding at my current dose of 2.5mgs of generic lexapro

not sure how long to do that, but for now, it seems like a good idea

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Mentor
On 12/23/2015 at 9:09 PM, Fresh said:

The temperature disregulation is part of the package . . . extremely annoying , nay , debilitating.

It should resolve as you stabilize.

 

I found the best thing for the hots is applying a damp cotton tea-towel around the shoulders/accross the body.

Cotton wicks away the heat.  And big bags of frozen peas.

For deep , deep cold , I used to get in and out of a hot bath , many times each night.

It was the only thing that touched it.

You'll be back to normal in another week or so.  If your sleep is already improving , that's a really good sign

oh thank you Fresh

 

I am wondering now if the clonidine set off this whole temp thing, as I didn't have a problem with cold before, just hot flushes .

 

 

the hot flushes have made me nervous because my dad had carcinoid cancer and flushing is a symptom of that; these were dry hot flushes, not the hot flashes and night sweats I had going thru menopause. there's a big difference, the menopausal hot flushes come with sweating and I cool off to a normal temp after, fairly quickly

 

anyway after a short period on clonidine that my doc rxed for insomnia, NOW i have temp fluctuating from very very cold to hot

did NOT have that before the clonidine

 

doc does not know it but I am tapering off the clonidine- she said to just stop it because the dose was low (0.1mgs once a day, I went to a dble dose at bedtime to see if it would help me sleep and it made my blood pressure go so low I passed out)

 

thankfully I have enough of the clonidine to do this. I went down by a half tablet and am afraid to go any lower. so just holding on that too

 

I should add that to my signature. I'm a bit paranoid about putting my meds in my signature, I'm sure my doc does not have the Time, let alone the interest!! to look into a forum like this but just the fear of her finding out that I'm not "following orders" makes me nervous

 

on this topic, has anyone else had this problem where a doc threatens to NOT treat you if you do not do what they say? can they do that?

is that even legal?

I thought we had the right to control what we do with our own bodies??

 

maybe I should start a thread about this

I also have been told by a gastroenterologist practice that I am not welcome back because I cancelled a colonoscopy "too many times"

they bullied me into setting a date for the damn thing, even though I said I was not comfortable having one done. then they gave me the packet of info and I saw, and was reminded, there's that memory issue again!! that you have to have someone pick you up after the colonoscopy and I dont' have anyone who can do that. (sad, I know but most of my friends are online and those that are not, work and can not take time off to drive me home from a procedure, they just can't)

 

so now I can't go back there. that's something eh? I am getting nervous about seeing any doctors for any reason, they get so upset if you don't just "follow orders" or if you question them about anything

 

they make fun of me for wanting to look things up on line, but thank god I have, because they have tried to give me stuff that would not help and would probably make things worse.

they give me misinformation all the damn time

 

what is the point in even having a dr anymore?

except that I do have high blood pressure, so what happens to me if I cant get a dr to Rx my meds for that?

 

scary stuff

😕

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi,

The way I understand it is that as long as we are not a danger to ourselves or anyone else, we have a right to decide what goes into our body. We also have a right to choose another doctor if we are not getting the proper respect and support from the current one. As long as your doctor doesn't know your member name, its unlikely you would be identified here.

 

Its nice if you can find a doctor who will help and support you in tapering, but its not necessary. All you need is one who will continue to prescribe, there is enough information here to manage your taper yourself.

 

See:   How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?   and   What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi,

 

Just helping you keep your info together because it might come in handy later.  It's so easy to think at the time oh yes I'll do that, and then forget until later and then not be able to find it.  In this case you probably would never have thought to check the Hold till after Xmas thread.  I know I wouldn't have.  CC :)

 

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name & quote

* 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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  • Mentor

thanks so much ChessieCat, how thoughtful of you!

I am so scattered ordinarily, going thru WD has just compounded the problem *blush*

 

in fact, I'm having an "all over the place" kind of day, I think I'm ready for a nap.

 

:/

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

You're welcome.  It's a contributive community so we help where we can.  It may be better to stick to asking questions relating to yourself in your own Topic.  Sometimes they don't get seen if they are posted elsewhere.

 

I'm ready for a nap too, and I've only been up for 2 hours, but I didn't sleep very well last night and was very tired throughout Christmas Day.  Thankfully nothing happening today so I will be able to when I want.

 

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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  • Mentor

found some posts in another forum, a private one, and discovered that my med history is MUCH worse than I recalled

 

will try to jot down some of the highlights (or low lights, as the case may be)

subject to change as I sort thru the notes I took, having a hard time reading my own handwriting!! pfft

 

 

Jan 2007 taken off 40mgs lexapro and 300?mgs lamictal COLD TURKEY during a brief psych hospital stay, put on Geodon and Lyrica- one caused? akithesia, the other caused a heart problem

I know I didn't stay on these long, but I don't know how quicky after being discharged I stopped taking them. I remember feeling immediately suicidal on Lyrica.  I never got an answer to why Lyrica was Rxed at all, isn't that for pain? Fibromyalgia or something??

 

What happened after that is kind of a blur- In May, apparently I was on lamictal at varying doses. I was on a beta blocker because my heart rate was dangerously high

I was had severe insomnia, dizzy spells so bad I was sent for an brain MRI, they found what a tiny infarct, but it was very old, I still don't really know what that means. :/

During this time there were several big losses in my life and I also had a lumpectomy for what turned out to be, thank goodness, a benign tumor that was acting in a not so benign way.  
hmm, also in May of 2007, I was given trazadone for the continuing severe insomnia, It appears I didn't stay on that long, as the side effects were intolerable

IN June 2007 I was hospitalized because I was in afib. (cardiac)

In Oct 2007, my blood pressure was going thru the roof, and I was put on blood pressure meds (oddly, I had high blood pressure readings at EVERY doctors visit for 2 yrs previous to this, but Dr declined to treat...???)

 

In November 2007 I was put on lithium (something that worked for me in the past, but I'd stopped that back in 1990 or earlier)

It did not help at all, so I was switched to trileptal.

 

ALL of 2008 is a blur, I don't know if I was on any med except for atenelol for my heart issue. I was suicidally depressed and had severe anxiety, restlessness, intrusive thoughts, it was the most horrible year, I dont know how I got thru it, I really don't. I fell and injured my SI joint and was in severe pain but did not go to a doctor because at this point I didnt trust any of them and didn't believe that they could or would do anything to help me.

 

I don't know when, but I was finally put back on lexapro.

I don't know what the dose was. I dont know who Rxed it either, but I think it was my PCP, the one who just "fired" me

 

my notes say that a diff doc decreased that dose and added seroquel. No idea who that doc was LOL wow, my memory is bad.

 

Not sure what happened after this but there's mention of a second anti depressant being added, that was quickly discontinued.

 

as far as I can tell, the insomnia was "cured" by going back on the lexapro, but i developed a severe case of hypersomnia, which has been an issue for me off and on ever since, but was NEVER an issue before being taken off the lexapro the first time.

I have had at least 2 sleep studies to try to determine why/how I can sleep as long as I have (up to 20 hrs a day)

 

In Jan 2009 I was having serious issues with neuropathy and insomnia again. Plus a lot of pain that turned out be spinal stenosis (both cervical and lumbar) plus DDD and bad arthritis in my rt knee, so I was in and out of PT and getting cortisone shots and steroids orally, etc during this time period

Notes for 2010 indicate more pain, lots and lots of pain

I was Rxed zyprexa in April 2010 as a PRN and it helped a LOT (come back to this later)

I was also Rxed depakote in Dec 2010, but didn't stay on that. No clue why.

Winter of 2011 had the hypersomnia returning but insomnia hit in Sept (or earlier) as I was rexed trazodone which caused hallucinations

 

In Nov 2011, I was dealing with horrible dizziness once again.

 

Feb 2012, hypersomnia strikes once again

May 2012, Rxed cymbalta for pain, bad side effects, didn't continue

Nov 2012 in afib, stayed home this time, converted in 3.5 days

started blood thinners

 

April 2013 hypersomnia is the only issue mentioned in my posts

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I don't know how all this ties in with what I am going thru now and will need to re read the stickied posts here, but just out of curiosity

what are my chances of ever recovering from this?

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment
  • Mentor

Gathering my posts from other places on this site:

 

 Posted 24 December 2015 - 02:59 AM

I don't know what the heck happened but I was suddenly hit with a terrible episode of some kind of dizziness or vertigo and bad nausea

 

I was afraid I was having a stroke. (Ok my aunt just had one so it's kind of on my mind, plus I have a high risk of stroke as I have afib and a history of PE and hypertension)

 

I called the nurse hotline cuz if I go to the ER and it's not a "real" emergency my insurance can refuse to pay

they said that what I was describing was not "emergent"

geez ppl couldn't ya just say it doesn't sound like an emergency? my mind gets so muddled I kept repeating that word, and asking her what she meant, and she just kept saying, it's not emergent

well, thank you very much, miss smarty pants, I'm glad YOU know what that means, but repeating the same word over and over did not explain much to me with my scared and addled brain

smh.

 

I can actually recreate the dizziness by putting my head down, bending it as if I'm going to put my chin on my chest (I dont need to go that far to recreate the sensation)

 

the nausea seems both related and un related, I dont 'get nausea from bending my neck

 

I am trying to sort out, is this a WD symptom or something to do wiht the cervical spinal stenosis?

 

i have had dizzy spells since last Spring that the dr has not been able to diagnose with more than something tentative (she thinks it's vagal, from a sudden drop in blood pressure)

but she never did the testing she said I should have (a 24hr blood pressure monitoring)

 

wow, what a crappy night.

I still feel really awful but in ways I can't even describe

 

I'm glad I do not  appear to be having a stroke but wow, this sucks

I had such a great day, to have a night like this is discouraging

 

**************************

Posted 24 December 2015 - 10:53 AM

thank you Stan for your response. It just hit me like BAM and I was so scared, it felt so bad I thought I was having a stroke or maybe had a brain tumor.

 

I was afraid waiting it out might mean I'd "wake up dead" as they expression goes, but I'm glad I stayed home and eventually, about 3hrs later, things started to get better and I was able to sleep

 

wow, this stuff really sucks. but it's nice not to be alone with it anymore

thank you

********************

Posted 24 December 2015 - 04:19 PM

thanks

today has been stressful, very confused, memory even worse

i am just tking it easy and trying to take care of myself

 

went for  a little walk, it's unseasonably warm here

 

think i will have tea and a nap as i cna't seem to focus on anything at all

 

so glad i found this place and that i am not going crazy and (probably lol) not dying, but omg sometimes it feels like i must be

:/

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
Link to comment

Hi, hello from another "long-termer". Sorry I'm just getting started here and can't help much with meds, but I just wanted to say I can't believe your doctor did that to you! Maybe it is for the best, and you will end up with a better, much more supportive doctor, sometimes things happen that way. I have found doctors that actually do/prescribe stuff that is helpful to be few and far between. Most of them are clueless--about medications, diet, exercise, pretty much anything that doesn't involve just stopping the bleeding or removing something. You really have to do your own research, be your own advocate, and hopefully find a doctor who can tolerate that.

Sarah

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed member name

1975--first signs of depression

1981--started on imipramine (Tofranil) for IBS and depression

1983-1986--severe depression, rotated through several drugs, on MAOI for one year, eventually back to tricyclics

1986-1994--chronic low grade depression, on tricyclics

1994-96--severe depression, rotated through several drugs inc. Prozax, Effexor, etc..

1996-2013--chronic low grade depression, SAD, on amitryptiline usual dose 12.5-25mg

     flurazepam (Dalmane) as needed for insomnia

2013--developed temazepam (Restoril) dependance for 2 months, tapered off over 1 month

   started bio-identical progesterone 5 mg., depression has lifted completely to this day

March 2016--forced to c/t both amitryptiline and flurazepam, zolpidem not helpful

reinstated small dose (.5 mg) amitryptiline due to stomach issues and tapering w/titration

June 19th--jumped from amitryptiline--drug free!

Link to comment
  • Mentor

hi Sarah, thanks for your reply.

Oh I'm glad to be rid of that doctor, I have tried to switch docs for a long time but I guess I was too lazy or something to insist (I asked for a different doc but each time was told that I couldn't do that...??? that makes no sense to me now)
I was afraid of hurting her feelings... which also seems kind of stupid to me now, as well; she surely didn't seem to care about my feelings

 

so yes it's for the best. Frankly I want to stay away from doctors as much as I can. I will need to see my cardiologist every year, and I am going to ask him to take over prescribing my blood pressure meds, he already prescribes the anti coagulant, so why not?

 

the only other prescription I have that I am not ready to give up yet is my NSAID pain reliever, celebrex. I am trying to see if I can cut down from 200mgs to 100mgs. I got permission from my cardiologist to continue taking it, but it's really contra indicated when you are on oral anti coagulants.

 

just taking it one day at a time for now. Re instating at 2.5mgs was the smart thing for me to do. I feel better, and my thinking is clearer, than it has been in a very long time. The last time I can recall thinking this clearly was in 1983

Yikes! yes, really that long ago.

of course with my memory issues....

It just came to me yesterday, that the last time I did not feel like I was under this awful dark cloud was when my daughter was 5yrs old.

 

it's weird but I'm just grateful that this has happened.

I feel like I am more in control of my life than I have been for a long time.

 

I hope that things go as well or better for you!!

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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  • Mentor

update:

things continue to go well. Do have  a few brief episodes of dizziness, this may be because I have to compound the med myself, would be so much easier with the liquid pre made, grrr

 

no more insomnia, no more rages. whew!

 

will continue to hold at this dose for now

(2.5mgs lexapro)

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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Good to hear that things are going well! Take it slow and you will get there. Early Happy New Year!

Sarah

1975--first signs of depression

1981--started on imipramine (Tofranil) for IBS and depression

1983-1986--severe depression, rotated through several drugs, on MAOI for one year, eventually back to tricyclics

1986-1994--chronic low grade depression, on tricyclics

1994-96--severe depression, rotated through several drugs inc. Prozax, Effexor, etc..

1996-2013--chronic low grade depression, SAD, on amitryptiline usual dose 12.5-25mg

     flurazepam (Dalmane) as needed for insomnia

2013--developed temazepam (Restoril) dependance for 2 months, tapered off over 1 month

   started bio-identical progesterone 5 mg., depression has lifted completely to this day

March 2016--forced to c/t both amitryptiline and flurazepam, zolpidem not helpful

reinstated small dose (.5 mg) amitryptiline due to stomach issues and tapering w/titration

June 19th--jumped from amitryptiline--drug free!

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  • Mentor

Good to hear that things are going well! Take it slow and you will get there. Early Happy New Year!

Sarah

thanks Sara, you too!

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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