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TommyG Road to Recovery (ish)


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Hi and Good Morning everyone (im in the UK :) )

 

Long time lurker but first time poster - decided to take the plunge and register an account really just give comfort to other posters going through severe withdrawal that you do recover... eventually

 

after some awful teenage years and coming out of it with severe anxiety, in 2011 i attemtpted to take my own life for the first time... i was self medicating with a lot of illicit drugs (cocaine... esctacy... ketamine) at the time (which was making my anxiety worse), had a lot of pressure at work, plus my historical issues as well, so i had a breakdown and tried to take my own life... luckilly i survived and my best friend cared for me (took me to hospital, doctors, appointments) etc... this was then i started 20 mg of prozac... initially i was against the idea but after a failed suicide attempt and crippling anxiety i decided it was for the best

 

a few months later i had another blip (yet again copious amounts of drugs, with pressure at work and my insecurities) contributed to ANOTHER suicide attempt... this was worse... i had really damaged my wrist in the attempt and had to go to surgery and go off work for a few months... during my time off work i did what any normal person would do... go back to my parents... go travelling (did the west coast of america for 3 weeks) and tried to look after my self as best as i could....

 

enter 2012 and life was good... i was stable on prozac... was very sociable... work was going well and was getting a lot of female attention  :D ... it was at the end of 2012 that i decided i wanted off prozac and did about a 1 week taper and was fine!!! no side effects... nothing... wasnt even aware of SSRI discontinutaion syndromme existed (we'll come back to that later)

 

however during this period my own drug use continued to increase... which of course was making my anxiety worse... start of 2013 went to thailand for 3 weeks (which was amazing)... but noticed at the end of the holday my crippling anxiety came back (probably because i knew i had work)... in the april of 2013 i went back to the doctor again and he put me on setraline (zoloft)

 

the first 6 weeks were fine... my body was adjusting to it but still had anxiety... but then on the 7th week i woke up being sick and having diarrhea... i then stopped taking the medication, then over the course of 2 weeks my apetite went... then i couldnt sleep, concentrate, had heart palpatation, stomach was in knots, had severe tremors, zaps, my mouth was tight, was in physical pain, insomnia, tinnitus (all the usual) symptoms... it was TERRIBLE... my poor parents thought i was dying

 

i then had to come back to my parents and find out what was wrong with me and what could i do... i searched the internet day and night at the start and suddenly became aware of "adverse reactions" and "SSRI discontinuation syndromme"... i believe mine was "SSRI discontinuation syndromme" bought on my an "adverse reaction"

 

the doctors didnt know what to do... first they tried to put me on prozac again, then mirtazipine... then at the end of the first month i found this article... this was a life save for me " http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/reaction.htm"

 

the above article was my holy bible for my recovery... i followed it by the book... no alcohol... no stimulants... no coffee... light exercise... lots of rest, eat healthy and time is the only healer in this situation

 

my reaction occured 3 years ago this may (wow thats gone fast) and its been a terrible ordeal... i had to take another 4 months off work at the start, move back to my parents, cut out 90% of my friends and just do the basics every day... there has been plenty of ups and downs...and frustations... tears... but im now finally coming out the other side... i would say 80-90% healed... i just basically where i was at 5 years ago before i had my first prozac med... i still have some side effects... the only lingering side effects left are my tinnitus and i have a sensitive nervous system... my body still cant take anything stimulating (luckilly my cocaine days are behind me  :D ... but other than that im all good

 

i moved back into my own apartment in May... i have a beautiful girlfriend who i met in June and wants to have a family with me even though she knew what i was going through... i will never be that young care free party loving lad i was a few years ago... my body couldnt handle it... but i am stable and soooooooo glad im not in the dark place i was nearly 3 years ago when i was tremoring and crying

 

what has helped me??? i started doing a lot of running (i did my first half marathon in october) and try to run 3 times a week still... i used to take a benzo on a as needed basis (no more than 3 times a week) this meant i could function when in bad withdrawals while not building any tolerance... i take 0.25mg melotonin for sleep (as suggested by ALTO)...  i cut out a lot of bad negative friends... i took a stress free role at work... i spent time walking my dog, volunteering at the dogs home... helping my parents and went through a programme of CBT to get me through it... i would never wish SSRI withdawals on anyone... they are nasty and at times you feel hopeless... but i remember 3 years ago sifting through the pages trying to find a success story and not being able to find one as people had just disappeared or not come back

 

well this is mine... i still have a little way to go yet but i reckon over the next year my CNS should be were it was before all this happened

 

just hang in there guys.. it does get easier

 

p.s. massive shout out to Alto - your posts have helped me so much... you have incredible knowledge of this subject and i thank you for your help 

 

Thanks

 

Tom

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Tom,

 

Appreciate the story. Really lends me and and imagine many others some hope. One thing I would like to ask is if you suffered cognitive and/or memory issues during your withdrawal period, if yes, to what extent and to what degree you recovered from those issues.

 

Appreciate it.

Year 0:      Social anxiety, obsessive thoughts, NO depression, NO suicidal ideations

Years 1-2: Ativan (benzo) <1mg as needed, not abused but developed physical dependence

Years 2-3: Paxil (20mg) augmented with Adderall XR (10-20mg) due to withdrawal from Ativan

Years 3-Present: Severe depression, headaches, psychiatric hospitalization, lost job, etc.

 

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  • Administrator

Thank you, TommyG, and thank you for sharing this with our community.

 

How would you say your symptoms changed over time?

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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ALTO - at the start i had the lot tremoring, sickness, diarohea, heart palpatations, couldnt eat, couldnt sleep, couldnt walk, brain zaps, sensitive CNS, tinnitus, no energy

 

1 year on heart palpatations, insomnia, sensitive CNS, no energy, brain fog, tinnitus, extreme anxiety

 

2 years on mild insomnia, sensitive CNS, slight brain fog, tinitus, mild anxiety

 

2.5 years on slightly sensitive CNS,  tinnitus , slight anxiety

 

i still sometimes struggle to complete sentences but im sure that will improve over time

 

my overall tension has improved over time as well

 

ALTO - what helped me massively was taking 0.25mg melotonin 1 hour before sleep... its helped me so much... thanks for that... i know get 8 hours sleep every night!!!

 

when times are tough i would also take the odd benzo or codeine to get me through the day... never on consecutive days though

 

exercise 20-30 minutes a day... nothing strenuous though

 

also staying away from anything stimulating (drugs, coffee, red bull, horror movies, loud music gigs etc)

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Great story Tommy G !  3 yrs seems to be a big turning point for lots of people to get better . Goodluck with the rest of your recovery , 100% is on the way!

Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant  30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently.  using zantac as needed.  Benzo is currently 0.10mg 

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Great story Tommy! So you never had insomnia during your WD. You were very fortunate.

Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs.

Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010.

Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues.

Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until

12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges.

Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016.

Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016.

2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days

6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron

10/11/16: Off all psych medications

 

After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue.

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Apologies Christian... yes insomnia was really bad at the start... I would knock myself out with antihistamines... benzos and codeine

 

But then I read Alto's post about melatonin and it worked!!! Just 0.25g an hour before bed and I'm asleep

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I found that document very helpful aswell

Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant  30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently.  using zantac as needed.  Benzo is currently 0.10mg 

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Apologies Christian... yes insomnia was really bad at the start... I would knock myself out with antihistamines... benzos and codeine

 

But then I read Alto's post about melatonin and it worked!!! Just 0.25g an hour before bed and I'm asleep

Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs.

Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010.

Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues.

Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until

12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges.

Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016.

Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016.

2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days

6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron

10/11/16: Off all psych medications

 

After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue.

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I'm sorry you did mention insomnia in your original post. I look forward to the day melatonin alone will put me to sleep again. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs.

Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010.

Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues.

Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until

12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges.

Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016.

Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016.

2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days

6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron

10/11/16: Off all psych medications

 

After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My mother found that same document and sent it to me shortly after my adverse reaction began...I felt like we finally had some validation for what we thought was going on...and it was so spot on to what I was feeling in many ways.  I am glad you posted it because I needed a refresher on what I should be doing.

 

Congrats Tommy...so glad you are finally getting back to normal

History of Wellbutrin, Neurontin, Buspar, Paxil and others in 1990's - teenage years

Xanax .5 mg as needed 2010-2015

One injection of Haldol in ER 10/9/2015 - dystonic reaction (ongoing issues)

One 50 mg pill Zoloft 10/31/15 adverse reaction/s that are ongoing

Xanax .125 mg every 3 hours as needed, .25 mg at bedtime 1/8/16-1/21/16Xanax .25 mg every 3 hours (1.25 mg/day) 1/22/16 - 2/9/16Xanax .25 mg/5 times a day (1.25 mg/day) starting 2/10/16, then tried 6 times/day (2x.25, 4x.1875)Xanax .25 mg/6 times a day (1.5 mg/day) starting 2/19/16

Tapering off of Xanax, switching to Diazepam, starting June 29, 2016, then starting taper soon there after

Completed Xanax taper early Sept 2016, crossover to 20 mg/day Diazepam

Currently at 2 mg Diazepam/day = 1 mg bedtime, 1 mg morning

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  • 2 weeks later...

*topic moved from symptoms forum

 

Morning everyone... hope everyone is doing well... thought I would post in here to say what worked for me to recover from my severe SSRI reaction... It has been 3 years now and the only 2 lingering symptoms are a sensitive CNS and tinnitus

Exercise - walked 5km a day
No vitamins
No recreational drugs
No cigarettes
No alcohol
Completely removed any stressful entities from life (work issues / friend etc)
0.5mg of melotonin at night for sleep
Occasional valium use (twice a week max) help when things were bad
Occasional beta blocker use when things were bad
No antihistamines (sensitive to them)
Camomile tea
Occasional Co codemol use (when things were REALLY bad at the start)
Avoid loud music which would make tinnitus worse
Make sure you tell close friends about your problem... They may not understand but at least they'll be aware if you have to cancel plans
Have patience
Also during my many many hours research I found "Alto's" posts on here the most value adding and factual... listen to her!!!

These were just things which worked for me... The main thing is just to listen to your body

Take care everyone... you will recover

Tom x

Edited by Petunia
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Tom, that is awesome. Thank you for sharing.

 

Why no vitamins? Is it because they can be stimulating?

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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My central nervous system would not be able to handle them. .. It can handle occasional valium and codeine use at best

 

I am a believer in our body knows how to heal and reset itself and over polluting it with supplements to a distressed CNS will prolong and increase withdrawal

 

Melotonin is very well tolerated (see Alto's post on it)... It's been a life saver... I sleep 7 hours a night now :-)

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I do quiet close as you. How many months did you wait to see at least subtle improvements ?

Mid 2012 : aripiprazole for nothing (actually only 2 reasons : no job and lonely)>serotoninergic syndrome+seizure>psychiatrist denial> amisulpride 400mg +quetiapine 600mg +olanzapine 10mg +xanax 0,5 mg +alimemazine+lormétazepam+effexor+lorazepam during almost 2 years>

 

Saved by a pharmacologist from major seizure during the antipsychotics taper > switched to 16 mg diazepam taper since may 2014. Failed at 12mg in july.16 mg again in july 2014.1mg down every week.failed at 3,33 mg in november 2014,back to 5mg at slower taper rate
febr 2015 4mg  /march 2015 3mg  / may 2015 2mg / june 2015 1,66mg   /july 1,33mg  / aug end 0,66mg  / sept end 0,33mg  /  oct end 0,17mg   /   1st nov 0,14mg  /  10 dec 2015 JUMPED

 

Aged swollen face, huge wieght gain impossible to loose despite healthy diet and workout, belly,insomnia,gastrointestinal disorder,dry sagging skin,genital shrinkage, no libido, muscle+hair loss,wrecked maybe forever but not tortured by drugs anymore.

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Ok; interesting, Tommy. I ask because my naturopathic doctor had me stop taking Vitamin B for now, because it might be too stimulating.

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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My central nervous system would not be able to handle them. .. It can handle occasional valium and codeine use at best

 

I am a believer in our body knows how to heal and reset itself and over polluting it with supplements to a distressed CNS will prolong and increase withdrawal

 

Melotonin is very well tolerated (see Alto's post on it)... It's been a life saver... I sleep 7 hours a night now :-)

Hi Tommy, delighted you are doing so well , good to hear.

Don't disagree with you about vitamin supplements. I had to stop taking the ones I d taken for years before taking anAD. Agree totally that the body knows best how to heal itself even though for many of us the path out is through hell.

Was dismayed to hear you refer to vitamins as "pollutants" but Valium you deem ok . It can take as few as 5 tablets for some people to become addicted to Benzodiazepines . So Vitamins are a no no but Valium codeine and melatonin are ok. Codeine is also addictive. And propanolol if taken too often even at the lowest dose can have frightening and dangerous re bound effects. I only add this comment for balance in case people who are contemplating coming off ADs replace one problem with another.

Paxil 10mg 21/2 years to June 2012 after a 2 month taper

 

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Hi

 

I found daily vitamin use to stimulating and added no benefit to my withdrawal and messed up CNS... but "occasional" (once or twice a week MAX) use of valium or codeine temporarily removed the symptoms so I could go to work/get to sleep/attend a family function so I could get through the day

 

Use responsibly and with caution these are fantastic medications... used irresponsibly, and like you say, addiction may occur down the road

 

The above is what worked for me. .. everyone is different... Unfortunately I couldn't take masses off time off work over the last 3 years and on a bad day I'd succomb to half a valium or 30mg codeine to sleep... I have no tolerance issues or withdrawal to speak of

 

Have a good day everyone X

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Tommy you say in the recovery section that you had and still have a slight sensitive CNS but by 2.5 years it went from being very to slight. Can u ask did you experience any food sensitivities or heat and if so how did you manage with those. Many thanks for your story it does give hope :)

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Hi TommyG ,

 

Please wold you fill in your signature.  It comes up each time you post so that people can see your med. history.

 

Thanks ,  Fresh

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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Hi and Good Morning everyone (im in the UK :) )

 

Long time lurker but first time poster - decided to take the plunge and register an account really just give comfort to other posters going through severe withdrawal that you do recover... eventually

 

after some awful teenage years and coming out of it with severe anxiety, in 2011 i attemtpted to take my own life for the first time... i was self medicating with a lot of illicit drugs (cocaine... esctacy... ketamine) at the time (which was making my anxiety worse), had a lot of pressure at work, plus my historical issues as well, so i had a breakdown and tried to take my own life... luckilly i survived and my best friend cared for me (took me to hospital, doctors, appointments) etc... this was then i started 20 mg of prozac... initially i was against the idea but after a failed suicide attempt and crippling anxiety i decided it was for the best

 

a few months later i had another blip (yet again copious amounts of drugs, with pressure at work and my insecurities) contributed to ANOTHER suicide attempt... this was worse... i had really damaged my wrist in the attempt and had to go to surgery and go off work for a few months... during my time off work i did what any normal person would do... go back to my parents... go travelling (did the west coast of america for 3 weeks) and tried to look after my self as best as i could....

 

enter 2012 and life was good... i was stable on prozac... was very sociable... work was going well and was getting a lot of female attention  :D ... it was at the end of 2012 that i decided i wanted off prozac and did about a 1 week taper and was fine!!! no side effects... nothing... wasnt even aware of SSRI discontinutaion syndromme existed (we'll come back to that later)

 

however during this period my own drug use continued to increase... which of course was making my anxiety worse... start of 2013 went to thailand for 3 weeks (which was amazing)... but noticed at the end of the holday my crippling anxiety came back (probably because i knew i had work)... in the april of 2013 i went back to the doctor again and he put me on setraline (zoloft)

 

the first 6 weeks were fine... my body was adjusting to it but still had anxiety... but then on the 7th week i woke up being sick and having diarrhea... i then stopped taking the medication, then over the course of 2 weeks my apetite went... then i couldnt sleep, concentrate, had heart palpatation, stomach was in knots, had severe tremors, zaps, my mouth was tight, was in physical pain, insomnia, tinnitus (all the usual) symptoms... it was TERRIBLE... my poor parents thought i was dying

 

i then had to come back to my parents and find out what was wrong with me and what could i do... i searched the internet day and night at the start and suddenly became aware of "adverse reactions" and "SSRI discontinuation syndromme"... i believe mine was "SSRI discontinuation syndromme" bought on my an "adverse reaction"

 

the doctors didnt know what to do... first they tried to put me on prozac again, then mirtazipine... then at the end of the first month i found this article... this was a life save for me " http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/reaction.htm"

 

the above article was my holy bible for my recovery... i followed it by the book... no alcohol... no stimulants... no coffee... light exercise... lots of rest, eat healthy and time is the only healer in this situation

 

my reaction occured 3 years ago this may (wow thats gone fast) and its been a terrible ordeal... i had to take another 4 months off work at the start, move back to my parents, cut out 90% of my friends and just do the basics every day... there has been plenty of ups and downs...and frustations... tears... but im now finally coming out the other side... i would say 80-90% healed... i just basically where i was at 5 years ago before i had my first prozac med... i still have some side effects... the only lingering side effects left are my tinnitus and i have a sensitive nervous system... my body still cant take anything stimulating (luckilly my cocaine days are behind me  :D ... but other than that im all good

 

i moved back into my own apartment in May... i have a beautiful girlfriend who i met in June and wants to have a family with me even though she knew what i was going through... i will never be that young care free party loving lad i was a few years ago... my body couldnt handle it... but i am stable and soooooooo glad im not in the dark place i was nearly 3 years ago when i was tremoring and crying

 

what has helped me??? i started doing a lot of running (i did my first half marathon in october) and try to run 3 times a week still... i used to take a benzo on a as needed basis (no more than 3 times a week) this meant i could function when in bad withdrawals while not building any tolerance... i take 0.25mg melotonin for sleep (as suggested by ALTO)...  i cut out a lot of bad negative friends... i took a stress free role at work... i spent time walking my dog, volunteering at the dogs home... helping my parents and went through a programme of CBT to get me through it... i would never wish SSRI withdawals on anyone... they are nasty and at times you feel hopeless... but i remember 3 years ago sifting through the pages trying to find a success story and not being able to find one as people had just disappeared or not come back

 

well this is mine... i still have a little way to go yet but i reckon over the next year my CNS should be were it was before all this happened

 

just hang in there guys.. it does get easier

 

p.s. massive shout out to Alto - your posts have helped me so much... you have incredible knowledge of this subject and i thank you for your help 

 

Thanks

 

Tom

 

Hi Tommy,

 

The worst part for me is the insomnia, but unfortunately nothing helps. Did you have trouble staying alseep or falling asleep? Are you able to sleep well now without any melatonin?

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Question asked by TommyG on DJones' intro thread:

Can someone please explain the logic behind tapering something which can't be tolerated by a human body?

Thanks

 

Hi Tommy,

 

I agree that at first it seems illogical.  It makes sense once you understand that the drug a person has been taking has changed the brain so that the brain requires the drug (physiological dependency).  The idea of tapering the drug is to keep withdrawal symptoms to a minimum and allow the brain to adapt slowly to receiving less of the drug.

 

These might help:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Video: Healing from Antidepressants: Patterns of Recovery

 

Brain Remodelling

 

Best Description of Healing Process

 

And a quote from your 1st post above:  "i would never wish SSRI withdawals on anyone"

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

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

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

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

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi TommyG,

 

I'm also in the UK and going through a bad patch in my withdrawal symptoms. Sleep is a particular problem right now so I'm curious where I can get melatonin from?

 

Thanks

A convenient link to my introduction post

 

2003 Paroxetine (20mg I think) daily for 5 months due to extreme anxiety before final exams and stopped cold turkey. From 2003 onwards I have suffered with extreme anxiety, akathisia, severe muscle tension & digestive problems whenever off I'm off anti-depressants.

2007 Clonazepam (unsure of dose) - took approximately 100 tablets to try and self medicate for anxiety.

2007-09 Amitryptyline 10mg - was advised to take this "as and when needed" for anxiety.

April/May 2011 Diazepam 2mg - 2 week course followed by complete inability to sleep upon finishing so started Citalopram 40mg and I was able to sleep again.

Mid 2012 Diazepam 10mg - took approximately 100 tablets.

Mid 2012 Started Citalopram taper - 5mg reductions every month or two, severe withdrawal symptoms throughout taper.

Apr 2013 Completely off Citalopram and continued to have severe withdrawal.

Oct 2013 Completely fell to pieces mentally and alongside had a whole host of debilitating physical symptoms too. I went to the doctors who performed whole batteries of tests but had no idea what was wrong with me. They tried me on Sertraline and Amitryptyline to which I had terrible reactions which made symptoms worse. Eventually got put on Nortryptyline 25mg, which I tolerated and over 3 months withdrawal symptoms started to abate.

Mid 2014 discovered survivingantidepressants.org and hallelujah! I knew what was wrong with me - slow taper FTW!

Late 2014 & 2015 Reduced Nortryptyline 22.5mg & 20mg respectively in November & December of 2014. In 2015 Tapered Nortryptyline from 20mg to 10 mg in 2mg increments. Withdrawal symptoms with each dose reduction are debilitating but in a much different way to Citalopram.

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