KimT1717- Fears with last stage of Pristiq taper- help!

[kimt1717]

Hello All-

 

Thank you in advance for any tips or support you can provide.  I found this forum by accident, and am really struggling.  By way of introduction:

I am currently 27 years old, and was misdiagnosed in my adolescent years, sending me into a dreadful spiral of reliance on antidepressants and psychoactive drugs for over 10 years.  About two years ago I found a wonderful doctor who saw that these were unnecessary and has been guiding me through the process of tapering off of ALL Medication.  I have already been able to completely go off of Lamictal (originally 300mg), though it took me a year, and am now in the final stages of tapering off of 100mg Pristiq (has been an ongoing process since this past summer 2015).  

 

As of yesterday, I was taking (roughly since they're tough to cut without crumbling) 6 mg of Pristiq and since I cannot really cut them any smaller, today is Day 1 of being at 0 dosage.  My doctor was transparent with me in that this may get messy, and it is difficult to predict how anyone will react to this final cut.  All along with the cuts I have experienced:

• extreme anxiety (subsides as my body adjusts)
• Depersonalization or feeling totally light-headed and "stupid"
• Headaches
• Terrible stomach upset

I am so fearful of this last cut because I know it will be the worst....yet I know that the positives of my doing so will outweigh whatever costs I need to incur to get there. 

 

Does anyone have any insight for folks who have been on high doses of Pristiq for 8+ years and may give me an idea of what to expect?  I feel that's the worst part- not knowing what to expect.  Many of these posts involve folks who have been on for just a few years, so I am curious as to how the long-term dependence will manifest itself for a case like mine. 

 

I am grateful for any words of wisdom you can provide. 

Thank you!!

 

KimT1717

[Shep]

Hi, Kim. Welcome to the forum. 

 

Although I've never been on Pristiq, I was a long-time user of many psychiatric drugs, and like you, I also started very young. I spent 30 years on them and am now medication free for almost a year. So I can assure you, you will feel much better in time. 

 

Thank you for already filling out your signature. Please also include any other medications and supplements you're using. You sound like you're already familiar with the 10% rule, and I'm going to give you some links regarding Pristiq withdrawal specifically and what to expect in general after coming off of psych drugs. 

 

 

Tips for tapering off Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)

 

Experiences after tapering to zero 

 

What is withdrawal syndrome? 

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

There's also a section of the forum to discuss and research your symptoms:

 

 Symptoms and Self Care Forum

 

And this link will give you plenty of ways of handling your symptoms without meds:

 

Non-drug Techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

This thread is your place to update your symptoms and to ask questions. You'll find plenty of information and support here.

 

 

[kimt1717]

*topic moved from symptoms forum

 

Does anyone out there know what is recommended from an exercise standpoint while going through a taper? I am the very end of tapering off of Pristiq (one week now totally medication free!), and it has been admittedly pretty difficult.
Exercise has always been a great release for me- I am a runner and competitive socce player. However, I wasn't sure if it was recomm need to continue with physical activity when your body is under stress from the taper? I would have to give this up completely, as it is such a great release, but want to be sure I am smart about it...

Edited May 24, 2016 by Petunia
added note

[Junglechicken]

There are many of us ex-athletes here.

 

The less strain you put on your body the better. Your CNS has a lot of healing to do and will become temporarily further destabilised with each dose drop.

 

Swimming and walking are both good low impact activities, but you will soon get a feel for what is too much for you. Too much exercise can land you in the grips of another WAVE.

 

It's hard to accept that until we are healed we will not be able to resume our athletic pursuits.

 

I used to run marathons.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Kimt,

 

I am afraid you are very close to having full blown wd syndrome as your taper off lamictal was way faster than we would recommend: its 10% of the PREVIOUS dose no oftener than every 4 weeks and only if relatively symptom free. Now you are rushing off pristiq and by your own admission you are having a rough go of it.

 

You have given your body virtually no chance to adjust to lower and lower amounts of the drugs. In this situation, exercise over and above a gentle 30 min walk daily is likely to de-stabilize you further (it happened to me).

 

I don't have the links handy but hopefully a mod will see I bumped this post and will rush in and help you start an introductions topic and give you the links you should read.

[Petunia]

Hi Kim,

I moved the topic you started in the symptoms forum to your introduction thread here because it was related to your own situation specifically. Please use this thread to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Please bookmark it or follow it so you can find it again.

 

Here is our exercise topic:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/10726-exercise-do-more-do-less-do-nothing-what-worked-for-you/

 

I'm also concerned that you may have tapered too fast. Did you see the links that Shep posted for you?

 

Are your symptoms getting worse now that you are drug free?