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TNTD: Wellbutrin: cold turkey due to debilitating side effect


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tntd-severe-anxiety-with-agoraphobia-in-cold-turkey-withdrawal-dr-increased-benzo

 

 

Hi to everyone and thank you for accepting me into this group. 

 

I was planning on tapering from my Wellbutrin after I had been stable on it for a couple of months. I have only been taking it since January but had been experiencing what I thought were just increased anxiety and agitation from it. I was inpatient at the time and the doctors told me that those weren't side effects and it was just my own anxiety. I have a long history of panic disorder which was under control until my husband and I decided to move to another city due to a job change. 

 

After I left the hospital it took a month to be able to get in to see a psychiatrist. Unfortunately she had a very strong accent and though I think accents are neat I have had trouble understanding people with accents since I had surgery to correct a badly deviated septum. So I had to wait another month to see a different psychiatrist. I was having a horrible time on the Bupropione the whole time but I was able to get some help from a mental health urgent care clinic.They increased my Buspirone from 30 mg to 50 mg which really helped with the anxiety I was experiencing from the Buproprion, 

 

I finally got in to see a new psychiatrist and the first thing she wanted to do was take me off the clonazepam. She wanted to cut my dose in half but I only cut it by a quarter. About five days later I was in full blown withdrawal and she wouldn't believe me. She said if I was in withdrawal I would be in the hospital. I have been going to a group and one of the facilitators told me I should go back to the mental health urgent care which I did the next day and they referred me to an addictionologist. He has been wonderful. He confirmed that I was indeed in withdrawal. I was pretty much through it by that time but at least he understood. It had been about three weeks since I had tapered down on the clonazepam and he recognized that the bupropirone was causing me problems so he told me to drop it to half. After my recent experience I chose to drop it by .25 again. I went straight into severe withdrawal and he reinstated the medication after only two days of a reduction. 

 

At this point I would wake up every morning with severe trembling and anxiety so I switched my night time clonazepam to the morning and that caused those symptoms to remit. I was feeling really good and enjoying my days. Getting out into the sunlight, walking my dog, mowing the lawn. It was great. 

 

Anyway I learned about a device called Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) that is supposed to help you with anxiety and depression and since I want to get off my medications I discussed it with my psychiatrist. He thought it would work so he gave me a prescription for it. I started using it 15 days ago. The first two days were great. I woke up with no anxiety and I felt even better than ever. Then I started having increased anxiety on the third day. One of the things that the CES device can do is increase the effectivness of your medications, and their side effects. About a week into my use of the device the side effects from the Buproprion became intolerable. It turned out that the clonazepam had been  disguising akathisia and the CES brought it out. 

 

Of course this happened over Memorial Day Weekend so I was left to my own devices and the wonderful counsel of my concerned husband. We decided to drop my Buproprian to 75 mg IR to see if that would help. Unfortunately it did not. I didn't seem to have any withdrawal symptoms either though. On Tuesday we went in to see my Dr and he recommended a beta blocker for the side effect. It worked wonderfully. Unfortunately it also caused me to become depressed. The Dr recommended that I go off the medication completely at this point. So starting the next day on June 1 I went cold turkey. 

 

The withdrawal symptoms started immediately. I have had crying spells and unending anxiety. I have continued to use the CES as it is reputed to help with withdrawal symptoms and to help prevent relapsing into depression. It seems to help but not as much as I would like it too. I know that my brain has to remodel itself and it will take time even with the help of the CES device. I have also been using L-theanine which helps a little. I am really trying to find some way to reduce the anxiety as it has turned me into a severe agoraphobic. I hide in my basement so I don't even have to look outside because that is anxiety producing in itself. The only way I have been keeping sane is to keep my brain occupied by surfing the net. I have also been reading The Mood Cure trying to find something that will help with the anxiety. I do have extra clonazepam that the Dr gave me and I have Baclofen but I don't want to have any more addictions than I already do. Once I get off the Buproprion I am planning a liquid taper of the clonazepam. 

 

I really feel like I am in between a rock and a hard place because if I reinstate the Buproprion at all then I have the akathisia to deal with and the medication for it makes me depressed. I would really love any input that anyone has for me. I have been thiking of trying some of the following for the anxiety.

 

Lemon Balm

Valerian Root

Inositol

Niacinamide (the Niacin makes me itchy from the histamine release)

L-glycine

Taurine

Ashwaghanda

 

I even read that someone coming off of Buprorpion had some success with L-phenalalanine but I have anxiety issues so I don't know if that would be counter productive or helpful becasue going off of the Buproprion is what is causing this.

 

I'm also afraid of long term consequences to the cold turkey but I don't know what else I could have done.

 

I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions.

 

Thank you, and thank you for this wonderful group.

 

Edited by ChessieCat

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Administrator

Welcome, tndt.

 

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

There may be a clue there.

 

How much clonazepam and buspirone are you taking now, and what times of day? When do you use the CES device?

 

Can you reduce your use of the CES device?

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs (and CES), and their dosages.

 

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/
 

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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Hi Alto,

 

Thank you for the Drug Interaction Checker. It's a lot faster than looking them up on WebMd!!!

 

I am taking .75 mg of clonazepam at bedtime.

I take 30 mg of Buspirone at bedtime, 10 mg in the morning, and10 mg in the afternoon.

I have been using the CES device 3 times a day for 60 minutes at setting 1. From the information I have about the CES device the more you use it when you are going through withdrawal the better but I'm sure it is dependent on each individual. I found this on a website that sells Alpha-Stim devices. 

 

http://www.beginhealing.com/html/alpha-stim/faq.html

 

"Q: I have a friend who wants to come off of his antidepressant drugs. Will the Alpha-Stim help with that?

A: The Alpha-Stim will be a big help with that, but he should only come off his medication under medical supervision. Some physicians who are withdrawing hospitalized patients from such medications will withdraw them very quickly, some even "cold turkey," while using the Alpha-Stim an hour or more each day. That would be dangerous for most persons who were not under constant clinical supervision. Physicians usually encourage outpatients to come off their medication a little at a time, reducing it by small amounts every four or five days, and using the Alpha-Stim daily during that process. Withdrawal can take weeks or months, done this way, but it is much safer, and the patients ultimately get there in the long run, which is what they wanted to do in the first place."

 

I am already taking fish oil and magnesium, have been for years. I have been debating increasing the amount of fish oil though. I do wonder how I would know if it was stimulating for me if I have already been taking it or if the fact that I'm already taking it will prevent over stimulation.

 

I have been reading a lot about the anxiety others have experienced and I seem to be experiencing the cortisol problems that a lot of other people are as well.

 

I also read that the Buproprione won't be out of my system for five days and then the metablolites take 10 days. That scares me since I am already so bad with the anxiety.

 

I will also start keeping a daily diary of the symptoms and the medications I am taking.

 

Thank you 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey Tndt, welcome!

 

So - reading your intro and your signature, do I understand That you CT'd Buproprion on June 1, and that you are on Clonazepam 1 mg, and Buspar 30 mg?

 

And you started CES since what date?  Please add that date and your current protocol (3 x 20 min sessions)  to your signature, and emphasize what your current meds and doses are?

 

Your use of CES seems a bit aggressive - I have a Bio-Tuner and my "protocol" was more like 2x20 min a day, and I was cautioned against overuse.  There is a thread which discusses CES on SA, here:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4829-alpha-stim-fisher-wallace-sota-biotuner-pons-and-similar-devices/  (ignore the first comment, a full discussion follows)  Some people have had great success with it; some found it over-stimulating, others got nothing from it.

 

I have gotten lax in my use of it, I was craving it for awhile, and it was helping some with my pain management.  I'm currently using more exercise and less CES.

 

There is a good rule of thumb for withdrawal:  find the things that make your symptoms better, and follow them.  Studies and doctors and pet theories have little or nothing to do with what is happening in withdrawal.  You can sometimes use these studies and theories as tools to help find what feels better, but the best thing for feeling better is this:  TIME.

 

Waiting.  Holding.  Doing nothing.  Doing No Thing.  Scrambling from here to there for the Next Thing may feel like something, but in withdrawal it can be dangerous.  Doing No Thing, waiting, holding.  Is the clearest way through.

 

We're not conditioned that way, we're conditioned to "solve it, fix it now."  Please resist the urge (I know, we've all done it) to take this or that supplement.  Most of them will be destabilizing - save them for later.  When you are out of this difficult time - ironically, when you are better - then you can use enzymes and supplements to help manage your mood and health.

 

Until then, while you are waiting, please consider How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

 

Please let us know your dosing schedule, and symptoms before and after dosing, as Alto requested, so that we can help find a path through.

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

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Hi Jan,

 

Thanks for your reply. 

 

I did CT Buproprion on June 1 and I am not doing well with it. I wake up with severe anxiety and it lasts all day. I do sometimes get some relief in the evenings just before bed. 

 

I have been using L-theanine for the break through anxiety I had been experiencing with taking the Buproprion and the reduction of the Clonazepam since May. My new Pdoc didn't understand why my previous pdoc wanted to take me off of the clonazepam. He has prescribed more for me but I try not to take it. Though I am sorely tempted right now as I am basically not functioning due to the extreme anxiety/agoraphobia I am currently experiencing. I will do as you say and not keep trying new supplements

 

I am currently able to sleep at night but I think that is due to the medications I take at bed time. I start waking with anxiety around 4:00 - 4:30 and it goes from there. 

 

I had not thought of the CES as being too stimulating but now that you mention it I can see that it could be. The Alph-Stim says to use it for an hour if you are under the 2.5 setting and I am only on setting 1. I have been using it three times a day but yesterday I only used it twice. I will read the topic that you linked to for more information. Thank you. 

 

The only time I get any relief from the anxiety is if I am on the internet or keeping my mind extremely busy with something else. Then the anxiety receeds though it is still there. I don't know how much longer I can handle it.  Sorry, it just seems worse today than it has been previously. I do know that I am on day five of being cold turkey and I read that the buprorione is out of your system in 4.4 days with the metabolites gone in 10. I'm wondering if that is why I am worse today. 

 

I also seem to be hyper-sensitive to everything, light, noise, movement around me, being touched.

 

I just finished a CES session and it didn't help the anxiety at all. While I am doing it I do seem to get a bit of relief but as soon as I am done it is back. When I first started using it it really helped my anxiety but right now I think it is just keeping depression at bay. 

 

I'm feeling really scared right now and very alone. 

 

I don't seem to have any changes to my symptoms before or after dosing of any of my meds or supplements, except at night when I am finally able to calm and go to sleep for a bit. I'm assuming that is from the clonazepam.

 

I really appreciated all your information. Congratulations on being drug free. 

 

Thanks again for any and all your help. 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Medication and supplement schedule:

 

L-theanine, L-glycine, and L-Lysine at 6:00 in the morning. Used to calm a bit not really doing anything now.

 

Buspar 10 mg with Fexofenidine for my allergies at 7:00 - 7:30 am. No change to anxiety.

 

L-theanine and L-glycine 11:00 am used to notice some calming. Not noticing it currently

 

Buspar 10 mg between 2:30 to 4:30 depending on when I remember to take it. My memory hasn't been to good recently soooo. No change to my anxiety.

 

L-theanine and L-glycine around 4:00 - 4:30. Same as above

 

Buspar 30 mg and Clonazepam .75 mg between 10:00 and 10:30 pm. Calms me and I am able to sleep. 

 

I also do a moringing and night meditation for at least 15 minutes. 

 

I also have been taking various supplements for years. Vit C, D-3, Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Glycinate, malate, and orotate, glucosimine, chondrotine and msm, k-2, Astaxantin, Co-enzyme b complex, Folate, b-12, Omega 3 with vit e, probiotics, and I take Remifemin (black Cohosh).

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Sorry Alto my cognition hasn't been the greatest recently and I just reread your post to me. 

 

Therapeutic duplication warnings

Therapeutic duplication is the use of more than one medicine from the same drug category or therapeutic classicon1.png 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 Tranquilizers

Therapeutic duplication

The recommended maximum number of medicines in the 'tranquilizers' category to be taken concurrently is usually one. Your list includes two medicines belonging to the 'tranquilizers' category:

  • clonazepam
  • buspirone (active ingredient in BuSpar (buspirone))

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.

 

These are the only drugs I am currently taking. Did you also want me to put in any supplements I am taking or am interested in?

 

Thanks for your help. 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Hi JanCarol,

 

I read the thread on CES. It was interesting and enlightening. I only did one session of CES yesterday. Thank you for the recommendation. 

 

I know you recommended to do no thing just hold. I'm of course finding that very hard because the anxiety has taken over my life. I have read the thread/s on cortisol and it sounds just like what I am going through. Early morning wakings with anxiety/terror, feeling hot. Then I have anxiety all day long. Not just anxiety though, it verges on panic all day. I really want to do something for this and at the same time I'm afraid to do anything. I have extra clonazepam but I don't really want to use drugs if I can avoid it. I have read all of the recommendations for lowering cortisol. What do you or anyone recommend for this? I am on my sixth day of withdrawal and feeling very alone.

 

I do have a pdoc appointment today too. I have no idea what he is going to recommend. 

 

Thanks.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Well my pdoc wants me to use my clonazepam to reduce the anxiety. He suggested .25mg in the morning and then .25mg as needed later in the day. He said he thinks that i have glutamate toxicity. He doesn't recommend reinstating buproprione because it is stimulating but in any type of reinstatement it should be done at a low dose. He agreed with a lot of the information that I have learned on this site. He wasn't to sure about protracted withdrawal syndrome execept with opiates and benzos and something else. He said he hasn't really seen it with Wellbutrin so I am hopeful.

 

I did take the .25mg clonazepam after I left my appointment and I actually had a really good rest of the day. There were anxiety surges but I was mostly anxiety free the rest of the day. This morining I used a sleep mask and was able to sleep in with less of the anxiety break throughs but the anxiety went way up once I was up and doing things so I took .25mg of clonazepam at about 8:30 this morning. I have been experiencing break through anxiety, or spikes, periodically. Unfortunately I am now experiencing depression as well. They swing back and forth currently. The dreary day outside doesn't help I'm sure. Not having any friends in the area is also a problem. 

 

Feeling lonely and frustrated. I just want this to be over and I can't imagine how others on this blog have dealt with the protracted withdrawal syndrome. My heart and admiration goes out to all of you.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Altostrata

 

In your withdrawal syndrome post you make this statement:

 

"Symptoms may last for weeks, months, or years after you stop. Probably for the majority of people, withdrawal symptoms resolve in a few weeks or months. Others can suffer for years from prolonged withdrawal syndrome."

 

Do you or anyone know if this applies to people who had to cold turkey their medication too, "that for the majority of people, withdrawal symptoms resovle in a few weeks or months?"

 

Since I added .25 mg clonazepam this morning I have been having mood swings that have steadily become just depression.

 

Please, any comments or help or anything would be appreciated. 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

tntd: Sad to say that probably a good number of people who have abruptly stopped psychoactive drugs  experience PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome).  That doesn't mean you'll be one of them, but it is a risk.

 

edited to remove my uninformed, uneducated and unhelpful comments on clonazepam

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thank you for your response scallywag.

 

I guess that begs the question of should I reinstate? My doctor thinks it would be a bad idea because of the stimulating effects of buproprione and the severe anxiety I am having with withdrawal. 

 

There is also the fear that the akathisa would return even at a low level of reinstatement. I had cut my dose in half and it didn't change the level of akathisia at all. 

 

Fear is all around and makes it hard to make any decisions.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

tntd: I'm not the best person to answer your question about reinstating the Wellbutrin (bupropion).  For myself, I would be reluctant to reinstate a drug to which I had a strong negative reaction.

 

One of the moderators will see your question and confer with other mods and post an answer/suggestion. A quick look at drugs.com shows that bupropion is approved for depression (major and seasonal affective) but not for anxiety disorders -- another reason to wait for someone more knowledgeable (a moderator) to post.

 

Please continue being patient. You're not alone: Many people have difficulties when a med is added, dropped, or the dose is changed. The specific symptoms, their frequency and intensity vary.  I've never dealt with anxiety and can only imagine how uncomfortable and upsetting it can be.   Have you read the thread about non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms in the Symptoms and self-care forum?

 

In her above post JanCarol suggested having a look at Claire Weekes's website:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes. You might find some techniques there that will help you through withdrawal and after.

 

You're tougher and stronger than you think. You'll get through this.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Mood swings and depression can be withdrawal symptoms. It's probably a good idea to stabilize without reinstating as you seem to be sensitized to the drug.

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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What is your drug interaction report??? It should include Fexofenidine.

 

As I read your posts, you had anxiety etc. as a side effect of Wellbutrin, yet -- inappropriately, the doctors made you stay on it. Buspirone was added but did not immediately reduce the Wellbutrin-caused anxiety. An increase in buspirone seemed to help.

 

Then you went off clonazepam too fast and got benzo withdrawal. (Some of these symptoms were blamed on buspirone.) On top of that, you cold-turkeyed Wellbutrin.

 

You are currently taking 50mg busipirone in divided doses and .25mg clonazepam twice a day. Is this correct?

 

My guess is you are suffering from a combination of benzo withdrawal syndrome and Wellbutrin withdrawal syndrome, plus your nervous system was stressed from the adverse effects while you were on Wellbutrin.

 

In withdrawal syndrome, very frequently the nervous system is hypersensitive to all kinds of stimuli and drugs, including benzos. Reducing stimulation, such as light or sound, is a good idea -- let your nervous system settle down. This will be very gradual.

 

"Depression" is a common side effect of benzos. To see if you are having reactions to any of the drugs or supplements you take, please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages.

 

I would not reinstate any amount of Wellbutrin. Your nervous system has enough to cope with. If I were you, I would avoid taking any additional drugs to fix your situation.

 

Your doctor seems unusually sympathetic. Perhaps you can teach him about psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome.

 

 

Altostrata

 

In your withdrawal syndrome post you make this statement:

 

"Symptoms may last for weeks, months, or years after you stop. Probably for the majority of people, withdrawal symptoms resolve in a few weeks or months. Others can suffer for years from prolonged withdrawal syndrome."

 

Do you or anyone know if this applies to people who had to cold turkey their medication too, "that for the majority of people, withdrawal symptoms resovle in a few weeks or months?"

 

Since I added .25 mg clonazepam this morning I have been having mood swings that have steadily become just depression.

 

Please, any comments or help or anything would be appreciated. 

 

Yes, the above applies to cold turkey. Cold turkey is even higher risk than tapering. It is universally condemned, even by the medical profession, as a way to go off psychiatric drugs except in cases of severe adverse reactions.

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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Hi Scallywag,

 

Thank you so much for your response. You really helped me feel not so alone.

 

I have been using many of the techniques like deep breathing and mindfulness. They seem to last only as long as I am using them. This anxiety is unlike my normal anxiety and about the only thing I can do to escape it is to distract myself with surfing the internet or some other brain absorbing activity.

 

 

I haven’t yet perused Dr. Claire Weekes website but I definitely plan on going through it. Any ammunition I can add to my anti-anxiety arsenal will help in making life easier.

 

Thanks again for you kindness and encouragement.

 

Hi AliG

 

Thanks for your response. All the information I can gather from the wonderful people of this forum is helpful. I always like to get as many thoughts and opinions as possible before I make any decisions.

 

Hi Altostrata,

 

My drug interaction report only shows an interaction between Buspirone and clonazepam. The fexofenadine only shows interactions with food.

 

You are correct that I was made to stay on the Wellbutrin despite the fact that I told them it was causing me to have anxiety and agitation. My current doctor thinks that the clonazepam was hiding the fact that it was probably akathisia the whole time. As soon as he met me he wanted to take me off of it but it was too soon after the benzo debacle and my brain couldn’t handle it.

 

I am currently taking 50mg Buspirone in divided doses and .75mg of clonazepam at night. Then I can take .25mg clonazepam during the day as needed up to three times a day for the anxiety the withdrawal is causing. So far I have only taken .25mg extra in a day. The Vitamin C seems to be helping as well so maybe I won’t have to continue taking the benzo as I don’t want to have to withdrawal from the extra .25mg again.

 

The original pdoc wanted me to go off of the clonazepam starting with half but I refused and I’m glad I did because I can only imagine the withdrawal would have been a lot worse than it was.

 

Thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions and information. They are what I have been thinking is going on and to have someone with your vast knowledge confirm them makes me feel, if not better at least validated.

 

I am trying to keep the stimulation to a minimum. I do notice that if I do too much or have too much stimulation I get really tired and want to go to sleep. I assume that is my brain telling me to take a break.

 

At this point I have no desire to go on any other medications. My CES device seems to be helping with the depression, which I am grateful for.

 

I have been keeping a daily diary of the medications and supplements I am taking and also of my symptoms as you suggested. The story that it tells is interesting and I will be glad to have it as a reference.

 

I do have a very good doctor who really listens to what I have to say. I know he believes in withdrawal syndrome from alcohol, opiates, and benzos but when I asked about Wellbutrin or other anti-depressants he wasn’t sure about that. He didn’t say it didn’t happen but just that he didn’t think it happened very often.

 

 

I take a lot of articles in to him and he is going to let me do a liquid taper when I am ready to go off of the benzo so he is definitely open to new ideas and information. Hopefully I can educate him about psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome and he can pass it on to others around him. I am very lucky to have found a pdoc like him. I’m also very lucky to have found a group with so much knowledge to share. Thank you for your help and encouragement.

 

I really wish I could have tapered, that was my plan, but hopefully I will be one of the lucky ones who even though I was forced to go cold turkey will heal quickly.

 

I wish that for all of us, healing and peace.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Well the past couple of days have actually been pretty good. I was able to sleep through the night and not wake up with anxiety. The anxiety didn't even start when I got up and got going with my day. Yesterday was cloudy and I took my dog for a bike ride. I did get anxious towards the end of the bike ride, I'm assuming I was over stimulated. Today was sunny and I took her for a walk and then I actually did some cleaning and cooking and went outside and did some weeding. I was feeling really good. Not to long after I came inside though I started feeling anxious. The anxiety continued for awhile and then I started getting depressed. From there it went into mood swings with some agitation. 

 

Yesterday I was out and around other people and today I was alone all day. I have a couple of questions. Was it overstimulation that made the symptoms return or was it the lack of human interaction? Does anyone know what would be the more likely cause of my symptoms returning. Currently they aren't as bad as they were originally. We also had a really bad thunderstorm last night that gave me a headache, vertigo, and body aches. Could that be a trigger? I'm just trying to figure out how to keep things a little more stable, if anyone knows. I feel lucky that I was able to have a couple of good days this early in the process and I'm wondering if that means anything too.

 

Thanks.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Well, things have not been going well. I am waking up with early morning anxiety surges again. I haven't changed anything I'm doing so I don't know why I had a couple of really good days and am now back to anxiety and mood swings. I'm assuming I just had a really early window and am now back in a wave. This early into a withdrawal I don't know if you even call them that. All I want to do is cry and hide, which is unfortunately exactly what I'm doing. I'm also tired and am having stomach cramps and diarhea. Not fun. 

 

Today is only my 12th day in withdrawal but it seems like an eternity. It's hard not to feel like it will never end. I suppose it is probably made worse by the fact that even though it hasn't been withdrawal that I have been dealing with I have been dealing with really bad medication side effects since January and of course partial withdrawal from the clonazepam as well. So it is more like five and a half months that I have been pretty much of a hot mess. It scares me that this may just be the begining of the journey.

 

Part of the problem is not having any friends in the area and due to my social anxiety issues I don't use the phone or even social media. I'm sure being isolated is not helping my situation any. I feel really scared and alone. 

 

It is my hope that everyone continues to heal and find peace in their lives as well as having good days to enjoy. 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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I have to add a correction to the above post. I did actually change one thing. I took the .25mg clonazepam the doctor recommended. It definitely helped with the anxiety and I was able to function.When I felt better I quit taking it so I am wondering if the reason that I felt better was because of the slight increase in clonazepam? 

 

I have been keeping a journal of my meds, supplements, and how I am feeling. On June 6th, the day I saw my doctor I took an extra .25mg of clonazepam. Felt great and was able to do some shopping with my husband. The next morning June 7th my anxiety was not as bad to begin with but it started to increase so I took another .25mg of clonazepam. That afternoon I had some mood swings and depression with some anxiety surges. The next morning June 8th I had mood swings and still had anxiety on waking so I took another .25mg of clonazepam. I had some dr apts that day and around 1:00 I noticed my mood starting to lift. That was after my first appointment. The next morning June 9th I had no waking anxiety and very low anxiety that I was able to deal with on my own. I didn't take any extra clonazepam that day. The next mornig on June 10th I again had very low to no anxiety in the morning so I didn't take any extra clonazepam. However my anxiety started to increase around 2:30 that day and has only gotten worse since then. I have not taken any extra clonazepam as of this time (June 12). 

 

I have read through the thread on withdrawal syndrome. I found all the information on what causes withdrawal to be fascinating. The information on how it can cause excessive glutamateric system activity made sense with my symptoms and the idea that the benzo's could have given me some relief also makes sense to me. I would prefer not to take the benzo's though, is there any other supplement I could try that could have similar effects? I know that Alto recommended that I not take any additional drugs to fix my situation but I am desperate as I am again hiding from life and terrified of everything. As much as I hate it I am about ready to take the additional does of clonazepam again just so I can function.

 

Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Well I decided to take .25 mg of clonazepam this morning. It helped but not much. I've still been anxious all day. Wired and tired. Tired enough that I dozed but was immediately awakened by an anxiety surge. 

 

After reading about the glutamatergic system I understand why the benzo's work and why I shouldn't introduce something like Lamictal. I think I'm just at tolerance with my benzo. I'm also concerned by all the comments I've read about it going paradoxical. The severe agoraphobic anxiety is really hard to deal with though. 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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Today is day 14 of my cold turkey from buproprione (Wellbutrin). I took .25mg of clonazepam again this morning. It has helped with the anxiety a bit more today. I am still having enough anxiety that I am still pretty much housebound but I don't feel like I'm coming out of my skin at the moment. I am starting to get some mood swings though. I do have some physical symptoms as well but compared to the anxiety they are currently minor.

 

Something I haven't mentioned before is that I'm also in perimenopause and have been dealing with anxiety and mood swings for around two weeks each month for a few years now. I don't know how that is playing into all of this.

 

I read that we really shouldn't take or increase our benzodiazepines while we are in withdrawal. I'm I doing the right thing here? 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

The idea is that when making changes to one drug you should keep all the other stable. Typically we recommend tapering the anti-depressant and then the benzo, exactly as you're doing, because the benzos help moderate the AD withdrawal.  Most people are better off with a consistent benzo dose(s), rather than taking it "as needed." There's enough going on for your brain+CNS to adjust to with decreases in the anti-depressant.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

Link to comment

Hi Scallywag, 

 

Thank you so much for your response. So what is your opinon? Shouldl I permanently up my benzo dose back to what it was before I was forced to taper it, or even to the point where I can at least leave the house? The taper of the benzo is what precipitated the increased side effect of the Wellbutrin and caused me to have to cold turkey it,(unfortunately increasing the benzo back to it's original dose, and higher, did not alleviate the severe akathisia).

 

With the anxiety being completely debilitating without increasing my benzo I'm not sure what else to do. I really wish there was a non benzo answer. I'm not thrilled with the idea of having to re-taper the benzo but right now I'm hiding in the house, crying and trembling and waking up with early morning anxiety surges. That on top of the peri-menopause anxiety at times I'm even afraid to leave my bed. 

 

All of your suggestions are appreciated and I consider them carefully as they apply to my circumstances. I can't thank you enough for your time.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

tndt:  I misread, or forgot that you'd recently abruptly stopped taking Wellbutrin and are not currently tapering it. As Alto posted, what you're going through now is your nervous system readjusting to the absence of Wellbutrin -- withdrawal. Your best bet for informed, safe suggestions about the benzos is to introduce yourself in the Members-only forum.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Scallywag,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I was planning on tapering but life doesn't always go the way you plan :(

 

I was under the impression that they were only for tapering benzos. I will introduce myself and see what they have to say.

 

Hope you are having a good day.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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I had to take my daughter to a doctors appointment this morning. The doctor is an integrative dr and she still suggested Remeron to help my daughter sleep. I'm not really thrilled with the idea considering what I'm going through right now, but we are trying some other methods before trying Remeron. The appointment ended up lasting 2 1/2 hours and being hypersensitive I was starting to get super anxious by the time we left.

 

I had an hour and a half at home and then I had to drive to the local VA for a DBT group therapy. I got some great support from the people in my group. Hugs always help too. Anyway I was already so overstimulated I couldn't stay for the whole session. It's a two hour group. The drive there is about 35 minutes and by the end of group it is rush hour traffic and I knew I couldn't handle that. I was hoping that the .25mg clonazepam I took this morning would help more than it did. I really wish I knew how long this level of anxiety was going to last. I suppose we all wish we knew how long it was going to last. 

 

I'm grateful I have a place to talk about my journey if for no other reason than that I will be able to look back and see the improvement as I have read others on this site have done. I'm also being really diligent about writing down my meds and supplements and how I am feeling.

 

I do have one question though. I am taking quite a few supplements and I have been for years. How do you know if a supplement that you have been taking goes "bad" on you?

 

Hope everyone is feeling a little better today than they did yesterday. Sending healing energy, hope, and hugs.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

How old is your daughter? Given your own experience with psych drugs, I can imagine many reactions to the doctor's suggestion, starting with giving the doc a kick in the pants. If she's under 30, I'd be asking the doctor about this:

 

From drugs.com, quoting the FDA prescribing information

Anyone considering the use of Remeron® (mirtazapine) Tablets or any other antidepressant in a child, adolescent, or young adult must balance this risk with the clinical need. Short-term studies did not show an increase in the risk of suicidality with antidepressants compared to placebo in adults beyond age 24

As for your question about supplements, do you have any that you feel are likely suspects? What makes you think that one of your supplements has "gone bad" on you? If so, try cutting the dose of one of them slowly to 0 over a couple of 1-2 weeks. Wait and observe. Post what you're taking here, we may be able to help you identify a place to start.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Wow, thank you so much Scallywag.  I did kind of want to kick the doc in the pants, but she was wearing a skirt ;) I have to admit it was hard to not say anything to the doctor.

 

My daughter is 21 and I had her read your post. She has decided not to fill the scrip the doctor gave her. I've been letting her use my Alpha-Stim AID and it seems to have started helping with her sleep. She has only been using it for two weeks so hopefully over time it will do the trick. She did use it to stop a migraine last night so hopefully it will continue to help her with those as well. Now if it would only help me with the neuro-anxiety I've been experiencing. The .25 mg clonazepam seems to be helping me not wake with anxiety surges starting at 4:00 but I'm still experiencing the daytime anxiety.

 

I did post on the benzo forum as you suggested and received a very helpful reply from Wellness. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

As for the supplements I don't know if I would be able to tell if one had gone bad because I have such severe anxiety as is. Just curious if you knew of a way to tell.

 

 Vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day , D-3 5000 mg, Calcium Citrate with magnesium, Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium malate, and magnesium orotate; glucosimine, chondrotine and msm; k-2, Astaxantin, Co-enzyme b complex, Folate, b-12, Omega 3 with vit e, probiotics, and I take Remifemin (black Cohosh). L-lysine, L-glycine, l-theanine, Fish oil, Respir-all (for allergies), co-Q 10. 

 

I sometimes drink teas, passion flower & holy basil. They don't seem to do much.

When I was still on Wellbutrin I tried Ashwaghanda, it made me depressed but did calm me. I tried Lemon Balm after I quit Wellbutrin and it made me anxious. I've thought of trying Seriphos and lactium (the milk peptide).

 

I've had anxiety and panic for about 20 years and the calcium and magnesium have helped with it previously. 

 

Thanks for all your help and thank you soooooo much for the quote about Remeron!!

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I'm glad your daughter has elected not to travel the psych drug road risking ending up at our exclusive little club here -- all for sleep difficulties. She might find helpful tips in the symptoms and self-care forum: Tips to help sleep

 

Nothing jumps out for me as problematic in your supplements. Caveat: I only have experience with what works for me.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thanks for the link to tips to help sleep. I will definitly have her take a look at it. 

 

I know what you mean about only knowing what works for yourself. Every body is chemically different, kind of what makes all of this such a challenge.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

Link to comment

I have been working with Wellness in the benzo forum. She has been sooooo much help. Sorry I guess I shouldn't assume Wellness is a she :) Doesn't matter to me, the help has been wonderful.

 

I was hoping that I would feel pretty good today because I had taken my regular dose of .75mg clonazepam at bedtime and then took .5mg clonazepam when I got up. Instead I had waking anxiety surges and even after I took the .5mg clonazepam I was extremely anxious. Not as bad as I am without it but not good enough to do much of anything. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that I'm in the second half of my cycle making things a little worse, combined with peri-menopause too, sooooo. 

 

I have been reading a lot on the forum today. I went through what is withdrawal, waves and windows, and something else. There is so much good information in here it will take a long time to get through. Hopefully I'll retain what I need for when I see my pdoc again. I have been trying to write stuff down as he will usually read stuff I bring to him.

 

I also read the CES thread that JanCarol provided the link to. That was interesting and after reading it I reduced my usage of the Alpha-Stim AID. It didn't seem to make much difference one way or the other so I decided to call the company and talk to someone about how to use it during withdrawal. It turns out they actually have a Doctor on staff and he called me back today. He works with an addictionologist who uses the Alpha-Stim to help people withdraw from drugs/medications. He said the way the addictionologist tells his patients to use it is first thing in the morning and then if there is anxiety during the day you can use it again as often as needed, even to the point of using it all day. I don't think I would do that but I did use it twice yesterday and while I am using it the anxiety does decrease, it just doesn't last much past that. 

 

I have noticed that my anxiety often decreases during the evening. It seems to start happening somewhere between 5:00 and 9:00pm. Occasionally it lasts until I go to bed but usually there is a decrease. In fact on Wednesday I felt pretty much normal from about 5:00 on. So are these windows or are they the cortisol reducing in the evening?

 

I'm very grateful for all the people on this site and their willingness to share their stories. I'm so grateful to Alto and all the moderators for all the work they do helping us to cope with this challenge in our lives. I hope that everyone is healing and hopeful. Hugs

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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I so dread mornings. With the increased clonazepam I did not experience the anxiety surges too badly this morning but as soon as I get up out of the dim, quiet room my anxiety goes zooming up. I was hoping that splitting the clonazepam as Wellness suggested would help but it did not. I really think that a large part of the increased anxiety and hypersensitivity is due to my peri-menopause pms. I was experiencing a two week period of anxiety and mood swings prior to going cold turkey off of the buproprion so it makes sense that it would be even worse now.

 

Usually I feel a little better in the evenings and can find a little peace but I have to be really careful to not become overstimulated by anything or the anxiety comes back. This hypersensitivity to everything is really frustrating. I suppose it is the main cause of my anxiety. I'm assuming from what I've read on here about cortisol that it is playing a huge roll in all of this too. I would just like to be able to leave the house. I make it out for doctors appointments but that is always really hard and I struggle to not just run home. I'm usually pretty much a mess by the time I do get home. I'm glad that my basement rec room doesn't have any windows and the lights have dimmer switches on them. It has become my refuge. 

 

I also really miss being able to exercise. Most of the time when I try the anxiety becomes overwhelming and so I just don't. I can sometimes get outside on cloudy days. I so wonder what this is doing to my circadian rythms since I'm hiding from the sun.It is so frustrating since I am a person who loves to be outside doing things and now just the thought of going outside scares me. I'm so afraid it won't go away. Has anyone else felt this way during withdrawal or cold turkey?

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

If your daily routine can accomodate it, how about sitting outside when the sun isn't as strong around sunset or early mornings?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

Link to comment

That's a good idea Scallywag, thanks. I did manage to spend some time outside in the evening with my husband the other day. I can also handle cloudy days a bit better. It's hard to remember to do that when I'm having a really bad day so your reminder is greatly appreciated.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

Link to comment

I'm having a bad day today. 

 

I had a pdoc appointment yesterday and that actually went really well. He said my CNS is to sensitive to add any drugs to it. He did recommend CoQ10 to help with calming the CNS. He thought fish oils were a good idea too. I asked him that since Wellbutrin is usually a medication that doesn't cause withdrawal what he thought my timeline for recovery might be. He said "at least a few more months". He then clarified that that was just a guess, it could be longer or shorter. He also agreed that menopause and peri-menopause can make withdrawal symptoms a lot worse (PMS too). I did ask him if he were to suggest a drug to help with the anxiety what would it be, he said clonidine. I guess they use it with opiate withdrawal. He also said propanolol but I got depressed when I used it for the akathisia so I'm a little leary of it now. I also got depressed when I tried Benedryl to help with anxiety while I was still on buproprion so it seems like a lot of the depressants make me depressed.....they didn't used to.

 

Anyway today I've had horrible mood swings with a lot of depression mixed in, surges of anxiety and absolutely no motivation to do anything. I'm not sure if it is because of the increase in the clonazepam from .75mg to 1.25mg or if it is PMS, or both. I increased the clonazepam I've also been really nauseas, completely exhausted and achy. Just sort of bleh. I had quite a bit of insomnia last night too and I'm sure that ins't helping anything. I have been slowly increasing my fish oils. I am up to 1500mg EPA + DHA. I'm trying to get to between 2000 and 40000mg. I haven't noticed any increased anxiety but it does make me wonder if the fish oils are causing any of the depression, fatigue, achy, ichyness of today. Can fish oils even do that? Usually they help me feel less achy, I've been taking them for years. I read the whole thread on Fish Oils yesterday but can't seem to remember if they can cause depression or just anxiety for some people. 

 

Yesterday I managed to take my dog for a walk around the block, it was sunny so I kept my sunglasses on, and then I had a pdoc appointment. Maybe it was just to much and that's my problem today. So many variables, no way to tell, sigh. 

 

I'm grateful for this safe place to write down my experiences and I'm grateful to all those who have gone before and their stories. I'm especially grateful for those that have given my suggestions and advice.

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

Link to comment

Yesterday was a pretty good day. It started out with a bit lower anxiety and throughout the day my anxiety was on the lower side with regular surges of anxiety that tapered to occasional surges of anxiety. I had an appointment with my psychologist and on the way home I was able to stop by the grocery store and pick up a couple of things. Normally when I'm out the hypersensitivity is so bad I can't wait to get back into my house and hide from all the stimuli.

 

By the evening I was feeling pretty good. Interestingly enough we had a storm come through and shortly before the storm my anxiety went way up and not long after the storm started my anxiety went back down. I found that interesting. So weather definitely affects me. Also gave me some aches and pains but I get so focused on the anxiety that I forget about a lot of the other (long) list of symptoms. Anyway, since the experience with the storm I am now writing the weather down on in my medications/supplements/feelings journal. 

 

Today hasn't been as good. I slept in pretty late which was nice, and unusual. I have a fitbit that keeps track of my sleep and it said that even though I was in bed for a long time I didn't get very good sleep. That's pretty typical for this time of the month too though. This is also the most my emotional symptoms have varied. Usually it's just severe anxiety and agoraphobia. I've been swinging with the "depression" too today but for some reason the agoraphobia stays. Does anyone know if agoraphobia is a depression symptom too or is it pure withdrawal right now? 

 

How do you know if the "depression" is withdrawal or if it is resurfacing emotion? We moved and that is what started all of this. I've been having thoughts of my previous house and city come wandering into my head a lot recently. I really miss them. Also knowing people, friends and aquaintances alike. I don't even know my neighbors here because I'm terrified of going outside. So is feeling down due to isolation or withdrawal?

 

I'm really grateful that I have a place to come and write about my journey. I can't wait until I can get out of this house because I really want to start volunteering or something so that I can start to meet people here and make friends, though that idea is pretty scary right now. I was planning on going back to school and getting a "second career". I was lucky enough to stay home with my kids, that was my first career. Schoolingand my second career all got derailed when I sank into a MDD at the end of December shortly after we moved. I had hoped that when I stabalized on the meds I could go back to school but that never happened and knowing what I know now I don't know what I would do if I slipped back into MDD. That and my anxiety coming back really scare me. What to do if that happens?

 

Right now I'm trying to focus on acceptance. I've read some of the info from Claire Weeks. I'm supposed to go to a therapy group called Acceptance and Commitment. I'm waiting for them to call me with a start date. I'm also participating in a DBT group, that was going really good until I started into withdrawal, now I have a hard time sitting through the meetings. Actually I have a hard time leaving the house to go to the meetings, but I know I need them, and to be around other people, so I somehow force myself to go. I'm sure other's here understand what I mean.

 

Is there any information on when people start getting windows and how quickly they get through withdrawal? I think it would be an interesting thing to see if there is any correlation at all. 

 

Sorry this is so long, I find it helps me to write about what is going on. I'm grateful for all of the people here and the sharing of their stories. It helps me know that things will get better eventually. I'm especially grateful for those people who have responded to my story and shared their ideas and thoughts.

 

Peace and healing to all of you. Oh and hugs too because they are supposed to increase all sorts of good hormones in the body :) 

Buspirone to 45mg, Cold Turkey St. John's Wort 600mg Jan 1, 2016. Cold Turkey Buproprion 150SR June 1 due to severe Akathisia that did not decrease with reducing the dosage.

Clonazepam 1.25mg, started daily liquid micro taper of clonazepam on Nov 1, 2016. Changed to sxs based taper 01/17. Slow and steady

11/10/16 .4104 3X day; 11/17/16 .4091 3x day; 11/28/16 .406 3x day; 12/4/16 .404 3x day; 12/11/16 .4028 3x

01/12/17 .39267 3x day holding; 02/25/17 .3902 3x day, holding. .3823mg 3x day. Tapering at .0007462mg as able;  09/21/18 .3542mg 3x day.  1/3/2019 .339mg 3x day. 6/25/19 .3307mg 3x day. 8/24/19 .317mg 3x day 2/13/20 .2886mg 3x day 3/18/21 .2388mg 3x day 06/17/21 .2239mg 3x day 09/13/22 .1682 3x day

L-theanine 200 mg, L-glycine 500mg 1x day and 1000mg 1x day, vit C 1000 mg sustained release 2x day. Fish oil 1800mg EPA + DHA. Vit E 400 IU, magnesium in various forms. Inositol 3x a day abt 14mg, Taurine 500mg.

5/20/16 Using Cranial Eletrotherapy Stimulation. 2x day 1 hour at level 1. Using Alph-Stim AID. 

 

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