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Cold turkey or rapid taper success stories?


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There are tons.

Too bad it's still nothing here from a member who isn't speaking for someone they know in life.

2020 July 28 - August 9: 15 mg Mirtazapine

Quit cold turkey. Experienced tiny brain zaps, dulled emotions, insomnia.

2020 September 2 - 4: reinstated with 7.5 mg Mirtazapine

2020 September 4 - 12: went back to 15 mg Mirtazapine

2020 September 13 - present: reduced to 7.5 mg Mirtazapine

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I'm 3.5 yrs out from a cold turkey. I was on Paxil 20 mg for 14 or 15 yrs and then upped to 40 mg for 8 months when I stopped.

I had stopped and started the medication before, but always returned to it thinking it was me- not withdrawal.

Slowly but surely- the brain heals.

Paxil 20mg from 1998-2011 

Paxil 40mg from 2011-2012 while experiencing poopout

October 2013 quit cold turkey

Oct-mid Nov 2013 great window

Late November WD nightmare 

Windows and waves pattern 

Now: 28 months cold turkey...doing decent learning to deal with the windows/waves pattern fighting it every step of the way. 

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There are tons.

 

Too bad it's still nothing here from a member who isn't speaking for someone they know in life.

Why would someone who quit ADs without any problems come here?

Effexor 150mg July 2011 - March 2014

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I'm 3.5 yrs out from a cold turkey. I was on Paxil 20 mg for 14 or 15 yrs and then upped to 40 mg for 8 months when I stopped.

I had stopped and started the medication before, but always returned to it thinking it was me- not withdrawal.

Slowly but surely- the brain heals.

how you know its you and not your wd?

thanx

2007-2015- zoloft 100 mg
5-8/2015 taper zoloft 12.5 mg every 2 weeks
3/2016 -11/16 lexapro 20 mg

taper lexapro every month by 30%

11/4/17-lexapro 3.5 mg

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Withdrawal caused brain zaps, I never had those before. Stomach cramps, intense anxiety like I'd never had before, intrusive thoughts, the need to be up moving, cold chills, shaking, flu like symptoms and shin pain, and more- I knew it was not me.

Paxil 20mg from 1998-2011 

Paxil 40mg from 2011-2012 while experiencing poopout

October 2013 quit cold turkey

Oct-mid Nov 2013 great window

Late November WD nightmare 

Windows and waves pattern 

Now: 28 months cold turkey...doing decent learning to deal with the windows/waves pattern fighting it every step of the way. 

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  • 5 months later...

It just seems if Prozac is causing agitation or hypomania (as in my case), slow tapering does not make sense. I have heard that Prozac is self tapering, but there are too many stories of people who suffer withdrawals when they go cold turkey. I plan to do the 10% method, anyway, as I have another medicine to help if I get too agitated.....

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to Any Cold Turkey Success Stories?
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi, Peppermintwind, and welcome to SurvivingAntidepressants.  I'm glad you found your way here.

 

We ask all of our members to fill out a signature so that all of your information can be read at a glance without having to go to this original post each time.  Your signature will appear at the bottom of each of your posts.  This helps moderators understand your situation.

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

 •    Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
 •    A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
 •    Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
 •    Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
 •    Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.

     
To get you started, and familiarized with the protocols followed by SA, I am linking a couple of topics so that you have a better understanding of what is recommended here and the steps that you can take to minimize your withdrawal.  

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Gridley Introduction

 

Lexapro 20 mg since 2004.  Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017.   

End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg 

End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg

End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg  

Oct. 30, 2020  Jump to zero from 0.025mg.  Current dose: 0.000mg

3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete.

 

Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements

Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium

Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium 

End 2021  year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg

End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg 

End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg

Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper.

Taper is 95% complete.

 

Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986.  Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg  

March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper

Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper

Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper.  Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Peppermintwind, I have moved your first post to SA's Introductions and Updates forum.

Gridley Introduction

 

Lexapro 20 mg since 2004.  Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017.   

End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg 

End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg

End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg  

Oct. 30, 2020  Jump to zero from 0.025mg.  Current dose: 0.000mg

3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete.

 

Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements

Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium

Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium 

End 2021  year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg

End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg 

End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg

Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper.

Taper is 95% complete.

 

Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986.  Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg  

March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper

Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper

Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper.  Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

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  • 2 months later...

I have CTd or fast tapered SSRIs and TCAs many times with no problems.

 

I am here in SA because for the first time I have a big problem on an SSRI. I guess my luck ran out.

 

 

Current daily meds. Citalopram 2.5mg morning. Diazapam 1.5mg evening, Propanalol 40mg split 4x10mg throughout day.

 

Recent meds. Fluoxetine 20mg began 24th Nov 2017, CT on 4th December on medical advice due to bad Akathisia. Citalopram 10mg began on 13th Dec 2017, tapered to 2.5mg by 20th Dec 2017 on medical advice. Diazapam 2mg began on 6th Dec 2017 cut to 1.5 mg on 26th Dec. Propanalol 40mg began on 13th Dec. Zopiclone 3.75 mg began 13th December, used maybe 5 times then quit.

 

Previous history. Tricyclics, Fluoxetine or Citalopram for periods of 6mo to 2yrs over last 25 years. Probably 5 yrs in total. No significant ill effects.

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On 1/7/2017 at 11:48 AM, AliG said:

A Girl - It's so hard to say.  Everyone is different but I have found that on average it seems to be around the three - five  year mark for C/T . Maybe you will be the exception . I hope so. You can keep Cold turkeying and recover but it takes time and patience. Perhaps more than you ever thought that you had.

3-5 years? Is this dependent on dosage and time you took the medication or does it seem to take much longer because of the C/T?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
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is the healing period different? what should you eat to heal etc?

risperidone 5mg on 17 december 2017

4mg from 15/1/2018

3mg from 23/1/2018

2 mg from 27/3/2018

fluoxetine 20mg started 15/12/2017,stopped 15/1/2018

1/1/2019 80 mg lurasidone

2/1/2019 40 mg lurasidone

3/1/2019 stopped

29/5/2019 20 mg lurasidone 

7/6/2019 10 mg lurasidone 27/6/2019 5 mg lurasidone 30/11/2019 2 mg lurasidone 30/12/2019 1.66 mg lurasidone

Taking 40mg lurasidone and its helping a lot, don't stop your antipsychotic if you suffer from psychotic symptoms

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18 hours ago, swordiebrom said:

is the healing period different? what should you eat to heal etc?

I would love to see information on this to

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/6/2017 at 12:32 PM, AliG said:

3 years at the end of this month. So many symptoms have gone  - dizziness, cortisol awakenings, palpitations,insomia but some remain - neuro-emotions, anhedonia, and occasional depression and anxiety.

 

I seemed to go in monthly waves for a while but I noticed a huge improvement at the 2- year mark. Since then I have regressed to a degree but I think that is due to life stressors. 

 

I was on the AD's for many years.

Have you seen any improvement in your anhedonia?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
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HB. I'm sorry, I only just saw this. I never noticed the January post (above) at the time.

 

To try and answer both questions - firstly, I don't really know if it is a matter of dosage, time on drugs, cold - turkey or perhaps and most likely, all of them combined. All I can really say is that this has been my experience. Even generalizing about length of time can be tricky as we all have our own individual timelines. It varies widely and greatly. From what I have seen and experienced though, this C/T process does take some considerable time. Having said that, tapering also involves time and a certain amount of patience. These qualities become highly valued skills during this process, whether you cold -turkey-ed or tapered. It's still character - building.  :rolleyes:

 

For me, I had many C/T'S over a long period of time whilst on and off the drugs over 20 something, odd years. This is largely what I put my length of recovery time down to, for me individually. My CNS was ... highly challenged, even before my final cold - turkey ( before SA). It was obvious to me then, that this wouldn't be fixed overnight. I knew that was going to have to put in some hard work, both with non- drug techniques and also acceptance.

 

Your second question is much easier to answer, as lately, I have really gone ahead in " leaps and bounds" in the anhedonia department. It's not perfect yet ~ and I can still struggle at certain times, particularly during waves, but the difference is really like "night and day". It is major improvement and so much has now disappeared. It was a symptom that I have really struggled with and has been one of the last to start to recede but as with all the other symptoms, it is virtually non- existent, now.

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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You guys can do a fast taper off with supplements and other drug augmentations. and continue with johns wort when drug is out of your system.

i dont know why u guys are not using anything and complaining about witrawall messing with all those nightmares.

 

you can add creatine, ibuprofen, celecoxibe, zinc, magnesium, NAC, fish oil,  all of them at the same time for maximum effect.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496103

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23419244

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3796297/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624319/

 

btw go  to gym run at treadmill at very high speeds breath deep and slow down for 3-5 minutes repeat this for 45-60 minutes 3-4 times a week. this will reset your brain.  and do some 5x5 training.

Dont forget : sedentary people have sedentary brains

http://slideplayer.com/slide/9343941/

https://www.google.com.tr/search?ei=fAuCWp_nO8q3sQGW8o7QAg&q=sedentary+brain&oq=sedentary+brain&gs_l=psy-ab.3...47739.47739.0.47874.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.0.0....0.3hMuh7T2Iwg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to Any cold turkey success stories?
On 1/4/2017 at 2:19 AM, anongrl5590 said:

Hello everyone!

 

I have CT'd from Prozac use since September 2017 (you can see my history in my signature). It's my 3rd month of withdrawals (but 4 months off Prozac completely) and I'm struggling to find hope that there's success in cold turkeying. I know it's not the best thing to do, but I'm honestly afraid to reinstate.

 

I've had waves and windows interchange so far, and I'm hoping the existence of the windows means I'm recovering. But I'm unsure. Can I keep cold turkeying and recover? Are there successes out there from CT?

How are you now?

Cold turkeyed risperidone (1m.g)and trihexyphenidyl combination drug out of ignorance,In August 2016 after one month use.

Withdrawal symptoms settled at dreamful,disturbing sleep.

Thus introduced to olanzapine for sleep.Started using olanzapine out of ignorance.

Tapering olanzapine 10 m.g from February 2017.

May 2018 :Still suffering dreams,Still tapering olanzapine at 0.625.100ml water+2.5 mg olanzapine. June 2018 22.5ml=0.57mg.July 2018 20ml,August 2018-17.5ml,September 2018-15ml,October 2018 10 ml,December 2018 7 ml, BrassMonkey slide method so far at lower doses.2 nd December cold turkeyed , only to reach minure doses as reinstatement to cutshort endless tapering process.4rth December started 1ml.

Almost no symptoms and sleep is better,So started 0.5 ml from 17-12-2018.

"0"from31-12-18.Re birth happened from 10- 2020,as rejuvenation took whole2019.Completely recovered now.

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On 3/11/2018 at 1:00 AM, rupa said:

How are you now?

 

Hi there -

Well I am about 18 months out since my CT. I still have about half of the symptoms I started out with but they are progressively getting better although VERY slowly. A lot of my physical symptoms have improved but I still have some that still hit me pretty hard every now and then. Mainly my mental symptoms are the ones that are driving me nuts. I don't really get much of a break from the mental symptoms. I am just chugging along everyday trying to survive as usual. But again, I have noticed improvements. I am definitely not where I was few months ago. I hope things keep progressing in the right direction. 

My medication -- Prozac
August 2015: Started on 10mg/day
September 2015 to May 2016: Increased to 20mg/day
May 2016: Abruptly stopped 20mg for 2 weeks (withdrawal symtoms arose but assumed it was worsened depression)
June 2016 to August 2016: increased to 40mg (my body reacted very badly to this dose)
August 2016: decreased back to 20mg
September 2016: tapered off 10mg this month alone
September 30, 2016: last day of Prozac
October 2016: month long window
November 2016-Present: WD symptoms (too many physical sxs and some mental sxs)
February 5-20, 2017: Reinstated at 1-2mg // February 21, 2017: Back to no meds

 

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On 2/12/2018 at 5:36 AM, AliG said:

HB. I'm sorry, I only just saw this. I never noticed the January post (above) at the time.

 

To try and answer both questions - firstly, I don't really know if it is a matter of dosage, time on drugs, cold - turkey or perhaps and most likely, all of them combined. All I can really say is that this has been my experience. Even generalizing about length of time can be tricky as we all have our own individual timelines. It varies widely and greatly. From what I have seen and experienced though, this C/T process does take some considerable time. Having said that, tapering also involves time and a certain amount of patience. These qualities become highly valued skills during this process, whether you cold -turkey-ed or tapered. It's still character - building.  :rolleyes:

 

For me, I had many C/T'S over a long period of time whilst on and off the drugs over 20 something, odd years. This is largely what I put my length of recovery time down to, for me individually. My CNS was ... highly challenged, even before my final cold - turkey ( before SA). It was obvious to me then, that this wouldn't be fixed overnight. I knew that was going to have to put in some hard work, both with non- drug techniques and also acceptance.

 

Your second question is much easier to answer, as lately, I have really gone ahead in " leaps and bounds" in the anhedonia department. It's not perfect yet ~ and I can still struggle at certain times, particularly during waves, but the difference is really like "night and day". It is major improvement and so much has now disappeared. It was a symptom that I have really struggled with and has been one of the last to start to recede but as with all the other symptoms, it is virtually non- existent, now.

Good for you. 

 

2001 Remeron , Celexa, prozac a week on lithium. 

2014 went off effexor and trazadone in 3 weeks. 

2014 zoloft (hyper reaction) put on effexor 75 mg. Was stable until 2017 

2017  Trazadone 50 mg (June) Effexor to 113 mg (2 weeks) Effexor 150 mg for a month . Took 75 mg until November. . Lithium 10 days, Lamactil 10 day  aug-nov15 ativan

October : Prozac bridge to get off 75 mg of effexor Used 10 mg of prozac. Stopped prozac 3 wk 

Dec 6, 7 Upped trazadone from 50 to 100 mg Did it for 3 days Stopped it

Dec 7 , Dec 8 Took prozac again 0.1 , 0.1, 0.6 stopped it

Dec 11 and Dec 12 upped it to 100 again

Dec 15 , 16,17 went back to 50 mg of trazadone

December 18 Began 3 beads of effexor  Dec 25 began 5 beads of effexor take 10 mg of omneprazole daily

 

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On 3/13/2018 at 10:50 AM, anongrl5590 said:

 

Hi there -

Well I am about 18 months out since my CT. I still have about half of the symptoms I started out with but they are progressively getting better although VERY slowly. A lot of my physical symptoms have improved but I still have some that still hit me pretty hard every now and then. Mainly my mental symptoms are the ones that are driving me nuts. I don't really get much of a break from the mental symptoms. I am just chugging along everyday trying to survive as usual. But again, I have noticed improvements. I am definitely not where I was few months ago. I hope things keep progressing in the right direction. 

Very nice to hear that you noticed some improvement.

Cold turkeyed risperidone (1m.g)and trihexyphenidyl combination drug out of ignorance,In August 2016 after one month use.

Withdrawal symptoms settled at dreamful,disturbing sleep.

Thus introduced to olanzapine for sleep.Started using olanzapine out of ignorance.

Tapering olanzapine 10 m.g from February 2017.

May 2018 :Still suffering dreams,Still tapering olanzapine at 0.625.100ml water+2.5 mg olanzapine. June 2018 22.5ml=0.57mg.July 2018 20ml,August 2018-17.5ml,September 2018-15ml,October 2018 10 ml,December 2018 7 ml, BrassMonkey slide method so far at lower doses.2 nd December cold turkeyed , only to reach minure doses as reinstatement to cutshort endless tapering process.4rth December started 1ml.

Almost no symptoms and sleep is better,So started 0.5 ml from 17-12-2018.

"0"from31-12-18.Re birth happened from 10- 2020,as rejuvenation took whole2019.Completely recovered now.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 16/2/2018 at 6:19 PM, Pennylane34 said:

I cold turkeyed.  It's dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it.  But I recovered and I'm sure you will as well.

How long until you recoverd

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Listen as best you can 

Do what is possible 

Listen to your body as a friend 

Take everything in, do what everyone asks that is good for you.

Learn, dont stand still, walk straight, go forward, love yourself, be kind.

Smell the roses.

Just remember, "DON'T DON'T" be gullable to any and all ideas then you "can" win.

Stay on top.

I did.

From the one who calls himself after 20+48 yrs of many, many a tablet.

The "Nolongerbipolar  one"

After 48 years of illness.🤤 Diagnosed for 34 years as bipolar of which i was on zoloft for 23 years. 300mg for the past 5 years.😲 I stoped zoloft mid  December 2017 tapering 25mg per week.🤒 Stopped completely 4 months later mid April 2018. A good decision but not without its problems. Incessant itching all over my body also patches of welps on my trunk and upper legs. After a trial of various kinds, soaking my body in all kinds of substances, ended up using goat milk soap and PawPaw soap which helps a lot. Eventually my body will forgive me for my excess use of of a drug. The only questions left remaining are 👀will i deal with my future stressors effectively and appropriately, has my 48 years of negative and positive experiances been a help or are there still underlying problems the the "god zoloft"🙏 only covered over since my youth, the comming years will reveal all.

My quote: "you must learn to laugh at yourself then you are a survivor."😉👑

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I went off olanzapine (zyprexa) and abilify cold turkey as well.  It was very difficult for 3 months but I recovered and do not miss the psychiatric drugs at all.

-Zyprexa (30 mg) 8 days (started Sept.20, 2017)

-Zyprexa (10 mg) - self weaned (started Sept 29, 2017-Dec 3, 2017)

-Abilify (10 mg) - (Dec 4 2017 - Dec 23, 2017)

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  • Administrator
On 2/12/2018 at 2:04 PM, neurotransmission said:

You guys can do a fast taper off with supplements and other drug augmentations. and continue with johns wort when drug is out of your system.

i dont know why u guys are not using anything and complaining about witrawall messing with all those nightmares.

 

you can add creatine, ibuprofen, celecoxibe, zinc, magnesium, NAC, fish oil,  all of them at the same time for maximum effect.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19496103

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23419244

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3796297/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624319/

 

btw go  to gym run at treadmill at very high speeds breath deep and slow down for 3-5 minutes repeat this for 45-60 minutes 3-4 times a week. this will reset your brain.  and do some 5x5 training.

Dont forget : sedentary people have sedentary brains

http://slideplayer.com/slide/9343941/

https://www.google.com.tr/search?ei=fAuCWp_nO8q3sQGW8o7QAg&q=sedentary+brain&oq=sedentary+brain&gs_l=psy-ab.3...47739.47739.0.47874.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.0.0....0.3hMuh7T2Iwg.

 

8

 

Do not under any circumstances assume any of these crutches will compensate for cold turkey or substitute for gradual tapering. We have seen NONE of them work reliably.

 

Recovery from cold turkey is unpredictable. There is no way to predict severity or length of recovery from the amount of time you've been on the drug or dosage amount.

 

Cold-turkey is a very high-risk way to go off psychiatric drugs. The risk is severe and prolonged withdrawal syndrome. Do not assume it will be easy for you because it was easy for a friend or someone you read about on the Web.

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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  • 3 weeks later...

They are not  crutch, drug itself is crutch. i tried them, they are working on me, a lot of guys experiencing they work, there is some evidence they work. Im not advocating cold - turkey. But even on cold turkey you can benefit from these augmentations. im not saying they will %100 work, but you should try.  if you response,  im just saying you gonna experience far more faster and more succesfull, less painfull taper off with this aproach. i think its very pointless to wait for months to just go half the dosage, decrease dosage by very tiny tiny amounts. I think this should be done at the last stage of taper off. Not the beginning. These drugs effiency is not linear after a dosage as you know. So tapering off for months to compensate lack of %5 effiency is pointless.  Some guys even   immediatly go half the current dosage with these augmentations without any withrawal syndroms and then continue with slower steps with minimum withrawal issues. its pointless to not use your facilities and mess with syirnge,solutions for months years.  

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On 2/16/2018 at 12:19 PM, Pennylane34 said:

I cold turkeyed.  It's dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it.  But I recovered and I'm sure you will as well.

Pennylane, how long did it take for you to recover from your C/T?

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
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On 5/7/2018 at 12:53 PM, Hellbutrin said:

Pennylane, how long did it take for you to recover from your C/T?

 

If you click on my user name and go to my original post I laid out my entire story there.  It's not a story of recovery from a CT- it was an overall story of recovery from w/d.  I can't pinpoint the CT and say that that's the reason it was as bad as it was.  Coming off meds and tapering might have been equally as sh*tty for me.  No one is to really know...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/4/2018 at 1:05 PM, Liamb123456 said:

How long until you recoverd

 

Click my user name for the full story.

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@Pennylane34

 

What has helped you get back your cognitive abilities, sense of pleasure and calm ... what  proved to be of help for memory etc.. ?

 

I am going to read your thread again as I had done may be several times but forget.

 

After a 1.5 years I am now out of my city at my sister's home, but  still zombie, restless here ... the reason that I don't go any where... this crappy, sh*tty feeling makes me helpless.

08/13 - 01/14
Olanzapine, petril MD (Clonazepam ), Dicorate ER (divalproex). Soza 10 (Zolpidem)

02/14 - 05/14
Flunil ​20mg , Divaa OD 250 mg(divalproex), Amisulpride 50mg (1-0-2), zolfresh 5 mg , Quetiapine
05/14 - 08/14 Venlafaxine 75 xr ( 1-0-1), zapiz 0.25
10/14 Zaptra 12.5mg , Oxetol xr 150mg (0-0-1)
11/14 - 08/15
Paris CR 25 (paroxetine) , Oxetol xr 600 mg (0-0-1), nitrest 5mg , Quetiapine for a month.
09/15-11 Venlafaxine XR 75 ( 1-0-1), Mirtazipine 15, Respiredal 0.5, Lamitor 25, zillion 10.
12/15-02/16 Off Meds (C.T)

03/16-Mid April Sertraline, Aripropazole, Quetiapine, Etizolam.

After that : CT and on OTC supplements (Roadback), now on Ayurveda
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To bhasski

For me what you posted is a very important ?. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an intriguing concept that has merit. I did this in 1989 and continue to use it up till today. You use the word correctly but I sence u don't use the technique in your day to day.

I will give you a small rundown of what I have known to work, if you want to discus any at length then feel free to ask.

1. A doctor that actually is interested in your plight.

Not because he has the answeres but because you need a medical friend.

2. A social outlet eg. Club, religious.

One thing, though they need to be supportive of you for remember your illness does not define who you are.

Critical friends are worse than no friends. Do without this type of friend if they are bad for you. But if you find supportive friends you will receive much comfort as you fight your demons.

I know these (people) are hard to find but you will did them worthwhile in your quest for peace

3. Don't give Up, be resolved to be kind to yourself by being proactive. The journey of a 1,000 miles or starts with the first step.

Already you can see how I am a happy ex bipolar. The only thing in this post I feel sad about is the knowledge that you are where I was 40 years ago, so don't kid yourself into thinking it will be easy but don't convince yourself that you can't care for yourself, this will help you be calm. Your negative feelings are a result of your illness they are not you even the zombie in you is not you.

We can talk about cognitive behavioral actions and thoughts if you want to continue this post. Look it up online, "Cognitive Thinking". it is not a magic bullet but it will help you eventually get your thoughts in order.

Gerg

After 48 years of illness.🤤 Diagnosed for 34 years as bipolar of which i was on zoloft for 23 years. 300mg for the past 5 years.😲 I stoped zoloft mid  December 2017 tapering 25mg per week.🤒 Stopped completely 4 months later mid April 2018. A good decision but not without its problems. Incessant itching all over my body also patches of welps on my trunk and upper legs. After a trial of various kinds, soaking my body in all kinds of substances, ended up using goat milk soap and PawPaw soap which helps a lot. Eventually my body will forgive me for my excess use of of a drug. The only questions left remaining are 👀will i deal with my future stressors effectively and appropriately, has my 48 years of negative and positive experiances been a help or are there still underlying problems the the "god zoloft"🙏 only covered over since my youth, the comming years will reveal all.

My quote: "you must learn to laugh at yourself then you are a survivor."😉👑

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  • 2 weeks later...

Diagnosis: Severe Bipolar 1, Severe Depression, Severe Anxiety Disorder. (tried Big S 3 times, Self Harm (cutting, burning, smash indexes with hammer)), Bought 2 cars in 2 days, 4 Rolex watches in 3 days Blah Blah. 80 ECT's. I think the Doctor's have me properly diagnosed but improperly medicated. I spilled the beans

 

I've been dropped from one med and changed to another so many times I can't list. However, no problems doing so.

 

2003: CT Klonipin and Xanax at same time. I was put on 10mg Klonipin, 3 weeks later had withdrawals within hours of taking dose. Doctor's added Xanax to take during the day. I started withdrawals continuously. My body built up a tolerance within a month where the Benzo's couldn't be controlled. Ended up in psych hospital. Doctor's CT's me off Benzos. I was in and out of the psych ward for 60 days. One day I woke up and symptoms were gone. I was only on the Benzo's about a month so maybe that's why I didn't have any lasting effects after withdrawal.

 

Dec 10-present: Rapid taper (Directed and supervised by my Doctor) from 30mg Zyprexa due to serious health side effects caused by Zyprexa. Basically 6 extremely intense months and still feeling the effects today. I am off Zyprexa but it was HARD and not completely over symptoms.

 

Comment: I experienced intense withdrawal symptoms coming off Zyprexa. Some symptoms were just intensified symptoms I've always had and new symptoms I've never had before. However, now I'm off Zyprexa the new symptoms I experienced during withdrawal come and go but not severe. The symptoms I had before starting Zyprexa  (insomnia, anxiety) are back to where I was at before Zyprexa (not the intensified level during withdrawal). The Zyprexa cured nothing, did not relieve anxiety or make me sleep. It helped control mania and psychosis during mania. That's it. Now I'm off Zyprexa I'm not a walking Zombie living in a drug induced fog and I feel better in that I can feel more control of my brain. Hard to describe. However, I still have mental health issues that I'm working on controlling ALONG WITH MY DOCTOR without drugs. Not all Doctors are just ignorant drug prescribers. 

 

I think all of it depends on what dose you're taking, how long you took it, as well as your tolerance to enduring discomfort and willpower.

December 2017: Zyprexa (30mg)  Gabapentin (1800mg)  Wellbutrin (450mg) Lamicital (450mg)

Feb 2018: Gabapentin (1800mg)  Wellbutrin (450mg) Lamicital (450mg)

March 2018: Gabapentin (1800mg)  Wellbutrin (450mg) Valium (10mg) Ambien (10mg) Lamicital (450mg)

April 2018: Gabapentin (1800mg)  Wellbutrin (450mg) Lamicital (450mg) (Dropped Ambien, Valium no help)

May 2018:  Gabapentin (1800mg)  Wellbutrin (37.5mg)  Lamicital (450mg) Trazodone (150mg) CBD (20mg)

Present: Gabapentin (600mg)  Prazosin (10mg)  Lamicital  Trazodone (125mg)

1969 - Present: 80 Electro Convulsive Treatments, Medication changes (Too many drugs to list prior to Dec 2017) Klonipin/Xanax CT 2003

Wellbutrin Taper: Started approx  Apr 2018 450mg, 300mg, 225mg, 150mg, 112.5mg, 75mg, 37.5mg Held each dose approx 1 week per Doctor, June 5 2018 OFF WELLBUTRIN

Zyprexa Taper: Nov 2017 30mg, Dec 1 2017 20mg, Dec 11 2017 15mg, Dec 22 2017 10mg, Jan 3 2018 7.5mg, Jan 14 2018 5mg, Jan 25 2018 3.75mg, Feb 6 2018 2.5mg, Feb 16 2018, 1.25mg, Feb 25 2018 0.625mg, March 4 2018 OFF Zyprexa!!!!

Trazodone Taper: April 2018-150mg, May 25 2018-100mg, June 1 2018-50mg,  Bump June 2 2018-125mg HOLD

 

 

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I found that trazodone could be tapered rapidly from 50 to 15-20mg before a slow taper was needed. So not a total rapid taper success story but it definitely sped things up for me. Can't say whether it would work well for anyone else. I was on 50mg/night for about 1 year. Total tolerance kicked in about 2 weeks - should have come off then but coming off it was relatively painless either way. I jumped off at 0.5mg or something like that.

Dx: complex PTSD

Discontinuation/taper history: sertraline, trazodone, prazosin, mirtazapine, diazepam

Took 200mg quetiapine for 0.5 years and 150mg for 1.5 years until 01/2020. Now microtapering daily at an overall rate of 12.5mg/month.

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  • Administrator

If you are taking a substantial dosage, often the first cut can be largish, possibly because that dosage was excessive for you. However, you may not know if a dosage is excessive, there might be no symptoms. So do this at your own risk, once you develop withdrawal symptoms, it's possible they can't be completely reversed by updosing or reinstatement. You will have to wait for them to go away.

Edited by Altostrata
added clarification

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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On 5/22/2018 at 3:05 AM, bhasski said:

@Pennylane34

 

What has helped you get back your cognitive abilities, sense of pleasure and calm ... what  proved to be of help for memory etc.. ?

 

I am going to read your thread again as I had done may be several times but forget.

 

After a 1.5 years I am now out of my city at my sister's home, but  still zombie, restless here ... the reason that I don't go any where... this crappy, sh*tty feeling makes me helpless.

 

Hi Bhaski!

 

I didn't really start to notice some major dents in W/D until about 2- 2.5 years out.  It was really rough for the first year and a half.  Seems to be a lot of people notice a shift (even if it's slight at about 24 months).  Homeopathy helped me with the acute stuff- fever, headaches, palpitations, OCD, insomnia, insane depression and anxiety... etc etc... I can't say enough about homeopathy.  It truly carried me through that dark time.  Get someone good and trustworthy if you choose to go that route.

 

Best,

PL

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On 6/9/2018 at 3:13 PM, Altostrata said:

If you are taking a substantial dosage, often the first cut can be largish, possibly because that dosage was excessive for you. However, you may not know if a dosage is excessive, there might be no symptoms. So do this at your own risk, once you develop withdrawal symptoms, it's possible they can't be completely reversed.

Hi Alto,

 

I've been trying to pay extra attention to what I post on the forum because you mentioned that a few of my posts could cause distress for others. But can you please explain what you mean by this? Even if it's in a message. I saw your post on Monday, and I didn't want to respond to it for risk of founding fatalistic. But I keep ruminating on it, so I was hoping you would clarify for me. 

 

 "So do this at your own risk, once you develop withdrawal symptoms, it's possible they can't be completely reversed."

 

Most of the reports that I've heard say that everyone will recover but it could take a very long time. But I don't know how I would cope with the idea that this depression could be irreversible to some degree.

  1. Started Wellbutrin 75 mg IR the end of 2015.
  2. Tried quitting cold turkey in June 30th- July 3rd 2017.
  3. Had severe withdrawals.
  4. Was placed on Wellbutrin 100mg SR so I could taper without withdrawal.
  5. Stabilized on 100mg SR for most of the month of July.
  6. Started tapering on July 17th,  2017.
  7. Completed taper on August 8th, 2017.
  8. Currently experiencing severe withdrawal.
  • Symptoms- Currently experiencing anhedonia, depersonalization/derealization, concentration/memory issues, chronic congestion, chronic dry eyes, dry skin, dislocated TMJ joint from teeth grinding during C/T withdrawal, waves of depression, anxiety, nausea, morning cortisol spikes, insomnia, agitation, food sensitivities, no tolerance for caffeine and chronic fatigue, burning muscle pain in upper and lower back and occasional tinninitus.
  • Supplements- Omega-3 fish oil supplement twice daily, 100 mg of magnesium once daily. 
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Seeing how it was misunderstood out of context, I've clarified that post, Hellbutrin:

 

On 6/9/2018 at 1:13 PM, Altostrata said:

If you are taking a substantial dosage, often the first cut can be largish, possibly because that dosage was excessive for you. However, you may not know if a dosage is excessive, there might be no symptoms. So do this at your own risk, once you develop withdrawal symptoms, it's possible they can't be completely reversed by updosing or reinstatement. You will have to wait for them to go away.

 

You seem to be a person of good will who is sincerely seeking insight, Hellbutrin. But your habit of mind is always to interpret things in a way that terrifies you (and others). You've done this in your post

 

33 minutes ago, Hellbutrin said:

But I don't know how I would cope with the idea that this depression could be irreversible to some degree.

 

We can tell you 4,000 times that people tend to heal, symptoms change and very gradually go away, and if you see one phrase that supports your predetermination that you're doomed, that's what stands out to you -- despite the context, which isn't about you.

 

You're a good person, you don't have to keep on hurting yourself! Please give some thought to why you do this and practice forgiving yourself. Since you have this strong tendency towards self-sabotage through doomy thinking, you'll have to develop a strong mental muscle to counter it.

 

It so happens that phrase you found was in the context of cold turkey. Recently, one of our members half-way through a successful taper decided to take a shortcut and quit cold turkey, thinking he could reinstate at a lower dose and shorten his taper. Even though he reinstated, he still hasn't recovered from the withdrawal symptoms.

 

Some people see "don't cold turkey, it can be really, really bad" 4,000 times and one phrase about the benefits of reinstating and decide to jump off a cliff fantasizing that reinstatement is a safety net. Well, that misinterpretation was an expression of his tendency to self-sabotage in a big way.

 

I don't want anyone to get the idea that big cuts in dosage are a great idea. The Internet is full of people who made this mistake and are asking why they're suffering so badly for so long. Make big cuts in dosage at your own risk, don't count on being able to reverse the resulting symptoms with reinstatement, you could be letting yourself in for a world of hurt.

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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