Monica - Tappering multiple psych drugs - I made a mistake?

[Monica]

Hi

 

My name is Monica, and I think I've made some mistakes..

With two years ago I had some problems. I've been at 4-5 psych. doctors, and everyone diagnosis is different, like: de-realization phobic syndrome with psychotic features, polymorphic psychotic disorder, depression with psychotic features, etc. All this problems started after a meditation retreat. The doctors told me that there are a lot of cases like myself, and that, sometime, in the cases of more sensible people, meditation could provoke something like this.

 

Last year, a doctor put me on the following list of psych drugs:

Xanax - 1,25 Xanax,

Depakote - 600 mg

Trazodone - 100 mg

Abilify - 15 mg

 

Even with all this medication, my state was very bad. I had suicidal thoughts, depression, intense PTSD (diagnosed), anxiety, akathisia, etc.

 

This year, I moved in another town, and I found another psych doctor. This doctor concluded that I am over-medicated and started reducing the medication. He also convinced me to start psychoterpay, which he considered that must be the basis of my treatment.

In the last 3 months, I reduced my medication doses in the following order:

 

25 June: reduced Depakote with 150 mg

28 June: reduced Depakote with 15o mg

2 July: completely eliminated Depakote

3 July: reduced Abilify from 15 mg to 10 mg (because of intense Akathysia)

8 July: reduced Abilify from 10 mg to 8,5 mg

27 July: reduced Abilify from 8,5 mg to 7,5 mg

14 august: reduced Xanax from 1,25 mg to 1 mg

18 august: reduced Trazodone from 100 mg to 75 mg.

 

My doctor didn't supervised in great detail all this. He just told me: you should take of Depakine completely, or, you should reduce Abilify from 15 to 7,5 etc.

From 18 august, when I reduced from the first time Trazodone, I feel very very bad. I reduce Trazodone not on my doctors advice, but at my own. I thought I could do this, but my doctor told me that it was a mistake, and that I should go back to 100 mg of Trazodone.

Now I feel extremely depressed and suicidal, and my PTSD syndromes are very high.

When I read the way you recommend to do the tapering of psych drugs on this site, I realized that maybe I made some mistakes.

What do you think? From the moment I reduced Trazodone (with 11 days ago), my depression become much worse, and my suicidal thought also. Could this be the cause?

[Barbarannamated]

Hi Moni. Very glad you found this group.

 

It's wonderful to hear that your doctor agrees that your were overmedicated and supports treatment with therapy! Few doctors understand the importance of slow tapers, but the fact that your doctor is supportive is a tremendous advantage!

 

It sounds like you decreased too quickly and are feeling withdrawal symptoms. Altostrata, the administrator, will check in shortly to offer specific advise on how to proceed. Your last dose was still recent, so you are in a good position to step back and do a slower taper.

 

Welcome to the group.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Moni. (I changed your topic title to include your screen name so people can find it.)

 

You've made a lot of changes in a short time. Your nervous system might need a rest from changes right now.

 

I agree with your doctor, go back up to 100mg trazodone and stay there for a couple of months, to let your nervous system rest.

 

How is your sleep since you reduced trazodone?

 

You are still taking 7.5mg Abilify?

[Rhiannon]

Welcome, Moni. (I changed your topic title to include your screen name so people can find it.)

 

You've made a lot of changes in a short time. Your nervous system might need a rest from changes right now.

 

I agree with your doctor, go back up to 100mg trazodone and stay there for a couple of months, to let your nervous system rest.

 

How is your sleep since you reduced trazodone?

 

You are still taking 7.5mg Abilify?

 

Agree with Barbara and Alto.

 

I think it's great you have a doctor who realizes that what you need is therapy, not drugs. It's always good to hear that there are some intelligent physicians out there.

 

Meditation and other practices that encourage you to stop and look within can allow ancient buried traumas to emerge. I have experienced that myself. It's your bodymind's attempt to begin the process of healing. It's not a sickness and does not need to be "fixed" with drugs. Supportive psychotherapy to help and allow the healing is the appropriate approach.

 

But the drugs have messed up your CNS now and destabilized it. Going off them too fast has made that worse.

 

The cause of what you are feeling now is probably not only going off the trazodone, but the aftereffects of the other withdrawal from Depakote and the reduction in Abilify too. It takes some time for your brain to heal from these abrupt changes.

 

I would say go back up to the 100 mg trazodone and then don't change anything else for a while, give your nervous system time to rest and adapt to everything the drugs have already put it through in the past. Once you're feeling more stable you can gradually taper off the rest.

[Shanti]

Hi Monica, welcome. From a spritual standpoint, it would be said that what happens is the Third Eye is forced open when you aren't ready. I think I did the same thing. I was also diagnosed with depression with psychotic features, and by another doctor as schizophrenia. The thing that helps me the most with the unwanted visions and sounds (including voices) is Niacin. I take about 1500 mg a day and it keeps them away. As far as advice about your taper, I think the others have it covered here. I am also glad you have a doctor that sees you were over medicated.

[Brandy]

Welcome, Monica!

 

Shanti, that is really interesting how the niacin helped you like that. I'm so glad you told us about it.

 

I would suggest my usual precaution, though, to people trying it. As with all supplements, I suggest trying just a fraction of a dose at first, then slowly increasing (maybe every four days or a week) a little more, etc., to see what your personal response is when in withdrawal. (In other words, whether you've ever taken it before or not; some people become hyperreactive to some meds and supplements while tapering or for some time after going off these meds. Other people find some very helpful. No way to know any given person's reaction, hence my suggestion to try them slowly and see your response over a bit of time.)

 

I actually had rather frighening flushing when I first took niacin (in the niacin, not amide etc., form) long before I ever took antidepressants and was not in any kind of withdrawal. My best friend and I both took some (don't recall the dose - it was decades ago, but we each took one tablet, not the large dose that's helped you, Shanti). Both of us had what I later learned is a fairly common, though certainly not universal, reaction where we got blazing hot and our faces turned fire engine red. I can't remember the other symptoms.

 

The reaction was gone in about 15 minutes and no harm done - many people take niacin with no reaction and almost miraculous cardiac etc. benefits.

 

But it might be a little frightening to someone in withdrawal, so my usual suggestion to try just a little bit and increase in a while just a little bit, for a while at first.

[Monica]

Hi to all.

 

Thank you for all your answers.

It was not easy to find a doctor who knows about slow tapper. In fact, most of them are not at all interested in something like this.

 

Yes, from last night I've got beck to 100 mg Trazodone. I didn't had problem with my sleep, and yes, I am still on 7,5 mg Abilify. I still have Akathisia at this low dose.

I've encountered a lot this vision ("meditation and other practices that encourage you to stop and look within can allow ancient buried traumas to emerge.It's your bodymind's attempt to begin the process of healing."). The problem is that, it doesn't help me at all. When you have an extreme panic attack/terror, paranoia, it's not useful at all this kind of theoretical knowledge.

 

Regarding Niacin (B3), I take this for a long time, and it helped me in some ways. The niacon flush is completely harmless.I've also took a lot of others for neuroprotection, for some time (a psychiatric doctor recommended me this): Vit B1, B6, B12, vit C, D, E, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, omega 3, spirulina. Unfortunately in that moment I was on Seroquell for couple of months (before going to Abilify), and I felt so awful because of Seroquel, that I didn't really know if all this vitamins, minerals, helped me in some way.

I will try not to change anything for a while, to stabilize a little, and then I will start more slowly the tapering process.

My doctor recommended me to start first with Abilify, and then with Xanax, and only in the end with Trazodone. Is this wise?

[Altostrata]

Strongly suggest you reduce of go off the B6. This is a vitamin that can cause anxiety.

 

Deep, meditative breathing is not theoretical -- it can help you to slow down during an "anxiety" attack. Please do give it a try.

[primrose]

Sorry you are suffering Monica and I hope your pain eases as soon as possible.

 

I think that psychosis is an overspill of the un-consciuos mind, into the conscious mind resulting in delusional thinking.

I see human consciousness as layers and the deeper the layers, the deeper the unconscious material.

Making the unconscious conscious, removing these layers, can be very beneficial as our self awareness increases and this has knock-on positive effects in our relationships, our skills, our interests and our ability to be a positive influence on those around us and in society.

These layers must be 'removed' gently, and I believe, that in the right setting, with the right guidance, these layers 'lift' of their own accord as a light is shone on each of them, bringing them into conscious awareness.

As traumatic memories are often buried in the unconscious, removing the layers in chunks or not allowing them to 'lift' then, these unpleasant memories can surface before the person is ready to process them.

This is when unpleasant mental symptoms can come into play.

 

I never knew about psychosis in mediatation before and I read up on it. Meditation was not meant to reduce western stress, it is for eastern monks and nuns to heighten their spirituality.