gg1032 Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) I've been on anti-depressants for 10 years. Most recently 200mg of Zoloft, trazodone, klonopin. I've been experiencing mood swings the last 9 months that keep getting worse. Assuming it was a side effect of my medication I asked my doctor if it was a good idea to taper off. I did as he directed and ended up barely sleeping for three weeks which culminated with a serious episode where I was violent threw my husband out of the house and barricaded myself in my bedroom which ended in self-mutilation (cutting). I'm 32 years old. I thought cutting was something teenagers did. I've never had mood swings before. I called my doctor and all he told me was to go back on zoloft. Needless to say I'm looking for a better doctor. I'm very confused. Did I not taper off correctly? Will I have to be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life? Was I in withdrawal? I'm back on my meds but I'm feeling all the reasons I wanted to come off them: I'm sleepy all the time, I have trouble with my memory, I have muscle spasms to name a few. I have felt clear headed maybe 8 times this year. This is no way to live! But I'm very afraid of what coming off my meds might do now. It was terrifying. I don't know what to do next. I have mild depression and insomnia. I shouldn't have gotten so wildly out of character. Edited July 22, 2013 by Karma added member name to topic; moved to introductions Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted July 22, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 22, 2013 Hi GG, welcome to SA. Most doctors advise tapering far too quickly for the brain to adjust leading to some distressing withdrawal symptoms as you have experienced . You can get off them safely but it takes time. Someone will be along to advise you on the best way for you. This is the best group on the 'net and you will get lots of help and support. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Edted Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Hi Gg: You're right to be horrified by what an improper withdrawal can do. My son's therapist (not his pdoc) said you could make the Pope homicidal if you screwed around with meds enough. I hope your husband understands just how much the drugs and a wrong approach to withdrawal can do to people. If you could give the details of the taper protocol you followed, it would help the good folks here make some suggestions for getting things back on track. None of us want to admit that we could lose control, but everyone can with the "perfect storm". Be kind to yourself while you take back control. Regards, Ed Link to comment
Administrator Karma Posted July 22, 2013 Administrator Share Posted July 22, 2013 Hi GG I moved your topic here to Introduction since your first post introduces your situation. Please use this thread to post your questions and provide updates. How fast did you taper off of Zoloft? What was your last dose? How long ago did you stop taking it? It is likely you were suffering withdrawal, but we won't be able to tell until you can tell us a little more about how rapidly you came off of it. If you have suffered a too fast taper, you may need to re-instate a small dose of Zoloft to minimize withdrawal symptoms. From there you can taper off more slowly to avoid frightening withdrawal symptoms like you've experienced. Here is our topic on tapering off of Zoloft: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/. It appears that Zoloft comes in a liquid and you could also make your own liquid for a more precise taper. Please add your drug history to your signature like so: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ so that when our members and moderators respond to you they will have your drug history readily available. Welcome to our community - you'll find lots of support here. Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Ellen042 Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Hi gg. I've been on Zoloft, Klonopin, and trazodone too. I was able to stop the Zoloft cold turkey, and able to cut the klonopin in half, but the trazodone is a beast! I too get out of control when coming off trazodone: not cutting, but irritablewith my kids, anxious to the point of wanting to jump off a bridge, incapacitated with migraines, shakey, and feeling sleep deprived despite enough sleep. How's it going for you now? Did you restart any of your meds? Are you still going through withdrawal? Doctors have any suggestions? Sorry no help to offer-just want you to know you're not alone. insomnia, anxiety, depression- since childhood lyme disease, dysautonomia, chiari malformation- dx 4/1997 nortriptyline- 75mg since childhood clonazepam- 3mg since 4/1997 trazodone-100mg since 4/2013, now tapering rotating antibiotics and antimalarials for lyme disease midodrine- 10mg for dysautonomia repeated skull surgeries for chiari malformation Link to comment
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