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Alpha-Stim, Fisher Wallace Sota Biotuner, PoNS, & similar "brain stimulation" devices


meistersinger

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  • Moderator Emeritus

So, I'm not using the BioTuner every day.  But when I feel "off," I put it on for a session, sometimes 2. (20-40 minutes).

 

I put it on my good doctor-friend for a 20 minute Schumann Resonance session - for creativity - mode 6 (the milder one, and also Dr. Beck's "favorite")

 

She said it felt like butterfly wings were fluttering around her earlobes.  It also made her drowsy, so after that we took a walk in a beautiful old growth woods.

 

Haven't heard back whether she got any benefits other than that.  

 

My own benefits, I am still using less pain meds.  I am sleeping well.  I am dreaming - though not always remembering dreams.  Free - I had some thoughts about "cultivating dreams" that I will post on your thread.

"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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Article on the Aussie-BC science show, Catalyst.

 

Any of you who are a tech genius - can you extract the last article (I find the first one disturbing, "facial recognition of depression", and the second one, well, less disturbing but still).  The third article addresses TCMS and tDCS - even talking about "brain enhancement" on the tDCS (jury still out).

 

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/catalyst/SC1402H012S00

 

Enjoy!

"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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  • 5 weeks later...

I received by Sota Biotuner 8 yesterday and after using it I just got dreams and dreams. Nothing amazing about getting dreams unlike some posters above. Depressed we already get that **** only, and what we need is slow wave deep sleep. It looks like I have wasted my money.

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Hi Sleeplessdying ,   welcome to the site.   Could you start a thread for yourself in the Introductions section?

 

 

That's impressive that you noticed a change after just one day.  Recommended treatment

is at least 3 weeks , so you'll need to persevere to know how it affects you.

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

I agree Fresh.  It is better to use it regularly - if not daily, at least 3 x a week.

 

I am using it more frequently, as I'm trying to reduce my dependence upon pain drugs.

 

There are 6 settings:

 

1 (intense) - sleep (delta)

2 (intense) - energizing (beta)

3 (intense) - Schumann (alpha / theta)

4 (gentle) - sleep (delta)

5 (gentle) - energizing (beta) 

6 (gentle) - Schumann (alpha / theta)

 

Depending on what time of day I get to the CES, I choose a setting.

 

If I am in pain, I choose the more intense setting.

If it is before 3 pm, I select "energizing," especially for that afternoon slump

If it is between 3-6 pm, I select Schumann (or after, if I'm really feeling "hollow")

After 6, I select sleep.

 

HERE IS MY "NEW" DISCOVERY:  I accidentally combined a yogic technique with the CES.  I pressed the underside of my tongue to my soft palate.  And it seemed to deepen the resonance, I could feel it "inside" my head, instead of just on my earlobes.

 

AGAIN - I can't tell you what benefits I'm receiving from this, but I like it, and will continue using it.  It gives me a distraction, a place to go when I am in need.  Dreams?  They're always good.  How much time in REM / Delta / deep sleep, I have no idea.  All I can say is it's not hurting anything, and it may be helping.

 

I will continue using CES on my BIo-Tuner.

"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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  • Moderator Emeritus

Jan , it's not a matter of being "better to use it regularly".

 

The treatment protocol is 3 weeks , 2 or 3 sessions a day.  Then taper the sessions over a week.

 

Consistency is key , there is no evidence that I'm aware of that sporadic use provides any benefits at

all (please correct me if I'm wrong).  

 

It's a bit unrealistic to expect any benefit if you haven't followed the recommended protocol.

That's a bit like expecting to find inner peace after one meditation session.

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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When you use it for sleep does it help calm the racing thoughts (if you get them), or does it just relax you and make you drowsy?

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • Moderator Emeritus

No brassmonkey ,  there is no discernible effect immediately after use , no matter which setting it's on.

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Jan , it's not a matter of being "better to use it regularly".

 

The treatment protocol is 3 weeks , 2 or 3 sessions a day.  Then taper the sessions over a week.

 

Consistency is key , there is no evidence that I'm aware of that sporadic use provides any benefits at

all (please correct me if I'm wrong).  

 

It's a bit unrealistic to expect any benefit if you haven't followed the recommended protocol.

That's a bit like expecting to find inner peace after one meditation session.

 

That said, ANY meditation is better than no meditation at all.

 

Hence, I reckon if I cannot get it in daily, I take it when I can.

 

What did you think about the tongue to palate thing?  It's called kechari mudra (or tongue lock)

Kh-E9chari.jpg

 

and I'm finding it enhances CES significantly.

"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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  • 2 months later...

Is there any danger of using the Bio Tuner if you have severe adverse reactions to psyc meds, particularly serotonin agents?  I had serotonin syndrome...I just bought a Bio tuner 8, but read that CES increases serotonin.  Since I'm still in recovery I don't want to flood my serotonin receptors and throw myself backwards...

Started klonopin 11/7/14 at 0.5 mg

on K consistently until week prior to Christmas

on/of Klonopin and 0.5 mg Xanax until 3rd week in February

tried c/t 3rd week in february, crashed hard, ER several times

1 mg klonopin last week in February until 2nd week in March

Quit Zoloft c/t 1st week of March 2015 & started Amitriptyline

Quit amitriptyline 2nd week in March & started Cymbalta

0.5 mg cut of Klonopin 2nd week in March

0.5 to 0 mg Klonopin taper March to June 2

off Klonopin since June 2

Stopped cymbalta august 24, started zoloft august 24

Seroquel taper from 75 to 0 over 12 days, last dose September 4.

Started Compazine Aug 12,  10 mg day

Stopped compazine aug 17, bad withdrawl

Started Remeron 3.75mg 10/12/15

Off Compazine 11/2/15

Off Zoloft 11/25/2015

Off Remeron 1/2/16

Brief encounter with Buspirone 1/13/16 - 1/18/16 2 tablets, bad reaction - severe depression

Tried Colonidine 1/14/16-1/20/16 - severe depression

Only Atenolol since 1/20/16

Reinstated Remeron 15mg 3/26/16

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There's no evidence in any of the studies done (that I could find ) of any adverse reactions to CES therapy.

The only noted side effect by some was headache.  

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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  • Mentor

If anyone is selling one of these in Australia, let me know,  I think I would go with the bio tuner.          T

 

Article on the Aussie-BC science show, Catalyst.

 

Any of you who are a tech genius - can you extract the last article (I find the first one disturbing, "facial recognition of depression", and the second one, well, less disturbing but still).  The third article addresses TCMS and tDCS - even talking about "brain enhancement" on the tDCS (jury still out).

 

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/catalyst/SC1402H012S00

 

Enjoy!

This video is no longer available to view.                                 So what is a TCMS       and a tDCS?          I followed the rest, the Alph Stim, the Fisher Wallace and the sota biotuner...............     I realise now that a TENS machine, is for muscle pain,         but   throwing in TCMS and tDCS,   well that has thrown me, what are they???????

Thanks for all the input Fresh and everyone.......                  

Thanks for everyone for letting me know if it helped/didnt help you.......                       

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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  • Mentor

I have purchased one from Australian destributor, SOTA BIO TUNER               ...... I got a 10% discount, and urgent mail was $15 I think.............I need to keep hope, so I need to try something new...........so cost was about $350 delivered, hope to get it delivered end of next week...............         ....... I will hang on long enough to give this new Sota bio tuner a good trial............................. (or maybe god will give me a window from my horrific suffering?)

 

As for Cymbalta withdrawal, did the tDCS work for you?  there is one for sale on ebay (Australia ebay) present bid is $80.00.  I might buy it if cheap enough, I could send it to a fellow sufferer,       So it meands Direct Current instead of Alternating Current.................... did it WORK FOR YOU????  I read thru all the thread, but none of your links still work, so all your experiences with the tDCS are not available, YOUR BLOG IS NOT AVAILABLE,............can you not just write on this thread,   did it work for you??????               

 

Also on ebay an Alpha Stim, way overpriced, at about $1,000    .......... no warranty, this is for physical pain, and also emotional pain, but didnt work for seller for the physical pain  (?? to me, the two things are different. I dont have physical pain, mine is all depression,  AD withdrawals).         

 

I am financially poor, due to the ADs destroying my life, I am on DSP. Anyway, one thing I read, was about the Fisher Wallace machine, and the man that got it passed by FDA, yep, was selling and part owner of the Fisher Wallace thing..................................        corruption is sickening.  

 

                 

So for me I am happy to try one that seems to have a good report, reading through all this thread, the one that has 12 months warranty, local distributor.              Not one that has got passed by FDA, by a corrupt system, that the man who passed it thru FDA, is an owner of Fisher Wallace.

 

rip Blu we miss you!

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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Got my BT8 yesterday and tried it twice, it was not a good experience.   Last night I used it for 10 minutes, it made me feel kinda weird and spacy, the felt slightly depressed (I had not felt depressed in a while).  Slept well last night, woke up at 5 am and decided to give it a full 20 minutes.  This is when the fun really began.  While it was on, I felt agitated…quite agitated.  I felted like I wanted to take it off and throw it across the room, but I stuck with it.  After 20 minutes it stopped and I immediately felt extremely sedated, like I had taken about 20 Benadryl tablets.  After about 5 minutes that started to pass and I felt this really dark heavy/depressed feeling come across me, very similar to what I experienced after Buspro would leave my system.  After about ½ hour of this, I started to get agitated again, was tossing and turning, and felt very uncomfortable.  Finally, after about an hour and a half I started to feel a bit like myself again, but even 4 hours later I still feel out of sorts, “buzzy”, sedated, and my anxiety is really elevated where I haven’t had daytime anxiety in quite some time.  It basically feels like when I took Buspro and had an adverse reaction to it, what it feels like is a bunch of dopamine or serotonin got stimulated.

 

So I can say that it really appears that the thing does stimulate neurotransmitter production, but in my case it is not a good thing.   It appears as though I am the king of adverse reactions…I have to not take ANYTHING or DO anything to my central nervous system until things start to heal.  It really appears as though my system has been “fried” and needs to recover.

 

Really bummed that it did not work for me, but looks like it works for others that haven’t been on 30 meds in the last 15 months.  If anyone is interested it mine I’ll gladly part with it and ship it out…not sure if that is allowed on this site, if not forget I mentioned it as I don’t want to break any rules J

Started klonopin 11/7/14 at 0.5 mg

on K consistently until week prior to Christmas

on/of Klonopin and 0.5 mg Xanax until 3rd week in February

tried c/t 3rd week in february, crashed hard, ER several times

1 mg klonopin last week in February until 2nd week in March

Quit Zoloft c/t 1st week of March 2015 & started Amitriptyline

Quit amitriptyline 2nd week in March & started Cymbalta

0.5 mg cut of Klonopin 2nd week in March

0.5 to 0 mg Klonopin taper March to June 2

off Klonopin since June 2

Stopped cymbalta august 24, started zoloft august 24

Seroquel taper from 75 to 0 over 12 days, last dose September 4.

Started Compazine Aug 12,  10 mg day

Stopped compazine aug 17, bad withdrawl

Started Remeron 3.75mg 10/12/15

Off Compazine 11/2/15

Off Zoloft 11/25/2015

Off Remeron 1/2/16

Brief encounter with Buspirone 1/13/16 - 1/18/16 2 tablets, bad reaction - severe depression

Tried Colonidine 1/14/16-1/20/16 - severe depression

Only Atenolol since 1/20/16

Reinstated Remeron 15mg 3/26/16

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Ang writes:  

 

 

 throwing in TCMS and tDCS,   well that has thrown me, what are they???????

 

Yeah, on tDCS you put a wet gooey pad over a certain area of your brain and turn the current on.  You can FEEL the current, and it can knock out speech, memory, put you in a trance.  Because a millimetre makes a difference on the brain, I am skeptical of this one - "approximate placement" of the pads can make a huge difference.

 

But CW is the tDCS experienced one here.  Sorry the Catalyst program went away, I'll see if I can find it again.

 

Yeah:  Try this, it will explain it much better than I ever could:  http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4322228.htm  

 

Sorry for posting the iview one - I know they are temporary but I was so excited I felt I had to put it up right away!

"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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  • Mentor

JanCarol   thankyou so much,  I watched the episode, and I actually think I have seen it before, but of course, after reading through this thread twice, it makes so much more sense now.  

 

I really think it will be worth a try for me, but I will begin slowly, and cautiously.

 

Thankyou everyone!

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Mentor

Did anyone have brain zaps or an "electric head" who tried one of these machines? I'm desperate to find something that helps.

Hi Laura, the first day I used it,   that night as I fell asleep, I had one jolt, right side,  then I had the weird vision of a tuning fork, and I could hear this tuning fork in my left ear.    I suppose that is what tinnitus feels like, but it was pleasant, and went quickly.........               Last night, none of that, just a vivid dream.....   

So so far,  I can not say I have had any bad effects.

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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  • Mentor

Thanks for info Jan Carol                    I would very much like more information on the tDCS.  All the links to anything CW wrote on his blog page, are all gone.   So there is no information I can find.  Can anyone recall what was written elsewhere about the tDCS from any users experiences with it?

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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Thanks for info Jan Carol                    I would very much like more information on the tDCS.  All the links to anything CW wrote on his blog page, are all gone.   So there is no information I can find.  Can anyone recall what was written elsewhere about the tDCS from any users experiences with it?

Are you talking about CW from here who used it?  Easy to find her in members... under the full name 

cymbaltawithdrawal5600

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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  • Moderator Emeritus

CW was very disappointed with the tDCS , no positive result after a short trial , and she ditched the

experiment.

Ang , your best bet is to go carefully through this thread.

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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  • 3 months later...

I know this topic is a little older but JanCarol suggested I read it as I am using an Alpha-Stim device. 

 

When I originally used it, for the first couple of days, (May 20) my anxiety levels decreased but then it started interacting with my medications and caused my buproprion to give me akathisia. That was over Memorial Day weekend of course so I couldn't get the pdoc for any help. I did reduce my buproprion by half and that didn't help. When I finally got to the pdoc he gave me Proponalol, the clonazepam wasn't helping much, and that got rid of the akathisia but gave me depression right away so he told me to CT off of the buproprion. Not usually a problem for most people. Alas it was for me and I am struggling with exptreme anxiety, seems to go with the cortisol levels. Anyway, the Alpha-Stim has helped me with the depression so far. It hasn't done a lot for the neuro anxiety but I'm not sure how quickly it would work on that sort of thing anyway.

 

I called the Alpha-Stim group that I purchased my unit from and the Dr there said he works with an addictionologist who uses the Alpha-Stim with his withdrawal patients. He told me to use it right away in the morning and then as often as needed througout the day. I'm a little leary of using it that much, plus it eats the batteries. I've been using it in the morning and in the evening. It still seems to help with the depression if I'm feeling any of that in the eveing. Today not so much but that is probably hormonal and I don't know how much of an effect it has on that, or if it will be cumulative. I have only been using it for a month and they said especially for withdrawal I should try it for a least two months.

 

As a side note, my daughter suffers with insomnia and severe chronic migraines. She started using the device a couple of weeks ago and her sleep is much improved and her migraines have decreased in severity. Again it is cummulative so we are hopeful that she will get even better. 

 

I know it doesn't work for everyone but I wanted to share my experience with it. 

 

Healing and peace to us all.

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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  • 1 month later...

Interestingly, this local place that offers CBT-I for insomnia includes three free trials with the device.   Obviously, their goal is since it requires a prescription, you will purchase the device from them.  

 

http://www.bluepointmed.com/news/233/insomnia-%26-cbt-for-insomnia-at-bluepoint?gclid=CM3Hlojrjs4CFQkfhgodT1wNLA

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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  • 4 months later...

I thought I would drop by and offer an update on my use of the Alpha-Stim. 

 

I am still using it twice daily. It is helping both with depression, not as much for hormone induced depression, and with my anxiety. It doesn't get rid of the anxiety but it helps to make it less. Even when I am tapering and end up having horrible w/d sxs it helps a little with the anxiety. I've been using it for six months now. I forgot to use it once and my anxiety was way up the next day. 

 

My daughter also continues to use it and though her migraines are not gone when she does have them they tend not to be as severe and they don't last as long. She won't go a day without using it and wants to purchase one for herself. 

 

Hope this helps anyone who might be interested in these devices.

 

Hugs and healing.

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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  • 4 months later...

Hello, I know it has been a while since anyone posted to this topic, but I was just wondering . . . for the few people who seem to have had adverse reactions to these devices (anxiety, restlessness, agitation, etc.), how long after stopping the device did it take for your symptoms to go away? I had an adverse reaction to one of these devices, too, after using it for about a week. I feel it threw me back very significantly into withdrawal; I am having very strong symptoms I have not had in many, many months. 

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  • 1 month later...

Has anybody tried this? I've tried everything in the book but I really don't want to spend $500 on something if it doesn't give a chance for some relief. Also I've done ECT on 2 separate occasions with no effect so I'm wondering if this will be a waste.

My memory is very bad so I will do the best that I can. 15 antidepressants over 17 years. It's really all a blur to me.

Within the last year:

Lamictal--100-300mg (at least five years)

Prozac-100mg (2 years maybe)

Pristiq-25-100mg (started last year)

Adderall-10-30mg (started last year)

Tapered the pristiq but had to start again 50mg. eventually stopped Prozac.

Currently tapered pristiq and stayed on the lamictal and adderall (11 weeks now)

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You'd have to skim the thread.  A post a few up from yours indicates it worked well for the person, but there seems to be plenty of the opposite too. 

2010  Fluoxetine 20mg.  2011  Escitalopram 20mg.  2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS.  Effexor 150mg. 

2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants.  Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. 

Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms).

8 month hold.

2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent).

2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well.
Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea.

2023 Now on 7 micro-beads of Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops.

 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.'  Dr Gabor Mate.

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On 6/19/2017 at 0:06 AM, Nitt1978 said:

Has anybody tried this? I've tried everything in the book but I really don't want to spend $500 on something if it doesn't give a chance for some relief. Also I've done ECT on 2 separate occasions with no effect so I'm wondering if this will be a waste.

 

Hi Nitt, I used one of these devices twice a day for a little over a week or so 2 months ago. It spiraled me backwards into withdrawal even worse than I was in the very beginning, 1 year ago. I am still suffering very badly from this device. I am glad that others seem to have a positive experience, but I just want to share my experience, too, so people know that these devices can cause very serious reactions. When I say serious, I mean I have not experienced suffering even close to this bad in the entire year I've been in withdrawal, and I have had some pretty rough waves before this. I hope your experience will be much better than mine if you choose to use it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I saw the Fisher device on my fb feed yesterday. Having suffered severely for decades w Bipolar

and treatment resistant wicked depression. Life includes multiple meds which are constantly changing.

 

I immediately became excited. But, because of my guinea pig life, my distrust kicked in so I have spent

the entire day and will continue,investigating these folks, the technology as well as anything related. While I have not reached a decision yet, I am leaning towards heck no.

 

Many of the claims made by Fisher are dubious and some information provided I have already

found to be inaccurate. I called the FDA and had a quick conv. I need to call back Monday to

speak to the horses mouth regarding their so-called "FDA cleared" statement. Not the same as FDA

approved.  I am in need of Medicare assistance with this extremely expensive device and as far as I

can see, it is not approved. What "maladies" they are approved for is also in question. I will call back

again on Monday.

 

As of right now, I am neither accusing nor convicting Fisher of anything. There are so many of us who are

desperate for relief that I think it is vitally important that I know what I'm getting into. They make a lot

of claims to desperate people.

 

Finally, my post is simply for sharing purposes. This is my story. I am in no way encouraging or discouraging anyone from pursuing an alternative treatment. 

Edited by scallywag
add extra lines after paragraphs for readability
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  • Moderator Emeritus

Lisa, thank you for creating an account and posting what you discovered when you talked with the FDA about the Fisher Wallace device. That is excellent information -- that the FDA may not NOT approved have cleared it.

 

Please let us know what you find out from "the horse's mouth" after you speak with them.

 

Please consider starting an introduction topic for yourself so that we can get to know you better.

Link to start a new topic for yourself in the Introductions and updates forum

Edited by scallywag

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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With regard to the Fisher - Wallace Stimulator

 

I've spent a ton of time trying to research this company and I will share the information I have obtained.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

 

Fisher-Wallace is based in NYC. I confirmed their business license for NY State. They came into being in

2007/2008. Their license is active and in good standing.  The BBB has no negative claims for them.

Fisherwallace.com and Fisher Wallace laboratories on fb.

 

The Fisher-Wallace Stimulator is tACS aka CES technology. It is not to be confused with tDCS. 

The technology is decades old (FDA sanctioned 1972) but was not officially recognized in terms of

approving its use by the FDA until 1990. At this time, a regulatory review was not done but the technology

was grandfathered in.

 

Fast forward to today.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is considered a MEDICAL DEVICE by the FDA. "FDA cleared" is used for medical

devices. "FDA approved" is issued for any/all drugs. The "cleared" designation for this device is correct but

for specific conditions. It can be used "off label" and in all cases, a Physician Rx is required.

 

Fisher claims to have clearance for insomnia, depression and anxiety. Pain is also mentioned but in an ambiguous

way. Here's where it gets a bit confusing...

Each "cleared" indication must have a separate FDA clearance #. All #'s begin with a K and will have 6 #'s after it.

 

PAIN - FDA says Fisher is cleared. 510K # is K896226     Fisher claims they are not cleared for pain but that "it can

be used on the body for pain". Fisher indicated that this clearance # is for Bipolar II.

 

Depression, anxiety, insomnia - There are no FDA cleared 510K #'s specific to these conditions. Fisher has 3 other

510K #'s in the FDA database. K894515/cranial stimulator, K902676/electromode-depth and K903654/cranial stimulator.

It is impossible to know if these 510K #'s are specific to depression, anxiety or insomnia but the general approval looks

in the ballpark.

 

Substance abuse - The Fisher unit is being used in a pilot program and has no FDA applications or clearance.

 

Per the FDA, there is what is called "Practice of Medicine". Allows for off label use at the discretion of the prescribing

Physician. This may explain the confusion I received from Fisher and what is posted throughout their fb site.

 

I found the official Fisher site to be lacking and confusing. They really just want to get you on the phone to grab your

personal information. They will certainly allow for questions but the more details you ask for, the less helpful they seem to be.

 

I had much better luck with them on fb. I had no intention of sharing personal information with them so I used the messenger 

option for questions. They were fairly prompt with responses.  Going through and reading absolutely everything proved to be

informative. I read all posts, replies and links. Quite a bit of the info was posted last year but there has been recent activity.

 

I am not a scientist or physician. I attempted to read the research studies they provided and looked for others. I did the best I

could but I was unable to read every single one. I spoke to a researcher friend of mine and she pointed out a few things with

regard to protocol, sample size, etc... that seemed inadequate/questionable to her.  What I can say is the Beth-Israel research

they reference and are so proud of consisted of only 16 people and it appears to have been financed by Fisher themselves.

 

I was not able to find efficacy information for any of the conditions they claim to treat. They do not make claims of

effectiveness except to say "read the feedback and testimonials". Almost all comments on fb were of a positive nature.

I tend not to trust so I wonder if they filter out any negative feedback.  

 

I googled the heck out of this device and did find some blogs that seemed more honest. Mixed reviews. 

I never found in my search, any information relating to major side effects. Minor stuff. Don't quote me on

this.  While there will be folks who get into this themselves, it has been recommended that anyone using this

device spend time with their Dr so that this treatment can be coordinated with your current meds.

 

Price: $699.00 plus between $19-$59 for shipping. Price dependent on how quickly you want it.  Must have a valid Rx and

apparently they will take one from just about anyone related to the healthcare field.

Probable availability in Canada and elsewhere. I saw one post indicating it was available OTC in Europe.

Insurance: this device may or may not be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, VA/TriCare, private insurance.  You need to call

your provider to confirm. Fisher indicated a price of $599 for those on Medicare, Medicaid, VA/Tricare or first responders. It

was an old post so you need to verify.

NOTE: I am on Medicare and called them directly. They indicated to me that this device is not covered. Not sure I believe them

so I would suggest having your Dr office make the call. 

 

Returns: 30 day return period. You pay shipping back to them in addition to a 10% restocking fee.

If you don't like, or want, the device after that time... I understand that there are Sellers on eBay and possibly Craig's List.

Due to the very high price of this unit, I've seen some posts where folks have bought used and decided from there.

 

Well, this is everything I was able to find out. I'm sure there's more but my head is about to explode.

 

I am in no position to encourage or discourage anyone with regard to this device. I have personally decided not to make a purchase

and will continue looking for alternative devices or that elusive magic wand.

 

I hope that the info I have shared will prove to be somewhat helpful.

 

I wish you all good luck with your decision and would love to hear from anyone who has purchased this device. Honest feedback is

always a good thing.

 

Best to you all.

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Lisa, thank you for sharing the details of your thorough investigation. I will add a link to your post on the first page of this topic so that people can find your detailed review quickly.

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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  • 3 weeks later...

Does anyone know if adverse reactions from the CES device can be permanent? I used it for 7-10 days in late April and I am still suffering tremendously from using that device. It feels like it did something different than meds; with meds it seems like the brain will gradually heal but this feels different. It feels like it permanently changed the electrical activity or something in my brain, and I am just not seeing signs of improvement. Does anyone have any hope at all they can offer about this? 

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  • 2 months later...

To The Administrator and other interested persons,

 

The use of the AlphaStim device has not been systematically tested for withdrawal and post withdrawal symtoms  from SRRI and Valium type drugs as far as I know ...   My  desire for people to look into this Avenue was based on my own post SRRI Withdrawal symptoms that the Alpha STIM Therapy helped me a lot on those symtoms .....  You are so correct in realizing that what appears as a emotional illness relapse can be directly the cause of a drug withdrawal problem  ....Some day I would like for the AlphaStim device to be tested by people who have failed other techniques in dealing with post traumatic with drawal symptoms from SRRI and Valium like drugs and have little to loose by trying out the Alpha STIM device ( the device has a very low side effect profile) .... 

 

As for the Alpha STIM device yes it can help some people even many people with depression  but it does not help everybody that uses it ...... Since depression and other symtoms is so often effected and interconnected with post drug withdrawal symtoms and can be a part of the history fabric of people with post withdrawal symtoms I have made refferrences to depression and other topics ......

 

Is using the Alpha STIM to help reduce and stop post SRRI and post Valium type drugs withdrawal symptoms  experimental? - Absolutely it is experimental ...... And any new  such venture has unknown risks to it ...... I agree with that evaluation that some or many people would Realize that Important insight to that subject ...... Any untested hypothesis has potential unknowns to it and ideally requires a Doctor to over see it .....

 

Fortunately when I went off the Alpha STIM device for one to three weeks the responsiveness to the partial control of the depression retuned when going back  on the treatment again  .....Right  Before going off  the device the symptoms of  depression symtoms returned to  mild to moderate but after one to three weeks off the device  it’s partial antidepressant effect returned ..   I say this to be accurate in the medical data described ....

 

Sincerely,

 

Bejay

7 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Bejay

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

i purchased a fisher wallace and it didnt really help me much. spent $500 on that sucker

Various SSRIs/SNRIs 7- 1/2 years

Went Cold Turkey from Celexa 2011, Stayed Off

Psych Drug Free and Loving Life (over 6 years and counting)

 

How I Stay Well: Diet, exercise, meditation, supplements, etc

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  • 4 months later...

Any one have a Soma Tuner that is not working for them that they wish to unload?

2001-2014 Tegretol 100mg, Prozac 20mg,     2010 - Added Lamictal, other two still, force (after close relative died) Took myself off it no real probs. Lamictal sporadically was ok (seemingly), 2014- Reintroduced Lamitcal (after relative died  .2017 Withdrew Prozac for Paxil and Paxil to Zoloft,other two still in force
2017 Brief reintroduction from Zoloft to Prozac, other two still in force 

 

Nov 1, 2017 Back to Zoloft, Tegretol, Lamitcal, Added Ativan .75mg (after close relative died), Doxylamine succinate for sleep

Dec 7 17,2018 -  .50  Ativan

Dec 17, 2018 -.25  Ativan

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  • 1 year later...

I recently purchased buzzers called Touchpoint Solutions.  They are two buzzers that vibrate alternately. You hold one in each hand. They are based on bi-lateral Stimulation such as EMDR. There is a lot of research backing up bi-lateral Stimulation. They are $150 and available on their website.  
 

My sister is a counselor and heard they work good for anxiety. We got them for my dad for a present to help him with anxiety and sleep. I borrowed them from my dad to try. I found they really help me with my anxiety and sleep.  I really need to give my dad his present back so I just ordered my own lol.  The only side effect I know of is my dad said it gave him vivid dreams.  PM me if you want more information. 

1993-2000: Zoloft few months CT, Prozac 1-2 yrs, Ritalin PRN

2002/2003: Wellbutrin,  Paxil 25mg FT, and Xanax PRN CT (all 3 to 6 months), Adderal 40mg, Strattera 40mg

2003- 2016: Effexor XR 75 mg to 150 mg., Strattera (2002-2008)

2017: Effexor XR 225 mg. Gabapentin 300 mg. Elavil 25 mg.

2018: (Sept.) Effexor XR 187.5 mg, Zoloft 10 mg. (OCT.) FT off Gabapentin (NOV.) FT off Elavil (DEC) FT Effexor to 150 mg.

2019: (JAN.) D/C Zoloft, added Viibryd 10mg (FEB) CT Viibryd, (MAR) Prozac bridge, Effexor xr 112.5mg, (Sept.) Effexor XR 112.5 mg + 0.4 mg (1 bead), (Oct.) Effexor XR 112.5mg, (Dec.28) start 10% taper Effexor XR 101.25 mg, 

2020: (Jan. 25) Effexor XR 91 mg., (Feb. 22) Effexor xr 82 mg., (Mar. 21) 75 mg. 

Supplements:  Vitamin D 5000 IU topical, Probiotic 6 billion CFU, Epsom salt bath 1C 2 to 3 X week, California Poppy 2 droppers, various essential oils 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/21446-superwoman-effexor-taper/page/8/?tab=comments#comment-475779

 

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