Rosie281: Hello :) Needing advice please!

[rosie281]

Hello

Firstly apologies for the long and disjointed introduction: I'm currently going through some awful withdrawals and haven't slept properly in a few nights!

 

Brief background:

I was prescribed antidepressants (Lexapro and Allegron) back in my teenage years for depression. I cold-turkeyed off the Lexapro after a few weeks, as I despised the feeling it gave me. This was done with no issues. I was willing to give Allegron a shot, however after being on it for a month I experienced a mild psychotic episode and promptly took myself off. Again, this was done with no real issues.The last few years I have been suffering with a panic disorder. (Although I somehow remained unaware of what it was, didn't seem to make the connection as I had never suffered from anxiety before.) This came to a boiling point after an overseas trip, when I was hospitalised due to a severe panic attack (I thought I was dying!) I was then diagnosed with Panic Disorder, which quickly developed into agoraphobia. I was prescribed Lexapro 25mg and Seroquel 50mg. I lasted about four months on the Lexapro before begging my doctor to either take me off completely or change me onto something that wouldn't make me feel like such a zombie. I was put onto 100mg Pristiq (switched straight over from the Lexapro) and remained on Seroquel which was bumped up to 100mg.

 

I have spent the last four months researching natural alternatives for my disorder. I have always hated antidepressants, I genuinely do not believe they hold any benefit (for myself personally) - however my doctor continues to tell me that the reason I 'hate' antidepressants is because my brain wants me to remain sick. I am 100% committed to finding a way to deal with my anxiety disorder in the most natural and least harmful way possible - but now comes the hard part - tapering off my current medication.I was told by my doctor that I could stop taking the Seroquel at any point. He reminded me that it was 'non-addictive' and that I may have a few hours less sleep but would encounter no problems coming off cold turkey. 

I have read a LOT of posts in this forum, and indeed the medication itself says 'DO NOT STOP TAKING ABRUPTLY, however I decided to go with his advice and simply stop taking it. I am on day three  of no Seroquel, and let me tell you - I feel like I am losing my mind. I spend the entire night hallucinating, scratching myself to the point of drawing blood because I can't tell how hard I am scratching, and just generally feeling like I'm on a really bad trip. During the day, I'm exhausted, I'm dizzy, I'm extremely weak and incredibly emotional. After reading so many similar stories, and a gradual taper being the main thing suggested for Seroquel, I was tempted to take a small dose last night, however part of me feels like it's already been this long - I almost just want to tough it out rather than go back on the stupid drug. I really would prefer to just be rid of it altogether...does anyone have any advice for dealing with Seroquel withdrawals, besides the obvious gradual tapering? I have already spoken to two doctors, both of which said that I should not be feeling ANY symptoms from stopping the Seroquel, but if I feel really bad I can just take a panadol. (I am about ready to wage war on the medical industry) 

 

Secondly, if it isn't asking too much from you lovely people...

a few weeks ago I dropped my pristiq dose from 100mg to 50mg. I felt quite okay after doing this, and have not yet experienced any horrible withdrawals from that. I understand a gradual taper for the Pristiq is pretty much crucial, so I plan to drop from the 50mg very slowly. (I am also simply cutting the pills in half instead of the day on/day off method that some people suggest, no stomach troubles yet.) Obviously I would love to be medication free as soon as possible, but I also don't want to do more damage than I need to. My question is, based on my research so far, there are three ways in which I can drop the pristiq:

Either switch to a small dose of Prozac and then taper off that (I have never been on Prozac before however) 

Replace the pristiq with effexor and taper that slowly instead (also never been on effexor but at least it has smaller dosages)

OR, start introducing tryptophan slowly and increase that while I taper off the Pristiq.

 

The tryptophan is the option that appeals the most to me, as it is the 'drug-free' option, however I would really just like any opinions or personal experience with any of the above options, I'd much rather do what is best for my body even if it involves going on prozac or effexor to taper.

 

(Oh and, I have read the post about tapering pristiq - extremely informative AND also made me incredibly angry at the lack of knowledge from medical professionals on how to taper effectively. Seems you guys know your stuff more than any of them!)

 

Thank you for reading! 

Edited November 2, 2013 by Petu
Added member name to title

[Petunia]

Hi Rosie,

Welcome to our forum and thank you for posting an introduction.

 

I'm sorry you are going through this.  I know what its like to feel awful, be sleep deprived and then try and write something which makes sense, you did very well

 

Since being a member here on this site, I've learned how sensitive some people are to psychiatric medications and every time I read about doctors who throw people on and off this stuff, like as if its candy, I feel sad and angry at the same time.

 

Its no wonder you felt like a zombie on Lexapro, 25mg is a very high dose.  I was prescribed 10mg, but found that too much and most of the time I was on it, only took half the pill (5mg).

 

I don't have much experience with Seroquel, but my sister was taking it for a while and I remember she had a hard time coming off it, had to taper quite slowly and wasn't getting much sleep through the whole process.

 

Its your decision if you decide to reinstate and then taper, but please have a look at our seroquel tapering topic for ideas and the experiences of other people:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5131-sablee-need-help-tapering-off-10-mg-of-fluoxetine/?p=66023

 

It sounds like you are quite familiar with this site and have read our Pristiq tapering thread, so you know that we recommend tapering by 10% every 4-6 weeks, depending on symptoms.  We also recommend waiting until you have stabilized from tapering one medication, before starting to taper a new one.

 

I understand wanting to be medication free as soon as possible, I was the same way and came off my medications too fast, long before I ever found this site.  I've been suffering from protracted withdrawal ever since, almost 2 years now,  and the symptoms I've endured are so much worse than anything I ever experienced before going on medication, including depression, which I never had.  I went on meds for anxiety.

 

When you feel up to it, please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature, it makes it easy for members to see your situation and be able to offer support and suggestions.  Instructions are here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5131-sablee-need-help-tapering-off-10-mg-of-fluoxetine/?p=66023

 

Others should be along soon with more support, please let us know what you decide to do and keep us updated of your progress.

 

Petu.

 

 

 

 

[rosie281]

Thank you Petu

Protracted withdrawal sounds like an absolute nightmare - the whole thing just makes me so angry that there really is no 'easy' way to come off these meds! 

Interestingly enough, I was told by my doctor that the reason I had anxiety was because of my depression. He had a very long-winded way of explaining this, but it basically came down to that I never 'dealt' with my depression from my teenage years, and so it came back with a vengeance in my twenties, and presented itself as panic disorder.This explanation makes me really annoyed though, as I was depressed in my teenage years, due to a lot of various traumatic things that happened, however I worked very hard at trying to become better (without any medication) and in my early 20's, I was extremely happy, healthy, outgoing...I was in a fantastic relationship, I ran a coffee shop with an amazing team of staff, had lots of friends and loved working out and just getting lots out of life! For me, my panic disorder genuinely came out of left field, and I really refuse to believe that it was just my 'depression' lurking in the background, waiting to pounce on me again. According to my doc, I will 'always' struggle with this issue, so he tells me I need to remain on the medication. Although in my eyes, if I will always struggle with this issue, I'd much rather learn how to deal with it naturally rather than use an antidepressant blanket for the rest of my life.  

Would you mind telling me how your anxiety is these days? I find the information and advice that you people give is so much more helpful than anything else out there. Its so nice to actually speak with people who KNOW the hell of coming off medication, instead of doctors who try to convince you that its just not that big a deal!

[Petunia]

Would you mind telling me how your anxiety is these days?  

 

My immediate response to this was 'I don't know'.... because I'm still going through withdrawal and my nervous system isn't 'back to normal'. Its hard to tell the difference between anxiety which would be normal for me and symptoms which come from my still destabilized nervous system after over 15 years of medications and too many changes.

 

But I have an idea of how its going to be once I recover fully because my daily pattern of symptoms is that I wake up with intense physical symptoms like nausea, shaking, dizzyness and I also get waves of neuro-emotions, which last for several hours.  I have better days and worse days, but in general, by the middle of the afternoon, these symptoms have subsided and I think I'm closer to a 'normal' state.  So from about 3pm to when I go to sleep, in general, my anxiety levels are very low.  I''m usually very tired though, from the effects of the day.

 

What I've noticed is that I deal with anxiety symptoms much better than I ever did.  I experienced something which could be seen as a panic attack when I was in my twenties.  At the time I didn't know what it was and completely freaked out, left a full cart of groceries in the store and went home, because I didn't know what was going on, it developed into an ongoing problem and I became afraid of more and more things.  I fully recovered from that episode eventually, without medication and my life got better and I went on to do a lot of traveling.

 

Now, because of withdrawal and having high levels of cortisol in the mornings, I experience sensations much worse than that first panic attack, but because I know what it is, as uncomfortable as it is, I just deal with it.  Even if I'm out, trying to buy groceries, I just do the best I can, take my time and complete what I've decided to do.

 

So I believe, that once I finally do recover from this protracted withdrawal, I'm going to be 'better' than I was before going on medication because no 'normal' anxiety is ever going to be as bad as anything I've endured going through this.

 

If you look at my medication and withdrawal history, I'm a good example of what NOT to do.

[rosie281]

Wow Petu, sounds like you have been through a lot. I completely relate to what you said about the morning anxiety, I always find that in the afternoon/evening I feel much calmer and more 'motivated' about my anxiety issues, however in the morning it takes me a long time to get out of a depressive slump. I think you will absolutely be better once your protracted withdrawals stop. While I hate having panic attacks, I feel like its not anywhere near as difficult as trying to come off medication - at least the panic attacks have an end point. I have been taking a whole slew of vitamins to help me with this process, omega 3, multis, vitamin B's, E's, D's, etc. I actually took a travelcalm this afternoon as it was the only thing I could find in the house for nausea and it helped greatly, I actually managed to doze off for an hour or two. I am crossing my fingers that I will feel marginally better tomorrow, at any rate I have organised a doctors appointment for Monday, and with my agoraphobia it is extremely difficult for me to go to the doctors as it is, so if the most severe symptoms haven't subsided by then I'll probably have to cancel. I am finding myself getting so depressed at what my life is like now compared to before I was on the drugs. I even see a difference in photos of myself, I used to have laughter in my eyes and now there's not much life there at all. I would love for my doctor to go through what I went through last night and then tell me that seroquel doesn't have withdrawal symptoms. I'm slightly concerned about my wellbeing at the moment, in the early hours of the morning I find myself thinking really strange things to do with self harm that I would never normally consider. I know its just the drug 'talking', nevertheless its extremely frustrating to feel like I can't control my own thoughts. I just keep spending my time reading through all the posts and words of encouragement on this forum! 

[Petunia]

 I'm slightly concerned about my wellbeing at the moment, in the early hours of the morning I find myself thinking really strange things to do with self harm that I would never normally consider. I know its just the drug 'talking', nevertheless its extremely frustrating to feel like I can't control my own thoughts. I just keep spending my time reading through all the posts and words of encouragement on this forum! 

 

I experienced this for several months earlier this year.  I know how frightening it can be to have thoughts like this.  I've never been seriously suicidal in my life, even when I've been in very stressful circumstances and I couldn't see an immediate way out.  For me, this happened after I tried to reinstate with Prozac and then Lexapro, so I knew it was drug induced, but it was still very frightening, and I hadn't found this forum at that time.

 

I've also become quite agoraphobic through this whole process, I rarely go out before noon, unless I absolutely have to, sometimes I don't go out for several days at a time.  But its getting better, slowly.  More often than not, by mid to late afternoons I can go out very easily and do whatever I want.

 

Hang in there Rosie, you will get through this, let us know how your doctor appointment goes.

[Rhiannon]

Rosie, you've only been off Seroquel three days, and you're having withdrawal symptoms? did I read that correctly? I think it would be wise to reinstate at your original dose or a slightly lower dose and then taper off. 

 

I don't know a lot about Seroquel specifically, but if it's like all the other psych drugs, if you're having withdrawal symptoms three days out, they're likely to get worse. And it's hard to say how long they will last. It could be months.

 

Very few doctors have a clue about psych med withdrawal, so it's not surprising that yours doesn't think a CT off Seroquel is problematic. In my experience any medication that messes with neurotransmitters can cause withdrawal--any of them. There's nothing special or magic about certain ones.

 

It's not unusual for people to be able to CT once or twice and then to try it again and get hit hard. Most of us who end up in trouble have been on and off meds at least a few times. As Alto says, our nervous systems are not made of rubber. Sooner or later we all use up our slack.

 

I've seen so much suffering and so many people saying they wish they had reinstated early that I feel this is the safest route. Certainly it's what I would do and would insist that a loved one do.  Please consider it, at least. It's still early enough that you should be able to reinstate successfully.

 

Cold turkey is just never a good idea if you have the choice not to do it. 

[Rhiannon]

Oh, and as always, I recommend reading Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker. (I think it should be handed out as required reading to anyone who's considering psychiatric medication for anything less than immediate threat to life.) It will give you an idea of the history of these drugs and help you understand why doctors are so ignorant about them.

[rosie281]

Thank you Rhi! I really appreciate what you're saying, after reading about all the 'protracted withdrawal' that goes on I'm almost worried that even if I start to feel better short term of the seroquel, it might come back to bite me in the ass at some point.I am seeing a doctor tomorrow (a different one from my usual, as I know if I were to tell my actual doctor about my reasons for wanting to taper off, he'd just try to tell me that's my 'sickness' talking) I will be asking her advice also on the situation, although I am not expecting her to know too much about it. I have to say, I feel much better approaching doctors now with all the information I have learned on this site. I feel like many other times I've gone in blind, and just taking their advice as gospel, however tomorrow I will be perhaps a little more forceful about my opinions and beliefs. (But must remember to be polite...don't want her thinking I've lost the plot lol)I will come back and let you all know what was said, and where I plan to go from there.

And thank you for recommending a book for me! I am an absolute book worm and I find everything about this so fascinating (and frustrating) so I will definitely be hitting up the library to get my hands on it.

[rosie281]

Hello,

 

I am day five on cold turkey seroquel. (100mg)

My doctor told me I would have no issues coming off the seroquel which is why I stopped taking it so suddenly. I was only on it for sleep, and was originally on 25mg but found over the course of a few months I had to increase it to 100mg in order to get to sleep.

 

Since I have stopped taking it I have had pretty sh*tty withdrawal symptoms (as expected) and insomnia has been a brutal one, although last night I managed around 4-5 hours sleep, and have just been snatching 30 minute naps during the day, whenever they come on.

 

I felt marginally better yesterday afternoon, the dizziness was one of my main problems. However today I have had such bad nausea, so far I am unable to keep anything down - and can I just say, throwing up a fish oil capsule is so horrific that its almost put me off them for life!

 

I did have a doctors appointment booked for today but had to cancel due to not being able to drive myself there.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can help this nausea? I have tried ginger tea, and also some nausea pills however because I am taking them with liquid I tend to just throw them up immediately afterwards.

 

I have some xanax on hand that I rarely take, they were prescribed to me on an 'in case' sort of basis. Will they help me, or is it pointless taking them today? 

 

Thank you in advance

 

OH, and just to be an extra pain - I am unable to go out and purchase anything, agoraphobia is a bummer, so if anyone has any home remedies that would be fantastic

[dalsaan]

Hi Rosie,

 

As Rhi has indicated on your introductory thread, your best bet is to reinstate your medication and then taper off it.  This is likely to resolve your nausea. 

 

Dalsaan

[Janie]

Please try not to take a xanax. You might really regret it.  Benzos are hell to get off of. Don't start!!  I was thinking perhaps an epsom salt bath would be calming to your system, including your stomach. I agree reinstatement sounds wise. Don't go cold turkey.

How are you today?

[Altostrata]

Merged related threads.

 

Rosie, I agree with Rhi, reinstating Seroquel seems like the best course for you. You should never go off any of these drugs suddenly!! Even doctors know bad withdrawal symptoms can result.

 

Seroquel comes in a liquid for easy tapering, see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1707-tips-for-tapering-off-seroquel-quetiapine/

[Altostrata]

Correction, Seroquel does not come in a liquid! Many apologies.