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Success stories after many years of withdrawal syndrome?


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There are many videos in the site I linked about getting better after quitting psych meds. Especially this video below is powerful.

This old lady has survived after 60 times of electroshock therapy and massive drugging. She has lost many memories due to electroshocks but has gotten the ability to enjoy life back. She says she loves her children and her grandchildren and she loves life. :) 

 

http://igotbetter.org/videos/lwilson

Citalopram 40mg from 2003-2015

Jan 2015 started tapering first dropped to 35mgFeb 30mg, March 25mgApril 20mg, May 17,5mg, June 15mgJuly 12,5mg, Aug 12,5mg,

Sep 0mg for 5 days because of stomac flu and after I raised to 7,5mg. All the symptoms of acute WD shaking, diarrhea, vomiting, barely could walk ect. Still didn't realize that it wasn't only stomac flu but I was also going through WD.

Oct 2,5mg and crashed again badly and quickly raised to 4mg. It was then when I knew my symptoms were due to WD.

Then in November after a month holding on 4mg raised to 5mg due to muscle weakness and had a VERY BAD reaction to reinstatement: akathisia(lasted for one or two weeks), insomnia, anhedonia... Drop quicly back to 4mg, Dec 3mg

Jan 2016 2,6mg( in the middle of Jan after I had been on 2,6mg for a week I tried to updose to 2,8mg and immediately had bad reaction to it: akathisia for a day, andehonia got worse. The next day dropped back to 2,6mg), Feb 2,4mg( a new symptom PGAD lasted 24/7 for 2 months after that on and off), March 2,4mg, April 2,3mg, May 2,2mg, June 2,1mg, July 2,0mg( Pgad almost nonexisting, sleeping pretty good, still some anhedonia but there has been a lot of gradual progress), Aug 1,97mg-1,89mg, Sep 1,88mg-1,49mg, Oct 1,48mg- 1,70mg,

Nov 0,65mg- current dose 0,5mg

 

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I'm also partially recovered - 65 to 70% if I had to quantify it. I am 19.5 months off ssri, snri and a tricyclic antidepressant I'd taken for over a decade. I cold turkeyed them all at once, simultaneously. Probably not the best action to take but I did. The first year was met with psychotic depression, Dr/dp , extreme muscle rigidity, hypersensitivity to noise/light, severe paranoid ideations, hallucinations, mainly aural. Couldn't work, could barely feed myself. I became an illiterate mute.

 

Today I'm back at work, able to read and digest nyt articles to legal material for work. My symptoms have broken up to where I am now experiencing moderate waves of depression that are shorter in length and lighter in severity at each successive session and my cognitive distortions are likewise receding into the background and becoming tolerably dissipating noise .

 

I hope we all heal as pain-free as possible.

 

Peace and love.

Gemini,

Can you confirm if you are still taking latuda .

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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Reachingforthestars.   Thank you for the video above. It is quite powerful in it's own way. What struck me the most was that she was loving life despite her drugging / multiple diagnoses and even though there were " holes" in her memory, she felt lucky to be alive. It says a lot for the human spirit and I particularly loved it when she talked about the color coming back into her life again. It's definitely a story of hope and survival against all odds.

 

Additionally, I feel like I am a partial recovery story. I have been feeling relatively symptom free after 2 yrs 4 months C/T . I was on and off antidepressants for close to 20 years. I had many cold turkeys and drug changes during that time. Without knowing what was happening I always went back on the A/D's with the mistaken belief that it was my " original condition" returning. Obviously, this was the story spun by the doctors and I believed them. I previously thought I had to be on the medication for the rest of my life.

 

After my last C/T and  finding this site, I stuck it out through the withdrawal and I am now starting to experience life on the other side. A drug free life. 

It is starting to feel great . :)

In time, I'm hoping to write a success story .

 

Don't ever give up hope. Healing happens.

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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You are a success and inspiration to me Ali!

9/2013-4/2014:  After moms death, was prescribed a series of meds for short periods of time that didn't work. Zoloft, Lexapro,  Nortriptyline, Liquid Prozac, Cymbalta. 

1/2014-9/2014. Clonzapam: Given Lamictal, stopped Clonzapam at .125mgs  

1/2015-4 2017 Remeron: 41.25 -0.025mgs

7/2015-11/2018 Lamictal: 200mgs-0.05 mgs Had paradoxical reaction to Lamictal wd, broke my heart to take a benzo but wasn't sleeping. 

3/28/2019 -2/5/ 2021  Clonazapam: 0.625mgs-.00115 Med Free 

July 27th, 2022**Severe Setback due to surgery/ anesthesia. 

9/7/22-10/4/22 Trazadone 50-100mgs for sleep, 10/13/22-11/13/22 Trazadone 1 mg to stabilize

10/4/22-11/20/22 Remeron 7.5mgs (for sleep doesn't work) 11/20/22 7.3 - 12/31/22 6.3 

2023: 1/18/23 6.1 - 6/6/23 3.6  6/16 3.4  6/28 3.0 7/12 2.7  7/28 2.5 8/11 2.2 8/23 2.0  9/5 1.8  9/16 1.6  9/30 1.4  10/13 1.2  10/26 1.0  11/9 0.8  11/22 0.6  12/6 0.4  12/23 0.2.

2024 1/4/24  Remeron/Mirtazapine free 

Additional Support:  Armour Thyroid 75mgs, Magnesium Glycinate 300-500mgs,  L-theanine 

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Thank you Hibari.  :)  I think you have done exceptionally well yourself . I'm sure your patience will pay off in time.

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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  • Moderator Emeritus

AliG

 

I am so happy for you... You re an inspiration for the perseverance. Hope the good times ahead of you will pay off milion times for the bad time which is already behind you. I will pray for your happiness from now on. May God bless you with happy moments now that you seem to have already pass the most important test of your life.

 

GOOD LUCK and WAITING FOR YOUR SUCCESS STORY.

2015 -  2016 Xanax only rescue doses of 0.125 mg 1-2 times per month
 March 2016 0.125Mg * 2 Xanax for 10 days.

20 March 2016 0.25 Mg * 2 Xanax for one week. 1 April 2016 Tranxene 5 mg and Fevarin but bad reaction for 5 days.4 April 2016 25 Mg Amitryptiline + 6 MG bromazepam at night

Started tapering Bromazepam 6 days later reached up to 3 MG in 10 days and withdrawal. Pdoc asked to go 6 MG again.

10 of May started Remeron 15 MG and started tapering Bromazepam again.

SINCE 09/06/2016 BENZO FREE - Started Tapering Remeron 04/07/2016

 

04/Jul/16 12.8 Mg, 11/Aug/16 12 Mg, 20/Aug/16 11Mg, 3/Sept/16 10Mg, 11/Sept/16 9 Mg, 30/Sept/16 8.1 Mg, 14/Oct/16 7.25 Mg, 17/Nov/16 6.7, 23/Nov/16 6.5, 2/Dec/16 6.25, 9/Dec/16 6Mg, 25/Dec/16 5.7Mg, 4/Jan/17 5.4Mg, 20/Jan/17 5.2Mg, 07/Feb/17 5 Mg, 15/Feb/17 4.8Mg, 27/Feb/17 4.5Mg, 15/Mar/17 4.2Mg, 23/Mar/17 4Mg, 1/Apr/17 3.7Mg, 14/Apr/17 3.4Mg, 27/Apr/17 3.1Mg, 06/May/17 2.8Mg, 22/May/17 2.6Mg, 31/May/17 2.3Mg 09/Jun/17 2Mg, 20/Jun/17 1.7Mg, 29/Jun/17 1.4Mg, 11/Jul/17 1.2Mg, 20/Jul/17 1Mg, 31/Jul/17 0.8Mg, 11/Aug/17 0.6Mg, 23/Aug/17 0.5Mg, 05/Sept/17 0.4Mg, 13/Sept/17 0.3Mg. 22/Sept/17 0.2Mg, 03/Oct/17 0.15Mg, 10/Oct/17 0.1Mg, 23/Oct/17 0.05Mg, 22/Nov/17 0.025Mg, 06/DECEMBER/2017 MIRT FREEE.

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Hi AliG. Congratulations to you on your partial success story. AliG, I have a question for you. I know you said that after you found this site you stuck with the discontinuation. What helped you the most as you were going through the very difficult months of Withdrawal symptoms? I am so happy for your great progress!!! Could you please respond? What I am so impressed with and encouraged by is your persistence to stay the course. What helped you day by day?

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Hi Triplem. That is such a hard question to answer but I'll attempt to.  I had an unwavering faith in the process once I landed here and discovered the truth. I got angry and had a huge desire to be free of the drugs that had negatively influenced so much of my life. I saw very clearly how I had been fooled by doctors and Big Pharma . It was a turning point and I realized that it was " live or die".

 

That sounds dramatic but it was how I felt and actually still do. I was just so determined to beat this thing, no matter what. So, as I'm writing this I realize that it was a " mind shift ". I did my research and realized that I was in for a tough time, given my history of drugs and also my abusive past. I wasn't sure if I could do it but I had nothing much to lose so I just started and then kept going.

 

 I " hunkered down" almost like preparing for a war - which in effect I was ! I used distraction mainly along with a certain isolation. I cut myself off from friends and family . It was like a defense mechanism.  I didn't really care anymore about anything in the beginning so I just kept going day to day. I still suffer occasionally from that emotional anesthesia but it's improving slowly. It's hard to go back , though. It can become a pattern that's hard to break. 

 

I saw symptoms as signs of healing and knew it was only a matter of time before I escaped.  I didn't panic and I had no fear. That was probably because I didn't care so much. I researched and learned about the power of the brain to regenerate so I had some faith. As I started to heal I regained some semblance of a life and also hope returned.

 

It has been a slow process of discovery and recovery.  In looking back it was half - not caring and half - a huge anger and desire to survive.

 

I wish I could say it was a magic supplement or treatment but at the end of the day it was just mind power and sheer grit and determination.

Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014

 

                                                  Psych Drug - free since May 2014
.
         

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Hi Triplem. That is such a hard question to answer but I'll attempt to.  I had an unwavering faith in the process once I landed here and discovered the truth. I got angry and had a huge desire to be free of the drugs that had negatively influenced so much of my life. I saw very clearly how I had been fooled by doctors and Big Pharma . It was a turning point and I realized that it was " live or die".

 

That sounds dramatic but it was how I felt and actually still do. I was just so determined to beat this thing, no matter what. So, as I'm writing this I realize that it was a " mind shift ". I did my research and realized that I was in for a tough time, given my history of drugs and also my abusive past. I wasn't sure if I could do it but I had nothing much to lose so I just started and then kept going.

 

 I " hunkered down" almost like preparing for a war - which in effect I was ! I used distraction mainly along with a certain isolation. I cut myself off from friends and family . It was like a defense mechanism.  I didn't really care anymore about anything in the beginning so I

just kept going day to day. I still suffer occasionally from that emotional anesthesia but it's improving slowly. It's hard to go back , though. It can become a pattern that's hard to break. 

 

I saw symptoms as signs of healing and knew it was only a matter of time before I escaped.  I didn't panic and I had no fear. That was probably because I didn't care so much. I researched and learned about the power of the brain to regenerate so I had some faith. As I started to heal I regained some semblance of a life and also hope returned.

 

It has been a slow process of discovery and recovery.  In looking back it was half - not caring and half - a huge anger and desire to survive.

 

I wish I could say it was a magic supplement or treatment but at the end of the day it was just mind power and sheer grit and determination.

great to hear, just what i needed now

(i'm brazlian so please, ignore spelling mistakes) 2015 the beggining of the year started with effexor xr 37,5

went up to 300mgs

in october of 2015 quitted COLD TURKEY/took olanzapine 5mgs for 2 weeks around november/ reinstated effexor in january of 2016

in march of 2016 was at 300mg again

in may tappered effexor xr and added trazodone 150mgs, seroquel 50mgs and abilify 10 mgs/in july cold turkey from abilify (no big deal)

in september tried reducing trazadone to 50mg

after 2 weeks went back to 150mgs of trazadone and 50 mgs of seroquel and added 2 mgs of klonopin to use WHEN NEEDEED

currently taking 150mgs of trazadone and 50 mgs of seroquel at night

 

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Hey guys. I would say I'm a bit recovered. Last year at this time i was in my bed whishing to die.

This year I'm at my third week at uni, so far so good. I can see its much harder for me than people around me, but I am pushing through.

CD off meds in July 2015, not on any medication since. Went through WD nightmare, now dealing with normal anxiety, but decided not to leave this forum yet because I want to support and give hope to others. ♡

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AliG thank you for being so honest. I do appreciate you. I would have to say I am thankful , so thankful for this site snd for people like you. Thank you. AliG my next question is this, the Neuro emotion, do you get it? I do struggle with it in the waves. It has been improving so very slowly but I do notice improvement. The Neuro healing is slow!!! It is so good to know we are not alone on the site. It is amazing to me how alone I can feel in my physical world. People cannot comprehend this. One cannot share this with just anyone, the experience I have had is that they do not understand withdrawal. My husband tries to be as supportive as he can , also some close family members but the general population has no idea.

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Servadai, thank you and how wonderful you are back in school. So, if I hear you correctly, over a years time you have seen good progress!!! If so, wonderful!!! It is slow but yes, it comes baby steps at a time.

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Awesome servadei

<p>Various benzos 4 months for insomnia prior to Effexor 37.5mg may 2014 for two weeks, Mirtazapine 30mg june 2014 - feb 2015.Pristiq 50 mg Feb 2015. six weeks later attempted coming off with a six week taper. ten days off and it got ugly. Tapering now using compounded pristiq with slow release agent. 37.5 mg 3 weeks, 30 mg 6 weeks, 25mg 4.5 weeks, 20mg for 6 weeks, 17.5 mgs 7 weeks, 20 mg 8 weeks, 19 mg 3 weeks, 18 mg 3 weeks, 17 mg 3 weeks, 16 mg 3 weeks, 15mg 2 weeks, 14mg 2 weeks, 13 mgs 2 weeks, 12 mgs 6 weeks, 11mg 3 weeks, 10.5mg 2 weeks, 10 mg 3.5 weeks. 9mg 4 weeks. Jumped at 8mg currently 16 months free

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  • 1 month later...

 

I'm also partially recovered - 65 to 70% if I had to quantify it. I am 19.5 months off ssri, snri and a tricyclic antidepressant I'd taken for over a decade. I cold turkeyed them all at once, simultaneously. Probably not the best action to take but I did. The first year was met with psychotic depression, Dr/dp , extreme muscle rigidity, hypersensitivity to noise/light, severe paranoid ideations, hallucinations, mainly aural. Couldn't work, could barely feed myself. I became an illiterate mute.

 

Today I'm back at work, able to read and digest nyt articles to legal material for work. My symptoms have broken up to where I am now experiencing moderate waves of depression that are shorter in length and lighter in severity at each successive session and my cognitive distortions are likewise receding into the background and becoming tolerably dissipating noise .

 

I hope we all heal as pain-free as possible.

 

Peace and love.

Gemini,

Can you confirm if you are still taking latuda .

off cold turkey:zoloft, trileptal, stratteracurrently on:<p>latuda .05 milligrams latuda (to stabilize cns) from 20 mgs 4 months ago.

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No

off cold turkey:zoloft, trileptal, stratteracurrently on:<p>latuda .05 milligrams latuda (to stabilize cns) from 20 mgs 4 months ago.

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  • Altostrata changed the title to Success stories after many years of withdrawal syndrome?
  • 6 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi there,

 

The staff at SA are wondering how you are.  We'd love to hear how you are doing now.   Would you mind dropping by and giving an update?

 

Thanks.

CC

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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