MelanieRose: Therapist doesn't believe me

[MelanieRose]

Hi, I have been on just about every antidepressant there is over a period of 18 years.  I accidentally stopped taking my 20mg of Lexapro and was having neck pain, back pain, brain zaps, balance problems, nightmares, extreme irritability, very weak muscles, and a host of other symptoms.  After 2 months of being off of the Lexapro, I figured out that I was in withdrawals.  My psychiatrist raised my dose of wellbutrin from 300mg to 450 mg, then back down to 150mg and increased my trazodone.  It's been 2 months since no Lexapro and 3 weeks of tapering the wellbutrin.  I saw my therapist last week and all of my symptoms were very obvious.  She did NOT believe me and at the end of the session, she folded her arms and said, "sooo is there anything positive in your life"?  This may sound minor but it devastated me to get that kind of reaction.  There's so much more to this but this sums it up in a nutshell.  Why don't therapists understand?  Why aren't they knowledgeable?  Why aren't most pdocs knowledgeable?  I am so frustrated.  I am so afraid that this will go on for months if not years!  Thank you for listening.

[MelanieRose]

Oh, and how I could I forget the unrelenting migraines?

[Petunia]

Welcome to the forum  MelanieRose, I'm sorry to hear you have been struggling so much.  I moved your post here to the introductions forum, you can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want.

 

If I were you, I would be looking for another therapist, very few people know much about withdrawal, but a therapist should support you in your experience and be willing to learn.  I would be devastated too, to get that kind of a reaction from someone who was supposed to be helping, that was invalidating.

 

How long were you taking lexapro for?  It sounds like you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I stopped taking lexapro too fast several years ago and have been having symptoms ever since. You should never stop taking an antidepressant without tapering.  We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising.  Please read through this post which will explain why:

 

http://survivinganti...0-of-my-dosage/

 

Reinstatement of a small amount of the drug can often work well to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.  According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.  Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of withdrawal symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work.  Here is some information about reinstatement to help you decide if its something you would like to try:

 

http://survivinganti...rawal-symptoms/

 

Please read through these links which will help you understand what's going on.  Reinstating as little as 2mg may help you to feel better, you could stabilize on that, and then begin a proper taper.  But we need a little more information about your drug history.  What other medications have you taken, when, for how long and what dose.  How did you taper?

 

Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature.  Putting a short version of your drug history in your signature helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts.  Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

Why does your psychiatrist keep changing the dose of your other medications, this is not a good idea, your nervous system needs stability. Doctors don't understand withdrawal syndrome. They often want to add or increase drugs, which can make it worse.  For a brief introduction to withdrawal please see: Intro to antidepressant withdrawal syndrome

 

I would suggest you stop tapering Wellbutrin for now.  You need to give your nervous system chance to settle down, if you continue the way you are, its likely to get worse.  Wellbutrin also needs to be tapered by 10% every 4 weeks.  We advise only tapering one drug at a time.  You may also be experiencing withdrawals from cutting this from 300mg to 150mg.

 

I'd highly recommend reading Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker, it will answer a lot of your questions and explain what has happened regarding these drugs and the people who prescribe them.

 

Once you get back to us with more details about your drug history and situation, we will be in a better position to offer support and suggestions, you will find a lot of friendly help here.

 

Petu.

[ToesInTheSand]

Hi Melanie. I can relate to your experience with your therapist. Mine insisted my withdrawal was the return of my original symptoms. I was also tapered too quickly off of the Lexapro and had to reinstate. I'm now dealing with debilitating symptoms which are possibly side effects of that.

 

I feel the same frustrations you're feeling. I can barely go to work at this point because my symptoms are so bad. No one knows what to tell me and there is no way to determine what is causing my symptoms.

 

I agree about only tapering one med at a time. That in itself is enough to throw your body into a tailspin, as I'm seeing.

 

Definitely fire your therapist and find someone who will collaborate with you on your journey. I know the process of finding someone can be incredibly draining when you're already dealing with debilitating symptoms, but just do your best.

[compsports]

Hi Melanie,

 

Bottom line - If you therapist isn't supportive of your situation, you need to find someone else which i realize is a royal pain in the a--.   But it seems what she has to offer isn't what you need right now.

 

CS

[pokiok]

Hi Melanie,

 

I also stopped Lexapro and had to reinstate. Don't let them make you think you're crazy, you are not, and this site has helped me realise that! These meds mess with us more than I've ever dreamed, I only wish I knew then what I know now.  We're here to chat if you need...

 

All the best...