Experiences after tapering to zero and symptom management

[Ravenvision]

Mod addition:  Please also see:  It doesn't end at "O"

 

I have tried to quit paxil several times....I did not do it slowly  or not slow enough.    The longest I ever made it was about  4 months off then the wheels fell off the bus.....big time.  And I reinstated and stabilized.

 

 

I understand the thinking behind long slow tapers - which would be the only way to go if I ever do this again.   I wanted to know if any of you found that even with a long and slow.....you end up uncomfortable some time after you have finally dropped to zero.

 

I understand that everybody is different - but does the brain slowly adjust or does the hard stuff still get ya later?

 

Hope this isn't too obtuse.

 

Raven.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Shep
updated added link in Manymoretodays mod note

[indigo]

I also had the experience of trying to get off anti-depressants several times without success. The common advice from doctors, to cut down my dose to every other day was disastrous for me. The withdrawal was so deadly and prolonged I'd give up. Since I  had told no one I was on SSRI's, and had been for years, I wasn't discussing the situation with friends. Then I came across a very understanding and informative guide about getting off anti-depressants. For the first time I had a clue about how to get off this stuff. I think it might answer some of your questions.

https://theicarusproject.net/resources/publications/harm-reduction-guide-to-coming-off-psychiatric-drugs-and-withdrawal/

Edited January 4, 2020 by manymoretodays
updated link

[SelmaLady]

I have tried to quit paxil several times....I did not do it slowly  or not slow enough.    The longest I ever made it was about  4 months off then the wheels fell off the bus.....big time.  And I reinstated and stabilized.

 

 

I understand the thinking behind long slow tapers - which would be the only way to go if I ever do this again.   I wanted to know if any of you found that even with a long and slow.....you end up uncomfortable some time after you have finally dropped to zero.

 

I understand that everybody is different - but does the brain slowly adjust or does the hard stuff still get ya later?

 

Hope this isn't too obtuse.

 

Raven.

YES!! I want to know this too.  I don't see any posts from people who did a very slow and careful taper and what the next months/years were like...I worry about delayed w/d's too.   I did a super slow taper off of Valium 10 years ago and found that, as I got lower I felt much better until the very end and the next few months when I was more "out of it".    But I went on to full recovery (my baseline from a previous c/t w/d) w/i 18 mths and no intense w/d's.  Surely am hoping that this will be the same but don't see any post on it...

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Here is Alto's post on the topic of searching for member content:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/246-how-to-use-this-site-questions-and-answers/page-5?p=122044#entry122044

[Rhiannon]

I've only dropped one of my meds all the way to zero, the gabapentin. I had a slightly bumpy month and a half after I came off but then things went back to my current "normal" at that time. (That was two and a half years ago so my normal now is actually quite a bit better than my normal then was.)

 

Still have a bit to go before I get to zero on any of the other ones. But given how I feel after cuts and then how that resolves and how I feel after longer holds, I'm anticipating that it will go pretty well. Of course I do plan to taper very slowly.

[DLB]

Maple leaf girl did a four year taper after a few unsuccessful fast ones and is now 7 months out and doing well.

[Hudgens]

I'd like to comment here in the positive, but I'm only 4 months post taper after a 4 year taper, so I don't know what's going to happen. So far I'm fine, I feel completely back to normal. Still have mild things: morning Cortisol maybe once a week; very mild brain zaps (worthnoting that these were always mild, that is never really bothered me perhaps due to the slow taper); irritability sometimes and mild disphoria for very short periods (1-2hrs) about once a month. As I said, all these things are so mild and short lived that I could almost convince myself they are normal.

 

Still I have to wait until 9-10 months out to feel I'm perhaps out of the woods. So there it is. Anyway, April 1st I'll be half way there!

[Designerguru]

I'm only 4 months out after a year taper. I have to say that except for the insomnia issues (which I have struggled with for years), I feel really good. About 24 hours after I took my last .5 mg of Effexor, it was like the fog had lifted. The "cog fog" I had experienced while on Effexor went away almost immediately. My energy came back. The flatness went away.

 

I don't know if side effects will appear later. I know that happens to some. I hope I am one of the lucky ones--but who knows?

[Vonnegutjunky]

❤️❤️❤️❤️ Please

Keep us posted - I see this and have so much hope ❤️

[LeighS]

Hi, very glad I found this forum. I've been reading the posts here for weeks, and decided to post my experience so far in case it can help anyone. I decided for sure to taper off Pristiq a few months ago. I've taken 50mg for 3 1/2 yrs and hoping i no longer need it for anxiety attacks. I tried cold turkey 8 mths ago and became VERY sick on day 3. So this time I took 3/4 of a pill for 2 weeks (bit them in half and then half again - not an exact science); then I did a half pill for 2 weeks, then a quarter pill for 1 1/2 weeks. My last quarter pill was last Saturday. Imy on vacation this week from work thankfully. The tapering part went well; I didn't notice any symptoms. On Monday I felt very fatigued, achy and head achy so I laid around with the TV on til 2:30. Tuesday I felt better and was more productive but had strange sensations in my head (brain zaps?) And dizziness. Wednesday, head sensations. Today I have the head sensations but am ok. Knock on wood but I think the taper may have worked for me and ita be because I was only taking 50mg.

[manymoretodays]

I think that the rule of thumb for safe tapering is a 10 percent reduction every month.

 

If I am reading correctly you went from 50 to zero in a little over a mos.

 

I wish I could direct you to the place where it talks about tapering your Pristiq.  Hopefully a moderator will be by shortly.

 

And any meds. taken prior to the Pristiq?  Information like that always helps.

 

Non medication coping skills for anxiety that you have in place and are doing regularly?

 

Yes, knock on wood.  Hopefully you will be a lucky one.  I would at the very least be expecting some "rebound anxiety" to creep up pretty soon.  I believe Pristiq, Cymbalta, and Effexor are all pretty similar in chemical make up(SSNRI's) and often do create a lot of more protracted withdrawal issues.  Not to be a Debbie Downer.  And hopefully you do have some to reinstate with which might help later.

 

Please post again in some 3-6 mos.  Or sooner.  I have only been around here for 3 mos. myself.

 

Meanwhile..........hoping a moderator directs you soon.  Even with tapering that 10 percent every mos. a lot of people do run into difficulties, and especially when getting down to the final stages, lower doses.

[GiantsWSC]

Ravenvision,

 

Yeah everyone is different and people have ben on these drugs for various amounts of time from a month to many years.

 

I can give you an example for my case since I've been on it or quite some time now. Initially I was told by my doctor that tapering off Paxil was easy, basically take the pill every other day for 2 weeks then 1 pill every few days then 1 pill a week and then off. Easier said than done and it was quite the roler coaster ride.

 

The for many years I ended up just taking 10mg a day which kept me in a good, sane mood. Then one day I decided to take control of my life instead of a pill dictating path and came upon a website that has since been closed called Paxil Progress. From there I learned from quite a few folks that there was a much better method of tapering, albeit a bit slow but so far it's been worth it. For the most part the 10% drop each month is a good baseline, but some people find you might have to drop slower the lower you get.

 

As you can see from my signature I've ben tapering since Oct. of 2013. Yes, there are ups and downs and I get typical symptoms of insomnia, night sweats, some memory loss (maybe also due to ambien), irritability, not wating to o out and be with people, difficulty focusing. Basically, this isn't a race and you have all the time in the world to get off it. Some drops I go down a bit each month and some I wait a couple months. If I feel I need to stay on a particular dose for a bit longer I just stick with it until I feel comfortable dropping down to the next cut.

 

They say it gets harder the lower you go and the 5.0mg mark is where some get into a weird zone but I belive that where your body may be telling you that ok its time to hang out here for a bit before moving forward. I'm at 3.2 mg and so far I've ben doing pretty good. Getting sound sleep( when I can get it), in my opinion, has helped me tremendously. Also eating better, going for a workout, and socializing with people have also helped. I take some supplements on the side like Omega 3 fish oil, Magnesium Citrate, even started adding Chia Seed to my diet recently and so far it hasn't had any negative effects.

 

I'm looking forward to that day where I hit the zero mark and hope the rest of us can do it as well.

 

Hope this helps.

[AmyK]

This question bothers me too, i have tapered very slowly and I am down to 1.08 mg zoloft now, What happens at zero? Will it be smooth? i really hope so, I had so enough of this (but who has'nt?).

[marie123]

I just jumped at 4 mg of Trazadone a few weeks ago. I did a slow 10 month taper from 75 mg. Withdrawal is not that bad, I feel pretty good.

[manymoretodays]

Going to try for a revival of this thread, for those of us post zero, and wanting to share experiences after tapering to zero.

Me, I've gotta post my success story ASAP.  Because it's time.🤓  And yes, for me, I feel successful, in my own journey and adventure off. 

 

Just going to put this here today, it's on a refrigerator magnet, that I picked up at a 12 step meeting awhile back.  Author unknown.

 

F. E. A. R.

has two meanings

Forget Everything And Run

OR

Face Everything and Rise

 

The choice is yours.

 

And yah, once in awhile, I still hit partial days, or a day, of just wanting to run and/or hide and isolate.

And if I can, am free enough from responsibilities to others and myself, sometimes I WILL take a day, or a few hours to just go with the feeling.

Me, I can't afford more than a day though.  If I allow myself too long at it, the feeling, the fears, it does tend to spiral into something bigger and becomes a deeper hole, which is then much harder to climb out of.

I've found communities and relationships with other people to be perhaps, one of the most helpful things, in healing further. Oh just plain faith too.  We've got the whole Finding Meaning forum for that though.

So if I isolate, I start getting disconnected, and then that's not so good.

So that's something I've learned.

 

Many more experiences, of course. 

 

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

manymoretodays

Edited September 13, 2019 by manymoretodays
spelling, elaboration

[Rhiannon]

Face Everything And Rise -- I love it! I've copied it to print out and put on the wall with my inspirational stuff. 

 

I also take "down days" sometimes but I think I am finding the same thing--I'm not sure if it really helps so much. It's really hard to fight it but I think it kind of just reinforces itself. Maybe I need to find some ways to be gentle and nonstimulating but not 100% agoraphobic and isolating. Thanks for encouraging me in that.

[Miko789]

On 9/13/2019 at 7:09 PM, manymoretodays said:

Going to try for a revival of this thread, for those of us post zero, and wanting to share experiences after tapering to zero.

Me, I've gotta post my success story ASAP.  Because it's time.🤓  And yes, for me, I feel successful, in my own journey and adventure off. 

 

Just going to put this here today, it's on a refrigerator magnet, that I picked up at a 12 step meeting awhile back.  Author unknown.

 

F. E. A. R.

has two meanings

Forget Everything And Run

OR

Face Everything and Rise

 

The choice is yours.

 

And yah, once in awhile, I still hit partial days, or a day, of just wanting to run and/or hide and isolate.

And if I can, am free enough from responsibilities to others and myself, sometimes I WILL take a day, or a few hours to just go with the feeling.

Me, I can't afford more than a day though.  If I allow myself too long at it, the feeling, the fears, it does tend to spiral into something bigger and becomes a deeper hole, which is then much harder to climb out of.

I've found communities and relationships with other people to be perhaps, one of the most helpful things, in healing further. Oh just plain faith too.  We've got the whole Finding Meaning forum for that though.

So if I isolate, I start getting disconnected, and then that's not so good.

So that's something I've learned.

 

Many more experiences, of course. 

 

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

manymoretodays

Congrats on your getting off med. Long journey.

 

As far as Fear I choose Face Everthing And Rise

[Fragile55]

Would anyone be willing to provide me with examples or tell me of your experiences with  healing and signs of improvement after being completely free of SSRIs?

I am in need of some positive stories to get me through this process. 

Thank you!

 

[mstimc]

Hi Fragile

 

I've been SSRI-free since 2009.  It took me almost two years to taper off Paxil and another year to being able to manage my anxiety/OCD and regain my life. For me, there was no "I'm cured!" moment.  It was a slow process as the physical feelings of anxiety decreased and my negative thought patterns dissipated. During withdrawal, I was jealous of people who were farther along in recovery or who were getting long positive windows.  I never thought I'd get past it, but I did.  We're all different and it takes us all different times, but it will happen! 

 

I view anxiety/OCD as a chronic condition, like diabetes.  There may not be a cure, but it can be managed with the proper tools and perseverance.  You can have anxiety and lead a perfectly happy and satisfying life.

[Fragile55]

Good to hear, thank you for that response. Glad to hear it. 

Yes, I assume I will always battle some mild anxiety and times of depression. I just want to get back to being able to do my job and interact with people somewhat normally again without constant nagging thoughts and paranoia and fear of full blown panic.

[Fragile55]

May I ask what is CBT?

[mstimc]

I felt the same way.  Oddly enough, work was somewhat therapeutic for me.  My job demanded my attention and decreased my anxious thought patterns.  But I was also glad to get home and crawl into bed on some days!

[mstimc]

2 minutes ago, Fragile55 said:

May I ask what is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. A therapist helps you practice thought patterns that decrease the emotional and negative reactions to physical anxious symptoms. It can take different forms; a lot of people who use it refer to CBT as a "toolbox" where you can select the best coping mechanism for whatever type of anxiety or obsessive thoughts you're dealing with. 

[manymoretodays]

@Fragile55

@mstimc

 

Added your recent topic Fragile, to this post zero healing topic.   Moved from introductions. 

Please see Success stories, too.  If you go to the home page you will see them, and that forum.

 

You are now in the tapering forum(just moved to symptoms and self care, with title adaptation)

 

Healing symptoms are good symptoms to focus on.

 

one way to search for pre-existing topics on-site

main browser:  type in survivingantidepressants.org followed by the topic you are thinking of starting

* and then, just a friendly reminder, only one introduction topic per member

 

Thank you,

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

moderator mmt

* Let's all work to keep the site we know, and love, and use, organized 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by manymoretodays
clarity, whole topic moved to S and S

[Sassenach]

http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/SelfHelpCourse.pdf

Might give an insight.

[rapunzel2]

I finished my 6,5 years long withdrawal in July (finished quetiapine in 2018 and now fluoxetine). I have been extremely dependent on fluoxetine, could only reduce in small quantities and each time had to hold at least 1,5 months.

 

i jumped off from 1,4mg, which is quite high for me. Safer would have been 0,4mg or 0,2mg. I did it because I found out I was pregnant.

 

the pregnancy did not work out, I had miscarriage  a third one  all those have been during withdrawing, so... I think my body is too weak due to withdrawals? I have had every medical test possible and everything else is fine.

 

anyway, I was ok during pregnancy and miscarriage etc. But around 4 months from jumping off I fell hard. I developed such physical fatigue that I even didn't manage to walk long distances. I couldn't manage stress either or waking up early, so I actually lost my job due to that. For several weeks after that I was only laying down. The exhaustion has been out of this world. This is even extreme for me.

 

i also have sleep disturbances and a little depression. And i still cannot work out.

 

it has gotten a little better during last weeks. But I'm scared about how long this will last. I want to have children.. and I'm 40 years old...

 

it's almost 5,5 months from jumping off at the moment. I try to remember to update in coming months.

[LiaJ]

What happens at the end of the taper?

 

I've been thinking lately, at the end of my painfully slow Mirtazapine taper, what is likely to happen? I know it's impossible to determine as we're all different, but I am wondering if issues tend to heighten at the end of the taper. I would think, that the whole reason we taper slowly is to prevent catastrophic reactions and multi-system instability. I have traumatized from my CT off Celexa in 2017, and have slowly recovered from that, still tapering the Mirt reinstated during early WD from Celexa. I'm wondering if ending this drug will be anything like ending Celexa. I'm curious if anyone can speak to their experiences after the last dose that was tapered slowly and correctly. 

Edited June 19, 2021 by manymoretodays
merged to pre-existing topic, Title added

[hayduke]

4 weeks since my body told me to stop feeding it olanzapine.  I'd been holding at 0.205 for a few weeks.  The clocks were changing to daylight saving and the evenings warming up, and I thought well if my sleep's getting disrupted anyway, my body definitely wants rid of it now.

 

Slept 7 hours that night and was mildly amazed.  Despite a few weeks of very demanding activity in the middle of therapy precipitating right then (Jung would chuckle at the timing) I kept getting enough sleep and dealing with life.  

 

At four days I thought this is going well enough not to reinstate, and again at a week.

 

Last week was quieter so I've had more rest now, while my body still asks for more.  There is a sense of physical relief in my body that is partly bound up with the somatic release from therapy but also distinctly from no longer having to process the toxin.

 

Definitely feeling the sensitised nervous system effects we talk about.  Even one beer is quite a slug at the moment so I am availing myself of the non alcoholic variety instead.

 

The long four month quarantine on my own was hard so it's a relief to be socialising again and be able to take yoga classes etc.

 

I was hoping to be fit for work around now but I think it might be next year.  I can tread water till then.

 

Self care is my priority, and finishing my CPTSD therapy (at least this round).

 

Generally my mood is pretty good, but having some fair slumps too.  I think some of these are reconnecting with childhood emotions that were too hard to bear then, some of it's just life in the present day, and some of it is my body now wanting things it's basically been numbed to for many many years.

 

Not all that motivated- many of the things I like doing normally feel a bit intense, like playing music say.  I'm sure that'll pass.  Long walks in nature are helping a lot, as are long magnesium baths and the omega 3 from hemp powder.  And quiet where I can find it.  Meditation almost always helps too.

 

It's nice to be at this point finally, especially since it was a semi spontaneous decision to jump to zero, and Iooking forward to more healing.

 

I've lost a couple of kilos already which feels good.   Interestingly my sleep cycle has changed from night owl to up with the sun, and while that takes some adapting to it just doesn't feel bad like it once did when I had to.

 

Only a month in, I will have more to add later.

[Nicolas45140]

Hello Friends, 

I have been on paxil 20mg for two decades and now lexapro for a year and doing my journey to stop this drug. (3,5mg for now) 

Ten Years ago, I tried to stop paxil and arrived without any difficulties to 0 and so happy to be drug free. Except dizziness, brainzaps, etc... no psychological problems, and arrived to stop very easily. But, 1 or 2 months later, I had terrible feelings back on my face. General anxiety disorder (insomnia, sweating, anxiety+++, shaking members, asthma with difficulties to breath, and couldn't focus on my work. I was Working In Ireland at that time (Im French) and symptoms was so terrible I had to leave Ireland, quit my job, empty my appartment in few hours, took the ferry back home and see my GP who reinstated me paxil 20mg.... then slowly going back to normal. 

My reduction was too fast I guess cause as i can remember it was in 2004, 20mg...then 10mg, then 5mg, 2,5mg and 0. I was waiting the dizziness to stop... then reducte my dose till 0. and I did fine. well, i guess I didnt because of this GAD who hit me in the face.

I just hope that now, I will do my 10% taper every month and it might take 36months to be drug free but scared to have to GAD back again.... 

WHat do you think ? If i respect my 10% taper will I be sure to pass this GAD period ? 

Hope to hear from good stories or help from you guys. 

Thank you all being here. 

nicolas 

[RachelSusan]

@Nicolas45140 Hi Nicolas. I feel sad that you went through that terrible situation. I went cold turkey off of Zoloft (Sertraline) originally and had all the symptoms you had, and more. I reinstated and then spent the next five and a half years slowly tapering.  I have been at zero for almost seven months now with no problems. No symptoms, nothing. Life is good. Sometimes I had to do less than 10%, sometimes I had to wait months between tapering.  I let my body tell me. If I tapered too fast and felt a symptom then I would hold until the symptom was completely gone and then hold even a little longer. I don't know how you body is going to react, but for me it worked and I have no symptoms. I wish you luck.

[Nicolas45140]

4 minutes ago, RachelSusan said:

@Nicolas45140 Hi Nicolas. I feel sad that you went through that terrible situation. I went cold turkey off of Zoloft (Sertraline) originally and had all the symptoms you had, and more. I reinstated and then spent the next five and a half years slowly tapering.  I have been at zero for almost seven months now with no problems. No symptoms, nothing. Life is good. Sometimes I had to do less than 10%, sometimes I had to wait months between tapering.  I let my body tell me. If I tapered too fast and felt a symptom then I would hold until the symptom was completely gone and then hold even a little longer. I don't know how you body is going to react, but for me it worked and I have no symptoms. I wish you luck.

@RachelSusan Hello Rachel, For me it wasn't cold turkey but looked the same as I believe if you had same and more symptoms. You give me hope to continue my reduction and now time will do the rest of it. May I ask how long have you been on drug ? Have you been able to keep working and having a normal life, I mean going out, see friends... 

for now, except light anxiety, stomach problems, headache or insomnia.... I can deal with it. 

[RachelSusan]

@Nicolas45140 Hi Nicolas, Once I get the tapering under control I was able to have a normal life.  Sometimes if I went to fast with my tapering I had to stop my activities and remain at home for a few weeks until the worst of the symptoms had passed.  I wish you a lot of luck with your tapering.  I am now following you on your page so I will see anything you post.