squirrel Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 (edited) anyone had any success with these for Palpitations & anxiety.I have just gotta get some relief Edited November 13, 2016 by ChessieCat Added tags Started Seroxat(Paxil) for panic attacks in 1997 stopped the drug in 2005 tapered over 3 months ( doctors advice) Suffered severe and protracted withdrawl ever since. No other medication taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ucfgemini Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 IF and only IF you are not taking anything else... I have had success with 50 mg of 5htp at night and breathing. Most people will say 100-300 mg, but the 50mg seems to do the trick for me. have you tried any sort of breathing techniques? Extreme fear of death since I can remember/ severe anxiety as a child/ first panic at 10 which lasted about two months and reoccurred three years later and again four years later with each episode lasting months/ started paxil in 1997, switched to zoloft around 2002 then to effexor in 2004 for a month then to lexapro which I remained on until three weeks ago. Last dose taken three weeks ago. Just beginning to experience reoccurring anxiety , OCD and depression.P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 3, 2011 Administrator Share Posted August 3, 2011 squirrel, anything might set off a hypersensitive reaction. If you want to try something, try a tiny chip first. Rather than beta blockers for the anxiety symptoms, my doctor prefers an alpha blocker, doxazosin. It reduces adrenaline. I tried it (a tiny chip), it worked for a long time, maybe a year or two. (It also helped with the frequent urination at night.) But I'm so hypersensitive it eventually was too strong for me and went paradoxical, which means I had an uncomfortable day or two and stopped it. 1 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angie007 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 So Alto, you were able to take a tiny chip of doxazosin and that helped with the anxiety and frequent urination and heart palps???? what happened when you came off??? any side effects?? symptoms return?????? Began taking 30mg Seroxat on 15th Jan 1997 for grief issues. Remained at that dosage until Dec 05, did doctor ct, akathesia set in along with being non functional and overly emotional, brain fog. Doctor prescribed prozac, propranelol and diazeapam to counteract side effects, and told me to ct those 3 after 2.5/3 months use, induced wd seizure on 2nd day after ct. Was reinstated on seroxat 20mg in april 06, remained at that dose until Nov 07 and began a very slow taper lasting 56 months, finally DRUG FREE on 11th may 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlebell Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hi Squirrel I tried a beta blocker when I wass 6 months off seroxat, given to me by a p.doc who said that this would stop all the symptoms etc. It made me worse, the bed was spinning just like it did once when I was extremely drunk. I tried it for about 5 days but had to stop. poodlebell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Baxter Posted August 3, 2011 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hi, I took beta blockers for years for anxiety and pounding heart. It helped. I was not in WD then. 1989 - 1992 Parnate* 1992-1998 Paxil - pooped out*, oxazapam, inderal 1998 - 2005 Celexa - pooped out* klonopin, oxazapam, inderal *don't remember doses 2005 -2007 Cymbalta 60 mg oxazapam, inderal, klonopin Started taper in 2007: CT klonopin, oxazapam, inderal (beta blocker) - 2007 Cymbalta 60mg to 30mg 2007 -2010 July 2010 - March 2018 on hiatus due to worsening w/d symptoms, which abated and finally disappeared. Then I stalled for about 5 years because I didn't want to deal with W/D. March 2018 - May 2018 switch from 30mg Cymbalta to 20mg Celexa 19 mg Celexa October 7, 2018 18 mg Celexa November 5, 2018 17 mg Celexa December 2, 2019 16 mg Celexa January 6, 2018 15 mg Celexa March 7, 2019 14 mg Celexa April 24, 2019 13 mg Celexa June 28, 2019 12.8 mg Celexa November 10, 2019 12.4 Celexa August 31, 2020 12.2 Celexa December 28, 2020 12 mg Celexa March 2021 11 mg Celexa February 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 3, 2011 Administrator Share Posted August 3, 2011 Yes, angie, I used to take a pinhead of doxazosin in the late afternoon to help with sleep. No withdrawal. It has a half-life of 22 hours. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Is it possible to get tremor from stopping beta blockers. The dose is 40mg a day has been taken for years. Not me...but am curious what happens to people should they have to quit it and should it be tapered. Is this a drug one can just stop taking and if it is stopped cold turkey can tremor be the result? Thanks 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Is it possible to get tremor from stopping beta blockers. The dose is 40mg a day has been taken for years. Not me...but am curious what happens to people should they have to quit it and should it be tapered. Is this a drug one can just stop taking and if it is stopped cold turkey can tremor be the result? Thanks another person asked me if I could find out about this and they are desperate waiting for an answer... tremor internal shaking ...been off switched to another drug with worse side effects now off both.... I could not find much on withdrawal other than high blood pressure...but I am not clicking exactly great just now so it may be me...if you know something please let me know.. Thanks 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 btdt, I've tapered off a BB blocker before. I don't know if they can cause tremors, have you checked RX list? I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meimeiquest Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 It took me six months to taper off metoprolol 1st round Prozac 1989/90, clear depression symptoms. 2nd round Prozac started 1999 when admitted to dr. I was tired. Prozac pooped out, switch to Cymbalta 3/2006. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder due to mania 6/2006--then I was taken abruptly off Cymbalta and didn't know I had SSRI withdrawal. Lots of meds for my intractable "bipolar" symptoms. Zyprexa started about 9/06, mostly 5mg. Tapered 4/12 through12/29/12 Wellbutrin. XL 300 mg started 1/07, tapered 1/18/13 through 7/8/13 Oxazepam mostly continuously since 6/06, 30mg since 12/12, tapered 1.17.14 through 8.26.15 11/06 Lithium 600mg twice daily, 2.2.14 400mg TID DIY liquid, 2.12.14 1150mg, 3.2.14 1100mg, 3.18.14 1075mg, 4/14 updose to 1100mg, 6.1.14 900 mg capsules 7.8.14 810mg, 8.17.14 725mg, 8.24.24 700mg...10.22.14 487.5mg, 3.9.15 475mg, 4.1.15 462.5mg 4.21.15 450mg 8.11.15 375mg, 11.28.15 362.5mg, back to 375mg four days later, 3.4.16 updose to 475 (too much going on to risk trouble) 9/4/13 Toprol-XL 25mg daily for sudden hypertension, tapered 11.12.13 through 5.3.14, last 10 days or so switched to atenolol 7.4.14 Started Walsh Protocol 56 years old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 btdt, you could also try asking on benzo forums if no one here knows about the tremor issue, there usually are people on those forums who are tapering off them too. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 btdt, you could also try asking on benzo forums if no one here knows about the tremor issue, there usually are people on those forums who are tapering off them too. I am not a member of the benzo forum.. I did look every place before I posted here. So far this person is waiting for blood test results to see what way to go. I suggested it may lessen with time as I know it crosses the bbb so maybe in time the brain will adjust and the body will fix itself. Safest thing I can think of. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted October 1, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 1, 2014 I tapered my atenolol when I realised it was causing some of my symptoms. I tapered for around 5 months. I tried C/T years ago and must have had withdrawal of some kind because I went back on but can't remember why. After I finished tapering I would get occasional anxiety type symptoms now and again for about a month and a tiny crumb would settle it. Haven't had any for months now. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Thanks Mamma she has a benzo and is using that for what she terms internal shaking and what the doctor calls tremor. It is likely the drug if she stays off and gets better we will know it was the drug. I told her if it is it can take a long time but did not say how long as I didn't know. I will wait and see how it goes with her and report back if there is any useful info for others. I could not imagine taking atenolol that made me psychotic with have a pill... glad you beat it. peace 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildflower0214 Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 They can cause depression. It is a known side effect. 2005-Zoloft bad reaction.....2006-Lexepro......2012-Upped Lexepro.......2013-Upped Lexepro......2/2014- Attempted Taper Lexepro...2/2014- Updosed Lexepro.......3/2014-Ativan.....5/2014- CT switch from Lexpro to Effexor..... 5/2014-7/2014-Tapered Ativan from 1mg to .25mg.....6/2014-Bad reaction to Effexor........7/2014- Rapid taper Effexor every other day......7/5/2014- Off Effexor.......7/2014-12/2014 - Ativan .25mg.......12/25/2014 -Taper Ativan by 4% due to paradoxical reaction .24mg...11/18/2015-Taper Ativan 1% CURRENTLY ON: .2376mg Ativan taken in 6 .0396mg doses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 They can cause depression. It is a known side effect. Thanks the person who quit them is saying she just may be able to beat it just now she is thinking she can... 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildflower0214 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Good to hear 2005-Zoloft bad reaction.....2006-Lexepro......2012-Upped Lexepro.......2013-Upped Lexepro......2/2014- Attempted Taper Lexepro...2/2014- Updosed Lexepro.......3/2014-Ativan.....5/2014- CT switch from Lexpro to Effexor..... 5/2014-7/2014-Tapered Ativan from 1mg to .25mg.....6/2014-Bad reaction to Effexor........7/2014- Rapid taper Effexor every other day......7/5/2014- Off Effexor.......7/2014-12/2014 - Ativan .25mg.......12/25/2014 -Taper Ativan by 4% due to paradoxical reaction .24mg...11/18/2015-Taper Ativan 1% CURRENTLY ON: .2376mg Ativan taken in 6 .0396mg doses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexhex Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I began taking 25mg of Toprol XL last year to get the withdrawal anxiety and palpitations under control. It is a time released drug that covers me for a full 24 hours and absolutely takes the edge off. In addition, I take 500 mg of the amino acid Taurine - once in the morning, and once at night, which completely halted the AFib associated with the heart palpitations. I have been following this regimen faithfully for a year and have not had one episode since May of 2013. To be clear - I do not have a heart problem. Echo and EKGs have always been normal except for the first 6 months of withdrawal when they spiraled out of control and required three ER visits. The Toprol alone was effective, but the Taurine was a game changer. There is a thread on this forum about Taurine if you want to check it out. After more than two years, I am by no means normal, but I'm not in acute distress anymore. The worst of my remaining symptoms are occasional stomach/bowel issues which I can deal wiith by controlling my diet, unrelenting insomnia (I can sleep for only about 4 hours at a time), paralyzing nightmares, and a core sadness that I never experienced prior to or while I was on the drug. No matter what I do or how good my life is - I cannot shake this persistent feeling of unhappiness and fear. It permeates my very existence. Just so you understand - I was on Lexapro for panic attacks - I DO NOT have now, nor have I ever suffered from depression. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Short term low dose Klonopin use back in 2004Acute, protracted withdrawal after discontinuingBegan Lexapro in 2005 to ease Benzo withdrawalTook 2 years to stabilizeRapid taper from Lexapro in July/August 2012Return of anxiety, insomnia and cardiac issuesFailed reinstatement early August 2012Acute withdrawal for 9 months; intermittent symptoms for another 6 Relief on February 9, 2014 after addition of Taurine Almost complete remission of symptoms w/addition of 12.5mg Atenolol daily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hi Lex I was just looking at your history.. Short term low dose Klonopin use back in 2004 Acute, protracted withdrawal after discontinuingBegan Lexapro in 2005 to ease Benzo withdrawalTook 2 years to stabilizeRapid taper from Lexapro in July/August 2012 I am curious did you have a doctor advice you on how to get of klonopin... did you taper? Who's idea was it to take Lexapro to ease a Benzo withdrawal? I don't think I have ever heard of that before. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexhex Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Ahhhh... this is easy. I tried to taper off the Klonopin myself after I began to have severe interdose withdrawals. Then the drug began to work paradoxically. So I had to check myself into a behavioral health center to come off it completely when the outpatient doctor I was working with suggested it was safer. I was on a VERY low dose. Like .25 mg. But he was concerned that I would have seizures if I just stopped and I am notorious for getting crazy bouts of tachycardia, so it seemd like the best solution. It was 7 days of UGLY - but I was even WORSE when I went home. No sleep, no appetite, racing heart ALL DAY and NIGHT, climbing out of my skin anxiety, complete agoraphobia. It was a FECKING NIGHTMARE. Three months into the withdrawal, the doctor recommended I try Lexapro. Side effects were minimal, mostly intense nausea, but after about three or four weeks, I started to feel better. Gradually over time I became more empowered, less panicked, appetite returned, sleep went back to normal, heart rate irregularites disappeared. Took about 18 months before I considered myself stable. And I felt great. I stopped taking the Lexapro because I thought I was cured of whatever it was that caused the panic attacks in the first place, not because the drug was causing any problems for me whatsoever. The Lexapro completely alleviated the Benzo withdrawal. It took time, but it worked. Stupidest move ever coming off. And now I'm screwed. Short term low dose Klonopin use back in 2004Acute, protracted withdrawal after discontinuingBegan Lexapro in 2005 to ease Benzo withdrawalTook 2 years to stabilizeRapid taper from Lexapro in July/August 2012Return of anxiety, insomnia and cardiac issuesFailed reinstatement early August 2012Acute withdrawal for 9 months; intermittent symptoms for another 6 Relief on February 9, 2014 after addition of Taurine Almost complete remission of symptoms w/addition of 12.5mg Atenolol daily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerusalem Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 hello forum. i am a member of the benzo buddies, and was recommended to come here. i have tapered from 10mg valium now down to 1.67mg. my only symptoms have been tachecardia, rapid heart rate, pounding heart. i went down to 3mg. on a 3.5ml cut before i had symptoms, i.e. elevated heart rate, pounding heart at night. held for a week, symptoms stopped. started tapering at 2ml and went to 2mg. held again same symptoms. started tapering at 1ml to 1.6 before i got same symptoms. that was march 24 and i have held since then with no improvement. on the benzo website they suggested an updosing, updosed to 1.72, no improvement, so have started tapering again at 1/2 ml. making an appontment with a cardiologist to perhaps be able to get beta blockers. i am an asthmatic so hopefully i can get something, as most beta blockers are not good for asmatics. i know a lot of you are for long holds. anyway, any feedback will be appreciated. thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovofsun Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Man it sound like your going though the mill...It will get better have you thought about magnesium ?I found it helps me alot with my heart rate and it dont aggravate my asthma 1999: amitriptyline2002: fluoxetine2003: venlafaxine2007: Paxil 20mg2012: Paxil 30mg2014 june: Paxil stopped working and was put on citalopram 20mg2014 august: docs put me on Paxil 20mg still feeling bad and had to stop antihistamines for hives2015 January: doctors put me on sertriline 50mg2015 February March: doctors wanted me to go back on Paxil 20mg2015 April 1st: I wanted off and dropped to 10mg9/5/15 Feeling worse for ware! struggling but i WILL get through this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerusalem Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 thank you for answering! how do you take your magnesium? i eat bananas, oatmeal, do you take a vitamin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted April 22, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 22, 2015 Hi jerusalem , there's a thread on magnesium in Symptoms and Self care. I'd be inclined to stop tapering anything and let yourself stabilize. This may take weeks , perhaps longer. Treating w/d symptoms by adding beta-blockers seems wrong to me when you know that you don't have heart symptoms when you're stable. When you do start tapering , this site recommends decreases of no more than 10% , and sitting for at least 3 or 4 weeks at each level. Best wishes , Fresh 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Skyler Posted April 22, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 22, 2015 We don't recommend taking drugs to counteract WD symptoms... if your heartbeat was elevated to a dangerous level or you have other symptoms of that sort, seeing a doc is a good call. And you should be aware that beta blockers need to be tapered as well. You do not give any information about how fast your taper was, or how long you held before you updosed. I can't even tell how long you stayed put (since March 24) before deciding the updose did not work, though doing so is a crap shoot... sometimes it helps, but all too often the CNS is already so sensitized that WD Sx are not remediated by so doing. I had trouble reading your post so was unclear about some of timing. As Fresh says, holding for a goodly number of months, 6 or more, is the best course. At BB people are encouraged to soldier on regardless, and all too often become more symptomatic as a result. >i went down to 3mg. on a 3.5ml cut before i had symptoms, i.e. elevated heart rate, pounding heart at night. held for a week, symptoms stopped. >started tapering at 2ml and went to 2mg. held again same symptoms. >started tapering at 1ml to 1.6 before i got same symptoms. that was march 24 and i have held since then with no improvement. on the benzo website they suggested an updosing, updosed to 1.72, no improvement, so have started tapering again at 1/2 ml. Could you simplify this please, just focus on the date and dose (the number of mgs).. leave out the mls so I don't feel the need to convert. Also, give a time line as to how fast your taper was... when did you start, etc. Also, please put same in your sig. line. Thanks As always, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! A proud supporter of the 10% (or slower) rule. Requip - 3/16 ZERO Total time on 25 years. Lyrica: 8/15 ZERO Total time on 7 or 8 yrs.BENZO FREE 10/13 (started tapering 7/10) Total time on 25 years. Read my intro thread here, and check the about me section. "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primrose Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 magnesium is great for sleep. I get propranolol which is a beta blocker and it is good, but I might get my GP to up the dose to 20mg. pregan taper 600mg down to 240mg, daily cuts since xmas valium, just over 75mg, tapering 0.1 a day, will keep this more udated, cos amounts going down i have borderline personality, chronic ptsd, and suspected adhd and substance misuse as a symptom, which i am addressing with help of medical staff, drugs agencies & mh sta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6216-non-psych-drugs-causing-psych-symptoms/ Non psych drugs that have psych side effects... beta blocker are on the list ... as are many other drugs you should know this if your thinking of taking a beta blocker 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downtongirl Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 And physical symptoms of anxiety? 1995 - 2015 antidepressants and antianxiety medicineMultiple failed attempts to quit/taper anti d/anti anxiety meds since 2008 June 17, 2016 began prozac bridge to get off of effexor xr, stopped effexor xr on June 24, 2016, could not tolerate prozac due to severe side effects so I had to stop it Currently...300 mg ER of lithium, 1 mg of estradiol, 60 mg propranolol ER, Fish oil 2 x a day, Magnesium Glycinate, zinc, vitamin c, vitamin d, NAC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Downtongirl, I don't know about propranolol, but some here have had success with Taurine for heart palpitations and anxiety. It is calming. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5759-taurine-for-heart-arrhythmia/ Just google Surviving Antidepressants & topic for finding information in the Symptoms & Self- Care section. Most topics have been covered. It is the easiest way to find things. 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 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downtongirl Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Downtongirl, I don't know about propranolol, but some here have had success with Taurine for heart palpitations and anxiety. It is calming. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5759-taurine-for-heart-arrhythmia/ Just google Surviving Antidepressants & topic for finding information in the Symptoms & Self- Care section. Most topics have been covered. It is the easiest way to find things. The threads are so long it is hard for me to concentrate that long 1995 - 2015 antidepressants and antianxiety medicineMultiple failed attempts to quit/taper anti d/anti anxiety meds since 2008 June 17, 2016 began prozac bridge to get off of effexor xr, stopped effexor xr on June 24, 2016, could not tolerate prozac due to severe side effects so I had to stop it Currently...300 mg ER of lithium, 1 mg of estradiol, 60 mg propranolol ER, Fish oil 2 x a day, Magnesium Glycinate, zinc, vitamin c, vitamin d, NAC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 It can be stimulating at higher doses, so like anything it is best to start off at a low dose. 250 mg seems to be the starting dose . Taurine is good for heart health. 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 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted January 6, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 6, 2016 Topics merged. Propranolol was one of the drugs I tried using early on to manage symptoms, but stopped when I found this site and learned its best not to use any drugs to treat withdrawal symptoms. It didn't work very well anyway and I found that when I did take it to lower anxiety/fear, I would end up swinging to a kind of opposite state of being depressed with no energy and very low mood, which was just a bad. If you do use it, it will need to be tapered from when you stop. See: Tapering Alpha Blockers or Beta Blockers 1 I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntd Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I took Propranolol for severe akathisia. It immediately caused me to end up with depression just like it did for Petunia. 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanne Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I was on 15 mg of Lexapro when I took a betablocker for my driving test (car). I was extremely nervous. It worked, but subtle. Wasn't tapering from the drug but maybe my experience will help someone. All my life: Occasional panic attacks. 2003: Burnout 2004: intrusion (OCD'ish) / anxiety. Therapies: acupuncture, Chinese herbs, hypnotherapy --> symptoms were manageable (did return once in a while), depression lifted.2007 - Relapse, started with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Therapist recommended Fevarin (fluvoxamine) 150 mg. Recovery after 3 months and remained stable. Mild side effects.2009 - Tapered fluvoxamine. No withdrawal symptoms. 2010 - Relapse, same Pure O thought and anxiety. Started taking 100 mg of fluvoxamine but after 9 weeks no change in symptoms. Did not have any effect on Pure O thought. Switched to Lexapro (escitalopram) 20 mg. Drug started working within 3 weeks. Mild side effects. Slowly over the years tapered to 5 mg.2015: Lots of personal issues and setbacks, occasional panic attack. 2016: April started skipping doses; 5mg escitalopram every other day (in hindsight a bad idea)May: Major relapse, anxiety and intrusion returned. Depression. Increased from 2,5 mg 15 mg in two weeks. Side effects: neuro-emotionsJune: Escitalopram has no effect on the frequency of the intrusion...after 4 weeks my general doctor advised me to do a fast taper to 5mg. Withdrawal effects (2/3 weeks): neuro-emotions, lack of focus, crying spells, fatigue, muscle twitches in legs, cortisol spikes just before waking up July: Stable on 5 mg. Depression and intrusion lifted during holiday (lots of sunshine, long walks and relaxing) August: Drop down to 2,5 mg. Withdrawal effects (tinnitus, headagues) are noticeable, but still mild in comparison to the big drop earlier.22th August: stopped escitalopram completely. Cortisol spikes just before waking up, still OCD (only temporary improvements), WD-depression and WD-neuro emotions.Update 6 dec: no medication, any withdrawal symptoms not noticable. Taking supplements for intrusive thoughts and overall well being: N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) omega 3 fish oils, zinc, vitamin d, magnesium l-threonate, ginko biloba Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compsports Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Low doses of coreg and bystolic caused me to have depression. Needless to say, I will do my best to avoid them in the future if a doctor tries to prescribe any beta blocker. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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