Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'Supplements'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Categories

There are no results to display.

Blogs

There are no results to display.

Forums

  • Support
    • Read This First
    • Introductions and updates
    • Success stories: Recovery from psychiatric drug withdrawal
    • Tapering
    • Symptoms and self-care
    • Finding meaning
  • Current events
    • In the media
    • From journals and scientific sources
    • Events, actions, controversies

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Found 25 results

  1. So, I've often seen people write of having things cause them problems. They'll say something was too activating, or caused withdrawal symptoms. Yesterday afternoon I began having numbness of my face, a headache, and a slight swimmy-head feeling. I hadn't made any real cuts, other than shaving 0.375 mg off my venlafaxine (from 74 to 73 mg gross weight) the week before, and I didn't think there was any way that could be the problem. I can say that over my 20 years on these meds that I have been rather obtuse in making connections about things. For instance, I just remembered I was on Prozac when I drove off with the gas nozzle still in my car! I never thought the weird, disconnected feeling I was having that day might have had to do with Prozac! I've been quite the victim of what Peter Breggin refers to as "spellbinding." Anyway, it finally dawned on me today that I had eaten a bunch of Life Saver gummy candies as I was driving around yesterday. I'm still prone to my sweet tooth and I KNOW that stuff is junk and not worth eating, but.... I usually have chocolate after dinner but haven't noticed any connection with feeling weird on that one, nor the coffee I have in the mornings. So, I'm thinking it was the sugar. When you have made the connection between a substance and a bad reaction, what was the substance, what was the reaction and how did you make the connection? SG
  2. Moderator note: link to benzo forum thread - Ryder: Clonazepam Hi guys, This question has to do with SSRI's and supplements. I was diagnosed with Chronic OCD in January 2015. I have been on and off medication between 2009-2015. Since 2015 I was prescribed 200mg (Sertraline/Zoloft) Daytime and 2mg Clonazepam for night time sleep. At the back-end-of 2016 I felt that I was well enough to come of all medications as I just felt able enough to cope on 100mg after a while. I did Cold Turkey for most of it before admittingly and slowly going on the lower dose of 100mg Sertraline. I was afterward sent to a Dr who specialised in withdrawing people from medications. She prescribed: - L-Carneitine (300 mg) - CoQ10 (200 mg) - N-Acetylcysteine - Vitamin C - Selenium - Magnesium. - A Gluten Free Diet. With Gluten diet, I did not stick to this religiously as some of the books advocated here on this forum. Mainly Elaine Gotschall's Breaking the Viscious Cycle. (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) and the GAPS Diet advocated by Dr Natasha Campbell-Mcbride. I am very skeptical when i read over these diets but since my Dad was on the diet, whatever was in the Pantry, I ate. I wasn't religious about it though if I ordered takeout. Back on topic, I reduced the supplements to L-Carneteine and CoQ10 in combination with SSRI Zoloft/Sertraline (100mg). I found that during the time taken them, I had trouble with Cognition and motor skills, driving, runnng and excercise. I also noticed that I couldn't stop feeling dizzy although they are supposed to aide mitochondria in the brain which the Zoloft dulls down. I also noticed real bad insomnia during the time taken these aided supplements. Has anyone else had success with L-Carneteine and CoQ10 prescribed with Zoloft? It seems that people are having great success with these two supplements to rave review, I am just wondering if Carneteine or CoQ10 has worked for anyone to either reduce withdrawal symptoms off SSRIs & Zoloft or taper off completely. **Note. I have looked through the other posts here, but most vary in opinion, so I just want this question answered. Many thanks. Ryder.
  3. Hi all - new to the forum and very grateful for the members who are walking the path to get off these SSRI. I was always depressed as a child and was prescribed Lexapro in 2003. 2004: Prescribed Cipramil instead of Lexapro after going hypomanic for 6 months, and lamictal to stablise. Got diagnosed with bipolar II... 2014: Came off lamictal with no issues, stablised using a buttload of coconut oil to stablise and a paleo diet. 2004-Dec 2015 - 5mg Cipramil once a day. Noticed that Cipramil stopped working from mid 2015 and decided to stop (only lasted a week) with severe WD symptoms - dizziness, diarraha, flu like symptoms, anxiety, OCD thoughts etc.... 20 Dec 2015 - 2.5mg Cipramil a day hoping to taper by 10% per period, depending on tolerance. Am feeling kinda ambitious and want to go down 10% once a week but will most likely fall on my face, which is fine too. Been doing really well this week - I can feel below my belly button and my sex drive is coming back! Went on a boat and did want to die (One of the side effects was painful sex and really crap at travelling on boats/cars/bus). But am feeling really tired alot and a little dizzy, nothing to write home about. Need some help fro other more experience members with WD.... Q1: A friend of mine is trying to convince to try Kambo - anyone tried this? I am really skeptical and don't think I am up for it as am feeling abit fragile and in addition to being depressed I have fairly constant inflammation (eczema), never mind its like $140 per treatment (!!) http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/from-bedbound-to-fit-and-able-in-14-days-effects-of-the-amazonian-medicine-kambo-on-a-cfs-patient.22952/page-4 Q2: Also read about the prozac bridge which seems like alot less trouble, I am seeing my shrink in January should I ask for this to try? Since I have never even had prozac (I have only ever had SSRIs) so not sure?
  4. 2013 - 50mg Zoloft 2016 - increase to 150mg Zoloft 2016 - Lamictal in addition to Zoloft 2018 - Serequel in addition to Zoloft 2019 - 5mg Abilify in addition to Zoloft 2022 - tapered off Zoloft decrease of 25mg per week over 6 weeks and then tapered off Abilify 5mg over 2 weeks. It has been 4 weeks since my last dose of Zoloft and 2 weeks since last dose of Abilify. I had no withdrawal symptoms until 4 days ago. For the last 4 days, I have had severe anxiety that is constant and will not go away. The anxiety has contributed to difficulty sleeping as well. I tapered under the supervision and guidance of my doctor. Is this anxiety a withdrawal symptom? Is this a relapse? Should I reinstate? Reinstate at a low dose? 25mg or 50mg reinstate? Is there any hope for not reinstating? I don't know what to do...I'm so scared...I had no idea coming off the meds was going to be this hard. Please help!
  5. Hi everybody. Stumbled across this article and just wanted to share it with you and hear your thoughts: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/opinion/sunday/should-we-all-take-a-bit-of-lithium.html
  6. What we've seen is that going on and off psychiatric drugs and having adverse reactions such as withdrawal symptoms can make your nervous system hypersensitive to drugs and sometimes supplements and even foods. Please post about your experiences with supplements here.
  7. I'm bouncing back from two weeks of bad withdrawal, with intense headaches, poor coordination, and unsteady gait. I've started tapering early July 2016 from 10 mg Paxil daily for over twenty years for depression and GAD; I'm at 1,5ml (=3mg) now (I meant) 0,15 ml/0,3 mg. The last reduction hit me hard, so I'm taking more time, once again. Looking back, there seem to be three distinct phases of withdrawal for me. In the beginning, I suffered a lot of physical symptoms like nausea, dizziness, disorientation, sweating, and nightmares. About half way through, waves and waves of emotion were crashing over me. Now, at the tail end, it's a kind of weird cocktail, with plenty more of both to go! I've been supplementing with feverfew, GABA, phenibut, ginger, huperzine A, and B12. They all help to some extent, especially the feverfew, ginger, and GABA, but there's no magic bullet. The challenge for me remains to allow for the time and space for my brain to adjust. Just to allow the process to run its course. With just about every reduction, I have thought, well, the next one can be quicker and bigger. With the nasty implication, of course, of should be quicker and bigger. As if it is all some sort of competition, or battle of will power and discipline. The big obstacle here is my own sense of impatience and judgment. Constantly, I need to re-learn to surrender to the material reality of my brain, an organ that naturally requires the time that it requires. Now, at 1,5 ml (3 mg) 0,15 ml/0,3 mg, the temptation again is to rush, to jump, to have it over with. But it really doesn't work like that.
  8. Awhile back JanCarol asked me what I was going to do if tapering lithium didn't work. It hasn't been disastrous, but I am really stuck. I am thinking about going to Mensah Medical in the Chicago area. Has anyone related to them? The two doctors there were part of the Pheiffer Institute which closed. Dr. Walsh was head of the Institute and now heads the Walsh Institute, which does research into the biochemical basis of mental illness (this whole post may need to be deleted) and educates physicians on nutrient therapies. The Mensah Medical docs are the clinical people. The website mensahmedical.com has a resources page, if you can get it to come up with lots of resources, they are really interesting. Sadly, I am not nearly smart enough to know if the theories are true. My sister has been going to a very expensive integrative doc for about four years. I think he has been doing these concepts (she isn't quite as fascinated as me, lol). Anyway, he pronounced her ready to go off Prozac after seventeen years of therapy with a two-week taper...and so far she is fine. I'm not jealous at all .
  9. Hi i have been looking for supplements, Outside omega 3 Magnesium and others. What is your opinion on glycine? Does it have side effects and if someone is using it on this forum tell their experiences with it. For what i know about glycine is made of bonemarrow, which can have great effects on the brain, the nerve system. but i'm scared to actually try it. because of earlier supplements that had negative impact after i decreased. eventho it is just a food supplement that you could also get from foods of themselfs. Can anyone here give me a bigger insight?
  10. Just curious if anyone has experience with this "supplement" during WD or post-antidepressants. Cheers Abel
  11. Hi all, This is my first post here and my first real attempt at tapering off of all psychiatric medications. A very brief background, I have been on 20+ medications since I was 12, ranging from antidepressants, mood stabilizers, benzodiazepines, anti-convulsants, anti-psychotics, and sleep drugs. I am 22 now and finally, (sober this time) investigating some of the core issues that caused me to self medicate-via doctor and drug dealer-and I'm ready to really sit with my emotions and feel them fully. Currently I am on Lithium-1050mg, Gabapentin-600mg, Celexa-5mg I have been reading as much as I can on comingoff.org and SA and would like to prepare myself and set myself up for success. From what I understand 10% taper is ideal. I am not in any hurry, I just want this to be as positive experience as possible so this is fine. I met with my psychiatrist today and she had some smaller dosages prescribed for me and is on board and on my team for which I am thankful. I am wondering if there are other things I can do smartly prepare. I read briefly about remineralization but am not sure what that entails. Any foods, supplements, behaviors that would ease me into this journey? Ideas? Thoughts? I start this process April 1st and will post updates. Thank you!
  12. I see those of Us who walk in Hell. On the streets. In the stores. White knuckled behind steering wheels. In passenger side seats eyes sad, but glad to be out of the house... Thank Jesus my new Christian Wife found my hidden stairs so I could climb back into the Light. We prayed on our knees then went to the supplement store and put Her research and God's Love to work. 1996-1month Prozac 20mg (horrible-intolerable) 1996-Dec 2010 Paxil 20mg/Klonopin 2mg CRASH/HOSPITALIZED freakish WD 2011-2 months 40mg Celexa, 3mg Klonopin. (felt brain fry) 03/2011 Self Prescribed 20mg Celexa/ 3mg Klonopin (bad brain zaps/OCD) Sept 1st 2014, 1 week taper then CT. 500mg X 2 Inositol and 300mg Alpha GPC for 2 months. Horror Movie OCD down 99% 1st month and brain shocks down 99% by 2nd week. Dec/2014 cut Inositol by half and stopped GPC. Able to drive and Work. Jan/2015 1 x Inositol every 2 weeks. No GPC. Feeling GREAT. I realize most think the slow taper is the only way. But I've realized we all have our own unique stories.
  13. Hi Friends, I went off of trazadone 5.5 months ago after 15 years of use for insomnia, and have been suffering from protracted withdrawal ever since. The most debilitating symptom is severe depression that often manifests physically as pain in my heart, and a myriad of new drug sensitivities. I have a few questions about other's experience's and/or recommendations. · Has anyone had success with st. john's wort, 5 htp, homeopathy, or other approaches? · Will attempting to treat the symptoms with herbs, or ssris prolong the period of withdrawal? · Does anyone understand the mechanism behind the symptoms of protracted withdrawal coming in waves? My preference would of course be to get through this without having to medicate the symptoms, but there are times when the depression feels so intolerable, I need to have another option for my own safety (I've been very proactive of finding alternative methods to deal with the depression, ie, meditation, exercise, support, etc. but they have a limited effect). I have read that in rare cases, protracted withdrawal can last years or be indefinite. Given that I was on trazadone for 15 years, and I tapered much too quickly, I imagine mine may be a slow process. I have included a detailed history of my experience to give context for anyone who is interested. Thank you. HISTORY: 15 years ago, at the age of 23, I went through a healing crisis of sorts, dealing with issues of childhood trauma. I went to a treatment center for depression, where I was put on a number of different drugs (as best I can remember: celexa, risperdal, trazadone, vistaril, and one or two others). The treatment center was beneficial for me - I did intensive therapy, and worked very hard on my own healing. Within a year or two of returning, I tapered off all of the mediations I'd been put on, with the exception of trazadone. I had had insomnia for most of my life and was under the impression that its only purpose was to treat sleeplessness. I was unaware it was an antidepressant for the next 15 years, until after I began the tapering process. Even my naturopath continued to prescribe it without question. Over the last 15 years, I healed myself through intensive therapy, even becoming a therapist myself. I build a successful business in a field I felt passionate about, combining therapy with an artistic discipline. For years I contemplated getting off the trazadone but didn't feel like I could risk not sleeping with my demanding career. A year ago, I decided to take sabbatical and travel the world, starting with an ayurvedic cleanse program in India. A couple years prior, I started to have the creeping suspicion that my medications (benadryl, alegra-D, singular, trazadone) were creating more symptoms than they were treating, and so began the withdrawal process before leaving for India. At first I cut my trazadone from 150mg to 75mg and cut out the Benadryl completely. I struggled with sleep, but more significantly, horrible nausea for about 6 months. I attributed the sleep to the trazadone, but the nausea to the Benadryl (now I'm not so sure that was accurate - it may have been the large reduction of trazadone). Luckily, I was able to treat the nausea with small doses of medical marijuana. I went off my other allergy mediations much more easily - with a week to two of acute symptoms that afterwards subsided completely. When I began my cleanse in India, I tapered the trazadone from 75mg to 0 in a matter of 5 weeks. Way to fast given what I now know, but again, at the time, I had no idea what I was dealing with. Each time I would decrease, I would have acute withdrawal symptoms for about a week which would then subside; mainly night terrors, sleeplessness, and irritability. For the next three months I only managed between 3-5 hrs of sleep a night, but although it was frustrating, it was manageable, given that I was spending hours each day mediating. My nausea went away after I tapered from 75mg to 50mg but for the first two weeks, I suffered from persistent sexual arousal disorder (pgad, the female version of priapism) - a nightmare which caused incredible discomfort as I was barely able to pee for two weeks. Luckily, I figured out it was due to the trazadone withdrawal after some research. That experience only made me more determined to get it out of my system, and quickly. The PGAD disappeared when I tapered from 50 to 25mg. After my final dosage (I had basically just been taking a crumb for a week), I began experiencing the most horrific emotional pain I have ever experienced. I often find myself at a loss for how to describe it as it's never felt like typical depression. It was something like a combination of an ongoing panic attack with a grief stricken/shock-like feeling - like when you learn that your beloved has died and it knocks the wind out of you. I felt a palpable heart pain -though it was clearly emotional in nature. It is not the first time I've felt that heart pain, and may just be how my body metabolizes severe depression - but it was the most extreme experience I've had, and totally devoid of content. At the time, I had never heard of protracted withdrawal and so assumed I was having some kind of spiritual crisis. I was staying at an ashram, and so spent many hours in meditation. The symptoms gradually got a bit better over the first month, but then came back with a vengeance, though usually with some breaks of relief during each day when the heart pain would subside briefly and I'd get a bit of perspective. The odd thing was that this 'depression' came seemingly out of the blue at a period in my life where I felt stronger and happier than I'd ever been before. After some research, and consulting with a colleague who specializes in psychiatric drug withdrawal, I realized I could be experiencing protracted withdrawal. I tried to stay in India as long as possible to heal myself there, hoping it would pass quickly and I could continue my travels, but at some point the pain became too intolerable and I decided to come back to the States where I would have more resources to treat the symptoms (or so I thought). I decided to stay with my family in the midwest while I figure this out, and enlisted the help of a wonderful holistic psychiatrist, who luckily recognized the symptoms (at that time - depression, arthritis, and gum pain) as protracted withdrawal. I first tried supplements, homeopathy, and st. john's wort, in an attempt to stay off SSRIs. The St. John's Wort did provide some relief after week 5, but I was experiencing extreme fatigue and rapid hair loss. My psychiatrist suggested I try a small dose of prosaic after weaning off the SJW in order to get through the protracted withdrawal. Over the next month I tried 4 different SSRIs in miniscule doses (Prozac, lexapro, celexa, wellbutrin) and had horrible adverse reactions to all - sleeplessness, panic, wired/restless leg syndrome, loss of appetite, migraines, nausea, diarrhea. I had to take Clonazepam (luckily only one dose for each attempt at a new SSRI) to counter the reactions. Next we tried SAM-E at 50mg/day. I had some mild reactions, but after 6 days, felt wonderful - depression had subsided though I was a bit wired, but on day 7, I ended up with the same reactions as the other SSRIs and had to discontinue. Interestingly, I've taken almost all of these medications in the past without issue. I was given zoloft twice during my life (once for chronic mononucleosis when I was a teenager and for two years for 12 days out of every month for endometriosis). I had no problem on the drugs, but did experience acute withdrawal symptoms when I was going on and off the zoloft each month. I had horrible dizziness, and only after thousands of dollars of mris and other tests did I realize from my own research that it was caused by my body going into withdrawal for two weeks of each month. A few weeks after my final dose however, I was fine. I swore never to touch another antidepressant - totally unaware that trazadone was one! I also tried SAM-E at one point when I was experiencing depression after a total hysterectomy (for the endometriosis). It didn't help but it also didn't have any adverse effects at the time. The depression subsided when we were able to get my estrogen levels back on track. My psychiatrist works in cooperative clinic, so together we saw the nutritionist there, who tested me for deficiencies and then started me on a regiment of supplements. As far as I can tell, I have not had any adverse reactions to the supplements, but have not felt improvement from them either. For the past three months I have been on a very strict diet: no grains, no dairy, no sugars, no caffeine, no alcohol, and no meat (my choice). I basically just eat vegetables, lentils, lots of fish, and a few nuts. I've also been adamant about making sure I get 1-3 hours of mild to moderate exercise/day. This seems to be the one thing that routinely brings me a bit of relief, though only while I'm walking, moving, etc. I am lucky to have a wonderful support system and minimal external stressors in my life at the moment. I have tried my best to keep a positive attitude and am often successful, though I continue to get knocked out by the intensity of the heart pain when it arises, even with my myriad of coping strategies. Having tried so many ssris, and then the SAM-E (last dose was 12 days ago), it's hard to know what my norm off of meds will be - if there is one.
  14. I have been on 100 mg Doxepin more or less for 18 years treating insomnia. It has suppressed my adrenals enough that it could be contributing to Adrenal Fatigue but even on a sllllloooooowww taper (currently at 90 mg over course of 3 months), my system goes ballistic and I cannot sleep unless I increase my dose or am so zonked from not sleeping well that I get a good night in. Has anyone taken supplements or other medication to help with the taper? supplements I have tried but have had digestive of excitatory side effects: Seriphos (cortisol manager), L Theanine, 5 HTP, Melatonin, Magnesium, Hemp Sourced CBD oil). Melatonin was good but brought on depression. Most of these would have done the trick save for my tummy so perhaps this list will help someone else!
  15. Hello everyone. I was given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder during a difficult time in my life. The psychiatrist put me on lamictal, gabapentin, grapevine and Wellbutrin. Since then I've gotten sober and live a healthy lifestyle. I've been having bad side effects to the meds and told the psychiatrist I want to get off. She suggested doubling the dose of lamictal and adding an antipsychotic. She won't help me, so I found a holistic doctor and a chiropractor who are helping my taper. Got off the wellbutrin and tried with the gabapentin and was not able to continue because I could not function with the horrendous withdrawal symptoms. Currently tapering the grapevine and will take the landfall when I'm done with that. I need support and encouragement as I walk through this nightmare!! That's why I joined this group!
  16. Thank you to the creator of this site, what a great resource! I have been through withdrawal many times and I hoping this is it. I was put on Zoloft in college for Generalized Anxiety disorder (20 years ago) and it became impossible to go off of it. I tried many times and always ended up back on because off of the meds, I was very depressed. I was not even depressed like that before I went on Zoloft in the first place. Thankfully, over the years I was able to reduce the amount I needed from 100mg to 50 then 25, and felt ok for a while. A couple of years ago it seemed the Zoloft stopped working and I was switched to Prozac,10mg. Also in the past few years I started talking to therapists, life coaches, going to workshops, reading everything self-help, meditating, etc. About 4 months ago I started doing Crossfit and exercising in some way daily, and meditating almost daily. Kundalini meditation specifically has been helpful. My body told me it is a good time to try again to stop the meds. It has been 6 weeks since my last micro-dose and I am mostly ok, besides for crying spells. It has been difficult to tell what has been from withdrawal and what is hormonal for me because I am already very sensitive and have awful periods. But in the past 2 weeks there has been a lot of sobbing that is more than normal for me. It does not last longer than 10-15 minutes usually but has been daily (sometimes 2x a day) except for today. If I can have ONE good day like today where I felt normal then I believe this is possible, even if it comes back tomorrow! I have also used many supplements before, during and after the taper/ withdrawal, if it is ok I will list them here, maybe others can do their own research on them and see if it might help them. This is all trial and error, after all of the attempts, this combination might be working. I have to add that tapering off of Prozac was much easier for me (physically) than Zoloft. Before starting taper I used supplements from the Road Back Program. This made all the difference in the world for me as far as physical withdrawal symptoms, comparing to previous tapers without it. (I am in no way affiliated with this company or any other company/supplement here) I found out there is an MTFHR gene mutation in my family so made sure all B vitamins were methylated. Thorne makes an excellent one. I use 5htp at night 100mg In the morning on an empty stomach I started taking DLPA. This helps boost dopamine and gives emotional boost for me. For energy and focus (I also have A.D.D.) I use Weyland "focus" pill at times. Lithium Orotate I am still learning about but I started that in the evening recently. (This is a mineral, NOT lithium carbonate.) Niacin 100mg I just want to send everyone going through this a huge hug, and lots of love, I hope I can help contribute in some way, and am grateful to people sharing their stories here, it has been a huge help to me knowing I am not alone (and not crazy lol) I already took the survey as well.
  17. pete333

    Pete333 33 years

    Hello, I've suffered with depression for 33 years. 12 years with no medication because I thought I just needed to try harder. Finally my father, who had suffered with it too found me a helpful church counselor who convinced me I needed medicine. This saved my life. The first medicine Anafranil kept me from suicide. It got me back to work more steadily and made me able to live. Then I started 21 years of Zoloft and then Paxil. Oh, with 3 years of Pexeva in between and it was fine. But government insurance changes forced me back on Paxil the last 3 years or so. I lost my 26 year marriage. The day after my mom died my wife asked for a divorce and exploded my family. I had only 1 son who partly stayed with me for the last 5 years. The other still treats me well but lives with his mother. She and I are on good terms and I am a Christian who doesn't believe in divorce. Just FYI with some of this stuff. About 5 years ago i couldn't work any longer and it was the excuse my wife needed to do what she wanted. Anyway it left me alone with idleness and depression and lonliness in a new town where I could afford to live. 6 months ago I went back to my original counselor and wanted to try to taper off, which she is good with. BTW, my GP knows nothing and just wants to try new meds. Ive tried them all and can only take a few. So, after gut trouble started 14 months ago I have was taken down from 30 mg to 20 mg Paxil. Didn't suffer that I noticed. Then I noticed that in a 6 month period of time I had missed 25 days of Paxil. So I had steadily and accidentally tapered to what amounted to about 15 or so MG. Vitamin B complex made me angry! I am afraid to take 5htp with Paxil. Any suggestions on safe supplements? Will my gut ever get any better? My family tends to have IBS D anyway and I have had it for 14 months and am trying to live on Imodium. This site came highly recommended as experts in the field. I have only met one psychiatrist who knew what he was doing in 33 years. So........... Pete
  18. So... Hi all... Where to start?! I guess first, I'd just like to say I'm glad I found this web site. You guys are all so supportive and fantastic. Although I know it on an intellectual level, it's always nice to have confirmation that I'm not totally gone in the head! For years, I was under the misapprehension that antidepressants were supposed to make me happier, so I changed meds and went on higher and higher doses in pursuit of that elusive happiness (fully enabled by doctors who probably didn't know much more than I did about the meds). I've never had much emotional resilience, even as a child and teen, before ADs screwed with my brain. In 2002(ish) I found out my birth mother (I was adopted as an infant) had paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and lived in institutions or group homes for most of her adult life. So, yeah... yay for good genes, right? Below is a slightly longer/more explanatory version of my AD history than is found in my signature. I don't remember all the dates and dosages at this point, but you'll get the general idea. I was prescribed my first AD somewhere between 1990-1992. I just felt like I wasn't as happy a person as I "should" be, and was "down in the dumps" more than my friends were. I was in my early 20s. Wellbutrin was prescribed by a doc who didn't seem to wholeheartedly "believe in" depression. He also said it would help me quit smoking. (It didn't.) No improvement after about 6 months. I don't recall tapering, but don't recall any WD either. Disenchanted, so no subsequent ADs for a few years. Boy, don't I wish I'd just stopped there and lived with my disenchantment! 1996(ish) -- Tried Zoloft. No improvement after about 6 months. As with Wellbutrin, I don't remember tapering, but don't remember any WD either\1997/98(ish) -- Started Effexor. Started low (37.5mg?), and progressively moved higher since little or no improvement in symptoms. Topped out at the max of 150mg and stayed there for many, many years. This would prove to be the most effective AD I was on. Since it's an SNRI, I rather thought that my original issue might have been a norepinephrine problem. I don't know if that's relevant information for me today or not.... 2004 -- I had to quit Effexor cold turkey because I'd gotten divorced, lost my husband's health insurance (was a stay-at-home mom), my Rx ran out, and I had no money to visit doc for a new Rx. Wow, those 3 months after quitting were the WORST of my life. (I eventually contacted the drug company and confirmed for them that I was low-income so they could start sending me meds!) 2010 or 2011, I decided that I still wasn't "happy" enough and asked for a med switch. Started on Celexa (Citalopram). Stayed on it for a few years (mostly because I didn't feel like switching again), but it really didn't do much. I didn't shoot anybody, but I wasn't happy either. October 2014, went back to Zoloft on advice of a new doc who said it could work this time. In addition to being ineffective (still!), it also made me queasy and light-headed. Yuck. September 2015 -- Completely fed up with unhappiness (compounded by several negative life events and severe cash flow problems) and the uselessness of Zoloft. I decided I would switch back to Effexor since my mood was always best on that one, but I never got there... Instead, I looked into AD alternatives like meditation, supplements, support groups. Decided I'd wean myself off ADs using my final refill of Zoloft (not knowing about the 10% tapering "rule" at that point). I figured if I was gonna feel like crap anyway, I'd at least stop paying extra for it every month. September/October 2015 -- used my last 3 weeks' worth of Zoloft pills to wean off it. No idea what dosage the pills were, but... for one week I took 2/3 of a pill. The next week(ish), I took a 1/2 pill. The following week(ish) I took 1/3 pill. The final week(ish) I took 1/4 of a pill. After a few days Rx-free... BANG! Withdrawal symptoms from hell. (Although I didn't know it was withdrawal at the time. I thought it was just regular f***ed up me coming back.) Mood swings, crying, LOW LOW LOW frustration tolerance, sporadic severe irritability, anxiety, light-headedness, queasiness, headache, and the attention span of a gnat. I have since discovered that if I'm not being emotionally challenged in any way, I'm pretty stable -- not happy, but at least on an even keel. But as soon as something goes wrong (e.g. a bill coing due that I can't afford to pay, attitude from one of my teenage daughters, my dogs barking for 10 minutes straight because a neighbor walked by outside, even stubbing my toe), my temper flares like David Banner becoming the Hulk, and/or I just start bawling. Just that one stubbed toe or spilled cup of coffee (decaf!) that I can't handle sends me into a sh*tty mood for HOURS. So... aside from occasional light-headedness and nausea, if I could live in a vacuum, I'd probably be fine.... Anyway, after my final dose of Zoloft, I began taking a few supplements (Yes, I now know I shouldn't have started a bunch at the same time, but at least none of them are conglomerations of a bunch of things all in one pill!). Omega 3, magnesium citrate, chromium GTF, multivitamin, calcium w/ vitamin D3, SAM-e (which I subsequently stopped taking). I also started meditating, which I really think I like, especially using mindfulness to help shut down my racing brain as I try to fall asleep at night. [At the request of one of the moderators, what follows is a reposting of part of a post I made in a different forum here...] beginning of repost [[[...Anyone have thoughts on the book The Chemistry of Joy? If there's a thread on this already, just point me in the right direction. I like some of what it has to say, but it doesn't really address AD withdrawal symptoms or chronic depression brought on by long-term AD .use, so I'm not really sure how valid it is for someone like me whose brain is already screwed up from decades of AD use. I've also started meditating in an effort to calm my brain down. I think I might like it. =) I have read in many places that meditation can actually rewire your brain to behave more healthfully. I guess no matter what I try though (or consider trying), I always come back to the same conundrum.... My brain isn't normal anymore. So... meditation has been shown to have xyz beneficial effects on a normal brain... what about an AD-abused brain? And certain supplements have been shown to have xyz beneficial effects on a normal brain... what about an AD-abused brain? Is any of the advice and treatment ever going to be valid or viable for my altered brain? You can quit smoking, but your lungs are still black. You can quit drinking, but your liver's still shot. You can quit drugs/antidepressants, but your brain's still messed up. Does the brain recover? Should I consider going back on a low dose of Effexor (the most effective AD I was on over the years) just to help balance my moods, keep me on an even keel? (Or should it be Zoloft, since that was the one I was on most recently, even though it didn't do me any good?) ADs never made me a happier person per se, but they kept me from overreacting to everything in my life and wanting to choke everyone who annoyed me! For a LOT of years, I was on the max dose of 150 mg of Effexor. Might I benefit from a very small dose (37.5 mg or something like that)? I have NEVER had a doctor (for mental OR physical health) that I had 100% faith in, and I just don't have the money to go chasing the really highly respected mental health folks out there, whom I might actually HAVE a little faith in. I've always felt I had to do my own research, then take it to the doctor with me, since they are rarely up to date on the latest brain science, even the mental health providers. This turned into much more of a self-pitying rant than I had intended. If anyone can tease out the things I need answers to in all the angsty prose, I'd appreciate feedback. =) I hope some of it made sense. I know we're all in the same boat -- or at least on the same river -- but I still feel bad for vomitting all that on everyone's backseat. (Sorry for the mixed metaphor. LOL)]]] end of repost Aaaaannnnd... my brain's just full now. I'll wrap up this lengthy introduction. If any of you have managed to remain awake for the whole show, I welcome any insight, inspiration, or even commisseration. Be well all! =) Laurie
  19. Hi, I watched a documentary a few years ago called 'Food Matters' that talked about taking vitamins for nutrition (http://documentarylovers.com/film/food-matters/). Not only did it talk about Nutrition, but it talked about the work of Abram Hoffer (who I think might or might not have been a Nobel prize winner) and his work with Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3. In this documentary and other Google+ webinars Andrew Saul talks about using high doses of Niacin for dealing with depression and schizophrenia amongst many other conditions. The documentary also mentions that Abram Hoffer lived to his 90's and that he claimed it to be because of his 40years on Niacin. In another Webinar by Andrew Saul on Youtube called '6 Proven Ways to Improve Your Health', he says that high doses of Vitamin C (in the 10's of thousands of milligrams -[way beyond the dose recommended by the RDA]) was a good treatment for treating various different diseases like Polio, Pneumonia, Cardiovascular disease, Dyptheria, Cancer etc etc. Andrew Saul also has a website that he claims is peer reviewed called: http://www.doctoryourself.com/. On the sites page for depression it says that 'Depression is the most frequently searched-for topic at DoctorYourself.com' (http://www.doctoryourself.com/depression.html). So this got me thinking and wanting to ask the question here, has anyone on this website Surviving Antidepressants tried to use Andrew Sauls websites, books or videos to attempt to deal with depression/anxiety/schizophrenia or to cope with coming off their antidepressants? Also I was wondering, does anyone have any experience with taking high doses of Niacin/Vitamin C or any other vitamins (as recommended by Andrew Saul .Phd) in coping with depression or tapering anti-depressants?
  20. My name is Natalie and I've been on an anti depressant of some sort since I was 16, I"m 29. For the first time in my life I got off Lexapro 5.5 months ago after tapering for 3 months. Things seemed a little more manageable after the horrific first few months but the past month or so it has been very bad again and I"m scared. I cry all the time, I have insomnia, I have a hard time working-super tired/anxious/irritable. Sometimes my anxiety is debilitating. Lack of hope or motivation. Lots of fear. My fear is this is either just how I am without them or I was on them for so long my brain needs them to be at least moderately functional and if I don't get back on I will end up on disability or something. Has anyone experienced this? Does it get better? Does it just take longer? Or am I kidding myself? It was so hard to get off of them I feel like if I get back on them I will be committed for life, but I also don't want to have to check into a psych ward either :/ lol, funny but not really cause I"m not really kidding THANKS!
  21. Hello everyone! First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Thomas. My native language is not english (I'm hungarian) so sorry if I misspell stuff....but I'll try my best. I decided to write here because it seems that this is the only place where I can get some good advice from experts. I really need it right now. I am quite new on this forum but I rad quite a lot of good info here (and other places too) in the past months. But I am tired and frustrated of just reading and researching and trying to figure out things by myself. It would be immensely helpful if you could hear my specific situation. So here is my story I hope I can remember the details as much as possible. My first treatment with these crazy meds started like 2.5 half years ago. Because I was quite depressed I've been prescribed a combination of an SSRI and benzo in relatively low dose for the sake of “prevention” (whatever that meant) First it was Sertaline (I think it was the standard 50 mg dose) with Lorazepam in low dose. I can still remember the first dose of the benzo (I almost passed out on the street). Anyway I took these two for a short time(two or three months) but the side effects were so bad (after my doc raised the Seltraline to 100mg I got the serotonin syndrome) that I got scared and just stopped taking them without asking my doc. It was a very quick taper and as I can remember I became relatively well quite soon. Of course back then I did not have any knowledge about these medications but know I think that that period was too short to really have a long term harm on me.... I think we can say that this period does not really “count” into my preset situation. Anyway time went on I was quite well for a good time. I mean of course I was still fighting depression to some degree, but now I know for sure that all this was because of problems I had in my life negative thinking, low self-esteem, etc....) and nothing that I had to take medications for. Anyway after like almost a year because I had a very bad period one of my best friends suggested me to contact that doctor again (huge mistake). He made another “cocktail” of meds for me. Now an SNRI, a benzo, and a sleeping pill. It was 75mg Effexor XR with 1mg of Rivotril (divided in two doses) and 10mg of Ambien for sleep. Of couse I had some relief...mainly that I could sleep again. So I took this crazy combo for around 6 months. Then another doc made an adjustment to this so the effexor was raised to 150mg, I had to stop the Ambien and take another 1mg of Rivotril instead of Ambien. So I took this combo for another 6 months. Things were not going well as you could imagine. Then I had to go to another doctor who finally said me that I was over-medicated and instructed me that we should change to less powerful meds, which seemed like a good idea but the way he told me to do it was so inappropriate and wrong that it is still making me more and more angry as a read more about tapering and prolonged withdrawal symptoms. First he basically said to stop cold turkey the benzo. This was hard but not that crazy. But then he told me to stop the effexor cold turkey (150mg). That was absolutely crazy as I'm sure you know. After two crazy days he told me to start taking 20mg of Lexapro. This turned to be a good move because my withdrawal symptoms eased very quickly. I took lexapro for like a good 1-1.5 moths. But during this time I was experiencing more and more the memory and cognitive problems that were not new but more severe. So really then I started researching on the internet and finding that the long time use of these meds cause this. I became very angry again and decided to stop as soon as possible, so I made a fast taper from Lexapro and I was done. It was very hard but what I did was that I started to use a little bit of Ambien during the day to combat the withdrawal symptoms. I did this for a week maybe. Now I know that this was quite risky but it surprisingly helped me. I am one of those people that when I take even a little of Ambien it makes me super fearless, motivated, happy, agile, funny(even crazy). I think you heard about this. So this was in August. Since then I am recovering slowly. There were some better days, short periods but mostly I am suffering from most of the symptoms related to the prolonged withdrawal syndrome. I tried and still try some supplements out of desperation. Some of them seem to work. I tried to figure out what to fix and how to help fix (neurotransmitter levels, receptors, etc). Anyway as you can see in my case it is very hard because it seems to me that everything was affected directly (GABA even with two pills) Okay now about my experiment with supplements. I know the ones generally considered to help, I know how they work. I tried a lot of stuff in different combinations. My main problems of concern was the anxiety, numbness, apathy, low motivation, insomnia, and the cognitive and mental problems. I tried 5 htp, passionflower, GABA. These did not seem to have any effect. My thinking is that I maybe with these I can stimulate the production of neurotransmitters. What seems to help the most is L-tryptophan (I take it with 2mg of Melatonin) I take it before sleep and it seems to really help. It takes some time to fall asleep but I this way I can sleep a good 7-8-9 hours sometimes even with almost no wake ups. Another thing that I take is the “king” omega-3 Because of my extra low motivation I was thinking that maybe that has to do something with my dopamine. So after a research I ended up that I need to try Gingko Biloba, Rhodiola. They also rave about these restoring mental functions such as memory and concentration which I desperately want. I started Gingko a week ago it does not seem to help yet, hopefully will. Then I also took Rhodiola for two days but it was weird (some reports already warned me about this) A quite new discovery for me is the effectiveness of Valerian Root. It seems to help with the anxiety. I discovered it in an interesting way. The story is that when I was not taking the tryptophan some weeks ago I almost could not sleep at all, and my appetite almost gone entirely. Then out of frustration I started taking a little Ambien again(just 0.25mg) Of course all the amazing effects kicked in which I enjoyed(and did not want to sleep because I was feeling so good) but I knew I did not want to get it for long so after a week I stopped. But I was thinking: why is that ambien affects me so positively?? If only I could find a natural solution that does the same..... So after researching I came to the conclusion that I need to find something that has that effect on the GABA-A receptors as Zolpidem(Ambien) does. The only solution seemed to be benzos but in the gaba-a antagonist list I found two herbs too: kava and valerian. I also read a very good article with illustrations about how valerian binds almost the same way to the gaba-a receptor as benzos do(with only a little difference of which sub receptor they bind to) I was so thrilled!! I went to buy Valerian immediately and even taking 100mg seemed to help me very quickly. Now I take that three times a day. Yesterday I found some very helpful articles that Alto wrote. It seemed to explain a lot of things that I could not find answers for or I was confused about. But still I became puzzled about some things and even more confused..... so it would be helpful if you could explain some things also concerning my situation. It would be tremendously helpful for me.... The article called "Introduction to psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome" http://beyondmeds.com/2012/05/17/introwithdrawalsyndrome/ This was a very helpful summary for me about what does withdrawal mean and it gave me hope and I wish I have found this sooner.... but still I will post some questions from this one later... Another article is this http://beyondmeds.co.../gabaglutamate/ Most of the article seems clear and logical to me but there are some concerns and questions about how this applies to my situation I am thinking that first I need to know If I am doing something wrong in my recovery....so that way I can adjust things....stop doing things, taking things.....so please guys this is why I need your help now!! My first question is concerning this: (I would be very glad if Alto too could give some advice here “Noradrenergics — buproprion or Wellbutrin; mirtazapine or Remeron; SNRIs such as Cymbalta, Serzone, Effexor; and St. John’s Wort, rhodiola — and stimulate “fight or flight” activation, as will most SSRIs. Drugs and substances that are stimulating should be avoided.” Actually before I rad this article yesterday I had a St. John Worth tea twice and it seemed to help....a lot actually. But basically you say that I should avoid it along with Rhodiola? But even if it seems to help me positively? What about the other supplements? “My guess is: The first phase of withdrawal, the acute phase, is the initial shock of withdrawal, with the most defined symptoms, such as brain zaps and nausea. The second phase is when the serotononergic receptors are repopulating, with waves of depression and anxiety. The third phase is when glutamatergic disinhibition and autonomic instability take over. Often the autonomic instability causes hypersensitivity to drugs and certain supplements. Out of control, the glutamatergic system sends signals to the adrenals, which produce the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.” I am trying to figure out what phase of withdrawal I am now. I cannot decide if it's the second or the third. It is not clear to me what the third is but maybe I am in that phase. I might not be hypersensitive to supplements but maybe the Ambien experiement shows that I am to psych drugs (when a small dose made me feel extra good maybe even paradoxical) This might be a sign that I am already in the third phase? Is that a good thing in my situation? So this is about it for now. I am immensely thankful for people like you... Thank You in advance for your help!! Thomas
  22. I would like to be able to wean myself off antidepressants, but have not been able to for more than a few weeks at the most. I am currently consulting a specialist in Bioidentical hormone therapies. I think I have thyroid issues also, and would like to see if balancing my thyroid will help eliminate the need for antidepressants. I found a link to this site on a Facebook group I am in.
  23. So, after about 7 years on varying dosages of Zoloft (varied during pregnancy), I've spent the last 9 months stepping down from 100mg to 75mg (no withdrawl symptoms then) to 50 (insomnia, irritability, visual twitches). My provider helped ease those symptoms with supplements: Thorne's cortisol manager and 5HTP --these made a HUGE difference for me. Simultaneously started a very low dosage of plant based progesterone (am in early perimenopause). I inadvertantly missed three doses of the Zoloft at the beginning of the week (I sometimes fall asleep putting my little one to bed and feel too sleepy if I take the sertraline in the morning). Since, I have been feeling pretty dizzy and irritable and somewhat weepy. I am trying to decide whether to just forge ahead with added Pharma Gabba and extra 5 htp supplements suggested by my provider or to reactivate the Zoloft at 25 mg. My provider has indicated she supports either decision as long as i "feel safe." I started on Zoloft in the first place because of post-partum depression and anxiety. I now have two young children, a middle school-aged boy and a rocky marriage resulting from poor choices I've made, I think, because I was seeking stimulation -- to feel something again. That's why I decided to get off the ZOloft. I am hoping that feeling some hghs and lows instead of stable -- but flat and dulled, will help me be more present in my life. While I trust and like my main health care provider and am in marriage counseling with my husband, I do not have an individual counselor or psychaitrist. Am I taking too big of a risk by not continuing to taper? I have a refill waiting for me of the 50 mg pills to break inhalf ...
  24. ashleydoll87

    ashleydoll87

    I began taking meds in the Spring of 2008 at the age of 20. I was suicidal, probably because I was abusing pills and alcohol. I was officially diagnosed with "mood disorder, not otherwise specified" and had to deal with social anxiety issues as well. I continued regular and escalating substance abuse until August 2009, when I tried to kill myself and really seriously almost died. When I woke up in the hospital, I had an epiphane--I knew I was being given a second chance by God and that I had more to accomplish before I left this life. Fast-forward to Spring 2013...I finally have a job that pays all my bills, I'm stable, and I leave my crazy boyfriend. I'm kind of starting over and I decide to get off my meds because I no longer think I need them, I read about the long-term health effects, and become interested in natural therapies, supplements, and healthy eating. I first tried to stop taking Lamictal in July without help from my doctor. (I lost my insurance over a year ago, so I went to county health where they bounced me between several doctors, none of whom have taken the time to get to know me.) Knowing that all drugs have withdrawal effects, I cut up my pills and reduced from 300mg of Lamictal to 0mg over the period of a month. HORRIBLE!!! I thought I was going crazy, and it took a good friend's Google search for me to find out that I was having intense and debilitating withdrawal effects. To further prove it was indeed withdrawal, just a few hours after taking my normal dose I was feeling WAY BETTER. I knew I needed a better plan...
  25. Hi Everyone, I'd like to share my intro and story...... I started this with SaraInCanada's thread, Let me tell you a bit about my story..... I was taking Seroquel for more than 5 years (if my memory serves me right at least it was seven 7 years). This was the last anti-psychotic that I used. I had gone through several pych meds for about 14 years of my life beginning from anti-depressants, becoming anti-psychotics, then a combination of them, then they added a few benzo's then. My problem began in 1995 during a high school "core energy" retreat that stressed me out. My problem continued until college and at work. During these 14 years I was almost the same as you..... feeling like a zombie..... being inconsistent and not having my freedom inside...... (it's screaming inside beleive me)... I had very low self esteem as i can't feel my self controlling my life up to the point where I questioned my being a human person already.... I'm almost living like a dog..... I was able to take it off with only that thing in mind...... ALL of it up to 0mg of Seroquel up to now in 2013..... I was tapering for more than 1 year.... I was already beginning to taper off when I was at work (btw i'm an engineer) and then our company shutdown and I thought this was the perfect timing to get off it..... It took me at least (or more than) a year to do this.... tapering 10% in 2 weeks time.... I was not always successful..... I had to go back from time to time to a higher doseage..... but then I would always try to get back on track after a few weeks or months... One thing that really helped me was taking a bike, jogging or walking to our church in the mornings.... i did it most of the times and I tried to keep it regular during the tapering (I still try to do it up to now.....) This was very important to me as I approached the 200mg to 150mg stretch mark..... this was the hardest part for me as this was for me was the dopamine part..... Then came the serotonin, histamine part (or whatsoever....)., This was being apparent as I was already having stomach issues.... and not only that even the muscle spasms would come...... sometimes on my calf or back of my ribs, sometimes being INSIDE my HEAD literally..... feeling my innermost brain cramping or beginning to get hard... at the same time my stomach and brain would do a contest with each other.... I would also feel very strange like an auto-immune thing or something that eats me up and can't understand the feeling.... It would come and go...... I discovered many things while tapering off (specially as I was reaching 50mg - 25mg and 12.5mg). Vitamin C would help in my panic attacks .... also in my feelings of paranoia or being suspicious. I also discovered for me that Lactobacillus casei (shirota strain) "YAKULT" was also good for me as it helped me have nice feelings of being alive (and a ticklish feeling inside). I discovered that Vitamin C and also Yakult would help me as Vitamin C is a good companion for the adrenals...... Dopamine needs to by synthesized into epinephrenine..... Vitamin C can help with this...... With the Yakult part I discoverd that probiotic strains can have a relationship with epineprenine..... I was also taking a good form of B-Complex.... A word of caution though is not to overdo the vitamins and supplements at it can hurt the stomach also if taken too much..... Also, during the withdrawal, certain high dosage of vitamins (for me some high dose B-vitamins) would actually aggravate your symptoms as it might interfere with neurotransmitter production). Care and experimentation should be taken......... Now that I've taken them off, I still continue the journey..... It's not gonna end there...... In fact..... the personality or emotional things you had "before" taking the psych meds comes back...... AND you have to deal with them...... sort of dealing with the real world...... At some point your tapering off will be useless unless you come back to society...... and try and try again because you will never get better unless you do it...... It's a continuing process that doesn't end when you take them all off.... the only difference is there's nothing like the true taste of freedom....... Regards, Goodluck my friend, SuperRyu P.S. Nutrition also plays a very important role.... I tried to stay away from sugar, soda's, softdrinks and sweet shakes with too many artificial things..... I always tried to eat the right things and had protein in my diet.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy