☼ RealMe: fighting depression/withdrawal from Abilify, Trintellix now on Prozac

[RealMe]

Still feeling fatigue and went back to bed this morning after my granddaughters went to school.  Tinnitus is the same, driving me batty.  Dystonia and tremors still here but somewhat improved.  Anhedonia, depressing, worrying.  Telling myself not to worry never works, but reading from others' experience that this is all part of WD symptoms does help.  I have no plan for today, so I had better come up with one to avoid ruminating.  

[Happy2Heal]

On 3/1/2018 at 3:47 PM, RealMe said:

I'm feeling poorly, and there doesn't seem to be anything outside of myself that might be causing it.  I might be experiencing less stability as a result of my tapering.  I am counting on your experience that some of these symptoms are part of the process!

 

I know you were writing this to AliG, but in my experience, almost all of the symptoms were WD/recovery related.

I'm very lucky in that I have a fairly stable life, not much stress, no difficult family relationships or anything like that, so I don't normally have anything outside of myself to cause symptoms of distress.

Almost all of mine in the past few years were a direct result of withdrawing off the lexapro.

 

I've had other *issues* but they were not symptoms. by that I mean, I was forced, by my symptoms, to get out of the house and meet people and do things to distract myself from the awfulness of those symptoms.

I had *issues* with those things-  getting out and being with people, because for well over 10 yrs and really closer to 2 decades, I'd become almost housebound. I rarely left my house, had almost no friends and the few I had, I only communicated with over the internet or on the phone- so, very different from real life, in person friends.

I would go out maybe 2 or 3 times in an entire month- literally. I would go and get food, or go to a drs appt, and that was it. 
Since going thru WD/recovery, the distress of being alone was greater than the stress of learning how to meet people and socialize, so I've been working on learning how to do those things.
 

I was really pretty settled and ok with myself before I started going off the lexapro, maybe that's part of the reason I knew it was time. I'm not sure. 

I was tired of being numb and not having any real feelings, that much I'm sure of.

 

One dramatic change that I've made is that I no longer look outside myself for answers. I guess this is maybe why I am so anti-therapy. 
I have inner strengths that I never knew I had and that were NEVER ever acknowledged in therapy-  it almost seemed like therapy was designed to find more and more things wrong with a person, just to keep the therapist with plenty of clients/income. Call me a cynic, I've definitely become one.

That's not to say that *some* therapist don't genuinely believe in what they are doing, and that they are truly trying to be "helpful"- I just know that I don't need that kind of help. I have found more and better advice thru reading and more real healing thru good relationships with people who are not paid to be kind to me.

I sometimes thought of therapists as paid "friends", and that I needed them because I was unable to make any friends. Or so it seemed, it turns out that I'm very capable of making friends, now that I've left the mental health system that had totally undermined any kind of confidence I had or tried to tap into.

I had years and years of therapy and honestly, I think on balance it did more harm than good. I needed to believe more in myself.  I needed to rediscover what Laura Delano calls your "inner compass". 

I think we all have it, and just lose touch with it.

it can also be scary relying on yourself, esp when you've not done it much, if at all, in the past, but it's so liberating!
 

 

Sorry for going on and on about my own journey; my hope is that sharing it helps set off a spark in others who may think they need an outside "authority" to tell them what to do or what is "real'. You don't need anything of the sort.

 

If I've learned anything over the past couple of years, it's that EVERYTHING I need, I can find within myself.

That's a wonderful thing to know.

 

How are you doing this weekend RM?

were you able to find distractions to keep from ruminating?

Oh! I wanted to share with you something I discovered about my own tinnitus- My computer sets it off!
Not sure if it's a hum coming from the machine ( a desk top) and/or the electromagnetic field, but my tinnitus comes back if I'm on the computer.  when I walk away to do something else, the ringing goes away.

 

weird, eh?
I knew I had issues with electromagnetic fields because being too close to my microwave when it's on ramps up anxiety.  I once ridiculed someone who believe that EMF caused symptoms like this, so I don't think I'm imagining them, I myself didn't believe there could be any link. I know the subject is controversial, though.

 

I also will get ringing in my ears just by thinking about it. I've tested this out a few times. I don't know what to think about that, I know the power of suggestion can be very strong....

So that's another reason why I try to focus on the things that are going well. The more I do that, the better I feel;  the good stuff seems to build on itself somehow

 

anyway I've babbled on long enough!
I hope you're having a good day

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AliG]

Yes ~ so much of this is relevant ~  Thanks H2H. Agreed !

 

[RealMe]

2 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

I know you were writing this to AliG, but in my experience, almost all of the symptoms were WD/recovery related.

I'm very lucky in that I have a fairly stable life, not much stress, no difficult family relationships or anything like that, so I don't normally have anything outside of myself to cause symptoms of distress.

Almost all of mine in the past few years were a direct result of withdrawing off the lexapro.

Hi H2H,

Yours is one of the responses that I will read and re-read and get a better understanding of each time.  Have you been off all AD's since August?  I know I'm always asking in different ways, "how long will I have to go through this?" But I'm really just trying to understand your signature and timeline.

 

I studied EMFs and cancer clusters many years ago and found no scientific evidence of causation, but there sure were an awful lot of correlations!  Anyway, because of that I am also leery of EMFs.  I believe I spend waaaay too much time on the computer, but it seems to be one of the very few things that distract me from tinnitus and ruminating.

 

I gave up all soda and diet soda, but today I drank some club soda which caused it to ramp up.  I saw that it contained potassium, so now I am eliminating potassium and drinking seltzer instead.  Add that to my ever-growing list of things to avoid: fat, sugar, salt, flour, tomatoes, too much meat or  caffeine or rugged exercise (which seems to be any exercise at all).

 

I really do try not to think about the noise.  It's always awful, and sometimes it's worse.  Sometimes I don't know how long I will be able to bear it.  Thank goodness I'm able to sleep.  Did yours start with medications?  Mine started with Wellbutrin, or at least at the same time.  Sometimes I think maybe the fluoxetine is ramping it up and thus I should stop it sooner rather than later, but I've made a decision to follow SA recommendations and hold.

 

I think I understand quite a bit of what you are saying about taking your own mind and life back to yourself.  I think though that I need help to know what I can't see, and a therapist might be more helpful in that than any friends I now have.  One of my sisters is pretty good, and my husband is very loving; but both of them are less likely to tell me things I need to hear about myself.  For example, I have trouble detaching emotionally from my daughters' problems, and I think a lot about how I messed up in raising them, setting an example of depressing and taking AD's for instance.  He did offer a couple of helpful ideas about attitude which I have been using successfully.  I am firm though in the fact that I am in charge of my own head and recovery from depression/ADs.  If ever I find myself thinking I'm not, I'll drop therapy like a hot potato.  In the meantime, I'm just using therapy as another technique to learn to deal without drugs.  He's different in that although he is skeptical about whether or not I can make it without drugs, he is also somewhat open-minded and supportive about it.  He told me he mentioned to my GP that my medication had been "mismanaged" in the past which led me to believe the drugs caused some bad side effects.  I thought that sounded promising--not ideal, but promising.  He's going to teach me some mindfulness meditations that I also want to try.  Like I said, I'm willing to try anything but drugs.  Naturally, I have to be careful not to sob and talk about wishing for the end.  My experience tells me that's what always prompted doctors to offer me pills and more pills.

 

Thank you for talking with me H2H.  You are a godsend!

 

xo RM

[RealMe]

I also need help with accepting that this tinnitus might not go away and that the best I will ever be able to do is adapt to it.

[Rosetta]

RealMe,

 

Just popping into offer support.  Glad you are trying to do something to avoid ruminating.  So important.  I really enjoyed H2H's post.  If therapy is good for you that's great, but if you are feeling any of the negatives that H2H mentioned it's not good.  CBT is very different than most therapy.  It's less likely, imo, to cause me to feel worse.  I always feel worse if I talk about bad things that have happened to me in the past without a CBT type therapy situation.  Just reliving a bad experience is the opposite of helpful for me.  Maybe this therapist would be willing to help you with CBT.  Check out feelinggood.com.  There's a great workbook you can buy and use to go through the different types of thinking that cause distress.  I have learned to talk to myself in the way a CBT therapist would when I start to castatrophize or use all or nothing thinking, etc.. You could also use the website to help yourself in addition to seeing your therapist.

 

Peace, Rosetta

[RealMe]

44 minutes ago, Rosetta said:

RealMe,

 

Just popping into offer support.  Glad you are trying to do something to avoid ruminating.  So important.  I really enjoyed H2H's post.  If therapy is good for you that's great, but if you are feeling any of the negatives that H2H mentioned it's not good.  CBT is very different than most therapy.  It's less likely, imo, to cause me to feel worse.  I always feel worse if I talk about bad things that have happened to me in the past without a CBT type therapy situation.  Just reliving a bad experience is the opposite of helpful for me.  Maybe this therapist would be willing to help you with CBT.  Check out feelinggood.com.  There's a great workbook you can buy and use to go through the different types of thinking that cause distress.  I have learned to talk to myself in the way a CBT therapist would when I start to castatrophize or use all or nothing thinking, etc.. You could also use the website to help yourself in addition to seeing your therapist.

 

Peace, Rosetta

I didn't ask him what type of therapy he uses.  I've only seen him a few times.  Is mindfulness meditation part of CBT?  I'll check out the feelinggood.com website.  I've also been searching for success stories on habituation.  Thank you, dear Rosetta.  The support I'm getting is truly a lifesaver.  Hope you are doing ok.

xo RM

[ChessieCat]

Mindfulness is different from CBT.

 

From http://www.mindfulness.net.au/what-is-micbt.html

 

There is a growing number of therapy approaches that incorporate mindfulness training. Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or MiCBT (pronounced M-I-C-B-T) is one of these approaches. It offers a practical set of evidence-based techniques derived from mindfulness training together with principles of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to address a broad range of psychological disorders and general stress conditions. Below is a brief overview of the foundations of MiCBT as well as the core mechanisms and basic practice components of this valuable therapeutic approach.

[Happy2Heal]

On 3/3/2018 at 6:33 PM, RealMe said:

Have you been off all AD's since August?  I know I'm always asking in different ways, "how long will I have to go through this?" But I'm really just trying to understand your signature and timeline.

 Hi RM

 

I'm sorry my signature isn't clear.  I took my last tiny dose of lexapro in Oct 2017

 

as far as "how long will you have to go thru this?" - no one can tell you that, it's different for everyone.

 

it may be helpful to know that a LOT of people have tinnitus with no cause whatsoever, and some have it as a consequence of chemotherapy. it's a common condition. 

I believe it's also more common as you age.

 

I don't know when I first got it and I don't know when/if it will ever fully go away. However I've accepted that it may be something I need to deal with off and on, for possibly the rest of my life.  Interestingly, once I accepted this, I  was not bothered as much by it. 

 

I don't know how anyone can help you with acceptance, that's really something you need to come to on your own.  It's another one of those things that is within your power, and your power alone.

 

it was when I talked with a friend who told me she's had tinnitus for several years, and then I knew that it wasn't anything to be worried or scared about. She'd never had chemo or been on any psych meds.  So that kind of 'normalized' it in my mind, and I stopped thinking about it so much. And when I stopped thinking about it, it went away!!

 I can't say if it's totally gone, or if I've just learned to ignore it. If I think about it, or if it's really quiet, I may notice it. but it's not as loud as it was at first. ALL of my symptoms of WD/recovery improved in time.

I am sure yours will too.

 

believing that and finding distractions will help you get thru this.

[RealMe]

11 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

it's not as loud as it was at first. ALL of my symptoms of WD/recovery improved in time.

I am sure yours will too.

 

believing that and finding distractions will help you get thru this.

Thanks H2H!  Your posts are so inspiring and helpful.

xo RM

[Happy2Heal]

I have a fortune from one of those Chinese fortune cookies that I keep on my fridge

it says

 

You are what you think.

 

 

this turns out to be SO true.

 

also, for depression, here are some things that work incredibly well (and there's science to back them up)

 

go out in the sun for 15 mins a day, preferably morning sun. if it's cloudy try to stay out longer, up to an hour

 

look UP. Literally, cast your gaze slightly above eye level as often as you safely can (sometimes when walking this isn't possible)

 

when I was going thru the very worst parts of recovery, and dark feelings and thoughts would seem to envelope me in a cloud of doom and gloom, I would force myself to look upward.

and also to smile. Yes, just using the muscles of smiling, they found, will cause changes in your brain that make you feel better.
Not saying that putting a fake smile on your face is going to make you feel happy, it probably won't. BUT  it will most definitely make you feel better than you are.

 

if you're already feeling pretty good, than chances are it could tip you over into happy, lol

 

 

these things may seem silly but they work incredibly well.

I had a brief period of feeling the darkness of early WD/recovery yesterday and had so well trained myself to look up when I felt that way, and to put a smile on my face, that in a very short period of time, the dark clouds in my mind had passed.

there is some science behind the looking upwards, too, but I dont recall where I read it nor why it works.

 

aslo if you eat something sweet, you can counteract the negative effects that sugar has on your anxiety level and depression level, by eating a green vegetable around the same time as the sweet, or just after.

 

another thing that's been proven to work! also avoiding sugar/processed foods as much as possible.

 

see, I went to the store on Sat and ended up being there past lunch time. I got hungry and foolishly bought a box of reduced fat Cheez its. A highly processed, salt and fat laden snack, one of the worst things to eat (at any time!) 

and that is what brought on the dark mood, I think.

 

but I ate a lot of broccoli when I got home and also did the smile on the face and head up and the darkness passed.

 

I was in acute WD/recovery for at least a year, and I tried these techniques and others many times, enough times to know that the results were not flukes, they truly work

 

give them a try!
I'll see if I can remember any others.

 

 

[Happy2Heal]

another thing to try, is for a week (or longer) only post the good things that you notice, the things that have either improved or are just good in general

 

the more attention you pay to what is going right, the more those things will grow

 

I am amazed at how true this is

 

I used to be a bitcher, a moaner, a complainer.

I was so focused on what was wrong, I never saw all that was good, all that I had to be happy about, or grateful for

 

changing your focus can literally change both your brain and your life.

 

another thing that this process has taught me, a lesson I am so grateful to have finally learned.

 

[RealMe]

6 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

another thing to try, is for a week (or longer) only post the good things that you notice, the things that have either improved or are just good in general

 

the more attention you pay to what is going right, the more those things will grow

 

Wonderful techniques!  I will try them all.

I had some success with habituation yesterday.  The dystonia is improving.  Today, I went to the dentist in the morning.  I have been eating "clean," boring but healthy.  I don't eat processed foods, salt, aspartame, sugar, flour, nitrates, tomatoes or too much fat.  I eat a lot of vegetables and some fruit.  Have cut down on dairy recently.  Now I'm babysitting 2 of my grandchildren and will be taking another one to piano lessons in a little while.  Glad I'm able to do it.  I feel withdrawn, but ok.  Hope you are doing well.

xo RM

[Happy2Heal]

yay for success!! of any kind! it's a big plus!

 

I bet the grandkids are a great distraction, if nothing else.  I don't know if I'd have the energy for grandkids myself, lol 

 

depending on the age, they can be a lot of work.

 

I'm doing great, back to feeling "normal" and like I've fully healed, although I think there's probably more small brain "tweaks" to come.

I notice once in awhile I have a lot of trouble writing, just forming the letters, and I think that's WD/recovery related.

 

otherwise, knock on wood, things are going great.

 

getting snow today, which usually makes me super anxious but NOT THIS TIME! I got out and got some good food, gonna make some veggie burgers and mushroom soup. Gonna do some sewing and play with the rats.

Gonna do some reading and try out a new yoga video I just got for myself.

maybe some laundry, sort some papers, odds n ends.
it's good to have the motivation back to do these things.

 

I will be so excited for you when you catch up to where I am, and I know that you will.

 

tell me more good things that are happening in your life and your healing. tell me what you are thankful for <3

 

 

 

 

[RealMe]

7 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

things are going great.

 

getting snow today, which usually makes me super anxious but NOT THIS TIME! I got out and got some good food, gonna make some veggie burgers and mushroom soup. Gonna do some sewing and play with the rats.

Gonna do some reading and try out a new yoga video I just got for myself.

maybe some laundry, sort some papers, odds n ends.
it's good to have the motivation back to do these things.

 

I will be so excited for you when you catch up to where I am, and I know that you will.

 

tell me more good things that are happening in your life and your healing. tell me what you are thankful for <3

 

So glad you are feeling and functioning so well!  We are getting lots of snow too, so the first thing I'm grateful for is that I didn't have to drive in it to get to work (because I'm retired)!  Two of our granddaughters (8 & 6) had no school and spent the day with us.  I made them lunch and snacks.  They watched tv and played most of the day, but one of them agreed to play SpongeBob Monopoly with me this afternoon, and my husband joined us while the other one took a nap.  I appreciated being able to actually play.  I made pork chops for dinner, and my husband and I enjoyed the meal together.  I called my sister in law and our daughter in law to check on them and see how they are coping with this weather.  I am glad to be progressing in my taper from brain and body-altering chemicals!  I can recognize from the above that I actually experienced some motivation and pleasure today which is gigantic progress from August of 2017!  Today I'm not going to elucidate any negative symptoms.  Thank you, H2H.  I aspire...

[wantrelief]

7 minutes ago, RealMe said:

So glad you are feeling and functioning so well!  We are getting lots of snow too, so the first thing I'm grateful for is that I didn't have to drive in it to get to work (because I'm retired)!  Two of our granddaughters (8 & 6) had no school and spent the day with us.  I made them lunch and snacks.  They watched tv and played most of the day, but one of them agreed to play SpongeBob Monopoly with me this afternoon, and my husband joined us while the other one took a nap.  I appreciated being able to actually play.  I made pork chops for dinner, and my husband and I enjoyed the meal together.  I called my sister in law and our daughter in law to check on them and see how they are coping with this weather.  I am glad to be progressing in my taper from brain and body-altering chemicals!  I can recognize from the above that I actually experienced some motivation and pleasure today which is gigantic progress from August of 2017!  Today I'm not going to elucidate any negative symptoms.  Thank you, H2H.  I aspire...

So good to hear, RM!!

[RealMe]

3 hours ago, wantrelief said:

So good to hear, RM!!

Thank you.  Hope you're doing well, dear wantrelief.

xo RM

[Happy2Heal]

You're doing great RM!

aren't kids wonderful! they live so in the moment. I'm glad you were able to enjoy playing.

 

getting snow here, too, and I'm glad I don't have to go out! ran out for groceries and got home just as the first flakes were coming down

changed plans and made pumpkin cauliflower soup, two things I'd never have thought to put together but it's good. You puree it in a food processor so it's smooth. Something different for a change.

 

I think it's ok to acknowledge when we have difficulties/symptoms but if that is all we do, it gets in the way of healing.

 

 

[RealMe]

14 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

I think it's ok to acknowledge when we have difficulties/symptoms but if that is all we do, it gets in the way of healing.

I need to find some balance here.  I usually complain when I'm in a lot of pain.  It seems like a release although I'm not sure it is.

 

14 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

aren't kids wonderful! they live so in the moment. I'm glad you were able to enjoy playing.

That's one of the things I loved about teaching.  A teen could be so angry with you over some silly thing only to have completely forgotten it the next day and say with a big smile, "hi, Miss!  How ya doin'?"  Every day was a brand new day with most of the teens I used to teach.  I do miss them in my retirement.  I substitute in the junior high once in a while, but it's exhausting for me this year.  I hope that will improve.  I'm scheduled for a day next week and two days the week after.  If I say I will be some where, I show up.  I have to be careful with that.  The two day stint will be difficult, but I agreed to it because they asked me so far in advance.  I'm not going to think about it anymore till it's happening.

 

My husband was up at the crack of dawn, shoveling.  He's like a dynamo and that fact accentuates my lack of movement!  I made him breakfast at lunchtime.  Now I'm going to take a little walk outside.

 

xo RM

[doxxigirl]

15 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

You're doing great RM!

aren't kids wonderful! they live so in the moment. I'm glad you were able to enjoy playing.

 

getting snow here, too, and I'm glad I don't have to go out! ran out for groceries and got home just as the first flakes were coming down

changed plans and made pumpkin cauliflower soup, two things I'd never have thought to put together but it's good. You puree it in a food processor so it's smooth. Something different for a change.

 

I think it's ok to acknowledge when we have difficulties/symptoms but if that is all we do, it gets in the way of healing.

 

 

Yummy, Pumpkin Cauliflower soup!  That sounds delish!

[Downbutnotout]

Real me I am really happy for you. You seem to be doing so well. 

[RealMe]

11 hours ago, Downbutnotout said:

Real me I am really happy for you. You seem to be doing so well. 

Thank you, DBNO.  I'm sorry we're going through this but glad we're in it together.

xo RM

[Happy2Heal]

17 hours ago, RealMe said:

My husband was up at the crack of dawn, shoveling.  He's like a dynamo and that fact accentuates my lack of movement!  I made him breakfast at lunchtime.  Now I'm going to take a little walk outside.

 

oh how much snow did you get? I'm not eager to have a walk outside yet, we got over a foot of snow and the sidewalk plows have not been out. Even some of the side streets weren't plowed yet LOL

 

hope you had a nice walk!
after 2 days being stuck inside and missing my favorite card game at the Sr Center yesterday, this afternoon I've got pinochle (my favorite is "hand and foot", but pinochle is fun too) 

I feel like a kid again, playing card games. We used to play cards and board games after dinner when I was growing up and  I always enjoyed those times.

 

do you have a Sr center in your town/city? 

[Downbutnotout]

I keep hoping I’ll catch up to you. 

[Downbutnotout]

My dtr texted she loved me. I had a  few tears. Maybe that’s a good sign. 

[RealMe]

On 3/9/2018 at 6:52 PM, Downbutnotout said:

My dtr texted she loved me. I had a  few tears. Maybe that’s a good sign. 

A very good sign!   These daughters have such powers to brighten the hearts of their mothers!

[Downbutnotout]

Are you doing better? I just wish I was doing as well as you. 

[RealMe]

12 hours ago, Downbutnotout said:

Are you doing better? I just wish I was doing as well as you. 

I'm continuing the windows and waves pattern. When in a wave, it feels like I'm not doing better and I can't stand it; but when I look at the big picture, I clearly see improvement overall.  That's the only reason I look back.  The improvements encourage me toward more hope and healing.  If I never get better than this, I still won't go back to mind-bending drugs.  I still have painful symptoms physically and emotionally, but I am glad to be better than I was when I started this in August of 2017 and look forward to more healing around the corner.  Have you noticed any improvements, DBNO?  I notice you are a very caring person who reaches out, and that is such a blessed sign of health.  Let's keep on keeping on!

xo RM

[Downbutnotout]

1 hour ago, RealMe said:

I'm continuing the windows and waves pattern. When in a wave, it feels like I'm not doing better and I can't stand it; but when I look at the big picture, I clearly see improvement overall.  That's the only reason I look back.  The improvements encourage me toward more hope and healing.  If I never get better than this, I still won't go back to mind-bending drugs.  I still have painful symptoms physically and emotionally, but I am glad to be better than I was when I started this in August of 2017 and look forward to more healing around the corner.  Have you noticed any improvements, DBNO?  I notice you are a very caring person who reaches out, and that is such a blessed sign of health.  Let's keep on keeping on!

xo RM

[Downbutnotout]

I’m glad you answered me. I feel the same. I’m glad you’re doing better! 

[Rosetta]

HI RM, I so glad you are continuing to see progress!  -- Rosetta

[RealMe]

On 3/9/2018 at 8:20 AM, Happy2Heal said:

do you have a Sr center in your town/city? 

We do have one, and I actually paid them a visit a few weeks ago.  I was astonished to see how old seniors are and to realize that I am one of them!   I haven't made a move to join any activities yet.

We are having another big snow today, so I can't walk outside and look up yet, but I will as soon as I can.  It looks like the roads might not be too bad so maybe I will get to do some errands later today.

 

My symptoms update:

Negative thoughts about myself as a person.  I try to immediately replace these with positive ones, but the intruding thoughts are relentless.

Lethargy/exhaustion/lack of motivation/oversleeping.  It's like trying to escape being conscious, then feeling guilty about it.

Tinnitus and anxiety (they seem to go together)

Dystonia

Tremors

Increased appetite/cravings for sweets.  I haven't eaten sweets yet except fruit, but overeating fats, meat, other foods (not vegetables).  Had no appetite for several months; don't know where this came from.

Strong desire to Isolate, but I force myself not to.  My therapy was cancelled last week due to the weather.  I talk with my husband (I limit my complaining, but sometimes to explain my moods, I tell him briefly without going into detail that I'm having WD symptoms), make phone calls to family and friends, occasional visits, care for my grandchildren.  Today they couldn't come because of the weather.

 

I meditate and read to distract myself.  When the weather permits, I walk a little and taking a cue from H2H I look up!

 

 

 

 

[Rosetta]

Hang in there RM!  I have the sudden sweets craving, too.  I think it's when I have low blood sugar due to some signal being interrupted or amplified by the changes in my brain.  

[Downbutnotout]

Sounds like it’s really working. I wish I had an appetite for anything. 

[RealMe]

Lilu said this about pristiq in her introduction:  "despite sleeping for 8 or 9 hours a night, I wake up feeling tired and sleepy with a heavy brain fog that pretty much lasts all day. It does seem to lift at around 3 pm when I find myself suddenly feeling more clear and awake. Sometimes though the sleepiness (somnolence) last(s) all day and I feel like I just can't think clearly. It's as if I'm always slightly buzzed or sedated."  

 

This is the best description I have found of what I go through almost every single day.  I am tapering fluoxetine 8.1 mg.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to handle this symptom (or set of symptoms)?

RM

[RealMe]

Manny78

Started conversation: 2 hours ago

How are you? I don't feel very well.I have inner vibration and restlessness which makes me really anxious.I can't walk because I feel worse after the walk. I feel very tired and loosing my breath if I walk long distances. I just I  feel I want to stay home in bed. I don't know when I will feel better. I am sorry for my rant.

 

Take care,

 

Manny

• Hi Manny,

  I second the suggestion that you try some magnesium and fish oil.  I have even read that some SA members (survivors) take magnesium baths for the calming effects.  It's important to be very careful with supplements, but these two seem to come highly recommended on this forum.  I take both of them.

  How old are you, Manny?  Are these new physical symptoms or have you had them for a while?  I mean, are they part of physical illness or withdrawal?  I've read quite a few posts about restlessness and anxiety, and I also suffer from "inner vibrations"  that I call tremors.  I have tremors in my head/neck and in my hands that I did not have before taking Abilify and trintellix, but they have gotten noticeably better gradually over the past several months of withdrawal.  The loss of breath could be caused by many things.  Fatigue is a very common withdrawal symptom if you read through the posts on this SA forum.  Gentle exercise seems to help.  Just try a short walk, and turn around when you feel it's too much.  Then try again later.

  Please do not feel sorry for talking about your symptoms.  That is what I do here as well.  I am always looking for ways to manage my recovery.  Healing is different for everyone.  Have you looked at the posts for handling symptoms?  Rest is very important.  Don't feel bad about that.  You will get better.  It takes time.

  You can contact me by writing on my introduction or quoting me in your introduction.  That way, others can chime in if they have suggestions for you.  Keep in touch.  Let us know if the magnesium and fish oil help.

  xo RM