Distraut Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 cannabis: Spring 2002 - Dec. 2007; regularly smoked, stopped cold turkey; symptoms: paranoid and depressed Paroxetine: 20 mg July 2008, 40 mg October, 20 mg spring 2009, 0 mg summer 2009 Depakote (sodium valproate): October 2008 - Spring 2009 Haloperdidol 1 week Oct. 2008, H caused seizures, went to A&E; stopped taking it. Citalopram: few weeks in the fall of 2009 to deal with withdrawal symptoms from stopping paroxetine Paroxetine round 2: 20 mg Feb - summer 2010 -20mg don't remeber if I went up to 40mg Venlafaxine & sodium valproate (again): Sep 2010 - Summer 2012 SERTRALINE: November 2012 - May 2016 , 50-100mg (few days @ 150mg in Summer '15). a complete freak out at the end of April. May 2016 Prescribed Lithium and Abilify HAVE NOT TAKEN No medications May 2016 - October 2016 Hospitalised - November 13th 2016 - Prescribed 15 mg Mirtazapine/Remeron. Reducing since 24 December 2016. 9 June 2017 medication free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrugfreeProf Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 James Moore has done an immense service to all of us by producing the Let's Talk Withdrawal podcast and by publicizing the horrific realities of antidepressants to various media outlets. The above video is just one example of his eloquent advocacy. Note what the big-Pharma shill doctor states in the video--the usual drivel about ADs saving lives, safe and effective, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Drugfree Prof Psychologist and Psychotherapist Prozac 20 mg for approx 3 months during 2000, withdrew, no w/d sx Prozac 10 - 30 mg Jan. 2008 - Dec. 2014 Ritalin 30-40 mg Jan. 2008 - Mar. 2015 W/d sx from Prozac started around 3 months after cessation--crying spells, depressed mood, lethargy; resolved in 8 - 12 mos. post cessation Used and continue to use a TON of alternative methods--meditation, mindfulness, nutrition. supplements, exercise, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peng Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Nice one, Distraut. Your link will be useful to many of us. Many thanks! And well done, BBC Wales. Born 1945. 1999 - First Effexor/Venlafaxine. 2016 Withdrawal research. Effexor. 13Jul - 212.5mg; 6Aug - 200.0mg; 24Aug - 187.5mg; 13Sep - 175.0mg; 3Oct - 162.5mg; 26Oct - 150mg 2017 9Jan - 150.00mg; 23Mar - 137.50mg; 24Apr - 125.00mg; 31May - 112.50mg holding; 3Sep - 100.00mg; 20Sep - 93.75mg; 20Oct - 87.5mg; 12Nov - 81.25mg; 13 Dec - 75.00mg 2018 18Jan - 69.1mg; 16Feb - 62.5mg; 16March - 57.5mg (-8%); 22Apr - 56.3mg(-2%); CRASHED - Updose 29May - 62.5mg; Updose - 1Jul - 75.0mg. Updose - 2Aug - 87.5mg. Updose - 27Aug - 100.0mg. Updose - 11Oct 112.5mg. Updose - 6Nov 125.00mg. 2019 Updoses 19 Jan - 150.0mg. 1April - 162.5mg. 24 April - Feeling better - doing tasks, getting outside. 7 May - usual depression questionnaire gives "probably no depression" result. Supps/Vits Omega 3; Chelated Magnesium; Prebiotics/Probiotics, Vit D3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiguelFreeman Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 ty god the awareness is starting to grow I only took them for 2 years and it's been a hard battle to come off if I didn't find this website I would probably be in a bad place or dead Zoloft(Generic)100 mg From 06/06/2016 to 02/10/2016 Lexapro(Generic) 20 MG From 03/10/2016 to 05/2017 Supplements: vitamin complex Lexapro (Generic) CT 05/2017 6/08/17- reinstated 10mg Lexapro(Generic)(50%of original doses ) 02/11/2017- 9 mg Lexapro(Generic) (10 % rule) (Homemade) 04/12/2017- 8.75mg Lexapro(Generic)(BrassMonkey slide) 19/12/2017- 8.5mg Lexapro(Generic) 06/02/2018- 8.35mg Lexapro (Generic) 16/2/2018- 8.22mg Lexapro(Generic) 25/2/2018- 8.09mg Lexapro (Generic)-05/03/2018- 7.9mg Lexapro (Generic)-28/03/2018-7.75mg Lexapro (Generic)-04/04/2018-7.66mg Lexapro (Generic)18/05/2018-7.64mg Lexapro (brand Liquid) 28/6/2018 7.50mg lexapro (Brand Liquid ) 15/7/2018 7.40 mg Lexapro(brand liquid) 7.30 mg Lexapro(Liquid) 27-07-2018 Forgot to update this but i continued to taper down until 21/12/2019 and final dose was 1.3 mg Time since Stoping 3y and 4 mouths xanax 16-01-2023 started 0.25 whent to 0.5 RX 1 week Back to 0.25 corrent dose 0.25 devided in 4 parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesMoore Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hi all, thank you Distraut for sharing this and for all of your comments above too. Dealing with the media is always frustrating because you never get enough time. I was interviewed for 35 minutes and I mentioned Surviving Antidepressants as well as other support too, But they only seem to want the gritty personal details. However, it is useful, I think to get this on mainstream media. The morning after this I was also interviewed by BBC Radio Wales (unfortunately another short item) the links for both are below, please share them widely if you can, I am totally open about my experiences and really keen to get the discussion started outside the communities, like this one, that know the full impact. Thanks so much. James BBC Wales Today piece: https://youtu.be/okxuobnittcBBC Wales Radio with Dr David Healy: https://soundcloud.com/user-581729117/bbc-radio-wales March 2012 - Prescribed Mirtazapine 15mg for anxiety and phobias May 2012 - Jan 2017 - Had several brief spells on 30mg, none helpful, remained at 15mg May 2017 - Started my withdrawal by transferring to liquid preparation at the same dosage (1ml = 15mg) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 28, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 28, 2018 9 hours ago, JamesMoore said: Dealing with the media is always frustrating because you never get enough time. I was interviewed for 35 minutes and I mentioned Surviving Antidepressants as well as other support too, But they only seem to want the gritty personal details. However, it is useful, I think to get this on mainstream media. Exactly. Any publicity about the negative effects of psychiatric drugs and the issues with getting off them is good. When people know that there can be issues they can do their own research. I doubt that many of us here on SA even knew about withdrawal symptoms until we experienced them and that is when we started looking for answers. Unfortunately there are members who went the long way around and got in a mess going off, swapping or adding drugs. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus SkyBlue Posted March 1, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 1, 2018 Amazing advocacy!!! 2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever. 2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds. 2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better. Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.) "You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted March 3, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 3, 2018 Copied from the transcript From 3:00 the Royal College of Psychiatrists say the evidence shows they're beneficial and not addictive they are effective they work and I see in my routine clinical practice people who've benefited from them tremendously so I would really advise people to talk to their doctor the GP or their psychiatrist if they have worries about antidepressants and any concerns they may have about dependence on antidepressants but it's really important to stress they are not addictive medications * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peng Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 About 40 years ago I remember hearing that the benzodiazapine Ativan I had been prescribed was "not addictive". Our GPs seemed to have been told by pharma reps that this was so, after the growing problem manifesting itself with Valium, e.g. However, IIRC, pressure on one of my local GPs on asking for some clarification on what was meant by that, brought out the term "dependency". Ah, that's OK then. Playing with words, or fooled by those behind the promotion of these drugs into lying? Seems so. And they may wonder why we are filled with cynicism and mistrust. Get a grip, drug-pushing psychiatrists, you may be in danger of becoming an extinct species. The world wide web allows people to learn more about your specialism than you know. Born 1945. 1999 - First Effexor/Venlafaxine. 2016 Withdrawal research. Effexor. 13Jul - 212.5mg; 6Aug - 200.0mg; 24Aug - 187.5mg; 13Sep - 175.0mg; 3Oct - 162.5mg; 26Oct - 150mg 2017 9Jan - 150.00mg; 23Mar - 137.50mg; 24Apr - 125.00mg; 31May - 112.50mg holding; 3Sep - 100.00mg; 20Sep - 93.75mg; 20Oct - 87.5mg; 12Nov - 81.25mg; 13 Dec - 75.00mg 2018 18Jan - 69.1mg; 16Feb - 62.5mg; 16March - 57.5mg (-8%); 22Apr - 56.3mg(-2%); CRASHED - Updose 29May - 62.5mg; Updose - 1Jul - 75.0mg. Updose - 2Aug - 87.5mg. Updose - 27Aug - 100.0mg. Updose - 11Oct 112.5mg. Updose - 6Nov 125.00mg. 2019 Updoses 19 Jan - 150.0mg. 1April - 162.5mg. 24 April - Feeling better - doing tasks, getting outside. 7 May - usual depression questionnaire gives "probably no depression" result. Supps/Vits Omega 3; Chelated Magnesium; Prebiotics/Probiotics, Vit D3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joy2730 Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Well said Peng. I remember being prescribed Ativan and then the GP called me in to the surgery and said it may be difficult to get off and they wanted to swap me to diazepam in case 'I ever wanted to get off it in the future'. I was immediately swapped from Ativan to diazepam and went through a few weeks of turmoil, but I am glad they swapped me because ultimately I was able to get off the diazepam,. This was 40 years ago, I think all GPs know of these problems but they don't know what else to do for people when they arrive at the surgery in distress. I think every GP knows of the difficulties. However, it complicates thing when some people can get off them easily, so when prescribing I think doctors rationalise it to themselves by saying, the patient may be one of those able to get off it easily, and it is just too bad if the patient can't. Even members of the same family can have different withdrawals. My hairdresser and her brother have both taken ADs and the girl got off with very little trouble but her brother can't. He went on a long awaited ski holiday for 3 weeks and felt so well he thought he would discontinue them cold turkey and went through hell until getting back home to his pills, when his symptoms soon resolved. Joy Jan 2023 to July 2023 250mg quetiapine Tapered off quetiapine again over 2 months - now weight problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted March 3, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 3, 2018 16 hours ago, ChessieCat said: Copied from the transcript From 3:00 the Royal College of Psychiatrists say the evidence shows they're beneficial and not addictive they are effective they work and I see in my routine clinical practice people who've benefited from them tremendously so I would really advise people to talk to their doctor the GP or their psychiatrist if they have worries about antidepressants and any concerns they may have about dependence on antidepressants but it's really important to stress they are not addictive medications 8 hours ago, peng said: Playing with words I thought the same thing when I was highlighting "addictive". * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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