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rainfall recovery from iatrogenic bulimia: Please spread the Word


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This is difficult to write about. But it's important for people to know. So many women are struggling with bulimia and I wonder how many cases are triggered by SSRIs.

 

In 1994 I was put on Prozac and within weeks began obsessing about sugar. Thoughts so intrusive that I had to drop out of school; developed serious bulimia, spent enormous amounts of money on food; similar to heroin addiction. I felt so ashamed, responsible, no one made the connection that it might be the meds.

 

Doctors upped my meds, was hospitalized many times, in therapy for an "emerging eating disorder". 

 

After 17 years of trying everything and 100s of thousands of dollars to heal (CBT, DBT, inpatient + outpatient therapy), three months after stopping SSRIs for 1st time in 17 years (symptoms worsened for first 3 months) my food obsession miraculously stopped. Went from being unable to think about anything but food, or participating in a real social life, always hiding my habit, to eating three meals a day plus snacks, with absolutely NO desire to binge or purge.

 

Please pass my story along to anyone who is struggling. It has been a real awakening. I would like to write publicly about it, since this was so miraculous, so clearly connected. One day I'm an addict who tries everything to stop, but can't. Three months off SSRIs, the bulimia is gone with no effort on my part. No therapy, no attitude or life change. Just gone.

 

Because I haven't seen anyone write about this, please let me know if you know how I might get this story out to people anonymously. 

 

Thank you for reading. 

1994 Prozac (became suicidal, manic, hospitalized)

1994-2008 every SSRI + wellbutrin, effexor, ativan, topamax, naltrexone, several benozo (2-5 meds daily)

2008 cold turkey klonopin: BP dropped; trip to ER; never told addictive; 3 yrs. ear ringing, dead feeling, panic, sound, light sensitivity

2009-2010 cont'd on Zoloft 200 mg + wellbutrin 300 mg; topamax

2010 AMA; no information cold turkey all meds

8 months wild energy, creativity, impulsive, crying + visions

Month 8 post withdrawal began extreme fatigue, flu-liike sx, dark depair, flat and hypersensitive

2014 now 2.8 yrs post WD 50% time flu-like; despair, anhedonia. 

 

** 3 months post WD bulimia stopped for 1st time since beginning prozac; suddenly, no obsessive thoughts of food.

No Idea SSRIs were cause; have not heard others have this, but it's real: IATROGENIC BULIMIA.

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Rainfall,

 

I am so sorry for what you went through and am glad you have found out it was the drugs causing this problem. 

 

I would contact David Healy and Robert Whitaker at the MIA site about sharing your story.  You have have an important story to tell.

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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Thanks for the encouragement and input compsports. David Healy allows people to use pseudonyms and may be a great contact. 

1994 Prozac (became suicidal, manic, hospitalized)

1994-2008 every SSRI + wellbutrin, effexor, ativan, topamax, naltrexone, several benozo (2-5 meds daily)

2008 cold turkey klonopin: BP dropped; trip to ER; never told addictive; 3 yrs. ear ringing, dead feeling, panic, sound, light sensitivity

2009-2010 cont'd on Zoloft 200 mg + wellbutrin 300 mg; topamax

2010 AMA; no information cold turkey all meds

8 months wild energy, creativity, impulsive, crying + visions

Month 8 post withdrawal began extreme fatigue, flu-liike sx, dark depair, flat and hypersensitive

2014 now 2.8 yrs post WD 50% time flu-like; despair, anhedonia. 

 

** 3 months post WD bulimia stopped for 1st time since beginning prozac; suddenly, no obsessive thoughts of food.

No Idea SSRIs were cause; have not heard others have this, but it's real: IATROGENIC BULIMIA.

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  • 3 months later...

Rainfall-this is very encouraging for me. I've been a binge eater for about the same amount of time I've been on Prozac -- almost 20 years! i just started a slow taper off the drug because i thought it may be contributing to my lack of progress in beating my eating disorder. Until I saw your post I have NEVER hear any reports correlating bulimia with the drug.

 

I'm curious how you are doing now several months later.

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  • 3 months later...
  • Mentor

Thankyou for sharing that!   I will pass it on if I get an opportunity to do so.   

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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  • Mentor

Rainfall   god bless you, for sharing.  Do you have before and after pics?  Only if you want them shared,   Picture is worth a thousand words, I know nothing about this, except that people judged me thin  (sisters).. I was stress, menopausal, and normal ****.....  I went to doctor, wow    was   "Viva Zyprexa year""   off label push  ..........got zyprexa, mad in three days, and 8 damn years before I kicked the habit of the effexor for the fallout.....  

 

At the present time I have no appetite, but that should be considered "normal" as I do nothing, and am fat  wrong word, way heavier than the "normal me"....   I am waiting for all the weight to go, and damn hopefully get my appetitie back.  Best wishes.

 

My obsession, while withdrawing... telling the world how evil these things can be.  I now find I am not the 0.01 percent.... in the statistics...  those fudged statistics... those suffering on these things?  50% my guess...

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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That's incredible! So sad to hear you had such a horrendous time for no reason other than Prozac!

 

I have come across a couple of stories where people developed insane cravings for alcohol and became alcoholics after being put on SSRIs. They all swore they never liked drinking before. And they got better once they stopped the SSRI... 

 

This is so scary! 

Feb 2015 Took venlafaxine for 5 days only... experienced withdrawal that made me completely non-functional

Mar 2015 took under 1mg of Sertraline for 10 days in an attempt to combat Venlafaxine withdrawal. Got adverse reactions. 

After stopping Sertraline, withdrawal got much worse. New, horrific symptoms. 

June 2015 Still non-functional but slowly getting better. Still brain zaps, migraines, sweating, heart racing, depression, crying spells

September 2015: 24/7 brain zaps, twitches in the face, no concentration, bad memory, language skills deteriorating. 

 

Profile feed: http://goo.gl/3g2GRn

 

Sign this petition for a blackbox warning on Prozac in Ireland:

https://www.change.org/p/leo-varadakar-hpra-the-lack-of-a-blackbox-warning-on-prozac-in-ireland-and-its-use-by-the-hse-in-under-18-s?recruiter=63289046&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_for_starters_page&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-no_msg

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  • 4 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

I think this is true because - hey - how many people go metabolic and diabetic on these drugs?

 

It only stands to reason that these drugs would mess with all your hormonal systems, including adrenal, thyroid, insulin - all of those things that are soothed and spiked with sugar and fat.  Then, piled on with the guilt about the weight (also piled on with the drug) - you purge, and drain yourself of nutrients and start again.  It's easy to see how this could happen, and i'm surprised we haven't heard about it more often.  Or maybe it's just rare that someone has MADE this CONNECTION to the drug, like you have.

 

And I can imagine how the docs would've piled on drugs, because that's what you DO for eating disorders, isn't it?  (hargh).

 

Rainfall, thank you for sharing.  I hope you've gone on to share your story in other forums!

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

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  • 2 years later...

THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!! I had an extreme adverse reaction to Sertraline about one month ago and ever since then I have developed almost like a phobia of sugar! Every time I eat anything sugary I start making myself panic, fortunately I am not anywhere near underweight so it’s not that concerning right now but just the idea of going out to eat or having a family meal stresses me out really bad 

October 30th, 2017 one dose of 50 mg sertraline at night before bed. 

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi there,

 

The staff at SA are wondering how you are.  We'd love to hear how you are doing now.   Would you mind dropping by and giving an update?

 

Thanks.

CC

* 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

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