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Do withdrawal symptoms always show up right away? Delayed onset


hippopotamus

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I was wondering if anyone has an explanation for the mechanism behind delayed withdrawal. From what I've read people can go off their meds without any problems and then, after a couple of months, *poof* withdrawal kicks in.

 

I reckon this can also happen whilst still tapering. Meaning the WD-symptoms of cutting to a lower dose only become noticeable after a while, maybe even months.

 

Anyone has any thoughts on this?

Have been on Seroquel XR from 2008. Dosages have fluctuated quite a bit. Rough guess: I've been on 250-300-350-400-450-500 mg from 2009-summer 2012. Started tapering july 2012 with cuts of 50 mg. By then I had been on 450 mg for a while. October 2012: 200 mg. Due to flu-like WD reinstated to 250 mg nov 12th.

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Alto wrote a post on this forum that explains her theory (but probably you've already read it): One theory of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome

From 2001 to 2010, I took almost continuosly a host of different SSRIs , including Prozac, Celexa and Paxil, plus various benzodiazepines and Bupropion for a limited period of time.

 

From July 2010 to April 2012 >> Duloxetine, dose ranging from 60mg to 120mg.

 

From August 2012 to September 2012 >> reinstated 30 mg of Duloxetine

 

From September 2012 until present days >> Valproic Acid/Sodium Valproate, dose ranging from 300mg to 1000mg. Now I'm on 400mg. I've also taken Amisulpride (50mg) for 9 days and Abilify (10ml) only once.

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No I hadnt read it, thank you for that link, I found it very interesting!

 

I do wonder in which way this theory would be compatible with getting off of atypical antipsychotics..

Have been on Seroquel XR from 2008. Dosages have fluctuated quite a bit. Rough guess: I've been on 250-300-350-400-450-500 mg from 2009-summer 2012. Started tapering july 2012 with cuts of 50 mg. By then I had been on 450 mg for a while. October 2012: 200 mg. Due to flu-like WD reinstated to 250 mg nov 12th.

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Reasons why withdrawal symptoms may not be immediately apparent:

  • "Washout," related to drug half-life, takes some time; minute amounts of drug in the body holding off withdrawal symptoms (particularly with long half-life drugs such as Prozac, where washout takes weeks).

  • Outright misdiagnosis and mistreatment of withdrawal symptoms, causing worsening of condition.

  • Symptoms are attributed to something else, such as the flu or situational stress.

  • Symptoms may be mild initially and the person doesn't pay any attention to them.

  • Symptoms of nervous system instability might initially be very mild with the homeostasis gradually deteriorating over time, producing more severe, noticeable symptoms.

  • Other ???

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thank you Alto! That's enlightening.

Have been on Seroquel XR from 2008. Dosages have fluctuated quite a bit. Rough guess: I've been on 250-300-350-400-450-500 mg from 2009-summer 2012. Started tapering july 2012 with cuts of 50 mg. By then I had been on 450 mg for a while. October 2012: 200 mg. Due to flu-like WD reinstated to 250 mg nov 12th.

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No I hadnt read it, thank you for that link, I found it very interesting!

 

I do wonder in which way this theory would be compatible with getting off of atypical antipsychotics..

 

You're welcome. I wonder the exact same thing since I'm tapering off of an atypical antipsychotic (I guess Sodium Valproate/Valproic Acid is considered one of those).

From 2001 to 2010, I took almost continuosly a host of different SSRIs , including Prozac, Celexa and Paxil, plus various benzodiazepines and Bupropion for a limited period of time.

 

From July 2010 to April 2012 >> Duloxetine, dose ranging from 60mg to 120mg.

 

From August 2012 to September 2012 >> reinstated 30 mg of Duloxetine

 

From September 2012 until present days >> Valproic Acid/Sodium Valproate, dose ranging from 300mg to 1000mg. Now I'm on 400mg. I've also taken Amisulpride (50mg) for 9 days and Abilify (10ml) only once.

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This may apply to all psychiatric drugs, including atypical antipsychotics:

 

Reasons why withdrawal symptoms may not be immediately apparent:

  • "Washout," related to drug half-life, takes some time; minute amounts of drug in the body holding off withdrawal symptoms (particularly with long half-life drugs such as Prozac, where washout takes weeks).

  • Outright misdiagnosis and mistreatment of withdrawal symptoms, causing worsening of condition.

  • Symptoms are attributed to something else, such as the flu or situational stress.

  • Symptoms may be mild initially and the person doesn't pay any attention to them.

  • Symptoms of nervous system instability might initially be very mild with the homeostasis gradually deteriorating over time, producing more severe, noticeable symptoms.

  • Other ???

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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i have been thinking a bit about this lately - with a slow taper, what do you think the likelihood of the two, three or four month delayed withdrawal effects might be?

Started in 2000 - On 150mg most of the time, (but up to 225mg at highest dose for 6 months in the beginning)
Reduced off easily first time - but got depressed (not too much anxiety) 6 months later
Back on effexor for another 9 months.
Reduced off again with no immediate w/d - suddenly got depressed and anxious ++ again 3 or 4 months later.
Back on effexor - this time for 3 years
Reduced off over a month - 6 weeks later terrible anxiety - back on.
Rinse and repeat 4 more times - each time the period before the anxiety comes back got shorter and shorter
Jan - July 2012 75mg down to 37.5mg;, 8/3/12 - 35mg. 8/25/12 - 32mg. 9/11- 28mg, 10/2 - 25mg, 10/29 - 22mg, 11/19 - 19.8mg; 12/11 - 17m,
1/1- 15.5mg; 1/22 -14mg, 2/7 14.9mg, 2/18 - 17.8mg - crashed big time: back to 75mg where i sat for 2 years....

4th  March 2015 - 67.5mg;   31st March - 60mg;  24th April - 53mg; 13th May - 48mg; 26th May - 45mg;  9th June - 41mg; 1 July- 37.5mg; 20 July - 34mg; 11 August - 31mg; 1st Sept - 28mg;  1st Dec - 25.8mg;  28th Dec - 23.2mg; 23rd Jan-21.9mg; Feb 7th- 21mg; March 1st - 20.1mg, March 30th - 18mg

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Good question. My guess is if you taper so you don't get withdrawal symptoms by paying attention to your body, you won't have delayed withdrawal. Nervous system accommodation is built into the taper.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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thanks Alto, they were kind of my thoughts too.

 

When i look back at my tapers (never went CT but certainly tapered too fast over 6 weeks or so) my well time between last dose and onset of withdrawal anxiety/depression (they were my only delayed symptoms) became shorter each time - first time was about 4 or 5 months, second time 2 or 3, third time 7 weeks, fourth time 3 weeks, and then fifth time (and subsequent) whilst i was still tapering... it was probably not until the fourth or fifth time that i actually thought they were withdrawal - but i always thought that effexor had done something because prior to taking it my depressive episodes were 4 years apart - and they gradually built up - not like the post effexor symptoms - BAM!

Started in 2000 - On 150mg most of the time, (but up to 225mg at highest dose for 6 months in the beginning)
Reduced off easily first time - but got depressed (not too much anxiety) 6 months later
Back on effexor for another 9 months.
Reduced off again with no immediate w/d - suddenly got depressed and anxious ++ again 3 or 4 months later.
Back on effexor - this time for 3 years
Reduced off over a month - 6 weeks later terrible anxiety - back on.
Rinse and repeat 4 more times - each time the period before the anxiety comes back got shorter and shorter
Jan - July 2012 75mg down to 37.5mg;, 8/3/12 - 35mg. 8/25/12 - 32mg. 9/11- 28mg, 10/2 - 25mg, 10/29 - 22mg, 11/19 - 19.8mg; 12/11 - 17m,
1/1- 15.5mg; 1/22 -14mg, 2/7 14.9mg, 2/18 - 17.8mg - crashed big time: back to 75mg where i sat for 2 years....

4th  March 2015 - 67.5mg;   31st March - 60mg;  24th April - 53mg; 13th May - 48mg; 26th May - 45mg;  9th June - 41mg; 1 July- 37.5mg; 20 July - 34mg; 11 August - 31mg; 1st Sept - 28mg;  1st Dec - 25.8mg;  28th Dec - 23.2mg; 23rd Jan-21.9mg; Feb 7th- 21mg; March 1st - 20.1mg, March 30th - 18mg

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Hi guys,

 

I'd like to chime in on this because this is EXACTLY what happened to me.

 

I was tapering over 4 months since End October 2012.

 

Extremely mind WD symptoms, but nothing too noticeable (especially after I switched to decaf; WD symptoms were virtually non-existent). Sleeping was perfect.

 

Then mid Feb I had some highly stressful situational anxiety that lasted about a week. During that time I was waking at 4AM and not falling back asleep. Had trouble falling asleep too.

 

After I resolved the situation, my sleeping never normalised. I'm still experiencing early morning waking and not falling back asleep and very broken, unrefreshing sleep. I'm no longer anxious (except about my sleeping now) but just cannot get a good night's sleep.

 

So I think that maybe (for some people) a stressful event could possibly 'trigger' withdrawal symptoms, even if they were going along pretty well. Maybe it's got something to do with the cortisol not being able to get back to normal or something.

 

What do you think?

July 2001 prescribed 20mg citalopram for depression;
On and off meds from 2003-2006.
February 2006 back on 20mg citalopram and stayed on it until my last attempt at tapering in September 2011.
By far the worst withdrawal symptoms ever. Reinstated to 20mg citalopram
October 2012 - found this forum!
Nov 2012 to Feb 2013 did 10% taper, got doen to 11mg - was going great until stressful situation. Cortisol levels hit the roof, hideous insomnia forced me to updose to 20mg.
March 2016 - close to 100% back to normal!



****** I am not a medical practitioner, any advice I give comes from my own experience or reading and is only my perspective ******

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I think you're right basil dev. I think we all have a limit to the amount of stress our body can tolerate during withdrawal and if we go past that point by withdrawing too fast or having significant stress we can tip our nervous system and experience the effects of that.

 

I also think those width a history of trauma have a lower stress threshold and significant autonomic effects

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist.

Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014.

Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September.

Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015.

Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15).

Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past.

 

DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017

 

>My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan

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Stressful situations or events do keep me from sleeping well. I wake several times during the night and if a stressful situation crosses my mind, sometimes I can forget about sleep for the rest of the night. Depending on the degree of which I'm stressing, I may be able to get back to sleep but it takes longer than usual.

 

I've always been a bit of an insomniac, so I think that makes me fear the loss of sleep even more now. If my husband sits down for five minutes, he's out like a light bulb and I envy that.

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i've been wondering about this a lot lately... i've been off of meds for over a year and a half (was on antidepressants for 17 years) and up until about 8 months ago was doing ok. my withdrawal was moderate to mild. then i had a really bad 6 months, situationally. moved across the country from my friends and family, couldn't sleep well because my partner has restless legs at night, was sad and lonely, stressed out trying to work on my graduate thesis from across the country, fighting with my fiance.... basically a perfect storm of stress. i had also lost my father right before i went off of medication. so now, my body is a MESS. i'm flushed all the time, exhausted, hair loss, muscle aches. they tested me for lupus and while i had a positive ANA, the rheumatologist doesn't think i have it, as the symptoms don't quite fit. but no one can tell me what's wrong with me, whether it's fibro, CFS, something hormonal, etc. my nerves are a disaster and i'm living back in boston for a couple of months while i finish my thesis (my fiance is in LA). everyone tells me to minimize stress, but how?? this past week my mother had back surgery and was in screaming pain for days - i was the only one with her and it sent me backwards physically big time, just from the stress of being there. i was functioning before but now my body is falling apart again. i don't know how much to blame on antidepressant withdrawal if any, it's been a really long time for that to still be an issue. but clearly lack of sleep and stress have a severe effect on me that they didn't before. i don't want to go back on medication but i'm getting desperate to feel better both physically and emotionally...

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Hi jmim,

 

I'm sorry you're going through such an awful time.

 

You really do have the 'big cohuna' of stress going on in your life - the whole gamut. It's hard to say whether all that stress sent your nervous system haywire. I'm not an expert so I can only hypnothrsise but I think for me, being on medication for so long has probably made my body (and brain) hypersensitive to stress, so that where I would normally settle back down really quickly after the stressful time resolved itself it's like my brain is on hyper-alert and the 'chemical' side of me just doesn't seem to want to catch up.

 

You're situation is different again because you're still experiencing high volumes of situational stress. It would be interesting to see how your nervous system reacts when things settle down(and I really hope they do soon).

 

Just another thing about your fiance and restless legs. I discovered long ago that I sleep best on my own. My husband and I have been together for 10 years and we both agree that nothing is more important than sleep. So we decided on separate bedrooms and that works great for us. For one thing I get too hot with someone else in the bed. But I'm a very light sleeper so any movement wakes me. Anyway it hasn't impacted our relationship in any negative way (in terms of intimacy, etc...). Not an option for everybody but something to think about.

 

Take care

July 2001 prescribed 20mg citalopram for depression;
On and off meds from 2003-2006.
February 2006 back on 20mg citalopram and stayed on it until my last attempt at tapering in September 2011.
By far the worst withdrawal symptoms ever. Reinstated to 20mg citalopram
October 2012 - found this forum!
Nov 2012 to Feb 2013 did 10% taper, got doen to 11mg - was going great until stressful situation. Cortisol levels hit the roof, hideous insomnia forced me to updose to 20mg.
March 2016 - close to 100% back to normal!



****** I am not a medical practitioner, any advice I give comes from my own experience or reading and is only my perspective ******

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If you fed him magnesium, his restless legs might go away. True!

 

It might help you, too, jmim. See the magnesium topics in this forum.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thanks for the response, Alto... it's been so hard lately! Knowing everything going on is supposed to make me stressed out is comforting in some ways, but when my body is freaking out it only goes so far. I totally agree that sleep is the most important thing, and the lack of it is probably what kicked all of this off. I just don't feel like I'm rested even when I sleep 9 hours a night these days. I'm so frustrated :\ i'll check out the magnesium thing...

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  • 10 months later...

Is it common to have delayed withdrawal symptoms or is it something of a rarity?

 

I noticed no problems whatsoever when I was tapering off Sertraline and was a bit surprised by it. 2 1/2 months had gone by before the symptoms slowly started emerging and they have continued to evolve ever since.

 

This delay makes it even harder to convince my doctor in any way about this stuff (probably an exercise in futility, anyway). Even friends and family are asking me; are you sure this is not just stress or anxiety expressing itself in a weird way? Why would the drug start causing these problems months after stopping?

 

Sorry if this topic has been discussed already.

-

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Someone with more knowledge will be along. In the meantime yes withdrawal symptoms can be delayed. You might want to type protracted withdrawal into the search box. You'll find many stories.

 

Wish I had more to offer. You are in the right place and will get much support.  

Current:

Lorazapam2mg: 4/9/152mg - 1.5mg: already sick/nothing noticed. No changes in sleep noted after illness.  

Lamictal: 7/27/13 - 8/6/13: 400mg - 500mg(dr order) mouth sores, headache, cognitive/balance, heart palp...8/7/13 - 8/23/13: 500mg - 400mg; symptoms↓...10/10/13: 350mg; fever/flu-like <2-weeks...12/30/13: 325mg; fever/flu-like symptoms <1-week...2/10/17: 300mg; no significant changes noted. 

 

Discontinued:

Omeprazole: 09/2103 40mg...5/1/14: 20mg... 8/21/14 = 0

Wellbutrin: 11/22/13: 300mg – 225mg...12/6/13 delayed reaction- mood swings, weight↓, heart palp/chest pain, alerting...12/14/13: 187mg; physical symptoms↓, neuro emotions ↑, weight stable...12/20/13: 225mg; physical symptoms return, emotions stable <1-week, weight↓...4/21/14: 187mg; weight↑...5/17/14 (neurologist ordered discontinue asap):168mg; headache, mood swings, ↑weight, sleep flux...5/24/14: 150mg; headache, mood swings, ↓cognitive/balance...6/2/14: 112mg; see above, weight stable, <3-weeks... 6/28/14: 100mg; moody...7/25/14: 87.5mg; family troubles... 8/4/14: 75mg; headaches; moody... 8/9/1450mg headaches... 8/12/14: 37.5mg; 8/17/14: 25mg...8/26/14 = 0

Hydroxyzine; 10mg: 5/20/15 *prn 4/5 times then dc'd. Mood changes/rage 

Buspirone: 7.5mg: 5/20/15 *prn 4/5 times then dc'd. No changes.

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I don't know if it is common; however, after stopping a drug abruptly (due to a drug reaction) I had a period of feeling mildly "better than well" and then a harsh crash.  Probably about a month and half after stopping the drug.

 

Doctors didn't believe me either when I said it was the drug--however it was quite clear in my case to me it was.  I had symptoms like twitching, akathisia, and electrical shock sensations, all of which are not part of "mental illness".  If you have any of these then it's probably safe to say it's withdrawal. 

 

Oh and nausea, and flu-like symptoms are also not "mental illness" so if you have those it's likely withdrawal as well.
 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Hexal, how did you taper?  Can you put up a signature so we can help you out? 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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I ended zoloft within a few months, and then also had a very good period - totally well and grounded. after it started going bad - at first with wild fluctuations (waves), until I totally crashed, big time. the crash came about 4-5 months after the quit.

 

brain accostumes to taking SSRI by reducing it's serotonin receptors and reducing their sensitivity. if drug is removed, it has to restore the receptors and start working in a totally different way. the pace of this restoration is slow, and it probably just runs into havoc after trying and trying to gain some new equilibrium. 

in 2002- 0,5 tablet cipramil for half a year, ended it uneventfully. in 2006 - citalopram for half a year, ended in horrific state, ditched the drugs CT. 2007-2008 not feeling well but drug free. in 2008 prozac 20mg + quetiapine 25mg. 2009 tried to stop, ended up in hole after couple of months, started zoloft. 2009-2011 zoloft 50mg. went to 25mg in 2011 summer, it resulted in half a year horrible suffering. reinstated, changed drugs, nothing happened. by 2012 beginning suddenly felt great and CT meds. after 4 months came suddenly most horrible human suffering that's possible. was started on prozac and questiapine. started tapering slowly, GFCF diet and Hardy Nutritionals vitamins in 2013 summer. 

current medications: 1) fluoxetine and quetiapine since Aug 2012; 2) Daily Essential Nutrients by Hardy Nutritionals 7 capsules / since May 2013 + omega3; 3) Gluten-free-casein-free diet since june 2013

Started withdrawing slowly since april 2013. Mostly around 10% cuts. 

April'13 - March'14: fluoxetine 40mg -> 19,5mg; quetiapine 50mg -> 40mg
April'14-March'15: fluoxetine 19,5mg -> 14,4mg; quetiapine 40mg -> 22mg

April'15-March'16: fluoxetine 14,4mg -> 7,4mg; quetiapine 22mg -> 15mg

April'16-March'17: fluoxetine 7,4mg -> 5,0mg; quetiapine 15mg -> 7,25mg

April'17-March'18: fluoxetine 5,0mg -> 4,0mg; quetiapine 7,25mg -> 0 (as of 1st Feb 2018)!!!!

April´18-March´19: fluoxetine 4,0mg - > 2,3mg. Jumped off fluoxetine 1,4mg due to pregnancy in July 2019. Oct 2019 severe withdrawal syndrome started.

Took mistakenly a complex for hormonal support that included pregnenolone dec2019-april2020. Stopped it april 2020 and immediately severe akathisia started. Have had life threatening akathisia since, 100% disabled, suicidal, very hard to hold on. 

 

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As we know, the leaflets, for as far they offer any information about withdrawal, mostly state that WD starts within one or a few days after stopping the daily intake. For some people this appears to be true, on this and other support sites I read many testimonies from people who get sick after missing even one dose.

But also there are many stories of WD hitting much later, weeks or even months.

 

For me, when quitting Paxil cold turkey from 10 mg, I felt perfectly fine for exactly 6 weeks when suddenly the brain zaps started and I became very ill within a few minutes. Most attempts went this way, and it was this time delay which made that it took years before I finally realized that is was withdrawal anyway.

 

Paxil is notorious for its short half-life and even the doctors who do recognize withdrawal mosty tell that Paxil withdrawal will hit pretty soon after quitting because of this short half-life.

But it didn't for me, and I know several people for which it took 2-4 weeks, my own 6 weeks appear to be on the long side.

 

What made it increasingly complicated, I tried one time to cut my dose by splitting the half tablet, and one other time to alternate between a half and a quarter tablet.

We know now that this is a very bad scheme, but what I still do not understand is that on those cases, I got sick WITHIN ONE DAY instead of after 6 weeks! I would rather tend to believe that WD would hit later because the body still receives the drug, albeit in a lower quantity, so the "buffer" which causes the delay in WD symptoms would last a longer time and the delay time for the start of WD symptoms should be longer instead of much shorter!

 

My own explanation would be that alternating throws the brain in chaos immediately, while quitting cold turkey gave a delay of 6 weeks. This however does not explain why OI got sick immedaitely after taking a quarter tablet (5 mg) daily instead of my normal dose of 10 mg.  A poosible reason could be that dividing the half tablet casues too much deviation in dosages because the half tablet has no splitting line anymore on it.

 

Of course, now 6 years after quitting is does not make any difference for me anymore but I still wonder what kind of strange mechanisms are invovled here.

Any ideas?

 

 

10 mg Paxil/Seroxat since 2002
several attempts to quit since 2004
Quit c/t again Oktober 2007, in protracted w/d since then
after 3.5 years slight improvement but still on the road

after 6 years pretty much recovered but still some nasty residual sypmtons
after 8.5 years working again on a 90% base and basically functioning normally again!

 

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Thanks for your responses.  :)  Seems I'm not the only one with this type of experience. It definitely does not seem to be mental illness acting up. I've had enough experience with anxiety and stress to know that it does not feel this way at all in my body. I also get the electrical shock sensations and twitching.

 

Hexal, how did you taper?  Can you put up a signature so we can help you out? 

 

Sure. I tapered in an unusual way, as you can see.

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Sounds just like me. I was fine for 7 weeks after I quit. 

Started Esctialopram (Lexapro) 10mg june 2012. 20mg august 2012.15mg february 2013 - 10mg april 2013 - 5mg may 2013 0mg - 26.june 2013 Crashed mid. august 2013. Reinstated 2mg Escitalopram 22.september 2013 2.5mg 29 september 2013, 3mg 15 november 2013.

First taper from 3mg to 2.7mg 10 may 2014

Micro cuts since then.

Current dose september 2017 1.7mg

Current supplements: Nothing. (GI issues)

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OMG, I started a similar discussion about this subject today too!

My misery started 6 weeks after each cold turkey attempt, but immedately after my attempts to reduce dose or alternating doses. Due  to this strange phenonema it took years before I realized what was going on and almost became the end of me...

10 mg Paxil/Seroxat since 2002
several attempts to quit since 2004
Quit c/t again Oktober 2007, in protracted w/d since then
after 3.5 years slight improvement but still on the road

after 6 years pretty much recovered but still some nasty residual sypmtons
after 8.5 years working again on a 90% base and basically functioning normally again!

 

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Haven't a clue Claudius! I would get symptoms if I missed or was late with a single dose,

and a bout of tummy trouble with D&V saw me being admitted to hospital twice with what I 

now know to be withdrawal when the effexor wasn't absorbed. One time they were convinced

I had a brain bleed and I had scans and lumbar puncture. All I needed was my 'fix' ! 

 

Then I started to taper and it went very well, very smooth with little discomfort over about a year.

Then stopped at just 5 beads. I forgot one day and didn't feel a thing so thought I must be ready. 

 

4/5 weeks later I was hit by horrendous withdrawal, ended up here and took 7 months to stabilise again.

 

Everyone seems to be different, no 'normal' where withdrawal is concerned! I am just glad I found SA and

wish I'd found it before my taper. I didn't cut by 10% of the current dose, just stuck to the same reduction

thinking it was right. We live and learn! 

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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OMG, I started a similar discussion about this subject today too!

My misery started 6 weeks after each cold turkey attempt, but immedately after my attempts to reduce dose or alternating doses. Due  to this strange phenonema it took years before I realized what was going on and almost became the end of me...

Claudius I have merged your topic with this one, great minds think alike huh?  ;)

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Claudius I have merged your topic with this one, great minds think alike huh?  ;)

 

Yes probably that was the cause... :-D

10 mg Paxil/Seroxat since 2002
several attempts to quit since 2004
Quit c/t again Oktober 2007, in protracted w/d since then
after 3.5 years slight improvement but still on the road

after 6 years pretty much recovered but still some nasty residual sypmtons
after 8.5 years working again on a 90% base and basically functioning normally again!

 

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OMG, I started a similar discussion about this subject today too!

My misery started 6 weeks after each cold turkey attempt, but immedately after my attempts to reduce dose or alternating doses. Due  to this strange phenonema it took years before I realized what was going on and almost became the end of me...

What a coincidence :). I had no idea you had created this discussion today. Sorry to hear about your situation, Claudius. You make a lot of good points, although contrary to your experience, I did not quit cold turkey and still got the delayed reaction. I tapered with alternating doses, and experienced no problems during this period. On days where I forgot to take the medicine I did not experience problems either.

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Sure. I tapered in an unusual way, as you can see.

 

I'd chalk it up to that then.  Sorry your doctor gave you such a bad tapering schedule.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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As we know, the leaflets, for as far they offer any information about withdrawal, mostly state that WD starts within one or a few days after stopping the daily intake. For some people this appears to be true, on this and other support sites I read many testimonies from people who get sick after missing even one dose.

But also there are many stories of WD hitting much later, weeks or even months.

 

For me, when quitting Paxil cold turkey from 10 mg, I felt perfectly fine for exactly 6 weeks when suddenly the brain zaps started and I became very ill within a few minutes. Most attempts went this way, and it was this time delay which made that it took years before I finally realized that is was withdrawal anyway.

 

Paxil is notorious for its short half-life and even the doctors who do recognize withdrawal mosty tell that Paxil withdrawal will hit pretty soon after quitting because of this short half-life.

But it didn't for me, and I know several people for which it took 2-4 weeks, my own 6 weeks appear to be on the long side.

 

What made it increasingly complicated, I tried one time to cut my dose by splitting the half tablet, and one other time to alternate between a half and a quarter tablet.

We know now that this is a very bad scheme, but what I still do not understand is that on those cases, I got sick WITHIN ONE DAY instead of after 6 weeks! I would rather tend to believe that WD would hit later because the body still receives the drug, albeit in a lower quantity, so the "buffer" which causes the delay in WD symptoms would last a longer time and the delay time for the start of WD symptoms should be longer instead of much shorter!

 

My own explanation would be that alternating throws the brain in chaos immediately, while quitting cold turkey gave a delay of 6 weeks. This however does not explain why OI got sick immedaitely after taking a quarter tablet (5 mg) daily instead of my normal dose of 10 mg.  A poosible reason could be that dividing the half tablet casues too much deviation in dosages because the half tablet has no splitting line anymore on it.

 

Of course, now 6 years after quitting is does not make any difference for me anymore but I still wonder what kind of strange mechanisms are invovled here.

Any ideas?

I am not sure if this qualifies but I got immediately even more severely ill when I tried to reinstate Effexor.  Go to the hosp ill. 

 

I quit cold turkey 6-7 wks later started with what I thought was the flu... it had started.  One doctor talked me into trying E again to get stable... I was severely ill from one pill and never tried another. 

 

"This however does not explain why OI got sick immedaitely after taking a quarter tablet (5 mg) daily instead of my normal dose of 10 mg"

 

I am going to throw you a long shot carrot on a stick.. there was this idea at one point on pp that the drug changed how the liver works ... it was an explanation as to why the drugs react differently as people tapered off... 

 

I am trying to think of another process by which the thing being processed affect the function of the machine and I am drawing a blank.....understand?

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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  • 1 year later...

Is there many of you out there who have had delayed onset of symptoms mine didnt really start until about a year after and then they were managable until about 18 months later and has got worse and worse

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Hi Mikey,

 

here I am. My ct withdrawals started 9-11 month off citalopram and the second time 5-6 month off.

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Yes it is! But that is the reason why my doubts if this is really withdrawal are so big :(

Nothing makes more sense than wd, but my anxiety being just seriously ill are still there...

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