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Carmie: Accidently doubling up on seroquel one day while tapering
xyz replied to Carmie's topic in Introductions and updates
hi Carmie, your posts are always full of love and positivity! and i love them! i am doing swell. dealing with insomnia at time but not too bad. are you still itching? i just realized that i itch at times too due to the benzo taper. and this is what i have been using and it works really well. don't know if you can find it where you live. https://www.amazon.com/Sarna-Original-Anti-Itch-Lotion-Sunburn/dp/B002DUDEOY/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1529477621&sr=8-5&keywords=sarna+lotion i have house projects that i would like to get done, and i am doing my nails tonight, i want to try the dipping powder. i am a fan of sterling silver/cubic zirconia rings and love to look at my hands. i can spend hours on poshmark to look at rings with blings! you are right, distraction is key during withdrawal! - Today
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Hopetobefree: and put this all behind me
Hopetobefree replied to Hopetobefree's topic in Introductions and updates
Thank you Altostrata for the kind advice about reinstating but I still felt horrible on Lexapro. I don't want to gamble that going back on it will ease much of the symptoms as after nearly 4 years of being in protracted withdrawal from clonazapam and 4 months of intense withdrawal symptoms, today I've had my first window!! I really can't believe it because I've suffered and been in a subnormal state for so long. After a hour walk with my dog this morning lots and lots of the old me came back. Good memories, how I really feel about things, my zest for life. I still have the baseline withdrawals in the background but I feel like my brain is waking up!! After a whole day of intense crying yesterday and waking up with intense cortisol fear I definitely wasn't expecting this. I'm back to having hope again!!! -
Banana121: Brother's road to recovery
rupa replied to Banana121's topic in Introductions and updates
Reinstating will work only within two weeks of coldturkey. Now wait patiently to subside symptoms with time. Ask him to be away from any kind of brain medication. Because his nervous system sensidized with high doses of coldturkeys. Now if he take any meds, those may give more adverse life threatening reactions. Read Bhasski in this site. -
dj2010: off all meds for 3 months and been fine now bad insomnia
dj2010 replied to dj2010's topic in Introductions and updates
good morning PB, slept a bit better last night although still had to use melatonin to initially get to sleep, woke at 2am but managed to get back to sleep so that is promising and a sign that coming out of the wave, feel unusually calm today which is nice as been stressed for over a week now, missed my sons race last night, was racing against other schools but it was quite a drive away and I was just too weak to attend, going to spend today building my appetite back up, its amazing how much weight I can lose in 1 week when im in a wave, its raining today but I have the urge to go out and walk in it, sorry to hear you are also feeling weak however its good that managed to get the shower fixed, I know you have been meaning to do that for a while now, yes need to make sure dont stress your body and brain and over do it, thanks for your support its truly appreciated, take care -
EnglishSteve joined the community
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Carmie: Accidently doubling up on seroquel one day while tapering
Carmie replied to Carmie's topic in Introductions and updates
Hi one and all, How are we all faring today? One day at a time does it, hey? My brainfog has been severe and I’m struggling to read but I’m still trying to look at all the positives in my day. I love reading, could read novels for hours. It really is the best escapism, you know when they say someone is in flow, when I’m into a novel I really am in my own little world. My favourite author is John Grisham, that man can write! The last novel I started was Middlemarch, that’s quite a long novel. Listening to novels is a good idea too if you can’t concentrate on reading, I started to listen to a bit more of Middlemarch. YouTube has lots of books you can listen to. If you can find something that can get into the flow while going through withdrawals it really is the best thing. It’s that feeling where you are so involved in something that time flies really quickly as you can’t seem to stop. It doesn’t matter if you’re anhedonic at the time, it’s just something that has your attention and distracts you. I’ve also spent many, many hours playing Words With Friends on my iPad just to survive through a really severe withdrawal day. I’ve spent whole days photoshopping and editing photos when withdrawals have been severe and it helped me get through the day. Major photoholic here, I was one way before the digital age. Still spent most of the day in bed (CFS) but I’ve almost finished crocheting a blanket for a friend and will give it to her tonight. Am catching up with friends tonight which I’m looking forward to. Anyway, gotta go, have trouble focusing. Wishing everyine the best best in their withdrawal journey💚💚 -
To my knowledge, there is no stem cell therapy for psychiatric problems or withdrawal syndrome. Withdrawal syndrome is not organic brain damage. See What is withdrawal syndrome?
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Hi, Terry. What is your current sleep pattern? Did the cortisol mornings stop for a while? Has the weather gotten warmer where you live? What progress have you made in finding face-to-face counseling?
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MamaFlower: Paxil withdrawal or PTSD or ???
ChessieCat replied to MamaFlower's topic in Introductions and updates
If trying anything for the first time start with a small amount to test to see how you react. Also, only make one change at a time: Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable -
Did the Prozac initially make you feel better? When the nervous system is hypersensitized by going on and off drugs, adverse reactions, and withdrawal symptoms, we recommend trying a very, very small dosage for reinstatement, far less than doctors think is effective. If you initially got relief from Prozac, but it later made you sick, it probably was because initially you had less of it in you and later, after it got to steady-state in your bloodstream, you had a lot more of it in you. If it was initially beneficial, you might find even 0.5mg Prozac reduces your withdrawal syndrome. Prozac comes in a liquid by prescription so you can take a very small amount.
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Zant808: 17+ years of psychiatric drugging
Altostrata replied to Zant808's topic in Introductions and updates
What amount of Depakote? How does the psychiatrist or your mother know how many sprinkles you take? Why does your mother go with you to appointments? You don't necessarily have bipolar disorder, iatrogenic or otherwise. There are no grounds for your assumption that you have permanent brain damage. You do, however, have a fairly horrible family life. Any doctor can prescribe these drugs, if you have a GP who will work with you, you don't have to go back to see a psychiatrist you don't like. There is no such thing as stem cell treatment for a so-called psychiatric disorder. -
Since you've been on it 10 days, that's enough of a trial. I would try a slight decrease.
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100001abc: Withdrawal or relapse
ChessieCat replied to 100001abc's topic in Introductions and updates
Hi abc and welcome to SA, What you are experiencing are withdrawal symptoms from stopping your drug too quickly. Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist The only known way to relieve withdrawal symptoms is to reinstate a smaller dose (than you were taking 3 weeks ago) of the same drug you were taking. After stabilising, which might to several months, you could then taper. SA's recommended tapering protocol is no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of at least 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug. This is because the brain becomes physiologically dependent on the drug. Not physically like caffeine or nicotine. What is Withdrawal Syndrome? Why taper by 10% of my dosage? Please do not start taking 20mg as it may be too much after being off for 3 weeks. It is better to try a small amount and increase by small amounts than to take too high a dose. Please carefully read Post #1 of this topic and let us know if you would like to reinstate. About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms I had a similar experience when I reduced my dose of Pristiq from 100mg to 50mg. I suffered extreme cog fog for 3 weeks and go to the point where I was unable to type. Thankfully I found SA and they suggested increasing my dose. I took extra Pristiq and about 4 hours later I was able to type again and the brain fog was lifting. After stabilising I have been following SA's tapering protocol and have only experienced mild withdrawal symptoms. Is it withdrawal or relapse? Or something else? How do I know it's withdrawal and not relapse? Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram) This is your own Intro topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress. -
Thanks for you reply and words of encouragement , it’s that time of day again 5 am and I have been awake many hours woken by the horrible cortisol spikes inner shakes and tremors and my daily headache the thing that has haunted me for years morning after morning and I know many others share this awful start to the day I cannot think of what it must be like to wake normally to hear the birds sing to look out of the window in to the garden and say and feel what a beautiful day it’s going to be , allready my body and my mind is in survival mode just thinking how I am I going to get threw another day and that I don’t want to face this anymore and I feel the intense anxiety growing inside me while every minute the apathy grows as the lack of motivation takes over . Yet as you say we still get on with it we push our selves even though we suffer immensely and we make it through the day we crawl shuffle do what ever it takes and finally bed time comes and we say well I made it through another day and we are thankful , how strange is it that we are thankful that we made another day yet we have suffered so much I always thought of being thankful was for what you have not the other way round , I can’t still get my head round what happens at night for us to go to bed feeling sometimes normal but generally feeling better for the last remaining hours of the day some sort of calmness a normality that we so desire to waking in this false sense of hellness why do our brains switch from one to another while we are a sleep , I don’t sleep much anyway always wake at 2am if not earlier but 3 hours prior to that I was having some sort of calmness relief to say , if it’s all about cortisol why can we not fix this problem sometimes I hate sleep as I know what lies ahead of me once I go to sleep . But that’s enough of that I am so glad you had a window and I hope that it continues and you enjoy every minute of it I would so love a window a sign of hope and a possible recovery but for now I will just have to survive another day doing what ever it takes to get through I find the emotional side very difficult to live with the crying spells and I am very sensitive to sad things the smallest things sets me of this has been with me every day for 2 years now I find it hard to talk to people without welling up , I hope you have another good day and that your window is still with you take care Terry
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I'm sorry, we don't support problems arising from gray market or recreational drugs such as phenibut, we just don't know anything about them. You might try bluelight.com As Chessie said, what we've seen with psychoactive drugs is that if you are physiologically dependent, it's best to take a steady dose at the same time each day to identify side effects -- without overdosing. Dosage reduction should be slow and methodical. If you get withdrawal or rebound symptoms when you're not taking the drug or when you reduce dosage, that's an indication you are physiologically dependent.
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Hi Waterfall...yay for getting some things done today! And I say keep on rocking!!! Unless you are REAlly going 100 MPH it won't change your balance. My balance is often off ... darn meds!!! And the cold is there and then sweating...never know what to wear!!! @Waterfalland @mirage You know...I have awakened at about 4 for so so long and I never knew why!!! That is the Cortisol...I did not know that! What does one do? Hope you both sleep well!!!! 💜
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Cheeky: on Paxil for 23 years needing advice
Cheeky replied to Cheeky's topic in Introductions and updates
Thanks Rosetta, i think your one amazing women to have given up these drugs and your strength amazes me. The only way for you is up and your getting there. I just have to fight this and I will. My beautiful boys need there mum and apart from this withdrawal I have a great life and I’m happy. These pills destroyes life’s and I’m sure if we knew this would happen, we would never off had touched the stuff. We were vulnerable coming on this drug and more vulnerable coming off. -
Rosetta: CT May 2011 & too fast taper Feb 2017
Rabe replied to Rosetta's topic in Introductions and updates
Thinking about you Rosetta. Grateful to know your anxiety did ease in the afternoon...hoping calm sleep may be yours tonight and that tomorrow is less anxious. 💜 -
civilwar142pa: Four months off Lexapro
Petunia replied to civilwar142pa's topic in Introductions and updates
Hi Civilwar, I'm sorry for what you are going through, I was also taking Lexapro at a 5mg dose. For me this was enough, the 10mg I was prescribed was a too high dose for me. As Gridley pointed out, Lexapro is a strong anti-depressant and often doctors will prescribe a high dose which may cause unpleasant effects. I also tapered much too fast from 5mg and ended up in withdrawal. My doctor had said to me that I was on such a low dose, I could just stop taking it and probably wouldn't notice any different. He was wrong. But to answer your questions. Withdrawal anxiety is often different from normal anxiety. As you have noticed, there is often no obvious trigger for the sensations, and when there is, the reaction is intensified beyond what would normally be experienced. I originally started taking antidepressants for mild to moderate situational anxiety. But in withdrawal, my symptoms have been about 100 times worse than I ever experienced before and I had symptoms I never had previously. Withdrawal can cause the entire nervous system to behave chaotically, which can bring a wide array of unpleasant sensations and subjective states. This is how you can be sure its withdrawal and not a return of your previous problem. CBT wont fix withdrawal anxiety because it's caused by a malfunctioning nervous system, not dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors. But it will help to prevent any secondary anxiety which can be caused by unnecessary worrying about symptoms and the withdrawal process. Withdrawal symptoms can't be stopped, they need to be accepted calmly. In time, they will reduce and go away. In the mean time, use your CBT techniques to stay calm. Antidepressants have an anti-histamine like effect, so when you stop taking them, there can be a rebound histamine sensitivity effect, which may bring an increase of histamine related symptoms. Personally I've had increased sinus and allergy type symptoms as I've been recovering. Some people experience increased itching and reactions to high histamine foods. Its not a good idea to take anti-histamines if you can possibly avoid it. It's better if you can let your system re-balance itself naturally. I will list some topics you may find helpful: What is withdrawal syndrome? Rate symptoms daily to track patterns and progress Keep notes on paper Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist Patterns of Recovery (a short video) The Dr. Claire Weekes Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Allergies and overactive immune system - Surviving Antidepressants Here is the link to our symptoms and self care section, you may find some useful ideas to help manage symptoms as you recover. Especially read the topics pinned at the top. This site has a topic on just about everything withdrawal related, to search the site, use Google and type in 'survivingantidepressants.org' followed by the subject or key word/s you are interested in. You will reach a list of related topics. -
Hi guys, im 20 years old and was on citolpram for almost 2 years (20 mg) about 3 weeks ago i stopped cold turkey. i was getting brain zaps for about a week but none of my symptoms were that bad only in the last couple of days i havent been able to get to sleep much, ive been in a terrible mood, incredibly angry, almost raging inside, and now im very emotional and feel numb and just terrible in general. and constantly ruminating im not sure weather im having a relapse of depression or if im going through withdrawal im not keen on starting anti depressants again but the symptoms might be too unbearable can anyone shed any light on this
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100001abc joined the community
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Thank you so much. I appreciate your time and effort.
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Survivor1: Sleeping after trazodone (and benzo)
Survivor1 replied to Survivor1's topic in Introductions and updates
Update: Still in a bind. I feel that I am somewhat over the lamictal screw-up, but I still have strong WD (at this point not sure from what, with all the d/c's and missteps lately). Major symptoms: Strong alerting sensations when resting, preventing sleep; myoclonus and head noises continue but seeing some improvement in these two Hot flashes/ sweating. Several awakenings at night, usually in a sweat Insomnia: these days getting 4-6 hours, broken Body aches, unable to do any exercise the past month Anxiety: seeing windows in this Have numerous other symptoms, at least they are tolerable. There really is no other option but to hunker down for the long haul. I hope to at least get some improved sleep, as lack of it just amplifies the rest of WD. Have been toying with the idea of increasing lamictal to 2.5 mg (from current 2). Am waiting to see if sleep improves in the next few days. I hope everyone is seeing some progress in their journey. -
Just wanted to make sure that you had the information.
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I worked up to this dosage out of desperation to stay functional/ alive. I figured better to stay alive and have this other addiction then what can happen if worst comes to worst. Understandably, it's not ideal AT ALL. I wish I didn't have to take it. But with my heart the way it is, I didn't have much of a choice due to the severity of the symptoms. I know I will have to taper down eventually. My body and brain are so weak. I've already been through major health issues for years prior to this so it's kind of the worse possible scenario. Cold turkey withdrawal on a super frazzled body/brain. Yikes. I am scared for my life and am looking for all potential solutions.
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Because of the high dosage you are taking together with alternating days, you could be experiencing side effects from phenibut and/or withdrawal symptoms.
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I've just done a bit of research on phenibut dosage and found this from here https://phenibuthero.com/phenibut-dosage/: Having said that, here are two solid rules to always keep in mind for successful phenibut use: A typical dosage should be between 750 and 1500mg (varying from person to person). Do not consume more than 2000mg of phenibut in a 24-hour period. If you read from other sites that going over 2000mg is doable, we recommend not listening to them. And it's not that what they're saying is untrue. But doing so is when the unpleasant side effects start to kick in. Keep reading to see why it is important to dose properly (and therefore follow our two golden rules). It'll save you from a lot of headache in the future.
