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  2. eymen23

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    eymen23 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    That is a tough combination indeed. I find that if I’m only experiencing one ‘flavour’ of anxiety or depression it’s much more manageable, but when they keep switching and combining it gets much harder to control. A basic mindfulness technique which I like to use in these times, is to recognise the emotion and gently think ‘sadness’, ‘panic’, ‘emptiness’. Have you tried anything like that before? Although it sounds very basic, the act of being aware of the emotion and gently labelling it, helps you to distance yourself from the emotion a little. It takes a little practice but is usually easy to pick up, and you can do it at any time and in any place.
  3. CopperPhoenix

    CopperPhoenix: withdrawals after only 1 week?

    CopperPhoenix replied to CopperPhoenix's topic in Introductions and updates

    I am sleeping well. I get about 8 hours of sleep a night, somewhat restless (I am up for maybe 5 minutes before dozing off about 3 or 4 times a night), but nonetheless sleep. I did have a couple nights last week where I could not sleep at all due to anxiety, but I seem to be back on schedule with sleep again.
  4. Icebat
    Personally I believe that the choice of whether to eat healthy really happens at the store for the most part. I try to be as mindful as possible at the store, and also try to eat before I go. If I don't buy junk food, it makes it much harder for me to eat it. I also try to prepare additional healthy food when I have energy so that I can just pull it out of the fridge and reheat it if I'm feeling tired.
  5. Dejavu
    Thanks @ChessieCat, I really appreciate all the great info. I'm working on trying to calm myself naturally. I've always been anxious - my therapist asked me last week to recall my first anxiety attack, and I shocked myself to realize my memory of having anxiety goes all the way back to 4 years old. I've been coping on my own even during a 15 year abusive marriage to an alcoholic narcissist until all these things happened in the span of 4 years: an extremely nasty divorce, my mom became catastrophically ill for 5 solid months (one life-threatening post-surgical complication after another), a very good friend died, another battled breast cancer successfully, my sister died, I faced the nasty surprise of benzo withdrawal, my mother died, my two surviving siblings had emergency open heart surgery one week apart, my godfather having recently been given 6-8 months to live, all the way up until now, with another nasty surprise of AD reinstatement and withdrawal. Now, I'm afraid I've just fallen down under the weight of it all. I think this is what they used to call a "nervous breakdown." I just can't believe I battled through klonopin tapering and full recovery only to have to turn around and do it all over again with zoloft. Sometimes I fear I'm no longer strong enough to go through it again. My worry is that I won't be lucky enough to recover a second time. Intellectually, I realize this is not rational, but emotionally, that's how it feels when the symptoms ramp up. If I could just stabilize, tapering will be very doable for me. But after 9 weeks, still not stable, and feeling like I'll never get there. Seems like I'm stuck in the worst of both worlds - side effects of being on the drug and withdrawal symptoms of coming off. Sorry - just needed to vent to the only people who truly understand what this is about.
  6. manny03

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    manny03 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    It's not an odd question. Mines is a mixture of sadness and emptiness, that switches to 'I can't be bothered' with hence not showering or shaving at all. With my Anxiety, it goes away then suddenly comes back. Like today, I love plane spotting. For a few moments, I was fine, then when I finished the anxiety came back with my G.I symptoms and my mind quickly went to fear of the future, then feeling hopeless when my mind taunts me that 'I have stomach cancer and I'm dying'. Then, other moments, I'm surrounded by people, the tremors occur, and I quickly need to walk out, take a breath, then my mind taunts me with other thoughts. So, its a vicious cycle.
  7. JackieDecides
    I did much better last summer when I could go to the farmer's market most Saturdays. I actually made salads every day. when I get veggies from the store, I often let them rot in the fridge while I eat less healthy stuff. ☹️ I do make soup, however, and get in veggies that way. but it's cold and I just don't want salad as much.
  8. JackieDecides
    thank you, Carmie, that's very clear. I'm glad it's going so well! things are OK with me, up and down and up and down is about it. could be much, much worse! 😍
  9. eymen23

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    eymen23 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    Sorry to hear about the depression being that intense. Do you find you’re feeling helpless, sad, empty? Or is it more of the ‘I can’t be bothered’ type? It may seem like an odd question, but I find that depression and anxiety have different ‘flavours’. Sometimes I have anxiety where I’m very worried about the future and feel helpless, sometimes feeling like I need to quickly get out of a particular place, sometimes adrenaline in the stomach etc. I was wondering if your depression is of a certain ‘flavour’ or a combination? It’s good you’re getting more hours of sleep. 2-3 is very difficult. Plus it’s when we get the chance to heal. I know what you mean about missing the other 3 hours though, it is always nice to wake up feeling fully rested. Let’s hope you get one of these days soon.
  10. Melissa5000
    Ok thanks a lot ChessieCat and Altostrata for your explanation! Now I understand what you mean. In 2016/2017 I had many sessions of osteopathy for face ache but every time when I tapered my face ache got worse. The sessions worked but short after a taper my pain got worse. Mostly 2 months later my pain improved again on its own. The osteopath could not help me as long as I wanted to taper. He said just to stop all my meds. He said it was all in my head the rebound pains. I could not just stop all my meds. So the osteopathy stopped. It doesn't matter as I can now do triggerpointmassage myself with the book: Triggerpoint Therapy by Clair Davies. Since the crash I have pain in other places as well instead of only face ache. And this time I did not recover. I updosed as you said, have been holding for over half a year. Now even 0,12 mg seems hard to taper! Should I hold and wait very long and hope my symptoms improve over time? My body pains are a withdrawal symptom and not a previous condition.
  11. Altostrata
    Keep the ashwaganda for the time being. Also, include in notes.
  12. manny03

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    manny03 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    Well the depression is still there since I haven't showered for the last three days, and haven't shaved for more than a week now. I quickly grow a beard, so I'm looking more like old tyme fella. I still have my weird acne...yea I have withdrawal acne. At the moment, the anxiety is at bay. I haven't had tremors in two days. Though, while I'm having my G.I. symptoms, I suddenly having a sweet tooth again ( I had this symptom from August to late September) I'm regaining my hours of sleep. Right now I'm able to sleep five hours straight. Though, I go back to barely sleeping two to three tops. At the moment, the last four days I've been able to sleep five hours straight. Sadly, i can't regain the last three to get my eight hours to truly be refreshed. This sleeping pattern began to occur when I entered SSRI Poop Out and got worse in Withdrawal. So, I'm in a wave, though its not as intense at the moment.
  13. Altostrata
    That's good to hear, sunnylou.
  14. ChessieCat

    Dizzy4: hello

    ChessieCat replied to Dizzy4's topic in Introductions and updates

    Just to clarify, because it was something I got confused about, 2.5% a week for four weeks, and then hold for an additional 2 weeks. So the last hold will actually be 3 weeks. B vitamins can be activating, especially B6. See this link for a google search I did which brings up various links to vitamins and supplements.
  15. Altostrata

    jen84: Effexor withdrawal

    Altostrata replied to jen84's topic in Introductions and updates

    If you stay at 5.2mg for a couple of months, you might be able to reduce again. Sometimes you need to take a break from reducing the drug and let your nervous system settle. A lot of people find fish oil and magnesium supplements helpful, see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/ http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/ Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you. Magnesium is best taken in small amounts throughout the day.
  16. eymen23

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    eymen23 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    How are your other symptoms such as anxiety, mood and sleep doing? I feel like for circa 6 months off you’re doing well
  17. Altostrata
    Have you tried acupuncture? How about osteopathic manual therapy? If your symptoms got worse after you reduced the drug, the reduction probably caused them. Since pain is your most prominent symptom, you might have to find another way to control it before you go off the drugs completely.
  18. manny03

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    manny03 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    Crossing my fingers.
  19. Yesterday
  20. Altostrata

    CopperPhoenix: withdrawals after only 1 week?

    Altostrata replied to CopperPhoenix's topic in Introductions and updates

    Those are typical The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization How's your sleep?
  21. eymen23 started following ChessieCat: so I'm not the only one
  22. eymen23

    ChessieCat: so I'm not the only one

    eymen23 replied to ChessieCat's topic in Introductions and updates

    This is a great sign Chessie! I always know I’m feeling well when I’m able to start thinking of the future and plan something, and have little to no doubt or anxiety about whether I will make it or whether I can ‘pull it off’. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? It’s a basic theory that suggests we must fulfil the basic needs such as health, shelter, love; before advancing onto the more complex and individualised needs, such as finding our passion in life or improving our social status. What you’re saying demonstrates that to an extent. As your health improves (less dependent on AD’s) you’re able to get more stuck into the other aspects of life.
  23. CopperPhoenix

    CopperPhoenix: withdrawals after only 1 week?

    CopperPhoenix replied to CopperPhoenix's topic in Introductions and updates

    ChessieCat: Thank you. What a wealth of great information. I have taken psychiatric drugs in the past very sparingly ( I update my sig to reflect that). My family kept pressuring me to try it again because they can see how stressed I am all the time. Altostrata: Thank you for your advice. There has been some minimal changes in my symptoms for the better I think. The past month or so is kind of a blur. The vertigo/dizziness, off-balance feeling is still present, but seems to be letting up a bit at certain times. The brain fog comes and goes, but when it hits I can hardly think straight and feel dazed. I do find that when I can consciously remind myself to relax and not fight the symptoms (similar to the AAF), they tend to decrease. It is funny though sometimes I will be sitting and thinking and all of a sudden a rush of calm infused my body and I feel "normal" again for a couple minutes. I am guessing that is the window people talk about. I feel like I might take a step forward one day and than the next day seems worse! frustrating
  24. ChessieCat
    The goal of SA is to reduce drugs. We use the term "lowest effective dose". That may mean staying on a low dose of a drug, or getting off completely. My suggestion was a small tester reduction: What you did: You made a reduction more than SA's recommended 10%: Alto's suggestion is to return to your previous dose:
  25. eymen23

    manny03: withdrawal from Trintellix

    eymen23 replied to manny03's topic in Introductions and updates

    Hi Manny, If they are still there but not as bothersome, it sounds like they are improving. I have hope you’ll heal!
  26. ChessieCat
    I suggest that you add in other things. Not just things to do when you are struggling. It might not feel that they are helping but if you can take time throughout the day to give your brain some rest it can help and it also becomes a habit. Set an alarm for several times throughout the day and have some down/quiet time, eg go and sit outside and look at the sky/clouds, listen to the noises around you, check out the leaves/flowers, or if inside look out of the window, or flick through a picture book or some nature videos/YouTube or listen to some nice music. Like anything the more you practice the more natural it becomes. It doesn't have to be for long but it can be something you look forward to. Amazing Nature on Twitter
  27. ChessieCat
    You might find some of these helpful: During any taper, there will be times of discomfort. We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times. Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear. This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic. This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ... Audio FEMALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Audio MALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping. There are videos available on YouTube. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Audio: How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes CBT Course: An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Resources: Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg: Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying)
  28. ChessieCat

    Freespirit123: Want off drugs

    ChessieCat replied to freespirit123's topic in Introductions and updates

    Post #1 of this topic may be helpful: About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms
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