Jump to content

AMA, 2009 The long goodbye: The challenge of discontinuing antidepressants


Recommended Posts

  • Administrator
Posted

As we know, withdrawal syndrome is not psychological trauma, as Dr. Shelton would have it, but real neurological dysregulation.

 

The long goodbye: The challenge of discontinuing antidepressants

 

http://www.amednews.com/article/20090309/health/303099976/4/

Tapering slowly is the mantra for pruning these regimens, but some patients may still experience withdrawal symptoms.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott March 9, 2009 American Medical Association Web site

 

....

For various reasons, patients often are eager to discontinue antidepressants. Some stop or reduce dosages on their own because of side effects, the expense, a desire not to take pills anymore or as a response to perceived stigma. Dr. [Thomas C.] Bent's protocol is to reduce the dosage slowly over several weeks. This approach is the widely accepted way to transition patients off these drugs. The labels of antidepressants warn of symptoms that can occur with sudden discontinuation, and physicians often use this as a motivator for adherence.
....

The why and the how
It's not entirely clear why, but discontinuing antidepressants can be very difficult for some patients. Studies suggest about 10% to 20% of patients on these medications will experience symptoms of what's been coined "the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome" when they try to stop. Experts theorize the adjustment of the serotonin receptors in the brain can cause flu-like feelings and electric shock sensations, among other complaints. Most cases will be mild. Symptoms are lessened by tapering, but the Internet is filled with horror stories written by people who feel they cannot get off these drugs no matter what they do.

 

Experts believe these situations most likely are created by a convergence of three factors.

 

"There are the discontinuation symptoms, the possible relapse into the original condition and then patients may have an anxious response to both the return of the symptoms and the discontinuation effects," said Richard Shelton, MD, professor in the department of psychiatry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He has published several papers on this subject. "Some patients may be traumatized by the discontinuation attempt."

 

Experts suspect some of those having the hardest time stopping still need the medications. Many also speculate that the need to taper slowly may not be widely known by both physicians and patients, in part because of the history of antidepressants.

 

"For a while, it wasn't that obvious that this phenomenon was happening," said Jerry Rosenbaum, MD, chief of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He co-authored some of the earliest studies documenting the discontinuation syndrome.

For instance, it was well known that discontinuing old tricyclic drugs could be thorny. But fluoxetine (Prozac), the first widely used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, did not come with most of these adverse effects. Its long half-life created a built-in taper, and it took a while to realize that slow discontinuation would be needed for the drugs that followed. Fluoxetine is the only modern antidepressant most experts would consider safe to stop abruptly. The same cannot be said for some newer drugs the body metabolizes more quickly. These include paroxetine (Paxil) or venlafaxine (Effexor), which several studies have shown are more difficult to stop.

 

"It's about five weeks until [fluoxetine] is out of your blood stream entirely," said Dr. [Patrick J. McGrath]. "It doesn't cause much in the way of withdrawal. The shorter half-life drugs -- they're all much more prone to cause problems."

 

A spokesman for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of Effexor, had no comment on whether the discontinuation symptoms were more common in this drug. But, he said, discontinuation symptoms in general occur in a minority of patients and can be minimized by tapering. Paxil maker, GlaxoSmithKline, did not respond to requests for comment.

 

But while tapering is the widely accepted discontinuation method, there is little data to define what that means. Numerous papers have documented that the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome exists, and can last for weeks or months. Children and adolescents seem to have a harder time than adults, and those who have problems while starting these drugs may be more likely to experience issues when stopping. Also, patients who are taking them longer at higher doses seem to be most at risk, but research has not examined the best way to minimize these symptoms.

 

"With most antidepressants, if they are discontinued suddenly, you do run the risk of a withdrawal syndrome, but there's no science on the best way to stop antidepressants," said David W. Price, MD, national clinical head for depression at Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research in Denver and lead author on the organization's depression treatment guidelines.

Customizing the taper
Expert opinions, including the results of two consensus panel deliberations on the syndrome, were published as supplements to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 1997 and 2006. The earlier document was funded by an educational grant from Eli Lilly and Co., the manufacturer of fluoxetine. The latter was financially supported by Wyeth. In addition, the popular health book, The Antidepressant Solution, was published in 2005 as a guide for discontinuing these drugs.

 

"The key is really customizing it for every patient," said Joseph Glenmullen, MD, the book's author and a clinical instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He wrote it because a chapter on this subject in his previous book, Prozac Backlash, triggered a large number of information requests.

 

Experts suggest waiting until patients have been well for several months before moving toward discontinuation. Patients should be counseled that these types of symptoms are possible as the drugs are tapered. They also should be informed that other medications can cause discontinuation syndromes as well and that having these kind of symptoms does not mean they are addicted. With the patient's permission, a family member or a friend can be involved.

 

Physicians and patients should be alert for signs of a relapse, something more likely to happen to those who have had more episodes of major depression. And, although the science is lacking, specialists have devised several strategies for patients who have the most difficult time, including ways to taper as slowly as necessary.

 

"The rules are -- there are no rules. There's no magic period of time. But in most circumstances, there is no reason to be in a hurry," Dr. Shelton said.

 

For patients attempting to discontinue short half-life drugs, briefly switching to other medications with a longer half-life may ease the transition. More problems seem to occur the closer a patient gets to zero than at the beginning at higher dosages, so tapering needs to proceed more slowly at the end than at the beginning. Patients can split pills, if need be, or open up capsules to divide the medication when small enough doses are not readily available. Many antidepressants also come in liquid form, which can make dosing more precise.

"If we're trying to get them off these drugs, we can do it, but for some people it is painstakingly slow," said Scott Haltzman, MD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in Rhode Island.

....
 




Effects of stopping meds
Approximately 20% of patients who taper off antidepressant medications experience signs of withdrawal. These include:

  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Insomnia
  • Nightmares
  • Dizziness
  • "Electric shock" sensations
  • Irritability

Source: "Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome," American Family Physician, Aug. 1, 2006 (link)




External links
"Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome: Current Perspectives and Consensus Recommendations for Management," Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2006, supplement index (link)
"Safety and Efficacy of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in Children and Adolescents," American Medical Association's Council on Science and Public Health, June 2005 (link)

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.

Posted

When i click on the link it comes up blank

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Posted

As we know, withdrawal syndrome is not psychological trauma, as Dr. Shelton would have it, but real neurological dysregulation.

I think we can all relate to the psychological trauma view.

 

Tapering slowly is the mantra for pruning these regimens,......Dr. [Thomas C.] Bent's protocol is to reduce the dosage slowly over several weeks. This approach is the widely accepted way to transition patients off these drugs.

This is not very informed.

 

Experts believe these situations most likely are created by a convergence of three factors.

"There are the discontinuation symptoms, the possible relapse into the original condition and then patients may have an anxious response to both the return of the symptoms and the discontinuation effects," said Richard Shelton, MD, professor in the department of psychiatry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He has published several papers on this subject.

Question: Who is providing Sheltons bread and butter??

 

Later...did a google and guess what i found..i went full circle ...

 

Dr. Shelton got on the pharma gravy train:...

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/778-shelton-2006-correspondence-from-dr-richard-shelton-about-prolonged-withdrawal-syndrome/?p=49950

 

 

Experts believe.....

Experts suspect....

Experts theorize...

Experts suggest....

Expert opinions.....

 

So who are these experts?...puppets?

Expert opinions, including the results of two consensus panel deliberations on the syndrome, were published as supplements to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in 1997 and 2006. The earlier document was funded by an educational grant from Eli Lilly and Co., the manufacturer of fluoxetine. The latter was financially supported by Wyeth.(Effexor.).

 

Just found a great statement:

"One hallmark of rationalization in the service of cognitive dissonance is a lack of logical coherence and a reliance on blither. Do you think that's what's going on here?"

 

A spokesman for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of Effexor, had no comment on whether the discontinuation symptoms were more common in this drug. But, he said, discontinuation symptoms in general occur in a minority of patients and can be minimized by tapering. Paxil maker, GlaxoSmithKline, did not respond to requests for comment.

GSK suffering some cognitive dissonance perhaps? One other hallmark i have found in the service of cognitive dissonance is a deafening silence. Perhaps thats what is going on here.

 

 

That last one on 'effects of stopping meds' is so understated its a joke.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Posted

The good thing i guess is they actually acknowledge albeit sheepishly that withdrawal exists.

 

This was interesting

It's not entirely clear why, but discontinuing antidepressants can be very difficult for some patients. Studies suggest about 10% to 20% of patients on these medications will experience symptoms of what's been coined "the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome" when they try to stop.

 

They also mention Glenmullen as well in this article.

Wonder why they didnt quote his assessment of how many suffer withdrawal symptoms because in this article he says 66%

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/drugs-medical/paxil-00172.html#.VjwlI2vr2h4

 

Last two sentences:

"Research has shown that when patients stop antidepressants cold turkey they can have high rates of withdrawal reactions," Dr Glenmullen advises, "which vary depending on the particular drug."

"In studies involving hundreds of patients, 66 percent of patients stopping Paxil," he says, "have withdrawal reactions."

 

I suppose this relates to paxil only but im sure it is the same across the board.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

Hi LeslieBarnes,

 

I can see from your profile that you have already started an introduction in the Intro & Updates thread.

 

It might be helpful if you copy and paste this post into that thread, as it seems to be more of a question relating to yourself.  That way it will keep it altogether and other members will be more likely to find and answer you question.

 

All the best,

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

  • Administrator
Posted

Thanks, Chessie. I moved Leslie's post.

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.

  • 5 months later...
Posted
(a window into doc-think (when they know their conversation isn't private, that is.)
 
How to taper long-term, low-dose Seroquel user
 
Discussion in 'Psychiatry' on studentdoctor.net started by novopsych, 01.17.14.
Link is below. These two excerpts.
 

 

"I'm also not understanding why someone would want a slow taper unless they have some type of psychological obsession with it. Per all the guidelines you could taper it much faster than people here are writing. I'm not saying the people here are wrong, just that I don't understand their logic. Please inform me what your train of thought is."

 

 

 

"Anxious people frequently require approaches that make no sense to anyone else. Giving an anxious person a perception of control and gradualness might be key for successful taper. Of course it doesn't "make sense," but if we expect our patients to "make sense," we might be expecting a bit too much!"

 

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-to-taper-long-term-low-dose-seroquel-user.1050727/

2009: Cancer hospital said I had adjustment disorder because I thought they were doing it wrong. Their headshrinker prescribed Effexor, and my life set on a new course. I didn't know what was ahead, like a passenger on Disneyland's Matterhorn, smiling and waving as it climbs...clink, clink, clink.

2010: Post surgical accidental Effexor discontinuation by nurses, masked by intravenous Dilaudid. (The car is balanced at the top of the track.) I get home, pop a Vicodin, and ...

Whooosh...down, down, down, down, down...goes the trajectory of my life, up goes my mood and tendency to think everything is a good idea.
2012: After the bipolar jig was up, now a walking bag of unrelated symptoms, I went crazy on Daytrana (the Ritalin skin patch by Noven), because ADHD was a perfect fit for a bag of unrelated symptoms. I was prescribed Effexor for the nervousness of it, and things got neurological. An EEG showed enough activity to warrant an epilepsy diagnosis rather than non-epileptic ("psychogenic") seizures.

:o 2013-2014: Quit everything and got worse. I probably went through DAWS: dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome. I drank to not feel, but I felt a lot: dread, fear, regret, grief: an utter sense of total loss of everything worth breathing about, for almost two years.

I was not suicidal but I wanted to be dead, at least dead to the experience of my own brain and body.

2015: I  began to recover after adding virgin coconut oil and organic grass-fed fed butter to a cup of instant coffee in the morning.

I did it hoping for mental acuity and better memory. After ten days of that, I was much better, mood-wise. Approximately neutral.

And, I experienced drowsiness. I could sleep. Not exactly happy, I did 30 days on Wellbutrin, because it had done me no harm in the past. 

I don't have the DAWS mood or state of mind. It never feel like doing anything if it means standing up.

In fact, I don't especially like moving. I'm a brain with a beanbag body.   :unsure:

Posted

Westcoast ..that link seems a bit odd.

 

Wow is that a doctor you have quoted there...gee, how arrogant and ignorant!

Thats a person treating someone like an idiot ...oh yeah it must be a doctor then.

 

Notice he says 'per all the guidelines' .

 

Personally if this is from an internet thing then who knows who that person could be ...they may be holding themselves out as a doctor but could simply be a pharmaceutical worker.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Posted

Here is the direct link to the thread:

 

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-to-taper-long-term-low-dose-seroquel-user.1050727/

 

Only the moderator cautioned about tapering too quickly.    

 

NZ11, they all unfortunately sound like real psychiatrists judging from their disrespectful remarks about patients being anxious regarding withdrawal symptoms.

 

CS

 

PS - It looks like I put in the same link as WC.  But when I clicked on the first one, the page didn't load.   Weird.

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

  • Member
Posted

 

But when I clicked on the first one, the page didn't load.   Weird.

 

That's because her link had something hidden at the start of it. My ad and/or script blocker didn't load the site either:

http://www.http.com//forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-to-taper-long-term-low-dose-seroquel-user.1050727/

See the 'www.http.com'? That's the site it linked to. I am too lazy to see what kind of cr@p site 'http.com' is.

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

 

Since those of us withdrawing from ADs are up against a multi billion assembly of Psychiatrists, pharm companies, government social agencies, and the media. I imagine the doctors wont probide much help since they are taugnt by drug reps and paid shills from their own profwssion. Perhaps famous people, celebrities who are withdrawing might help to publicize. SA needs a Betty Ford. Finding long-term withdrawing users of ADs is difficult though. Benzo withdrawers are plentiful, Stevie Nicks is a Klonipin veteran and advocates against it regularly. I can think of one famous long term ssri user who came off but he is back on. I myself "switched,"from an SSRI to Lamictal, I am also not famous and struggle !

1997 - 2002 20 mg Paxil, 750 mg Depakote2002 - 2005 10 mg Lexapro, 750 mg Depakote2005 - 2014 10 mg Citalopram,750 mg Depakote1/2014 - 1/2015 `10 mg Citalopram, 500 mg Depakote1/2015 - 8/2015 5 mg Citalopram 300 mg Lithium (no more Depakote)8/2015 - today 0 mg Citalopram 300 mg LithiumAlso added to 300 mg Lithium9/2015 - 1/2016 titrate from 0 to 100 mg Lamictal (Lamotrigene)1/2016 - May 7 100 mg Lamictal and 300 mg Lithium. Get about 4 hours broken sleep. Also depression, akathisia that is somewhat reduced by Lamictal.
June 1, 2016 relapse back citalopram 20 mg
July 1. 0 mg Lithium

​Sept, 2016 back on 300 mg lithium, still on 100 mg Lamictal, 20 mg citalopram

Nov 6, 2015: Lamictal (Lamotrigne) reduced from 100 mg to 75 mg. Sleep seems to have improved due to lower Lamotrigene.

Posted

Westcoast ..that link seems a bit odd.

 

Wow is that a doctor you have quoted there...gee, how arrogant and ignorant!

Thats a person treating someone like an idiot ...oh yeah it must be a doctor then.

 

Notice he says 'per all the guidelines' .

 

Personally if this is from an internet thing then who knows who that person could be ...they may be holding themselves out as a doctor but could simply be a pharmaceutical worker.

Notice he says 'per all the guidelines' .

translate my ass is covered I don't need to think for myself somebody else will be accountable... but nobody ever is. 

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 :)

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy