crhawk: severe adverse reactions to only ONE 50 mg Zoloft - three months later

[crhawk]

Thank you so much Colonial.

 

I had good news. The mammogram and u/s both looked fine.

 

Of course I'm still worried about the cause or afraid something was missed.

 

Still not sure what's causing the horrible pain in my scapula, side and now breast. Only had two hours of sleep the pain was so bad.

 

Anyway, still good news. I'll take it.

[KT38]

How have you been doing?

[crhawk]

How have you been doing?

Hi KT - thanks for checking in.

 

I had been doing quite well. I would say since March. I had a couple setbacks. One with the Bach flowers, which took me a week or two to recover from. Then I felt like I was getting better and healing again. Still had some brain fog and anxiety/nervousness on and off, but could definitely see overall gradual improvement. I then missed a xanax dose and it threw me off for two days, but recovered quite well from that quickly. That was a Tuesday, I believe, a couple weeks ago. Then, by the next Saturday, I felt great. 80%. Sunday was even better. No anxiety or brain fog for the entire day. That week continued pretty well. Couple instances of brain fog/anxiety, but then I had a full five days without any brain fog. I would say I felt about 75%. I still always feel fragile and like I'm on the edge/towing the line, but certainly felt like I was on my way to recovering. I even drove on most outings for about 3 weeks.

 

I started having some more noticeable cognitive and memory issues last weekend, but am pretty sure that's due to the xanax.

 

Also last weekend, I could feel that underlying, under the skin anxiety coming back. Low level. Then last Tuesday, just randomly, my brain fog started up mid afternoon. I've had it ever since. Also Monday and Tuesday night, I had very poor sleep again. Like you don't really feel like you're sleeping, all night long. Constant waking and dreaming. Then waking in the morning with the internal electrical/burning/trembling in my arms. My constant pit of the stomach anxiety/nervousness has also returned. As well as my jaw tightness and clicking.

 

It's too bad because I even thought I was getting awfully close to being able to begin my xanax taper. I want to get off that crap SO badly. The memory and cognitive issues are worrisome. But apparently I'm not yet ready, as I must've been in a good window, and must be getting back into a wave. I can only hope it's short.

 

So of course, as is typical, I'm now feeling really depressed, crying a lot,feeling very hopeless. I'm so tired of these cycles. I'm feeling again like I'm damaged permanently. Feeling like a burden on my family...they all remind me that I must be healing and getting better, as I had such a long stretch that was heading in a good direction. But then we just get slammed back down and it's so hard to see. So disheartening. I just can't believe that only one dose of two medications can cause this much damage to a person. It's so shocking, so scary and sickening.

 

Anyway, I'm just in a bad spot right now. I didn't post during my good spell, because I'm always worried I'll jinx it. I posted a few days ago in the benzo forum asking about the memory issues and about my eventual taper, and then of course, the brain fog started like the next day.

 

Here's another thing...question for all...I had to have a colposcopy done on Monday. Everything looked good, except I had some cervical irritation and inflammation. My ob has instructed me to take doxycycline (antibiotic) to clear the issue up.

 

I have read about others having bad experiences going on antibiotics. Is this one of the "bad ones"? What the heck do I do? I obviously need to clear up the inflammation, or whatever the heck it is...but certainly don't want to put myself backwards even more. :/

[Farout]

Sorry to hear about your wave CR. It is really promising that you are seeing improvements overall. You will get back fully to your old self in time. The damage isn't permanent, it just takes a while to heal from.

 

It's a nuisance that you need antibiotics. I had a pretty strong reaction to some last year. It was a different brand so I'm not sure about doxycycline. To be honest though, what can you do? You can't leave an infection like that. You could ask if there are any alternative ABs and research which is least likely to mess with your CNS but intimately I think you should take the antibiotics, get yourself healthy and just monitor how you feel. If there's any worsening weirdness, you can cross that bridge if/when you get to it.

 

I hope you feel better soon.

[AliG]

CR.  It can be tricky with antibiotics as some have had reactions. The problem antibiotics seem to be Ciprofloxacin,  Levaquin, Avelox and Floxin :   Fluoroquinolone

 

There is a discussion on the topic here :

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9285-cipro-levaquin-azithromycin-z-pack-and-other-antibiotics/

 

Sometimes, You have no choice but to take them , but at least if you stick with one of the safer ones you have better odds of having no problems.

 

I hope this helps.

Ali

[Claire8554093]

hey! how are you doing? have you improved? i am also suffering really bad and was wondering if perhaps we can support each other. really looking forward to hearing from you.!

 

xxx

 

claire

[crhawk]

Sorry to hear about your wave CR. It is really promising that you are seeing improvements overall. You will get back fully to your old self in time. The damage isn't permanent, it just takes a while to heal from.

 

It's a nuisance that you need antibiotics. I had a pretty strong reaction to some last year. It was a different brand so I'm not sure about doxycycline. To be honest though, what can you do? You can't leave an infection like that. You could ask if there are any alternative ABs and research which is least likely to mess with your CNS but intimately I think you should take the antibiotics, get yourself healthy and just monitor how you feel. If there's any worsening weirdness, you can cross that bridge if/when you get to it.

 

I hope you feel better soon.

 

Thanks Farout...it's so hard to see when in the thick of things.  I've had a terrible couple days (and a bad week).  From morning until night, I just feel completely out of it.  It's not even my typical brain fog...it's like I'm just not connected at all...like I have no brain.  And the anxiety/nervousness is bad.  Plus I have other physical symptoms.  Sometimes like I am sick, my throat feels swollen most of the time now, headaches.  Some muscle stiffness.  The jaw issues.  I can carry on with people fairly normally, but internally I feel like I'm not even human.  No good feelings of any kind, no ability to get anything done, I just feel blocked off, if that makes any sense. That all then causes depression and the feelings of hopelessness.  I've been crying all morning...sobbing.  Not sleeping real well still.  Trying to read stories on here...it helps to see that most people say that everyone gets better...but then you see some that say they don't ever get better, or that they've read stories of people with permanent damage.  That's very upsetting and worrisome.  I'm just so scared and feel doomed.

 

The good news is that the antibiotic is not required.  My OB said that it might get rid of my symptoms, but it will not hurt me not to take it.  Those symptoms are not bad, so I think I might go without taking it for now. 

 

 

 

Sorry....just having a bad time right now. 

[crhawk]

CR.  It can be tricky with antibiotics as some have had reactions. The problem antibiotics seem to be Ciprofloxacin,  Levaquin, Avelox and Floxin :   Fluoroquinolone

 

There is a discussion on the topic here :

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9285-cipro-levaquin-azithromycin-z-pack-and-other-antibiotics/

 

Sometimes, You have no choice but to take them , but at least if you stick with one of the safer ones you have better odds of having no problems.

 

I hope this helps.

Ali

Thanks Ali.  I have definitely seen that the flox drugs are bad news...some of the others seem to be hit or miss.  It seems as though most do okay with amoxicillin and I saw that most seem to be ok with doxycycline also, but then you have some that react to them too....so hard to know!  Good news is that it sounds as though it is not necessary for me to take it.  So I don't think I will right now.

[crhawk]

hey! how are you doing? have you improved? i am also suffering really bad and was wondering if perhaps we can support each other. really looking forward to hearing from you.!

 

xxx

 

claire

 

Hi Claire...I'm so sorry to hear that you are suffering.  None of us should be going through this, it's absolutely ridiculous.  

 

I'm sorry to say that I am not doing particularly well right now.  I guess I'm in a "wave"...I had some improvement last month, but got my legs kicked out from under me again.  So I'm in a bad place.

 

Hope you get to feeling better soon.

[crhawk]

This is a really bad day.  I do not even feel like a real person.  Completely detached.  I don't know...is that dp/dr?  Feels like I don't even have a brain.  It is not my typical brain fog where I literally feel as though I am in a fog.  It's like a brain block...don't know how else to describe it.  No positive feelings of any kind.  Only sadness.  My head is burning, high pressure.  Throat feels swollen.  High anxiety/nervousness.  Frequently tearful, very hopeless. 

 

Why do we have to go on like this...I feel like I will never get better.  I know that is the wrong attitude to have, but I'm having a really difficult time changing it.  I just can't seem to be positive when I feel so incredibly disconnected and totally off mentally.  I can't even explain the feeling.  It's torture.  I just want my life back.  Will I ever get it back?  I miss it terribly.  I feel like right now it is absolutely pointless, I am worse than a shell of a person, I am a tortured shell.  A burden on my family.  I miss being a mother to my children.  I miss them terribly even though they are right here with me. 

[Ali4]

The dp is horrid, your here but your not feeling, I had it bad I'm sure it will get better in time. Has your benzo changed at all? Ali

[crhawk]

The dp is horrid, your here but your not feeling, I had it bad I'm sure it will get better in time. Has your benzo changed at all? Ali

I don't even feel here. I feel like I've had a lobotomy. It's never been this bad. I can't take it. My head is burning up inside and I feel brain dead. Don't know how else to describe it. Please tell me this doesn't last this bad for long.

 

Benzo is the same. Could that have something to do with it? They say I'm not stable enough to taper it yet.

[Farout]

Oh love, it sounds like dr/dp. It's very normal after a reaction and it does go away.

 

First off you start to recognise it for what it is when it hits, then you start to realise that you don't feel like that all the time (even if you can't quite grasp what it is to feel how you used to feel during the wave). It gradually becomes more tolerable as you move through each wave and you start to recognise yourself more in the Windows, until one day you realise that it's been a few months since you had any symptoms.

 

Try not to dwell on the posts where people report that some people don't ever get better. I have yet to see a first hand account of that happening in our circumstances (short term use, bad reaction). I suspect people who post that sort of thing are just expressing their own frustrations and worries during their waves, but phrasing it so it sounds factual (which it may well feel like to them at that time) rather than a neuroemotion.

 

You will get your life back.

[Ali4]

You will get better, chat with wellness on benzo forum, it could be your problem. Ali

[Farout]

You will get better, chat with wellness on benzo forum, it could be your problem. Ali

I agree. I can only base this on my own experience as a 'sensitised person' but I am deeply suspicious of benzos making our particular situations worse. If it is that, then they can help you figure out a way forward.

[AmyK]

Hi, I read your story. I am so sorry this happened to you, especially when having small kids. It's so unfair. I hope you will feel much better soon.

[Prozac20]

I took Prozac for one week and I think I had a bad reaction too. It's been 5 weeks and I have that burning on my skin , nervousness and chills going up to my head mainly at night and it's worse in the morning . I also have weakness and fatigue . I feel I loose my balance rasily when I walk but mainly when I have that nervousness ( chill ) feeling . The first 3 days I was in the Prozac I took 1/2 a pill of .25 mg of Xanax and I found that it made it worse . So I'm not a MD but maybe the Xanax is not working for u . I read the side effects of Xanax and they can be pretty nasty too .

[Altostrata]

Very sorry you're feeling so poorly, cr. Healing will be very gradual, I know this is frustrating, but it's how it is. Please read

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

Withdrawal dialogues & encouragement

[ChessieCat]

Hi CR,

 

Our brains and CNS have a lot of healing to do.  It is happening but the annoying thing is that we can't see it.  It isn't like a broken bone than can be x-rayed and we can see the progress.  If we were able to see the progress it would make it easier, but we can't so we just have to believe that it is happening, try and stay as stress-free as possible and let the brain do what it needs to do.

[Colonial]

Please don't let everyone trying to blame your xanax scare you.

If the xanax was your problem it would be constant.

Xanax doesn't cause you a problem one week, not the next, then start causing problems again.

But you have had some really good windows where you felt fine.

if you remember, it was decided this was WD issue and not a xanax reaction, or you wouldn't be having some nice windows.

[crhawk]

Thank you all so much for your support and taking the time to respond. It means so much and is very helpful to me during these terrible times.

 

I spent the night in the ER. For whatever reason, I started having severe chest pains last night. It wasn't anxiety. Figured it was probably not heart related, but better safe than sorry. Heart is ok.

 

Was hoping today would be better. But it's not. It's terrible. Crazy bad anxiety/nervousness and brain fog/dp/Dr.

 

Alto, I haven't read that third link, so I'll check that out.

 

I'm growing more concerned about the Haldol injection. I searched the forum for anyone who has had one, and the results did not help my feelings of hope, to say the least. One young man was threatening suicide and then never returned to the forum . Some of his symptoms were very similar to mine. I was unable to find any recovery stories with very similar circumstances to mine.

 

Do any of you know of anyone who has had a Haldol injection with an adverse reaction and recovered? Or any antipsychotic injection? The fact I was given that for pain is beyond mind boggling and infuriating. Then the zoloft just tipped the scales even more.

 

I'm just in such a bad place right now. Praying, praying, praying this gets a little better soon.

[Farout]

Hi CR, I had weeks long waves in the first few months. I had a very clear one about a year out that lasted for longer than I felt it should without flipping out trying to find reasons.

 

I've just read that you haven't stated your taper because that's what I was wondering earlier. I always think it's worth checking with Wellness and co just in case.

 

I'm sure you will get better. You're unlikely to hear from all the many people who have got better as they are off living their lives.

 

People post negative things in a wave that they wouldn't normally feel. Try to remember that a lot of what you might be reading is other people's outward expression of their own waves while they are having a tough time: All those feelings of hopelessness typed into a keyboard, that don't accurately reflect the true picture.

 

There are lots of unusual physical symptoms after an adverse drug reaction. I had them all and, at various points in recovery, was convinced I had all manner of nasties - including breast and heart issues.

 

There are also perfectly normal, run of the mill issues you would usually take in your stride - a pulled ligament or cricked neck. I would get your leg looked at. No point in suffering if a spot of Physio will set you right in no time.

 

I'm so sorry you are going through it. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

[PoetJester]

Hi cr,

 

I was reading your intro the other day about the halodol and had a somewhat similar experience myself to just one pill of halodol given to me in 1995.  I wrote a collection of very short stories documenting the many times I have been forcibly given these screwy and quite harmful psych meds.  Here is the story on halodol.

 

Psychiatric Pill Flashback: Halodol Help
-------------------------------------------------
The year was 1995. After a 6 month stint of homelessness, I was found in late august, unresponsive and malnourished on a city park bench near the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. I was transported to the nearest hospital, and given a bed in the psych ward. I was hooked up to an I.V. and slept deeply for almost 12 hrs. as it was my first time in a bed in over 6 months. Two hours before i woke, an attractive nurse in her mid 20's with medium length brown hair and brown eyes entered my room. I came to in a bit of a groggy state as she approached me with a pink pill in her outstretched hand, saying "Here, take this. This will help you feel better." Not terribly cognizant and never having taken a psychiatric “medication” before, I took the pill with some water and went back to sleep.

 

Two hours later, I woke to find my parents were on the ward to see me ( I must have, in my near stupor of exhaustion the previous night, given the staff my parents phone number when I was brought into the ward in a wheelchair.)  My parents entered my room and when I sat up in my bed and tried to tell them how happy I was to see them (I hadn't seen them in 6 months), I discovered that my lower jaw was going into spasms and that  I had no control of my tongue whatsoever as it wagged out of my mouth like a dog's!   Try as I might, I could not form one intelligible word! After two minutes of trying to mouth words to my parents with my tongue hanging out of my mouth, I threw up my hands in utter frustration, thereby cutting short our visit. It took me two hours to regain the use of my mouth and tongue. The pill turned out to be haldol.  The doctor informed me that I must have had an allergic reaction to the halodol.  The next day, he would start me on a cocktail of Prozac/respirdone/paxcil, that within a month, would give me brain damage and cause me to lose the power of speech and force me to pace in circles or back and forth with akathisia 20 hours a day. 

(this was the first day of my 6 month hospitalization that would later form the basis for my story “In Servitude to the Devil”.

 

That's my halodol story.  My reaction went away within a day, but I was under a court commitment and was forced to start taking the other "meds" the following day which put me through sheer hell for 6 months.  Just curious, whereabouts in the Midwest are you located?

[KT38]

How are you doing?

[crhawk]

Hi KT...thanks for thinking of me.  I am okay.  Still alive.  This update will probably be long, since I have not updated in so long...

 

I ended up going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester at the end of June, which I must say was helpful. I was seen in psychiatry and neurology (both for my adverse reaction issues and my pain issue).

The neurologist does not think I have a chronic neurological condition in relation to the adverse reaction that has continued...the psychiatrist I saw was worried I could possibly have a mild form of tardive akesthesia. Luckily, neurology did not believe it to be so.

Anyway, the psychiatrist, who I thought was great, thinks the majority of my damage came from the Haldol injection. He said he has seen long term issues resulting from one dose of Haldol. He has not seen long term issues from one dose zoloft. That being said, he believes I have a severe sensitivity to agents that effect dopamine. Which explains partially why I had the dystonic reaction to the Haldol. Also, sertraline effects the dopamine receptors more than any of the other ssri's, which also explains the adverse reaction to that.

That being said, he doesn't want me on any other drugs. He wants me to do CBT and other relaxation based therapies.

However, he wanted me to make an immediate switch to diazepam. He thinks I am having too many ups and downs on the xanax and wants me on a longer acting benzo, hopefully shorter term, maybe two months to stabilize, and then begin a slow taper from the diazepam.

I'd been on Xanax about 6 months, around the time I had hoped to taper it, but not much had changed...pretty much the same as I was, except I think the high anxiety "waves" are not quite as severe. However, I had very frequent brain fog and constant sense of detachment and unreality, loss of positive emotions. The doctor thought much of this was partially due to not enough solid sleep, or sleep in general...he also tested my blood levels and determined my ferritin level is extremely low, which can contribute to restlessness.

So.. he wanted me to start on 5 mg diazepam, twice daily, with the option of taking two 2.5 mg doses if I need them. He said this dosage may need tweaking, as its hard to know exactly what will work for each individual making the switch over. Then I was to start a iron/vit c supplement for the ferritin.

Obviously I was very nervous about this switch, but do feel it's probably best.  However, instead of switching immediately, I decided to gradually switch from the Alprazolam to the Diazepam.  I did some research online and also checked in on the benzo thread and spoke with my local psychiatrist.  I am more than 3/4 done with the switch over, so am currently at 15 mg diazepam and .4375 Alprazolam daily.  (So...need to update my sig!)  I also know that Diazepam is better to taper off of than Xanax, which is another reason I was willing to make that switch.  I am very nervous about coming completely off the alprazolam - I can feel things worsening as I lower the dose further and further.  And am very scared about the taper of the diazepam, and what my baseline will be once I am off of that.  Will I be better?  Worse?  Horrible?  I have no idea, but am trying not to focus too much on that.  I am still doing acupuncture and start CBT on the 25th.

 

I would say that I am better than I was before making the switch, but I'm not sure if that's med related, time related, or a bit of both.  My brain fog/confusion/dizziness episodes are less frequent, as are the internal vibrations/trembling.  My skin issues/eczema seem to be clearing for the time being.  I just started taking the Vitron-C last night and am hoping that does not have a negative effect.  I also have an eye infection and am supposed to be taking an antibiotic eye cream, but have been holding off on that, because I know that others (I think it was Colonial?) have had issues with a similar med....but my eyes are not clearing and starting to really bother me, so I think I cannot hold off much longer on that.

 

Anyway, my anxiety/internal nervousness/restlessness is also better overall...some days are worse than others and it is still coming in waves. I still feel a dense of detachment, but I think that is slightly better.  I am able to drive now most days.  However, I cannot handle any form of stress at all - it puts me into complete anxiety mode.  And it is difficult to deal with the slightest of meaningful decisions that need to be made.  I have a very difficult time getting things done around the house.  My husband still does almost all of that.  I occasionally am able to cook, and I care for the kids as much as I possibly can.

 

One thing that has not changed is my positive emotions.  I still feel no joy, my creativity is gone, my happiness, my ability to really FEEL...I do not look forward to things or plan for things as I used to, my empathy, sympathy, my entrepreneurial spirit, my sarcastic sense of humor...all of that is still gone.  It's as if a cord has been cut and taken it all away.   I still can act the emotions...I still smile, show affection to my children, am able to laugh at times at things that might be funny or I know are supposed to be funny.  So - from the outside, I seem almost completely normal.  I get very tearful at times.  I would not say that I am "depressed"...I just get so unbelievably sad that these things will not come back, and sad about what has been taken from me.  And hopeless. I don't like being alone, that is very difficult for me.

 

I still have my pain issues that were around before this all happened...and some other misc symptoms.

 

I am back at work now after my 6 month short term disability ran out.  We cannot afford financially for me not to work.  My husband is the major breadwinner, but with all the medical bills, etc...we'd really be living on the edge.  It is very difficult to be at work most of the time, and I really probably shouldn't be.  There has been stress at work also, that I cannot handle.

 

So anyway, that's where I am at.  So I would say that overall I am better than I was the last time I checked in, but still having a difficult time.  Some days are better than others, but none are good.  Some are bad, but I would say that none are absolutely terrible. I am trying to survive, day by day...still hoping there is light at the end of my tunnel.

 

I hope that you KT are having some relief!  You've had such a hard time of it.  I wish the best for everyone else too...
 

[Altostrata]

Good to hear you were lucky in finding that psychiatrist, crhawk, and some of your symptoms are dissipating. Please let us know how you're doing.

[crhawk]

Thank you Alto for checking in...I most certainly will keep in touch with you all.

 

I have been reading up on the emotional anesthesia...Alto, I have seen you mention that this does get better, but of course, I do still worry that maybe I am the "exception to the rule"...I have had this "anhedonia"since the beginning, even before starting the regular benzo use to "help" with my adverse reactions.

 

I am able to laugh at times when watching a funny comedy, or someone says something funny, or I do something funny.  In fact, I can even laugh until I cry.  But I still don't really FEEL it, if that makes any sense.  I guess, I don't feel the joy or pleasure that should accompany it.  I know that I love my children, my family, but I do not FEEL it.  I do not look forward to things.  I used to always have some kind of plan in the works...whether it was just a girls day out with my mom/daughter, a upcoming trip, etc...I planned these things and would look forward to them for days/weeks/months. All of that is GONE.  Every last bit of it. 

 

I am irritable, especially with my family, and I feel awful about this.  I normally have a pretty good level of patience...I cannot handle stress of any kind anymore.

 

I used to be SO creative.  I had just started up my own sewing business before all this happened.  Every day I looked forward to creating.  Since this happened, I have not made one thing.  Have not had the single desire.  I was an ambitious person.  I now have no ambition.  For anything.  Really don't even care if I were to lose my job.  Everything about it annoys me, I used to like it (and I need it!)....and that's despite the fact that its hard for me to do with my other remaining symptoms as well.

 

Anyway, I have no empathy.  I am able to cry at times.  Although, again, I do not really FEEL the pain, the sadness.  I smile at the appropriate times, but do not really FEEL the smile. 

 

I also do not know if the Xanax/Valium use is contributing to this problem.  And I have heard that people can develop it once getting off and post withdrawal also...just hoping to FEEL AGAIN!!!

 

I LOVE nature.  I LOVE my family.  I LOVE life.  I feel like my soul is gone.  Like a cord has been cut. I feel like a robot, an empty shell.

 

I guess I am just wondering, can this be permanent?  Have you seen those that have gone through this recover?

[crhawk]

Hi All - long time, no update!  Although I have been on and off my benzo post.

 

Question for anyone who may know...I am going to need to take a PPI.  Are there any of you that you have experienced or heard of meds that can be "less" prone to issues for those of us who are now extremely sensitive to meds?

 

I know that this is generally a no-no, and because of that I have been avoiding it for over 3 years.  However, I've tried everything else...I have changed my diet, done multiple tests including some imaging, and remain in such constant pain, at times severe, that it has left me with no other option, really, because I need to rule out other things and/or fix it.  It's possible I have developed gastritis, which I have had in the past, due to putting this off. 

 

Before my Haldol event, I had taken most of them with no major issues - Prilosec, Nexium, Dexilant, Aciphex - for up to a couple years at a time.  I have moderate-severe reflux at times, and other digestion issues.

 

I will otherwise require a CT scan, which I'm trying to avoid because I have had so many already for all my pain issues.

 

I am experiencing pain just below the left ribcage, 1-2" to the left of center, and many times it is a pinched feeling, sometimes burning.  Extremely uncomfortable.  At times goes through to my back.  Seems better when I eat, but otherwise almost constant, and does not seem to matter much what food I eat.  I was also diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia and low ferritin recently, so I had been taking an iron 1-2 supplement, but stopped in case that was contributing.

 

I also realize stomach issues can go along with taking the diazepam, but I cannot really say whether or not that is related without trying this (and cuz I can't cut out the D). 

 

Any suggestions?  Thanks so much.

[Colonial]

 

It was so good to hear from You! I've thought about You on and off all this time.

I had the same issue, I used Pepcid by prescription but it only helped just so much.

The good news is my acid reflux and all my stomach issues resolved in only TWO WEEKS simply by raising the head of my bed by 6 inches!

I've been stomach med free for years now.

We simply connected three 2 inch boards and secured them to the metal frame about 18 inches from the top of the box spring.

It takes a bit of getting used to, and you might only need a 4 inch raise instead of 6, but within a month I was completely accustomed to it.

That way, the top is elevated, but there is NO bending of the body all night long.

"Propping up" your head with pillows causes skeletal issues when your sleeping "bent" all night long.

This way you stay "flat" in that sense, the mattress is just up 6 inches.

You just need 3 two inch thick wood pieces that you drill or tape together with a lot of sturdy tape.

Cut them to fit snug to lay inside the metal bed frame running from left to right.

 

Let me try to resize this picture I just took of mine, I need help resizing it down to the 0.3 mb size...

 

 

[crhawk]

Thank you Colonial!  It's great to hear from you, and I have thought of you also!  How are things?  It looks like you are doing pretty well?

 

I have raised the bed with large books, but it may only be 2+ inches and then am propped with pillows, as you stated.  That hasn't helped unfortunately, though it seemed to for a while.  I had only been getting the pain every so often, but now it is pretty much constant.  Was it that way for you? 

 

I can definitely raise it further, and will try that out.

 

You are pretty sensitive to meds now too, if I remember right?  Did you have any effects from taking the Pepcid?  That's an H2 though, and I think I need to take a PPI...  😕

[Colonial]

 

Do try it, being bent at the center affects your breathing as you sleep, and that just aggravates your entire system.

Some websites suggest 11 inches, so you might just not be up high enough, try the 6 to start

Here it is...

Sorry the quality is bad, its an old camera and I had to downsize it..

So, you can see my box spring just lays on top of the three 2 by 8's that we power drilled together, and they rest on the ledge of the end of the bed frame.

If shifts too much you can drill into the frame.

[Colonial]

 

I'm hanging in...

I'm 10 months Wellbutrin free and close to being down to only 1/50th of my original Paxil dose so... light at the end of the tunnel!

I Had a bad wave in January after what proved to be too large of a drop but so far so good on this drop almost a month ago, just some of the usual annoyances....

 

Yes, the Pepcid worked ok for Me, and I did take a PPI as well, I forget which one now, but since raising the bed it all magically resolved itself, thank God.

I only have mild flare ups now from time to time where I have to keep clearing my throat for an hour right after my morning coffee...

If that happens I just watch my diet and coffee intake for a bit...

It hard because the withdrawal makes me bedridden alot, and then that usually means I need to lay down RIGHT after I eat..

[crhawk]

Hi All!  (thanks for the pic Colonial!)

 

More fun for me!  I have been dealing with some all over body, random pains in my bones that last for less than a minute and then move to different parts in my body.  Has been going on since April 26th.  It has really made me worry (or course), as my mind always goes to the worst, especially with all my other pain issues.

 

However, I am pretty deficient in Vitamin D (as well as just starting to get out of the anemic blood levels) - my blood level was 14 over a month ago.  My doctor said that could be a cause for my bone pain. 

 

I had already started taking a 2000 iu supplement over the weekend, just in case.  However, she wants me to take 8 weeks of a mega dose (50,000 iu/once a week for 8 weeks), then back to the normal 2000 iu/daily, in order to hopefully bring me some relief and bring me up to normal levels quicker.  I seem to be doing okay so far on the 2,000 iu, of which I am now going to do twice a day (I also haven't had any issues with the Vitron-C/iron).  I have read up on the 50,000 iu idea, and it seems to be pretty widely prescribed now for those who are deficient.  I am just worried about my ultra sensitive self.  Anyone had this issue?  Thoughts?  I really am in pain, and really want to get it better as quickly as possible.  But if its risky with my sensitivity, I'm not sure I want to take that risk.

[Rosetta]

Smoothies?  Some sort of natural source for the Vit D?  A light box, too?  Can you drink milk, eat yogurt, etc?  Maybe you could take a smaller dose of the pills at least.

[Rabe]

Hi crhawk...I find I have trouble with lots of supplements, foods, dyes in supplemts or meds, the capsules if colored...can be so much involved.  I personally didnt do well with vit D for bones, but I upped the milk because of a different issue and between the added calcium and D in the milk things are better.  Sounds like you are taking things slowly which I think is so wise on your part.  Hope you get some relief soon!!  Take care!💜

[Floss]

Hi I’m new to this site but have had a bad adverse reaction to these drugs prescribed quite a lot in 11 weeks unfortunately so feeling totally helpless , my symptoms are similar to yours how are you feeling now? It’s been 4 months since I stopped and still really struggling 😞 I had burning , prickling, sore skin all the awful sensory symptoms, curious if yours have improved at all? Thanks