Sundar Posted July 14, 2016 Posted July 14, 2016 (edited) Hello! I want to say upfront that I'm not withdrawing from SSRI's, but that I'm here because I'm a support person to my brother-in-law (henceforth brother who will be tapering off of lithium starting in September, and also a support person to my mother-in-law who just began Zoloft, in addition to multiple medications for sleep and anxiety. I have my own journey with depression and anxiety, which I have self-treated sometimes successfully, and sometimes not. I came here after searching for more info on lithium tapering, which led me to JanCarol's thread, which I have now read almost in its entirety, in the process falling in love with this community, and in complete awe and love for JanCarol's courage and determination (and humour!).In preparation for the taper both my brother and I will be doing a vegetarian version of Kelly Brogan's 30 day plan, as outlined in her book, A Mind of Your Own.My brother is currently taking magnesium bisglycinate, active b-vitamins, a dha enriched vegetarian omega 3-6-9, vitamin d, and vitamin c.I hope it's OK for me to receive feedback and support for my support . I will also be sharing more about my history, and the journey of the dietary and lifestyle changes recommended by Brogan. Edited July 19, 2016 by scallywag add tags Support person to brother-in-law (who will begin tapering his lithium (he currently takes 600mg) in September 2016) and to mother-in-law who is on multiple medications for bi-polar, anxiety, ptsd, depression and sleep disorders In addition to other pharmaceuticals, brother is also taking: magnesium bisglycinate, dha enriched udo's oil, vitamin d, vitamin c, active b-vitamins, multi-mineral We will both be following a modified-vegetarian version of Dr. Brogan's 30-day reset plan beginning August 1, 2016 This plan will include: all legumes and beans (except peanuts and soy), all vegetables (except white potatoes and corn), all fruit, nuts and seeds, some sweeteners (maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar), fats (evoo, coconut, ghee, udo's oil), herbal infusions (nettle, oatstraw, camomile, alfalfa, etc), superfoods (spirulina, e3live, wheatgrass, camu camu) I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a child I do much better when I eliminate all grains and dairy! So looking forward to the reset in August! Also, when I maintain a spiritual practice in the mornings and spend time outdoors Grateful to be here, and for all of you
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted July 14, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Posted July 14, 2016 Hello Sundar, Your brother- and mother-in-laws are very lucky to have you there to support them. Do you all live together? I very much admire you for not taking psych meds yourself - I wish I had stuck with that approach. And for yourself, do you have support around you? You are very welcome here, for getting information and support. Sometimes in 3rd-party situations like this it gets trickier for us to know all the ins and outs, but we can certainly direct you to relevant links, and help where we can. If at some point things get difficult, it may work better if your brother or mother start their own threads here. Did you mean your mother has just begun taking zoloft, or just begun tapering it? Please put your withdrawal history in your signature – all drugs/dates/dosages etc - so we can see the situation easily whenever you post, and help you more accurately. Thanks. This page might be useful for all three of you: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/ You might also like to get them to read about windows and waves so they get an idea of what to expect. So lovely to have someone here getting the info they need before tapering - it will make a huge difference. Welcome to SA, Karen 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate.
nz11 Posted July 14, 2016 Posted July 14, 2016 Welcome Sundar Wow your family sure are lucky having you look out for them. Every family needs a Sundar. You say your mum-n-law just started on zoloft is she informed on the nature of these drugs and is she interested in getting off ? Its great you are doing a healthy diet just wanted to say the key to getting off these drugs is not diet its a safe slow taper. imo. So glad you found sa. 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
Sundar Posted July 17, 2016 Author Posted July 17, 2016 Hi KB - We do all live together, in addition to my husband, my father-in-law and my two young children! I have some friend/sister support, although right now I am moving headlong into social withdrawal. The idea of erecting a bit of a mental nest, away from everything, feels nourishing right now. It has been a hard year (more then usual?) to digest the 'news' (or what gets selected as 'news') and so I've stopped using my facebook account, and as much as possible do not expose myself to most news right now... My mil has just begun zoloft, to my great concern. We do see significant improvement, however we simultaneously changed many other things - began her on longvida (a highly water soluble form of curcumin), she began to include eggs in her diet (previously she was on a lacto-vegetarian diet), began hmf neuro probiotics, began dha, higher dose vitamin d, there are a few other things but not coming to mind...It has been about 3 months, so I will be interested to see if this trend continues. Thank you so much for the links! I have passed the coping techniques on to my brother, and I will explore as well. Hi nz11 - My mil is not interested in getting off at this point. The decision by her psychistrist (who she sees every two weeks for talk therapy for at least 10 years or so?) to try the zoloft came after an alarming descent in cognitive function and emotional state. I do not agree with the decision. She has some symptoms of dementia, so it isn't clear to me how informed she is of the potential harm of the drug, which I believed to be primarily the increase risk of suicide at the time. After reading Dr. Brogan's book, and reading more on here about the harm that it causes to the actual architecture of the brain, I am very concerned about her continuing, but also feel conflicted about how to communicate these concerns. The area where I am able to contribute freely is through advising on dietary and supplemental strategies. Thank you for the reminder about tapering - I have come to understand that a 10% taper every four weeks is recommended by most folks here? Currently my brother is on 600mg of lithium, which would mean a decrease of 60mg for the first month. After that, would the decrease again be 60mg, or would it be 54mg given that his new dose would be 540mg? Thanks so much for your support!!!! Support person to brother-in-law (who will begin tapering his lithium (he currently takes 600mg) in September 2016) and to mother-in-law who is on multiple medications for bi-polar, anxiety, ptsd, depression and sleep disorders In addition to other pharmaceuticals, brother is also taking: magnesium bisglycinate, dha enriched udo's oil, vitamin d, vitamin c, active b-vitamins, multi-mineral We will both be following a modified-vegetarian version of Dr. Brogan's 30-day reset plan beginning August 1, 2016 This plan will include: all legumes and beans (except peanuts and soy), all vegetables (except white potatoes and corn), all fruit, nuts and seeds, some sweeteners (maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar), fats (evoo, coconut, ghee, udo's oil), herbal infusions (nettle, oatstraw, camomile, alfalfa, etc), superfoods (spirulina, e3live, wheatgrass, camu camu) I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a child I do much better when I eliminate all grains and dairy! So looking forward to the reset in August! Also, when I maintain a spiritual practice in the mornings and spend time outdoors Grateful to be here, and for all of you
nz11 Posted July 17, 2016 Posted July 17, 2016 The decision by her psychistrist (who she sees every two weeks for talk therapy for at least 10 years or so?) to try the zoloft came after an alarming descent in cognitive function and emotional state. I do not agree with the decision. Gee these people sure do know how to drum up repeat business thats for sure. 10 yrs of therapy just doesnt sound right to me. Im no councellor but i would have thought there is a beginning a middle and then closure and release to self sooth and this should perhaps be months and then finished. But 10 yrs of councelling twice a week gee talk about clipping the ticket!!...a friendship bought perhaps? sorry i get cynical at times. She has some symptoms of dementia, so it isn't clear to me how informed she is of the potential harm of the drug, which I believed to be primarily the increase risk of suicide at the time. Maybe she has a history of psychiatric drug exposure, multi switches, failed attempts to quit then reinstatements Maybe zoloft is being used to cover wdl off something else? After reading Dr. Brogan's book, and reading more on here about the harm that it causes to the actual architecture of the brain, I am very concerned about her continuing, but also feel conflicted about how to communicate these concerns. The area where I am able to contribute freely is through advising on dietary and supplemental strategies. How about talking her into getting a second opinion anyone here close to you http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/ How about 3 books Breggin Psychiatric drug withdrawal. Whitaker Anatomy of an epidemic Gotzsche Deadly medicines and organised crime Hey what about taking her to NY to see K Brogan in person. 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 KarenB Posted July 18, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Posted July 18, 2016 You are right that the significant changes you see in your mil may have come from the dietary/external changes. The tricky thing about psych meds is that many people do see a window of improvement when they first take them. The problem is that at some point that window will close, and from then on you have side-effects, the greater problem of withdrawal, and what is often worse depression/anxiety than the person experienced before taking drugs. So the grand total, in the long run, is a negative. To answer your question about reducing by 10% monthly, your second guess was right. You reduce off each new current amount, so that you are making smaller reductions each month. 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate.
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