themarsbars Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 (edited) Hi everyone. Thanks for reading this! This is my first post but I've read a lot. I'm in the south. 28 year old male. around 3 years ago I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder and started seeing a therapist and psychiatrist at the same office. I have a great relationship with both and I really trust them 100% with my care. I currently take 300 Wellbutrin, lamictal, buspar, abilify and cogentin Wellbutrin has been awesome over the years and so has buspar and lamictal. I was not diagnosed bipolar but they are using it as a mood stabilizer and it works well However over the years I've had some pretty bad circumstances and been on and off abilify. It works I guess in the way it can stop my obsessing andrew my mind slow down etc. I had been on about 10mg a year ago or so and then I stopped when I started lamictal. I had a bad turn around October last year and the cycle started again. Right now I'm on 5mg split between morning and night. 2.5mg. Oh and add the cogentin for good measure I have started to be quite foggy and started having some short term memory issues I think. The only thing we have changed in the last while was adding the cogentin and abilify back. I'm so worried my memory will not come back. I also need to talk to my pdoc this week as I want to start tapering off it. Thanks for reading! My mood was up and down and we started Edited May 27, 2017 by scallywag tags Wellbutrin XL- 300 Buspar - 15 Abilify- 4 cogentin- 1 Lamictal -200 Xanax PRN but very rarely Link to comment
themarsbars Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) Hi, I posted yesterday with a lengthy post about my current situation. I just now realized that I have not said who I am. I am based in Memphis, I’m in my 30s and up until about 5 years ago I had not been on any meds before. I was a bit resistant at the start. I am now completely different and still have strong feelings but I can now let myself talk about it with other people and explain sometimes how If felt. Anyway I just wanted to say hi, my other lengthy post about my current med situation is lower down in this thread but maybe the moderator could move it to the correct forum? Thanks for reading! Edited May 21, 2017 by ChessieCat topics merged Wellbutrin XL- 300 Buspar - 15 Abilify- 4 cogentin- 1 Lamictal -200 Xanax PRN but very rarely Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted May 22, 2017 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 22, 2017 Hi Marsbar ( love mars bars! ) welcome to SA. I am quite surprised that you have been given such a cocktail of drugs, there are some serious interactions between them which could be causing your symptoms. I have put them all in to the interactions checker and wil post the results here for you. I thinkiy would be a good idea to print it off and show it to your psychiatrist. Have you told him/her that you want to taper abilify? We recommend tapering 10% of the current dose with 3-4 weekks between cuts. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1896-tips-for-tapering-off-abilify-aripiprazole/ Here is the interactions list. It is quite extensive. Can you tell us how long you have been taking the current drugs and the doses? Interactions between your selected drugs Major bupropion aripiprazoleApplies to: Wellbutrin (bupropion), Abilify (aripiprazole) Talk to your doctor before using buPROPion together with ARIPiprazole. Combining these medications may increase the risk of seizures, which may occur rarely with either medication. In addition, buPROPion can increase the blood levels of ARIPiprazole, which may increase other side effects. You may be more likely to experience seizures with these medications if you are elderly, undergoing alcohol or drug withdrawal, have a history of seizures, or have a condition affecting the central nervous system such as a brain tumor or head trauma. Your doctor may be able to prescribe alternatives that do not interact, or you may need a dose adjustment or more frequent monitoring by your doctor to safely use both medications. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol during treatment. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate benztropine buspironeApplies to: Cogentin (benztropine), BuSpar (buspirone) Using benztropine together with busPIRone may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate buspirone lamotrigineApplies to: BuSpar (buspirone), Lamictal (lamotrigine) Using busPIRone together with lamoTRIgine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate benztropine lamotrigineApplies to: Cogentin (benztropine), Lamictal (lamotrigine) Using benztropine together with lamoTRIgine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate lamotrigine aripiprazoleApplies to: Lamictal (lamotrigine), Abilify (aripiprazole) Using lamoTRIgine together with ARIPiprazole may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate benztropine aripiprazoleApplies to: Cogentin (benztropine), Abilify (aripiprazole) Before using ARIPiprazole, tell your doctor if you are also on benztropine. You may need dose adjustments or special tests in order to safely use both medications together. You should notify your doctor if you have signs of bladder problems, dry mouth, stomach pain, fever, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, or reduced heart rate. You should avoid driving until you know how these medications will affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using your medications without first talking to your doctor first. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate buspirone aripiprazoleApplies to: BuSpar (buspirone), Abilify (aripiprazole) Using busPIRone together with ARIPiprazole may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data No other interactions were found between your selected drugs.Note: this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult with your doctor or pharmacist. Other drugs and diseases that your selected drugs interact with Abilify (aripiprazole) interacts with more than 500 other drugs and more than 10 diseases. BuSpar (buspirone) interacts with more than 300 other drugs and 5 diseases. Cogentin (benztropine) interacts with more than 300 other drugs and more than 10 diseases. Lamictal (lamotrigine) interacts with more than 200 other drugs and 7 diseases. Wellbutrin (bupropion) interacts with more than 300 other drugs and 8 diseases. Interactions between your selected drugs and food Moderate lamotrigine foodApplies to: Lamictal (lamotrigine) Alcohol can increase the nervous system side effects of lamoTRIgine such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with lamoTRIgine. Do not use more than the recommended dose of lamoTRIgine, and avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate bupropion foodApplies to: Wellbutrin (bupropion) Using buPROPion with alcohol may increase the risk of uncommon side effects such as seizures, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, mood and behavioral changes, depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and panic attacks. On the other hand, sudden withdrawal from alcohol following regular or chronic use can also increase your risk of seizures during treatment with buPROPion. If you are prone to frequent or excessive alcohol use, talk to your doctor before starting buPROPion. In general, you should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with buPROPion. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate aripiprazole foodApplies to: Abilify (aripiprazole) Alcohol can increase the nervous system side effects of ARIPiprazole such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with ARIPiprazole. Do not use more than the recommended dose of ARIPiprazole, and avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medication affects you. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns. Switch to professional interaction data Moderate buspirone foodApplies to: BuSpar (buspirone) You should avoid the use of alcohol while being treated with busPIRone. Alcohol can increase the nervous system side effects of busPIRone such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people may also experience impairment in thinking and judgment. Patients receiving busPIRone should preferably avoid the consumption of large amounts of grapefruits and grapefruit juice. If this is not possible, the busPIRone dose should be taken at least 2 hours before or 8 hours after grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Large amounts of grapefruit and grapefruit juice may cause increased levels of busPIRone in your body. This can lead to increased adverse effects such as drowsiness. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns. Switch to professional interaction data Therapeutic duplication warningsTherapeutic duplication is the use of more than one medicine from the same drug category or therapeutic class to treat the same condition. This can be intentional in cases where drugs with similar actions are used together for demonstrated therapeutic benefit. It can also be unintentional in cases where a patient has been treated by more than one doctor, or had prescriptions filled at more than one pharmacy, and can have potentially adverse consequences. Duplication Central Nervous System (CNS) DrugsTherapeutic duplication The recommended maximum number of medicines in the 'Central Nervous System (CNS) Drugs' category to be taken concurrently is usually three. Your list includes five medicines belonging to the 'Central Nervous System (CNS) Drugs' category: aripiprazole (active ingredient in Abilify (aripiprazole)) buspirone (active ingredient in BuSpar (buspirone)) benztropine (active ingredient in Cogentin (benztropine)) lamotrigine (active ingredient in Lamictal (lamotrigine)) bupropion (active ingredient in Wellbutrin (bupropion)) Note: The benefits of taking this combination of medicines may outweigh any risks associated with therapeutic duplication. This information does not take the place of talking to your doctor. Always check with your healthcare provider to determine if any adjustments to your medications are needed. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus JanCarol Posted September 24, 2017 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 24, 2017 Hey Mars - I know it's been a few months since you've been in . This is a site for reducing or eliminating psych drugs. Have you decided to stick with your cocktail? Are you still having symptoms? Please feel free to return and engage with us here. I hope you see the sun today. "Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again. My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices. A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia. CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013. Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine). Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 - Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years on Lithium). Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made. The tedious thread (my intro): JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium The happy thread (my success story): JanCarol - Undiagnosed Off all bipolar drugs My own blog: https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/ I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016! Link to comment
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