Ykay

[YKay]

Hello, (my first post)

 

I have GAD and it got me into depression because i couldn't accept it nor forgive myself.

Anyways i took Effexor 75mg for 6 months i tapered down to 37.5 for 1 month and then started to count off the beads for another 1 month, went into a terrible vertigo, anxiety and rage though it took me exactly 2 weeks to get better.

1 year later(at this moment) my anxiety hits back really strong after traveling to the other side of the world(i live in Lebanon near Dubai went to california vegas /LA for vacation)where the jet lag was the main reason. I have been taking 0.5mg xanax a day and it is working for me although my doctor told me that i should get back to effexor. My case has been this way for 1 month today ; should i get back on effexor for a full year and taper the right way or should i let it pass without anything since the main reason was the jet lag?(Keep in mind that my anxiety kicks in with the call of void feeling empty racing thoughts every night in bed if i am not on xanax)

 

Thank you in advance

 

YK

 

 

 

 

[MollyN]

Hi YKAY!

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA), we're glad you're here and very sorry to hear you're struggling.

 

To try and come up with a plan with you it would be a great help if you could set out your drug history for us in a 'signature'. The signature will appear under every post you make on this site, and tells people at a glance what your situation is.

 

Here are some instructions on how to do it:

 

Summarize your history in a signature - ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly

• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 

• Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

You did a very fast taper from the effexor last year. It may be that this has sensitised your nervous system which is responding to a new stressor, or it may be that these are delayed withdrawal symptoms. At SA we recommend a slow taper of a drop of 10% of your previous dose, then hold at that dose for a month before the next drop. You can read about this tapering method here:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage

 

What is withdrawal syndrome

 

The windows and waves pattern of stabilisation

 

Reinstatement of effexor one year out is a pretty risky strategy, you can read about it here:

 

About reinstating and stabilising to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Oh I can identify with the anxiety at bedtime - I can be fine right up until the lights go off, then all sorts of fears start swirling around. I tend to practice breathing exercises and try and accept that it's not going to hurt me even though the thoughts are a bit overwhelming, and try and let the thoughts just float on off and out of my head.

 

This is a great discussion of non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

You can use this thread as a journal to ask any questions you may have and people will come and support and help you here. Feel free to read other people's experiences as well, it really helps to understand what's happening.

 

See you soon xxxmollyn

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, YKay.

 

Jet lag is indeed a shock to the system as it disrupts your sleep cycle. Apparently it caused your neurological fragility to surface. I don't know if I'd call this withdrawal syndrome, it's likely your nervous system will be rather sensitive for a long time from your rough journey off Effexor. Going on and off psychiatric drugs is stressful for the nervous system.

 

My guess is reinstating Effexor is not going to repair this. Effexor itself can cause anxiety or sleeplessness.

 

If I were you, I'd gradually reduce the Xanax to the minimum effective level. If you take it regularly for any length of time, you are likely to become dependent on it and will need to taper off very carefully.

 

Do you get anxiety at any particular time of day? Please keep notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages.

 

It could be that Xanax rebound is causing "anxiety."

 

 

 

 

[YKay]

13 hours ago, MollyN said:

Hi YKAY!

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA), we're glad you're here and very sorry to hear you're struggling.

 

To try and come up with a plan with you it would be a great help if you could set out your drug history for us in a 'signature'. The signature will appear under every post you make on this site, and tells people at a glance what your situation is.

 

Here are some instructions on how to do it:

 

Summarize your history in a signature - ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly

• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 

• Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

You did a very fast taper from the effexor last year. It may be that this has sensitised your nervous system which is responding to a new stressor, or it may be that these are delayed withdrawal symptoms. At SA we recommend a slow taper of a drop of 10% of your previous dose, then hold at that dose for a month before the next drop. You can read about this tapering method here:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage

 

What is withdrawal syndrome

 

The windows and waves pattern of stabilisation

 

Reinstatement of effexor one year out is a pretty risky strategy, you can read about it here:

 

About reinstating and stabilising to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Oh I can identify with the anxiety at bedtime - I can be fine right up until the lights go off, then all sorts of fears start swirling around. I tend to practice breathing exercises and try and accept that it's not going to hurt me even though the thoughts are a bit overwhelming, and try and let the thoughts just float on off and out of my head.

 

This is a great discussion of non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

You can use this thread as a journal to ask any questions you may have and people will come and support and help you here. Feel free to read other people's experiences as well, it really helps to understand what's happening.

 

See you soon xxxmollyn

 

Thank you for your reply

[YKay]

3 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Welcome, YKay.

 

Do you get anxiety at any particular time of day? Please keep notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your prompt reply Alto.

(Check my signature please)

 

The only time i get anxious is when i sit in bed. My body would be so tired that it wants to sleep but my mind never lets it rest. The second i am drifting into sleep my body suddenly jerks again and again and again till i get really sad about it.

for instance now it is almost 12 pm my time, i had a very tiring day at work and yesterday night i barely slept for four hours my mind is not letting me sleep at all.

i am drifting into restless sleep and waking up every 10 or 15 min with the trembling feeling.

I am a 29 year old person who has two jobs and opening a side business, i travel the world and i perform infront of thousands of people and i never feel anxious but when i get to bed the tiniest things scare and make me anxious.

Tomorrow is my birthday and all i want from God and life is inner peace.

 

I wish one day the world would allocate huge budgets to conduct research on mental illnesses.

[ChessieCat]

Please see this topic:  waking-with-panic-or-anxiety-managing-cortisol-spikes