Moderator brassmonkey Posted September 15, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted September 15, 2019 Well something unpleasant is starting to happen. Several times over the past seek I've had some very strong irrational emotional outbursts, similar to what started this whole mess all those years ago. Then started the alternating nights of very fitful sleep and general malaise. Yesterday it hit like a ton of bricks with extreme outbursts and intense depression with no particular trigger and no real reason. Had a reasonable nights sleep but still heavy depression right after getting up. We will see if things start to clear up later today. If things hold true to pattern though this would be the start of my 18 month wave. It's not 18 months for another six or seven weeks, but each of the other waves have been early. Interesting that it's violent depression this time and not anxiety like the last ones were. Could be just a short blip, but only time will tell. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdwstrx Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 I'm sorry to hear Tom. Praying things settle quickly. Thank you for documenting your steps. It's so appreciated. 1997 Prozac ?mg 1991 Sertraline ?mg 2002 Escitalopram 10 mg 2018 2.5 mg - stopped by Dr./Reinstated, up-dosed to 7.5 mg 04/19 Began BM slide @7.5 mg CURRENT 0.32 mg 🌼 "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longroadhome Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 1 hour ago, brassmonkey said: Well something unpleasant is starting to happen. Several times over the past seek I've had some very strong irrational emotional outbursts, similar to what started this whole mess all those years ago. Then started the alternating nights of very fitful sleep and general malaise. Yesterday it hit like a ton of bricks with extreme outbursts and intense depression with no particular trigger and no real reason. Had a reasonable nights sleep but still heavy depression right after getting up. We will see if things start to clear up later today. If things hold true to pattern though this would be the start of my 18 month wave. It's not 18 months for another six or seven weeks, but each of the other waves have been early. Interesting that it's violent depression this time and not anxiety like the last ones were. Could be just a short blip, but only time will tell. You’re in my thoughts Brass. Really hope if it is a wave that it comes to an end quickly. Nov 2018 Pregabalin 2x50 mg a day to help with Paxil WD. Aug 2019 2 x 25mg a day, April 2020 45mg, May 40mg, June 35mg, July 30mg, end July 25mg, Aug 24mg, June 2021 14mg, Jan 2022 14mg (2x7mg a day), Oct 10mg, Nov 5mg, December 25th 2022 0mg 🎈 Oct 2004 - Oct 2018 Paxil 20 mg, Nov 15mg, Dec 10mg, Feb 2019 7.5mg crashed, Feb 8.5mg, Nov 8mg, March 2020 7.2mg, April 6.5mg, May 5.9mg, June 5.4mg, July 4.8mg, Dec 4.5mg, Jan 2021 4mg, Feb 3.6mg, March 3.2mg, April 2.9mg, Aug 2.7mg, Sept 2.4mg, Oct 2.2mg, Nov 2mg, Dec 1.8mg, Feb 2022 1.6mg, March 1.4mg, April 1.2mg, May 1.0mg, June 0.8mg, July 0.6mg, Aug 0.4mg, Sep 0.2mg, October 6th 2022 0mg 🎈 December 25th 2022 drug free these dates are approximate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted September 15, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 15, 2019 Hang in there brass monkey. You are in my thoughts and prayers. This too shall pass. It sucks, but it will come to and end. Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantrelief Posted September 15, 2019 Share Posted September 15, 2019 I am really sorry you are going through this - I am hoping, as you said, that it is just a short blip. You are in my thoughts. -1/06 - 3/07 Cymbalta. Fast taper (essentially CT); withdrawal symptoms after 4 mos (didn't realize was WD) -10/07: 100 mg Zoloft; 1 mg Klonopin - tapered off Klonopin after 4 mos. Several unsuccessful slow tapers of Zoloft; went up and down in dose a lot -Spring 2013 back on 1 mg Klonopin to counter WD symptoms; switched over 5-6 mos from Zoloft to 35 mg citalopram -Two attempts at slow tapering citalopram, always increased dose due to WD; also increased Klonopin to 1.25 mg in 2014, then to 1.5 mg in 2015 -8/17-9/17: After holding one year at 20 mg, feeling withdrawal symptoms due to stress - slowly increased to 25 mg. No change in symptoms after 6 months (? tolerance ?) - decided to start citalopram taper February 2018 (still on Klonopin 1.5 mg). Supplements: fish oil; magnesium; vitamin D3; curcumin Citalopram taper: 2/2018 - 12/2019: 25 mg - 11.03 mg I 2020: 10.89 mg - 7.9 mg I 2021: 7.8 mg - 5.26 mg I 2022: 5.2 mg - 3.36 mg I 2023: 3.3 mg - 1.47 mg 2024: 1/5/24: 1.44 mg; 1/19/24: 1.40 mg; 1/26/24: 1.37 mg; 2/2/24: 1.34 mg; 2/9/24: 1.31 mg; 2/23/24: 1.28 mg; 3/1/24: 1.25 mg; 3/8/24: 1.22 mg; 3/15/24: 1.19 mg; 3/29/24: 1.17 mg; 4/5/24: 1.14 mg; 4/13/24: 1.11 mg; 4/20/24: 1.09 mg; 4/27/24: 1.06 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Happy2Heal Posted September 15, 2019 Mentor Share Posted September 15, 2019 6 hours ago, brassmonkey said: If things hold true to pattern though this would be the start of my 18 month wave. It's not 18 months for another six or seven weeks, but each of the other waves have been early. Interesting that it's violent depression this time and not anxiety like the last ones were. Could be just a short blip, but only time will tell. so sorry you've been hit with this Brass. um what's this about an 18 mos wave? I had no idea there was such a thing. is it really common? I'm at almost 2yrs off ( I thought you got off before me, so now I'm really confused!! edit, you did get off before me, in April and I got off in Oct, doh!!) ) I was ok at 18 mos, as far as I know, although I did move to a new apt that month. it turns out to have been a bad move and now I"m trying to move back. I've been not feeling too well but assumed it was normal life stuff; your post has me wondering if I could have a wave this far out. I guess I just assumed that anything after the first year off wouldn't be related to WD since overall my life has been really good, much better than I'd hoped. Lately, not so much, a lot of anxiety, but I"m facing another move so there's a reason, right? anyway when you get a chance perhaps you could fill me in about this 18 mos wave and any other patterns you've noticed in WD in others, How many actual case of an 18 mos wave are there, roughly? I guess right now I'm hoping that how I've been feeling lately is WD and not "me" PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME PRIVATE MESSAGES, thank you. pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until Sept, then acute WD hit!! reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106 Tapered off to zero by Oct. 2017 Doing very well. Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content PRESENT DAYS: Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted September 16, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted September 16, 2019 Hi Happy-- I'm so glad you didn't know what an 18 month wave is. Not everybody gets them but enough have that it is recognized as a thing. The more common one is the 10 month wave. I ended up having ones at 8 and 12 months. It will be a few days before I can actually declare this one as a wave, with any luck it's just a really bad couple of days. I did an essay on them a while back, you can read it here: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/17909-are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take/?tab=comments#comment-354120 Since I wrote it there has been conformation by several people about the 3 year wave, so I may have some rewriting to do. Normal life stuff is so tough right now for everyone that it would be very hard to tell the difference, but my bet would be of normal life stuff and not WD. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Happy2Heal Posted September 16, 2019 Mentor Share Posted September 16, 2019 9 hours ago, brassmonkey said: Hi Happy-- I'm so glad you didn't know what an 18 month wave is. Not everybody gets them but enough have that it is recognized as a thing. The more common one is the 10 month wave. I ended up having ones at 8 and 12 months. thanks so much for your reply Brass. Funny I had one around 11-12 mos but not 10. I can't recall how things were at 8 mos though. it would be interesting if we could get enough people past zero together to do a survey to find out what the most common time frame is. Also would be interesting to see which drug(s) were implicated. It appears that paxil is one that causes some long term issues. Lexapro is pretty intense to get off of, but it seems to get out of the system faster, for lack of a better way to describe it. Who knows? When I let myself believe that my current issues are WD related, I instantly felt *better*....probably for a couple of reasons. I feel much more confident in my ability to handle WD symptoms, and I know that WD symptoms end. Plus I almost always end up in a better place after the wave is over. When I think of my symptoms as related to life events, my symptoms ramp up considerably- I would guess because I feel a lot less confident in my ability to handle life events "un-medicated". I suddenly feel like I've let things get out of control, and the pressure to do something to fix things is intense and unrelenting. I suddenly feel like i"m doing "life" all wrong. So better for me to consider this a wave. I know waves end and I know that they are out of my control. That helps me relax. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME PRIVATE MESSAGES, thank you. pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until Sept, then acute WD hit!! reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106 Tapered off to zero by Oct. 2017 Doing very well. Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content PRESENT DAYS: Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Dejavu Posted September 16, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 16, 2019 How are you today Tom? 2016 - Zoloft 50 mg for klonopin w/d Approx. Nov 2017 - successful taper of klonopin; Approx. Jan. 2018 - rapid taper Zoloft over 2 wks - no w/d symptoms; May 2018 - Reinstate 50 mg Zoloft per doctor; Aug 2018 - Rapid taper Zoloft over 3-4 weeks - no w/d symptoms for 1 mo.; Late Oct 2018 - pdoc rx'd 5mg lexapro -took for 1 wk; Early Nov 2018 - Reinstate 25 mg Zoloft; updose to 37.5 on Nov 28, 2018; Nov 30 2018 - returned to 25mg Zoloft upon mod. advice; Dec 9 - Dec10 2018 - 12.5mg zoloft liquid+12.5mg zoloft pill; Dec 11 2018 - 25mg zoloft all liquid; Feb 14 2019 - updosed to 26.25 mg liquid; Mar 6 2019 - updosed to 26.88 mg liquid - new symptoms; Mar 13 2019 - back down to 26.25 mg per mod suggestion Dose Changes: Dec 2 2019 - 5% to 25mg; Jan 14 2020 - 10% to 22.5 (increase in sxs all month); Mar 10-15? 2020, accidental updose to 25mg; Mar 22 2020 - back down to 22.5mg; Apr 12 2020 - 2.5% to 21.94mg; Apr 19 2020 - 2.5% to 21.375mg (symptom increase); May 17 2020 - 2.5% to 20.625mg; May 24 2020 - 2.5% to 20.1mg - Jun 14 2020 - noticed uptick in symptoms settled 2 days later - July 10 2020 - onset of wave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick1990 Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 Wow, this is interesting Tom. When you say similar to what started the whole thing , do you mean as in prior to taking Paxil ? Im sure it’ll pass soon and you’ll handle it just fine bro ! Hugs 🤗 Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted September 17, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted September 17, 2019 Things have evened out quite nicely Dejavu. I holding out hope that it was a one time situational type of thing. I'll give it a few more days before calling it. Nick-- Thanks for the hugs bro. Yea, I meant prepaxil. I initially went on it for Spontaneous Outbursts of Intense Irrational Anger, that lead to some very unpleasant situations. This was quite reminiscent of one of those outbursts, even had the several days of build up before hand so I should have seen it coming. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Dejavu Posted September 17, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 17, 2019 So glad to hear it! Was concerned for you. 2016 - Zoloft 50 mg for klonopin w/d Approx. Nov 2017 - successful taper of klonopin; Approx. Jan. 2018 - rapid taper Zoloft over 2 wks - no w/d symptoms; May 2018 - Reinstate 50 mg Zoloft per doctor; Aug 2018 - Rapid taper Zoloft over 3-4 weeks - no w/d symptoms for 1 mo.; Late Oct 2018 - pdoc rx'd 5mg lexapro -took for 1 wk; Early Nov 2018 - Reinstate 25 mg Zoloft; updose to 37.5 on Nov 28, 2018; Nov 30 2018 - returned to 25mg Zoloft upon mod. advice; Dec 9 - Dec10 2018 - 12.5mg zoloft liquid+12.5mg zoloft pill; Dec 11 2018 - 25mg zoloft all liquid; Feb 14 2019 - updosed to 26.25 mg liquid; Mar 6 2019 - updosed to 26.88 mg liquid - new symptoms; Mar 13 2019 - back down to 26.25 mg per mod suggestion Dose Changes: Dec 2 2019 - 5% to 25mg; Jan 14 2020 - 10% to 22.5 (increase in sxs all month); Mar 10-15? 2020, accidental updose to 25mg; Mar 22 2020 - back down to 22.5mg; Apr 12 2020 - 2.5% to 21.94mg; Apr 19 2020 - 2.5% to 21.375mg (symptom increase); May 17 2020 - 2.5% to 20.625mg; May 24 2020 - 2.5% to 20.1mg - Jun 14 2020 - noticed uptick in symptoms settled 2 days later - July 10 2020 - onset of wave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longroadhome Posted September 17, 2019 Share Posted September 17, 2019 6 hours ago, brassmonkey said: Things have evened out quite nicely Dejavu. I holding out hope that it was a one time situational type of thing. I'll give it a few more days before calling it. Nick-- Thanks for the hugs bro. Yea, I meant prepaxil. I initially went on it for Spontaneous Outbursts of Intense Irrational Anger, that lead to some very unpleasant situations. This was quite reminiscent of one of those outbursts, even had the several days of build up before hand so I should have seen it coming. Good to hear this Brass keep us posted. Nov 2018 Pregabalin 2x50 mg a day to help with Paxil WD. Aug 2019 2 x 25mg a day, April 2020 45mg, May 40mg, June 35mg, July 30mg, end July 25mg, Aug 24mg, June 2021 14mg, Jan 2022 14mg (2x7mg a day), Oct 10mg, Nov 5mg, December 25th 2022 0mg 🎈 Oct 2004 - Oct 2018 Paxil 20 mg, Nov 15mg, Dec 10mg, Feb 2019 7.5mg crashed, Feb 8.5mg, Nov 8mg, March 2020 7.2mg, April 6.5mg, May 5.9mg, June 5.4mg, July 4.8mg, Dec 4.5mg, Jan 2021 4mg, Feb 3.6mg, March 3.2mg, April 2.9mg, Aug 2.7mg, Sept 2.4mg, Oct 2.2mg, Nov 2mg, Dec 1.8mg, Feb 2022 1.6mg, March 1.4mg, April 1.2mg, May 1.0mg, June 0.8mg, July 0.6mg, Aug 0.4mg, Sep 0.2mg, October 6th 2022 0mg 🎈 December 25th 2022 drug free these dates are approximate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Gridley Posted September 17, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 17, 2019 Thank you for chronicling this, Brass. Your work provides an important roadmap. I'm very glad you're feeling better. Gridley Introduction Lexapro 20 mg since 2004. Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017. End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg Oct. 30, 2020 Jump to zero from 0.025mg. Current dose: 0.000mg 3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete. Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium End 2021 year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper. Taper is 95% complete. Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986. Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper. Current dose as of April 1: 6.8mg Taper is 91% complete. Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Glosmom Posted September 17, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 17, 2019 Hi Tom, Glad things are looking up. I was re-reading your thread to gain inspiration for my daughter. Was curious if you are doing your annual Haunted Event? I recall reading that it requires a ton of work. Best Wishes to you! Glosmom 2016 - Oct -Daughter started Risperdal (for steroid induced psychosis that never went away after stopping prednisone) Nov - dose increases stopped at 1.5mg in Dec 2017 - Jan- weaned from 1.5 to 1.0 in 2 weeks then 1.0 to .5 in two weeks and then off. Feb. 3 weeks of increased psychosis, pacing, insomnia, other awful symptoms so late Feb - Back on 1.5 mg Risperdal. May - decrease to 1.25mg, two weeks later 1.0mg - symptoms started again. June - held steady at 1.25mg for 6 weeks and switched to liquid (3 ml syringe). July - started 10% taper every 3 weeks, October - .8 mg, December - .7 mg . 2018 -Jan- 0.65 mg, Feb- 0.59, Mar-0.50, late April - .40mg, July- .36 mg, Aug - switched from 3 mL syringe to 1 mL syringe for more accuracy (her dad and i were not sure we were giving her the same dose when in between the 'dashes' on the 3 mL syringe.) Aug -.30 mg (3mL syr)/.44 mg (1 mL syr) difference due to med in the tip of both syringes). Sept- .28 mg (3mL syr)/.42 mg (1 mL syr). Oct - .16 mg (3 mL syr)/.30 mg (1 mL syr). Nov.- .06mg (3mL syr)/.20 mg (1mLsyr). Dec. - tip only/unmeasurable (3mL syr)/.10 mg (1mLsyr) 2019- Jan -.06 mg (1 mL syr), Feb- .025 mg (1 mL syr), Feb 27, 2019 - jumped to zero!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted September 17, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted September 17, 2019 Hi Glosmom-- yea, we are hot and heavy in to it. Got back from a road trip two weeks ago and started the next day setting things up. We've kept really good records of what needs to happen each day of the build so it makes it a lot easier. Also we are changing things up a bit this year, dropping out some of the older things and only replacing a few of them so that will make things a bit easier. We do a lot of the indoor stuff first so as to not upset the neighbors with all that stuff on the lawn, in a couple of weeks the carnival midway goes up, that is the really big push and makes for a very busy weekend for a bunch of people. It's been really hot again this year, so I'm thinking that the heat had something to do with setting off the wave that I'm going through. Which is a lot better today BTW. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieDecides Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 4 hours ago, brassmonkey said: he wave that I'm going through. Which is a lot better today BTW I'm glad things are better today. I'm also glad I read the last few posts because I'm going to hit 18 months in November and I want to be forewarned there may be a wave coming up. like Happy2Heal, I want the really bad times to be A Wave and not just the way my life is going to be! Currently taking Ramapril (blood pressure) 5 mg twice a day Omeprazole 10 mg AM and 20 mg PM (the taper has gone nowhere after the first cut) Famotidine once a day (and I still needs tums sometimes) magnesium 200 mg at night as of yesterday 2 fish oil capsules "EPA-DHA 1000" off Lexapro as of 5/2018 - last dose had been 5 mg every other day for a couple years highest dose had been 20 mg at which point I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, which went away when I cut the lexapro down to 15 mg. I spent years on Paxil before Lexapro (can't remember dose), briefly on Effexor and Abilify and others I have forgotten. in fact, when I was diagnoses with BPII I was put on all kinds of things which made me feel so bad I stopped them cold turkey within maybe 3 or 4 weeks, thank goodness. since then I've known these pills were terrible and I weaned down the Lexapro with zero help or support over I'm not sure how many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Sassenach Posted September 18, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 18, 2019 Hi Brass I obviously do not come here frequently enough. I did not know you were having a wobble, but really happy to see to see you back on form. Escitalopram 10mgs from mid 2007 ( can't remember exact date) to 11th Dec 2018 Fentanyl patches ( don't remember dose ) from Nov 2014 to 11 Dec 2018 Quit both cold turkey Dec 2018 Reinstated 3rd March 2019 2.5 mgs. Updosed 8March to 5mgs and holding 25/11/19 Started taper 4.5mgs and holding This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner If you are going through Hell, keep going. NCIS series 15, David MaCallum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 4, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 4, 2019 Well it looks like the wave didn't develop. Just had a couple of rough days that seem to have been situational. Having to move carefully for a while. I've had an ongoing problem with my back for many years. The main muscle up the right side has taken a real beating all my working life, being right handed and doing a lot of heavy lifting , stirring thick/stiff materials and spreading them out and the like have take a tole on my entire right side. Much of my shoulder problems and pain in my hand are due to the years of abuse. From time to time my back says enough is enough and the muscle spasms and that time is now. If I move very carefully I can get some work done, trying to set up the Halloween Haunt, but have to really pay attention or I will pay the price for several hours. Arnica gel, heat packs, gentle stretching and my recliner really help. It's been a couple of days without a bad flair up so things seem to be working. Just wanted to note that I had two visual migraines in my sleep the other night. Didn't see them in my dreams but when I woke up enough to roll over there they were. 1 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 11, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 11, 2019 Here is an excellent translation of the description for the Brassmonkey Slide in French: la méthode de base Brassmonkey Slide consiste en quatre (4) réductions hebdomadaires de 2,5% consécutives avec une période supplémentaire de deux (2) semaines. Cela donne une réduction totale de 10% sur six (6) semaines. Bien que ce ne soit pas le plan de réduction standard, il est très proche. La suspension de deux (2) semaines supplémentaires est très nécessaire pour laisser les effets cumulatifs des quatre (4) réductions s'installer et les choses revenir à leur niveau de base avant de tenter la réduction suivante. Ainsi, le calendrier de réduction ressemble à ceci: Semaine 1 réduire 2,5% Semaine 2 réduire un supplément de 2,5% (pour un total de 5%) Semaine 3 réduire un supplément de 2,5% (pour un total de 7,5%) Semaine 4 réduire un supplément de 2,5% (pour un total de 10%) Semaines 5,6 Tenir au dernier niveau de réduction 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 11, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 11, 2019 I've written another description of how the Brassmonkey Slide works and want to post it here for future reference: The Brassmonkey Slide Method is designed to provide a large reduction in medication as quickly as possible while keeping the symptoms associated with the reduction to a minimum. It has been found that a reduction of 10% of the previous dose is about the biggest reduction a person can make without causing major symptoms. There will be some, but they are a lot worse if a person does a bigger reduction. We have also found that the fastest a persons brain can accept that reduction is four (4) weeks. If you go faster then the symptoms build up and cause a major outbreak of severe symptoms that can take a very long time to resolve. That is why the recommended taper that SA provides is 10% every four (4) weeks. The big drawback is that reducing 10% all at once causes a very large shock of symptoms a few days later. The idea behind the Brassmonkey Slide Method is to spread that shock out over several weeks by doing four (4) smaller reductions on successive weeks until the desired amount has been decreased. The 10% reduction is divided into four (4) parts and a new part is added each week. So you start by reducing 2.5% the first week, 5% the second, 7.5% the third and finally 10% on the fourth week. Because the symptoms don't fully resolve two (2) more weeks are added at the 10% level to let that happen. It doesn't have to be a 10% reduction, any percentage can be used. It just shouldn't be larger than 10%. It is quite common for people to use a total reduction of 5%, or even as small as 1%. It depends on how comfortable people are with the resulting symptoms. However, decreasing the percentage will increase the time it takes to completely get off of the drug. So a 5% reduction will take twice as long as a 10% reduction and a 2.5% reduction will take four (4) times as long. For a time reference the standard 10% Brassmonkey Slide Method has a half life of nine (9) months. This means that if you are currently taking 10mgai for your dose, in nine (9) months you will be taking 5mgai and in a year and a half (18 months) you would be taking 2.5mgai and so on. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InChristAlone Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Hey Brass, I have read so much of your stuff, and I truly appreciate your insights and the motivation you have provided me. My vision has been bother me since I went into poopout on Lexapro almost 2 years ago. I’ve seen where you described it as grainy vision. I describe my vision as almost like I’m looking through a screen door or watching old school color tv. Is that similar to what you call grainy vision? Just curious. I’m fairly certain my vision is withdrawal related, but you know how the mind likes to play games. I’m hoping at some point in the future to have my vision return to somewhat normal. Thanks! It’s awesome to see you still doing well! 1 Nexium and other PPIs: 1997-2019. Currently Nexium 20mg, 4/22 - 17.5mg Lexapro: 2003-2018 back and forth between 20mg and 10mg. June 2018 CT. Luvox for a few weeks, then Reinstated Lexapro 20mg. April 2018 quit Lexapro CT. Buspirone: 2013-2017 10mg on and off. Zyrtec: 2016 Stopped April 2022. Effexor XR: August 2018-150mg. Sept. 2019-139 mg. Oct. 2019-122mg Dec 2019-112mg Feb. 2020-101mg Apr 2020-93mg May 2020-75mg Aug 2020-66mg Sept 2020-53mg Nov 2020-37.5mg 12/14/20-20mg 1/18/21-12mg 2/15/21-7mg/19 beads 8/23/21-6.3mg/16 beads 4/5/22 UPDOSE-7mg Klonopin: August 2018 2mg daily. April 2019 began taper. June 2019 .25mg. Sept. 2019. 0.2mg. 3/17/22 UPDOSE-0.3mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 17, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 17, 2019 Hi ICA-- Yea, that would describe it pretty well. Vision problems seem to be pretty common for people in ADWD, but they seem t clear up as the dose is tapered. Mine has been pretty normal since I made the jump. Now all I am fighting is age related problems, have to use reading glasses for anything up close and have a few floaters, but that's pretty common for most people. Ah the tricks our minds like to play on us, especially on things that are really important to us, like our vision. Things will get better. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InChristAlone Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Thank you so much for your response! Nexium and other PPIs: 1997-2019. Currently Nexium 20mg, 4/22 - 17.5mg Lexapro: 2003-2018 back and forth between 20mg and 10mg. June 2018 CT. Luvox for a few weeks, then Reinstated Lexapro 20mg. April 2018 quit Lexapro CT. Buspirone: 2013-2017 10mg on and off. Zyrtec: 2016 Stopped April 2022. Effexor XR: August 2018-150mg. Sept. 2019-139 mg. Oct. 2019-122mg Dec 2019-112mg Feb. 2020-101mg Apr 2020-93mg May 2020-75mg Aug 2020-66mg Sept 2020-53mg Nov 2020-37.5mg 12/14/20-20mg 1/18/21-12mg 2/15/21-7mg/19 beads 8/23/21-6.3mg/16 beads 4/5/22 UPDOSE-7mg Klonopin: August 2018 2mg daily. April 2019 began taper. June 2019 .25mg. Sept. 2019. 0.2mg. 3/17/22 UPDOSE-0.3mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 18, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 18, 2019 I was planning of posting this last Wednesday but things have just been too busy and I overlooked the day. As of the 15th I have been drug free for two and a half years. I know this thread started a year and a half ago, but that is because I waited a year before declaring a success story. It even confuses me to look at the dates, but yes it's two and a half years. ADWD is pretty much in the past now, there may be some lingering symptoms but I can't tell them from the fatigue and body pain caused by the arthritis and muscle spasms. I've lead a very physical work life and it has taken a real toll on my body. Since my retirement several years ago my muscles have slowly been sorting them selves out and relaxing from the abuse of working. It is a long slow process but is progressing. The physical damage that has caused arthritis in my hands and shoulders is another story and will probably call for a more physical intervention. It's time to start working with the doctors to sort that out. I'm not at all excited by the prospect of shoulder surgery but it will probably come to that. Any way this post was to let people know that it's been a while since I stopped all my meds and life is going quite well. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 19, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 19, 2019 Just for my records I was hit with a visual migraine last night about 2am. Pretty typical except that it progressed to the left and was more "sparkly" than usual. Now at 11am I'm getting hit with another, this time progressing to the right. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Happy2Heal Posted October 19, 2019 Mentor Share Posted October 19, 2019 23 hours ago, brassmonkey said: was planning of posting this last Wednesday but things have just been too busy and I overlooked the day. As of the 15th I have been drug free for two and a half years. congratulations Tom! it's so good that you are continuing to post, it's helpful for a lot of folks I"m sure but esp helpful to me, so I've very grateful that you take the time to keep checking in. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME PRIVATE MESSAGES, thank you. pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until Sept, then acute WD hit!! reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106 Tapered off to zero by Oct. 2017 Doing very well. Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content PRESENT DAYS: Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Happy2Heal Posted October 19, 2019 Mentor Share Posted October 19, 2019 33 minutes ago, brassmonkey said: Just for my records I was hit with a visual migraine last night about 2am. Pretty typical except that it progressed to the left and was more "sparkly" than usual. Now at 11am I'm getting hit with another, this time progressing to the right. just curious, did you have visual migraines before taking paxil? was this a symptom you had during WD? or is this a totally new thing for you? PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME PRIVATE MESSAGES, thank you. pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until Sept, then acute WD hit!! reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106 Tapered off to zero by Oct. 2017 Doing very well. Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content PRESENT DAYS: Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 20, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 20, 2019 I can still remember having my first one in 7th grade while sitting in World History Class. My second one was a few years later. I didn't have any more until I was well into poopout on 40mgai paxil. Then I got one and again six months later. They started happening more frequently while I was tapering and even more so since I've been drug free. Now I seem to be getting two or three over a couple of days period every few months. The time line makes you wonder. For most of my life I've gotten regular migraine headaches that were just killer. I seemed to grow out of them in my mid 50s and have only had a few mild ones since. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longroadhome Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 12 hours ago, brassmonkey said: I can still remember having my first one in 7th grade while sitting in World History Class. My second one was a few years later. I didn't have any more until I was well into poopout on 40mgai paxil. Then I got one and again six months later. They started happening more frequently while I was tapering and even more so since I've been drug free. Now I seem to be getting two or three over a couple of days period every few months. The time line makes you wonder. For most of my life I've gotten regular migraine headaches that were just killer. I seemed to grow out of them in my mid 50s and have only had a few mild ones since. You say the time line makes you wonder what do you mean ? Nov 2018 Pregabalin 2x50 mg a day to help with Paxil WD. Aug 2019 2 x 25mg a day, April 2020 45mg, May 40mg, June 35mg, July 30mg, end July 25mg, Aug 24mg, June 2021 14mg, Jan 2022 14mg (2x7mg a day), Oct 10mg, Nov 5mg, December 25th 2022 0mg 🎈 Oct 2004 - Oct 2018 Paxil 20 mg, Nov 15mg, Dec 10mg, Feb 2019 7.5mg crashed, Feb 8.5mg, Nov 8mg, March 2020 7.2mg, April 6.5mg, May 5.9mg, June 5.4mg, July 4.8mg, Dec 4.5mg, Jan 2021 4mg, Feb 3.6mg, March 3.2mg, April 2.9mg, Aug 2.7mg, Sept 2.4mg, Oct 2.2mg, Nov 2mg, Dec 1.8mg, Feb 2022 1.6mg, March 1.4mg, April 1.2mg, May 1.0mg, June 0.8mg, July 0.6mg, Aug 0.4mg, Sep 0.2mg, October 6th 2022 0mg 🎈 December 25th 2022 drug free these dates are approximate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matti Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Hello Brassmonkey. I wish you patience and strength dealing with the physical issues. I've worked a few years as a shipbuilder. Doing that kind of work year after year can really wear you down. 2014 June. Citalopram 30mg, Seroquel 25mg. 2016 sept. quit seroquel 25mg fast taper, citalopram 20mg 2017 July citalopram drop to 10mg 2018 March - 2019 July 15th gradual taper to 1.52mg 2019 July 22nd - 24th 5mg. July 25th 4mg. 2019 November updose Citalopram to 5mg. 2020 May updose Citalopram to 10mg. Magnesium 200mg nightly. Fish oil: teaspoon every night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 20, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted October 20, 2019 The increase in visual migraines correlates with the time I was taking the highest dose of paxil and continues on through out my taper and has increased even more since I stopped taking the drug. Correlation doesn't prove causality but it does make me wonder if things are related. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulietta Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Hello BrassMonkey, Hope all is well. I am stuck with counting 2 beads from an average number of beads per capsule. I don't know if I will get a consistent dose. Would you mind advising please? I also copied to Gridley. Thanks, Just now, Guilietta said: @Gridley@brassmonkey Need your advice please on beads.... Hi Gridley and BrassMonkey Today is to be my first day of taking beads (.4 mg - what is 2 beads)! I am stuck because while I calculated an average of 100 beads per capsule in December - when 5% of an average 100 beads had less of an impact. However - now that I am down to 2 beads (.4 mg) of 100 beads - what impact does this have on my daily dose? If (likely with) the amount of beads varying from capsule to capsule - even from 100 to 105 to 108 (hypotehtically speaking) - would the difference of a single bead be significant? (I would think that my daily dose could vary from .4 mg to .6 to .8. in such an instance). 😕 What do I do? 🤔 Thanks Giuilietta p.s. The SERT occupancy for cymbalta is about 30% for cymbalta at (<0-5 ng/ml). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted November 19, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted November 19, 2019 On the road again. Catching a plane tomorrow evening, will be on the down-low for three weeks. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick1990 Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Have fun bro ! Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted January 3, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted January 3, 2020 Just posted this on another thread and wanted to keep a copy here: Trying to differentiate between symptoms, their cause and effect is a form of Emotional Spiral Thinking and will lead to an increase in symptoms. Paying undue attention to a situation gives it power over you and increases its importance out or proportion. The majority of ADWD symptoms are due to the affects of the drug on the body and nervous system, and as long as the drug is present in any amount they will continue to happen to some degree and when ever they feel like it. This is why we stress the use of AAF and CBT. Over analyzing and over thinking symptoms is a very good way to derail ones recovery/healing. Yes, the symptoms need to be acknowledged and paid attention too, because they do effect how one is able to deal with life. But, symptoms, their why and wherefore, are not the be all, end all of WD. Rather they are something that has to be put up with and worked around, distracted from and put in their place so one can get on with the task of putting their life back together. In an acute wave the symptoms will take priority because there are more of them to deal with and that dealing will take more time than usual. But once the acute phase has passed it is best to breath a sigh of relief and say "that's over, and I made it through, now to get on with it". When it happens again, then it' s a matter of "been there, done that, survived and moved on". There is a check list of several hundred symptoms associated with ADWD and we are adding to it all the time. To try and correlate what you were feeling five minutes ago and and what you are feeling now is pretty much pointless. It will all change in another five minutes and you have very little control over it, but you do have control over how you react to it. It is better to spent the limited energy available concentrating on the positive and enjoying the moment then to be dragged down in a spiral of confusion and despair. Yes, even in the midst of an acute wave, there are positive and beautiful things happening to and all around you, but a person has to make the decision and put in the effort to see, acknowledge and appreciate them. 2 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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