Sionevear: three months off Ciprelex, tired and have joint pain, but I think I'm doing okay

[Sionevar]

Call me Sionevar. I'm 45, female, married, no kids.

 

My doctor prescribed 5mg daily of Ciprelex in January 2016 to help me cope with severe stress and anxiety triggered by work and some medical issues. I left the job, got some counselling to help with stress. An operation in March 2016 fixed the medical problem.

 

I started tapering my dose in January 2017. Four months on 2.5mg per day, then four months on 2.5mg every second day, then four months on 2.5mg every third day. My doc said this was fine.

 

In January 2018, I tapered down to 2.5mg every fourth day. On the 24th of March 2018, with my doc's approval, I stopped taking my pills.

 

So far, it's been okay. I had insomnia and restless limbs for the first couple of weeks. I have good days and bad days, but no more so than when I was on the drug. Some days, it's a struggle to summon the energy or enthusiasm to do anything. Some days, I feel like I could take on the whole world and win. Most days, I'm on a pretty stable middle ground.

 

I still have occasional moments of anxiety, but I think just normal anxiety caused by general life problems - nothing like what I experienced when my doc initially put me on meds. I'm actually super-anxious right now, after reading the essay on withdrawal, and worrying that cutting out my drug completely was the wrong way to go, even though my doc said it was fine.

 

Have I just made the worst mistake of my life? 

 

For the last month or so, I've had a lot of joint pain, especially in hips and knees, and even gentle exercise like walking tires me out. I've always had sore joints, but this is worse. Could this be a withdrawal thing? I'm back in full-time work, and it has been very busy recently due to staff shortages, which I know doesn't help. I think I'm also hitting the menopause, which might be a contributing factor.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Sionevar.

 

Skipping doses is not a good way to taper, but it's possible you'll get away with it. You did have acute withdrawal, but your current symptom pattern sounds tolerable.

 

Be aware that your nervous system has been through a stressful time; I would baby it for the next 6 months to a year. Be sure to keep a regular bedtime and waking schedule, eat healthy food, minimize stress. I would also avoid alcohol.

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

A lot of people find them helpful. Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

Magnesium in particular can help with "restless legs" at night.

 

If you find your symptoms get worse, you might consider reinstatement of a tiny amount of the drug, such as 0.5mg. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Sionevar]

Hi Altostrata, thank you for the fish oil advice - I will definitely give that a try. Omega 3's are supposed to be good for the brain, so it makes a lot of sense.

 

I've been dealing with restless legs for a long, long time (everyone in my family has them), so that hasn't bothered me too much. It was just a little worse for a week or so after I came off, but now it's back to normal, or at least what's normal for me 🙂 But I may try a magnesium supplement anyway - it can't do any harm, especially given what age I am.

 

I go through phases of sleeping really well, then phases of not getting to sleep for hours, but again - that's something I've always had, even before I started taking ADs. I make a point of getting exercise on a regular basis. I find walking while listening to an interesting podcast, or going out for a fast bicycle ride is very helpful, and puts me in a great frame of mind for the rest of the day.

 

I know I'm a long way from full recovery, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Every day, I take 15 minutes to stop and pay attention to the world around me, to notice how beautiful the weather is, to remember how much I love my husband, to remind myself I have worth as a person regardless of my mental health issues, and that it's okay to have emotions, to feel up one day and down the next. Meditation and breathing exercises have really helped me, but I know they're not for everyone. Friends and co-workers have been very supportive, which has made a huge difference.

 

You all have a good weekend, stay safe and well.

[connaught45]

I second the fish oils for the joint pain!

[Altostrata]

Thank you, Sionevar. You have a good attitude.

 

You might consider "unpatienting" yourself re mental illness. We're all "mentally ill."

[Carmie]

Hi Sionevear, 

 

How are you doing?💚

[Sionevar]

Hi Carmie,

 

I'm doing okay. Been off the Ciprelex for almost a year now. The joint pain seems to have been just an aging thing, and not related to my meds. Emotionally, I still have good days and bad days (doesn't everyone?), but it's pretty cyclical, and I'm peri-menopausal, so I keep reminding myself how much of a role hormones play in my emotional outlook 🙂 

 

I have tried to 'unpatient' myself as much as possible, but sometimes, it's easier said than done. Every time I have a bad day, and feel weepy or annoyed, people ask me if I should consider going back on my meds. Like I'm not allowed to feel annoyed without it being a mental health warning. That makes me doubt myself and question my decision all over again. It's a vicious circle - once you have been diagnosed as 'crazy', how do you prove to people you are not? 

 

I still have the occasional anxiety attack, but I have other strategies for dealing with them now.

 

So, in general, life is pretty good. You could probably put me in the 'success' column of stopping meds stories. I'm not back to being the 'me' I was before I started the meds, but that's okay. Even without mental health incidents, none of us stay the same forever. We all have to grow and move on.

 

Thank you for your kindness in asking. Hope you are doing okay as well.

[Carmie]

Hi Sionevear, 

 

Thanks for letting us know how you’re doing. I’m glad you’re doing okay. That’s quite an accomplishment being off your meds for a year now. You sound like you’re doing really well and on your way to healing, 

 

 Yes, having emotional days happens to everyone, not just people going through withdrawals. People aren’t “crazy” just because they’ve been on meds, but some people aren’t too understanding. I don’t have that problem with my friends, everyone has always been extremely supportive. I was originally put on and off a myriad of meds, it all started with chronic pain, which I don’t have now. 

 

Wishing you all the best in your continued recovery💚

[Carmie]

Because you're feeling better, I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering.

 

Please continue to let us know how you're doing. I hope you will add your story to our Recovery Success Stories eventually!