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928heidi: coming off 4 psych meds


928heidi

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Posted

I have been on psych meds since I was 12 years old.  I am 39 now.  Last July, they added Wellebutrin to me to help with lessening depression.  I started having emotional contractions and severe emotional pain.  My psychiatrist finally said after being in his office nearly weekly with continued bad reaction and severe depression that he would like to take me off antidepressants .  I quit my job and he said that he would go cold turkey on the Wellebutrin because of all of the bad side effects and that it would be distressing.  I slowly tapered off and had little problems.  We decided to do Risperdal 2 mg next and I had been on it since I was 21.  I tapered by .5 mg and was bedridden for about a week each time and sick feeling but in between felt better than ever.  I went down to .5 was in bed for a week and decided to go down to nothing a week later, without the 3 weeks in between.  I could not get out of bed at all, was throwing up and felt no life, except for desperation.  I found this site and decided to go back to .5 tonight and wait another 3 weeks in between as I don't want to do irrefutable damage.  Glad I have found the site as I am feeling extremely hopeless.  Loss of any passion, love, caring, anything but bedridden and extreme exhaustion.  I hate reading that peoples Drs believe there is no withdrawal and hate that none of my Drs over several decades have ever told me of the harm that these drugs do.  I don't know if I am the type of person that can live through months and years of withdrawals.  Life becomes wasteful.  Hopefully I will find some inspiration as well as feel connection and support through this living hell.

  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

Hello, 928heidi and welcome to SA.

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.  Please include the dates of your Wellbutrin CT and when you started the Risperdal taper.
 
 
We recommend tapering no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.  Some have to go slower.  Your taper of Risperdal was 25%, accounting for the withdrawal symptoms you've been experiencing.  These links will give you an understanding of why we recommend a slow taper:
 

Tips for tapering off Risperdal (risperidone)

 

The symptom you describe are known and acknowledged as common in withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. Please read:
 
 
 

You wrote that you planned to reinstate .5mg Risperal tonight.  This should help to reduce your withdrawal symptoms.  It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  It may take some weeks or months for your nervous system to settle down, so I would continue to hold at .5 mg until you stabilize and not reduce after three weeks as you planned.  Here is some information on reinstatement.

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic
 
We recommend tapering only one drug at a time, with a rest period of at least three months between tapers.  Generally, we suggest tapering the more activating (stimulating) drugs first, leaving the sedating drugs to act as a buffer until you're ready to taper off them.  Once you've completed your signature, we will be in a better position to advise you.
 
This is your introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.  I hope you’ll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation.  I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but I am glad that you found us.

 
 
 
 

 

 

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 Oct 15: 3.2mg

Taper is 96% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotic, zinc, melatonin .3mg, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase, L-Glutamine, milk thistle, choline


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. It is information based on my own experience as well as that of other members who have survived these drugs.

Posted
13 hours ago, 928heidi said:

I have been on psych meds since I was 12 years old.  I am 39 now.  Last July, they added Wellebutrin to me to help with lessening depression.  I started having emotional contractions and severe emotional pain.  My psychiatrist finally said after being in his office nearly weekly with continued bad reaction and severe depression that he would like to take me off antidepressants .  I quit my job and he said that he would go cold turkey on the Wellebutrin because of all of the bad side effects and that it would be distressing.  I slowly tapered off and had little problems.  We decided to do Risperdal 2 mg next and I had been on it since I was 21.  I tapered by .5 mg and was bedridden for about a week each time and sick feeling but in between felt better than ever.  I went down to .5 was in bed for a week and decided to go down to nothing a week later, without the 3 weeks in between.  I could not get out of bed at all, was throwing up and felt no life, except for desperation.  I found this site and decided to go back to .5 tonight and wait another 3 weeks in between as I don't want to do irrefutable damage.  Glad I have found the site as I am feeling extremely hopeless.  Loss of any passion, love, caring, anything but bedridden and extreme exhaustion.  I hate reading that peoples Drs believe there is no withdrawal and hate that none of my Drs over several decades have ever told me of the harm that these drugs do.  I don't know if I am the type of person that can live through months and years of withdrawals.  Life becomes wasteful.  Hopefully I will find some inspiration as well as feel connection and support through this living hell.

 

Sorry you are going through this, just thought would let you know that I also was on 4 psych drugs at the same time for around 15 years and felt hopeless with many failed tapers, finally managed to get off them and now after 2 years in withdrawal feel great and back to normal,

 

hope this gives you hope that it can be done

2001 - 2005 prozac,  2001 - 2017 various benzos, mainly diazapem and zanex,  2002 - 2017 olanzapine or seroquel,  2002 -2017 propanolol, 2005 - 2009 venlafaxine 75mg , forced to go cold turkey off venlafaxine as moved Thailand, doctor cut me off and couldn't get it there, severely ill for over 2 years, countered withdrawals with more zanex and seroquel

2014 returned to UK, mainly to get treatment getting off meds

doctor advised to taper seroquel over a few weeks, severely ill and bed bed-bound so reinstated it, 2015 tapered seroquel myself slower over a few months, was off it 2 months and was too ill so went on olanzapine, became zombie and too tired to get out of bed, went back on seroquel, very depressed so went back on venlafaxine, didnt work  so doctor swapped to zoloft became very agitated so back on venlafaxine

June 2016 - felt strong enough to begin tapering again, started what I thought was a slow taper of all meds,  2016 July Not had any alcoholic drink since this date, 

2016 October completely off diazepem, 2017 Feb completely off seroquel, 2017 March completely off proponanlol, 2017 April (day before birthday) completely off venlafaxine, OFF ALL MEDS 11/4/2017, was fine for nearly 3 months and then delayed withdrawal hit,

supplements taking: turmeric capsules, NiaCel (nicotinamide riboside), Vit B12 sublingual, Vit B3, Vit B6, Vit B1, apple cider vinegar, manuka umf 10 honey, camu camu powder,  melatonin when needed, epsom salt baths, juices, smoothies, 

Intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15175-dj2010-off-all-meds-for-3-months-and-been-fine-now-bad-insomnia/

  • ChessieCat changed the title to 928heidi: coming off 4 psych meds

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