BBS01 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I have been on antidepressants for 15 years. I done ok for years. February of 2017 I had a major breakdown. Anxiety through the roof. Pacing in yard, couldn’t lie down. I was started on Effexor xl and Klonopin. This was a slow go of going up on the Effexor. I got up to 150 mg on the Effexor and I didn’t take Klonopin unless I had to. In March I had to have a sleep study and Dr wanted me off the Effexor. Well I got down to 37.5 but couldn’t stop due to anxiety being so bad. I went back up to 75 mg and had sleep study,. I was doing good on the 75 mg and did not want to go back up. In May I had a break through panic attack. My panic attacks don’t last hours they last days. I went back to my Dr. she wanted me to wean back down to Effexor 37.5 mg for 2 months. Then the second month start Zoloft 50mg. So I have been off Effexor for 3 weeks and on Zoloft 50mg and Klonopin. 5mg twice a day. At the start of this week 6-15-19. I woke up anxious, mind racing. Agitated, irritable and feel like I have electricity going through my body, shaking. I call Dr she increase my Zoloft to 75mg. I ask if it could be Effexor she said no. By the weekend I was over the edge. Crying and beyond miserable. So I took a 37.5 Effexor I had left over and it helped. Today all I had was a 150 mg Effexor. I poured out half the beads an took it. I still feel like I have a electric charge and anxious but not as bad as it has been. I’m so tired of Effexor and what it has done to me. I don’t want to go back on it but I cannot work or function daily when I feel anxious, irritated, agitated, sensitive to light and sounds. Please help. Why does my Dr not think this is from the Effexor? 2004 started on Prozac not sure of the dosage now. It wasn’t helping so I was switched to Zoloft 50mg once a day. I stayed on it for 2-4 years. Next Paxil 40 mg once a day until February 2017 when I was placed on Effexor xl 37.5 once a day slowly went up to 150 mg. For the sleep study weaned down to 37.5 started having increase in anxiety. So I went back up to 75 mg an stayed on that until May when I went back down to 37.5 mg along with Klonopin. In June doctor added Zoloft 50mg along with Effexor xl 37.5mg. First of July I finished last of Effexor 37.5 and continued with Zoloft 50mg and Klonopin.05mg twice a day. At first I could handle all the symptoms. 2nd week worse but could get up and go to work. 3rd week I was in full blown melt down. I had one 37.5 Effexor xl and took it Saturday. Sunday through Wednesday all I had was a 150mg Effexor so I pulled it apart and measured out in a syringe. The 150mg filled up to 5ml on syringe so I dumped out most of the beads and only put back 2ml of the beads in capsule. So I’m not sure how much I was taking. Today 7-24-19 I got 75 mg Effexor xl to start back on. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Dejavu Posted July 21, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 21, 2019 Hi BBS01, and welcome to SA. You will find a great deal of information and support here. This is your intro topic. You will post all information and questions about your personal journey here. First things first: can you please complete and post your drug signature? Please include all drugs you have taken in the past two years, as well as dates and dosages. Do not include symptoms or diagnoses. This signature will appear at the bottom of each future post you make, so that the mods, mentors and members can see your entire history at a glance, and will be better able to help you. Below is a link to adding your signature: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/settings/signature/ I am glad you found us before going any further down the polydrugging path. Most doctors know little about psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome. The information they do have was given them by the drug companies themselves, which is why adverse reactions and withdrawal symptoms are not widely recognized. Because of this, many doctors try to "cover" withdrawal from one drug by prescribing another, which often does not work. Withdrawal symptoms are often misdiagnosed as a recurrence of your original condition, which results in - of course - still more meds. Your breakdown in 2017 may well have been tachyphalaxis, or what we call "poop out" of your antidepressant. Here is a link on that: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/17909-are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take/?do=findComment&comment=354114 As far as your current situation is concerned, it sounds like you are in withdrawal from effexor that the zoloft isn't covering. This is evident by the fact that you felt a bit better after a reinstatement of effexor. However, I'm not clear about how much you took. 75 mg, perhaps? We need to see your drug signature before we can make any suggestions for you going forward. It may be that 75 mg is too high a reinstatement dose. People often find that a tiny dose is all they need to mitigate their symptoms. https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/ After you have the the links above and created your signature, we will be able to fully assess your situation and make suggestions. You will heal, but it will take some time, patience and self-care. More on that later. For now, welcome again to SA. You are among friends here who understand what you're going through. 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
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