Loutru: Constant dizziness, weaned too fast and now reinstatement. Help please!

[Loutru]

Hi all. I am new to this site but I am desperate for advice. 
my history:

I have been on various antidepressants for 10 years (sertraline then escitalopram then venlafaxine).

 

I was on 150mg venlafaxine for about 2 years. I wanted to wean off last April to start a family. On the advice of GP, I went from 150 to 75, waited a month, then to 37.5, waited a month, then every other day, waited a month, then stopped completely. I had no symptoms whatsoever until I started taking the 37.5 every other day, after about 2 weeks I had extreme nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and non stop dizziness. This went on for about 8 weeks, when the symptoms settled down apart from the dizziness.

 

The GP at the time diagnosed me with labyrinthitis and prescribed prochlorperazine/betahistine both which did not help. It was only a few months after that I put it together and realised it could be withdrawal. I had never heard of this at all before so was very naive. I decided to wait a while to see if the dizziness would subside too.

 

However, 6 months on, it had not. I decided to reinstate at a small dose (3mg twice a day, crushed tablets) but saw no improvement. I went up to 6mg, then 12 and then back on the 37.5mg. I have been on 37.5 for just over a week now, but I’ve had no improvement and no worsening symptoms either. Throughout this long time, the dizziness is like a thickness in my brain, giddiness, drunk-like feeling and a bit like I have water in my head. I am desperate to find a way to stop it, it is 24/7 and I haven’t had a break from it for 7 months.

 

I’m at the end of my ability to cope with this, and not being able to start a family is breaking my heart. Please any advice welcome, I don’t know how long I should continue using the 37.5mg, if I should wean off, if I should increase. During all this time, the GP and ENT are still convinced it was a vestibular episode and I am receiving vestibular rehabilitation just in case they are correct. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by manymoretodays
spacing for readability, tags

[Erell]

Hello 

 

And welcome on SA. 

 

This site is run entirely by volunteer Administrators and Moderators, all have been through or going through withdrawal.

There are no commercial interests or influences  involved.

 

--》 I understand that you've given the infos above but could you please create a drug signature ? Please include drugs, dates, discontinuations. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can, and allow us to see your history at a glance.
 

This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

And I'm really sorry for what you've been through : unfortunately doctors don't seem to realise how powerfull these drugs can be, and don't recognise withdrawal syndrome.

 

You are describing common withdrawal symptoms from a very fast taper.

We usually recommend very slow tapers with no more than 10% drops every four weeks. We also advise to never skip a dose to taper a psychdrug.

This might help you understand what is happening :

 

 

  On 8/30/2011 at 9:28 PM, Rhiannon :

"When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long."

 

-> Do you have other withdrawal symptoms apart from dizziness ?

You might be interested by this thread : 

dizziness-vertigo-light-headedness-rocking-or-swaying-sensations

 

On 2/28/2021 at 9:28 PM, Loutru said:

During all this time, the GP and ENT are still convinced it was a vestibular episode and I am receiving vestibular rehabilitation just in case they are correct. 

 

It could be interesting to show this leaflet to your GP : the Royal College of Psychiatry (UK) recently released new guidance on stopping antidepressants and recognised withdrawal symptoms : 

royal-college-releases-new-guidance-on-stopping-antidepressants

 

-> Are you taking supplements ?
 

Many people find fish oil and magnesium supplements helpful, see

king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil

magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker

 

You might try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

>>> Please let us know the detailed dates of your taper and your reinstatement/updose so we get a better idea of your situation and your options.

Again, welcome  

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by Erell

[Loutru]

Thanks for such a detailed response. 
 

Vitamin d at the moment. I tried omega 3 and probiotics for a few months but didn’t see any change in taking them. 

details of taper/reinstatement:

May 2020 went from 150mg to 75mg for 1 month

June 2020 halved from 75mg to 37.5mg for 1 month

July 2020 cut to 37.5 every other day. Symptoms started 2 weeks after this. Nausea, dizziness, stomach cramps, diarrhoea. 
August 2020: stopped completely 
I had about 5 days of completely back to normal, no dizziness at all. and then about 2 weeks after stopping completely the dizziness came back. Since then I have been dizzy 24/7. Nothing changes it or helps. 

decided to reinstate in Jan. crushed tablets and took 3mg every 12 hours for 2 weeks. No change. Upped to 6mg for 2 weeks and then 12mg. Finally to 37.5mg every 24h. Have been taking 37.5mg every day for a week and a half. 
 

Throughout reinstatement have seen no improvement or worsening of symptoms.

[RusTW]

How are u?

[Loutru]

To be honest, the same I have been for months! Just constantly dizzy 24/7 and nothing else. Feel like my brain is sloshing around in water constantly. 
 

really frightened it will never go away. Scared I’ve damaged something in my brain 😥

[Altostrata]

Hello, you're taking venlafaxine XL, correct? 37.5mg has had no effect after a week?

[Loutru]

Yes correct @Altostratano effect at all 

[Altostrata]

On 2/28/2021 at 12:28 PM, Loutru said:

I had no symptoms whatsoever until I started taking the 37.5 every other day, after about 2 weeks I had extreme nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and non stop dizziness. This went on for about 8 weeks, when the symptoms settled down apart from the dizziness.

 

Taking an antidepressant every other day can be very destabilizing to your nervous system. Dizziness is a very common withdrawal symptom.

 

I suppose you might try a little more, how about adding 10 beads from a capsule to the 37.5mg? You'll want to put the 10 beads in another gelatin capsule. This is to see if a little more might help without leaping to 75mg.

 

Many people find these to be helpful:

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

You might try a low dose of one at a time to see what it does for you. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Loutru]

48 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

 

Taking an antidepressant every other day can be very destabilizing to your nervous system. Dizziness is a very common withdrawal symptom.

 

I suppose you might try a little more, how about adding 10 beads from a capsule to the 37.5mg? You'll want to put the 10 beads in another gelatin capsule. This is to see if a little more might help without leaping to 75mg.

 

Many people find these to be helpful:

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

You might try a low dose of one at a time to see what it does for you. Please let us know how you're doing.

Yes unfortunately I know that now but GP apparently didn’t  

 

 

thank you! Do you think it’s worth upping again so quickly? Or would it be better to keep at this dose for a few months to see if it slowly improves?

 

 

Thanks! 

[Altostrata]

Usually when someone reinstates we see maybe a slight improvement fairly quickly. In these situations, they probably will continue to improve over some weeks or months.

 

You might try another week at 37.5mg, please let us know how you're doing.

 

With no improvement, it's hard to tell what's going on. Could be you need more of the drug, or it could be reinstatement isn't going to help. Taking a little bit more as a probe can help show what direction to go.

[Loutru]

@Altostrataif the drug doesn’t help does that mean I’m just like this for life now? 😥 idk I mean, I’m heartbroken, I came off so we could start a family and now I’m back on and so ill with no end in sight it feels like kids can’t even be an option anymore. 
 

the other thing to note is that if tablets aren’t helping could it be that coming off has triggered a vestibular issue? ENT have put this all down to labyrinthitis and PPPD and I don’t know if maybe there is some correlation where the tablet has actually caused some sort of inner ear problem. 

[Altostrata]

Dizziness is a very common symptom from coming off the drugs. Did any of your doctors know a bean about withdrawal syndrome?

 

Most likely, you will very gradually recover from your drug mishaps. We cannot predict how long this will take.

 

You will need to stop worrying and blaming yourself because you're in a rough patch right now. Have you tried magnesium and fish oil?

[Loutru]

@Altostrata no doctors knew anything about the withdrawal, they are all convinced it’s vestibular. even when I spoke to a psychiatrist multiple times they said the dizziness would go within 12 weeks and I’d be fine. 
 

do you know at all how long it takes to recover? It has been 7 months and no improvement. I’m so scared. 
 

I’ve tried fish oil but not magnesium. Didn’t see any improvement but I will try again. Is there any specific type of magnesium/fish oil/ probiotic that is recommended? 
 

also how much do you think I should increase to as a maximum? 

[Altostrata]

Yes, we know doctors aren't much help. That's why this site exists.

 

I cannot predict when your symptoms will clear up.

 

Read these topics

 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

The staff will give you topics to read so we don't have to explain the same things over and over to new members. Please read them.