Mentor Popular Post DaBro Posted May 3, 2021 Mentor Popular Post Posted May 3, 2021 (edited) It’s time for me to write this. I’ve wanted to write it for a while and have often come close in the last few months, only to be hit with another short 1-2 day long wave. It’s been 2.5 years since I took my last dose of Sertraline and I am happy to say that after 2 years of horrible insomnia and the plethora of other physical and emotional WD symptoms we have to endure, I’ve slept well for 3 months straight and aside from minor tremors, tingling hands and what I can only describe as moderate nerve pain in my head 1 hour before bed and 1 hour after waking I feel pretty normal. I smile, I laugh, I cry. I enjoy the moment instead of living in an anxious world wondering if I will ever feel normal again. My story starts in early 2016. After a normal and happy life, I had a number of significant life challenges thrown at me in a very short period. I became anxious about my health and issues in work and sleep started to elude me. Eventually I became anxious about my sleep and we all know that makes sleep worse. Somehow I managed to keep going for 6 months on virtually no sleep before I blew a fuse and ended up off work, in bed with a prescription for Zoloft/Sertraline. I still remember my first dose. It made me feel much worse and made me not sleep at all. I was back at the doctor 2 or 3 times saying that this couldn’t be right and wondering if I’d ever sleep again. After about a month, the side effects subsided and sleep resumed, though I still felt very tired all the time and would often need a time out during the day and in the evening I would just curl up in a chair as talking to people, even my family, was too much for me. This went on for 2 years with some, but limited improvement. I was really questioning why I still felt so tired? Was it the Sertraline, was it that I was still in the job which had been part of the cause of my condition or had not sleeping for so long damaged my brain permanently? I had to do something and the smartest place to start seemed to be to stop the Sertraline. I didn’t like feeling reliant on a drug anyway and 2 years had passed and my sleep was good. At the time I was on 25mg and had been for several months. My GP said at that small of a dose it probably wasn’t doing anything anyway and was just a placebo and that I could just stop taking it. I ended up splitting tablets with my nails ‘roughly’ into quarters and had a couple of weeks at 12.5mg, then went to zero on November 1st 2018, so that I would be over the alleged 2 weeks ‘self limiting’ withdrawal effects well before Christmas. I remember immediately feeling sharper. The emotional numbing effect of the drug had gone and I felt great for a week. Perhaps this was my new beginning. Then about 1 week after stopping I had my first brain zap. I remember it well. I was driving and I felt something building in my head, right in the middle of my brain. The jolt was so strong I remember it to this day. It scared me. I didn’t know at the time but I was to have brain zaps, ripples & electric waves in my head for almost 2 years. My WD symptoms got worse over the first year. First was the insomnia. I hated that that had returned and considered going back on the Sertraline, but I chose to persevere. Then the nausea and fatigue got worse. I was excusing myself from social events and having tactical timeouts in advance of important events. My work suffered and I started being managed out of my job. What was going on? It was about this time that my wife discovered this website and I started reading stories and realised what was happening. I searched the recovery stories to figure out if I would recover and how long it would take. I’m sure we all have done that. My initial hope was 12-18 months. At 9 months post zero I left my job. For a month I felt reasonably OK but at 10 months I started feeling worse and worse. By month 12 I was bedridden, sweating, nauseous and emotionally very low. I’d get 1-5 day windows but waves lasted weeks. The worst one was around 10 weeks long at around 15 months post zero. I’d say my symptoms changed over time. Initially they were fatigue and nausea, this moved to sweating and tingling, then emotional with many flashbacks and much self-criticism and finally more nervous with tremors, shakes and voice loss. Tinnitus and Insomnia were present throughout, especially waking in the middle of the night for 2-3 hours. At 18 months things started to improve. My wife saw me laugh for the first time in ages, my kids said I was better company, I remember being able to cry again, I stopped being so self-absorbed and started being interested in others and the surroundings. At 2 years I started working again. That was tough, but over 3 months I got back to being able to work a full week. At 27 months I stopped taking Sleep aids and I’ve now gone over 100 days with good sleep. It’s now 30 months and the only thing I get is the odd tremor and head pain an hour before bed and an hour after waking. I can manage that and know it goes in an hour or so, though I suspect it may be a while. My tips are the same as everyone else’s: Be kind to yourself Accept your situation, stop looking for answers There’s no magic cure with diet, supplements or re-instatement Walk a lot Appreciate those who support you Finally a big thank you to all those who have provided help to me through chats on this forum or privately, to the administrators and to Alto for creating this forum back in the day. I wish you all patience and success in your WD journeys. ADMIN NOTE DaBro's Introductions topic is here: ?> Edited May 3, 2021 by Altostrata added admin note 18 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 3, 2021 Administrator Posted May 3, 2021 Very good to hear, @DaBro. Thanks so much for adding your success story here. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted.
Phoenixmama Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 Thanks for sharing your good news @DaBro success stories are what I’m surviving off of ❤️ 1 2021: started celexa 10mg feb 2nd feb 25th took my last 10g; feb 26th 5mg; feb 27th 5mg; feb 28th 2021 cold turkey currently taking mag
woody1981 Posted May 4, 2021 Posted May 4, 2021 @DaBro Congrats mate, Cheers for sharing your journey. These success stories keep me going and I’m sure it helps every one who reads them. 2009 - Paxil 20mg for GAD, OCD 2010 - straight swap to lexapro 10-20mg 2017 - straight swap to Prozac 20mg adverse reaction - developed tinnitus, insomnia, OCD, GAD symptoms, Reinstated lexapro 10mg symptoms improve. Slight tinnitus remains. Jan 2019 - Attempted “slower” taper for 3 months, med free for 11 weeks and felt ok. June 2019 - WD symptoms struck. Reinstated Lexapro 10mg Immediate adverse reaction July 2019-July 2020 multiple meds from psychiatrist inc: Diazepam 5mg for 12 weeks, lexapro up to 40mg for 12 weeks (tinnitus worsens, seizure type symptoms, intrusive thoughts etc) Effexor up to 150mg for 7-8 weeks, Zoloft up to 100mg for 12 weeks, Remeron 6 weeks, Paxil to 20mg for 12 weeks Quick taper CT Paxil in 4 weeks and drug free since July 19, 2020.
Mentor Hanna72 Posted May 4, 2021 Mentor Posted May 4, 2021 @DaBro Congratulations 👏 So happy for you. There is no stopping you now after surviving this, you can do anything. All the best to you 🙏 1999-2020 20 mg Paxil Bridged with Fluoxetine to help me get off Paxil. 2022 Fluoxetine 15 mg 12/12 14mg 27/12 13mg jan 12mg feb 11mg mars 10mg, 9 mg 8,5 mg 7.6mg 7.0 mg 6,3 mg 5,6 mg 5,0 mg 4,5 mg 4,0 mg 3.6mg 3,2 mg 2,9 mg 2,6 mg 2,3 mg 2,0 mg 1.8 mg 1,6mg 1,4 mg 1,2 mg, 1,0mg 0,9mg 0.8mg 0.7 mg 0.6mg 0.5 mg 0,4 mg 0.3 mg 0.2 mg 0.1 mg getting ready to jump off. I am not a medical professional nor is this a medical advice. I only talk from my own experience.
christianjw12 Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 Congratulations @DaBro, This is the beginning of a new life free of drugs and withdrawal. I celebrated one year off Lexapro just a few days ago but still in the withdrawal loop but I feel like I'm close to the end of the tunnel as well. 2 23rd of January 2020 - Started taking Lexapro at 5mg daily. 29th of January 2020 - Upped to 10mg of Lexapro daily. 9th of April 2020 - Reduced to 5mg of Lexapro daily. 23rd of April 2020 - Stopped Lexapro at 5mg daily. Withdrawal since ~
Malon Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 Congratulations and thank you for you sharing. Thats interesting I stopped the medication for same reason as you "why the hell I am so tired". Also, my first week after 0 was great but then the misery begun. I have some of the same smyptoms you had. E.g. Fatigue, partly extreme and sweating without reason. Recently, I had a severe wave at month 23 after zero and I am now in a window and it feels good, I feel alive and spiritually connected. I know maybe its just a windows, but it gives me hope. 3 AD since 2006 (16 years old). Prescribed on Citalopram, Fluoxetin(2x), Opipramol, Paroxetin. All with CT except Paroxetin (fast taper). Last medication was Paroxetin for 3 years. Tapered fast: - October 2018: 10mg -> 5mg - December 2018: 5mg -> 2,5mg - February 2019: 2,5mg -> 1,25mg - March 2019: 1,25mg -> 1 mgSince May 2019: 0 mg Supplements: - Omega 3 (2200mg EPA + DHA ) - Vitamin D 2000 i.u. and Vitamin K2 50 mcg - Vitamin B12 (100mcg) - Zinc (4 mg) - Magnesium-Bisglycinat (100mg elemantal Mg) 30 months off and improvements but still setbacks. Link to my introduction: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/21876-malon-14-years-of-ssri-since-youth-last-was-paroxetin/?tab=comments#comment-486450
mva96 Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 Heartfelt congratulations Dabro! I've been following your topic and admire you general attitude and perseverance. Started Lexapro 5mg Mid March 2020 Came off Completely September 2020 Hospitalised september 2021 Slowly worked up to 50mg lamictal and 60mg Prozac reduced to 20mg Prozac September 2021 Holding 20mg Prozac and 50mg Lamictal for a good while to stabilise. November 2021
Mentor DaBro Posted May 5, 2021 Author Mentor Posted May 5, 2021 4 hours ago, Malon said: Congratulations and thank you for you sharing. Thats interesting I stopped the medication for same reason as you "why the hell I am so tired". Also, my first week after 0 was great but then the misery begun. I have some of the same smyptoms you had. E.g. Fatigue, partly extreme and sweating without reason. Recently, I had a severe wave at month 23 after zero and I am now in a window and it feels good, I feel alive and spiritually connected. I know maybe its just a windows, but it gives me hope. My last big wave was month 23-24. After that it was 1 or 2 days week and reduced intensity. I could see light at the end of the tunnel at 24 months. I wish the same for you. 3 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
VivaLaVida Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 "I didn’t know at the time but I was to have brain zaps, ripples & electric waves in my head for almost 2 years." Wow. I haven't really read about anyone speaking about "brain zaps" lasting this long! I have been battling brain zaps for 7 months... several times a minute sometimes. Definitely on a daily basis and it is maddening. How did you keep going when they were at their worst?? Did you ever have trouble breathing when they were happening? What about headaches? I rang my dr yesterday to tell him about the zaps and told him it has been 7 months... his only reply "that's a long time!"... I have been working the last 7 months (with a few breaks here and there), but really considering taking the next year off work because I am barely managing with the "zap"... I am so glad someone is finally talking about them lasting this long!! I am so sorry you had to go through that. February - March 2019: Escitalopram 20mg (from 5mg to 10mg to 20mg over the course of 5 days), Zopiclone for sleep, 0.5mg ClonazepamMarch -April 2019: Added Abilify 4mg. Discontinued the Clonazepam and Zopiclone.Stayed on the Escitalopram 20mg and Abilify 4mg until April 2020. Discontinued Abilify slowly - 1mg per month. Felt totally fine after discontinuing.July 2020: 15 mg escitalopramAugust 2020: 10 mg escitalopramSeptember 2020: 5 mg escitalopramOctober 2020: 0 mg escitalopram June 2021: Effexor 37.5 for 3 days. Horrible reaction. Stopped immediately after 3 days. Currently: 0.5mg Lorazepam when needed.
VivaLaVida Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 On 5/3/2021 at 5:18 AM, DaBro said: I enjoy the moment instead of living in an anxious world wondering if I will ever feel normal again. Thank you for writing this. I know exactly how this feels. February - March 2019: Escitalopram 20mg (from 5mg to 10mg to 20mg over the course of 5 days), Zopiclone for sleep, 0.5mg ClonazepamMarch -April 2019: Added Abilify 4mg. Discontinued the Clonazepam and Zopiclone.Stayed on the Escitalopram 20mg and Abilify 4mg until April 2020. Discontinued Abilify slowly - 1mg per month. Felt totally fine after discontinuing.July 2020: 15 mg escitalopramAugust 2020: 10 mg escitalopramSeptember 2020: 5 mg escitalopramOctober 2020: 0 mg escitalopram June 2021: Effexor 37.5 for 3 days. Horrible reaction. Stopped immediately after 3 days. Currently: 0.5mg Lorazepam when needed.
Madeleine Posted May 5, 2021 Posted May 5, 2021 Congratulations! How did you stave off depression? What sleep aids did you use abs how did you taper those? 200 Zoloft; 10 mg Zyprexa; 4 mg valium as of May 2021; Valium taper: July 16: 3.5 valium; July 30: 3 mg (paused valium taper); Aug. 23: 2.5 mg Zyprexa: July 26: 8.75 mg; Aug. 9: 7.5 mg; Aug. 30: 7.1 mg ------- Dec 1, 2016. 10 mg zyprexa for 1.5 month. Started taper mid-Jan. 2017. Cut 1.25 mg every 2 weeks; smaller cuts 2.5 mg down. Stopped at .6 mg. May 7, 2017: zyprexa free. Zoloft: Dec1, 2016, 200 mg. Started taper: Jun12, 2017: 197.5 mg; Jun19,:195 mg; July 2:185mg; July 9,:180 mg; July16,: 175; July 23: 170; July 30: 165; Aug6: 160; Aug13: 155; Aug. 20: 150; Aug.27: 146 mg; Sept3: 145 mg; Sept10:143 mg; Sept17:140 mg....Nov5: 122 mg...Dec3:112.5 mg; Jan14, 2018: 95 mg...Jan28: 90 mg; Feb21:80 mg; Mar11: 75 mg; May2:70 mg; May15: 68 mg; May28: 65 mg; Jun9: 62 mg;Jun25: 60 mg:July22: 55 mg; Aug25: 45 mg. Aug28: 50 mg...Oct 28: 38 mg; Dec.4: 30 mg; Jan8,2019: 25mg; Feb6: 23.5 mg; Apr1:17.5mg; May1:1 mg; May 5: 18; May 18:15mg; June 16:12.5mg; Sept 10:11 mg; Sept.16:10 mg; Oct. 1: 9mg; Nov. 27: 8mg; Dec.5: 7mg; Jan.1,2020, 6 mg; Feb1: 5 mg; May 1: 2.5 mg; Jn 1: 2 mg; Jy 1: 1.5 mg
Sleepless Posted May 6, 2021 Posted May 6, 2021 Congratulations! Paxil 2001- 2016. Came off of it on a slow taper. After 9-12 months, I was put back on Paxil because I was unable to function. Paxil reinstatement triggered a rash. I was then placed on 20 mg of Cymbalta on 2018. I chose to take 10 mg. I then had to be taken off of Cymbalta due to it causing cardiac issues in 2019. I was placed on Seroquel and it caused a rash. I was then moved to 12.5 mg of sertraline where I did a fast taper which ended April/May of 2020. I had to fast taper because of joint pain and joint redness. August 2020, I was considered presumptive positive. Since then, I’ve been prescribed Atenolol and Diazepam for withdrawal symptoms of tachycardia and massive anxiety. I take these very sporadically and less than 1/4 of a tablet at a time. I was given metformin in September 2020 for diabetes and it triggered massive anxiety after 1/4 of a pill. I attempted to reinstate 1 mg of sertraline on 9/20/20. I am supposed to be taking B12 injections and prescribed vitamin D. I will stop these for now. On 9/29/20 I was moved from 75 mcg generic levothyroxine to 88 mcg Synthroid. This triggered anxiety approximately 2.5 hours later. 10/5/20 less than 1/8 teaspoon of Benadryl 10/7/20 & 10/8/20 .10ml Benadryl (stopped 10/2020) 10/9/20 3mg Atenolol (stopped 11/2020) 10/16/20 started taking magnesium citrate during the day (stopped 10/2020 due to it triggering more anxiety) 11/9/20 grain of diazepam @ 2:30 am for muscle spasm pain (stopped 11/2020) 11/10/20 .50mg of metoprolol tartrate (stopped 11/10/20 due to nausea, weakness in arms & legs, anxiety) 11/11/20 using lidocaine patch on neck and chest for pain due to muscle spasms 1/1/21 1 drop of liquid b12 (stopped 1/4/21)
Mentor DaBro Posted May 6, 2021 Author Mentor Posted May 6, 2021 12 hours ago, Madeleine said: Congratulations! How did you stave off depression? What sleep aids did you use abs how did you taper those? Hi @MadeleineFor depression I found the following helpful: This and other FB and SSRI WD websites, remembering who I used to be and will be again, long baths with oils, headspace meditation, tiny Buddha.com, Gynostemma tea and daily walking. For sleep I have a drawer full of stuff that didn’t work including 5-HTP, Ashagawanda, St Johns wort, Bach’s, GABA, Valerin, CBD oil, melatonin, Vit B. I settled on acceptance, my kindle and cat, Magnesium Glycinate, Lavendar Oil and occasionally Nytol/Tylenol PM. No silver bullet on sleeping I’m afraid. Towards the end, Insomnia came at the end of waves and in fairly predictable blocks of 2-3 days before windows. 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
Mentor DaBro Posted May 6, 2021 Author Mentor Posted May 6, 2021 On 5/5/2021 at 5:14 PM, VivaLaVida said: Did you ever have trouble breathing when they were happening? What about headaches? My zaps were a bit random to start with, but after a few months they tended to happen in the evening. They started with a thick headache/hole in my brain type sensation and tinnitus/whistling which grew in intensity eventually to a sharp zap which normally caused my head to jolt. Then the tinnitus stopped and the headache went away until the next day. The location of the zaps moved moved from the centre to the top, then the left and finally the front of my brain over the 2 years. I found drinking sparkling water and eating apples brought the zaps on, so I often did that to get it over with. Go figure?!? They ended up being like an old friend though I don’t miss them. I treated them as bits of brain coming back on line - healing. They were a breeze compared to the Insomnia. 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
VivaLaVida Posted May 6, 2021 Posted May 6, 2021 3 hours ago, DaBro said: They started with a thick headache/hole in my brain type sensation and tinnitus/whistling which grew in intensity eventually to a sharp zap which normally caused my head to jolt. Oh wow, that sounds strong! I never had a "strong" zap, just mini jolts (which happen every few seconds...) behind my eyes mostly for the first few months, but now they have moved to the top of my head mostly and are more of a "swoosh" than a jolt...so strange. I find them very unnerving because of how frequent they are, and because...well, it's in the brain! I'm so glad you've over that. I will definitely try looking at them as "healing" as well. Thanks :). February - March 2019: Escitalopram 20mg (from 5mg to 10mg to 20mg over the course of 5 days), Zopiclone for sleep, 0.5mg ClonazepamMarch -April 2019: Added Abilify 4mg. Discontinued the Clonazepam and Zopiclone.Stayed on the Escitalopram 20mg and Abilify 4mg until April 2020. Discontinued Abilify slowly - 1mg per month. Felt totally fine after discontinuing.July 2020: 15 mg escitalopramAugust 2020: 10 mg escitalopramSeptember 2020: 5 mg escitalopramOctober 2020: 0 mg escitalopram June 2021: Effexor 37.5 for 3 days. Horrible reaction. Stopped immediately after 3 days. Currently: 0.5mg Lorazepam when needed.
Mentor Cocopuffz17 Posted May 8, 2021 Mentor Posted May 8, 2021 Congrats Glad to read your success! I am so glad to read that your wife stood by you through the hell you went through. She is a strong lady! You are very strong as well! 2 I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 2008 to 2019 - 20 mg Paroxetine Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful. 2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount.
Kush Posted May 13, 2021 Posted May 13, 2021 Congratulations !!! And happy healing!!! Started on august 2012 Until feb 2017 no data of prescribition available Feb 2017. Resperidone 2mg August 2018 1mg resperidone June 2019. 0.75 mg resperidone March 2020 0.5 mg resperidone August 2020 0.75mg resperidone December 2020 0.5 mg resperidone Currently may 2021 0.5mg resperidone
Sheera Posted May 16, 2021 Posted May 16, 2021 Beautiful story ❤️ Started Lamictal and Brintellix in November 2015 May 2016 Discontinued Lamictal 100 to 50 and then stopped completely. October 20, 2016 discontinued Brintellex 10 to 5 then went from 5 to 0 on November 10, 2016. Currently off all antidepressants Current Supplements: L-Theanine, Natural Progesterone, L-Methylfolate, Vitamin D, Omega-3's, Probiotic
HealthHopeHappiness Posted May 16, 2021 Posted May 16, 2021 So pleased to read this update @DaBro. You have been through a horrific time and you so deserve some peace and contentment. You were always so kind in taking the time to reply to me and your words brought me such comfort - thank you. 2 Mid-August 2020 - started 15mg Mirtazapine, increased to 30mg 2 weeks later. Late-September 2020 - switched to 20mg Paroxetine as Mirtazapine exacerbated RLS. October 2020 - stopped Paroxetine because of worsening RLS, muscle twitching and general restlessness. Mid-October 2020 - Switched to 50mg Sertraline. Restlessness, muscle twitching and other symptoms even worse. Stopped taking it on 18 November following advice from GP - took every other day for a week before stopping completely. Mid-November 2020 - GP prescribed Propranolol to take as and when required for anxiety. Have only taken a few times as it makes me very light headed. January 2020 - currently taking magnesium citrate powder in evenings to help with RLS. Also taking high strength omega-3 fish oil.
Jayy Posted June 10, 2021 Posted June 10, 2021 On 5/3/2021 at 8:49 PM, Phoenixmama said: Thanks for sharing your good news @DaBro success stories are what I’m surviving off of ❤️ How is withdrawal? I took pristiq for about a month the cold turkey. My ears haven't stopped ringing after 3 months since day 0 November 11th 2020 - Pristiq 50mg November 25th 2020- Cold Turkey February 28th 2021- Pristiq 50mg March 25 2021 Cold Turkey Pristiq Caused Permanent tinnitus from brain damage. Constant severe tinnitus for 9 months straight. All from taking pristiq for 24 days.
Mentor DaBro Posted June 10, 2021 Author Mentor Posted June 10, 2021 5 hours ago, Jayy said: How is withdrawal? I took pristiq for about a month the cold turkey. My ears haven't stopped ringing after 3 months since day 0 Still ringing occasionally after 2 years. You get to ignore it. 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
Jayy Posted June 11, 2021 Posted June 11, 2021 8 hours ago, DaBro said: Still ringing occasionally after 2 years. You get to ignore it. That is the worst possible thing I can hear. I took 50 mg Pristiq for maybe 4 weeks total, and now I have to deal with a high pitched ringing sound in my head for the rest of my life. I already hate my life, and now it is a complete misery to be awake and every trying to sleep is a terrifying thing hearing my brain buzzing even after I quit that terrible SNRI and no one can even help me. God damnit. November 11th 2020 - Pristiq 50mg November 25th 2020- Cold Turkey February 28th 2021- Pristiq 50mg March 25 2021 Cold Turkey Pristiq Caused Permanent tinnitus from brain damage. Constant severe tinnitus for 9 months straight. All from taking pristiq for 24 days.
Mentor Greatful Posted July 11, 2021 Mentor Posted July 11, 2021 @DaBroCongrats on crossing over the finish line. Thank you for writing you success story and giving hope to the rest of us. I also so have horrible brain buzzing, burning and electrical currents that tingle around my brain. Sometimes it feels like someone is trying to shove a peg through the top of my head, or a vice grip squeezing my both sides of my skull at my temples. Sore areas that move around my brain. I have had these since last summer when I started to taper Prozac and they got worse when I went into WD. This goes on everyday most of the day. Comes and goes in intensity. It can make me dizzy and my thinking feels disconnected and slow. Like @VivaLaVida says, it is good to hear someone else has brain sensations. It is good to know that if your brain can heal from this then mine can to☺️ https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/24894-greatful-is-this-withdrawal-or-to-many-med-changes-at-once/ 1995? Prozac, tried several Paxil, Serzone, St John's Wart back to Prozac and Trazodone ct:d Traz Lexapro. Tried to stop Crash in 2015 Kindled Hospitalized, Vybrid, Seroquel, Effexor, Abilify Pristiq, Wellbutrin-- 2016 ended back on Prozac and Lamictal 200mg 5/2020 thru 12/2020 taper from 20mg Prozac down to 3mg. Crashed 12/13/2020 Zoloft 50mg 1/29ct 1/29/2021 Seroquel 50mg ct 2/12/2021 Wellbutrin 75mg. Became hypo manic 2/1 6ct Trazodone 50mg 4/25 25mg 2/5/ 2021 Lamictal 150mg. 2/24 100mg 4/9 75mg 4/21 37.5 2/16/2021 Seroquel 50xr 3/3 100mg 3/17 150mg side effects ct 4/3 2021 Lexapro 5mg 4/14 7.5mg 4/30 10mg 5/10 7.5mg 2021/ 5/16 5mg Lexapro 37.5 Lamictal 25mg trazadone, xanax .0625mg 3x a day Lexapro Start Taper> Sept/01/2021 4.90mg> Sept/25 4.75mg> Oct/19 4.69mg > Nov/14 4.2mg Jan/30/2022-- Split dosing 2x a day All liquid 4.2mg (2.20mg at 8am & 2mg at 4pm) 2/17 4mg> 2/24 3.8mg slow taper to Aug/12/2022 2.04mg 2023> 2mg, 1.90mg, 1.80mg, 1.70mg, 1.5mg, 1.4mg, 1.3mg 1.2mg, 1.1mg, 1mg, 0.9mg, 0.8mg, 0.7mg 0.65mg, 0.6mg, 0.55mg, 0.5mg, 0.45mg, 0.4mg, 0.35mg, 0.3mg, 0.25,mg, back to once a day dosing 0 .1mg, 0.07mg , 0.05mg 4/1/2024 0 Lamictal Start taper 4/17/ 2022 25mg, 9/9/ 22 -20mg, 9/25/22- 15mg , 10/20/22- 0 Trazodone..2023.>down to 14mg, 7mg, 6mg July 2023 0 Xanax 0.0625mgai 3 x a day, 2023> 0.042mgai 3x a day 2024=going to straight daily total as I'm taking Xanax 3 times a day, tapering doses can vary throughout my 3 times a day dosing GR = Gabba Receptors .102mgai> .1mgai 7.5% gr)> .098mgai> .096mgai> .094mgai> .092mgai > .09mgai (6.8%gr)> .087mgai > .084mgai >.081mgai (6.1% gr) > .079mgai > .077mgai >.075mgai >073mgai > .071mgai (5.4% gr)) > .069mgai . .067mgai > .065magi Supplements Magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, D/K2 , zinc, Eating a ketovore diet
Mentor DaBro Posted July 12, 2021 Author Mentor Posted July 12, 2021 Hang in there @Greatful it’s nerve healing, I’m convinced. It gets better. 1 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
Cruizer Posted July 13, 2021 Posted July 13, 2021 Thanks for posting Dabro. And congratulations on your healing and recovery. I too am on Zoloft and have been since 2009. Have come down a long way to 4.5mg but went from 17 to 4.5 too aggressively. Have been struggling for around 15 months now and the more constant symptom I get is the head pressure in the side of my head like a vice grip. I also found I get a lot of sinus pain over my right eye. This symptoms are lessening a bit in recent weeks but make it very tough to think clearly and concentrate at all. Again, thanks for posting your success, it is a beacon of hope for a lot of us still suffering. Started Sertraline (Zoloft) September 2009. 50mg then to 100mg within a week. Floated between 150mg and 100mg for the next 6 years. February 2016 began tapering from 150mg 2017; 55mg-22mg; 2018; 22mg-19mg. Jan 2018 surgery on my knee and collarbone which seemed to cause a crash 3 weeks later. 12/02/18. Held for 6 months at 19mg. 12/08/18 19mg-18mg; 10/09/18 18mg-17mg; Held for another 7 months 17/04/19 began tapering at 0.5mg per 2 weeks and reached 4.5mg on 19/03/20; CRASHED after a heavy alcohol session in late Feb. Attempted to restart taper August 2020 by dropping to 4.25mg. Updosed back to 4.5mg after 3 days. 2nd attempt to restart 4 weeks later in September 2020 dropping to 4.25mg again this time updosing back to 4.5mg 4 days later. Last attempt to taper November 2021. 4.5mg to 4.4mg lasted 15 days then updosed back to 4.5mg due to severe apathy and cognitive issues
Mentor DaBro Posted July 13, 2021 Author Mentor Posted July 13, 2021 10 hours ago, Cruizer said: Thanks for posting Dabro. And congratulations on your healing and recovery. I too am on Zoloft and have been since 2009. Have come down a long way to 4.5mg but went from 17 to 4.5 too aggressively. Have been struggling for around 15 months now and the more constant symptom I get is the head pressure in the side of my head like a vice grip. I also found I get a lot of sinus pain over my right eye. This symptoms are lessening a bit in recent weeks but make it very tough to think clearly and concentrate at all. Again, thanks for posting your success, it is a beacon of hope for a lot of us still suffering. Sounds familiar @Cruizer I have no magic answers. I had to lie down and mentally switch off when the eye pain came, normally for 2 hours or so. Left eye and left temple for me. Sparkling water and apples seemed to make it more intense but shorter and Magnesium Glycinate helped with sleep but I totally get the head squeezed feeling thing and no doctor or psych could explain it. I had it (head pressure) when I was on Zoloft (possibly from my 50 to 25 reduction) and it was one of the drivers to make me quit the drug. Wishing you fast healing. 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
Rusty1 Posted July 14, 2021 Posted July 14, 2021 3 hours ago, DaBro said: Sounds familiar @Cruizer I have no magic answers. I had to lie down and mentally switch off when the eye pain came, normally for 2 hours or so. Left eye and left temple for me. Sparkling water and apples seemed to make it more intense but shorter and Magnesium Glycinate helped with sleep but I totally get the head squeezed feeling thing and no doctor or psych could explain it. I had it (head pressure) when I was on Zoloft (possibly from my 50 to 25 reduction) and it was one of the drivers to make me quit the drug. Wishing you fast healing. Very interesting that you two report sinus pain over the eye. I get sinus headaches behind my left eye now that are quite debilitating, even make me very nauseous. I have not looked into it to see if it is a typical allergy headache or a typical symptom of withdrawal. I do know my allergies got way worse once I started withdrawing...well about half way through. The last couple years they have made improvements as my body has felt more stable. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222
Cruizer Posted July 14, 2021 Posted July 14, 2021 3 minutes ago, Rusty1 said: Very interesting that you two report sinus pain over the eye. I get sinus headaches behind my left eye now that are quite debilitating, even make me very nauseous. I have not looked into it to see if it is a typical allergy headache or a typical symptom of withdrawal. I do know my allergies got way worse once I started withdrawing...well about half way through. The last couple years they have made improvements as my body has felt more stable. Hi Rusty, yep the sinus thing I have found some others speak about too. Not sure why this happens but seems to be common. I find if I don't drink enough water it can flare up a bit. I have tried inhaling steam with a bit of peppermint to be somewhat helpful. For me I still float between whether the 4.5mg dose of zoloft is causing some of my problems or whether it is still the fast taper from 10-4.5mg over 10 weeks. I have been holding for 15 months now and still having considerable issues/waves. I also had these feelings when I was on higher doses although without the head pressure. Started Sertraline (Zoloft) September 2009. 50mg then to 100mg within a week. Floated between 150mg and 100mg for the next 6 years. February 2016 began tapering from 150mg 2017; 55mg-22mg; 2018; 22mg-19mg. Jan 2018 surgery on my knee and collarbone which seemed to cause a crash 3 weeks later. 12/02/18. Held for 6 months at 19mg. 12/08/18 19mg-18mg; 10/09/18 18mg-17mg; Held for another 7 months 17/04/19 began tapering at 0.5mg per 2 weeks and reached 4.5mg on 19/03/20; CRASHED after a heavy alcohol session in late Feb. Attempted to restart taper August 2020 by dropping to 4.25mg. Updosed back to 4.5mg after 3 days. 2nd attempt to restart 4 weeks later in September 2020 dropping to 4.25mg again this time updosing back to 4.5mg 4 days later. Last attempt to taper November 2021. 4.5mg to 4.4mg lasted 15 days then updosed back to 4.5mg due to severe apathy and cognitive issues
Mentor DaBro Posted July 14, 2021 Author Mentor Posted July 14, 2021 For me, as waves have decreased in intensity and frequency I get fairly predictable cycles of symptoms. The pressure behind my eye is accompanied with tinnitus, partial closing of my left eye, throbbing in my head, tingling fingers and the nausea/fatigue you all describe. It’s not an allergy thing for me. Its actually happening to me to me right now, but I know it should go about 1 hour after I have my breakfast and take a walk and hopefully I’ll get a few weeks before the next episode which is so much better than the middle of WD when it would persist for weeks and was completely debilitating. 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
GeoJeep Posted August 10, 2021 Posted August 10, 2021 Hi, I’ve just been browsing around various threads, and I believe you mentioned elsewhere that some of the symptoms you dealt with were PSSD and anhedonia. Can you explain a bit about your experience with these symptoms and what your recovery looked like? I don’t think I have PSSD, but I’ve had some pretty severe anhedonia for months, and I’m very scared that my emotions won’t return. 12/23/20 - started fluoxetine 20mg/day 1/2/21 - adverse reaction symptoms appeared 1/5/21 - stopped fluoxetine CT present - some symptoms have remitted, but most have remained Symptoms that have fully remitted: phantosmia, burning/tingling sensations on skin, muscle spasms Symptoms that have partially remitted: numbness, DP/DR, impaired coordination, panic attacks Symptoms that are still present: mental and physical fatigue, cognitive impairment(memory, concentration, problem solving, executive function, etc…), visual snow/retinal after images, headaches, feeling hungover, anhedonia, aphasia, loss of emotions, confusion/disorientation, loss of appetite, exercise intolerance, sensitivity to light/sound/temperature, depression, anxiety, “nervous system overload” feeling, sexual dysfunction(remitted and relapsed)
Mentor DaBro Posted August 15, 2021 Author Mentor Posted August 15, 2021 PSSD was pretty short lived for me, around 2-3 weeks in all. It was just another step in the symptom journey. Anhedonia was worse and longer, I’d say over a year. I’d put emotions into context (it’s WD not really me), I did a lot of walking listening to podcasts (not about WD or SSRI’s) and my wife was supportive and would walk with me every evening. It goes. Be patient and kind. Remind yourself it’s the brain healing and recalibrating. Actually having a seminal moment today. It’s 1020 days since my last dose. I found my Sertraline while packing for holiday and I’m watching it burn in my garden right now. I put some old engine oil on it to get it going nicely. Very therapeutic. You’ll heal. 7 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
David95790 Posted September 8, 2021 Posted September 8, 2021 Did you find diet to help at all in recovery? Did you also notice certain foods was causing certain symtoms?
Mentor DaBro Posted September 13, 2021 Author Mentor Posted September 13, 2021 On 9/8/2021 at 10:36 PM, David95790 said: Did you find diet to help at all in recovery? Did you also notice certain foods was causing certain symtoms? i tried a few different diets (Leto, vegetarian) and noticed no impact from changing diet. The only thing I found was that some seafood dairy and apples triggered or enhanced head sensations. I figured it was probably related to salts (Mg, Na) in those foods. Enjoy your food! 1 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
Kate2301 Posted October 12, 2021 Posted October 12, 2021 Hello dabro! I hope you are well, I want to thank you for taking time to post your progress, I’m sure you can remember how hard it once was and how much encouraging words help! ive read over and over your posts, it’s like a comfort blanket when your feeling the worst of it! I just wanted to ask if you think my situation is WD. i CT off sertraline last year after 8 weeks of hell on it, I was put on it after worrying about Covid, (I’d just had a baby) over the phone I was prescribed 100mg of sert and I thought I was going to die, was told to quit so I did! 4 months later I was dieing or that’s what it felt like, no sleep, no eating, couldn’t think straight couldn’t stand talk nothing! No I know that was WD from CT sertraline! They put me on mirt, it made me eat but everything else was still terrible, anyway I tapered quickly over 4 months and I’m 14 weeks off them! I feel better then I did when on them but I’m experiencing moments where I feel ok but then 10 mins later I have a panicky brain, feel sick and ruminating thoughts then it will go again?! It’s like this all day and then tend to feel a bit better in the evening. Can this be WD or is this now me? I’ve had no issues until I was put on AD ever before! It’s scares the hell out of me, I’ve been like this since starting sert which will be 2 years in March and although I feel better I still feel terrible if u know what I mean Sertraline 100mg (1 day) then 50mg for 8 weeks March 2020 - May 2020 bad reaction, no medications until October 2020 mirtazapine October 2020 until 7th July 2021 didn’t realise I was in sertraline WD during this time also started natural progesterone January 2021 and started supplements to reduce cortisol and oestrogen April 2021 also Metformin as has insulation resistance not sure if to still take this currently on no medications
Mentor DaBro Posted October 15, 2021 Author Mentor Posted October 15, 2021 Hi @Kate2301 sounds like WD to me. The symptoms sound familiar to me. I recall being generally better in the evenings and the unhelpful rumination coming and going - I still get that now after 3 years. 100mg is pretty hefty. I’ve seen the brain gets saturated with Sertraline at 15-20mg and 50 is a usual starting dose. I was on 25 most of the 2 years I was on. Glad the story helps. That was the intent, plus it’s a release to write it. 3 years post zero I’m feeling pretty good and like my old self. You will too. 1 50 mg Sertraline Nov 2016 to Dec 2016 100 mg Sertraline Jan - March 2017 50 mg Sertraline April - June 2017 25 mg Sertraline July 2017 - Sept 2018 12.5 mg Sertraline Oct 2018 0 mg Nov 1 2018
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