LM00: Introducing myself

[LM00]

Hi everyone, my name is Laura and I’ve been free of antidepressants for 1 month after being on 3 different types for 10 years.

I joined because I’m having a hard time with the long term side effects of withdrawal; anxiety, depression, irritability, etc. My husband has had moments of being very helpful, but recently has been less so. 
I feel sad, stuck, and scared this is how I’m going to be forever.

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm very sorry you are dealing with this situation now.  You've come to the right place!  We know what you are going through, because we've been through it as well.  

 

Can you please give us specific information about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise vertical list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Use this format:

 

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Etcetera

 

Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some information about how these drugs actually work.   This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications. 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

What is Happening in Your Brain

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Also, as we are recovering, we suggest keeping things slow, simple, and stable. 

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

I know this is a lot to read and digest.  Feel free to ask any questions, and please let us know how you are doing. The key to recovering from this is time, and patience.  This is not forever - you will heal from this, but it takes a lot of time, and healing tends to occur in fits and starts (windows and waves).  

[Lilmizz21]

@LM00 hi there!

 

We all feel the same way, those feelings are all part of it.

 

I am 2 months in. Sometimes I take it minute by minute, day by day. 

 

Hang in there 💞

[LM00]

Thank you all for the kind words ❤️❤️

[LM00]

Advice about withdrawal/ possible reinstatement

 

It’s been 3 months since I came off meds.

 

As you can tell from my history in my description, I was tapered way too fast. I didn’t know any better, and I’ve come to realize my doctor isn’t very sensitive about this process. I spent the 2nd week completely off medication laying in bed extremely sick, and since then have been dealing with horrible withdrawal symptoms almost on a daily basis; anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, dread, crying a lot, irritability, etc.

 

I’ve been reading different articles/ personal stories about reinstatement in order to taper off safely to reduce withdrawal symptoms, but I’m scared of going back on any medication and having to go through this all over again. How long do withdrawal symptoms last? I’ve heard 6-9 months, but then also hear people talking about years.

 

I’m getting very discouraged with this entire process. I’m torn between the long term side effects on the body of an AD, and the long terms side effects stress and anxiety have on the body. Neither one seems great, and I seem to be setting myself up for either one. 
 

I’m really lost. 

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by ChessieCat
added Intro topic title before merging with intro topic

[thenextguy]

Hi @LM00. Duloxetine is a beast to come off. I tried to come off last summer and ended up having to reinstate. I’m my case I was forced to reinstate a little after 2 weeks. You’ve been off for around 3 months now? How is the progression of things over 3 months? Are the withdrawals getting better? Worse? The same? 

[Altostrata]

Hello, @LM00 It appears you went from 30mg duloxetine to 0mg duloxetine in one step last October.

 

Duloxetine is its own beast. To reinstate, you might take 5 beads out of a 20mg capsule to start, see if that helps. We often find very low dose reinstatement is sufficient. It's possible you might need a little more, but we're very careful about these things, because too much at once might backfire. After stabilizing, which may take some months, you'd taper off bead by bead.

 

For background, see Tips for tapering off duloxetine (Cymbalta)

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

[LM00]

@thenextguy I can’t tell if things are getting worse. I know I have had good days. This week has been especially bad, but in general I feel quite miserable. Just crying all the time, and paralyzed with all the options: go back on meds fully, reinstate for a time, just keep going down this miserable road and see what happens.

[LM00]

@Altostrata

I’m scared of opening up a beaded pill and starting to mess with it. Could I reinstate in a different AD, or would it have to be the same? There’s a part of me that keeps thinking I’ll ruining the last 3 miserable months by getting back on anything, and to just stick it out. And then another part tells me it’s not going to get any better. No story I’ve heard gets better within a year, and that’s terrifying. I can’t handle it. 

[Altostrata]

If you read this Tips for tapering off duloxetine (Cymbalta) , you will see opening the capsule and counting beads is the only way to titrate duloxetine. It doesn't have a close drug relative for a substitute.

 

There's a Facebook group of 60,000 people who have tapered duloxetine by doing this.

[thenextguy]

27 minutes ago, LM00 said:

@Altostrata

I’m scared of opening up a beaded pill and starting to mess with it. Could I reinstate in a different AD, or would it have to be the same? There’s a part of me that keeps thinking I’ll ruining the last 3 miserable months by getting back on anything, and to just stick it out. And then another part tells me it’s not going to get any better. No story I’ve heard gets better within a year, and that’s terrifying. I can’t handle it. 

 

I know the idea of counting beads sounds awful, especially when you're feeling so bad, but it's really not as bad as it sounds. Especially since you'd be counting such a small amount. 

 

If you decide to go that route, you might want to purchase some empty capsules from Amazon. In my experience the duloxetine capsules don't get put back together as easily as they are taken apart. Something like this should be good: AmazonSmile: Empty Vegetarian Capsules Size 00 | 1000 Count | Non-GMO, Gluten Free | by Horbaach : Health & Household

 

You'd also want a black mat of some sort to help the beads stand out and allow you to grab them easier. 

 

As @Altostrata said, you would be reinstating a very small dose. One of the worst things about duloxetine is that it has a very short half life. But when it comes to reinstating that can actually be beneficial, as you should know relatively quickly if it's helping. I felt better by day 3 when I reinstated. I din't feel 100%, but I could tell that it had helped. 

 

Not reinstating and riding it out is certainly an option, but there's really no way of knowing how long it will take for you to get better. 

 

Ultimately this is a decision you will have to make, but if I were in your shoes I would try a small reinstatement of 5 beads for at least a week and see how it goes. Please keep us posted.