dangerous7: tapering amitriptyline after one week

[dangerous7]

On 9/15/2023 at 11:34 PM, littlebird said:

The stuff that's hardest to do when you're depressed tends to be helpful: getting outside, going for a walk, gardening, socializing with emotionally safe people, volunteering. Working on making your self-talk more positive and compassionate can be a game-changer too.

 

I rarely have taken benzos like Valium, but they consistently have made depression worse for me. Maybe that's adding to yours too?

@littlebird, thanks for your reply. I have developed an irrational fear of outside/people/especially people in uniform or positions of authority and being more hypervigilant/hyperaware of others. So, I avoid going out as that doesn't register as a positive experience for me.  I heard on one Youtube video that benzos make our amygdala larger. Is that correct? I am guessing my amygdala is firing more often than normal due to using benzos for 1+ year.

[dangerous7]

On 9/21/2023 at 9:02 AM, Altostrata said:

You're still taking that complicated cocktail of drugs that may have an adverse effect of depression?

Yes @Altostrata. Any guidance on which one to taper first would be super helpful? Does the recommendation of tapering only 1 drug at 10% a month apply to my case? I am trying to 'stabilize' on my current drugs but not sure if that is even possible.

 

I am meeting my psych doc day after tomorrow to get some guidance on whether to stop/replace Valium with Etizolam or cut Etizolam by some % points.

 

Is there a page/thread on SA that has non-drug ways of coping with depression? 

 

I was thinking of trying SAM-E 200/400mg for 3 days and see how it makes me feel with regards to the depression. If it works, I will continue taking it. If it doesn't, I can just stop it after the third day. Currently, depression is a bigger issue for me than anxiety. Since, I switched from .125mg Etizolam to 1.25mg Valium, my anxiety is under control.

[Altostrata]

On 9/10/2023 at 10:36 AM, Altostrata said:

You're taking too much of everything, and your "akathisia" is a paradoxical reaction.

 

 

Same with the other symptoms.

[Doctorsrcrap]

@dangerous7

I wouldn't recommend using Sam e. Its just another substance to become dependant on. At this point you want to be using less things not more! 

Maybe you should start a 10% taper of the most activating drug and hold steady on everything else and see if that makes a difference? I'm not a mod so can't give advice but would have thought that would be sensible. You may notice by dropping the most activating drug first by 10% some of the side effects you are experiencing may start go lessen instead of needing to take another substance to try and cover up the problems from the current load. 

As you know by now any physciatric doctor probably has no idea how to get you off of what you are on and will probably just honour you with yet another physciatric condition which you didn't have before. Blaming it all on you and not the ridiculous amount of medication you are taking. 

At some point you have to learn to say no and enough is enough. 

 

So as I've said before work out which drug is the most activating and then do 10% drops and see if that helps. 

 

Also I could be wrong but I have a feeling switching your benzo for valium might cause even more problems as that is yet another change for your poor brain to handle. 

 

Anyways good luck and sorry about the rant 

[Altostrata]

On 9/25/2023 at 10:13 AM, dangerous7 said:

get some guidance on whether to stop/replace Valium with Etizolam or cut Etizolam by some % points.

 

Still changing your drugs.

 

As I said before, in my amateur opinion, you're taking such an excessive amount of everything, you could decrease any of them.

 

Your doctor is not going to work with you on this unless you make it a specific goal. We cannot assist you as long as you are working with your doctor on changing, increasing, or adding drugs.

[dangerous7]

I am currently at:

 

Clomipramine 27.7mg, Olanzapine 1.6 mg, Etizolam .346mg, Valium 1.648 mg

 

Plan A: 

    Do 2.5%cut of each drug every week

 

Plan B: 

    Do 10% cut of drug A in month 1
    Do 10% cut of drug B in month 2
    Do 10% cut of drug C in month 3
    and so on

 

Which one would you recommend?

 

For me, all 4 are sedating/non-stimulating

 

Is multi-drug taper recommended? Has any one successfully done a taper of multiple drugs simultaneously?

 

Thanks for your time!

 

[Emonda]

Hi @dangerous7

 

On 4/7/2024 at 3:45 AM, dangerous7 said:

Which one would you recommend?

 

I'd have a read of this link:  Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

On 4/7/2024 at 3:45 AM, dangerous7 said:

Is multi-drug taper recommended?

 

No, not recommended. If you taper multiple drugs at the same time, when WD symptoms hit, you won't know what was the cause.

 

Unfortunately, I have no personal experience with the medications you are taking, so I can't offer any further insights.

 

Emonda