rmce72a: Effexor withdrawal with Prozac bridge

[rmce72a]

Thank you all so much for the input. I saw a psych today (my therapist is not a psychiatrist and not knowledgeable about WD, etc.) The psych, of course, said he had never heard of anyone having severe symptoms like mine and only being able to taper 2 mg in 8 months. (I am at 73 since starting taper from 75 last May 24). He explained how hard Effexor is to taper...yada yada...and wants me to try BuSpar for a month. I don't plan to do that. He said he has had many patients taper from high doses without problems like I am having.

So I left very disappointed, but not surprised.

 

Right now, at this moment, all I want is relief. I am 75 years old, and I have been ill with this since 2019. I am wondering if I should just switch to another AD so I can have some peace. I really don't want to spend my last years suffering through WD. Thoughts?

[FindRest]

2 hours ago, rmce72a said:

I am wondering if I should just switch to another AD so I can have some peace.

I think the record is very clear, there is no such thing as doing a cold switch from Effexor and getting “peace” on another AD … especially after being on Effexor for so many years. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, or you’d see a ton of ppl switching off this terrible drug. Going to a different drug will NOT prevent Effexor withdrawals. 
 

2 hours ago, rmce72a said:

The psych, of course, said he had never heard of anyone having severe symptoms like mine and only being able to taper 2 mg in 8 months.

I’d be further ahead if I could taper 2mg every 8 months. My first year of tapering, I was only able to drop .6mg total. The second year, 2.28mg. The third year, 1.69mg.  What I’m getting at is that it’s possible to sneak your way down very slowly. But, everyone has to make the decision as to whether or not they are willing to go through the process. Many tapering off Effexor have it much easier than you and me, but we are not an anomaly. There are far too many who are in the same boat we are in, unable to taper off more than a bead or two at a time.
 

In my opinion, you need to decide whether or not reducing your dose is something you can do at this time. If it’s not, that’s ok. If you decide to do it, you might need to be happy with reducing your dose one tiny bead at a time, knowing that some months you may not be able to taper at all. You’ve got to do what’s right for YOUR body, and not compare your taper rate with someone else in a different body with a different health history and a different age.

 

But, it’s my firm opinion and experience that switching to a different AD will not be easy or peaceful.

 

Are you thinking about adding the Buspar in addition to the Effexor? It’s normally used for anxiety. It’s not an antidepressant.

Edited February 4, 2023 by FindRest

[rmce72a]

FindRest, I appreciate your thoughts and insight. I see from your drug history that you have experienced several switches and know what it's like. In my heart, I know that I really don't want to be on the drug merry-go-round and know that more/different drugs are not the answer. My dilemma is that knowing I don't have many years left, I need to decide how I want to spend them. If it were possible for me to "jump on the merry-go-round" and take another drug to relieve my daily symptoms and give me some quality of life, I would in a heartbeat, but that isn't reality, is it?  I guess what I know is that I just must continue on. I do not want to add Buspar. Considering my fragile state of my health and CNS, adding anything seems quite risky.

 

I don't mind the idea of a slow taper for the rest of my life if I weren't so darn sick all the time. Whether I taper or not, I am still sick every day, and some days are one long panic attack. I have lost 31 pounds in 9 months, and I know my health is compromised as a result. I just can't tolerate most food. I also can't take supplements without increasing the anxiety. Tapering may be a moot point. My health may just fail anyway.

 

My 24-year-old granddaughter is planning her September wedding. She was in town the other day and came to see me. I gave her the necklace I wore for my wedding 48 years ago because she wants to wear it when she marries. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Nana, the necklace isn't enough. YOU have to be there, and I am afraid you won't be. You have to get well." She should not have that worry weighing on her mind. 

 

Anyway, that's my life. So I want you to know how much I appreciate your help and guidance. I am having a brain scan next month, and my PCP has ordered a H pylori stool test. We'll see. Maybe something else is going on that we can solve that will help this WD process. In the meantime, I will try to keep the faith and rely on the help and suggestion of you and the other wonderful folks here. Thank you again and take care.

[FindRest]

My heart hurts for you as I understand the situation you are in. All of this has to be scary because you still don’t know for sure what is causing your symptoms. I’ve stated before that to me it doesn’t sound like Effexor withdrawals. But, we are all so different so who’s to say? I think it’s very smart to get other things checked out and I’m glad you’re getting some tests run. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by FindRest

[rmce72a]

Thank you so much, FindRest. I think some mods have kind of written me off as hopeless. My WD seems to be so unusual in many respects. There MUST be answers out there if I could just find a doctor knowledgeable about current WD and CNS damage who is willing to investigate possibilities that may be contributing. When I read here that H pylori might be a factor and discussed it with my PCP, he dismissed it as a connection until I insisted that he do the test. Although he has supposedly ordered it, I have yet to hear when and how even though a week has passed. 

 

 

[Catina7]

3 hours ago, rmce72a said:

Thank you so much, FindRest. I think some mods have kind of written me off as hopeless. My WD seems to be so unusual in many respects. There MUST be answers out there if I could just find a doctor knowledgeable about current WD and CNS damage who is willing to investigate possibilities that may be contributing. When I read here that H pylori might be a factor and discussed it with my PCP, he dismissed it as a connection until I insisted that he do the test. Although he has supposedly ordered it, I have yet to hear when and how even though a week has passed. 

 

 

I would follow up promptly with your doctor to make sure he ordered the test.  "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" as they say.  Each of us is dealing with our own unique experience with withdrawal and everyone is different in how their body can react.  I do think it would be good to get any tests done (i.e. H. Pylori) that could possibly explain what's going on.  Have you thought about seeing a functional medicine doctor or naturopath?  Sometimes they can do further testing on things that a regular PCP doesn't.

[rmce72a]

As always, I am grateful for your reply. I will call his office tomorrow about the H pylori test. I have been with my current PCP for less than 3 years. Although he is very sympathetic, he is not very proactive. I have had to ask him for nearly every test he has done. I think that response to me is caused by the fact that he diagnosed me with GAD and MDD from the first visit before any tests had been done. If I had followed his instructions, I would either be on a different AD or using a Prozac bridge, neither of which is advised her. That's what I came to find out about last year. I pushed for the neurology referral and the psychiatrist referral (which turned out to be useless as the psych just wants to put me on more drugs.) I know that unless I advocate for myself, I won't get any answers nor useful treatment.

 

It is a sad commentary of the medical profession that we who are suffering must do all the legwork. 

 

I notice in your signature that you are still at 37.5. How are you doing? Why do you suppose you hit a brick wall after tapering down to 12mg? That is what I fear. After tapering down so low, how terrible to have to increase dose and continue to suffer. You poor thing. I hope you are finding some relief. Please know that the concern, encouragement, and information you share is so very helpful for your fellow suffers. Take care, my dear.

[Catina7]

19 hours ago, rmce72a said:

As always, I am grateful for your reply. I will call his office tomorrow about the H pylori test. I have been with my current PCP for less than 3 years. Although he is very sympathetic, he is not very proactive. I have had to ask him for nearly every test he has done. I think that response to me is caused by the fact that he diagnosed me with GAD and MDD from the first visit before any tests had been done. If I had followed his instructions, I would either be on a different AD or using a Prozac bridge, neither of which is advised her. That's what I came to find out about last year. I pushed for the neurology referral and the psychiatrist referral (which turned out to be useless as the psych just wants to put me on more drugs.) I know that unless I advocate for myself, I won't get any answers nor useful treatment.

 

It is a sad commentary of the medical profession that we who are suffering must do all the legwork. 

 

I notice in your signature that you are still at 37.5. How are you doing? Why do you suppose you hit a brick wall after tapering down to 12mg? That is what I fear. After tapering down so low, how terrible to have to increase dose and continue to suffer. You poor thing. I hope you are finding some relief. Please know that the concern, encouragement, and information you share is so very helpful for your fellow suffers. Take care, my dear.

You are right...we must advocate for ourselves!  It's a sad but true reality unless things change in the medical community.  

 

Yes, I have been at 37.5 mg now for over a year and will continue to stay at this dose until I feel that I can go down any further.  When I titrated down initially, I should have done it slower but it was way too fast for my nervous system.  I was going down 10% a month.  So now my whole nervous system has suffered a horrible jolt.  It's super sensitized right now and I have SOOOOO much anxiety!  It's very hard to live like this, but hopefully I'll recover one day.  

 

You take care as well.  I am following your account so I can keep up with your progress.  HUGS!!!

[rmce72a]

Thank you, Catina. So glad to hear from you. Yes, my anxiety is through the roof too. I think I could live with the other WD symptoms if I could just get some relief from this terrible anxiety and tinnitus. I know I am obsessed with dealing with this WD experience and need to focus on other things in my life and keep an "attitude of gratitude" for all I have instead of all I've lost. My therapist says this every single time we talk, but sometimes it makes me angry. Distracting ourselves from the ongoing fear, horror, and physical symptoms we are feeling is impossible sometimes. There is nothing comparable to this experience. I think that someone who hasn't lived in this hell simply cannot truly understand. 

[rmce72a]

SOS for moderators

 

I may be putting this in the wrong place and apologize if this is wrong, but I can't remember how to post new questions for moderators. I had some scary news today regarding my situation and need some help. 

 

I went to my therapy session today with therapist and PCP who is in the same building.

 

They have supported me in my choice to count beads and taper the Effexor 75XR which pooped out 3 years ago causing severe symptoms which are increasing. I have dropped to only 73 since last May. When I tried to go to 72.7 in early January, symptoms were horrible, so I went back to 73. where I am now.My anxiety continues to increase, and my weight continues to drop due to multiple food/supplements sensitivities and intolerances. I have lost 25% of my body weight in 9 months, look anorexic, and am becoming weak. My anxiety is out of control. I have refused any drug changes, additions, or bridging because of the associated dangers to the CNS explained here. The psychiatrist PCP sent me to last week wanted to add BuSpar. No! I will not risk desensitizing CNS more.

 

They believe that continuing on this path is going to kill me, probably within a year. They feel that at my age (75), my overall health and body organs are starting to show the bad effects of improper nutrition and high anxiety, and the damage will only continue to increase in the months ahead. Once again, they suggested bridging to Celexa or something other than Prozac since Prozac is in the red category of my Genesight test. I am trying every single protocol suggested here to get off Effexor after 24 years. I do NOT want to get on the AD merry-go-round. So many signatures here reflect multiple drugs over many years by members who are now so very sick.

 

I don't know what to do. I know that many of us feel that we are dying when we have severe WD symptoms, but my situation is a bit different since it involves negative effects happening in my overall health. What do I do? I don't want WD to kill me, and I am so terrified. 

 

Thank you.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Shep
added title after merging from another thread

[Shep]

@rmce72a Please note I merged your last post from a thread on the tapering section. Please continue posting here in your intro / update thread so all of your information is in one place.

 

I noticed you have this in your signature - "I cannot take any supplements. No caffeine, sugar, soy, gluten, dairy."

 

How is your diet? Have you been tested for B12 or vitamin D deficiency? These can be problematic vitamins to take with a destabilized nervous system, but if this is something causing your symptoms beyond withdrawal, it would be good to know. 

 

Are you able to go for a walk or sit outside in the sun every day? I know this is hard during winter, but it will soon be spring and much easier to go outside. This will help with vitamin D if you are deficient and aren't able to supplement. There are also foods high in vitamin D, which you can find with a quick google search. 

 

Are you eating foods that have vitamin B12? This is another vitamin that can cause feelings of depression and anxiety if you're deficient. 

 

A couple of weeks ago, you mentioned wanting to get tested for H Pylori. Did you get your test results back? 

 

 

[Gridley]

On 2/9/2023 at 4:34 PM, rmce72a said:

My anxiety is out of control.

I'm sorry you're going through this.  You may have already tried this but if not, it's one of those anxiety reducers that doesn't require concentration and I found in the past did help with WD anxiety.  If, like me, you're not limber enough to put your legs up on the wall, lying with your head and back on the floor with your legs hooked up onto a chair seat works fine.  Cushion your head and back on the floor as needed.  I did around 20 minutes of this.  

 

10 minute Restorative Yoga for Relaxation | Up the wall

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Gridley

[Vasherr]

Okay, I am back, sorry that it is so late, I've gotten Covid again and had some problems with my mental state due to this.

 

I've promised clinically proven natural treatments so here goes:

 

Ginger 3x1g with 53,3% eradication rate:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6664109/

 

PPI+L. Reuteri DSMZ 17648(it's important it is this exact strain, generic doesn't have its properties) 65,22% eradication rate:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6853040/

 

PPI+Black seed 3x2g with 66,7% eradication rate:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003218/

 

Here is a protocol of mastic gum, oregano oil, bismuth and a probiotic with 74,3% eradication rate:

https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/successful-eradication-helicobacter-pylori-over-counter-products

 

Sadly none of these worked for me as I am very young and almost every pylori eradication protocol is less effective the younger You are due to faster metabolic rates, be it natural or antibiotics, but I am keeping my fingers crossed for You if Your problem turns out to be pylori related.

 

Oh and these are not all effective herbs, but You can search for the rest on Your own, these are only the most effective ones that I have found, if You want to search for more put "herbs for pylori" or "plants for pylori" into google and there is much more to try.

 

Wishing You a lifelong window!

V.

 

P.S. Your food sensitivity issued sound like pylori to be frank, I feel worse after eating, don't matter what I eat, so if it is indeed Pylori than shuffling drugs won't do anything. I am shaking my head that You have clear symptoms of a medical GI problem and Your doctor won't check for it and wants to change psychotropics... But I maybe should get used to the fact that doctor as a proffession changed from healer to a drug dealer.

 

[rmce72a]

Many thanks for your replies. Shep, I am getting the H pylori stool test. I take the sample in tomorrow and should have results by the end of the week. Doc also did metabolic test recently, and I do have Vit D deficiency. I have been trying to eat 2 eggs every day since yolks are high in Vit D. Grindley, I plan to try the exercise you described today. Vasherr, I haven't tried natural supplements yet for H pylori. Still so afraid to add anything that will set things off, but I appreciate your suggestions.

 

Thank you all and keep the info coming. You are my lifeline.

[rmce72a]

My H pylori test is negative. I guess my food intolerance and sensitivities are from something else, probably Effexor. I never realized before that serotonin is in the gut as well as the brain, so my neuro imbalance/disregulation is no doubt is a factor. Still no answers.

[littlebird]

18 minutes ago, rmce72a said:

My H pylori test is negative. I guess my food intolerance and sensitivities are from something else, probably Effexor. I never realized before that serotonin is in the gut as well as the brain, so my neuro imbalance/disregulation is no doubt is a factor. Still no answers.

 

I'm so sorry, I've been there in the mystery of medical ailments. GI stuff is so hard too! Did they recommend any other tests? 

[rmce72a]

No other tests recommended. The only reason my PCP ordered the H pylori test at all is because I asked for it based on what I have read here. I'm sure he won't say "I told you so" but that's what he is thinking. He has spent more than 2 years telling me that my problems are all due to GAD and increasing or switching AD is the solution. I know I need a different PCP, but there just aren't any in my community. SO, I'll just keep counting beads, following advice I find here, and pray for relief.

[littlebird]

21 minutes ago, rmce72a said:

He has spent more than 2 years telling me that my problems are all due to GAD and increasing or switching AD is the solution. I know I need a different PCP, but there just aren't any in my community.

 

Arrgh, that's so frustrating! My GI issues were caused by my anxiety med... doctor increasing it thinking anxiety was giving my problems of course made this worse. Doctors... 

 

Are you open to telehealth? I'm wondering if there's someone out there who could help a bit more outside your community.

[Vasherr]

Well then all that is left is an endoscope

[Catina7]

On 2/14/2023 at 7:04 PM, rmce72a said:

My H pylori test is negative. I guess my food intolerance and sensitivities are from something else, probably Effexor. I never realized before that serotonin is in the gut as well as the brain, so my neuro imbalance/disregulation is no doubt is a factor. Still no answers.

Have you tried adding fermented foods to your diet (i.e.  Kimchi, fermented sauerkraut, etc.)?   They are supposed to be so good for our guts.

[rmce72a]

No, but I am going to the health food store shortly to look at fish oil. I have resisted taking it because supplements and most foods cause increased  anxiety. I have tinnitus too, so I thought I would buy a children's dose liquid and start very, very low. I just don't want to do anything to make matters worse for my disrupted CNS. Good to hear from you. I hope you are doing well. xo Rebecca

[Catina7]

4 hours ago, rmce72a said:

No, but I am going to the health food store shortly to look at fish oil. I have resisted taking it because supplements and most foods cause increased  anxiety. I have tinnitus too, so I thought I would buy a children's dose liquid and start very, very low. I just don't want to do anything to make matters worse for my disrupted CNS. Good to hear from you. I hope you are doing well. xo Rebecca

I hope the fish oil helps!  It stinks that we have to be so careful due to our sensitized nervous systems.  I ran out of magnesium glycinate and my anxiety actually got better.  I don't know if it's just a coincidence or not!  

[rmce72a]

I tried magnesium several weeks ago. Bought the powdered kind to make into a hot drink. I used 1/8 tsp when the directions said 1/2 to 1 tsp per cup. Later that day my anxiety increased a lot. May have been a coincidence, but since I am so sensitive, I am blaming the magnesium. I see you take cod liver oil. Is that easier on the CNS that Omega 3? Have you found it helps reduce anxiety? I didn't get out today after all, so I haven't bought the Omega 3 yet.

[Shep]

@rmce72a, for some people dealing with GI issues, foods low in fodmaps can cause less irritation to the GI system. 

 

The Low Fodmap Diet

 

You may want to get a notebook and track your foods and any upticks in symptoms so you can eliminate foods that are problematic. 

 

Elimination or exclusion diets for reactions to food (food intolerance)

 

Diet can play a role in upticks in anxiety, so hopefully you can find some foods that don't ramp up GI symptoms and will also help keep the anxiety under control, too. 

[Catina7]

13 hours ago, rmce72a said:

I tried magnesium several weeks ago. Bought the powdered kind to make into a hot drink. I used 1/8 tsp when the directions said 1/2 to 1 tsp per cup. Later that day my anxiety increased a lot. May have been a coincidence, but since I am so sensitive, I am blaming the magnesium. I see you take cod liver oil. Is that easier on the CNS that Omega 3? Have you found it helps reduce anxiety? I didn't get out today after all, so I haven't bought the Omega 3 yet.

I don't know if the cod liver oil is easier on the CNS than Omega 3.  But since everyone reacts differently, it's hard to say if it would work better for you than the fish oil.  Maybe try the Omega 3 first to see how it works for you.  

[rmce72a]

Thank you, Shep and Catina. I am preparing now to go to see the psychiatrist my doc sent me to discuss what to do about Effexor. That is the psych who percsribed the BusPar that I have not taken. This visit is supposedly to discuss how I am feeling on Buspar. I plan to have a frank conversation with him explaining why I refuse to take more meds and that it was Effexor that got me here in the first place. I suspect that he will say there is nothing he can do if I won't take more meds, so I am guessing this will be my last visit with him. I am SO frustrated with doctors who simply do not know anything about AD withdrawal. 

 

Thank God for this Website and people like you who DO know what is going on. Twenty-four years on ADs for fibromyalgia!! It never occurred to me to ask question this med when it was prescribed by my trusted PCP. He kept refilling it, and I kept taking it. I never suffered from anxiety and depression before the Effexor. 

[rmce72a]

As a followup to my last post, I saw psych today. He says I really only have 3 choices if I refuse to try other meds: 1) Keep counting beads and go through hell, 2) Increase Effexor to 112.5 to see if there is improvement, 3) Try adding beads from my saved beads to increase to 75mg-80 mg to see if that helps. Beyond that, he says there are no other options. I also said that my multiple food and supplement sensitivities are the worst he has ever seen, and he cannot account for them. He also says he believes I have other subconscious unresolved life issues that continued therapy should help. So, as expected, I still have no answers except to stay the surrent course and keep counting beads.

[Catina7]

21 hours ago, rmce72a said:

As a followup to my last post, I saw psych today. He says I really only have 3 choices if I refuse to try other meds: 1) Keep counting beads and go through hell, 2) Increase Effexor to 112.5 to see if there is improvement, 3) Try adding beads from my saved beads to increase to 75mg-80 mg to see if that helps. Beyond that, he says there are no other options. I also said that my multiple food and supplement sensitivities are the worst he has ever seen, and he cannot account for them. He also says he believes I have other subconscious unresolved life issues that continued therapy should help. So, as expected, I still have no answers except to stay the surrent course and keep counting beads.

I'm so sorry that you're still left without any answers.  My heart goes out to you.  I do know that the mods on this site are excellent and very helpful.  Maybe you can try that Low Fodmap diet that Shep recommended.  Don't lose hope.  There have to be things out there that can help you.  Keep doing research on the internet.  There are also holistic psychiatrists out there that perhaps you can consult with.

[rmce72a]

Thank you, Catina.  I am on day 3 of a window, of sorts. Although the tinnitus is still bad, I have felt more normal than I have felt in many, many months. This must be the typical window. Also, I went back up to about 73 mg 3 weeks ago, and perhaps my CNS is healing enough to give me a couple better days. I have not had that constant nervousness bordering on panic, have been sleeping ok, and have not been dizzy. I wish it could last, but I know better, but I am grateful for a little relief even though it is only temporary. 

 

I suppose I should stay at 73 for a couple more weeks before an attempt to drop to 72.85 or 72.9. I know my body could not handle anything near a 5% drop or even 1%. I did buy some Nordic Naturals for babies liquid fish oil today. The directions say that a 5-10 pound baby can take 1ml measured in the dropper, so I plan to try that tomorrow to see what happens. If I do ok, I will slowly increase the dropper amount. The omega may not be enough to do anything in an adult body, but my body is so very sensitive to supplements, it may work for me in such a tiny amount.

 

As always, thank you for keeping in touch. Your support is so very helpful. xo Rebecca

[Fifree]

Hi Rebecca. I’m so sad to read what you’re going through with your Effexor taper. It’s a dreadful drug to discontinue. I’m very glad you’re having a bit of a window atm tho. 
 

As I read your thread I can’t help but wonder about the Metoprolol you were taking a while back. Alto said your symptoms were consistent with coming off that too fast. Maybe you just haven’t fully recovered from your withdrawals from that and trying to taper Effexor while you’re still recovering from that is just making everything worse? I am certainly no expert (apart from having a two-week CT off Effexor before switching to Lexapro) but I’m just wondering if that could be an ongoing factor in your suffering. 
 

I hope the window continues for you.  

[j1290]

@rmce72a  Hello!  Fellow bead counter here, although I finished my taper a long time ago on the Venlafaxine.  I remember it well.   

 

Looking at my old notes, once I got below 75mg or so, I could only reduce by 1-3 beads at a time, and even then I had side effects that were dire.   Fishoil was the only supplement that I'm confident helped a little.   If I had it to do over again I would probably have added a prescription drug to get through but I don't see how I would have not gotten addicted to that.  I considered doing a prozac bridge but back in ancient history of 2013 it was pretty risky.  

 

I see you're on the 75mg capsules already, and those have the smaller beads than the 150s I used at first.  I know some people will separate out their capsules and sort them by larger and smaller beads and use that as a way to make smaller drops.  Its been a while but I recall also having a extended release version maybe? of Effexor that had extremely small beads, but I never incorporated those into my taper because of some reason or another.    

 

My own story with Wellbutrin is that once I switched from extended time release to instant release, all the rules changed.   I could no longer get what I considered stable(tolerable and predictable) on any dose or time release version of the drug.   I concluded that my state at that time(changing and significant physical and psych side effects daily, at my full re-instated, beginning dose) was my new WD normal and proceeded to begin to taper.  I've since reduced 60% in 6 months and still haven't found myself comfortable or even really tolerable during a hold or any other time, but things have steadily improved.   I decided that if I have to feel crappy, I'd rather feel crappy on a lower dose so I've kept doing the taper in hopes of better days ahead.   So far it has worked for me.   

 

I tell you that as just another datapoint.   Everybody's story is so totally different.   

 

Hang in there.  It took me a minute, but I got off of Effexor, and so can you!

[FindRest]

7 hours ago, rmce72a said:

I suppose I should stay at 73 for a couple more weeks before an attempt to drop to 72.85 or 72.9. I know my body could not handle anything near a 5% drop or even 1%.

I’m so glad you’ve had a window for a few days. That is great! I think it would be wise to hold for quite some time and not think about tapering for awhile. I know it’s tempting, but it was my experience that holding for a very long time (6 months one time, 8 months another, etc) after I became unstable was crucial to coming out the other side with my head up. You probably won’t need to hold that long, but I think it’s important to hold long enough to where you get some quality of life back for awhile. Please think about it at least. Right now, it sounds like your body needs some healing (weight and other GI symptoms, etc) and I think it would appreciate a break. 

[Catina7]

13 hours ago, rmce72a said:

Thank you, Catina.  I am on day 3 of a window, of sorts. Although the tinnitus is still bad, I have felt more normal than I have felt in many, many months. This must be the typical window. Also, I went back up to about 73 mg 3 weeks ago, and perhaps my CNS is healing enough to give me a couple better days. I have not had that constant nervousness bordering on panic, have been sleeping ok, and have not been dizzy. I wish it could last, but I know better, but I am grateful for a little relief even though it is only temporary. 

 

I suppose I should stay at 73 for a couple more weeks before an attempt to drop to 72.85 or 72.9. I know my body could not handle anything near a 5% drop or even 1%. I did buy some Nordic Naturals for babies liquid fish oil today. The directions say that a 5-10 pound baby can take 1ml measured in the dropper, so I plan to try that tomorrow to see what happens. If I do ok, I will slowly increase the dropper amount. The omega may not be enough to do anything in an adult body, but my body is so very sensitive to supplements, it may work for me in such a tiny amount.

 

As always, thank you for keeping in touch. Your support is so very helpful. xo Rebecca

Glad to hear you're experiencing even a little improvement.  Hang onto the hope that things will get better for you, no matter how long it takes.

[rmce72a]

Bless you all for your responses. Although the window has closed today, I am trying my best to push on. Today I am back to diarrhea, anxiety, heart palpitations, general anxiety/nervousness, dizziness, high tinnitus, etc. (the usual).   I do plan to hold at 73 mg for a while. I have decided that a three-day window does not mean I should taper yet. I didn't try the baby dose of omega 3 yet, so I can't blame it on that. This is the hand I have been dealt, and I'm going to have to play it whether I like it or not.

 

This whole nightmare is easier thanks to all of you. Your responses, thoughts, advice, and encouragement are lifelines for me, and I am so thankful for you. Keep 'em coming!  xo Rebecca

[Catina7]

Check out these videos from Witt-Doerring Psychiatry.  They specialize in helping people in withdrawal who are having problems.  Some really good info. Maybe you'll find something that helps you!  

 

https://www.youtube.com/@witt-doerringpsychiatry/videos

[rmce72a]

Thank you so much, Catina. I will check them out.