Waterflower: SSRI withdrawal and polydrugged

[Waterflower]

Hey there,

 

i want to make it Short.

 

I was cold turkeyd from Prozac in October 2020 which i took 8 jears without any Problem. Then reinstated in December Same year. The reinstatement dont made anyting and so they Cold turkeyd me again.

 

After that they send me to psychward and then the polydrugging began.

 

Ativan for a few weeks (i cant remember when exactly)

 

Zoloft for 12 days with horrendous effects, i mean more worse then every street drugs (i never took illegal drugs but) i fehlt like on a Bad LSD Drug.

 

They gave me Zoplicone and Valium too.

 

Then remeron for 5 Months which i quit with 3,75 mg because this drug was so awful that i commited a suicide attempt.

 

After that they send me to psychward again where i got 150 mg of Seroquel 🙈 I Take it for 8 Months now.

 

Im totally disabled, bedridden and havent slept in 13 Months.

 

But what done is is done.

 

Im tapering the Seroquel currently and have to taper 7,5 mg of Valium which i take since 6 or 8 weeks, i dont remember because my memory is very bad. but i have two questions who are very Important for me:

 

1st Question 

I read that the Seroquel interacts with 5ht2 receptors. Same receptors Like SSRI which Made me so much worse!!!! Im scared that due to the Seroquel this receptors get more and more damaged on top of the damage from Cold Turkeys from Prozac and due to using remeron which interacts with the Same receptors!!!! Any thoughts? Im i right?

If this is true i have to quit the Seroquel aß soon as possible because every single Tablet will damage my Serotonin receptors more and more. I think its compared to a reinstatement.

 

2nd Question:

 

I read a study where Doctors say that in rare cases the receptors never get back to normal and that there are people still Not healed after 10 or 12 years. I think the polydrugging highers the risk of that.

 

Im hoping to get answer because i never had any improvements in 13 Months and Most people heal much faster.

 

Greetings

Waterflower 

 

 

 

 

 

[Onmyway]

On 6/21/2022 at 4:46 AM, Waterflower said:

Hey there,

 

i want to make it Short.

 

I was cold turkeyd from Prozac in October 2020 which i took 8 jears without any Problem. Then reinstated in December Same year. The reinstatement dont made anyting and so they Cold turkeyd me again.

 

After that they send me to psychward and then the polydrugging began.

 

Ativan for a few weeks (i cant remember when exactly)

 

Zoloft for 12 days with horrendous effects, i mean more worse then every street drugs (i never took illegal drugs but) i fehlt like on a Bad LSD Drug.

 

They gave me Zoplicone and Valium too.

 

Then remeron for 5 Months which i quit with 3,75 mg because this drug was so awful that i commited a suicide attempt.

 

After that they send me to psychward again where i got 150 mg of Seroquel 🙈 I Take it for 8 Months now.

 

Im totally disabled, bedridden and havent slept in 13 Months.

 

But what done is is done.

 

Im tapering the Seroquel currently and have to taper 7,5 mg of Valium which i take since 6 or 8 weeks, i dont remember because my memory is very bad. but i have two questions who are very Important for me:

 

1st Question 

I read that the Seroquel interacts with 5ht2 receptors. Same receptors Like SSRI which Made me so much worse!!!! Im scared that due to the Seroquel this receptors get more and more damaged on top of the damage from Cold Turkeys from Prozac and due to using remeron which interacts with the Same receptors!!!! Any thoughts? Im i right?

If this is true i have to quit the Seroquel aß soon as possible because every single Tablet will damage my Serotonin receptors more and more. I think its compared to a reinstatement.

 

2nd Question:

 

I read a study where Doctors say that in rare cases the receptors never get back to normal and that there are people still Not healed after 10 or 12 years. I think the polydrugging highers the risk of that.

 

Im hoping to get answer because i never had any improvements in 13 Months and Most people heal much faster.

 

Greetings

Waterflower 

Hi @Waterflower, 

welcome to SA. You are suffering from WD which has sadly been very badly managed by your doctors. The reason why reinstatements don't always work is because our brains are highly sensitized after coming off drugs and as a result react badly to new psychoactive substances. If you had been given a much smaller dose of prozac you could have possibly had some success. 

 

Can you please create a signature with these instructions. This will help us help you.

How to List Drug History in Signature - Introductions and updates - Surviving Antidepressants

 

It is possible that your current tapering is making your withdrawal symptoms and destabilization worse. Are you symptoms better or worse after taking your current drugs? Within 2-3 hours? Do they change during the day? 

 

We (science in general and doctors included) know very little about what specifically happens in the brain with these drugs and receptors so I would not use that to make conclusions about these drugs. We believe that receptors adapt to the chemicals introduced to the brain and then when we withdraw those chemicals the whole system becomes destabilized. Receptors then readapt to this new situation but that process is slow so it takes time, hence withdrawal symptoms take a long time to leave. The more changes you make (i.e. remove drugs) the more adaptations the brain needs to make. The links below help you understand the process. 

 

What is happening in your brain? - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

How psychiatric drugs remodel your brain - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSjYH044-2Q

 

I am not familiar with the study you refer to. Can you please put up a link? We find that people recover from WD in different timelines and each story is unique. For some people it could be months, for others years, very very very rarely a decade. The process itself is like a rollercoaster - sometimes symptoms seize and at other times they get worse. 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

Here is a link to our success stories. Not everybody comes back to write a success story but enough people do to show us that there is recovery. 

Success stories: Recovery from psychiatric drug withdrawal - Surviving Antidepressants

 

Hope you start feeling better soon, 
OMW

 

[Waterflower]

Hello,

 

thank you so much for your answer. I will make a Signature as soon as possible but im very confused at moment....

 

I dont notice anything from drug reduction at moment. But im totally scared because my symptoms never Change or improve since this Desaster began. Not like other people where Symptoms Change or improve. Im afraid that this is a sign that i wont Recover... I Had a lot of drugs in this jear and im devastasted what they have done to me.

 

Greetings 

[Ariel]

Hi @Waterflower

Welcome to SA. 

 

I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience with poly-drugging by doctors on the psych ward. My heart goes out to you.

Unfortunately this is not uncommon. It happened to me, too, and to many other SA members. 

 

I know it may feel like recovery is far away but keep reminding yourself that healing is possible. It takes time, but we will heal. 

I used to feel a lot worse than I do now, and things have gotten much better. I still have a ways to go but healing is happening. 

I trust the same is true for you. You will heal, and your system is probably already healing in myriad, mysterious, imperceptible ways. 

 

On 7/1/2022 at 7:50 AM, Onmyway said:

We (science in general and doctors included) know very little about what specifically happens in the brain with these drugs and receptors so I would not use that to make conclusions about these drugs. We believe that receptors adapt to the chemicals introduced to the brain and then when we withdraw those chemicals the whole system becomes destabilized. Receptors then readapt to this new situation but that process is slow so it takes time, hence withdrawal symptoms take a long time to leave. The more changes you make (i.e. remove drugs) the more adaptations the brain needs to make. The links below help you understand the process. 

 

What is happening in your brain? - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

How psychiatric drugs remodel your brain - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

Onmyway has given you so great links that will lead you to useful information about the process of healing from psych drugs. 

The most important thing to remember is that healing is possible. It takes time and we must practice patience, but we will eventually heal and recover. 

Hang in there, Waterflower. It gets better!

 

On 7/1/2022 at 7:50 AM, Onmyway said:

We find that people recover from WD in different timelines and each story is unique. For some people it could be months, for others years, very very very rarely a decade. The process itself is like a rollercoaster - sometimes symptoms seize and at other times they get worse. 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

Here is a link to our success stories. Not everybody comes back to write a success story but enough people do to show us that there is recovery. 

Success stories: Recovery from psychiatric drug withdrawal - Surviving Antidepressants

 

 

Above Onmyway has also provided a link to the success stories section of this website.

Sometimes it's helpful to read success stories as they can make us feel encouraged and give us hope. 

 

Healing is happening all the time, even when we don't consciously feel it <3

In solidarity and support,

A.

[Waterflower]

Hello Ariel, 

 

thank you so much for your answer. Currently im a total Vegetable and Not able to write down what i think.

 

I will do it as soon as possible.

 

Love 💞

Waterflower