Thorin: withdrawal from Latuda

[FireflyFyte]

12 hours ago, Thorin said:

ok wow so the food thing really is a thing. I’m meant to have at least 350 calories when I take it. Will be interesting to see how I go in the next week now that I’m taking it with food. Feel pretty stupid but oh well. I know now. Hope this helps!

 

I apologize for not noticing sooner but would have said something. I think I triggered my withdrawals when I moved from taking my Latuda with dinner/food to taking it right before bed without food so think it can really make a sizable difference.

[Thorin]

10 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

I apologize for not noticing sooner but would have said something. I think I triggered my withdrawals when I moved from taking my Latuda with dinner/food to taking it right before bed without food so think it can really make a sizable difference.

Thanks. Think I’m noticing a difference today. Feeling quite numb which I associate with Lurasidone.

[Thorin]

Sunday moderate

Not sure how much sleep. Feel fatigued. Tinnitus

0830 0.125mg clonazepam 

1115 black tea

1200 did breathwork which increased tinnitus

1215 mag and health smoothie with milk kefir

1245 feel slightly activated and mildly anxious. But that could be because I’m thinking of going out of the house and being active. Before withdrawals I always felt activated. I liked it. It’s what drove me.

1300 0.125mg clonazepam 

1420 feeling better again today. Transient urges to rejoin life. Listen to music, go for a swim etc. still easier to lie on the bed but at least I am having urges to do good things. Tinnitus still loud but not AS loud. Or maybe I’m just not as bothered by it today.

1700 iced decaf coffee no sugar 

1625 0.2 ml CBD:THC oil (2mg THC)

1845 big handful of almonds 

1945 feeling mildly panicky. Going to try self soothe again.

2000 did breathwork. Helped with anxiety but ramped up tinnitus. 14mg Lurasidone. 2 x chicken wraps. Fish oil. 0.2ml CBD:THC oil

2115 tinnitus

2130 having some moderate level anxiety. Slowing the stimulation and a bit of self care helped.

2315 anxiety. Forgot clonazepam at 2230. Will have now

[Sadie1]

Hi Thorin, 

Sorry you’re feeling numb. I think it was maybe already discussed but I think the CBD/THC can also effect the absorption of Lurasidone. Have you tried going without?

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=2758-0,3278-14870

[Thorin]

12 minutes ago, Sadie1 said:

Hi Thorin, 

Sorry you’re feeling numb. I think it was maybe already discussed but I think the CBD/THC can also effect the absorption of Lurasidone. Have you tried going without?

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=2758-0,3278-14870

Hi Sadie, I haven’t had any CBD: THC today. I recognise this feeling. It’s the Lurasidone levels increasing in my system. The feeling should pass when the levels even out and hopefully I will be able to function better. Even start reducing my dose after a bit.

[Thorin]

18 minutes ago, Sadie1 said:

Hi Thorin, 

Sorry you’re feeling numb. I think it was maybe already discussed but I think the CBD/THC can also effect the absorption of Lurasidone. Have you tried going without?

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=2758-0,3278-14870

Hi Sadie, I haven’t had any CBD: THC today. I recognise this feeling. It’s the Lurasidone levels increasing in my system. The feeling should pass when the levels even out and hopefully I will be able to function better. Even start reducing my dose after a bit.

[Thorin]

Hi Sadie, I’ll wait for things to level out now that I’m taking it with food before trying to change anything else. Otherwise I can’t tell what’s causing what.

 

thanks

[Sadie1]

Oh sorry I didn’t mean that the cbd/THC was causing the numbness. Just that it could further affect the absorption of the Lurasidone, so you may absorbing more or less of the Lurasidone.

[Thorin]

1 minute ago, Sadie1 said:

Oh sorry I didn’t mean that the cbd/THC was causing the numbness. Just that it could further affect the absorption of the Lurasidone, so you may absorbing more or less of the Lurasidone.

Sorry, I misread what you wrote. My bad. Definitely something for me to consider. Thanks

[Thorin]

Hi Admin,

 

just checking I’m doing the right thing. Recently found out after years of taking Lurasidone that it should be taken with food. Two days ago I started taking it with food and I can feel the Lurasidone having a stronger effect. I decided to just continue having it with food and not change anything else and see how it effects me. This is better than trying to drop the dose to accommodate the increased amount of Lurasidone in my blood isn’t it? I only want to change one thing at a time and not make drastic changes. Do you have any thoughts or concerns about this?

 

and any tips for dealing with tinnitus would be appreciated. It started about a week ago and hasn’t stopped.

 

 

Thanks

Thorin

[Shep]

3 hours ago, Thorin said:

I decided to just continue having it with food and not change anything else and see how it effects me. This is better than trying to drop the dose to accommodate the increased amount of Lurasidone in my blood isn’t it? I only want to change one thing at a time and not make drastic changes. Do you have any thoughts or concerns about this?

 

Sounds like a wise plan, Thorin. 

 

Also make sure you're taking everything - drugs and supplements - at the same set times of the day and at the same doses so everything is consistent. 

[Thorin]

10 minutes ago, Shep said:

Also make sure you're taking everything - drugs and supplements - at the same set times of the day and at the same doses so everything is consistent. 

Thanks for responding Shep. I am taking everything at the same time everyday except the CBD:THC which I am in the process of regulating better. I have stopped taking the straight CBD and reduced CBD:THC to the mid afternoon onwards so far. I will get this sorted better and I am eating more regularly and frequently as well after your post the other day. This may need improving further.

[FireflyFyte]

7 hours ago, Thorin said:

just checking I’m doing the right thing. Recently found out after years of taking Lurasidone that it should be taken with food. Two days ago I started taking it with food and I can feel the Lurasidone having a stronger effect. I decided to just continue having it with food and not change anything else and see how it effects me. This is better than trying to drop the dose to accommodate the increased amount of Lurasidone in my blood isn’t it? I only want to change one thing at a time and not make drastic changes. Do you have any thoughts or concerns about this?

 

I am not an admin but I think this is a good idea. My understanding is that taking it without food can mean the absorption rate is only 50-75% which means it could vary and cause instability so taking it with foods ensures that you get a steady dose.

[Thorin]

8 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

I am not an admin but I think this is a good idea. My understanding is that taking it without food can mean the absorption rate is only 50-75% which means it could vary and cause instability so taking it with foods ensures that you get a steady dose.

I think you’re right about increasing stability. This may well be what’s been throwing me about the last few months.

 

Thanks

[Thorin]

Thank you @Sadie1@FireflyFyteand @Shep. I am feeling on a much more even keel now that I have been taking my Lurasidone with food every night. If I could get rid of this crazy loud tinnitus I think I’d be in a pretty ok place. Was able to sit down and do some work today which is a relief (have to bring that money in!). Here’s to healing!

[j1290]

@Thorin 

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better!  I've had the EEEEEEE for a very long time, but haven't really noticed it for years.   I wish I had some solid advice to give you, but I can tell you that for me, once I got past a rough patch of noticing it, I just kind of forgot about it and didn't hear it for years and years.   I believe it really will be tolerable for you one day, too.  Hope that day comes soon and please be kind to yourself.   

[Thorin]

31 minutes ago, j1290 said:

@Thorin 

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better!  I've had the EEEEEEE for a very long time, but haven't really noticed it for years.   I wish I had some solid advice to give you, but I can tell you that for me, once I got past a rough patch of noticing it, I just kind of forgot about it and didn't hear it for years and years.   I believe it really will be tolerable for you one day, too.  Hope that day comes soon and please be kind to yourself.   

Thanks John, and that answers my question in your other post. If all I have to do is forget about it that would be great. It may even go away on its own over time. At this stage I have no idea about when withdrawals will turn up and when they’ll go away again. 

[FireflyFyte]

8 hours ago, Thorin said:

I am feeling on a much more even keel now that I have been taking my Lurasidone with food every night. If I could get rid of this crazy loud tinnitus I think I’d be in a pretty ok place. Was able to sit down and do some work today which is a relief (have to bring that money in!). Here’s to healing!

 

I am really glad to hear it, Thorin. Hope you continue to feel well as you stabilize and eventually continue your taper.

[Sadie1]

That’s so good to hear Thorin! Hope you continue to feel better!

[Thorin]

Thanks @Sadie1. If I could sort this tinnitus I’d be in an ok place right now.

[Thorin]

I’m assuming I’ll get used to the tinnitus or it will go away over time. Then I should be in an ok place.

[Thorin]

The stability I’ve been feeling since starting to take my Lurasidone with food has continued although the tinnitus is still present. I’m gradually feeling better than i have in a long time. If this continues I might start to feel relatively good! It’s also showing me that a lot of what I’ve been experiencing IS the medication rather than me. Hopefully when I get off this stuff I’m relatively stable and resilient. Imagine that!

[j1290]

7 hours ago, Thorin said:

It’s also showing me that a lot of what I’ve been experiencing IS the medication rather than me.

Fantastic news!

[Thorin]

28 minutes ago, j1290 said:

Fantastic news!

Thanks mate! Of course my monkey mind immediately told me that I’m only feeling better because there’s more med in my system. But realistically I’m down from 40mg to 14mg and doing ok when the med’s not messing with me. That’s pretty damn good. How you holding up?

[FireflyFyte]

10 hours ago, Thorin said:

Thanks mate! Of course my monkey mind immediately told me that I’m only feeling better because there’s more med in my system. But realistically I’m down from 40mg to 14mg and doing ok when the med’s not messing with me. That’s pretty damn good.

 

Our brains can often be our own worst enemies, right? 

 

Glad that you are feeling better and it's no small feat to be from 40mg down to 14mg.

[Thorin]

Wednesday mod 

5 hours sleep. Woke up with an appetite. Tinnitus present but not as bad. Occasional dizziness.

0830 0.125mg clonazepam 

0930 two handfuls almonds and magnesium 

1015 breathwork. Increased tinnitus

1100 health smoothie with milk kefir

1300 0.125 mg clonazepam and breathwork

1345 two handfuls of almonds and an avocado 

1530 salmon sushi roll

2000 14mg Lurasidone. Thai curry and rice. Fish oil.

2100 mildly agitated and mildly anxious

2230 0.125mg clonazepam 

 

Thursday

5 hours sleep. Tinnitus present but in and out on wake up.

Out early to do some thing. Mild dizziness 1/10, some strong emotions, feel like brain not quite working properly 1/10. Think I’m noticing more because I’m out doing things

0830 0.125mg clonazepam. Health smoothie, almonds, magnesium 

1035 some sensations in chest

1200 breathwork - increased tinnitus. Prior to this my tinnitus has been present but not overwhelming today.

1300 0.125mg clonazepam

1430 Tinnitus much reduced overall today.

1630 gentle jog/walk with dog

1700 avocado

2000 14mg Lurasidone. Getting some anger over my past coming up. To be expected I guess. Part of healing.

2200 had some really big emotions and anxiety.

2230 0.125 mg clonazepam. Magnesium

[Thorin]

2 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

 

Our brains can often be our own worst enemies, right? 

 

Glad that you are feeling better and it's no small feat to be from 40mg down to 14mg.

Thanks FfF. Hope I haven’t spoken too soon. Started to feel quite overstimulated, restless and anxious. Man this ride is such a rollercoaster! Can’t wait to get to WD Normal (whatever that is) where I can have some sort of continuous stability. 
 

Thanks for stopping by!

[Thorin]

Hi admin @Shepfeeling very off today. I believe it’s the increased Lurasidone in my system. I feel agitated and anxious (akathisia?) after feeling better for a few days. Also my sleep has slowly been getting worse for a while. Today is the 7th day since starting to take the Lurasidone with food. Do you have any suggestions? I am hesitant to reduce the dose at the moment because symptoms have been morphing and changing for some time and haven’t settled yet. I don’t believe I am in WD Normal yet. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks 

[Thorin]

Thursday

5 hours sleep. Tinnitus present but in and out on wake up.

Out early to do some thing. Mild dizziness 1/10, some strong emotions, feel like brain not quite working properly 1/10. Think I’m noticing more because I’m out doing things

0830 0.125mg clonazepam. Health smoothie, almonds, magnesium

1035 some sensations in chest

1200 breathwork - increased tinnitus. Prior to this my tinnitus has been present but not overwhelming today.

1300 0.125mg clonazepam

1430 Tinnitus much reduced overall today.

1630 gentle jog/walk with dog

1700 avocado

2000 14mg Lurasidone. Getting some anger over my past coming up. To be expected I guess. Part of healing.

2200 had some really big emotions and anxiety.

2230 0.125 mg clonazepam. Magnesium.

[Thorin]

Today has been a difficult one so I feel I need to think of something positive. So I'm going to list the positives I've experienced since starting this horrible withdrawal journey.

1. I'm physically stronger/healthier than I have been in a while. Changing my lifestyle, while difficult has over all been a positive. I used to eat out all the time. Drink a lot. To try to make myself feel better. We mostly eat healthy meals at home now and my body feels better for it and most days I jog/walk (I haven't recently). There's a lot of work to do but I'm on a good path;
2. Diet (Already mentioned). We eat really healthily now compared to eating out multiple times a week like I did in the past. My body feels better for it;
3. My mind is (very) slowly clearing. Since stopping the dextroamphetamine and holding at this dose with my other meds I've recently noticed my cognition is a little better. Not good, but better. This is pretty massive for me.
4. There have been definite overall improvements. There's always something horrible (symptoms). When one horrible symptom stops another one starts. There's very rarely a time where I just feel good. BUT, I am experiencing FEWER symptoms at a time and the symptoms frequently (not always) seem less severe than they used to be. This doesn't mean they're not debilitating at times but on average I am better than I was 5-6 months ago. Hopefully a slower, properly done taper (when I'm ready) will see this continue.
5. My partner seems to support me no matter what. I must be so difficult to be around (I try not to be hard to be around but I can't hide what I'm going through) but she is always there. I try not to burden her too much (probably why I'm always on here. You guys understand). Our relationship is stronger than it was before I started tapering.
6. I can feel so many more emotions. This is a double edged sword as someone recently said to me on here. It means I have to constantly work on my coping mechanisms and do frequent therapy but feeling is a good thing I'm learning. I'm dreaming of a time where I'm in a place where I feel joy! This must be wonderful!
7. On average I'm a better father. I always worked hard at being a good parent but in the last 12 months I feel I've been really going ok at this. I have to admit the last two months I have been in my room a lot because of withdrawals but my relationship with my kids overall has been pretty good I think.
8. That's all I can think of for now. Just needed something positive for today. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day!!

 

[j1290]

20 hours ago, Thorin said:

I can feel so many more emotions. This is a double edged sword as someone recently said to me on here. It means I have to constantly work on my coping mechanisms and do frequent therapy but feeling is a good thing I'm learning. I'm dreaming of a time where I'm in a place where I feel joy! This must be wonderful!

Such a great point.   I guess I'm going to have to practice/learn/adjust my coping mechanisms to match the expanded range of emotions!   

[Thorin]

27 minutes ago, j1290 said:

Such a great point.   I guess I'm going to have to practice/learn/adjust my coping mechanisms to match the expanded range of emotions! 

It’s a massive adjustment. Mine came on quite quickly as I was coming off my meds too fast. Slowly getting used to it. Like you said, practise and adjust your coping mechanisms. You’ll need them! But it’s a good thing overall.

[Thorin]

Friday
5 hours sleep. Woke up feeling very anxious and very overstimulated. And very tired. Tinnitus loud.
0815 feel like I have an inner restlessness/anxiety.
0830 0.125mg clonazepam
1030 inner restlessness still present. Must be from increased Lurasidone. Tinnitus is bad again today. Magnesium
1230 feel very off today. Bad tinnitus, agitated and anxious. Very uncomfortable.
1300 0.125mg clonazepam
1330 health smoothie with milk kefir
1400 akathisia eased off. Tinnitus bad.
1700 chiko roll with lemon
1800 0.15 ml CBD:THC oil (1.5mg THC)
2000 rice and beans. 14mg Lurasidone
2230 0.125mg clonazepam

Saturday ok
5-6 hours sleep. Tinnitus present but not at a 10. No akathisia
0830 0.125mg clonazepam, magnesium
0945 breathwork. Tinnitus increased
1200 health smoothie. Tinnitus moderate
1300 0.125mg clonazepam
1800 seem to be having a window this afternoon. Not going to hold my breath as I’ve been tricked before. But will enjoy feeling ok for a bit.
1945 quite irritable and getting very angry easily. Out for dinner for the first time in a long time. Very overstimulating. Bit of anxiety. Social anxiety up.
2115 0.2 CBD:THC oil
2230 0.125mg clonazepam magnesium
 

[Sadie1]

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing akithisia, anger and irritability. I worry about the anger and irritability as I lower my dose. I’ve been lucky not to experience it yet, but it does seem really common. Hope it passes for you soon! 

[Thorin]

35 minutes ago, Sadie1 said:

Sorry to hear you’re experiencing akithisia, anger and irritability. I worry about the anger and irritability as I lower my dose. I’ve been lucky not to experience it yet, but it does seem really common. Hope it passes for you soon! 

Hi Sadie, thanks very much. The akathisia seems to have passed again which is weird. And yesterday was a good day with tinnitus but that’s back again with a vengeance today. There are a few things happening that would rightly cause anger and irritability it just feels a bit bigger than it should be and harder to keep it in. To be honest over all I was much more irritable when I was on a higher dose of Latuda. I think it’s to be expected that our emotions will be off at times during this process. Just go slow and I’m sure you’ll be fine!

[j1290]

5 hours ago, Thorin said:

quite irritable and getting very angry easily. Out for dinner for the first time in a long time. Very overstimulating. Bit of anxiety. Social anxiety up.

I hear that!  This is when I fall back on the I'm chemically irritable description.   Everything bothers me and I want to overreact because I feel cranky.   Luckily I can usually keep it locked up but sometimes things will sneak out I would have normally kept inside.   Will this go away after I get off the meds or be really difficult to control?  I have no idea.   I'm starting to think there very well may be a long emotional adjustment period.