littlebird: tried tapering Pristiq - will try tapering Wellbutrin instead

[littlebird]

3 hours ago, Altostrata said:

How are you measuring your Wellbutrin doses?

 

I'm using a Gemini 20 scale

 

3 hours ago, Altostrata said:

What drug changes have you made in the last 2 weeks, with dates and dosages?

 

I think it was over a week ago I tried bumping Wellbutrin less than 2% to see if it would positively affect mood (mildly helped).

 

Tuesday of this week I skipped 10pm Pristiq to see if it was the culprit in why I was sleeping so badly (slept great that night) and then took it first thing in the morning instead.

 

I'm sleeping through the night, which is great, and I feel okay with Pristiq in the morning... until the Wellbutrin IR hits. The effect gets easier with later doses, so I'm thinking perhaps Pristiq might not be affecting me as much later in the day?

 

Currently:

10am - 25mg Pristiq

12pm - 26mg Wellbutrin IR

2pm - 97.5 Gabapentin

4pm - 26mg Wellbutrin IR

6pm - 97.5 Gabapentin

8pm - 26mg Wellbutrin IR

10pm - 97.5mg Gabapentin

12am - 100mg Seroquel

 

I think I'm starting Gabapentin too late in the day. If I do 1) Pristiq, 2) Gabapentin, 3) Wellbutrin, etc with the 3x a day Wellbutrin, I'll end up taking last Wellbutrin at 10pm. Feels too late to take something activating. 

 

So I'm thinking:

10am - 25mg Pristiq

12pm - 97.5mg Gabapentin

2pm - 39mg Wellbutrin IR

4pm - 97.5mg Gabapentin

6pm - 39mg Wellbutrin IR

8/9pm - 97.5mg Gabapentin

12am - 100mg Seroquel (might try to gradually move bedtime slowly up a little if this schedule works, lately it's been a slog to get to midnight)

[littlebird]

Evenings are soooo much better without Pristiq. I am winding down, not up. Love this for me. 

[littlebird]

Yikes, realizing that therapy coming to an end is triggering childhood stuff. I'm having childish thoughts like, "If you really cared you'd see me another round," or "You didn't mean it when you said you enjoyed working with me."

 

Childhood wounding activated! Grateful he brought this up before the end to give me time to grieve and come to terms. I'm gonna miss this dude. Grateful for the work we did together, we did a lot with limited time, but damn I was hoping for more time. It was just such a relief to work with a good person. Back to the drawing board! Gonna be making some calls.

[Altostrata]

As ever, I am amazed at the complexity of your clueless drug regimen.

 

You also continue to change it at will. This is too much for me to follow, I need to make space to have a life. Do what you want.

 

If Wellbutrin is too activating, if I were you, I'd taper it. Have you made any progress with this?

[littlebird]

On 4/7/2023 at 5:07 PM, Altostrata said:

If Wellbutrin is too activating, if I were you, I'd taper it. Have you made any progress with this?

 

It's actually ok now! The switch to IR was rough back when that crossover happened, but I got used to it over time and am doing fine. I've been quite depressed lately, so I'm a bit wary of tapering that.

 

It was interacting, thus my question, but moving dosage 2 hours later in the day helped a lot. As I'm also under an inordinate amount of stress, I'm thinking I'd be best holding for bit so I don't worsen depression further at this time.

 

Pristiq was disturbing sleep it turns out, so sleeping through the night has been a great change. Figured out my question by moving time by 2 hours. Thank you for checking in. Just gonna hold and take it easy for now. Hope you're having a good weekend and enjoying the bay area sun!

[StayHopeful]

 

@littlebird Hey!

 

Glad you're doing better!! The the various bird avatars are so pretty😊

[FireflyFyte]

On 4/16/2023 at 4:13 PM, littlebird said:

It was interacting, thus my question, but moving dosage 2 hours later in the day helped a lot. As I'm also under an inordinate amount of stress, I'm thinking I'd be best holding for bit so I don't worsen depression further at this time.

 

Sorry that you are under a lot of stress right now. I think it's smart to hold off on any changes until your stress levels go down some and are more manageable. 

[Rosetta]

On 4/2/2023 at 11:02 PM, littlebird said:

 

Thanks, Rosetta! I gave it a shot with both my parents, and it was a hard no-go. I think all I can do is keep occasionally remarking on my own positive experiences with tapering, and the ways I feel better after being on less meds.

Yes, that is probably all you can do.  Take care of yourself, littlebird.  That’s the best thing you can do overall.

[littlebird]

I'm back, babes! The wedding went off without a hitch and was the happiest day yet for my partner and I. Never cried so much ever! I was a soft and squishy LB full of love and gratitude. Did well with meds too, recruited a lot of people with watches on to help me on that very busy day. Didn't miss a dose!

 

On 4/17/2023 at 7:59 PM, StayHopeful said:

Glad you're doing better!! The the various bird avatars are so pretty😊

 

Thank you! I'm liking this one and might keep it for a bit, especially while I'm honeymooning. 🥰

 

On 4/18/2023 at 8:59 AM, FireflyFyte said:

I think it's smart to hold off on any changes until your stress levels go down some and are more manageable. 

 

This was so the move! This was the busiest and highest-emotion week of my life. Was feeling rather emotionally blunted, but less so than I might have been when I first joined this site.

 

Actually, super glad to know how much polydrugging can affect things. There was a moment where I was so grateful and happy, looking at my favorite people on the dancefloor at our wedding, and I still felt very flat and numbed out.

 

If I hadn't known how much these meds were affecting me, I might've thought something was deeply wrong with me. Instead, I reminded myself that I'm still on a boatload of psych meds and to take the feeling with a grain of salt. Maybe we can renew our vows once I'm off these things so I can see how it feels to be unadulterated on such a happy day.

 

On 5/2/2023 at 9:29 AM, Rosetta said:

Yes, that is probably all you can do.  Take care of yourself, littlebird.  That’s the best thing you can do overall.

 

Thank you! Doing my best to really get back into the self-care after a week of taking care of everyone at the wedding. Plus I caught a cold and am feeling very under the weather so no more cuts this week either. Time to recuperate! 

[RachelSusan]

@littlebird Hi LB, let me offer my heartfelt congratulations on this very happy and joyful occasion. I'm so glad you didn't miss a dose; that can be difficult when involved with your own wedding. I am very impressed that you delegated people to remind you. Good thinking.

 

Sorry about the cold.

Edited May 9, 2023 by RachelSusan

[littlebird]

6 hours ago, littlebird said:

Maybe we can renew our vows once I'm off these things so I can see how it feels to be unadulterated on such a happy day.

 

With everything I'm on, it might even be on our 10 year anniversary or later. Ahhhhh can't think about that too hard!

[Fifree]

Maybe a party after each drug is finished and then a really big blowout once they’re all done

[Thorin]

4 minutes ago, Fifree said:

Maybe a party after each drug is finished and then a really big blowout once they’re all done

IMm thinking milestone parties 🎉. I need something to keep me going as I taper. We might just need to hold for that months so we can have a few drinks

[j1290]

10 minutes ago, Fifree said:

Maybe a party after each drug is finished and then a really big blowout once they’re all done

I like the way you think!

[littlebird]

23 minutes ago, Fifree said:

Maybe a party after each drug is finished and then a really big blowout once they’re all done

 

Oh heck yeah, I like your style!!

 

19 minutes ago, Thorin said:

thinking milestone parties 🎉. I need something to keep me going as I taper.

 

Love this idea so much, y'all. More parties! 

[littlebird]

9 hours ago, RachelSusan said:

Hi LB, let me offer my heartfelt congratulations on this very happy and joyful occasion. I'm so glad you didn't miss a dose; that can be difficult when involved with your own wedding. I am very impressed that you delegated people to remind you. Good thinking.

 

Thank you!! I was pretty proud of myself for making that work out, one less thing to think about. The pictures are starting to roll in from guests, and a video of the ceremony, and it's keeping me on cloud nine as I relive it all. We had another wedding late last year for locals/non-family, so we planned and executed 2 weddings inside of a year... no wonder I'm needing a little rest! 

[Altostrata]

Congratulations!

[FireflyFyte]

21 hours ago, littlebird said:

I'm back, babes! The wedding went off without a hitch and was the happiest day yet for my partner and I. Never cried so much ever! I was a soft and squishy LB full of love and gratitude. Did well with meds too, recruited a lot of people with watches on to help me on that very busy day. Didn't miss a dose!

 

Congratulations, littlebird! 🎉

 

No small feat to keep on top of your medication while juggling all of the responsibilities and activities of a wedding. You should be really proud of yourself for your foresight.

[littlebird]

Just now, FireflyFyte said:

Congratulations, littlebird! 🎉

 

No small feat to keep on top of your medication while juggling all of the responsibilities and activities of a wedding. You should be really proud of yourself for your foresight.

 

Thank you!!! I want to thank the people on here, it was definitely a lot of crowd-sourcing of ideas to keep that busy day med-scheduled. If I hadn't thought it out in advance, it would have been too easy to miss all the doses. It was a happy blur of a day!

[littlebird]

Ahhhhh so sick on honeymoon!! Getting negative after negative on covid tests, and partner is staying healthy (if a bit run down and tired) so that's good.

 

Anyone have any good tips/tricks/cures for a cold? I'll try anything. Give me the weirdest thing your grandma ever said worked a charm.

[RachelSusan]

13 hours ago, littlebird said:

so we planned and executed 2 weddings inside of a year... no wonder I'm needing a little rest! 

@littlebird Oh my, I am really impressed.  You DESERVE your rest.

[Fifree]

An old boss of mine swore by the whiskey toddy. I think the recipe was a shot of good Irish whiskey, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of lemon topped up with boiling water. I’m sure you can change up the proportions until you find something that suits (noting of course that alcohol is not recommended while tapering). Other recipes I’ve seen have cloves or cinnamon added too. 

[littlebird]

11 hours ago, Fifree said:

An old boss of mine swore by the whiskey toddy. I think the recipe was a shot of good Irish whiskey, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of lemon topped up with boiling water. I’m sure you can change up the proportions until you find something that suits (noting of course that alcohol is not recommended while tapering). Other recipes I’ve seen have cloves or cinnamon added too.

Oooh, I'm gonna pocket this one for when I'm all tapered off and can have a nice drink. I loooooove hot toddies, gonna remember this! Thank you!

[Thorin]

1 minute ago, littlebird said:

Oooh, I'm gonna pocket this one for when I'm all tapered off and can have a nice drink. I loooooove hot toddies, gonna remember this! Thank you!

LB I know you said you don’t touch tequila but when I was younger and I got sick I would get rat arsed drunk on tequila. I swear every time I would wake up with a terrible hangover but the original illness would be gone 😂😬

[littlebird]

3 minutes ago, Thorin said:

LB I know you said you don’t touch tequila but when I was younger and I got sick I would get rat arsed drunk on tequila. I swear every time I would wake up with a terrible hangover but the original illness would be gone 😂😬

 

My friend was telling me that the margaritas were like gatorade for them, all that lime and salt and whatnot. Gonna remember this! Maybe tequila and I can become friends some day.

[littlebird]

Shoot. "I'm here, I'm queer, I forgot to put Gabapentin back in fridge with partner's beer." Luckily, I packed Gabs pills so I can make my own liquid! So glad I thought ahead about this happening and that it happened towards the end of the trip.

 

Despite being sick as a dog, I've been taking all my doses. Happily, making it work and being careful with timing! Don't need WD symptoms on top of cold symptoms. Glad I've thought a lot in advance of this trip about meds.

 

After this many negative covid tests, I think I can start to relax and trust that this is just a bad cold that wiped out my lil immunocompromised system. Still, I'll test till the symptoms are gone so I don't accidentally expose someone else.

 

Slept through so much of this honeymoon that we're gonna have a do-over later this year. Can't wait to see this spot again when I'm feeling more back to normal! Hard to enjoy even the most beautiful vacation spot I've ever had when I'm this sick, but it is 100% the best place I could have been recovering.

[Thorin]

6 hours ago, littlebird said:

 

My friend was telling me that the margaritas were like gatorade for them, all that lime and salt and whatnot. Gonna remember this! Maybe tequila and I can become friends some day.

Gatorade is electrolytes. Electrolytes are good for you. Tequila is good for you!

[StayHopeful]

Congratulations on your wedding! Yay!! Glad to hear it went smoothly for you. 😊

Sorry to hear you're sick- totally stinks, especially on your honeymoon! It's great that you can be in a beautiful place where you can relax, though.

I drank a lot of water, and sipped on honey and lemon, while trying to get as much rest as possible. 

 

Hope you heal quick!🙏

 

[littlebird]

On 5/10/2023 at 7:21 PM, Fifree said:

An old boss of mine swore by the whiskey toddy. I think the recipe was a shot of good Irish whiskey, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of lemon topped up with boiling water.

 

I keep thinking about a hot toddy, especially now that I'm home and it would be easier to find, but I don't want to mess up brain chemistry with alcohol. Just hot water and lemon don't sound good, I want a full on hot toddy and can't stop thinking about it. Is this what a pregnancy craving feels like? I'll never know! 🤣

 

I keep testing negative for covid, thank god, but I'm still so sick! Lots of sick people on our travels too. Everyone, mask up! Nasty stuff going around.

[FireflyFyte]

3 minutes ago, littlebird said:

I keep testing negative for covid, thank god, but I'm still so sick! Lots of sick people on our travels too. Everyone, mask up! Nasty stuff going around.

 

I am glad that you are testing negative for COVID but sorry to hear that you're still sick. Hopefully it works its way through your system soon and you start to feel better.

[littlebird]

I was worried about being sober on wedding day (always thought I needed to be a wee bit drunk to dance), but it was totally fine to be a sober non-binary bridegroom. Actually, probably was more present and remember more of the magical day because I wasn't sloshed!

 

Alcohol, not as necessary for fun times as I once thought it was! Also much less depressed than I was when I was drinking, even thought it was solely socially and not very often. Was alcohol a frenemy this whole time?? Looking like it!

 

2 minutes ago, FireflyFyte said:

Hopefully it works its way through your system soon and you start to feel better.

 

From your keyboard to god's ears! 😂 I keep waiting for a little "ding" of a "that's enough rest, you're better now" timer to go off, and it's frustrating to not be able to snap back to full strength now that it's time to get back to work and real life.

[littlebird]

On 5/11/2023 at 2:00 PM, Thorin said:

Gatorade is electrolytes. Electrolytes are good for you. Tequila is good for you!

 

I was tempted by tequila (those margaritas looked mighty tasty) but stuck to electrolytes in coconut water. The coconut water was so much less sweet there, totally refreshing and delicious. Thinking about finding an import store... I keep thinking back fondly to how good the coconut water was there compared to what's in grocery stores here.

[Thorin]

7 hours ago, littlebird said:

I was tempted by tequila (those margaritas looked mighty tasty) but stuck to electrolytes in coconut water.

Man a margarita sounds pretty damn good right now.... Much better than writing reports..... You did well to stick with coconut water!

 

7 hours ago, littlebird said:

The coconut water was so much less sweet there, totally refreshing and delicious.

I haven't tried any really. I might give this a go..... Don't want one filled with sugar though.....

[littlebird]

Noticed something odd! I've been having some health issues, including some persistent cysts that thus far are benign but are unusual and require follow-up testing. I was reading that cysts are fairly common with people on long-term seroquel, and then started reading about how in traditional chinese medicine cysts are related to stagnated liver qi. Seroquel is known to affect the liver of about 30% of the people who take it long term.

 

Wondering a few things. One, thinking I should get back into acupuncture and traditional chinese medicine treatments. Two, reading about how depression is common with both stagnated liver qi and seroquel... maybe that's the one to taper next? I've been flipping blue.

 

I've been holding for a good long time through wedding week and honeymoon and the time before. Three, I need to get re-tested... one of the cysts has gotten much bigger and it's kinda freaking me out. I've been procrastinating on getting a follow-up scan for way too long. Gotta take care of myself just in case it's something serious: gotta catch those things early.

[Rosetta]

Congratulations!

[littlebird]

What don't these meds do? I'm truly shocked by how many things are linked to long-term seroquel usage when I start googling a random body weirdness + seroquel. Not just anecdotal stuff like on here, but also full studies on these symptoms. What the actual ****?? Why is this still prescribed off-label so often for sleep? 

 

Even my dad's leukemia has been linked to long term use of antidepressants, which he's been on most my life. Could be that, could be the massive amount of blood pressure medicine he was put on when the hero's doses of antidepressants were too activating.

 

I was talking to him about how his maxed-out dose of Wellbutrin could be causing some of the issues he's having, and when I suggested simply lowering the dose a little it was like I suggested doing a shot of Draino every morning. Having some Pharma feelings today!