Lizzard5045 Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 Hello! I am in a hell of withdrawal. I have been on many different SSRI’s in the past and they all worked but had intolerable side effects. About a year ago I started sertraline, and when it didn’t work my psych put me on Abilify and lamotrigine. The Abilify seemed to help a bit but gave me crazy anxiety and tardive skenesis. The lamotrigine has never seemed to do anything. Since last March I have been trying to taper. I’ve had two terrible experiences when my doc told me to stop the S and A cold turkey. I’m back on low doses of both. Currently I take 12.5mg sertraline, 2mg Abilify, 200 mg lamotrigine and would like to get off all of them, if possible. I have terrible anxiety and crying spells that I’ve had since starting the sertraline and Abilify. Im wondering which drug I should try to taper first?? Thanks for your help! Effexor 150mg 2003-4 - terminated due to increased addictive behaviors, sleepiness and akathesia; Serzone ?mg 2007-8 - terminated due to vision problems, dizziness and ineffectiveness; Celexa ?mg 2008-9 - terminated due to insomnia and akathesia; Effexor ?mg 2009, 2010-11, 2012-13 - terminated due to sleepiness and akathesia; Prozac 30mg 2013-21 - terminated due to sleepiness; Lexapro (brief trial) 10mg 9/1/21 - 9/28/21 - terminated due to insomniaSertraline 50mg 10/19/21, reduced to 25mg 3/8/22, stopped 5/17/22, reinstated 25mg 6/22, 37.5mg 7/31/22, reduced to 12.5mg 8/19/22, stopped 9/3/22, reinstated 6.25mg 10/11/22, 12.5mg 10/26/22 Abilify 1mg 11/18/21, 2mg 12/14/21, 3mg 2/22/22, 4mg 3/8/22, Cold turkey 5/9/22, reinstated 3mg 6/2022, 2mg 9/21/22, 1mg 10/9/22, 2mg 10/30/22 Lamotrigine 25mg 11/18/21 gradual increase to 100mg by 12/14/21, 150mg 2/22/2022, 200mg 5/17/2022 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted November 15, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 15, 2022 Hello, and welcome to SA. We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs. You have come to the right place. Thank you for giving us your drug history. On 11/9/2022 at 11:30 AM, Lizzard5045 said: they all worked but had intolerable side effects. What were these side effects? On 11/9/2022 at 11:30 AM, Lizzard5045 said: The Abilify seemed to help a bit but gave me crazy anxiety and tardive skenesis It sounds like this drug has gone paradoxical on you - doing the opposite of what it should. Ability is usually a sedating drug. You may want to consider tapering this drug first. This link will explain how to figure out which drug to taper first. You say you are in WD, and your last drug you got off of was Prozac in 2021. Please tell us more about how you got off Prozac. Did you taper or cold turkey? If you tapered, please give us details about that. Did these withdrawal symptoms start before of after you got on the sertraline, lamotrigine, and Abilify? What are your withdrawal symptoms? Taking Multiple Psych Drugs - Which to Taper First Also, please go to this link, and see if your drugs have major bad interactions. https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work. This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we generally taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the reduction becomes exponentially smaller. Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds. Please read the link about stability: Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. Magnesium Omega 3 Fish Oil When we know more about your recent drug history, and get answers to our questions, we will try and give you more specific suggestions about what to do. Hang in there, you can recover and get off of these drugs. We look forward to hearing back from you. Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
Lizzard5045 Posted November 15, 2022 Author Share Posted November 15, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, getofflex said: What were these side effects? Effexor - poor sleep, fatigue, akathesia, new addiction to cigarettes and alcohol that hadn't been there before Serzone - light spots in vision and didn't work Celexa - insomnia that never improved Prozac - fatigue such that I needed an FMLA because of chronic missed work Edited November 15, 2022 by ChessieCat added quote Effexor 150mg 2003-4 - terminated due to increased addictive behaviors, sleepiness and akathesia; Serzone ?mg 2007-8 - terminated due to vision problems, dizziness and ineffectiveness; Celexa ?mg 2008-9 - terminated due to insomnia and akathesia; Effexor ?mg 2009, 2010-11, 2012-13 - terminated due to sleepiness and akathesia; Prozac 30mg 2013-21 - terminated due to sleepiness; Lexapro (brief trial) 10mg 9/1/21 - 9/28/21 - terminated due to insomniaSertraline 50mg 10/19/21, reduced to 25mg 3/8/22, stopped 5/17/22, reinstated 25mg 6/22, 37.5mg 7/31/22, reduced to 12.5mg 8/19/22, stopped 9/3/22, reinstated 6.25mg 10/11/22, 12.5mg 10/26/22 Abilify 1mg 11/18/21, 2mg 12/14/21, 3mg 2/22/22, 4mg 3/8/22, Cold turkey 5/9/22, reinstated 3mg 6/2022, 2mg 9/21/22, 1mg 10/9/22, 2mg 10/30/22 Lamotrigine 25mg 11/18/21 gradual increase to 100mg by 12/14/21, 150mg 2/22/2022, 200mg 5/17/2022 Link to comment
Lizzard5045 Posted November 15, 2022 Author Share Posted November 15, 2022 Thank you for your response! 3 hours ago, getofflex said: It sounds like this drug has gone paradoxical on you - doing the opposite of what it should. Ability is usually a sedating drug. You may want to consider tapering this drug first. This link will explain how to figure out which drug to taper first. I may be wrong that it is the Abilify that is causing the anxiety. For all I know it could be the sertraline or lamotrigine. The anxiety cropped up the worst when I was on all three so, truly, it's anyone's guess. The anxiety came on in December of 2021 after I'd been on all three medications for at least a month. 10 minutes ago, getofflex said: You say you are in WD, and your last drug you got off of was Prozac in 2021. Please tell us more about how you got off Prozac. Did you taper or cold turkey? If you tapered, please give us details about that. I tapered Prozac from 30mg to 10mg over several years - from about 2018 through 2021. In April of 2021 I went off completely from 10mg without many problems. I say I am going through WD because my psychiatrist had me cold turkey off of sertraline and Abilify in May of this year and again in September. I reinstated the meds both times after trying to CT for several weeks. I feel like I am still restabilizing from the cold turkey's and reinstatements. I note the timing of these cold turkeys and reinstatements in my signature. 13 minutes ago, getofflex said: What were these side effects? See my updated signature below, which now includes side effects 17 minutes ago, getofflex said: Did these withdrawal symptoms start before of after you got on the sertraline, lamotrigine, and Abilify? What are your withdrawal symptoms? Actually no, I felt much better before I got on the sertraline, lamotrigine and abilify. After going off the Prozac in spring 2021, I felt fine for a few months but then began to feel very irritable and rageful, which is when I started the sertraline, abilify and lamotrigine. After a few weeks of being on these drugs I felt high anxiety, sadness and sobbing. Effexor 150mg 2003-4 - terminated due to increased addictive behaviors, sleepiness and akathesia; Serzone ?mg 2007-8 - terminated due to vision problems, dizziness and ineffectiveness; Celexa ?mg 2008-9 - terminated due to insomnia and akathesia; Effexor ?mg 2009, 2010-11, 2012-13 - terminated due to sleepiness and akathesia; Prozac 30mg 2013-21 - terminated due to sleepiness; Lexapro (brief trial) 10mg 9/1/21 - 9/28/21 - terminated due to insomniaSertraline 50mg 10/19/21, reduced to 25mg 3/8/22, stopped 5/17/22, reinstated 25mg 6/22, 37.5mg 7/31/22, reduced to 12.5mg 8/19/22, stopped 9/3/22, reinstated 6.25mg 10/11/22, 12.5mg 10/26/22 Abilify 1mg 11/18/21, 2mg 12/14/21, 3mg 2/22/22, 4mg 3/8/22, Cold turkey 5/9/22, reinstated 3mg 6/2022, 2mg 9/21/22, 1mg 10/9/22, 2mg 10/30/22 Lamotrigine 25mg 11/18/21 gradual increase to 100mg by 12/14/21, 150mg 2/22/2022, 200mg 5/17/2022 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted November 17, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 17, 2022 (edited) On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said: I feel like I am still restabilizing from the cold turkey's and reinstatements. On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said: Actually no, I felt much better before I got on the sertraline, lamotrigine and abilify. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the above 2 statements seem contradictory. On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said: After going off the Prozac in spring 2021, I felt fine for a few months but then began to feel very irritable and rageful, which is when I started the sertraline, abilify and lamotrigine. It is not uncommon for withdrawal symptoms to show up several months after we jump off a drug at a dose like 10 mg prozac. That is still a significant dose. On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said: After a few weeks of being on these drugs I felt high anxiety, sadness and sobbing. These may have been caused by withdrawal from the prozac, adverse reactions to the new drugs, or a combination of both. There have been so many drug changes, plus the cold turkeys and reinstatements, that it is hard to understand what is causing what. Your nervous system is in chaos because of all the abrupt drug changes. Also, the more we go on, off, on, off, drugs, etc, the more we are at risk of our nervous system becoming hypersensitive. If it were me, I would not make any drug changes at this time. I will confer with the other staff, and we will get back to you. Edited November 17, 2022 by getofflex Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
Lizzard5045 Posted November 17, 2022 Author Share Posted November 17, 2022 8 minutes ago, getofflex said: Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the above 2 statements seem contradictory. Sorry, I agree it is really confusing because of how much has changed recently. Here it is in bullet points: Spring 2021 went off Prozac 10mg after 9 years - felt fine for a few months - in Fall 2021 started to feel irritability and rage Fall 2021 briefly tried Lexapro but had insomnia Later Fall 2021, dr put me on Sertraline, Abilify and Lamotrigine - felt better for a few weeks - then felt sobbing, high anxiety, which has continued until the present - dr had me go on, off, up, down the SLA combo to try to correct the sobbing and high anxiety - the changes have clearly not helped the situation - I noted that I felt better BEFORE going on the SLA combo than I do now I agree with you that my nervous system is going nuts. I will avoid altering any meds until I hear back. Thanks so much for your feedback. Effexor 150mg 2003-4 - terminated due to increased addictive behaviors, sleepiness and akathesia; Serzone ?mg 2007-8 - terminated due to vision problems, dizziness and ineffectiveness; Celexa ?mg 2008-9 - terminated due to insomnia and akathesia; Effexor ?mg 2009, 2010-11, 2012-13 - terminated due to sleepiness and akathesia; Prozac 30mg 2013-21 - terminated due to sleepiness; Lexapro (brief trial) 10mg 9/1/21 - 9/28/21 - terminated due to insomniaSertraline 50mg 10/19/21, reduced to 25mg 3/8/22, stopped 5/17/22, reinstated 25mg 6/22, 37.5mg 7/31/22, reduced to 12.5mg 8/19/22, stopped 9/3/22, reinstated 6.25mg 10/11/22, 12.5mg 10/26/22 Abilify 1mg 11/18/21, 2mg 12/14/21, 3mg 2/22/22, 4mg 3/8/22, Cold turkey 5/9/22, reinstated 3mg 6/2022, 2mg 9/21/22, 1mg 10/9/22, 2mg 10/30/22 Lamotrigine 25mg 11/18/21 gradual increase to 100mg by 12/14/21, 150mg 2/22/2022, 200mg 5/17/2022 Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted November 18, 2022 Administrator Share Posted November 18, 2022 Hello, @Lizzard5045 It appears you have been going on and off many psychiatric drugs since 2003, with 23 separate drug changes in the last year. If it doesn't seem to help, why did you increase lamotrigine 4 times in 12 months? Is your goal to go off this batch of drugs to try a new batch of drugs? This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
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