Sakuradrift Off pristiq now to taper benzos

[Sakuradrift]

I’ve been off and on psych meds since 14?  With long periods without it

 

i generally have panic disorder 

and anxiety 

 

I’ve had a few bouts of housebound agoraphobia and major depression 

 

I was on 75mg pristiq ( 1 50 1 25) and I slowly tapered from thag in April of 2023 until 4 weeks ago I completely finished 25 

 

so it’s been pretty bad after hopping from 25 to nothing 

severe mood swings severe bouts of suicidal ideation and thoughts ( which isn’t normal to me )

 

im coming off the rough end of it I’m pretty upset a lot still and have pains 

 

but the most troubling thing is this drug made me gain about 60 lbs I’ve been rigorously working out daily for months prior to completely coming off calorie deficit etc and I’ve still not lost any weight 

 

I’ve done all the blood work 

 

I’m so miserable about my weight and it’s really effecting my life Severely but the doctors just say “keep working out” and don’t do anything

 

ive had trainers nutritionist dieticians etc nothing works .. I’m afraid I’m stuck like this despite working so hard idk whay to do 

 

thays all thanks for listening
 

im also looking for a way to taper off benzos with a reputable doctor on the Denver area 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Sakuradrift

 

Which is more concerning to you, weight gain or withdrawal symptoms from jumping off 25mg Pristiq?

 

You're also taking benzos? To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

[Sakuradrift]

3 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Welcome, @Sakuradrift

 

Which is more concerning to you, weight gain or withdrawal symptoms from jumping off 25mg Pristiq?

 

You're also taking benzos? To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

We tapered the pristiq pretty slow, though the last drop was bad , The weight is a large issue since im feeling better off the 25, i have bad moments but its drifting further out, im not having panic attacks again *knock on wood*

i saw my psych today and we feel its best to wait it out for a wee bit before cont. taperin my benzos 

initially we all assumed the higher bp and weight gain was from the pristiq, my pcm is referring me out to an endocrinologist 

ill update my sig

 

[Altostrata]

How did you taper Pristiq?

 

On 10/8/2023 at 9:19 PM, Sakuradrift said:

so it’s been pretty bad after hopping from 25 to nothing 

severe mood swings severe bouts of suicidal ideation and thoughts ( which isn’t normal to me )

 

im coming off the rough end of it I’m pretty upset a lot still and have pains 

 

You went off a month ago, how have these symptoms changed?

[Sakuradrift]

Just now, Altostrata said:

How did you taper Pristiq?

 

 

You went off a month ago, how have these symptoms changed?

We slowly tapered starting in 2023 I forget which month I think it was jan i dropped from 75 to 50 in april than I had a cross country move and some life events so we held it than I went from 50 to 25 in August of 2023, and I stopped taking pristiq the 25 a month ago give or take a few days 

The first week was difficult I had cognitive issues, I felt horrible off and on nausea , and very dark thoughts that wouldnt go away, now im nearing that end of the month ive had no more cognitive issues, ive only had nausea maybe once or twice in the last 2 weeks and im feeling better mentally at least with the dark thoughts

what has stayed despite vigorous exercise, calorie deficits and exercising for health is the weight , in fact i gained weight in the last month and my bp stayed the same which is high for me but not actually considered high. 
 

[Sakuradrift]

I dont know if the tags REALLY truly matter but I wouldnt consider myself a youth im over 30 

Although I do feel youthful somedays 😄

[Altostrata]

Youth tag means you started when you were a minor.

 

If I were you, I'd wait some months before tapering anything. You just had a bout of acute withdrawal from Pristiq. Let your nervous system rest. 

 

See Recommended doctors, therapists, and clinics

 

[Sakuradrift]

13 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Youth tag means you started when you were a minor.

 

If I were you, I'd wait some months before tapering anything. You just had a bout of acute withdrawal from Pristiq. Let your nervous system rest. 

 

See Recommended doctors, therapists, and clinics

 

Gotcha!

There is no intent to taper off anything at this time our intent was to slowly taper pristiq than hold, than switch klonopin to valium because prior to my pristiq taper i was unsuccessful numerous times trying to reduce the klonopin as im finding the withdrawal symptons extremely unable to bear,  

Ty for the recommended list!

[LotusRising]

12 hours ago, Sakuradrift said:

what has stayed despite vigorous exercise, calorie deficits and exercising for health is the weight , in fact i gained weight in the last month

As Alto mentioned, your nervous system needs rest. A body in a stressed state will continue holding weight - calorie deficits and vigorous exercise will raise cortisol, which will only add stress to an already stressed system. You might try walking and calming exercise like yoga, while consuming a healthy diet without calorie restriction. In my experience, the body needs more calories when under stress as all fuel sources will be utilized. If you're not eating enough, this could lead to muscle breakdown, rather than fat loss. Just something to consider ...

 

11 hours ago, Sakuradrift said:

i was unsuccessful numerous times trying to reduce the klonopin as im finding the withdrawal symptons extremely unable to bear,

 

I wonder if you tapered too quickly? Also note that switching benzos is not always the best option. If your body is used to one, it may be easier to stick with that, rather than proceeding with a lengthy cross taper to another benzo. I have also seen numerous people have an increase in depression after switching to valium, so if this is something you're prone to, this is worth noting. Also, finding the right equivalent between benzos is hit or miss, and had I known more about it when I tapered, I would have said no when my doctor switched me to a longer acting benzo. Obviously you will be tapering Pristiq first after a long hold, but please consider your benzo tapering options carefully when you get there. 

[Sakuradrift]

1 hour ago, LotusRising said:

As Alto mentioned, your nervous system needs rest. A body in a stressed state will continue holding weight - calorie deficits and vigorous exercise will raise cortisol, which will only add stress to an already stressed system. You might try walking and calming exercise like yoga, while consuming a healthy diet without calorie restriction. In my experience, the body needs more calories when under stress as all fuel sources will be utilized. If you're not eating enough, this could lead to muscle breakdown, rather than fat loss. Just something to consider ...

 

 

I wonder if you tapered too quickly? Also note that switching benzos is not always the best option. If your body is used to one, it may be easier to stick with that, rather than proceeding with a lengthy cross taper to another benzo. I have also seen numerous people have an increase in depression after switching to valium, so if this is something you're prone to, this is worth noting. Also, finding the right equivalent between benzos is hit or miss, and had I known more about it when I tapered, I would have said no when my doctor switched me to a longer acting benzo. Obviously you will be tapering Pristiq first after a long hold, but please consider your benzo tapering options carefully when you get there. 

I have to respectfully disagree on a few points here what is vigorous to some is not to others since i didnt touch base on exactly what im doing its hard to make a statement like stop doing this  or do this instead , also i have a team of doctors i need to listen too as well , i know my body well, i understand the entire idea behind muscle breakdown but thats not whats happening however im thankful for your consideration to my post ❤️ 

I did not taper too quickly its been 3 years with numerous pauses and holds,  i had to slowly cross taper from ativan to klonopin due to severe inderdose withdrawal despite having 3 doses per day to help the blood levels, the same issue is happening with klonopin, im not by any means perfect but im not tapering too quickly ive been doing very small shaves and holds, which isnt perfect by any means of course im looking into other options to help with withdrawal symptoms 
Im trying to find a doctor or nurse well versed in benzos to help me. im not an expert in benzos but i know a good amount and of course ancedotal as well its been many years trying to get off them. 

We likely wont be tapering for a few more months so im the meantime im working on learning more or trying new options 

 

[Altostrata]

We can't tell you how to lose the weight, sorry. Some people lose it when they go off the drugs. With others, it seems the drugs may have caused more extensive metabolism changes. It could be these changes started 7 years ago, with Zoloft.

 

FYI we would not consider your Pristiq taper slow. You are lucky you did not get worse withdrawal from it. I would not take it for granted that your nervous system bounced back, please treat it gently, give it some months to recover before battering it with more drug changes. 

[Sakuradrift]

Just now, Altostrata said:

We can't tell you how to lose the weight, sorry. Some people lose it when they go off the drugs. With others, it seems the drugs may have caused more extensive metabolism changes. It could be these changes started 7 years ago, with Zoloft.

 

FYI we would not consider your Pristiq taper slow. You are lucky you did not get worse withdrawal from it. I would not take it for granted that your nervous system bounced back, please treat it gently, give it some months to recover before battering it with more drug changes. 

I didnt ask for weight loss advice i just mentioned the weight gain was a very severe potential side effect, people gave advice i didnt ask not sure why im being finger pointed for it. 

the taper were speaking about unless i misunderstood was about the benzos not the pristiq 

it appears numerous of my messages are being misunderstood perhaps its how im writing it not sure how  but it doesnt feel very welcoming what can i do to get help and assistant and listening from the community instead of being told you did this wrong this is wrong youre wrong here etc

I didnt come here to be blamed, finger pointed and treated poorly i get enough of that elsewhere.

[Altostrata]

We are worried about the potential fallout from your Pristiq taper. We are cautioning you not to increase risk by prematurely reducing the benzo. We've seen too much damage from both.

[Sakuradrift]

1 minute ago, Altostrata said:

We are worried about the potential fallout from your Pristiq taper. We are cautioning you not to increase risk by prematurely reducing the benzo. We've seen too much damage from both.

And i stated numerous times that i wasnt tapering my benzos right now NUMEROUS times. 

I get youre worried but youre also not my medical provider you know little about me.
And I feel as if im being literally scantioned by you guys.  instead of recieveing support and understanding, it feels alot of "we know better than you , finger pointing" it comes off really hurtful, instead of supportive. its fine ill just leave  

 

[Altostrata]

We provide peer support, we do not provide medical advice. Give a think about why you're here and not asking your doctor about tapering.

[Sakuradrift]

7 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

We provide peer support, we do not provide medical advice. Give a think about why you're here and not asking your doctor about tapering.

I do talk to my doctor,Weekly, you dont know that i dont i came for peer support  why are you being so rude to me please stop 

[Altostrata]

I don't think we're going to be able to help you with your weight problem.

 

Before further discussion, Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature