Serenyd Posted October 16, 2023 Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) I stopped Cymbalta in April. Dropped from 50 mg to 30 mg in February after discovering I was pregnant. Then I miscarried. Decided to stop, so I tapered to 20 mg for a week (after consulting with my doctor). I had some initial irritability but was "fine" until June. I tried Clomid and started crying and couldn't stop for 2 months. I finally started taking some supplements like CBD, 5HTP, and l-theanine managed to improve my mental state. Time helped too. I also tried Wellbutrin 150 mg for a week and that made my anxiety worse. Now I'm struggling with akathsia (I thought it was just anxiety but no), my skin burns, I get the shakes, and I have trouble concentrating. I don't feel like eating or drinking until the end of the day. I wake up with a cortisol surge and hr in 120s. I take a Cbd gummy in the morning with ashwaganda and l-theanine that seems to help with the cortisol surge. Then I take propanolol 10 mg which helps get me through the morning. Yesterday I stayed in bed too long and got a terrible cortisol surge. It really caught me off guard. I tried to burn it off through exercise but that made it worse. I also woke up with a cold. I ended up taking a bunch of supplements trying to get my equilibrium back and that just made me worse. A natural healer person put me on a bottle of adaptogens and that seemed to help temporarily but made me a bit woozy. I took them early yesterday to deal with the surge but that didn't help. Now I'm thinking they might have made me worse? It was my 3rd day to take them. I have flexeril and Vistaril for sleep. Neither one seems to help much anymore. I have some other cbd gummies I was taking for sleep but they have a bunch of things in them. I will post a picture. I also have been taking "Calm" gummies (25 mg 5htp, l-theanine 100 mg, and lemon balm extract 1 mg) after lunch but had moved those to bedtime along with the sleep cbd gummy and all my vitamins and supplements I was taking for fertility. Is it possible I'm having a rebound effect from taking these things? I'm eating low carb/keto but now I can't eat most of the day and have difficulty drinking too. I actually went and got an IV the other day because I was so dehydrated. I'm caffeine and gluten free. My face started burning today after taking my morning propanolol and cbd with ashwaganda and l-theanine. I noticed 5htp caused my face to burn when I started taking it a few weeks ago which is why I cut out the large doses of it by itself. The cbd sleep gummies have 10 mg 5htp, l-theanine, lemon balm, chamomile, passionflower, cannabidol 25 mg, and melatonin 3 mg. I tried taking magnesium last night with l-theanine to fall asleep and it would have worked but my 2 year old wouldn't go to sleep and I got agitated. Ended up taking 10 mg Flexeril which did nothing and I was outside pacing around the house at 2 am. My psychiatrist gave me Prozac 10 mg and Ativan. She said I could take the Ativan 14 days out of the month and I'd be fine. I don't want to take it. I know someone who was able to stabilize on Prozac after getting off Cymbalta CT so that's why I asked for it. Is this going to get worse before it gets better? I'm scared because I'm not eating enough and I'm losing weight faster than I intended. My hair is falling out. I'm scared I might lose my job. Should I try the Ativan or Prozac or is there a 3rd option? Do I need to stop the herbs or CBD? Is Propanolol OK to take with in w/d? Flexeril? Vistaril? L-theanine? My med history is 2017 - 3 weeks Paxil, stopped c/t 2022 - Knee surgery - took Percocet and Gabapentin stopped c/t Aug 2023 - took 1 week Wellbutrin stopped c/t, it made my anxiety worse I also take thyroid meds for Hashimotos and immunosupressants for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Is there a doctor who can help me? I just need to stabilize. Holidays are coming up and we are supposed to go on a cruise in January. I don't know how I'll manage any of that. I'm terrified of having more panic attacks that last for hours. I have more anxiety about my anxiety because of it. I need help! Thanks, Danielle Edited October 16, 2023 by manymoretodays name to topic title 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 19, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 19, 2023 Welcome, @Serenyd What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages? It sounds like you have taken a bunch of drugs recently. 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. 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
Serenyd Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks stopped CT 2021 Klonopin off and on for 3 weeks, then started Cymbalta August 2021 at 20 mg daily 2022 May-Aug (about 12 weeks) took Percocet and Gabapentin up to 800 mg a day but I tapered off both pretty quickly. Knee surgery. 2023 - stopped Cymbalta after increasing from 30 to 50 mg then 2 months later back to 30 mg (found out I was pregnant). Dropped to 20 mg for 1 week in April 2023 then CT. 2023 September 1 week of Wellbutrin- made anxiety worse 2023 October 1 took flexeril 10 mg to stop huge panic attack (shaking, flushed, skin burning) on ovulation day. Taking flexeril 5-10 mg almost every night since then. 2023 October 12 - started taking propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg about a week later. Still on it. 2023 October 22 had huge spike in anxiety around ovulation day took Ativan 0.5 mg (prescribed by psychiatrist for anxiety r/t menstrual cycle) I was on a bunch of herbs but I stopped those because I thought they might be making me worse. I read on here that taking herbs could make recovery harder. I also took Clomid in June which pushed me over the edge into full withdrawal. I was crying constantly and got very depressed. Once the anxiety kicked in I started taking herbs, cbd, and some 5htp (I'm off that). I have been to my psychiatrist twice and she doesn't believe that I have PAWs. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 23, 2023 Author Share Posted October 23, 2023 I take flexeril at bedtime and propanolol in the morning. I also take magnesium and vitamin D. I have stopped all my other vitamins Including Bs. I'm going to try and wean the flexeril now I'm past ovulation. I don't sleep as well on 5 mg. Propanolol I can probably wean from 20 to 10 mg. I took 5 mg flexeril last night and 10 mg propanolol today and I'm ok. May be the after effects of the Ativan still helping me stay calm. Is it OK to take Ativan occasionly, like once a week if I really need it? If I can't make this work I'm going to try the Prozac taper or reinstating Cymbalta but I really don't want to get back on antidepressants. I wanted to have a baby but my focus now is getting my health back. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 Decreasing flexeril to 5 mg causes me to sleep poorly. After 2 days of 10 mg propanolol I had an exacerbation yesterday and had to use my rescue med Ativan. I tried taking a second propanolol but when I'm that far gone it doesn't help. Should I try the Prozac to stabilize? I stopped all the herbs I was taking and switched to meds. Maybe that was a mistake? 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 I think I need to taper off the flexeril I've been taking to help me sleep during my Cymbalta w/d. I have 23 - 5 mg pills left. I have been on it since October first. I have been taking 5-10 mg. 10 definitely works better. I was reading the flexeril can cause bad w/d also. I have tried to stop it once since starting and couldn't sleep at all. I have melatonin (causes weird dreams) and CBN gummies I can try. What kind of taper is appropriate? 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 I think I need to taper off the flexeril I've been taking to help me sleep during my Cymbalta w/d. I have 23 - 5 mg pills left. I have been on it since October first. I have been taking 5-10 mg. 10 definitely works better. I was reading the flexeril can cause bad w/d also. I have tried to stop it once since starting and couldn't sleep at all. I have melatonin (causes weird dreams) and CBN gummies I can try. What kind of taper is appropriate? 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted October 25, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 25, 2023 (edited) 11 hours ago, Serenyd said: Decreasing flexeril to 5 mg causes me to sleep poorly. After 2 days of 10 mg propanolol I had an exacerbation yesterday and had to use my rescue med Ativan. I tried taking a second propanolol but when I'm that far gone it doesn't help. Should I try the Prozac to stabilize? I stopped all the herbs I was taking and switched to meds. Maybe that was a mistake? 9 hours ago, Serenyd said: I think I need to taper off the flexeril I've been taking to help me sleep during my Cymbalta w/d. I have 23 - 5 mg pills left. I have been on it since October first. I have been taking 5-10 mg. 10 definitely works better. I was reading the flexeril can cause bad w/d also. I have tried to stop it once since starting and couldn't sleep at all. I have melatonin (causes weird dreams) and CBN gummies I can try. What kind of taper is appropriate? Hi Sernyd, @Serenyd This is your Introduction topic and where you should be posting now. Merged recent posts from tapering to here. You'll see them above. That keeps all your information in one place. So, with the decrease in propranolol your exacerbation was "anxiety" ? How often do you use Ativan and at what dosage? Do you have any non-drug coping practices for when panic or anxiety occurs? We do even have a topic on tapering propranolol: Tips for tapering off propranolol Please read the ^ carefully, and HOLD steady for now, do not taper further. Ask questions if needed before tapering. We don't recommend tapering of 2 or more drugs at once. Taper one drug at a time. That way, one knows what might be doing what. Nor do we recommend making multiple changes at once, for example tapering a drug while adding a new supplement or 2, and/or while increasing another drug. I think you might be overdoing with changes to your meds and supplements right now. I can't tell. So......do try to slow down. Don't throw everything but the kitchen sink at your symptoms. Turtles win this race of tapering to the finish line. *The rule of 3 KI's, keep it simple, slow, and stable We don't have a topic on tapering flexeril. Why do you take it? How long have you taken it and at what dosage. You may be able to decrease it by quarters, or FT(fast taper) it when the time comes. You have been doing a lot of on and off with various drugs I see in the last year. That can really rock and roll ones central nervous system. At least with the psychoactive drugs. The only 2 supplements we endorse for or while in WD(withdrawall) are these: BASIC SUPPLEMENT TOOLKIT King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker Start with one or the other, start low and build up. Many find magnesium calming. Read the links. Don't make any other changes while adding something new. Many of our members are sensitive, real sensitive to things they may have tolerated before, while in WD. Some do use melatonin, if sleep is a problem, so here is that topic: Melatonin for sleep most can find help with even just 0.5 mg or 0.33 mg. How much were you taking? CBD oil may not be a great idea right now, nor is , again.......making too many changes at once. Please, just one change at a time. Then observe. Even note take your observations. Give a change a week even.......before changing again, or adding something else. Your body doesn't know what is happening or what is what anymore. Cannabis, marijuana, hashish, THC, and CBD/cannabidiol or Hemp oil Some anxiety helps: We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times. Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear. This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic. This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ... Audio FEMALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Audio MALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Non-drug techniques to cope dealing-with-emotional-spirals Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping. There are videos available on YouTube. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Audio: How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes CBT Course: An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Resources: Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg: Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying) On 4/27/2017 at 11:03 AM, brassmonkey said: AAF: Acknowledge, Accept, Float. It's what you have to do when nothing else works, and can be a very powerful tool in coping with anxiety. The neuroemotional anxiety many of us feel during WD is directly caused by the drugs and their chemical reactions in the brain. Making it so there is nothing we can do about them. They won't respond to other drugs, relaxation techniques and the like. They do, however, react very well to being ignored. That's the concept behind AAF. Acknowledge, get to know the feeling involved, explore them. Accept, These feelings are a part of you and they aren't going anywhere fast. Float, let the feeling float off as you get on with your life as best as you can. It's a well documented fact that the more you feed in to anxiety the worse it gets. What starts as generalized neuroemotinal anxiety can be easily blown into a full fledged panic attack just by thinking about it. I often liken it to an unwanted house guest. At first you talk to them, have conversations, communicate with them. After a while you figure out that they aren't leaving and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them. So you go on about your day, working around them until they get bored and leave. It can take some practice, but AAF really does work. I hope you give it a try. I hope I haven't overwhelmed with information Serenyd. Take it at your own pace. Keep us updated, again, right here. Be patient while waiting for a response. Welcome to survivingantidepressants. When you start feeling more comfortable or confident, do begin visiting others threads too, to offer support and encouragement. That's one way to build a support network. Then they may come visit you and your thread. Love, peace, healing, and growth, manymoretodays(mmt) Edited October 26, 2023 by Altostrata removed code 2 Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 26, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 26, 2023 On 10/18/2023 at 6:19 PM, Altostrata said: What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages? 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
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 I take the propanolol around 730 am. 20 mg. Flexeril 5 mg around 9 pm, before bed. I was taking cbd gummies with ashwaganda and l-theanine. Now I'm just using pure cbd a few drops held under my tongue. My doctor thinks my Levothyroxine and Liothyrinone doses may be too high, he wants me to reduce those. I'm fine with that but I've had to decrease before and never had panic attacks, burning skin, racing heart every morning, or difficulty sleeping. I think he wants to fix my problem but my problem isn't simple I did leave him a copy of your article. He loves to prescribe supplements and books for me to read so I think he'll like it. I feel like I was better off using herbs to control my symptoms than more prescriptions but I was told to get off the herbs because they could be making me worse. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 17 hours ago, manymoretodays said: Hi Sernyd, @Serenyd This is your Introduction topic and where you should be posting now. Merged recent posts from tapering to here. You'll see them above. That keeps all your information in one place. So, with the decrease in propranolol your exacerbation was "anxiety" ? How often do you use Ativan and at what dosage? Do you have any non-drug coping practices for when panic or anxiety occurs? We do even have a topic on tapering propranolol: Tips for tapering off propranolol Please read the ^ carefully, and HOLD steady for now, do not taper further. Ask questions if needed before tapering. We don't recommend tapering of 2 or more drugs at once. Taper one drug at a time. That way, one knows what might be doing what. Nor do we recommend making multiple changes at once, for example tapering a drug while adding a new supplement or 2, and/or while increasing another drug. I think you might be overdoing with changes to your meds and supplements right now. I can't tell. So......do try to slow down. Don't throw everything but the kitchen sink at your symptoms. Turtles win this race of tapering to the finish line. *The rule of 3 KI's, keep it simple, slow, and stable We don't have a topic on tapering flexeril. Why do you take it? How long have you taken it and at what dosage. You may be able to decrease it by quarters, or FT(fast taper) it when the time comes. You have been doing a lot of on and off with various drugs I see in the last year. That can really rock and roll ones central nervous system. At least with the psychoactive drugs. The only 2 supplements we endorse for or while in WD(withdrawall) are these: BASIC SUPPLEMENT TOOLKIT King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker Start with one or the other, start low and build up. Many find magnesium calming. Read the links. Don't make any other changes while adding something new. Many of our members are sensitive, real sensitive to things they may have tolerated before, while in WD. Some do use melatonin, if sleep is a problem, so here is that topic: Melatonin for sleep most can find help with even just 0.5 mg or 0.33 mg. How much were you taking? CBD oil may not be a great idea right now, nor is , again.......making too many changes at once. Please, just one change at a time. Then observe. Even note take your observations. Give a change a week even.......before changing again, or adding something else. Your body doesn't know what is happening or what is what anymore. Cannabis, marijuana, hashish, THC, and CBD/cannabidiol or Hemp oil Some anxiety helps: We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times. Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear. This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic. This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ... Audio FEMALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Audio MALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Non-drug techniques to cope dealing-with-emotional-spirals Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping. There are videos available on YouTube. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Audio: How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes CBT Course: An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Resources: Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg: Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying) I hope I haven't overwhelmed with information Serenyd. Take it at your own pace. Keep us updated, again, right here. Be patient while waiting for a response. Welcome to survivingantidepressants. When you start feeling more comfortable or confident, do begin visiting others threads too, to offer support and encouragement. That's one way to build a support network. Then they may come visit you and your thread. Love, peace, healing, and growth, manymoretodays(mmt) Thanks for the information. The Ativan works for panic attacks but that's about the only thing. So don't try to taper the propanolol right now? I'm still taking the flexeril to sleep but only 5 mg. I honestly don't know if it's helping or not. It probably is. I'm not going to try and taper it until I've been on 5 mg for a week or 2. Yes the neuroanxiety gets worse when I think about it. If it's so bad that I have to pace there is no getting it to leave. It's miserable. How long does this anxiety phase last? I was on Cymbalta for under 2 years. I'm confused that you said meds don't work for neuroanxiety. I read that supportive meds can help with w/d. If they help does it mean it's not neuroanxiety? I thought about reinstatement but I have come so far these last 6 months. Surely there is an end in sight? 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 13 hours ago, Altostrata said: I take the propanolol around 730 am. 20 mg. Flexeril 5 mg around 9 pm, before bed. I was taking cbd gummies with ashwaganda and l-theanine. Now I'm just using pure cbd a few drops held under my tongue. My doctor thinks my Levothyroxine and Liothyrinone doses may be too high, he wants me to reduce those. I'm fine with that but I've had to decrease before and never had panic attacks, burning skin, racing heart every morning, or difficulty sleeping. I think he wants to fix my problem but my problem isn't simple I did leave him a copy of your article. He loves to prescribe supplements and books for me to read so I think he'll like it. I feel like I was better off using herbs to control my symptoms than more prescriptions but I was told to get off the herbs because they could be making me worse. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted October 26, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 26, 2023 Hi there, And hard to say with the anxiety phase. Hopefully it lessens though and feels more manageable. Can the doctor check your thyroid levels, the T3 and T4 too? Hoping you are starting to get more hypothyroid aware and educated. That always helps. Our main topic is here: Thyroid symptoms: hypothyroid, Hashimoto's Good idea with just holding the flexeril now, prior to continuing to taper. It's usually given for muscle/skeletal pain. And might be a good one to taper first. To lessen your drug load overall. 44 minutes ago, Serenyd said: I take the propanolol around 730 am. 20 mg. Flexeril 5 mg around 9 pm, before bed. I was taking cbd gummies with ashwaganda and l-theanine. Now I'm just using pure cbd a few drops held under my tongue. When do you take the Ativan? For right now, I think that's a keeper. Can you do a daily log or NOTES. 24 hours first, and post like the sample note. Try and get 3 days total done. And post in a reply box. Note, dailies Make sure and get everything in there, to the right of times. Drugs by name and dose. Same with supplements. Symptoms as they occur and if and when they worsen to the right of times. Good description of your present anxiety. Use descriptions like that. Please check current drugs and supplements using Drugs.com: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html And then share those results here as well. Okay, and thank you. Additional anxiety helps: We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times. Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear. This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic. This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ... Audio FEMALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Audio MALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Non-drug techniques to cope dealing-with-emotional-spirals Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping. There are videos available on YouTube. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Audio: How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes CBT Course: An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Resources: Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg: Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying) On 4/27/2017 at 12:03 PM, brassmonkey said: Hi SJ-- I'm sorry you're having to put up with the anxiety, it can be a real trial to get through. I haven't mentioned the concept of AAF in a while and this would be a good place to do it. AAF: Acknowledge, Accept, Float. It's what you have to do when nothing else works, and can be a very powerful tool in coping with anxiety. The neuroemotional anxiety many of us feel during WD is directly caused by the drugs and their chemical reactions in the brain. Making it so there is nothing we can do about them. They won't respond to other drugs, relaxation techniques and the like. They do, however, react very well to being ignored. That's the concept behind AAF. Acknowledge, get to know the feeling involved, explore them. Accept, These feelings are a part of you and they aren't going anywhere fast. Float, let the feeling float off as you get on with your life as best as you can. It's a well documented fact that the more you feed in to anxiety the worse it gets. What starts as generalized neuroemotinal anxiety can be easily blown into a full fledged panic attack just by thinking about it. I often liken it to an unwanted house guest. At first you talk to them, have conversations, communicate with them. After a while you figure out that they aren't leaving and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them. So you go on about your day, working around them until they get bored and leave. It can take some practice, but AAF really does work. I hope you give it a try. Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 1 hour ago, manymoretodays said: Hi there, And hard to say with the anxiety phase. Hopefully it lessens though and feels more manageable. Can the doctor check your thyroid levels, the T3 and T4 too? Hoping you are starting to get more hypothyroid aware and educated. That always helps. Our main topic is here: Thyroid symptoms: hypothyroid, Hashimoto's Good idea with just holding the flexeril now, prior to continuing to taper. It's usually given for muscle/skeletal pain. And might be a good one to taper first. To lessen your drug load overall. When do you take the Ativan? For right now, I think that's a keeper. Can you do a daily log or NOTES. 24 hours first, and post like the sample note. Try and get 3 days total done. And post in a reply box. Note, dailies Make sure and get everything in there, to the right of times. Drugs by name and dose. Same with supplements. Symptoms as they occur and if and when they worsen to the right of times. Good description of your present anxiety. Use descriptions like that. Please check current drugs and supplements using Drugs.com: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html And then share those results here as well. Okay, and thank you. Additional anxiety helps: We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times. Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear. This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic. This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ... Audio FEMALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Audio MALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Non-drug techniques to cope dealing-with-emotional-spirals Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping. There are videos available on YouTube. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Audio: How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes CBT Course: An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Resources: Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg: Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying) I've only taken the Ativan twice. Seems like anxiety peaks every 3 days. Will I get addicted taking every 3 days?! I really feel like I need it today. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 26, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 26, 2023 5 hours ago, Serenyd said: My doctor thinks my Levothyroxine and Liothyrinone doses may be too high, he wants me to reduce those. Please look up adverse effects of taking too much thyroid hormone. Please work with your doctor to fix this, if this is the cause of your symptoms. We can't offer you advice about thyroid treatment here. While you may have had an adverse reaction to clomid and perhaps your current batch of psychiatric drugs, it does not appear that you are suffering from withdrawal syndrome. If you are having adverse effects from too much thyroid hormone and you can correct that, your psychiatric drugs are unnecessary. 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
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 1 hour ago, Altostrata said: Please look up adverse effects of taking too much thyroid hormone. Please work with your doctor to fix this, if this is the cause of your symptoms. We can't offer you advice about thyroid treatment here. While you may have had an adverse reaction to clomid and perhaps your current batch of psychiatric drugs, it does not appear that you are suffering from withdrawal syndrome. If you are having adverse effects from too much thyroid hormone and you can correct that, your psychiatric drugs are unnecessary. Altostrata, as much as I desperately want to believe my symptoms are from my thyroid, my levels have been higher than this and I didn't have these symptoms. It's much more likely It's from CT Cymbalta, right? Hyperthyroidism doesn't cause AM cortisol surges does it? I have been dealing with these for weeks now. My anxiety is awful and I only get relief at the very end of the day. Could decreasing my flexeril dose from 10 mg to 5 mg at bedtime have triggered worsening anxiety? I haven't been on it very long, but I figured sleep was important for me to heal, plus I feel calmer the next day after taking it. I started taking flexeril, propanolol, and Ativan all in the past month. My psychiatrist also offered me gabapentin 100 mg twice a day. Would trying Prozac to stabilize be a terrible idea? Right now I'm using Ativan more than I'm comfortable with. I thought about making an appointment with Mark Horowitz but I'm not sure it's worth it. In my head, taking supportive meds seemed like a better idea than going back on Cymbalta but now I'm taking 3 meds instead of 1 and still not stable! I could really use some advice. I went to the ER today for a panic attack and they just told me to take the Ativan. I could work through the depression but this anxiety is affecting me at work and I'm scared I'm going to lose my job or be unable to work. I have 6 kids and that's not an option. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 3 hours ago, Altostrata said: Please look up adverse effects of taking too much thyroid hormone. Please work with your doctor to fix this, if this is the cause of your symptoms. We can't offer you advice about thyroid treatment here. While you may have had an adverse reaction to clomid and perhaps your current batch of psychiatric drugs, it does not appear that you are suffering from withdrawal syndrome. If you are having adverse effects from too much thyroid hormone and you can correct that, your psychiatric drugs are unnecessary. Altostrata, as much as I desperately want to believe my symptoms are from my thyroid, my levels have been higher than this and I didn't have these symptoms. It's much more likely It's from CT Cymbalta, right? Hyperthyroidism doesn't cause AM cortisol surges does it? I have been dealing with these for weeks now. My anxiety is awful and I only get relief at the very end of the day. Could decreasing my flexeril dose from 10 mg to 5 mg at bedtime have triggered worsening anxiety? I haven't been on it very long, but I figured sleep was important for me to heal, plus I feel calmer the next day after taking it. I started taking flexeril, propanolol, and Ativan all in the past month. My psychiatrist also offered me gabapentin 100 mg twice a day. Would trying Prozac to stabilize be a terrible idea? Right now I'm using Ativan more than I'm comfortable with. I thought about making an appointment with Mark Horowitz but I'm not sure it's worth it. In my head, taking supportive meds seemed like a better idea than going back on Cymbalta but now I'm taking 3 meds instead of 1 and still not stable! I could really use some advice. I went to the ER today for a panic attack and they just told me to take the Ativan. I could work through the depression but this anxiety is affecting me at work and I'm scared I'm going to lose my job or be unable to work. I have 6 kids and that's not an option. I also took CBN last night to try and sleep better. Open to other suggestions. I've been trying CBD under my tongue to try and keep some in my system since I was taking it in gummy form. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 26, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 26, 2023 Look up adverse effects of too much thyroid hormone and see if they match your symptoms. This is your responsibility as an informed patient. It appears your symptoms started with clomid in June, correct? What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages? 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
Serenyd Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 47 minutes ago, Altostrata said: Look up adverse effects of too much thyroid hormone and see if they match your symptoms. This is your responsibility as an informed patient. It appears your symptoms started with clomid in June, correct? What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages? I felt "off" after stopping but not depressed or anxious. With Clomid that I took in June I was crying all day long and very depressed for 2 months. If it weren't for my kids I seriously doubt I'd still be around. I have looked up symptoms of hyperthyroidism and some match and some don't. Like the burning skin/parathesias. Not a hyperthyroidism symptom. Plus I'm a nurse. So I already know most of them. I take propanolol 20 mg about 7 am I take Flexeril 5 mg (was on 10 mg) at bedtime around 9 pm Thyroid meds 7 am Azathioprine at bedtime 9 pm I also take magnesium and vit d at bedtime 9 pm (stopped fish oil as I suspect it makes me worse rn) I take Actemra 1 injection weekly (anytime on Fridays) Cbd usually mid-morning but unsure if it's hurting or helping. Started Flexeril at the beginning of the month then added propanolol. Ativan was added for anxiety during my cycle. The past 2 months I've had anxiety during ovulation. I'm past that since Sunday and still having issues. Have also had a bad week emotionally. Anxiety attacks Sunday, Tuesday, and Today. I used the Ativan 0.5 mg. I took 2 on Sunday. 1 just takes the edge off. 2 put me to sleep. My grandma is not doing well in the hospital and my 20 year old decided to de facto drop out of college, and when I confronted him he locked himself in and refused to talk to me all day. I have Gabapentin 100 mg and Prozac 10 mg I haven't tried/ started. I have a friend who was able to get stable by taking Prozac and another who got stable taking Gabapentin, both after coming off Cymbalta CT. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 I need help with med management. I increased flexeril to 7.5 mg at bedtime to see if that will help. 3 anxiety attacks in 1 week is too much. The longer I'm off Cymbalta the more unstable I get. I don't understand it. It's been 6 months. I've had to take Ativan 3 times this week. I've never taken it before this week. Now I fear I am addicted to it. My doctor said I could take the propanolol 20 mg twice a day if I want. Or try Gabapentin for the anxiety 100 mg twice a day. Or I can take the Prozac 10 mg daily. Is there a chance Prozac could stabilize me and I could get off the flexeril and Ativan? I'm so worried I'm making huge mistakes and will ruin my life with this. Karen in Cymbalta Hurts Worse thinks I need to try reinstating Cymbalta. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 On 10/26/2023 at 9:00 AM, manymoretodays said: Hi there, And hard to say with the anxiety phase. Hopefully it lessens though and feels more manageable. Can the doctor check your thyroid levels, the T3 and T4 too? Hoping you are starting to get more hypothyroid aware and educated. That always helps. Our main topic is here: Thyroid symptoms: hypothyroid, Hashimoto's Good idea with just holding the flexeril now, prior to continuing to taper. It's usually given for muscle/skeletal pain. And might be a good one to taper first. To lessen your drug load overall. When do you take the Ativan? For right now, I think that's a keeper. Can you do a daily log or NOTES. 24 hours first, and post like the sample note. Try and get 3 days total done. And post in a reply box. Note, dailies Make sure and get everything in there, to the right of times. Drugs by name and dose. Same with supplements. Symptoms as they occur and if and when they worsen to the right of times. Good description of your present anxiety. Use descriptions like that. Please check current drugs and supplements using Drugs.com: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html And then share those results here as well. Okay, and thank you. Additional anxiety helps: We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times. Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear. This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic. This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ... Audio FEMALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Audio MALE VOICE: First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Non-drug techniques to cope dealing-with-emotional-spirals Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping. There are videos available on YouTube. Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System Audio: How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes CBT Course: An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Resources: Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg: Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying) I will try the log. I feel like I'm getting more and more dependent on the Ativan. It is the only thing that helps when I'm having an anxiety attack. I increased my flexeril back up to 7.5. hoping it will help keep my daytime anxiety under control. I will try to start a diary. I'm feeling more and more hopeless and helpless. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 27, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 27, 2023 Sorry, we do not offer medication management here. That is the responsibility of your prescriber. Why do you take propranolol with your thyroid medication at 7 a.m.? Please put ALL your current drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic. You appear to have multiple health conditions. Your situation may be beyond the abilities of peer support. 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
Serenyd Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 4 hours ago, Altostrata said: Sorry, we do not offer medication management here. That is the responsibility of your prescriber. Why do you take propranolol with your thyroid medication at 7 a.m.? Please put ALL your current drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic. You appear to have multiple health conditions. Your situation may be beyond the abilities of peer support. I made an appointment with Horowitz for Monday. Please don't kick me out. I only have a couple of autoimmune diseases that are usually well-managed. I take my propanolol with my thyroid meds because my heart rate is so high in the morning and I want to get it back down. I don't have time to wait an hour. I'm otherwise a healthy person. I only started the Cymbalta because my child died. I had no idea it would be hard to get off. I only tried Paxil because my child was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness at 5 months old. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 28, 2023 Author Share Posted October 28, 2023 16 hours ago, Altostrata said: Sorry, we do not offer medication management here. That is the responsibility of your prescriber. Why do you take propranolol with your thyroid medication at 7 a.m.? Please put ALL your current drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic. You appear to have multiple health conditions. Your situation may be beyond the abilities of peer support. https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=1956-0,758-386,1488-899,3186-14316,296-0,1473-0,1463-3519 Let me know if this works. 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted October 28, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 28, 2023 (edited) Hi Serenyd, To be clear. We do not do medication management here. Help with PAWs and withdrawal syndome we can do. I did get your PM, and will see if I can find some additional support for you, and someone who might do PM's with you. I usually do not do them anymore, any advice via PM. I think it's better to keep everything here, on your thread, so that other moderators can see what's been offered, and your history and progress is all right here. Good job on the the interactions, I see those. The link works. Oh my gosh.......that's a lot of drugs right now. And good idea to have your doctor who prescribes them, to manage them. Keep track of the Ativan 0.5 mg in your NOTES, and get those done next, as soon as possible. We want to see how your symptoms are both before and after your drugs, at this point in time. It's possible, you can avoid dependency, I don't know. With the Ativan. In general just 2 weeks until dependency with Ativan, or benzo's. You might be able to get by with just intermittent use, as you said a rescue dose now and then......without dependency. Does it help? Do some NOTES. Date. Times on left. Drugs, supplements by name and dose on right, as well as symptoms throughout the day. On reinstatement, and with Prozac, I'm not feeling it. After all you are 6 months out. I think Cymbalta Hurts Worse, would follow our reinstatement protocols too, which are here: About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms It takes patience. Did you check hypothyroidism symptoms, as well as hyperthyroidism? I thought "they" were questioning the doses of your thyroid medication, which of course, if too high, would cause hypothyroidism. Important, very important........and something you won't regret going forward........is to develop some skills and practices to cope with hard times. Rather than drugs, or pills. And I too, come from a medical background for my career. At first...........way back..........I thought no problem, try an AD(antidepressant). And where that led you can see. 30 years and about that many psych meds. And so.......no, I could not function like I once did, through all the drug adversities, or WD. So glad, so happy to be rebuilding now........to be in that stage. Symptoms and Self Care check out that forum. Look at some of the top pinned topics first. And sorry I gave you the anxiety stuff twice. Doh. Into my own new recovery this week, from cellulitis and lymphangitis. Powerful antibiotic too. Yikes! Cymbalta is used for a lot of things. It does sound like in your case it was given to help with grief, and feeling down. Most drugs like Cymbalta, SSRI's, or SSNRI's also cause dependency within about a months time. Give or take. So........try not to worry too much now, about your usage of Ativan. Especially if it helps when you feel highly anxious and like you are coming out of your skin. Did the Cymbalta help? I'm really sorry for your loss Sernyd, and worries about your kids, well one with serious illness. It does sound tough. Do you do or have a counselor to help? You do get to grieve. You also do get to ask for help when you need it. I mean on the ground, at home. You don't have to do it all yourself. Do you mind saying how old you are? I just wonder why the worries about your heart, and heart rate. Have you had heart difficulties? I'm going to stop there today. Await your NOTES. If at all possible, now might be a good time to take a short time off work to care for yourself properly. Just a short time. Grieve however you need to. It is okay to do so. It is okay to fall apart sometimes. Know this. Time, patience, learning....... Best, L, P, H, and G, mmt Edited October 28, 2023 by manymoretodays Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 28, 2023 Author Share Posted October 28, 2023 50 minutes ago, manymoretodays said: Hi Serenyd, To be clear. We do not do medication management here. Help with PAWs and withdrawal syndome we can do. I did get your PM, and will see if I can find some additional support for you, and someone who might do PM's with you. I usually do not do them anymore, any advice via PM. I think it's better to keep everything here, on your thread, so that other moderators can see what's been offered, and your history and progress is all right here. Good job on the the interactions, I see those. The link works. Oh my gosh.......that's a lot of drugs right now. And good idea to have your doctor who prescribes them, to manage them. Keep track of the Ativan 0.5 mg in your NOTES, and get those done next, as soon as possible. We want to see how your symptoms are both before and after your drugs, at this point in time. It's possible, you can avoid dependency, I don't know. With the Ativan. In general just 2 weeks until dependency with Ativan, or benzo's. You might be able to get by with just intermittent use, as you said a rescue dose now and then......without dependency. Does it help? Do some NOTES. Date. Times on left. Drugs, supplements by name and dose on right, as well as symptoms throughout the day. On reinstatement, and with Prozac, I'm not feeling it. After all you are 6 months out. I think Cymbalta Hurts Worse, would follow our reinstatement protocols too, which are here: About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms It takes patience. Did you check hypothyroidism symptoms, as well as hyperthyroidism? I thought "they" were questioning the doses of your thyroid medication, which of course, if too high, would cause hypothyroidism. Important, very important........and something you won't regret going forward........is to develop some skills and practices to cope with hard times. Rather than drugs, or pills. And I too, come from a medical background for my career. At first...........way back..........I thought no problem, try an AD(antidepressant). And where that led you can see. 30 years and about that many psych meds. And so.......no, I could not function like I once did, through all the drug adversities, or WD. So glad, so happy to be rebuilding now........to be in that stage. Symptoms and Self Care check out that forum. Look at some of the top pinned topics first. And sorry I gave you the anxiety stuff twice. Doh. Into my own new recovery this week, from cellulitis and lymphangitis. Powerful antibiotic too. Yikes! Cymbalta is used for a lot of things. It does sound like in your case it was given to help with grief, and feeling down. Most drugs like Cymbalta, SSRI's, or SSNRI's also cause dependency within about a months time. Give or take. So........try not to worry too much now, about your usage of Ativan. Especially if it helps when you feel highly anxious and like you are coming out of your skin. Did the Cymbalta help? I'm really sorry for your loss Sernyd, and worries about your kids, well one with serious illness. It does sound tough. Do you do or have a counselor to help? You do get to grieve. You also do get to ask for help when you need it. I mean on the ground, at home. You don't have to do it all yourself. Do you mind saying how old you are? I just wonder why the worries about your heart, and heart rate. Have you had heart difficulties? I'm going to stop there today. Await your NOTES. If at all possible, now might be a good time to take a short time off work to care for yourself properly. Just a short time. Grieve however you need to. It is okay to do so. It is okay to fall apart sometimes. Know this. Time, patience, learning....... Best, L, P, H, and G, mmt 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 28, 2023 Author Share Posted October 28, 2023 I'm 42 years old. I have a bunch of different doctors. Rheumatologist to manage my arthritis, an Orthopedic surgeon who replaced my bad knee last year, PCP who manages my Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, a Psychiatrist who prescribed meds for anxiety but really wants to put me back on a SSRI/SNRI, and an OB-Gyn who hasn't found anything wrong with me yet. Doc had increased my Levothyroxine (Tirosint) earlier this year when I was pregnant. I had a miscarriage in March and decided to ditch my Cymbalta before getting pregnant again. My thyroid labs aren't out of range, he's just going off symptoms. We had to decrease my Levothyroxine after my 2-year-old daughter was born in 2021 and I never had any of these symptoms. I've always gone off meds CT without problems so I didn't think Cymbalta would be any different. Plus I wanted to be off to get pregnant. My heart is fine as far as I know. I was cleared by cardiology before my knee surgery last year. I'm sorry to hear about your health problems. I hope you are feeling better soon! To answer your question, yet, Cymbalta helped. It stopped me from crying constantly and gave me the energy to get out and do things with my other kids. My daughter Cora died in June of 2021. She was 4 and a half. She was diagnosed with Lissencephaly Pachygyria and seizures when she was 5 months old. She was actually doing quite well when she died. She was able to walk and talk but was more like a 2-year-old, than a 4-year-old. One of her older siblings didn't close the gates to the pool and she got into the pool and drowned. I grieved her all over again after coming off the Cymbalta without the leave of absence from work I had the first time. Was actually working 4 part-time jobs earlier this year as I had found work to be a good coping mechanism. I started going to a therapist again a month or 2 ago. I've thought about doing an IOP program. I asked the psychiatrist about not working for a while and she didn't think that was a good idea. Do you have any other suggestions for building coping skills? I like the DARE app for anxiety. I am to the point where I'm scared everything I'm taking is going to me worse. I even stopped my vitamins, magnesium, ubiquinol and fish oil. I've stopped caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. My digestive system is so messed up I don't want to eat. I'm dropping weight like gangbusters. I went Keto a couple months ago and I actually think that made things worse. I've tried adding a few fruits and carbs back in but I haven't seen a big difference. I have just gradually gotten worse over the last 6 months. The depression was awful of course but the physical anxiety symptoms have caused me the most distress. I feel like a failure resorting to drugs to manage my symptoms after being off them for 5 months. My preference is to try lifestyle changes and natural things like herbs before resorting to medications. I've birthed 6 of my 7 children without drugs and find that babies that are born this way are more alert and feed better in the first 24 hours of life. My life has humbled me in that I have 2 autoimmune diseases that I've failed to control with diet and lifestyle changes and had a daughter who required seizure medications (CBD worked to control her seizures for a glorious year of freedom, but ultimately we had to give her more meds). Dropping the Flexeril to 5 mg didn't work for me and I ended up needing to use the Ativan which I hadn't intended to use. So I'm back up to Flexeril 7.5 mg at bedtime (was at 10). Holding on the propanolol 20 mg daily as well. I don't have any refills on the Flexeril. It was a one-time courtesy from the Ortho who did my surgery last year. I don't know if I can refill it. Flexeril is a central nervous system depressant that raises norepinephrine and serotonin. I'm guessing that is why it makes me feel better. It's not really for long-term use, but it is prescribed off-label for anxiety. I didn't know that. Should I try to get more so I can taper? How long should I stay at 7.5 before trying to taper? These are the questions that have me tearing my hair out. I'm trying to avoid using the Ativan. I don't need a nasty benzo withdrawal on top of all this. I'm working on my log and should have that in a day or 2. Thank you so much for listening. I know that my posts are kind of erratic when my anxiety is high and I apologize for that (to Altostrata as well). I wish you a speedy recovery and let me know if I can help in any way. Serenyd 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted October 28, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 28, 2023 The NOTES will help, so work on first a day, a full 24 hours. Then post. Ultimately let's try to get to 3 full days done and posted. You are sweet, very much so. I'm okay. I expect you are a chronic giver and may have never learned how to truly take care of yourself. It's a challenge, or can be. Also life saving and enhancing. Ask for help on the ground too. So sorry about Cora, and the loss of a pregnancy. You've had it real hard lately. Okay? Hear me on that. And alright to keep working if that feels right to you as well. You are part of your therapy team, a huge part. I've done a lot of CBT, and then DBT, and then support groups. I also do AA, and more recently ACA, and Alanon with AA as my base group really. Funny how that all came about, but it did and I'm glad. Not everyone benefits from the same stuff, I mean so many do not like AA, nor is it used for psychiatric drug WD. And it's hard, for me, watching and listening sometimes to member shares who have different truths than my own. It's an outside topic. Self help.....oh my gosh.......you know physical is great for me, out of my head and into movement. My yard is a somewhat nature area I can embrace and work in. I need nature. Search for "forest bathing" in symptoms and self care. Once in that forum, you can do a search in the search box upper right. You can also find Do look at Finding Meaning too, when time and when just exploring the site. That has some beautiful topics helping to make sense of our struggles. Notes: Those are a tool, not JUST for tapering, WD, and psych meds, but could be real helpful with managing, with your providers your other drugs. Where both the Flexeril and propranolol are new, I think they are more being used for WD than any other condition. Try and pause, or wait, if at all possible until you've done some NOTES to make any changes, or permanent plans. You'll see.......how listening carefully to ones body and remaining objective can and will help. Eat, eat! I can't even tell how much is grief. Oh my......my Mom's death sent me into a intense grief......oh, but maybe normal, as I found and read. I tell people now.......don't expect much while grieving. You'll be fairly up and down and all around during this process. And boy howdy.......sometimes for more than a year. And more on WD(withdrawal). I wonder if the time frames coming off your other psychoactive drugs correlate with any of the newer diagnoses too. The autoimmune diseases. I had a big worry about hypothyroid while medicated and when tapering. My labwork thankfully normalized as did my symptoms. Fortunately, no Hashimoto's for me. Well first: Why taper by 10% of my dosage? A faster taper might just be tolerated with your shorter usages drugs. Again, with careful observation. Again, I'd keep everything the same right now, and while doing NOTES. Shifting too many things makes good observation of what does what nearly impossible. And back to WD: Brain Remodelling What is withdrawal syndrome. Dr.Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list. The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization Any windows of note? Say, in the last month even? You're doing great Serenyd. You definitely have more wits about you than I did on arrival. Did you like Drugs.com. Keep that link handy too. You can look up singular drugs there and learn more about them. It's helped me make choices, while fully committed to staying clear of psychoactives. I mean prescribed drugs ARE over used and over prescribed and some are down right scary to me know. And doctor or NP or PA doesn't always do full disclosure. L, P, H, and G, mmt Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 29, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 29, 2023 On 10/27/2023 at 4:27 PM, Serenyd said: I take my propanolol with my thyroid meds because my heart rate is so high in the morning and I want to get it back down. @Serenyd When did your heart rate increase? Does this occur during the night? What is your sleep pattern? Women who have had withdrawal syndrome problems often have worse symptoms at times in their menstrual cycles. If you've asked your psychiatrist to resolve potential problems with your polypharmacy and this doctor's best idea is to add or switch drugs, why are you still seeing this doctor? On 10/26/2023 at 4:24 PM, Serenyd said: I take propanolol 20 mg about 7 am I take Flexeril 5 mg (was on 10 mg) at bedtime around 9 pm Thyroid meds 7 am Azathioprine at bedtime 9 pm I also take magnesium and vit d at bedtime 9 pm (stopped fish oil as I suspect it makes me worse rn) I take Actemra 1 injection weekly (anytime on Fridays) Cbd usually mid-morning but unsure if it's hurting or helping. Is there a reason you take azathioprine at bedtime? When do you take Ativan? 1 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
Serenyd Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 22 hours ago, Altostrata said: @Serenyd When did your heart rate increase? Does this occur during the night? What is your sleep pattern? Women who have had withdrawal syndrome problems often have worse symptoms at times in their menstrual cycles. If you've asked your psychiatrist to resolve potential problems with your polypharmacy and this doctor's best idea is to add or switch drugs, why are you still seeing this doctor? Is there a reason you take azathioprine at bedtime? When do you take Ativan? 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 On 10/28/2023 at 2:08 PM, manymoretodays said: The NOTES will help, so work on first a day, a full 24 hours. Then post. Ultimately let's try to get to 3 full days done and posted. You are sweet, very much so. I'm okay. I expect you are a chronic giver and may have never learned how to truly take care of yourself. It's a challenge, or can be. Also life saving and enhancing. Ask for help on the ground too. So sorry about Cora, and the loss of a pregnancy. You've had it real hard lately. Okay? Hear me on that. And alright to keep working if that feels right to you as well. You are part of your therapy team, a huge part. I've done a lot of CBT, and then DBT, and then support groups. I also do AA, and more recently ACA, and Alanon with AA as my base group really. Funny how that all came about, but it did and I'm glad. Not everyone benefits from the same stuff, I mean so many do not like AA, nor is it used for psychiatric drug WD. And it's hard, for me, watching and listening sometimes to member shares who have different truths than my own. It's an outside topic. Self help.....oh my gosh.......you know physical is great for me, out of my head and into movement. My yard is a somewhat nature area I can embrace and work in. I need nature. Search for "forest bathing" in symptoms and self care. Once in that forum, you can do a search in the search box upper right. You can also find Do look at Finding Meaning too, when time and when just exploring the site. That has some beautiful topics helping to make sense of our struggles. Notes: Those are a tool, not JUST for tapering, WD, and psych meds, but could be real helpful with managing, with your providers your other drugs. Where both the Flexeril and propranolol are new, I think they are more being used for WD than any other condition. Try and pause, or wait, if at all possible until you've done some NOTES to make any changes, or permanent plans. You'll see.......how listening carefully to ones body and remaining objective can and will help. Eat, eat! I can't even tell how much is grief. Oh my......my Mom's death sent me into a intense grief......oh, but maybe normal, as I found and read. I tell people now.......don't expect much while grieving. You'll be fairly up and down and all around during this process. And boy howdy.......sometimes for more than a year. And more on WD(withdrawal). I wonder if the time frames coming off your other psychoactive drugs correlate with any of the newer diagnoses too. The autoimmune diseases. I had a big worry about hypothyroid while medicated and when tapering. My labwork thankfully normalized as did my symptoms. Fortunately, no Hashimoto's for me. Well first: Why taper by 10% of my dosage? A faster taper might just be tolerated with your shorter usages drugs. Again, with careful observation. Again, I'd keep everything the same right now, and while doing NOTES. Shifting too many things makes good observation of what does what nearly impossible. And back to WD: Brain Remodelling What is withdrawal syndrome. Dr.Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list. The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization Any windows of note? Say, in the last month even? You're doing great Serenyd. You definitely have more wits about you than I did on arrival. Did you like Drugs.com. Keep that link handy too. You can look up singular drugs there and learn more about them. It's helped me make choices, while fully committed to staying clear of psychoactives. I mean prescribed drugs ARE over used and over prescribed and some are down right scary to me know. And doctor or NP or PA doesn't always do full disclosure. L, P, H, and G, mmt Hope you're feeling better, Many. I feel like I might be entering a window. Upping the Flexeril to 7.5 mg at night seems to have stablized me for now, and I'm in a good place in my cycle. I think lowering the thyroid meds was a good call, but I don't think it caused my w/d symptoms. More like adding fuel to the fire of an already over-sensitized nervous system. Hashimoto's diagnosis was 2013 and rheumatoid arthritis was 2016. So it's been a while. My rheumatologist was the first one to offer me Cymbalta. Thankful I didn't take her up on it then or I might not have my beautiful 2 and 4 year old daughters. I made special care to find a Hashimoto's literate doctor back in 2014. I don't think he understands PAWS but I'm trying to educate him since he's more open minded than most. I do like Drugs.com. I've never had any real difficulty stopping a drug, so I didn't expect Cymbalta to be any different. This has been an education. One I definitetly didn't ask for. I have literally felt like I am fighting for my life. And losing my job has been a constant worry. Meeting with Horowitz this morning went well. He thinks I need to stay on the Flexeril 7.5 for 3 months, and that it is mainly treating w/d symptoms. I don't know if I want to stay on it that long. I'm a little worried about side effects, but, it would make getting through the holidays and our cruise in January a bit easier. I can just envision myself having panic attacks on a cruise ship. And of course I won't be able to drink any alcohol, which seems to be a big part of the experience for most. But I don't really know, I've never been on one before. Another option was to get back on Cymbalta at 5 mg, tapering of flexeril while tapering ON Cymbalta. That may be what my body wants, but I feel like Cymbalta is from the devil himself and I want nothing to do with it ever again. It all depends if my doctor will even give me another script for Flexeril. I don't think going off Flexeril CT will go well. I'll probably end up taking ativan again, and getting addicted to a benzodiazepine is the last thing I want to deal with. Propanolol I can probably taper off a little faster, but I think it is helping with the restlessness I'm having. I got your PM and I will try to read some posts when I feel up to it. I don't feel like I have much to offer in the advice department, and have probably already given some bad advice thinking I knew what I was donig, when clearly I didn't! 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 1 hour ago, Serenyd said: I wrote a long post but accidently deleted it. Oh well ... 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 (edited) @Serenyd When did your heart rate increase? Does this occur during the night? What is your sleep pattern? I think it happened after the Clomid. I had such a terrible sense of doom with it, I ended up crying hysterically for an hour after waking. I have been waking up more frequently. Sometimes I have difficulty falling asleep. Sometimes I wake around 3-4 am and can't go back to sleep. The flexeril helps with sleep and I also feel better the next day. When I was taking the CBD gummies with ashwaganda and l-theanine, if I'd wake early I could take one of these and be able to go back to sleep for a while. I used to be able to say I can count on one hand the times I have experienced insomnia. So this is very out of the ordinary for me, and rather distressing. I have clocked my heart rate in the 120's in the am on my smartwatch, but it usually settles into the 80's resting (it used to be 70's before w/d). I'm not sure the propanolol is actually lowering my heart rate as I haven't seen a difference in my daily resting rate since taking it`, but it seems to help with the restlessness I feel. Women who have had withdrawal syndrome problems often have worse symptoms at times in their menstrual cycles. Before my period and definitely during ovulation. That's when I had the first panic attack. It's been happening for about 3 cycles now. If you've asked your psychiatrist to resolve potential problems with your polypharmacy and this doctor's best idea is to add or switch drugs, why are you still seeing this doctor? She's the only one I have? It takes a while to get in with a new doctor and there's no guarantee a new one would be any better. She's prescribed everything I've asked. Propanolol was my idea (a friend takes it). She tried to put me on Lexapro which I refused. I have prescriptions for gabapentin and prozac that I also asked for but decided against taking. I got a few ideas from crashing a psychiatric nurse practitioner group and asking for information. There were a few that knew about PAWS and had treated patients with it OR had experienced Cymbalta w/d themselves. I thought if I needed medication to get through this I want to be on as little as possible. The ativan was her idea but I ended up needing it, so I guess it was ok. I just don't want to make a habit of taking it. Is there a reason you take azathioprine at bedtime? When do you take Ativan? Azathioprine at bedtime so I can take my thyroid meds by themselves (usually). I only took the Ativan 3x last week when I made the mistaking of cutting the flexeril back to 5 mg from 10 mg. Also, I was ovulating, so that made it worse. Anxiety attack with symptoms 7/10 or above is when I'd consider using it again. Edited October 30, 2023 by Altostrata removed code 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted October 30, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 30, 2023 42 minutes ago, Serenyd said: Hope you're feeling better, Many. I feel like I might be entering a window. Upping the Flexeril to 7.5 mg at night seems to have stablized me for now, and I'm in a good place in my cycle. I think lowering the thyroid meds was a good call, but I don't think it caused my w/d symptoms. More like adding fuel to the fire of an already over-sensitized nervous system. Hashimoto's diagnosis was 2013 and rheumatoid arthritis was 2016. So it's been a while. My rheumatologist was the first one to offer me Cymbalta. Thankful I didn't take her up on it then or I might not have my beautiful 2 and 4 year old daughters. I made special care to find a Hashimoto's literate doctor back in 2014. I don't think he understands PAWS but I'm trying to educate him since he's more open minded than most. I do like Drugs.com. I've never had any real difficulty stopping a drug, so I didn't expect Cymbalta to be any different. This has been an education. One I definitetly didn't ask for. I have literally felt like I am fighting for my life. And losing my job has been a constant worry. Meeting with Horowitz this morning went well. He thinks I need to stay on the Flexeril 7.5 for 3 months, and that it is mainly treating w/d symptoms. I don't know if I want to stay on it that long. I'm a little worried about side effects, but, it would make getting through the holidays and our cruise in January a bit easier. I can just envision myself having panic attacks on a cruise ship. And of course I won't be able to drink any alcohol, which seems to be a big part of the experience for most. But I don't really know, I've never been on one before. Another option was to get back on Cymbalta at 5 mg, tapering of flexeril while tapering ON Cymbalta. That may be what my body wants, but I feel like Cymbalta is from the devil himself and I want nothing to do with it ever again. It all depends if my doctor will even give me another script for Flexeril. I don't think going off Flexeril CT will go well. I'll probably end up taking ativan again, and getting addicted to a benzodiazepine is the last thing I want to deal with. Propanolol I can probably taper off a little faster, but I think it is helping with the restlessness I'm having. I got your PM and I will try to read some posts when I feel up to it. I don't feel like I have much to offer in the advice department, and have probably already given some bad advice thinking I knew what I was donig, when clearly I didn't! I'm doing fine Serenyd. I mean in recovery now from cat bite infection and some strong antibiotics, but doing okay with this. You can do a slow taper off Flexeril when that time comes. Propranolol, you have that topic above, which will help when that taper comes about. What did Horowitz think about the Propranolol. I would sure recommend against the supplements that mess with with any of the neurotransmitters. Theanine and 5HTP. More on supplements here: Important topics about tests, supplements, treatments, diet You should be able to search from the search box there, for some of those you have tried and now discontinued. My best advice........stick with the magnesium for calming, and Omega 3's too- for your nervous system. I'm happy to support when I have time to. Yes though, do reach out to other members here. Oh that can help so much. Note, notes, notes.......I want to see them. And okay if you need the ativan. I'm glad you posted. Updated a bit too. L, P, H, and G, mmt 1 Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Serenyd Posted October 31, 2023 Author Share Posted October 31, 2023 5 hours ago, manymoretodays said: I'm doing fine Serenyd. I mean in recovery now from cat bite infection and some strong antibiotics, but doing okay with this. You can do a slow taper off Flexeril when that time comes. Propranolol, you have that topic above, which will help when that taper comes about. What did Horowitz think about the Propranolol. I would sure recommend against the supplements that mess with with any of the neurotransmitters. Theanine and 5HTP. More on supplements here: Important topics about tests, supplements, treatments, diet You should be able to search from the search box there, for some of those you have tried and now discontinued. My best advice........stick with the magnesium for calming, and Omega 3's too- for your nervous system. I'm happy to support when I have time to. Yes though, do reach out to other members here. Oh that can help so much. Note, notes, notes.......I want to see them. And okay if you need the ativan. I'm glad you posted. Updated a bit too. L, P, H, and G, mmt Cat bites are nasty and so painful! Ouch. Horowitz said I could taper off propranolol a quarter of the dose at a time. Not sure how long to hold between doses. 3 months seems a long time to stay on flexeril. I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor to see if he will fill my script. Thank you! Here are my notes: 10/27 Friday 0700 - got up, heart racing, then took thyroid meds 0730 - ate apple and piece of cheese then took propanolol 0740 - left for work. Shaky. 0815 - arrived work. Nervous. First day back on the floor. Waiting for coworker. 1300 - ate salad for lunch. 1330 - tried to work on schedule 1400 - Face started to burn 1500 - left work. Feeling restless 1640 - went to acupuncture. Felt a little buzzy, but mostly calm. Drank herbal tea which gave me stomach cramps. Did not finish it. 1840 - went to dinner 2100 - took flexeril 7.5 mg and azathioprine 100 mg 10/28 0608 - woke up heart racing, decided to stay awake. 0640 - breathing exercises. Face feels hot. 0640 - Dare app 0730 - made pancakes for kids 0900- drank some warm lemon water, ate a bit of cheese and took propanolol 20 mg 1000 - getting kids ready to go out. I find I have a very low tolerance for whining right now. 1030 - showered 1100 - laid in bed with my 2 year old daughter as she wanted some cuddles. Listened to DARE app. Fought panic as my 4 year old daughter was jealous and started crying and tugging on me. Yelled for her dad to come get her. 1115 - was able to calm with app. 1130 - Agitated. Fighting anxiety. Worried I won't get better, won't be able to taper off new meds. 1200 - spent time on SA. Felt better. 1250 - left to go buy Halloween costumes with kids and my partner. Weirdly felt mostly fine the rest of the day. Went to lunch with family and then took kids to Fall Festival at church. Lunch my throat felt tight and had trouble eating and drinking but I managed. Still a bit irritable too. Felt excited about Halloween for the first time this year. Ate leftovers for dinner (salad). 10/29 0518 - got up, put clothes in dryer. Went back to bed for a few minutes. 0538 - took thyroid meds (125 Mcg Levothyroxine, and 5 mcg Cytomel) 0605 - left for work 0730 - crying spell triggered by Facebook post in grief group. Hid in bathroom for a bit then went to cafeteria to grab breakfast. 0745 - ate strawberries, egg, sausage, diced potatoes. Picked at food. Drank some warm lemon water. Throat feels tight. 0830 - felt flushed, arms felt like they were burning. 0850 - took Propanolol 20 mg 0900-1100 Busy at work. Stressed, feeling on edge. I am also having some dark thoughts, feeling hopeless about the future around this time. 1107 - arms are burning. I am worried about how I'm going to continue to cope. I'm worried that the flexeril is hurting my brain more and it's going to take me even longer to recover. Starting to feel restless like I can't sit still and my head feels full, like pressure. Face, lips are tingling and my stomach hurts. Keep getting hot then cold, taking jacket on and off (this has been all morning, doesn't help coworkers are fighting over the thermostat). 1130 - slight easing of feelings of tension. Work is stressful but that isn't what triggers my anxiety. I feel like the anxiety is physical but it can definitely be worsened by situational issues, me feeling overstimulated, or worrying. The tension was there before when I was crying and depressed in June/July, but I think the crying helped to release those feelings. 1200 - Back to feeling tense. Feeling like I want to go home, but I know this anxiety will just follow me there. 1300 - ate leftover breakfast for lunch. Actually hungry. 1600 - symptoms have eased some. Feel less on edge but still worried. 1900 - off work 2000 - Tacos at Torchy's 2200 - nighttime routine, took Azathioprine and flexeril 7.5 10/30 0730 Woke up a little later than normal 0815 - meeting with Mark Horowitz. Agrees my symptoms are consistent with Cymbalta discontinuation and not another issue. Does not think hyperthyroid state because I was on the same dosebof thyroid medication starting February 2023. Discussed taking 5 mg of Cymbalta versus staying on Flexeril. Sounds like he wants me to hold my dose of Flexeril 7.5 mg for 3 months before trying to taper if I choose to go that route. Propanolol I can taper off a quarter of the dose at a time. 0915 - My arms are burning and face flushed but I don't feel like I'm coming out of my skin. I haven't taken any meds today yet. Feeling a bit restless but nothing like the akisthisia symptoms I had before. 0930 - ate some cheese. Then took propanolol 20 mg. Hoping it will help with the restlessness. Holding off on my thyroid meds. May stop Cytomel. I usually need the extra energy boost T3 gives me but maybe it's not a good thing right now. I can't tolerate caffeine either and I usually love coffee. 1000 - hands and feet feel painfully cold. Really need a distraction before I start to spiral. Trying to figure out what I can do to occupy my time that won't trigger a panic attack or require a lot of concentration. 1040 - Legs feel weak, I feel tired. 1130 - took Tirosint 125 mcg (Levothyroxine). Had sugar free (monk fruit) hot chocolate. 1200 - lunch at Chikfila (salad with bacon and egg, fruit cup) with 2 and 4 year old daughters. Tired and a little out of it but otherwise ok. 1330 - still a bit tired. Leaving to take older son to massage therapy. 1430 - got home and went back to bed. I'm ok with feeling a bit tired/sleepy after weeks of being super wired and on edge and not being able to relax. 1640 - inhaled burger (no bun) and fried okra. Decided to sit out my 9 y.o. son's soccer practice. 1700 - drank herbal tea, and did some work stuff. 1800 - did laundry, tried to watch TV for the first time in weeks 2200 - bedtime routine, took Azathioprine and flexeril 7.5 mg 1 2017 Paxil about 2-3 weeks 2021 Klonopin 3 weeks off and on and started Cymbalta 20 mg in Aug 2022 Percocet and Gabapentin for about 12 weeks after surgery 2023 April CT Cymbalta, was on 50 mg went to 30 mg and 2 months later to 20 mg for 1 week 2023 October 1 flexeril 5-10 mg 2023 October 12 propanolol 10 mg, then increased to 20 mg. 2023 October 22 Ativan 0.5 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 31, 2023 Administrator Share Posted October 31, 2023 @Serenyd in your daily notes, be sure to indicate the time o'clock of every drug dose and its dosage. It appears that you do not take your drugs on a set schedule. We can't tell anything from daily notes when dosing is inconsistent. Please choose a drug dosing schedule and follow it consistently. Thank you. 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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