Sancho Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 I began seeing Dr. Emmons in Minneapolis last week. My first impressions were positive. Besides conveying a sense of calmness and humanity, as a psychiatrist he has a holistic approach to mental health that includes ADs, yes, but also mindfulness meditation, yoga, nutrition, and natural remedies. He suggested immediately that I started tapering pristiq. I told him that I would do it very gradually and he agreed. He also recommended a natural sleeping aid —SedaLin— to help improve the quality of my sleep and to eventually start tapering off clonazepam. In addition, he works with a compound pharmacy that adjusts dosages according to patient needs. I asked him if they could reduce the dosage of pristiq by 10% and he said he will look into it. His team will be conducting a ten-week workshop on depression starting June 3, 2015. I signed up for it and intend to keep you posted. Pristiq 100mg. Feb/2015 Wellbutrin 300mg. Feb/2015 Clonazepam 2mg. Oct. 2014 Clonazepam 2mg. Feb. 2015 Clonazepam 1.75 Feb. 2015 Clonazepam 1.50 March 2015 Clonazepam 1.25 March 2015 Clonazepam 1.00 April 2015 Clonazepam .75 May 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 30, 2015 Administrator Share Posted May 30, 2015 Good to hear, Sancho. Please let us know any insights you learn from Dr. Emmons. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 http://tmschattanooga.com/ Tim Jennings is an awesome doctor who has written books, has a Christian foundation, and is concerned about the health side efects of medication. He will help you taper off medication and has other forms of treatment! Chattanooga, TN highly recommended! You must be a resident of TN though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted June 13, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 13, 2015 This is for RTMS to treat depression. This doctor does not apear to understand withdrawal syndrome. " Following an initial course of treatment, the duration of the clinical response to rTMS is highly variable. Thus, the use of medication for relapse prevention should be considered." **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 13, 2015 Administrator Share Posted June 13, 2015 Rich, were you treated by Dr. Jennings? Did he help you go off drugs? Please start a topic for yourself in the Introductions forum. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted June 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) I've found a holistic psychiatrist specializing in withdrawal in New Mexico. There is also a list of recommendeddoctors on his page.Dr. Florian Birkmayer, MD is a board certified psychiatrist in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is currently licensedto practice medicine in New Mexico. He is affiliated with University HospitalOffice Address:2418 Miles Rd SeThe Birkmayer Institute LlcAlbuquerque, NM 87106Phone: (505) 720-4115 Edited June 27, 2015 by Altostrata request of poster 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 16, 2015 Administrator Share Posted June 16, 2015 Thank you, Fresh. Do all those doctors practice at the Birkmayer Institute? Do they all assist tapering? 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted June 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 16, 2015 They all practice with the same philosophical bent. They are listed on Dr Berkmeyer's professional page. Perhaps someone near New Mexico would like to dig around and provide contact details? Anyone interested can look here: http://thebirkmayerinstitut.ipage.com/holistic-person-centered-psychiatry/ Dr Berkmeyer specializes in aromatherapy and equine therapy , and does tele-consultations. 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 16, 2015 Administrator Share Posted June 16, 2015 Where are these doctors listed? How did you find out Dr. Birkmayer assists tapering? 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted June 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 16, 2015 The doctors are listed here https://www.doximity.com/pub/florian-birkmayer-md It was inferred that he assists tapering here ([http://roberttisserand.com/2013/04/florian-birkmayer-aromatherapists-[/url]psychiatrist/ "Do you mostly use single oils or blends? Why? I use both single oils as well as blends of up to four or five oils. In my psychiatric practice I’ve met many clients that are on multiple medications, which increases the chance of drug interactions and side effects and one of my core approaches is to simplify medication regimens as much as possible." If you think I've jumped the gun here just delete my posts , no problem Alto. Sorry to cause you more work. 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 16, 2015 Administrator Share Posted June 16, 2015 We need information that people can use to contact Dr. Birkmayer or other doctors. The "Similar Physicians & HCPs Neurology, NM" are only other neurologists in New Mexico found in a database of physicians. They may or may not assist tapering. The way I've verified doctors assist tapering usually is by contacting them. A very few will state they taper on their Web sites or on site such as Safe Harbor. Dr. Birkmayer seems like an interesting person -- I like the idea of hanging around with horses for therapy -- can you contact him and ask him about tapering? 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted June 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 16, 2015 Yes ,I'd be happy to. Email is thebirkmeyerinstitute@gmail.com I think you're right about the other neurologists , please can you edit my posts? 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 27, 2015 Administrator Share Posted June 27, 2015 Done. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted July 1, 2015 Administrator Share Posted July 1, 2015 Dr. Peter V. Madill 1020 Gravenstein AvenueSebastopol, CA 95472-4570(707) 823-3312 https://community.asam.org/members/?id=12480988 http://www.hipaaspace.com/Medical_Billing/Coding/National_Provider_Identifier/Codes/NPI_1134133085.txt http://www.yelp.com/biz/madill-peter-md-a-medical-corporation-sebastopol Integrative medicine with subspecialties in pain management and addiction medicine, quoted here regarding tapering benzos http://www.huffingtonpost.com/van-winkles/is-it-bedtime-for-benzos_b_7663456.html and on benzobuddies http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=16681.10 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
KT38 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 (edited) ADMIN UPDATE On 3/22/2016 at 6:26 PM, mjk1970 said: Hey there - not sure if you're still active or following this thread, but what info could you provide about Dr. Carroll? I actually have an appointment with her next week. On 3/23/2016 at 6:02 AM, KT38 said: Hi! I was put on Zoloft by my regular Dr. and she did not recognize I was having a bad reaction to it so I got off after a week. Then 5 weeks later in bad bad withdrawal I went to see Dr. Vilardebo who almost killed me....she put me on all these SSRIs when I cannot take them!!! I tried them for 2 months. Went to the hospital out of my mind and they said I cannot take SSRIs. So, they took me off cold turkey and all h3ll from loose............2 months later I went to see Dr. Carroll just to see what a new psych would say and she said I def had an adverse reaction and to stay away from SSRIs. This was almost a year ago and I still see her and she recommends therapy, etc.... you know, stuff that does not help during this horror show but at least she recognized what happened to me. She was telling how she helped someone taper for 2 years, etc... so she will help you taper if that is what you are doing. Or are you already off the meds? I am almost 12 months off the SSRIs and in incredibly bad shape still. On 3/23/2016 at 8:59 AM, mjk1970 said: Hey KT: I live east of Tampa also (probably in your same area) and had the same bad experiences with Dr. Vilardebo (now Fickey). She is a nice person, but prescribed me on WAY too many medications. I was on a rollercoaster of a bunch of different meds she wanted to "try" me on; then I went into the hospital after the Valium she gave me made me depressed and suicidal. I was put in the hospital this past November as a result (very bad experience there), where they put me on a bunch of *different* meds and Ativan 2 mg/day. It was only then that I did some research on these meds and especially became scared of taking the Ativan. I've tapered down to 1.125 mg a day, but still am on the "cocktail" of meds Dr. V put me on. I've since started seeing a new psych, but am not too happy with her, either. She tried cutting me from 75 mg Zoloft to 0 mg in three weeks, and there's just no way (I've cut down to 62.5 and will try to cut down to 50 after this weekend). I told her I wanted to prioritize the Ativan tapering (Ashton manual says to do the benzo tapering first, then the A/Ds), but she is insistent that I stay on the Ativan and that it will "help" me through the A/D tapering. She also suggested I go into the hospital again and come off everything C/T under their supervision! I've checked around with ppl in the benzo communities and they are unanimous that this is a terrible idea on her part. I'm glad you had a good experience with Dr. Carroll. I will probably need the slow-and-long treatment as well. I have to work and need to support my family (and at least be a somewhat functional wife and mom to two teenage boys!). I can live with some discomfort but can't be totally disabled, so need to go S-L-O-W. Thanks so much for the recommendation; I'll read your message now. On 3/23/2016 at 9:34 PM, wantmyhubbyback said: mjk -- interested to hear how it goes with dr. carroll. i tried to get an appointment for hubby in november, and they said she was booked out until march! so i didn't both as hubby was in bad shape at the time and we couldn't wait for her. so far we've been to see a psych at mayo in jax, and 2 here in st. pete. the mayo doc was good but she's 4 hours away and they don't serve as regular psychiatrists anyway -- the 2 here are terrible and so we're still in search of someone good. right now hubby sees dr wojas at USF -- we call her 'dr coldfish" as she has the worst personal style of nearly any doc i've ever met. the other is dr shah who didn't even ask hubby about his background or how he came to be depressed and anxious before telling him to cut down the paxil (not the right call based on what the mayo doc says). hubby is still on the polypharmacy, although he's managed to eliminate gabapentin entirely without any wd and has cut the zyprexa down to 7.5mg. dr coldfish wanted him to increase the latuda to 40 mg -- he did and felt terrible so dropped it back down to 20mg. i'm still hoping we can start a zyprexa microtaper sometime in the summer/fall and then start on the paxil. note, many of the folks in this forum disagree with dr. ashton's advice on eliminating the benzo first, and i have to agree. hubby is still taking .5mg ativan in the mornings and i think it works on the acute anxiety he feels when he first awakens; i do think this will be the last drug we taper for that reason. but i'm sure alto or one of the other mods can provide some insight on that for you. pls let me know what you think of dr carroll and if she's worth waiting 3 months for? On 3/24/2016 at 9:09 AM, mjk1970 said: Sure thing. Is it you who is on the meds in your sig, or your hubby? On 4/1/2016 at 8:02 AM, mjk1970 said: Hi again, I have to say that I got a good impression from Dr. Carroll. She wants me to go a little lower on my Ativan and then hold; she really thinks I need to taper off my Seroquel first as she says it can have bad long-term effects. I've only been on Seroquel since January, so hopefully the tapering from that won't be too painful. It sounds like she is amenable to not only tapering, but also reading up on the Ashton Manual, which neither of my other doctors were too keen on. I also like her because, unlike one of my former doctors, she isn't condescending to me, nor does she make suggestions that I C/T off everything I'm on--that doctor seemed to be under the impression that it wouldn't be that big of a deal in the long run. Ummmm...no. Dr. Carroll, in contrast, seems to be more sensible and empathetic. Do you live in the Jacksonville area, and would you commute this far to consult with her? boof Kathleen Carroll, MD Psychiatrist 336 E Bloomingdale Ave, Brandon, FL 33511(813) 689-2466 Edited April 17, 2019 by Altostrata Added admin note Dec 2014 I tried Zoloft 25mg for one week (adverse reaction - extreme anxiety and felt like I was on an amphetamine). Dr. said to quit cold turkey, so I not only quit Zoloft but also 2 weeks of Xanax .25mg -- extreme dizziness, hyperarousal and anxiety began! On Jan. 29, 2015 my psychiatrist put me on new stuff and this is how my next 2 months and 7 days looked like (I was having the same bad reactions to all of these):Effexor XR 37.5mg (3 days) - throwing up, heart palpations, night tremors/convulsions or something where whole body shakes for a second, Prozac 10mg (15 days), Prozac 20mg (7 days) - internal restlessness, electric current through body/brain (not zaps), agitation, intense fear and could no longer nap at this point (still can't today because of this), Lexapro 5mg (4 days) - same as Prozac, a horror show...extreme internal agitation, Lexapro 7.5mg (2 days), Lexapro 10mg (16 days), Zoloft 12.5mg (3 days)...she said try it again since my blood relative does well on it, Zoloft 25mg (7 days) - same as before and getting worse!! Zoloft 50mg (6 days), Zoloft 25mg (4 days and then came off cold turkey on April 8, 2015). I used Xanax .25mg about 7 times per month through all of this until June 30, 2015 (my last benzo dose). Extreme anxiety, nervous system traumatized, mental akathisia, anger triggered by nothing but the brain totally going off on its own, feeling of a pressurized electric current going through me like my brain and body are trying to explode, stress reaction x10000 to everything, waking in terror lasting all day, fear, very sensitive, brain can't keep up, don't know what to do with myself, feeling like everything is going too fast and I can't keep up, helium head, deep depression like something is ripping out my soul, out of my mind, can hardly drive or be alone, cognitive issues, simple tasks are so complex and straining, feel disturbed because the brain can't process anything right even though your brain tries so hard and it makes you go mad, episodes of deep anguish with a sick toxic poison feeling (like you have some unknown virus). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigo Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Altostrata, I would like to contact this doctor in my area but the link doesn't work. Any way you could help with the contact? Joe Gallagher, MD, Freedom, CA (see Pajaro Sunrise Center) On 20 mg of Prozac for about ten years. Sept 2012 started reducing 10% a drop using gram scale, with average of one month holds. When I'd reached the half way mark, taking 10 mg powder out of the 20 mg capsules, I switched over to 10 mg capsules and cutting down from those. Withdrawals got harder the lower I dropped. May 2013 changed to 5% drops, holding until all withdrawal symptoms gone. January 2015 changed to liquid prozac (concentration of 20MG per 5 mL) using a 1mL oral syringe. Current dose of fluoxetine solution equivalent 3.4 mg. Any effort to drop below this has been disastrous so for the time being I'm staying at this level. Adding 200 mg Tryptophan and 200 GABA a day has helped with anxiety. Also take 1,300mg Omega- 3, 875mg Magnesium, 1800mg Curcumin, 1000mg Vit C, 5000 Vit D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted July 19, 2015 Administrator Share Posted July 19, 2015 I fixed the link. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/?p=11070 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castor Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Goderez Bruce I MD 8 River Dr, Hadley, MA 01035(413) 582-1839 2006-11: rx-ed klonopin for anxiety from life trauma 2011: accidentally c/t klonopin....lots of healing but reinstated on 20mg valium 8 months later after alchohol use (stay away from booze!) -tapered valium over the course of a year 2012: hospitalized for 8 weeks after major s/a bc of failed valium taper and put on Seroquel 350mg xr and multiple drug trials w/SSRIs, mood stabilizers, etc. 2013: multiple hospitalizations and failed drug trials -tapered all other drugs and "stabilized" on Seroquel xr and started tapering 2014: re-hospitalized after failed taper, added amitryptaline -bounced around on different doses of Seroquel xr, maximum 600mg 2015: finally found good doctor and therapist, tapered amilitryptaline to zero =looking to start taper again from 550mg Seroquel xr but rough somatic symptoms, especially at night -failed reduction of 12.5mg in late August, updosed back to 600mg seroquel xr, intense somatic sx at night -starting in november, using compounded capsules to drop 3mg every 5-8 days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanceLucky Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Dr. Michelle Barwell, Pittsburgh PA She's a little tough to get an appt with ~ 3 month wait, but for me she was worth it. Immediately recognized my symptoms as withdrawal or discontinuation syndrome and provided options for coping. She did caution me that without the Effexor onboard I was very likely to have a recurrence of depression given my history, but did not push me to commit to staying on the med. What she offered as a taper schedule is a little more aggressive than what is advocated here but I had the firm impression that should I want to move more slowly she would be supportive of that. Admin note: I've added Dr. Barwell's contact information below from http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Michelle_Barwell/office-locations Cranberry Psychological Center 1378 Freeport Rd Ste 2A Pittsburgh, PA 15238 (412) 406-8080 Cranberry Psychological Center Western Psychiatric Institute Clinic 3811 O Hara Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 624-1000 Just wanted to let you know that she is no longer at Western Psychiatric Institute. She's still at Cranberry Psych Center but she's not taking new patients right now. -I was on an SSRI (most recently Celexa at 40mg/day) for about 15 years for anxiety. I tapered off over about 8 months and in 2015 and had worsened anxiety and well-being once off it. In the fall of 2015 (I believe) I did a low dose reinstatement and was doing better. I stayed on roughly 1 ml (2 mg) for a while but eventually lowered it to .5 ml and was on this for a long time. -Around late mid May (2017) my anxiety was worse and I increased the Celexa to 1.5 ml. At first, I felt significantly better but I developed a hand tremor. I also was having some attention and concentration difficulties. In mid July (over about 2 weeks) I tapered off of the Celexa and was off it for about 2 1/2 weeks before I started to feel an intense increase in anxiety and my hand tremor returned. -Aug 13, 2017 I did a low dose reinstatement of 0.5 ml a day and am currently still taking that. Initial response is good. -Early September 2017 to present - hand tremor returns and attention and concentration are impaired. Feeling of unbalance/unsteadiness from using treadmill. Mild changes to sexual performance too. -Sept 18, 2017: 0.4 ml Celexa. Everything is generally improving although hand tremor is worse. Attention, concentration, and anxiety are good. -I am also on Wellbutrin (200 mg/day) for anxiety and take a Benadryl at night for sleep and allergies. Eventually I'd like to be off everything. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9730-chancelucky-antidepressant-withdrawal-social-anxiety-pessimism/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 10, 2015 Administrator Share Posted August 10, 2015 Thanks, I've updated the doctor's information. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort81 Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I just came across a woman on social media psychiatrist Vania Manipod. Shes located in Los Angeles, CA. She is not against prescribing AD but she is completely aware of how bad it is once you stop as she says she sees it all the time. Her patients are warned of the risks. Maybe she can help someone in that area. She wrote this article http://freudandfashion.com/2015/03/20/antidepressant-awareness/ Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant 30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently. using zantac as needed. Benzo is currently 0.10mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADWDSupport Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Hello, I am beginning to offer online and in-person support for those in SSRI withdrawal or considering tapering. I am a therapist and yoga teacher, but for the purposes of this support I will be offering "coaching" to be able to work with folks throughout the US. Here is a link to my site and contact information: http://www.yogaforyourpsyche.com/consultation.html 512-200-3359 Please let me know if you have any questions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdg610 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Dr. Francoise Adan - Psychiatrist She is the medical director of University Hospitals Connor Integrative Health Network in Cleveland, Ohio. She is well versed in the withdrawal symptoms of anti-depressants and very supportive of a slow taper. Dr. Darla Sedlacek - Psychologist - She has an amazing philosophy on helping patients. She is a licensed psychologist, personal trainer, yoga teacher. She integrates the mind, body and spirit in her work with patients. Started Pristiq in 2009 Weaned off in Fall of 2013 using skipping dose method advised by doctor Intense anxiety, insomnia, weightloss in early 2014 Prescribed multiple meds including klonopin, trazodone and 50 mg Pristiq Finally found a psychiatrist to help me withdraw Reduced to larger half of 50mg on July 19 Reinstated to larger half and large 1/4 of 50mg on Aug 6 Reduced to larger half of 50 mg around Aug 30 Reduced to large quarter end of November Slowly reducing with help of a scale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoast Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Thanks for the link to Dr Manipod (freudandfashion blog). Funny thing is, I'd found her site via Twitter. She wrote about how it felt to be face to face with a pharma exec and not be rude but also not pretend to be impressed. For those of you still looking for a doctor, Twitter can be helpful. There are psychiatrists and psychologists who Tweet about pharma and side effects and discontinuation and are open to dialog. When big news comes out, they are usually active. You can ask them if they know anyone in your general area. Often they have blogs, too. You can look there to see if other doctors comment on their blogs, etc. Because the phone book doesn't tell us what we need to know...gotta be creative. If I notice any I'll check them out and post here. 2009: Cancer hospital said I had adjustment disorder because I thought they were doing it wrong. Their headshrinker prescribed Effexor, and my life set on a new course. I didn't know what was ahead, like a passenger on Disneyland's Matterhorn, smiling and waving as it climbs...clink, clink, clink. 2010: Post surgical accidental Effexor discontinuation by nurses, masked by intravenous Dilaudid. (The car is balanced at the top of the track.) I get home, pop a Vicodin, and ... Whooosh...down, down, down, down, down...goes the trajectory of my life, up goes my mood and tendency to think everything is a good idea.2012: After the bipolar jig was up, now a walking bag of unrelated symptoms, I went crazy on Daytrana (the Ritalin skin patch by Noven), because ADHD was a perfect fit for a bag of unrelated symptoms. I was prescribed Effexor for the nervousness of it, and things got neurological. An EEG showed enough activity to warrant an epilepsy diagnosis rather than non-epileptic ("psychogenic") seizures. 2013-2014: Quit everything and got worse. I probably went through DAWS: dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome. I drank to not feel, but I felt a lot: dread, fear, regret, grief: an utter sense of total loss of everything worth breathing about, for almost two years. I was not suicidal but I wanted to be dead, at least dead to the experience of my own brain and body. 2015: I began to recover after adding virgin coconut oil and organic grass-fed fed butter to a cup of instant coffee in the morning. I did it hoping for mental acuity and better memory. After ten days of that, I was much better, mood-wise. Approximately neutral. And, I experienced drowsiness. I could sleep. Not exactly happy, I did 30 days on Wellbutrin, because it had done me no harm in the past. I don't have the DAWS mood or state of mind. It never feel like doing anything if it means standing up. In fact, I don't especially like moving. I'm a brain with a beanbag body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort81 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 No problem, I read her blog and she seemed pretty good. Ive used Twitter and Ive emailed/ called some doctors but no luck finding anyone in Toronto so far for me. Its so weird Toronto is a huge city probably top 5 in North America and no Doctors. Its eery. Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant 30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently. using zantac as needed. Benzo is currently 0.10mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I can recommend Melody Law MD 707-995-4545 for benzo addiction. 15230 Lakeshore Drive Clearlake, CA She might help with other psychiatric drugs as long as you show her the information from this website. I am not a medical professional. My comments and posts are based on personal experiences. Please consult appropriate medical professionals for advice. I was started on psych drugs back in the late 80's. You name it. I probably was on it. 47 different drugs. Over 57 thousand pills. Tapered off final cocktail February 1st, 2013- September 9th, 2019. For Hashimotos I take Levothyroxine. Liothyronine. BP meds. For supplements I take B12 hydroxy. Fish oil w/D3. Bee pollen. Magnesium Glycinate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardeniaBlossom Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 There is a psychiatrist in Miami Beach, Florida who practices bodywork and yoga. I cannot recommend him personally, as I have never met or received treatment from him. I did call his office and inquire about him and his office staff indicated that he helps his patients come off their psychiatric medications as a regular part of his practice. He does not accept any kind of insurance but does provide telephone consultations (though not Skype). Andrew Levinson, MD (Orthomolecular Psychiatry) 801 Fourth Street - Miami Beach, Florida 33139 Tel: 305.466.1100 Fax: 305.466.1160 Email: info@vitalitywellness.com www.vitalitywellness.com After being on (over 25) psychiatric meds continuously during a 16 year period, I began in July 2014 to taper off 1mg Klonopin. In September 2014, I came off Brintellix, Trazadone, Zoloft, Proprityline & Hydroxyzine in 2 weeks on my own without knowledge on how to taper properly. I've been off all psych "meds" since 10/2014 and am currently experiencing protracted withdrawal. Medication history: Vibryd, Wellbutrin, Lithium, Prozac, Xanax, Celexa, Cymbalta, Trileptal, Lamictal, Abilify, Zoloft, Trazadone, Citalopram, Effexor, Seroquel, Klonopin, Paxil, Brintellix, Protriptyline, Lexapro, Pristiq, Buspar, Clonidine, Lorazepam, Notriptyline, Hydroxyzine, Serzone. Introduction: http://bit.ly/1SIxWwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aberdeen Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Not sure if he would ever be taking new patients, but family physician Dr Paul Andrus was a godsend for me. He was the first one to suggest I was having a "paradoxical reaction" to Effexor, when I was suddenly experiencing crazy anxiety and disorientation, suicidal thinking ect. He never once suggested it was stress or "me" but it helped that he had known me for many years before I ever took the meds, and knew I didnt have any symptoms like that in my life before. It was his advice that encouraged me to try getting off the meds, he thought I needed to be med free. He is not a drug peddler and critical of "big pharma". He very begrudgingly prescribed a low dose Effexor after I had my first child, for post partum depression and then sent me to a psychiatrist to monitor the medication (for which he has since apologized openly, as it was she who allowed my dosage to reach 262.5mg and ignore the signs of adverse reactions). He is conservative with all medication, and fully supported my slow taper even though his recomendation was a bit faster, he never pushed me. Dr Paul Andrus 35 Upper Centennial Parkway, Stoney Creek Ontario, Canada (905) 662-9128 2 Timothy 1-7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Effexor 75mg to 262.5mg 2005-2010 for post partum depression Started having poop out mid 2010, also switched generic brands, then crashed in Dec 2010 (anxiety/ "terror", intense DR, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, chills, insomnia, horrible intrusive thoughts, disorientation, ect)Rapid "tapered" from 262.5mg Effexor in 3 months Tried Celexa,Cipralex, then Paxil to deal with wd(this switching made things worse and added akathesia) Found online support and started tapering Paxil 7 months after quitting Effexor (at this point was having small windows). Paxil taper: dropped 10% every 4-8 weeks Year 1 October 2011 to Nov 2012 20mg to 10mg Year 2 March 2013 to Feb 2014 10mg to 4mg Year 3 April 2014 to May 2015 4mg to 1.1mg Year 4 June 2015 1.1mg , dropping by 10% until .5mg, after then dropped by 0.1mg every 5 weeks until 0.1mg. Finished! Official last dose of 0.1mg on June 15/16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quazzi Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 George P. Dawson, MD http://www.blogger.com/profile/03474899831557543486 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd Suite CO7 Center City, MN 55012 (651) 213-4184 (Office) (651) 213-4515 (Fax) 640 Jackson St Saint Paul, MN 55101 (651) 254-4786 (Office) (651) 228-8362 (Fax) Dr. Dawson works in an addiction medicine clinic and can see only patients in the clinic. If you are not a patient in the clinic, contact Dr. Dawson only for referral to another doctor in the area who knows about tapering. Dr Dawson apparently has not been with this clinic for quite a few years, as I was told over the phone by someone at the clinic just a minute ago. She said that he transferred to Hazelden. I assume she meant http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/ I was on Effexor beginning in 1993. I believe the highest dose I was ever on was 150 mg. I'm not sure exactly when, but I was put on Trazodone 50 mg to help me sleep due to Effexor side effects. Tried to quit Effexor several times but failed and always got back on. I stayed on 75 mg it until the end of 2012, when I switched to Prozac 20 mg to try to taper off of meds. Tapered off of Prozac over a couple of months, then ended up going to the ER in June of 2013 and getting back on Effexor XR at 37.5 mg. Started having horrible tolerance withdrawal after about 5 months but didn't know what was going on and ended up switching back to Prozac 20 mg some time around October of 2013. Then I tapered off of that again over a few months and went completely off in February of 2013. I felt okay for a month or so, then started having horrible insomnia and panic attacks like never before. I tried to reinstate Prozac at 10 mg, but I ended up having a bad reaction and it made things even worse. I stopped trying to get back on Prozac after taking a low dose for 3 days and never took it again. I continued to take Trazodone 50 mg throughout this time, although it did not help me get more than 4 hours of sleep per night. I finally weaned off of Trazodone a few months ago. I have been experiencing complete nervous system instability since March of 2014, with brain fog 24 hours a day, pain all over at times, agorophobia, akathisia-like symptoms of inner restlessness, complete anhedonia, pronounced cognitive impairment and memory issues. In addition to the protracted withdrawal syndrome symptoms, on January 21, 2015 I was rear-ended by an inattentive driver and am now in constant, chronic pain due to spinal injuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starcontrol2 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Hello, My first post but right to the point. I am in Washington DC area and I have contacted the following 3 people who are on the list: Julia Frank, MD, Washington, DCEric Taswell, MD, Washington, DCDaniel Z. Lieberman, MD, Washington, DC Julia Frank and Daniel Lieberman, both in George Washington University and both don't take patients. i spoke at length with Eric Taswell on the phone today and I am not sure how he ended up on this list. Very nice guy, but I don't think he is anything special as far as tapering, withdrawal syndrome or anything remotely close to that. He does therapy as well as meds so maybe he is more "in tune" with his patients and doesn't just prescribe stuff blindly but it didn't sound like he was eager to get anybody off meds or had any special ways to do it. I would appreciate a referral to someone who can, Maryland side of Washington DC preferrable. P.S. I am working with someone who is trying to get me off, she is more of a natural doctor but a pdoc not just a regular naturepath. Seems like a great match but so far with all the supplements I see no improvment. If she gets me off I will surely recommend. I am waiting on a bunch of blood tests she ordered so maybe some hope... 10/2012 - Lexapro 10mg 2013/2014 - Started experiencing visual disturbances, like visual processing was slow, feeling drunk all the time 9/2014 - Lexapro 5mg, didn't notice any withdrawal, drunk feeling went away 2015 - Drunk feeling came back 5/2015 - Lexapro 2.5mg - 1.25mg - insomnia started 6/2015 - Lexapro 0.625mg 7/2015 - Severe symptoms started, in desperation on advice of pdoc restarted 5mg Lexapro - total disaster 8/2015 - Lexapro 5mg, disoriented, sleepless zombie 9/2015 - Very reluctantly started transitioning to Zoloft as of 10/10/2105 - no lexapro, 37.5mg Zoloft 12/14/2015 - 35mg zoloft, 1/16/2016 - 34mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 People anyone in Australia, apart from Yolande Lucire ? Please need your help or even anyone who can Skype 1995 started Paxil 20mg slowly increasing to 50mg 2014 I decided to tapper myself not knowing how too and crashed , DR added 50mg of Seroquel Through the years made many mistakes tapering Started Tapering Both drugs at the same time 7.5% per month Paxil 9% Seroquel doing daily micro-taper Guided by Mark Horowitz 31/3/24 Paxil 10.31mg 31/3/24 Seroquel 9.9mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compsports Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Hello, My first post but right to the point. I am in Washington DC area and I have contacted the following 3 people who are on the list: Julia Frank, MD, Washington, DC Eric Taswell, MD, Washington, DC Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, Washington, DC Julia Frank and Daniel Lieberman, both in George Washington University and both don't take patients. i spoke at length with Eric Taswell on the phone today and I am not sure how he ended up on this list. Very nice guy, but I don't think he is anything special as far as tapering, withdrawal syndrome or anything remotely close to that. He does therapy as well as meds so maybe he is more "in tune" with his patients and doesn't just prescribe stuff blindly but it didn't sound like he was eager to get anybody off meds or had any special ways to do it. I would appreciate a referral to someone who can, Maryland side of Washington DC preferrable. P.S. I am working with someone who is trying to get me off, she is more of a natural doctor but a pdoc not just a regular naturepath. Seems like a great match but so far with all the supplements I see no improvment. If she gets me off I will surely recommend. I am waiting on a bunch of blood tests she ordered so maybe some hope... starcontrol, I live in the Washington DC area and after my tapering was done, because of horrific insomnia WD issues, I searched high and low for someone and never found anyone. Do you have a current psychiatrist that at least would write the prescription you need so you could taper the SA way? I had one who was very cooperative even though I don't really think he believed in the slow tapering method. But he did what I wanted and I was grateful for that. I would be very careful about taking supplements during withdrawal as I learned the hard way they can be bad news. And naturopaths (hopefully, not yours) are can be just as clueless. I know I didn't want to hear it during WD but one has to be patient and give the body time to adjust to slowly lowering the meds. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk further. CS Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010 Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006 Finished taper on June 10, 2010 Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016 Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort81 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 So I may have found someone good/Knowledgeable in Toronto. I randomly typed something into twitter and found this doctor who seems to be very interested in spreading the word about meds.He has referenced Mad in America articles, RXISK.org information, David Healy and Allen Frances. He seems like the real deal. I am waiting to hear back tomorrow about booking an appointment. I will update the thread after I meet with him. Dr. Scott Bishop Psychologist & Psychoanalyst Adjunct Lecturer in Psychiatry, University of Toronto Faculty and Supervising Analyst, Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the Institute for the Advancement of Self Psychology 96 Harbord St, Suite 201 Toronto ON M5S 1G6 (416) 929-2968 Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant 30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently. using zantac as needed. Benzo is currently 0.10mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort81 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 So Just an update on Dr Bishop. He is a good source to go to if you are suffering from withdrawal or trying to taper. He supports a super slow taper. I am not tapering but got as much info as I could. He is sending my GP a letter with a diagnosis of SSRI Discontinuation syndrome aswell as scientific articles to back up his conclusion. Not sure if this gets me disability pay until I am able to get back to work or what but at the very least it was a helpful appointment. Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant 30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently. using zantac as needed. Benzo is currently 0.10mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 29, 2015 Administrator Share Posted October 29, 2015 Thank you, Mort. Can Dr. Bishop prescribed drugs? Can he recommend any prescriber colleagues? 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mort81 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hmm I'm actually not sure. He might have told me but we went through so much info I don't remember . Ill make sure to ask him next appointment it will be in a month. Was on 30mg (Lexapro) for 7-8yrs20mg for 3 months (This was my choice my Doc wanted me to drop much faster)15 mg 2week10mg 2 weeks 5 mg 1 week0 since August 24th . PPI Dexlant 30 mg taper has begun. Cutting 20% currently. using zantac as needed. Benzo is currently 0.10mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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