JLR96: Please help me

[JLR96]

Hello, first time poster here. Six months I wasn’t tapered properly off Sertraline after 6 years of use. I foolishly cut my dose from 100 milligrams to 50 without a taper and was then cross tapered to Venlafaxine about a week after the initial dosage cut. I was already experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms and had warned my doctor multiple times but she insisted on the taper to a different drug. After a few days of dropping from my dosage even further as ordered from my doctor and heavily dealing with withdrawal symptoms I started developing tingling and mild numbness in my feet which over the course of a week had taken over all my limbs. 
 

Long story short, I completed the tapering process and switched to Venlafaxine, but still 6 months in I’m going through multiple bouts of horrific neurological symptoms and my neuropathy symptoms have turned to debilitating full body burning, aching, severe pain. I now have an extreme heat intolerance, I sweat excessively even when I’m cold, I have full body tremors and jerk in my sleep, I run a fever across my entire body and feel like my CNS is completely fried. 
 

I have an appointment coming up to see a Neurologist to get testing done in case this isn’t anything to do with my medication history but I firmly believe my issues are linked to severe case of AD withdrawal syndrome. Or at least it’s morphed into severe protracted withdrawal. I have never reinstated my previous drug but I only realised when I was in tears the other night in severe pain that I’ve still got the medication on hand and was tempted to try reinstating. I don’t think I can fight this any longer and the big ‘S’ word has passed my mind quite a few times. I’m so scared I’ve completely fried my system due to my own negligence as well as my doctor completely screwing me over and if reinstating gets rid of these debilitating symptoms than I’ll do it, but I’m scared I’ll kindle and further damage myself. 
 

It is possible to be stuck in severe withdrawal syndrome whilst actively still medicating via an antidepressant? I was on Sertraline which is an SSRI class drug but now I’m on Venlafaxine which is still an antidepressant but under the class SNRI, I’ve never heard of anyone else going through this experience besides me, it’s always people who have removed the drug entirely. I need some help guys if possible, at least some insight that I can pass onto my neurologist in a couple of days… I’m dying here. 

[LotusRising]

Hi @JLR96

 

Welcome to SA,

 

I'm so sorry this has been your experience. While well-meaning, I believe doctors do not have the information they need to help us sometimes. Your symptoms sound very much like WD symptoms. 

 

Could you help us out by adding a signature. This will will ensure your drug history appears at the bottom of every post, making it easier for those trying to assist. 

 

How to Create a Signature 

 

These two links will help you to understand withdrawal syndrome:

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

When we take medication, the CNS responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS must then undo all the changes that were made. As the changes are undone, symptoms may occur. You can expect that they will follow 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization. Since the nervous system like stability, adding more medication can dysregulate it further and from experience, I know this isn't easy. 

 

Have any of your symptoms improved since switching to venlafaxine?

 

Please post any updates or questions related to your specific situation right here in your thread. It's helpful to keep everything related to your tapering journey in one spot. 

[JLR96]

I found the Venlafaxine is contributing to a degree for my mental health but it hasn’t stopped the still ongoing withdrawal effects from withdrawal in October from the Sertraline. It’s like I’m stuck in withdrawal from one medication whilst the other is now somewhat treating my depression. It’s bizarre… I’ve had multiple bouts of flare up’s of the withdrawal symptoms just go into full frenzy as if I’m like 2 weeks fresh of the medication, severe flu like symptoms, body aches and nerve pain all over, fever across my body etc, and then it gets better do a degree, and then flares again not long after that. 
 

It’s crippling me and I’m wanting to reinstate the drug but I think I’m too far gone now and I’m had a high risk of kindling or serotonin syndrome because of my Venlafaxine now. Don’t know what to do and I’m losing hope to continue fighting at this point. Worst pain I’ve ever been in and I need it to stop. 

[LotusRising]

@JLR96

 

So, it sounds like you've had some degree of improvement, but are still dealing with a lot of physical symptoms?

 

You stopped the sertraline which month? And started venlafaxine which month?

[JLR96]

I was cross tapered off Sertraline onto Venlafaxine in the same month. It was a 4 week period, lowering my dosage each week and then the last week I was advised by my doctor to introduce the Venlafaxine at the same time and then stop the Sertraline after the 4th week period. Apparently this is a common pride cheer but I was already heavily withdrawn a week prior due to a cold turkey from 100 to 50. 
 

It was once I started dropping down below 50 that the physical symptoms began. I believe that had my doctor advised me to retake my usual dose and taper from there after my withdrawal symptoms had stabilised than the whole ordeal could’ve been avoided, but I trusted her judgment and here I am… 

 

Now I have to see a neurologist for possible CNS problems or conditions since my system is essentially fried now. It’s been 6 months and while the symptoms haven’t lessened and waxed and waned, they continue flaring up and putting me into weeks of severe symptoms and pain. 

[JLR96]

Update: ended up seeing my neurology appointment and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling very underwhelmed at the response I got from my doctor. 
 

He ran me through some basic tests and examinations and was so focused on my neuropathy as opposed to listening to my story and allowing me to make it abundantly clear that all of this started 4 days after I did a cold turkey from 100 milligrams to 50 on my medication which I had been taking for over 6 years. He said exactly the same thing as my GP in that he DOESN’T KNOW why I’m experiencing the type of neuropathy that I am. My case is complex, it doesn’t follow a linear path, why is that? BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION, the drug I was foolishly taken off abruptly caused this. 
 

So now I’ve got another MRI scheduled, this time for my entire spine, and more blood work to be done, YAY! 
 

How long is it going to take before a medical professional connects the dots? How long will I have to suffer alone in silence because no one wants to admit that a drug that was prescribed to me to treat my depression and anxiety has completely fried my nervous system? 
 

In the mean time, I get to spend absorbent amounts of money to get tests done, see specialists who don’t even give me a solid 5-10 minutes to explain my story and situation before being gaslit and treated like a drug addict and hypochondriac. In the mean time I get suffer from debilitating nerve pain with NO relief because I’m not prescribed even a lose dose of Gabapentin or Pregabalin to take the edge off so that I can get even a small amount of relief and sleep better at night. 
 

All of this could’ve been avoided had my local hospital and first GP had picked up that my symptoms were fitting most logically to someone who was in severe withdrawal WHICH I STATED MULTIPLE TIMES, had they of just told me to go back to my stable dosage prior to my symptoms showing, I could’ve had time to be given the proper knowledge that I needed a careful taper process in order to avoid the symptoms that I was so scared of going through. But no, they tapered me further and reintroduced a completely different drug and here we are six months later. 
 

I trusted their medical degree’s and their medical knowledge and their judgements and now I get to suffer because of their stupidity. Never again, never again will I allow western medicine to fail me like it has now. 

[LotusRising]

I feel your frustration for sure. I agree, I'm not sure why they have such a hard time putting the pieces together. Perhaps they don't want to believe that these drugs can be this harmful. Idk, it's beyond my comprehension at this point. 

 

What coping skills are you currently using for the nerve pain? Is this your most troublesome symptom? Mine was very severe initially, but if it's any reassurance, it did slowly get better over time.

 

Have you read through this thread? It might have some good coping strategies. 

 

 

 

[JLR96]

8 hours ago, LotusRising said:

I feel your frustration for sure. I agree, I'm not sure why they have such a hard time putting the pieces together. Perhaps they don't want to believe that these drugs can be this harmful. Idk, it's beyond my comprehension at this point. 

 

What coping skills are you currently using for the nerve pain? Is this your most troublesome symptom? Mine was very severe initially, but if it's any reassurance, it did slowly get better over time.

 

Have you read through this thread? It might have some good coping strategies. 

 

 

 

Yeah, unfortunately like many others, the mental stuff went away a lot quicker than the physical symptoms which seems to be quite common. The nerve pain comes in waves and windows. First it was subtle, then it spread and got worse, then it peaked at its highest point, then backed off, and sat at a mild level in just my legs, then it peaked again, got worse then backed off again. 
 

It’s by far the worst thing out of all these symptoms I’m dealing with. I get hot flashes which come on at random times, I’ll just start burning up inside, like my body doesn’t know how to regulate the temperature at all, then it backs off again. Doesn’t happen all the time but has happened at least 10 times so far over the 6 months. 
 

The nerve pain is like my entire nervous system is outside of my skin. I can feel everything and the pain that comes is so unpredictable and changes so often it’s so difficult to keep track of how I’m feeling every day. The pain changes hourly almost, especially when I’m in a flare up. 
 

The heat intolerance is another one. It has gotten better but when I’m right in the middle of a flare up again I simply cannot tolerate any sort of heat otherwise my body just doesn’t know what to do. I also sweat excessively at all times and that’s one of the main symptoms I deal with that EVERYONE can see at all times. They see how drenched I am all the time because I’m constantly sitting in a state of withdrawal and my body and nervous system no longer know how to regulate properly. 
 

Between the nerve pain the only other really debilitating symptom is the GI problems I deal with now as well. Constipation, stomach cramping, dry wretching every morning, loose stooles, nausea, the whole works.