Tryingtoworkthru: Introduction

April 29

I’m trying to post a question. How do I?

April 29

I was on Prozac for 20 yrs and quit cold turkey. Didn’t understand I was going through severe withdrawal, was reinstated with horrible effects - was then abruptly changed to Lexapro, mirtazapine and clonidine because of anxiety and continued insomnia. Am now taking clonopin at night for sleep. I discovered this site and understand more of what’s been happening with me and would like to post questions/information about slow tapering the Lexapro first and working with my nurse practitioner. Can you supply me with the information to post on this site?

April 29

Hello, and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. We are a peer support forum to assist in tapering off psychiatric drugs safely, or recovering from psychiatric drug withdrawal.

Your first task is to create a drug signature, with the following:

All current medication you take, the dose you take, when you started the drug, and when you made dose changes
All current supplements you take
An accurate history of recent drugs, taken in the last 12-24 months
Dates for recent should be written as 7 Oct 2023, or Oct 7 2023, or early Oct 2023, or mid Oct 2023
A history of drugs taken 24 months ago and beyond - if applicable
Dates for historical drugs can simply be listed as start and stop years
Please do not use 07/10/23 // 10/07/23 as this is intepreted differently around the world

Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. See my signature for example of clear and concise information.

Click this link to edit your signature: Edit your signature here.

This topic is for anything relating to you, and any questions you have. Please do not start another topic.

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your CURRENT dose each month, to limit withdrawal symptoms. E.g. 10mg --> 9mg --> 8.1mg --> 7.29mg

All the answers you are looking for regarding tapering and antidepressant withdrawal are on this site. Please search around and continue to read as much as you can manage. Use the site search function to search for specific words or phrases, such as drugs or symptoms.

Here are a few of the most useful links:

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

Micro tapering

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

We only recommend two supplements. Omega 3 Fish Oil and Magnesium. Both should be introduced separately and increased slowly.

Regards

Erimus

April 30

19 hours ago, Erimus said:

Hello, and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. We are a peer support forum to assist in tapering off psychiatric drugs safely, or recovering from psychiatric drug withdrawal.

Your first task is to create a drug signature, with the following:

All current medication you take, the dose you take, when you started the drug, and when you made dose changes

All current supplements you take

An accurate history of recent drugs, taken in the last 12-24 months

Dates for recent should be written as 7 Oct 2023, or Oct 7 2023, or early Oct 2023, or mid Oct 2023

A history of drugs taken 24 months ago and beyond - if applicable

Dates for historical drugs can simply be listed as start and stop years

Please do not use 07/10/23 // 10/07/23 as this is intepreted differently around the world

Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. See my signature for example of clear and concise information.

Click this link to edit your signature: Edit your signature here.

This topic is for anything relating to you, and any questions you have. Please do not start another topic.

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your CURRENT dose each month, to limit withdrawal symptoms. E.g. 10mg --> 9mg --> 8.1mg --> 7.29mg

All the answers you are looking for regarding tapering and antidepressant withdrawal are on this site. Please search around and continue to read as much as you can manage. Use the site search function to search for specific words or phrases, such as drugs or symptoms.

Here are a few of the most useful links:

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

Micro tapering

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

We only recommend two supplements. Omega 3 Fish Oil and Magnesium. Both should be introduced separately and increased slowly.

Regards

Erimus

Thank you Erimus

Do I post my information and questions here for replies moderators/administrators and the SA community?

April 30

10 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Thank you Erimus

Do I post my information and questions here for replies moderators/administrators and the SA community?

Yes. Is it just the klonopin you are taking now?

April 30

Hi SA Community! - I really need any advice, information, help. I was prescribed Prozac for 20 years for anxiety and depression - unfortunately and not knowing better, quit cold turkey. I felt fine at first but began crashing hard about 6 weeks after stopping. Didn’t understand withdrawal but felt so much worse than when I started. Was reinstated with terrible results. Kept on Prozac but lowered from 20 mg to 10 mg. Was given trazadone for sleep but it didn’t work. Very little sleep, debilitating symptoms like anxiety and just feeling like I was constantly in an altered state. After trying to push through for 8 months with supplements, yoga etc. I was just debilitated and was hospitalized for four days in November 2023. They changed my meds to Lexapro, Mertazapine, and Clonidine. I have been very slowly improving since November but was recently given Klonopin for anxiety which I use for sleep at night. I am only on 5 mg of Lexapro but want to do a slow taper at 10% based on what I’ve read here. I think SSRI’s don’t help me after my Prozac experience because I think I went through kindling with it because of how bad the reinstatement was and the different dosages. If I get through getting off Lexapro I would like to next taper the mirtazapine. I am so scared of any of this because of what I’ve gone through. The Klonopin has helped me and I know it’s also addictive and problematic but it’s the only thing that’s given me about 7 hrs. of sleep and I just don’t think I can go back to horrible sleep after experiencing that for over a year. I also am having some wine or lite beer to help me relax. The literature said to start with tapering ”accelerators” (Lexapro) first, then go to the “brakes” (mirtazapine, clonidine, Klonopin). Do you think a 10% taper with the Lexapro is the way to begin? Thank you - any and all information will be greatly appreciated!!!

April 30

Hi Erimus,

The Klonopin is the most recent addition (one week)to the 5mg. of Lexapro; the 7.5mg of mirtazapine; and the 0.1 mg of clonidine that I have been taking since early November. I posted a history just a few minutes ago - hopefully it’s there.

April 30

Hi Erimus,

The Klonopin is the most recent addition (one week)to the 5mg. of Lexapro; the 7.5mg of mirtazapine; and the 0.1 mg of clonidine that I have been taking since early November. I posted a history just a few minutes ago - hopefully it’s there.

Is there a way to title my post - when I look for it it says trying to ask a question when I would hope to get my short history and tapering question to show.

I’m sorry to be so bad with the technology of this!

Thank you, Erimus

April 30

49 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Hi Erimus,

The Klonopin is the most recent addition (one week)to the 5mg. of Lexapro; the 7.5mg of mirtazapine; and the 0.1 mg of clonidine that I have been taking since early November. I posted a history just a few minutes ago - hopefully it’s there.

Is there a way to title my post - when I look for it it says trying to ask a question when I would hope to get my short history and tapering question to show.

I’m sorry to be so bad with the technology of this!

Thank you, Erimus

If you're absolutely sure you want to continue with the benzo, I suggest you take the lower dose. It needs to be the same dose every day, otherwise you will experience withdrawal symptoms.

All the information you need regarding tapering is here:

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

April 30

Please help with advice and any information!!! - brief history - I was on Prozac for 20 yrs and quit cold turkey not knowing the ramifications. Went through serious withdrawal without knowing what was happening. Was reinstated with the Prozac and Trazadone for sleep with terrible affects - I think I went through kindling. Totally crashed in November and my meds were abruptly changed to Lexapro (10 mg. but I have only been taking 5mg) mirtazapine 7.5 mg for sleep and Clonidine 0.1 mg for anxiety and blood pressure. I have slowly and minimally improved since November 2023 and have recently been put on Klonopin for anxiety. I’m thinking the SSRI’s aren’t good for me and after reading things on this site and have thought I might begin to feel better if I begin to taper the 5mg of Lexapro on a slow taper first. I don’t feel well but again wondering if I should taper the Lexapro first (an accelerator) and the brakes second (mirtazapine and Klonopin). Has anyone had a similar journey and do you have any advice for me? It’s been an extremely tough 16 months and I feel desperate. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much

May 1

@Tryingtoworkthru

You seem set on taking the benzo, but I want to caution you that it comes with its own lengthy taper, and dependence can occur quickly, even when used intermittently. There isn't really a low dose of benzos. While it may help you with 'sleep' now, you may face the same issue at a later date. Ideally, you would take a miss on the wine and beer since it can make anxiety worse, is counterproductive for quality sleep and isn't great for the nervous system. Just some things to consider.

Do you feel like your symptoms are relatively stable at the moment? We don't recommend starting a taper until you feel like you're at somewhat of a baseline.

May 1

18 hours ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Please help with advice and any information!!! - brief history - I was on Prozac for 20 yrs and quit cold turkey not knowing the ramifications. Went through serious withdrawal without knowing what was happening. Was reinstated with the Prozac and Trazadone for sleep with terrible affects - I think I went through kindling. Totally crashed in November and my meds were abruptly changed to Lexapro (10 mg. but I have only been taking 5mg) mirtazapine 7.5 mg for sleep and Clonidine 0.1 mg for anxiety and blood pressure. I have slowly and minimally improved since November 2023 and have recently been put on Klonopin for anxiety. I’m thinking the SSRI’s aren’t good for me and after reading things on this site and have thought I might begin to feel better if I begin to taper the 5mg of Lexapro on a slow taper first. I don’t feel well but again wondering if I should taper the Lexapro first (an accelerator) and the brakes second (mirtazapine and Klonopin). Has anyone had a similar journey and do you have any advice for me? It’s been an extremely tough 16 months and I feel desperate. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much

Please don't start a new topic each time you have questions. The questions you have asked here have already been answered by us further up. When you wish to post please click on the link under your name, as seen here:

Edited May 1 by Erimus

May 1

Hi Erimus,

The link doesn’t appear under my name - the one you sent and outlined in red doesn’t show on my screen. Is there something on my end that I can do make it appear? Thank you so much

May 1

10 hours ago, LotusRising said:

@Tryingtoworkthru

You seem set on taking the benzo, but I want to caution you that it comes with its own lengthy taper, and dependence can occur quickly, even when used intermittently. There isn't really a low dose of benzos. While it may help you with 'sleep' now, you may face the same issue at a later date. Ideally, you would take a miss on the wine and beer since it can make anxiety worse, is counterproductive for quality sleep and isn't great for the nervous system. Just some things to consider.

Do you feel like your symptoms are relatively stable at the moment? We don't recommend starting a taper until you feel like you're at somewhat of a baseline.

10 hours ago, LotusRising said:

@Tryingtoworkthru

You seem set on taking the benzo, but I want to caution you that it comes with its own lengthy taper, and dependence can occur quickly, even when used intermittently. There isn't really a low dose of benzos. While it may help you with 'sleep' now, you may face the same issue at a later date. Ideally, you would take a miss on the wine and beer since it can make anxiety worse, is counterproductive for quality sleep and isn't great for the nervous system. Just some things to consider.

Do you feel like your symptoms are relatively stable at the moment? We don't recommend starting a taper until you feel like you're at somewhat of a baseline.

@LotusRisingThank you so much for your response! I will begin to withdraw the beer/wine to see if it helps with anxiety. I am definitely afraid of the Klonopin (I’ve been taking .5mg nightly with the clonidine and mirtazapine) and for the first time in about a year and a half I am getting some quality sleep. The cold turkey Prozac withdrawal after taking it for 20 yrs was horrendous - I didn’t know what was happening and my dr just gave me supplements before my reinstatement which was also horrible. I didn’t want to go on. My crash in November, med changes (Lexapro, clonidine and mirtazapine) have helped stabilize me somewhat but I can’t say I’m at a baseline. I was hoping getting sleep would help with that and then I could start the 10% taper with the Lexapro. Also the Klonopin takes me out of the constant uneasiness and the altered state I feel I’m in since my cold turkey withdrawal and the kindling I suspect I had with reinstatement before med changes. I don’t want to take the Klonopin but don’t know how to get through all of this. Do you think I am dependent at the dose of .5 mg after 8 days? Maybe I should cut it in half and go to .25 tonight? Thank you for any advice/information!!!

May 1

50 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Hi Erimus,

The link doesn’t appear under my name - the one you sent and outlined in red doesn’t show on my screen. Is there something on my end that I can do make it appear? Thank you so much

Turns out only staff members can see it. Do you use the site on mobile or on a computer? Can you save this page as a bookmark so you can easily return to it?

Edited May 1 by Erimus

May 1

2 hours ago, Erimus said:

Turns out only staff members can see it. Do you use the site on mobile or on a computer? Can you save this page as a bookmark so you can easily return to it?

Hi Erimus - thanks for sticking with me on this - I use an iPad so I will save this page for posting any questions - LotusRising also sent me a response - is it possible for you to see if she recieved my return response? I responded under her comments and put the @ before her name so was just wondering if it got through?

Thank you again so much!

May 1

6 hours ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

@LotusRising - Hello LotusRising - thank you so much for your earlier response - I did send you back a reply and being new to the community I’ve had some difficulties learning the website. I was wondering if you could let me know if you did receive my communication, not for a response but that I did it correctly and you received it? Then I will know if I’m doing postings etc correctly? Thank you again!

May 1

9 hours ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

My crash in November, med changes (Lexapro, clonidine and mirtazapine) have helped stabilize me somewhat but I can’t say I’m at a baseline. I was hoping getting sleep would help with that and then I could start the 10% taper with the Lexapro. Also the Klonopin takes me out of the constant uneasiness and the altered state I feel I’m in since my cold turkey withdrawal and the kindling I suspect I had with reinstatement before med changes. I don’t want to take the Klonopin but don’t know how to get through all of this. Do you think I am dependent at the dose of .5 mg after 8 days? Maybe I should cut it in half and go to .25 tonight? Thank you for any advice/information!!!

@Tryingtoworkthru

I understand your reasoning. I just want to make sure you're fully informed about how quickly dependence can occur with benzos. The problem really, is that they work quite well, until they don't. If it's only been 8 days, you might drop to 0.25mg to see how you go. Ideally, you would want to be at the lowest effective dose. And are you certain that you will have access to an ongoing prescription of klonopin? Some doctors have a tendency to rip people off benzos quickly, so please be forewarned and ensure you're doing your own independent research.

Is there a reason you were prescribed all three medications at once? I'm particularly interested in the mirtazapine, since it is meant to help with insomnia at lower doses.

May 2

@LotusRising

Thank you for your information and reply! I was hospitalized in November 2023 for four days when they changed me from the Prozac and Trazadone which I was doing very poorly on after my reinstatement from my 20 yr cold turkey withdrawal - to the Lexapro at 10mg (which I cut in half after coming home because I felt it was too much for me and have been on 5 mg. since then). They put on the 7.5 mg of mirtazapine at the same time for sleep as I had chronic insomnia for 11 months (which helped some) and the clonidine because my blood pressure was high due to all the anxiety and med changes. They also told me the clonidine helped with anxiety so I would take it at night with the mirtazapine to help with sleep. Sometimes no matter how exhausted I’ve been I can’t sleep. I have stayed on this regimen since November 2023 until now with very very slow progress. (They also gave me olanzapine for sleep on an as needed basis which I only took about 10 times until I read about it and stopped). Since November I mostly have bad days with a few windows of feeling ok and interrupted not quality sleep. I’ve also been doing Neurofeedback for help. My anxiety and feeling like I’m in an altered state have made most of the time so difficult - not as bad as my cold turkey withdrawal but still awful. My nurse practitioner recommended the Klonopin saying it wasn’t as bad as Xanax and after taking it my sleep greatly improved. I was hoping sleep would get me to a better place as I have always been someone who requires sleep and the last 16 months with little to poor sleep has almost done me in. I’ve thought lack of sleep may have also protracted my withdrawal symptoms and other difficulties. I will try to cut back the Klonopin from .5 mg to .25 but I worry it won’t work. I’m also worried it will stop working as you mentioned. If my nurse practitioner were to take it away and I felt dependent … I can’t imagine how I could make it. I’m very concerned about how to go forward from here. Any other advice or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated - thank you LotusRising

May 2

@Tryingtoworkthru

Yes, I know it feels like you're between a rock and hard place when it comes to sleep.

My only advice would be to commit to sleep hygiene practices. Your nervous system needs time to come back to balance and a pill won't help with that. I only want you to be fully informed about the risks associated with continuing to take klonopin. There is a whole other site dedicated to helping people come off benzos, so I recommend taking it only when absolutely necessary and for a very short period of time. Benzos should not be prescribed for more than 3 weeks. I don't know why your NP thinks klonopin is better than Xanax. They are both benzos and one is not better than the next.

I'm sorry, I know none of this is easy and it's a lot of information to take in.

Please continue to reach out if you have questions or need more support.

May 3

@LotusRising I hear you and agree with your reasoning. My NP said something about the half life of Xanax vs Klonopin and that people get more whacked out on Xanax? I am scared to go through another withdrawal but getting sleep and not feeling so abnormal and calmer in my own skin has been such a respite after 16 months of feeling and sleeping horribly. I didn’t cut the .5 mg in half last night to the .25mg because yesterday was awful and full of anxiety and triggers. I will try tonight - I’m so distressed by all of this and wish there wasn’t a problem using Klonopin because I feel like getting sleep and being somewhat calmer has helped settle me. I have been practicing many sleep hygiene practices since all of this started - I feel I do almost all that have been published (excluding night time yoga). I will try to cut back on the Klonopin and maybe save the Lexapro taper for a number of days later to see how I’m doing. I so appreciate your advice and input and would be very grateful for anything further you might have to share. Thank you so much!

May 3

1 hour ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

My NP said something about the half life of Xanax vs Klonopin and that people get more whacked out on Xanax?

Not sure why your NP thinks this. Yes, it does have a longer half-life, but that doesn't change anything or make you less "whacked out".

Please do what you can knowing what you now know. I used ativan myself as a way to "calm" myself down after a failed reinstatement and it resulted in me getting switched to klonopin for 3 weeks, followed by a difficult and lengthy taper. This obviously doesn't happen to everyone, but know that it does happen to some of us.

I truly wish the best for you, and it will get better! ❤️

May 3

@LotusRising I hear you and I’m scared to death because my cold turkey withdrawal of many years on Prozac was, as you’ve heard me say so much, horrendous, and reinstatement was agony for several months. I am now on a cocktail of drugs feeling like my nervous system is still in upheaval. Three weeks on Klonopin is not a long time for you to have had a slow, lengthy and difficult taper. It astounds and frightens me. I will try to cut the Klonopin down tonight night to .25mg. Do you feel I should wait to taper the 5mg. of Lexapro for now? I still have the mirtazapine and clonidine to think about in the future. I was choosing the Lexapro first because it is an accelerator. I’m not sure I can do the taper without the Klonopin. I will be thanking you constantly for your advice and help - thank you so much!

May 4

@LotusRising Hello LotisRising - I wanted to update and say that I cut my Klonopin .5mg by a quarter (1.25) instead of 2.5 which would have been half. Did my usual bedtime routine but only slept for one hour. After almost 2 hrs. I took a .5 mg ambien and slept for 4 hrs. I’m feeling the effects of not good sleep this morning. Do you think it’s possible because of my history of WD and how my sensitive my system is now I could already be dependent on the Klonopin? Do you think I should try the same reduction tonight to see how it goes or go back to the full .5 mg? I could really use your advice. Last night was my 11th night of using the Klonopin. Additionally I am reluctant to start the Lexapro taper at this point. Thank you in advance for any input.

May 4

18 hours ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Three weeks on Klonopin is not a long time for you to have had a slow, lengthy and difficult taper.

First, I should be clear that I have a history of intermittent use of ativan, so benzos were not new to me. AND I was extremely dysregulated when I was switched to klonopin and my dose was cut by over 50%. This is not you. I just believe in informed consent.

I should also point out that ambien and klonopin work similarly, so I would pick one or the other and stick with it. If you feel like you can't taper the lexapro without the benzo (or ambien), then do you what you need to do. Living and functioning is important, just know that all will require a taper at some point. Also, it would helpful if you could add the ambien to your signature. Do you use it often?

2 hours ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Do you think it’s possible because of my history of WD and how my sensitive my system is now I could already be dependent on the Klonopin?

I can't say for sure. Unlikely, but not unheard of. Sorry, I feel like I'm scaring you and that is not my intent. As I mentioned, living and functioning is important. More drugs is not always the answer, but they do help people stabilize sometimes. ❤️

I can't tell you what to do about the klonopin, but I would hold off on the lexapro taper until you feel stabilized.

This post on Stability might help you to understand what stability feels like.

Insomnia is tough, I can relate, but part of getting through it will be accepting it at some level and finding ways of coping. Have a read through the below post. You might get some useful ideas.

Any questions, please reach out. We're all here for you!!

May 5

@LotusRising - Thank you again for your response! I used the ambien intermittently and have only used it once since starting the Klonopin on April 23. I have put it in my signature - just didn’t do it initially because I wasn’t using it regularly at the time although I probably would have started to just to get some sleep. I tried everything imaginable to get sleep -(supplements, music, night time yoga, sleep masks, earplugs, cool dark room, no food or drink 4 hrs before bed, no blue screen, white noise - the list is endless.) My sleep anxiety was off the chart because if I didn’t get some sleep the next day was beyond horrible. I’m sorry to go on about this - the withdrawal and kindling and insomnia has just done me in. I was a person who managed a lot before this crash and now I’m still trying to get through the day hoping I have a window of feeling ok. The Klonopin gives me good sleep for the most part and I will be sure not to mix it with ambien. If I were going to stick with one it would be the Klonopin. Yes, I am totally scared of taking the Klonopin and becoming dependent but the calm and the sleep have been tremendously helpful. I’ve read the information you’ve passed along and greatly appreciate your sending it to help continue my learning about all of this! There has to be more information out there that I haven’t seen so any and all you have to share is valuable. I’ve read the information on stabilizing and think I’m not quite there but have had a gut feeling for a while that the 5 mg of Lexapro isn’t helping me or maybe it’s the mirtazapine that makes me feel bad. I’m super worried about tapering the mirtazapine! My NP told me shortly after I started with her that I should take the 10 mg pill of Lexapro for anxiety and depression. After being started on it I started cutting it in half because I felt it was too much for me. I did this before I started working with her. I was hoping that if I got one of these drugs out of my system I might start to be better mentally. In reading the information on this site I picked the Lexapro first because it’s considered an accelerator and although I do have some depression, anxiety has been my biggest issue. Thank you again LotusRising! I didn’t cut the Klonopin in half last night - the night before I took 3/4 of the pill and that’s when I used 5 mg ambien after being awake for 2hrs and not being able to get back to sleep. I will try again tonight and hope it works. Do you think cutting down by 3/4 instead of half to start with is ok? That would put me at .375 instead of

.5 - although I know .25 would be better.

May 5

2 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

My sleep anxiety was off the chart because if I didn’t get some sleep the next day was beyond horrible. I’m sorry to go on about this - the withdrawal and kindling and insomnia has just done me in. I was a person who managed a lot before this crash and now I’m still trying to get through the day hoping I have a window of feeling ok.

Yes, I hear you for sure. You're not alone in this. I was quite literally brought to my knees by this experience and had tremendous sleep issues. Whatever you choose, keep on with the sleep hygiene. I know it seems trivial, but it will serve you well in the long-term.

4 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

In reading the information on this site I picked the Lexapro first because it’s considered an accelerator and although I do have some depression, anxiety has been my biggest issue.

I agree, this is likely your best option. Anxiety is actually not an uncommon symptom of SSRI's, so you may actually feel some improvement in that area when you start reducing it.

5 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Do you think cutting down by 3/4 instead of half to start with is ok? That would put me at .375 instead of

.5 - although I know .25 would be better.

I think it would be a good idea to be on the smallest effective dose possible. Trying .375mg is worth a try.

May 5

@LotusRising - thank you beyond words!

May 15

@LotusRising Hello - I wanted to send you an update and ask your opinion so thank you in advance! I stopped the Klonopin last Tuesday May 7 - after 15 days of taking it nightly - because after more reading, and talking with a counselor (not my NP) I got very concerned about it and thought twice about continuing with it. I am fairly sure I’ve had some WD symptoms - more anxiety and yesterday was horrible (6 days off at that point) with a lot of physical symptoms along with the psychological ones that I’ve had since my CT. It made me mostly non functional for the day. Today is a little bit better. I stopped cold turkey because I felt I was within the 2-4 week window so should probably do it now if I was going to do it and also didn’t want to get into a tapering schedule. But I also know I’m disregulated because of the 20 yr CT from Prozac - reinstatement after about 7 weeks at full dose then half dose for 8 months with trazodone added (I understand and know I had kindling now) and an abrupt change to Lexapro, mirtazapine and clonidine (a blood pressure drug that also helps with anxiety). I just thought I should stop it and stick with the 3 meds I just mentioned. (sorry if this is hard to follow!). Do you have any idea if the 15 days on it made it still ok to just stop? Yesterday I thought about reinstatement at a low dose but managed to make it through. Also, have still been using beer and wine to get through - that will be what I slowly back off of next. I’d like to not take the Klonopin again. Do you have any thoughts or advice as to when I might think about tapering the Lexapro which is my “accelerator”. I would love to get that one gone and just have to the mirtazapine and the clonidine in me. Do you have any personal advice for getting through all of this? I have educated myself on the usual things (yoga, meditation, breathing etc) but I’m always interested in things others have found helpful. Thank you again so much LotusRising!!!

May 15

30 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Do you have any idea if the 15 days on it made it still ok to just stop?

If it were me, I likely would have done a quick taper, but being that you're already off 6 days, you might just decide to stay off at this point, especially if you're finding symptoms somewhat tolerable - only you will know this.

33 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Do you have any thoughts or advice as to when I might think about tapering the Lexapro which is my “accelerator”.

We recommend waiting until you're at a place of Stability.

34 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

Do you have any personal advice for getting through all of this? I have educated myself on the usual things (yoga, meditation, breathing etc) but I’m always interested in things others have found helpful.

My personal advice would be to take your time. There's absolutely no rush. Take self-care seriously - sleep hygiene, clean diet, mild/mod exercise, definitely get off alcohol (I know that can be hard but it really messes with your nervous system and overall mood state), reach out for support, get outside, practice coping skills and don't believe all your thoughts! I'm sure there's more, but these are the big ones that come to mind

May 15

Thank you so much for your reply! I feel overwhelmed and know this is a long road. Also if you know any specific coping skills that might help I’m very interested and how do you not spiral down with your thoughts? A real killer for me. Thank you again!!!

May 15

Hi there @Tryingtoworkthru

Welcome to SA. Sorry for what has brought you here and glad you found us!

I see that LotusRising has already given you plenty of excellent advice. SA is blessed with extraordinary volunteer staff, we are so lucky to benefit from their experienced, generous peer support.

39 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

if you know any specific coping skills that might help I’m very interested

This topic is a goldmine:

May 15

39 minutes ago, Tryingtoworkthru said:

how do you not spiral down with your thoughts?

May 15

Last but not least, @Tryingtoworkthru, are you familiar with how to search the site for information?

Go to the Forums page (you'll find it under the Browse tab, upper left-hand corner of the homepage).

Here you will find a list of the main Forums, each of them comprising numerous help topics.

For example, for questions about coping skills, you might go to the Symptoms and self-care forum and have a look at the various topics there.

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/

You can also do a search using the search function in the upper right-hand corner.

It usually works well enough; if you encounter any issues, you can try searching from outside SA via a search engine, in which case you'd type in something like

survivingantidepressants.org coping skills

which I just tried and will bring you to

May 16

@Ariel Thank you for your advice and where to look - I will check them out!

May 16

@LotusRising - Hello LotusRising. I have a quick question - I have been off the Klonopin .5 mg for 8 days and feel I am experiencing WD that has been difficult - even though I was only on it for 15 days (within the 2 to 4 week window) I believe because of my history I was not stabilized when I started and was still disregulated. We read the SA information about reinstatement for bentos but it wasn’t very clear and we couldn’t decider if I did reinstate, at what smaller dose to start with. I know you’re not a medical person but I know my NP would say to go back to the full dose. I’m going to try and stick it out but was wondering if you had any counsel on what downsized dose to start with? I don’t hold you responsible in any way for your opinion but am wondering where to start if I go that route. Would .125 (a quarter of the .5) be a reasonable place to start? And would you hold at that for a few days? My NP would say, as I mentioned, to take the .5 and then consider updosing - and has said I could use ambien with the Klonopin. She has mentioned other things like mood stabilizers etc. which I have declined. If you feel comfortable with any information I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance!

Tryingtoworkthru: Introduction

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