RbrtBlaisdell: Low dose naltrexone to assist wirh weaning

[RbrtBlaisdell]

I have been on antidepressants for over 30 years and have attempted to come off them by both tapering and cold turkey methods many many times . Currently , I’ve been off 10 mg of lexapro for 6 weeks , cold turkey, while also taking a dose le low dose naltrexone , which I take for chronic fatigue . Have some side effects , but the intense withdrawal symptoms that I had in the last , particularly brain zaps , are not there . 

[Jane318]

Greetings @RbrtBlaisdell, and welcome to SA!  We are a community of volunteers providing peer support in the tapering of psychiatric medications and their associated withdrawal syndromes. 

 

So the moderators can best help you, please complete your drug signature by following these instructions. Adding a signature ensures your drug history appears at the bottom of every post, making it more efficient for those trying to assist. This link should go directly to your own signature: Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

Thank you for sharing your story - I am sorry you have experienced such intense withdrawal symptoms.  Many of us have discovered that tapering too quickly, especially going cold turkey, results in severe withdrawal.   If you feel your symptoms are tolerable and are lessening, you can stay at your current dose until you further stabilize, which could take several months, especially after a cold turkey stop. 

 

You might also consider reinstatement.  Reinstatement of a very small dose of the original drug is the only known way to help alleviate withdrawal syndrome.  Reinstatement predictably works up to 3 months after last dose.  You can read about reinstatement here:

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

How long does it take to stabilize after reinstating or updosing?

 Hypersensitivity and kindling

 

If after reading the above, you decide to reinstate and would like input on dose, please let us know.  Especially in light of your history of several CT attempts, you will need to take care to avoid kindling.

 

Once you have stabilized and are ready to start tapering again, we recommend the hyperbolic taper method, which you can read about here:  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?.   This gradual tapering method provides time for the body to progressively heal during tapering and so minimizes withdrawal symptoms.  It is especially important to go slowly the lower the dose.  It is in the low dose region that brain changes happen the fastest.  Given your history of repeated CT's, you may find that you will want to go more slowly than 10% in order to keep symptoms manageable.  Recommend: Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ. 

 

 

As you taper, and even in protracted withdrawal, it is very normal to have periods where you feel better, and periods where you feel terrible.  This is what we call the windows and waves pattern of stabilization.  This is actually a good sign of healing!  Read more about windows and waves here:   The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

It’s important to keep tabs on your symptoms as you hold and once you resume tapering.  This will help you identify your windows and waves and reveal your progress, which is encouragement we need!  As you taper, it can guide you in knowing when to taper and when to hold.  You can use the following list of typical withdrawal symptoms as a template for a journal, if you wish:  Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF).  

 

We have many threads on how to cope with symptoms – I encourage you to check out the various forums / links on the SA.org home page.

 

There are a few things you can do to help your nervous system heal.  Most are intuitive.  Eat a balanced, whole foods diet, stay well hydrated, engage in gentle exercise, and get adequate rest/sleep.  Avoid all neurologically active substances, like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and recreational drugs- these are like pouring gasoline on a fire for your symptoms.  Avoid adding any further psychiatric medications to deal with your withdrawal from psych meds- the effects of these meds on a destabilized nervous system is unpredictable, and taking something else could make you worse.

 

We recommend only two supplements here at SA, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.  

 

Thank you also for sharing your experience with low dose naltrexone.  You may find our forum on this topic informative:  Low-dose naltrexone - LDN anyone?  I believe @Catwoman73 also takes LDN.

 

This is your introduction topic.  Each member gets one intro topic- please post updates and questions here, in this thread.

 

Do explore the rest of the forum – there is a lot of great information here.  Be sure to read “About SurvivingAntidepressants.org,” which has good information about how to use / search the site: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/54-about-survivingantidepressantsorg  

 

Also, feel free to read and comment on the intro threads of other members.  This is how you build a community of people who understand what you are dealing with.   It is so helpful to connect with others who are experiencing the same things.

 

The important thing is to trust your body, that it knows how to heal and never give up Trust Your Body: Learning to Heal.   

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I look forward to following your journey, and helping out in any way I can.   Best wishes.