Elen: Frustrated!!! Is it withdrawals???

[Elen]

Hello everyone! I so happy to find this forum cause I need help!!! 
I was on cipralex last year (May 2023-January 2024) with ups and downs to my dosage cause I had a lot side effects! After 5 months on cipralex I was super fine on 5mg! Then my doctor suggested to stop it! I took for 2 weeks day after day 5mg) 

2 months later I relapsed so bad! I started again cipralex 5mg but I couldn’t stand it I had so many side effects so after two months I changed straight to brintellix 5mg(may 2024)! 10 days later I upper to 10mg! 
September I upper to 15mg cause of my anxiety and two weeks later down to 5mg cause I had severe headaches,eye pressure,weird vision and panic attacks! 
I’m still a mess and I can’t take it anymore so my doc suggested to stop it tomorrow and take cipralex 5mg again! I don’t know what to do! I have health anxiety and these symptoms don’t help! I’m terrified…

Thank you for reading my story!!!

[Emonda]

Welcome @Elen

 

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

After 5 months on cipralex I was super fine on 5mg!

 

Feeling stable is certainly a nice feeling.

 

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

Then my doctor suggested to stop it! I took for 2 weeks day after day 5mg) 

 

Do you mean you were skipping doses? Never skip doses to taper

 

 

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

2 months later I relapsed so bad!

 

I suspect you had WD symptoms from skipping doses then stopping abruptly: Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF)

 

Can you relate to the items on the checklist?

 

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

started again cipralex 5mg but I couldn’t stand it I had so many side effects 

 

You went from 0mg to 5mg? I can't quite work this out from your signature. If you did this, I wonder if the side effects were: Kindling

 

 

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

so after two months I changed straight to brintellix 5mg(may 2024)! 10 days later I upper to 10mg! 

 

Changing ADs can be a very, very unpleasant experience...one that I will never contemplate again. You end up with WD symptoms from the first AD as your body tries to adjust to the new AD. In one word based on my experience, I'd describe it as: brutal.

 

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

I upper to 15mg cause of my anxiety and two weeks later down to 5mg cause I had severe headaches,eye pressure,weird vision and panic attacks! 
I’m still a mess and I can’t take it anymore so my doc suggested to stop it tomorrow and take cipralex 5mg again!

 

Constant change is very unhelpful: Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

How long have you been back at 5mg of Cipralex. Your signature says as of 15 November, yet where I am, it is 13 November...I could be confused as I have just crossed the international dateline 🤔 Either way, reinstating is best done in the first 3 months. After that, it is far less predictable. For that reason, people start with a very, very low dose and see how they respond.

 

When you reinstate an AD, you need to be very careful:

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

Kindling (so important I'm giving you this one a 2nd time)

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

I don’t know what to do!

I'd stop making changes. You need time + patience for your body to recover from all the changes.

Recovery from ADs and tapering is not linear. There are good days and not-so-good days/weeks/months. This is referred to as the Windows and waves pattern of stabilization.

On 11/13/2024 at 2:33 PM, Elen said:

I have health anxiety and these symptoms don’t help! I’m terrified…

If you search health anxiety in the search field in the top right, you will find some info to read.

Emotional Spirals

Non-drug coping strategies

Melatonin for sleep

We don't suggest many supplements, but two that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. Add one at a time and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Avoid alcohol.

Don't change the manufacturer of your AD.

Once again, welcome to S.A.

Emonda

[Elen]

1 hour ago, Emonda said:

You went from 0mg to 5mg? I can't quite work this out from your signature. If you did this, I wonder if the side effects were: Kindling

Yes I did!!! And every time I have side effects!!!

And today is my last 5mg brintellix and I have to take 5mg cipralex! 
 

I want to thank you so much for the help and the infos! I gave me something to start! 

[Yesyes123]

It's great you're here.

First thing to know is that although this might feel permanent in the moment, it truly is not, in due time and with the proper information you will be able to make the right decisions that will aid you and direct you towards healing.

 

9 hours ago, Elen said:

2 months later I relapsed so bad!

 

Doctors will always call it relapse when in fact it is withdrawal symptoms from the drugs they gave you.

It would be very hard for them to take responsability for what is going on and forcing that onto them is also useless.

 

9 hours ago, Elen said:

10 days later I upper to 10mg! 
September I upper to 15mg cause of my anxiety and two weeks later down to 5mg

 

Changing doses this often is like playing ping pong with your brain - your body seeks stability and not this constant rollercoaster, it only intensifies the symptoms

 

What I would do in this scenario is firstly maintain the current dosage of 5mg and hold that dose with no changes and take it carefully at the same time of day until fully stable. It may take a few months but you do go back to normal.

[Elen]

8 minutes ago, Yesyes123 said:

Doctors will always call it relapse when in fact it is withdrawal symptoms from the drugs they gave you.

It would be very hard for them to take responsability for what is going on and forcing that onto them is also useless.

So my symptoms are from withdrawal? I have ringing in my ears,severe headaches and head pressure and vision issues, anxiety and pins and needles in my scalp! I’m terrified 

[Emonda]

8 hours ago, Elen said:

So my symptoms are from withdrawal?

 

Highly likely

 

8 hours ago, Elen said:

I have ringing in my ears

 

I have this, too. It is a known WD symptom. I developed it when I reinstated Lexapro at too high a dose. Today, it gets worse if I try to taper too quickly.

 

So, 6 months of Brintellix, and one pill to go. Can you get more if you try? I'd stick with what you have and aim to taper off slowly, rather that reinstating an old drug you haven't had for 6 months.

 

I am tapering off the same drug.

 

Got to run....back later

[Elen]

22 minutes ago, Emonda said:

I have this, too. It is a known WD symptom. I developed it when I reinstated Lexapro at too high a dose. Today, it gets worse if I try to taper too quickly.

 

So, 6 months of Brintellix, and one pill to go. Can you get more if you try? I'd stick with what you have and aim to taper off slowly, rather that reinstating an old drug you haven't had for 6 months.

 

I am tapering off the same drug.

 

Got to run....back later

You take brintellix or cipralex? I took a high dosage of brintellix and then everything got worse! 15mg was to high for me…after two weeks I was having derealisation dizziness and severe headaches so my doc dropped down to 5mg straight! Roller coaster!!!

 

thank you so much for the support! You are helping me!!!

[j1290]

10 hours ago, Yesyes123 said:

Doctors will always call it relapse when in fact it is withdrawal symptoms from the drugs they gave you.

It would be very hard for them to take responsability for what is going on and forcing that onto them is also useless.

Those are 2 very powerful and profound sentences.   I couldn't have said it better.  

[Emonda]

5 hours ago, Elen said:

You take brintellix or cipralex?

 

I started my tapering journey with 15mg of Brintellix. After nearly three years of tapering, I am down to 1.26mg.

 

I'd do whatever you need to do to secure more 5mg tablets of Brintellix, as swapping back to Cipralex won't be fun.

 

Once you have your 5mg tablets, it's a very slow tapering process from there.

 

Let us know how you go.

[Yesyes123]

20 hours ago, Elen said:

So my symptoms are from withdrawal? I have ringing in my ears,severe headaches and head pressure and vision issues, anxiety and pins and needles in my scalp! I’m terrified 

 Have you ever had any of these symptoms before taking psychiatric drugs? Probably not, and even if you did they were probably nowhere near the same intensity. 

 

So yeah it is more than likely withdrawal symptoms. The good news is it gets better with time as your central nervous system goes back to harmony.

[Yesyes123]

8 hours ago, Emonda said:

After nearly three years of tapering, I am down to 1.26mg.

This is the key. Going VERY slowly with any changes in the drugs you take.

[Emonda]

How'd you go securing more Brintellix?