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How to write your success story

Altostrata
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Altostrata Grand Master

Altostrata

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  • Administrator
Posted (edited)

This forum is for success stories about recovery from withdrawal syndrome.

 

If your withdrawal syndrome is completely resolved -- you've been off ALL drugs for a year -- please open a topic for yourself here.

 

Summarize who you are (age, medications you quit, your taper strategy) and, looking back, the pattern of your recovery, including how long each stage took, what helped you heal, and what you've learned from the experience.

 

If you have a topic in the Introductions forum, please include a link to your topic. Then a moderator will close your Intro topic.

 

This is so important for others still on their way: Please come back and visit every once in a while and add to your success story topic here. We'd love to celebrate your return to normal life with you.

Edited by Altostrata
updated
5

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.

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  • 5 years later...
  • Mentor
ang Newbie

ang

Posted
  • Mentor
Posted

Wonderful new site, well done.     Got brain back, toxic moulds prolonged my recovery.    Nice to see so many recovery stories now.  Yes, we do recover.     Thanks again. I hope I will have time in future to help with your site.  If I get financial (and I think I just might) I will donate to your wonderful site.  Keep up your great work, you will become a legend.

1

1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression.  Serotonin syndrome, oh yes!  seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol.

Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly)  pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby).  98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.
2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout....  Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol,   and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.
Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg  seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg  tegretol 400mg.  Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.
Mid 15 ....   75mg  seroquel,  3 x 1800mg SJW  2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave
5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x  SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW
15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::   28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::;  18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump.

23/9  3mg.....,  27/9 0mg.  Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg.............  LIGHTBULB MOMENT,  I have  MTHFR 2x mutations.  CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it.

Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues.

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bhasski Newbie

bhasski

Posted
Posted
On 11/29/2017 at 9:46 PM, ang said:

Wonderful new site, well done.     Got brain back, toxic moulds prolonged my recovery.    Nice to see so many recovery stories now.  Yes, we do recover.     Thanks again. I hope I will have time in future to help with your site.  If I get financial (and I think I just might) I will donate to your wonderful site.  Keep up your great work, you will become a legend.

 

Toxic molds.. How had you treated it ?

08/13 - 01/14
Olanzapine, petril MD (Clonazepam ), Dicorate ER (divalproex). Soza 10 (Zolpidem)

02/14 - 05/14
Flunil ​20mg , Divaa OD 250 mg(divalproex), Amisulpride 50mg (1-0-2), zolfresh 5 mg , Quetiapine
05/14 - 08/14 Venlafaxine 75 xr ( 1-0-1), zapiz 0.25
10/14 Zaptra 12.5mg , Oxetol xr 150mg (0-0-1)
11/14 - 08/15
Paris CR 25 (paroxetine) , Oxetol xr 600 mg (0-0-1), nitrest 5mg , Quetiapine for a month.
09/15-11 Venlafaxine XR 75 ( 1-0-1), Mirtazipine 15, Respiredal 0.5, Lamitor 25, zillion 10.
12/15-02/16 Off Meds (C.T)

03/16-Mid April Sertraline, Aripropazole, Quetiapine, Etizolam.

After that : CT and on OTC supplements (Roadback), now on Ayurveda
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  • 6 months later...
peng Newbie

peng

Posted
Posted

Alto & mods:

Do we have to take it that "success" means total withdrawal?

 

With SA info, for which I am most grateful, I have reduced from 225mg (the maximum outpatient dose in the UK) to 62.5mg in 2 years.  Having been on the notoriously difficult Effexor since 1999 - longer than I had initially thought.  (For my own research, this week I acquired my prescription records from my health centre under Freedom of Information.)

 

I feel this is success as I may have reached an (at least initial) minimum therapeutic dose for myself.  Of course, I may relapse tomorrow, but for the time being I feel very satisfied with my 74% reduction of the toxic organic chemical.  Especially at the age of 73, when the known, e.g, cardiovascular problems of Venlafaxine will, already, a few years ago, have become more significant for me.

 

Maybe there is too much focus and obsession with "getting to zero", coupled with the, at times, unreasonable loathing of the well-intentioned prescribers who are merely ignorant through no fault of their own (just my personal view)?

 

Clearly, the fault, in the main, lies in their inadequate training, education, a lack of funding and the ignorance of the powers-that-be who appear to sideline AD problems for their own, apparently uncaring, reasons.

 

PS. - Our NHS is 70 years old this month and very negative stories are in the media every day about some shortcoming or other.  The most recent being the possible premature deaths of hundreds of elderly patients due, in the opinion of an inquiry, to a cavalier overprescribing of opioids at a hospital in douce Hampshire in southern England.  

 

 

Born 1945. 

1999 - First Effexor/Venlafaxine. 

2016 Withdrawal research. Effexor.  13Jul - 212.5mg;  6Aug - 200.0mg;  24Aug - 187.5mg;  13Sep - 175.0mg;  3Oct - 162.5mg;  26Oct - 150mg 

2017  9Jan - 150.00mg;  23Mar - 137.50mg;  24Apr - 125.00mg;  31May - 112.50mg holding;  3Sep - 100.00mg;  20Sep - 93.75mg;  20Oct - 87.5mg;  12Nov - 81.25mg;  13 Dec - 75.00mg

2018  18Jan - 69.1mg; 16Feb - 62.5mg; 16March - 57.5mg (-8%); 22Apr - 56.3mg(-2%); CRASHED - Updose 29May - 62.5mg; Updose - 1Jul - 75.0mg. Updose - 2Aug - 87.5mg. Updose - 27Aug - 100.0mg. Updose - 11Oct 112.5mg. Updose - 6Nov 125.00mg. 

2019 Updoses 19 Jan - 150.0mg. 1April - 162.5mg. 24 April - Feeling better - doing tasks, getting outside.  7 May - usual depression questionnaire gives "probably no depression" result.

Supps/Vits  Omega 3;  Chelated Magnesium;  Prebiotics/Probiotics, Vit D3. 

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peng Newbie

peng

Posted
Posted

Anyone?

Had to updose to 75mg on 1 July.  Back where I was in December.

Born 1945. 

1999 - First Effexor/Venlafaxine. 

2016 Withdrawal research. Effexor.  13Jul - 212.5mg;  6Aug - 200.0mg;  24Aug - 187.5mg;  13Sep - 175.0mg;  3Oct - 162.5mg;  26Oct - 150mg 

2017  9Jan - 150.00mg;  23Mar - 137.50mg;  24Apr - 125.00mg;  31May - 112.50mg holding;  3Sep - 100.00mg;  20Sep - 93.75mg;  20Oct - 87.5mg;  12Nov - 81.25mg;  13 Dec - 75.00mg

2018  18Jan - 69.1mg; 16Feb - 62.5mg; 16March - 57.5mg (-8%); 22Apr - 56.3mg(-2%); CRASHED - Updose 29May - 62.5mg; Updose - 1Jul - 75.0mg. Updose - 2Aug - 87.5mg. Updose - 27Aug - 100.0mg. Updose - 11Oct 112.5mg. Updose - 6Nov 125.00mg. 

2019 Updoses 19 Jan - 150.0mg. 1April - 162.5mg. 24 April - Feeling better - doing tasks, getting outside.  7 May - usual depression questionnaire gives "probably no depression" result.

Supps/Vits  Omega 3;  Chelated Magnesium;  Prebiotics/Probiotics, Vit D3. 

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Shep Grand Master

Shep

Posted
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Posted

Hi, Peng. This is a great question to ask. Defining a success story really is up to the individual person. For some people, lowering their overall drug burden without completely coming off is a success. It really depends on each person's individual goals and life circumstances. 

 

However, it looks like you are still working on finding that golden lower dose that will let you live a quality life. Please continue to post on your regular intro thread for now.

 

 

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  • 4 months later...
JackieDecides Rookie

JackieDecides

Posted
Posted
On 7/7/2018 at 1:11 AM, Shep said:

Defining a success story really is up to the individual person. For some people, lowering their overall drug burden without completely coming off is a success. It really depends on each person's individual goals and life circumstances. 

this is beautifully put.

 

one of the things I am doing this winter is deciding (get it?) what I want my success to look like. so I'll recognize it when I get there! 

Currently taking Ramapril (blood pressure) 5 mg twice a day

Omeprazole 10 mg AM and 20 mg PM  (the taper has gone nowhere after the first cut)

Famotidine   once a day (and I still needs tums sometimes)

magnesium 200 mg at night

as of yesterday 2 fish oil capsules "EPA-DHA 1000"

 

off Lexapro as of 5/2018  - last dose had been 5 mg every other day for a couple years

 

highest dose had been 20 mg at which point I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, which went away when I cut the lexapro down to 15 mg. 

 

I spent years on Paxil before Lexapro (can't remember dose), briefly on Effexor and Abilify and others I have forgotten. in fact, when I was diagnoses with BPII I was put on all kinds of things which made me feel so bad I stopped them cold turkey within maybe 3 or 4 weeks, thank goodness. since then I've known these pills were terrible and I weaned down the Lexapro with zero help or support over I'm not sure how many years. 

 

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  • 6 months later...
JackieDecides Rookie

JackieDecides

Posted
Posted
On 12/2/2018 at 6:21 AM, JackieDecides said:

this is beautifully put.

 

one of the things I am doing this winter is deciding (get it?) what I want my success to look like. so I'll recognize it when I get there! 

 

since I wrote this I have had too much change. I started another therapy job where I was living, 2 weeks after posting this.

in March, I lost my last dog and suddenly I was so lonely I decided I needed to live with someone else no matter what: that nothing else really mattered. 

I gave notice on the job and moved out of state to live with someone I used to know. who, since I knew her, has had a concussion and now has "anger issues" - something that did NOT mesh well with my anxiety.

I've lived with her since May and have gotten three jobs - all of which I have given notice on and left on good terms.

 

now I have yet another job but it is a two day drive away so I am relocating again. 

 

I feel like if only my life was stable I would already be writing my success story, but it's going to have to wait until I have some stability. 

 

But, I can tell you that whatever else is right or wrong with what I decide and how I feel: at least now I CARE.  all those decades on lexapro I really didn't care: nothing mattered. 

 

now, it all matters. 

 

 

2

Currently taking Ramapril (blood pressure) 5 mg twice a day

Omeprazole 10 mg AM and 20 mg PM  (the taper has gone nowhere after the first cut)

Famotidine   once a day (and I still needs tums sometimes)

magnesium 200 mg at night

as of yesterday 2 fish oil capsules "EPA-DHA 1000"

 

off Lexapro as of 5/2018  - last dose had been 5 mg every other day for a couple years

 

highest dose had been 20 mg at which point I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, which went away when I cut the lexapro down to 15 mg. 

 

I spent years on Paxil before Lexapro (can't remember dose), briefly on Effexor and Abilify and others I have forgotten. in fact, when I was diagnoses with BPII I was put on all kinds of things which made me feel so bad I stopped them cold turkey within maybe 3 or 4 weeks, thank goodness. since then I've known these pills were terrible and I weaned down the Lexapro with zero help or support over I'm not sure how many years. 

 

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  • 3 years later...
LarryS Contributor

LarryS

Posted
Posted
On 7/22/2019 at 3:18 PM, JackieDecides said:

But, I can tell you that whatever else is right or wrong with what I decide and how I feel: at least now I CARE.  all those decades on lexapro I really didn't care: nothing mattered. 

 

@JackieDecides

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."  Romans 12:12

See LarryS Health History

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18063-larrys-tapering-off-venlafaxine-effexor-225mg/?do=findComment&comment=575976

 

Aug 2014 start Venlafaxine 225 mg.

Other Pharmaceuticals per day:  Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg

Vitamins per day:  C 1,000 mg; D3 50 mcg; Probiotic 218 mg; Fish Oil 1,600 mg; Magnesium Glycinate Liquid 165 mg; CoQ10 40 mg; Saw Palmetto 320 mg; Calcium 250 mg; Red Yeast Rice 1,200 mg; Plant Sterol Esters 1,000 mg

Start Taper: 225 mg to 55 mg; June 5, 2018, to June 15, 2019

49 mg July 16, 2019; 44 mg August 13, 2019; 49 mg (up 11%) Aug. 26, 2019: 44 mg Sept. 10, 2019; 40 mg Oct. 8, 2019;  37.5 mg (6%) Nov. 6, 2019; 49.5 mg (up 32%) Nov 18, 2019; 44.5 mg Dec. 30, 2019; 40 mg Jan. 27, 2020; 36 mg Feb. 24, 2020; 32.5 mg March 23, 2020; 29.2 mg April 20, 2020; 26.3 mg May 18, 2020; 23.7 mg June 15, 2020; 21.3 mg July 6, 2020; 19.2 mg Aug. 4, 2020; 17.3 mg Sept. 1, 2020; 15.5 mg Sept. 29, 2020; 14.0 mg Oct. 27, 2020; 12.6 mg Nov. 24, 2020; 11.3 mg Dec. 15, 2020; 10.2 mg Jan. 5, 2021; 9.2 mg Feb. 2, 2021; 8.3 mg March 9, 2021; 7.4 mg April 6, 2021; 6.7 mg 5/4/2021; 6.0 mg 6/01/2021; 5.4 mg 7/13/2021; 4.9 mg 8/10/2021; 4.4 mg 9/9/2021; 4.0 mg 10/14/2021; 3.5 mg 11/11/2021; 7.5 mg (up 200%) 12/6/2021; 6.75 mg 1/17/2022; 6.00 mg 2/21/2022; 5.62 mg 3/21/2022; 4.87 mg 4/25/2022; 4.50 mg 5/30/2022; 4.13 mg 7/5/2022; 3.75 mg 8/1/2022; 3.38 mg 9/7/2022; 3.00 mg 10/5/2022; 2.63 mg 11/02/2022; 2.25 mg 12/1/2022; 1.88 mg 1/5/2023; 1.50 mg 2/9/2023; 1.13 mg 3/16/2023; 0.75 mg 4/20/2023; ZERO mg 5/5/2023

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