Nutmeg Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I was on various antidepressants along with Abilify for many years (Abilify only for the last years or so) and have now tapered down to no meds at all. I have been feeling so bad that I went back on Prozac, only 10 mgs for the last few days and still feel really bad. Any advice for me? Should I go back on Abilify for a few days? Did I not taper enough? The bigger questions is, does anybody ever get off these drugs and feel okay after having been on them for years? They no longer worked for me and I had to try to get off them but now I feel so bad I can't even work. Any knowledge anyone has in this area would be appreciated. Meg B I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted October 7, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 7, 2013 Hi Meg, welcome to SA. How long is it since you stopped abilify and how long did you taper? The staff will need this info to give the best advice for you. You can get better, others here have been in withdrawal and recovered, or are well on the way to recovery after stopping ssris cold turkey. It can take a long time but recovery is possible. I am getting to the end of my 18 months taper and feel so much better after years of feeling ill on ADs . I feel better than I ever thought I would and so glad I found this forum which has helped tremendously. Someone will be along very soon who can advise on the best way forward for you. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 8, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 8, 2013 Welcome, Nutmeg. It will take at least 4 days for the Prozac to reach steady-state in your bloodstream. Prior to going off drugs, what were you on, at what dosages, and how did you go off? 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted October 8, 2013 Author Share Posted October 8, 2013 I was on 10 mg of Prozac (after tapering that down for a long long time, from 20 mg) and 5 mg of Abilify. I also took 10 mcg of Cytomel which helped me a lot at first. I felt lousy on that combo and was switched to Desipramine (which I have taken in the past to good effect) and dropped the 10 of Prozac. I had been taking the Abilify in an tapering way, going down to 2mg for a few days, feeling lousy and back up to 5 mg. When I went on the Desipramine I stopped the Abilify cold turkey, being told that was okay. I also stopped the Prozac, all but the Cytomel. I felt really horrible after about 5 days and thought it was Prozac withdrawal so reinstituted the Prozac and did NOT get better. I have felt so so so bad in the last few days it dawned on me that Abilify is the only drug I truly went cold turkey off, so I took 5 mg of Abilify last night and feel infinitely better. Took 10 mg of Prozac too, this morning as well as another 5 of Abilify in the hopes of getting out of this hell. Does any of this make sense? What scares me is that I have to work for a living and cannot feel as bad as I have for protracted periods of time! I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 8, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 8, 2013 You've made a lot of drug switches. If I were you, I'd try just the 5mg Abilify and not take the Prozac as well -- one thing at a time. That way, you can tell what's working. Good to hear reinstating Abilify helped. Please read this topic about tapering it http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1896-tips-for-tapering-off-abilify-aripiprazole/ Going up and down in dosage or skipping doses is not a good tapering strategy, it throws your nervous system into chaos. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 How do I go about tapering Abilify now that I"ve taken 2 doses of 5 mg each, 2 days in a row and feel much better? I read the article-how much is 10% a month? I guess that's by 1/2 mg per month! That should be slow enough! My doctor didn't see the need to taper it at all! And to be clear-you recommend I drop the Prozac altogether? Sorry my brain is not working very well. I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted October 9, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 9, 2013 Just stay on that 5 mg. of Abilify a day for at least a month and get stabilized before attempting a taper. Please note that Abilify is a very strong drug, so while 5 mg. doesn't sound like much, it's actually quite a lot. Please don't increase your dose by taking it in the evening and the morning. Pick a time to take one dose and stay with that. A 10% taper means that you reduce your dose by 10% of the amount you're taking, so your first drop in dosage would take you to 4.5 mg. (5.0-.50); the next cut would bring your dose down to 4.05 mg. (10% of 4.5 = .45, and 4.5-.45 = 4.05, and so on.) This is best accomplished by either getting a liquid version of Abilify or making it yourself. Keep in mind also that cuts shouldn't be made more than once a month. But don't worry about this now. Just stay at your present dose for the next month or so. I'm confused about your history with Prozac. How long were you on it originally and how long has it been since you went off of it cold turkey the first time? When did you reinstate and for how long? We can't give you very good advice without knowing more. Yes, people do get off these drugs and feel okay again, but you must do it carefully and slowly. Changing your doses up and down every time you feel uncomfortable is going to make things worse. Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you found us. Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's RazorIntroduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/ Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 Thanks for your responses! I have taken only 10 mg of Prozac (after having tapered from 20) for quite some time now along with the Abilify and the Cytomel. They weren't working so I went on desipramine and cold turkey'ed the abilify and took a few more doses of Prozac before dropping that for a few days only. I felt so bad I went back on the Prozac but got no relief (that's only been a few days now). On the 7th of Oct I felt so bad I reinstated the Abilify at 5 mg and felt infinitely better. Do you think I should leave the prozac alone? Taking it again didn't seem to help. I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 9, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 9, 2013 Change only one thing at a time, please. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted October 9, 2013 Author Share Posted October 9, 2013 Allostrata-you say for me not to take the Prozac as well as the Abilify (I had to go back on it remember). I took 10mg of Prozac for a few years then dropped it cold turkey for about 2 months when I went on desipramine (with bad results). Last week I restarted the Prozac but it did not help. I figured out it was the Abilify I was withdrawing from. Now I feel better. If I don't do a proper taper off the Prozac aren't I in for a withdrawal in a few weeks? (I never really tapered it just stopped it abruptly and resumed it after 2 months only to drop it again after a few days. Sorry to be so thick-my brain is not working right but that withdrawal is the worst I've ever felt in my life! I don't look forward to another round from another drug in a few weeks (my shrink says it takes 5 weeks for Prozac to leave one's system altogether). Thanks for your indulgence Meg B I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted October 10, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 10, 2013 So let me get this straight, you were on 10 mg Prozac for some years, then about two months ago you CT'd it, then a week or so ago you started taking it again, and then you quit again a couple of days ago? If this is correct then I think you might benefit from a partial reinstatement of the Prozac (you may be able to do well on less than 10 mg, say 3-5 or so) as well as the reinstatement of Abilify. Prozac can be obtained in liquid form so you can get those small dosages. I would say, once you figure out what you are going to take, find a dose and stick with it, be very consistent with what you take and what time of day, and hold there for as long as it takes to feel stable. Then you can begin a slow, safe taper. The more you change dosages and drugs around, the longer it will take to feel stable. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 I forgot to mention that I also irregularly take Neurontin-but that's a recent addition and I don't take it that often. Am I going to have to withdraw from that someday too? 300 mg once a day and sometimes 600 at night. I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 10, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 10, 2013 If you take it every day, you will need to taper it. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Hi thanks for all the responses folks. I honestly don't remember how many different drugs I was on when, I just know that I've been on various antidepressants since 1984 and the one I was on the most frequently and with the most efficacy is Prozac which I have been on for at least 10 years straight. It was augmented with Abilify (which I went off cold turkey and had to go back on, I'm now down to 2 mg a day down from 5) and Cytomel. I've been off Prozac since the beginning of October and I feel lousy. I am anxious and irritable and tired all the time, and depressed! I have a rare good day and wondered of folks feel better after, what, a year off SSRI's? Can I expect to feel lousy for awhile more? Am I ever going to feel better? If I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel it would be easier for me to hang in there. My doctor wants me to go back on the drugs saying my depression has returned. I do not believe that. This is the same doc who had me go off the Abilify cold turkey! I am on Abilify 2mg and Cytomel 10 mcg and that's it right now. I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 23, 2013 Administrator Share Posted December 23, 2013 How did you decrease Abilify from 5mg in October? 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 I went from 5 to 2mg by tapering it by a milligram a month and am now at 2 mg. I thought I might be feeling lousy from tapering too fast but went up for a few days and it did not help like it did when I first realized I shouldn't have cold turkey'ed it and went back on 5 at the start of October. BTW<I did taper the Prozac (which I was told I wouldn't have to because Prozac is a "self tapering" drug) and have been off that since early October. I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 23, 2013 Administrator Share Posted December 23, 2013 From 5mg, a 1mg decrease would be 20%. From 4mg, a 1mg decrease would be 25%. From 3mg, a 1mg decrease would be 33.3%. It seems this was too fast for your nervous system. You might try going back to 3mg and see if you can stabilize. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 Good folks: I have been on Abilify 2 mg for over a month and off Prozac after tapering since October 7. I feel lousy and wonder if I just hang in there, even for months, can I look forward to getting better. I read other's stories and it seems they feel bad WHILE tapering when I've already done that with Prozac, and got down to Abilify 2 as I said. I am faced with going back to work at a very stressful job when I feel bad, but then I felt bad all those years ON the SSRI's and don't think going back on them is going to benefit me. Question I'm posing: Do people feel better after a slower taper or do they feel better after tapering, then getting off and being off for months? I can't decide whether to reinstate the Prozac for a period. Sorry if I'm being redundant and unclear but my cognition is not great. Meg B I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 27, 2013 Administrator Share Posted December 27, 2013 Sorry, how long it will take your nervous system to recover from the drug decreases cannot be predicted. We believe a slower taper decrease the risk of a prolonged post-withdrawal recovery -- but that ship has sailed for you. Reinstating Prozac or a small amount of Abilify may help your symptoms, or it may not. If you can stabilize on either, you will be able to "do over" your taper. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 Hi good folksI am so desperate to feel better I have gone back on 10 mg of Prozac. I have to go back to work at a very stressful job on Jan 15 and cannot feel this bad! I work with severely mentally ill patients! Anyhow I am praying that after reinstating Prozac for a month or 2 I will feel better and be able to "do over" my taper, as you say. God this has been awful!!! Thanks for the support I have gotten! I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted December 28, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 28, 2013 I hope the reinstatement works for you Nutmeg and you feel better soon.. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Dear good folks: I had to go back on the Prozac at 10 mg because I was feeling so bad. It is not helping me. I feel horrible and am scared I will feel like this forever. I am faced with going back to work at a stressful job this month. I started taking the Prozac again on Dec 27, so 5 doses so far. Should I continue and then taper off again after a few months? I don't know what to do at this point and despair of ever feeling better. I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted January 1, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 1, 2014 Nutmeg, I am not an expert but have been a part of this forum for over a year ..so around to see the advice for people in your position. Until someone with more expertise comes along I will tell you that you will very likely be told to continue with the reinstatement….that you have not given it NEAR enough time to work yet. I think that the worst thing you could do today is to stop taking it. Please continue taking 10 mg. Someone will be along... I hope that you feel better soon. I have seen many, many people reinstate, panic, be told to hold on and then be so grateful that they stuck with it…. but remember.. I am not "staff" here. Please take the 10 mg. today and tomorrow and wait for Alto or similar to pipe up. RU Fall 1995 xanax, zoloft. switched to Serzone 1996- spring 2003serzone/ xanax/ lightbox. b]Fall 2003- Fall 2004? Lexapro 10 mg. Light box /4 mg. xanax.[/b] 2004 - Fall of 2009 10 mg Lex, 150 mg Wellbutrin XL % 4 mg xanax November 2009- Sept. 2011 10 mg lex., 300 Well. XL, 4 mg Xanax [/b Sept.2012- July 2012 20 mg Lex 300 Well. XL, 4 mg Xanax My mantra " go slow & with the flow " 3/2/13.. Began equal dosing 5 Xs /day xanax, while simultaneously incorporating a 2.5 % drop ( from 3.5 mg/day to 3.4 mg/day) 4/6/13 dropped from 300 mg. Wellbutrin XL to 150 mg. Difficult but DONE! Down to 3.3 mg xanax/ day / 6/10/13 3 mg xanax/day; 7/15/2013 2.88mg xanax/day. 10/ 1/2013...... 2.5 mg xanax… ( switched to tablets again) WOO HOO!!!!!! Holding here… cont. with Lexapro. 1/ 2/2014.. tapered to 18mg ( by weight) of a 26 mg ( by weight) pill of 20 mg tab. lexapro. goal is 13mg (by weight OR 10 mg by ingredient content) and STOPPED. Feeling very down with unbalanced, unpredictable WD symptoms. 1/2/2014- ??? Taking a brain-healing break from tapering anything after actively tapering something for 1.5 years. So… daily doses as of 2/2/2014: 18 mg by weight Lex, 150 mg Well. XL, 2.5 mg xanax, down from 26 mg by weight Lex., 300 mg well. XL, 4 mg xanax in August, 2012. I'll take it. 5/8/14 started equivalent dose liquid./ tabs. 5/13/14 1.5 % cut. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 1, 2014 Administrator Share Posted January 1, 2014 Yes, please be consistent with the reinstatement, give it time. Have your symptoms changed at all? 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 I actually feel a tad better today. Thank you for your responses. I can't help but think about David Foster Wallace, that young man (brilliant author) who was severely depressed, took SSRI's for years, went off them and suffered greatly, went back on them and suffered more. He ended up killing himself. My thoughts go there when I feel this bad. I'm trying to find examples of people who have had to go back on the drugs but eventually felt better despite not responding to the reinstatement initially. I need some hope. Thank God for this forum! I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 1, 2014 Administrator Share Posted January 1, 2014 Good to hear you're feeling a bit better. I think of David Foster Wallace myself. In fact, just yesterday. He killed himself in the midst of Nardil withdrawal syndrome. I wrote an e-mail to his psychiatrist about that. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 It's very sad that he saw no options for himself and I pray I start to feel better before I get to that point. I do not have the option of offing myself; it would destroy my son and the rest of my family. I have to find a way through this. People with my history of reinstatement with no initial response do get better eventually, do they not? I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 1, 2014 Administrator Share Posted January 1, 2014 I believe if DFW had known he was suffering from withdrawal syndrome and not some new untreatable psychiatric illness, he might not have killed himself. Your reinstatement is very early, we don't know how it will work yet. It may be you'll need to add in a tiny bit of Abilify. 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Withdrawal from these drugs is so horrible-far worse than heroin or cigarettes as far as I know-you just want to rip your skin off. My doc says it's depression coming back-I don't believe that for a minute-my depression was never this bad. I am feeling better today and just have to admit defeat in getting off these drugs in 4 months time. It's obviously going to take me years of incremental tapering! I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 2, 2014 Administrator Share Posted January 2, 2014 Feeling better! Yay! 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. Link to comment
Nutmeg Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Thanks for the support. I may call upon you all again! I have been on various antidepressants for 25 years. They no longer benefit me and alas, maybe even made my depression worse so I decided to taper off them altogether. I am now in a state of withdrawal and am very frightened as I understand this uncomfortable feeling I have could go on for a long time! I have lately been on Prozac 10 mg, Cytomel 10 mcg and Abilify. I felt lousy on that and my doctor put me on Desipramine which made me feel worse so I tapered off that. I went cold turkey off the Abilify which may be my problem. Was told not to bother tapering off Prozac since I was on such a low dose. I was on nothing except Cytomel for 5 days and felt horrible so reinstituted the Prozac without much relief (10 mg). Still feeling horrible so reinstated Abilify at 5 mg and feel better. Will need help tapering off that! Link to comment
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