LoveandLight Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I'm raging mad at the moment too 2000 - sertraline for job anxiety low confidence (17 years old) ..which turned the next 16 years into nightmare! On/off sertraline severe withdrawals every time. 2014 - felt better as reduced dose of sertraline no more inner restlessness. Doctor rushed off again. Hit severe withdrawal. Lost the little I had in life. Couldn't get stable again on 12.5mg. Was switched to prozac. Had severe reaction to prozac..came off in November 2015 at 6mg as felt more confused and damaged on it..Even more withdrawal ..rage, depression, dyphoria, near constant suicidal ideation, self harm impulses, doom, concrete block in head, unable to do much of anything with this feeling in head..went back on 6mg of sertraline to see if would alleviate anything. It didn't..reduced from December to June 2016 came off at 2.5mg sertraline as was hospitalised for the severe rage, suicidal impulses, and put on 50mg lofepramine which in 2nd week reduced all symptoms but gave insomnia which still have..psych stopped lofepramine cold turkey..no increased withdrawal symptoms new symptoms from lofepramine except persistant insomnia which has as side effect. Taking Ativan for 8 months for the severe rage self harm impulses 1-3 times a week (mostly 2 times a week) at .5mg. Two months (I'm unsure exactly when the interdose started to happen) ago interdose withdrawal seemed to happen..2 days I think after the Ativan. Nightmare that could have been avoided! Link to comment
AliG Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I understand that this is a tough time. These drugs do , indeed make you crazy ! I hope your hand heals quickly, and that you can get " back on track". I broke my arm , last year , so I know what you're going through . It's tough, but you will " make it ". Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
direstraits Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 sorry about your hand..Iknow the feeling of rage...it's awful... "I am so lost and do not have the slightest cue what to do to make myself feel better" I feel the same.. went on Prozac 1994-99,60mg.poopout ct back on 2001-2002,prozac weekly 2002,not working,Effexor 75 mg.?2003-mar.2004 gaining weight 8wk. taper,wellbutrin 150 mg.mar. -may 2004 ctmedfree til july 2005 back to Prozac gaining weight again,back on wellbutrin jan.2006150-300 mg.bad constipation.also was taking aygestin(hormone)perimenopausal irregular bleeding.back on Prozac around sept,?2006,hysterectomy jan30.2007(adenomyosis)off&on Prozac til 2009,citalopram about 1 mo, April 2010 no effect,Effexor again may -mar, 2011.ct,Prozac aug,-dec, 2011 &sept-nov 2012,paroxetine oct,23 2013-may 4 2014 20 mgs.tapered 6 wks.-failed RI in Oct.2014-in protracted WD.started 10 mgs. Fluoxetine May 25 2021 .Stopped fluoxetine May 2022 at 5 mgs. Link to comment
laineyk Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 another exceptionally BAD day spent almost whole day in my bed what am I going to do? there has to be something I am missing I almost pray that I have Sjogrens (testing for it on Monday) because then I can say I am sick with a real illness again I keep playing with my dose and times that I take lorazepam becauseI think that its making me sicker except its to soon to try to taper from that yet Oh Father God please direct our paths 2006-2012 50mgs zoloftskipped doses every other day for a year and started having anxiety again in March 2012back on at 50mgs Dec 2013started taper from benzos April 2014 per Heather Ashton method (c/o from kpin to diazepam)March 2015 started 1.25mg lorazepamTapered off Zoloft in May off in 4 weeks...5 weeks later crashing AGAIN. Dr wanted to start Gabapentin tried it 7 daysSymptoms :burning eyes, anxiety, pounding heart, dizzy, strange head feeling, internal shaking, Overall UNWELLTaking lorazepam 1.25mg daily Link to comment
Meimeiquest Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 What all have you tried with your doses? 1st round Prozac 1989/90, clear depression symptoms. 2nd round Prozac started 1999 when admitted to dr. I was tired. Prozac pooped out, switch to Cymbalta 3/2006. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder due to mania 6/2006--then I was taken abruptly off Cymbalta and didn't know I had SSRI withdrawal. Lots of meds for my intractable "bipolar" symptoms. Zyprexa started about 9/06, mostly 5mg. Tapered 4/12 through12/29/12 Wellbutrin. XL 300 mg started 1/07, tapered 1/18/13 through 7/8/13 Oxazepam mostly continuously since 6/06, 30mg since 12/12, tapered 1.17.14 through 8.26.15 11/06 Lithium 600mg twice daily, 2.2.14 400mg TID DIY liquid, 2.12.14 1150mg, 3.2.14 1100mg, 3.18.14 1075mg, 4/14 updose to 1100mg, 6.1.14 900 mg capsules 7.8.14 810mg, 8.17.14 725mg, 8.24.24 700mg...10.22.14 487.5mg, 3.9.15 475mg, 4.1.15 462.5mg 4.21.15 450mg 8.11.15 375mg, 11.28.15 362.5mg, back to 375mg four days later, 3.4.16 updose to 475 (too much going on to risk trouble) 9/4/13 Toprol-XL 25mg daily for sudden hypertension, tapered 11.12.13 through 5.3.14, last 10 days or so switched to atenolol 7.4.14 Started Walsh Protocol 56 years old Link to comment
laineyk Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 the way I dose now is as follows; 6:00am .5mg 11:00am .25mg 4:00pm .25mg 10:00pm .5mg =1.5mg daily I am wanting to have all doses equal so 1.5 divided by 4 =.375mg question is do I just change all 4 doses to that amount or do I need to migrate these doses to that? 2006-2012 50mgs zoloftskipped doses every other day for a year and started having anxiety again in March 2012back on at 50mgs Dec 2013started taper from benzos April 2014 per Heather Ashton method (c/o from kpin to diazepam)March 2015 started 1.25mg lorazepamTapered off Zoloft in May off in 4 weeks...5 weeks later crashing AGAIN. Dr wanted to start Gabapentin tried it 7 daysSymptoms :burning eyes, anxiety, pounding heart, dizzy, strange head feeling, internal shaking, Overall UNWELLTaking lorazepam 1.25mg daily Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted September 22, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 22, 2015 lainey, I answered your question the best I could in the benzo forum: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3964-laineyks-benzo-journey/?p=181559 again I keep playing with my dose and times that I take lorazepam becauseI think that its making me sicker Uneven dosing throughout the day/night could be making you worse, but so could playing around with your dose and times. If you are going to give yourself a chance to stabilize, you need to get this sorted out. I'm not a benzo expert, but if it were me, I would change the doses right away. The only problem I can see is that changing your night time dose from .5 to .375 might cause some sleep disruption initially. Lorazepam is slightly longer acting than Xanax, so you are probably ok with dosing 4 times a day once you re-stabilize. Have a look through this thread: Life without Xanax after 14 years? It's Bubble's benzo thread and I think Skyler helps her switch from 4 times a day dosing to 5 times, so there will be instructions about how to migrate/adjust dosing etc. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
laineyk Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 thank you, Yesterday I went to .375mg 4xs a day I pray that soon I will have some kind of relief since I am going to start my taper Nov.1st I will have been off the Zoloft 6 months and my fractured hand (Lord willing) will be healed I truly believe that Lorazepam does NOT agree with me but who knows since things went south once I was off the zoloft 2006-2012 50mgs zoloftskipped doses every other day for a year and started having anxiety again in March 2012back on at 50mgs Dec 2013started taper from benzos April 2014 per Heather Ashton method (c/o from kpin to diazepam)March 2015 started 1.25mg lorazepamTapered off Zoloft in May off in 4 weeks...5 weeks later crashing AGAIN. Dr wanted to start Gabapentin tried it 7 daysSymptoms :burning eyes, anxiety, pounding heart, dizzy, strange head feeling, internal shaking, Overall UNWELLTaking lorazepam 1.25mg daily Link to comment
direstraits Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 thanks for visiting my thread...hope you're feeling better,take care. went on Prozac 1994-99,60mg.poopout ct back on 2001-2002,prozac weekly 2002,not working,Effexor 75 mg.?2003-mar.2004 gaining weight 8wk. taper,wellbutrin 150 mg.mar. -may 2004 ctmedfree til july 2005 back to Prozac gaining weight again,back on wellbutrin jan.2006150-300 mg.bad constipation.also was taking aygestin(hormone)perimenopausal irregular bleeding.back on Prozac around sept,?2006,hysterectomy jan30.2007(adenomyosis)off&on Prozac til 2009,citalopram about 1 mo, April 2010 no effect,Effexor again may -mar, 2011.ct,Prozac aug,-dec, 2011 &sept-nov 2012,paroxetine oct,23 2013-may 4 2014 20 mgs.tapered 6 wks.-failed RI in Oct.2014-in protracted WD.started 10 mgs. Fluoxetine May 25 2021 .Stopped fluoxetine May 2022 at 5 mgs. Link to comment
laineyk Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 wow is my head fried...I have been off the Zoloft exactly 5 months TODAY...can not even read a calendar anymore so I had MRI done this morning because the dizziness/woozy feeling has me scared to death its daily sometimes all day sometimes off and on but never do I not have it now I pray its just the drug w/d and no tumor but its so hard to believe that after being off it this long I am still this sick Just hanging on to my God at this point 2006-2012 50mgs zoloftskipped doses every other day for a year and started having anxiety again in March 2012back on at 50mgs Dec 2013started taper from benzos April 2014 per Heather Ashton method (c/o from kpin to diazepam)March 2015 started 1.25mg lorazepamTapered off Zoloft in May off in 4 weeks...5 weeks later crashing AGAIN. Dr wanted to start Gabapentin tried it 7 daysSymptoms :burning eyes, anxiety, pounding heart, dizzy, strange head feeling, internal shaking, Overall UNWELLTaking lorazepam 1.25mg daily Link to comment
ladybug Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Dizziness/wooziness is a VERY common WD symptom unfortunately. I have been doing a super slow, micro taper and I still experience many moments where I suddenly feel like I'm on a boat out in the sea. It's an awful symptom for sure so I feel for you. a.k.a JMarie Paxil since Mar.1998 2006-2007:40-20mg 2009: 20mg to 14mg 2010: 14mg to 10.5mg 2011: 10.5 to 7.6mg 2012: 7.5 to 6.8mg 2013: 6.7-6.3mg 2014: 6.2mg-5.8mg 2015: 5.7 to 5.15mg 2016: 5.1-4.6mg 1/19/17: 4.5mg 3/17/17: 4.4mg 6/15/17: 4.35mg 8/10/17: 4.3mg 1/29/18: 4.1mg 5/07/18: 4.0mg 7/31/18: 3.9mg Link to comment
servadei Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hey. I've been off Lexapro for 4 moths now and my symptoms are worse, so yeah it is wd. I'm 100% sure you don't have a tumor. Keep hanging on to God, I do it. I will pray for you, hope you feel better soon. CD off meds in July 2015, not on any medication since. Went through WD nightmare, now dealing with normal anxiety, but decided not to leave this forum yet because I want to support and give hope to others. ♡ Link to comment
laineyk Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Hi all. God is so good. MRI negative for any disease or abnormalities I still am seeing neurologist in NOV. sense I have had issues with dizziness before drugs. Just not this bad I am rethinking this taper off of lorazepam...I think I need to hold for a while and pray that the Zoloft symptoms settle down problem is convincing my Dr that I am still feeling w/d from the Zoloft 5 months out...she says shes NEVER heard of such a thing. will tell her to come to this website and read for herself that I am not alone. 2006-2012 50mgs zoloftskipped doses every other day for a year and started having anxiety again in March 2012back on at 50mgs Dec 2013started taper from benzos April 2014 per Heather Ashton method (c/o from kpin to diazepam)March 2015 started 1.25mg lorazepamTapered off Zoloft in May off in 4 weeks...5 weeks later crashing AGAIN. Dr wanted to start Gabapentin tried it 7 daysSymptoms :burning eyes, anxiety, pounding heart, dizzy, strange head feeling, internal shaking, Overall UNWELLTaking lorazepam 1.25mg daily Link to comment
AliG Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 Hi Lainey, I'm glad your test came back negative. Not surprised, though. Dizziness is one of my symptoms, however it's easing up. Very common, in withdrawal. I think if you're in doubt, just hold . Just stay strong , with your doctor, and tell her what you want to do. You don't have to convince her, of anything. Be firm and assertive ! Wishing you continued healing. Ali x Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted September 21, 2020 Administrator Share Posted September 21, 2020 @laineyk, how are you doing? 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
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