Scared Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Hi Everyone, The short story is that I have had depression & anxiety for 15+ years. I have taken a variety of anti-depressants over the years and have experienced 2 cold turkey withdrawals that resulted in hospitalization (will never ever do that again). I am currently stable but feel "flat" almost all the time. I am ready to taper off of all my medication (if I can). I visited my psychiatrist today to request his help. He was less than optimistic. His comments included he is "100% against me going off my medication, 80% of attempts to get off meds fail, I will be on meds for the balance of my life, etc". At my insistence he reluctantly agreed to reduce my Abilify from 5mg to 2.5mg for 1 month and then to reevaluate at that time. He also mentioned that Prozac has a long half life and is self tapering therefore slow taper is not necessary, and that my Wellbutrin won't have any side effects of withdrawal. It almost feels like he is setting me up to fail! Everything I have read both here and elsewhere talks about the need to slowly taper. It is very frustrating not to have his support and guidance. I am grateful to have found this sight and the support that I know I will need. My plans are to reduce my Abilify from 5mg to 3.75mg for the month. I will keep you posted on how it goes. Day 1 is tomorrow (Sept 10th). Bless I don't know the exact dates of my med history, this is my best recollection:2000-2003 Celexa (Citalopram) 40mg2002-2004 Lorazepam 1mg2003-2005 Zoloft (sertraline) dosage unknown2004-2007 Effexor XL (veulafaxine) 150mg2007-2011 Cipralex (escitolapram) 20mg2007-2014 Clonazepam various dosages 0.25-0.5mg-1mg2007-2013 Zopiclone 7.5mg2008-2014 Wellbutrin (bupropion) 150mg-300mg2011-2014 Prozac (fluoxetine) 60mg-40mg2012-2014 Abilify (aripiprazole) 5mgCurrent (Sept 4/14): Prozac 40mg, Wellbutrin 300mg, Abilify 5mg Link to comment
Scared Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 Ooops, tomorrow is Sept 5th not 10th. I don't know the exact dates of my med history, this is my best recollection:2000-2003 Celexa (Citalopram) 40mg2002-2004 Lorazepam 1mg2003-2005 Zoloft (sertraline) dosage unknown2004-2007 Effexor XL (veulafaxine) 150mg2007-2011 Cipralex (escitolapram) 20mg2007-2014 Clonazepam various dosages 0.25-0.5mg-1mg2007-2013 Zopiclone 7.5mg2008-2014 Wellbutrin (bupropion) 150mg-300mg2011-2014 Prozac (fluoxetine) 60mg-40mg2012-2014 Abilify (aripiprazole) 5mgCurrent (Sept 4/14): Prozac 40mg, Wellbutrin 300mg, Abilify 5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted September 5, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 5, 2014 Hi Scared, Welcome to SA, I'm glad you found us before beginning your taper. Thank you for filling out your signature with your history. It sounds like your doctor doesn't have a clue, its not surprising that 80% of his attempts to get his patients off drugs fail. Sadly, most doctors advise tapers that lead patients to going back on the drug because of a ‘relapse’, which is actually withdrawal. All the drugs you are taking can cause withdrawal if stopped suddenly. They all require careful tapering. At least your doctor is willing to cooperate with what you want, sometimes that's the best people can hope for. Many people arrive here after following the advice of well meaning, but ill informed doctors. See: What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms Your planned drop of 5mg abilify to 3.75mg is still too much. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Safe tapering off psychiatric drugs means that you reduce at a rate which incurs few or no withdrawal symptoms through the process, this means that there is no disruption to your life. It can take a while, but doing it this way offers the best chance of successfully getting off and staying off. Please read through this post which will explain why: http://survivinganti...0-of-my-dosage/ Here are our tips for tapering off Abilify: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1896-tips-for-tapering-off-abilify-aripiprazole/ These will be helpful in the future when you are ready, we recommend only tapering one drug at a time: Tips for tapering off Wellbuttrin Tips for tapering off Prozac I'd highly recommend reading Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker. Psych meds can be pretty perilous and in my opinion should only be used for short times and very cautiously, if at all. Other resources you may find helpful are Your Drug may be you Problem by Dr. Peter Breggin and Council for Evidence Based Psychiatry You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. You will find a lot of friendly help and support here. Petu. 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
Scared Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Thanks Petu. I'm having difficulty getting my doses right for tapering. I have been breaking up my 5mg pill in half & then half again. This gives me 4 quarters of 1.25. I've been taking 3 quarters (3.75mg) plus 1/2 of a quarter 0.6mg which gives me a total of 4.4mg. But its really hard to break up the pills exactly. I'm going to order a milligram scale which might help. Stay tuned :-) I don't know the exact dates of my med history, this is my best recollection:2000-2003 Celexa (Citalopram) 40mg2002-2004 Lorazepam 1mg2003-2005 Zoloft (sertraline) dosage unknown2004-2007 Effexor XL (veulafaxine) 150mg2007-2011 Cipralex (escitolapram) 20mg2007-2014 Clonazepam various dosages 0.25-0.5mg-1mg2007-2013 Zopiclone 7.5mg2008-2014 Wellbutrin (bupropion) 150mg-300mg2011-2014 Prozac (fluoxetine) 60mg-40mg2012-2014 Abilify (aripiprazole) 5mgCurrent (Sept 4/14): Prozac 40mg, Wellbutrin 300mg, Abilify 5mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted September 11, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 11, 2014 Yes, that's a good idea, its important to get accurate doses as the amount reduces. 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
Administrator Altostrata Posted September 12, 2014 Administrator Share Posted September 12, 2014 It's a lot easier to make a liquid than to use the scale to measure dosage. 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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