Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 10, 2012 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hello. I am on a journey.... aren't we all?? My journey includes mostly sadness with a difficult time enjoying life. It started at around puberty triggered/ exacerbated by parent's divorce... transformed to anorexia.... got better ( pulled myself out of that hole. It was either that or die. I chose life.) .... mutated to "happiness" resulting in marriage & motherhood, and an off an on a down -in-the-dumps mood ultimately escalating to full blown depression then a panic attack. The panic attack drove me to the emergency room ( it was either that or lose my job.... I knew I was in a place that I would not be able to get myself out of soon enough to function productively enough to not get let go) . I needed help. Went home with 6 xanax. Home for a week filled with doctor's appts. Put on meds.... history in sig. I currently am just realizing that although I have been a successful & productive employee, have lost meaningful time with all of my immediate family members and also that although the meds. likely enabled me to be productive, I can now tell they have taken their toll on me physically & neurologically. I am at a crossroads. I will retire within a year and am ready to start a new chapter with more happiness and mostly more ENERGY. I know I have to reduce the dosages of some or all of the drugs I am on. At least I think that doing so will increase my satisfaction with life. But I am not sure. Part of me says...just stay on the same dosage, increase exercise after retirement, give myself time for my retired LIFE to adjust to the current dosage & see if energy comes with it. Then make decisions about tapering. But there is a part of me that says... start soon. The sooner the better because my intuition is telling me that yes, I am living and functioning but just barely so why not now ? Or soon after quitting work anyway. I'm done rambling. I have not read enough here to know my way around. Have any of you read Recovery & Renewal: Your essential guide to overcoming dependency and withdrawal from sleeping pills, other 'benzo' tranquillisers and antidepressants Bliss Johns (Author) I just ordered it. I don't normally join forums. Am very private and guarded by nature but am ready to lay this out because it is time to get answers. I really appreciate the "everyone goes at their own rate" atmosphere here. It only makes sense. Our genetics are different, our brains are different and our experiences (environment) are different. I like to make my own decisions but would be stupid not to take the advice into consideration from folks who have or are also living it. I really just want to be rested, but have energy, and mostly...just have fun again. It has been awhile. 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 August 10, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 10, 2012 Welcome, areyouthere, thanks for joining our community. Well, you're planning ahead, aren't you? Look around, get comfortable, ask questions. There's a lot of info about non-drug strategies in the Symptoms and Self-Care forum that might interest you. 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
xDebbiejo Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Welcome to the forum Areyouthere You'll sure get help and advice on this forum Wishing you healing Debbie x 17 years on seroxat/paxil CT off - thought I was dying luckily found this site. 21st May 2012 12mg seroxat Stable - Tapered Diazepam slowish.1st June 10mg Seroxat 2nd June 1mg Diazepam.15th June 9mg seroxat 2nd July Changed to 2.5[ml liquid diazepam]2mg=5ml. 16th July 2ml Liquid Diazepam 2nd August 8mg/4ml Seroxat/Paxil 2nd August 1.5 ml Diazepam 18th Aug 2012 1ml Diazepam 1st - 5th Sept 0.5 Diazepam Free! 13th Oct 7mg/3.5ml seroxat - 26 Jan 2013 3.25ml/6.5mg-Mar 3ml-April 2.7ml-May 2.5ml 01/07/14 very slow taper over the last year now on 0.5 ml of liquid Seroxat ......November 14 Seroat Free!!!!!!! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 16, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 16, 2012 So, areyouthere, have you decided to taper? See Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram) 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 20, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 20, 2012 Yes. I have decided to taper. I am going to taper the lexapro first. I started tapering a week ago today using a high- tech method of a walgreens nail file & filing off some pills. ... The reduction is small and I haven't noticed much for symptoms. I can be more specific regarding quantitative data as soon as I get a higher quality electronic scale. I have access to one. I'll keep you posted. 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 August 25, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 25, 2012 areyouthere, I moved your excellent post on reducing anxiety to the Symptoms forum as a topic on its own. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 28, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 28, 2012 Were I you, I'd stabilize on the dose of lexapro you are on now (how is that going?, with insomnia, etc.), and then go after the benzos as you have so much xanax in your system. This as long as there are no noxious side effects from other drugs. I would have to say good with a little hesitation. The insomnia is better & the night sweats are better. I am having some issues with concentration. It is like I don't have mental stamina but I don't know if it is the 8% reduction ( started 9/13) or the change in job which is extremely stressful right now. Likely it is both? I'm going to ride it out and just pray I can get through it. I have headaches but not the normal ones. More like a tense feeling in my head but not really painful like a regular "tension" headache. Ibupropen doesn't really help. I would not say that I am stable with the 8% reduction yet because of the concentration and also I'm a bit more emotional than usual ( tears flow easily...I doubt myself that I can handle this job change when really with some extra effort yet at the same time relaxing I should) . When does one become "stable" and what does that mean exactly? Does the fact that insomnia and nigh sweats are better mean that I am moving in that direction? I'm going to copy and paste this into my intro. section so please respond there to this. Thanks 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 August 28, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 28, 2012 How much Lexapro are you taking now? It could be your nervous system is still recovering from when you made that too-big decrease before. I highly recommend using the liquid to taper rather than the less exact nailfile method. You may be too sensitive for 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 28, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 28, 2012 Well.... I'm taking 24 mg (in weight) of what I THINK is a 30mg tablet. I don't have a full tablet to measure. I have some crushed up in a powder and it has crossed my mind that I could add a couple of mg to my dosage. What do you think? Or should I really try to tough it out? Tomorrow will be a busy day but after that I have 5 days off. Things won't really get tough at work as far as me having to be on my game ( I mean REALLY ON MY GAME) for 7 more days ( 9/ 5) . But I really have to have it together by then. Does reinstating a little bit have adverse side effects of its own? I mean other than having to slow it down? Does reinstating a little bit "hurt" my nervous system? 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
Moderator Emeritus Skyler Posted August 29, 2012 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 29, 2012 Reposted again below.. sorry, had the wrong screen and originally posted in the benzo section.. I would have to say good with a little hesitation. The insomnia is better & the night sweats are better. I have headaches but not the normal ones. More like a tense feeling in my head but not really painful like a regular "tension" headache. When does one become "stable" and what does that mean exactly? Does the fact that insomnia and nigh sweats are better mean that I am moving in that direction? Glad to hear you are sleeping better and the sweats are less. The headaches sound like a withdrawal issue as your description fits what the way I've heard a withdrawal headache sound. The fact other symptoms are better is good, but you are not stable.. getting so means the symptoms are reduced as much as can be reasonably expected as seen with a couple of month hold, or better yet.. gone. I can't tell how long you have been holding now.. maybe 8/13 as opposed to 9/13? The good news about the benzo taper is you may be able to cut the dose by as much as 25% a month on the upper levels (think above 2 mgs for now). You will need to be cautious but there is something that has been referred to as 'saturation' with benzos, they are not as effective at higher doses, so many find it possible to reduce faster. That said, you will need to dose at least QID, and I think Rhi did every 3 hours (not sure how she managed sleep?), so if you crossed over to diazepam for part, it should make it more convenient to taper. Hope you get some good zzzzzzzs tonight. As always, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! A proud supporter of the 10% (or slower) rule. Requip - 3/16 ZERO Total time on 25 years. Lyrica: 8/15 ZERO Total time on 7 or 8 yrs.BENZO FREE 10/13 (started tapering 7/10) Total time on 25 years. Read my intro thread here, and check the about me section. "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 29, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 29, 2012 The fact other symptoms are better is good, but you are not stable.. getting so means the symptoms are reduced as much as can be reasonably expected as seen with a couple of month hold, or better yet.. gone. ok. I get that. Thanks.I can't tell how long you have been holding now.. Sorry. I started my taper on 8/13... just 15 days ago. I was a little inconsistent at first but have FOR sure been taking 24 mg ( in weight) for 3 days. I started out tapering a bit more than that , I'd guess around 10%. The good news about the benzo taper is you may be able to cut the dose by as much as 25% a month on the upper levels (think above 2 mgs for now). You will need to be cautious but there is something that has been referred to as 'saturation' with benzos, they are not as effective at higher doses, so many find it possible to reduce faster. That said, you will need to dose at least QID, and I think Rhi did every 3 hours (not sure how she managed sleep?), so if you crossed over to diazepam for part, it should make it more convenient to taper. yeah, I totally don't get this but don't worry about trying to explain it. I'm no where near that yet. Hope you get some good zzzzzzzs tonight. Me too. I really don't think that sleep will be a problem because of how busy I am ...which is why I wanted to try to taper now .I am hoping I can manage an 8 % taper and it's accompanying WD without having to dwell on it. We shall see. 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 August 29, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 29, 2012 RUthere, it's too confusing for me to tell you how to fix your partial-tablet problem. Ask your pharmacist how much ONE tablet of the same dosage and manufacturer weighs. Report back here. How are you with percentages? 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 29, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 29, 2012 I'm good with percentages.. Have been able to follow the logic I've read here. I just called a pharmacist. This is unfortunate. He gets .253 g for a whole tablet. Ok. I just mangaed to get 5 ,1/2 tablets cut with a pill cutter.. I weighed each half a tab. , added them up and divided by 5...got .126 g rounded to .13 take that X 2 = .26 g or per whole tablet...... I'm not that far off for the weight of a whole tablet. I AM consistently taking .24 g from a .26 g pill using my scale. So at least I am taking a consistent dosage and it's a pretty small taper...that is a good thing. I feel confident and good about that. I think I'll maintain here. I'll keep taking .24 g using my scale. Lord. I'll work on it. I have to think it through. The best thing for me to do now is to hold at .24 g until things settle down ( everything..life, job, WD etc) and then cut .02 more g. get stable stable...use this method until I'm down to 3/4 os a tablet and switch to a better method..... LIQUID!!! I realize this will not be an ideal situation.... but I just can't think of an alternative?? ps I can see why you were confused. Sorry about that and thanks for sticking with me. 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 August 29, 2012 Administrator Share Posted August 29, 2012 If you're taking 24mg of a whole 26mg tablet (cutting with a pill cutter can be inexact), your reduction is 9.2%. If this is tolerable, you might want to proceed at the same pace monthly. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 30, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 30, 2012 I just cut and pasted this here to remember. Not that memory is a problem. PS: Although I will personally continue with my multi-micro-taper, I'm beginning to think that a more viable option for many people-- which would confer most of the benefits of the multi-drug taper--is to focus on reducing doses of one drug at a time. In other words, taper one med down to 3/4 or 2/3 or half the original dose; then taper another one; then another one; then go back to the first one and reduce it more; et cetera. This way you're still only tapering one at a time, but you're also reducing the full load together as a mixture, rather than forcing your brain to adapt to a complete transition off one drug entirely. I really think it's easier for the system to adapt this way. Quick/ short update. Tuesday was the most difficult day this week. Got shaky in the afternoon, emotional etc. Yesterday was a bit better although several times the tears welled up...but I kept it under control. Monday was ok, but I took what amounted to a bit ( 1/4 of a 1 mg. tablet) over 2 mg xanax and so came home exhausted and slept for 3 hours. That's one of my challenges. I usually start a school year pretty rested and refreshed and although I got plenty of rest "refreshed" isn't a part of the picture this Fall. One of those nights I slept fitfully from midnight to 5 am. Weird dreams. Vivid. The kind that would scare the crap out of a "normal" person but when I was on serzone years ago I had weird dreams so......... I understand that I have many variables right now. My schedule is changing to a regular wake up and take my meds at the exact same time type deal rather than sleeping until 8- 9 to bed at 10:00- 11:00. My job has changed. This year is the first year I really noticed that my body was having a very difficult time adjusting from school schedule to summer schedule. It took until mid August or so to feel what I would call "stable" from the school trauma / emotion and begin to enjoy the little things. I really was frickin' exhausted all summer. Of course July's heat didn't help , the anticipation of a new job etc. but whatever. It was this difficulty to returning to "normalcy" that prompted me to search for answers and eventually finding this ( Truly a God send) forum. We are still working on all of our options if things fall apart and I just can't teach. I've been keeping my union rep. updated, we have an appointment with a counselor with the State's teacher retirement pension fund mid September. I though this would be short and sweet but I guess not. I'll look back at it one day and see how disjointed it is. It is hard to articulate in a logical, chronological way when an experience is so disjointed and I'm in the moment. Good thing this isn't a rough copy of a paper I needed to turn in. It would be hell to fix it. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 31, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 31, 2012 Just posting "words of Wisdom" that strike me to reference & read through for encouragement as I continue my own journey. These drugs have strong effects on the endocrine system with cortisol effects being the most apparent during withdrawal. The system is resetting, trying to find homeostasis. I keep telling myself "if I THINK I'm going crazy, I'm probably NOT." Withdrawal is a huge challenge but one fact is constant.. we bring who we are into the battle. ~S 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted August 31, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 31, 2012 Maybe bookmark this for when you are ready to taper, or printout a copy to tuck away. DONE!! I think you would be best to cut back to 2 mgs of Xanax before you cross taper Intellectually I get this. and you may be able to do this before you talk to your doc. Hope this helps a little. It helps a lot! Since I am seeing him in Nov. this will be impossible for me. I won't even attempt it. But your comments/ recommendations theories ( benzo ____________ means it is likely not as effective at higher doses etc.) about getting down from 4 to 2 mg. is encouraging. It is difficult for me to believe.... because I experience inter dose withdrawl at times but I trust it. Also, Brandy's ( good call) observation that I have prep work to do before I start as in spacing out the doses of xanax.... I've taken to heart. A framework is coming together for me. I'm going to cut/ paste this in my intro journal. Memory and all... 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
Moderator Emeritus Skyler Posted August 31, 2012 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 31, 2012 It helps a lot! Since I am seeing him in Nov. this will be impossible for me. I won't even attempt it. But your comments/ recommendations theories ( benzo ____________ means it is likely not as effective at higher doses etc.) about getting down from 4 to 2 mg. is encouraging. It is difficult for me to believe.... because I experience inter dose withdrawl at times but I trust it. Also, Brandy's ( good call) observation that I have prep work to do before I start as in spacing out the doses of xanax.... I've taken to heart. A framework is coming together for me. I'm going to cut/ paste this in my intro journal. Memory and all... I don't think ADs act like this as often.. what the saturation part means is people often end up taking more benzos than the body can actually use. So it may be easier to lower your dose to 2 mgs.. not that this sort of cut should be made without reasonable caution. and you may be able to do this before you talk to your doc. Hope this helps a little. Since I am seeing him in Nov. this will be impossible for me. I won't even attempt it. You are right.. I was thinking is you would be taking a longer hold time before you start to taper (which I recommend).. so my consideration was more into the future. You need to get stable on Lexapro first. As always, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! A proud supporter of the 10% (or slower) rule. Requip - 3/16 ZERO Total time on 25 years. Lyrica: 8/15 ZERO Total time on 7 or 8 yrs.BENZO FREE 10/13 (started tapering 7/10) Total time on 25 years. Read my intro thread here, and check the about me section. "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 1, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 1, 2012 These ar just notes to self for future reference... to read through again when needed: FIRST: Taking medication at exactly the same time every day is crucial. In response to a query about experiencing symptoms and trying to determine "is it WD, is it my daily ( significant) stressors, is it WD, is it daily ( significant) stressors etc etc Sounds to me like your real-life anxiety set off some withdrawal symptoms. I'd keep stable on the current dose . Practicing those meditation and breathing techniques, doing things to soothe your mind might be a good idea right now. You need to take care of yourself, especially if you're feeling vulnerable to stress. Think hard about what you can trim back on, and make time for activities that are soothing or relaxing rather than stressful. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I can feel the 2.5% drop already - I had insomnia last night and feel anxious and jittery today. I suspect I wasn't fully stable from the 5% drop, but I was just so eager to hurry up and drop again that I did it anyway. If I stay at the current dose for a long time (6 months?) is it possible my nervous system will become less sensitive and subsequent drops will be easier? Response to above: Yes, it's possible. You may not have to wait 6 months, it could be 2.5mg once a month is the rate your body can handle. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Btw, has anyone heard of the sliding taper method? The idea is you drop 2.5% per week for four weeks, to a total of 10%, then hold for 3-6 weeks? It's supposed to be less of a shock to your brain than dropping 10% all at once. Response to above: We call that the micro-taper. The idea is you make smaller decreases more often. BUT -- don't go faster than your nervous system allows! If you get withdrawal symptoms when you make a 2.5% taper, it may not be micro enough for your nervous system. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ I think I have noticed two distinct phases of w/d (even after reinstatement). The anxiety phase has nerve burning, teeth chattering, feeling energized and motivated but more anxious. The depressive phase has less nerve/teeth chatter, but more fatigue and less motivated. If I'm having these waves I assume I'm not really stable, so it's best to wait until I feel normal before attempting to taper again? response to above: If those symptoms are lasting more than a few days after each decrease, you're tapering too fast. You may need to back up a little bit, stabilize, and taper with smaller decrements. I've been reading Claire Weekes' books, which have been excellent in helping me cope. I've also been practicing mindfulness based stress reduction, CBT and I've been exercising more. Although I've discovered too much exercise makes me worse, so I can really only manage to walk, but it's better than nothing. I'm going to try "forest bathing" today to see if that helps too. People often use Benadryl for sleep when withdrawing. The only problem is the effect can wear off and go paradoxical -- the Benadryl will keep you awake instead. So use it sparingly if you can. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 1, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 1, 2012 I would feel so much better if you would please send a note toIreland MindFreedomand see if they can recommend a doctor to keep an eye on you. I don't think their concern stops at the border. This website is very interesting...... read it. 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 September 1, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 1, 2012 RUthere -- you can respond in other people's topics if you wish, too. Yes, MindFreedom Ireland is a very dynamic group, led by a wonderful woman. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 1, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 1, 2012 doctor about this possibility .... as I am I am currently tapering the Lexapro I won't be doing that anytime soon. I'd like to get back down to 10 mg/ lex ( I am thinking I will just stay there for a long time) and then deal with the Wellbutrin and xanax. I really would like to get the xanax down to 2 mg or an equivalent or SOMETHING! Anyway, I am anticipating a discussion with the doc. and want to be prepared if he suggests crossing to something else. I want to be informed . What might he suggest as another drug for a cross over and what should I be ready with in terms of a response. Should I really push the diazepam angle if he bucks it? I helped write a handout/guide you can take to your doctor.. it's kind of a nuts and bolts thing. You might want to take a look.. It's on a Facebook advocacy page Benzo Beware. This is a good resource for the xanax taper. read it. Maybe bookmark this for when you are ready to taper, or printout a copy to tuck away. I think you would be best to cut back to 2 mgs of Xanax before you cross taper and you may be able to do this before you talk to your doc. Hope this helps a little. 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 September 1, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 1, 2012 Schuyler, if you write such a thing, please also post it here in our benzo area. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 2, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2012 Have been tapering since the 13th... rough at first so being more consistent ( for just a week) at a 9.2 % cut. I am still experiencing what I think are WD symptoms .. some distorted vision mostly.... my sight just doesn't keep up with a turn of the head. Not really a problem or disturbing but definitely something I've never experienced before so I think I can legitimately and confidently call it a WD symptom. .... Woke up a few times last night but managed to fall back asleep. No night sweats or anxiety upon waking..just plain woke up. A little tightness in my chest in the afternoon.... this is pretty consistent but I don't know if it is WD or related to my anxiety of starting school on Tuesday. Next week will be a real test. Wish me luck. I think that if I can get through the next two weeks without a meltdown I MIGHT have a good chance in championing this challenge of new job. I don't expect to make it the whole year but getting to the end of a trimester would be a victory. But, alas, I am realistic and if I fall apart next week... well so be it. They will just have to keep waiting for Superman..... 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 September 2, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 2, 2012 You may wish to decrease by a smaller amount. Don't be too proud or stubborn to do this! 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 2, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2012 What are you suggesting? 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 September 2, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 2, 2012 How about a 2.5% cut? If you're decreasing every week, you'll want to taper by much, much smaller amounts than 10%. The 10% method is supposed to start with 10% reductions per MONTH. Please read this http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ If you've found you need to stick to taking your medication at exactly the same time every day, it's a sign your system is feeling the changes and has become sensitive to them. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 2, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2012 How about a 2.5% cut? If you're decreasing every week, you'll want to taper by much, much smaller amounts than 10%. The 10% method is supposed to start with 10% reductions per MONTH. Please read this http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ If you've found you need to stick to taking your medication at exactly the same time every day, it's a sign your system is feeling the changes and has become sensitive to them. Alto.... I am by no means going to decrease every week!! By using my imprecise method of using the nail file I had STARTED at a larger cut ... 20 "swipes" of my nail file pretty much immediately resulted in night sweats, some tremors, head squeezing feeling ( never got brain zaps) difficulty sustaining concentration etc so I went to my much, much more **insert sarcasm** precise method of , you know , swiping let's say 5 more from the ones I had only swiped 10 times so that would accurately , without question be the same dose per day of " 15 swipes per pill. Well as it turned out, I wasn't too far off from taking a consistent dose per day since the 16th. Once I got ahold of a digital scale I know I've been taking a ( ok.. "pretty" equal dosage) of .24 g of a .26 g ( by weight) 20 mg tablet. starting about the 16th of August and I will stay at that dosage likely through September. So: August 13th started 20 swipes. Symptoms right away so after 3 days increased dose a tiny, tiny bit by...... ... starting to take pills swiped 15 times from August 16th - August 28th at which time I got my hands on a digital scale and weighed them. Staring August 28th I WEIGHED each pill and selected the ones that were 24 g .... and have been taking them until now. As it turned out, my imprecise method wasn't too far off. So I have consistently been taking 24 g of a 26 g , 20 mg tablet of Lexapro FOR SURE since the 28th ( and except for a few day's dosage since the 16th) and l plan to stay on that through September or until I truly feel as if I'm stable and I will HOLD for an additional month.. I haven't found that I need to stick to taking the meds at the same time every day. I look forward to it in order to reduce that variable. Does that make sense? I was HOPING you weren't going to say to go back to the full dose of 20 mg because my gut is telling me that yes, my body is adjusting to a 9.2 % cut ( more or less by a tiny bit admittedly) but no I don't need to reinstate. I agree with you, once I get stable on this dose and I realize it may take longer because of the inaccuracy of it, I'm going to slow it down even more. Like 12 swipes. KIDDING ps yes I know I can get the liquid and I will once I am down to 15 mg. Until then I will use the digital scale...... even though it makes me feel like a drug dealer and really that is not a very good example for young people... 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 September 2, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 2, 2012 Ow! All that swiping hurt my brain. (I think you mean mg rather than g, correct?) No, it's up to you to judge if your withdrawal symptoms are manageable. It's a good sign if they go away after a few days, but if they hang around, you'll want to make those decrements smaller (fewer swipes). Holding at a dosage for a little longer can smooth out whatever after-effects those initial rough decrease might have had. 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 2, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2012 (I think you mean mg rather than g, correct?) Yes either that or you could put an "imaginary" decimal point in there. I am in TRRRROOOUBBBLLLLEEEEEE!!! 18 years teaching Bio and now chem/phys ( although at a basic level) . No. I'm not anxious. Why SHOULD I BE???????? 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 2, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2012 WINDOWS AND WAVES ie GOOD DAYS AND BAD explained. You have your regular biological cycles, daily, monthly, seasonally, etc. And then there are the waves from withdrawal syndrome. Withdrawal syndrome can exacerbate some normal cycles, ex. early morning cortisol, menstrual symptoms, or seasonal sadness. Waves from withdrawal syndrome can also come out of the blue and have no apparent relationship to any other biological pattern. It's all waves and windows, Nickie, so don't get discouraged if you feel bad again. The windows get longer and the waves get weaker until, one day, you can say you feel normal. Waves mean your nervous system is struggling to heal. It moves in the right direction for a bit, then falls back a bit. This is normal. You can view the "better" part of the wave as when your nervous system is finding its balance. These periods will get more longer and more frequent as time goes on. See the other topics in Symptoms for more information about waves. 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 Karma Posted September 2, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 2, 2012 This is Off Topic, but since you will be teaching chemistry and physics this school year, have you seen this web site? http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ or http://www.stevespangler.com/ This guy makes science fun ... maybe if you focus on making it fun you will feel less anxious. Steve Spangler does these experiments on the news show every now and then in the morning. My husband loves to watch him and often wants to try the experiments. From what I remember of chemistry and physics, his experiments are in that genre. Just offering a suggestion to try and give you something concrete to set aside the anxiety. Love and light, Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 3, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 3, 2012 This is Off Topic, but since you will be teaching chemistry and physics this school year, have you seen this web site? http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/ or http://www.stevespangler.com/ This guy makes science fun ... maybe if you focus on making it fun you will feel less anxious. Steve Spangler does these experiments on the news show every now and then in the morning. My husband loves to watch him and often wants to try the experiments. From what I remember of chemistry and physics, his experiments are in that genre. Just offering a suggestion to try and give you something concrete to set aside the anxiety. Love and light, Karma Great suggestion Karma and just along the lines that I have been thinking. Yes. I am familiar with Spangler..and have acually ordered supplies form him for an after school science club which I did thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for the reminder though... he has simple things I could order for demos. Actually, just you mentioning "having fun" resonates quite strongly with me. I hadn't really been aware of it, but that is exactly the way my mind set has been changing ever since the decision to retire at Christmas. It takes quite a bit of stress off. My colleagues are excellent teachers... and very helpful. I will have little problem with planning... it is all laid out and we will rotate resources. The labs are all laid out. The worksheets are all finished ... we will take turns running enough off for each other .The flip side to that simplicity is that I am used to having control and being planned out weeks and even months ahead but I'll just have to let that go and trust that my natural instincts and skills as a teacher will serve me well. I will have to control any anxiety , trust in my bag of tricks ( and of course I have been studying up, have power points ready etc etc..) and focus on just enjoying the moment, the day, the students whom I always wind up loving. I have little demos, activities etc. that I've accumulated over the years and are meant to simply get the students to DO science and I'll stick that stuff in when I need to fill in time . I'm relieved that for the first time I will not have to worry about meeting any "standards" OR learn names!!! We switch students every trimester. !! BONUS!! I'll just call everyone Jack and Jane and Abdulahi and Frank and Akisha. Well I'll just stick with Jack and Jane. Class sizes are small..nothing over33. I do NOT have honors kids ( good thing...what could I teach THEM? Ehh?) and I DO have a SPED class of 18 but it is co taught. BONUS. So as you can see, I am optimistic and hopeful that I can FUN and teach a little something. SOME of that will depend on ME and some of that will depend on MY STUDENTS but I am hopeful Thanks for reminding me of crazy Spengler. He does some awesome things! 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 Karma Posted September 3, 2012 Administrator Share Posted September 3, 2012 I will have to control any anxiety , trust in my bag of tricks ( and of course I have been studying up, have power points ready etc etc..) and focus on just enjoying the moment, the day, the students whom I always wind up loving. This sounds like a great plan - trust yourself and focus on enjoying the moment! I think your going to make it just fine! 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 3, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 3, 2012 note to self.... Read this thread.... look in to the resources http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/207-icarus-project-harm-reduction-guide-to-coming-off-psychiatric-drugs/ 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
Moderator Emeritus areyouthere Posted September 10, 2012 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 10, 2012 Just checking in. So I have my first week of teaching under my belt. It's gone as well as I expected . Let's talk about stability emotionally about this job change. I don't feel stable emotionally because I don't feel truly confident in my personal goal to teach through December, possibly into January to retire. My question to you folks.... would you risk a small drop in lexapro in another month? I would really like to get a head of this tapering. I had side effects from the 9% drop. They are still around ... a bit. I haven't had any sleeping problems or brain fog problems AT ALL in the last week. Anxiety is gone. I had one afternoon last week where I got some shaking in my hand... holding a pencil and writing a straight line was difficult. Actually, that is a pretty consistent problem lately... and new. I'm not sure if it is from WD or if I am literally so nervous and uptight that it is difficult. I've always had a steady hand before. Weird. What do you think? Have you ever heard of this as a WD symptom? Quick synopsis as of late: Aug. 13, 2012 began taper of 20mg of Lx. at an inconsistent (but small) amt 10% ?. Within 4 days had some night sweats, nausea once in the middle of the night, "headaches" more like a tight head, maybe a TOTAL of 6 nights where I didn't sleep all night. Messed with the dosage a bit until: 8/29 using a digital scale began to consistently take what amts. to a 9.2% cut. Thinking about as small a drop as I can get with the digital scale. Hold for a month at the dosage I am on and then try a 5% cut? 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
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