☼ ChessieCat: so I'm not the only one (Pristiq / desvenlafaxine)

[ChessieCat]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone who has wished me well.  It was lovely to be able to share my zero day with the SA members.  Especially since I didn't have anyone in real life to share the big day with.

 

Zero Update:  After I posted that I had stopped Pristiq, I decided that I would wait for 4 weeks until I posted again.  And today is the day.

 

At no time during the last 4 weeks have I even considered whether I did the right thing or not when I jumped to zero.  No time have I thought that I might need to take a teeny tiny dose.  I think that says a lot.  But I have not yet thrown out my left over capsules, just in case.  That day will happen, but not yet.

 

Because of the way my taper ended, with me deciding to wait until after I had settled into my new low carb diet, it was a non-event when it happened.  Of course my focus had been changed to my health challenge - diabetes.  After I stopped the Pristiq it wasn't until a few evenings later that I thought oh, that's right I don't need to take my dose.  Because I take a blood pressure tablet and some other supplements in the morning I didn't even think about the morning dose.  I did remember every now and then and think oh, I'm not taking it any more, or oh I am off/finished with that now.

 

Health Update: 

 

Weight loss:  6 kgs / 13.25 lbs (which is almost 1 stone!) 

 

And I have not gone hungry. 

 

Weight loss has slowed but that is not unusual.  I have noticed that some areas of my body are changing and trousers that would not have been comfortable on before are now looser.  Thankfully (due to Covid lockdown) I never got rid of the trousers that didn't fit, so I am hoping that there might be some in that pile that I can make use off.  When I see the doctor for my blood test results I am planning on wearing some close (not tight) fitting clothes.  Part of me thinks/hopes she will say something really positive about it but the other part of me is preparing for her to not say anything positive and that she might actually be very reserved and be cautious about what she says, especially if she thinks I have starved myself and done huge amounts of exercise to reach it.  If she thinks this way, then she will probably be assuming that I will put it all back on again, and possibly even more.

 

And I can now wear my newest really nice bras, which become uncomfortable not long after I bought them.  I also have some older really nice bras which I had hardly worn which will probably fit nicely again.

 

Stomach:  I have lost 1 inch from around my stomach measured at the  bell button / navel.

 

This week I will be seeing my physiotherapist for a full assessment; I've never had one because I only saw a physio when I had issues.  I want to check to make sure that I am doing all the necessary exercises/stretches/weights for the various parts of my body.

 

Thankfully I have been finding a lot of foods to eat and recipes that I like, even creating a few of my own.  I'm thinking of buying a chef's hat!  I've managed to make a lot of meals to freeze the main item.  Beef bolognaise and cook up garlic zucchini, beef stroganoff with (frozen) cauliflower and broccoli, chicken and mushroom with (frozen) brussel sprouts and cauliflower.  My latest creation is beef marinated in garlic and soy to which I added a cream cheese sauce.  I am going to try it was (frozen) baby green beans and cauliflower.  Each of those recipes makes 5 portions so I have one fresh and freeze 4.

 

I also decided that I didn't like the fresh (frozen) salmon, which I tried hot and also refrigerated after cooking.  But I did manage to find a recipe for baked salmon cakes which I like.  I have it with avocado, tomato, cucumber, red capsicum (bell pepper), red onion, chopped up baby spinach with tzatziki dip mixed through.

 

Earlier this week the grocery store had Lindt 95% cocoa chocolate on special at 1/3 off.  I went in to buy 12 bars, then thought I would buy 24 bars, then realised how much that was going to cost, so I settled on 18.  When I eat it I only have 1 square after a meal, and I break it into pieces.  It is enough.  At 1 square per day I have 6 months' worth!

 

So I now have 4 "desserts" for when I feel like something after a meal.  Chocolate, a teaspoon of tahini, 1 tablespoon of pure peanut butter, and raw nuts (walnuts, pecans, macadamia and cashews).  The only drinks I consume are tap water, coffee with a small amount of soy milk (I prefer the taste), sparkling plain mineral water, and sometimes I will suck on 1/2 dozen plain ice cubes (not all at once though!)

 

Although I didn't plan it this way, I have gradually been throwing out the high carb and processed foods.  It is so nice to go to the freezer and see that the majority of the food is low carb.  And one day when I was about to go grocery shopping I realised it was because my fridge vegetable drawer was nearly empty!  Whereas before it was almost always nearly empty because I wasn't buying much fresh produce.

 

I have heard it said many times during my life that when you go grocery shopping you should buy most of your products from the outside sections of the shop.  And that is what I am now doing.  I find it funny going into the middle aisles to buy ingredients and non food items, walking past the mass of food items the majority of which are high in sugar and carbs and/or highly processed.

 

The one thing that I have found really strange is knowing that I can eat fat and salt.  I grew up during the time when the low fat diet was being touted so it is not really surprising.  When they reduce the fat in a food they increase the sugar to make it palatable.  Oh and the other thing I find strange is not worrying about calories, or even the amount that I eat.

 

When I first started using more cheese I got a bit carried away with it and ended up a bit constipated, but then found out that chia seeds with plenty of water (otherwise they can do the opposite) do not raise the blood sugar and work very well for that problem.

[SeekingAnswers]

1 hour ago, ChessieCat said:

At no time during the last 4 weeks have I even considered whether I did the right thing or not when I jumped to zero.  No time have I thought that I might need to take a teeny tiny dose.  I think that says a lot. 

This is such wonderful news, ChessieCat! Thank you for updating us! Great to hear about your healthful eating habits, too! Happy Holidays!

[Tattycorum]

This is so wonderful. I can really relate to your low carb journey. I first switched in 2001 after having been raised and then lived my life believing in low fat. My health has been much better as a result. I hope yours continues in that direction and that your doctor is supportive. And congratulations on finishing your taper!

[hayduke]

On 12/11/2021 at 11:20 AM, ChessieCat said:

At no time during the last 4 weeks have I even considered whether I did the right thing or not when I jumped to zero.  No time have I thought that I might need to take a teeny tiny dose.  I think that says a lot.  But I have not yet thrown out my left over capsules, just in case.  That day will happen, but not yet.

 

That's so good to hear.  I've not had a moment where I felt it might help either.  I held off binning the leftovers for a while but the day dawned two or three weeks ago when I wanted it out of the house!  Cleaning and tidying is rarely such a pleasure.

 

How good is it going ok I'm ready to sleep now and just turning out the light

[Faure]

This all sounds so positive Chessiecat, I'm very happy for you 🙂

[ChessieCat]

Once again, thank you SA members.

 

I just found this post and wanted to include it here for my own record

 

This was 2 years after I started tapering Pristiq, dose 18mg, starting dose 100mg:

 

On 10/27/2017 at 11:52 AM, ChessieCat said:

I noticed that recently I have begun singing out loud again, but this was something that I haven't done for a long while.  I just didn't have the mental energy to do it.  Same with laughing.  During the process of lowering my dose I have gone from not finding things funny, to thinking that something is funny, then added a very small smile but couldn't laugh, then a small laugh and now I laugh out loud.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2021 by ChessieCat

[Faure]

5 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

I noticed that recently I have begun singing out loud again, but this was something that I haven't done for a long while.  I

I had a day that like a while ago! Not had another one, but I enjoyed that singing session🙂🎶

[HealthHopeHappiness]

Hi Chessie, I was having a read through your thread and saw you had issues with leg muscle tightness and lifting your feet when walking. I just wondered if this resolved for you and how long it took? This remains one of my worst symptoms. Hope you are having better days now. 

[nz11]

Hi Chessie,

So amazing you have broken free and gone to ZERO!

Wow! Sending a huge congratulations and hugs from across the ditch to you.

You have done a Brassmonkey for sure. There are now 2 people to choose from for the  poster taper-er  for safe tapering. 

Well done on making it to the other side.

Wishing you all the best for the drug free years to come.

Best wishes.

nz11

p.s. dont worry , no my account has not been hacked! hehehe 

 

[ShiningLight]

Yassssss!!!!! Congratulations. This is amazing and so wonderful to hear. Thank you for giving me hope. ❤️

[UnusualRoom]

On 10/31/2015 at 3:19 AM, Fresh said:

 

No amount of CBT will relieve the withdrawal symptoms.

 

This is kind of discouraging and scary for me. I started doing CBT recently with the therapist to get through this, and saw it suggested by other moderators/users as beneficial.

 

Is doing CBT not worth it?

[ChessieCat]

@UnusualRoom

 

CBT will not reduce withdrawal symptoms per se.  What CBT does is to help you manage your thought processes which in turn can help with how your respond (instead of reacting) to your withdrawal symptoms and helps you to cope better with them.  And it does work.  I was very thankful that I had learned CBT before my withdrawal issues and they were also very useful when I hurt my back last year.

 

I renamed Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Change Bad Thinking, which is actually along the lines of reframing.  Another term is "stinking thinking".

 

We have two different ways of thinking about things.  Emotional is how we feel which is subjective.  Factual is what is actually happening which is objective.

 

So instead of saying "this will never end" you state the fact that you are currently feeling a particular way but then you add but hopefully tomorrow I might feel a bit better.

 

It is also better to compare how you are feeling now with how you felt at your worse, not how you felt at your best or how you wish you felt.

 

See: 

 

acceptance-and-hope

 

mindfulness-and-acceptance

[UnusualRoom]

7 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

@UnusualRoom

 

CBT will not reduce withdrawal symptoms per se.  What CBT does is to help you manage your thought processes which in turn can help with how your respond (instead of reacting) to your withdrawal symptoms and helps you to cope better with them.  And it does work.  I was very thankful that I had learned CBT before my withdrawal issues and they were also very useful when I hurt my back last year.

 

I renamed Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Change Bad Thinking, which is actually along the lines of reframing.  Another term is "stinking thinking".

 

We have two different ways of thinking about things.  Emotional is how we feel which is subjective.  Factual is what is actually happening which is objective.

 

So instead of saying "this will never end" you state the fact that you are currently feeling a particular way but then you add but hopefully tomorrow I might feel a bit better.

 

It is also better to compare how you are feeling now with how you felt at your worse, not how you felt at your best or how you wish you felt.

 

See: 

 

acceptance-and-hope

 

mindfulness-and-acceptance

 

Alright, this makes a lot of sense. One thing I've struggled with learning CBT is that I thought the concept was to almost "trick' ourselves into believing something bad isn't happening, and this is a much more realistic approach. 

[Happy2Heal]

3 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

@UnusualRoom

 

CBT will not reduce withdrawal symptoms per se.  What CBT does is to help you manage your thought processes which in turn can help with how your respond (instead of reacting) to your withdrawal symptoms and helps you to cope better with them.  And it does work.  I was very thankful that I had learned CBT before my withdrawal issues and they were also very useful when I hurt my back last year.

 

I renamed Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Change Bad Thinking, which is actually along the lines of reframing.  Another term is "stinking thinking".

 

We have two different ways of thinking about things.  Emotional is how we feel which is subjective.  Factual is what is actually happening which is objective.

 

So instead of saying "this will never end" you state the fact that you are currently feeling a particular way but then you add but hopefully tomorrow I might feel a bit better.

 

It is also better to compare how you are feeling now with how you felt at your worse, not how you felt at your best or how you wish you felt.

 

See: 

 

acceptance-and-hope

 

mindfulness-and-acceptance

best explanation I've ever read, with great examples, thanks! 

 

you could teach CBT

[ChessieCat]

On 12/26/2021 at 12:09 PM, Happy2Heal said:

you could teach CBT

 

I think I've already being doing quite a bit of that here on SA!

 

 

Post "0" Update:  Tomorrow is 8 weeks (I think) since my last Pristiq dose.  I haven't noticed anything that I would call withdrawal.People who have never taken an AD have ups and downs with the moods and feelings etc.  It is part of being human.  I tend to put things down to other possible causes before WD, so I might be experiencing some withdrawal and not realising that I am.

 

Exciting News about ADWD:  I saw my original family doctor (the one who knew I was tapering and allowed me to do it my own way) in the waiting room today when I went in for a blood test.  For anyone who doesn't know, I made the comment to him many years ago when I had started tapering that I realised that most people can probably get off their drug with no issues and he had slowly shaken is head and softly said "not many".

 

I was able to chat with him for a few minutes and told him that I was now off Pristiq, how I had done it (he knew I was getting the capsules compounded but I told him that I could make liquid from the contents) and how long it had taken.  He said wow 6 years and I just said I wanted to do it as carefully as I could.  I also told him that when I got to 10mg (starting dose 100mg) about 4 years ago that I started experiencing feelings of excitement.

 

Health Update:  As I mentioned above I had a blood test this morning.  I should get the results on Monday.  I mentioned to the patholgist (who I haven't seen before) that it was a follow up test after a diabetes diagnosis and that I had been low carb for 3 months and was excited to get the test results.  She is also on a low carb diet and has had good results.

 

When the doctor saw me this morning he was surprised at the weight I have lost:

 

7kgs / 14lbs / 1 stone

 

5cm / 2 inches from around my waist

 

blood pressure has reduced dramatically and I have halved my blood pressure tablets because I started experiencing a lot of fatigue, which came on gradually and was about 2 months into my change of diet so I knew it was not related to that, and I started getting dizzy when getting up off the floor after doing my pilates.  The fatigue has now gone and I don't get dizzy like I was doing.

[Frogie]

@ChessieCat

 

What a wonderful update!

 

Good luck with the test results!

[SeekingAnswers]

@ChessieCat I'm so happy for you!! 😃

[Heath]

Awesome Chessiecat!!👍

 

[Blossom71]

14 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

Exciting News about ADWD:  I saw my original family doctor (the one who knew I was tapering and allowed me to do it my own way) in the waiting room today when I went in for a blood test.  For anyone who doesn't know, I made the comment to him many years ago when I had started tapering that I realised that most people can probably get off their drug with no issues and he had slowly shaken is head and softly said "not many".

 

I was able to chat with him for a few minutes and told him that I was now off Pristiq, how I had done it (he knew I was getting the capsules compounded but I told him that I could make liquid from the contents) and how long it had taken.  He said wow 6 years and I just said I wanted to do it as carefully as I could.  I also told him that when I got to 10mg (starting dose 100mg) about 4 years ago that I started experiencing feelings of excitement.

 

Wow, that’s brilliant that you were able to show him that you’ve done it!!!

[RachelSusan]

So many good things.  Congratulations.

[ChessieCat]

Health update:

 

Very excited to share my fantastic news regarding my blood test results:

 

ALT (Liver function):  45 --> 28      (<30)

 

Total Cholesterol:      7.9 --> 6.0     (3.9 - 5.2 or 5.5)

Triglycerides:             3.0 --> 1.5     (0.5 - 1.7)

HDL:                           ? --> 1.0        (1.0 - 2.0)

LDL:                            5.4 --> 4.3       (1.5 - 3.4)

 

HbA1c - NGSP: 

7.0 (diagnosis beginning Oct 2021)

--> 6.4 (follow up after stopping sugar and processed foods for about 3 days)

--> 5.2       (4.0 - 6.0)

 

In a nutshell I have reversed my diabetes simply by changing what I eat!  And those results are after only three months of very low carb, no fasting (I eat 3 meals a day and as much as I want), and no drugs taken for cholesterol or diabetes.

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by ChessieCat
added previous LDL result

[Knosretep]

That's amazing! Well done @ChessieCat!

[Songbird]

@ChessieCat Great news with these latest updates!

 

@nz11 Nice to see you popping in!

[LarryS]

@ChessieCat  Just finished reading all your 25 pages of posting because I am aware of your successful taper.  I have learned that it is good to learn from those who have done what you want to do.

I also want to say thank you for the help that you have provided to me.

I also have some similar issues to what you have gone through. 

1.  I am pre-diabetic and need to learn more about how to eat correctly.  I have had to take over the responsibility of shopping and cooking meals, for about two years now.  I have just recently thought that I am becoming more comfortable about the cooking process.  I now have more control regarding what I buy and eat, therefor no excuses.

2.  I have constant low back pain and neck pain.  I'm in pain management with a specialist doctor.  Managing my pain has become part of my daily routine.

3.  You have well expressed the back-and-forth internal conversations we have with ourselves regarding the speed of tapering.  We all want to just get it over with.

 

Congratulations on obtaining zero Pristiq and making the changes necessary in your diet and exercise to get your health into a better state.

 

LarryS

 

[ChessieCat]

Once again, thank you to you all.

 

UPDATE:

 

I've just realised this morning that it is now 2 days past my 3 month post-0 "anniversary".  Probably missed it because I was busy that day and also because if have not been getting a lot of sleep over the last few weeks.

 

The sleep issue is not WD related, but due to a minor flare up of my bulging disc and the resulting discomfort.

 

I really don't think that I am getting any WD symptoms after stopping.  If I am, then they are very mild and because of everything else I don't noticed them.  It doesn't really bother me.  I've always been fairly blase about my symptoms, except the really bad ones which were very obviously a WD symptom.

 

As I've said before I am very thankful for the non drug coping skills I have learned.  They are very useful for using in "every day" life.

[Lilabella]

Dear @ChessieCat what a brilliant update. Sorry to hear about your back pain though. Glad to hear you aren't having withdrawal symptoms what a good advert for a slow careful taper. I look forward to the day I can post such a good update. 

[Knosretep]

Congrats again ChessieCat!  That's great to hear you haven't had any WD symptoms pop back up!

[Katieone]

On 9/12/2017 at 3:35 AM, ChessieCat said:

Well I'm a bit excited.  I've just been to the chemist to drop in my next lot of Pristiq tablets for compounding and after 7 weeks on 20mg I will recommence tapering in a few days.

 

My plan is to reduce by 1mg with 3 week holds until I reach 13mg.  From 13mg to 10mg inclusive I will reduce by 1mg with 4 week holds.

 

Once I get to 10mg I will reduce by 0.5mg with 3 week holds.  From 6mg to 5mg inclusive I will reduce by 0.5mg with 4 week holds.

 

I suppose after 5mg I will need to get 0.25mg capsules made up, but that's a way off yet so not worrying about that until later.

 

Obviously if I start getting symptoms I will need to hold for longer, but it's nice having a plan to start with.

Chessie cat, reading this resonates.  Thank you for your journey!!!!  I am from 20mg pixel to 10 mg the past six weeks and it has been going well, overall.  Just brain fog and some irritability.  Overall, very handle-able.  when I feel joy again, when I feel the urge again, I plan to find a compounding pharmacy (I think I know where one is) and do the last ten milligrams how you have outlined above.  Thanks for sharing, PIxillated!

[ChessieCat]

This came up on my Facebook memories this morning.

 

28 March 2015 - this was when I was still taking 100mg Pristiq, 7 months before I started trying to get off.

 

The part that I have bolded (today) indicates that I had been much worse prior to this.

 

Suggested reading:  Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Dr Peter Breggin.

 

Quote

 

Went to vote and got to the booth and nearly had a panic attack. Not joking. Just wanted to stand there and cry. Managed to pull myself together though, which shows how far I've come.

 

 

[hayduke]

24 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

Suggested reading:  Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Dr Peter Breggin.

That was the jolt I needed to look seriously at getting off these drugs too.  I remember reading it in bed at 4am on a 'school night' in shock at how bad the situation he described was.  I had been browbeaten into believing it was impossible to stop taking this, even though my body was falling apart from it, mind and heart dulled, and not much actual healing going on.  While reading I resolved to have a go at getting off, prompted me to come to SA.

Have to say at this stage I'm rather skeptical of his latest work on the pandemic, to put it mildly, but I will remember him as the man who ended frontal lobotomies and other such butchery in the west.  Grateful the book you listed exists.

Grats ChessieCat 🙂

[ChessieCat]

5 hours ago, hayduke said:

That was the jolt I needed to look seriously at getting off these drugs too.

 

Unfortunately I didn't know about that book until after I joined SA.  It was only through me feeling so awful and doing my own research on Pristiq side effects that I realised that I was experiencing mild serontinon syndrome.  And my goal when I came here was to get to 50mg and stay there, but I kept going once I became educated.

[ChessieCat]

Putting this here for my own information.

 

Lately I've sometimes been getting "night sweats".  I'm well past menopause so it's not that.  And it's not the heat either.  The interesting thing is that I don't actually get hot and then sweat.  It happens after I rouse up not feeling sweaty or hot and start thinking about things and then all of a sudden I feel my pores open and the perspiration starts to ooze especially on my face.  And I don't feel hot either.

 

I'm thinking that it's a cortisol spike.  So I just do some calm breathing and it seems to go fairly quickly.

[DazzlingCold]

On 9/27/2021 at 5:53 PM, ChessieCat said:

I'm now down to 0.02mg.  The end is nigh.

 

Here is my complete taper with my first day of 0mg being 23rd October 2021.

 

 

Congratulations! Are you feeling mostly good now or how are yoi feeling now being completely off meds?

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, DazzlingCold said:

Congratulations! Are you feeling mostly good now or how are yoi feeling now being completely off meds?

 

Thank you Dazzling Cold.

 

It's been 5 months now since I stopped Pristiq and I'm feeling good.

 

There are times when my mood is lower, but I do not attribute that to withdrawal, it is simply a normal part of life.

 

My tinnitus can sometimes be very noticeable and at other time barely there, but again I doubt that it is related to withdrawal.

 

I sometimes still get what I think are cortisol spikes but I think that is something that can happen to anyone who is a bit stressed.  I'm very thankful that I know what they are so I just try to relax and not add worry and anxiety into the mix.

[Rosetta]

I’m glad you are feeling so well.  Wow! You took charge of your life, tapered carefully, went to zero, and reversed diabetes!  Amazing!  Now you can live psych drug free and have normal emotions and friendships.  How wonderful for you! - Rosetta

[Ariel]

Hi ChessieCat,

 

You're wonderful. 

 

I so appreciate your voice here and am in awe of your generosity, wisdom, clarity, kindness. You help so many, including me. Thank you!

 

Gratitude and respect from your fan, 

A.