Moderator Emeritus SquirrellyGirl Posted November 17, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 17, 2015 I am curious to know if you felt better right away. I was off for 10 months when I reinstated 37.5 mg and felt amazingly better within an hour! SG Started ADs back around 1995 after bad break-up, starting with Prozac. Switched to Wellbutrin, and then to Effexor in 2002 Effexor XR 2002-2014 up to 225 mg at one point, down to 37.5 mg towards end but back up to 75 mg in 2014; now realize I had W/D as I dropped down, memory very poor about history. Extreme emotions, poor concentration as I stepped back down, didn't connect the dots! Summer 2014 reduced to 0 very quickly, was sick of anhedonia/sexual dysfunction due to meds, depression never controlled if not worse. Didn't recognize WD since symptoms built slowly (thought I had ADD! and menopausal on top of it), starting with severe sweats, very bad cog-fog and memory issues, culminating in weight loss, severe anxiety and depression, panic, severe apathy and insomnia by eight months off. Saw p-doc who put me on Remeron, increased from 7.5 mg/day to 37.5 mg by May 22, 2015; still doing very badly though able to sleep. June 1. 2015 Reinstated Effexor XR 37.5 mg, Remeron dropped to 30 mg PM. Immediate relief of symptoms, like nothing had ever happened! Joined SA and began on advice of friend who recognized it was WD all along! Began tapering in July 2015. Been tapering both meds ever since, focusing on one more than the other or doing no more than 5% of each per month. 12 mg Effexor and 5.8 mg Remeron (mirtazapine SolTabs to make a solution with OraPlus) as of 5/4/2017 Update 3/14/18: 2.9 mg Remeron and 6 mg Effexor; 6/10/18: 2.6 mg Remeron and 4.9 mg Effexor My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9313-squirrellygirl-effexor-withdrawal-etc/page-2#entry196679 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment
Austin Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Yeah, most of my dizziness, nausea, etc. is gone already. Still a little foggy, but whatever. In to see the psych on 2 December. Will check back in after a word with them. Fall 2013: Celexa, Risperdal and Xanax (don't remember dosage) Spring 2014: Switched to Fetzima, Prozac, Remeron and Ambien (again don't remember dosage) Winter 2015: Switched to Effexor 150mg, Abilify 30mg and Temazepam 30 mg, Deplin 15mg Spring 2015: Effexor up to 225mg, Abilify down to 20mg, Temazepam 30mg, Deplin 15mg There was also klonopin somewhere along the way in there, but I don't recall when or how much. 3 November 2015: Failed to go off Effexor cold turkey (went down to 75mg), Abilify 20mg, Temazepam 30mg 6 December 2015: prescribed trazodone 50 and Wellbutrin 150mg, did not take and went off Effexor again "You have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance." —Ken Kesey Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus peggy Posted November 17, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 17, 2015 that is great Austin - maybe in a few weeks you can start a 10% taper Started in 2000 - On 150mg most of the time, (but up to 225mg at highest dose for 6 months in the beginning)Reduced off easily first time - but got depressed (not too much anxiety) 6 months laterBack on effexor for another 9 months.Reduced off again with no immediate w/d - suddenly got depressed and anxious ++ again 3 or 4 months later.Back on effexor - this time for 3 yearsReduced off over a month - 6 weeks later terrible anxiety - back on.Rinse and repeat 4 more times - each time the period before the anxiety comes back got shorter and shorterJan - July 2012 75mg down to 37.5mg;, 8/3/12 - 35mg. 8/25/12 - 32mg. 9/11- 28mg, 10/2 - 25mg, 10/29 - 22mg, 11/19 - 19.8mg; 12/11 - 17m,1/1- 15.5mg; 1/22 -14mg, 2/7 14.9mg, 2/18 - 17.8mg - crashed big time: back to 75mg where i sat for 2 years.... 4th March 2015 - 67.5mg; 31st March - 60mg; 24th April - 53mg; 13th May - 48mg; 26th May - 45mg; 9th June - 41mg; 1 July- 37.5mg; 20 July - 34mg; 11 August - 31mg; 1st Sept - 28mg; 1st Dec - 25.8mg; 28th Dec - 23.2mg; 23rd Jan-21.9mg; Feb 7th- 21mg; March 1st - 20.1mg, March 30th - 18mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus JanCarol Posted December 8, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 8, 2015 Well, maybe a few months - since he was having withdrawal symptoms, it's better to be stable for more than a month before starting a taper. How you going, Austin? Are you on 150 or 75? Your sig says 75, but your thread says 150? Let us know how you're going, and please update your sig! What did your p-doc/psych say on Dec 2? That you are "doing better"? Or did you have to fight off more drugging? Take care - I hope you see the sun today. "Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again. My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices. A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia. CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013. Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine). Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 - Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years on Lithium). Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made. The tedious thread (my intro): JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium The happy thread (my success story): JanCarol - Undiagnosed Off all bipolar drugs My own blog: https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/ I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016! Link to comment
Austin Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Well, the psych (new to me) —despite my declaration that I'd prefer not to take anything— suggested I go down to 75mg/day on the Effexor and tried to switch me over to 50mg/day trazodone and 150mg/day Wellbutrin, on the condition that I stop taking them if I start feeling worse/more suicidal. I smiled, filled the prescription and promptly ignored it. So, I've been off everything again now for at least two weeks. Been physically feeling okay, emotionally up and down (but generally okay). Plan on telling the psych when I go back next month that the Wellbutrin made me worse. Fall 2013: Celexa, Risperdal and Xanax (don't remember dosage) Spring 2014: Switched to Fetzima, Prozac, Remeron and Ambien (again don't remember dosage) Winter 2015: Switched to Effexor 150mg, Abilify 30mg and Temazepam 30 mg, Deplin 15mg Spring 2015: Effexor up to 225mg, Abilify down to 20mg, Temazepam 30mg, Deplin 15mg There was also klonopin somewhere along the way in there, but I don't recall when or how much. 3 November 2015: Failed to go off Effexor cold turkey (went down to 75mg), Abilify 20mg, Temazepam 30mg 6 December 2015: prescribed trazodone 50 and Wellbutrin 150mg, did not take and went off Effexor again "You have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance." —Ken Kesey Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus SquirrellyGirl Posted December 12, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 12, 2015 Oh Lordy, Austin, I fear for you! Effexor WD has a way of building and building over months until you think you must be going crazy, or at least that's the way it happened for me! I ended up reinstating 37.5 mg and am doing the slow, sane taper off now. I'd been on it for 12 years. Being on it just shy of a year "might" make a faster taper go ok, but CT from 75, yikes!!!! Just check OffEFFexor's thread (sorry, Off, that I'm always pointing to you as a cautionary tale!): http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7538-offeffexor-hello-everybody/?hl=offeffexor He is 20 months out from a CT and still having a really rough time. Off, I hope you are doing ok, haven't seen you on here lately! SG Started ADs back around 1995 after bad break-up, starting with Prozac. Switched to Wellbutrin, and then to Effexor in 2002 Effexor XR 2002-2014 up to 225 mg at one point, down to 37.5 mg towards end but back up to 75 mg in 2014; now realize I had W/D as I dropped down, memory very poor about history. Extreme emotions, poor concentration as I stepped back down, didn't connect the dots! Summer 2014 reduced to 0 very quickly, was sick of anhedonia/sexual dysfunction due to meds, depression never controlled if not worse. Didn't recognize WD since symptoms built slowly (thought I had ADD! and menopausal on top of it), starting with severe sweats, very bad cog-fog and memory issues, culminating in weight loss, severe anxiety and depression, panic, severe apathy and insomnia by eight months off. Saw p-doc who put me on Remeron, increased from 7.5 mg/day to 37.5 mg by May 22, 2015; still doing very badly though able to sleep. June 1. 2015 Reinstated Effexor XR 37.5 mg, Remeron dropped to 30 mg PM. Immediate relief of symptoms, like nothing had ever happened! Joined SA and began on advice of friend who recognized it was WD all along! Began tapering in July 2015. Been tapering both meds ever since, focusing on one more than the other or doing no more than 5% of each per month. 12 mg Effexor and 5.8 mg Remeron (mirtazapine SolTabs to make a solution with OraPlus) as of 5/4/2017 Update 3/14/18: 2.9 mg Remeron and 6 mg Effexor; 6/10/18: 2.6 mg Remeron and 4.9 mg Effexor My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9313-squirrellygirl-effexor-withdrawal-etc/page-2#entry196679 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment
Austin Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Enh, it was way worse a month ago when I went cold turkey off Effexor 225mg/day. Maybe the few days I was taking 75mg/day made it more bearable this time. **shrug** I feel way better than I was feeling last month this time. Fall 2013: Celexa, Risperdal and Xanax (don't remember dosage) Spring 2014: Switched to Fetzima, Prozac, Remeron and Ambien (again don't remember dosage) Winter 2015: Switched to Effexor 150mg, Abilify 30mg and Temazepam 30 mg, Deplin 15mg Spring 2015: Effexor up to 225mg, Abilify down to 20mg, Temazepam 30mg, Deplin 15mg There was also klonopin somewhere along the way in there, but I don't recall when or how much. 3 November 2015: Failed to go off Effexor cold turkey (went down to 75mg), Abilify 20mg, Temazepam 30mg 6 December 2015: prescribed trazodone 50 and Wellbutrin 150mg, did not take and went off Effexor again "You have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance." —Ken Kesey Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted December 12, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 12, 2015 Oh Lordy, Austin, I fear for you! Me too!!! You're poor brain isn't going to know if it is coming or going. This isn't a race to get off the drugs as quickly as possible (as much as we all would like to). The goal is to come off the drugs slowly to give our brains time to adjust. CC * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
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