Shem: greetings - struggling to get off Anafranil

[Shem]

So I'm on my last stretch, 5 mg of Anafranil now with the Klonopin. I am getting pretty bad mood swings and crying spells. Also a lot of "zapping" spells and derealization. It is very unnerving to say the least. I don't mind staying on the Klonopin for the Panic but the Anafranil I have been on so long it started really screwing me up mentally and psychically. Im hoping once I am off it will be not as bad as it was the first time but honestly my new doctor "kind of' understands what is going on so I'm really scared just because I feel like I have been robbed. 
 

 

Sometimes I wonder if I should have stayed on the medication and do what the doctor asked and go on the other 4 he wanted me to but inside I know it is withdrawal because I have so many other symptoms, it made my original problem seem like a walk in the park. Plus my new doctor says I do not have Bi-Polar disorder. I of course haven't worked in 36 months now (3 years) and cannot get disability because its near impossible. Im just so angry if my father hadn't died at such a young age, I'm convinced I would have been fine and functioning. 

[scallywag]

Shem, you may want to hold at 5 mg for a couple of months. The symptoms you are experiencing are likely the result of tapering too fast for your CNS (central nervous system). 

 

You've gone from 50 mg Anafranil in January 2016 to 5 mg today. (Nov. 13, 2016).  A 10% monthly reduction would have you at 19.3 mg now. However you got from point A (50 mg) to point B (5 mg), the overall decrease is equivalent to making 10 monthly dose reductions of 20%. 

 

I sure hope you'll delay another decrease until your symptoms have diminished significantly.

[Shem]

Yeah that is what I was thinking but at the same time I don't mind staying in bed for a while since I do not have to do anything anyway and mostly can't at 5 mg.

[Shem]

So it has been a week since I have been off Anafranil and it is pretty wild. I probably tapered to fast but I have some pretty awful derealization going on, crying spells, and a lot of memories coming back before I was put on the Antidepressant, weakness as well. Im walking with a cane. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but maybe once I am better I can slowly taper the Klonopin as well. It is pretty overwhelming since I am just in the house all day but the Klonopin is really the only thing from not going completely nuts so to speak. I can barely read what I'm typing right now it is absolutely insanity.

 

I can't see my therapist for another month because she is off, but I left her Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker. She promised me she would read it after I did a year of therapy with her so I hope she learns something from it because everybody at the clinic I attend didn't know a lot but I bought copies for most of the staff. They seem pretty open minded about it so I guess it is a good start in the right direction.

 

My current psychiatrist still thinks I can just wean off the Klonopin, which I have been on for a year now, in about a week...so. But again Im not suprised by this because every psy doctor I had said the same thing, all 7 of them.

[Shep]

Hi, Shem.

 

Congratulations on making it to the end of your Anafranil taper. And I have to applaud you for getting your therapist and other people at the clinic on board with Whitaker's work. Very well done. 

 

It would be best to wait until you are very, very stable from your AD withdrawal before tackling the Klonopin, but I wanted to give you some links so you can read up on it. From reading your thread, it looks like you do a great job of research. 

 

You're so right to be skeptical of your doctor who says you can wean off long term benzo use in a week. That is very dangerous advice and I'm glad you're not listening to such rubbish. 

 

We have a members-only benzo forum with tons of great information and advice on coming off Klonopin. Here is the link to the forum:

 

Members only benzo forum

 

These two links have a wealth of information: 

 

Ashton and beyond in benzo tapering

 

Benzodiazepine information page: risks and safer withdrawal info

 

I would wait a few months before starting a Konopin taper, but sometimes it helps to settle the mind to have this information. 

 

Sending healing vibes your way. I hope you see some healing soon. 

[Shem]

I have not posted on this forum in a long time but I am not doing well. I am currently in a psych ward going through medication changes and withdrawal ext. It is nice they let us use a computer here. I am on 200 mg of anafranil and 2 mg of Klonopin, which is not helping my agoraphobia (I'm in the city which does not help.) I know I weaned off way to quickly the previous times, as you can see from my signature. I went back on anafranil in 2017, because my anxiety was so high, I did not want to. I could feel my receptors upregulate 2 minutes after I took the drug. All the derealizationd went away and my heart rate speed back up.

I remember in 2007 when I first went went off of the medication I experienced brain zaps but my doctor did not realize what it was, as did I, and I did that two more times, not knowing it was withdrawal every single time. I feel like a failure. I know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over ,expecting a different result which is where I find myself now

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It would be crazy to do a 10 percent dosage withdrawal this round right? My doctor has convinced me I need the medication and normally I would agree but I wish I was warned properly in the beginning. I would not mind staying on this dose but my heart rate is still irregular usually when I move a lot. Did anyone else have panic disorder with agoraphobia before taking medications? Should I just throw up a white flag and take what the original dose was.

 

I really want a TMS machine that I can personally use because these medications are really terrifying me to no end. 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Shem and welcome back.

 

Sorry to hear that you are not doing well.  It would be helpful if you could update your drug signature so we can see your history at a glance.  This link takes you directly to your signature.  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

Because there is a lot of detail in your signature, you might need to simplify it.  Before you change it please copy and paste the current signature and post it in your topic so that the information is still available.

 

Please leave out extra descriptions.  We only need to see drug/s, date/s dose/s for the last 2 years.  Anything older than that can just be drug and year to year.  Thank you.

 

I'll ask the other mods to check in on you.

[Altostrata]

19 hours ago, Shem said:

I have not posted on this forum in a long time but I am not doing well. I am currently in a psych ward going through medication changes and withdrawal

 

Hi, Shem. Are you still taking Klonopin?

 

What do you mean "not doing well"? What is your current symptom pattern? What is your daily drug schedule, with dosages?

 

Did you go off Anafranil and Klonopin in 2017? What happened then?

 

(I reformatted your signature, it was creative but defeated its purpose -- it distracted from reading your post.)

[Shem]

Yes in 2017 I was off everything. My anxiety was so intense, my symptoms so severe my mother couldn't leave the house because of the horrible tread I felt. I would think that the world stop spinning and I would fly off into space and I could not control anything. The anxiety was just relentless. My taper for the anafranil was 10 mgs every month which I know is to fast.

 

I ended up going in patient at the nearby hospital. I went in patient because there was a study that I was trying to get into but there was a miscommunication with the research director and they ended up taking me inpatient even though no one here knows what PAWS is. 

 

I am in a flux between anafranil and luvox at the moment and weaning off Klonopin. Basically everything started when I went from 150 mg down to 100 Luvox. I am just trying to stabilize right now but I came here in the hospital for a clinical trial, then they cancelled and treated me inpatient. I showed my doctor a documentary about benzodiazepines, again she did not know, but she weaned me from 4 mg to 2 mg in two months with small cuts, again way to fast.

 

I do not know what it is about but my nervous system is broken it seems like, as well as my brain. I tried so hard to get someone to listen to me because I am at a research institute in the NYC but they will not do any brain scan nor test because I would actually like to understand what is happening to me but again I do not have credentials, so I am not taken with the attention I need. 

[Shem]

My doctor and I came to the conclusion that I will just stay on 300mg of Luvox. It is to much pain to withdrawal from, plus it helps me function.