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Phenom: Introduction for my Father


Phenom

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Hi all,

 

I've posted on here before about myself and have had great success with tapering according to advice given on these forums, however I have a more complicated and convoluted story to tell about my father, and I'm not sure how to help him.

 

He was struck down by intense anxiety attacks/shivering/etc due to severe work stress, and had the misfortune of being recommended to an absolutely terrible psychiatrist who has since wreaked havoc on his nervous system.

 

He is currently on disability from work now and has been for a few months, but isn't improving because the doctor keeps on changing his meds every month if he doesn't improve. And of COURSE he doesn't improve when he is being swapped on/off of different psychiatric drugs every month.

 

The pattern has been start a SSRI/SNRI, wait 2-4 weeks, double dose, wait 2-4 weeks, if not feeling all better change the drug and start again.

 

Now he is on Cymbalta (just started a week ago) and was previously on Buspar. He is feeling worse than ever after this last swap (the doc doesn't even do a taper over to new drug, he cold turkeys the old one and puts him straight to the new one).

 

He is going to get a second opinion from a highly recommended doctor on how to heal from here, but in the past 12 months he's been switched between the following drugs with the promise that eventually one will magically work within a month. Lexapro, Pristiq, Zoloft, Remeron, Buspar, and now Cymbalta (while throwing in Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, Valium, and Ambien for symptom relief).

 

I don't even know where to start because I feel his neurochemistry has been so utterly destroyed by this crazy ass doctor and his cocktails and med swapping every month or two. I had convinced him a while back to stop taking Ambien and stabilize on a dosage of Valium that was equivalent to his average daily benzo dose. So right now he is on 20mg valium a day and Cymbalta which is making him feel terrible (because he cold turkeyed off the Buspar following his docs advice).

 

Has anyone experienced or seen something like this, does anyone have any advice on how to start to tackle this issue? My advice to him was to see what the second doctor says, but to go back to Buspar and stay on whatever dose he was at for at LEAST 4-6 months without changing ANYTHING in his dosages or meds.

 

It's been going on over a year and getting worse (my guess is because of the way his treatment has been managed), I just hope he can establish a baseline to heal from gradually instead of having this doc continue to change meds and rip the scab off time and time again until he can't come back from it.

06/13 - Celexa 30mg Klonopin 2 mg 

 

02/14 Celexa 30mg (Successfully completed 32 week Klonopin taper dropped 1/8 every two weeks)

Celexa Taper: 06/14 25mg 07/14 20mg 09/14 15mg 10/14 17.5mg 11/14 15mg 12/14 12.5mg 01/15 20mg (updose after going too fast bad w/d for 3-4 weeks after) 05/15 17.5mg 06/15 15mg 07/15 13.5mg 08/15 11.75mg 09/15 10mg 10/15 7.5mg 11/15 5mg 12/15 3.33mg 01/16 2.5mg 2/16 0mg (CT from 2.5mg) 3/16 (3-4 weeks after CT bad W/D symptoms, updose) 1.67mg

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Phenom so sorry to read of your fathers plight.

It is a most disturbing read.

This is why Gotzche and Breggin say seeing a doctor for psychological distress is a very dangerous thing to do.

 

Your dad is lucky to have you advocating for him.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Yikes!  And was there any attempt at using alternative methods (uh...therapy?) before the meds?  Probably not! 

 

I'm sorry this has been done to your dad, Phenom.  I hope the new doc gets him settled in some fashion.  How does your dad feel about all of this?  Does he want to stay on some kind of med, or is he seeing the light that maybe meds are not a good idea?

 

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.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello Phenom.

 

Can you write some of the drug history for your father? When did he start taking these drugs? Was it a year ago? Was there any drug he has been taking longer? What are the dosages?

 

It's no wonder he is doing badly. But if he wants to stop this drug merry go round he will have to be able to take some responsibility for his condition. No matter what he does he will feel bad for a while. Nobody can tell for how long. We all have to learn to endure some symptoms often harsh while waiting to stabilise. Going to doctors asking them to make it all go away leads to doctors doing the only thing they know: throwing in more drugs.

 

After so much experimenting it's very hard to say what to do. If I was in his shoes, I would opt for the least troublesome of all the drugs he was thrown at. That would be Zoloft. And stay there understanding that anything he does will not make thing go away. But it is setting the course for a long term. I think that would put him on a better course than those awful experiments at destabilisation he is enduring. The use of benzodiazepines is equally problematic and has to be brought under control. Stability is the only  thing that helps the brain to recover. So if he needs benzos better take one (Valium) regularly than playing around with relieves which only destabilise things further. 

 

When you give more details maybe somebody will have a better idea. It seems that for some reason he is not able to discuss these things himself which would be the best option. Try to encourage him. In the meantime it's so nice of you to try to help him. 

 

I asked about the way how you can best do that so that you don't mix up your story with his. (now we see your drug history when you post on his behalf).

Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2

2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013)

Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 
1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg.
2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg
went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days after
reinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours
28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr  2015 1 mg,  25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64  Xanax     9 month hold

24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26

Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic 

I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I'm sorry this is happening to your father Phenom. As the others have written, he needs to stop switching medications and allow his nervous system to stabilize.

 

It sounds like his current doctor does not know enough about how these drugs work, if it were me, I would stay away for my own safety. Your father would be better off seeing someone else, which it sounds like he is doing.

 

There is a lot of information here about the importance of making changes slowly, keeping the nervous system stable and why this is important.  The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

 

Does your father know you are asking for help here for him? Is he willing to work with us? Is he able to visit the site himself?

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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  • Administrator

Phenom, does your father want to go off the drugs?

 

It's pretty clear the switching from drug to drug isn't working. We would urge him to stop switching. He definitely needs a new doctors, someone who isn't drug-crazed.

 

I don't know if going back on Buspar is going to be of any help. Cymbalta can be activating so it probably isn't helping any.

 

He's probably also dependent on a benzo by now, and that could be adding to his problems.

 

Can he join here and speak for himself?

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.

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Thanks for the replies everyone... I will see if I can get him to post on here himself to give more details. He has been on the drugs for about 1-1.5 years total now and he wants off but has been misled to think that one drug will cure him by his current doc.

 

He now realizes that isn't the case, and that he needs to stabilize and be on a stable dose of the least risky drug possible (while maintaining his current benzo dose until he stabilizes) and only then begin a very slow and gradual taper.

06/13 - Celexa 30mg Klonopin 2 mg 

 

02/14 Celexa 30mg (Successfully completed 32 week Klonopin taper dropped 1/8 every two weeks)

Celexa Taper: 06/14 25mg 07/14 20mg 09/14 15mg 10/14 17.5mg 11/14 15mg 12/14 12.5mg 01/15 20mg (updose after going too fast bad w/d for 3-4 weeks after) 05/15 17.5mg 06/15 15mg 07/15 13.5mg 08/15 11.75mg 09/15 10mg 10/15 7.5mg 11/15 5mg 12/15 3.33mg 01/16 2.5mg 2/16 0mg (CT from 2.5mg) 3/16 (3-4 weeks after CT bad W/D symptoms, updose) 1.67mg

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  • 1 month later...

It's been about 6 weeks and the situation is even worse than before... He ended up going back on the Buspar for the past 6 weeks and staying on the same dose of Valium to try to let things settle.

 

I talked to my mom today and found out he's been going days and days without showering, never leaves the house anymore, and feels like he can't function at all. He has been very irritable and has been regularly having emotional break-downs where his entire body shakes and he cries saying we deserve better and he's a terrible husband and father.

 

He has an appointment to see a new supposedly highly qualified doctor from Stanford on Monday, but my mom told me that in the past 2 weeks he's been going downhill even faster. I'm extremely concerned about his well being and want to make sure he gets the help he needs, but even making it until Monday is seeming too long.

 

He refused to get the second opinion before because his insurance didn't cover it, but nothing is helping. At least now he's given in to the idea of paying out of pocket for this much more qualified doctor, but I fear that this doctor wont really know what to do either. 

 

I don't know what to do but I'm very concerned about him making it to Monday, and how things will go afterwards. I don't expect anyone to have the precise answer but I'm completely lost now and extremely concerned.

 

His situation has gone from anxiety to what seems to be a fairly severe depression which was likely caused by the constant medication changes and very prolonged imbalance of his neurochemistry.

06/13 - Celexa 30mg Klonopin 2 mg 

 

02/14 Celexa 30mg (Successfully completed 32 week Klonopin taper dropped 1/8 every two weeks)

Celexa Taper: 06/14 25mg 07/14 20mg 09/14 15mg 10/14 17.5mg 11/14 15mg 12/14 12.5mg 01/15 20mg (updose after going too fast bad w/d for 3-4 weeks after) 05/15 17.5mg 06/15 15mg 07/15 13.5mg 08/15 11.75mg 09/15 10mg 10/15 7.5mg 11/15 5mg 12/15 3.33mg 01/16 2.5mg 2/16 0mg (CT from 2.5mg) 3/16 (3-4 weeks after CT bad W/D symptoms, updose) 1.67mg

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And here is his drug history for the past for the past year or so, disgusting.

 

Klonopin, Xanax, Valium for symptom relief

Ambien for sleep

 

Zoloft 100mg 1 month

Remeron starting dose 1 month

Remeron doubled for 1 month

Lexapro 20mg 1 month

Pristiq 1 Month

Paxil 20mg 1 Month

Paxil 40mg 1 Month

Wellbutrin added for 1 month

Buspar 30mg 1 Month

Buspar 60mg 1 Month

Cymbalta 60mg 2 Weeks

Buspar 45mg 1 Month

06/13 - Celexa 30mg Klonopin 2 mg 

 

02/14 Celexa 30mg (Successfully completed 32 week Klonopin taper dropped 1/8 every two weeks)

Celexa Taper: 06/14 25mg 07/14 20mg 09/14 15mg 10/14 17.5mg 11/14 15mg 12/14 12.5mg 01/15 20mg (updose after going too fast bad w/d for 3-4 weeks after) 05/15 17.5mg 06/15 15mg 07/15 13.5mg 08/15 11.75mg 09/15 10mg 10/15 7.5mg 11/15 5mg 12/15 3.33mg 01/16 2.5mg 2/16 0mg (CT from 2.5mg) 3/16 (3-4 weeks after CT bad W/D symptoms, updose) 1.67mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Do you know what he is currently taking , at what dosages Phenom?

 

Does he recall feeling improved on any of the meds in the past year?

1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg

2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg

Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta

Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months.

July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months.

Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg.

October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive.

March 2016 , 21mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

This is so sad, I feel really sorry for your dad (and you and your mum).  If none of the drugs gave him any improvement, I don't know if there is much point in going back on one of them.  If they didn't work then, they probably won't now.  I noticed that depression is listed as a side effect of buspirone.  I don't know that staying on it would be worth it, if it isn't helping.  I think stabilising on the valium is a good idea for now, to prevent benzo withdrawal.

 

I agree with what Bubble said - there is no instant solution, and he will need to be prepared to feel not good for a while before he feels better, and that doctors are most likely to keep throwing drugs at the problem.  (I expect the next doctor to come up with the next drug that hasn't been tried yet - probably an anti-psychotic or perhaps a tri-cyclic AD or trazodone).  As Bubble said, it's about taking responsibility for your own health, empowering yourself, instead of giving over all the control to the doctors.  I think this can be harder for older generations, as they see doctors as highly respected authority figures, and put their faith in them and tend to trust them completely.  It's understandable - doctors are highly qualified and they are supposed to be the experts.

 

I believe your father needs to come to understand somehow, that the state he is in now is not his fault, it was caused by the drugs, and it is not permanent.  I think this is really important - understanding that recovery is possible, but may take some time.

 

I would be looking into alternative options, preferably gentle ones.  For example, yoga, breathing exercises, relaxation exercises, meditation, mindfulness, gentle exercise, massage, acupuncture, neurolink, and so on.  (I'm just throwing ideas around here).  Maybe the machine that Fresh uses?  I'm sure there are plenty of options to investigate once you start looking.  You could also look into some nutritional options, but be cautious in case his system has become sensitive to supplements.

2001–2002 paroxetine

2003  citalopram

2004-2008  paroxetine (various failed tapers) 
2008  paroxetine slow taper down to

2016  Aug off paroxetine
2016  citalopram May 20mg  Oct 15mg … slow taper down
2018  citalopram 13 Feb 4.6mg 15 Mar 4.4mg 29 Apr 4.2mg 6 Jul 4.1mg 17 Aug 4.0mg  18 Nov 3.8mg
2019  15 Mar 3.6mg  21 May 3.4mg  26 Dec 3.2mg 

2020  19 Feb 3.0mg 19 Jul 2.9mg 16 Sep 2.8mg 25 Oct 2.7mg 23 Oct 2.6mg 24 Dec 2.5mg

2021   29 Aug 2.4mg   15 Nov 2.3mg

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I'm indescribably sorry to read of what your father has been put through.

 

How are things going now? Please update us when you can.

I was "TryingToGetWell" (aka TTGW) on paxilprogress. I also was one of the original members here on Surviving Antidepressants

 

I had horrific and protracted withdrawal from paxil, but now am back to enjoying life with enthusiasm to the max, some residual physical symptoms continued but largely improve. The horror, severe derealization, anhedonia, akathisia, and so much more, are long over.

 

My signature is a temporary scribble from year 2013. I'll rewrite it when I can.

 

If you want to read it, click on http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/209-brandy-anyone/?p=110343

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Things have unfortunately not improved at all... The doctor he ended up seeing that was highly qualified turned out to be a CBT specialist, and said he wasn't the right guy for the situation.

 

There was a brief window early in the treatment when switching from Zoloft to Remeron that there was a relief of symptoms, but after about a month it went downhill again.

 

This new doctor agreed that switching drugs every month is indeed a horrible strategy, and that you need to wait more than a month for a medication to begin to work.

 

He theorized that the window of symptom relief may have been due to the Zoloft that was still in his system and the Remeron kicking in together, and that a month after his abrupt Zoloft cessation he went into SSRI withdrawal.

 

The next thing that this guy wants to try is to begin a combination of Zoloft and Remeron, with the understanding that it may take a couple months to feel any big improvements.

 

Fingers are crossed... Unfortunately I'm fairly certain that the window for which CBT/yoga/mediation/etc would have been effective has closed. Those things will help to do in parallel with treatment, but his neurochemistry has been so extremely tampered with that I think it's beyond that.

 

A family friend of ours has a brother who is a psychiatrist, and he was advocating for something called ECT where they send electrical impulses through your brain to stimulate neurons. That sounds sketchy to me, so I'm really hoping this last thing will work, but if it doesn't I don't know what we are going to do.

 

The worst part is that though my mom has held strong through all this and been supportive, it's beginning to drag her down into a depression too.

06/13 - Celexa 30mg Klonopin 2 mg 

 

02/14 Celexa 30mg (Successfully completed 32 week Klonopin taper dropped 1/8 every two weeks)

Celexa Taper: 06/14 25mg 07/14 20mg 09/14 15mg 10/14 17.5mg 11/14 15mg 12/14 12.5mg 01/15 20mg (updose after going too fast bad w/d for 3-4 weeks after) 05/15 17.5mg 06/15 15mg 07/15 13.5mg 08/15 11.75mg 09/15 10mg 10/15 7.5mg 11/15 5mg 12/15 3.33mg 01/16 2.5mg 2/16 0mg (CT from 2.5mg) 3/16 (3-4 weeks after CT bad W/D symptoms, updose) 1.67mg

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  • Moderator

Hi Phenom-- I so sorry to hear that your father doesn't seem to be improving.  I truly believe that when they stop switching around his meds for a good long time, things will start to look up. 

 

There are several threads here concerning ECT, I would suggest that you find and read them.  ECT is frequently considered a "last resort" treatment as it can have severe and long lasting repercussions.  Several members have tried it after serious sole searching and in general reports were that it was ineffective.  One member does claim it has helped her ackathesia, but doesn't recommend it.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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