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KurtT: New and interested!


KurtT

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Hi

 

Im very sensitive to all medications but especially these psychiatric drugs. Ive had them forced on me for years.

 

Basically Im very damaged in my brain and have nervous system disorders such as POTS. I already feel that this site has helped me, after reading for a while!!

 

Kurt T

Was on Invega "Xeplion" injection for 3 years 100mg once a month, and Cipralex for 1-2 years 5 mg. Before that I took Abilify for two years at 10 mg. Has experienced trouble with POTS, memory, speech and other neurological problems. Healing seems to take place, as Im now able to go without heart meds. My brain is still not working very well. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Kurt , welcome to the site.

 

Please use this thread to ask questions. Let us know if there's anything specific we can

help you with.

You may wish to connect with other members in Denmark , see http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/10484-denmark-members-check-in-here/

and http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/11077-finnish-nordic-members-please-check-in-here/

 

Best wishes , Fresh

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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  • Administrator

Welcome, Kurt.

 

What drugs are you taking now?

 

Are you off psychiatric drugs? How did you go off?

 

What is your symptom pattern now? Has it changed since you went off?

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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Im off psychiatric drugs now with the help of my brother and a cardiologist. Its been a year since my last injection with Invega. I still dont hear voices so I guess the medicine has impacted my brain in that way.

 

My main symptoms are POTS syndrome and cognitive deficits. I am noticing that my brain is slowly healing, but I struggle with POTS. POTS also creates brain fog. As an example of my symptoms I forgot my pin code for my debit card today, even though I use it often.

 

Ive been through this before with Abilify, but I need the help from a good doctor, which I really doesnt have.

 

The situation is making me panic, something I havent experienced before. 

 

My main concern is that my cardiovascular system wont recover in the same way as my brain. 

 

Ive never tolerated psychaitric drugs, but I had to take them, since I was sentenced in court for assault. I was a heavy drinker at that time. Its nice to know that at least these side effects DO occur for other people. 

Was on Invega "Xeplion" injection for 3 years 100mg once a month, and Cipralex for 1-2 years 5 mg. Before that I took Abilify for two years at 10 mg. Has experienced trouble with POTS, memory, speech and other neurological problems. Healing seems to take place, as Im now able to go without heart meds. My brain is still not working very well. 

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  • Administrator

You had post-acute withdrawal syndrome from Ability, and you're having it now from the last batch of drugs you were on.

 

Please see The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization as well as other topics in our Symptoms and Self-care forum  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/8-symptoms-and-self-care/for suggestions about how to cope with symptoms.

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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  • 4 weeks later...

It takes a long time for the POTs symptoms to go away... did for me.  They do go I did not have heart issues tho I felt I did and was checked more than once.  Staying off of drugs would be my first suggestion if you can. 

I wish you peace

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ive used many psychiatric drugs including injections. They were part of my treatment during a long period at a outpatient facility for criminally insane.

 

My brain is not working very well, but I want to ask if anyone have recovered after more than one year? Its been a year since my last injection but I hope that I will get better still.

 

Has anyone noticed better cognition 1-2 years out?

Was on Invega "Xeplion" injection for 3 years 100mg once a month, and Cipralex for 1-2 years 5 mg. Before that I took Abilify for two years at 10 mg. Has experienced trouble with POTS, memory, speech and other neurological problems. Healing seems to take place, as Im now able to go without heart meds. My brain is still not working very well. 

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  • Moderator

Hi Kurt-- welcome to the group.  Sorry to hear that you're still having trouble after being off for a year.  It is possible that you're still having WD symptoms from all the drugs.  Having more information about what you were on, for how long and how you came off will really help us to figure out what is going on.  Filling in a signature block will really help:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

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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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Kurt, your situation reminds me of another member's, Poetjester.  You might drop by his thread:  

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/10273-poetjester-among-the-living-again-after-15-yrs-of-zoloft-and-zyprexa/?hl=poetjester

 

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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Also check out Shep's thread.

I am not a medical professional. My comments and posts are based on personal experiences. Please consult appropriate medical professionals for advice. 

I was started on psych drugs back in the late 80's. You name it. I probably was on it. Tapered off final cocktail 2013-2019. For Hashimotos and high blood pressure I take Levothyroxine. Liothyronine. Spironolactone. Hydrochlorothiazide. Losartan. B12 hydroxy. Fish oil w/D3. Bee pollen. Magnesium Glycinate.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I'm tapering so not a done deal, yet, but yes, you will continue to recover.  I've seen many reports from people finding their cognition getting better, things just getting "clearer."  These drugs do do brain damage, if you will, in that they cause the neurons to remodel away from their factory setting, down-regulation - so that is damage, but it is damage that can heal, albeit slower than we'd like!

 

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

Hi Kurt , all of the members here who have posted in the "Success Stories" section describe improvements

with each passing year.

Even members like nz11 , who stopped cold turkey 5 years ago , recognize continous steady (if not slow)

improvements.

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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  • 1 year later...

I took heavy dosages of promethazine for a few days. Its been at least a month. Will it get better soon. How long does withdrawals last with this med? Im in psychiatry for 10 years. No pills besides promethazine for a year.

Was on Invega "Xeplion" injection for 3 years 100mg once a month, and Cipralex for 1-2 years 5 mg. Before that I took Abilify for two years at 10 mg. Has experienced trouble with POTS, memory, speech and other neurological problems. Healing seems to take place, as Im now able to go without heart meds. My brain is still not working very well. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome back KurtT! I've moved your post/question to your introduction topic so that all your information, questions and answers are in one place.

 

When did you take the promethazine?  What was the dose?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Hi, I used around 100 mg for three days until I had side effects of cardiac nature. 

Was on Invega "Xeplion" injection for 3 years 100mg once a month, and Cipralex for 1-2 years 5 mg. Before that I took Abilify for two years at 10 mg. Has experienced trouble with POTS, memory, speech and other neurological problems. Healing seems to take place, as Im now able to go without heart meds. My brain is still not working very well. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Please add the doses and timelines to your signature. Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

Promethazine is a first-generation "anti-psychotic" medication. As with any medication that acts on the CNS (central nervous system), it's difficult to predict how long any specific person will deal with the effects of withdrawal.  The best that we can suggest is to be patient and to use non-drug coping skills. Please read:

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

It is very important when withdrawing from or tapering this type to self-manage -- to have the self-discipline to control behaviours that would otherwise have you "getting caught" by the system: social workers, medical professionals, police.  Here's a post by another moderator, JanCarol, to another member who is tapering another antipsychotic med:  Link to JanCarol's post to Neonic9.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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  • 4 months later...

Ive used a calcium blocker called cinnarizine, which I believe isnt used in the US. Its very effective for anxiety and related physicql problems. Very effective.

 

The withdrawals are horrific. I experienced neurological symptoms such ad extreme impatience, manifesting in the body. And other neurological symptoms. Its a dopamine blocker in the brain AND body. I wonder how these withdrawals start a month after use. Why not before? Its the second time using, and its happening the same way delayed effects. Im afraid Im becoming epileptic.

 

2551-Stugeron-Cinnarizine-25-Mg-And-75-M

Was on Invega "Xeplion" injection for 3 years 100mg once a month, and Cipralex for 1-2 years 5 mg. Before that I took Abilify for two years at 10 mg. Has experienced trouble with POTS, memory, speech and other neurological problems. Healing seems to take place, as Im now able to go without heart meds. My brain is still not working very well. 

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