healingspiral Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hello! i'm new to the forum. I have looked at posts on here without being a member for a long time. My withdrawal process began two years ago, going on three and I've been off all psychiatric meds since. Nonetheless, a lot of my health problems persist and I think have to do with the many years I was on medication that affected my intestines, thyroid, etc. I am here not only to answer other people's questions about withdrawing from lamictal and topomax (although before that I was on many other meds which i vaguely remember withdrawing from although it was when I was around 14 or 15) but also to find answers from other people who may still feel like their health is co-opted post-withdrawal and see if anyone else is dealing with that/has any advice. Thank you so much! fully off meds for five years. was on lamictal for 8 years, topomax for almost 2 @ same time as lamictal, before that was on a cocktail including fluvoxamine, prozac, wellbutrin, zoloft, and more starting from age 12 to age 22 "You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine...Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things." - Mary Oliver Link to comment
Brandy Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hello and welcome! I'm long off paxil and only visit here occasionally, but I was checking on how someone else is doing and saw your post. It looks like this site has had a very large amount of posts today, so I didn't want your post to get overlooked. Again, welcome! And if you have any withdrawal-related health or other issues you'd like to discuss, please add another post here about them in more detail. (This thread will be not only your introduction, but an ongoing "journal" and place to discuss your withdrawal and recovery experience. So be sure to bookmark it so you can add questions, updates as to how you're doing, etc. for as long as you participate here.) Again, welcome to the site. 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 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted April 6, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hi healingspiral and welcome to SA, I'm pleased that you've finally decided to join us. The members here are very supportive and encouraging and there is a wealth of information here. The best method to search the site is to google survivingantidepressants.org + topic As Brandy said if you post your specific withdrawal issues someone here will be able to offers suggestions and/or point you in the right direction for the information. Click FOLLOW (top right) and you'll be notified when someone responds. Please DO NOT TAG me - thank you PLEASE NOTE: I am not a medical professional. I provide information and make suggestions. 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
healingspiral Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 thank you both for the kind welcome message! i really appreciate it fully off meds for five years. was on lamictal for 8 years, topomax for almost 2 @ same time as lamictal, before that was on a cocktail including fluvoxamine, prozac, wellbutrin, zoloft, and more starting from age 12 to age 22 "You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine...Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things." - Mary Oliver Link to comment
Hopeinahpwr Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Healingspiral, I'm new too to SA and want you to know I'm already inspired by you, you are off the meds, I truly envy that!!! I hope you are ok and will pray for you. I'd love to know how long you were on and how your taper went??? On zoloft since 2000 for OCD/anxiety. Tapered off from 150mg to 100, 50, 25 over Dec/Jan 2015. After month n half off, began depression. Being terrified, as I never had depression before, after a few days, went back to 50mg, then five days later to 100mg. Now stable. I will stop this medication, with time and perseverance...my current taper level and timing are as follows, which includes No other Rx's, No alcohol, NEVER any illicit drugs: 84mg from October 2016 82mg from February 2017 79mg from April 2017 77mg from June 2017 75mg from July 2017 "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift." - Eleanor Roosevelt "Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation." - Viktor Frankl Link to comment
healingspiral Posted August 21, 2017 Author Share Posted August 21, 2017 Hi Hopeinahpwr, thank you for your kind words and prayers, how kind of you. My taper lasted a few months and I'd been on the medication for 8 or 9 years. I think the withdrawal was too short to be honest, I think it could have gone longer to really stop my bodies from being shocked. Post withdrawal, I'm exhausted and still have health issues but I'm happy to be off for sure. How are you doing? fully off meds for five years. was on lamictal for 8 years, topomax for almost 2 @ same time as lamictal, before that was on a cocktail including fluvoxamine, prozac, wellbutrin, zoloft, and more starting from age 12 to age 22 "You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine...Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things." - Mary Oliver Link to comment
Hibari Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Hi HealingSpiral, Glad you are off all your meds, congratulations on your determination. I am tapering of Lamictal now and have gotten low on the dosage, 16.90 down from 200mgs, but of course not low enough to stop. My main symptoms are daily nausea, fogginess and headaches. Usually my peak wd symptoms hit about a week after a cut, like today where I feel down and weepy. If you did experience nausea with your Lamictal wd, did it go away pretty soon after you were done with your taper? Sept 2013-Apr 2014: After my moms passing, I tried a series of meds. Zoloft, Lexapro, Nortriptyline, Liquid Prozac, Cymbalta. Clonzapam: 1/2014-9/2014. Given Lamictal, stopped Clonzapam at .125mgs Remeron taper: 41.25 -0.025mgs 1/2015-4 2017. Lamictal Taper: 200mgs-0.05 mgs 7/ 2015-11/2018. Clonazapam 12/2018. 0.625 Had paradoxical reaction to Lamictal wd, broke my heart to take a benzo but wasn't sleeping. 3/28/2019 -2/5/ 2021 .0115 mgai Off Clonzapam, Benzo Free Additional Support: Armour Thyroid 75mgs, Magnesium Glycinate 300-500mgs, Melatonin .50-1mg, Calms Forte, Flaxseed oil, L-theanine July 27th, 2022**Severe Setback due to surgery/ anesthesia. 9/7/22-10/4/22 Trazadone 50-100mgs for sleep 10/13/22-11/13/22 Trazadone 1 mg to stabilize 10/4/22-11/20/22 Remeron 7.5mgs (for sleep doesn't work) 11/20 7.3 12/4 7.0 12/14 6.9 12/22 6.6 12/31 6.3 2023: 1/18 6.1 1/29 5.9 2/17 5.7 2/28 5.5 3/14 5.3 Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 26, 2018 Administrator Share Posted June 26, 2018 Healingspiral has written a success story healingspiral Four years off psych drugs: ever more at peace I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering. As is our tradition, I am locking this topic now. Please add your comments to healingspiral's Success Story topic. 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. Link to comment
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