Bruin Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Just updating and saying hi.......Am pleased to say that I have experienced some windows ! How delicious to have those fleeting glimpses of normality.....I hope that the lesson I learn from the horror is to appreciate and be grateful for the simple things of life. I certainly was today. To have ordinary conversations in the everyday discourse of life ......Wonderful ! Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus SquirrellyGirl Posted May 11, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 11, 2016 That is such wonderful news, Bruin - I am so happy for you! I hope your window lasts a good while! Withdrawal does make us stronger in the long run and able to appreciate life like never before, or so they say :-) 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
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted May 11, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 11, 2016 Simply awesome, Bruin! You've been struggling for awhile, so I'm happy to read your latest news. Link to comment
Bruin Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Thank you Shep.! I will celebrate the good times but not get too despondent if the waves roll in from time to time.... Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Martina23 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Hello Bruin, I stopped by your thread as I wanted to cheer you on a little. How did you feel these last days? 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Bruin Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share Posted May 14, 2016 Thanks Martina......cheering on is most welcome. Some brief windows for which I am grateful. Hope that you are having a good weekend and that the sun is shining in Mexico. Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Martina23 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Hello Bruin, thank you for cheering me on on my thread. I am so glad that your irrational thoughts are much better. When I was 3 months off, I had the withdrawal hell at its worst.That is a pity that you have problems with sleeping. I dont have, instead my intrusive thoughts and images are still pretty intact. Other symptoms I dont have. I hope your healing will continue ok and that soon you will be able to proceed with your life as if nothing happened at all. Martina 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 Hi everyone I am just checking in. I have had to do far too much for my poor brain in the past couple of weeks and suffering as a result. At this stage I cannot tell if it is protracted WD from CT from Effexor, coming off Lyrica too fast or what. I am sure that overdoing it has much to do with it. I find that the symptoms of protracted WD are in a constant flux, My DP is a bit better as is , on the whole, my sleep. However cognitive issues are not good at the moment. I have a concern that recovery from doing cold turkey is extremely hard. I would love to hear people's experience. I know that it does get better but at present it is tough and am having a little crisis of belief ! All the best to all of you. Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted June 9, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 9, 2016 Hi, Bruin. I'm sorry you're still struggling but please be reassured that even those of us who came off one or more meds cold turkey are still going to heal. It may be a slower recovery because we have to recover from the "crash" of cold turkey and it can take quite awhile for the mind / body to recover, but we do. Here are some videos to reassure you. Some of these folks also came off meds cold turkey and went onto heal. http://cepuk.org/recovery-stories/ And some of your symptoms are from your current zopiclone and mirtazapine tapers, and those will also resolve once you come off and give your mind and body time to rest and recover. You mentioned overdoing it, and that can also tax the CNS. So please do as much self care as you can. You're such a positive and kind poster on this forum and you're helping many people, so please be kind to yourself as well. Are you still at the 30 mg mirtazapine and 11.25 zopiclone? Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 Thank you Shep for kind words and reassurance. I have reduced the Zopiclone to 7.5 mg but last night I took another 3.75 mg at 2.30 am because no sleep. So 11.25 mg. Perhaps I will be OK at 7.5mg but I am not sure. I am going to leave the Mirtazapine alone for the time being. I think the main problem has been too much stress over the last couple of Weeks. Over exertion and stress always causes me to crash. I have to celebrate that the DP/DR is quite a bit better and there have been some improvements to sleep. Yes it does get better....... Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted June 9, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 9, 2016 That's great news, Bruin! Less dp/dr is always good news. That is a very rough symptom. I saw where you also updated your benzo thread, so it's good to see you getting some feedback on your z-drug taper. Sending healing vibes your way. Yes, it does get better. Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 14, 2016 Author Share Posted June 14, 2016 Just updating. I feel that I have made progress in terms of Effexor and Lyrica Withdrawal. The symptoms like DP/DR and Nausea have got a great deal better and that is a cause for celebration. And even though I am not exactly dancing a jig I do not have depression which is a real blessing. I still have serious fatigue and if I over exert then I crash......bed for a few days. Am there now ...have done rather a lot recently. My problem is that as soon as I have energy I spend it.....there are so many wonderful things to do in this world and people to see ! Learning discipline and mindfulness I find hard.......difficult to teach old dogs new tricks but get better at it I must. The thing I am now concentrating on is getting rid of Zopiclone......I had no clue that it was such horrible poison. My Doctor told me that it was prescribed here in the UK because of the low incidence of addiction ! Never again will I take anything without proper research. I have managed to get to 7.5 mg from 15 mg,except one day last week, and am going to have another go at my Doctor to persuade him to give me some Valium so I can cross over and taper. The short half life of Zop makes for unpleasant inter dose WD. Shep, I know you successfully came off Z drugs... do you have any pearls of wisdom ? With all best wishes to all......we will all get better and the nightmare become a distant memory. Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted June 15, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 15, 2016 Ah, "pearls of wisdom". Let me think. This is a hard one. I came off my last z-drug cold turkey, but I was already on two benzos and an antipsychotic, and I was still dealing with a SSRI cold turkey and was already in a haze of dp/dr. Some people find that dividing up their z-drug dose throughout the day can sometimes help the interdose withdrawal, but hopefully you'll be able to do a Valium crossover, since that is how you wish to proceed. If you can, try to schedule more down time. You have a beautiful spirit that wants to be out in the world exploring and living and that's wonderful. But please don't over tax your fragile CNS. Sometimes stress-induced symptoms don't register right away and that leads us to believe we can keep going and going. And that has a tendency to cause long term problems. Sometimes we become our own worse enemy, even when we have the best of intentions. Sending healing vibes your way. Good luck with your doctor's appointment for the Valium crossover. Let us know how it goes. Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Oh thank you Shep.......for kind words and sound advice. Getting used to limitations is taking me a while ! Am beginning to understand how important pacing is to recovery. I imagine that you have to be very disciplined given that you are working 5 days a week. I will keep updating . Sending healing vibes to all of us on this journey. Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Still struggling with pacing and the boom and bust road of AD.....Am doing too much and paying the price. For me WD operates like CFS.....overexert at your peril....a crash can come fast on it's heels. I keep thinking I can push through something and then pay. Is this post exertion malaise common in WD.... I imagine that it is....I believe Monica Cassini of Beyond Meds believes WD can operate like CFS. A mitochondrial dysfunction. Cheering everyone on ...we will all get well...it is ,though, a hard road but the upside is the potential for spiritual growth All the best to all in your healing Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted June 26, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 26, 2016 Hi, Bruin. I'm sorry you're getting hit with a wave due to doing too much. I can really relate to this and it's impossible to tell exactly how much is too much until it's too late. Has anything else changed? Any dietary changes or supplements? I just read your latest posts in the Benzo forum, and it looks like you may be doing a crossover to Valium. Please allow yourself time to stabilize after your latest "crash" from doing too much. Hopefully, you'll have a smooth transition. Sending healing vibes your way. I hope you get some downtime soon. Link to comment
Christian Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Bruin, Isn't that the truth. I spent the day reading up on brain inflammation, CFS and WD. Fog, fatigue and insomnia is not a good combo. Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs. Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010. Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues. Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until 12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges. Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016. Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016. 2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days 6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron 10/11/16: Off all psych medications After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue. Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Thank you Shep and Christian for stopping by my thread. Yes it is hard to know what is too much. I think it is best to err on the cautious side if possible. Very frustrating as there are so many wonderful things to do.! No I have not made changes to diet or supplements. I will also try to stabilise before doing the cross over to Valium. I do not know yet if the Dr is going to allow this....I should find out tomorrow. All the Best Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Christian Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Shep and Bruin, I have a question for both of you. Like Bruin, I take Mirtazapine for sleep. My sleep is now poor but when I first went on it I was getting 6-8 hours of interrupted sleep. Now I'm down to 4. Anyways, in either scenario I feel like I haven't slept at all since starting it. The fog thickens and walking can be challenging. Sounds can startle me as I'm so sleep deprived. My question is this. Shep, with your limited sleep, do you feel just tired or worse like you haven't slept a wink? Is your sleep restorative ? Bruin, I know your sleep is poor. When you wake up do you feel like your just tired or like you haven't slept ? Is your sleep restorative? I know most would say that Mirtz might be causing it. But rather than risk tapering it I want to see if it's a WD symptom, or a side effect of Mirtz. Cause I would prefer to have 2 hours sleep with nothing than 4 hours with Mirtz and feel like crap! Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs. Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010. Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues. Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until 12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges. Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016. Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016. 2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days 6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron 10/11/16: Off all psych medications After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue. Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Sleep is not very restorative for me at present but sometimes it is better than others. Am sleeping more hours than I was 3 months ago.Even though not refreshing this is a step in the right direction. Today I got some Valium 2mg tablets and am going to cross over to them from Zop. I aim to taper off 6mg Valium a day to nothing over 6 to 8 months, The half life is far longer and I have been getting inter dose WD with Zop. I do not intend to reduce the Mirt until I have done this. Then I will tackle it.....aim to be drug free in about 18 months....Having done CT and suffered am going to go v gently. Slow and steady wins the race. Of that I am sure. Am sorry that your sleep is so poor Christian...From your signature I find it hard to tell what else you are taking. Klonopin, Ambien, Temazepam ? For me Mirtazapine has had bad side effects though I am sure tapering will be a challenge. Wishing you better nights. Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Christian Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 I have a lot of meds that I rarely took so that's why I have them all. So I have klonopin, temazapam and Ambien. I may take one each a week if I can't sleep with the Mirtz. Bad I know. Mirtz brought me sleep again during WD. But I think it's wrecked me too. Thanks for your positive thoughts. Didn't mean to tie up your wall with my stuff. Glad your doing better. Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs. Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010. Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues. Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until 12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges. Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016. Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016. 2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days 6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron 10/11/16: Off all psych medications After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue. Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 Not at all Christian....re tying up my wall etc. .. It may be hard to know what is causing the problems if you are chopping and changing. I think consistent, slow and steady is the way, I would have saved myself a lot of pain if I had done this in the first place. All the best to you. Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
AliG Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Bruin. You're sounding stable. You do have to watch " overdoing " it . If anything can " unhinge " you at this time , it's that . I have found it can send you into a wave - big time , and therefore you have to be vigilant , and on guard to protect yourself from this . At this time , always step back and ask yourself what is important right now .There will be time later for all the activity . Self - Care is paramount right now . If you can , just breathe and slow down. Do you do guided meditations etc. ? Ali Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
Bruin Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 Thanks for stopping by my thread Ali........You are quite right overdoing it is my achilles heel. I am getting better at it but have quite a lot to do to keep my show on the road and the balance is hard to achieve. It is a matter of paring down and just doing the things which are absolutely vital. I do listen to quite a lot of guided meditations on youtube and it is a big help. I am establishing some routine now and that is helping. I hope you are having a good week . All the very best. Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Bruin Posted July 12, 2016 Author Share Posted July 12, 2016 Just updating.......I have been able to do more than I could 3 months ago but still exhausted much of the time. However there are some real positives.....DP/DR decreased greatly. Depression is better though still quite anxious. I have crossed over from Zopiclone to Valium as half life of V is much longer and thus the WD should be smoother. I was experiencing inter dose WD with Zopiclone. I have also tapered by nearly half and doing ok on it. Listening to lots of Eckhart Tolle and meditations. Staying present is the only game in town otherwise I find myself projecting what if I never get well etc.....and dreaming up all kinds of awful scenarios........ Best wishes to all on your healing journeys. .... Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted July 12, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hi, Bruin. This is such a positive update - I know you've had some struggles with dp/dr, so it's good to hear it's not so bad now. Eckhart Tolle is one of my favorites, too. The exhaustion factor is huge and tends to multiply all other symptoms, but you seem to be taking it all in stride. Sending healing vibes your way. Link to comment
Christian Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hey Bruin. So good to see you improving some. I agree the fatigue is relentless. I'm seeing my 2nd rheumatologist today to discuss. Not that they can do anything. I just want a diagnose other than "anxiety, other" for disability purposes. Hope you continue to have Windows! Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs. Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010. Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues. Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until 12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges. Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016. Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016. 2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days 6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron 10/11/16: Off all psych medications After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue. Link to comment
Bruin Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Thank you Christian ! I hope the appointment with the Rheumatologist went well. The fatigue does make it hard to work . Agree that Doctors cannot do a lot for us but a good one can be a support and guide. We have to learn to be our own best friends and physicians. All Best Wishes. Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted August 26, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 26, 2016 Bruin, thanks for taking time to share your experience with deepest, gloomiest depression and the awful thoughts that come with it. Your posts to Terry have been very supportive, and they probably make more difference than mine because you've been through it with Lyrica. 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 IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Bruin Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Thank you for thoughtful message Scallywag........It was my experience with Lyrica that pitched me into researching the Psych Drug nightmare... and finding SA, Through communicating with others who had difficulties with Lyrica I found out that Suicidal ideation is alarmingly common...... Nasty poison and like most of these so called medicines no one properly understands how it works. Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Bruin Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 Just updating. I have only begun to understand WD for about 5 months....it took me a year of going through it before I worked out why I was feeling so unwell It was engaging with this wonderful site which educated me about the process. . In that time I stopped Lyrica and have cross tapered Zopiclone to the longer acting Valium and reduced by over 50 %....hooray ! I am going to completely taper the Valium before tackling Mirtazapine. Cold Turkeying Effexor was such a brutal experience I have learnt the lesson that slow and steady is the only way to go. The process has been very slow and I have to confess that there have been times when I have despaired of getting better but looking back I have realised that progress has been made. I have managed to travel a couple of times and done a little work . There were times during 2015 and early 2016 when I was completely bed bound and terrified by how unwell I felt. For the most part I am up and about now and have taken up Archery again which is a lovely thing to do. Mindfulness and learning how to pace has been key but there are still times when I overdo it and crash. It is hard to gauge what is too much, Thank you all for the support it has been a lifeline. Best wishes to all on this difficult journey. We do and will recover ! Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Martina23 Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Hi Bruin, it is good that you feel better. I am happy for you. Good luck with your tapering, I hope it will go well. 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Christian Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Hey Bruin, Great to hear!!! How's the sleep been ? Last I recall you were around 5 hours? Has the fatigue lessened for you ? Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs. Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010. Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues. Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until 12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges. Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016. Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016. 2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days 6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron 10/11/16: Off all psych medications After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue. Link to comment
Bruin Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 Thank you Martina and hope you are having some better days. I know first hand how horrible Lyrica and it's aftermath can be. You really deserve a break.....hope you are managing to do some Art. Hi Christian....am still around 5 hours and fatigue a bit better but still have some wretched days....invariably when I have overdone it. I can get very anxious about the future....not being able to work properly is a worry but if I stay in the day then things go better. How are you doing.? All the Best Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
Christian Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Bruin, Good news on the fatigue. I'm so so. I think I told you my cortisol plummeted to ungodly levels due to the stress of my reinstatement. I was fatigued when I went off lexapro 7 months ago. But the cortisol rapidly dropped as the chemical anxiety left. Now I'm seeing an integrative Dr to try to turn things around. Good luck with the rest of your taper my friend. Your recovery progress is good to see. Lexapro: started in 2002 at 10 mgs. Ambien: started as a as needed sleep aid in 2010. Quit Lexapro cold turkey in June 20015 due to contributing to low sodium issues. Restarted Lexapro in late November for a week (only 5 mgs) but quit due to dizziness side effects. Side effects worsened for 3 weeks until 12/24/15: Protracted WD hit, experienced extreme anxiety, insomnia lack of full concentration and social challenges. Reinstated Lexapro on 1/1/16 at 5 mgs. Increased per Dr to 7.5 MG. Tapered off Lexapro in March 2016. Started 50MG of Seroquel in late January 2016 for bedtime to help in eliminate Ambien. Tapered off both Seroquel and Ambien in March 2016. 2/14/16: Prescribed both Remeron (15 MG) and Temazapam (15 MG) for sleep. Also use Klonopin and Ambien again in place of Temazapam to avoid addiction. However I did take Temazapam 60 straight days 6/15/16: Stopped use of all benzo's and now use Belsomra 1-2 times a week. Still on 15 MG of Remeron 10/11/16: Off all psych medications After kindling, trying to regain my strength suffering from severe mental and physical fatigue. Link to comment
Bruin Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 You have done brilliantly to get rid of the Benzos Christian.....did you get significant WD from stopping ? I know that you did not take them every night. I am now down to 3mg Valium and about to do another cut...I have a feeling that it will not have a major impact but you never know. I believe it is the protracted WD from CT of Effexor which is what is still affecting me. All the best . Bruin Anti Depressants for 25 years. Valium between 2006 to 7 tapered off over a month without too bad withdrawals. For last 15 years 150 mg of Effexor and 30 mg of Mirtazapine. Occasional short term benzo use without habituation. March 2015 stopped Effexor after rapid taper. 6 weeks. One month fluoxetine June 2015...stopped CT July 2015. October 2013 to December 2015 Zopiclone 15 mg at night, Dec 2015 to Early March 2016 Lyrica 75 mg at night. Stopped too quickly as adverse side effects. January to May 2016 tapered Zopiclone to 7.5mg Crossed over to Valium and now ..March 28th 2017 Benzo Free. Also on 30 mg Mirtazapine and holding until have finished Benzo taper. IN protracted WD from Effexor. Link to comment
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