FinallyAlive: nervous system struggles

[FinallyAlive]

Hi guys,

 

So here I am after being off antids for about 6 months, having tapered too quickly and suffering the consequences. I was latterly taking Citalopram 30mg, Lamotrigine 150mg and Venlafaxine 75mg.

 

Summer 2015 I was officially diagnosed with major depression, which had obviously been there for a long, long time but had at that time got particularly bad. This was due to psychological issues, alcohol and drug abuse but wouldn't shift despite years of work fixing these.  Now I know the long term citalopram use was probably making the depression worse. Around that time I saw 4 different psychologists and got 4 different opinions on how to recover/which meds to take. This of course was a ridiculous situation so I took matters into my own hands, taking what I thought was the 'best' advice and integrating it with my own research and experience . Following the 'advice' of one of the psychiatrists I added 75mg of Venlafaxine to the Citalopram and Lamotrgine. At the same time I'd heard about l-methylfolate so gradually ramped up to 15mg daily with b-6 and b-12. I know starting 2 things at once is not advisable but I was desperate and could hardly function. Within a couple of weeks something kicked the worst of the depression into touch which was a massive relief. After a couple of months on the 3 med cocktail the side effects were really starting to get to me so it was time to get off this stuff. Yes, I know, I did it all too quickly which is why I am where I am now....I should have listened more closely to the advice here :-) 

 

Hoping for a little advice and encouragement about my nervous system which in the last 3 months or so has got worse even though I stopped all meds 6 months ago.

 

The lamotrigine taper had me shouting angrily at my wife a number of times - the intensity of the rage was incredible but passed quite quickly. She was very brave to be able to get through that! Citalopram taper was surprisingly easy. The final stages of the Venlafaxine withdrawl was tricky. I was down to 1 bead and if I didn't take it within a few hours I'd get head zaps, restless legs etc. At some point I had to stop so I did and put with these symptoms for a week or so. After all this I was however very fatigued which has improved to an acceptable level over the last 3 months. The fatigue was probably also due to recovering from the major depression.

 

Right now I have anxiety issues, very easily stressed/snappy, can't sleep more than 5 hours a night and impossible to catch up with sleep during daytime as on the verge of dropping off I wake with intense terror/fear. Often trouble breathing properly, tight stomach and I am very sensitive to noise, light and touch. I also have panic attacks when the stress is high in my life. These have been occurring for a long time though and haven't really changed with changes in meds.

 

Having done years of therapy and some bodywork I know that these are physical symptoms and I have quite a healthy psychological make up. I also do a lot of things to look after my physical and mental health which I won't go into here. 

 

On the plus side, I don't have the general low mood caused by taking Citalopram for years, blurred vision, muscle tightness, sexual problems, cognition and memory problems, sense of not being fully present + other well known side effects from these meds. 

 

I am having thoughts about re-introducing a very small amount of Citalopram or Venlafaxine - not sure which one of these is causing the nervous system issues - probably both. I'm aware that the likelihood of this helping after 6 months is low, but I'm willing to try to alleviate symptoms. Advice on this is very welcome!

 

As my name suggests, I do finally feel alive after 16 years on these meds - something about taking them was just not 'right'. Even though I'm suffering right now I'd rather be here. I hope this gives some encouragement to others and also serves as a warning about what happens when you taper too quickly!

 

Thanks to mods and users alike for this wonderful resource.

 

Cheers

Edited October 3, 2016 by scallywag
tags added

[Skeeter]

Hi FInallyAlive,

One of the Moderators will be along soon to offer some advice, or point you in the right direction. I just did not want you to think you have been forgotten about. They are all very kind here. This is such a supportive environment. There are threads here about reinstating after a long time, and what surprised me about reading them, was the very low level at which they start the reinstatements. it is not unheard of for reinstatements to work after so long, but the hard part, it seems is starting at a low enough dose and which to take when multiple meds are involved.

 

Many here, including myself stopped antidepressants or other meds too quickly. I was completely off of Wellbutrin and Pristiq for about 4 months with one and 5 months with the other, and I was prescribed Lexapro (escitalopram) at that point, and it helped me. I will taper off again, but this time the proper way.

 

Welcome. I wish the best of luck to you!! Sorry I cannot offer advice. Just know you are not alone, and hang in there!

S.

[Petunia]

Welcome FinallyAlive,

Thank you for filling in your signature. I'm sorry you are still having symptoms after 6 months since quitting your antidepressants, unfortunately, this is not unusual here at SA. It sounds like you are experiencing protracted withdrawal from tapering too fast, as you noted.

 

We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

You will recover, but it could take some time and as your symptoms appear to be getting worse, I agree that a small reinstatement is an option to consider. As you mentioned, at 6 months out, there is no guarantee it will help, but by trying a very small amount, you minimize the risk of it making things worse. Perhaps you could try 1 - 2 beads of venlafaxine, seeing as that was the last drug you stopped.

 

Reinstatement of a small amount of the drug can often work well to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal. Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work. Once you have stabilized on a low dose of the drug, then a slower, safer taper can be started. Here is some information about reinstatement to help you decide if its something you would like to try:  About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms

 

You may find this topic helpful too:  Tips for tapering off Effexor (venlafaxine)

 

Please be careful with your diazepam use. In a nervous system sensitized by withdrawal, benzos can easily turn paradoxical, meaning tolerance and rebound withdrawal is a greater risk, leading to increased use and an eventual dependence, which means these will then need to be tapered.

 

If you decide to try reinstatement, I think it would be wise to stop taking your tryptophan supplement, its not recommended to take these along with an antidepressant, see:  5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) and l-tryptophan - Symptoms and self ...

 

Even if you do nothing, you will recover eventually and there are a lot of tips for managing symptoms as you recover in our self care section here:  symptoms and self care

 

Have a read through the links, ask any questions here in your thread and let us know what you decide.

 

I'm glad you found us, we are here to support you.

 

Petunia.

[FinallyAlive]

Hi Skeeter,

 

Thank you very much for your quick and supportive reply. Its great to have somebody say 'I get it - I've been there' - it makes me feel less alone and more understood. As you have probably experienced professionals are of little use in these situations and friends and family don't get it, which is not their fault of course if they haven't been there, but its a difficult thing to get across to somebody and with the time scales and low doses I think most people think you're just being dramatic.

 

I'm glad to see that your Escitalopram withdrawl appears to have stabilised and I hope the GI issues clear up soon, as I know these can really affect your quality of life. I look forward to keeping and eye on your progress and wish you best of luck.

 

Cheers

[Skeeter]

FA,

Thank you for kindly offering support to me when yo are suffering so awfully right now. Thank you for that! My gut is a little raw around the edges, but better than it was (YAY!).

 

Your wife must be very kind and strong to have made it through the gamut of emotions we go through during our emotions taking over for us after our brain has gone through these changes it cannot handle well. Hopefully, having known you long enough, she really recognized that this was not the normal you and let it roll of off her back. You are right, though, it is hard for anyone not having gone through it to truly get what we are going through. I was wearing sunglasses in the house during the days with all of the drapes drawn. My dogs had to learn to sleep close to me without touching me, something they had always done since they were pups, and suddenly somehow little things I never even thought of were major events in my life. And no, the doc that told me to come off quickly did NOT get it, at last in my case, we are similar there as well.

 

I will follow you here and see how you get on.

 

I really hope things get better for you soon!!!

S

[FinallyAlive]

Hi Petunia,

 

Thank you very much for all the information, support and kind words. Its something really special that happens here and I feel very lucky to be part of it. I hope I can offer my support to others in the same way it is being given to me.

 

I took 2 beads of Venlafaxine this morning following my hunch backed up by your advice. Lets see what happens over the next few weeks. Luckily here in Barcelona you can buy many antidepressants without a prescription as they're not addictive or (apparently) dangerous ;-) This takes the headache out of getting a doctor involved in something they likely know very little about.

 

With regards to the valium, during stressful times I am taking something like 6mg one day, 4 the next followed by 2 the next, on average every 2 weeks or so. I'm doing it like this to avoid regular use and tolerance build up as benzos scare me, especially since I have had numerous addictions in the past. However, I wonder if this sporadic use is doing more harm than good as its further de-stabilising my nervous system with very irregular dosing - what do you think? 

 

I will keep taking the tryptophan at the moment because my experiences with it over the past 2 years have been pretty positive, alongside taking SSRIs and after quitting. I appreciate there are risks involved but a recent experience of 2 weeks without it resulted in the horrible melancholic, heavy depression returning which I've been free of for about a year. A few hours after taking 1g of tryptophan the depression was gone! 

 

As a side I recently did 9 months of therapy with a Somatic Experience practitioner, who unfortunately went into retirement in June. However, I have learnt how to let my nervous system release some of the built up energy caused by stress as well as a fair bit of body awareness which is very useful, especially in these times. I hope in the long term it will allow my body to process childhood trauma. I count myself lucky that I have this tool and would recommend SE to others going through similar experiences: http://traumahealing.org/

 

Cheers

[FinallyAlive]

Hey Skeeter,

 

The older I get the more I realise that supporting others is often the best way to get over your own issues, so thanks to you!

 

I've suffered from IBS since, ironically, starting Citalopram 16 years ago. I'm not sure thats entirely a coincidence. I've found it has got much better since quitting antids though so there is hope. Also see my comment about SE above which has helped massively with this as well.

 

My wife has only been known by that title for a little over 2 weeks and we've known each other for just over 2 years, so she's seen me in quite a few different states! Tbh, at the moment she is struggling as my short fuse and anxiety are difficult to be around and its starting to wear her down. I am doing my best to not feel guilty as its not something I choose or have much control over, and am doing my best to reassure her that things will improve. Not the perfect way to start a marriage, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it the best we can. 

 

I totally get you with regards to the sunglasses etc....I've found ear plugs to be my best friend at the moment and sometimes my skin feels like its on fire which is not very pleasant. And yeah, minor events becoming major events - I'm glad its not just me who has a lot of 'major' events at the moment.

 

Bye for now and keep taking good care of yourself

 

Cheers

[Skeeter]

FinallyAlive,

Yikes, a new marriage to boot! Knowing you 2 years, she hopefully knows that where you are now is not your normal. Hopefully you are good a communicator, so you have explained what is going on so she knows it is the med issue and not her, Not trying to tell you how to do anything, just hoping you are able to communicate well.

 

Ear plugs were too much for me, I am SO glad they work for you, however for hours and hours for weeks on end every day my ears had the sensation that I had ear plugs in them- so odd!

 

Thanks for the web site. I will take a look.

 

I hope that you have a better day tomorrow!

Skeeter

[Skeeter]

FA,

Wondering how things are going for you?  Have things improved for you at all since we last talked?  How is the new wife taking things? I am hoping so much that things have calmed down a bit for you, honestly!!

 

My gut is getting better, just I am impatient, so I wish it were getting better more quickly.

Skeets

[Skeeter]

FInallyAlive,

Just wondering how you are hanging in?  I have been wondering abut how you have been doing, if you reinstated, or decided to tough it out.

 

My gut finally totally calmed down, and as you said, it can really make a difference.  I am back to myself more than I have been in a very long time, I cannot believe how feeling ill that bit was so detrimental to my emotional health.

 

Even if I do not hear back from you, I really hope you are doing a bit better, and hope  you and your wife are doing well.

Skeeter

[powerback]

On 2016-09-14 at 11:18 AM, FinallyAlive said:

...

I took 2 beads of Venlafaxine this morning following my hunch backed up by your advice. Lets see what happens over the next few weeks. Luckily here in Barcelona you can buy many antidepressants without a prescription as they're not addictive or (apparently) dangerous ;-) This takes the headache out of getting a doctor involved in something they likely know very little about.

...

 

HI ,WHAT IN THE WORLD.i didn't realise these drugs could be gotten without prescription .I could cry ,the thoughts of someone buying these drugs and not realising the consequences .

by no means directing this at you ,I'm just amazed .

hope your well

Edited July 15, 2017 by scallywag
trimmed quote to relevant portion

[FinallyAlive]

Hi guys,

 

Firstly, Skeeter, thanks so much for checking in a couple of times last year. I apologise for not replying, but the depression spiraled downwards and I curl up and hide during those times. So here's an update just over a year later, and judging by the fact that I'm writing here again things must be picking up :-)

 

Sept 2016 got worse and worse. Panic attacks became very intense, landing me in hospital once. Towards the end of the month I was talked into going to a pdoc to get back on the meds. Bad advice coming from a good heart to a guy reaching for something to grab on to and very concerned about his new marriage!

 

The pdoc saw this as a straight case of anxious depression, of course not related to previous withdrawal. 150mg of venlafaxine a day was what I needed, apparently. I was too weak/confused/scared to argue otherwise. I can now still remember the feeling a few hours after I took the first tablet. It was like a big, thick curtain had been pulled over me. I could swear my IQ was cut in half that moment. The depression became different. Less acute and more blurred, but certainly not better. The panic attacks stopped completely, which was actually a big relief.

 

Over the next weeks with a lot of rest I began to function again and by November I was working. I write music for a living so you can imagine the mayhem all this caused in my career buts that's another story. Around this time there was one huge emotional breakdown with suicidal factors leading to forced admission to the phsyc ward. When I was seen 5 hours later the breakdown had long subsided. I talked with a young pdoc for a while. This poor kid knew less than me about these drugs! When I gave the report to my pdoc at the next session he said 'Ah yeah, antidepressants can make these situations worse' Thanks so much for that! I then proceeded to tell him that I'd started Lamictal a few days earlier off my own bat as it had worked well before. 'Yes, I was going to mention that' he said....unbelievable!

 

By Christmas I was starting to feel a bit more human, and the Lamictal was controlling the venlafaxine induced instability. My marriage was suffering badly as my nervous system was in tatters and I was prone to anger, rage etc - the usual stuff. My wife and I went to therapy together which was really helpful, and our marriage has got stronger and stronger since :-)

 

May 2017 and I told my pdoc I was ready to start coming off the venlafaxine - he agreed. He then drew me up withdrawal plan that involved skipping days etc over a 3 month period. I picked it up and laughed in his face asking him if he had ANY idea what this would do to me? I really don't think he did. I told him 10% per month would be the absolute maximum I would do. After some thought, surprisingly he agreed, probably just to get me out of his office as I was trouble. Needless to say I never went back to him or any other pdoc. 

 

Sorry this is turning into a long post but it gets interesting here. 10 days after reducing 150mg venlafaxine by a very conservative 7% it got ugly. Insomnia, anxiety, fear, restlessness, light/sound hypersensitivity  - most of the common symptoms seen here. I had been researching about cannabis for a while, but was reluctant to try it as I was quite a heavy abuser when I was younger and was worried about becoming addicted (it's really not very addictive, especially compared to booze and cigarettes). But I felt so completely cornered by the onslaught of WD that I decided to try it. I'm certainly not saying it would work for everybody, but for me has been a life saver. I had immediate symptom relief - I could sleep properly, started eating proper amounts of food, anxiety almost disappeared, depression became a thing of the past. The knock on health benefits of these things over time are enormous which probably speeds up general healing. It seems to rebalance the system so that I just feel normal. I've experimented a bit and found the correct dosages of smoking mainly indica strains and using CBD crystals to work a treat. I'm on hols at the moment in a country where it's illegal and I thought 2 weeks without cannabis would be hellish. Not at all - symptom relief from ongoing WD (see sig) is still great! The only downsides that bother me are the smoking aspect (without tobacco), short term memory loss (can be very annoying) and the way I buy it (legally) can get a bit pricey.

 

I am full of hope that these horrible meds will be a think of the past soon. I feel very 'supported by the cannabis. I still have some way to go with the venlafaxine and then the Lamictal, but I have this wonderful thing called patience now :-) I think this is because venlafaxine dosage is low so side effects are minimal and WD symptoms are very mild so I can tolerate them.

 

ill keep you updated, but this could take a long time as I'm doing it as slowly as is needed. Definitely sticking to the 3 KS

 

if anyone wants to know more about my cannabis experiences then I'm more than happy to share.

 

Once again thanks to everybody here for this wonderful site.

 

Oh if you're interested in a highly effective physical trauma treatment, take a look here: http://traumahealing.org/

 

cheers

 

FA

 

 

 

 

[FarmGirlWorks]

I am totally interested in your cannabis experiences. I find it helpful.

[FinallyAlive]

Hi FarmGirlWorks,

 

Apologies for the delay - I was on holiday!

 

I started making cannabis tea with a 80-20 indica strain (probably White Widow) about 9 days into withdrawl back in May. Within a couple of hours it had helped enormously with the physical WD symptoms, and gave me a settled feeling which the WDs rob you of! So I carried on drinking about 500mg mixed with butter and simmered for half an hour each day. I also started smoking it and realised the more bodily sensations you get as opposed to drinking it which I found incredibly helpful. I gradually swapped totally to smoking (!) and it took about 3 months to build a tolerance to about 1g/day. I smoke small amounts during the day (without tobacco). I bought and tried a Vaporizer but its just not the same as smoking it ;-)

I buy it at an association (it's my part of the harvest, honest...), and the quality is high with about 20 strains usually on offer. I buy mainly indicas but also a lesser amount of a sativa such as Amnesia Haze. I find that indicas are good for chilling me out and with hyperalterness always lurking around the corner thats what I normally smoke. The sativa is good for creative work and is good at lifting my mood if I feel al bit low :-)

Sometimes I take CBD crystals which are great for anxiety with no side-effect at all.

 

I had really bad mood instability problems for years, and I think the anti-ds made it all worse. Since starting the cannabis my mood has massively levelled out and overall has lifted considerably. My wife commented how much we laugh these days...it wasn't like this last time during WD!

I was on holiday recently in Dominican Republic and buying/using weed there is not a good idea, so I went 2 weeks without anything after 6 months of self medicating. It was fine. I felt towards the end of the 2 weeks that my nervous system was feeling burned and I wanted to go home, but the DR is quite an intense place ;-)

The only annoying side effect I get with the cannabis is the short term memory problem, which drives me a bit nuts tbh. I know some of this can be be attributed to the meds so it will naturally get slightly better, but... )-: my notepad is my new best friend.

 

The pluses it gives me are generally making various things 'OK', like..

 

Sleep - easier to drop off, sleep a decent 8 hours, wake up feeling OK

Food - increases my appetite towards a more non-WD level. Not fully, but helps

Weight - now on 25% of full venlafaxine dose and weight is fully back to normal

Mood - anxiety > practically gone

             depression > much better, can be dealt with effectively and immediately

Anakasia - 80% better

Concentration - much better

 

So, there you go! I would be great to hear about your experiences,

 

FA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bheb]

FinallyAlive, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm considering using cannabis for my symptoms (restlessness, akathisia), but I worried that it wouldn't be a consistent effect. I guess I didn't want to be jerked around feeling great and then falling back into the worst of it. It's good to know that some people can feel the effects more long term. I may try it in the future. 

 

Great news that your wd journey is becoming easier.

[FinallyAlive]

Hey bheb, it's quite easy to achieve a consistent effect with cannabis because it hangs around your system for a while. If you ingest it the effects last about 5 hours, smoking about 2. I believe it can take up to 2 weeks to clear completely from the system.

 

[Happy2Heal]

hi FinallyAlive, I know it's been a long time but just wondering how you are doing?

hope all is well with you!

[FinallyAlive]

Topic title:  Advice on Venlafaxine updose

 

Hi guys, 

 

I've hit a difficult spot in my Venlafaxine withdrawal which started at the end of March with akathisia, anxiety, stress etc. At the beginning of April a depressive mood started to set in and 2 weeks later it is still here. I was down to 14mg before the problems started, and updosed to 20mg when the depression set in in the hope that it would help, but it appears not to have done. I would have expected an improvement after 2 weeks but maybe I am being impatient or maybe I should updose again.

 

The depression is making life really difficult and I can't afford to let it stick around for too long as I have some challenges coming up. I'm not sure what to do at this point as I'm of course loathed to updose but don't want to sink deeper.

 

I've found a psychiatrist who recognises the harm these drugs cause and will prescribe them only as a last resort (!), which is a breath of fresh air but I can't see her until the end of May. 

 

If anybody has any thoughts on what I should do next they would be very much appreciated.

 

Thanks very much.

 

Edited April 14, 2019 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[DogLover]

im right there with you and wondering the exact same thing for myself. effexor is really giving me a struggle.

 

the mods look like they have their hands full, but they are likely to ask you to post a daily drug/ mood type journal of all drugs, suppliments and moods. you can start working on that. sorry if you already know the ropes, but  i saw you only had 7 posts.

 

hope the best for you.

 

 

Example :

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomac h is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate din ner
9:20 p.m. Headac he
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3 mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep

[FinallyAlive]

Hi DogLover, thanks for your reply. 

 

I'll get to work on that right away!

 

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time with Venlafaxine also, but well done for getting to such a low dose.

 

 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Thanks DogLover, you are right that we need daily symptom notes.

 

FinallyAlive, please add the dates to your drug signature for the following.  If not known, please use early, mid or late.  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

? June 2018 venlafaxine updose to 60mg to alleviate panic symptoms during stressful life period

? Oct 2018 continue venlafaxine withdrawal from 60mg

? March 2019 venlafaxine at 14mg

? April 2019 venlafaxine updose to 20mg as depression sets in

 

During any taper there are most likely going to be times of discomfort and we need to learn non drug coping techniques to get through that time without resorting to a drug to "fix" us.  It's good to remember that "regular" people, ie people who have never taken a psychiatric drug or illicit drug, experience periods of depression and it usually runs its course and the depression lifts.

 

I am doing a careful taper following SA's protocol and mainly experiencing only mild withdrawal symptoms.  However stress does cause my symptoms to increase and I do still experience periods of depressed mood.  I accept it and find ways to get through it until it passes.

 

It's good to consider what has gone on in your life leading up to the time the depression came on.  Job/home/financial stress, sickness, travel, even returning from a holiday can cause a lowered mood.  Have you taken or stopped any other medications during this time?

 

SA strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times.

 

Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear.  This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic.

 

This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious:

 

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf

 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

 

Audio FEMALE VOICE:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)

 

Audio MALE VOICE:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

dealing-with-emotional-spirals

 

Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping.  There are videos available on YouTube.

 

Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

 

Resources:  Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg:  Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying)

 

On 4/28/2017 at 4:03 AM, brassmonkey said:

 

AAF: Acknowledge, Accept, Float.  It's what you have to do when nothing else works, and can be a very powerful tool in coping with anxiety.  The neuroemotional anxiety many of us feel during WD is directly caused by the drugs and their chemical reactions in the brain.  Making it so there is nothing we can do about them.  They won't respond to other drugs, relaxation techniques and the like.  They do, however, react very well to being ignored.  That's the concept behind AAF.  Acknowledge, get to know the feeling involved, explore them.  Accept, These feelings are a part of you and they aren't going anywhere fast. Float, let the feeling float off as you get on with your life as best as you can.  It's a well documented fact that the more you feed in to anxiety the worse it gets.  What starts as generalized neuroemotinal anxiety can be easily blown into a full fledged panic attack just by thinking about it.

 

I often liken it to an unwanted house guest.  At first you talk to them, have conversations, communicate with them.  After a while you figure out that they aren't leaving and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them.  So you go on about your day, working around them until they get bored and leave.

 

It can take some practice, but AAF really does work.  I hope you give it a try.

 

 

[Carmie]

Hi FinallyAlive, 

 

I’m sorry you are struggling so much. Could you please edit your signature as ChessieCat suggested. Thanks a lot. 

 

What date this month did you updose to 20mg?

 

Tapering from 60mg to 14mg in about four months was way too quick. As you know, the recommendation is no more than 10% a month. I’ve been put on and off meds quickly by doctors too, and the akathisia was horrific. I’ve managed to keep it tolerable now by going slowly. I still get it here and there, but not very often, and not to the intensity it was before. I still go through lots of waves with every taper, but I manage it with lots of distractions.

 

Please let us know how you’re doing. 

 

Take care, sending hugs🤗

[Altostrata]

@FinallyAlive, how are you doing?