Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

Dee22: Serious Adverse Reaction to Low Dose Celexa


Dee22

Recommended Posts

(Tinnitus is the still the same). Also, I never had brain zaps except for back in Feb of 2016 when I finished my taper of the 5mg Celexa. I had basically no withdrawal symptoms after that except for some parathesia which popped up around 7 months later. The zaps started the same day I started with the Lamictal but they stopped about 5 days later as I used to the medication (I know this is weird as zaps are associated with withdrawal, that's why I had originally asked about it). 

 

Update/Questions:

 

 

There have been new medications introduced due to the severity of my situation and I don't want to condone taking new medications to other users since I'm not a fan of this either. This message also about getting off of them... I talked to Dr Shipko in early December and he recommended Klonopin for my symptoms (Akathisia, 0 sleep for days, anorexia and severe tinnitus). I was a bit hesitant as I know it's extremely addicting and can also cause tinnitus upon discontinuation, however he stated that it was the only thing that seems to work for his other patients. So I started taking .325 split into 3 daily doses, trying to be conservative. Things seemed to start to calm down a little in regards to being able to relax and get a little sleep. I also started on 7.25 Lamictal for the severe depression which seemed to be tolerated okay (but I was also at the beginning regimen with Klonopin so it was hard to tell). A bit nauseated at first but after about a week I was able to titrate up to 12.5 mg, still tolerating it well but not much elevation in mood - been on the 12.5mg since early January. Here's where it gets tricky, I was somewhat stable for about a 3-4 weeks, stable meaning I was getting 5-6 hours of sleep, bad tinnitus and depression. Now suddenly, over the past 3 weeks, I'm getting that electrical nervous sensation all over my body again, unable to sleep and myoclonic jerks while "trying" to fall asleep (I also had these jerks early on in the reaction while I wasn't trying to take anything, this was in October). I also notice that taking the Klonopin does not seem to fix the electricity/twitching even right after dosing. For example, I took the Klonopin before bed and it did not seem to help - I was thinking it was Klonopin tolerance after 2.5 months but even wth tolerance, there seems to be some relief of symptoms right after dosing at least for a little while before it quickly wears off.

2 things could be happening. It's possible the Lamictal was not well-tolerated and the Klonopin was covering it up and now at a month later it's at full force and not liking me. Or the Klonopin has gone paradoxal. I noticed on your patientslikeme post, you mentioned something about "paradoxal". Can you help me understand what that means and if that might be the possibility in my case? I'm considering upping the Lamictal and slowing coming off the Klonopin - I'm going to need a glutamate buffer if that's the case. Thanks again for your help and sorry for this long annoying post. I would just love to come off everything right now and deal with the consequences but the tinnitus is at level 10 catastrophic so I have to be really careful in not making it worse.  Coming off the Klonopin at this stage really frightens me but I do not want to keep increasing the dose. My hope was that things would have calmed down to some degree by now and I could slowly come off everything but unfortunately that has not been the case. Thanks again for your insight (I will of course discuss with my doctor even though he seems pretty clueless). 

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Dee, can you talk to Dr Shipko again about this?  Often a drug that has helped starts to have side effects after a while, doctors usually increase the dose not realising that it is tha drug that is the problem. Did you start klonopin and lamictal at the same time? You have crossed out propranolol n your signature, how long did you take it for?  

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

Link to comment

I updated my signature for additional clarity. I stopped taking the Propranolol in the beginning of January due to worsening of depression. My doctor said it can sometimes cause that. I also felt that once I started cutting the dose, I realized it wasn't helping me anyway. Perhaps the dose was too low but I'm not sure. I just figured the less of anything I can be on the better. 

 

The Klonopin was started just a few days before the lamictal but I did not experience an alerting reaction from it. I believe it calmed things down a bit. I guess I keep pointing the finger at the lamictal because I had weird side effects when starting it but then they dissipated (brain zaps, extreme fatigue, nausea). 

 

I suppose it can also be the gabapentin - I'm not proud of this little cocktail of low dose meds and my goal is to see what can be cut first without increasing depression but mostly the tinnitus.  

 

Dr. Shipko only recommended the benzo, not the other medications. I talked to him originally about the Lamictal and he said it was probably safe but may or may not help and that has been the extent of my interaction with him (although I appreciate all of his advice). 

 

There's also the possibility I could be having a wave but it seems unlikely as I seemed to be progressively getting better over the past 3 months without waves. 

 

My two biggest concerns at this point are Klonopin tolerance or one of the medications decided it doesn't like me. I'm getting a reintroduction of muscle spasms and myoclonic jerks when falling asleep - both lamictal and gabapentin can cause this, however I also had it at the beginning of my reaction while I wasn't taking anything but it had long subsided. Wondering if I try to cut the gabapentin first, it might be the easiest and could also be causing depression. 

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Both gabapentin and lamictal are epilepsy drugs, and have their own side effects. Myoclonic jerks are listed. As you started them within a few days of each other it is hard to tell which one could be making things worse, or if it is withdrawal as Alto suggested.  Adding and taking away drugs is not helping but I understand completely your desperation to find something to relieve the symptoms.  If you decide to taper one of them, or just reduce the dose a little, I would make very small cuts to avoid further problems.  

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

Link to comment

Dee -our stories are very very similar -

After my partial wd from Paxil, I got akathisia due to my reinstatement

 

However, upon my reinstatememt, unlike yours, my dose was doubled -

 

My akathisia is like yours, word for word,

Every symptom, and the on and off waves -

I have the tinnitus too - it's So bad - and I got very bad visual snow

 

I am down to half of my reinstated dose

And the acute hell, terror, horror, strangeness has gone - most of my cognitive and sensory issues have gone

 

But I still get waves of that thick debilitating depression-

 

Will that go away?

I know healing of akathisia can be like a roller coaster and I am just wondering if those waves of depression are a part of the healing preocess - when they let up, I feel fine- like really myself a

 

I ask because the waves of akathisia are gone, but I still get the waves of depression-

 

I have not tried any other meds- only slowly reduced my Paxil -

 

I have been down to 10mg since august - and I still get these waves - but know it can take a while to stabilize

 

I want to taper but don't want to undo the improvement

 

Thank you for posting your story

 

*Currently at 8.2-8.5 mg of my 10mg pill of Paxil (they actually weigh 12.5mg) 

january 2023 I began reducing my med again. I was a 9mg weight for years, I went to 8.9 in January, went to 8.6mg in February, and in March 2023 I went down to 8.5-8.2 mg ( my scale varies, so I stick within that .3 range because of that) 

*No other supplements or vitamins 

*Taper schedule in the pdf 

Blank.pdf

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5vShtJtwAOGA30OxIP87steLmMdFzD29F0fzAPD564

Link to comment

Dee -our stories are very very similar -

After my partial wd from Paxil, I got akathisia due to my reinstatement

 

However, upon my reinstatememt, unlike yours, my dose was doubled -

 

My akathisia is like yours, word for word,

Every symptom, and the on and off waves -

I have the tinnitus too - it's So bad - and I got very bad visual snow

 

I am down to half of my reinstated dose

And the acute hell, terror, horror, strangeness has gone - most of my cognitive and sensory issues have gone

 

But I still get waves of that thick debilitating depression-

 

Will that go away?

I know healing of akathisia can be like a roller coaster and I am just wondering if those waves of depression are a part of the healing preocess - when they let up, I feel fine- like really myself a

 

I ask because the waves of akathisia are gone, but I still get the waves of depression-

 

I have not tried any other meds- only slowly reduced my Paxil -

 

I have been down to 10mg since august - and I still get these waves - but know it can take a while to stabilize

 

I want to taper but don't want to undo the improvement

 

Thank you for posting your story

 

I'm sorry you had to suffer like this, I don't wish it on anyone. Most of the weird stuff is gone for me as well (I believe that was the dopamine blockage - makes you feel crazy). I still gets the depression waves however I feel that they are basically gone but my tinnitus is what's currently causing my depression. So for me, it has now become situational. When I have big mental breakdowns from the tinnitus, I know it's because I'm having a residual light wave - if I didn't have the tinnitus, I would probably be able to control or ignore the wave at this point. I had also gotten T from my paxil withdrawal but it was nothing like this, now, it's reactive to every sound and I also have extreme hyperacusis. 

 

I think the waves are still apparent because you're still dose cutting (just a guess here) but those do seem like the last thing to go. They will definitely go as these fluctuations are not a normal state. You'll see that over time, they will become more and more mild until you don't notice them anymore. I find that mine are worse every other day or every two days, worse in the morning, then at 4pm, then dissipate at around 7pm. Do you see a similar pattern? Do you find that your tinnitus is worse during your depressive episodes or does it remain the same? 

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment

Both gabapentin and lamictal are epilepsy drugs, and have their own side effects. Myoclonic jerks are listed. As you started them within a few days of each other it is hard to tell which one could be making things worse, or if it is withdrawal as Alto suggested.  Adding and taking away drugs is not helping but I understand completely your desperation to find something to relieve the symptoms.  If you decide to taper one of them, or just reduce the dose a little, I would make very small cuts to avoid further problems.  

 

Yesterday I started my first cut of Gabapentin of 10% (been on 100mg 1x per day for 3 months). I'm wondering if my increased hyperacusis has to do with interdose withdrawal. I didn't realize the half life was 5-7 hours. 

 

Question 1: With that said should I spread my dose over 2x or 3x per day? At this point I know a lot about ADs (unfortunately) but I don't know much about Gabapentin. If you're not sure about this one, maybe a "gabapentin" expert can chime in? I really don't want guess on this one. 

 

Question 2: If I experience withdrawal symptoms, how long does it take before they generally kick in for this medication? I'm asking because if I don't feel anything after a few days, I may want to cut a bit more as I feel this medication is worsening my condition. 

 

Thanks

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment

 

 

I'm sorry you had to suffer like this, I don't wish it on anyone. Most of the weird stuff is gone for me as well (I believe that was the dopamine blockage - makes you feel crazy). I still gets the depression waves however I feel that they are basically gone but my tinnitus is what's currently causing my depression. So for me, it has now become situational. When I have big mental breakdowns from the tinnitus, I know it's because I'm having a residual light wave - if I didn't have the tinnitus, I would probably be able to control or ignore the wave at this point. I had also gotten T from my paxil withdrawal but it was nothing like this, now, it's reactive to every sound and I also have extreme hyperacusis. 

 

I think the waves are still apparent because you're still dose cutting (just a guess here) but those do seem like the last thing to go. They will definitely go as these fluctuations are not a normal state. You'll see that over time, they will become more and more mild until you don't notice them anymore. I find that mine are worse every other day or every two days, worse in the morning, then at 4pm, then dissipate at around 7pm. Do you see a similar pattern? Do you find that your tinnitus is worse during your depressive episodes or does it remain the same?

 

Mine seem to come for about a week - 10 days every 1-2 weeks -

But initially the windows weren't "true" windows like they are now - now during a window I have no symptoms

And I feel normal - before my windows were just a lessening of my synonyms -

My tinnitus is definitely much worse during my waves

 

*Currently at 8.2-8.5 mg of my 10mg pill of Paxil (they actually weigh 12.5mg) 

january 2023 I began reducing my med again. I was a 9mg weight for years, I went to 8.9 in January, went to 8.6mg in February, and in March 2023 I went down to 8.5-8.2 mg ( my scale varies, so I stick within that .3 range because of that) 

*No other supplements or vitamins 

*Taper schedule in the pdf 

Blank.pdf

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5vShtJtwAOGA30OxIP87steLmMdFzD29F0fzAPD564

Link to comment
  • 5 weeks later...

I hope this might help someone but I finally found something that works for the very low depressive bouts that can arise if you try to reinstate and get akathisia or if you have an akathisia reaction to an SSRI. This is different than the "normal" depression you might feel when tapering. 

 

I can not tolerate 5HTP or Tryptophan as most people cannot during withdrawal/reaction. Out of desperation I tried lithium orotate which you can get on amazon just taking 1/4 of a 120mg tablet 2x per day. I literally felt it start working in the first couple of hours. It leveled me out so I wasn't having the "highs and lows" anymore. 

 

As with all supplements please very careful if you try this and only try the smallest amount possible to start in case you react negatively to it. I also just read that it may help balance glutamate:

http://news.wisc.edu/research-explains-lithiums-dual-anti-manic-anti-depressive-effect/

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment

Thanks for the update Dee- can you say how long you have been using the lithium? Do you notice any withdrawal? Have you noticed building up a tolerance?

 

*Currently at 8.2-8.5 mg of my 10mg pill of Paxil (they actually weigh 12.5mg) 

january 2023 I began reducing my med again. I was a 9mg weight for years, I went to 8.9 in January, went to 8.6mg in February, and in March 2023 I went down to 8.5-8.2 mg ( my scale varies, so I stick within that .3 range because of that) 

*No other supplements or vitamins 

*Taper schedule in the pdf 

Blank.pdf

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5vShtJtwAOGA30OxIP87steLmMdFzD29F0fzAPD564

Link to comment

Been using it for about 2 weeks now. Not noticing anything weird except I'm not having manic bouts anymore and I'm 98% sure it's from the lithium orotate. It just feels really clean and stabilizing. I think you're physically in a more sensitized state than I am since you're still weaning. I would check for any interactions with Paxil first and if you try it, please be very careful. I'm using the one from "Advanced Research" on Amazon.

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

I am glad you are feeling better Dee, we have a topic on lithium orotate, maybe you would add your experience there? 

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7040-lithium-orotate/

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

Link to comment
  • Administrator

Hi, Dee --

 

Good to hear you're feeling better with a bit of lithium orotate.

 

Take care not to take too much per day -- one tablet is probably okay.

 

Take too much of lithium orotate or any other over-the-counter lithium per day, and you risk kidney, liver, and thyroid damage, just like with the drugs, and regular tests of organ function are called for.

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

So although the lithium orotate helps with mood, I still have raging incapacitating tinnitus as well as hyperacusis. I also still have the myoclonus which maybe seems to have gotten worse perhaps from the slow gabapentin taper or maybe it was masking it slightly. 

 

It mainly seems like myoclonus in the sense that it only happens when I'm lying in bed in the morning about to doze back to sleep but I'm still fully awake. The movements are dystonia and dyskinesia like - shoulder shrugging, mouth pursing, facial and leg jerks at the same time, throat twitch/spasm, head jerks to the back, finger movements and fist clenching. I can experience all of these variation in just one morning lying in bed, then I give up and get up and they stop. In the beginning it was mainly a couple shoulder shrugs and now it's just a lot worse. I'm very worried it will make it's way into the daytime as well and continue to worsen.

 

2 possibilities here - I need some help with this.

 

1.Could be residuals from my reaction and now that my body has gotten used to the klonopin it is no longer masking it  (however I didn't have this at the peak of my reaction for two months and was not on anything for most of the time) 

 

2. It could be the Lamictal 12.5mg, coming up on 4 months being on it 

 

My body feels pretty stabilized but I wanted it to stabilize further before starting anymore tapers especially because of the tinnitus. Wondering if I should now start my slow taper off the lamictal even though I'm scared to - maybe it's not the culprit, or maybe it's helping to me to some extent. I have no idea. It's very rare that lamictal can cause such a reaction but it is listed as a side effect.

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Administrator

This sounds like it might be related to your drug schedule.

 

What times of day do you take your drugs and what are their dosages?

 

Has this myoclonus in the morning gotten worse over time? When did it start?

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages.

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

Thanks Alto, I very first noticed a couple "jerks" in my shoulders only on one or two occasions right in the worst part part of my reaction trying to fall asleep while my body was basically vibrating, so I wasn't too freaked out by it then, I figured it was to be expected. But most mornings, I wasn't having jerks while not medicated at all, even though I had the horrible akathisia.

 

I dose the lamictal at 2pm. I've been noticing that around 1:30 before I dose my top lip starts to vibrate a little (this is one of the areas I have the "dyskinesia-like" twitch in the morning). Then the feeling stops around 3pm. This could purely be a coincidence though. 

 

If it is the lamictal dose, what does that mean? That I have a jacked up movement disorder that the lamictal is covering? I'm really scared of being on anything that's covering up a bigger problem or making it worse. I'm not sure what to do. 

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey, Dee!

 

One of our mods, GiaK, who has a website http://www.BeyondMeds.com about withdrawal and recovery, says that psychiatric treatment is indeed an inducer of PTSD.

 

You said:

 

 

Now I feel like I have PTSD because I don't know when these fits will hit me or how intense they will be or how long they will last.

 

GiaK says:  https://beyondmeds.com/2012/04/25/psychdrugsagentoftrauma/  

But Dee - as I'm reading your thread (still on page 1) I keep seeing the phrase "had no choice" for diazepam and clonazepam.  I just wish to assure you that there is always a choice, and sometimes choices like these whip back and sting you like a scorpion.

 

My concern for you is you seem to want to jump from one drug to the next, complicating your misery, instead of trying to simplify your case.

 

I understand you are suffering, have been suffering, and I'm so sorry to hear that.  The reactions to the drugs doctors give out - are criminal, and I believe that doctors should have to take - and withdraw from - a drug in order to be able to prescribe it.  Sadly, they have no idea what we are going through.

 

All of the symptoms you report are common in withdrawal (see this list of common symptoms:  Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's Most Common symptoms of Withdrawal) - many of us live with chronic tinnitus, insomnia, mood instability, endocrine imbalances, for many years before we are truly free of the drugs.  

 

That you are trying to drug your symptoms - only delays the eventual withdrawals that you will go through in order to be free and off the prescription merry-go-round.

 

On to page two.....

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment

Thank you for your response. Yes, I have seen the Beyond Meds site and to be honest, although full of a lot of good information, it scared the crap out of me since I was already in the process of taking the medications. I wish I would have found it years ago. I punish myself for the decisions I have made over and over again, yes they were my decisions and I take responsibility for them. My intention through all of this was to be med free as I had been for 8 months with little to no symptoms. I made a stupid mistake during a time of stress and tried to run back to medications which is when I has the reaction. My intention is to ween off all the medications however, the tinnitus is not just at the level of being an annoyance, it is a 9/10, reactive to other sounds and comes with hyperacusis as well. I've had tinnitus with my Paxil withdrawal from 2010 and it never went away completely but was low enough to ignore - so I'm not freaked out by having tinnitus, but I'm simply non functional and tortured at this level and after 4 months it does not seem to be lowering.

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey Dee - I still have some reading to do - but I want to talk a bit about tinnitus.

 

I live with an old rocker.  Deaf as a stump, constant tinnitus.  I have had nerve damage in my ears since childhood.  Constant tinnitus.  Sometimes it's so loud I cannot tell if it is cicadas or my head.    Hubby's best mate went to an acclaimed specialist clinic for his tinnitus (another old rocker).  There are no drugs to help tinnitus, drugs can only make it worse.  The clinic said that the best way to recover from tinnitus is - "don't listen to it."  Seriously, hubby's best mate was like, "I paid you to hear that?"  They focused their therapy on shifting your attitude towards the intrusion.  The best they had to offer was listening to music, or white noise, to take your focus away from the tinnitus.  Seriously, the tinnitus specialists focus a lot on what we "mental health nuts" call CBT - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  You can't really change the tinnitus, though it may change over time as you get away from withdrawal.  But you can change the way you think and feel about the tinnitus.

 

Australian Tinnitus Association recommends NO medications, and in fact, lists medication as a cause of tinnitus.  Hopefully, your gentle taper and time will help you get better.

 

It's a lot like the way I feel about the neighbor dogs barking.  I've never lived in such a rude barking neighborhood.  It sounds like the country, only this is suburbia, so the dog is barking next to my bedroom window.  Or the other dog, I hear out the front window - all day, every day.  Yes, it makes my nerves fire, yes, it drives me spare.  But I cannot go over there and silence the dog.  So what do I do?  I have to adjust my reaction to it.

 

The reason doctors give gabapentin for off-label use is to quiet the patient down.  The squeaky wheel gets the oil, the squeaky patient gets the drug.  Gabapentin, an anti-convulsant, has some activity which disconnects nerve pain (but doctor, all pain is nerve pain!).  It dampens down the signal.  It doesn't kill the pain, but it does reduce complaints.  Just not in your case.

 

it's reactive to every sound and I also have extreme hyperacusis. 

 

This is not at all uncommon in withdrawal.

 

Head Noise

 

Tinnitus - What does all that noise mean?

 

Misophonia

 

I'm not versed in benzos or lamictal, so I can't really say where I think your problems lie.  It's good that you are at low doses.  You may be really sensitive right now, so I'm glad to hear you are holding, until you figure out what to do next.

 

I hope you see the sun today!

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment

Hey Dee - I still have some reading to do - but I want to talk a bit about tinnitus.

 

I live with an old rocker.  Deaf as a stump, constant tinnitus.  I have had nerve damage in my ears since childhood.  Constant tinnitus.  Sometimes it's so loud I cannot tell if it is cicadas or my head.    Hubby's best mate went to an acclaimed specialist clinic for his tinnitus (another old rocker).  There are no drugs to help tinnitus, drugs can only make it worse.  The clinic said that the best way to recover from tinnitus is - "don't listen to it."  Seriously, hubby's best mate was like, "I paid you to hear that?"  They focused their therapy on shifting your attitude towards the intrusion.  The best they had to offer was listening to music, or white noise, to take your focus away from the tinnitus.  Seriously, the tinnitus specialists focus a lot on what we "mental health nuts" call CBT - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  You can't really change the tinnitus, though it may change over time as you get away from withdrawal.  But you can change the way you think and feel about the tinnitus.

 

Australian Tinnitus Association recommends NO medications, and in fact, lists medication as a cause of tinnitus.  Hopefully, your gentle taper and time will help you get better.

 

It's a lot like the way I feel about the neighbor dogs barking.  I've never lived in such a rude barking neighborhood.  It sounds like the country, only this is suburbia, so the dog is barking next to my bedroom window.  Or the other dog, I hear out the front window - all day, every day.  Yes, it makes my nerves fire, yes, it drives me spare.  But I cannot go over there and silence the dog.  So what do I do?  I have to adjust my reaction to it.

 

The reason doctors give gabapentin for off-label use is to quiet the patient down.  The squeaky wheel gets the oil, the squeaky patient gets the drug.  Gabapentin, an anti-convulsant, has some activity which disconnects nerve pain (but doctor, all pain is nerve pain!).  It dampens down the signal.  It doesn't kill the pain, but it does reduce complaints.  Just not in your case.

 

it's reactive to every sound and I also have extreme hyperacusis. 

 

This is not at all uncommon in withdrawal.

 

Head Noise

 

Tinnitus - What does all that noise mean?

 

Misophonia

 

I'm not versed in benzos or lamictal, so I can't really say where I think your problems lie.  It's good that you are at low doses.  You may be really sensitive right now, so I'm glad to hear you are holding, until you figure out what to do next.

 

I hope you see the sun today!

 

Thank you for your sympathy regarding the tinnitus and I'm sorry you've been living with it for long. 

 

I also had tinnitus from an old very bad paxil withdrawal in 2010 but it was lower and I was able to easily ignore it and move on with my life. Currently I have no withdrawal symptoms and wasn't really in withdrawal when this came on (I was more in the middle of a reaction). The issue with the tinnitus this time vs last time, is that it's about 10x louder and can be heard over just about everything. The other issue if that I also have severe hyperacusis and the tinnitus is reactive so maskers and pink noise even at a low volume set it off and make it louder. 

 

I am perfectly healthy yet I can not do any of things I once enjoyed for example going out to dinner (if I do, I have to wear ear plugs, and won't be able to engage in the conversation and listen to myself chew). I have to cover my ears if someone turns on the faucet or crinkles a plastic bag, if not, it hurts my ears and the steam sound I have in the middle of my head gets louder. 

 

So I can live with tinnitus, it's more the extremely high volume and sound restriction which is making this difficult. I hope it settles down soon. 

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

So that sounds more like the hyperacusis and misophonia then.

 

I have friends who use fan and maskers, but they just annoy me.

 

I have other friends who go out - but only with the MP3 plugged in to what they want to hear (and not the random sounds of "out there.")

 

Since this seems to have come out of left field, I did look to see what conditions that severe tinnitus can be a warning of.  Usually it's a warning that doses are too high - but you are on very low doses.  I could not find health conditions that tinnitus is a warning for - but - just because I didn't find it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist!  (I'll ask someone who is better at research than me)

 

Do you take any NSAIDS?  Like ibuprofen?  It's a known culprit for causing this.

 

The one you've been on longest has been the klonopin.  The other 2 are very low dose.  I'm inclined to think that's the likely culprit.

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment

So that sounds more like the hyperacusis and misophonia then.

 

I have friends who use fan and maskers, but they just annoy me.

 

I have other friends who go out - but only with the MP3 plugged in to what they want to hear (and not the random sounds of "out there.")

 

Since this seems to have come out of left field, I did look to see what conditions that severe tinnitus can be a warning of.  Usually it's a warning that doses are too high - but you are on very low doses.  I could not find health conditions that tinnitus is a warning for - but - just because I didn't find it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist!  (I'll ask someone who is better at research than me)

 

Do you take any NSAIDS?  Like ibuprofen?  It's a known culprit for causing this.

 

The one you've been on longest has been the klonopin.  The other 2 are very low dose.  I'm inclined to think that's the likely culprit.

 

Thanks for trying to help me figure this out. The T and H are almost equal in severity and annoyance. I do have some mid-level mild hearing loss and some hearing loss in the very high frequencies which they say is actually normal after teenage years (the high frequency loss). The mid-level appears to be hereditary but it still not severe and I know I've had it at least for a few years (however, you can have hearing loss for a while and the tinnitus pops up much later on). 

 

When I got the akathisia, I went though constant adrenaline rushes with severe muscle twitching, hyperacusis, burning skin, etc. It was so much worse than "regular" withdrawal. My CNS was oversensitized and during one of these fits, BAM the tinnitus came on, and very strong.  It seems to be a combination of the sensitized CNS from the reaction plus the diazapam I was given to counter the reaction. I find it more than coincidental that 3 days after I stopped the diazapam, the tinnitus came on (just as the half life ended). As I'm sure you know benzo withdrawal is even more notorious than SSRIs when it comes to tinnitus. 

 

From what I read on the benzo buddy forum, my T sounds like a lot of what they describe there (electrical wire wire buzzing the middle of the head). 

Tapered off Paxil 12.5 MG in 2010 after 8 years at age 35.

Was awful as expected but manageable since I stayed on a low dose of 1.5MG. 

In 2013 -  I decided to go on 2.5 MG of Celexa. 

In Feb 2016 -  I went off the Celexa with little to no withdrawal except for some small mood changes. 

October 2016 -  At month 8 of no Celexa, feeling depressed and anxious went back on 5MG, day 3 had major adverse reaction, akathisa stopped medication

Nov 2016 - Took diazapam 5mg in varied doses of 5mg or 2.5mg per day, stopped after 2 weeks, horrible tinnitus

Dec 2016 - Subjective akathisia has not stopped, became dangerously unhealthy, had to medicate:

5mg Propranolol 3x per day stopped early January 2017, no withdrawal from stopping

Dec 3, 2016 - started .25 Klonopin 3x per day (did not want to do this but had no choice)

Dec 8, 2016 - started 12.5mg Lamictal (can't really tell if this is working or not)

Dec 11, 2016 - started 100mg Gabapentin in effort to lower tinnitus, hard to say if it helped but probably not

April 2017 - down to 45mg of Gabapentin, still on Lamictal and Klonopin

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

It sounds like parsing out the details of this is helping you - it feels like such a small offering.

 

Today, that dog was barking again, and I thought of you.  The dog is smart - if I go over and have a chat with him, he settles down, and will wait for me to bring a treat.  Sometimes I get 45 minutes of quiet this way.  But tinnitus doesn't respond to pig's ears!

 

I also thought of you as I was listening to music, and in the middle of the music - there it was.  That high pitched whine, so present that it seemed to be a part of the music, only in another key.  I wondered what frequency it was, what note on the piano, what key.  They say that Beethoven adjusted his compositions to accompany the roar and whine of his tinnitus, and once he went totally deaf, he composed for high notes again.

 

I don't think you are going deaf like Beethoven.  I really do believe it's withdrawal, and now it sounds like you've figured out that it is likely benzo withdrawal.  I'm sorry.  What a bear!

 

The good news is, it's likely to be temporary.  You might have it for a few months, or a year - or more - but as you heal, it is likely to go away.  

 

Now if we can just find a way to help you through it!

I hope you see the sun today!

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment
  • 3 years later...
On 4/3/2017 at 1:18 PM, Dee22 said:

So although the lithium orotate helps with mood, I still have raging incapacitating tinnitus as well as hyperacusis. I also still have the myoclonus which maybe seems to have gotten worse perhaps from the slow gabapentin taper or maybe it was masking it slightly. 

 

It mainly seems like myoclonus in the sense that it only happens when I'm lying in bed in the morning about to doze back to sleep but I'm still fully awake. The movements are dystonia and dyskinesia like - shoulder shrugging, mouth pursing, facial and leg jerks at the same time, throat twitch/spasm, head jerks to the back, finger movements and fist clenching. I can experience all of these variation in just one morning lying in bed, then I give up and get up and they stop. In the beginning it was mainly a couple shoulder shrugs and now it's just a lot worse. I'm very worried it will make it's way into the daytime as well and continue to worsen.

 

2 possibilities here - I need some help with this.

 

1.Could be residuals from my reaction and now that my body has gotten used to the klonopin it is no longer masking it  (however I didn't have this at the peak of my reaction for two months and was not on anything for most of the time) 

 

2. It could be the Lamictal 12.5mg, coming up on 4 months being on it 

 

My body feels pretty stabilized but I wanted it to stabilize further before starting anymore tapers especially because of the tinnitus. Wondering if I should now start my slow taper off the lamictal even though I'm scared to - maybe it's not the culprit, or maybe it's helping to me to some extent. I have no idea. It's very rare that lamictal can cause such a reaction but it is listed as a side effect.

Did this ever get better for you? Are you still on here? Do any of the MODS know if someone experiencing the same thing and healing? This is EXACTLY what I’m going through in the mornings with the tics and whatnot.

2012-July 2020 Zoloft 50mg. Cold turkey’d due to adverse reaction after Ativan withdrawal. 
 
March 2020 High dose of Prednisone caused lump in throat feeling. Taken a course of steroids before this with no problem. 
 

April 2020-May 2020 Ativan 1mg 1x a day for 6 weeks. Cold turkey’d May 23. Reinstated a couple days later, tried to taper for a few days because I didn’t know any better. Back to ER in psychosis. None since. 

 

June 2020 Shot of steroid and antibiotics because I thought the pain in sinuses was due to sinus infection but was due to withdrawal. Didn’t help and made things much worse. 
 

August 2020 Paxil 10mg. 13 days. Cold turkey’d it after adverse reaction.


Currently only taking marshmallow root, slippery elm, digestive enzymes, probiotic, aloe Vera, and Pepcid. 

Link to comment

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy