powerback: tapering no 2

[powerback]

powerback: You can read about the tapering tactic of switching to Prozac in this topic:

 

Prozac switch or bridge

 

thanks scallywag ,I need  to get stable at least for now .such decisions   .

respect  

PB

[powerback]

HI all ,I want to give a mostly positive update ,my thinking of switching to Prozac is on hold .I've still got symptoms but I am glad to say the horrendous depression I had for a couple of months has lifted and I'm still amazed at the depths our minds can bring us .

I'm on a few supplements but the jury's out on them all for now so I cant attribute to them .

the countless stories I read of doing your best when in such pain is correct ,we got to stick to normal daily life as much as possible.

 

I've learned over time that the strong wave of fatigue that comes over my brain does pass and not to panic ,I sit down and usually by 20 minutes its passed and I can get on with the day ,only yesterday I was up a ladder and my blurry vision happened ,I got down rested for 10 minutes and it passed .[7 times since September]

nasty thoughts are just thoughts I've learned ,my bad moods don't define who I am and I wouldn't let a doctor diagnose me either .

 

in time when I look back at such adversity I and all of  us got through will give us a perspective on life and challenges that most couldn't imagine .

I'm by no means out of the woods but I'm enjoying the sun through the trees leaves  .

 

I thank you all for your support and stories and I dream of writing my success story one day off the disgusting poison.

PB 

[miT]

Beautiful insight, powerback. Let the waves come, don’t act, see them go.

This was a game-changer for me. Hope it is for you as well!

[powerback]

Beautiful insight, powerback. Let the waves come, don’t act, see them go.

This was a game-changer for me. Hope it is for you as well!

 

thanks miT ,I've definitely got through the roughest wave yet ,the human spirit and determination is immeasurable. The last 2  weeks I was getting strong overwhelming feelings ,like hypomania and strong panic attacks ,all the reading I did about panic attacks is correct ,just breath and don't fight them .let them run there course .

if and when the next wave comes my defence's are stronger  to fight them that's what I reckon .

hope you doing well yourself   

[Lilu]

 

sadly we cant control what we are born into ,but we can learn about our behaviour and were it stems from ,that's why the chemical imbalance theory  is rubbish and when i finally stopped listening to it i started to learn ,and i love researching my past and everything about my behaviour when i was a child until now .

at the beginning i  resented my father for not being the Alfa male role model i think i deserved but i realised with all my research that he had he's own  struggles and he did he's best with what he had .Eckhart tolle and gabor mate really helped me understand ,i really recommend listening to them .gabor is a genius  at describing the family environment and dynamic . 
 
it took me a while to admit to myself that i grew up with terrible low self-esteem and when i was 15 years of age alcohol filled that void for a long time and gave me the illusion of confidence ,I've got countless memories of set backs and not being allowed participate in activities for what ever reasons as a kid that really affected me ,i only allowed myself  to delve into these painful memories when i did the research on the ego and everything else that comes with it .

we really need to learn serious compassion for ourselves i reckon and i welcome that for all of us
PB

I thought, I'd move our discussion to your own topic.  Thanks for all your replies to me, it sounds like the stuff I say resonates with you.

As to the above, I have to say that I started digging into my own past at the ripe old age of 18. I read self help books, saw therapists, and kept a journal for years. I tried so many things. Nothing changed.  I kept attracting the same destructive relationships with men over and over. Relationships that would mimic the struggle that I had with my father. The faces changed, but the story remained the same.  I would get addicted to the men I fell for. His feelings would never be mutual. He'd want just sex, and I'd want love. Instead of not getting involved with the wrong man, I'd try to change him or just wait and hope that he'd love me to. When eventually he'd leave me, I'd go into terrible withdrawal.  Love addiction - not so different from alcohol addiction.

[Lilu]

I looked up Dr. Gabor Mate and one of the articles that came up is a summary and criticism of his approach by Stanton Peele. It seems that Dr. Mate believes in the dual childhood abuse + chemical imbalance = addict

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/addiction-in-society/201112/the-seductive-dangerous-allure-gabor-mat

 

"I have been notably at odds with Dr. Gabor Mate lately, who is one of those who trace EVERY case of addiction back to childhood trauma. I oppose that for three reasons: (1) It's inaccurate: although abuse and trauma are bad for people, most addicts weren't traumatized as kids; most traumatized people don't become addicts; (2) I really disrespect how Mate goes from there -- if the trauma isn't apparent, then you search for it -- in which case it will always be found -- or else made up; (3) In Mate's hands (and he's one of many) it becomes a new disease theory"

 

"Maté then claims that addiction results from deficiencies (lack of receptors) in these neurosystems that cause people with addictions to self-medicate to replace their missing neurostimulation. In this sense, people are addicted to drugs as replacements for the brain chemicals their own bodies fail to process.  Those addicted to things other than drugs are reacting to the same internal chemistry, but with different external stimulants."

[powerback]

we are still so young at 18 well done for even having the gumpsion to do self exploration at that age .life isnt as simple as we could even imagine .theres always 2 people in a relashionship ,be very careful over analazing your side of it and underestimating there part in it . I like self help work ,but I'm learning not to do it in waves ,because my self critic runs wild with destroying me . 

 

gabor mate talks about addictions and he's own addictions,theres no difference in the phycology of addictions, food/alcohol/drugs/exercise/shopping.  some have worse side effects .of course we are not robots .we need relief and pleasure  but seeing the reason for the  behaviour is an amazing help and understanding . 

 

of course I don't agree with everything he says but he has insight other than just from science/medical books and has taken antidepressants but not withdrawal .

if its not trauma  I wonder is it learned behaviour ,epigenetics I think its called .

my theory about myself is ,I was more open and malleable to my fathers cynicism as a kid because I was quite sick with asthma  and relied  on my parents ,its interesting I think ,we really need to just understand our past but it can be painful .medicating for sure is no use in the long term.   

[powerback]

I looked up Dr. Gabor Mate and one of the articles that came up is a summary and criticism of his approach by Stanton Peele. It seems that Dr. Mate believes in the dual childhood abuse + chemical imbalance = addict

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/addiction-in-society/201112/the-seductive-dangerous-allure-gabor-mat

 

"I have been notably at odds with Dr. Gabor Mate lately, who is one of those who trace EVERY case of addiction back to childhood trauma. I oppose that for three reasons: (1) It's inaccurate: although abuse and trauma are bad for people, most addicts weren't traumatized as kids; most traumatized people don't become addicts; (2) I really disrespect how Mate goes from there -- if the trauma isn't apparent, then you search for it -- in which case it will always be found -- or else made up; (3) In Mate's hands (and he's one of many) it becomes a new disease theory"

 

"Maté then claims that addiction results from deficiencies (lack of receptors) in these neurosystems that cause people with addictions to self-medicate to replace their missing neurostimulation. In this sense, people are addicted to drugs as replacements for the brain chemicals their own bodies fail to process.  Those addicted to things other than drugs are reacting to the same internal chemistry, but with different external stimulants."

 

great article ,the main thing we should always be open to is dialogue and opinions ,sadly the big pharma and GPs and therapists are not and sadly they will draw in countless more victims . 

[Lilu]

Why did you go on antidepressants in the first place? And why did you decide to go off them?

[powerback]

Why did you go on antidepressants in the first place? And why did you decide to go off them?

 

good question Lilu,if I could only turn back time .on the 3rd or fourth time of going  to GP about by constant urination ,GP said stress [stress was nothing like I have now ].so he gave me the antidepressant and the  number of a counselling service .depression wasn't even mentioned or anxiety.I now realise I've had anxiety  most of my life and never understood what it was .I must of self medicated the symptoms with alcohol I reckon.

 

2.5 years ago I had a big change in lifestyle ,I gave up alcohol and ide much more time to think straight ,so I could see the side affects of the drugs because it was the only poison in my system .  fed up with the dullness of character and emotion .I started to read the truth about the drugs and the industry .but I wish I knew about this site 2 years ago when doctor said no problem halving my dose ,I'm suffering since .

Do u ask yourself the same question.

[miT]

 

Beautiful insight, powerback. Let the waves come, don’t act, see them go.

This was a game-changer for me. Hope it is for you as well!

thanks miT ,I've definitely got through the roughest wave yet ,the human spirit and determination is immeasurable. The last 2 weeks I was getting strong overwhelming feelings ,like hypomania and strong panic attacks ,all the reading I did about panic attacks is correct ,just breath and don't fight them .let them run there course .

if and when the next wave comes my defence's are stronger to fight them that's what I reckon .

hope you doing well yourself

I think eventually the waves lose strength because we don't feed them like we used to. Had one yesterday, really really tough, but today a window.

[powerback]

 

 

Beautiful insight, powerback. Let the waves come, don’t act, see them go.

This was a game-changer for me. Hope it is for you as well!

thanks miT ,I've definitely got through the roughest wave yet ,the human spirit and determination is immeasurable. The last 2 weeks I was getting strong overwhelming feelings ,like hypomania and strong panic attacks ,all the reading I did about panic attacks is correct ,just breath and don't fight them .let them run there course .

if and when the next wave comes my defence's are stronger to fight them that's what I reckon .

hope you doing well yourself

I think eventually the waves lose strength because we don't feed them like we used to. Had one yesterday, really really tough, but today a window.

 

 

exactly miT ,not feeding them is a huge understanding of it .was out today for a walk and I'm getting better at understanding the strong fatigue that comes over my brain ,a month ago this would happen and I would get annoyed and then it goes into panic ,but recently I just watch out for the panic and anxiety ,before I know it 15 minutes has passed and I'm ok .

finding healthy distraction in a wave is a must also but very hard

take care

PB

[powerback]

hi all ,I've been to the GP this week and booked  extensive blood tests but I could see by he's face he just thinks I'm neurotic ,I said about cortisol and adrenals and he said my blood pressure normal so it seems by that the cortisol is normal ,I've got 10 days until I get them done and I just wonder if I'm just putting myself in harms way unnecessarily [hospitals] .I have a valid fear of these places. But then the greater good that would help all of us because if the bloods come back normal it would help in understanding this disaster I'm in .

I'm sensitive to tapering and not stable but yet its only getting worse as I hit the 6 month mark of mostly torture .I've had 25 hours sleep in 48 hours and don't feel one bit rested. From reading tapering stories I could maybe relax a bit if I was tapering ,I'm genuinely worried now because of were this stress will lead me .

Apologies for the pessimism but its my reality and it will have a breaking point of some consequence .

PB

 

[powerback]

since this morning my day has gotten worse ,I'm trying to get all forms of stress out of my life but it is impossible ,I'm on the verge of a break up and thus will have to find somewhere to  live .life does not go on hold because we have this ,I've told my partner the reality of what is ahead and she deserves the truth but her patience is wearing thin  . please never do what I did ,I have gone on way to long with this misery, know when to reinstate and always taper properly ,my situation needs to be an example of what not  to do .

I'm at peace with myself with my decisions ,I don't blame myself for trusting my doctor ,I'm passed that now, the anhedonia ,no libido ,irritability , DP/DR lets face its impossible .

the one thing you can be sure of is ile never give up .everyone of you amazing fighters know exactly what I'm going through so I must say I'm so grateful to be apart of this community ,because lets face no one could have a clue until it happens .

I don't want to be negative but I don't think not facing the reality helps either .

never give up because we so much to give back to the world .

PB

[Dez]

Hey PB,

 

I'm so sorry that you're going through so much. You're a very strong person to deal with all of this and still see the positives in life. Please keep that up as I'm sure it'll help in the future. Still praying that everyone recovers and soon. I'm currently 6 months off all ADs and realizing that what people have said is true, it does seem to get very difficult around the 6 month mark. We all have to stay positive and do our best, just as you have said. Thank you for hanging in there and staying strong! It will get better!

[powerback]

34 minutes ago, Dez said:

Hey PB,

 

I'm so sorry that you're going through so much. You're a very strong person to deal with all of this and still see the positives in life. Please keep that up as I'm sure it'll help in the future. Still praying that everyone recovers and soon. I'm currently 6 months off all ADs and realizing that what people have said is true, it does seem to get very difficult around the 6 month mark. We all have to stay positive and do our best, just as you have said. Thank you for hanging in there and staying strong! It will get better!

thanks dez your words mean a lot and I take great solace from that.my pain and heartache is the fact I'm not tapering because I'm so unstable and I'm sensitive to tapering .I could put up with the torture like all you great folk if I was actually tapering and making progress ,it has torn me apart but it will not be in vain because I will never give up .

the torture of thinking I should go on Prozac to stabilize ,but that's my decision .

I've some nice things coming up in a few weeks so I will keep focused and keep up the fight ,thanks everyone for being apart of something so I can get this out and not have to fall back into self destructive behaviour like I used a couple of years ago .

PB

[Lilu]

Powerback,

In order to help you make a clear headed and logical decision about what to do, and whether or not to switch to Prozact, we need examine the following:

1. I see that you were on Lexapro for a year, what was your experience like being on Lexapro? What symptoms did it improve and what side effects did you have?

2. Why did you switch to Effexor xr and why did you stay on the therapeutic dose of 75 mg for only 2 months?  What was taking Effexor like for you?

3. Why did you decide to taper Effexor? What symptoms did you have as part of your withdrawal?

[KarenB]

14 hours ago, powerback said:

I'm sensitive to tapering and not stable but yet its only getting worse as I hit the 6 month mark of mostly torture .

Hi PB,

 

Just trying to work out what is happening for you.  Does this mean it is now 6 months since you made any change to your dose, and that things have only gotten worse during that time?  (Details of your tapers in your signature would be very helpful).

 

5 hours ago, powerback said:

the torture of thinking I should go on Prozac to stabilize ,but that's my decision .

You are currently on 37.5mg Venlafaxine.  Are you thinking of taking the prozac in addition to venlafaxine, or instead of it?  Prozac is very unlikely to help if Venlafaxine isn't helping, as venlafaxine is a stronger drug which acts as an SSRI and an SNRI.  Switching to prozac could very well feel similar to a dose reduction, and possible cause further destabilisation.  So many variables...

 

I'm going to check in with the other mods about your situation, see what they think.  I'm glad to see you are still taking good care of yourself - especially now when things are quite stressful for you.  Hang in there -

 

Karen

[ShakeyJerr]

P -

 

Just wanted you to know that I'm out here praying for you! You are going to get through this. Slow and steady wins this race, my friend!

 

SJ

[powerback]

thanks everyone for your amazing support I really appreciate it ,not distressed today ,did some work ,feel good for it ,if not a little embarrassed sending  distressed signals yesterday .

PB

 

[ShakeyJerr]

Glad you are doing better today! But never feel embarrassed for sending up distress signals. That's part of what this place is here for. Heck, last week at one point I was beside myself with panic. It was a terror spike, I knew it, but I was getting overrun by it. I posted some distress calls here for sure!

 

SJ

[powerback]

18 hours ago, KarenB said:

Hi PB,

 

Just trying to work out what is happening for you.  Does this mean it is now 6 months since you made any change to your dose, and that things have only gotten worse during that time?  (Details of your tapers in your signature would be very helpful).

 

You are currently on 37.5mg Venlafaxine.  Are you thinking of taking the prozac in addition to venlafaxine, or instead of it?  Prozac is very unlikely to help if Venlafaxine isn't helping, as venlafaxine is a stronger drug which acts as an SSRI and an SNRI.  Switching to prozac could very well feel similar to a dose reduction, and possible cause further destabilisation.  So many variables...

 

I'm going to check in with the other mods about your situation, see what they think.  I'm glad to see you are still taking good care of yourself - especially now when things are quite stressful for you.  Hang in there -

 

Karen

hi Karen ,it was suggested changing to Prozac ,so I would swop venlafaxine for Prozac ,I'm so conflicted on what to do ,there's way to many symptoms for to long a time ,ide expect to be like this tapering not taking it every day .I did have a breakdown of sorts before Christmas so I think my system is trying to cope with that .

thanks

PB

[powerback]

2 minutes ago, ShakeyJerr said:

Glad you are doing better today! But never feel embarrassed for sending up distress signals. That's part of what this place is here for. Heck, last week at one point I was beside myself with panic. It was a terror spike, I knew it, but I was getting overrun by it. I posted some distress calls here for sure!

 

SJ

ye true SJ ,sometimes the hardest part is trying to reassure loved ones and coping with them loosing  patience ,if its not hard enough for us already .hope u doing ok yourself .today was a very good day ,I kept my panic and anxiety at bay so I got the job done and customer was happy .

[mammaP]

Hi PB, I am glad that things are better today. It is amazing how stress can affect us, and how it always feels like it is worst day/week EVER. I feel like that when I get a wave, and have to remind myself that it will pass. Are you aware of any difference since starting the tablets?  I tried the prozac bridge and it made me ten times worse and almost landed in the hospital so from my experience would not recommend it. We have the topic on the prozac bridge for information but it isn't something that we recommend at SA.   Stress is something that affects all of us badly when our nervous systems are compromised. If you can lower the stress it will have a positive effect. I hope more days like today will follow for you. 

[mammaP]

I don't know if you have seen this, but it might help to show it to your partner. It is so hard to watch someone go through this and not able to do anything to help. The automatic response is to send their loved ones off to the doctor because that is all they know.  Just being there can do more than any doctor! 

 

  Quote

What you might see if your friend or family member has a severe adverse reaction when trying to stop taking SSRI/SNRI antidepressants…

 

 

1.Your loved one begins to feel sick. Physical symptoms such as flu-like aches, dizziness, nightmares, heart palpitations, headaches, brain zaps, etc. appear. Depending on the half-life of the specific drug, this can occur even within a day or two.

 

2.He/she might express shame and embarrassment or anger for having ever taken the drug. They might talk about feeling like “a druggie.”

 

3.Anxiety and confusion set in along with an inability to focus. Your loved one starts to act and look a little lost or muddled. They might worry that they’re “crazy.” They worry they’re going to hurt you by making you “go through this” with them. You can see an inability to connect thought patterns or thoughts with emotions as the abstract thinking process is compromised.

 

4.Their dreams become more vivid and often disturbing if they’re able to sleep at all. Insomnia can get brutal at this point.

 

5.Aggression, irritability, homicidal and suicidal thoughts and actions can pop out of nowhere – and you’ll be stunned. Personality and attitude changes become very apparent to you because you’ve been close with this person, but co-workers or casual friends might not see anything wrong.

 

6.Gaps in memory begin – very often memories that were formed while taking the SSRI or during withdrawal are the ones that seem to go. You might bring up the movie you saw with this person the day before and be told you've gone out of your mind! Emotions reappear in sudden, intense bursts and rollercoaster the person between uncontrollable crying fits and anger. You might seem them sob for hours then turn and want to rip someone’s head off. Preferably whoever prescribed the SSRI in the first place. ;-)

 

7.Your loved one suddenly feels the need to make big decisions, life-altering changes, keep moving - this symptom is called akathisia. The “fight or flight” mechanism has completely malfunctioned.

 

8.The person feels depersonalized and disconnected from him/herself or reality. You might hear he/she "feels nothing" as emotional responses are flattened. They might say they feel like they’re “floating outside” their heads. They usually still have an awareness of something wrong at this point.

 

9.Your loved one might eliminate input from those nearest (including you), often stressing independence and competency to an unreasonable, paranoid level. He or she now appears selfish and arrogant a lot of the time.

 

10.Manic and psychotic episodes can come and go at random intervals, triggered in part due to severe insomnia. Perceptions of people, timeframes and events can become skewed and completely inaccurate.

 

11.The person’s connection to the consequences of his or her own actions is severed. Conscience and compassion disappear. That awareness of "something wrong" may disappear, too.

 

12.The person vilifies and pushes away the people they care for the most, almost always including a spouse or significant other first. The person in withdrawal might start to believe they never loved their partner, shifts blame to them for events that may or may not have happened, or fails to recall positive, defining events in the relationship. Duration or quality of the relationship seems to have little bearing on this response.

 

13.Autistic responses kick in, meaning physical contact and affection become repugnant.

 

14.Your formerly calm loved one can display unusual impulsive behaviors such as promiscuity, impulsive spending, drinking – even if they never did these things before. The five senses shift into overdrive.

 

15.The "going back in time" phenomenon appears. The person reverts to anything "ex," grasping mentally and emotionally to people or things they were attached to prior to their first dose of the antidepressant.

 

16.Waves of rebound depression, anxiety, etc. hit. If a health care provider is unaware that withdrawal symptoms mimic bi-polar disorder and other mental illnesses, a new diagnosis can result in further medication, trapping the person in an endless cycle of psychotropic drugs.

 

17.Physical symptoms subside gradually. The person often doesn’t have a full awareness, sometimes for months or even years at this point, that many of their behaviors and decisions are a continued result of withdrawal. They believe their thoughts, memories, feelings and actions are absolutely correct, and no one can tell them otherwise.

 

18.People begin to experience "good days" or "good weeks" only to have a bad episode hit weeks later out of the blue. Sudden downswings in emotions have been repeatedly noted at the six- and nine-month marks following the last dose. This, too, shall pass.

 

19.At 1-3 years out, folks are reporting sudden intense neurological twitches and muscles spasms. Very scary, but they seem to self-correct.

 

20.Final Note: Every brain is chemically individual. The severity, order of symptoms and duration of withdrawal vary from person to person. Some experience a handful of symptoms. Others experience every symptom imaginable. Others experience very few or almost none. Cold turkey or abrupt withdrawal drastically increases these symptoms.

 

[powerback]

3 minutes ago, mammaP said:

Hi PB, I am glad that things are better today. It is amazing how stress can affect us, and how it always feels like it is worst day/week EVER. I feel like that when I get a wave, and have to remind myself that it will pass. Are you aware of any difference since starting the tablets?  I tried the prozac bridge and it made me ten times worse and almost landed in the hospital so from my experience would not recommend it. We have the topic on the prozac bridge for information but it isn't something that we recommend at SA.   Stress is something that affects all of us badly when our nervous systems are compromised. If you can lower the stress it will have a positive effect. I hope more days like today will follow for you. 

hi mamma p.im going to stay on venlafaxine 37.5. I have read about the Prozac ,so thanks to reading everyone's experience I can make that informed decision and not touch Prozac .I've had some good days recently, got out for a great hike the other day ,very tired doing it but I loved it ,some of the problems come from loved ones not coping with me being withdrawn and my anhedonia ,but I warned them a long time ago of what to expect but I'm not overly stressed about them .

I will admit that its hard to be around me some days ,I can be in terrible moods ,but have always explained its not to be taken personally .thanks

PB

[powerback]

10 minutes ago, mammaP said:

I don't know if you have seen this, but it might help to show it to your partner. It is so hard to watch someone go through this and not able to do anything to help. The automatic response is to send their loved ones off to the doctor because that is all they know.  Just being there can do more than any doctor! 

 

  Quote

What you might see if your friend or family member has a severe adverse reaction when trying to stop taking SSRI/SNRI antidepressants…

 

 

1.Your loved one begins to feel sick. Physical symptoms such as flu-like aches, dizziness, nightmares, heart palpitations, headaches, brain zaps, etc. appear. Depending on the half-life of the specific drug, this can occur even within a day or two.

 

2.He/she might express shame and embarrassment or anger for having ever taken the drug. They might talk about feeling like “a druggie.”

 

3.Anxiety and confusion set in along with an inability to focus. Your loved one starts to act and look a little lost or muddled. They might worry that they’re “crazy.” They worry they’re going to hurt you by making you “go through this” with them. You can see an inability to connect thought patterns or thoughts with emotions as the abstract thinking process is compromised.

 

4.Their dreams become more vivid and often disturbing if they’re able to sleep at all. Insomnia can get brutal at this point.

 

5.Aggression, irritability, homicidal and suicidal thoughts and actions can pop out of nowhere – and you’ll be stunned. Personality and attitude changes become very apparent to you because you’ve been close with this person, but co-workers or casual friends might not see anything wrong.

 

6.Gaps in memory begin – very often memories that were formed while taking the SSRI or during withdrawal are the ones that seem to go. You might bring up the movie you saw with this person the day before and be told you've gone out of your mind! Emotions reappear in sudden, intense bursts and rollercoaster the person between uncontrollable crying fits and anger. You might seem them sob for hours then turn and want to rip someone’s head off. Preferably whoever prescribed the SSRI in the first place. ;-)

 

7.Your loved one suddenly feels the need to make big decisions, life-altering changes, keep moving - this symptom is called akathisia. The “fight or flight” mechanism has completely malfunctioned.

 

8.The person feels depersonalized and disconnected from him/herself or reality. You might hear he/she "feels nothing" as emotional responses are flattened. They might say they feel like they’re “floating outside” their heads. They usually still have an awareness of something wrong at this point.

 

9.Your loved one might eliminate input from those nearest (including you), often stressing independence and competency to an unreasonable, paranoid level. He or she now appears selfish and arrogant a lot of the time.

 

10.Manic and psychotic episodes can come and go at random intervals, triggered in part due to severe insomnia. Perceptions of people, timeframes and events can become skewed and completely inaccurate.

 

11.The person’s connection to the consequences of his or her own actions is severed. Conscience and compassion disappear. That awareness of "something wrong" may disappear, too.

 

12.The person vilifies and pushes away the people they care for the most, almost always including a spouse or significant other first. The person in withdrawal might start to believe they never loved their partner, shifts blame to them for events that may or may not have happened, or fails to recall positive, defining events in the relationship. Duration or quality of the relationship seems to have little bearing on this response.

 

13.Autistic responses kick in, meaning physical contact and affection become repugnant.

 

14.Your formerly calm loved one can display unusual impulsive behaviors such as promiscuity, impulsive spending, drinking – even if they never did these things before. The five senses shift into overdrive.

 

15.The "going back in time" phenomenon appears. The person reverts to anything "ex," grasping mentally and emotionally to people or things they were attached to prior to their first dose of the antidepressant.

 

16.Waves of rebound depression, anxiety, etc. hit. If a health care provider is unaware that withdrawal symptoms mimic bi-polar disorder and other mental illnesses, a new diagnosis can result in further medication, trapping the person in an endless cycle of psychotropic drugs.

 

17.Physical symptoms subside gradually. The person often doesn’t have a full awareness, sometimes for months or even years at this point, that many of their behaviors and decisions are a continued result of withdrawal. They believe their thoughts, memories, feelings and actions are absolutely correct, and no one can tell them otherwise.

 

18.People begin to experience "good days" or "good weeks" only to have a bad episode hit weeks later out of the blue. Sudden downswings in emotions have been repeatedly noted at the six- and nine-month marks following the last dose. This, too, shall pass.

 

19.At 1-3 years out, folks are reporting sudden intense neurological twitches and muscles spasms. Very scary, but they seem to self-correct.

 

20.Final Note: Every brain is chemically individual. The severity, order of symptoms and duration of withdrawal vary from person to person. Some experience a handful of symptoms. Others experience every symptom imaginable. Others experience very few or almost none. Cold turkey or abrupt withdrawal drastically increases these symptoms.

 

OMG to number 13 ,I could cry thanks for this ,its exactly how I've been the last few months ,no one can touch me or be near me ,I'm working on eliminating a lot more stress from my life for at least the rest of the year ,I could say yes to most of them

thanks mammap your a star

[powerback]

3 minutes ago, powerback said:

OMG to number 13 ,I could cry thanks for this ,its exactly how I've been the last few months ,no one can touch me or be near me ,I'm working on eliminating a lot more stress from my life for at least the rest of the year ,I could say yes to most of them

thanks mammap your a star

I must say she's great and on my side  about the doctors and believes me and what this site does for people

[powerback]

21 hours ago, Lilu said:

Powerback,

In order to help you make a clear headed and logical decision about what to do, and whether or not to switch to Prozact, we need examine the following:

1. I see that you were on Lexapro for a year, what was your experience like being on Lexapro? What symptoms did it improve and what side effects did you have?

2. Why did you switch to Effexor xr and why did you stay on the therapeutic dose of 75 mg for only 2 months?  What was taking Effexor like for you?

3. Why did you decide to taper Effexor? What symptoms did you have as part of your withdrawal?

hi lilu thanks for checking in on my thread ,Lexapro if I remember I was brain dead with all of them I suppose and I wanted to drink much more alcohol ,I'm tapering Effexor because that's the drug I'm on for the last few years ,its only about 2 years since I'm finished ever listening to a doctor so that's were my advice came from until  I woke up. Every symptom possible by what I'm reading ,but I'm obviously not alone .

PB

[powerback]

what do I do to get off this drug if I am so unstable taking the drug ,its like cold turkey but still taking it ,I think of it like ground hog days horror version .I had a consultation with a retired psychologist today witch leaves me with more questions [not my first time in counselling ].im not even sure I should be doing much self analysis in this state ,but yet living in society is becoming more and more impossible .lately I'm literally like the living dead .

I'm getting to the point of no relief but for a few hours a week.

respect

PB

[Lilu]

On 6/14/2017 at 1:33 PM, powerback said:

what do I do to get off this drug if I am so unstable taking the drug ,its like cold turkey but still taking it ,I think of it like ground hog days horror version .I had a consultation with a retired psychologist today witch leaves me with more questions [not my first time in counselling ].im not even sure I should be doing much self analysis in this state ,but yet living in society is becoming more and more impossible .lately I'm literally like the living dead .

I'm getting to the point of no relief but for a few hours a week.

respect

PB

 

 I have a neighbor who had to go on an antidepressant because of contracting lime disease and the resulting mental illness that it caused.  Her psychiatrist had her DNA tested and it turned out that all SSRI's and SNRI's would be extremely detrimental for her.  She couldn't metabolize any of them except for Rameron (Mirtazipine) , which is an antidepressant in a different class all together.  So she's on Rameron and Klonopin, and although she still has some debilitating symptoms, she's able to work fulltime. 

 My feeling is that is what you must do - have your dna tested as soon as possible. You need to find a drug on which you can stabilize.  And then when you are stable, you can revisit tapering.  What do you think?

[powerback]

1 minute ago, Lilu said:

 

 I have a neighbor who had to go on an antidepressant because of contracting lime disease and the resulting mental illness that it caused.  Her psychiatrist had her DNA tested and it turned out that all SSRI's and SNRI's would be extremely detrimental for her.  She couldn't metabolize any of them except for Rameron (Mirtazipine) , which is an antidepressant in a different class all together.  So she's on Rameron and Klonopin, and although she still has some debilitating symptoms, she's able to work fulltime. 

 My feeling is that is what you must do - have your dna tested as soon as possible. You need to find a drug on which you can stabilize.  And then when you are stable, you can revisit tapering.  What do you think?

hi lilu thanks for the reply your so kind ,ye its looking like that ,I've just been on a thread and I've wrote down on a piece of paper beside me ,"liver enzyme genetic testing ".im really worried were my mind has been brought lately ,and I cant ignore this and put it down to withdrawal when I'm taking the horrible poison  ,something has to give .

today was a particularly nasty day ,everyone is loosing patience with me because I look fine ,my mother is getting very stressed and the guilt I have from that but I know I'm trying my best so I'm careful not to let guilt fester too much .

hope you well yourself

PB

[Lilu]

Oh it's the same story with my family as well. People just don't get depression and other mental disorders.  I've lost quite a few friends and don't talk to certain family members because of their ridiculous comments to me or beliefs about me.  If they tell you that you don't look sick, you can say that people with heart disease or diabetes don't LOOK sick either.

[powerback]

hi I have a question if any one can help thanks ,I listened to Luke Montagu the other day on peter breggins radio hour ,he talked about being on Effexor ,does anyone know if this was cold turkey ,he talked about this site on the radio slot ,so I wonder if he was a member .I'm desperate to do something to get off this drug .think ile have to taper if  even unstable .

peace to all.

PB

 

[scallywag]

powerback - Luke Montagu has done several media interviews as part of promoting an organization he co-founded. A web search on his name or title (Viscount Hinchingbrooke) should yield good results.

[powerback]

Update.had bloods taken yesterday witch will probably come back perfect ,got train to hospital .it was a pain .went earlier with everyone going to the city ,anxiety ,panic and nasty self talk of look at you and all them going to work .Im getting better at seeing this  as withdrawal and doing my best at distraction and I actually had a giggle to myself with ladies beside me worrying over the most mundane stuff ,oh they were the days as we all know .

 

had 20 minute Epsom salt bath at 3 pm yesterday and I'm all cramped up ?,maybe doesn't work for me

 

I have been reading some old posts lately and I found a member called Cmusic   ,don't think he's active anymore ,i feel for him so much and  reading that post has  helped me decide that I'm not going for the Prozac bridge .

 

my intro needs to be changed to taper no3 because this on my mind all the time.i have a lot coming up so I'm trying to get a date ,but this will be a slow taper,im itching to start next week ,I've  got symptoms but this drug is pooped out in my system and has to come out .ile probably only take one bead out .

I also listened to Elaine's story on james podcast ,good on her ,she helped in my decision also .

 

I will get my mother and partner involved with counting out beads make them apart of it besides all the negative sides to this journey .

 

I want to thank all members and moderators because were would I be without yous all.