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recjr: drugged to death


recjr

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Hello all-I was given alprazolam in 2008 to quit smoking of all things. I reached tolerance in dec 2014 and was diagnosed as depressed and put on 45mg remeron and 40 mg celexa. I started to taper the alprazolam in 2015 and jumped off in december 2016. the depression has been brutal but I am determined to get off all these drugs. I will probably just dry cut the remeron and when I am done, I will liquid titrate the celexa.  Any help and/or encouragement will be humbly appreciated.

Edited by scallywag
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Hi recjr and welcome to SA,

 

It's good to hear that you have been able to get off the alprazolam.  If you only finished tapering last month, it might be a good idea to hold on your current doses of your other drugs before commencing a new taper.  Could you also please describe in a post how you did your alprazolam taper?  Knowing this information will help us to be able to suggest when it may be okay to commence a new taper.

 

It will be helpful if you would Please put your Withdrawal History in Signature.  Please include details for the last 12-18 months of  all drugs, dates, doses and discontinuations & reinstatements.  If you can't remember dates, please write it as "early March" or "mid-August".  Please provide a summary of any drugs prior to that which can just be listed with start and stop years. Please include all prescription, non-prescription drugs and supplements you are currently taking.  If you are using a phone there are instructions in Posts 9 & 10.

 

SA recommends tapering by 10% of the previous dose with about a 4 week hold to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  I'll give you some links to check out and you can ask questions here in your Intro/Update topic and journal your progress.  Click "Follow" top right and you will be notified when someone responds.

 

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

Tips for tapering off Remeron (mirtazapine)

 

Tips for tapering off Celexa (citalopram)

 

These helped me to understand SA's recommendations:

 

Brain Remodelling


Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

It's also helpful to learn non drug coping techniques:  Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

There is a lot of really good information on this site.  To search the site I use google and type in survivingantidepressants.org + topic.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thank you for your suggestion on my thread. Very much appreciated.

in Aug 2014, prescribed 20 mg of escitalopram.  Oct 2014, upped to 30 mg.

In January 2016, "doctor" added 2mg of Abilify

I had been taking .5 Xanax in AM and PM for a few years

Xanax November 23rd, 2016 .25   5 times per day

Took .5 Ativan in AM and .5 Ativan in PM 10 hours apart for 2 weeks and 2 days. I stopped Ativan on Nov 4th 2016

I cold turkeyed off escitalopram and Abilify on September 4, 2016

i crosses over to 1 mg of Klonopin in Dec 2016. 

Since withdrawal, I have occasionally taken 10mg or 20mg propranolol when my heart was pounding uncontrollably

Supplements Magnesium, Vitamin C, Natural Calm magnesium drink.  Just started  11/16/16 Lactium supplement 167mg at night.

Godiswithme: I'm very scared   Godiswithme: Xanax taper after cold-turkey of Lexapro and Abilify

Jan 2017. Slowly reinstated Lexapro over 4-5 mos to 15mg. Have stayed on that amount. 

Sept 2017. Started tapering 1mg of Klonopin. As of May 2017, I am at .426 mg of Klonopin split into 2 doses per day. 

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Hello all-I was given alprazolam in 2008 to quit smoking of all things. I reached tolerance in dec 2014 and was diagnosed as depressed and put on 45mg remeron and 40 mg celexa. I started to taper the alprazolam in 2015 and jumped off in december 2016. the depression has been brutal but I am determined to get off all these drugs. I will probably just dry cut the remeron and when I am done, I will liquid titrate the celexa. Any help and/or encouragement will be humbly appreciated.

 

I must say, I saw your topic headline and you couldn't have summed up modern psychiatry any better!! These drugs are essentially designed to kill!!! And to ruin lives. Worse still, I grew up in the columbine days as a teen and, like most people, wondered how these two young men could have possibly done what they did. Later, not to my surprise, it was discovered that both had been on at least one antidepressant at the time. Now, I'm not suggesting that the drugs alone were 100% responsible. Of course there were other factors. But from my own personal experiences I can say without a doubt that these drugs can induce extreme aggressiveness, antisocial and psychopathic tendencies, and paranoid thoughts and delusions!! These are evil drugs and that cannot be stated enough times !!!!

2005: Began switching from one ssri to the next. Very little tapering time was instructed by my psychiatrist. Tried just about every drug on the market. Some two or three times. Nothing reallly helped my moderate depression and anxiety. They only made things worse most of the time!!

2014: Began experiencing severe symptoms while still taking Zoloft, oddly enough. Was forced to quit drugs altogether.

2017: A new year begins having experienced substantial improvement. Still not sure if my symptoms were severe protracted withdrawal or a severe reaction to a med, or possibly a combination of each.

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Why else would you hear such tragic stories of people who had minor to moderate depression and or anxiety, only to take their own lives after starting these drugs?? Evil evil evil things to say the least! But their effects can be beat and overcome!!

2005: Began switching from one ssri to the next. Very little tapering time was instructed by my psychiatrist. Tried just about every drug on the market. Some two or three times. Nothing reallly helped my moderate depression and anxiety. They only made things worse most of the time!!

2014: Began experiencing severe symptoms while still taking Zoloft, oddly enough. Was forced to quit drugs altogether.

2017: A new year begins having experienced substantial improvement. Still not sure if my symptoms were severe protracted withdrawal or a severe reaction to a med, or possibly a combination of each.

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