Kevin42: Long Term Withdrawal Issues: Cognitive and Perceptual Changes

[Kevin42]

The reason I wanted to post was to see if anyone else had experienced what I have found the most personally disturbing effects of withdrawal from the Seroquel, Celexa and Gabapentin I was on for ten years. 

 

I was on Seroquel (100 mg), Gabapentin (600 mg) and Celexa (20 mg) for just over 10 years.  Over the course of the summer, I tapered everything, but I am still on 15 mg of Celexa—I plan on dropping this once I stabilize. 

 

To be honest, the first couple of months after the taper (September and October) weren’t that bad because I knew what to expect:  the mood swings, sleep problems, itching, nausea, crying spells, and floods of both good and bad emotions.  None of these were enough to prevent me from feeling so proud that I finally was almost off all psych meds.  Regardless of the uncomfortable symptoms, it was a big rush for me. 

 

To backtrack, the main reasons I wanted to get off Seroquel and Gabapentin were a fear of the long term effects and the fact that many days of the week for those ten years, I felt like I was walking around, living my life half asleep, zoned out and “out of it.”  I got into the habit of drinking a lot of coffee as a way to cope, but no matter how much I drank, many days of the week I still felt sedated. 

 

So it was a big, horrible surprise for me when about two and half months after getting off the Seroquel and Gabapentin, that old feeling of not being fully awake returned.  It started as the days got shorter, in mid-November, about two and a half months after stopping these meds and reducing my Celexa.  I seemed to be especially sensitive to the changing light, and this feeling of not being awake was starting to happen every day, along with massive feelings of panic, doom and dread that somehow seemed to come on every afternoon as it got dark.  When it’s at its worst, I feel like I am walking around in a dark nightmare that won’t go away, asking myself, “How is it possible to be feeling this?  What has happened to my brain?”

 

Along with these feelings, I’m experiencing troubling symptoms that I would best describe as cognitive or perceptual, and I’m really curious if anyone has felt this before, especially so long after finishing a taper of Seroquel or Gabapentin.  This is how I would describe these differences in thinking and perception.  I  guess they could all be called “brain fog” of some sort: 

 

-Sudden problems with directions and orienting myself, even in familiar environments.  I get lost and then panic.  We all have mental maps that we use to get around.  I feel like I can’t fully access mine anymore.  I sometimes get confused about landmarks. 

 

-Vision problems. Issues with depth perception, especially at night.   

 

-Getting confused a lot.  Especially with regards to time.  Trouble remembering what day it is or when something recent happened.  Also getting distracted and confused when a lot is going.  Difficulty multitasking. 

 

-Lots of issues with short term and long-term memory.  Forgetting a lot.  Slower to retrieve memories. 

 

-Tons of trouble concentrating and focusing on anything that demands intense thought.  Feeling like I can’t figure stuff out, or that I can’t think deeply about complex issues.  Lots of mistakes counting change, getting confused during conversations, forgetting what I was planning to do. 

 

-A constant feeling that some parts of my brain aren’t working and that I’m having to do everything differently, like using other parts of my brain to do what I would have done easily before. 

 

-Feeling like the experience of talking and communicating with others is completely different than when I was on the meds. Like conversations are sped up and I get lost and anxious in them as I’m talking.  

 

Lots of odd experiences…I wonder if this is permanent, or even if this is normal and I just got used to being on the meds.  I think it’s most troubling because it didn’t start immediately, but took several months before it began.  When these issues happen, I usually begin to freak out and sometimes it turns into a panic attack.  Has anyone out there been through anything like this?  

Edited January 20, 2017 by scallywag
tags

[KarenB]

Hi Kevin,

 

Really glad you posted, as we can reassure you that this does happen a fair bit after a cold-turkey or too-fast taper.  Basically, you've hit your body with way more than it can handle at once.  The good news is that there are some options for trying to improve things - w/d is not permanent, but your brain definitely got used to being on those drugs.  It needs to be able to 'get back on it's feet' slowly. 

 

The troublesome thing with SSRIs is that they don't just stop working once they are out of your system.  They have changed the way your brain works, and that takes much longer to heal.  Suddenly stopping the drug or tapering too quickly puts your brain and Central Nervous System into shock.  It's like yanking a trellis out of a garden instead of gently untangling the plants and slowly removing the wood – it’s too much trauma for the plants/your brain.  (For the source of that simile, plus further discussion, see http://survivinganti...el-your-brain/)  You might find it reassuring to read about neuro-plasticity and brain restoration.  It gave me a lot of hope when I first came here.

 

We have a thread that discusses reinstatement, which would be good for you to consider:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/  If you decided to reinstate, it would be of a small amount and once you were stable again you could taper off according to our 10% monthly guide.

 

We recommend a gentle taper, reducing by no more than 10% of your current dose each month.  This allows your brain time to adjust as you go, and lessens any withdrawal.  

 

Tips for tapering Seroquel

Tips for tapering Gabapentin

 

Non-Drug Techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

Many people find Fish oil and Magnesium useful during withdrawal.   

 

Have a read of those and then you can come back to this thread to discuss things further.  This can be your journal to record your tapering and healing progress, and to ask questions. 

 

Welcome to SA,

Karen

[LeslieBarns]

Kevin,

 i took myself off celexa  (citalopram) over 12 months ago, and guess what?  The worst withdrawal effects started AFTER my last dose - i didnt do it slowly enough apparently, and the side effects are still there but have diminished in intensity.  Too bad we cant get any help from our doctors.

 

 

 

[genlady]

The reason I wanted to post was to see if anyone else had experienced what I have found the most personally disturbing effects of withdrawal from the Seroquel, Celexa and Gabapentin I was on for ten years. 

 

I was on Seroquel (100 mg), Gabapentin (600 mg) and Celexa (20 mg) for just over 10 years.  Over the course of the summer, I tapered everything, but I am still on 15 mg of Celexa—I plan on dropping this once I stabilize. 

 

To be honest, the first couple of months after the taper (September and October) weren’t that bad because I knew what to expect:  the mood swings, sleep problems, itching, nausea, crying spells, and floods of both good and bad emotions.  None of these were enough to prevent me from feeling so proud that I finally was almost off all psych meds.  Regardless of the uncomfortable symptoms, it was a big rush for me. 

 

To backtrack, the main reasons I wanted to get off Seroquel and Gabapentin were a fear of the long term effects and the fact that many days of the week for those ten years, I felt like I was walking around, living my life half asleep, zoned out and “out of it.”  I got into the habit of drinking a lot of coffee as a way to cope, but no matter how much I drank, many days of the week I still felt sedated. 

 

So it was a big, horrible surprise for me when about two and half months after getting off the Seroquel and Gabapentin, that old feeling of not being fully awake returned.  It started as the days got shorter, in mid-November, about two and a half months after stopping these meds and reducing my Celexa.  I seemed to be especially sensitive to the changing light, and this feeling of not being awake was starting to happen every day, along with massive feelings of panic, doom and dread that somehow seemed to come on every afternoon as it got dark.  When it’s at its worst, I feel like I am walking around in a dark nightmare that won’t go away, asking myself, “How is it possible to be feeling this?  What has happened to my brain?”

 

Along with these feelings, I’m experiencing troubling symptoms that I would best describe as cognitive or perceptual, and I’m really curious if anyone has felt this before, especially so long after finishing a taper of Seroquel or Gabapentin.  This is how I would describe these differences in thinking and perception.  I  guess they could all be called “brain fog” of some sort: 

 

-Sudden problems with directions and orienting myself, even in familiar environments.  I get lost and then panic.  We all have mental maps that we use to get around.  I feel like I can’t fully access mine anymore.  I sometimes get confused about landmarks. 

 

-Vision problems. Issues with depth perception, especially at night.   

 

-Getting confused a lot.  Especially with regards to time.  Trouble remembering what day it is or when something recent happened.  Also getting distracted and confused when a lot is going.  Difficulty multitasking. 

 

-Lots of issues with short term and long-term memory.  Forgetting a lot.  Slower to retrieve memories. 

 

-Tons of trouble concentrating and focusing on anything that demands intense thought.  Feeling like I can’t figure stuff out, or that I can’t think deeply about complex issues.  Lots of mistakes counting change, getting confused during conversations, forgetting what I was planning to do. 

 

-A constant feeling that some parts of my brain aren’t working and that I’m having to do everything differently, like using other parts of my brain to do what I would have done easily before. 

 

-Feeling like the experience of talking and communicating with others is completely different than when I was on the meds. Like conversations are sped up and I get lost and anxious in them as I’m talking.  

 

Lots of odd experiences…I wonder if this is permanent, or even if this is normal and I just got used to being on the meds.  I think it’s most troubling because it didn’t start immediately, but took several months before it began.  When these issues happen, I usually begin to freak out and sometimes it turns into a panic attack.  Has anyone out there been through anything like this?  

 

 

I read your post and it is amazing how similar our symptoms are.  i stopped seroquel  eight months ago and my last taper og celexa was over two months ago and I am experiencing all of what you so excellently describe.  I hope you find some relief.