may07: Struggling with fast tapers

[Shep]

Hello everyone,

 

Really struggling with the idea of updosing my celexa. A year of severe withdrawals has taken its toll and am wondering if an increase in dosage would help.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi, May.

 

Are you having new symptoms or just more intense symptoms?  Can you tell any symptoms that developed in the past 5 weeks since you came off your benzo?

 

If the symptoms are specific to the benzo, increasing the AD may not help. 

 

But I've asked the other mods to weigh in, as well. 

 

Are you still at the 10 mg Celexa, holding since October 2016? 

[may07]

Hi Shep,

 

I am still on 10 mg of celexa. My symptoms are very consistent but do very in intensity and also times of day. My journal shows that since stopping the temazepam I have had these differences:

 

-6 days of going to bed before 11 pm and sleeping 6 to 7 hours (more aware of vivid and constant dreaming though)

-depression and irritability has gotten worse and more noticeable

-more tired during the day

-body itching has stopped

-had my period twice last month and did not get it this month

-hemoriods and bowel pain has gone away

 

I saw my medical doctor yesterday and was diagnosised with PCOS. I am also going to see a surgeon to get my gallbladder removed. I have been having gallbladder attacks to the point I have severe fever, chills, pain, and losing consciousness. I really wanted to avoid any surgery during this time. Due to these problems maybe changing the celexa dose is not a good idea?

 

Tried 500mg of vitamin C yesterday and today for help with the morning cortisol issues. May have helped a little bit. Been taking 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice for gallbladder pain for 3 days. 

 

Thanks for the ongoing support

[Altostrata]

Hello, may.

 

It sounds like you are stabilizing on the 10mg Celexa. The small improvements are a good sign.

 

It could be that you are suffering a combination of upset from discontinuing the benzo and reducing the antidepressant dosage. You could take a small dosage of a benzo again -- but you know the risks of that.

 

Since you are doing a bit better on 10mg Celexa alone, if I were you, I'd give that some more time. Your sleep is good, your stomach has settled. Are you getting at least a half-hour gentle exercise each day? Walking is good. This helps your nervous system re-pattern itself.

 

Have you tried fish oil and magnesium supplements?

 

King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

 

These can have subtle effects that calm your nervous system and help it heal. Also, they might reduce your mood symptoms.

 

Do you have anxiety in the early morning?

[may07]

Hello Altostrata,

 

The only exercise I get daily is going up and down the stairs in my home about 10 times a day. I have managed to leave the house twice a week for about a month and try to incorporate more walking while out.

 

I have tried the omega 3 fish oil off and on for about 10 months. I have stopped due to overwhelming withdrawal symptoms and feeling like taking anything makes it worse. When symptoms are less in intensity I tend to use it again. I have also tried magnesium citrate many times in the last 10 months. I have found it stimulating at night and during the day it would make my body heavy and tired. I also have a lot of fear of disrupting my body anymore than it already is. In the past a naturopath had me taking high doses of many vitamins and supplements which had me bedridden and getting worse.

 

I definitely have anxiety and high cortisol in the mornings. A blood test showed the high cortisol and it is my worst symptom. I tried vitamin c in the past before bed and upon waking but stopped due to a rebound affect. I just started using 500mg of vitamin c in the morning for the last few days to help with the cortisol. I am not sure it helps much, maybe a little with the intensity. The cortisol tends to go down 50% between 10 am and 11 am everyday and then I am left with being tired and having surges the rest of the day. I tried 1/4 tsp of inositol yesterday and ended up waking at 2:30 am with adrenaline. This has not happened in at least 4 months. I took another 1/4tsp and was able to sleep another 5 hours. I felt more alert from it but I don't think it helped with the cortisol intensity. I think my sleep was better off without it.

 

I have tried 2,000 UI vitamin D3 in the morning last week for a few days and think it helped with the intensity of symptoms. It seems to be the only thing that I can truly say helped without harm. I am going to continue with the vitamin D3 for now.

 

This has been such a painful and traumatic experience and I struggle everyday with knowing what is going on in my body and brain. I think I am having brief windows in the evenings, where the symptoms lessen more than throughout the day. They last no more than 45 minutes but give me hope.

 

I am not sure about taking the benzo again. It has crossed my mind to take a rescue dose and see if it makes a difference in my symptoms. However, I have had all of these symptoms since I started tapering celexa too fast without any other medications in the mix. I am thinking a lot about up dosing the celexa because when I was on 20mg during the taper and in the past, I did better. I will continue to hold at 10 mg celexa for now.

 

Thanks again for this amazing site, support, and people. Bless us all

 

 

[may07]

Hello everyone,

 

Just found out that I do have an infection from the gallbladder problems. I will be on antibiotics for 2 weeks and meet with a surgeon to discuss getting it removed. I am concerned about taking antibiotics and wonder if they will affect withdrawal and my current dose of celexa. I am very scared about having surgery while going through withdrawal.

 

Anyone have surgery while going through withdrawal? Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Shep]

Hi, May.

 

I'm sorry you're dealing with these additional health problems on top of withdrawal. Let's get you some information on antibiotics.

 

Since you recently came off benzos, it's important to talk to your doctor about alternatives to a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolone antibiotics, as they affect the same receptor sites as benzos.

 

Here is more information. You may wish to print this out to show your doctor. 

 

 

Benzodiazepine tolerance, dependency, and withdrawal syndromes and interactions with fluoroquinolone antimicrobials

 

 

Even for people not dealing with withdrawal, this class of antibiotics can still be dangerous:

 

http://www.saferpills.org/

 

 

Here's a list of the fluoroquinolone antibiotics so you'll know which ones to avoid. 

 

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics

 

Please discuss this with your doctor, as he or she may be able to recommend a safer antibiotic. Usually the older antibiotics are not only as effective, but also much safer, so you should be able to find an alternative. 

 

Here is the thread on SA about antibiotics that may be helpful:

 

Cipro, Levaquin, Azithromycin (Z-Pack), and other antibiotics

 

 

Please keep updating. 

[may07]

Hi Shep,

 

I was lucky. My doctor prescribed one of the bad antibiotics but my pharmacist said it interacted with my medications and got the doctor to prescribe a good one. So far no problems and it seems to help with the infections I have had for some time.

 

I was able to actually do some laundry today. I had not done any in almost a year. Symptoms are slightly down today and I usually feel better in the evenings. Still holding at 10mg celexa.

 

Hope you have a wonderful day

[Shep]

Hi, May.

 

I'm so glad you have a perceptive pharmacist. 

 

Holding the Celexa sounds like a great idea. I'm glad you're feeling better. 

[may07]

Update:

 

I am having a problem right now. The doctor put me on 2 doses of diflucan/fluconazole for a very bad yeast infection. She told me that it could interact with the celexa and told me to go to ER if I get heart problems. She also scheduled an ECG for when I am done the diflucan. I found out later that the diflucan raises celexa levels in the blood.

 

So my problem is that I have been updosed on the celexa. Each dose of diflucan lasts 72 hours in your system which means it will be gone this Friday. I noticed a change within hours of taking the diflucan and I believe it has been a slight improvement. I am more aware of what is going on around me and my thoughts are less anxious. I still cycle through my original symptoms throughout the day but feel that I am in more control of my thoughts and body.

 

I saw the pdoc today and he was aware of the medication increasing celexa in the blood and would like me to go up to 15mg of celexa, Since there is no way of knowing how much my dose was increased from the diflucan, he wants me to take 15mg for a month and then go up to 20mg the next month. My problem is that if I don't updose that I will have more withdrawals when the diflucan is out of my system. Also, I noticed an improvement with the updose so I am willing to continue especially if it helps me not have any worse withdrawal symptoms. It has been 5 days now at the unknown updose.

 

I am also scheduled for gallbladder surgery in 6 days and have many concerns with surgery during withdrawal.

 

Any info and support is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[scallywag]

Why is your pDoc suggesting the increase to 15 mg and a subsequent one to 20 mg?

 

Are you keeping notes of your symptoms? If not, please keep notes on paper of your symptoms and the times of your dose(s). This post has a useful format for a daily log:

Take notes of doses and symptoms.

 

Your symptoms will be the best indicator of whether you've had an increase in citalopram levels due to the diflucan.