Psycritic: Tired

[Psycritic]

Sorry my english. My history began with Zoloft at age 15 for about 5-6 months. It seemed to give me my menstruation back when suffering from anorexia though the same underweight body. Suffered from depression. No changes in my mood.

 

It continued with Fluoxetin/Fontex/Prozac. Don't remember when I started but I think around age 18, 19 or 20, and I stopped it at least at age 22. No mood changes. I made a cold turkey with Fontex but experienced not a single symptom. I don't remember the dosages. I followed up with a new, very short period of Fontex, which for one day gave me very much anxiety for dying and drive to move my body, and then Anafranil when I was 23, up to 150 mg I think. No change in mood now either.

 

When I stopped completely in september last year I began to shake when distressed, a symptom that has decreased over time but not fully. It was not until autumn last year that the risks of these medicines became clear to me. I'm shocked and upset that I didn't care about looking up fact before then. This will be a subject in my coming psychoterapy. Just after I stopped Anafranil, probably way too fast, I became much more depressed than before and I still am. I think 25 mg was my last dosage.

 

During the autumn I have been on a low dose Zyprexa for a week and a half. 

 

So, since 11 until now, I have felt more or less depressed. I wasn't worth more than that in swedish society, I wasn't more clear thinking than that, my thoughts goes in my mind. I have no work, no studies and not a single friend, will this continue for long time? Was it because I took Zoloft as a child that Fontex and Anafranil didn't change my mood in any direction (until I stopped Anafranil)? Just speculating, feel kind of odd.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Psycritic
Added paragraphs and coloured font for drugs

[Psycritic]

Zyprexa did change my mood and thoughts, I forgot to say, and not in a pleasant way.

[Psycritic]

During 2016 I also took Cymbalta for some time, not longer than a few weeks. Don't remember if I continued with Anafranil when on Cymbalta.

[scallywag]

Psycritic -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)

 

Your English is great, far better than my Swedish.

 

Just to summarize -

• You took Anafranil for some time. The last dose you took was 25 mg Anafranil in September 2016. You stopped taking it "cold turkey" or said another way, you took 25 mg one day and then never took it again.
• You took Zyprexa for about 10 days later in the fall of 2016.

Some questions for you:

• In what year did you start taking Anafranil?
• When did you start to taper Anafranil?
• What was your dose when you started to taper anafranil?
• How often did you decrease the dose?
• How many mg in dose did you decrease each time? Was it the same amount each time, something like 25 mg? Or did you decrease differently each time?

If you don't remember the answers, that's okay. Please just say that you don't remember so that I know you've seen the question. Once we get the information clear, I'll post information about creating a medication history signature.

 

Many people have symptoms and/or their "condition" gets worse after they discontinue an antidepressant like Anafranil. You can read about that in these topics:

What is withdrawal syndrome.

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

Important topics about symptoms including sleep problems.

 

Many people have experience of symptoms going in a cycle of getting strong for some time and then weakening. We call this the pattern of "Windows and waves." You can read more about that in topic at this link:

The Windows and Waves pattern of stabilization.

 

Some people find their symptoms are helped by taking Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil) and/or magnesium. Start with one at a low dose and work up. for more information, please read

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil).

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker.

 

This is YOUR introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.

 

I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Psycritic. 

 

What are you taking now?

 

What do you mean by feeling "depressed"? Have you ever seen a psychotherapist?

 

Please describe this shaking more. Does this still happen? What is it like?

 

How are you sleeping? What do you do for exercise?

[Psycritic]

Thank you for welcoming me and asking good questions.

 

1. My start with Anafranil was in 2013. 

2. I started tapering Anafranil in summer 2016. 2016-06-14 I took Cymbalta 30 mg and Anafranil 75 mg. 

3. The highest dose of Anafranil I had in spring 2016, 150 mg. After that I began tapering. 

4. In the middle of June 2016 I decreased Anafranil from 150 mg to 75 mg in one single day. After that I don't know how often I decreased the dose.

5. After the very fast shift in June, I decreased by 25 mg or half of that, I'm afraid I don't know. I don't know if it was the same amount each time. I may have made a cold turkey with Anafranil, but when I did it with Fontex that was realized even by my doctor.

 

I had forgotten but see that I also took Modiodal/Modafinil 100-200 mg during some time.

 

I don't take any medicine on a regular basis (except Omeprazol). I take Inderal and Propavan if needed.

 

By depressed I mean that I blame myself too much, very seldom feel happiness or positive feelings, very often have feelings of angst or anxiety, suffer from a feeling of meaninglessness. 

 

It still happens that I get mild shakings. I don't know how to describe it... Like of freezing. When they began they were more visible and came more often and for longer amounts of time.

 

I have slept well through life, but sometimes too much, until I had a crisis last month. I couldn't sleep anything without strong medication but now I almost sleep like before. I do pilates reformer exercise, but want to also begin running when "possible".

[Psycritic]

I had taken 150 mg Anafranil for about six weeks when I dropped from 150 mg to 75 mg from one day to another. 

[Psycritic]

I have seen a psychotherapist and a psychologist and I'm currently seeing a new psychologist who do psychotherapy. 

[scallywag]

Psycritic, thanks for answering Altostrata's questions about your symptoms and my questions about Anafranil and for posting about other medications you've taken.

 

More questions for you about the other medications:

• When did you start taking Cymbalta?  When did you stop taking it? What was the last dose you took in mg? How did you stop taking it, overnight or decreasing dosage over weeks or months?
• Were you taking Modiodal/Modafinil 100-200 mg  in 2015 and/or 2016?
  If yes, when did you start taking it and when did you stop taking it?
• Were you taking Fontex in 2015 and/or 2016?
  If yes, when did you start taking it and when did you stop taking it?
• What dose of Omeprazol do you take? Do you take it daily?
• What dose of Inderal do you take if needed?
• What dose of Propovan do you take if needed?

[Psycritic]

1. 14/6 2016 I began to take Cymbalta, 30 mg, increasing it to 60 mg on June 23. On some of the first days of July I stopped taking Cymbalta, don't know how.

2. 2/4 2016 I took my first Modiodal. I stopped taking it in October or November 2016.

3. No, I didn't take Fontex in 2015 and/or 2016.

4. I take 20 mg Omeprazol daily. 

5. I use to take 20 mg Inderal if needed. I used to take it during the period with Anafranil and then took up to 180 120 mg per day. 

6. I use to take one and a half 25 mg Propavan if needed. 

 

I began to take Edronax around 20/3 2016. 31/3 I took my last Edronax. I don't know the dose of this medicine.

 

During some weeks in the end of 2011 I took Tryptizol/Amitriptyline 10-20 mg against nerve pain. Don't know how I stopped taking it. 

 

I took Lamotrigin against nerve pain during 2015 or 2016, don't know how much or how long but no longer than a few weeks. My mom says that I seemed to have felt less depressed but with less strong feelings after a while on antidepressants and then more sad after some further time. I didn't notice any of this. Is this a experience that I share with anyone? What should I believe? 

 

What dose of omega 3 EPA do you recommend? I read that 1000 mg had been proven good in one study.

 

Last two days I have woken up two times during my night sleep and each time I've felt stressed with my heart beating fast. I had not taken any medicine except Omeprazol.

Edited January 24, 2017 by scallywag
corrected inderal maximum dose

[scallywag]

Psycritic, thanks for taking the time to answer those questions. Having all the details will help us give you relevant and useful information.

 

Your questions:

 

When on antidepressants, many people experience improved mood for a while and then lose that improvement.

 

About fish oil, please read the linked topic. There are posts about amounts there.

 

Some people do experience waking up in the middle of sleep with anxiety, panic and/or a racing pulse. This is likely due to a cortisol surge. You can read more about that and tips from others about how to cope in this topic:

Waking with anxiety or panic -- managing cortisol.

 

---

We ask members to post a medication and withdrawal history in signature that appears below every post they make.

• You can find instructions in this topic: Please put your withdrawal history in signature
• If you are using a phone or mobile device, you need to switch to the "full" or desktop version of the site. Instructions are in Post 9 and Post 10.
• Please cut and paste the list below as your signature.

 
Anafranil: 2013 - 2016, different doses, highest was 150 mg in spring of 2016.
June 2016, 150 mg to 75 mg overnight;

June - August 2016 reduced dosage, reaching 25 mg
Sept. 2016 last dose 25 mg.
Zyprexa: 10 days in fall of 2016
Cymbalta: 30 mg June 14, 2016; 60 mg June 23; c/t off early July.
Modiodal: started April 2016, stopped October 2016
Other medications taken briefly and stopped in 2016: Edronax, Lamotrigine
Current medications: Omeprazol 20 mg daily, Inderal 25 mg as needed, Propavan 37.5 mg (1½ 25 mg tablets) if needed

[Psycritic]

I mentioned 180 mg Inderal, don't know were it came from because I don't think it was more than 120 mg per day.

[scallywag]

I've made that correction about the maximum Inderal you took. Let me know if there's anything about your current and recent medications or doses; that's what's important.