zxcv: Is there anyway to get off the depresson meds when the main problem is the anxiety?

[zxcv]

I've been taking these meds for years. I've been on them mostly for extreme anxiety and depression. What do I need to help with anxiety and depression as I try to get off of them so I can stay off of them. 

 

Also, how bad is getting off of fluoxetine, trazodone, wellbutrin compared to getting off of Effexor? Getting off of Effexor was pretty hellish.

[nz11]

Welcome zxcv

Its unusual for a newbee to get to page 2 without being welcomed. The moderators are very busy these days.

 

You might like to do a drug signature.

Many people think they have depression and anxiety when on these drugs for some time when in actual fact its the drugs that are causing this psychologically distressing state. Many people are getting their life back with slow tapering and we are talking slow as in years.

Im sure you can do it too.

You might like to also run all your drugs you are taking through the drugs interaction checker and copy and paste the results in your intro thread they can be very insightful.

 

welcome

nz11

[scallywag]

zxcv -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)

 

It's hard to compare the medications. Just because you had a tough time with Effexor doesn't mean that tapering from the other drugs will be the same. Please post about how you tapered off Effexor and when you did that.

 

How is your health now? What symptoms, if any, do you have?

 

Many people are given inadequate or bad advice about tapering off these medications. Some doctors think a slow taper takes only a month or two. You may have been the victim of such a "mis-under-educated" doctor when you came off Effexor. We suggest that people taper by decreasing no more than 10% per month. You can read more about that here:

Before you begin tapering -- what you need to know. and,

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?.

 

Please do as nz11 suggested and enter all your drugs in to a drug interactions checker.

 

As someone taking several medications, you may wish to read this topic Taking multiple drugs? Which to taper first.

 

We have specific topics for the medications you've listed:

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine),

Tips for tapering off trazodone (Desyrel), and

Tips for tapering off Wellbutrin XR, SR, XL (bupropion).

 

nz11 mentioned a drug signature. Here's a detailed request and links to instructions:

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly?

• Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs.
• 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

direct link to signature settings page

 

 

Thanks for the easy username. At first I thought, "Huh, what?", then I keyed it in. Good thinking!

 

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.

[zxcv]

I got off the med [moderator note: wellbutrin] a little more than a month ago. I was on 200 mg a day. I took 50mg less each week till I was down to nothing. It's been a month since I've stopped taking the 150mg dose, and 100mg, and tomorrow it'll be a month since I stopped the 50mg dose. Basically, it takes me about a month see the full effects of trying to go off the meds are. Anyway, I'm just wondering how long the tiredness going to last.

 

Also, I know it's not the recommended way to get off the med. Though this med added on after I was already stable, and it was just given to me "Temporarily" because I was a little depressed at the time. After the withdrawals of this one, I'll start going a lot slower with theTrazodone and Fluoxetine.

Edited June 13, 2017 by scallywag
add medication

[ChessieCat]

On 2017-05-23 at 6:42 PM, zxcv said:

How do you deal with parents that don't think you should get off SSRIs.

 

There is an existing discussion in this topic:  support-for-those-in-withdrawal-who-struggle-with-family-friends-not-understanding

.

Edited June 13, 2017 by scallywag
added quotation of post that prompted this reply

[scallywag]

zxcv: I've moved several questions from topics you started in the Symptoms forum to your introduction topic so that all your information, questions and answers are in one place.

 

On 2017-05-23 at 11:14 PM, zxcv said:

Which med is causing the extreme tiredness during the day time? The fluoxetine or Trazadone?

Have you been tracking the times you take fluoxetine and trazodone as well as when the tiredness and other symptoms arise or change?

 

If yes, please post a few days notes as a reply here in your introduction topic.

 

If no, 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.

 

Seeing your log of symptoms will help us answer your question.

[zxcv]

I just started the new job today. So I was extrememly nervous, It's a full time job that really never had before. So I'm pretty nerovous and tired. I'm just nervous and tired, and not sure what to do or if it'll get better. Soonish I'll have to do tech support over the phone and not sure if I'll actually be able to do it. Going down on the trazodone was probably a bad idea a couple weeks ago. I went from 25mg to 0mg after going to from 50mg to 25mg a month ago before that. I'm not sure that I've gotten used to going from 25 mg to 0mg yet. I'm starting wonder if that's part of the problem.

 

Is beta blockers going to make the withdrawal worse?

[zxcv]

Just went done from 150mg of wellbutrin to 0 mg a month ago. I know it's faster than the recommending tapering.

 

Okay so I went down a dose about a month ago. For a while after that my anxiety started spiking a bit. Which is kinda important since that the main reasons that I started the meds in the first place, the depression was secondary. Anyway, it's been about a month since I went down and the fears are starting to calm down again. Do you think it could have been the going down on the meds could have caused the spike in anxiety and now that I'm getting used to being on the lower dose that making the fear level go back to normal. Also is being tired normal after going down on the meds too, not sure if it's meds or work/stress related. Right now i'm working a job that goes against my personality type to hopefully gain better social skills and become less shy.

 

I'll probably go a bit slower for getting off the Fluoxetine  Something like 60mg -> 40mg -> 20mg -> 10mg -> 5mg -> 0mg going down every two months.

 

History:

Trazodone  150mg -> 0mg

Wellbutrin 300mg a day - > 0 mg a day

Fluoxetine 60mg  -> 60 mg

[zxcv]

I'm partly wondering if it's going down the meds that are causing it. I've been going every month or 2 month over the last 6 months. So I've gone from Trazodone 150mg -> 0mg, Wellbutrin 150 a day since Decemberish I think it was. Could the tiredness be from going down too fast? I know I'm going faster than you guys recommend. 

 

I also have social anxiety and I got new job around 3 months ago in tech support where I'm taking calls and helping users out. I'm naturally a introvert and have social anxiety and deal with a job where I have to talk to people, I was also wondering if that could a major reason why I've been tired so much lately. Because of the extra stress of dealing with people.

 

I'll probably go a bit slower for getting off the Fluoxetine  Something like 60mg -> 40mg -> 20mg -> 10mg -> 5mg -> 0mg going down every two months.

 

History:

Trazodone  150mg -> 0mg

Wellbutrin 300mg a day - > 0 mg a day

Fluoxetine 60mg  -> 60 mg

[Altostrata]

zxcv, I merged several of your recent posts here. They got lost in the other forums. Please put all questions about your taper, including symptoms that might be from tapering, in this topic.

 

You went off trazodone and Wellbutrin fairly fast. Please put the dates you went off these 2 drugs in your signature.

 

How did your symptoms change after you went off trazodone in early February? How did you feel when you were on Wellbutrin and fluoxetine only?

 

How did your symptoms change after you went off Wellbutrin in April? Why were you taking Wellbutrin?

 

What time of day do you take fluoxetine and when do you feel tired?

[Tarheel109]

Zxcv,

 

I am also trying to wean myself off of 60 mg Prozac (fluoxetine). I know that we are all different, but - based on my own personal experience - I got a bit concerned for you when I saw that you were planning on reducing by 33% then 50% every eight weeks. 

 

I dropped from 60 to 40 in two weeks and felt like I was going to be one of those lucky people who “beat the odds” of going through discontinuation withdrawals... Unfortunately that is not the case. A month later and I’m now in the middle of a “wave” and couldn’t even bring myself to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday last night because my anxiety was (and still is) so bad. I’m hoping my brain returns to homeostasis soon because this is really frightening.

 

If you do choose to go quicker, I wish you luck and hope that you are the exception.

[Gridley]

z,

 

I would urge you to rethink your very rapid proposed taper of  Prozac.  If it proves to be too much, you will spend much more time trying to stabilize than you would have spent using the harm-reduction taper of 10% per month.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

[zxcv]

I should be starting to go down on Fluoxetine soonish in a couple weeks. Is there anything I should know about as far as side effects from going down on the dose? How's the withdrawal compared to Trazodone  and Wellbutrin.

[ChessieCat]

I've moved your post from the Tips for tapering topic:

 

On 5/18/2018 at 1:42 PM, Altostrata said:

zxcv, I merged several of your recent posts here. They got lost in the other forums. Please put all questions about your taper, including symptoms that might be from tapering, in this topic.

 

 

Please complete your drug signature.  This was requested back in April 2017.   Dates, drugs, doses, no symptoms or diagnoses.  It is important for the mods to be able to see your drug history at a glance.  Thank you.  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

If you are concerned about experiencing withdrawal symptoms you could always try a smaller than 10% reduction to see how reducing affects you.  You could try a 5% drop or even less.

 

Please Keep Notes on Paper

[Altostrata]

Zxcv, please review the responses in this topic and answer questions from the staff. We need this information before counseling you on tapering.

[ChessieCat]

21 hours ago, zxcv said:

Will I ever find a girlfriend? Im dealing with problems 1-5,7,9-14,20-21.
2. Is mostly about wanting a good Christian woman, but it's been hard to find girls at chruch.
4. Is more about trying to save money for when I do get married, I can just move out and pay for a house mostly paid for.
Now that think about this, how much this is actually linked to depression. Maybe if I get undepressed, it knock most of these out.
https://www.luvze.com/reasons-you-cant-get-a-girlfriend/

 

I've merged the above new topic and several other topics you made discussing a similar thing into one topic.  Please use this topic for your discussion on this matter:  how-do-you-fix-the-loneliness-get-a-girlfriend