☼ dj2010: off all meds for 3 months and been fine now bad insomnia

[Altostrata]

9 hours ago, dj2010 said:

the negative voice inside me was saying that this is a bad time to wake and if I dont get back to sleep now then you are in for a day of hell, this set off anxiety and I couldn't get back to sleep

 

You need to learn to ignore this negative voice, you're making your own problems by listening to it. Meditation is very good for this quieting of the mind.

 

Stabilization from going off psychiatric drugs is very gradual. It can be confusing and frustrating, with fits and starts. You can have good days or nights here and then have some bad days. You will need to stay calm and keep on a self-care course throughout, avoid throwing in drugs and supplements such as the occasional diazepam only muddies the waters.

 

Benzos such as diazepam often will make you feel better at first, then as they wear off, you get rebound anxiety and sleeplessness. They cause more problems than they solve.

 

Every time you make a change, you need to observe carefully to see what it does over several days. Keeping daily notes on paper about symptoms, when you take your drugs or supplements, and their dosages can help determine what is working.

 

See The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

[mammaP]

Hi DJ, when I collect my prescriptions the brand can vary between pharmacies.  GP's don't prescribe a brand, just a drug and the pharmacies decide which brand they will stock. You could ask at different pharmacies in different towns or villages which they stock, and that you need ones with the tiny beads instead of the pellets.The large chains like Boots and Lloyds will all stock the same at each of their outlets but smaller ones might have the ones you need.  When you find one that stocks the right ones with the tiny beads you can get your scripts filled there. I wish I could remember which brand I had, I'll try and find out. I had effexor, venlafaxine and another one at different times. Only one had the small tablets inside, the others had beads. You would only need one prescription for the whole taper if you reinstated just a few beads as I did.  

[dj2010]

thanks Altostrata and mammap for your replys and support, sorry i have not replied sooner as i have been avoiding looking on here and googling things as it was causing my mind to overthink,

 

I was literally 1 more sleepless night away from reinstating venlefaxine, I even ordered a new pill cutter with overnight shipping, luckily there has been big improvements since i last posted 1 week ago, last Saturday i started using my old brand of turmeric that is just plain turmeric capsules 500mg with no piperine in, within a couple of hours of taking it i felt relief from anxiety, maybe the piperine was affecting my central nervous system? is this even possible? or maybe i just needed a few days break from turmeric, or maybe its just all in my mind

 

also i have been meditating 3 times a day using www.headspace.com, there are special meditation courses on there for sleep and anxiety etc, also depression and stress, its worth a look, I was always told by therapists to try meditation but always looked down on it thinking it wouldn't work for me,

 

now when my mind is overthinking I have learnt to brush aside the thoughts and focus on my breathing etc, its really working, when i wake up in the middle of the night instead of overthinking and worrying then not sleeping I can now use the techniques learnt from meditation and quickly get back so sleep, also getting to sleep is much easier using the techniques learnt,

 

so since Saturday i have been getting at least 6 and half hours sleep a night, Wednesday night I got 8 hours and last night I got 7 and half hours according to my fitbit, my appetite has returned and I am eating a lot,

 

I do not think it is delayed withdrawal as after months off the drug it seems strange that it can suddenly go into withdrawal, my theory is that my central nervous system is very sensitive from all the drugs and will remain sensitive for a long time, and the countless supplements i was trying and the stressful events totally destabilized my CNS and caused withdrawal like symptoms, I think it just needs to stabilize again which it seems to be doing now, 

 

If anyone hasnt tried turmeric I would strongly advise them to try it, if cant take it because of stomach problems then i have seen enteric coated turmeric capsules available, its the only way I can explain being able to get off the medication as i tried for many years to get off quitiapine and even tapering by a tiny amount would usually leave me unable to get out of bed as was so ill, after researching a bit more turmeric apparently crosses the blood brain barrier and expands the hippocampus

 

Hopefully things will stay this was, the big test will be in a few weeks when I go on a short break with my kids as will be staying in a unfamiliar place in a strange bed and apparently there is no internet as its in mountains so I will not be able to do the online meditation,

 

I will update again soon

[mammaP]

Glad you are feeling better DJ and so pleased the turmeric is helping. When you get to a place in the mountains I am sure you will be able to meditate without the internet with beautiful views to look at.  Be aware that withdrawal comes in windows and waves, it is the way the body heals. Hopefully you will be fine now but if a wave washes over you be prepared for it and ride it like a pro, it will pass. 

 

 

[powerback]

20 hours ago, dj2010 said:

thanks Altostrata and mammap for your replys and support, sorry i have not replied sooner as i have been avoiding looking on here and googling things as it was causing my mind to overthink,

 

I was literally 1 more sleepless night away from reinstating venlefaxine, I even ordered a new pill cutter with overnight shipping, luckily there has been big improvements since i last posted 1 week ago, last Saturday i started using my old brand of turmeric that is just plain turmeric capsules 500mg with no piperine in, within a couple of hours of taking it i felt relief from anxiety, maybe the piperine was affecting my central nervous system? is this even possible? or maybe i just needed a few days break from turmeric, or maybe its just all in my mind

 

also i have been meditating 3 times a day using www.headspace.com, there are special meditation courses on there for sleep and anxiety etc, also depression and stress, its worth a look, I was always told by therapists to try meditation but always looked down on it thinking it wouldn't work for me,

 

now when my mind is overthinking I have learnt to brush aside the thoughts and focus on my breathing etc, its really working, when i wake up in the middle of the night instead of overthinking and worrying then not sleeping I can now use the techniques learnt from meditation and quickly get back so sleep, also getting to sleep is much easier using the techniques learnt,

 

so since Saturday i have been getting at least 6 and half hours sleep a night, Wednesday night I got 8 hours and last night I got 7 and half hours according to my fitbit, my appetite has returned and I am eating a lot,

 

I do not think it is delayed withdrawal as after months off the drug it seems strange that it can suddenly go into withdrawal, my theory is that my central nervous system is very sensitive from all the drugs and will remain sensitive for a long time, and the countless supplements i was trying and the stressful events totally destabilized my CNS and caused withdrawal like symptoms, I think it just needs to stabilize again which it seems to be doing now, 

 

If anyone hasnt tried turmeric I would strongly advise them to try it, if cant take it because of stomach problems then i have seen enteric coated turmeric capsules available, its the only way I can explain being able to get off the medication as i tried for many years to get off quitiapine and even tapering by a tiny amount would usually leave me unable to get out of bed as was so ill, after researching a bit more turmeric apparently crosses the blood brain barrier and expands the hippocampus

 

Hopefully things will stay this was, the big test will be in a few weeks when I go on a short break with my kids as will be staying in a unfamiliar place in a strange bed and apparently there is no internet as its in mountains so I will not be able to do the online meditation,

 

I will update again soon

this is great DJ ,good on you for getting positive results ,I must take up my turmeric smoothie again .

take care .

PB

[dj2010]

Update: since i last posted my sleep has been mostly good at between 6 and half to 7 and half hours a night, it has not been solid sleep though as i usually wake up for the toilet 2 times a night but usually getting back to sleep quite easy, just 1 night i had just under 6 hours sleep, that following day I had slight brain fog, all other days i have not had any brain fog or it has been extremely slight,

 

my appetite is a lot better but not 100%, i am struggling to eat healthy because not a massive appetite so mainly just eating what I feel like eating at the time, I really dont want to lose anymore weight and need to put a bit on, I am making sure I eat lost of natural yogurt with blackberries though

 

my energy is ok but not great, I think its because I am not eating that healthy and I am not doing the intense exercise anymore, I am trying to do either a 45 minute swim or a very long walk or jog every day, 

 

still meditating every day and this is massively helping me, especially keeping away bad thoughts, its helping me get to sleep much quicker because I am not thinking about everything when in bed,

 

a big improvement over the last week is I have started to watch tv series again and movies and enjoying them, i haven't been able to do this since i started my taper around a year ago as I have not been able to get any enjoyment out of it and my mind has been all over the place so it has been impossible to sit down and watch something, I have been watching and enjoying the new series of game of thrones this week even though I have watched all previous episodes i do not really know what is going on as my memory is so bad from the drugs, but massive relief that I can actually sit down and enjoy it again, my short term memory is improving massively, a few months ago I could not remember most things i did the day before,

 

I feel my kids are massively helping me get through this as they keep me so busy and active all the time,

 

After reading other threads i feel very lucky in the position that I am in as I can see others that are suffering badly especially as I have done a strong cocktail of psychiatric drugs non stop for around 15 years along with constant alcohol and also a lot of illegal drugs on top, so I feel very lucky and grateful to be where I am at the moment,

 

I will do another update in around a week,

 

Thanks

 

 

[mammaP]

I am so happy to see that you are improving DJ, brilliant update, we love it when someone feels better.  

[dj2010]

thanks mammap but not so good today, even though slept for around 7 hours Sunday night, yesterday I didnt feel right all day, very low energy and irritable and very low appetite, last night had insomnia, only slept for 2 hours and feel awful today, forced myself to go for a swim and will hopefully sleep tonight, was quite stressed on Sunday and yesterday about a number of issues so that is probably whats triggered it, also didnt exercise Sunday and yesterday so that also wont have helped,

[dj2010]

insomnia again, had to take some diazepam unfortunately as there was no way was going to sleep as felt like I was on amphetamines while lying in bed, still only got 3 hours with the dizaepam then woke up with the weird energy again, feel terrible today, just shows how stress can totally mess up your CNS, hoping it will wear off again like the last times and then be able to sleep again, supposed to be going on a short break with the kids next Friday but will have to cancel if im like this,

[dj2010]

quick update, Wednesday night was another night of little sleep, had to take a little diazepam again, Thursday night I slept good, Friday night slept good and last night slept for nearly 8 hours, I have been swimming every day except today where I did a run and some weights, been out and about with kids all weekend and just got back from the pub where we had a Sunday roast, I drank water of course, feeling really good today, hopefully it will continue, kids going to bed soon and Im going to relax and watch a movie which I am relieved I am able to do again and enjoy again,

[dj2010]

quick update, Sunday night only got around 5 hours sleep but it was mostly my fault as woke up at 3am and was checking my bank to see if a business payment had cleared, couldn't sleep after that, Monday night was excellent at over 8 hours sleep, last night got around 5 and half hours sleep, have got slight brain fog today,

 

I have just been and bought some CBD oil and just took the first drop under my tongue now, will update about the effects

[mammaP]

DJ I am jealous! 8 hours sleep would be amazing, even 5 would be a dream.  Let us know how the CBD goes. Maybe you could add it to the CBD oil topic. 

 

[dj2010]

14 minutes ago, mammaP said:

DJ I am jealous! 8 hours sleep would be amazing, even 5 would be a dream.  Let us know how the CBD goes. Maybe you could add it to the CBD oil topic. 

 

yes i consider myself very lucky, I will update soon

[Miko789]

hi dj

 

I used to take clobazam as  a anxiolitic but for short period of time and no more than 1/2 the dosage. It brings relief but only for short period because you become dependent both physically and emotionally. It sure brings relief though but you should not stay for long with diazepam. You should try ashwaganda or rhodiola rosea at night. be extra careful with benzos.

[dj2010]

UPDATE ON CBD OIL, tried CBD oil yesterday for the 1st time, took about 1/2 the dose in the afternoon and didn't feel much of a affect, I took it again at 8pm but took the full recommended dose it says to take on the bottle, after 10 minutes of taking this i started to get anxiety, the anxiety got worse over the next couple of hours and it got really intense till the point where I was close to a panic attack, to make things worse my daughter woke up with a pain in her tummy during all this and i had to sort that out,

 

I also got really hot, i had to lie in bed with a fan on full blast at my face, I tried doing meditation but could not concentrate so gave up, I ended up taking 6mg diazepem as I knew that there was no chance i would be sleeping without it and was so close to a panic attack, that did not work so I took another 6mg and that worked and calmed me down, I managed to sleep for around 5 hours, not feeling great today but not too bad considering and I will be able to function,

 

I know taking the diazepam is bad but without it I would of got no sleep and wouldn't have been able to function today, I am also only needing to take on average every few weeks when having a crisis moment,

 

All this is all a nightmare as I supposed to be going away for a few days tomorrow with the kids, hopefully i will be ok tonight,

 

Can any mods or anyone explain what the hell happened last night? CBD oil supposed treat anxiety and help sleep? I cant find any side affects on google which show that same as what happened to me, I know it must be something to do with withdrawal but any explanation about what happened would be appreciated

[powerback]

Hi DJ such a pain when we want to try new things and this happens ,I tried an Epsom salt bath  at 8PM one Sunday night a few months ago and big mistake indeed ,I didn't sleep all night and had to go to a jobsite  the next morning [thankfully with loads of mindfulness I got through the day ],the advice someone gave me was not to be trying new things soon before doing or going anywhere new or important .

 

The rule of thumb seems to be that all bets are off with everything we put in our body's because of a disrupted  nervous system, even foods become problematic ,try to relax as much as possible and keep busy to distract your thinking .

If your physically able  for your break you should be ok, try your best to change the channel in your mind .probably best your don't touch again for now .mods will know more .

Can you manage a good long walk a good few hours before bed ,it should burn off some anxiety and help sleep .

 

I'm flying myself in a couple of weeks so ile be needing plenty of my own advice .

Take care DJ

PB

[dj2010]

31 minutes ago, powerback said:

Hi DJ such a pain when we want to try new things and this happens ,I tried an Epsom salt bath  at 8PM one Sunday night a few months ago and big mistake indeed ,I didn't sleep all night and had to go to a jobsite  the next morning [thankfully with loads of mindfulness I got through the day ],the advice someone gave me was not to be trying new things soon before doing or going anywhere new or important .

 

The rule of thumb seems to be that all bets are off with everything we put in our body's because of a disrupted  nervous system, even foods become problematic ,try to relax as much as possible and keep busy to distract your thinking .

If your physically able  for your break you should be ok, try your best to change the channel in your mind .probably best your don't touch again for now .mods will know more .

Can you manage a good long walk a good few hours before bed ,it should burn off some anxiety and help sleep .

 

I'm flying myself in a couple of weeks so ile be needing plenty of my own advice .

Take care DJ

PB

I know PB, as soon as the anxiety started I thought to myself what a silly thing to do trying something new so close to our holiday, I think its best to just try no new supplements at all now, I hope you are well for when you fly, probably best not tapering anymore when getting closer, take care

[powerback]

32 minutes ago, dj2010 said:

I know PB, as soon as the anxiety started I thought to myself what a silly thing to do trying something new so close to our holiday, I think its best to just try no new supplements at all now, I hope you are well for when you fly, probably best not tapering anymore when getting closer, take care

YE exactly I mite not taper again before the trip but since I've always felt rubbish taking them its very hard not to go faster .

 

Enjoy your break and try think when anxiety rising distract your thinking [easier said than done I know ]

PB

[dj2010]

8 minutes ago, powerback said:

YE exactly I mite not taper again before the trip but since I've always felt rubbish taking them its very hard not to go faster .

 

Enjoy your break and try think when anxiety rising distract your thinking [easier said than done I know ]

PB

I am sure the lower dose you get the better you will start feeling, thats what happened during my taper anyway, cheers

[mammaP]

In withdrawal we become so sensitive that even tiny doses of something that helps many can have an effect on us. I suspect it was because you took more when it didn't help and had too much for your body.  I hope it has worked through now and you are ok for your trip. Hope you have a relaxing time. When I go away I stand for a few minutes and mentally leave all my worries behind. As I get further away I imagine the worries getting smaller until they are gone. There is nothing I can do about them when I am away so don't allow myself to think about them. Shame we can't leave withdrawal behind! 

[dj2010]

4 minutes ago, mammaP said:

In withdrawal we become so sensitive that even tiny doses of something that helps many can have an effect on us. I suspect it was because you took more when it didn't help and had too much for your body.  I hope it has worked through now and you are ok for your trip. Hope you have a relaxing time. When I go away I stand for a few minutes and mentally leave all my worries behind. As I get further away I imagine the worries getting smaller until they are gone. There is nothing I can do about them when I am away so don't allow myself to think about them. Shame we can't leave withdrawal behind! 

thanks mammp, defo learned a lesson there about testing new things, will hopefully have a relaxing time, just worried the bed wont be comfy etc, will update when back, thanks

[mammaP]

That is always a ci=oncern for me too, the first thing I di os check the beds to see which is most comfortable for me. Thankfully my family and friends don't mine me doing this, they can all sleep anywhere!  Hope theres a comfy one for you. 

[powerback]

2 hours ago, dj2010 said:

I am sure the lower dose you get the better you will start feeling, thats what happened during my taper anyway, cheers

I could cry with joy with the thoughts of that 

PB

[powerback]

Hi DJ want to say thanks for the reply today during a very difficult time ,means a lot

Hope your trip went well for you and your family .

PB

[dj2010]

12 hours ago, powerback said:

Hi DJ want to say thanks for the reply today during a very difficult time ,means a lot

Hope your trip went well for you and your family .

PB

no problem PB, I am glad you are now feeling a bit better, we had a great time even though I had little sleep, i will do a update now,

[dj2010]

update,

Thursday night had to take diazepem to sleep and got around 4 - 5 hours,

 

Friday we went away on our trip, that night couldn't sleep so had to take diazepam again, got around 4 hours sleep, but I felt ok on Saturday surprisingly and had a big appetite and did lots of fun things with the kids,

 

Saturday night fell asleep without diazepam but woke after 1 hour, then got back to sleep and woke again after a hour, this happened a few times and I got around 4 - 5 hours of very broken sleep,

 

Sunday I felt ok again which is strange as usually I would not be able to function or eat with such poor sleep, I had a huge appetite and did lots of fun things again with the kids, Sunday night was the same though, got to sleep with no diazepem but kept waking after 1 hour of sleeping so got around 4 - 5 hours of very broken sleep,

 

early Monday morning while the kids were still sleeping I went for a run in the hills and felt fine all day, we returned home Monday,

 

Monday night I got 5 and half hours of solid sleep,

 

last night I got 7 hours of sleep waking just once for the toilet,

 

It seems like something has changed, I have been able to function and eat with little sleep where as before I would have extreme brain fog and no appetite and not be able to function at all, maybe I am just getting used to having little sleep,

 

It seems like after my CNS gets destabilised like this time after trying CBD oil, it takes a good few days for it to settle down and sleep then starts improving again, the diazepem certainly helps those first few days settling it down,

 

will do another update soon, thanks for reading

[powerback]

That's nice you enjoyed the trip DJ .at least you know now not to try anything new [cb oil] before something important .

Love the fact you got 7 hours sleep .I just noticed you off  venlafaxine since April ,good on  ye [I'm tapering that one ]

Good on ye off the alcohol. I brew my own kefir [for probiotics and minerals ],but I have to be careful ,if it sits too long there can be a tiny trace of alcohol . I'm 2.6 years sober myself , I was very glad of this to have the strength for withdrawl .

 

I see you tapered 75mg to 37.5 venlafaxine ,this is were my doctor failed me ,when I dropped the problems got worse ,I say problems because there was always problems taking them .

PB

 

 

 

[dj2010]

3 minutes ago, powerback said:

That's nice you enjoyed the trip DJ .at least you know now not to try anything new [cb oil] before something important .

Love the fact you got 7 hours sleep .I just noticed you off  venlafaxine since April ,good on  ye [I'm tapering that one ]

Good on ye off the alcohol. I brew my own kefir [for probiotics and minerals ],but I have to be careful ,if it sits too long there can be a tiny trace of alcohol . I'm 2.6 years sober myself , I was very glad of this to have the strength for withdrawl .

 

I see you tapered 75mg to 37.5 venlafaxine ,this is were my doctor failed me ,when I dropped the problems got worse ,I say problems because there was always problems taking them .

PB

 

 

 

I have heard a lot of good things about kefir and will likely try this in the future, I believe being completely off alcohol during my last taper helped a lot as during previous failed tapers i was never 100% sober, well done on going 2.6 years, thats a big achievement!

 

yes I tapered from 75mg to 37.5mg however this probably wouldn't of been possible if I didnt have quitiapine to counter the withdrawals, 

 

take care

[powerback]

17 minutes ago, dj2010 said:

I have heard a lot of good things about kefir and will likely try this in the future, I believe being completely off alcohol during my last taper helped a lot as during previous failed tapers i was never 100% sober, well done on going 2.6 years, thats a big achievement!

 

yes I tapered from 75mg to 37.5mg however this probably wouldn't of been possible if I didnt have quitiapine to counter the withdrawals, 

 

take care

Ye I'm proud enough ,withdrawl has tired me out and kept me busy ,the test is when I'm off the poison .I realised  alcohol appeased strong anxiety my whole life so now I know that ,I look at alcohol in a very different way .I had nothing but problems and regrets because of it so the annoyance of this will keep me away for a long time ..

I've loads of grains ,if you do it ,I can post some to a parcel motel or something like that ,I got mine online and it was 20 euro ,rip off for a tiny few grains .

Have a good day .

PB

[dj2010]

14 minutes ago, powerback said:

Ye I'm proud enough ,withdrawl has tired me out and kept me busy ,the test is when I'm off the poison .I realised  alcohol appeased strong anxiety my whole life so now I know that ,I look at alcohol in a very different way .I had nothing but problems and regrets because of it so the annoyance of this will keep me away for a long time ..

I've loads of grains ,if you do it ,I can post some to a parcel motel or something like that ,I got mine online and it was 20 euro ,rip off for a tiny few grains .

Have a good day .

PB

once you are off this poison the anxiety will be a lot less intense, it will seem like a breeze compared to now, i was a anxious wreck while on it, now my anxiety is almost gone except for on days where I havent slept, thanks for the offer of kefir, I might take you up on that in the future, worried about testing anymore supplements at the moment, cheers

[powerback]

49 minutes ago, dj2010 said:

once you are off this poison the anxiety will be a lot less intense, it will seem like a breeze compared to now, i was a anxious wreck while on it, now my anxiety is almost gone except for on days where I havent slept, thanks for the offer of kefir, I might take you up on that in the future, worried about testing anymore supplements at the moment, cheers

Ye wise about the kefir ,im doing it 2 months ,not sure if I notice benifits ,could be stimulating me ,so I mite do a cancel outour for few days 

[dj2010]

having terrible insomnia again, Wendsday night couldn't sleep had to take diazepam again, Thursday managed to get some sleep with no diazepem, last night fell asleep without diazepem but woke after 1 hour and then had bad anxiety thinking about getting back to sleep, had to take 4 mg diazepem again and got around 4 hours more sleep,

 

the diazepem use is now becoming too regular so I know i can not keep using it, I just feel I have no option as without sleep i can not look after my kids or work properly

 

it seems I havent been able to recover after trying CBD oil and had only 1 decent night sleep in the last 11 days, I look like a heroin addict with a thin face and huge big black bags under my eyes,

 

I have just tried a small amount of mucuna pruriens in hope that boosting my dopamine levels might help, probably the wrong thing to do but it helped massively during coming off all my meds and for 3 months after stopping,

 

i am now coming up to 5 months off venlafaxine,

 

If there is no improvement in the next couple of days i will have no choice but to reinstate a small amount, but I am also thinking I might be better reinstating a small amount of quitiapine (seroquel) instead of venlafaxine as this has a fast almost instant effect and is good for sleep,

 

any mods think reinstating a small amount of quitiapine would be a better option? I have been on and off quitipaine a lot over the last 15 years so I do not think i will have a bad reaction as surely I would of had a bad reaction in the past after restarting it,

 

any and as much advice welcome 

[dj2010]

mothers taken kids for the day and I have managed a 45 minute swim, also been and bought loads of organic fruits and vegetables and made a green smoothie, going to start having loads of green smoothies, need to use every tool at my disposal to get through this, feel like im fighting for my life here

[powerback]

1 hour ago, dj2010 said:

mothers taken kids for the day and I have managed a 45 minute swim, also been and bought loads of organic fruits and vegetables and made a green smoothie, going to start having loads of green smoothies, need to use every tool at my disposal to get through this, feel like im fighting for my life here

Good stuff DJ geting the swim in ,I agree big time about the fight ,I also believe this is a huge fight that im determined to win .

Take care 

PB

[AliG]

Hi DJ. I also had severe insomnia for close on 2 years and I still have bouts of it after or during stressful life events - either physical or emotional. I understand the anguish and fatigue that can eventuate from such a severe state of unease. No one can really understand it who hasn't been through the experience. I did find Melatonin helpful at times as well as Valerian. 

 

Even though I have remained drug free, I have at times resorted to certain supplements. Whilst I don't think that's ideal, it can become preferable to having " zero" sleep.

 

I hope you don't mind me saying this but after reading just a little of your thread, it seems to me that you are possibly chasing that elusive magic pill that just really doesn't exist.

 

Mucuna Pruriens contains L- Dopa which is the pre- cursor to several neurotransmitters including dopamine ( apparently) which essentially means very little in the grand scheme of things, particularly in withdrawal and is also questionable. I would drop it if I were you as it really doesn't seem to help anything and in fact may and probably will make matters worse.

 

There seems to be reliance on diazepam and yet you are asking about a reinstatement of quetiapine which basically has a very similar effect. I would cut back on the diazepam as it is addictive which I'm sure you already know and preferably not add anything else into the mix.

 

At this point I wouldn't reinstate anything but just really concentrate on polishing those coping skills and trying to power through regardless of the symptoms.The ultimate outcome is to be drug free and coping. If you read some or most of the information here, you will go a long way towards achieving that goal.

 

Your sleep is pretty good. A lot of us are just scraping by on a few minutes per night if we are lucky. I think if you can taper the sleep meds slowly as you are also putting other positive practices in place then you will eventually be able to be free of the drugs.

 

You seem to be on the right track with your meditation and yoga. As mentioned above please keep the exercise gentle along with everything else.

 

I'm also a fan of green smoothies.

 

 

[dj2010]

thanks for your reply AliG, yes I would like to power through this, I am also seriously considering reinstating venlafaxine as I am scared of things getting worse, I have already cut the pill up today ready for tomorrow if needed, I have cut 1 of the little pills into a quarter to make 3.1mg, I am unable to cut it up anymore but think I could crush it and split the powder, reading that you think I should not reinstate and power through is preferable to me but if things get worse will have no choice but to try reinstatement,