Blonde

[Blonde]

I am going through hell. I pray I can get some help on this site. I stopped prozac 3 months ago and trazadon after 25 years. I waited till I retired because I knew I could not work when I did it. I don't care about anything, depressed, hurting, crying, no motivation or energy. Help!

[Blonde]

I didn't think that I could get help here and I guess I'm right. 

[Blonde]

I just want to run away

[ChessieCat]

Hi Blonde and welcome to SA,

 

We ask all members to create a drug signature.  Please use this format:

 

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

• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 

• 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.
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

Here are some helpful topics:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms (Please read Post #1)

 

Please do not reinstate your last dose because your brain will have already made some adaptation during the time you have been off and it will be too strong.  If you decide that you would like to try reinstatement please let us know and we can suggest a small dose for you to try.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

 

Tips for tapering off trazodone (Desyrel)

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.

 

[Marmot]

Hey Blonde,

 

I really hope that you are starting to feel a little better.  It sounds like things were really bad on the weekend. What did you end up doing? How are things now?

 

Take care,

Marmot

[Blonde]

I went to see a holistic doctor and he put me on some supplements. Did a hair and salvia test and my blood sugars are messed up. I'm still crying all the time and can't sleep. Terribly depressed and anxious..thank you for your post. I need to know what others are doing.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Blonde.

 

You went off 40mg Prozac and 150mg trazodone at the same time, correct? How did you go off each of them?

 

You are experiencing withdrawal syndrome. Even holistic doctors usually don't know how to treat this.

 

What is your daily symptom pattern? How do you sleep?

 

What supplements are you taking?

 

How is your blood sugar messed up? Do you eat a lot of sweets?

[RealMe]

Hello Blonde,

My heart goes out to you because I understand the suffering you are enduring as a result of withdrawal syndrome.  I went through hell by cold turkey withdrawal of Abilify, followed by a too-fast tapering of Trintellix, followed by a series of other meds until I finally stabilized on my current dose which I hope to begin tapering soon.  Please answer the moderators' questions carefully so they can advise you.  That way you can minimize your symptoms and look forward to healthy recovery.  Keep posting and don't lose hope.  There is genuine support and help here as well as some really good-hearted people who lift your spirits.

[nz11]

Blonde welcome to sa.

My goodness are you saying you cold turkeyed those drugs at the same time?

Does your doctor know about this. Maybe your doctor told you to do that?

 

9 hours ago, Blonde said:

I'm still crying all the time and can't sleep. Terribly depressed and anxious..

These are classic wdl symptoms.

Where these symptoms delayed like 2 or 3 months.

 

I'm not surprised you are in hell. You just cant stop these drugs CT. Some people with long term use are finding they have to taper very slowly for many years to get off them. 

Its well worth your while to read the great links cc has given you above.

 

nz11

 

[Blonde]

Yes, I just stopped taking them. Did not taper off. Also went off of protonic and levothyroxine at the same time. My daily symptoms are crying all day, depressed, anxious, freezing, hot flashes, hair falling out, insomnia, numb, feeling like I'm not real and have to pinch myself, headaches, withdrawn and can't interact with my family, etc. I am on Livaplex, Cataplex GTF, Cataplex G, Thytrophin PMG, Paraplex. My calcium/magnesium ratio was 10.50/1 which indicates steep fluctuations in blood sugar. My calcium/potassium ratio was 31.50/1 indicates sluggish thyroid. I did eat a lot of carbohydrates and sugar. The Dr. has me on a food plan which cuts out sugar and carbohydrates. This is my 3rd day 12/9/2017. I do not have any relief. I am in a constant state of fight or flight and can't relax at all. Nothing means anything to me and I am truly miserable.

[Blonde]

2 hours ago, RealMe said:

Hello Blonde,

My heart goes out to you because I understand the suffering you are enduring as a result of withdrawal syndrome.  I went through hell by cold turkey withdrawal of Abilify, followed by a too-fast tapering of Trintellix, followed by a series of other meds until I finally stabilized on my current dose which I hope to begin tapering soon.  Please answer the moderators' questions carefully so they can advise you.  That way you can minimize your symptoms and look forward to healthy recovery.  Keep posting and don't lose hope.  There is genuine support and help here as well as some really good-hearted people who lift your spirits.

 

[Blonde]

Thank you so much for the support. I will answer all questions because I desperately need help. I don't feel the holistic doctor really knows what I'm really going through. 

[Blonde]

1 hour ago, nz11 said:

Blonde welcome to sa.

My goodness are you saying you cold turkeyed those drugs at the same time?

Does your doctor know about this. Maybe your doctor told you to do that?

 

These are classic wdl symptoms.

Where these symptoms delayed like 2 or 3 months.

 

I'm not surprised you are in hell. You just cant stop these drugs CT. Some people with long term use are finding they have to taper very slowly for many years to get off them. 

Its well worth your while to read the great links cc has given you above.

 

nz11

 

 

[Blonde]

No, my regular M.D. does not know because she just wanted to keep giving me more drugs. She did not want me to stop taking any of my meds. No, the symptoms were not delayed, I just haven't known what to do and someone mentioned me going to a holistic doctor. I have just been getting worse each day since I went off my meds. I have been reading and will continue to read other people's post. I didn't even know that Prozac was so hard to come off of.

[PoetJester]

Hi Blonde

 

withdrawal is usually a long hard road, especially since you are like a lot of us who are older and were on medications for a long time.   i quit zoloft and zyprexa cold turkey in 2014 after being on high doses of both for 14 years and suffered a lot of what you are going through-  lots of weeping and little sleeping, although i hardly weep anymore because my body is so worn out from all the sleep deprivation ( i am only 45 years old).  i was crying a few times a week for the first 2 years after stopping the pills.  i would often have to get up from eating because i was weeping so much i couldn't see what i was eating anymore.  it felt like (and still does) feel like the end of my life.  for me it's mostly just surviving at this point, not really living.  the sleep deprivation/insomnia/depressed sleep can lead to cognitive problems (short term memory is often shot) and also digestive problems.    you may want to look into a possible low dose reinstatement as you are not terribly far out- it can often allieviate some of the withdrawal symptoms and make life livable, otherwise if you continue to ride it out without the drugs, usually people have "windows" of normality here and there as their bodies begin to heal, which are followed by "waves" set backs where you go back to square one and feel about to lose it again.     there is a section about reinstating (usually a very small dose is recommended on here) somewhere in Symptoms and Self Care on the forum page along with a section on Success Stories.   i didn't have internet service when i quit the drugs and didn't know about this site and didn't find it until i was almost 2 years along in withdrawal and struggling. 

 

i still am struggling greatly.  my sleep is only 2 hours on most days, plus an hour long nap that has me waking feeling miserable- they are called toxic naps in wd because extended sleep deprivation causes a build up of acidity in the body.  when i wake it's like my body has been in a vice and it takes me a while to gain back my flexiblity and normal movement of my limbs.  it's torture. and i don't even feel like i am part of the world, but in hell like you mentioned when i do get up from these "sleeps".  what little sleep i do get is usually depressed and filled with nightmares and of such poor quality that after nearly 4 years of this my face looks absolutely horrible from the eye bags that all the sleep deprivation from withdrawing from the drugs caused. 

 

anyways, i wish i had better advice for you,  i only know what i have read in other's stories and from watching my health fall apart these past few years.   maybe some of the moderators will have better suggestions for you.

 

poetjester

[Blonde]

Thank you Poetjester for your reply. The holistic doctor did mention going back on prozac briefly to help relieve symptoms but I'm afraid I'll never come back off and I now have 3 months off of them. It scares me that you are still so bad off after 3 years. Like you, when I get up after trying to sleep or sitting a long time, I am so stiff and sore, can barely move and also my

face has suffered from this in just 3 months.. I look like I've aged 5 years. 

You ate so young to be suffering like this.. I pray for you to have better days Poetjester!

[Altostrata]

15 hours ago, Blonde said:

Yes, I just stopped taking them. Did not taper off. Also went off of protonic and levothyroxine at the same time. My daily symptoms are crying all day, depressed, anxious, freezing, hot flashes, hair falling out, insomnia, numb, feeling like I'm not real and have to pinch myself, headaches, withdrawn and can't interact with my family, etc. I am on Livaplex, Cataplex GTF, Cataplex G, Thytrophin PMG, Paraplex. My calcium/magnesium ratio was 10.50/1 which indicates steep fluctuations in blood sugar. My calcium/potassium ratio was 31.50/1 indicates sluggish thyroid. I did eat a lot of carbohydrates and sugar. The Dr. has me on a food plan which cuts out sugar and carbohydrates. This is my 3rd day 12/9/2017. I do not have any relief. I am in a constant state of fight or flight and can't relax at all. Nothing means anything to me and I am truly miserable.

 

Hi, Blonde. You do not have to "quote" a post and then make another post under it. You can post under a quote as I'm doing here. You can use the little plus button to quote several posts at once.

 

You went off a lot of drugs at once. Hair falling out is a symptom of hypothyroidism, which is probably why you were prescribed thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone that's too high in dosage can cause problems. Hypothyroidism can have a lot of very uncomfortable symptoms. You should take a good look at your most recent thyroid blood test results. If you haven't had a test recently, you should have one.

 

If your stomach is upset, it may be because you suddenly quit Protonix. The stomach acid blockers need to be tapered, or you can get rebound acid reflux.

 

Your worst symptoms are probably Prozac and trazodone withdrawal symptoms. If I were you, I might try reinstating 5mg Prozac. If it helps, you would stabilize on it for some months and then taper off by tiny amounts. See

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

After reinstating or updosing, how long to stabilize?

 

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)  <-- This topic explains how to take a small amount of Prozac

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages.

 

Generally, we don't recommend those expensive mixed supplements your integrative practitioner has prescribed. People who have withdrawal syndrome are usually hypersensitive to drugs, supplements, and even foods, and those supplements have too many ingredients to track down -- any of the ingredients could be causing a bad reaction.

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

A lot of people find them helpful. Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

It's a good thing you're minimizing sugar, that stuff will kill you. Diabetes is a very, very serious disease.

 

Please update your signature with all your drugs, their dosages, when you took them, and when you went off them.

 

 

 

 

[Blonde]

Thank you.. I'm going to go back and read all that you have posted for me. The holistic doctor said I might want to go back on a little prozac for a while also but like I told him, after 29 years on antidepressants, (have been on a lot of different ones before and with prozac) having 3 months of being off them, I don't want to go backward. I am afraid I might not be as bold to let go of them again. If I could go back, I would taper off but it's too late now. I will start taking notes like you said about how I'm feeling on these supplements. There is one that's supposed to calm me so I can sleep and it seems to keep me even more awake and restless...mid-tran is the name of it. I'm still in fight or flight mode, can't relax, crying, anxious, very irritated at everything and everyone even my dog, can't be around talking or loud noises, isolating.

[Blonde]

When I clicked on Reply to this post, it has my previous post in it so I had to delete it. I still don't understand the posting on this site.

 

Anyway, I am supposed to go back to the holistic doctor tomorrow and I don't want to but afraid not to. Can't afford it for sure.. going in the hole charging it. He has me on all these supplements to fix my blood sugar problems and thyroid problems and liver problems but I still have this we from prozac and all the other drugs problem. I don't know what to do. Still crying, depressed, and insomnia is killing me. New symptom last night, stabbing pain in big toe. Happened three times and restless legs all night as I'm tossing and turning. Help!!! 

[JustCallMeJane]

Hi Blonde, sorry you're going through hell. I'm diabetic, so understand blood sugar issues. Something a lot of people don't realize, even diet soft drinks can muck with your sugars. Another thing that can do it, overeating proteins. You also may have to reduce dairy products. This is by no means to be taken as medical advice, just what's worked for me with my diabetes.

 

I get restless leg (RLS) too. I found that taking magnesium helps, but again, that's just what worked for me.

 

Oh btw, I typically wait until the end of the posts and use the reply box at the bottom. If I chose to quote someone, it messes it all up.

[Blonde]

Hey Jane, thanks for your reply. I will have to check and see if magnesium is in any of these supplements I'm already taking but if not, I will surely try magnesium. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Thank you!!

[FarmGirlWorks]

Hi Blonde, welcome to SA which has been my main source of support in WD (thanks, Alto for creating this!). I am sorry you're having a hard time, please know that it is normal.

 

I tapered from Zoloft in 4 weeks (essentially coldturkey/CT). Like SA points out, supplements are too much for an unstable central nervous system/CNS; I have always relied on pills to make me feel better but they definitely do the opposite in WD. I take three supplements now: magnesium in powder form which relaxes muscles and is a calming nutrient, Omega3s/fish oil, and a probiotic. I also take a VitC in powder form in the morning. At 8 months out, am still experiencing Windows and Waves; I'm in a low window for the last two days after three weeks of a hideous Wave. However, it is slowly getting better each cycle. It also helps to know that feeling crappy is normal in WD and to be gentle with yourself. When I am so anxious I feel like jumping out of my skin, I take a Benadryl (which, according to this site, was a precursor for Prozac) and it helps me at least get to non-jumping-out-of-my-skin states.

 

One "trick" I do to support the CNS I learned a few nights ago in a kundalini yoga class. One curls their tongue to the back of the roof of the mouth (the soft palate) and pretends to "swallow" the tongue. That produces saliva which is swallowed (sounds gross but we do it all the time). Do this for a minute. It helps coat the stomach and reduce acidity. And it's meditative.

[Blonde]

Hey Farmgirlworks... I have not heard about taking Benadryl. Maybe that would help me get some sleep??? So tired, thought I could take a nap while ago and laid down only to drift and then have that flood of adrenaline and fear rush in. I hate this!!! I decided not to go back to the holistic doctor tomorrow and take the advice of Alto and stop the supplements. I don't know what I'm doing, just want some relief!! Today was a lay in bed cry day!!

Thank you for your help!!

[FarmGirlWorks]

Everybody (!) just wants it to stop... it’s rough stuff but know that you are not alone. 

 

Regarding Benadryl, there are different takes on it here, good and bad; just do a search on it to learn. 

[Blonde]

I will research Benadryl...thanks!!!