Cupcakaholic: what a mess lol

[Cupcakaholic]

I recently stopped all my psych meds. Cold turkey. I'm aware this was a bad move but so far it's been the best decision I've made. I typed out a rather wordy history and will put it here. TLDR long term meds got kicked out and replaced with a slew of new meds while hospitalized a week ago. Things have been a mess ever since. I think I'm struggling with withdrawal and hope this is somewhere I can learn.

 

I see a therapist Jan 3, psychiatrist tele-appt Jan 8, and regular doc Jan 11. I hope to be more informed by then.

 

I tried to make it readable, I probably failed. Sorry.

 

@Taking for long term:
    -Wellbutrin 300mg once daily am
    -Lexapro 20mg once daily am
    -Rexulti 1mg once daily am
    -‎(non psych meds birth control and pantoprazole 40mg once daily am)

 

@November 17 2017
    -Continue wellbutrin 
    -Increase lexapro to 30mg (one 20mg tablet and one kinda crushed halved tablet bc they don't like to be cut in half) once daily am
    -Stop rexulti no taper
    -Start busprione 15mg twice daily

 

@December 14 2017
    -Stop all previous psych meds no taper (continue non psych meds)
    -Wellbutrin 150mg once daily am
    -Gabapentin 300mg thrice daily
    -Chlorpromazine 100mg once daily pm
    -Diphenhydramine 50mg once daily pm (supposed to help with side effects of other meds?? Idk)
    -Depakote 250mg three pills once daily pm
    -Mirtazapine 15mg once daily pm
    -Trazadone 50mg three pills once daily pm

 

@December 22 2017
    -Took morning meds as prescribed  (wellbutrin and gabapentin, and non psych meds)
  ‎  -Ceased ALL psych meds afterwards, NO taper

 

 

 

Symptom and withdrawal history:
No issues until my meds were radically changed Dec 14. Lots of side effects. Sleeping all the time, trouble sleeping, feeling sluggish, difficulty moving and speaking clearly, can't stay focused, breathing seems difficult, stuffy nose, miserable, increased appetite, stomach issues (can't lay down without throwing up every night, trouble sleeping). Extra pantoprazole and ranitidine not helping with extreme reflux and vomiting. Also started getting extreme irritability. 
So ceased all psych meds Dec 22 afternoon. 
Dec 23 first time able to sleep without vomiting finally. Very hungry continuing into dec 24. Pooping very much and very frequently. Very tired, fixed with caffeine. Dec 25 feeling much better physically and emotionally. Still lots of pooping and gas and stomach cramps. Sex drive picking up. Dec 26 (today) still feeling better physically and emotionally. Lots of cleaning which is usually a sign of high anxiety but I feel ok. Poop is getting progressively looser and less volume. Still lots of stomach pain and gas. Can finally breathe normally and through my nose again. Sex drive way up, and orgasming very quickly (long term previous difficulty eith orgasms, libido had been decreased severely the past month or so from depressive episode).

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Cupcake.

 

As you know, suddenly quitting drugs is a very high-risk way to go off them. And you were on a ridiculous cocktail of a lot of drugs. Whoever prescribed these drugs does not know what he or she is doing.

 

As you know, you have experienced withdrawal symptoms. These will continually change. It seems like they have gotten less intense lately, is that correct?

 

My guess is that Lexapro withdrawal is key. Do you have any Lexapro left?

[Cupcakaholic]

Thankfully I do seem to be doing ok, besides some stomach issues. Every time I eat I get horrible stomach cramps and have to run to the bathroom. Lots of gas too. Other than that everything seems ok so far.

 

Some googling led me to believe Lexapro may be the culprit too, but I stopped Lexapro before my hospital stay and these stomach symptoms didn't start until after I quit all the meds. I do still have plenty of lexapro pills, but I'm wary of starting anything back up again. However, I read that people with Lexapro withdraw suffered for months?!?

 

Yeah, I was admitted inpatient on Dec 13 and the whole week I was in there was a total shitshow. Then they discharged me with no real plan of follow up care. I was told to go to a walk-in clinic which reached its quota before me each of the 3 days I attempted to go after being discharged. On the 4th day I was finally accepted for intake paperwork but they will not be assigning me a therapist until after Jan 3 nor a psychiatrist til Jan 8. I felt extremely unsafe being discharged with no "safety net" of aftercare but here we are. I saw the hospital psychiatrist for a total of about 45 seconds over 2 visits, and the social worker or whoever it is that sets up aftercare for about 15 seconds. I wish I were exaggerating. I'm considering going to the hospital the next county over but I can't afford to drive 1.5hrs every day for outpatient care and I'm wary of inpatient care again. 

[Altostrata]

Very, very few doctors are even going to recognize your symptoms as withdrawal symptoms, much less know what to do about them. Unfortunately, there is no safety net. That is something that many people here find distressing.

 

If you want to wait and see if the stomach problems stop, I would eat a very non-irritating diet for a good while. See

 

Digestive problems: Nausea, Diarrhea, Bloating, GERD
 
Food sensitivities

 

Elimination or exclusion diets for reactions to food (food intolerance)

 

However, you may find that symptoms change and get worse. It's possible reinstatement of a very low dose of Lexapro, such as 2mg, might help. You'd stabilize on that and then taper off very gradually later.

 

This topic explains how to take a very low dose Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

[Marmot]

All I can say is - Whoah they put you on a lot of meds on Dec 14. It's no wonder you felt awful on them and awful coming off of them. I sincerely hope that you have a tolerable withdrawal.

[Cupcakaholic]

44 minutes ago, Marmot said:

All I can say is - Whoah they put you on a lot of meds on Dec 14. It's no wonder you felt awful on them and awful coming off of them. I sincerely hope that you have a tolerable withdrawal.

Yeah I was admitted to the hospital that day and that whole thing was a fiasco. They put me on those meds and didn't seem to care about all the side effects. Then they discharged me with no follow up plans. It was a nightmare. Now I'm just trying to learn more so I can try to get real help since doctors don't seem to care

[Marmot]

I'm so sorry that they did this to you. You'll get through it. There are many people on this site going through similar stuff, and the mods are great.  I've heard that some people on the site have strategies for surviving appointments with professionals who don't get it, but I don't know who or what. I get that it can be difficult to find professionals who care. I guess that I had the most luck with low-key social work counsellors in the community. That's not advice though, just my personal experience. I found them to be the most real. I personally started growing the most though once I began learning a lot, doing major lifestyle things, connecting more with the people in my life, and trusting myself more. Everyone's different, you'll make your journey!