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SSRI Withdrawal recognized by the UK National Health Service


Jonno

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I'm not sure if you guys had been told, so I thought I should just in case, but SSRI withdrawal is now recognised by the UK National Health Service.

 

Their web site includes a classification of withdrawal as a very common ( more than 1 person in 10 incidence rate ) side effect of SSRIs. The URL is:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/SSRIs-(selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors)/Pages/Side-effects.aspx
The description is only sparse but at least it is a step in the right direction. My understanding is that W/D has been officially recognised since early 2010 which also means that the NHS should have procedures in place to diagnose and deal with it - I suspect not adequately but again, at least it is a step in the right direction. Edited by Altostrata
reformatted URL

Effexor 2002 - 2008

Prozac 2008 - June 2009

Prozac tapered over 4 months so protracted withdrawal since

Improvement accelerating since 2011

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The system didn't recognize that URL because of the parentheses (I've never seen them in an URL before).

 

Thanks, Jonno. The UK is slightly ahead of the US in advocating patient safety.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thanks for posting this Jonno, good to know recognition is growing.

 

 

I came off Seroxat in August 2005 after a 4 month taper. I was initially prescibed a benzo for several months and then Prozac for 5 years and after that, Seroxat for 3 years and 9 months.

 

"It's like in the great stories Mr.Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer."  Samwise Gamgee, Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers

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I ran across an excellent video on YOUTUBE by Prof Ashton and she really hit hard on the manipulative use of 'discontinuation' vs 'withdrawal' as a pharma ploy to continue to claim drugs are not 'addictive'

I will try to find -may have been specific to SSRIs

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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  • 2 months later...

Hope,

 

I googled "NHS ssri withdrawal" and got the same link that was posted. I'll try it again here:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/SSRIs-(selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors)/Pages/Side-effects.aspx

 

Edited to add: I see that my link didn't work either, but if you google those terms you will hopefully find the page.

 

Bye

Bubbles

2005 St John's Wort / 2006-2012 Lexapro 20mg, 2 failed attempts to stop, tapered over 4.5 months in early 2012

January 2013 started Sertraline, over time worked up to 100mg

July 2014 Sertraline dropped from 100mg to 75mg, held for six months, slower tapering until 2019 22 Dec 3.2mg

2020 Sertraline 19 Jan 3.1mg, 26 Jan 3.0mg; 1 Mar 2.9, 7 Mar 2.8, May (some drops here) 24 May 2.5, May 29 2.4, June 21 2.3, June 28 2.2mg,  July 4 2.1mg, July 24 (or maybe a bit before) 2mg, early Nov switched to home made suspension; 29 Nov 1.8mg; approx 25 Dec 1.6mg)

2021 Some time in about Jan/Feb realised probably on more like 1.8mg and poss mixing error in making suspension; doses after 10 Feb accurate; 10 Feb 1.6mg; 7 Mar 1.4, continued monthly

10% drops until 1mg, then dropped 0.1mg monthly.

May 2022,0.1mg, now dropping 0.01mg per week

29 August 2022 - first day of zero!

My thread here at SA: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1775-bubbles/page/21/

Current: Armour Thyroid

 

 

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There is also this page, http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/869.aspx?CategoryID=73&SubCategoryID=104

 

I'm not very impressed with that page.

 

Bub

2005 St John's Wort / 2006-2012 Lexapro 20mg, 2 failed attempts to stop, tapered over 4.5 months in early 2012

January 2013 started Sertraline, over time worked up to 100mg

July 2014 Sertraline dropped from 100mg to 75mg, held for six months, slower tapering until 2019 22 Dec 3.2mg

2020 Sertraline 19 Jan 3.1mg, 26 Jan 3.0mg; 1 Mar 2.9, 7 Mar 2.8, May (some drops here) 24 May 2.5, May 29 2.4, June 21 2.3, June 28 2.2mg,  July 4 2.1mg, July 24 (or maybe a bit before) 2mg, early Nov switched to home made suspension; 29 Nov 1.8mg; approx 25 Dec 1.6mg)

2021 Some time in about Jan/Feb realised probably on more like 1.8mg and poss mixing error in making suspension; doses after 10 Feb accurate; 10 Feb 1.6mg; 7 Mar 1.4, continued monthly

10% drops until 1mg, then dropped 0.1mg monthly.

May 2022,0.1mg, now dropping 0.01mg per week

29 August 2022 - first day of zero!

My thread here at SA: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1775-bubbles/page/21/

Current: Armour Thyroid

 

 

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Hi Hope,

 

As Bubbles suggested if you Google you should find it. The web site is called NHS Choices, which also has a search function - if you search for SSRI that should take you to the relevant page.

 

I hope this is ok by the moderators of this site but another good source of info about SSRIs is the UK charity Recovery Road. Their web site URL is http://recovery-road.org/. They have a telephone and e mail help line and can provide general information as well as UK specific info about SSRIs/treatment/withdrawal etc.

 

I hope this helps.

Effexor 2002 - 2008

Prozac 2008 - June 2009

Prozac tapered over 4 months so protracted withdrawal since

Improvement accelerating since 2011

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Hope,

 

I googled "NHS ssri withdrawal" and got the same link that was posted. I'll try it again here:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/SSRIs-(selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors)/Pages/Side-effects.aspx

 

Edited to add: I see that my link didn't work either, but if you google those terms you will hopefully find the page.

 

Bye

Bubbles

 

Sigh. The forum software doesn't intepret some types of links. The full link is

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/SSRIs-(selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors)/Pag
    es/Side-effects.aspx

This Tinyurl link will take you there.

http://tinyurl.com/7hjamjc

 

Thanks, Jonno, for the link to Recovery Road. We've also got them listed here http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/615-uk-australia-new-zealand-support-services/page__view__findpost__p__9765

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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thanks for the link,will get to it. not doing so good- the Tardive Dyskinesia in my face isn't good & tremours in my leg/feet,i feel so twitchy.

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