Timetobedone Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Hello- I just have a quick question. I need some female input. I am 20 weeks off of all pysch meds (Viibryd being my last one for which it took me a year and a half to come off of). Is it normal to still experience anxiety and skipped heartbeats this far out? Being female, I have noticed that during my monthly cycle, that the anxiety gets 10 times worse for a few days and then gets better for the rest of the month. My biggest anxiety issue is skipped heartbeats! They willI set my anxiety off at the drop of a dime. I am trying to get better about ignoring them (several years back I had an echo cardiogram and was told that my heart is structurally sound so that isnt really my concern) but I hate the way the feel when I catch myself feeling them. Thanks in advance for your feedback! Was put on antidepressants for migraines in 1999. Have taken several different ones including Amitriptyline, Paxil, Trazadone, Lexapro, Zoloft, and now Viibryd. Was misdiagnosed with insomnia and put on Ambien for several years when Trazadone stopped working. Big mistake by my doctor. I didn't truly have insomnia. But had sleep issues because of the antidepressants. Nonetheless, when the FDA came out with warnings on Ambien, my doctor cut my dose in half (10mg nightly, never more, only taken as prescribed) and I went through living hell immediately but my doctor had no idea what was wrong so she added Ativan to the mix for 4 months. Needless to say, I got really really sick with anxiety beyond anything I can explain. After several months, I researched on my own and found out what the problem was. I was in withdrawal. June 2013, Viibryd 40mg, 10mg of Ambien July 2013, Ambien cut in half to 5mg, doctor added .25mg Ativan 3-4 times per days as needed. Dec 2013, rapid taper off Ativan because of tolerance withdrawal and horrible sxs. April 2014, finished 5 mg taper of Ambien April 2016-40Mg Viibryd taper started. Viibryd was cut by 5mg increments from April 2016- August 2017; always reduced as tolerated. Held at 10mg for a year to stabilize. Yes, these are larger cuts than recommended, but it worked for me. August 27, 2017-Done with Viibryd Worst symptoms now are tension headaches and increased anxiety. Tolerable, as I have managed to maintain a full time job and raise two kids without issue. Symptoms are just annoying and fuel my anxiety. Take 5-10mg of Atarax per day as needed to help take the edge of anxiety. Link to comment
kesh Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Hi TTBD, many people experience problems for a long while after coming off meds. A mod will probably be along to answer you better. I wanted to talk about skipped heartbeats, usually called PVCs, premature ventricular contractions. The won't hurt you. I get them, have since puberty, and saw a cardiologist about them. He told me he gets about a hundred a day and isn't concerned. Lots of things trigger them like hormonal changes, relaxing after exercise, anxiety, heavy meals, exhaustion. Best thing is to convince yourself they are harmless, so they no longer cause you anxiety. All the best. Current daily meds. Citalopram 2.5mg morning. Diazapam 1.5mg evening, Propanalol 40mg split 4x10mg throughout day. Recent meds. Fluoxetine 20mg began 24th Nov 2017, CT on 4th December on medical advice due to bad Akathisia. Citalopram 10mg began on 13th Dec 2017, tapered to 2.5mg by 20th Dec 2017 on medical advice. Diazapam 2mg began on 6th Dec 2017 cut to 1.5 mg on 26th Dec. Propanalol 40mg began on 13th Dec. Zopiclone 3.75 mg began 13th December, used maybe 5 times then quit. Previous history. Tricyclics, Fluoxetine or Citalopram for periods of 6mo to 2yrs over last 25 years. Probably 5 yrs in total. No significant ill effects. Link to comment
Timetobedone Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thanks for the reassurance Kesh! I try to tell myself that but when I am in panic mode, my stubborn brain just wont listen! lol Was put on antidepressants for migraines in 1999. Have taken several different ones including Amitriptyline, Paxil, Trazadone, Lexapro, Zoloft, and now Viibryd. Was misdiagnosed with insomnia and put on Ambien for several years when Trazadone stopped working. Big mistake by my doctor. I didn't truly have insomnia. But had sleep issues because of the antidepressants. Nonetheless, when the FDA came out with warnings on Ambien, my doctor cut my dose in half (10mg nightly, never more, only taken as prescribed) and I went through living hell immediately but my doctor had no idea what was wrong so she added Ativan to the mix for 4 months. Needless to say, I got really really sick with anxiety beyond anything I can explain. After several months, I researched on my own and found out what the problem was. I was in withdrawal. June 2013, Viibryd 40mg, 10mg of Ambien July 2013, Ambien cut in half to 5mg, doctor added .25mg Ativan 3-4 times per days as needed. Dec 2013, rapid taper off Ativan because of tolerance withdrawal and horrible sxs. April 2014, finished 5 mg taper of Ambien April 2016-40Mg Viibryd taper started. Viibryd was cut by 5mg increments from April 2016- August 2017; always reduced as tolerated. Held at 10mg for a year to stabilize. Yes, these are larger cuts than recommended, but it worked for me. August 27, 2017-Done with Viibryd Worst symptoms now are tension headaches and increased anxiety. Tolerable, as I have managed to maintain a full time job and raise two kids without issue. Symptoms are just annoying and fuel my anxiety. Take 5-10mg of Atarax per day as needed to help take the edge of anxiety. Link to comment
kesh Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I don't know if this helps, but... When I was getting anxious about the skipped beats I tried a difficult thing. For years I had done my best to avoid listening to my heart, if I could hear it as I fell asleep, I would change positions or tense up until I couldn't. I was frightened and kind of hated my own heart. Then one day I decided to be brave and deliberately listen to my heart, not just at night, but sometimes when I was doing other things like reading. Listen to its irregularities. I'd also try to thank and feel loving toward my heart as I listened, instead of the hate and fear of the sound. Quitting caffeine also helped them happen less often. Current daily meds. Citalopram 2.5mg morning. Diazapam 1.5mg evening, Propanalol 40mg split 4x10mg throughout day. Recent meds. Fluoxetine 20mg began 24th Nov 2017, CT on 4th December on medical advice due to bad Akathisia. Citalopram 10mg began on 13th Dec 2017, tapered to 2.5mg by 20th Dec 2017 on medical advice. Diazapam 2mg began on 6th Dec 2017 cut to 1.5 mg on 26th Dec. Propanalol 40mg began on 13th Dec. Zopiclone 3.75 mg began 13th December, used maybe 5 times then quit. Previous history. Tricyclics, Fluoxetine or Citalopram for periods of 6mo to 2yrs over last 25 years. Probably 5 yrs in total. No significant ill effects. Link to comment
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