wildchild93: Long term Effexor use, is there hope?

[samanthaelizabeth]

Wow! I'm impressed-Your are doing very good!

 

[wildchild93]

see bellow

[wildchild93]

3 hours ago, ittakesavillage said:

Did you find anyone who has successfully gotten through withdrawals and was prescribed as a child

As for the point that we were on these medications when our brains were still developing. Yea, that’s true. But I don’t really believe that the effects of the effexor lasted for all 17 years of my life. I think maybe early on, it may have helped calm me down and to not be afraid of so many things. But most people say that their effects don’t really last years and years. Eventually, your body adapts to the drug and you reach a point where the drug isn’t really doing anything for your mental state, but your body still needs it’s daily dose to prevent withdrawl. I know I could feel every human emotion at least for the last 7 years that I was on effexor. I still cried when family members died, cried when me and my boyfriend split, had a great sex life, was able to lose weight no problem, and had no breakthrough anxiety or depression. Medications do not magically cure everything. That’s why I am confident that what I am going through now is not a return of my “illness” because if I was truely i’ll, then I would have been showing some breakthrough anxiety, depression, insomnia, hypomania, loss of appetite, dissociation, aggitation when I was taking the effexor. I was working as an RN on a very fast-paced post op surgical unit and was managing stress just fine. That’s how I know it’s not me, it’s the withdrawl. Hope this helps. I am not an expert by any means, but this is kind of how I logically worked through the question of: what if this is your anxiety returning and you still need your medicine to function?

 

•  

[wildchild93]

34 minutes ago, samanthaelizabeth said:

 

Wow! I'm impressed-Your are doing very good!

 

 

SE Really? How so? I feel like today I took 3 steps backwards. 

[samanthaelizabeth]

Well it seems that your are actively participating in life! That's great!  I need to get back to work so I have a distraction!

 

Sam

[samanthaelizabeth]

Hello - Haven't seen you around lately, how are you?

 

[JamesF]

Hi wildchild,

 

I read your story. Sorry for your suffering. I also started young. Not quite as young, but young nonetheless and for 10+ years now.

 

I just want to encourage you to hold everything steady, far beyond you might want to.

 

It sounds like the biggest factors in your suffering and symptoms were:

 

1. Withdrawing far too fast for such long term and early age usage.People like us definitely cannot use fixed schedule tapering plans. Instead, we need to take a 5+ year view of healing, and only ever reduce slightly once we have fully stabilised, then wait for a month at least. My last taper took 18 months, and even this was way too fast when I got to the end. 
2. Misunderstanding of your situation by doctors which lead to the addition of new drugs. Ultimately the only thing that leads to stability after too fast withdrawal is reintroduction of the original long term medication (effexor in your case) then waiting long enough for it to stabilize. It sounds like additional drugs were used to treat your symptoms as if they were anxiety, which they are not. And different drugs can never heal or address the unique pharmaceutical effects on the structure/function/metabolism of the brain. Ive seen this approach by psychiatrists in thread after thread (including mine), new drugs are added to treat symptoms as if they were a relapse of anxiety or simply in ignorance of how to resolve discontinuation symotkms. I've never seen it work well for anyone - and usually leads to further dependence or withdrawal from an additional drug.
3. Too rapid changes. I'm certain you know this now, but long term holds and stability are your friend. It sounds like lots of rapid changes were done to try to seek relief, but this almost always backfires. In the past I tried to make big changes to get relief, but it only ever caused more suffering. The only thing that's worked for me is holding and waiting as long as it takes to stabilize. After reinstatement it seems to take almost as long to stabilize as the time spent off the original medication.i suspect you may be similar due to the similarity between our histories.

So maybe it's really repetitive and unwanted advice but I just want to encourage you to hold everything steady so you become more and more stable.

 

I also suspect that with people who started young like us, there's a deep need for acceptance of being on the meds. Knowing we are dependent, that we suffer terribly in withdrawal, that we were too young to be fully informed of the effects, that the drugs may have negatively affected us in terms of psychology and health, etc - all leads to a desire to get off them.

 

But I can tell you that being stable on a low dose has always lead to a more functional, happier life for me. Withdrawal was traumatic and made me lose almost everything I valued. Looking back, I was definitely preoccupied with getting off the medication, riding out severe symptoms no matter what, and so on. I used to idealise a sense of self off the medication - I thought emotions would be richer, life somehow deeper, more real, more fulfilling. All my assumptions were wrong, because severe withdrawal lead to precisely the opposite, I was in such a state or exhaustion and anxiety that I stopped feeling anything positive at all for 9 months or so during discontinuation, and am still recovering a few months after reinstatement.

 

Also, for people who started young like us, it seem that the medication essentially changes the way the brain developed - it wired itself around the presence of the SSRI - producing many many changes in the brain far beyond serotonin receptors. An analogy might be the way testosterone production literally shuts down in long term steroid users, and can't be switched back on.

 

I think for us there may be a lowest dose we reach, after which we can get no further, due to this long term damage or effects.

 

Each time I withdrew, I got to a low dose below which I never stabilised, despite waiting for months and months.

 

I think this needs some really deep acceptance. But rationally, i now believe a functional and happy life with the presence of a pill every day is far better than both trying to ride out severe withdrawal with an unknown, many year timeline for healing ... and it's also certainly better than many other possible illnesses and conditions.

 

All the best and hope you hold steady and stabilize fully soon,

 

Jay

[DaveB]

9 hours ago, JamesF said:

Hi wildchild,

 

I read your story. Sorry for your suffering. I also started young. Not quite as young, but young nonetheless and for 10+ years now.

 

I just want to encourage you to hold everything steady, far beyond you might want to.

 

It sounds like the biggest factors in your suffering and symptoms were:

 

1. Withdrawing far too fast for such long term and early age usage.People like us definitely cannot use fixed schedule tapering plans. Instead, we need to take a 5+ year view of healing, and only ever reduce slightly once we have fully stabilised, then wait for a month at least. My last taper took 18 months, and even this was way too fast when I got to the end. 
2. Misunderstanding of your situation by doctors which lead to the addition of new drugs. Ultimately the only thing that leads to stability after too fast withdrawal is reintroduction of the original long term medication (effexor in your case) then waiting long enough for it to stabilize. It sounds like additional drugs were used to treat your symptoms as if they were anxiety, which they are not. And different drugs can never heal or address the unique pharmaceutical effects on the structure/function/metabolism of the brain. Ive seen this approach by psychiatrists in thread after thread (including mine), new drugs are added to treat symptoms as if they were a relapse of anxiety or simply in ignorance of how to resolve discontinuation symotkms. I've never seen it work well for anyone - and usually leads to further dependence or withdrawal from an additional drug.
3. Too rapid changes. I'm certain you know this now, but long term holds and stability are your friend. It sounds like lots of rapid changes were done to try to seek relief, but this almost always backfires. In the past I tried to make big changes to get relief, but it only ever caused more suffering. The only thing that's worked for me is holding and waiting as long as it takes to stabilize. After reinstatement it seems to take almost as long to stabilize as the time spent off the original medication.i suspect you may be similar due to the similarity between our histories

 

Jay

 

Hey Jay, sorry to sidetrack your thread wildchild, but for me trying to stabilize on Paxil instead of the Zoloft I was on, in your opinion will it make it impossible to stabilize, or just that stabilization will take longer? Didn't you eventually stabilize on Zoloft from your withdrawals of Celexa?

[wildchild93]

On 2/24/2018 at 2:29 AM, JamesF said:

Ultimately the only thing that leads to stability after too fast withdrawal is reintroduction of the original long term medication (effexor in your case) then waiting long enough for it to stabilize.

Thanks for the support. 150mg effexor was my standard dose. After reinstating, discontinuing, switching, switching back; I am now trying to stabilize on 75mg effexor. This might be trying to push my body too much, but I was having pretty bad constipation when I tried reinstating at 150mg or higher. If I’m going to feel badly for awhile anyways, I’d rather feel bad without the constipation than with it you know? Hoping my brain can pull it off with time. I’ve been holding 75mg since beginning 2018.

[wildchild93]

On 2/20/2018 at 2:33 PM, samanthaelizabeth said:

Hello - Haven't seen you around lately, how are you?

I know! I was out with friends one night during a window and decided to turn these notifications off. Then I felt bad again and wondered why no one was talking to me. I’m still very up and down, but sleep remains pretty consistent. I don’t feel tired at night like a normal person would, but if I lay down, I’ll eventually fall asleep and sleep for 6-7 hours. 

 

Anxiety is still BAD, I was getting my taxes done, and the lady asked me if I was ok twice. No panic attacks, just really high debilitating anxiety and aggitation at times. 

 

I want to find a job again, but for right now, I am still walking dogs and going to the gym. I get some periods where I feel like, yea, I could totally work right now, and then an hour later I’m just like, what was I thinking? There is no way I could hold down a job. 

[wildchild93]

Aggitation both physically and mentally was worse this week and I haven’t had many windows at all. I know I’m not feeling well because I’ve been isolating and researching a lot more recently. People sound like they’re screaming when they’re really just talking in a normal voice.

 

Haven’t had to take anything for sleep in a month and a half now, praise God. 

 

  Tms is starting to wind down. Next week will be 2 days a week. I need to keep myself structured. Trying to plan out my week next week so I have events and activities until 4pm everyday.

 

I know that there are a lot of mixed opinions over this, but I purchased the Point of Return Program and am going to try their nutraceuticals to see if they help any with symptom relief. Even if the nutraceuticals don’t help, at least there is more support there and  people who hold you accountable to diet. I like the spiritual component as well. If I hate it, I can always quit. 

[wildchild93]

Also I need opinions on the cause of this severe aggitation; feels like someone is injecting continuous caffeine into my veins or like I have neuropathy (not that I would know what that feels like). Effexor and fish oil are the only things that I’ve been taking and my diet is super clean (no coffee, sugar, alcohol, processed foods, only drink water). Is this symptom just a result of the withdrawl that will improve with time or could it be that the small dose of Effexor is even too much for my cns to handle? I don’t want to change anything or make anything worse since I am sleeping, but I would like to experience more relief from this symptom because it is making it very hard for me to focus on anything else. 

[powerback]

Hi W I empathise deeply with your troubles ,I suffer with a lot of your wows ,extreme irritation is a bad one at the moment for me  ,people talking or eating ,its so sad ,dam drugs .I hope you find your answer .our brains are playing nasty tricks on us .

Take care .

[wildchild93]

5 minutes ago, powerback said:

Hi W I empathise deeply with your troubles ,I suffer with a lot of your wows ,extreme irritation is a bad one at the moment for me  ,people talking or eating ,its so sad ,dam drugs .I hope you find your answer .our brains are playing nasty tricks on us .

Take care .

It’s bad. Like i feel like if I could just get my body to calm down, then I could force myself to do other things. I might start going back to accupuncture twice a week and see if that helps to calm my nerves.

[powerback]

Yep its quite awful ,I go around the house in the morning with noise protection earphones my noise  sensitivity so bad ,ive rested a lot for the last few weeks ,I simply don't have the energy for much .its a joke what we go trough there just simply isn't a comparison ,can you cut down on exercise or activity that can stress your system out .I fear my irritation and rage will get to a point I'm in serous trouble .

I'm worn out trying to find solutions .Hopefully the mods can give you there sound advice ,I don't feel I'm helping you being a very wounded like yourself ,dam we such a great spirit to fight this we deserve so much peace .

Take care . 

[brassmonkey]

This is sounding exactly like the WD induced neuroanxiety that I went through a couple of months ago.  It was 24/7 tight chest, verge of panic attack, anxiety.  Nothing would touch it because its caused by the drugs or the lack there of. Acceptance was the only thing that worked at all.  It was bad wave, there was noting that could be done about it, so it was best to get on with life as best as I could until one day it just went away.  Fighting against it just made matters worse.

[ChessieCat]

25 minutes ago, wildchild93 said:

I might start going back to accupuncture twice a week and see if that helps to calm my nerves.

 

Acupuncture - Posts #6 & #8 (not detox or stimulation)

[Rosetta]

3 hours ago, wildchild93 said:

Aggitation both physically and mentally was worse this week and I haven’t had many windows at all. I know I’m not feeling well because I’ve been isolating and researching a lot more recently. People sound like they’re screaming when they’re really just talking in a normal voice.

 

Haven’t had to take anything for sleep in a month and a half now, praise God. 

 

  Tms is starting to wind down. Next week will be 2 days a week. I need to keep myself structured. Trying to plan out my week next week so I have events and activities until 4pm everyday.

 

I know that there are a lot of mixed opinions over this, but I purchased the Point of Return Program and am going to try their nutraceuticals to see if they help any with symptom relief. Even if the nutraceuticals don’t help, at least there is more support there and  people who hold you accountable to diet. I like the spiritual component as well. If I hate it, I can always quit. 

Maybe you could take tiny doses of you feel you must try to nutraceuticals (mod note: please see this post).  Just go slow and see how it affects you at first?

 

Edited March 2, 2018 by ChessieCat
added mod note

[Shep]

3 hours ago, wildchild93 said:

I know that there are a lot of mixed opinions over this, but I purchased the Point of Return Program and am going to try their nutraceuticals to see if they help any with symptom relief. Even if the nutraceuticals don’t help, at least there is more support there and  people who hold you accountable to diet. I like the spiritual component as well. If I hate it, I can always quit. 

 

 

Hi, Wildchild. Please research any of these types of supplements. The Point of Return Program is not recommended and is included in the reviews in these threads:

 

Don't waste your money on these supplements

 

No recommendations for commercial programs to assist withdrawal

 

Some of these types of supplements can be really dangerous for someone going through withdrawal. 

 

3 hours ago, wildchild93 said:

Haven’t had to take anything for sleep in a month and a half now, praise God. 

 

This is a major sign of healing. Please don't start experimenting with supplements, nutraceuticals, etc. and set yourself back. You're making progress. 

 

[Gridley]

I would second Shep's advice.  You have so much going on, I would advise against adding any new variables.  You won't know what's causing what.

[Rosetta]

Yes, I think it's far too risky, Wildchild.  I have felt that desperation, but I strongly believe that the fact I have avoided all supplements except magnesium is the reason I've come as far as I have.  I quit using the Unisom in December.  I haven't added in the fish oil yet because I'm afraid to.  This is because I have a caffeine addiction I've been trying to reduce.  One change at a time.  God only knows what's in those Point of Return packages.  That industry is not regulated.  It's suppose to be, but it's a sham.

[wildchild93]

7 hours ago, powerback said:

can you cut down on exercise or activity that can stress your system out

I could, but this is one of the only things that I sometimes enjoy and I think that it helps me sleep better. I try to not be so hard on my body when the energy isn’t there, but that’s usually not the case for me. I see a lot of people on here who talk a lot about lack of energy, that might be me like 1/6 days but typically I have too much nervous energy that i don’t know what to do with. Guess it just goes to show how everyone is different. 

 

7 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

puncture - Posts #6 & #8 (not detox or stimulation

oh no, I stay far away from those!

 

5 hours ago, Rosetta said:

Maybe you could take tiny doses of you feel you must try to nutraceuticals (mod note: please see this post).  Just go slow and see how it affects you at first?

 

5 hours ago, Shep said:

 

Hi, Wildchild. Please research any of these types of supplements. The Point of Return Program is not recommended and is included in the reviews in these threads:

 

Don't waste your money on these supplements

 

No recommendations for commercial programs to assist withdrawal

 

Some of these types of supplements can be really dangerous for someone going through withdrawal. 

I haven’t taken them. I think I was just feeling super desperate again and wanted relief so I spent the money (how bipolar of me). It seems like most of this stuff i either 1)am currently taking or 2) have tried in the past. The only one that a I haven’t really tried is glutathione. But I’ll probably just stick to what I’ve been doing.  All my life I’ve always prided myself in my ability to figure out and solve my own problems, but it seems like this is one with no easy solution and that is hard for me to accept.

 

3 hours ago, Rosetta said:

 

Yes, I think it's far too risky, Wildchild.  I have felt that desperation, but I strongly believe that the fact I have avoided all supplements except magnesium is the reason I've come as far as I have.  I quit using the Unisom in December.  I haven't added in the fish oil yet because I'm afraid to.  This is because I have a caffeine addiction I've been trying to reduce.  One change at a time.  God only knows what's in those Point of Return packages.  That industry is not regulated.  It's suppose to be, but it's a sham.

 

I’m like you accept I take fish oil with my AD instead of magnesium and that’s it. I miss the taste of coffee so much, but I feel like something inside of me would explode if I drank coffee now lol.

[primekittycat]

Hi wildchild, was just reading through your intro and updates. You're definitely on your way to healing though it may not feel like it. It's sometimes hard to remember how bad your withdrawal symptoms were once you start to slowly come out of it. I was started on SSRIs at 18 (I know, it doesn't compare to age 6 which I find absolutely crazy) and tried multiple times to come off maybe starting around age 25 but always had to go back on due to my horrible withdrawal symptoms and docs telling me it was my anxiety 'coming back'.. I didn't know any better. I became very sensitized to the drug, which you may be now too.

 

I was on Lexapro, then Celexa at first, and once those 'stopped working' I was put on Effexor 75mg/day. It's been 2.5 years since finding this site and tapering so far and I'm down to 10.4 mg by following the advice of everyone here, of not adding in weird supplements, being patient, taking it slow and steady. I just recently didn't cut at all for 3 months during a stressful period of moving and selling my home. It is worth it in the end. So hard to be patient, but you can do it.

 

I also wanted to say I agree with dukke regarding exercise. I have benefited throughout this entire tapering journey from high intensity exercise. I can tell when it's been a few days without it. I feel somewhat more agitated and like I need a release. I do some relaxing stretching and yoga when I feel stiff, but high intensity exercise helps me for sure. 

 

Good luck!!

[wildchild93]

7 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

 

This is sounding exactly like the WD induced neuroanxiety that I went through a couple of months ago.  It was 24/7 tight chest, verge of panic attack, anxiety.  Nothing would touch it because its caused by the drugs or the lack there of. Acceptance was the only thing that worked at all.  It was bad wave, there was noting that could be done about it, so it was best to get on with life as best as I could until one day it just went away.  Fighting against it just made matters worse.

 

So you think it’s caused by lack of the drug and not too much of it? I know there’s no way to know for sure. It just feels like something is so off inside of me that I must be taking something that’s making me aggitated, but maybe it’s just the aftermath of what has already been done.

[ChessieCat]

I have found analogies good and help me to stay patient:

 

From What is Happening in Your Brain

 

"Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are [...] to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were [...] to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and [...] to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while [...] is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made. 

And just like the Twin Towers- it's possible - but the building is a major effort -and it takes a good year or more sometimes."

[primekittycat]

That's perfect CC. I had to wait one full year to start tapering after I went pretty much cold turkey per advice of my psychiatrist and suffered through 4 months of withdrawal. You also need a strong base to start from before tapering.

[wildchild93]

35 minutes ago, primekittycat said:

 

Hi wildchild, was just reading through your intro and updates. You're definitely on your way to healing though it may not feel like it. It's sometimes hard to remember how bad your withdrawal symptoms were once you start to slowly come out of it. I was started on SSRIs at 18 (I know, it doesn't compare to age 6 which I find absolutely crazy) and tried multiple times to come off maybe starting around age 25 but always had to go back on due to my horrible withdrawal symptoms and docs telling me it was my anxiety 'coming back'.. I didn't know any better. I became very sensitized to the drug, which you may be now too.

 

I was on Lexapro, then Celexa at first, and once those 'stopped working' I was put on Effexor 75mg/day. It's been 2.5 years since finding this site and tapering so far and I'm down to 10.4 mg by following the advice of everyone here, of not adding in weird supplements, being patient, taking it slow and steady. I just recently didn't cut at all for 3 months during a stressful period of moving and selling my home. It is worth it in the end. So hard to be patient, but you can do it.

 

I also wanted to say I agree with dukke regarding exercise. I have benefited throughout this entire tapering journey from high intensity exercise. I can tell when it's been a few days without it. I feel somewhat more agitated and like I need a release. I do some relaxing stretching and yoga when I feel stiff, but high intensity exercise helps me for sure. 

 

Good luck!!

 

That is a long time too though. I don’t really think the age started really matters (or at least I hope not). I think it’s more of a steady change in receptors and neurochemitsry over time. So the longer that you’re on, the harder that it is to come off no matter the age that the drug was started. Withdrawl is withdrawl, pain is pain. Some people are going through it with a family, during menopause, or when they’re older and aren’t able to exercise or be as active. I really have no idea how I would be able to manage any of those situations so I guess I kind of got a head start with mine. If I can stabilize now and taper off later on down the road, then I’ll be able to live the rest of my life AD free. That’s what I try to tell myself anyways when the pain is bad and I want to tap out. I have to go through it now so that a i can have a better future.

 

Anyways, I’m always curious when I hear people say that the med “stopped working” so they needed to switch to something else. I guess cause I’ve never felt that. Maybe because I was on mine for so long that I didn’t really know any other way or maybe my body just adapted so well to it overtime that I got to the point where I wasn’t having side effects and couldn’t even tell that I was taking anything. I had 0 signs of anxiety or depression for the last 7 years of my life until I tried to come off. I don’t really know if that was because the effexor was working for 17 years straight or that my body just got so used to it that taking it in the morning was just like brushing my teeth and there was really nothing wrong with me to begin with. Sorry there are a lot of run-on sentences there, I just find all of this very interesting and scary.

[Rosetta]

The exercise thing is an individual thing.  Some people say it helps and some that it hurts.  It hurt me, and I felt better when I stopped jogging and simply walked instead.  Exercise raises cortisol.  That's why people suggest you simply walk.  You can try reducing the intensity of the exercise and see how it goes.  If you find that exercising intensely works for you that's better than not doing it. 

[wildchild93]

19 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are [...] to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were [...] to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and [...] to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while [...] is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made. 

And just like the Twin Towers- it's possible - but the building is a major effort -and it takes a good year or more sometimes."

I enjoyed this analogy, thanks for the encouragement. 

[DaveB]

On 3/2/2018 at 9:26 PM, wildchild93 said:

That is a long time too though. I don’t really think the age started really matters (or at least I hope not). I think it’s more of a steady change in receptors and neurochemitsry over time. So the longer that you’re on, the harder that it is to come off no matter the age that the drug was started. Withdrawl is withdrawl, pain is pain. Some people are going through it with a family, during menopause, or when they’re older and aren’t able to exercise or be as active. I really have no idea how I would be able to manage any of those situations so I guess I kind of got a head start with mine. If I can stabilize now and taper off later on down the road, then I’ll be able to live the rest of my life AD free. That’s what I try to tell myself anyways when the pain is bad and I want to tap out. I have to go through it now so that a i can have a better future.

 

Anyways, I’m always curious when I hear people say that the med “stopped working” so they needed to switch to something else. I guess cause I’ve never felt that. Maybe because I was on mine for so long that I didn’t really know any other way or maybe my body just adapted so well to it overtime that I got to the point where I wasn’t having side effects and couldn’t even tell that I was taking anything. I had 0 signs of anxiety or depression for the last 7 years of my life until I tried to come off. I don’t really know if that was because the effexor was working for 17 years straight or that my body just got so used to it that taking it in the morning was just like brushing my teeth and there was really nothing wrong with me to begin with. Sorry there are a lot of run-on sentences there, I just find all of this very interesting and scary.

 

Do you feel you are starting to stabilize? I think I am at times, then not at all at other times. Just wondering if you have found some benefit with keeping everything stable since November and if you feel your trajectory is upward. 

[wildchild93]

2 hours ago, DaveB said:Do you feel you are starting to stabilize? I think I am at times, then not at all at other times. Just wondering if you have found some benefit with keeping everything stable since November and if you feel your trajectory is upward. 

Honestly, I’m not sure. Sometimes I think yes, and then other times I’m experiencing so much pain and aggitation that I don’t know how I’m ever going to make it. I just showed my mom this article to try and help her understand what I’m going through. I can remember a time when benzos were the only thing that would get me to go to sleep. So in that sense, I have improved. 

 

https://www.madinamerica.com/2017/08/how-to-avoid-severe-ssri-withdrawal-symptoms/

[wildchild93]

Anyone who has had bad akisthesia during withdrawl: Does it mean that your receptors are too sensitized to the drug that you reinstated and you need to decrease the dosage further? Or could it just be a temporary result of withdrawling/switching/reinstating too quickly that will go away with time even on a small dose of the AD?

 

Im worried that the 75mg of Effexor that I’ve been taking for the last 2 months is agitating my already stressed out nervous system. Would I have been better off not switching back to Effexor after trying Zoloft for 3 months? 

 

Someone help. I have to know that this feeling will get better because it’s killing me. 

[ChessieCat]

Here are a couple of SA topics:

 

akathisia-vs-restlessness-anxiety-agitation

 

akathisia-survivors

 

[wildchild93]

Thanks, I also haven’t slept at all the last 3 nights. Really trying to stay out of the hospital, but I’m not going to have a choice if I don’t start sleeping again soon.

[DaveB]

19 hours ago, wildchild93 said:

Anyone who has had bad akisthesia during withdrawl: Does it mean that your receptors are too sensitized to the drug that you reinstated and you need to decrease the dosage further? Or could it just be a temporary result of withdrawling/switching/reinstating too quickly that will go away with time even on a small dose of the AD?

 

Im worried that the 75mg of Effexor that I’ve been taking for the last 2 months is agitating my already stressed out nervous system. Would I have been better off not switching back to Effexor after trying Zoloft for 3 months? 

 

Someone help. I have to know that this feeling will get better because it’s killing me. 

 

I wish I knew the answer. I didn't make the switch back to my original med and often times wish I had. So I guess I did the opposite as you, and am still waiting to stabilize. My guess is your system is still stressed and you just need to hold on doing what you are doing. You mentioned you are not sleeping, are you still taking the Seroquel for sleep? If not would that help?

[wildchild93]

27 minutes ago, DaveB said:

 

I wish I knew the answer. I didn't make the switch back to my original med and often times wish I had. So I guess I did the opposite as you, and am still waiting to stabilize. My guess is your system is still stressed and you just need to hold on doing what you are doing. You mentioned you are not sleeping, are you still taking the Seroquel for sleep? If not would that help?

I think it will still be possible either way. I met up with a lady from my church who went through a similar experience who I found out today was a member on Paxil Progress. She was on and off of Paxil for 10 years and then on it consistently for another 10 years. She tried to get off of it, couldn’t do it, and is now living and functioning normally on a low dose of Cymbalta which she plans to stay on for life. 

 

I haven’t taken any Seroquel since January, thought I was past that. I might try a higher dose of melatonin first because all of my sleep hygiene things don’t seem to be enough right now.