Silva: Can't concentrate/focus with SSRIs help

[Silva]

Hello friends, its nice to find a safe place where we can talk about our problems with antidepressants.

 

I'm 25 years old, male, live in Brazil, my story is long and painful, but to make things short, I was diagnosed with IBS in 2016 and I have to use SSRI'S or else I suffer super strong chronic abdominal pain and all kinds of weird symptoms that would make a grown ass man cry.

 

I tried most SSRI'S and "all" of then make me feel "stupid" I can't focus properly, They have different side effects but the lack of focus is common place for me.

 

Anyone tried using another drug (maybe adhd drugs) to cope with the side effect ? My brain just doesn't work "right" if you know what I mean. I just can't make quick "connections" my thought is slow and dragged, my focus is blurred. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm desperate, thank you.

 

I can make normal activities like working, typing, reading "bad".

 

I don't have depression, never had.

 

I am a bit anxious, been all my life but never used medication.

 

I always use the lower dosage, because if the doctor increases I start to feel "numb" and weird, I am super sensitive to side effects. Currently I am using 20 mg "half" Pristiq the best so far.

 

If I stop using ssris, my brain returns to normal and I can focus, work, and study properly again but then the pain symptoms in my gut and discomfort starts all over again after a month or two.

 

I tried:

Amitriptyline/Nortriptiline (don't work)

Sertraline - Zoloft (makes me feel great but can't study)

Fluoxetine - Prozac (don't work make me dumb)

Citalopran (don't work make me dumb)

Escitalopran - Lexapro (don't work make me dumb)

Desvenlafaxine - Pristiq (make me feel great but can't study)

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by ChessieCat
increased font and got rid of weird underlining in blue and red

[Gridley]

Hello, Silva, and welcome to SA.  It appears from your post that you are caught between two unpleasant choices: being on SSRI's and dealing with cognitive issues or suffering painful IBS symptoms.

 

We are a site for helping people taper safely off psychiatric drugs.  It is unclear from your post how we may help you.  Are you interested in tapering off whatever psychiatric drug(s) you are taking?  Assuming you are, I am going to give you some links that I hope will be helpful to you.

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.  Please list your past drugs, doses and dates and the drugs you are taking now.

• 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. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

At Surviving Antidepressants, it is recommended that a person taper by no more than 10% of their current dose with at least a four week hold in-between decreases.  The 10% taper recommendation is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.  Some people may have to taper at a more conservative rate as they are sensitive to even the smallest drops.
  

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Brain Remodelling

 

here is some information on withdrawal from psychiatric drugs.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

Youtube video, 4 minutes: Healing from antidepressants

 

Please be aware that sometime withdrawal symptoms don't appear immediately after a too-fast taper.

 

Delayed onset of withdrawal symptoms

 

Healing isn't linear.  There will be ups and downs.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

There are many existing topics and discussions on this site.  You can use Google and include survivingantidepressants.org in your search string.  For example, "SurvivingAntidepressants.org IBS"

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

While it is often a first response to stress to take a B-Complex, in withdrawal it can be overstimulating.

 

Hypersensitive to B Vitamin or B-Complex  

 

Many members have found the techniques in the following two links helpful in coping with withdrawal.  

 

The Dr. Claire Weekes Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.

 

This is your introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.  I hope you’ll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation.  I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but I am glad that you found us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by Gridley

[Carmie]

Hi Silva, 

 

How are you doing? You haven’t checked in since your original post. Hope you’re okay. Sending hugs🤗😂