tarutaru: hello

[tarutaru]

Hi everyone,

 

I've been reading this site for a while now because this is the only site where I can make sense of what happens to me when I stop taking antidepressants.  I have tried to go off my medication many times without success, and I have pretty much come to accept that I am not strong enough to go off them (like one of my colleagues who is "too afraid to stop taking it".)  You see, I am not a strong person.  I grew up sensitive to life's pains and become suicidal in my late teens.  Antidepressants took the edge off and allowed me to function, but I have finally learned the truth of withdrawal because every time I withdraw the symptoms are so much worse, it pales in comparison to my original condition, and I get so many new symptoms I've never had before (read "insomnia").  I have been wanting to quit but I don't know how.  I just know I don't want to keep taking something that is so harmful down the track.  For me it is coming off them that I realise how harmful they are, because I never really had a problem while taking them, and that was a huge trap.

 

Recently I came across several sources that gave me hope that I may be able to withdraw without suffering too much by taking certain supplements.  I followed a regime of tapering while using the supplements and finally got off the AD without too much trouble.  Unfortunately, I am two months in and getting a lot more anxiety and insomnia and the supplements are not helping as much as they used to (but still helping).  Although this is not surprising because in the past the really difficult symptoms wouldn't surface until maybe 3 months in for me.  My original plan was to see how far I could go with these supplements and that if things became intolerable I would go back on AD, but really, I don't want to go back.  I am not strong but I think my life circumstances have changed because I have a steady job and a loving partner and I'm not as lonely, and have outgrown issues with sexuality.  I don't think I am the same depressed self I once was.  But I don't know and won't know until I get off these addictive substances and recover from them.

 

So here I am, hoping to ride it out...again.  Two months is such early days in the scheme of things but maybe with the correct views and support I can make it?  That is a big dream of mine.  It's such a pity that my life dream has been reduced to this mission, and it will be the biggest mission I've ever undertaken if I ever make it through.  This is why I'm here.

 

At the moment my biggest issue is - surprise! - sleep.  I get myoclonic jerks (twitching) while trying to fall asleep.  This is always the breaking point for me, when it is happening so intensely that I don't get any sleep.  It started happening majorly when I withdrew from Clomipramine, but I think it had started before that with the previous ADs also.  I don't want to take benzos for it and develop another withdrawal.

 

Still experimenting with more supplements and I know it's risky but so far they have helped me.  Want to find the one that really helps but I guess no-one has discovered one yet.  I am just afraid to go the hard way (ie wait it out) but that may be the only way.

 

Thanks for reading my post and looking forward to meeting you all.  I know it will be a long road ahead (1-2 years if I'm lucky?), but today I am willing to give it another go.

[Gridley]

Hello, tarutaru, and welcome to SA.

 

Thanks for posting your signature.  Could you please go back and make the typeface a little larger, as it is difficult to read?  Could you also include the supplements you are taking and the dosages.  Also include the rate at which you tapered Pristiq (X% per month) and the dosage at which you jumped off.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

Your seven month taper of Pristiq was faster than we recommend, which would account for the withdrawal symptoms you are experiencing.

 

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

 

Tips for tapering off Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)

 

To help you understand what you are experiencing, here is some information on withdrawal:

 

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

 

You mentioned reinstatement if things get too rough. Reinstatement of a very small dose of the original drug is the only known way to help alleviate withdrawal syndrome.  The only other alternative is to try and wait out the symptoms and manage as best you can until your central nervous system returns to homeostasis.  Unfortunately no one can give you an exact timeline as to when you will start feeling better and while some do recover relatively easily, for others it can take many months or longer.  Please read:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic

 

Reinstatement isn’t a guarantee of diminished symptoms for everyone, but it’s the best tactic available.  It's best to reinstate as soon as withdrawal symptoms appear.  You’re still in the time period where reinstatement predictably works, up to three months after last dose or dose reduction.  Do not reinstate the full 50mg dosage of Pristiq, as your brain has already adapted somewhat to not having the drug,  We usually suggest a much smaller reinstatement dose than your last dose.  These drugs are strong, and when updosing/reinstating it is better to start with a small amount and increase of symptoms remain unbearable.  If you take too much it may be too much for your brain and can cause you become unstable.  Sometimes it can be hard to regain stability after this happens.
 

After you have given us your tapering schedule and jumping-off dosage, we can suggest a reinstatement dosage.  Then, after you have stabilized (which can take several months) you can begin a safe 10% taper of the reinstated amount.  This would give you a much better chance at succeeding this time. You will need to give it at least a week on the new dose.  It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain. Ultimately the decision is yours, but thought I should bring this to your attention so that you can make the best decision regarding your health and well-being.  

 

I'm glad you had good results from your supplements.  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.

 

Doctors know very little about tapering or withdrawal.  The information in these links is helpful when you talk to your doctor.

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal 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 8, 2018 by ChessieCat
removed white space