bubbles

[bubbles]

All well here, and today I'll drop to 6mg. It is about an 8% drop.

[wantrelief]

Wow, bubbles....congratulations on getting to 6 mg - you are doing great with your taper!  

[bubbles]

Thanks @wantrelief

 

So far so good. I'm intending to be at 5mg with enough time to be stable for Christmas, and then I'll hold at 5mg for maybe eight weeks instead of four (due to our summer break).

[bubbles]

Still doing well, and it's been a bit over a week.

 

I'm beginning to think I'll actually get off this stuff, but it's still a little discouraging when I realize I still have over two years to go.

[ChessieCat]

Look at how far you have come, not how far you still have to go.

[bubbles]

On 11/3/2018 at 9:24 AM, ChessieCat said:

Look at how far you have come, not how far you still have to go.

 

Thanks ChessieCat, you're right, of course.

 

Okay here and it's been two weeks since I dropped.

[bubbles]

Still okay. All good. Next scheduled drop is 22 November - 8.5% to 5.5mg.

[bubbles]

Sigh, I'd intended to drop to 5.5mg today, but it's been a big few weeks and I'm tired. I'm not going to risk it. If I sleep well tonight I'll drop tomorrow instead.

[Rabe]

So good to take care of yourself!!!  💜

[elbee]

56 minutes ago, bubbles said:

Sigh, I'd intended to drop to 5.5mg today, but it's been a big few weeks and I'm tired. I'm not going to risk it. If I sleep well tonight I'll drop tomorrow instead.

 

Hey Bubbles congrats on all the progress you've made with your taper! Smart move to listen to yourself and hold off until the next drop really feels right

[Snek]

Your posts are very inspiring, Bubbles. Thank you for sharing!

 

Snek

[bubbles]

Thanks everyone. I slept well last night but I'm still a bit tired. I'm home today and if I get enough jobs done this morning I will be able to have a little nap this afternoon. Then I will drop (I take my SSRI in the evening to get them away from my thyroid meds). Fingers crossed.

[Rabe]

🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞Thinking about you!!💜

[bubbles]

Thanks @Rabe

 

I dropped last night, 23 Nov. I had a late night but a long afternoon nap has helped me today (Saturday).

 

The intention is to drop to mg a week or more before Christmas (long story) so as to be stable then, and then to have a longer hold there for a bit, probably until early February.

[bubbles]

Popped by to update my sig. Day 5 of the new dose (though I won't take it until bedtime). So far so good. I'm still a bit tired, but it is to be expected with what is happening in my life. Today I think I'm getting yet another cold which is a bit annoying.

 

I have decided to add a new bit to my thread when I drop the dose. It will look like this:

 

23 November 2018, down 94.5mg to 5.5mg.

 

This is to remind myself how far I have come.   Yes, I know it is silly, but somehow typing it out like that helps.

[wantrelief]

3 hours ago, bubbles said:

This is to remind myself how far I have come.   Yes, I know it is silly, but somehow typing it out like that helps

Not silly at all - it is very impressive and you should be proud of how far you've come!

[Rabe]

VERY PROUD!!!👍💜

[bubbles]

Thanks @Rabe. I am so pleased to be where I am, especially as a few months ago I thought I was going to have to do a serious updose. Thankfully my doctor is good with thyroid stuff and we were able to address the root cause.

 

@wantrelief I do feel a bit silly - laughing at myself - but it is good to reinforce the positive and when I feel a bit disheartened that I have two years still to go, those numbers help.

[bubbles]

Still ok though I’m absolutely freezing cold and exhausted today. Might need another thyroid updose, which is a bit annoying, but I’d been thinking of it for a while. Will see doc next week hopefully and go up.

 

2 weeks since starting this sertraline dose.

 

 

[bubbles]

Well I slept for a lot of the weekend, so definitely time to see doc for another (little) updose of my armour. No other symptoms, though it's warmed up a lot here so it would be hard to be cold now! Mood is still fine, even though I'm tired. I am not aware of any symptoms from the sertraline drop.

[Rabe]

Hi bubbles...that is such great news that the new dose is going well!  YAY!!!  Not so yay on the thyroid...I hope your visit with the doctor goes well!  Take care!!! 💜

[bubbles]

Thanks @Rabe

[bubbles]

Doc approved a small updose for my thyroid. It will be a few days before I can take the new prescription to the pharmacy - busy time of the year.

 

However I have a new sertraline dose due shortly, so I will ponder the timing of the two changes.

[Rabe]

Well glad to hear one doctor is on board with things!!  YAY!  Hope it all goes well bubbles!💜

[bubbles]

Thanks @Rabe

[bubbles]

Today I'll drop to 5mg. It is a couple of days early, but it is what it is and the previous drop was a titch under 10% - and pretty painless. Today's drop is 10%. I now have enough 5mg capsules to have a longer hold - at least until the end of February at this stage. I will increase the Armour on the weekend. Fingers crossed.

 

So, today, 19 December 2018 - down 95mg to 5mg.

 

 

[Rabe]

That is great bubbles!!  You have come so far!

Just a thought....do you think you should drop right before increasing the Armour?  Seems doing those at the same time may be more disruptive than one at a time?  Take care!!

[bubbles]

6 hours ago, Rabe said:

That is great bubbles!!  You have come so far!

Just a thought....do you think you should drop right before increasing the Armour?  Seems doing those at the same time may be more disruptive than one at a time?  Take care!!

 

It's not ideal, but it is a small increase so I don't expect any problems. Ideally I want to time it before my doctor leaves on vacation.

 

 

[Carmie]

Hi bubbles, 

 

Hope all goes well with this latest drop. You certainly have come a long way. 

 

All the best with your continued tapering. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

[bubbles]

Thanks @Carmie.

 

[elbee]

Well done Bubbles! Slow and steady . . . you've learned a lot about trusting yourself through this process. At this point, you are probably the best judge of pace. Good luck with this next drop . . . I hope it goes smoothly for you 👍

[bubbles]

Thanks @elbee

 

So far so good, but of course it's only been a day or two since I dropped the 0.5mg! I feel completely normal. Last time I dropped, I had two or three "head prickles" but no more symptoms than that (and I sometimes get that just when I'm tired). I feel as though I'm getting fewer withdrawal symptoms with drops now that I'm at a fairly low dose. (Interestingly, I just looked at the occupancy chart and it suggests that I'm still at about 20% occupancy.)

 

I should also record that I also have changed pharmacies. I have reason to think this new one is going to be more accurate. I've been alternating the last few of the old 5mgs with the new 5mgs. Sertraline has an active metabolite with a long half life and that seems to smooth out any bumps in the road, so I thought that I'd alternate for a few days with the last few 5mgs. I started doing that before I dropped the dose.

 

I am going to updose the armour today. It is a small updose, and I want ideally to do it while my doctor is still available.

 

I intend to hold the 5mg sertraline and today's dose of armour (unless it's too much) until at least the start of February.

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, bubbles said:

I'm at 5% of my highest dose. It has hugely decreased my side effects and if I had to stop here, then I'd actually have a pretty good quality of life. It is good sometimes to look at how far we've come. At 5% of my original dose, I still have 2 years to go, so I try to look at how far I've come - 95% down.

Me too!  Me too!  🙋‍♀️ And isn't it a great feeling knowing that we have managed to get so low.  And I've estimated that it will take another 2 years.  It's no good letting the 🥚 fall off the 🥄 this close to the finish line.  

 

2 hours ago, bubbles said:

I thought that I'd alternate for a few days with the last few 5mgs. I started doing that before I dropped the dose.

 

That's a good idea.

[bubbles]

Thanks @ChessieCat Yes, I agree - egg and spoon-wise. And well done to you!

 

No rush to get off now that side effects are so diminished. It's been a long ride, with 2 years to go, but my mood is very good. If nothing else, it shows my doctor that I can be well on a much lower than "therapeutic" dose and that I'm not necessarily a lifer.

[Rabe]

You have come so far in your journey bubbles...it is truly inspiring!!  And to hear that the side effects are so diminished now gives hope for all here.  I admire what you have done and all that you do here...thinking about you!!💜

[bubbles]

@Rabe, it's remarkable how much the side effects are lessened. I could stop here and have a good quality of life, except that the meds need compounding so they're expensive.

 

Quick update since this morning - I've updosed my afternoon armour and have had enough time to feel a difference (NDT has T3 so there can be a fairly immediate effect). So far so good. I feel good. Well. Too soon to say if I'm imagining things, but I imagine that I have a little more energy. Certainly no ill effects, so I think this will be a good move for me. I'll pay particular attention for the next few days.