Pia15: Coming off antidepressant

[Pia15]

How to know if it's a relapse or a withrawal? I was asked to taper my dose for 10mg to 5mg everyday for almost 3 months then now to 5mg every other day. For 2 weeks and get off it. On my 10th day I experienced having anxiety again, low mood, sleeping a lot and eating less. Is this a withrawal? Or a relapse?

[Pia15]

Is there really a withrawal period? Or it is already a relapse?

[Gridley]

Pia15,  

 

It is almost certainly withdrawal caused by your tapering far too fast.  Going from 10mg to 5mg is a 50% decrease.  As the link below explains we recommend reducing by 10% of current dose every four weeks.  Also, every-other-day tapering is not recommended.  This type of tapering amounts

to a 50% drop.  Your brain craves stability, and skipping doses is like playing ping-pong with your brain.  Please read the following links:

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

These links will help you distinguish between withdrawal and relapse.

This post and Is it withdrawal or relapse?

 

To help you understand the symptoms you are experiencing, here is some information on withdrawal.  The withdrawal time doesn't necessarily correlate with the time you were on the drug.  These drugs alter the architecture of the brain, and the time necessary to heal the brain and return to homeostasis is, unfortunately, impossible to predict.  

 

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.  

 

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.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

You might want to consider reinstating a very small dose of your drug. 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.  You’re still in the time period where reinstatement predictably works, up to three months after last dose or dose reduction.  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.

 

If you want to reinstate, we can advise you on the amount to reinstate after you have completed your signature.  Please let us know.  Do not try reinstating before receiving our advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mammaP]

Hi Pia15, welcome to SA. 

There is absolutely withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. Doctors usually blame relapse but research has shown that most of so called relapse is actually withdrawal.  Withdrawal starts anywhere between hours and months after stopping a drug. Those with a short half like, like effexor, can have withdrawal within an hour of a late or missed dose. Those with a longer half life, like prozac, can take weeks for withdrawal to appear and some take months. We have even had someone in withdrawal after over a year off.  Can you tell us about yourself? What drugs were you taking, how long for and the doses? When did you stop and when did withdrawal start? 

 

It will help if you can put this information in your signature for us. When we have this we may be able to make some suggestions.

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/12364-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/?do=getNewComment

 

Some topics that might help.

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/603-what-is-withdrawal-syndrome/

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/14870-withdrawal-or-relapse-or-something-else/

 

[mammaP]

Sorry I missed @Gridley reply! 2 for the price of one, we are good value here at SA 

[Pia15]

2 years ago, i was on lexapro and abilify. After 1yr I was tapered down and eventually discontinued abilify. I was ok then the doctor asked me to taper my lexapro as well. From 10mg to 5mg everyday for 3months, I was ok. Then 2 weeks ago I tapered again from 5mg everyday to 5mg every orher day. Then the doctor told me to discontinue it after 2 weeks. On my 10th day i felt panicky anxious sleey and eith low mood. It has been a week already.

[Pia15]

Can you comment on this please?

"2 years ago i was diagnosed with anxiety order, I was having some panic attacks as well so I was put into abilify and lexapro 10mg. after 1 year, I felt better so the doctor asked me to taper and stop abilify. After on lexapro for 1 year and 8 months, the doctor asked me to taper down from 10mg everyday to 5mg everyday. Then 3 months after I'm ok so she said i'll taper down again from 5mg everyday to 5mg every other day for 2 weeks then i'll stop the medication. on my 10th day of tapering I exprienced symtoms such as anxiety, low mood and sleepiness. but a week after there is improvement. I haven't stopped yet but I did continue now with 5mg every other day. What is the best taper down i'll do to stop withrawal? thank you"

[Carmie]

On 7/24/2018 at 4:42 PM, Pia15 said:

2 years ago, i was on lexapro and abilify. After 1yr I was tapered down and eventually discontinued abilify. I was ok then the doctor asked me to taper my lexapro as well. From 10mg to 5mg everyday for 3months, I was ok. Then 2 weeks ago I tapered again from 5mg everyday to 5mg every orher day. Then the doctor told me to discontinue it after 2 weeks. On my 10th day i felt panicky anxious sleey and eith low mood. It has been a week already.

 

Hi Pia, 

You tapered way too quickly as Gridley and Mamma said. You are definitely going through withdrawals. It’s never a good idea either to take meds every other day. They have to be taken daily at the same time. Most doctors don’t know anything about withdrawals.

 

The moderators may have some advice for you. They sometimes talk about small reinstatements. They don’t always work but they have helped some people.

 

 I’m doing my own tapering at my own pace. I don’t trust doctors, they have put me through torture. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

 

[Pia15]

Thank you so much. May I know how did you taper? With my situation and just by your opinion, how should I taper mine? So does this means It will take a little longer to stop antidepressant?

 

hugs

xoxo

[mammaP]

Hi Pia, I would go back on 2.5 as you have been taking it taking it every other day.  If this doesn't help you could go back to 5mg.  It will take time to stabilise, it takes a few days to reach a steady level in the blood. Taking it every other day has been bouncing you in and out of withdrawal. You need to take the same dose every day to stabilise. When you are stable you can then start a slow taper so that you can get off it safely. Doctors are not taught about withdrawal and haven't a clue, they just keep swapping and changing drugs.  Here is our topic on tapering lexapro,  this will also tell you how you can get smaller doses. 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/406-tapering-off-lexapro-escitalopram/

 

On 7/22/2018 at 9:25 PM, Gridley said:

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.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

 

 

 

[Carmie]

On 7/27/2018 at 12:12 AM, Pia15 said:

Thank you so much. May I know how did you taper? With my situation and just by your opinion, how should I taper mine? So does this means It will take a little longer to stop antidepressant?

 

hugs

xoxo

 

Hi Pia, 

 

The moderators have good advice. I can’t remember how I did all my tapering over the years but somehow I managed to get down to 6.5mg from 300mg. I didn’t know how to taper when I first started so I just kept splitting the tablets into the next smallest increment I could split them into. I had severe withdrawals.

 

When I found out how to taper though I would only taper in small increments n then hold hold for a month or many months. I still get withdrawals, you can’t get out of not getting withdrawals. The akathisia is much better though now I’m tapering at 4% to 5% every time. 

 

I’ve been doing water titration for ages now as I can taper much smaller doses. 

 

Slow and steady wins the race💚

[Altostrata]

On 7/24/2018 at 2:09 AM, Pia15 said:

Can you comment on this please?

"2 years ago i was diagnosed with anxiety order, I was having some panic attacks as well so I was put into abilify and lexapro 10mg. after 1 year, I felt better so the doctor asked me to taper and stop abilify. After on lexapro for 1 year and 8 months, the doctor asked me to taper down from 10mg everyday to 5mg everyday. Then 3 months after I'm ok so she said i'll taper down again from 5mg everyday to 5mg every other day for 2 weeks then i'll stop the medication. on my 10th day of tapering I exprienced symtoms such as anxiety, low mood and sleepiness. but a week after there is improvement. I haven't stopped yet but I did continue now with 5mg every other day. What is the best taper down i'll do to stop withrawal? thank you"

 

Pia, how are you doing now?