success Jubbachub: Lexapro withdrawals, any help would be appreciated

[Leo1983]

It appears to me there is alot of people going through this mainly with the drug Lexapro.

 

I never had any issues really stopping any meds until Lexapro.

 

Its a daily battle. Just gotta keep going with it i guess.

 

I do feel like im loosing it at times but i wont go running back to the drs for more poison.

[TheWayBack]

Hi Leo and Jubbachub

 

Welcome to the Lexapro WD club.

 

It is a daily battle, that's for sure 🙂

 

Keep holding on, don't count the days and stay occupied. Nothing will be fun, but you need to burn time.

 

You will have the energy to make it through today. And tomorrow you will have the energy to make it through tomorrow. Each day at a time.

 

Take long walks. Learn to meditate. Read Claire Weekes 'Hope and help for your nerves' over and over again. Do some gardening, physical exercise is good.

 

You will get through it. Don't think about how good you could have been. Accept the state you are in. You will get out of it stronger.

 

Keep the faith. THIS IS NOT YOU. This is WD.

 

 

 

 

[Leo1983]

Cheers mate.

 

I work 40hrs a week that helps lol.

 

I just try to take each day. Inwont ever touch a med again. Just hope this is not permanant.

 

I just feel sorry for my wife and kids who have had to endure my suffering from meds.

 

 

[Jubbachub]

Hi mods, I'm in need of a bit of advice if possible. I was taken to emergency and given a Clonazepam, this caused a bad reaction, was also given a Quetiapine to take, neither helped at all. Now for 2 weeks I've been on 20mg of Prozac and taking Ativan 1mg each day as I completely lose function, I'm currently stuck on these two drugs in the loop of losing function without the Ativan and can't stabilise at all on the Prozac. I'm feeling pretty badly destabilised, but still trying to find a way to an actual beginning of my recovery! Any suggestions on my next step? I have an appointment with the psych again this upcoming Monday, but it feels pointless. Now that I'm functioning so little, going on another drug isn't an option. My family doesn't understand what's happening at all, which of course I can't expect them to, but hoping to get some advice/suggestions so I can make an informed, set and no going back decision on Monday. I hope you're all doing okay ☺

[Songbird]

11 hours ago, Jubbachub said:

I was taken to emergency and given a Clonazepam, this caused a bad reaction, was also given a Quetiapine to take, neither helped at all.

 

Why were you "taken to emergency"?

 

Was this the same emergency visit you described on August 29 when you say you were given chlorpromazine?

 

What was the "bad reaction" to clonazepam?  Was the quetiapine given after the bad reaction to clonazepam?

 

Why were you prescribed Prozac - was this in emergency or your own doctor?

 

What symptoms are you having since beginning on Prozac, and how do they compare with before you started it?

 

Sorry for all the questions, but it's difficult to understand what's going on, we need more detailed information.  It would be good if you could post a daily journal here of times, all drugs and doses, symptoms and severity.  Here's an example (note this is just a made-up example):

 

23 June

7 a.m. woke up, anxiety 3/10

8 a.m. ate breakfast, took 20mg Prozac tablet

10 a.m. anxiety 7/10, nausea 3/10

12 p.m. ate lunch, anxiety 5/10, nausea 1/10

2 p.m. anxiety 4/10, nausea 2/10

6 p.m. ate dinner, took magnesium tablet 200mg, anxiety 2/10, no nausea

8 p.m. anxiety 1/10

11 p.m. went to bed, anxiety 2/10, difficulty falling asleep for 2 hours

4 a.m. woke up, no anxiety, went back to sleep for 3 hours

 

 

[Jubbachub]

Thank you for your response. I went to emergency in a panic state, was given the chlorpromazine or chlonazepam then. I'll need to find out exactly what I was given! Yes, that was the same time.

 

I've had a few adverse reactions now. I'm fairly kindled. I was prescribed prozac by the psychiatrist in Emergency, not my regular doctor which I don't see anymore.

 

I've literally got most of the symptoms each day, confusion, amnesia like episodes, can't speak some times, derealisation, disassociation, depersonalisation, feeling like I'm in and out of my head, no sense of identity, memory changes/fluctuations

anhedonia you name it. 

 

I'm seriously considering going c/t from the Ativan and Prozac tomorrow depending on what the psychiatrist says, because this isn't working. Not currently taking any supplements, but going to get fish oil and magnesium today. I will post a daily journal when I can.

[ChessieCat]

58 minutes ago, Jubbachub said:

Not currently taking any supplements, but going to get fish oil and magnesium today.

 

58 minutes ago, Jubbachub said:

I'm seriously considering going c/t from the Ativan and Prozac tomorrow

 

It is best to only make one change at a time.  If starting supplements test a small amount of one first to see how you react.

 

Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable

 

Also:

Keep Notes on Paper

 

Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

[Jubbachub]

Alto, I'm going to make a YouTube video and was wondering if you would mind me linking this site to help others and to raise awareness?

[Songbird]

10 hours ago, Jubbachub said:

I'm seriously considering going c/t from the Ativan and Prozac tomorrow depending on what the psychiatrist says, because this isn't working. Not currently taking any supplements, but going to get fish oil and magnesium today. I will post a daily journal when I can.

 

You might get away with stopping the Prozac since you've been on only a couple of weeks and it has a long half-life.  Ativan has a short half-life and after a couple of weeks on Ativan your system may have developed some dependence - how often are you taking it?

[Jubbachub]

Ativan has been taken for 4 weeks and at irregular intervals when felt "necessary". I don't know exactly when that is, but have been taking at least half a tablet a day. 

[Leo1983]

@Jubbachub

Hows things mate.

 

[Jubbachub]

Hi Leo. Not great, but I've decided I'm not taking any medication again, and taking the risk. I want to say thank you all for your support on this forum, but I've made the firm decision that I'm going to log off and spend this time with my family. Your notes and tips have helped me when It was absolutely needed. I'll be sure to log back and let you know in the future of how I got on. Take care, and all the best to you all - Jubbachub

[Leo1983]

Yeh stay away from the poison. Bastarxs lining there pockets with this bollocks.

 

Look back in 6 month snd think wow i did it.

 

Take care lad

[Jubbachub]

Hey guys. Has been a couple of months so here I am just checking in, and hoping to have a bit of a chat and vent about the horrors I've endured. Firstly, I'm still alive, however a rebirth wouldn't be bad right about now. Secondly I wanted to get some advice 🙂.

 

So, when I was taking the Prozac/Ativan, I was reacting horribly to both. This is what I was experiencing: 

 

Auditory halluctionations
Distorted senses
Paranoia
Delusional
Brain zaps
Disassociative amnesia
Insomnia
Severely degraded memory
Intrusive thoughts
Flashbacks
Sleep paralysis
Night terrors/sweats
Ringing/buzzing sound in my head
Couldn't hear properly
Depersonalisation
Derealisation
Psychosis
Suicidal thoughts
Anxiety x10 worse than what led me to take medication in the first place
Uncontrolled body movements/twitches (lasted for a short time)
Mood swings
Crying spells
Neuro emotions, extremely amplified feelings of fear, anger, terror
Inability to cope with any stress
Intolerance to certain foods/drinks
Vision problems, blurry vision, visual snow (speckles)
Inability to make decisions
Inability to concentrate
Slurring words
Hot flushes
Constant body and head zaps/joltsa

 

Actually ended up sitting in the shower trying to end my life whilst all this was happening, but hey, just a relapse of my original anxiety 😒.

 

Anyway, I quit all medication Cold Turkey, and the last 2 months I've been recovering fairly well I believe. This is what I have daily now:

 

A crying spell or 2

Amnesia

Identity disconnection

Very poor memory

Spiritual connections/confusion

Flashbacks

Occasional brain zap

Depersonalisation

Derealisation (occasional)

 

But in a sense, I've recovered substantially from the adverse reactions/kindling. I still feel pretty far from being healed though.

 

Through this process, I've lost my partner of 4 years (I left her out of fear at the time, probably not the best idea). I also had to leave my job, however by some miracle I got my old job back and have managed to do quite well maintaining it.

 

Now I have a question I feel really needs to be addressed. I've developed a bacterial infection that requires antibiotics to be cured. I'm hoping to see what you guys feel is the safest antibiotic to take, as any form of tablet scare the absolute **** out of me now. I'll be seeing the doctor over the next few days, and I'd like to go there and not have the urge to punch him in the throat if he writes a prescription for something that could potentially affect my recovery.

 

I know you guys aren't doctors, but I have a lot more trust in experienced patients than the medical model, so any advice would be great so I can make an informed decision. I hope you're all getting some relief out there 🙂

 

 

 

[FarmGirlWorks]

3 hours ago, Jubbachub said:

Actually ended up sitting in the shower trying to end my life whilst all this was happening, but hey, just a relapse of my original anxiety 😒.

I don't intend to sound insensitive, but thanks for the ironic laugh today. Relapse -- yeah, that's what it is. Ugh. Glad you're feeling improved. * I don't remember what the advice here is about antibiotics but I know @Rosetta often gives advice about this. Good luck.

[bubble]

Hi Jubba. Great that you are recovering.

 

Whenever you have a question, there is great likelihood that it has already been answered here. I always google surviving antidepressants antibiotics (or whatever) and get the collective wisdom on things.

 

When it comes to antibiotics the most important thing is to avoid these:

A partial list of fluoroquinolone medications

• ciprofloxacin (Cipro),
• gemifloxacin (Factive),
• levofloxacin (Levaquin),
• moxifloxacin (Avelox),
• norfloxacin (Noroxin), and
• ofloxacin (Floxin).

More information here>: 

Hope you get well soon.

Bubble

 

[Jubbachub]

Hey my dudes and ladies, just wanted to have a bit of a vent to those that understand this pain.

 

So I'm about 2 months into a CT From Ativan and Prozac. Don't know what medications I was thrown around on through this nightmare, but all made me much worse to the point I couldn't speak and essentially became incapacitated, flopping around on the floor like a fish. I haven't been on anything since October. Without sounding selfish, I'd literally prefer to die than go back to any pill. 

 

The bad: 

I essentially have disassociative amnesia. In and out of my head alot with detachments from my body, identity etc. I don't know if that's just DP/DR, or a combination of all, but I can't really remember my life. Just fragments as flashes in my vision. Continual flashbacks and taunting intrusive thoughts.

 

The good: 

I still have my job, which I'm somehow doing very well at. By some miracle I don't really have anxiety anymore. I took the medication for health anxiety, but don't fear death anymore after going through worse than dying. I have met a new lady that I'm spending time with and is supportive through this, and have a new place that I'm renting, so coping okay I guess 🙂

 

I'm really just in need of some reassurance, because I can't do this for the rest of my life. I'm 23, and everything in both my external and internal world has become well, this.

As much as I know I can't think about my future, I don't want to get to month 6 from now just to be getting worse symptoms/withdrawals and have no options. My other worry is every success story I see is of a very slow taper, where as my nervous system has gone "Not a chance I"m taking any more", so reinstatement of any drug doesn't feel right for me. Any of my fellow friends here in the midst of a C/T or recovered and doing alright? Thanks guys. 

[Gridley]

This link has the best information I know of. 

 

 are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

[Jubbachub]

Advice on reinstatement?

 

I'm 3 months into a C/T from Ativan and Prozac, along with whatever other poison I was given whilst incapacitated. 

 

All the success I'm reading is in relation to reinstatement/tapering, and the majority of success I see is from this method. I never had that option, I didn't find this site until it was too late and was already kindled. What are my options? Keep fighting the C/T horror or reinstate a small amount of god knows what drug and hope there's some alleviation? 

 

[ChessieCat]

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

 

[bubble]

People who CT also recover. The reason you CT-ed your last two drugs that you were put on in the ER was that they made your symptoms a lot worse.

 

What were the doses you were taking?

 

Increased symptoms might have been the result of too high doses for destabilized CNS or a sign that your CNS is so destabilized it will suffer adverse reaction from even small doses.

 

What are your symptoms now? Do you have any coping skills you practice?

 

If you decide to reinstate don't take more than 1 mg of Prozac. Reinstating a benzo after 2 months is not advisable. In any case, one change at a time. Are you taking magnesium and omega 3?

[Jubbachub]

Thanks Bubble. And you're right, thank you for reminding me of that in the ER. I was taking 20mg Prozac and Ativan 2mg (1mg twice daily), this was after the valium, clonazepam or whatever I was also given.

 

My symptoms now are:

-Disassociation from my thoughts, personality and identity

-Occasional Amnesia spikes

-Poor memory

-Depersonalisation

-Flashbacks

 

But I'm coping. And for 3 months off C/T I have come a bloody long way from where I was, however over the last month or so, these symptoms seem to be cycling and I don't feel much has changed.

 

My coping skills are mainly meditation, practicing the power of now, and going to the gym. I am taking magnesium, however I don't feel it makes much of a difference for me. I haven't taken Omega 3 for about 2 months, something I might start doing again. 

 

I really don't want to reinstate. I told myself at the start of this that it's not an option for me, but it just plays on my mind that introducing 1mg could be the answer to stabilisation and a faster recovery. 

[Hopetobefree]

Hi Jubbachub,  how are you these days? Did you reinstate or decide to tough out the cold turkey? Pug's success story of a cold turkey is amazing if you needed some hope that you can heal after cold turkey but even so no matter what you will heal everybody does the nervous system eventually goes back to homeostasis. You also have youth on your side. I'm doing ok still battling after my almost cold turkey a year ago but have the faith i will be me again and so will you.

 

best wishes,

 

Hope

[Leo1983]

Hi

 

Jubba just want to add without been rude. Your body is different to everyone elses body and brain. 

 

Your drug history is different to other people. Some were on Benzo or other psych drugs and still remain on a drug etc. 

 

Yes some people take time. Look at undiagnosed success story. He CT 4-5 drugs and recovered fully in 2 years. 

 

Keep the faith and keep individual.

 

Good luck 

 

Leo

[Yesyes123]

Hey how are you @Jubbachub