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☼ Leo1983: SSRI withdrawal


Leo1983

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Please be sure to discuss your negativity and self-sabotage with the psychotherapist. It's not something we address (or encourage) here.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

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  • Moderator Emeritus

 

29 minutes ago, Leo1983 said:

Yeh ok.

 

Maybe i will quit my job and give up my house etc. Then i can lay on the sofa and go walking until im better. 

 

Apologies for asking for the link i could not find. 

 

Leo,

 

I’m sorry you’re feeling the way you do, but there isn’t any solution to your current problem, beyond developing coping skills and working hard to get through this.

 

You tried several different drugs and cold turkeyed each of them, with your toughest being a cold turkey from 20mg of the maximum recommended dose of Escitalopram. You also seemed to have adverse reactions to some of these drugs.

 

You are aware of reinstatement but didn’t want to risk doing that earlier on in your withdrawal journey, as you had adverse reactions while taking the drugs and wanted to soldier though this. At 7 months out you are now adamant on fixing this issue, considering new medications etc. You need to take ownership of your previous decisions and ride this out. 

 

The only real fix here, is sadly going to be time. I know how you are feeling right now, honestly I do. I have had many days when I’ve been so frustrated with my situation and almost all I can talk about or think about is how I’ve made the wrong decisions and how I need to get my life on track ASAP. However, this manner of thinking does absolutely nothing to help the situation.

 

I really don’t want you to lose/quit your job or get rid of your house, but if there’s no alternative solution because there is no drug that can solve this issue and make you feel better, and you have no alternatives financially, then what will be... will be. 

 

This situation is no different to if you’d been in a multi car pile up on the motorway and you needed to wait several months/years to mend your broken bones and wounds. You will heal, but sadly none of us know when exactly that’s going to be.

 

Last thing you want to do is start distancing yourself from people on here by getting frustrated. There is so much excellent help here and you can get through this.

 

PLEASE NOTE:  I am not a medical professional.  I can only provide information and make suggestions.

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You would make a good mod. 

 

You have understanding and empathy and some good advice. 

 

You are able to identify when someone is struggling and give warm helpful advice. Something that will guide them to a better place. 

 

After all the wd causes us to be this way so the info says. Nothing really works in wd as its your brain and CNS doing it. 

 

 

Thanks eymen.

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Copied from manny03's topic:

 

5 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

7 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

I dont have the health anxiety. That must be hard in wd.

 

I have pissed off anxiety. Pissed off this happened anxiety. 

 

 

 

Continually catastrophising and whinging about your situation does not help you or other members. 

 

For others reading these posts:  It's important for members to learn Non-drug techniques to cope

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I just found this when looking for something else on the site:

 

On 6/9/2018 at 7:00 AM, Altostrata said:

Self-defeating or self-sabotaging thinking heightens whatever awful feelings you get from withdrawal itself and puts additional stress on your nervous system. In order to get past taking psychiatric drugs, you need to change your way of thinking, or recovery is going to be much harder for you.

 

In answer to such questions such as "Does nobody ever heal?" -- first, read every link posted above in this topic.

 

Consider this: I and the moderators work very, very hard to help people get past taking drugs and heal from withdrawal syndrome. Fortunately, every day, we see successes.

 

I say fortunately, because once in a while people show up here who will not be reassured that in general, healing does progress -- although in a very slow and frustrating way. Despite our best efforts, they want to be told over and over that they will be fine. One or two or nine success stories are not enough. They want to see a success story from a person who's exactly like them -- same drugs, same length of time on drugs, same method of going off drugs.

 

In short, they want to see their own success story, and they want it now.

 

No, we cannot tell you exactly when YOU will heal, or how it will go. If I or any member of the staff could foretell any individual's future, we'd put that talent to better use than running a forum site.

 

Use some common sense: We wouldn't put all this time and care into responding to people here if we knew everyone was doomed. That would be a terrible waste of time, wouldn't it?

 

Please show some consideration for the staff. If we tell you once or twice that healing will be slow and frustrating, take it on faith that YOUR healing will be slow and frustrating. Seeing one or two success stories from people who are somewhat, but not exactly, like you is evidence that people do heal.

 

Quite often, that's all that we have to reassure you. You will have to find strength and faith within yourself to go the distance.


You will need to learn to cope with the uncertainty of when and how and, as part of your own self-care, do what you can to help your body and nervous system heal. We can't do it for you.

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thankyou.

 

That pretty much sums the whole thing up really. 

 

Very helpful. 

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
2 minutes ago, Leo1983 said:

Very helpful. 

 

I hope so, for your sake.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Chessie. I get what you have to do to get over wd. Its just hard to accept.

 

It was hard enough dealing with situational anxiety and work. Now i have to deal with those things aswell as all the symptoms of wd. 

 

I am 100 % that the morning fear, the depression, the anxiety in my personal life, head pressure are not nything to do with me. I never had these things before. These are the things that scare me and if they left me i would be able to go back to the way i was. ( which was a blessing compared to the meds/wd).

 

I have little choice but to accept how it is. I will take the evidence from the site and attempt to make the best of each day hoping that 1 day i too will be able to write on here that i am in a better place.

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Mentor
4 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

I have little choice but to accept how it is. I will take the evidence from the site and attempt to make the best of each day hoping that 1 day i too will be able to write on here that i am in a better place.

 

 

Leo, you ARE healing, that's why you feel like crap. it's your brain doing the hard work of healing.

 

you ARE going to write that success story and I bet you will say , wow, I didn't think I'd ever get here, but I did!! 

 

from your signature it looks like you were on a total of 5 different drugs over the course of about 3 years, is that right?
 

Leo, there are ppl on this forum who have been on dozens of these drugs,  for 10 or 20 or 30 or more years!!!


I personally was given over 30 different drugs,  from the age of 18 to over 60!  OVER 40 YEARS on psych medications and I am HEALED (or extremely close to it)

I am not some special unique person, there are lots of others with similar or worse histories, who have healed and have gone on to live their lives without these awful drugs

Believe me, I am not some super strong person, LOL FAR FROM IT!!  I have always thought of myself as someone fairly weak in terms of persistence and endurance, for difficult things. But I did it, as weak as I am. 


 A lot of the folks who heal don't come back  here much, because they are busy living their lives. I think a lot of them want to forget how awful withdrawal was and coming here reminds them

 

I totally understand, also, why some people get off the drugs and never come back to write their success story, they just want to forget it all and distance themselves from the experience

 

 

but I stuck around to write mine because I remember being where YOU are now, and I remember how much those success stories meant to me these past couple of years.

 

I will continue to stick around as long as it seems to be helpful for others.

 

I think I owe the folks on this forum that much, for the massive amount of help that I got when I was going thru WD recovery.

 

anyway Leo,  you're going to be fine. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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Hi H2H.

 

Thankyou for taking the time to send me such positive and powerful words.

 

I liken this experience to been put in jail. You commit the crime drunk, you sober up and its going to be 2 years before your let back out of jail. All that time you have regrets, you worry, your scared, you have tough times and each second you think about your release.

 

I had a terrible time at xmas. I t felt like i went back to the start of WD. 

 

I have learnt some valuable lessons this xmas from my behaviour and from advice of others. Im learning about myself. 

 

I think i have issues with trust... i never knew that about myself. 

 

Also your right, i am alot better than 7 months ago. BUT im not PERFECT and thats what got me here in the first place. My rules for living.... they were too high!!

 

I am going to work hard this year on trust, acceptance and moving forward been happy with who i am. 

 

I just miss my social old self and been able to just come and go as i please. But i see this will come back when im healed. 

 

I am very pleased for you and your recovery. I am sorry you had to go through this for 2 years. 

 

I am sure with a personality like uours you will have no issues finding a partner. 

 

Again i appreciate your time and energy. 

 

Hope you have a great New Year and all the best for 2019. 😁

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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Hope people are ready for the start of 2019 so we can get some healing under way.

 

Guna walk my dogs on the beach this morning, as i feel abit flat and have awful heavy tired legs. See if that sea air wakes my mind up. 

 

I have been sleeping 8hrs per night and not sure that makes me more groggy the next day. 

 

Who knows......

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Mentor
22 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

I liken this experience to been put in jail. You commit the crime drunk, you sober up and its going to be 2 years before your let back out of jail. All that time you have regrets, you worry, your scared, you have tough times and each second you think about your release.

yes I can surely see how it would feel this way!!

 

The time we spend recovering can be used however we wish it to be. We'll still have the symptoms putting limits on what we can do, yes, that's true. 

however, we have the choice about if we are going to dwell on regrets and worries about the future, or if we are going to use the pain of those regrets to make changes so that we don't end up in a situation like this again.

 

it can be a time for personal growth. It seems like you're using it that way.

Growth is never easy, but it's a good kind of difficult, because we're going to see the results of our hard work.

it will pay off in the end.

 

it's good to be gentle with yourself during this process, and it's perfectly ok to have the occasional "pity party" and it's perfectly ok to be angry about the situation you've found yourself in-

we've all gone thru those same feelings.

we just try not to get stuck in the self pity or anger because it's not productive.

 

you are making the effort to learn from this and to grown and that's great! I hope that you are feeling good about that.

 

it may not seem like much against the strength of your symptoms but believe me, your symptoms are going to fade in time, but what you learn in this process will be with you for ever after. I think we all find out how strong we truly are.

and that's a kind of silver lining to this terrible experience that no one would wish on their worst enemy.

 

 Here's to a New Year full of promise and healing, strength and happy moments to cherish. I had a couple of bad years but thru it all there were still many good things that happened. You will have those too. 

 

PS

thank you for your compliments, don't feel that they are deserved but I'll accept them and think on it, lol

 

 

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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Hi.

I have been looking at the is it withdrawal or relapse thread. 

 

I have also looked at symptoms and coping with these symptoms. 

 

In 2019 im looking at dealing with some of my thinking styles and anxiety. Which i always had. 

 

I have Psychotherapy to start. I have access to Bristol Tranq project again for daily chats so im looking forward to getting back on track. 

 

One thing im struggling with is...... My depression Anhedonia. Yes i have read the links. However a point has been raised to me by my mother..... she says you were always anxious but never depressed or unmotivated. She says has this whole situation not caused a real depression? She worries that im depressed and need some attention i guess. 

 

I have read Aeromans story and i see he was the same. However the difference was his medication worked and he stayed on the same med. So he had something to compare. Good to bad and back to good. 

 

This year i just want to have it in my head that im ok with the meds i took, the way i took them, the way i stopped them. 

 

I guess i wish i had of took a med found it helped and when i came off it i noticed the symptoms of wd. Instead of my original condition never been addressed by meds and then ended up in wd. Its all abit of a blurr.

 

I am going to change diet, be kind to myself and attempt to get back to the old me. So i can then tackle the original issue. 

 

Happy 2019 good luck. 

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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Also as my memory is getting better. I remember now each time i was on a drug. They just made me feel like a zombie. 

 

However i never had much issue stopping them. 

 

Then i tried a different class of drug which was Mirtazapine 15mg. When on this drug i remember feeling like i was going to pass out, also i feel sick, i felt off balance. Thats why i stopped it. Was this when my issue started??? Diff class of drug. Also when i stopped this drug i had a 2 week washout and i felt the same the whole 2 weeks. Thats why i went back on a drug beccause of these symptoms.

 

Then i went back to a SSRI Escitalopram......... granted i went on this and stopped it. But i have just been able to remember all this.....

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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Sleeping all night is a good sign

 

When im asleep i have started to dream about normal things... is that a good sign?

 

Also i am noticing im feeling more aroused should we say. Is this a good sign?

 

Gosh we have to ask some questions do we.

 

 

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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Leo i posted here before so am not going to tell my story again but we are similair. I discovered something big. I was in the same postition as you were. A month ago i started te keto diet and that made everything so much better. It gives mental clarity which in turn gives me the clarity in seeing this will end. Also, it reduces my anxiety and since doing it i think about suicidr because of this all waaaay less. The withdrawal symptoms are not gone or something but i am handling them way better, more positive. The first weeks will be hard but its a big change for me! I have way more energy and the lethargic fatigue i so much less. Finally something i found that has helped in this whole situation. Still, it has not fixed it, but it has turned down the volume of all the negatives. I can also finally sleep good because of it. Look into it mate! 

 

Edited by ChessieCat
removed ****

Used zoloft for 5 months. Started with 25mg, upped to 50 and finished with 75mg. Tapered in one month time. Finished taper at 15/04/2018

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* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator Emeritus
7 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

Sleeping all night is a good sign

 

When im asleep i have started to dream about normal things... is that a good sign?

 

Also i am noticing im feeling more aroused should we say. Is this a good sign?

 

Gosh we have to ask some questions do we.

 

 

 

These both sound like heathy signs Leo! I always find that whenever my body/mind is stressed, my sleep and libido massively slide, before any other impacts. 

 

Nice to see there is some good stuff going on, even if it doesn’t always feel like it! 

PLEASE NOTE:  I am not a medical professional.  I can only provide information and make suggestions.

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Hi Leo. I think you and I are experiencing a very similar way of healing. Over the last 2 weeks I've been having decent sleep, dreams that feel normal and have had more desire in the sexual department. I'm about 3 months into a C/T. Once we're through this crap we'll have to catch up for a beer 👍

-Started Escitalopram 10mg 2015

-Weaned off Escitalopram early 2018

-Recommenced Escitalopram 10mg mid May 2018

-Stopped Escitalopram late may 2018

-Recommenced Escitalopram 10mg early June 2018

-Took one Seroquil 25mg 

-Stopped all medication completely 23rd July 2018

 

 

 

 

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Im 7 month in. 

 

I am remaining positive. What choice we got. 

 

I see you went back to more drugs after lexapro. Its so easy to do this and get no where. 

 

I do hope you stay away from the drugs. Its a daily wrestle should i take this drug? Or that drug? 

 

Hopefully in 1 years time we look and back and see it differently. 

 

Yes we shall meet for a pint. Aslong as you pay the flights lol. Joke!

 

Leo

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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Thanks Eymen.

 

I suppose its better than it was. 

 

I just want what everyone else wants. My zest for life back. 

 

But i have to wait. Im starting therapy soon i am dreading the possibility of been told you cant still be ill 7 months out. Hope not!

 

Mornings are by far the worst. Go to sleep at night and its like a rest of the brain back to hell. 

 

I hope your ok too. 

 

Thanks

 

Leo

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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Thanks CC

 

Leo

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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12 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

 

But i have to wait. Im starting therapy soon i am dreading the possibility of been told you cant still be ill 7 months out. Hope not!

Don't be surprised if you're told that. My own psychologist has told me this on several occasion even after I told him of my brother taking him a year to withdrawal from other drugs. He still dismissed me. 

Trintellix (Brintellix) 5mg - December 2015 to Mid July 2018

Vitamin C 500mgs daily January 2019 - March 30 2019 Boost my immune system through my withdrawal - Stopped

Up and Up 3 Billion Probiotics - Daily for IBS. - Stopped

Up and Up 30 Billion Probiotics - Daily for IBS. - Stopped

 

June 16-26 2018: C/T to take Antiviral medication for Shingles outbreak (Due to excessive stress - SSRI Poop Out). 

June 27 2018: Reinstated (5mg)

July 14 2018 last dose due to acute withdrawal symptoms. 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
58 minutes ago, manny03 said:

 

Don't be surprised if you're told that.

 

 

I posted this to another member:

 

16 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

Just be aware that not many medical professionals understand tapering and withdrawals.  My suggestion would be to suss them out first, because if they are pro drug then they are more likely to label you with a psych tag and blame any issues on you having on a mental illness or relapse and not taking the "therapeutic dose", which by the way is an arbitrary term that the pharmaceutical companies use and the term they teach the doctors etc.  SA prefers to use "lowest effective dose".

 

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Hey man how have you been doing the past days? 

Used zoloft for 5 months. Started with 25mg, upped to 50 and finished with 75mg. Tapered in one month time. Finished taper at 15/04/2018

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Leo,

 

How have you been getting on? Would be nice to know how you are doing.

 

Hope things are improving! 

 

PLEASE NOTE:  I am not a medical professional.  I can only provide information and make suggestions.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi.

 

Its been a whole month.

 

Im almost 9 months off. Woh. 

 

Symptoms still left.

Anxiety daily.

Low mood. 

Social anxiety.

Head pressure.

 

Still working which is hard work. I cant say how much better i am since the start. However i get up and feel 50% and i can do what ever i need to do. Its just not easy like it used to be.

 

Thanks for the pmS to see how i am. Still struggling through it. I also wonder sometimes is working 14 hr shifts during this causing me burnout sometimes..... but its either work or loose it all. 

 

Im due a weeks holiday soon. Zzzzzzz

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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11 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

Hi.

 

Its been a whole month.

 

Im almost 9 months off. Woh. 

 

Symptoms still left.

Anxiety daily.

Low mood. 

Social anxiety.

Head pressure.

 

Still working which is hard work. I cant say how much better i am since the start. However i get up and feel 50% and i can do what ever i need to do. Its just not easy like it used to be.

 

Thanks for the pmS to see how i am. Still struggling through it. I also wonder sometimes is working 14 hr shifts during this causing me burnout sometimes..... but its either work or loose it all. 

 

Im due a weeks holiday soon. Zzzzzzz

 

Glad to hear from you, Leo. Hope that weeks worth holiday helps. With me I'm somewhat better with my symptoms though still struggling through. 

Trintellix (Brintellix) 5mg - December 2015 to Mid July 2018

Vitamin C 500mgs daily January 2019 - March 30 2019 Boost my immune system through my withdrawal - Stopped

Up and Up 3 Billion Probiotics - Daily for IBS. - Stopped

Up and Up 30 Billion Probiotics - Daily for IBS. - Stopped

 

June 16-26 2018: C/T to take Antiviral medication for Shingles outbreak (Due to excessive stress - SSRI Poop Out). 

June 27 2018: Reinstated (5mg)

July 14 2018 last dose due to acute withdrawal symptoms. 

 

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Thanks Manny.

 

I hope you are well as can be. Please be assured this will go away when its ready. Just take care of yourself and our body will do the rest. 

 

Nice to hear from you.

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
11 hours ago, Leo1983 said:

Thanks for the pmS to see how i am. Still struggling through it. I also wonder sometimes is working 14 hr shifts during this causing me burnout sometimes..... but its either work or loose it all. 

 

Sorry to hear you're still struggling Leo, but I'm glad to see you're still able to work and get on with things.

 

I can imagine that 14 hour shifts are very demanding, that's putting the withdrawal to one side. What type of work is that you do? If you don't mind me asking?

PLEASE NOTE:  I am not a medical professional.  I can only provide information and make suggestions.

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Im a Psychiatric nurse. It is long hours. Yeh i always think what i was suffering when i went to my GP's was burnout. It did not require these drugs!

 

We live and we learn. Its been a long lesson. 

 

Hope your doing well. 

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Administrator

Hi, Leo.

 

A lot of people find fish oil and magnesium supplements helpful, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hi.

 

I will give them a go. I have them in my cupboard. I tried them in early acute and they blew my socks off. 

 

I will start tomorrow with fish oil. See how i go. If anything its cognition i need back, so fish oil will help. 

 

Then i will introduce magnesium if all goes well. 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
1 hour ago, Leo1983 said:

Im a Psychiatric nurse. It is long hours. Yeh i always think what i was suffering when i went to my GP's was burnout. It did not require these drugs!

 

Leo,

 

It sounds like the stresses and hours of your job were a big factor in starting these drugs and finding yourself in the place you’re in today. To make matters worse, you are having to navigate a work environment that is just as challenging but whilst going through the difficulties of withdrawal.

 

Perhaps try and gently consider any ways that you can reduce your work related stress, your hours etc. 

 

I know how difficult it is when you’re dependent on an income or a job, but the one thing I learnt the hard way was that, if the job is too stressful to be sustainable, you will need to change it eventually, whether you make that decision or it becomes too much for you and you’re forced to. 

 

I persisted with a very demanding role for a long time, trying to work around the fact my health was slowly deteriorating. I was starting to develop IBS, my sleep was slowly becoming less refreshing, I often felt overwhelmed etc. Eventually it caught up with me and I had no choice but to take several weeks out of work. It wasn’t an option by that stage and it made it all the harder to get back on my feet and try to work again.

 

Since then I’ve managed to change to a less stressful role, but found that slowly becoming more difficult until my most recent absence from work. I knew it was too much but I had debts and I was desperate to pay them off. I look back and wish I’d explored alternative options earlier, as it turned out I did actually have other options and which would have saved me

going through what I am now with these drugs. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! 

 

Appreciate your options may be limited for now, but try to keep your mind open for any other potential ways of earning an income. 

PLEASE NOTE:  I am not a medical professional.  I can only provide information and make suggestions.

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  • Administrator

I would introduce magnesium first, at a fraction of a tablet.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hi Eymen.

 

All nurses burnout its part of the demand. I appreciate your advice. 

 

I changed my role early in wd from working in addictions to a more structured ward based job. They have been great with me. 

 

Getting over wd is my priority. Then i will assess my work. 

 

This job will always be demanding...... but so will life! 

 

Take care.

 

 

May 2016 - Aug 2016 - Prozac 20mg

 

March 2017 - June 2017 - Sertraline 100mg. Horrific withdrawal 5 m onths.

 

July 2017 - Aug 2017 - Mirtazapine 15mg. Horrific.

 

August 2017 - December 2017 Fluoxetine 10mg for 2 weeks ghen Escitalopram 20mg for 12 weeks. Never felt normal since this. Or baseline.

 

March 2018 - June 2018 - Escitalopram 5mg for 12 weeks. Stopped and here i am full of symptoms i never had.

 

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