roasten: discontinuation symptoms - Wellbutrin

[roasten]

Hi all, I have been on antidepressants most of my adult life, approximately 20 years. I started out on Zoloft and took 50mg for many years before switching to 100mg. It stopped working for me and I was moved to Wellbutrin a little two years ago. I took 150mg of Xl for about a year and a half, then was switched to 300mg xl. Unfortunately, I had a terrible seizure on the Wellbutrin and was told to stop taking it. My doctor knew nothing about the importance of tapering. I believe I was on 150mg for a couple of weeks, then just stopped. I have been off Wellbutrin since the middle of May. I didn't realize the symptoms I was having were related to withdrawal. I had extreme brain fog, zaps, misuse of words, pin and needles, dizziness, shortness of breath, paranoia, extreme anxiety, and exhaustion. My doctor did not consider that all of this was due to discontinuing Wellbutrin and ran me through a series of tests including an MRI of the brain, MRS of the brain, sonogram of the abdomen, etc. Nothing was found. I thought it was possibly a b12 deficiency, but those tests came back normal too. I didn't even consider the Wellbutrin until I had been off of it for about a month. When I questioned her about it and canceled the spinal tap she ordered for me, she quit speaking to me. My withdrawal symptoms were all but gone by the mid to late July, but last week my dizzy spells and coughing--breathlessness have returned and I'm not sure what to do. I'm looking for advice. It's interesting to note that I have not been at all depressed and was much "crazier" when I was on antidepressants. I feel like I was robbed of a good chunk of my life.

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, roasten.

 

I am sorry your GP had to learn about drug side effects and withdrawal through your problems. Since she stopped speaking to you after discovering her dumb error, I hope you found another doctor. (Doctors of osteopathy or D.O.s tend to be more careful about drugs.)

 

It's a good sign most of your symptoms have disappeared. Since you had an adverse reaction to Wellbutrin, you might try fish oil and magnesium supplements, 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/

 

It's possible this will help resolve your remaining withdrawal syndrome. A lot of people find them helpful. Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

After going on and off drugs, having adverse effects and withdrawal syndrome, you should assume your nervous system is vulnerable and treat it very gently, avoiding alcohol and other drugs. You are probably hypersensitive to drugs and possibly supplements and even foods.

 

See What is withdrawal syndrome?
 
The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

[roasten]

Thanks for your response. It's good to know waves are normal.

 

1. Would it be worth getting on a different antidepressant to wean from or should I just deal with the waves? The waves feel like there is no oxygen getting to my brain. I get pretty faint. I have been free of the symptoms for about 5 days.

2. Do you know if I'm at risk for more seizures? Mine was really scary. It was a temporal lobe seizure that lasted about 1.5 hours. I had multiple seizures, one after the next. I had some out of body experiences, hallucinations, amnesia, fear of death--I was certain I was going to die. I wonder if this was mixed with psychosis. I've never behaved that way before. I'm hoping it was a one-time toxicology issue. I took a 300 mg xl at night and another in the morning. I was not advised that the drugs needed to be spaced 24 hours apart. I'm also a small person and probably shouldn't have been on a dose that high. I weigh about 110 pounds.

3. Are we aware of any long term adverse effects from antidepressant use? I'm wondering if I should be able to expect a normal life expectancy or if this drug use has cut years off my life. I eat a very healthy plant based diet and try to take good care of myself. I'm extremely tired though and have no energy. I have an active form of the Epstein-Barr virus in my system and need to see if I can have that addressed. 

4. I have been taking fish oil. I found information about that on another forum. I also take vitamin c, vitamin d, vitamin b-12 (once a week), urinary probiotics, turmeric, and just added magnesium per your recommendation.

5. I do not have a doctor I can trust. Is there a recommended list on this site? I live in Dallas.

[roasten]

I’m having some new symptoms and am not sure if they’re related or not. My back has been pretty achy and my head is hurting. I have even pretty lethargic for about a week. This has been an uphill battle.