Jonathanmyself Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 i was on 200 mg of seroquel and then tried cold turkeying it for a week. obviously, that didn't work... after that, i was on anywhere between 100 and 175. then i just decided to go back and do a 10% cut and begin at 180... I've been on 180 for almost a week now. Am I fine or did/do I have to reinstate at 200? and if yes, for how long? at first, I felt horrible... now I have some anxiety and some insomnia (feel like it's getting better) but what do I know... Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Gridley Posted September 4, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 4, 2018 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. Please include the dates of your taper, the rate at which you tapered, and whether you did every-other-day dosing. Please keep your signature as simple and easy to read as possible. You have made several dose changes, which is destabilizing to the nervous system. I would suggest you hold where you are, at 180, for several months to let your system stabilize. I would not go all the way back up to 200, since your system has already adapted to some extent to the lower dose. 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. It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain. Gridley Introduction Lexapro 20 mg since 2004. Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017. End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg Oct. 30, 2020 Jump to zero from 0.025mg. Current dose: 0.000mg 3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete. Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium End 2021 year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper. Taper is 95% complete. Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986. Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper. Current dose as of April 1: 6.8mg Taper is 91% complete. Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs. Link to comment
Jonathanmyself Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 (edited) Gridley Im st having trouble sleeping - is that a sign that i should go back up? Edited September 5, 2018 by Gridley Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Gridley Posted September 5, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 5, 2018 Insomnia and difficulty sleeping is a very common withdrawal symptom. I would hold at 180mg and let your system stabilize. It is very tempting to tinker with your dosage to address withdrawal issues, but the most important thing now is to let your system stabilize after all the dose changes. Please don't forget to do your signature. It is very helpful to the moderators. Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. Gridley Introduction Lexapro 20 mg since 2004. Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017. End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg Oct. 30, 2020 Jump to zero from 0.025mg. Current dose: 0.000mg 3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete. Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium End 2021 year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper. Taper is 95% complete. Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986. Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper. Current dose as of April 1: 6.8mg Taper is 91% complete. Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs. Link to comment
Jonathanmyself Posted September 9, 2018 Author Share Posted September 9, 2018 I have high cholesterol bec of seroquel. can I not speed this up? Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted September 9, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 9, 2018 We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why: Why taper by 10% of my dosage? (The general philosophy of gradual tapering) I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Jonathanmyself Posted September 10, 2018 Author Share Posted September 10, 2018 ok. I have been at 180 for 13 days. in 17 days, can I drop another 10 percent? Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Gridley Posted September 10, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 10, 2018 As I suggested earlier, I would hold at 180 for several months to let your system stabilize. The 10% taper Petunia suggested kicks in after those several months of stabilization, not now. If you taper too fast, you can end up having to updose then wait to stabilize from that, all of which which will lengthen, not shorten, your taper. Gridley Introduction Lexapro 20 mg since 2004. Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017. End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg Oct. 30, 2020 Jump to zero from 0.025mg. Current dose: 0.000mg 3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete. Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium End 2021 year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper. Taper is 95% complete. Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986. Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper. Current dose as of April 1: 6.8mg Taper is 91% complete. Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted September 10, 2018 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 10, 2018 Please create your drug signature as previously requested a couple of times. 5 minutes ago, Gridley said: If you taper too fast, you can end up having to updose then wait to stabilize from that, all of which which will lengthen, not shorten, your taper. Keep Notes on PaperRate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and ProgressStabilising - What Does That Mean?Withdrawal Normal Description Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization * 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 Link to comment
Jonathanmyself Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 how many months? this sucks. July 2013 - seroquel 200 mg taper: August 28: 180 mg May 2018 - gabapentin 900 mg taper: Sep 6: 600 mg Link to comment
Jonathanmyself Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 the reason that I'm obsessed with getting off is that I've had high cholesterol for the last 5 years. that causes plaque in your arteries. now wjat if i created irreversible damage? and if i didnt, what if I keep taking it and it eventually does cause irreversible damage? help. Link to comment
Jonathanmyself Posted September 11, 2018 Author Share Posted September 11, 2018 Also, was prescribed 800 mg f gabapentin and have been taking that every night as well for the past 4 months. 6 days ago cut it in 600 mg and have been taking that. is that ok? man I'm a mess. afraid I am facing the hardest 3 years of my life ahead. am too scared and don't wanna go on sometimes. Link to comment
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