Kernol: was doing well on my sertraline taper but now in hell and doc reinstated

[Shep]

5 minutes ago, Kernol said:

 I was just worried that my dropping the lorazepam yesterday and taking only 4mg might have caused last nights issues 

 

It could have, Kernol. This is going to be a very bumpy ride to get you back to some sense of stability after all of these changes. 

 

So it's important that you're able to manage your symptoms without resorting to unpredictable benzo dosing. 

 

Please continue with your drug and symptoms journal. You may need to go up more with the diazepam and the drug and symptoms journal will help guide you in this. 

[Kernol]

here are the last couple of days

 

28/9
9.00am got up and had 1mg lorazepam
10.00am had shower
11.00am did crossword
12.00pm feeling very anxious, tried to sleep
2pm had epsom salt bath
3pm restless, pacing
4pm did some hoovering
5pm watched tv, hard to concentrate as very anxious
7pm deep breathing on bed
8pm took 16mg sertraline, 2.5mg vortioxetine
9pm tried to sleep but restless legs bad
10pm-1am - random memories when trying to sleep causing panic, lots of nerve and skin pain and burning on stomach and back
1am - 5am - in and out of restless sleep

overall burning sensations the same

29/9
8.00am got up and had shower
9.30am took 2mg diazepam
10.00am restless, tried to watch tv
11.00am pacing, anxious, despairing over situation
12.00pm changed bedding, hoovered
1.00pm lay down to try and deep breath and think more positively that each day is a day closer to stabilising
2.00pm took 1mg diazepam, fell asleep and woke up because i was teeth clenching much harder than ever before
3.00pm had epsom salt bath
4.00pm cried to husband
5.00pm wrote my brothers birthday card, tried to distract myself on internet
6.00pm despairing again, tried to calm myself that my brain just needs time to heal and it is all the changes that have caused this and it healed from the massive dose reinstatement they gave me at end of last year, it will just take time
7.00pm took 1mg diazepam
8.00pm feel more positive that I can get through this. Took 16mg sertraline, 2.5mg vortioxetine
9.00pm tried to sleep, as soon as I closed my eyes, rapid images of faces turning to scary creatures, random snippets of memories, strong anxiety
restless legs
11.00pm still havent got off to sleep.
12.00am - as soon as I drifted off, my teeth clenched so hard, much harder than ever before and immediately woke me in a panic.
took mouthguard out, same thing keeps happening throughout the night. No sleep at all. Went to bathroom in night looked at my face, my mouth looked downturned like someone on drugs and my pupils dilated.
2.00am - 7.00am - got up multiple times, so anxious just pacing, too scared to even try and sleep because of the images and the clenching. Scared this will happen every night and I will never be able to sleep again.

[Kernol]

30/9
8.00am got up had shower
9.00am opened laptop checked emails, had to walk around cant sit still, felt a bit paranoid
9.30am took 2mg diazepam
10.00am tiny bit calmer, walked to corner shops, burning not too bad
11.00am tidied around
12.00pm tried to eat sandwich, even got anxiety doing that, nonsensical anxiety, had a panic attack not had full blown panic attack for many months, burning went crazy
12.30pm had a very uncomfortable de ja vu feeling about end of last year, feels like exactly same feelings as when they updosed me
2.00pm took 0.5 diazepam laid down trying to calm myself down, had peaceful sleep for one hour but on waking the face images coming back and random memories
4.00pm had epsom salt bath
4.30pm restless, pacing, feeling of edginess
5.30pm had tea
6.30pm read success stories, messages of hope, felt a bit better,suicidal thoughts less
7.00pm took 2mg diazepam
8.00pm took sertraline 16mg, vortioxetine 2.5mg
9.00pm-12.00am - tried to sleep but restless legs very strong. Anxiety, dread also strong, burning and skin pain bad
12.00am - 7.00am - restless legs better but keep being woken sharply by strong adrenaline rushes through my body repeatedly, teeth clenching bad but not as bad a previous night

[Shep]

For information on restless legs:

 

Non-drug treatments for restless legs

[Kernol]

Thanks @Shep I will try the tonic water tonight. I had a very bad episode of panic and derealisation at lunchtime today and I noted that it is the same time that things got very bad for me yesterday. Is this interdose withdrawal from the diazepam do you think? It was so bad I had to lay down and try and sleep which helped after taking my 1mg of diazepam so thats what is making me wonder.  What can I do about that? I am spacing them the same as I was before I started taking the lorazepam again so maybe it is just still adjusting from not having that but it was really the worst episode I have had of it to date.

[Kernol]

1/10
8.00am got up had shower, very restless pacing and also depressed
9.00am took 2mg diazepam
10.00am depression lifted slightly and panicky restlessness calmed enough I could have a conversation on phone with mother in law
11.30am restlessness back, pacing, panicky, having to do lots of deep breathing. Seems like diazepam only giving me short window of relief
12.30pm derealisation bad, extremely restless, things seemed to ramp up at the same time yesterday. Is this interdose withdrawal?
2.00pm took 1mg diazepam and had a nap, derealisation was better, no faces or images when sleeping
3.00pm still restless
4.00pm had epsom salt bath
5.00pm had dinner
7.00pm took 2mg diazepam
8.00pm went to bed took sertraline 16mg, vortioxetine 2.5mg, drank tonic water
9.00pm - 12.00am - slept not too badly, no restless legs, teeth clenching but not as bad
12.00am - 7.00am - lots of waking with anxiety and panic

[RachelSusan]

On 9/28/2019 at 11:50 PM, Kernol said:

I know you can’t give assurances but in your experience has this happened to anyone else and if I hold at this dose should it settle? I am just very scared because I have read about people never stabilising and I am scared I will stay like this forever? Any hope you can give me??

Hi Kernol,

I read your thread and wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Rachel and in 2016 I went through a withdrawal and a reinstatement that was very similar to yours. My symptoms were the same, the burning skin, brain zaps, insomnia, the electrical shocks and so on.  I want to let you know that yes your experience happened to me and yes I have stabilized. It took a long while with some setbacks along the way but the end result is that I am leading a fairly normal life. I have been tapering the last two years and I am now down just a little over 2mg of Zoloft. 

 

You are getting excellent advice and I am sure they will get your situation sorted out. I can't add anything to your advice but if you find you just need some emotional support I am available for you.

 

I hope you reach stability quickly.

 

[Shep]

23 hours ago, Kernol said:

Is this interdose withdrawal from the diazepam do you think?

 

Diazepam's half-life is extremely long, up to 200 hours (8 days), and you're dosing twice a day, so these symptoms are more likely due all of the recent changes. 

 

4 hours ago, Kernol said:

1/10
9.00am took 2mg diazepam
2.00pm took 1mg diazepam 
7.00pm took 2mg diazepam

 

You've updosed from 4 mg to 4.5 mg and now to 5 mg. This is excellent and it's the best way to updose - start low and work your way up, noting any changes in symptoms. 

 

4 hours ago, Kernol said:

9.00pm - 12.00am - slept not too badly, no restless legs, teeth clenching but not as bad
12.00am - 7.00am - lots of waking with anxiety and panic

 

Although you still had a stressful night, it looks like you're seeing some improvements. 

[Kernol]

2/10

8.00am got up had shower, felt panicky, restless
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, did some work emails
11.00am still restless but put a wash on, tidied around
12.00pm had psychology appt at home
2.00pm took 1mg diazepam, less restless
3.00pm still strong waves of anxiety but not as restless as yesterday?
4.00pm did some more work emails
5.00pm had dinner
6.00pm did some deep breathing had epsom salt bath
7.00pm took 2mg diazepam
8.00pm took 16mg sertraline, vortioxetine 2.5mg
9.00pm went to bed drank tonic water
10.30pm-11.30pm slept a  bit, bit of restless legs
12.00am - 3.00am - waking every ten minutes with extreme anxiety - worse than night before, drowsy so keep falling off to sleep but waking again from the anxiety surges
3.00am - woke in anxiety and had a panic attack with burning all over, had to walk around
3.30am - 7.00am - tried to stay awake because i didnt want the anxiety from falling asleep but drowsy so kept happening, teeth clenching worse than night before
 

hi @Shep as you can see, last night was a bad night. I haven't really experienced this level of anxiety before during the night, I have for the last 10 months had anxiety jolts from cortisol which wake me from 5am but not all night like this and certainly not to this intensity or with panic attacks. I guess it is hard to know whether it is from the sertraline changes or from the messing up I did by taking lorazepam? Is there anything I can do, should I just keep diazepam as it is? I was calmer in myself when I went to bed last night so it was a bit of a shock. I don't think I can stand another night like that tonight.

[Shep]

2 hours ago, Kernol said:

I guess it is hard to know whether it is from the sertraline changes or from the messing up I did by taking lorazepam? Is there anything I can do, should I just keep diazepam as it is? I was calmer in myself when I went to bed last night so it was a bit of a shock. I don't think I can stand another night like that tonight.

 

You're right - it's very hard to know if it's related to the sertraline or the benzo changes. 

 

You may want to hold everything steady for a couple of days. If that doesn't help, possibly move the diazepam up by .5 mg and see if that helps. 

 

Please update your signature to reflect your diazepam changes (including the dates of the recent increases). This will help us keep a visual of your updose. Also, please add the date you stopped the lorazepam. A direct link to your signature is here:

 

Account - Settings - Signature

 

 

[Kernol]

thanks @Shep I have done this now. I also have my period which over the last 8 months of reducing sertraline has caused my anxiety to spike or my mood to get very depressed and sometimes w/d symptoms to get worse such as tingly head etc. It may also be contributing to this - I don't know

[Kernol]

3/10

8.00am got up had shower, depressed, could be period related?
89.00am took 2mg diazepam, tried to do some work
10.00am felt low so tried to sleep as tired, couldnt sleep
11.00am did some work, it was extremely hard to focus as I was in a state of depression
12.00pm very restless, pacing, some SI, some of this is my own fears about recovery I suspect
2.00pm took 1mg diazepam
2.30pm tried to sleep, managed 1 hour, lots of intrusive memories when going off and waking from sleep
4.00pm had epsom salt bath
6.00pm had dinner
7.00pm laid in bed took 2mg diazepam, feel overwhelmed by what is happening to me and the future, SI thoughts, I know this is adding to my anxiety, trying to calm myself that it will stabilise soon
9.00pm tried to sleep
10.00pm fell asleep, no restless legs, not as many flashing images of faces, still intrusive memories strong when falling off to sleep
2.00am-4.00am - woke with anxiety but nowhere near what I experienced the previous night. Teeth clenching still but not as intense as night of 29/9
4.00am - 7.00am - repeated waking in anxiety but this has been fairly typical for last 10 months

 

burning still there on stomach and back and random skin pain, some electric shock sensations but dare I say not as intense

[Kernol]

On 10/2/2019 at 10:28 AM, RachelSusan said:

Hi Kernol,

I read your thread and wanted to introduce myself to you. My name is Rachel and in 2016 I went through a withdrawal and a reinstatement that was very similar to yours. My symptoms were the same, the burning skin, brain zaps, insomnia, the electrical shocks and so on.  I want to let you know that yes your experience happened to me and yes I have stabilized. It took a long while with some setbacks along the way but the end result is that I am leading a fairly normal life. I have been tapering the last two years and I am now down just a little over 2mg of Zoloft. 

 

You are getting excellent advice and I am sure they will get your situation sorted out. I can't add anything to your advice but if you find you just need some emotional support I am available for you.

 

I hope you reach stability quickly.

 

 @RachelSusan thank you so much for reaching out to me and your kind words. It gives me some hope which is what I need right now. I see that most of your w/d symptoms were physical, did you have any emotional ones too? 

[RachelSusan]

Hi Kernol,

 

I had mainly physical symptoms but also with a nice dose of anxiety.

 

I hope you feel better soon.

 

 

[Kernol]

4/10
8.00am got up had shower, panicky, anxious
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, less restless, able to sit more than previous days
10.00am went to corner shop, panicky, noises very loud, everything seemed heightened, felt edgy
11.00am did some work emails, did some housework, anxious but less SI
12.00pm put washing on, feel edgy like a panic attack is coming but it doesnt. Surroundings in my house starting to look familiar, less DR
1.00pm more tidying, window of less intense anxiety
2.00pm - 3.00pm - definitely less DR than normal and less restless
4.00pm - did crossword, able to chat to my mother in law
6.00pm - had dinner
7.00pm - took 2mg diazepam. watched a bit of tv - not much anxiety as I normally would 
8.15pm took 16mg sertraline, 2,5mg vortioxetine
9.00pm - 11.30pm - restless sleep but not due to anxiety just couldnt get to sleep. no restless legs.
12.00am- 3.00am - restless sleep, starting with a cold, teeth clenching same as last few nights
3.00am-6.00am - had some sleep and cortisol not as high on waking. I assume this is because i had a bit of a window yesterday afternoon 

burning on stomach and back and random skin pain about the same

[Kernol]

5/10
8.00am got up had shower
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, bad head cold, no energy, fuzzy head. Feel a bit down as anxiety high again
10.00am - tried to sleep but couldnt due to anxiety and waking in panic, intrusive memories, but not restless (maybe because of the cold?)
11.30am - tried to do crossword, fair amount of anxiety
12.00pm - had a bit of lunch
1.00pm - 3.00pm - tried to lie down on sofa as cold has wiped me out but anxiety keeps coming, still less DR than previously
4.00pm - 6.00pm - TV is on but getting strong anxiety watching it imagining how I would feel in the places on TV, feel very down that I will never be able to go out again or even watch TV without this happening. It has been like this for many months.
7.00pm - took 2mg diazepam, tiny bit calmer
8.00pm - took 16mg sertraline, 2,5mg vortioxetine
9.00pm - tried to sleep, fitful sleep lots of anxiety and depression because of not having a good day - could be related to having the cold? but not restless legs. Still teeth clenching quite bad. standard cortisol rushes on waking.

burning on stomach and back and random skin pain about the same

[Shep]

On 10/5/2019 at 1:23 PM, Kernol said:

3.00am-6.00am - had some sleep and cortisol not as high on waking. I assume this is because i had a bit of a window yesterday afternoon 

 

That's great you had a window. 

 

Question - Did you leave out the afternoon 1mg Valium in your last two journals? On October 4 and 5, you didn't write that you took the 1mg dose like you did on October 1, 2, and 3. 

[Kernol]

Sorry @Shep-  i must have made a mistake - I did have the 1mg on those days as well. 

[Kernol]

6/10
8.00am got up had shower, full of head cold
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, anxiety very high - couldnt even hold a conversation easily, strong anxiety in stomach present all the time
10.00am - tried to lay down, didnt really sleep, intrusive memories, strong anxiety in stomach
11.30am - anxiety still relentless, also feeling down but could also be lack of energy from the cold too
1.00pm - took 1mg diazepam
2.00pm - tried to sleep again, didnt manage to sleep but half awake half asleep
4.00pm - got up, anxiety same intensity, tried to do crossword, had 2 random memories, one of an old dream, one of sitting on a bench with my grandmother, try not to get freaked out by them but they come with a jolt of adrenalin which makes it hard
5.30pm - had some dinner
7.00pm - had 2mg diazepam and laid down again
8.00pm - took 16mg sertraline, 2.5mg vortioxetine
9.00pm - laid awake but feel like maybe the anxiety intensity lessened a bit not quite as strong in my stomach
10.00pm - 7.00am - not a bad sleep, waking frequently but not in panic, no restless legs, still teeth clenching quite bad

 

burning on stomach and random skin pain about the same

[Shep]

3 hours ago, Kernol said:

10.00pm - 7.00am - not a bad sleep, waking frequently but not in panic, no restless legs, still teeth clenching quite bad

 

It looks like your sleep is getting better. Do you feel you are doing better than before the updose? 

[Kernol]

hi @Shep I feel like some things have got better like the restless legs and the panic attacks in the night which could have been caused by me taking the lorazepam prior to that however my mood is very low and my anxiety throughout the day is relentless so that definitely has not improved and I am guessing that might be more to do with the sertraline as I am still having the all the burning sensations etc which I have had on and off throughout the year when I have done a cut but it has now been 5 weeks since i updosed the sertraline and other than Friday afternoon, there has been no improvement in my depression or anxiety and I am unable to go outside as it is just so strong at the moment. What do you think I should do with the sertraline - it seems like any time I go below 25mg things get worse but I don't know for sure of course

[Shep]

6 minutes ago, Kernol said:

What do you think I should do with the sertraline - it seems like any time I go below 25mg things get worse but I don't know for sure of course

 

I would stabilize on the benzo updose for several months before making any more changes. 

 

And once you do restart your sertraline taper, go with an extremely slow micro-taper of no more than 5% a month. Slowing down and doing a micro-taper is likely going to be your best bet. 

 

But again, it's best to stabilize exactly where you are for several months before making any more changes. 

 

[Kernol]

hi @Shep so i should not go up any further at any point on the sertraline or do we just wait and see if it stabilises first at this dose? I also thought that i should always be tapering the benzo every 3-4 weeks or I will get more dependent - is that not right? I am guessing I have to keep the vortioxetine the same as well. Sorry for all the questions, I definitely don't want to do any more tapers on the sertraline for a while, i am just too scared at this point but I would like to try and get down on the other two but obviously i dont want to upset my system further

[Kernol]

7/10
8.00am got up had shower, still got a cold, feel depressed
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, feel very low still. Tried to sleep
11.00am got up- feeling despairing
12.00pm - couldnt eat any lunch
1.00pm - tried to do some work emails, managed it but very hard 
2.00pm - took 1mg diazepam
3.00pm - dad came, couldnt engage in conversation, feeling depressed and anxious
4.00pm - had a very strong anxiety reaction as someone mentioned a restaurant and i tried to imagine being there and it went through me burning in head and very strong chemical anxiety feeling in stomach
5.00pm - so upset about the strong anxiety reaction, went to bed in tears, feeling v desperate
7.00pm - took 2mg diazepam, calmed slightly but not much as the earlier anxiety reaction was so strong it reinforces my fear that i am not stabilising and i dont even know which drug is causing it
8.00pm - took 16mg sertraline, 2.5mg vortioxetine
9.00pm - slept quite well 

burning and skin pain still the same. I am so scared that it has now been 10 weeks of this very strong anxiety and intrusive memories and it is never going to improve and I dont know how much more I can take

[Shep]

20 hours ago, Kernol said:

so i should not go up any further at any point on the sertraline or do we just wait and see if it stabilises first at this dose?

 

1 hour ago, Kernol said:

9.00pm - slept quite well 

 

Your sleep is improving, so I would not updose the sertraline at this point. Hold and stabilize.

 

As your sleep improves, you'll likely see other improvements. 

 

20 hours ago, Kernol said:

I also thought that i should always be tapering the benzo every 3-4 weeks or I will get more dependent - is that not right?

 

This is incorrect. You are already dependent. The benzo will be the LAST drug you'll taper. Please see:

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

Pay careful attention to the terms "accelerators and brakes."  

 

 

20 hours ago, Kernol said:

I am guessing I have to keep the vortioxetine the same as well.

 

Yes, keep this drug the same, as well. 

 

The goal is to hold and stabilize. The fact that you're sleeping well now is an excellent sign that this is happening. 

[Kernol]

thanks @Shep i feel like some of the recent symptoms are definitely settling like the sleep etc which i think maybe were partly to do with the lorazepam as they only occured over the last 2/3 weeks however the symptoms that I have been having for 10 weeks or more are not changing so the intrusive memories with very strong anxiety reactions, burning sensations, skin pain and teeth clenching. I suspect these are more to do with the changing doses of sertraline or possibly the vortioxetine mixed in with it. I know I have to hold everything but I am scared it has been over 5 weeks since the updose in sertraline and they are all still with me. Part of me wonders whether it is to do with having two serotogenic drugs in my system at the same time? I just wish i could reduce the vortioxetine but I know i have to hold. If things dont improve though, would that be the next step- I am just not sure how much longer I can take this?

 

8/10
8.00am got up had shower, still got a cold but not as bad, feel depressed after yesterday
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, feel low but not quite as bad maybe
9.30am - psychology appt - feel quite a lot of dread, doom and fear as going over what has happened over last week
11.00am - able to have a cup of tea and do some work
12.00pm - start to feel a bit panicky, not so much depression and dread more panicky and with it comes the skin pain and burning
1.00pm - tried some deep breathing, able to do conference call (somehow!)
2.00pm - took 1mg diazepam
3.00pm - walked to shop, panicky but not so much doom/dread as usual
4.00pm - did some work, panicky but depression seems to have lifted somewhat. Is this a window of sorts? Maybe the cold virus affected my mood/withdrawals?
5.30pm - had dinner at the table, still edgy but not restless just like on Friday
6.00pm - tried to watch tv series, had intrusive memory of a field from where i used to live, caused a strong anxiety reaction. I tried not to freak out but its so bizarre i had to stop watching programme as couldnt calm down
7.00pm - had 2mg diazepam
8.00pm - went to bed, dark outside, thinking of going out in the dark made me have a strong anxiety reaction, along with skin burning and pain. Fear I will never be able to live a normal life again. Try to tell myself it will pass
9.00pm - slept ok, couple of nightmares but nothing too bad, woke at 5am with cortisol rushes

[Kernol]

hi @Altostrata @Shep I am looking for your advice. I just received a letter from my psychiatrist who has said they do not believe and nor does my GP that my symptoms are related to withdrawal - no real surprise there but they also write "As you informed me you are taking Sertraline 16mg a day which is not a therapeutic dose and also when you crush the tablets its loses its therapeutic efficacy and the side effects you informed me about are unlikely to be withdrawal effects from Sertraline"

 

is this true about crushing the tablets means they lose their efficacy? I have never heard this before but its really worried me?

[Shep]

1 hour ago, Kernol said:

6.00pm - tried to watch tv series, had intrusive memory of a field from where i used to live, caused a strong anxiety reaction. I tried not to freak out but its so bizarre i had to stop watching programme as couldnt calm down

 

You may want to read some of the information on handling these kinds of intrusive thoughts and memories. 

 

Withdrawal causing intrusive or repetitive thoughts, rumination, and increased panic?

 

Dealing With Emotional Spirals

 

"Change the channel" -- dealing with cognitive symptoms

 

Just taking a few minutes to breathe can also be very helpful:

 

The Breathing Space by Jon Kabat Zinn video (4 minutes)

 

58 minutes ago, Kernol said:

I am looking for your advice. I just received a letter from my psychiatrist who has said they do not believe and nor does my GP that my symptoms are related to withdrawal - no real surprise there but they also write "As you informed me you are taking Sertraline 16mg a day which is not a therapeutic dose and also when you crush the tablets its loses its therapeutic efficacy and the side effects you informed me about are unlikely to be withdrawal effects from Sertraline"

 

is this true about crushing the tablets means they lose their efficacy? I have never heard this before but its really worried me?

 

Please don't be alarmed. The only pills we don't recommend crushing are those that are extended-release because crushing it dumps all of the drug in your body at one time. So many people switch from extended-release versions to regular versions of their pill before tapering. For more, please see:

 

Which tablets or pills may be split or crushed?

 

The term "therapeutic dose" is really meaningless when it comes to these drugs. This is determined by the drug companies whose main goal is selling more drugs. Since your serotonin isn't measured before you take a drug meant to increase serotonin, how would you really be able to determine what is therapeutic? What you're looking for is the lowest dose to handle withdrawal symptoms as you taper off. 

 

Unfortunately, your doctor is not very well informed, but like you wisely write, "no real surprise there." 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

Please direct your doctor to read

 

 

 

from RC Psychiatry. It addresses withdrawal syndrome and tapering. "Therapeutic dose" is irrelevant.

[Kernol]

Thanks @Shep for the reassurance on the crushing and thanks @Altostrata for the document. I will send to them with a letter. I have been called delusional, my GP told me I had a pathological obsession with Sertraline, nobody believes me and it just makes things so much harder when you feel so alone in this - thank you for everything you are doing

[Altostrata]

You need to go through the bureaucracy and get another doctor.

[Kernol]

9/10
8.00am got up and had shower
9.00am took 2mg diazepam, not as depressed but getting intrusive memory anxiety
10.00am - did some work emails, intrusive memories quite strong 
11.00am - burning and skin pain seem bad today, and lots of marks on my skin from my clothes (have had this before when tapering sertraline down) feel anxious not panicky like yesterday just strong anxious stomach sensation when thinking about going anywhere
12.00pm - had sandwich
1.00pm - still lots of anxiety even when dad is just mentioning something about going to the gym, imagining the gym in my old home town brings on strong reaction and burning - try not to get too upset. Tell myself it is temporary
2.00pm - take 1mg diazepam trying to concentrate on work but mind is wandering and intrusive images coming of random places which spark anxiety. trying to use change the channel as suggested. i just want it to stop
3.00pm - talk to my boss, I tell him its Friday, then I realise it is only Wednesday - my confusion scares me I dont even know what day it is
4.00pm - bit restless now, pacing a bit, not really a good day today, feel a bit hopeless that I wont ever be able to think normally again without these nonsensical anxiety reactions. trying to tell myself it is going to heal but it has been so long now
5.00pm - intrusive memories of random shops I havent been to in decades with a shot of fear - feel like my brain is broken. Try to calm myself that I can handle it
6.00pm - ate some dinner
7.00pm - took 2mg diazepam, tried to distract myself playing a quiz
8.00pm - took 16mg sertraline, 2.5mg vortioxetine
9.00pm - lots of intrusive memory images, managed to sleep but teeth clenching was very strong and on waking again lots of memories and feeling desperate

 

I wish I knew which drug was causing these intrusive memories and the extreme anxiety over nothing, anything, everything. I am getting really desperate now that this is never going to go away.

Should the sertraline withdrawal symptoms like the burning and skin pain not be getting better after 5.5 weeks of same dose? After tapers before they tended to go away after a 3-4 weeks but maybe it is because I downed and then upped it and we are at the lower dose range now?

I just don't know how much longer I can stand the anxiety and the intrusive memories, I can handle all the other stuff but this is so distressing and I try and change the channel, try and tell myself it won't last forever but it has been over 10 weeks and they seem to be coming much more frequently over the last week. I just don't know what to do
 
 

[Altostrata]

On 9/24/2019 at 10:59 AM, Kernol said:

hi there

 

what should I do with my vortioxetine do you think? I don’t want to rock the boat now I have destabilised on sertraline but also I don’t want to be on vortioxetine much longer as been on it 12 weeks now and it’s not working. I reduced to 2.5mg from 3.75mg a week ago. 
 

The skin burning and skin pain are very bad today, is it normal to get worse 3 weeks into an up dose of the sertraline - I am so scared of what is happening??

 

thanks 

 

Given your prior adverse reaction to vortioxetine, it's very possible that's causing the activation at night  leading you to grind your teeth. There might also be drug-drug interactions with sertraline and diazepam.

 

Please put ALL your drugs in the interactions checker here https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html and copy and paste the report or a link to it in this topic.

 

Earlier, we discussed separating your sertraline and vortioxetine doses. I don't recall what happened?

[Kernol]

Interactions between your drugs

Major

sertraline  vortioxetine

Applies to: sertraline, vortioxetine

Using sertraline together with vortioxetine can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Minor

diazePAM  sertraline

Applies to: diazepam, sertraline

Consumer information for this minor interaction is not currently available. Some minor drug interactions may not be clinically relevant in all patients. Minor drug interactions do not usually cause harm or require a change in therapy. However, your healthcare provider can determine if adjustments to your medications are needed.

For clinical details see professional interaction data.

No other interactions were found between your selected drugs. Th

[Kernol]

hi @AltostrataI havent split them I take them both at night. I have reduced the vortioxetine down to 2.5mg on 19 September

[Altostrata]

My guess is the vortioxetine and sertraline are interacting and magnifying adverse effects of vortioxetine. If you separate them, this may be lessened.

 

If @Shep agrees (relative to your diazepam dosing),  you could move the vortioxetine dose earlier by an hour a day to separate them, as I explained before. Please keep daily notes while you do this.

 

fyi Vortioxetine has a long half-life of 66 hours.