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Dreamspinner


Dreamspinner

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I just found this site through an article on a grassroots movement to help people taper their way off of antidepressants. I've been on meds off and on for some 39 years, running the gamut from Tofranil (caused hypomania) to a range of SSRIs and others. I currently take Cymbalta 40 mg. daily for depression and fibromyalgia, Wellbutrin 150 in an effort to both treat depression and to lose weight, and Trazodone 100 mg at night to help me sleep. When I've tried to slowly taper the Cymbalta, I found that along with other unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, my fibro pain cranked up. If I miss a dose for so much as half a day, the pain gets worse. Cutting down Trazodone keeps me from sleeping-heaven help me  if I miss taking it completely. Cutting back the Wellbutrin, the most recent of my meds, simply makes me feel lousy. That one no longer helps control my appetite, having been on it for maybe a year or so, and when I took it alone in the past, the antidepressant effect seemed to fail over time. Now might or might not be the best time for me to start tapering off of much, as I'm five weeks out from a total knee replacement and dealing with bilateral SI joint pain, as well as seasonal depression, situational depression (related to the recent pain and mobility issues), or both, but I'm tired of the emotional flatness and loss of creativity, not to mention total loss of libido and any interest in my husband. I recently decided to learn to draw and paint, and found that I'm not half bad at these. Sadly, the creativity that's always been one of my defining characteristics is so blunted that I have a hard time producing anything that's interesting enough to look at, much less work on. I see a mental health ARNP every three months, I think the next visit being in February, and would like to be able to work with him in tapering meds, but feel I need a lot more information before I approach the subject. I'm also a retired RN, so I have some rudimentary knowledge of meds biology. Thanks for letting me join this forum. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

 

Welcome to SA, Dreamspinner.

 

To start, in order give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature.   Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 
  •  Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
  • Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
  • Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
  • A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
  • This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.  Some members have to go more slowly.

 

 

 
 
We advise tapering only one drug at a time.  Otherwise, if a problem comes up, you won't know which taper is causing it.  We recommend tapering the more activating drug first, leaving the more sedating drug(s) until later to act as a buffer to help alleviate any withdrawal symptoms that may come up.  
 
 
Wellbutrin is a very activating drug, and I would recommend that it would be the first drug to taper.
 
 
You might consider waiting until after your knee surgery, which will be a stressful event, before beginning your taper.  
 
Please be aware that doctors, including psychiatrists, know very little about tapering and will invariably recommend a taper that is much too fast and can leave you with some very unpleasant and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms.
 
 
Doctors generally don't believe in withdrawal from antidepressants or that is very short.  Unfortunately, we have learned that they are wrong.
 
 
This is your introductory topic where you can ask questions and post updates.

 

 

 

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 Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, 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.

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  • 3 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Dreamspinner, 

 

How are you doing?💚

Been on APs, benzos, ADs and opiates, for chronic pain. Had Akathisia in the past that made me suicidal. Still on Seroquel. 2019:➡️ March10=7.25mg ✔️ April17=7.0✔️ June5=6.75✔️ July14=6.50✔️ Aug28=6.25✔️ Oct10=6.20  ✔️ Oct21=6.0✔️ Dec16=5.80 ✔️ 2020➡️ Jan 21=5.60 ✔️ April2=5.40 ✔️ May29=5.20 ✔️ Aug14= 5.0 ✔️Sep29=4.80✔️2021➡️ Jan31=4.60 mg✔️ April24=4.40mg✔️Jul17=4.30mg ✔️ Aug 28=4.20 ✔️ Oct 11=4.15✔️Nov1=4.10 ✔️ Nov21= 4.05✔️ Dec13= 4mg ✔️2022 ➡️ Jan8=3.95✔️ Jan31=3.90✔️ March2=3.85 ✔️ April4=3.80 ✔️ June16=3.75✔️ July26=3.70✔️ Sep2=3.65✔️ Oct21=3.60 ✔️ Dec8=3.55✔️2023➡️ Jan 26=3.50✔️ March 17=3.45✔️ June12=3.40✔️ July30=3.35✔️ Sep14=3.30✔️ Oct31=3.25✔️This is NOT medical advice.Consult your doctor.

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