regan222

[regan222]

I am trying to get off all prescription meds. I currently am on 10mg Prozac daily, 10mg Adderall twice daily, .25 mg Klonopin (Clonazapam) nightly for sleep. I also am just officially in menopause. Prozac was prescribed for PMS, Klonopin was prescribed for sleeping (after I was taking Ambien off and on), Adderall for ADHD. I have incredible brain fog on these medications and significant memory loss-- a bit terrifying. I tried every other day for Prozac for a month, than every third day for a week, than didn't take it for a week. Became extremely depressed, weepy, more memory probs and brain fog and anxiety. If I skip a night of Klonopin, I get very anxious. If I don't take the Adderall, I have no motivation, focus and can't complete a sentence, and become VERY anxious- adderall actually helps with my anxiety. I have a family to take care of and cannot be completely incapacitated with withdrawal.  Any help appreciated.

[Shep]

Hi, Regan.

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. 

 

Please take your drugs every day consistently. The every-other-day dosing is causing problems. I think once you are more consistent, you'll feel better and then can set up a safe and careful taper. The memory problems are temporary and are likely a mix of side effects and withdrawal from the every-other-day dosing. 

 

You are on a mix of what we call "accelerators and brakes", meaning you have stimulating drugs (Prozac and Adderall) and a sedating drug (Klonopin). The best way to taper is to come off the stimulating drugs first so that your sleep is preserved. For more, please see:

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

You likely will need to taper the Adderall first. Please see:

 

Tips for tapering off amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall) 

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

What is withdrawal syndrome? 

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

You may find some helpful information to handle your symptoms here: 

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements, as many members report their nervous systems are simply too fragile to handle them. However, magnesium and fish oil tend to be calming to the nervous system and many people report they do help. Please only add in one supplement at a time and at a small dose. For more, please see:

 

 King of supplements: Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker

 

Please continue to use this thread to document your taper and to ask questions. 

 

[regan222]

Thanks, Shep. I will follow this good advice.

 

[WiggleIt]

Hello regan22,

I must agree with Shep about not skipping days.  Slow and steady wins the race, both in Aesop's fables and with psych med tapering.  I was unfortunately told by my former doctors that I could skip days on benzos and I was unaware at how many problems it was causing for me.  Luckily, you've found this site on time to avoid those pitfalls.  

I've been off all psych meds for just over four years now, and I'm SO improved!  Even with the mistakes in my past of skipping days, I've healed with time.  Shep gave you great links, and please follow up here when you have questions or need support!  

[Carmie]

Hi Regan, 

 

I just wanted to welcome you to SA as well. I’m glad you’re going to listen to the advice of not skipping doses. Our brains really don’t like that all. 

 

How have you been doing? I’m sorry you’ve been depressed and weepy. We have all gone through this, I’m sure we could make up our own lake with the tears people have shed on this site. 

 

Don’t despair though, we all eventually recover, it’s just a long, slow process. Every day though is a day closer to healing though. 

 

Do you have some good distractions when when you’re going through bad waves? I’ve always found distracting myself was the best thing for me. I distract myself whether my symptoms are really ramped up or I am totally anhedonic. 

 

Wishing you all the best in your recovery 💚

 

 

[regan222]

Thanks Wiglet and Carmie! I appreciate your support and advice. Exercise used to be a staple in my armory for coping. However, now whenever I do cardio, I become extremely anxious and sad for about 30 mins and then I feel better. It's very bizarre. Trying to meditate and do yoga. The anxiety is a bit overwhelming. I'm also newly taking bio-identical hormones, so this makes it hard to know what is causing what. 

[Carmie]

Hi Regan, 

 

How are you doing?💚

[regan222]

Hi- I believe I've read through this entirely (mod note: post moved from the Tips for Tapering Pristiq topic). I am trying to taper off 25 Pristiq. My compounding pharmacist suggested alternating days with Pristiq and then Venlafaxine. I was previously on 10 mg of Prozac for 15 years. A new psychiatrist put me on 15mg of L-methylfolate along with 50 Pristiq in November and removed Prozac. After 2 months I went up to 100 Pristiq for a week and hated it and have now been on 25 for 1 month. Because it has been such a short time, I'm thinking maybe going back on Prozac as a bridge is a good idea. How long do folks suggest I stay on the Prozac before stopping the Pristiq?

Thanks!

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by ChessieCat
added mod note

[ChessieCat]

I've moved your post to your Introduction topic so that your history is all in one place.

 

Please update your drug signature.  We need to be able to see your complete history at a glance and Pristiq is not mentioned at all.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

 

5 hours ago, regan222 said:

50 Pristiq in November and removed Prozac. After 2 months I went up to 100 Pristiq for a week and hated it and have now been on 25 for 1 month. Because it has been such a short time

 

The brain fully adapts to a drug in about 1 month.  You have now been on Pristiq for about 5 month.  If you are not having any MAJOR issues with Pristiq I think it would be better to taper the Pristiq.  Pristiq can be compounded.  My compounding pharmacist is able to make 0.125mg capsules and adds extended release formula.  And I've recently discovered that the contents of a compounded capsule can be made into liquid so that I can reduce by no more than 10% and do not have to work my reductions around the lowest dose of 0.125mg, which up until recently that is what I was having to do.

 

Please be aware that the effect of changing doses and drugs has a cumulative effect and what worked previously might not work the same way in the future.  It is not like switching between taking paracetomol, ibuprofen or asprin.

 

If a compounder says they cannot compound Pristiq I suggest that you do the following.  I have been in contact with the American compounding centre by email and they told me that Pristiq can be compounded, even though USA members have had compounders tell them that it cannot.

 

On 11/12/2011 at 6:53 AM, Altostrata said:

MOD NOTE:  If you cannot find a pharmacist who will compound your drug I suggest you contact the main compounding association in your country and ask them if your drug can be compounded and if it can, to advise you of a pharmacy who can do the compounding for you.  Or you could ask the compounding pharmacy to contact the compounding association.

 

PCCA - Professional Compounding Centers of America (includes:  Bahamas, Canada, US, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Malaysia)

 

Please note that once you are taking all capsules you will need to dose 2 times a day because the half life of desvenlafaxine when it is no longer in tablet form is 11 hours.

 

I definitely would not be alternating the 2 drugs.  Nobody knows what the equivalency is between the desvenlafaxine and venlafaxine so you will not know if you are taking the same dose every day.  The brain likes consistency and it is very important to take the same dose every day.

 

Doing a bridge to Prozac is an option, as is switching to venlafaxine.  That is a decision that only you can make.  If you do decide to make a switch I suggest that you ask your doctor what his complete plan is for the bridge BEFORE you start doing it.  Something you might consider if you are thinking about going back to Prozac is to try to remember how you felt on Prozac and why you decided to stop it.

 

One thing to be aware of is that Prozac has a very long half life as explained in Post #1 of this topic.  It is important to not take too high a dose and/or increase too quickly because if issues arise from the Prozac it can take a week or more to show up and if the dose is reduced, it will take a week or more for things to settle.  However sometimes if a person takes too high a dose and then reduces they might not return to the same way they were before the issues happened because the nervous system can sometimes become senstised or destabilised.

 

Tips for tapering off fluoxetine (Prozac)

 

The Prozac switch or "bridging" with fluoxetine

 

Tips for tapering off venlafaxine (Effexor)

 

and I will put the link here so you have it handy:

 

Tips for tapering off desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)

[regan222]

Thank you  for all of this info, I really appreciate it.  I will call compounding centers on Monday. I want to taper off Pristiq before it's even more difficult. Then I will work on Adderall and then Klonopin. 

[ChessieCat]

Just in case you have not seen this:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

[Altostrata]

On 4/9/2021 at 10:45 AM, regan222 said:

Hi- I believe I've read through this entirely (mod note: post moved from the Tips for Tapering Pristiq topic). I am trying to taper off 25 Pristiq. My compounding pharmacist suggested alternating days with Pristiq and then Venlafaxine. I was previously on 10 mg of Prozac for 15 years. A new psychiatrist put me on 15mg of L-methylfolate along with 50 Pristiq in November and removed Prozac. After 2 months I went up to 100 Pristiq for a week and hated it and have now been on 25 for 1 month. Because it has been such a short time, I'm thinking maybe going back on Prozac as a bridge is a good idea. How long do folks suggest I stay on the Prozac before stopping the Pristiq?

Thanks!

 

 

Hello, Regan. What happened when you dropped the Prozac in November? 

 

How do you feel now, on 25mg Pristiq? How did you reduce from 100mg Pristiq to 25mg? Did your symptom pattern change as you reduced it? How did it change?

[regan222]

Hi- When dropped the Prozac I felt a bit blue and more anxious. The doctor I was using was awful. He told me to stop taking the Prozac and forgot to call in the Pristiq. It took a week of me badgering him to call it in. I feel exactly the same on the 25mg of Pristiq as I did before I took it at all-- low grade depression mixed with anxiety, brain fog (may be menopause related) and periods of deeper depression. I only took 100mg of Pristiq for 6 days, and felt more anxious (and I really wanted to eventually get off this medication, so I wasn't thrilled to increase the dose). So going back down to 50mg was easy-- no withdrawal symptoms at all. When I went down from 50 to 25, I had a week or two of brain zaps, a bit more anxiety. The anxiety and depression is still there. But I really want to get off all of these so my functional dr. can work with me on my bio-identical hormones (which I don't want to mess with until I'm off the meds). The only thing that has helped me at all the past few years is the Adderall- but I've read that long-term use of stimulants can cause memory loss and I don't like the feeling when they wear off at the end of the day. 

 

Sorry if this is too much info

Kim

[Altostrata]

You've been taking 25mg Pristiq for about 3 weeks. How do you feel now compared to the last week of March? Has your symptom pattern changed? When did you last have brain zaps?

[regan222]

I feel the same as I did before I lowered it, now. The brain zaps only lasted a few days. I think coming off the 10mg of Prozac was harder, frankly. Even though I had started the Pristiq. I do still have some brain buzz-- not the same as fog-- more like a light buzzing feeling -- hard to describe, but I barely notice it. 

I guess I also have a slightly higher level of anxiety. But the thought of staying on this medication and then having an even harder time getting off of it later does not appeal to me. I'd really like to get off all of the meds in  a way that is not too debilitating. I left the psychiatrist who was quite terrible and am working with my functional doctor. She is very open to how I want to taper, however, she has no experience herself with this.

[ChessieCat]

19 minutes ago, regan222 said:

She is very open to how I want to taper, however, she has no experience herself with this.

 

I suggest that you ask her to check out the Surviving Antidepressant website.

[regan222]

Hi again-

So my doctor's plan is for me to switch from 25mg of Pristiq to 37.5 mg of Venlafaxine (Effexor) twice daily (not extended release). After a week, if I feel ok, then I will taper to 25 Effexor 2x day. Then after 2 weeks, reduce to 12.5 Effexor 2 x day. I've also read that reducing the evening dose only at first may be a smoother way to go.

 

What do you think?

 

Thanks!

[Altostrata]

We would consider that a fast taper. Please read this again Tips for tapering off desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)

 

[ChessieCat]

5 hours ago, regan222 said:

reduce to 12.5 Effexor 2 x day. I've also read that reducing the evening dose only at first may be a smoother way to go.

 

Because of the following you would need to reduce each dose equally:

 

This quote is from Post #1 of tips-for-tapering-off-effexor-and-effexor-xr-venlafaxine/

  

On 5/6/2011 at 1:01 PM, Altostrata said:

Taper by cutting up immediate-release venlafaxine tablets
Regular Effexor tablets come in 25mg, 37.5mg, 50mg, 75mg, and 100mg doses. People taking regular Effexor taper by cutting up the tablets with a pill splitter. It's a good idea to keep the pieces you don't use in a clean pill bottle labeled with the dosage for future use.

 

Because its half-life is so short, immediate-release venlafaxine is taken 2 or 3 times a day.