Hannahe: Leean's daughter - tapered Wellbutrin now on Buspar

[Leean]

Topic title:  Welbutrin use for 10 years have done with tapering but awful things happening almost 2 months still

 

My daughter has been in and out of er spent a week in the mental ward. Since getting off these meds we are at a dead end she is a awful mess. She was put on buspar 2 weeks ago to help cope , any insight any help would be so welcome at this point.

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

Hi Leean and welcome to SA,

 

I'm really sorry for the reason you have joined SA, but I'm really pleased that you have found the site.

 

To get you started we need your daughter's drug history.

 

Please create your drug signature using the following format.   Keep it simple.  NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you.

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

 

I have asked the other mods for their assistance.  Once we have the drug history we will be better able to offer suggestions.

 

This is your own introductions topic where your can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[ChessieCat]

It would also be helpful if you could list your daughter's symptoms before she started the Buspar and also after she commenced the Buspar.

[WiggleIt]

Dear Leean,

In addition to the reference list Chessie asked you to write in the medication signature, please reply with some more detail to the questions below:

1.) You said your daughter tapered, but what we've seen on SA is that doctors (and pharma companies' instructions) tell patients to taper too fast or to go down in doses that are too big.  Sometimes we think we've tapered safely, but we actually haven't.  What was your daughter's tapering schedule?

2.) Does your daughter live with you?

3.) What was done to her or given to her at the mental ward?  Was that when the buspar was prescribed? (And please don't forget to answer Chessie's Q about your daughter's symptoms before and after buspar.)

As a daughter myself who was nursed back to health by my parents after ADs damaged me, I want you to know that there is hope for your daughter.  Please follow the link that Chessie gave you above to fill out a medication list for your daughter, then please write a reply on this thread for the additional Qs we asked.

Warmest,
Wiggle



 

[Leean]

On 3/6/2019 at 3:08 PM, ChessieCat said:

dates

Wellbutrin Xl 150 for past 10 yrs along with zoloft 150 for 10 years.

[Leean]

 I appologise I misspoke. Hannah started having panic attacks 3 yrs ago, a few months ago,  she decided to cut welbutrin thinking this might be the cause, along with feeling numb no emotion. She was told by 3 doctors to do this 3 different ways. One cold Turkey  another cut them and another to go up on dose then start to taper. She went cold turkey. Was so sick for a month, then added it back and cut it in half,  still very sick all the while in and out of er.  Everyone telling her there are no withdrawl from this.They finally sent her to mental ward,  who again stopped her cold turkey, but added buspar  50mg, 2 times a day. She is now home very sick , weaning herself off the buspar. She is very scared of everything she is reading, since she feels she needs to do her own research. She is and has been having numbness, nausea, blurry vision joint soreness and overall just very ill. Her goal is to get off everything if she can for good. Symptoms before and after buspar was all of above except for the blurry vision which started after. She has also lost 15 lbs +.

 

[Altostrata]

Hello, Leean. What drugs is Hannah taking now, at what time of day? Has she been taking 150mg Zoloft consistently all along? If she skipped any Zoloft doses, that could have caused those panic attacks or added to her withdrawal symptoms.

 

Did she have a bad reaction to the Buspar? If not, I would stop tapering it for now, drug changes confuse the nervous system more. Her nervous system has to settle down from the earlier changes.

 

It would be best if Hannah joined this site, because we need to ask details about her symptoms.

 

 

[Hannahe]

Hi I’m Hannah Leeans daughter. I’ve been on Wellbutrin (bupropion) and Zoloft together for ten years. 150 xl burpropion and 100 mg Zoloft. I cut my Zoloft in half probably 7 months ago without a problem so I have been taking 50 mg of that. Doctor told me I could just stop taking Wellbutrin and so I did and ended up in the Er. I went to see my family doctor who put me back on it and I had a reaction, ended up in the psych ward and they cold turkeyed me off it again and added 10 mg buspar twice a day to go with my Zoloft. I’ve been on buspar a month now, but weaning down. I’m on 50 mg of Zoloft and currently 2.5 of buspar twice a day. I was cutting once a week, but I don’t know when I should cut again. My withdrawals are not subsiding, only seems to be getting worse. I’m extremely scared and my mom can only handle so much. 

[Altostrata]

Hello, Hannah. What effect do you feel from the Buspar? How have your withdrawal symptoms gotten worse?

 

What times of day do you take your drugs, with their dosages? How's your sleep?

[Hannahe]

I take the Zoloft and buspar in the morning and I take the buspar at night. 10 am and 10 pm. I’ve noticed I am more light headed, anxious and I feel out of breath. 

[Hannahe]

My sleep has been steady. I wake up around four most mornings with stomach pain, feelings of doom and nausea. I feel like the sleep is starting to get worse since I cut from 5mg to 2.5mg with the buspar. I just don’t want the buspar anymore... the less drugs the better. I’ve been on it a month. 

[Altostrata]

We see those early-morning symptoms a lot. It's your normal cortisol cycle peaking Waking with panic or anxiety -- managing cortisol spikes

 

Cortisol is the daytime hormone. It is triggered by early morning light from the sun. You may be able to reduce this by using a sleep mask to block out the light, plus blackout curtains and shades in your bedroom. Soft music might keep your system calmer, too. See

 

Tips to help sleep -- so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

Music for self-care: Calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

 

Withdrawal dialogues & encouragement

 

 

If I were you, I'd drop the morning Buspar and take 5mg at night only.

 

Please keep daily notes of times of day you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms. You can post them in this topic with a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom, drug and dosage) on the right. Post your notes here in your Intro topic.

 

This will help us see what the Zoloft is doing after you take it at 10 a.m.

[Hannahe]

Would it be bad to try and cut down or take the buspar every other day starting in two weeks and then stop taking it? Or do you think that could make everything worse? I really don’t want to become dependent on it. 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Hannahe and welcome to SA from me too.

 

Skipping days is not recommended.  The brain likes consistency.

 

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2014 at 10:00 AM, Altostrata said:

3.a. Do not suddenly quit taking your drugs. Do not skip doses to taper. These big, fast changes are the opposite of providing stability for your nervous system. Skipping doses causes the amount of the drug in your bloodstream to go up and down. Do not do this for any psychiatric drug.  See this graph which compares skipping days vs daily dosing.

 

[Hannahe]

Thank you ChessieCat. If I just cut down until I’m off should I be okay then? Maybe in a couple weeks cut down once more if my symptoms are starting to stabilize? Or would that be to rough on my nervous system since I am already in withdrawl? 

[Altostrata]

Hannah, if you feel safer, you can cut the morning Buspar by quarters of a tablet every few days until you're off it. Be sure to keep daily notes throughout the process and post them here.

 

I'd continue the 5mg Buspar at night, though.

 

It may take some time for your symptoms to stabilize, be patient and breathe through them. See

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization 

 

"Is it always going to be like this?"

 

Withdrawal dialogues & encouragement

 

Easing your way into meditation for a stressed-out nervous system

 

Music for self-care: calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

[ChessieCat]

Example:

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomach is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep

[Hannahe]

Thank you both. I will try to write down my symptoms and post them on here. 

[Hannahe]

I’m 25... do you guys think I will heal fully from this? And also become stable enough to get off the Zoloft eventually? I want a future, I really do. I did read that most people heal and the majority of symptoms go away after however long. Will my body always be sensitive to medication? 

[Hannahe]

Also I know the only two supplements you guys recommend are fish oil and magnesium. I noticed a lot of fish oil has vitamin D and I have also read that vitamin D exacerbates withdrawl symptoms. Should I be looking for fish oil that doesn’t have it? 

[Hannahe]

I always seem to feel like I’m going to pass out when I walk around. Is that likely? 

[Hannahe]

im terrified this will get worse in three months. Since I was CTed. Is it inevitable? 

[Hannahe]

Topic title:  Has anyone recovered from long term use that started as a preteen/teenager? Before the brain was fully developed?

 

I’ve been on Wellbutrin and Zoloft together since I was about 15 and was on Prozac prior and I started taking that at about age 13. Has anyone here been on antidepressants long term since they were in their young teens and recovered? I’m so afraid I won’t recover due to my brain not even being fully developed. 

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[Altostrata]

Hannah, we have people here who have been on antidepressants for decades. Please don't worry, you'll be okay. Be patient, it will take a while before you feel better.

 

On 3/18/2019 at 2:23 PM, Hannahe said:

Also I know the only two supplements you guys recommend are fish oil and magnesium. I noticed a lot of fish oil has vitamin D and I have also read that vitamin D exacerbates withdrawl symptoms. Should I be looking for fish oil that doesn’t have it? 

 

Might be best if you got fish oil that didn't have vitamin D in it. Some contains vitamin E, which is okay. See

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

 

I get Trader Joe's fish oil or NOW Foods Super Omega EPA, nothing fancy. Keep in refrigerator.

 

On 3/18/2019 at 3:32 PM, Hannahe said:

I always seem to feel like I’m going to pass out when I walk around. Is that likely? 

 

Feeling faint is a very common withdrawal symptom. Does this happen after you take Buspar?

 

Exactly what are you taking now, at what times of day and dosages?

 

Please add your recent drug information to your signature, which will appear under every post, follow instructions here Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature You might have to this on a computer.

[Hannahe]

Thank you for answering Alto. 

 

Im taking the 2.5 mg of buspar and 50 mg of Zoloft in the am at ten 

 

and 2.5 mg of buspar in the pm at ten 

 

i plan on cutting the buspar down once more before I get off of it. The pills are so small. I’ve been on the buspar for one month now. 

 

[Hannahe]

The faint happens sometimes when I’m walking around at any given time. It’s sporadic. I’ve been in bed for three months also. That might play a part in it. 

[puthappinessfirst]

Hi Hanna. I am 27 and am at the beginning of my journey but I can tell you that people can and DO bounce back and heal! I have been on Celexa for 12ish years and have had the same sad, discouraging feelings that you are currently dealing with. Try to take it all day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. Start doing healing and calming things for yourself like baths, gentle short walks, consistent sleep, meditating, reading, watching funny shows/movies and do not take on any additional stress. Please read stories from people like Shep, who have been on TENS of psych meds and are now happy, functional, and healing. They help a lot! 

[Hannahe]

Thank you puthappinessfirst. I’m very terrified not knowing how bad this can get from being a cold turkey. 

[puthappinessfirst]

Try not to stress too much.

 

Cold turkey is bad and when I start to beat myself up about it, I think about the THOUSANDS of people who are given drugs by their docs. Their docs often CT them, abruptly change their dosages up and down, add more meds to the mix for several years (these poor people don't even realize that they are going through withdrawal/adverse reactions/side effects/and start up reactions because no one warns them or validates them). If they can make it, we can make it. 

[Hannahe]

Thank you 🙏🏻 

[puthappinessfirst]

Feel free to message me if you ever need to talk!

[Altostrata]

5 hours ago, Hannahe said:

Thank you for answering Alto. 

 

Im taking the 2.5 mg of buspar and 50 mg of Zoloft in the am at ten 

 

and 2.5 mg of buspar in the pm at ten 

 

i plan on cutting the buspar down once more before I get off of it. The pills are so small. I’ve been on the buspar for one month now. 

 

 

If I were you, I'd drop the morning Buspar.

[Hannahe]

Wouldn’t that be considered skipping doses if I only took it at night? 

[Hannahe]

Can anyone tell me what’s a good magnesium to take? And brand? 

[Altostrata]

On 3/23/2019 at 6:28 AM, Hannahe said:

Wouldn’t that be considered skipping doses if I only took it at night? 

 

If the morning Buspar is causing you to be dizzy, you might stop taking it to reduce the side effect.

 

1 hour ago, Hannahe said:

Can anyone tell me what’s a good magnesium to take? And brand? 

 

Magnesium citrate or glycinate, see https://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

[Hannahe]

Thank you