spaz: introduction

[spaz]

was prescribed citalopram and lorazapam after a nervous breakdown last july from watching my father pass from aspiration pneumonia caused by advanced dementia.  i needed something.  i've been off the lorazapam for probably 4 months.   i tried to go from 20 mg of the citalopram to 10 to 0 in a couple weeks.  was not good.  so i went from 10 to 5 to 2.5 over the course of 4 months and then  something less than 2.5 if i got dizzy.   i haven't had any at all for 5 weeks now.  glad i found this place.  oh man the crying out of nowhere, the anxiety this morning, almost had a panic attack.   my withdrawal is no where near as bad as some of the folks here i'm reading about, but the neuro emotions i'm reading about and the windows and waves really hit home.  sometimes i can feel really good and want to cry from some perceived lack in my life at the same time.   mostly i feel good now, but when it comes, like others have said, i feel like its always been awful and always will be. i have to stop attaching words to the feeling because i'll find some pitiful story to tell myself because its like something is pulling me to feel sorry for myself.    i asked my psychiatrist about brain changes from the citalopram and he said it would happen.  he also said untreated anxiety and depression will also cause negative brain changes over time.   so, what to do.   i've also been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder level 1 in probably 2016.  yeah, had no idea i didn't recognize facial expressions very well.   i'm really bad at it.   anyway it comes with a good bit of anxiety.  so i do suspension training 6 days a week to help me get rid of anxiety, and i also need adrenalin to really be happy.  i'm at my best when i'm involved with whitewater paddleboarding or onewheeling on a regular basis - something exciting and a bit dangerous.  i also ferment pickles, red cabbage kraut and kimchi for my gut health.  i'm really fighting to keep my brain health and hoping that one day things get back to normal.  in the meantime thank you all. its great reading about everybody here and i'm really thankful to find this place and realize i'm not alone in these withdrawals. 

[Gridley]

Hello, spaz, and welcome to SA.  I'm glad you found your way here.

 

To start, lease add 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.  Please puts dates and dosages on your Lorazepam and how you tapered it, also the Citalopram.

• 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) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• 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.

Good on you for doing the fermented foods.  They can be great for gut issues.

 

You wrote about brain changes.  The brain has a remarkable ability to heal, known as neuroplasticity.

 

Healing from antidepressants: The power of neuroplasticity video (7.5 minutes)

 

Regarding anxiety, here are some links that many members have found helpful.

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)
 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

VIDEO:  Peace from Nervous Suffering - Claire Weekes (1 hour) (http://sendvid.com/vgquc1dg)
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help …

 

10 minute Restorative Yoga for Relaxation | Up the wall

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system.  Magnesium glycinate is a very good form of magnesium.  

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

Again, welcome.  Please continue to use this thread to document your taper, to ask questions, and to connect with other members.

 

 

[laydefish]

Hi @spaz & Welcome to the Group! Hang in there & Stay Strong!  It gets better with time!

[spaz]

59 minutes ago, laydefish said:

Hi @spaz & Welcome to the Group! Hang in there & Stay Strong!  It gets better with time!

it's so weird.  saturday so much anxiety, sunday crying so much even while mowing , til the afternoon.  then its like the road construction crew finished, cleaned up, removed all the barriers and traffic was flowing like normal.  felt good again.