Ocular migraine

[Edmunds]

I’m withdrawing from both Effexor / venlafaxine and Wellbutrin / bupropion for 4.5 and 2.5 months respectively. I’ve had occasional ocular migraines for decades. Wedge-shaped visual disturbance that starts in center of my vision, then gets bigger as it moves off to the side and disappears in about 20 minutes. Sometimes a very minor headache follows but no pain otherwise. I’ve noticed that since the several withdrawal symptoms started, I’ve been having ocular migraines more frequently, though not every day. Doctors have always told me not to worry about them. But might the greater frequency be a known symptom pattern in withdrawal?

[Healingnow]

I don't have an answer for you but I'll be following to see what you learn here.  I have a history of ocular migraines too - scared the @*#% out of me before I knew what they were but I've been reassured often that they're benign.  I hope you get some good feedback.  Wishing you much healing.

[Edmunds]

I haven't heard from anyone but you, Healingnow. I had a run of migraines every couple of days for maybe a week, then none for about 3 weeks until a couple of days ago. I ignore them. I'm still in withdrawal, though the anxiety symptom has decreased a lot in the past week. Maybe the ocular migraines are as well. Regarding vision, however, the heavy derealization continues to cause me to feel partially disconnected from the world in front of my eyes, and I have somewhat blurred vision, which is a known symptom of wd. On top of that I have esophoria, or double-vision, which thankfully is corrected if I have my glasses on, even though I have to have the prescription changed more than once a year. The esophoria has nothing to do with wd.

[Healingnow]

I'm sorry you're dealing with such unpleasant symptoms.  I recently tapered off Klonopin too fast and withdrawal symptoms were hellish. They're abating now. I'm wondering if you tapered off the lorazepam?  

I'm gearing up to taper off Wellbutrin (bupropion SR) in a couple of months.  I want to have a good taper plan in place.  

Self care and especially, getting enough sleep, seem to be paramount as we find our way through this challenge.

I hope your symptoms ease up soon.

 

[Edmunds]

Healing now,

I did not taper off lorazepam because I only took 4 or 5 pills over the course of a month or so. Now I’ve just discovered another friend who has been on an AD since 2000 and is afraid to go it   I don’t know which AD. 

[Healingnow]

Glad you don’t have to deal with benzo withdrawal.  Hope you and your friend can be positive support for one another. 

[drugged]

I started having ice pick headaches which I learned are a type of migraine a couple months ago.  I've been on venlafaxine/Effexor for 25 years, 300 mg at the highest dose but have tapered to a little over 75 mg.  I was finishing my taper off buspirone when these headaches began.  

[UnfoldingSky]

I had never had ocular migraines but started to get the odd one here and there after withdrawal started up.

[bubbles]

I had what I think you are talking about as a reaction to artificial sweeteners. I'm not the only one who has had this - I only worked out when I read about it in a magazine, so it was common enough knowledge 30 years ago to have hit the mainstream. Anyway, I mention it only because it was such an easy thing to avoid, and in case it's helpful.

[Edmunds]

13 hours ago, drugged said:

I started having ice pick headaches which I learned are a type of migraine a couple months ago.  I've been on venlafaxine/Effexor for 25 years, 300 mg at the highest dose but have tapered to a little over 75 mg.  I was finishing my taper off buspirone when these headaches began.  

I was on venlafaxine/Effexor for about 3.5 years, plus bupropion/Wellbutrin most of that time. My psych tapered me off both of them, about two months apart, way too fast--3 weeks each. 3.5 years, however,  seems like a short time compared to your 25 years! I've been off the venlafaxine now for going on six months, the bupropion four months. The symptom of persistent, prolonged surges and spikes of anxiety (visceral, physical feelings, like my CNS has been in a struggle, which it has) receded a lot within the past two weeks, leaving a "low hum" of anxiety intermittently. The other main WD symptoms, aside from some less disturbing ones, are somewhat blurred vision, which might relate to both WD and the fact that I'm still on 20 mg of Prozac until I feel more fully stabilized. The other is derealization, the dissociative disorder that in my case takes only the form of a perceptual sensation of fogginess and disconnect from the world I'm looking out at, plus a feeling of my head being stuffed with cotton balls . I've had prolonged episodes of derealization in exactly this form since I was 19. But since the WD started it's been heavier and thicker. Shopping, driving very long distances, walking into a crowded room, most kinds of socializing are tough. In the past few weeks, I've had a couple of days when I thought the derealization might be receding, and those may have been early windows. I work with a good therapist doing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) mostly. In your taper from venlafaxine, have you ever had derealization or depersonalization episodes or prolonged conditions?

[drugged]

@Edmunds

You describe the derealization very well.  I have had prolonged periods when I've felt that sense of disconnect starting before I was on any psych meds, when I was maybe 15 or 16, but most of the early episodes didn't involve the sensation of fogginess.  The foggy disconnect I feel now has been a constant for at least 6 or 7 years.  In that period of time I've become a virtual recluse, agoraphobic to a degree.  I understand that the diazepam I've been on aggravates that.  For me I think I've not focused so much on the derealization because I have a lot of muscle pain.  I was actually diagnosed with fibromyalgia/chronic myofascial pain 6 years ago.  From information on this forum I see now that the intense muscle pain is most likely due to the venlafaxine and my withdrawal from it.  

 

I've also had a terrible time with my vision.  Every year I get my eyes checked and am told my vision is 20/20 but I can barely see to read sometimes and my distance vision is bad enough that I became reluctant to drive anywhere.  My eyes are also very dry and very sensitive to light.  Eye pain has been a big source of despair for me these last few years.  

 

I take such a horrid cocktail of drugs that's it's difficult to say it's all down to the venlafaxine but most of the drugs I'm currently taking were initially prescribed to treat side effects of the venlafaxine.  To my way of thinking, if I hadn't been started on the AD I wouldn't be going through all this.  Just my own opinion.

[SOcean]

6 hours ago, drugged said:

@Edmunds

You describe the derealization very well.  I have had prolonged periods when I've felt that sense of disconnect starting before I was on any psych meds, when I was maybe 15 or 16, but most of the early episodes didn't involve the sensation of fogginess.  The foggy disconnect I feel now has been a constant for at least 6 or 7 years.  In that period of time I've become a virtual recluse, agoraphobic to a degree.  I understand that the diazepam I've been on aggravates that.  For me I think I've not focused so much on the derealization because I have a lot of muscle pain.  I was actually diagnosed with fibromyalgia/chronic myofascial pain 6 years ago.  From information on this forum I see now that the intense muscle pain is most likely due to the venlafaxine and my withdrawal from it.  

 

I've also had a terrible time with my vision.  Every year I get my eyes checked and am told my vision is 20/20 but I can barely see to read sometimes and my distance vision is bad enough that I became reluctant to drive anywhere.  My eyes are also very dry and very sensitive to light.  Eye pain has been a big source of despair for me these last few years.  

 

I take such a horrid cocktail of drugs that's it's difficult to say it's all down to the venlafaxine but most of the drugs I'm currently taking were initially prescribed to treat side effects of the venlafaxine.  To my way of thinking, if I hadn't been started on the AD I wouldn't be going through all this.  Just my own opinion.

You may want to get checked by neuro Optometrist or Ophthalmologist. I am going through having severe eye problems from prozac. They are saying my eyes aren't moving correctly. I have some threads on here 

[drugged]

I definitely need to have my eyes checked.  I can probably find an ophthalmologist locally but I don't know about a neuro ophthalmologist.