Jump to content
Support our work - please give today

Please make sure you have access to human touch before starting this journey

LostInMarshes

By LostInMarshes
in Symptoms and self-care

 Share

Recommended Posts

LostInMarshes Rookie

LostInMarshes

Posted
Posted

Touch is medicine, and a vital one. Ponder how and where you'll be getting touch from. Without it, this process is ultra difficult. Stress starts to implode on you from within. You don't want to be sitting, holding yourself, and crying from longing for the touch of your species. You don't want to add that on top of your suffering.

 

There was no other way, in my situation, but if I had an option, I would've thought long and hard where I'd be getting or giving human touch, before I started tapering. I go weeks without a hug or a pat on the back (no, I'm not in a rural area... the opposite). 

2000: Paxil, low dose. 2001: Paxil, quickly tapered off. 2006: Zoloft, 25mg. 2007: Wellbutrin, low dose, discontinued after a week or a month. 2007-2009: Zoloft, increasing dose (up to 75mg). 2009-2011: Zoloft, failed withdrawal attempts (cold-turkey; fast tapering). 2009-2011: Trying out Cymbalta, Celexa, Prozac, Lexapro, Ambien, Ativan, and Xanax. 2012-2015: Zoloft, 100mg to 200mg. 2013: Trazadone for Zoloft-induced insomnia, 25mg to 50mg.  2015: Trileptal, dose?, withdrew; Bupropion, up to 200mg. 2016: Zoloft, 137mg, Bupropion, 150mg, Trazodone, 25mg.

05/21/16: Began Zoloft taper - 10% from 150mg - 137ish mg

06/23/16: Zoloft taper - 125mg

08/03/16: Bupropion XL taper - cut 150mg pill in crude half (mistake)

10/31: Zoloft successfully down to 100mg. Staying on 100mg for 2-3 months to let my brain rest.

11/09: Wellbutrin SR prescribed, 150mg once a day, for withdrawal.

12/11: Wellbutrin SR, twice daily - minus 18ishmg = 112.50mg

09/30/17: Off Wellbutrin SR successfully. Zoloft taper: 90ish mg (shaving it off). Trazodone: still at 50mg.

June 2018: Zoloft: 80ish (shaving off). Trazodone: 6mg. End of 2018: Off Trazodone.

01/20: Zoloft: 70ish?

08/20: Still around 80 or 70. Tapering by only 15 shaves each month.

04/2021: 50mg! 11/2022: 40ish mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oops44 Newbie

oops44

Posted
Posted

ive been holding at the dose I reinstated at for three years because I am too scared to taper off the meds without having a solid partner that I could trust to help me through.  I have always been a "stand on my own two feet" and a "better off by myself" kind of guy but I dont know how people do this alone.  

1

38 year old male

50mg sertraline for seasonal affective in spring of '13 through spring of '16

began uninformed taper mid march '16 ending 6 weeks later around may 1st

withdrawal symptoms began july 4th '16

reinstatement of sertraline at 25mg on july 7th '16

august '16 - present: many setbacks even more victories

currently holding at 25mg and ill hold there forever if I have to

looking forward to the day I can begin tapering

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JackieDecides Rookie

JackieDecides

Posted
Posted
On 10/16/2019 at 1:22 PM, Stormstrong said:

Touch is medicine, and a vital one. Ponder how and where you'll be getting touch from. Without it, this process is ultra difficult. Stress starts to implode on you from within. You don't want to be sitting, holding yourself, and crying from longing for the touch of your species. You don't want to add that on top of your suffering.

 

There was no other way, in my situation, but if I had an option, I would've thought long and hard where I'd be getting or giving human touch, before I started tapering. I go weeks without a hug or a pat on the back (no, I'm not in a rural area... the opposite). 

 

 

this is very good advice - and something I wish I had waited for. I also didn't have a stable job or other source of income, nor did I have an affordable place to live. these were huge problems as well. 

 

but I think you are right and my life would have been much better the last few years if I'd had someone in my life - family, friend, neighbor,  anyone - I could have hugged.  I wish I had known that! 

1

Currently taking Ramapril (blood pressure) 5 mg twice a day

Omeprazole 10 mg AM and 20 mg PM  (the taper has gone nowhere after the first cut)

Famotidine   once a day (and I still needs tums sometimes)

magnesium 200 mg at night

as of yesterday 2 fish oil capsules "EPA-DHA 1000"

 

off Lexapro as of 5/2018  - last dose had been 5 mg every other day for a couple years

 

highest dose had been 20 mg at which point I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, which went away when I cut the lexapro down to 15 mg. 

 

I spent years on Paxil before Lexapro (can't remember dose), briefly on Effexor and Abilify and others I have forgotten. in fact, when I was diagnoses with BPII I was put on all kinds of things which made me feel so bad I stopped them cold turkey within maybe 3 or 4 weeks, thank goodness. since then I've known these pills were terrible and I weaned down the Lexapro with zero help or support over I'm not sure how many years. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy

  I accept