Phoenix1111: switch from fluoxetine to vortioxetine

[Phoenix1111]

Can someone tell me, are nightmares part of withdrawal?
I have had a lot of improvements but woke up this morning from a terrible nightmare and I was sweating and it’s taking a while for me to calm down.

 

I wonder what is going on in the brain during withdrawal to make this happen?
Any insight would be appreciated ☺️

[Phoenix1111]

I cannot believe I am still not back to 💯, don’t get me wrong there have been improvements but it’s now been 2 years and 3 months and I have had enough. The thought of trying to wean off the Mirtazapine one day feels impossible but for the sake my physical health I don’t think I will have a choice.

 

Is it normal to take this long I was only on the brintellix for 7 weeks or something 😒

[ChessieCat]

Are you still taking

 

15mg Mirtazapine and 40mg Lovan?

 

[ChessieCat]

If yes, to the above question, the drug interaction was mentioned in this post which 16 months ago:

  

On 10/20/2020 at 3:23 PM, ChessieCat said:

 

It might be that you are not experiencing withdrawal symptoms but a drug interaction from:

 

15mg Mirtazapine and 40mg Lovan

 

Q:  Lovan is fluoxetine?  Fluoxetine = Prozac.

 

 

 

Drugs.com Interactions Checker

Interactions between your drugs

Major

FLUoxetine

mirtazapine

Applies to: Prozac (fluoxetine), mirtazapine

Using FLUoxetine together with mirtazapine can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

[Phoenix1111]

Hi ChessieCat,

 

Yes I am still taking them and had been for a while before the brintellix was introduced, i was actually doing really well, it wasn’t until I briefly tried to switch the Lovan Cold turkey) with brintellix then went back to previous Lovan dose but I cold turkeyed the brintellix in order to do that.

I have been through this many times over the past 23 years and always have bad withdrawal from cold turkeying or any time the doctor would switch medications, I guess I thought I would be all the way healed by now. I’m definitely much better than 12 months ago but still having the occasional bad day like today.

[Phoenix1111]

When will it finally be over? 😪

Its been almost 3 years now and I would say I’m about 90% healed, I’m able to do HEAPS more than I could a couple of years back but still having a few bad days around every 5-6 weeks (sometimes little spurts in between).

 

Surely 3 years is long enough to heal from being on a medication for 8 weeks time.

This is so exasperating, there is still such a long road ahead since there is still another med to taper after I am 💯 healed. And in the meantime the other med I am still on is effecting my physical health in a negative way due to weight gain etc

I think the fact that this is at least my 5th time going through this in the past 20 years is making much tougher to stay positive 

 

Any encouragement would be greatly appreciated 

[KenA]

On 9/25/2022 at 10:59 PM, Phoenix1111 said:

When will it finally be over? 😪

Its been almost 3 years now and I would say I’m about 90% healed, I’m able to do HEAPS more than I could a couple of years back but still having a few bad days around every 5-6 weeks (sometimes little spurts in between).

 

Surely 3 years is long enough to heal from being on a medication for 8 weeks time.

This is so exasperating, there is still such a long road ahead since there is still another med to taper after I am 💯 healed. And in the meantime the other med I am still on is effecting my physical health in a negative way due to weight gain etc

I think the fact that this is at least my 5th time going through this in the past 20 years is making much tougher to stay positive 

 

Any encouragement would be greatly appreciated 

Hey There,

Was just reading through your thread and saw that you are having a bit of a rough time. Just wanted to let you know that it does get better!!! You just have to remember that you are so much further along now that you were 3 years ago. 90 percent healed is amazing!!!! I know it's not 100 percent yet, but you are getting there!! Just remember slow and steady wins the race!! You will reach that finish line one day and when you do it will all be worth it!! Till it gets here, just keep taking it one day at a time!! Just remember you've made it through 100 percent of your bad days!! That's all that matters!!! You've got this and you know it!! Just keep hanging in there!!

 

Ken

[Phoenix1111]

Hi Ken,

 

Thanks so much for your encouragement, it really helps 😊