Loni Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 Hi. I am 62 years old and was dxed with bi-polar disorder at age 27. I have been on and off psyche meds since my dx and have been on abilify and effexor for about 18 years. I have a friend who has tapered off of all her psyche meds and has said she feels so much better mentally and physically. I have been very stable for many years now and feel I would like to also try to taper off of my medications to see if I would feel better mentally and physically. I especially want to come off the effexor as I know it has such terrible withdrawal effects for me. If I miss even one dose, I start to feel dizzy and nauseous. I don't want to be dependent on that kind of medication should I ever lose the ability to pay for it. I lost my insurance once and was lucky to have had money to cover the cost of a one month supply so I didn't have to suffer the withdrawals. I have had to withdrawal a few times from the abilify because I ran out of money and insurance. I don't want to go off both of them at once, but I do desire to get off of both in the future. I have not told my NP yet of my decision, but will the next time I see her. I want to do this safely and so I need her help and the help of this site which my friend told me about. I look forward to texting with this site and its members. I appreciate all of the posts I have read so far. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Gridley Posted November 12, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 12, 2019 Welcome to SA, Loni. We're happy to help you safely taper the Effexor. It's very good you posted before starting the taper. To start, in order to give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly. Please indicate the type of Effexor you're taking. Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of current dose every four weeks. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ We recommend tapering only one drug at a time, and the drug to taper first in your case would be the more activating drug, Effexor, saving the more sedating Abilify for later. This link explains how to taper Effexor, which is basically done by removing beads from the capsule. Tips for tapering off Effexor (venlafaxine) 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, 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. This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connectwith other members. Again, welcome. Gridley Introduction Lexapro 20 mg since 2004. Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017. End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg Oct. 30, 2020 Jump to zero from 0.025mg. Current dose: 0.000mg 3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete. Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium End 2021 year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper. Taper is 95% complete. Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986. Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper. Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg Taper is 90% complete. Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs. Link to comment
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