Gussy: fast effexor taper, The Darkness has faded, the light is back. Almost 3 years at 0.

[Gussy]

mod note:  Gussy's introduction topic:  Gussy: 9 weeks off effexor, wondering if it will ever end?

 

I never thought I would be asked to write a story of recovery in the group I think of as the premier withdrawal group. The knowledge you guys have here is just out of this world. I don't know if it can be rivaled anywhere. When Alto asked me to write a story of recovery here one day I felt honoured and obligated to write something. I hope someone can gain something from this.

  It was at the start of 2017 after a failing journey i requested a blood test. The result of this showed me i could no longer trust what drs and specialists were telling me about the harmless effects of effexor and i knew i had to be off it. So before i joined here i did some research and decided on a taper slower than most drs but much faster than the 10% or less method. I really thought the real life experiences i was reading were people looking for sympathy and thought i.d be fine. Wow, how wrong i was!!! I realise a mod has to approve this so i want to tell you that i can.t write this story in one sitting. It.ll prob take many to do it with many edits along the way. I will add to it soon and then add to it again. I.ll submit this for now but save it on my phone too just incase you can.t approve it. Know that this can be done though. Gus.

Edited February 14, 2020 by manymoretodays
will add link to members introduction, once locked

[Gussy]

Oh drats, i.ve come back to add some more but can.t find an edit icon, any ideas?

[manymoretodays]

Hi Gussy, @Gussy

And congratulations and thank you for writing this.

For members, the edit time is only one hour after a post.

17 hours ago, Gussy said:

Oh drats, i.ve come back to add some more but can.t find an edit icon, any ideas?

 

a couple of  options, for your consideration:

1. write all that you wish to, on paper, or on a document that you could then copy and share right here.

2.  just add some more right here, on this page, when you have some time to put it all together.

Just hit the reply button after this post, to add to your first post. (I can always get rid of my post here later too, so it flows nicely)

 

I think option 2 might work out just fine.

 

You could: go with this for a general guideline:

And take a look at some of the other success stories in this forum, if you'd like.

 

I can't wait to read more.

 

Congratulations again!  And thank you so much for sharing here.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mod mmt

Edited February 15, 2020 by manymoretodays
additional, added an @ to member

[Gussy]

11 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

Hi Gussy, @Gussy

And congratulations and thank you for writing this.

For members, the edit time is only one hour after a post.

 

a couple of  options, for your consideration:

1. write all that you wish to, on paper, or on a document that you could then copy and share right here.

2.  just add some more right here, on this page, when you have some time to put it all together.

Just hit the reply button after this post, to add to your first post. (I can always get rid of my post here later too, so it flows nicely)

 

I think option 2 might work out just fine.

 

You could: go with this for a general guideline:

And take a look at some of the other success stories in this forum, if you'd like.

 

I can't wait to read more.

 

Congratulations again!  And thank you so much for sharing here.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mod mmt

Thanks for your reply manymoredays. Up until recently i was editing posts i.d make here all the time so i could add more details not realising it had a 1hr limit. Now i.ve started i must finish it so i.ll work something out. Are you guys able to edit members comments? Gus.

[Rozon1]

Hey gussy! I’m 2 1/2 months off Effexor. My anxiety is terrible but has improved. I can’t sleep however. And I have constipation. Did you experience any of these during your withdrawl? How long did it last?

[manymoretodays]

On 2/15/2020 at 3:32 AM, Gussy said:

Thanks for your reply manymoredays. Up until recently i was editing posts i.d make here all the time so i could add more details not realising it had a 1hr limit. Now i.ve started i must finish it so i.ll work something out. Are you guys able to edit members comments? Gus.

 

Yes, we could, as moderators edit members comments.  We don't though, or at least would never, without notifying the member first.  I mean certain posts might get hidden(but they are still here), or warnings issued if there is a direct violation of site rules.  See: Rules and Guidelines, the first post there pretty much covers that.  Or if a posting might be offensive, or we make the call, that it is not good for the community as a whole. 

I will sometimes, change the font or spacing, in a members post, just for readability.  Or bold something.  And leave a note in the edit box, as to what I did.

 

Free speech and all, is encouraged, within certain guidelines.  We tend, here, at survivingantidepressants.org, to be fairly vigorous, in terms of requiring a basis for opinion.  Meaning that, it is nice if opinions are referenced a bit, if possible, and even that references are given a critical analysis.

 

When it comes to your own stuff and what helped, and even what did not..........we do want you to tell all, if you wish.  It can be very helpful for others really struggling right now.

 

And......If you are asking in regards to your postings, and find that after posting, and after your own editing time is up........that you want us to edit something, then PM one of us, and we could do so.

Try not to make a habit of it though, you could always re-post, quoting your own post, and then add below what you wish to clarify or something to that effect.

Here is another little trick too:  if you are posting and get interrupted, and have to sign off or log out.  When you come back, sometimes, if you just hit the reply box where you had posted.......your post will still be there, intact, to keep working on.  It's not the best method, and IS most likely, time limited too, but.....well, there is that. 

 

We tend to run a bit short handed, as it is, and need to focus on the introductions, and giving guidance there, primarily.  This is a busy site sometimes.  And we all just try to do our best, with the time we have, as well, to devote here.

 

Our members matter!  A lot.

 

Congratulations again Gussy!  @Gussy  And thank you again, for participating and all!

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Edited February 16, 2020 by manymoretodays
added an @ notification for member, additional

[Gussy]

5 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

 

Yes, we could, as moderators edit members comments.  We don't though, or at least would never, without notifying the member first.  I mean certain posts might get hidden(but they are still here), or warnings issued if there is a direct violation of site rules.  See: Rules and Guidelines, the first post there pretty much covers that.  Or if a posting might be offensive, or we make the call, that it is not good for the community as a whole. 

I will sometimes, change the font or spacing, in a members post, just for readability.  Or bold something.  And leave a note in the edit box, as to what I did.

 

Free speech and all, is encouraged, within certain guidelines.  We tend, here, at survivingantidepressants.org, to be fairly vigorous, in terms of requiring a basis for opinion.  Meaning that, it is nice if opinions are referenced a bit, if possible, and even that references are given a critical analysis.

 

When it comes to your own stuff and what helped, and even what did not..........we do want you to tell all, if you wish.  It can be very helpful for others really struggling right now.

 

And......If you are asking in regards to your postings, and find that after posting, and after your own editing time is up........that you want us to edit something, then PM one of us, and we could do so.

Try not to make a habit of it though, you could always re-post, quoting your own post, and then add below what you wish to clarify or something to that effect.

Here is another little trick too:  if you are posting and get interrupted, and have to sign off or log out.  When you come back, sometimes, if you just hit the reply box where you had posted.......your post will still be there, intact, to keep working on.  It's not the best method, and IS most likely, time limited too, but.....well, there is that. 

 

We tend to run a bit short handed, as it is, and need to focus on the introductions, and giving guidance there, primarily.  This is a busy site sometimes.  And we all just try to do our best, with the time we have, as well, to devote here.

 

Our members matter!  A lot.

 

Congratulations again Gussy!  @Gussy  And thank you again, for participating and all!

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Thanks again for your reply, I understand exactly what you mean. I'm mod in a Facebook effexor group and find it hard to find the time to respond to people as much as ID like with things that are happening in my life. So I get where you're coming from. No worries, I don't plan on breaking any rules or anything I was just asking about maybe being able to clean up my first comment in my recovery post but that's no problem I'll just keep going on from that.

[Rozon1]

hey @Gussy I posted above earlier, forgot to tag you. I apologize! Could you answer the above questions? ❤️

[Gussy]

On 2/17/2020 at 2:50 PM, Rozon1 said:

hey @Gussy I posted above earlier, forgot to tag you. I apologize! Could you answer the above questions? ❤️

Hi Rozon1. Wow your taper was very fast. Jumping off at 18.75 is a risky move. From 37.5-0 is where the most of this drug.s effect is taken away per mg. Roughly 65% is taken away if 37.5 is stopped abruptly. It can take our bodies and brains a long time to recover from this. I came off pretty quick myself. I struggled to get to sleep for a while but always managed to and i don.t think i had that symptom as bad as most. As far as constipation goes, I was much the opposite. I couldn't stop myself from going to the toilet. In the group I'm in we often suggest the use of probiotics and sometimes digestive enzymes. I believe the reason these are suggested is to help with constipation. I can't remember how long my toilet problems were at their worst and the same goes for my terrible moods. ID say they were at their worst for at least six months. It varies from person to person though. Are you using any supplements right now? Gus.

[Rozon1]

How do you feel now? How’s your anxiety? @Gussy

[Gussy]

8 hours ago, Rozon1 said:

How do you feel now? How’s your anxiety? @Gussy

At a normal level. The neuro emotions are gone for me. I'm still a Little Sensitive to some noises music in particular which makes my emotions act up a bit but nothing like it used to be.

[Rozon1]

@Gussy how long did you have your anxiety before it went away? 

[Gussy]

10 hours ago, Rozon1 said:

@Gussy how long did you have your anxiety before it went away? 

I.m sorry that i can.t be exactly sure. It would.ve been extremely strong for 3-4 months then very strong for a good while after that. I realised after a while that there was no use trying to fight it, just to accept that it was going to happen and it.d be out of my control. I prefered to let what was going to happen just happen and try to save energy for healing i didn.t even know was happening.

[HappilyDerailed]

Awesome ! I'm just now reemerging myself 😁

[Gussy]

So i.d better add to this story now. Like i said earlier, i knew i had enough doubt in what i was being told about effexor.s harmless effects and had to get off it faster than recommended. I used scales to weigh the beads. I do ok at maths so it saved me much time over counting. So i spent somewhere between 3&1/2-4&1/2 months "tapering" off effexor from around 150mg. It could.ve been 175 but not any less than 150 pre taper. I could feel things happening that weren.t nice as i got close to zero but kept going. My reason to get off effexor wasn.t one i.d put in a normal category so it had to be that way. It was 2017 when it started so i can.t remember exact timelines but i.ll do the best i can. 

   I wish i could use the worst swear words to describe what i felt but i don.t know if s.a would approve. Oh man it was soooooo bad. If i didn.t have such a reason to allow myself to be owned by something so overwhelming and powerful i doubt i.d have made it. I think around the first 2&1/2-3&1/2 months were just darkness. There was no letup at all. I realize there are many who go on much longer with no letup at all so i mean no offense to you. My brain felt like it was almost on fire. I could feel lobes/lines (don.t know what else to call the lines, like a straight line from the top of my forehead right along the middle of my skull to around where our skulls start to curve downwards at the top/back) all round my brain in an incredible discomfort. It was screaming out because something was very wrong. I could identify them on brain anatomy diagrams. It was like it was being fried and there was nothing i could do about it. The anger, depression, anxiety and all things bad were off the charts. Few believed me which only made it worse so we quickly work out who and who not to discuss it with don.t we? I remember a dr telling me it shouldn.t be that as it.s out of my system now and looking at me strange when i mentioned sensitivity to light and sound. Anyway, for months (at least) i was too cold for whatever the temp was and shivering like a mad thing. Later on in wd i was too hot and sweating quite a bit. Especially from my legs and groin when sleeping. Actually i think it was everywhere when i was in bed. The sheets were quite moist from sweating in bed. My posture isn.t great but after a bit i realised i was walking around leaning even further forward than normal and had to try to make an effort to stand a bit straighter. I think i.d have fallen on my face if i.d leant any further forward. The nerves in my feet went bananas. I still feel them now but to much less a degree and it.s mainly only in some parts of my heels, arches and balls of my feet now i think. My toes are ok now. My heels felt so bad, it was like the nerves had become super agrivated, along with everywhere else in my feet. My toes were as bad as my heels i think. It felt like the nerves were wriggling under my skin. I spent so much time trying to relieve this to no avail. I wish i.d actually looked at my feet, i.ve heard others say they could see wriggling under their skin. I.d wake each morning to my heels feeling awful and a song i hate playing in my mind that i couldn.t stop unless i interupted it by saying "stop,stop,stop" in my mind, only to have it start playing again when i wasn.t interupting it.  My forearms felt like really thin strings were slowly being pulled out from them. Like they were in the muscly part of my forearms and being pulled out through my wrists. That kind of direction. My lower leg bones felt like they were twisting, it was an awful feeling but nothing could be done. 

As i was approaching zero i felt pain and a spasming kind of feeling in my kidney area on both sides which hightenned my already terrible emotions. I believe this to be my adrenals going nuts. Please correct me if i.m wrong. I thought my kidneys were going to explode or that i had cancer and was going to die etc. This went on for, to me, a long time. My sensitivity to light and sound i think was very high, if the tv wasn.t turned down for me i.d have to squint or wear sunglasses to watch it while the tears were streaming down my face. The noise from the tv probably added to this along with my wd reaction to nice things or people doing well. It was like things that were the slightest example of someone achieving something good or something that was touching like an owner seeing his/her dog for the first time in a month just made tears flood down my face. I spent much time in 2017 hiding this from my wife, along with doing my best to not unload the anger, depression and anxiety on her. Even driving home from work each night i.d wear my sunglasses if the lights from oncoming cars were too bright or the mobile roadworks lights were bright led lights so i.d have the glasses ready for going past them. I still cried but i think the emotions might.ve been a smidge less. I.d ball my eyes out after work listenning to music i was relating to how i was feeling at the time. I ended up turning the music right down or off after a while as it was too much for my brain. I could feel my hormone cycle kicking in from time to time but it wasn.t something i could count on. It was, as i think Alto called it in a msg once, sporadic. 

 I had real trouble trying to eat for probably 9 months i.d say. I lost at least 14kg i.d reckon. I got too skinny for my liking. My clothes weren.t a very good size anymore although effexor had caused quite a bit of weight gain.

I had trouble concentrating, even thinking was difficult. Thinking about work or how to do things. If someone tried to explain something to me i hadn.t done before it.d take a good bit of explaining for me to have a chance.

  Muscle twitches, aches, weakness and some cramping went on for a long time but is only mainly in my butt, upper hamstrings and biceps at times now. The aches that is for butt and hammies but weakness/almost crampiness for biceps. I feel my arms at work when lifting boxes etc. After around 3 months i noticed my symptoms slightly easing at night from around 9 or 9:30 pm until i went to sleep which would.ve been around 12:30-1:30am. Over time this changed from slightly easing to really backing off so i felt how i wanted to all the time. I wished on so many nights i.d wake up feeling that way but the heel pain and stupid song were always playing so it wasn.t to be for a good while. So i.d spend my days feeling pretty terrible (i think it was a little less bad as the first 3 months though) waiting for 9pm. I think the periods of easing symptoms may.ve been caused by the parasympathetic coming on. I have more to add and will in a few days.

 

[Gussy]

On 2/21/2020 at 7:23 AM, HappilyDerailed said:

Awesome ! I'm just now reemerging myself 😁

What was your pre taper dose? How.d you come off it? How long at zero?

[Cocopuffz17]

That is amazing to hear. I relate so much with the muscle spasms and sensitivity to light( I was wearing sunglasses for months). I also had massive amounts of vertigo/fatigue. Mine has improved greatly! I know it will get better. Thank you so much for sharing you story! You are roughly 34 months off of effexor ?  

[Gussy]

4 hours ago, Cocopuffz17 said:

That is amazing to hear. I relate so much with the muscle spasms and sensitivity to light( I was wearing sunglasses for months). I also had massive amounts of vertigo/fatigue. Mine has improved greatly! I know it will get better. Thank you so much for sharing you story! You are roughly 34 months off of effexor ?  

Hi Cocopuffz17. Yeah mid month ticks another one round for me so 34 months is right. I still have what i call creepy crawlies in my brain during certain hours each day. It brings that doubt that this process always brings but they do subside and when i compare it to 2017 i know i.ve come a real long way. I continue to hope my brain has the power to make further improvements because i think the term "brain injury" applies to what happened. I don.t think something like "brain distress" does it justice. How long have you been off? What was your pre taper dose? How did you go about reducing? Gus.

[Cocopuffz17]

5 hours ago, Gussy said:

Hi Cocopuffz17. Yeah mid month ticks another one round for me so 34 months is right. I still have what i call creepy crawlies in my brain during certain hours each day. It brings that doubt that this process always brings but they do subside and when i compare it to 2017 i know i.ve come a real long way. I continue to hope my brain has the power to make further improvements because i think the term "brain injury" applies to what happened. I don.t think something like "brain distress" does it justice. How long have you been off? What was your pre taper dose? How did you go about reducing? Gus.

That’s great to hear. Yea, the waves definitely being the doubt. But when there is windows it is sooo good. Like unbelievable! 
 

Yes, your brain does have the power to repair itself. The human body is amazing and resilient when properly nourished and drug free. I honestly want to use the term brain destruction. I have watched the cells of my body be destroyed over the years and now realize a majority of it was from the medication I was on. I am now just over a year off and have watched these health challenges reverse. 
 

I was on 20 mg for 11 years. I attempted 2 CTs, absolute failures and I went nuts. Attempted 1 psychiatrists guided taper and was unable to sustain it after 1 month, I reinstated.  My most recent taper was 3 months at 25% of original dose per month. This was the information I received from my psychiatrist and was not a fun time coming off! But now I am almost 13 months drug free and have watched all my health conditions reverse. I also made nutrition changes which helped immensely!! 

[HappilyDerailed]

18 hours ago, Gussy said:

What was your pre taper dose? How.d you come off it? How long at zero?

150. I literally counted beads for 1 year. Extremely slow taper. At zero for close to 6 years 

[Gussy]

4 hours ago, HappilyDerailed said:

150. I literally counted beads for 1 year. Extremely slow taper. At zero for close to 6 years 

Yeah ok. You took longer than me to get to 0. One year from 150 is still quite fast believe it or not. If i ever had to do it again, which i never will, i.d expect it to take around 2 years providing everything went well. Good on you though for making it. I.d love to be able to know now how i.d be feeling at 6 years at 0.

[Gussy]

6 hours ago, Cocopuffz17 said:

That’s great to hear. Yea, the waves definitely being the doubt. But when there is windows it is sooo good. Like unbelievable! 
 

Yes, your brain does have the power to repair itself. The human body is amazing and resilient when properly nourished and drug free. I honestly want to use the term brain destruction. I have watched the cells of my body be destroyed over the years and now realize a majority of it was from the medication I was on. I am now just over a year off and have watched these health challenges reverse. 
 

I was on 20 mg for 11 years. I attempted 2 CTs, absolute failures and I went nuts. Attempted 1 psychiatrists guided taper and was unable to sustain it after 1 month, I reinstated.  My most recent taper was 3 months at 25% of original dose per month. This was the information I received from my psychiatrist and was not a fun time coming off! But now I am almost 13 months drug free and have watched all my health conditions reverse. I also made nutrition changes which helped immensely!! 

That shows some real grit and will from you. 25% of original dose per month is asking a real lot of yourself and you.ve managed to get to the point where you.re believing and seeing it. I think the only way is up for you now and i think you.d be thinking that way too.

[Cocopuffz17]

2 hours ago, Gussy said:

That shows some real grit and will from you. 25% of original dose per month is asking a real lot of yourself and you.ve managed to get to the point where you.re believing and seeing it. I think the only way is up for you now and i think you.d be thinking that way too.

Yes, it took a lot. But I knew I needed off of it. If I knew the proper way I would of tapered slowly. But I trusted the medical “professional” on the matter. It is still challenging, but immensely better than where I was. 

[Gussy]

Hi. It.s been a while since i.ve posted about wd/recovery from this awful drug. I.d better add some more. The toilet was a place i couldn.t stay away from in 2017. Oh man, the diarrhea was, you know how it was. I used gastro stop(loperamide "hydrochloride"), to try to control this but it barely took the edge off. I still have issues in this area but i realise i make some choices that mightn.t be helping either. They.re no different to what i was doing before stopping effexor though and i didn.t use the toilet with this outcome before i stopped so if anyone might know if wd or something related to stopping can cause bowel issues after 3 years off then please feel free to enlighten me. It.s kind of like the wd pattern in a way. A mess in the morning and more likely to be better at night.

 I watched a benzo clip a while ago, showing them binding to sites all through our bodies. When i saw them lighting up kidneys like xmas trees, along with everywhere else, it got me thinking that maybe my spasming adrenals(in my previous recovery post)may not have been that, maybe it was kidney related? I know Effexor isn.t a benzo but there doesn.t seem to be this kind of research on snri's so i can only think it's pretty possible. If anyone knows differently then please set me straight. I.m now 37.5 (no pun intended)months off. I.ve felt a noticable improvement even when i compare to christmas time. I was tearing up quite a bit while listenning to music from a toxic anti d's vid on xmas day, i think the amount music affects me now has lessened slightly since then even. Might many of you guys know how it is that certain sounds can cause this in the wd related ballpark? My hormones are very very reliable now. I mean that i can count on feeling the cycle turn on when i.m relaxed and my brain decides it needs to turn it on. I wish so hard that i.d known this back then. I know i.ll do everything i can to fight possible suggestions in the future that my daughter might benefit from any mind altering drug. It just wont happen, not on mine.

  Of course, there.s times where things aren.t at their best and it still makes me wonder if this is where i.ll stay, it happens every day during the more susceptible hours but i know in the grand scale that things are slowly getting better. I just need to think back six months,a year, or to 2017.

   Looking back. The pattern of my recovery was, everything was gone. Totally gone for around 2&1/2-3 months before i noticed things weren.t at their highest level from around 9:30pm until sleep time. This slowly changed to things being the way i wished they could be all the time from around 9-9:30p.m until sleep time. I think that knowing things would ease at night gave me what i needed to get through the awfulness of daytime. I think it was around February of 2018 i knew the better times were lasting longer each day which gave me even more will to keep finding the way. Things weren.t great but i knew they were better than they were at times. I was also starting to believe that i really was starting to heal. Plenty of things would make me doubt this, like this awful state does, but i just knew it. I think the belief was a huge factor. My brain and body was giving me too much of a glimpse of what was to come.

   I think magnesium may.ve slightly helped me. I was taking a bloody lot of it that.s for sure. All the supps in the world wont fix what happens when we taper too quickly, i think it.s too much of a chemically superior induced state of badness for humble supps to match but still i think it helped a little. I don.t think it helped in the toilet department though.

   I really think that surrendering to it was the only way for me. I couldn.t see the sense in fighting what i don.t think could be fought. If i needed to bawl my eyes out i.d just find somewhere and do it. Whilst working i could almost do it wherever i wanted. The feelings that made me cry were terrible as most of you would know, so why try to fight it? A lot of my job is on my own stuff so it was easy to be a cry baby and not worry about people thinking i was crazy. I think i may.ve been saving some energy for healing i didn.t know was happening by not wasting it trying to hold back tears.         Distancing myself from or not speaking about it to those who thought i was making it up or exaggerating was important for me too. I still hold some resentment for those people although i shouldn.t. I guess if we were understood some more by those closest to us it would help as we wouldn.t have to try to hide some of it from them. It wouldn.t make us able to expect that we could unload the anger it brings on them but some attempt to understand would show us some people really do care and are in our corner. I guess people's reactions to wd showed me who they really are but it also showed me that i should change too. I now show some interest in people's recovery from hard drugs where i wouldn.t have cared in the past. I.ll now discourage anyone i know from starting these awful drugs. I already have and am glad one of the few people who believed me and would bother listening was turned away from starting down this road. So yeah, i.ve learned that if any friends or family will listen and believe someone in that state then they.re someone to be valued and i now know that drs can.t be trusted in this area of their "medicine" as they have little idea how to help people off these drugs and even less idea of how they affect so many processes in us. I.ll never trust a psychiatrist again that.s for sure. Their beliefs in their wonder drugs are mind boggling along with their ignorance of the harms they cause.

  I know if i was ever going to go off a psych drug again, it.ll never happen but for what it.s worth, i.d do it the right way and take all the time in the world. If i know anyone who.se going to try i.d tell them to not tell their dr unless this dr was incredibly open minded and find a support group such as this one and try to really trust the real life experiences of strangers over ignorant drs. It.s the pain of these strangers that.s created such helpful groups and the combined pain and experiences of so many that make these groups so valuable when seeking help to get off this stuff.

   I told the o.h&s lady at my work early in 2017 that i was working my way off my drug but wasn.t surprised when i was drug tested a few times that year when they normally wouldn.t. They could see something was pretty wrong but didn.t realise how much this stuff affects us. I wasn.t on anything, i just wasn.t on something any more and it takes time. If anyone wants to ask anything then please feel free. My story isn.t so nice at times and i don.t even fall into the "suffering elite" category but don.t be discouraged about trying to lower your dose or get off whatever drug you're on. Just do it the right way. I hope someone can gain something from this.

Gus.

 

 

[Cocopuffz17]

Thanks again for the update!  Glad you are doing great and over 3 years drug free!! I do have one question.....how much magnesium do you take? It is known to cause loose stools in higher doses. All the best  

[Gussy]

47 minutes ago, Cocopuffz17 said:

Thanks again for the update!  Glad you are doing great and over 3 years drug free!! I do have one question.....how much magnesium do you take? It is known to cause loose stools in higher doses. All the best  

Hi. I take 200mg mag carbonate hydrate most days.

[Cocopuffz17]

11 minutes ago, Gussy said:

Hi. I take 200mg mag carbonate hydrate most days.

Ic I have been taking 300 mg and notice loose stools at times. I stopped taking it and my anxiety spiked abit. When I feel better I will lower to 150 and I expect to see my stools get better. All the best to you  

[Gussy]

Just something I wanted to add to my last recovery post, coming off it the way I did has given me very un fond memories of those years. I found it very traumatic and it has stayed with me. I absolutely had to do it that way so I don't regret it but it was very traumatic. So if you can do it the right way then it's really in your best interest to.

[FindRest]

17 hours ago, Gussy said:

I.m now 37.5 (no pun intended)months off.

😂 This cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh. 

[Gussy]

33 minutes ago, FindRest said:

😂 This cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh. 

I didn.t even mean it. Mid month is when it ticks by and according to my calculations that.s how long it.s been. I.m glad you found it funny.

[Emily02]

I must have been awful, I feel for you.

How long did it take you to recover? 
Do you consider yourself completely healed now?

[Gussy]

11 minutes ago, Emily02 said:

I must have been awful, I feel for you.

How long did it take you to recover? 
Do you consider yourself completely healed now?

Yeah it wasn't very nice but i know others have suffered much more. I'm not fully healed, I don't really know what that would be but I'll take where I am now. Many things are gone and others are noticably less than they were. The light sensitivity is gone thank god, still a bit sensitive to certain music/sounds. Some muscles still have that feeling and that has moved to some new spots lately too but left others. My emotions are a little silly at times but not like before. Less muscles have it now than before which is good. I think I'd be 80% but don't want to overestimate/tempt it. The worst is far behind me. Thanks for asking. I got to 0 mid April 2017 after  a too quick but necessary taper. I wrote a bit of a recovery story if you might be interested? Just type Gussy in the search bar. I hope you can make it off olanzapine and wish you well. Do you plan to crush and create a liquid suspension in the future?

[manymoretodays]

Heh, found you!  It's a maze, what with you posting for your Mum, then your own topic, which btw is closed, as you are now in success stories.  Yay.

@Gussy

You can ask questions still here if you'd like to, especially around how to navigate the site, etc.

Good to see you.

 

I also took the liberty and merged a couple posts from the topic you have on your Mom to here, as they applied to your story really.

 

I do so hope things all together feel incrementally better for you, in your 6th year.

I'm a little past that time frame myself, coming off many drugs and doing well.  Every year a little better or noticing even more improvement or healing. 

 

Do update when you get a chance.  It's been awhile. 

And I will just put this here, although it does apply to your other question in S and SC......to take a look at this site, and post there by a fellow peer in WD, and some of the similarities between CFS, fibromyalgia to protracted WD:

BeyondMeds and post there on: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, protracted psych drug withdrawal, CFS, and fibromyalgia

It's about what they have in common really.....the CFS and fibromyalgia........and protracted WD.

My point being, that hopefully the symptoms you have now may still respond best to time for further healing.   I know my energy and aches and pains have gotten, if anything, better over time since off all my drugs.  And so......I am hoping that for you as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by manymoretodays
none

[Gussy]

On 1/22/2023 at 1:17 PM, manymoretodays said:

Heh, found you!  It's a maze, what with you posting for your Mum, then your own topic, which btw is closed, as you are now in success stories.  Yay.

@Gussy

You can ask questions still here if you'd like to, especially around how to navigate the site, etc.

Good to see you.

 

I also took the liberty and merged a couple posts from the topic you have on your Mom to here, as they applied to your story really.

 

I do so hope things all together feel incrementally better for you, in your 6th year.

I'm a little past that time frame myself, coming off many drugs and doing well.  Every year a little better or noticing even more improvement or healing. 

 

Do update when you get a chance.  It's been awhile. 

And I will just put this here, although it does apply to your other question in S and SC......to take a look at this site, and post there by a fellow peer in WD, and some of the similarities between CFS, fibromyalgia to protracted WD:

BeyondMeds and post there on: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, protracted psych drug withdrawal, CFS, and fibromyalgia

It's about what they have in common really.....the CFS and fibromyalgia........and protracted WD.

My point being, that hopefully the symptoms you have now may still respond best to time for further healing.   I know my energy and aches and pains have gotten, if anything, better over time since off all my drugs.  And so......I am hoping that for you as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey thanks for your reply, appreciated. Might you know of a way to view the clips in the link you shared? It says they're private? Youtube maybe? They look interesting.

[Phoenixmama]

On 6/1/2020 at 5:28 AM, Gussy said:

. This slowly changed to things being the way i wished they could be all the time from around 9-9:30p.m until sleep time. I think that knowing things would ease at night gave me what i needed to get through the awfulness of daytime.

this this what got me through too , the evenings were great so great i hated to go to sleep because i was my normal self 🙂

 

[Gussy]

6 hours ago, Phoenixmama said:

this this what got me through too , the evenings were great so great i hated to go to sleep because i was my normal self 🙂

 

It was so sh*tty knowing how it'd be when we woke up but those few hours at night were worth it.