Izzyb: Introduction

[Izzyb]

I’ve been taking 300mg of lamictal for years. It was given to help with neuropathy . Currently tapering off of Ativan- and I have always taken them together-8-12 and 6:00. I thought the first thing to do was get off the benzo, but joining this forum I’m not so sure. I also take 25 mg of amtriptyline and 12.5 of ambien for sleep.

[Shep]

Hi, Izzy. 

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA). 

 

Please note I moved your post out of Jmizz's thread and started you off with your own introduction. Every member gets their own Intro / Update thread. 

 

It sounds like you've already been doing some reading on the forum, but I want to leave you some relevant links in case you haven't already seen them. 

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

The goal is to preserve sleep throughout your taper, so it really depends on the antidepressant as to if you should taper the antidepressant first or the benzo or z-drug (Ambien). The SSRI antidepressants are usually stimulating, but amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant which tends to be more sedating. Since you take Ambien and amitriptyline at the same time, it may be hard to tell which drug works best for sleep. Was the Ambien added before or after you started taking amitriptyline? How is your sleep? 

 

As you give us more information about your history on these drugs and your current symptoms, we can help you set up a game plan for coming off. 

 

Please add a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

Please continue to use this thread to document your taper and to ask questions. 

[manymoretodays]

Ahh.  Thankyou Shep!  Here is your own introduction topic now, Izzyb.

And welcome aboard, @Izzyb

 

This is your introduction/journal page where you have now introduced yourself to the community, you can ask questions here regarding your tapering, give updates, and just keep a record of your journey.

 

And hi again Izzyb,(just adding in this below)

Could you just do a simple list for us, right here, when you reply:  note on the left the time(s), and then on the right your present medication(s), by name and dosage taken.  Something like this will really help us get a picture: 

Keep daily notes of drug schedule and symptoms

take a look at that link ^, and then just try it with your drugs only for now

 

Thankyou, and welcome aboard!

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Edited February 22, 2020 by manymoretodays
drug schedule request

[Izzyb]

I am currently tapering off my benzo first. I’ve been on 3 mg is Ativan since 2011. I have had interdose withdrawal for years. When I had my lightbulb moment I confronted my doctor- and they made my story go away. Now I’m realizing I’m on numerous drugs I will need to taper. I’ve always taken the Ativan and lamictal together- so thinking it’s helping with the taper?or also causing withdrawal. Now, someone who belongs to this forum thought I should go off my amitryptyiline first. I don’t know which way is up or down! Any thoughts?

Edited February 23, 2020 by Izzyb
Spelling

[Shep]

@Izzyb Please note I moved your last post from the tapering forum and placed it here in your intro thread. Please continue posting here in this same thread so all of your information is in one place. 

 

Please also see the links that Manymoretodays and I placed earlier in your thread, if you haven't already read them. 

 

The best way to know which drug to taper first is to do a drug and symptoms journal. This will help us know if you're getting interdose withdrawal or any rebound symptoms and other useful information. 

 

Below is the information we need. Please also include supplements and the hours you sleep each night. 

 

After we have two or three days of your journal, we can help you set up a game plan for coming off your drugs. 

 

On 9/27/2016 at 2:49 PM, Altostrata said:

In the course of discussion in your Introductions forum topic, you may be asked to keep notes on paper of your daily symptom pattern, including when you take your drugs, their dosages, and any symptoms. We ask this because there may be something we can do to reduce the symptoms.

 

What we need to see for every single day over several days is what symptoms you get before and after you take your drugs. If you're not taking any drugs and have withdrawal symptoms, we still need to see your symptom pattern throughout the day:

 

The time of day, dosage, and severity of symptoms are essential information. Include

 

- Time and dosage for all drugs taken throughout the day, psychiatric and non-psychiatric.

- Following each dose, note any symptoms. If you are having a reaction to the drug, it may take hours for a symptom to show up -- that's why we ask you to keep notes all day long.

- If you're not taking any drugs, your symptoms throughout the day.

- Your sleep pattern. Since so many drugs disturb sleep, if you find you're waking in the middle of the night, it could be from a drug you took earlier in the evening. If you're not taking any drugs, there may be ways you can improve your sleep.

And so forth. A diary, in chronological order, looking something like this:
 

Example:

DATE:

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomach is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep

 

[Izzyb]

Topic title:  Crossover.

 

My doctor won’t switch me from Lorazapam to Valium because she says I’m on such a low dose. I’m down to .58 mg from 3mg. Started my taper in the fall of 2019. Cut and hold method. I’ve had horrible interdose withdrawal for as long as I can remember. Was hoping to ease the pain some as I continue. Should I try and tough it out or find a new doctor?

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by ChessieCat
added topic title before merging with original Intro

[ChessieCat]

When a drug has a half life of less than 24 hours then to help overcome interdose withdrawal the drug dose can be split, so you could try doing that.

 

If you are not satisfied with your doctor then it would make sense to try to find a new one.