lithiumnomore: withdrawal from Lithium, Prozac after 20 years on lithium, others

[Winnerwinner]

9 hours ago, lithiumnomore said:

I went back to 400 mg. I should probably wait go back to 450 mg. I didn't want to give up the drop. My worry is that this is past withdrawal and is something triggered by withdrawal. I think I screwed up again. Hoping sleep comes. It always feels like a good night of sleep would reverse this.

If you've only recently come off other meds maybe hang ten for a week or 2 - that's really not long in the greater scheme of things. Can't push the body when it doesn't want to be pushed.... I did a week of poor sleep and decided I was making a poor decision trying to push through. Rather aim for the sleep than the feeling of being med free. Just my 2 cents - don't want to push on through and make things worse. Rather a few weeks of an increase now than months and months of an increase later? 

[lithiumnomore]

I think it's just that my nervous system is really delicate after Prozac and Lamictal. I never fully recovered from those and then started messing with lithium, which works on a number of systems. 

 

I spent most of today in bed. Taking this really hard but planning to pick myself up tomorrow. Trying to look on the bright side, I got a clear picture of what can happen coming off lithium and will know what to pay attention to when I start tapering again after I'm stable. I'm praying that comes quickly.

[lithiumnomore]

Another silver lining is that before things went south, I believe I caught some glimpses of what it's be like off lithium. I was just able to perceive more complexity in everything. It felt more like myself.

 

Now I just need to get back to work despite my current state.

[Winnerwinner]

11 hours ago, lithiumnomore said:

I think it's just that my nervous system is really delicate after Prozac and Lamictal. I never fully recovered from those and then started messing with lithium, which works on a number of systems. 

 

I spent most of today in bed. Taking this really hard but planning to pick myself up tomorrow. Trying to look on the bright side, I got a clear picture of what can happen coming off lithium and will know what to pay attention to when I start tapering again after I'm stable. I'm praying that comes quickly.

Frustrating, but it may not be quick....I had to VERY slow with lithium. Think it took me about 18months to come off 250mg because I kept getting insomnia and tearfulness.... I found when I adjusted my expectation - I just sort of accepted that I may have to stay on 250mg forever, or at least a lot longer, it made things a lot easier to handle, so I was able to take the taper much much slower. It really sucks coming off so slowly, specially the last little bit - I'm still stuck on the lamictal. But rather slowly than never - and I find the side effects close to zero on the much lower doses anyway!

[lithiumnomore]

I'm just posting a brief update. After the events of spring last year, I worsened again and ended up going back to a therapeutic dose of lithium. Then a 1.5 month stretch of Ability, followed by 2 months on pramipexole after switching docs to a new one that had it as a preferred drug. Cold turkeyed each of those and am still on lithium. Not surprisingly, it's been a lot of instability, though around the end of the year I seemed to be gaining my footing.

 

At the beginning of this year, I starting having issues with sleep, brain fog and depression. I also noticed a lot of increased agitation after taking pills--lithium, fish oil, a multivitamin, and, until recently, L-methylfolate. After experimenting with the timing of the pills and based on article describing agitation after taking L-methylfolate, I stopped it, 15 mg, without tapering. I'm wondering if anyone is aware of cases of withdrawal from L-methylfolate? I'm thinking of restarting it.

 

Looking at the bigger picture, I'm on 900 mg lithium now and really struggling with it. I've been through so many med changes with side effects and withdrawal syndromes, I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Struggling to function and not seeing an end in sight. I deeply regret my history with psychiatry but am not sure I'll ever be able to come of it. And I have to worry about what I'm missing on the drug. I'm also not even stable now. Not sure what I'm going to do long term.

[manymoretodays]

Hey there,

I responded over in the other topic, and yes......I think you should restart a bit of methylfolate.

Why were you taking it?

Are you able to get leafy greens into your diet?

 

Is this recent drug history and drug additions, and then CT's in your signature?  The ones you mention in your last post here.

Here's the whole thread on:

How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature

 

So look at that ^, and follow the instructions to update and make recent drug changes clearer to us at a glance.  Because I'm not sure what is what with your drugs now and recent changes that also might account for increased rumination and obsessions......so that will help.

 

It sure wouldn't hurt to make sure you are getting adequate folate in, either......is my opinion.

 

I once took Deplin, and then once had a test done that showed a MTHFR mutation too, and while and then well after tapering......have continued with daily leafy greens as well as a smidgen of methylfolate......400 mcg's in a capsule.  And yes, I think it's helped me alot.  400 mcg's and getting it in the appropriate food sources though.....is alot less than 15 mg......like what you had taken.

And so you might explore ways to get the appropriate folate in for you, and then start low, go slow.

 

I hope that helps.  And so sad, sorry to hear your tapering hasn't really gone too well.  I'm hoping you can stabilize and perhaps consider tapering at that point.  Is that your goal?

What were the events of last Spring?

 

Alrighty. Best.

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Edited January 25, 2023 by manymoretodays
MTHFR spell corrected