Csilover: What to do? Effexor

[Csilover]

@Shep I apologize. I was referring to my adverse reaction to the 5 mg Paxil. Not to seroquel. I have not felt the same since. It was immediate. I couldn’t find people attractive and lost libido immediately. I started the higher doses of seroquel after. I felt good on seroquel at first on the low dose but that was before Paxil. The Paxil is the main culprit. I meant are there stories of people recovering from things like that?

[Kerrym]

Maybe the seroquel suited you at a low dose? Could maybe the low dose keep you stable?

[Csilover]

Yeah it was good before I added the Paxil. I couldn’t sleep after the Paxil so they just kept upping and upping the seroquel  @Kerrym

[Csilover]

I also don’t get why they prescribe someone seroquel at a stress center. Especially for sleep. It has a black box label, which makes sense because these thoughts wont stop. 

[Csilover]

9 am woke up crying. .5 Ativan

10 am started to feel  a bit better

11 went out to take pictures with friend and get tea. 

5 pm felt tired and irritable wanted to be home.

6 pm went home. 

7 pm felt okay

8 pm felt depressed

8:30 felt calm. hopeful. 

9:00 pm take 75 mg seroquel and .5 Ativan

10:00 pm fall asleep. 

slept pretty well. 

6 am wake up anxiety

7 am keep crying. 

9 am take Ativan .5

10 am feel awful. crying. Hopeless

[Csilover]

I’ve felt calmer overall the last two days than I did before. Should we make a drop in seroquel? On Thursday or Friday?  @Altostrata @Shep

[Altostrata]

That would be the effect of the Ativan. What was the doctor's plan when he or she prescribed it?

 

Is your Seroquel immediate-release or extended-release?

[Csilover]

I’m not really sure what the plan was. To get me to “rationalize” that the meds weren’t the problem. 
Seroquel is immediate @Altostrata

[Altostrata]

How long did they say you'd take Ativan?

 

Read this for background Tips for tapering off Seroquel (quetiapine)

[Csilover]

@Altostrata I think they were going to have me take it to get over the initial anxiety of taking effexor again. They mentioned getting off of it in the hospital but never did that. They did lower me of it though bc i was taking 2 mg a day at home. Ativan and Effexor were prescribed by my home psych

[Altostrata]

Your GP is refilling your Ativan prescription?

[Shep]

@Csilover Please add the dates that you reduced the Ativan in your signature. I know it was just briefly, but it's good to have that information. Your signature is here:

 

Account Settings - Create or Edit Your Signature

 

[Csilover]

@Altostrata my at home psychiatrist ist

 

[Csilover]

9 am woke up with anxiety .5 Ativan 

11 am felt calmer

1 pm felt calmer. depressed

4 pm calm but depressed

6 anxiety 

7 pm calm but depressed

9 Pm took 75 mg seroquel .5 Ativan 

10:20 fell asleep 

woke up tossed and turned all night. High anxiety. 
6 am woke with anxiey

[Csilover]

9 am took .5 Ativan and 75 mg seroquel
10 am feeling much calmer from anxiety 

[Csilover]

It’s been about a month on seroquel. Am I dependent?

My depression and lack of motivation has kicked in the last few days. I feel very apathetic. 

@Shep @Altostrata

[Csilover]

I also don’t normally suffer from depression. Is the seroquel making me depressed or the withdrawal? 

[Altostrata]

5 hours ago, Csilover said:

@Altostrata my at home psychiatrist ist

 

 

????

 

Depression can be a side effect of benzo use. Maybe we can reduce the Ativan more gradually. Could be Seroquel as well.

 

It's possible you're dependent on Seroquel, too. Don't worry about this, most people here are dependent on the drugs they're taking, that's why they're tapering.

 

Your nervous system may still be jittery from the Ativan reduction. It will settle down over a few weeks. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Csilover]

@Altostrata okay sounds good. Do you think it’s time for a seroquel reduction?

[Altostrata]

Let's observe for a bit longer, maybe a week or two. Please continue to post daily notes, at least 24 hours at a time.

 

You may feel slowed down by the drugs, that's what they do. We're planning to reduce them, but we don't want to upset your nervous system again. Be patient, hang in there!

[Csilover]

Okay I will try. Thank you. @Altostrata  is there a rough estimate of how long these tapers could be? Like 2 months ish? Like a guesstimate. I just want to knoe what I’m looking at. Or is going this slow to help prevent withdrawal symptoms?

[Csilover]

I feel like my cognitive abilities are reducing. I feel very dumb. I felt that way during my last withdrawal. 

[Alanmane]

41 minutes ago, Csilover said:

Siento que mis habilidades cognitivas se están reduciendo. Me siento muy tonta Me sentí así durante mi último retiro. 

Exactly the same thing happens to me, since the last reduction more than a month ago that my ability to reason, react with acts, words, speak eloquently, they are lower, I am very afraid to stay like this, I feel silly and I really do not I am.

[Altostrata]

Alanmane, Csilover is taking 2 drugs that might cause foggy brain.

 

Csi, hang in there. You may feel the effects of the drugs. As you reduce them, these effects will diminish, but this will take months. You need to be patient. Try not to worry. One step in front of the other.

[Csilover]

7 pm started visual distortions. Things look wavy. 
had them intense on high dose of seroquel but had them a bit today. 

[Altostrata]

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Please report symptoms in the daily notes format, at least 24 hours at a time.

[Csilover]

I need to get off the Benzos. and I’m getting more and more addicted. I’m worried.

[Shep]

26 minutes ago, Csilover said:

I need to get off the Benzos. and I’m getting more and more addicted. I’m worried.

 

You're not addicted - you're dependent. There's a difference. If you were addicted, you'd  want more of the drug, not less.

 

By dependency, I mean your body has adapted to the drug. Coming off it too soon and too fast will create more problems for your nervous system and cause more damage. Protecting your nervous system is the main focus. 

 

Once you're dependent, you're dependent. For some people, that can happen in as little as 2 weeks. 

 

19 hours ago, Csilover said:

I also don’t normally suffer from depression. Is the seroquel making me depressed or the withdrawal? 

 

Ativan is a central nervous system depressant. And you may be feeling lack of motivation from both of these drugs. None of this is permanent. The goal is to stabilize and then reduce slow enough that your nervous system is able to handle the changes. 

 

Please keep posting your daily notes, 24 hours at a time.

[Altostrata]

Please DO NOT WORRY about the Ativan. We're going to help you minimize the drugs.

[Csilover]

7 woke with anxiety

9 anxious. Took .5 Ativan 

10 calmed

1 calm

5 anxiety high. went on walk.

6 calmed down 

9 75 mg seroquel. .5 ativan

10 sleep

tossed and turned 

6 woke With anxuety

[Csilover]

7 woke with anxiety

8 felt bad

9 took .5 ativan

10 calm

1 high anxiety 

2 calm down

7 calm but feel delirious. Head pressure. Feel very angru

9 take .5 Ativan and 75 mg seroquk

9:40 fall asleep

tossed and tuned all night 

6 woke with anxiety 

[Csilover]

Did I kindle myself with the 5 mg Paxil? Is that why tapering this is so hard?

[Csilover]

I’m afraid I need antidepressants so don’t kill myself. I am trying to swat away these feelings, but they are intrusive.

[Csilover]

Could I drop the Benzos by 1/4 when I do? Maybe that would help. I have cknstant forhead tightness. I don’t know if that’s due to the Paxil or the seroquel

[Csilover]

Could I have iatrogenic damage from jus 5 mg Paxil? 

[Altostrata]

18 hours ago, Csilover said:

7 woke with anxiety

9 anxious. Took .5 Ativan 

10 calmed

1 calm

5 anxiety high. went on walk.

6 calmed down 

9 75 mg seroquel. .5 ativan

10 sleep

tossed and turned 

6 woke With anxuety

 

8 hours ago, Csilover said:

7 woke with anxiety

8 felt bad

9 took .5 ativan

10 calm

1 high anxiety 

2 calm down

7 calm but feel delirious. Head pressure. Feel very angru

9 take .5 Ativan and 75 mg seroquk

9:40 fall asleep

tossed and tuned all night 

6 woke with anxiety 

 

 

How is this pattern different from May 1, when you were taking 0.5mg Ativan twice a day, and May 11, when you were taking 0.25mg Ativan twice a day? @Shep

 

It's not easy, Csi. Keep swatting those bad thoughts away. Or use a deep breath to blow them away.

 

It looks like your iatrogenic issues date to the switching among antidepressants you did in late December to April 2020. Paxil was only the last of them. I don't think we can pin this on Paxil alone, your nervous system was sensitized by all the switches. We need to help it settle down.