TracyH: excruciating pain, severe withdrawals from too fast tapers

[TracyH]

Hi Everyone I apologize for so much information at once I'm too sick to do a full brand new post so I have copied and pasted posts from support groups on facebook I was directed here too for help. I am in desperate need to know if I should reinstate any of my medications or if it is too risky.

 

I was wondering if I should try taking the lyrica again then do a proper taper, the psychiatrist put me on for my anxiety I never had pain before I took it until he took me off it too fast I first started getting the muscles contractions and horrible muscle cramp pain and had my first uncontrollable muscle movement episode of my face after the lyrica was stopped with only a 4 day taper which I did not know was too quickly I had been on it for 5 weeks. I think the lyrica stopped so suddenly started it all but then the escitalopram and trazadone tapers and getting off them too quickly just made everything worse. I have been so desparate in my thinking to see if there is a way to reverse this what I think may be dystonia that I have been thinking should I try to go back onto the lyrica to see if this disappears and then do a really slow proper taper but then I think it is so risky what if I really mess myself up worse but living with this and with it only being so soon 4.5 months and I have so much pain already I already cannot handle it I cannot imagine handling it any worse. I'm so afraid and do not know what to do I'm afraid that this will not go away with time if it is the dystonia. What does anyone think do you think trying lyrica again would be worth the risk? it is so hard to know what to do considering I had 3 too fast drug tapers. Does anyone think this would be too risky?

 

I'm sure I have developed dystonia more and more everyday it scares me. I can feel my waist and hips turning to the left and I have less control of my legs then normal and the feel wobbly or like spaghetti or elasticy I don't know how to describe it and my neck and head want to turn to the left I feel like a force is pushing it to the left. Also I feel the muscles in my face moving mainly wanting to pull down especially in my jaw area and my neck and face muscles get tight. I also have had 3 times where I have had uncontrollable movements of my face that lasted for hours the first one was the worst that happened right after I was stopped on the lyrica in the hospital that included my eyes, tongue protruding and mouth, pretty much my whole face and my neck and right arm twisting to the left the nurse told me it was anxiety and to calm down I did not believe her that it was anxiety I have had anxiety long enough to know it does not do that. Since then I have had 2 more episodes that involved then same area's but not my tongue. I'm very scared of my future and no doctors will say the drugs have anything to do with it. Also my hands, wrists and lower arms get stiff throughout most of the day. My muscles get unbearably painful a very very deep bone consistent aching pain. I was able to move around today more and do some things in the kitchen and I did notice the pain lessened while I was more active. This is when I really noticed though I'm definitely dealing with the twisting of my right side of my body to the left. It makes me walk around like I look intoxicated. I really respect all you peoples opinions and knowledge and have some questions to ask if you would not mind.

 

I was wondering could it get better or go away and just be a part of withdrawals or once this happens do you have it for life?

 

Have been off antidepressants for for 3 to 4.5 months (too fast tapers) had been on poly drugged for 1.5 years then before that on citalopram for 10 years. A huge mess I was fine for the first 10 years developed insomnia and my anti was switched to trazadone and when that did not work the poly drugging happened for 1.5 years (I was a zombie and almost entirely non function able still am but no longer a zombie but I am extremely sick now riddled with unlivable pain still suffer from insomnia and take unfortunately 7.5mg zopiclone and 1mg clonazepam a day) but these last few days my muscle pain, uncontrollable cramping, stiffness, tightness in my head, face, throat, neck, right arm/hand, shoulder and sometimes my left arm/hand and also episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face is so unbearable lately I cannot handle it any longer. Today I have been at my wits end desperately not thinking I can go on any longer. I am so sick fluish this last few months also I'm getting to the point the pain in intolerable another minute it is almost 24/7 I have only had the muscle pain or tightness cramping go away for maybe a half hour a few times in the last month. It is too much. I was so sick before all this for the last 1,5 years that I am so weak I cannot this week get myself to hardly eat and bathe the pain is so intense I want to it all to end. No one can help me. I need to desperately no what to do. The pain is like you have if you get a severe cramp or charlie horse for instance this morning it has been a constant charliehorse in my lower right arm and hand, right shoulder, neck, face and head. It is so painful I only could sleep for a couple hours last night. I even took a baclofen (which I only have taken maybe 6 times in the last 3 months when I feel I can no longer take the pain another minute), 2 advils, clonazepam and all my vitamins. I just do not know how to go on any longer. I have no support group at home. My husband is my only person I have and he along with my doctor think my pain is psychosomatic. My husband cannot tolerate my complaining or crying or making any sounds of or about my pain. I don't know how to make the pain stop or live with it anymore so it is tolerable. I cannot handle the suffering anymore I literally am desperate for help so badly. Since lyrica was one of the last meds I was on that the pain started after the psychiatrist took me off with only a 4 day taper and that is when the nerve and muscle cramping, movements and severe head pain started I do not know if I should try to reinstate after being off it for 4.5 months but I think it is too risky but then again I'm desperate for this muscle pain relief i am so afraid I have the early stages of dystonia too. I have had episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face, neck and right arm. I am so afraid of that. But this muscle pain is so intense it is unimaginable I really need to numb this pain somehow. The severe head pain migraine burning so painful 24/7 and the piercing tinnitus. Even the numbness, tingling burning nerve pain allover but the worst is the muscle pain it is so severe. Whenever I try to type on the computer this all makes my pain levels go up so much worse but I need the help so badly, emotional support. I am desperate I feel for my sanity and my life, I need knowledge so bad. I want to do everything right now. I want to get better if there is any chance. I need something to keep me strong to endure this it feels like I am being tortured daily and have to put up with it because no one will listen to me. I wish I would have been thinking clearly enough to search out support groups before I let him put me on these meds or atleast before they were stopped or the too quick tapers. I cannot stop thinking about wanting to turn back time. I hope my life is not ruined forever unless I can get this pain under a tolerable level and I pray to god I do not have dystonia but I fear I do from having joined a dystonia support group on here it sounds all to familiar. I do not know how I can make it through life with no support, knowing my doctor is not listening to me and my husband is not trying to help get me better just not wanting me to bother him with my pain or worries, be silent. How do I survive this? I cannot hardly look after myself being so sick, I have nowhere to go. Does anyone else that had been off antidepressants for as around long as I have 4.5 months or longer experience this muscle cramping, severe pain? Please explain where in your body and the level of pain? Also any uncontrollable muscle movements? What do you take besides magnesium for the pain? Does anyone ever recover from antidepressants withdrawals/pain after stopping them too quickly after being on antidepressants for 12 years?

 

Brief History

Born August 1, 1970. Female 48 years old. At time of illness Tracy had been a National Lifeguard Instructor Trainer and Lifesaving Society Instructor Trainer with a career as an Aquatic Supervisor at an indoor town pool for 5 years. Training and certifying Lifeguard/Swimming Instructors,  supervising daily duties of lifeguards/Instructors/front deck staff as well as implementing and maintaining programming, scheduling, operational procedures and guidelines. Before that Tracy had owned and operated her own Day Spa for 10 years as well as worked in advertising. She graduated from college in 1993 in Graphic Design/Advertising Art.

 

Tracy fell ill from insomnia in September of 2018 she had been just diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and had just started cpap therapy but found the treatment invasive and could not tolerate the cpap treatment enough to fall asleep with the cpap machine. She had been lead to believe she would die in her sleep if she did not use her cpap machine and became fearful  and so persistent in always using her cpap machine while sleeping that her intolerance to the therapy resulted in severe insomnia.

 

Citalopram 20 mg/day and 1mg Clonazepam as needed for 10 years prior to her insomnia. Clonazepam was rarely needed.

 

Dec. 14, 2018

Citalopram 20 mg/day was changed to Trazodone 100mg/day. Clonazepam 1mg/twice a day.

Mental Health declined due to sleep deprivation, becoming emotionally weak and sensitive, frequent crying, anxiety and ability to function daily declined. Was no longer able to work due to 3 months of insomnia and mental health decline after medication change.

 

Feb. 9 -16, 2019 Psychiatric Ward

Sertraline 20mg/day was tried but discontinued due to side effects. 20 mg/day Citalopram was added to the Trazodone 100mg/day. Clonazepam 1mg/ twice a day.

Was very ill on the combination.

 

After Feb. 16 – June, 2019

Citalopram 20 mg was discontinued and Trazodone 100mg was tapered and stopped. Clonazepam was tapered to .5mg then switched to Valium 10mg and tapered to 2mg, Buspirone 10mg was added then stopped.

By this time insomnia had become extremely severe and ability to function daily on the most basic level was lost. Anxiety was severe and dehabilitating.

 

June 1 - August 9, 2019 Psychiatric Ward

Quetiapine 100mg/day added. Citalopram 50mg/day started then after 5 weeks discontinued due to intolerable side effects and switched to Mirtazapine 45mg/day, Fluoxetine 20mg/day, Zopiclone 7.5 mg, Clonazepam .5mg/twice a day.

Discharged feeling very drugged. Was able to sleep with cpap machine 7-8 hours/night(every 24 hours) Had regained ability to keep up hygiene and function on a basic level. Mentally was very out of it.

 

Aug. 9/2019 – Nov. 12, 2019

Due to feeling so drugged from Sept. 9/2019 Fluoxetine 20mg was tapered and stopped on Oct. 2/2019. Clonazepam was increased to 1mg/twice a day. Oct. 14 – Oct. 19/2019 felt the best that I ever had felt since falling ill in fall of 2018 but my mind and body felt very weak and fragile but then for no known reason I went past the feeling better stage and started to decline back into having a hard time functioning mentally and physically but could still do daily functioning tasks. I was able to keep good daily hygiene, cook supper, keep the dishes washed, take on a small cleaning task every day for example wash off a coffee table or do wash a load of clothes.

 

Nov. 12/2019 – Dec. 12/2019 Hospital

Was admitted at routine doctors appointment to the hospital since I had declined from starting to feel better and I continued to decline during the Quetiapine taper. Quetiapine 100mg was tapered and stopped, Zopiclone was reduced to 3.5mg/day, Clonazepam was increased to 1mg/three times a day

 

After this I started to feel like I was improving as in not feeling so drugged and I was mentally and physically able to function better. I suggested staying on Mirtazapine 45mg for awhile to see if I would stabilize on it and be ok my doctor did not agree so the Mirtazapine 45mg was tapered to 15mg and I was started on Escitalopram 10mg. I was on this combination for the last week I was in the hospital before going into a different psychiatric ward for a second opinion on a treatment. My body felt good no body sensations or pain but a small headache and my mind felt weak but not bad cognitively, my anxiety was mid range level to high. I questioned in my mind whether I should still go to the psychiatric ward and if I could handle living this way and if I would get better but arrangements had already been made and I thought at the time maybe I could get stabilized there on the Escitalopram if it worked and have my ability to sleep maintained. On my initial appointment my husband and I had with the psychiatrist before entering he had said his goal was to get me on only the Escitalopram and hopefully if my anxiety could get reduced I may be able to sleep without and sleeping medication. Being on only one medication sounded good.

 

Dec. 12, 2019 – Feb. 3, 2020 2nd psychiatric ward

Mirtazapine was stopped, Escitalopram had just been increased to 15mg/day, Clonazepam was reduced to 1mg/twice a day. Zopiclone was increased to 7.5mg. The first week of being there I felt really good I had no body pain or sensations, my mind was clear but felt weak but I was thinking well. My anxiety was high during the day but after my evening clonazepam dose of 1mg I felt anxiety free and really good but I was getting very tired again as my sleeping had started to decline since the Mirtazapine had been stopped.

 

Escitalopram was increased to 20mg as the next couple of weeks progressed and then I felt drugged and out of it again, not fully present and was no longer able to think as clearly my basic functioning was on the low range but I was able to keep up my daily hygiene and attend groups.

 

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety. Clonazepam was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day then shortly after discontinued.

 

I had not wanted to take the Lyrica because the goal had been to have me on as little medications as possible and I did not have nerve pain but the psychiatrist said it was better to be on Lyrica then Clonazepam. Feeling pressured to try it I gave in.

 

Trazodone 100mg/day was started on Jan. 14/2010 and within the first week after that I started to experience muscle pain throughout different areas of my body and developed a constant migraine headache, sweats, chills, ear pain, nausea and constant diarrhea. I did start to sleep longer but could not fall asleep with my cpap machine anymore. Since Trazodone had not worked well for me in the past while being on it and the citalopram at the same time I was not comfortable going on it but the psychiatrist told me he would take me off it if I did not feel well on it. At this point I was not thinking clearly and wanted to not make the psychiatrist give up on trying to get me better and I felt extremely pressured to not go against his treatment plan.

 

I told the nurses and my psychiatrist during the last 3 weeks I was there that I thought the Trazodone and Lyrica had me take a turn for the worst and that I was very sick. I was desperate for them to listen to me but they turned a blind eye and had closed ears to my complaints of suffering.

 

7.5mg/day Zopiclone still continued but was raised to 10mg/day the last week I was there.

 

Lyrica 100mg/day was discontinued on Jan. 27/2020 with only a 4 day taper. My psychiatrist was not happy that I wanted to go off it because I felt it was making me feel drugged and I thought it was contributing to my body pains and migraine headache. He told me I was to be discharged within that week. He told me to take whatever he wants me to take that week without question. He at the same time as discontinuing the Lyrica took me off my propranolol 20mg, enalapril 5mg, Atorvastatin, reactine.

 

He raised my Zopiclone to 10mg/day and put me on another medication which I cannot remember the name I was told by the nurse when I was given the first dosage that it was an older type of drug that was often given to shift workers to keep them awake during the day. I started the first dose on Jan.29/2020 but only took it the one day because that was the first day after I took it in the morning around 10am I started to experience  a burning searing excruciating headache/migraine, tinnitus, hot sweats, uncontrollable muscle cramping over my entire body including my neck and face, my legs and feet went numb and my body pain was excruciating. The nausea and not being able to eat much but digestive cookies and constant diarrhea was the state I was in at the time I was discharged on Feb. 3/2020.

 

Dec. 12, 2019 – Feb. 3, 2020 2nd psychiatric ward 

I was in treatment trying to get better the psychiatrist put me on all these I got very ill and he took me off the lyrica too quickly which I did not realize at the time and then discharged me sick not knowing what to do and telling my husband and I that I had to start taking my treatment into my own hands and that I had been off and on enough medications in the last 2 years that I should know how to taper and what drugs are making feel bad that he had know idea that I knew my body the best. So my doctor tried to help I was in so much pain and sick (not as much as I am in now though) here are the too fast tapers

 

Escitalopram 20mg Started on Dec.5, 2019 Taper: Feb. 16 - 20, 2020 15mg. Feb. 21 - 26, 2020 10mg. Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 20202 5mg. Mar. 3 Stopped 0mg.

· Reply · 1d · Edited

Lyrica 100mg Started on Dec. 29, 2019 100mg. Taper: Jan. 24 - Jan.27, 2020 50mg, Jan. 28, 2020 Stopped 0mg. (only 4 day taper)

· Reply · 1d

Trazodone 100mg Started on Jan. 14, 2020 100mg. Taper: Feb. 4 - Feb. 14, 2020 75mg. Feb. 14 - Mar. 6, 2020 50mg. (Then paused Feb.16 -Mar.3 for Escitalopram taper) Tapered again: Mar. 6 - Mar. 25, 2020 25mg. Mar. 25 to Apr.6, 2020 12.5mg. Apr. 7, 2020 Stopped 0mg.

 

I'm currently not on another antidepressant this last treatment scared me so much I did not want to start another one. I currently am still on the zopiclone 7.5mg and clonazapam 0.5 twice daily though unfortunately and will have to at some point try to get off those.

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by ChessieCat
removed spaces/ reformatted

[TracyH]

Excruciating pain, Severe withdrawals from too fast tapers please help me!

 

Hi Everyone I apologize for so much information at once I'm too sick to do a full brand new post so I have copied and pasted posts from support groups on facebook I was directed here too for help. I am in desperate need to know if I should reinstate any of my medications or if it is too risky.

 

I was wondering if I should try taking the lyrica again then do a proper taper, the psychiatrist put me on for my anxiety I never had pain before I took it until he took me off it too fast I first started getting the muscles contractions and horrible muscle cramp pain and had my first uncontrollable muscle movement episode of my face after the lyrica was stopped with only a 4 day taper which I did not know was too quickly I had been on it for 5 weeks. I think the lyrica stopped so suddenly started it all but then the escitalopram and trazadone tapers and getting off them too quickly just made everything worse. I have been so desparate in my thinking to see if there is a way to reverse this what I think may be dystonia that I have been thinking should I try to go back onto the lyrica to see if this disappears and then do a really slow proper taper but then I think it is so risky what if I really mess myself up worse but living with this and with it only being so soon 4.5 months and I have so much pain already I already cannot handle it I cannot imagine handling it any worse. I'm so afraid and do not know what to do I'm afraid that this will not go away with time if it is the dystonia. What does anyone think do you think trying lyrica again would be worth the risk? it is so hard to know what to do considering I had 3 too fast drug tapers. Does anyone think this would be too risky? Or should I be reinstating any of the other 2 also the Escitalopram and Trazodone? I am so sure I am developing dystonia everyday I lose control of my muscles and they cramp up and stay that way in my arms, neck, throat, face, head they are literally getting so tight that I feel them starting to get like pulled muscles in my neck. Everyday I am getting worse not one of the psychiatrists or my doctor will admit it is withdrawals so will not help me. I need to know desperately and soon if I should reinstate any of the medications to stop any further deterioration or destruction of my body if I don't do something about it now I can feel my brain and whatever sends messages to my muscles to work properly is not healing fast enough to keep up with the destruction. Please I'm begging of anyone for some advice and help on this before I can no longer save myself from losing total control of my muscles and my body ceasing up stiff forever and having to live in excruciating pain and torture and crippled and disabled for life.

 

I'm sure I have developed dystonia more and more everyday it scares me. I can feel my waist and hips turning to the left and I have less control of my legs then normal and the feel wobbly or like spaghetti or elasticy I don't know how to describe it and my neck and head want to turn to the left I feel like a force is pushing it to the left. Also I feel the muscles in my face moving mainly wanting to pull down especially in my jaw area and my neck and face muscles get tight. I also have had 3 times where I have had uncontrollable movements of my face that lasted for hours the first one was the worst that happened right after I was stopped on the lyrica in the hospital that included my eyes, tongue protruding and mouth, pretty much my whole face and my neck and right arm twisting to the left the nurse told me it was anxiety and to calm down I did not believe her that it was anxiety I have had anxiety long enough to know it does not do that. Since then I have had 2 more episodes that involved then same area's but not my tongue. I'm very scared of my future and no doctors will say the drugs have anything to do with it. Also my hands, wrists and lower arms get stiff throughout most of the day. My muscles get unbearably painful a very very deep bone consistent aching pain. I was able to move around today more and do some things in the kitchen and I did notice the pain lessened while I was more active. This is when I really noticed though I'm definitely dealing with the twisting of my right side of my body to the left. It makes me walk around like I look intoxicated. I really respect all you peoples opinions and knowledge and have some questions to ask if you would not mind.

I was wondering could it get better or go away and just be a part of withdrawals or once this happens do you have it for life?

Have been off antidepressants for for 3 to 4.5 months (too fast tapers) had been on poly drugged for 1.5 years then before that on citalopram for 10 years. A huge mess I was fine for the first 10 years developed insomnia and my anti was switched to trazadone and when that did not work the poly drugging happened for 1.5 years (I was a zombie and almost entirely non function able still am but no longer a zombie but I am extremely sick now riddled with unlivable pain still suffer from insomnia and take unfortunately 7.5mg zopiclone and 1mg clonazepam a day) but these last few days my muscle pain, uncontrollable cramping, stiffness, tightness in my head, face, throat, neck, right arm/hand, shoulder and sometimes my left arm/hand and also episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face is so unbearable lately I cannot handle it any longer. Today I have been at my wits end desperately not thinking I can go on any longer. I am so sick fluish this last few months also I'm getting to the point the pain in intolerable another minute it is almost 24/7 I have only had the muscle pain or tightness cramping go away for maybe a half hour a few times in the last month. It is too much. I was so sick before all this for the last 1,5 years that I am so weak I cannot this week get myself to hardly eat and bathe the pain is so intense I want to it all to end. No one can help me. I need to desperately no what to do. The pain is like you have if you get a severe cramp or charlie horse for instance this morning it has been a constant charliehorse in my lower right arm and hand, right shoulder, neck, face and head. It is so painful I only could sleep for a couple hours last night. I even took a baclofen (which I only have taken maybe 6 times in the last 3 months when I feel I can no longer take the pain another minute), 2 advils, clonazepam and all my vitamins. I just do not know how to go on any longer. I have no support group at home. My husband is my only person I have and he along with my doctor think my pain is psychosomatic. My husband cannot tolerate my complaining or crying or making any sounds of or about my pain. I don't know how to make the pain stop or live with it anymore so it is tolerable. I cannot handle the suffering anymore I literally am desperate for help so badly. Since lyrica was one of the last meds I was on that the pain started after the psychiatrist took me off with only a 4 day taper and that is when the nerve and muscle cramping, movements and severe head pain started I do not know if I should try to reinstate after being off it for 4.5 months but I think it is too risky but then again I'm desperate for this muscle pain relief i am so afraid I have the early stages of dystonia too. I have had episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face, neck and right arm. I am so afraid of that. But this muscle pain is so intense it is unimaginable I really need to numb this pain somehow. The severe head pain migraine burning so painful 24/7 and the piercing tinnitus. Even the numbness, tingling burning nerve pain allover but the worst is the muscle pain it is so severe. Whenever I try to type on the computer this all makes my pain levels go up so much worse but I need the help so badly, emotional support. I am desperate I feel for my sanity and my life, I need knowledge so bad. I want to do everything right now. I want to get better if there is any chance. I need something to keep me strong to endure this it feels like I am being tortured daily and have to put up with it because no one will listen to me. I wish I would have been thinking clearly enough to search out support groups before I let him put me on these meds or atleast before they were stopped or the too quick tapers. I cannot stop thinking about wanting to turn back time. I hope my life is not ruined forever unless I can get this pain under a tolerable level and I pray to god I do not have dystonia but I fear I do from having joined a dystonia support group on here it sounds all to familiar. I do not know how I can make it through life with no support, knowing my doctor is not listening to me and my husband is not trying to help get me better just not wanting me to bother him with my pain or worries, be silent. How do I survive this? I cannot hardly look after myself being so sick, I have nowhere to go. Does anyone else that had been off antidepressants for as around long as I have 4.5 months or longer experience this muscle cramping, severe pain? Please explain where in your body and the level of pain? Also any uncontrollable muscle movements? What do you take besides magnesium for the pain? Does anyone ever recover from antidepressants withdrawals/pain after stopping them too quickly after being on antidepressants for 12 years?

 

Here are the too fast tapers

 

Escitalopram 20mg Started on Dec.5, 2019 Taper: Feb. 16 - 20, 2020 15mg. Feb. 21 - 26, 2020 10mg. Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 20202 5mg. Mar. 3 Stopped 0mg.

· Reply · 1d · Edited

Lyrica 100mg Started on Dec. 29, 2019 100mg. Taper: Jan. 24 - Jan.27, 2020 50mg, Jan. 28, 2020 Stopped 0mg. (only 4 day taper)

· Reply · 1d

Trazodone 100mg Started on Jan. 14, 2020 100mg. Taper: Feb. 4 - Feb. 14, 2020 75mg. Feb. 14 - Mar. 6, 2020 50mg. (Then paused Feb.16 -Mar.3 for Escitalopram taper) Tapered again: Mar. 6 - Mar. 25, 2020 25mg. Mar. 25 to Apr.6, 2020 12.5mg. Apr. 7, 2020 Stopped 0mg.

I'm currently not on another antidepressant this last treatment scared me so much I did not want to start another one. I currently am still on the zopiclone 7.5mg and clonazapam 0.5 twice daily though unfortunately and will have to at some point try to get off those.

Brief History

Born August 1, 1970. Female 48 years old. At time of illness Tracy had been a National Lifeguard Instructor Trainer and Lifesaving Society Instructor Trainer with a career as an Aquatic Supervisor at an indoor town pool for 5 years. Training and certifying Lifeguard/Swimming Instructors,  supervising daily duties of lifeguards/Instructors/front deck staff as well as implementing and maintaining programming, scheduling, operational procedures and guidelines. Before that Tracy had owned and operated her own Day Spa for 10 years as well as worked in advertising. She graduated from college in 1993 in Graphic Design/Advertising Art.

 

Tracy fell ill from insomnia in September of 2018 she had been just diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and had just started cpap therapy but found the treatment invasive and could not tolerate the cpap treatment enough to fall asleep with the cpap machine. She had been lead to believe she would die in her sleep if she did not use her cpap machine and became fearful  and so persistent in always using her cpap machine while sleeping that her intolerance to the therapy resulted in severe insomnia.

 

Citalopram 20 mg/day and 1mg Clonazepam as needed for 10 years prior to her insomnia. Clonazepam was rarely needed.

 

Dec. 14, 2018

Citalopram 20 mg/day was changed to Trazodone 100mg/day. Clonazepam 1mg/twice a day.

Mental Health declined due to sleep deprivation, becoming emotionally weak and sensitive, frequent crying, anxiety and ability to function daily declined. Was no longer able to work due to 3 months of insomnia and mental health decline after medication change.

 

Feb. 9 -16, 2019 Psychiatric Ward

Sertraline 20mg/day was tried but discontinued due to side effects. 20 mg/day Citalopram was added to the Trazodone 100mg/day. Clonazepam 1mg/ twice a day.

Was very ill on the combination.

 

After Feb. 16 – June, 2019

Citalopram 20 mg was discontinued and Trazodone 100mg was tapered and stopped. Clonazepam was tapered to .5mg then switched to Valium 10mg and tapered to 2mg, Buspirone 10mg was added then stopped.

By this time insomnia had become extremely severe and ability to function daily on the most basic level was lost. Anxiety was severe and dehabilitating.

 

June 1 - August 9, 2019 Psychiatric Ward

Quetiapine 100mg/day added. Citalopram 50mg/day started then after 5 weeks discontinued due to intolerable side effects and switched to Mirtazapine 45mg/day, Fluoxetine 20mg/day, Zopiclone 7.5 mg, Clonazepam .5mg/twice a day.

Discharged feeling very drugged. Was able to sleep with cpap machine 7-8 hours/night(every 24 hours) Had regained ability to keep up hygiene and function on a basic level. Mentally was very out of it.

 

Aug. 9/2019 – Nov. 12, 2019

Due to feeling so drugged from Sept. 9/2019 Fluoxetine 20mg was tapered and stopped on Oct. 2/2019. Clonazepam was increased to 1mg/twice a day. Oct. 14 – Oct. 19/2019 felt the best that I ever had felt since falling ill in fall of 2018 but my mind and body felt very weak and fragile but then for no known reason I went past the feeling better stage and started to decline back into having a hard time functioning mentally and physically but could still do daily functioning tasks. I was able to keep good daily hygiene, cook supper, keep the dishes washed, take on a small cleaning task every day for example wash off a coffee table or do wash a load of clothes.

 

Nov. 12/2019 – Dec. 12/2019 Hospital

Was admitted at routine doctors appointment to the hospital since I had declined from starting to feel better and I continued to decline during the Quetiapine taper. Quetiapine 100mg was tapered and stopped, Zopiclone was reduced to 3.5mg/day, Clonazepam was increased to 1mg/three times a day

After this I started to feel like I was improving as in not feeling so drugged and I was mentally and physically able to function better. I suggested staying on Mirtazapine 45mg for awhile to see if I would stabilize on it and be ok my doctor did not agree so the Mirtazapine 45mg was tapered to 15mg and I was started on Escitalopram 10mg. I was on this combination for the last week I was in the hospital before going into a different psychiatric ward for a second opinion on a treatment. My body felt good no body sensations or pain but a small headache and my mind felt weak but not bad cognitively, my anxiety was mid range level to high. I questioned in my mind whether I should still go to the psychiatric ward and if I could handle living this way and if I would get better but arrangements had already been made and I thought at the time maybe I could get stabilized there on the Escitalopram if it worked and have my ability to sleep maintained. On my initial appointment my husband and I had with the psychiatrist before entering he had said his goal was to get me on only the Escitalopram and hopefully if my anxiety could get reduced I may be able to sleep without and sleeping medication. Being on only one medication sounded good.

 

Dec. 12, 2019 – Feb. 3, 2020 2^nd psychiatric ward

Mirtazapine was stopped, Escitalopram had just been increased to 15mg/day, Clonazepam was reduced to 1mg/twice a day. Zopiclone was increased to 7.5mg. The first week of being there I felt really good I had no body pain or sensations, my mind was clear but felt weak but I was thinking well. My anxiety was high during the day but after my evening clonazepam dose of 1mg I felt anxiety free and really good but I was getting very tired again as my sleeping had started to decline since the Mirtazapine had been stopped.

Escitalopram was increased to 20mg as the next couple of weeks progressed and then I felt drugged and out of it again, not fully present and was no longer able to think as clearly my basic functioning was on the low range but I was able to keep up my daily hygiene and attend groups.

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety. Clonazepam was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day then shortly after discontinued.

I had not wanted to take the Lyrica because the goal had been to have me on as little medications as possible and I did not have nerve pain but the psychiatrist said it was better to be on Lyrica then Clonazepam. Feeling pressured to try it I gave in.

Trazodone 100mg/day was started on Jan. 14/2010 and within the first week after that I started to experience muscle pain throughout different areas of my body and developed a constant migraine headache, sweats, chills, ear pain, nausea and constant diarrhea. I did start to sleep longer but could not fall asleep with my cpap machine anymore. Since Trazodone had not worked well for me in the past while being on it and the citalopram at the same time I was not comfortable going on it but the psychiatrist told me he would take me off it if I did not feel well on it. At this point I was not thinking clearly and wanted to not make the psychiatrist give up on trying to get me better and I felt extremely pressured to not go against his treatment plan.

I told the nurses and my psychiatrist during the last 3 weeks I was there that I thought the Trazodone and Lyrica had me take a turn for the worst and that I was very sick. I was desperate for them to listen to me but they turned a blind eye and had closed ears to my complaints of suffering.

7.5mg/day Zopiclone still continued but was raised to 10mg/day the last week I was there.

Lyrica 100mg/day was discontinued on Jan. 27/2020 with only a 4 day taper. My psychiatrist was not happy that I wanted to go off it because I felt it was making me feel drugged and I thought it was contributing to my body pains and migraine headache. He told me I was to be discharged within that week. He told me to take whatever he wants me to take that week without question. He at the same time as discontinuing the Lyrica took me off my propranolol 20mg, enalapril 5mg, Atorvastatin, reactine.

He raised my Zopiclone to 10mg/day and put me on another medication which I cannot remember the name I was told by the nurse when I was given the first dosage that it was an older type of drug that was often given to shift workers to keep them awake during the day. I started the first dose on Jan.29/2020 but only took it the one day because that was the first day after I took it in the morning around 10am I started to experience  a burning searing excruciating headache/migraine, tinnitus, hot sweats, uncontrollable muscle cramping over my entire body including my neck and face, my legs and feet went numb and my body pain was excruciating. The nausea and not being able to eat much but digestive cookies and constant diarrhea was the state I was in at the time I was discharged on Feb. 3/2020.

 

Here are the too fast tapers 

 

Escitalopram 20mg Started on Dec.5, 2019 Taper: Feb. 16 - 20, 2020 15mg. Feb. 21 - 26, 2020 10mg. Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 20202 5mg. Mar. 3 Stopped 0mg.

· Reply · 1d · Edited

Lyrica 100mg Started on Dec. 29, 2019 100mg. Taper: Jan. 24 - Jan.27, 2020 50mg, Jan. 28, 2020 Stopped 0mg. (only 4 day taper)

· Reply · 1d

Trazodone 100mg Started on Jan. 14, 2020 100mg. Taper: Feb. 4 - Feb. 14, 2020 75mg. Feb. 14 - Mar. 6, 2020 50mg. (Then paused Feb.16 -Mar.3 for Escitalopram taper) Tapered again: Mar. 6 - Mar. 25, 2020 25mg. Mar. 25 to Apr.6, 2020 12.5mg. Apr. 7, 2020 Stopped 0mg.

I'm currently not on another antidepressant this last treatment scared me so much I did not want to start another one. I currently am still on the zopiclone 7.5mg and clonazapam 0.5 twice daily though unfortunately and will have to at some point try to get off those.

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

NOTE TO MODS:  TracyH posted the second post in a different forum and I moved it to her introduction.

 

I saved both posts as separate documents and compared them.  I hope this helps. 

 

Please also see TracyH's second post where there is red font.

 

Here is the compared document. 

 

Blue & underlined = addition

 

Blue & strike through = deletion

 

Hi Everyone I apologize for so much information at once I'm too sick to do a full brand new post so I have copied and pasted posts from support groups on facebook I was directed here too for help. I am in desperate need to know if I should reinstate any of my medications or if it is too risky.

 

I was wondering if I should try taking the lyrica again then do a proper taper, the psychiatrist put me on for my anxiety I never had pain before I took it until he took me off it too fast I first started getting the muscles contractions and horrible muscle cramp pain and had my first uncontrollable muscle movement episode of my face after the lyrica was stopped with only a 4 day taper which I did not know was too quickly I had been on it for 5 weeks. I think the lyrica stopped so suddenly started it all but then the escitalopram and trazadone tapers and getting off them too quickly just made everything worse. I have been so desparate in my thinking to see if there is a way to reverse this what I think may be dystonia that I have been thinking should I try to go back onto the lyrica to see if this disappears and then do a really slow proper taper but then I think it is so risky what if I really mess myself up worse but living with this and with it only being so soon 4.5 months and I have so much pain already I already cannot handle it I cannot imagine handling it any worse. I'm so afraid and do not know what to do I'm afraid that this will not go away with time if it is the dystonia. What does anyone think do you think trying lyrica again would be worth the risk? it is so hard to know what to do considering I had 3 too fast drug tapers. Does anyone think this would be too risky?  Or should I be reinstating any of the other 2 also the Escitalopram and Trazodone? I am so sure I am developing dystonia everyday I lose control of my muscles and they cramp up and stay that way in my arms, neck, throat, face, head they are literally getting so tight that I feel them starting to get like pulled muscles in my neck. Everyday I am getting worse not one of the psychiatrists or my doctor will admit it is withdrawals so will not help me. I need to know desperately and soon if I should reinstate any of the medications to stop any further deterioration or destruction of my body if I don't do something about it now I can feel my brain and whatever sends messages to my muscles to work properly is not healing fast enough to keep up with the destruction. Please I'm begging of anyone for some advice and help on this before I can no longer save myself from losing total control of my muscles and my body ceasing up stiff forever and having to live in excruciating pain and torture and crippled and disabled for life.

 

 

I'm sure I have developed dystonia more and more everyday it scares me. I can feel my waist and hips turning to the left and I have less control of my legs then normal and the feel wobbly or like spaghetti or elasticy I don't know how to describe it and my neck and head want to turn to the left I feel like a force is pushing it to the left. Also I feel the muscles in my face moving mainly wanting to pull down especially in my jaw area and my neck and face muscles get tight. I also have had 3 times where I have had uncontrollable movements of my face that lasted for hours the first one was the worst that happened right after I was stopped on the lyrica in the hospital that included my eyes, tongue protruding and mouth, pretty much my whole face and my neck and right arm twisting to the left the nurse told me it was anxiety and to calm down I did not believe her that it was anxiety I have had anxiety long enough to know it does not do that. Since then I have had 2 more episodes that involved then same area's but not my tongue. I'm very scared of my future and no doctors will say the drugs have anything to do with it. Also my hands, wrists and lower arms get stiff throughout most of the day. My muscles get unbearably painful a very very deep bone consistent aching pain. I was able to move around today more and do some things in the kitchen and I did notice the pain lessened while I was more active. This is when I really noticed though I'm definitely dealing with the twisting of my right side of my body to the left. It makes me walk around like I look intoxicated. I really respect all you peoples opinions and knowledge and have some questions to ask if you would not mind.

I was wondering could it get better or go away and just be a part of withdrawals or once this happens do you have it for life?

Have been off antidepressants for for 3 to 4.5 months (too fast tapers) had been on poly drugged for 1.5 years then before that on citalopram for 10 years. A huge mess I was fine for the first 10 years developed insomnia and my anti was switched to trazadone and when that did not work the poly drugging happened for 1.5 years (I was a zombie and almost entirely non function able still am but no longer a zombie but I am extremely sick now riddled with unlivable pain still suffer from insomnia and take unfortunately 7.5mg zopiclone and 1mg clonazepam a day) but these last few days my muscle pain, uncontrollable cramping, stiffness, tightness in my head, face, throat, neck, right arm/hand, shoulder and sometimes my left arm/hand and also episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face is so unbearable lately I cannot handle it any longer. Today I have been at my wits end desperately not thinking I can go on any longer. I am so sick fluish this last few months also I'm getting to the point the pain in intolerable another minute it is almost 24/7 I have only had the muscle pain or tightness cramping go away for maybe a half hour a few times in the last month. It is too much. I was so sick before all this for the last 1,5 years that I am so weak I cannot this week get myself to hardly eat and bathe the pain is so intense I want to it all to end. No one can help me. I need to desperately no what to do. The pain is like you have if you get a severe cramp or charlie horse for instance this morning it has been a constant charliehorse in my lower right arm and hand, right shoulder, neck, face and head. It is so painful I only could sleep for a couple hours last night. I even took a baclofen (which I only have taken maybe 6 times in the last 3 months when I feel I can no longer take the pain another minute), 2 advils, clonazepam and all my vitamins. I just do not know how to go on any longer. I have no support group at home. My husband is my only person I have and he along with my doctor think my pain is psychosomatic. My husband cannot tolerate my complaining or crying or making any sounds of or about my pain. I don't know how to make the pain stop or live with it anymore so it is tolerable. I cannot handle the suffering anymore I literally am desperate for help so badly. Since lyrica was one of the last meds I was on that the pain started after the psychiatrist took me off with only a 4 day taper and that is when the nerve and muscle cramping, movements and severe head pain started I do not know if I should try to reinstate after being off it for 4.5 months but I think it is too risky but then again I'm desperate for this muscle pain relief i am so afraid I have the early stages of dystonia too. I have had episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face, neck and right arm. I am so afraid of that. But this muscle pain is so intense it is unimaginable I really need to numb this pain somehow. The severe head pain migraine burning so painful 24/7 and the piercing tinnitus. Even the numbness, tingling burning nerve pain allover but the worst is the muscle pain it is so severe. Whenever I try to type on the computer this all makes my pain levels go up so much worse but I need the help so badly, emotional support. I am desperate I feel for my sanity and my life, I need knowledge so bad. I want to do everything right now. I want to get better if there is any chance. I need something to keep me strong to endure this it feels like I am being tortured daily and have to put up with it because no one will listen to me. I wish I would have been thinking clearly enough to search out support groups before I let him put me on these meds or atleast before they were stopped or the too quick tapers. I cannot stop thinking about wanting to turn back time. I hope my life is not ruined forever unless I can get this pain under a tolerable level and I pray to god I do not have dystonia but I fear I do from having joined a dystonia support group on here it sounds all to familiar. I do not know how I can make it through life with no support, knowing my doctor is not listening to me and my husband is not trying to help get me better just not wanting me to bother him with my pain or worries, be silent. How do I survive this? I cannot hardly look after myself being so sick, I have nowhere to go. Does anyone else that had been off antidepressants for as around long as I have 4.5 months or longer experience this muscle cramping, severe pain? Please explain where in your body and the level of pain? Also any uncontrollable muscle movements? What do you take besides magnesium for the pain? Does anyone ever recover from antidepressants withdrawals/pain after stopping them too quickly after being on antidepressants for 12 years?

Here are the too fast tapers

 

Escitalopram 20mg Started on Dec.5, 2019 Taper: Feb. 16 - 20, 2020 15mg. Feb. 21 - 26, 2020 10mg. Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 20202 5mg. Mar. 3 Stopped 0mg.

· Reply · 1d · Edited

Lyrica 100mg Started on Dec. 29, 2019 100mg. Taper: Jan. 24 - Jan.27, 2020 50mg, Jan. 28, 2020 Stopped 0mg. (only 4 day taper)

· Reply · 1d

Trazodone 100mg Started on Jan. 14, 2020 100mg. Taper: Feb. 4 - Feb. 14, 2020 75mg. Feb. 14 - Mar. 6, 2020 50mg. (Then paused Feb.16 -Mar.3 for Escitalopram taper) Tapered again: Mar. 6 - Mar. 25, 2020 25mg. Mar. 25 to Apr.6, 2020 12.5mg. Apr. 7, 2020 Stopped 0mg.

I'm currently not on another antidepressant this last treatment scared me so much I did not want to start another one. I currently am still on the zopiclone 7.5mg and clonazapam 0.5 twice daily though unfortunately and will have to at some point try to get off those.

Brief History

 

Born August 1, 1970. Female 48 years old. At time of illness Tracy had been a National Lifeguard Instructor Trainer and Lifesaving Society Instructor Trainer with a career as an Aquatic Supervisor at an indoor town pool for 5 years. Training and certifying Lifeguard/Swimming Instructors,  supervising daily duties of lifeguards/Instructors/front deck staff as well as implementing and maintaining programming, scheduling, operational procedures and guidelines. Before that Tracy had owned and operated her own Day Spa for 10 years as well as worked in advertising. She graduated from college in 1993 in Graphic Design/Advertising Art.

 

 

 

Tracy fell ill from insomnia in September of 2018 she had been just diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and had just started cpap therapy but found the treatment invasive and could not tolerate the cpap treatment enough to fall asleep with the cpap machine. She had been lead to believe she would die in her sleep if she did not use her cpap machine and became fearful  and so persistent in always using her cpap machine while sleeping that her intolerance to the therapy resulted in severe insomnia.

 

 

 

Citalopram 20 mg/day and 1mg Clonazepam as needed for 10 years prior to her insomnia. Clonazepam was rarely needed.

 

 

 

Dec. 14, 2018

 

Citalopram 20 mg/day was changed to Trazodone 100mg/day. Clonazepam 1mg/twice a day.

 

Mental Health declined due to sleep deprivation, becoming emotionally weak and sensitive, frequent crying, anxiety and ability to function daily declined. Was no longer able to work due to 3 months of insomnia and mental health decline after medication change.

 

Feb. 9 -16, 2019 Psychiatric Ward

 

Sertraline 20mg/day was tried but discontinued due to side effects. 20 mg/day Citalopram was added to the Trazodone 100mg/day. Clonazepam 1mg/ twice a day.

 

Was very ill on the combination.

 

After Feb. 16 – June, 2019

 

Citalopram 20 mg was discontinued and Trazodone 100mg was tapered and stopped. Clonazepam was tapered to .5mg then switched to Valium 10mg and tapered to 2mg, Buspirone 10mg was added then stopped.

 

By this time insomnia had become extremely severe and ability to function daily on the most basic level was lost. Anxiety was severe and dehabilitating.

 

June 1 - August 9, 2019 Psychiatric Ward

 

Quetiapine 100mg/day added. Citalopram 50mg/day started then after 5 weeks discontinued due to intolerable side effects and switched to Mirtazapine 45mg/day, Fluoxetine 20mg/day, Zopiclone 7.5 mg, Clonazepam .5mg/twice a day.

 

Discharged feeling very drugged. Was able to sleep with cpap machine 7-8 hours/night(every 24 hours) Had regained ability to keep up hygiene and function on a basic level. Mentally was very out of it.

 

 

Aug. 9/2019 – Nov. 12, 2019

 

Due to feeling so drugged from Sept. 9/2019 Fluoxetine 20mg was tapered and stopped on Oct. 2/2019. Clonazepam was increased to 1mg/twice a day. Oct. 14 – Oct. 19/2019 felt the best that I ever had felt since falling ill in fall of 2018 but my mind and body felt very weak and fragile but then for no known reason I went past the feeling better stage and started to decline back into having a hard time functioning mentally and physically but could still do daily functioning tasks. I was able to keep good daily hygiene, cook supper, keep the dishes washed, take on a small cleaning task every day for example wash off a coffee table or do wash a load of clothes.

 

Nov. 12/2019 – Dec. 12/2019 Hospital

 

Was admitted at routine doctors appointment to the hospital since I had declined from starting to feel better and I continued to decline during the Quetiapine taper. Quetiapine 100mg was tapered and stopped, Zopiclone was reduced to 3.5mg/day, Clonazepam was increased to 1mg/three times a day

 

After this I started to feel like I was improving as in not feeling so drugged and I was mentally and physically able to function better. I suggested staying on Mirtazapine 45mg for awhile to see if I would stabilize on it and be ok my doctor did not agree so the Mirtazapine 45mg was tapered to 15mg and I was started on Escitalopram 10mg. I was on this combination for the last week I was in the hospital before going into a different psychiatric ward for a second opinion on a treatment. My body felt good no body sensations or pain but a small headache and my mind felt weak but not bad cognitively, my anxiety was mid range level to high. I questioned in my mind whether I should still go to the psychiatric ward and if I could handle living this way and if I would get better but arrangements had already been made and I thought at the time maybe I could get stabilized there on the Escitalopram if it worked and have my ability to sleep maintained. On my initial appointment my husband and I had with the psychiatrist before entering he had said his goal was to get me on only the Escitalopram and hopefully if my anxiety could get reduced I may be able to sleep without and sleeping medication. Being on only one medication sounded good.

 

Dec. 12, 2019 – Feb. 3, 2020 2nd psychiatric ward

 

Mirtazapine was stopped, Escitalopram had just been increased to 15mg/day, Clonazepam was reduced to 1mg/twice a day. Zopiclone was increased to 7.5mg. The first week of being there I felt really good I had no body pain or sensations, my mind was clear but felt weak but I was thinking well. My anxiety was high during the day but after my evening clonazepam dose of 1mg I felt anxiety free and really good but I was getting very tired again as my sleeping had started to decline since the Mirtazapine had been stopped.

 

Escitalopram was increased to 20mg as the next couple of weeks progressed and then I felt drugged and out of it again, not fully present and was no longer able to think as clearly my basic functioning was on the low range but I was able to keep up my daily hygiene and attend groups.

 

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety. Clonazepam was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day then shortly after discontinued.

 

I had not wanted to take the Lyrica because the goal had been to have me on as little medications as possible and I did not have nerve pain but the psychiatrist said it was better to be on Lyrica then Clonazepam. Feeling pressured to try it I gave in.

 

Trazodone 100mg/day was started on Jan. 14/2010 and within the first week after that I started to experience muscle pain throughout different areas of my body and developed a constant migraine headache, sweats, chills, ear pain, nausea and constant diarrhea. I did start to sleep longer but could not fall asleep with my cpap machine anymore. Since Trazodone had not worked well for me in the past while being on it and the citalopram at the same time I was not comfortable going on it but the psychiatrist told me he would take me off it if I did not feel well on it. At this point I was not thinking clearly and wanted to not make the psychiatrist give up on trying to get me better and I felt extremely pressured to not go against his treatment plan.

 

I told the nurses and my psychiatrist during the last 3 weeks I was there that I thought the Trazodone and Lyrica had me take a turn for the worst and that I was very sick. I was desperate for them to listen to me but they turned a blind eye and had closed ears to my complaints of suffering.

 

7.5mg/day Zopiclone still continued but was raised to 10mg/day the last week I was there.

 

Lyrica 100mg/day was discontinued on Jan. 27/2020 with only a 4 day taper. My psychiatrist was not happy that I wanted to go off it because I felt it was making me feel drugged and I thought it was contributing to my body pains and migraine headache. He told me I was to be discharged within that week. He told me to take whatever he wants me to take that week without question. He at the same time as discontinuing the Lyrica took me off my propranolol 20mg, enalapril 5mg, Atorvastatin, reactine.

 

He raised my Zopiclone to 10mg/day and put me on another medication which I cannot remember the name I was told by the nurse when I was given the first dosage that it was an older type of drug that was often given to shift workers to keep them awake during the day. I started the first dose on Jan.29/2020 but only took it the one day because that was the first day after I took it in the morning around 10am I started to experience  a burning searing excruciating headache/migraine, tinnitus, hot sweats, uncontrollable muscle cramping over my entire body including my neck and face, my legs and feet went numb and my body pain was excruciating. The nausea and not being able to eat much but digestive cookies and constant diarrhea was the state I was in at the time I was discharged on Feb. 3/2020.

Dec. 12, 2019 – Feb. 3, 2020 2nd psychiatric ward

I was in treatment trying to get better the psychiatrist put me on all these I got very ill and he took me off the lyrica too quickly which I did not realize at the time and then discharged me sick not knowing what to do and telling my husband and I that I had to start taking my treatment into my own hands and that I had been off and on enough medications in the last 2 years that I should know how to taper and what drugs are making feel bad that he had know idea that I knew my body the best. So my doctor tried to help I was in so much pain and sick (not as much as I am in now though) here are the too fast tapers

Here are the too fast tapers

Escitalopram 20mg Started on Dec.5, 2019 Taper: Feb. 16 - 20, 2020 15mg. Feb. 21 - 26, 2020 10mg. Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 20202 5mg. Mar. 3 Stopped 0mg.

· Reply · 1d · Edited

Lyrica 100mg Started on Dec. 29, 2019 100mg. Taper: Jan. 24 - Jan.27, 2020 50mg, Jan. 28, 2020 Stopped 0mg. (only 4 day taper)

· Reply · 1d

Trazodone 100mg Started on Jan. 14, 2020 100mg. Taper: Feb. 4 - Feb. 14, 2020 75mg. Feb. 14 - Mar. 6, 2020 50mg. (Then paused Feb.16 -Mar.3 for Escitalopram taper) Tapered again: Mar. 6 - Mar. 25, 2020 25mg. Mar. 25 to Apr.6, 2020 12.5mg. Apr. 7, 2020 Stopped 0mg.

I'm currently not on another antidepressant this last treatment scared me so much I did not want to start another one. I currently am still on the zopiclone 7.5mg and clonazapam 0.5 twice daily though unfortunately and will have to at some point try to get off those.

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by ChessieCat

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Tracy H.  I'm sorry you're going through this.

 

What you're experiencing is very real withdrawal syndrome and is not psychosomatic.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

Brain Remodelling 

 

Tardive dyskinesia or involuntary movements - Symptoms and ...

 

When we take psychiatric medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

If I am reading you correctly, the muscle movement issues are you most significant symptoms.  You have been off the Escitalopram for 3 months, and the Lyrica for a little more than 4 months.  Did the muscle issues start after your 4-day taper of Lyrica?  Is that why you're asking about reinstating the Lyrica rather than the Escitalopram?  You were on the Lyric for a little less than a month.  How did you feel when you were on the Lyrica?

 

Here is some basic information on reinstatement.  Reinstatement of a very small dose of the original drug is the only known way to help alleviate withdrawal syndrome.  The only other alternative is to try and wait out the symptoms and manage as best you can until your central nervous system returns to homeostasis.  Unfortunately no one can give you an exact timeline as to when you will start feeling better and while some do recover relatively easily, for others it can take many months or longer.  

 

Reinstatement isn't a guarantee of diminished symptoms for everyone but it's the best tactic available.  With your Lyrica, you're about a month outside the time period where reinstatement predictably works, up to 3 months after last dose.  We usually suggest a much smaller reinstatement dose than your last dose.  These drugs are strong, your system has become sensitized and If you take too much it may be too much for your brain.

Then, once you've stabilized on the reinstated dosage, which can take several months,  you can begin a 10% per month taper down to zero.   Please read:

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic

 

As to whether reinstatement is advisable for you, I've brought your situation to the attention of the administrators and other moderators.

 

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) 

 

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 answer my questions, ask your own questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

Edited June 3, 2020 by Altostrata
removed spaces

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Tracy.

 

It's difficult to say you have withdrawal syndrome from Lyrica or any one other drug, your history of going on and off drugs is so profuse.

 

What I can see is you took a turn for the worse when you took trazodone with an SSRI. It looks to me like you had a severe adverse reaction to trazodone's daytime metabolite, mCPP, which can cause the symptoms you reported. After that, your psychiatrists mismanaged your drug reactions with an arbitrary prescription cascade that made everything a lot worse.

 

I would not see that psychiatrist again. In fact, I would file a complaint against him and the hospital for misprescription, over-prescription, and failure to recognize adverse drug effects.

 

What we see here is that going on and off drugs and switching drugs is wearing on the nervous system. It can get confused and hypersensitive and produce symptoms like yours. It tends to very gradually settle down if you do not continually assault it with more psychotropics.

 

14 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

I even took a baclofen (which I only have taken maybe 6 times in the last 3 months when I feel I can no longer take the pain another minute), 2 advils, clonazepam and all my vitamins.

 

What drug prescriptions do you have now? What effect does the baclofen have on you? How often do you take clonazepam? What effect does it have on you?

 

Please list your current daily drug schedule, with dosages and times you take each drug.

 

When you feel able, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

[TracyH]

Hi Gridley,

I'm so glad I was referred to here I'm praying you all can help me. I wish I would have found this place sooner. This last 1.5 years of being put on and off so many different medications left me unable to function and think properly and I was lost in a world of being put on medications and feeling drugged (I am present now but my thinking is not anywhere near as good as before I got ill and my functioning is very bad due to being sick for so long and now this time being hurt physically by the medications and tapers) but this last time I went in for treatment turned into a nightmare of feeling sick and pain once the trazadone was started and then turned to excruciating pain after the lyrica was stopped. 

 

Did the muscle issues start after your 4-day taper of Lyrica? The very next day after I did not receive the nightly dosage after it was discontinued I started to have steady very intense uncontrollable muscle contractions lasting about 6 sec. contracting, then 6 sec. uncontracting and this continued steadily all day until about an hour after I took the nighttime meds of the trazadone and zopiclone. As well as a few days after I had an episode of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face, eyes, nose, mouth and protruding tongue that lasted for 3 hours until I was given a needle of lorazepam and passed out.

As well as my head pain became excruciating.

I also for the first time started having 5 -10 minutes at a time of waves of from my waist down my legs/feet going completely numb and pins and needles and tingling nerve pain then it would let up but not completely subside for only about a minute then strongly and quickly come back into my waist down legs/feet and last for 5-10 minutes then again subside not completely but less for about a minute and so on happening all day  until about an hour after I took the nighttime meds of the trazadone and zopiclone.

 

When the trazadone was first started I first started experiencing muscle pain but it was more a sharp pain that would hurt throughout the day off and on in one specif spot for example in my face or my arm or leg with a muscle contracting then uncontracting I thought at the time it was my muscles trying to wake up because right after the psychiatrist put me on the lyrica he took me off the clonazepam and switched it too lorazepam and within a week he stopped the lorazepam  and I thought maybe the clonazepam because I had been taking it for so long maybe had relaxed my muscles too much and that going off it they had started to try to wake up. I was feeling so drugged it was hard to figure out what was going on it may have been from the lyrica too. The lyrica and trazadone were started so closely together.

 

 

 

Is that why you're asking about reinstating the Lyrica rather than the Escitalopram? Yes, because my muscles where not bothering me when I was just on the Escitalopram by itself.

The very next day after I did not receive the nightly dosage of lyrica after it was discontinued I started to have steady very intense uncontrollable muscle contractions lasting about 6 sec. contracting, then 6 sec. uncontracting and this continued steadily all day . This continued from that point on everyday until just this the last few weeks from not over the entire body anymore but to mainly my right side of my body, throat, neck, face, head right arm/hand/shoulder and lower left arm into a constant cramp, constant tightness with the excruciating charlie horse pain. then I have had those times of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face which I have never had before in my life until the first episode that happened a few days after my lyrica was stopped a few more times since I left the hospital at home here but not as severe of movements, my tongue was not protruding.

 

 

 

You were on the Lyric for a little less than a month.  How did you feel when you were on the Lyrica? I felt very drugged and the right side off my face drooped down. 

I also had this muscle pain that I also wrote above that I cannot say was exactly from: When the trazadone was first started I first started experiencing muscle pain but it was more a sharp pain that would hurt throughout the day off and on in one specif spot for example in my face or my arm or leg with a muscle contracting then uncontracting I thought at the time it was my muscles trying to wake up because right after the psychiatrist put me on the lyrica he took me off the clonazepam and switched it too lorazepam and within a week he stopped the lorazepam  and I thought maybe the clonazepam because I had been taking it for so long maybe had relaxed my muscles too much and that going off it they had started to try to wake up. I was feeling so drugged it was hard to figure out what was going on it may have been from the lyrica too. The lyrica and trazadone were started so closely together.

[Altostrata]

Tracy, please answer:

 

2 hours ago, Altostrata said:

What drug prescriptions do you have now? What effect does the baclofen have on you? How often do you take clonazepam? What effect does it have on you?

 

Please list your current daily drug schedule, with dosages and times you take each drug.

 

When you feel able, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

[TracyH]

MOD NOTE:  Answers to questions at the bottom of post.

 

Hi Altrostrata,  Please edit this if I have put in too much information I have a hardtime keeping myself on track and porbably give out too much information I have lost my ability to know when enough is enough. I was not sure to put all this out publicly but thought maybe more insight into things might help for your and the other admins help. Thank you

 

 I really should have not went in for the last treatment. Near the end of my hospital stay once my doctor had taken me off most off my meds that where making me feel drugged, right before I went into the psych ward I had started to come to and not feel drugged but I had very bad anxiety and was stopping to sleep again. I did not think I could live that way and still wanted to get better. At that time I had just been reduced from 30mg mirtazipine to 15mg and the escitalopram 15mg had been added so that last week in the hospital before I went into treatment I had actually started to feel better being on lower dosages. Then I went into treatment and the first week I felt really good but the mirtazapine had been stopped I think the psychiatrist raised the escitalopram to 15mg and I had started to not sleep again so I was very tired and my anxiety was very high but my mind and body felt really good no pain. I was on though 3 mg of clonazepam a day. I had thought I was going to a good place to get treatment I certainly did not think it would hurt me. When I had my appointment with the psychiatrist the goal we had wanted was to get me onto only the Escitalopram and sleeping. The psychiatrist agreed he thought he could help achieve that goal.That is what we had wanted as little meds as possible but once I got there and the escitalopram kicked in and I started to feel drugged he kept wanting to add more meds and then everything became a nightmare. The lyrica and trazadone was a huge mistake and I gave into the psychiatrists insisting I give them a try.  Now since I have been so traumatized and hurt by the medications once I got off all these I was terrified to get onto another antidepressant. I realize now after making myself suffer through the anxiety from withdrawals that it gets more manageable and I am back no longer drugged feeling and I am finally present again but I am trapped in a body of suffering and the most horrible feelings all over. None of the medications he had me on made me feel good. I am very sensitive to medications and since I was on antidepressants for over 12 years I should have had a really slow long taper I realize that now. I think I am in severe withdrawals my brain has relied on antidepressants for over 12 years. Nothing is working properly anymore even my ears, there is never any peace in my body and head anymore. My body/head and brain are in a severe crisis. I feel they are screaming out for help. The excruciating muscle pain 24/7 in my head, face, throat,right shoulder, right arm/hand, chest and left arm/hand constant contracted muscles, hard stiff muscles, they pain is like I have an extreme charlie horse in all those area's constantly, and then the times of uncontrollable muscle movements of my face, eyes, nose, mouth where my head, neck and right arm want to move to the left like they are fighting against a force wanting to push them all over to my left side and sometimes when I walk my hips and legs want to twist to the left. The pain is so unnatural. It encompasses my entire body. It has an its really hard to describe but an electrical feeling to it all over my head, arms, legs body like a very torturous excruciating steady electrocution if that makes sense? along with the burning, numbness, tingling in my entire body, head/face/mouth/throat/esophagus, limbs/hands/feet, torso/upper/lower and insides and parts of my body falling asleep on me at times. I feel like I am being tortured. My head also is not only boiling inside and burning but there is tinnitus I think but a torturous loud piercing sound with that electrical or like a amplifier or speaker is in my head, a hollow loud sound this is constant I can only escape it while I am sleeping. It makes me not be able to think properly and really affects my functioning. I cannot remember how to do things like cooking is a big challenge I only can make a meal a few times a week. Or it feels chemical like, the pain is not normal. I feel sick all the time now, feverish even though I don't have a fever. My eyes burn and I have sweats and chills all over and my head instantly heats up off an on during the day when it heats up my brain seems to clear a little and I feel more alert and I feel my brain is more clear. I am just existing everyday trying to make it through each minute, hour to hour. I try to eat, take my medication and make myself move around walking once and awhile in the house room to room or in the yard to keep myself from losing mobility and cannot even manage to keep up with bathing but every few days which is embarrassing for me. I have acne all over my face, I am losing my hair, am losing weight and my muscle are wasting away, my face is always in pain I am finding it hard to walk and move around from the weakness and muscle pain. It feels now as though some muscles in my neck have been pulled, that sharper aching pain in that area.  I fear permanent damage but do not know how to stop this I don't feel like I am healing fast enough or much at all to keep up with the destruction and that my entire body and mind is deteriorating more. I do think the drugs messed up my entire body and it is freaking out screaming and it is telling me a very serious mistake has been made and I it needs serious help but I don't know what to do or what it needs. I am afraid if I do not do something I will never recover from this and be messed up like this forever or even get worse because it is not getting much better, my muscles and system that controls my muscles is definitely deteriorating it is almost 5 months since the lyrica was stopped and the horrendous muscle pain started. I have been sick for so long that my husband has given up on me he did not want me to go into treatment the last time. He thinks it is psychosomatic  because that is what my doctor says that is what he thinks but all our appointments are over the phone since the covid 19. I hope you all can help me. I have no one else to turn to that understands or wants to try to understand.

 

What I can see is you took a turn for the worse when you took trazodone with an SSRI. It looks to me like you had a severe adverse reaction to trazodone's daytime metabolite, mCPP, which can cause the symptoms you reported. After that, your psychiatrists mismanaged your drug reactions with an arbitrary prescription cascade that made everything a lot worse.

 

I agree after the trazadone was added I  had thought I had serotonin syndrome but all my cries for help fell on deaf ears the nurses assigned to me would get mad at me whenever I told them off how sick I was feeling and the psychiatrist would not listen to me or acknowledge my suffering. 

 

I would not see that psychiatrist again. In fact, I would file a complaint against him and the hospital for misprescription, over-prescription, and failure to recognize adverse drug effects.

 

I won't. I will not see the last psychiatrist I had treat me again. I reached out to him in desperate need for help on April 3,   which had been at that time 4 weeks after my last dose of the Escitalopram and only a few days after my last dose of the trazadone, I had been desperately trying to get help from my original psychiatrist  (who I trusted more) that I had had for my past treatments before this last one to see if I should reinstate the Escitalopram before it was too late and do a longer taper but he would not receive my calls and told his receptionist to tell me to go to my doctor about my psychical pain, so unfortunately I was such desperate need for help even though I did not trust the last psychiatrist I had that I called,  I was told that the medications they had put me on had nothing to do with my pain and that it was not withdrawals since it had been 4 weeks since the escitalopram was stopped so not to reinstate the escitalopram and he asked me if I had been talking to anyone else about this and I told him I had been talking to my doctor about my pain and had tried to talk to my original psychiatrist , he then said to me that I should not be talking to more then one person because he does not know what I have been telling them and that maybe he should send them a letter. Then just 3 weeks ago my doctor received a letter from him that left out everything about my pain and feeling sick the last few weeks I was there and only wrote about my how I was the first couple of weeks I was there making it sound like that was the whole time I was there for treatment, and concluded it saying my treatment was a success even saying that at the time of discharge I was feeling great. Something to that effect. My husband new I was sick the last few weeks I was there I called every night almost crying in pain and when he picked me up I was in so much pain and sick that he was not happy he said to my psychiatrist why is she in so much pain and what are we to do now and he said that I had to start taking my treatment into my own hands and that I had been off and on enough medications the past 1.5 that I knew how to taper and I know what medications work best for me and how they make me feel because I know my body the best. He said he did not know what was wrong that maybe the trazadone was too high or making me sick that he had no idea.

 

The psychiatrist had started to bully me and treat me with disgust or like he hated me after I started to tell him about how I was not feeling well and told him I had felt better when I first arrived at the psych ward for treatment. That is when he started to I feel punish me and persuaded me to take the trazadone even though I told him I did not want to take it because I had in the past with the citalopram and it had not made me feel good and he said that it did not necessarily mean it would not work this time and he told me he would take me off it if it did not make me feel well but after he had me on it and I started to feel sick is he would not listen to me and the nurses assigned to me everyday would get mad at me telling me that my psychiatrist knew already and to stop talking to them about it. Then when I told him I wanted to see how I was off the lyrica because I thought it was making me feel drugged he got really angry and that is when he did the 4 day taper form lyrica 100mg to 50 mg for 4 days then stopped and at the same time as he stopped the lyrica he took me off without an explanation of why my other important meds like my heart meds, cholesterol etc. and he told me that I was to take anything he wants to give me that week without question, and he gave me that medication I cannot remember the name of it but I asked a nurse before I took it what it was for and she said it was an older medication that shift workers used to take to keep them awake. I did not want to take it but was afraid that my psychiatrist would not help me if I did not do what he wanted so I took it that first day that was the same day as the uncontrollable muscle contractions and nerve pain and numbness started that first day of not taking the lyrica the night before this is what confused me and I thought at the time that it was that pill that had started the muscle contractions and numbness. But when I refused it the next day because I was afraid it would continue it did not matter it continued everyday afterwards until the last few weeks I was shocked and did not know what to say at the time all I was was desperate for him to not be mad at me but to help me. But he just discharged me at the end of that week in pain and sick and not helping me anyway. 

 

What drug prescriptions do you have now?

I have still other prescriptions medications at home left over that I no longer take still like Escitalopram, Trazodone, lyrica, gabapentin, baclofen, mirtazapine and some more things I don't know if that is what this question is for. 

 

I take this daily:

7.5mg zopiclone once daily at bedtime  between 10pm - 11pm

enalaphril 5mg once daily approx. 9am

propranolol 10mg twice daily approx. 7am I usually take them both at the same time

omneprazole 20mg once daily       9am - 12pm

melatonine 10mg once daily   between 10pm - 11pm

Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

reactine 10mg oncedaily

I have the 10mg Baclofen that my doctor prescribed but now he does not want me taking it since he says it interferes with my other medications but I have had to take it about 6 times when the pain was beyond what I could mentally handle, completely breaking me

 

Supplements:

I do take CBD oil daily

Then supplements of magnesium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, omega 3 fish oil, one a day womans multi vitamin, and sometimes a probiotic

 

What effect does the baclofen have on you?

It relaxes my  muscles not completely but provides approx. 50% relief, makes me feel tired and little drugged

 

How often do you take clonazepam? What effect does it have on you?

Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm 

My body/head feel in distress and in such a crisis that I do not notice it doing much for me anymore I mainly take it now to avoid the withdrawals from it.

 

Please list your current daily drug schedule, with dosages and times you take each drug.

7.5mg zopiclone once daily at bedtime  between 10pm - 11pm

enalaphril 5mg once daily approx. 9am

propranolol 10mg twice daily approx. 7am I usually take them both at the same time

omneprazole 20mg once daily       9am - 12pm

melatonine 10mg once daily   between 10pm - 11pm

Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

I have the 10mg Baclofen that my doctor prescribed but now he does not want me taking it since he says it interferes with my other medications but I have had to take it about 6 times when the pain was beyond what I could mentally handle, completely breaking me

 

I do take CBD oil daily

 

Then supplements of magnesium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, omega 3 fish oil, one a day womans multi vitamin, and sometimes a probiotic

 

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by ChessieCat
bolded some headings for easier reading

[Altostrata]

1 hour ago, TracyH said:

7.5mg zopiclone once daily at bedtime  between 10pm - 11pm

enalaphril 5mg once daily approx. 9am

propranolol 10mg twice daily approx. 7am I usually take them both at the same time

omneprazole 20mg once daily       9am - 12pm

melatonine 10mg once daily   between 10pm - 11pm

Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

reactine 10mg oncedaily

 

How long have you been taking each of these drugs?

 

It's important that you take the same dosages at the same times every day.

 

Please put ALL your current drugs plus baclofen in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results or a link to them in this topic.

 

Please do not post big blocks of text, they are impossible to read. Break them up into short paragraphs, please.

[TracyH]

 

12 months     7.5mg zopiclone once daily at bedtime  between 108 years           

8 years           enalaphril 5mg once daily approx. 9am

8 years           propranolol 10mg twice daily approx. 7am I usually take them both at the same time

8 years           omneprazole 20mg once daily       9am - 12pm

12 months     melatonine 10mg once daily   between 10pm - 11pm

12 years         Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

12 years         reactine 10mg oncedaily

 

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=972-0,703-0,1956-0,1750-0,1030-0,1548-0,318-0

 

 

 

[TracyH]

 

Hi,

I was wondering if the Administrators and Moderators think I should reinstate any of the medications from my too fast tapers?

 

I had talked mainly about the lyrica before but maybe this constant muscle cramping this past few weeks is mainly from Escitalopram withdrawals since that one was too fast too and more recently stopped? Maybe that is why the uncontrollable continuous muscle cramping that would cramp 6 sec. then release for six sec. continuously all day changed the last few weeks to a constant muscle cramp, stiffness, hardness in my face, jaw, head, neck, throat, right shoulder/arm/hand, left arm/hand, my arms.

 

After the lyrica was stopped I right away started to have the horrible continuous contracting and uncontracting muscle pain and the burning, numbness nerve pain and head pain which continued but became more painful through the Escitalopram and trazadone tapers but besides the pain from the muscles, nerves and head I still felt normal in my mind/body/head like I would have felt normal if it not for those pains.

 

But shortly after the Escitalopram and trazadone tapers where finished as time has went on all these unnatural feelings/sensations that are hard to describe have also came into my mind/body/ears/head as well. The burning, numbness nerve pain and head pain continuous muscle cramping continued all over my body and came in and out all throughout the day as before but now it is a constant muscle cramp, stiffness, hardness in my face, jaw, head, neck, throat, right shoulder/arm/hand, left arm/hand, my arms get very stiff I am afraid because it rarely goes away, it has been a pretty much permanent state of this the last few weeks and if they do uncramp/loosen it is only for a few seconds once or twice a day.  It is agonizing the pain it causes in those areas. It restricts my breathing, my voice sounds strangled and I find it hard to swallow during the night when lying down. I am afraid it may become permanent and never go away if my brain is not healing fast enough to start sending the proper messages to my muscles and if reinstating and my doing a slower taper can stop permanent destruction/disablility then I want to make sure I have done all I can before it is too late. Please if you could help me?

 

 

Here are the too fast tapers

Escitalopram 20mg Started on Dec.5, 2019 Taper: Feb. 16 - 20, 2020 15mg. Feb. 21 - 26, 2020 10mg. Feb. 27 - Mar. 2, 20202 5mg. Mar. 3 Stopped 0mg.

· Reply · 1d · Edited

Lyrica 100mg Started on Dec. 29, 2019 100mg. Taper: Jan. 24 - Jan.27, 2020 50mg, Jan. 28, 2020 Stopped 0mg. (only 4 day taper)

· Reply · 1d

Trazodone 100mg Started on Jan. 14, 2020 100mg. Taper: Feb. 4 - Feb. 14, 2020 75mg. Feb. 14 - Mar. 6, 2020 50mg. (Then paused Feb.16 -Mar.3 for Escitalopram taper) Tapered again: Mar. 6 - Mar. 25, 2020 25mg. Mar. 25 to Apr.6, 2020 12.5mg. Apr. 7, 2020 Stopped 0mg.

I'm currently not on another antidepressant this last treatment scared me so much I did not want to start another one. I currently am still on the zopiclone 7.5mg and clonazapam 0.5 twice daily though unfortunately and will have to at some point try to get off those.

 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

It seems to me, if baclofen gives you relief, the other drugs that don't seem to be doing anything good should be deprescribed.

 

Why are you taking propranol, enalapril, omeprazole, and cetirizine? What effects do you feel from each of these drugs?

 

Why are you taking 10mg melatonin? That's a rather high dosage. Do you find it effective for sleep?

 

16 hours ago, TracyH said:

12 years         Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

 

Are you taking clonazepam twice daily or 3 times daily, as your schedule shows? Why do you say "approx"? Of all your drugs, clonazepam should be taken on a set schedule, not as needed after taking it such a long time.

[TracyH]

It seems to me, if baclofen gives you relief, the other drugs that don't seem to be doing anything good should be deprescribed.

I have only taken the baclofen about 6 times because I did not want to start another brain altering medication it is one to that has to be slowly tapered to stop and I imagine muscle cramping and tension which I have so bad now would be one of the hardest parts of withdrawal on that. Recently my Doctor asked me if I was taking it and told me not to now he said it interacts with some of my medications. So I am not sure if I should start taking it regularly unless I know I will have to live like this forever I am still hoping this goes away.

 

Why are you taking propranol, enalapril, omeprazole, and cetirizine? What effects do you feel from each of these drugs?

For high blood pressure, to lower my heart rate, for IRS and I have bad allergies. I have taken them for so many years about 6.5 years before I got sick 1.5 years ago.  I never noticed them ever bothering me. I was overall pretty healthy and athletic I think the blood pressure and heart rate is due to my untreated sleep apnea.

 

Why are you taking 10mg melatonin? That's a rather high dosage. Do you find it effective for sleep?

I'm not sure I have not tried taking less.

 

I would like to get off the 7.5mg of zopiclone but dont think my CNS can handle anymore disruption right now. I am sure though although it helps me get some sleep that it does not give me withdrawal symptoms during the day. Actually the only medication that I take regularly that does provide some relief I am taking now is the zopiclone about 1.5 hours after I take it I feel alot less muscle and nerve pain and these strange sensations and my head feels better I am not sure why this is.

 

  17 hours ago, TracyH said:

12 years         Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

 

Are you taking clonazepam twice daily or 3 times daily, as your schedule shows? Why do you say "approx"? Of all your drugs, clonazepam should be taken on a set schedule, not as needed after taking it such a long time.

Yes I divide it up so I can have 3 doses during the day the approx. is for the times I take it. I never knew I was to take medications the same time every day. I will try to take it the same time everyday. For the first 10 years before I got sick I rarely took the clonazepam. Just the last 1.5 years I was taking it daily. When I was put on the lyrica by the last psychiatrist who treated me he took me off the clonazepam but during my tapers my doctor gave my the clonazepam as needed I was at first able to handle the suffering enough to only take .25mg  to .5mg a day but then as the tapering and I got worse I ended up a the 1mg a day.

 

 

Did you have a chance to read my last post? I am so completely disabled and hardly able to function I cannot work or hardly make it through each day. Since the tapers finished and the meds stopped I honestly feel my body is slowly breaking down now and I am just holding on I have so many sensations now, even worse increase in agonizing muscle and nerve pain and head pain and I am now feeling flulike ill for the last few months everyday 24/7. I was always able to at least function pain free/sensation free once I leveled out on the medications they gave me in the last 1.5 years but felt drugged and could not function mentally enough to work only do basic tasks around the house but I did not feel physically sick I actually managed to not even get a cold. But this last treatment at the psych ward pyscially I was doing fine until the trazadone was added to the escitalopram, then when the lyrica stopped so quickly then the muscle cramping and nerve pain, blinding head pain but then after the too quick tapers now almost nonfunctional as I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. Please do you think I should consider reinstated one of the med's?

[Altostrata]

52 minutes ago, TracyH said:

Why are you taking propranol, enalapril, omeprazole, and cetirizine? What effects do you feel from each of these drugs?

For high blood pressure, to lower my heart rate, for IRS and I have bad allergies. I have taken them for so many years about 6.5 years before I got sick 1.5 years ago.  I never noticed them ever bothering me. I was overall pretty healthy and athletic I think the blood pressure and heart rate is due to my untreated sleep apnea.

 

How was high blood pressure determined? What do you mean by IRS (IBS)? What were your symptoms?

 

52 minutes ago, TracyH said:

Why are you taking 10mg melatonin? That's a rather high dosage. Do you find it effective for sleep?

I'm not sure I have not tried taking less.

 

Does 10mg melatonin help you sleep?

 

52 minutes ago, TracyH said:

Are you taking clonazepam twice daily or 3 times daily, as your schedule shows? Why do you say "approx"? Of all your drugs, clonazepam should be taken on a set schedule, not as needed after taking it such a long time.

Yes I divide it up so I can have 3 doses during the day the approx. is for the times I take it. I never knew I was to take medications the same time every day. I will try to take it the same time everyday. For the first 10 years before I got sick I rarely took the clonazepam. Just the last 1.5 years I was taking it daily. When I was put on the lyrica by the last psychiatrist who treated me he took me off the clonazepam but during my tapers my doctor gave my the clonazepam as needed I was at first able to handle the suffering enough to only take .25mg  to .5mg a day but then as the tapering and I got worse I ended up a the 1mg a day.

 

Exactly how much clonazepam are you taking, at what times of day?

 

On 6/2/2020 at 2:15 PM, TracyH said:

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety. Clonazepam was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day then shortly after discontinued.

 

Is this when your bad symptoms started? How much clonazepam were you taking when you were switched to lorazepam?

[TracyH]

Why are you taking propranol, enalapril, omeprazole, and cetirizine? What effects do you feel from each of these drugs?

For high blood pressure, to lower my heart rate, for IRS and I have bad allergies. I have taken them for so many years about 6.5 years before I got sick 1.5 years ago.  I never noticed them ever bothering me. I was overall pretty healthy and athletic I think the blood pressure and heart rate is due to my untreated sleep apnea.

 

How was high blood pressure determined? What do you mean by IRS (IBS)? What were your symptoms?

My blood pressure and heart rate has been taken at my doctors appointments throughout the years.

I was told I have irritable bowel syndrome and have had a couple scopes of my stomach and there was irritation so was given the omneprazole

 

  1 hour ago, TracyH said:

Why are you taking 10mg melatonin? That's a rather high dosage. Do you find it effective for sleep?

I'm not sure I have not tried taking less.

 

Does 10mg melatonin help you sleep?

I think so I have not tried sleeping without it since I was given it for my insomnia a year back. I think it helps but I also take the zopiclone.

 

  1 hour ago, TracyH said:

Are you taking clonazepam twice daily or 3 times daily, as your schedule shows? Why do you say "approx"? Of all your drugs, clonazepam should be taken on a set schedule, not as needed after taking it such a long time.

Yes I divide it up so I can have 3 doses during the day the approx. is for the times I take it. I never knew I was to take medications the same time every day. I will try to take it the same time everyday. For the first 10 years before I got sick I rarely took the clonazepam. Just the last 1.5 years I was taking it daily. When I was put on the lyrica by the last psychiatrist who treated me he took me off the clonazepam but during my tapers my doctor gave my the clonazepam as needed I was at first able to handle the suffering enough to only take .25mg  to .5mg a day but then as the tapering and I got worse I ended up a the 1mg a day.

 

Exactly how much clonazepam are you taking, at what times of day?

Clonazepam 0.1 mg/daily           7am 0.25mg,  4pm 0.25mg,   10pm 0.5mg

 

  On 6/2/2020 at 4:15 PM, TracyH said:

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety. Clonazepam was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day then shortly after discontinued.

 

Is this when your bad symptoms started? How much clonazepam were you taking when you were switched to lorazepam?

 

No once this was started:

Trazodone 100mg/day was started on Jan. 14/2010 and within the first week after that I started to experience muscle pain throughout different areas of my body and developed a constant migraine headache, sweats, chills, ear pain, nausea and constant diarrhea.

 

Then once this was stopped it turned from very sick to something had gone horribly wrong, my system going haywire with the agonizing pain:

Lyrica 100mg/day was discontinued on Jan. 27/2020 (last night of taking it) with only a 4 day taper. On the morning on Jan. 29  a burning searing excruciating headache/migraine, tinnitus, hot sweats, uncontrollable muscle cramping over my entire body including my neck and face, my legs and feet went numb and my body pain was excruciating. The nausea and not being able to eat much but digestive cookies and constant diarrhea was the state I was in at the time I was discharged on Feb. 3/2020.

 

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety then the Clonazepam 1mg/2xday was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg/2xday then shortly after discontinued.

[Altostrata]

My guess is your symptoms arise from benzodiazepine withdrawal when you were taken off clonazepam in early January. You may have had an adverse reaction to trazodone and a withdrawal reaction to being taken off Lyrica as well.

 

You were taking .2mg clonazepam/day at the time? Now you are taking 0.1mg/day. It seems you feel better when you add the benzo-like zopiclone because it augments the inadequate amount of clonazepam you're taking.

 

Why are you taking 0.25mg clonazepam at 4 p.m.?

 

 

[TracyH]

  On 6/2/2020 at 4:15 PM, TracyH said:

Lyrica 100mg/day was started on Dec. 29 for anxiety. Clonazepam was switched afterwards to Lorazepam .5 mg twice a day then shortly after discontinued.

 

I did feel drugged on the lyrica though and the right side off my face drooped. I actually can not say for sure now that after the trazadone was when I first I started to experience muscle pain throughout different areas of my body. My mind was muddled from feeling drugged but it was after the Lorazepam was discontinued the trazadone was started shortly afterwards so it gets confusing to know I will look back to at my journaling that I managed to do to see do to see if I can pinpoint it better.

 

[TracyH]

My guess is your symptoms arise from benzodiazepine withdrawal when you were taken off clonazepam in early January. You may have had an adverse reaction to trazodone and a withdrawal reaction to being taken off Lyrica as well.

 

That would make sense I do know the addition of the trazadone made me very sick it was only very shortly afterwards that I stopped being able to eat and the constant migraine headache, sweats, chills, ear pain, nausea and constant diarrhea 

I definitely agree I had a very bad withdrawal reaction to being taken off the lyrica so quickly. It was when I started experiencing for the very first time the instant all day continuous muscle cramping and releasing over and over again all day and the very first time having the continuous numbing of my body from my waist down it would flush through then release then flush through continously all day to, also when the burning searing excruciating headache/migraine, tinnitus, hot sweats This continued throughout even my tapers and up until a few weeks ago but the numbness, burning has ended up going everywhere in my body but in the last few weeks it has not been more in my lower body and arms. 3333333333333333333333333The last few weeks though as I mentioned before the uncontrollable muscle cramping has changed to the constant muscle cramping of the upper body/arms/head/neck/face. 

 

You were taking .2mg clonazepam/day at the time? Now you are taking 0.1mg/day. It seems you feel better when you add the benzo-like zopiclone because it augments the inadequate amount of clonazepam you're taking.

 

2 mg/2xday clonazepam before it was switched to 0.5mg Lorazepam/2xday then shortly after stopped once the lyrica was started.

Yes you could be right. I just thought whatever is in the zopiclone must be giving my brain what it feels deprived of to function again since the lyrica, trazadone and escitalopram have been taken away. Or I had thought maybe I am experiencing daily zopiclone withdrawals ontop of my other withdrawals and that after I take the zopiclone the zopiclone withdrawals get relieved, just a thought I had.

 

Why are you taking 0.25mg clonazepam at 4 p.m.?

I thought I would spread it out during the day instead of just morning and evening because my withdrawals start to feel so much more unbearable at that time and I need the relief.

[Altostrata]

1 hour ago, TracyH said:

Why are you taking 0.25mg clonazepam at 4 p.m.?

I thought I would spread it out during the day instead of just morning and evening because my withdrawals start to feel so much more unbearable at that time and I need the relief.

 

When did you make this change? What was your clonazepam schedule before Clonazepam 0.1 mg/daily  7am 0.25mg,  4pm 0.25mg,   10pm 0.5mg

 

22 hours ago, TracyH said:

 

12 months     7.5mg zopiclone once daily at bedtime  between 108 years           

8 years           enalaphril 5mg once daily approx. 9am

8 years           propranolol 10mg twice daily approx. 7am I usually take them both at the same time

8 years           omneprazole 20mg once daily       9am - 12pm

12 months     melatonine 10mg once daily   between 10pm - 11pm

12 years         Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

12 years         reactine 10mg oncedaily

 

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=972-0,703-0,1956-0,1750-0,1030-0,1548-0,318-0

 

How was your IBS diagnosed? When was your high blood pressure last reviewed? I'm asking these questions because it probably would be best for you to taper off the drugs that you don't need any more.

 

Has one doctor prescribed all these drugs?

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

[TracyH]

Why are you taking 0.25mg clonazepam at 4 p.m.?

I thought I would spread it out during the day instead of just morning and evening because my withdrawals start to feel so much more unbearable at that time and I need the relief.

 

When did you make this change? What was your clonazepam schedule before Clonazepam 0.1 mg/daily  7am 0.25mg,  4pm 0.25mg,   10pm 0.5mg

 

On my prescription bottle it says to take 0.5mg twice a day or as needed.

My doctor told me to only try to take it if I need to. He says the less I take the better. (Here in Canada all the doctors do not like prescribing benzos anymore) that is why the psychiatrist pushed me so hard to take the lyrica so he could take me of the benzos.

 

What was your clonazepam schedule before Clonazepam 0.1 mg/daily  7am 0.25mg,  4pm 0.25mg,   10pm 0.5mgI

 

Clonazepam 1mg/ three times a day

 

 

  22 hours ago, TracyH said:

 

12 months     7.5mg zopiclone once daily at bedtime  between 108 years           

8 years           enalaphril 5mg once daily approx. 9am

8 years           propranolol 10mg twice daily approx. 7am I usually take them both at the same time

8 years           omneprazole 20mg once daily       9am - 12pm

12 months     melatonine 10mg once daily   between 10pm - 11pm

12 years         Clonazepam 0.5 mg twice daily   approx.  0.25mg  7am , 0.25mg  4pm, 0.5mg  between 8pm - 10pm

12 years         reactine 10mg oncedaily

 

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=972-0,703-0,1956-0,1750-0,1030-0,1548-0,318-0

 

How was your IBS diagnosed? Through a scope done of my stomach and endoscopy

 

When was your high blood pressure last reviewed? 2 months ago at my doctors office

Everytime I have it taken when taking the medications it is good.

 

I'm asking these questions because it probably would be best for you to taper off the drugs that you don't need any more.

 

Has one doctor prescribed all these drugs? Yes my family doctor I have had for the last 15 years. Unless I was in the psychiatric ward then the psychiatrist does what he wants to.

[TracyH]

My withdrawals are so bad the suffering is agonizing. I am in a severe crisis. I don't know what to do. My doctor had wanted me to start mirtazapine after I stopped the trazadone but I just could not put it into my body since these last medications had hurt me so badly. The mirtazapine is what I was on before I went into this last treatment. It helped with my sleep and I did not have pain on it but it made me feel drugged. But that is also why my doctor believes this is psychosomatic because he believes I need to be on an antidepressant my husband agrees with him and says I should have started the mirtazapine because I have been on antidepressants for 12 years so they think I need to be on one.

 

I do not think it is anxiety it is far to inhumane the pain and excruciating. I feel like I am being tortured. I do know though that my CNS, brain and body are not ready for what is happening to them. I cannot believe that anyone can go through this much suffering and pain and make it through ok. My pain is getting worse it has me not wanting to live any longer for god to take me please. I am afraid to go on the mirtazapine too since I have had those episodes of uncontrollable muscle movements and have read mirtazapine is one of the antidepressants that is bad for causing movement disorders. No one believes me that my pain is as bad as I say it is. I honestly am desperate for help I don't know how much more suffering I can bare. Something is severely wrong and my body and brain are screaming for help.

 

My husband says my doctor knows how I feel and there is nothing that anyone will do for me except to take pain medication like gabapentin, lyrica and baclofen or to go onto an antidepressant, both my psychiatrists that have treated me say it is not withdrawals. A neurologist I seen said it had nothing to do with my medications, brain, nerves, spinal cord, muscles but did not perform any tests but a basic strength test, checked my reflexes and had my eyes follow his finger.

 

I know my tapers were too fast now after this pain has got so excruciating and I have gotten so much worse after the tapers were done and I see people taking months to years to taper I had 3 tappers too fast within a few months. I think that is why these sensations and the muscle and nerve pain and pain in my head is so horrifying. If I have to suffer this out I don't know if I can the pain is unimaginable and I fear the destruction to me body that it is not able to heal fast enough for what my brain needs to operate my body properly, but if I am going to ruin myself and never have any hopes of ever being normal again someday or even close to having some kind of tolerable existence if I reinstate then I have no choice but how can this excruciating of pain be endured? I'm sorry but I am desparate to know what to do from someone that believes I am in withdrawals. I cannot afford to make a mistake this time though I am so sick and ravished with pain that if I do make the wrong decision I cannot bare anymore suffering and will not have the strength to get better. I already have no strength. I see my first psychiatrist who treated me the first 2 times since my mental health feel apart after I was taken off the citalopram I had been on for 10 years after I developed my insomnia on June 17 but I do not think he will admit it is withdrawals and think if I wait that much longer to even think of reinstating it will less likely work since I am at 3 months now for the Escitalopram.

 

My doctor will not give me a higher dosage of clonazepam I am sure of that he does not want me taking as much as I am already.

[Altostrata]

Tracy, we're only an online support forum. We can't respond to emergencies, and we cannot prescribe for you.

 

I can see you're in a bad way. I do not think you have had adequate care from your GP or the psychiatrists. If I were you, I would demand a medication review at a higher level than your GP.  You need a new doctor for your psychiatric drugs.

 

You must tell them you've been in severe clonazepam withdrawal since you were taken off it before. You probably need more clonazepam, but it needs to be titrated up very carefully.

[TracyH]

Tracy, we're only an online support forum. We can't respond to emergencies, and we cannot prescribe for you.

 

I know I have enough meds left over to reinstate but since no one believes in withdrawals lasting this long I cannot get help on whether I should reinstate or which one. That is the advice I am so desperately seeking. From people who believe in withdrawals like you all here. I am literally alone in this crisis with no one to guide me.

[Altostrata]

As I explained, it seems to me you have withdrawal from clonazepam. Do you have more clonazepam to take? Or diazepam (Valium)?

 

You went off Lyrica because you didn't like the effects, is that correct?

On 6/2/2020 at 2:15 PM, TracyH said:

Lyrica 100mg/day was discontinued on Jan. 27/2020 with only a 4 day taper. My psychiatrist was not happy that I wanted to go off it because I felt it was making me feel drugged and I thought it was contributing to my body pains and migraine headache. He told me I was to be discharged within that week. He told me to take whatever he wants me to take that week without question. He at the same time as discontinuing the Lyrica took me off my propranolol 20mg, enalapril 5mg, Atorvastatin, reactine.

 

If you reinstate Lyrica, you might have the same reaction. I suppose you could try 1/4 dose Lyrica and see if that helps.

 

Here are your drug interactions with baclofen removed and Lyrica added https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=972-0,703-0,1956-0,1750-0,1030-0,1548-0,1937-2171

 

How is it you are now taking enalapril, propranolol, and reactine again? It seems very odd to me that your doctor would prescribe Lyrica, which interacts with your drugs, but not baclofen, which you have found to be effective. Baclofen is a drug that is prescribed for muscle spasm. (Clonazepam is also a muscle relaxant.)

 

What efforts have you made to find a new doctor? Yours is incompetent. You need to raise holy hell.

 

We cannot substitute for medical prescribers, and I do not want to be responsible for you taking a bunch of drugs -- clonazepam, eszopiclone, Lyrica, the blood pressure drugs -- that cause "dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating....impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination."

[TracyH]

I tried reinstating, not sure what to do, opinions appreciated

 

Yesterday morning I fearfully decided to reinstate 5mg of Escitalopram. 

 

It did relax my muscles all day and improve my muscle pain, my head cleared up quite a lot and my head pain and tinnitus lessened a lot. I did sleep better. My burning nerve pain did not improve. I did start to shake in the evening and muscle pain in my arm came back like it usually is. My head tremored as I tried to fall asleep (it does all the time now) over all I did get a lot of relief from my suffering yesterday.

 

But I did wake up this morning feeling pretty drugged and with anxiety. I felt drugged while on the escitalopram before but it got better after the first couple of weeks on it so I could function at a below average level of intelligence. I did not take it again this morning because I felt so drugged but my husband and son where happy to see me yesterday not suffering as badly and I had a lot of relief feeling better then I have since all my tapers stopped.

 

Since I did respond to it still after this 3 months off of it would it be too risky to not take the chance of reinstating and then when stabilized doing a proper slow taper.

 

Thank you. Here is a link to my introduction with my symptoms I am suffering with, my history and my too fast recent medication tapers

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

I've moved your new topic to your Introduction topic, which is the place to ask questions and journal your progress.  This keeps your information in one place.  If you post elsewhere on the on the site the posts can be missed.

 

Please answer the questions which Alto asked.

 

Thank you.

 

 

[Altostrata]

Tracy, your situation is very complex and probably beyond the help of peer support.

 

We cannot predict what adding various drugs might do for you and cannot take responsibility for drug experiments. We generally advise people whose nervous systems might be sensitized to try doses far less than "normal" doses, such as 0.5mg escilatopram, to see what it does, to be satisfied with small improvement, and do not expect instant alleviation of symptoms.

 

Most psychiatric drugs take at least 4 days to reach full effect.

[TracyH]

As I explained, it seems to me you have withdrawal from clonazepam. Do you have more clonazepam to take? Or diazepam (Valium)?

 

I will talk to my doctor to see if he will up my dose.

 

You went off Lyrica because you didn't like the effects, is that correct?

  On 6/2/2020 at 4:15 PM, TracyH said:

  On 6/2/2020 at 4:15 PM, TracyH said:

Lyrica 100mg/day was discontinued on Jan. 27/2020 with only a 4 day taper. My psychiatrist was not happy that I wanted to go off it because I felt it was making me feel drugged and I thought it was contributing to my body pains and migraine headache. He told me I was to be discharged within that week. He told me to take whatever he wants me to take that week without question. He at the same time as discontinuing the Lyrica took me off my propranolol 20mg, enalapril 5mg, Atorvastatin, reactine.

 

If you reinstate Lyrica, you might have the same reaction. I suppose you could try 1/4 dose Lyrica and see if that helps.

 

Yes I did not like the way it made me feel I felt like a zombie and it made the right side of my face droop but when I was taken off it It was when I started experiencing for the very first time the instant all day continuous muscle cramping and releasing over and over again all day and the very first time having the continuous burning and numbing of my body from my waist down it would flush through then release then flush through continuously all day to, also when the burning searing excruciating headache/migraine, tinnitus, hot sweats 

 

 

Here are your drug interactions with baclofen removed and Lyrica added https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=972-0,703-0,1956-0,1750-0,1030-0,1548-0,1937-2171

 

How is it you are now taking enalapril, propranolol, and reactine again?

 

Because the psychiatrist took me off them at the very same time he took me off the lyrica without a reason. As soon as I got back home my doctor put me back on them. 

 

It seems very odd to me that your doctor would prescribe Lyrica, which interacts with your drugs, but not baclofen, which you have found to be effective. Baclofen is a drug that is prescribed for muscle spasm. (Clonazepam is also a muscle relaxant.)

 

The psychiatrist at the hospital prescribed me lyrica for anxiety.

 

After I was discharged from the hospital my family doctor prescribed me the baclofen for the muscle cramping which had started right after my Lyrica was stopped at the hospital and has continued throughout the tapers and still now.

 

What efforts have you made to find a new doctor? Yours is incompetent. You need to raise holy hell.

 

3 doctors, 2 psychiatrists, 1 neurologist.

 

[Guest]

@TracyH

 

i have similar severe withdrawal reactions, for me the worst are fainting, acne , hallucinations, severe rage, dystonia, dyskinesia and akathisia.....10 years still nothing has changed, ive had brief windows that have fooled me, but some things have gotten worse. do you have any similar symptoms ?