johnnyj: Zoloft

[johnnyj]

1963  took anxiety med for 3 months

1988 anxiety and depression med. not sure the name took till 2002

2002 took effexor 150mg till 2019 and attivan 2 mg ongoing

2019 took abilify, lamotragine, cypracil, wellbutrin, cymbalta, zoloft and more, each for 2-8 weeks nothing worked.

2020 now am off all except 125 lamotragine which is probably not doing anything.

have felt terrible on all the 2019 drugs, none helped

 

 

[johnnyj]

how to deal with depression

 

I have been taking a number of antidepressants since effexor stopped working after 18 years in 2019 and they all make me feel worse. I am at a lose as to what to do now. my Dr. is suggesting parnate and I have done the 2 week washout but am scared to try another drug. Since I have been off all antidepressants for 3 weeks I need some advice how to survive without having to start another drug

 

Edited September 3, 2020 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[Shep]

Hi, Johnny, welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA).

 

You are wise to research these drugs before continuing on with another one. 

 

13 hours ago, johnnyj said:

Since I have been off all antidepressants for 3 weeks I need some advice how to survive without having to start another drug

 

Please let us know more about coming off all antidepressants. I'm quoting this part of your "my history" which you filled in when you registered:

 

"I was taking 75 zoloft which wasnt working so have been off for 3 weeks because my dr wants me try partene and you have to do a 2 week washout period before starting."

 

Please tell us how you tapered off Zoloft. Since you've only been off for 3 weeks, you may want to reinstate. Here is more:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tips for tapering off sertraline (Zoloft)

 

Did you also come off other drugs in 2020? If so, please let us know which one.

 

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

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

For more information about the signature, please see: Please summarize your withdrawal history in your signature

 

As you provide more information, we can better guide you in reinstating and provide other information, as well. 

 

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

[johnnyj]

Hi Shep,

 

Thanks for all the info that explains how to edit my post.  I just wanted to answer your question about the Zoloft. I had been on it since june2020.

I never had any relief in anyway from the Zoloft(or any other drug that I took since I dropped Effexor 2 years ago ) and over a 3 week period weaned off of 75mg that actually started 3 weeks ago tomorrow.From the posts I am reading alot of the people that are trying to eliminate drugs by going through a very slow process have a drug that works for them but they are choosing to eliminate from their lives. I havent had a drug that worked in almost 2 years so I am at a loss as to what to do. going back on Zoloft wont be helpful

[johnnyj]

Hi Shep,

 

sorry I didnt really answer your question about zoloft and the weaning process. I followed my psychiatrists advice and dropped 25mg per week.

[johnnyj]

Hi Shep,

 

sorry again, what do you mean to by add a signature

 

[DataGuy]

Hi @johnnyj,

 

I have copied and pasted your first post here into your signature, now you just need to edit it. Shep provided a link that will take you directly to your signature below. You just need to click on that and follow the instructions.

3 hours ago, Shep said:

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

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

For more information about the signature, please see: Please summarize your withdrawal history in your signature

 

It seems like you have taken many drugs and either stopped them cold turkey or tapered them rapidly. When you take psychotropic medications like these, they tend to remodel your brain by downregulating or upregulating various receptors for neurotransmitters, so it can take quite awhile for your brain to adjust back to it's normal state. This is why @Shep said you may want to reinstate a small dose of Zoloft. You are likely experiencing withdrawal from it and a small dose taken daily may make you feel better. You can then taper off it slowly. What symptoms are you currently experiencing?

 

Here is a list of common antidepressant withdrawal symptoms from wikipedia: "People with antidepressant discontinuation syndrome have been on an antidepressant for at least four weeks and have recently stopped taking the medication, whether abruptly, after a fast taper, or each time the medication is reduced on a slow taper.^[2] Commonly reported symptoms include flu-like symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, sweating) and sleep disturbances (insomnia, nightmares, constant sleepiness). Sensory and movement disturbances have also been reported, including imbalance, tremors, vertigo, dizziness, and electric-shock-like experiences in the brain, often described by people who have them as "brain zaps". Mood disturbances such as dysphoria, anxiety, or agitation are also reported, as are cognitive disturbances such as confusion and hyperarousal."

 

One of the reasons that none of the antidepressants you have taken since effexor have made you feel better is that rapid withdrawal and stopping and starting further drugs can cause something called "kindling", where your nervous system becomes sensitized to psychotropic drugs. You can become much less tolerant of drugs after this and many may simply make you feel worse or cause an adverse reaction. If you are experiencing intolerable withdrawal symptoms then it may be best to reinstate a small amount of the last drug you took for a long period of time, but if you can't tolerate any dose, it is best just to stay away from medications and drugs and simply allow your nervous system to heal. 

Edited September 4, 2020 by DataGuy

[Shep]

Quote

 

2019 took abilify, lamotragine, cypracil, wellbutrin, cymbalta, zoloft and more, each for 2-8 weeks nothing worked.

2020 now am off all except 125 lamotragine which is probably not doing anything.

have felt terrible on all the 2019 drugs, none helped

 

 

Johnny, this is from your signature. It looks like you came off all drugs except lamotrigine in 2019. 

 

But you wrote:

 

23 hours ago, johnnyj said:

I just wanted to answer your question about the Zoloft. I had been on it since june2020.

 

Please let us know what drugs you were on in 2020 and the months and doses you took them. We need this information to answer questions about a possible reinstatement. 

 

[johnnyj]

please check to see if I have posted the med history correctly.

[Shep]

Quote

 

1963 Sept - Nov 1963 drug?   1981 -1990 drug ?   effexor 150mg 2002-2019 April/2019   cymbalta 60mg April/2019-June/2019   zoloft 75mg june/2019 -july/2019   effexor 125mg july/2019-aug/2019  

cypralex 15mg aug/2019-sept/2019,   cymbalta 30mg/abilify 4mg sept/2019-may/2020,   lamotragine 200mg dec/2019-115 mg still taking sept/2020,   zoloft 75mg may/2020 -aug/2020,   wellbutrine 150mg june/2020-july/2020

 

 

Johnny, this is your original signature. Please note I've placed it in an easier-to-read format for me and the other mods. Please read your new signature and make sure it's correct and contains all of your information. 

 

Question - it looks like you were on Zoloft from May 2020 - August 2020 and on Wellbutrin from June 2020 - July 2020. Were you taking Wellbutrin and Zoloft together in June and July 2020? Please post if you have more information about this time period and if you remember any details of your symptoms during this time period, especially if one drug made you worse or better out of the two. Since these were your last antidepressants, if a reinstatement is in order, it likely will be one of these, so any information you can provide will be helpful. 

 

I'm going to ask the other mods about a possible reinstatement. I'm not sure what to recommend, so I'll welcome their feedback. Because you've consistently been on an antidepressant of one form or another since 2002, I'm wondering if you might benefit from reinstating. The question is which one and at which dose. As you provide additional information, we can better guide you. 

 

[johnnyj]

good morning,

 

yes this is correct, I was on zoloft, wellbutrine and lamotrigine all at the same time, along with attivan. my history is in the right place now or do I have to move it?

 

I have a few questions, I have always felt depressed whether I was on or off meds.(except till I was 18) so if I get off all the meds I most likely will still feel depressed. Maybe I am just destined to continue trying antidepressants?? I am sorry if I am not posting properly, I will continue to be advised.  It was suggested that I go back on a small amount zoloft(the last med i was on) and then taper very slowly, it sounds like the proper way of eliminating the drug but the problem is I felt worse when I was on zoloft than I do now that I am off.

[Altostrata]

Hello, johnny.

 

On 9/3/2020 at 4:13 PM, johnnyj said:

2002 took effexor 150mg till 2019 and attivan 2 mg ongoing

 

Why did you go off these drugs? You're still taking Ativan? What dosage, and what is your dosing schedule? Please add the Ativan information to your signature.

 

When you went off Effexor in April 2019, did you have any unusual symptoms afterward?

 

When you say that nothing works since you went off Effexor in April 2019, what do you mean? For what symptoms does "nothing work"?

 

What are your current main symptoms? How's your sleep? What times of day do you take your drugs, and their dosages?

[johnnyj]

I went off effexor which as you can see I had been on for 18 yrs and it worked 100%. then it started to be not as effective so the dr. added abilify 2 mg. for a short time it worked but then I still had periods when they didnt work, so my dr. suggested trying a new drug. (If I knew then what I know now I never would have gone off, I would have increased it)

I am still taking 3 mg of attivan a day. I will add if I can gt back to the right page

After going off effexor in a very short time I had terrible depression and anxiety , almost unbearable.

my dr. prescribed a new drug immediately while trying to get off effexor, and then when that one didnt help we continued with another and another as you can see from my list.

My current symptoms beginning with the worst are depression/feeling like i could cry every waking moment, anxiety where my brain races all the time(which the attivan helps) brain zaps, waking up at 4 , diarrhea, some days dont eat.

I take 60 mg. lamotrigine at night along with 1 mg attivan. In the morning I take 50 mg lamotrigine and 1 mg. of attivan. I take another 1 mg of attivan at about noon.

 

I am quite sure the lamotrigine isnt helping if I am still dealing with my main problems, depression and anxiety and have been on it since Dec/2019

[Gridley]

12 minutes ago, johnnyj said:

 

I am still taking 3 mg of attivan a day. I will add if I can gt back to the right page

This link will take your to your signature so you can add the Ativan:

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

[Shep]

On 9/3/2020 at 7:13 PM, johnnyj said:

2002 took effexor 150mg till 2019 and attivan 2 mg ongoing

 

20 minutes ago, johnnyj said:

I am still taking 3 mg of attivan a day.

 

Johnny, when did you increase from 2 mg to 3 mg of Ativan a day? 

[johnnyj]

I was on 2 mg of attivan from the time I was probably about 20, I switched to 3mg when I was weaning off effexor and all the other drugs that I tried and contnued till now.

[Shep]

9 hours ago, johnnyj said:

I was on 2 mg of attivan from the time I was probably about 20, I switched to 3mg when I was weaning off effexor and all the other drugs that I tried and contnued till now.

 

So that would have been August 2019? Please let me know and I can help you with your signature. 

 

13 hours ago, johnnyj said:

I am quite sure the lamotrigine isnt helping if I am still dealing with my main problems, depression and anxiety and have been on it since Dec/2019

 

Some of your symptoms may be withdrawal from the previous drugs, as well as depression caused by the Ativan (benzos are central nervous system depressants, so many people do feel very fatigued and out of it while taking them). 

[johnnyj]

I believe I did put the attivan on my signature but maybe I put it in the wrong place. I have been taking attivan for 40 years and when I was on effexor and attivan I felt 100%. It may be a small part of my depression but at this point i cant quit taking it. The depression/anxiety has to improve before I will think of going off it. I may try to taper a bit.  could you please tell me how to do 2 things. one is , when I go the reply to a post from someone, right where I am typing now there is always the past message still here so I hit the button that removes it, is that what I should be doing? if I want to talk to an individual and not in the forum what do I do? I always wait for someone to send me a post. my daughter tryed to help last night as she has been on forums before but couldnt figure out the answers to the the  questions I have just asked .  I have read your success story and you are an amazing survivor, I wish you were my neighbor!!  Thanks

 

Attivan 2 -3mg. 1980-sept 2020

[johnnyj]

Hi Shep,

You have just made me realize the ativan I have been taking for so many years is possibly the reason my depression has always been an issue. When I took effexor it relieved my symptoms and my life was great until the effects started to be less effective. Then I was thrown into a life of hell. For 2 years  I have forced myself the get through day. When I get through the withdrawal of all the drugs I have been on, and am able to taper off of lamotragine , then I can start to remove ativan .

[johnnyj]

Yes those are the drug I am taking now.

 

I take 60mg. of lamictal and 1mg of ativan in the evening at 9:00 and 50mg. of lamictal and 1 mg of ativan in the morning at 8:00

 

the dates and medications you are referring to are correct. I did as my dr. suggested and that was to taper off the existing drug I was on while starting a new drug. In my mind and gut I always felt that this method couldnt be right. I just kept feeling worse. With having been on effexor for 18 years tapering and starting a new drug at the same time was terrible, I dont understand why my psychiatrist wasnt concerned that I would go through hell during this period. I guess their job is to use drugs to try and solve the problem. When a patient come to them in a state feeling so out of control the dr. gives drugs.

 

[DataGuy]

@johnnyj,

 

Well, the good news is that I think we know why you haven't been feeling too well. The bad news is that the road to feeling better is going to be a bit long and bumpy. Benzos taken over a long period of time can certainly cause depression, along with many other things, such as increased anxiety, dizziness, vertigo, gastrointestinal problems, sleep problems, neurological symptoms (like burning feelings in your hands) and impaired memory and concentration. 

 

You're right, we can remove the lamotrigine first, then the Ativan. To do so safely, it is going to take much longer than what your doctor was doing. 

 

However, given that your current symptoms are still so severe, you should probably wait before starting to taper. We are just consulting about what dose / drug to reinstate for you to help ease your symptoms and stabilize you. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it is only partly effective. 

[johnnyj]

I thank you very much for taking the time to help me out. th eonly help I have been given is the dr and he just wants to move on to a new drug.

 

[Shep]

20 hours ago, johnnyj said:

I believe I did put the attivan on my signature but maybe I put it in the wrong place.

 

Sorry, Johnny. I missed that. You did it right. 

 

On 9/5/2020 at 5:02 PM, johnnyj said:

I take 60 mg. lamotrigine at night along with 1 mg attivan. In the morning I take 50 mg lamotrigine and 1 mg. of attivan. I take another 1 mg of attivan at about noon.

 

I went in and added a "current drugs" line so it's more visible at first glance what you are currently taking. 

 

On 9/5/2020 at 8:22 PM, johnnyj said:

I was on 2 mg of attivan from the time I was probably about 20, I switched to 3mg when I was weaning off effexor and all the other drugs that I tried and contnued till now.

 

Do you feel the Ativan helped with your Effexor withdrawal? 

 

As Dataguy mentioned, we're trying to figure out if an antidepressant reinstatement will be helpful and if so, which one. 

 

 

[Altostrata]

On 9/5/2020 at 2:02 PM, johnnyj said:

My current symptoms beginning with the worst are depression/feeling like i could cry every waking moment, anxiety where my brain races all the time(which the attivan helps) brain zaps, waking up at 4 , diarrhea, some days dont eat.

 

Hello, when did the brain zaps start?

 

What effects do the Ativan and lamotrigine have for you? How did it feel when you started lamotrigine in December 2019?

[johnnyj]

I dont believe when i was coming off the effexor that taking the ativan helped , but I was feeling so bad that I have no idea.

 

I dont know what antidepressant I would go on if you feel I should reinstate one, the only one that every worked was the effexor. Some of the other drugs I have tryed over the past 18 months may have helped if I hadnt been in the cycle of going on and off , but I wouldnt know which one. When I was on cybalta I almost immediately felt better for about 4 weeks and then it quit. My dr. said if a drug works right away it usually means that it wont continue to bring relief. When I started effexor 18 years ago it worked right away .

[johnnyj]

The brain zaps started when I stopped taking the zoloft.  I didnt notice any improvement when I started the lamotrigine when starting in Dec/2019 if anything I felt worse. It is hard to know how I felt with any of the drugs as I felt terrible as soon as I started to taper off effexor and was hardly able to deal with it. I started taking cynbalta as soon as I started to taper off  effexor. I did go to emergency in July/2019 I believe when I tryed effexor for a second time. I just talked to a dr. who encouraged me that there would be a drug that would work for me.

 

I would have to say the lamotrigine is not helping me at this point, if it was I assume I wouldn't feel so bad??  The attivan helps keep me sane, what I mean by that is it allows me to get some sleep at night and when I take the 1mg at noon it settles me down so I can get through the day.

[Altostrata]

The brain zaps started after you went off Zoloft in August 2020 or did they start earlier?

 

On 9/7/2020 at 3:22 PM, johnnyj said:

I felt terrible as soon as I started to taper off effexor and was hardly able to deal with it.

 

Do you mean when you went off Effexor in April 2019? How did you feel terrible?

 

What times of day do you take each of their drugs, with their dosages? How do you feel before and after taking each drug?

 

This is nonsense:

On 9/7/2020 at 3:03 PM, johnnyj said:

My dr. said if a drug works right away it usually means that it wont continue to bring relief.

 

[johnnyj]

the brain zaps started as soon as I went off Zoloft, they aren't as bad anymore and they really don't bother me . I would be happy to live with them if I could get rid of the depression and anxiety

[johnnyj]

again I am not sure if I answered any of the 2 questions from the 7th. I answered you last about how i felt when I tapered off effexor. I take 110 of lamotrigine and 3 mg of attivan. 60mg of lamotrigine and 1 mg attivan at night, 50 lamotrigine and 1 mg attivan in morning 1 mg attivan at noon.

I definitely don't feel any better after lamotrigine, that I can tell. I usually feel sick in the morning. The evening attivan helps me sleep, the morning pill gets me over the morning blues, the mid day pill calms me down so I can get through the rest of the day. I definitely relay on the attivan to cope with the depression as well as the anxiety.  Having dropped the zoloft almost 4 weeks ago has helped take part of the edge off  I would say I feel 10-30% better depending on the day. I have a long way to go. When I was on any given drug over the past 2 years I found that the mornings were terrible as I already mentioned yestereday, afternoons were sometimes a little better and I was given a bit of a reprieve in the evenings,  I always looked forward to evening. Now I dont get the break in the evening.

 

I hope I am not bothering you with my life as I know you and all the other members have been through the same or worse times. Because I am new to the site I find it helpful to hear fro you.

 

Thanks

Bonnie

 

[Shep]

On 9/5/2020 at 8:22 PM, johnnyj said:

I was on 2 mg of attivan from the time I was probably about 20, I switched to 3mg when I was weaning off effexor and all the other drugs that I tried and contnued till now.

 

Johnny, I'm still trying to get a timeline for your Ativan increase from 2 mg to 3 mg. You've come off Effexor twice. What was the month and year for the Ativan increase?  

 

8 minutes ago, johnnyj said:

I take 110 of lamotrigine and 3 mg of attivan. 60mg of lamotrigine and 1 mg attivan at night, 50 lamotrigine and 1 mg attivan in morning 1 mg attivan at noon.

I definitely don't feel any better after lamotrigine, that I can tell. I usually feel sick in the morning. The evening attivan helps me sleep, the morning pill gets me over the morning blues, the mid day pill calms me down so I can get through the rest of the day. I definitely relay on the attivan to cope with the depression as well as the anxiety.  Having dropped the zoloft almost 4 weeks ago has helped take part of the edge off  I would say I feel 10-30% better depending on the day. I have a long way to go. When I was on any given drug over the past 2 years I found that the mornings were terrible as I already mentioned yestereday, afternoons were sometimes a little better and I was given a bit of a reprieve in the evenings,  I always looked forward to evening. Now I dont get the break in the evening.

 

When did the evenings stop giving you a reprieve?

 

Some of this sounds like early morning cortisol, which causes the "morning blues" you described:

 

Early-morning waking - managing the morning cortisol spike

 

11 minutes ago, johnnyj said:

I definitely don't feel any better after lamotrigine, that I can tell. I usually feel sick in the morning.

 

Looks like you may be getting an adverse drug interaction between these two drugs.

 

You may want to space the Ativan two hours apart from the lamotrigine and see if that helps. 

 

Please see:

 

Drug interaction report - lamotrigine and Ativan

 

Quote

 

Interactions between your drugs

Moderate

LORazepam  lamoTRIgine

Applies to: Ativan (lorazepam), lamotrigine

Using LORazepam together with lamoTRIgine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

 

 

 

 

[johnnyj]

I cannot give you an exact date when I went up to 3 mg of attivan, approximately 08/2019. I still get a reprieve once in a while during the evenings but it did change from always to rarely in the last 2 weeks.

I will take the lamotrigine and attivan at different times. thanks for the info.

 

 

[Altostrata]

On 9/9/2020 at 4:51 PM, johnnyj said:

the brain zaps started as soon as I went off Zoloft, they aren't as bad anymore and they really don't bother me . I would be happy to live with them if I could get rid of the depression and anxiety

 

You went off Zoloft 3 times. When did the brain zaps start?

 

What times of day do you take each of their drugs, with their dosages? When did you start lamotrigine? Please put that in the list in your signature.

 

When you started lamotrigine, what effect did it have?

[johnnyj]

the last time I was on zoloft was the longest period of time on this med. Thats when the brain zaps started.

 

I take 60 mg of lamotrigine and 1 mg. attivan at 9:00 pm. 1 mg attivan at 5:00 am.(I usually wake at 4:00 , my mind is racing and am depressed so I wait till 5:00 because thats about as long as I can handle it) and then 50mg. at 8:00.  I started lamotrigine in Dec/2019.

 

I noticed no difference, if anything felt worse just as I did with every new drug I tryed.

[Shep]

22 hours ago, johnnyj said:

I cannot give you an exact date when I went up to 3 mg of attivan, approximately 08/2019. I still get a reprieve once in a while during the evenings but it did change from always to rarely in the last 2 weeks.

I will take the lamotrigine and attivan at different times. thanks for the info.

 

If you had a change in your symptom pattern for the worse in the last two weeks, then it sounds like you may be getting some withdrawal symptoms from your recent discontinuation of Zoloft or possibly a wave from the prior drug withdrawals. 

 

Please let us now how you do separating you drugs apart by two hours. 

[johnnyj]

I will. thanks

 

[johnnyj]

It's been 4 weeks since I have been ff Zoloft but continue to take Lamotrigine and attivan. I am having some  Zoloft withdrawal, I took it for 3 1/2 months. What experience have others had as far as length of time it takes (approx) for symtoms to ease up after taking it this long?