sicksagittarius: Lexapro/escitalopram withdrawal

[brassmonkey]

Yes, just pick up your normal schedule and continue from there. We are aiming to keep the blood serum level of the drug as constant as possible. Even with a missed dose this is fairly easy due to the long half life for this drug.

[Sicksagittarius]

@brassmonkeyAre people who are weaning off of antidepressants considered immunocompromised? I have been chronically stressed since this has happened this whole year with withdrawals, digestive issues, histamine intolerance, PCOS etc and I feel like that has made my immune system weak. Is there a blood test to see if I'm immunocompromised? I need to know due to Covid surging again. I wear my mask in public and don't go to large gatherings but I do go to the grocery store often, my therapy sessions, drs appts, and I do see people in small gatherings like a few family members and a friend here and there and sometimes clothing stores. Should I try to get virtual therapy and only do online shopping? I have not gotten the vaccine because I just don't trust it because of how poorly we have been guided by every other dr to go on things like lexapro and them not knowing anything about WD. Theres no long term studies on the usage of antidepressants, let alone long term studies on a brand new vaccine. 

[brassmonkey]

According to the NCBI ADs modulate the immune system and increase inflammation which in turn can increase a persons susceptibility to disease. Because it is such a broad reaching thing there are no general tests for a compromised immune system. We just have to do the best we can in protecting ourselves as we heal.

 

There are no long term studies on the COVID vaccines because they haven't been around long enough. But COVID related research has been going on for decades because it is a variant of the "common cold". So there has been a huge amount of ground work laid for creating the vaccines. From a practical standpoint they have proven extremely affective with very little negative affects. If you are following the trends you will see that around 95% of the new cases are unvaccinated people. Unlike ADs the pandemic is truly a life or death situation and we must use whatever is at our disposal to survive.

 

Avoiding groups, wearing masks and the like are all good steps, but are only part of the solution. I won't try to talk you into getting the shots, that decision is totally up to you. I was very skeptical of the shots when I got them, but am very glad I did, and will be getting my booster in the next few weeks.

[Sicksagittarius]

22 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

According to the NCBI ADs modulate the immune system and increase inflammation which in turn can increase a persons susceptibility to disease. Because it is such a broad reaching thing there are no general tests for a compromised immune system. We just have to do the best we can in protecting ourselves as we heal.

 

There are no long term studies on the COVID vaccines because they haven't been around long enough. But COVID related research has been going on for decades because it is a variant of the "common cold". So there has been a huge amount of ground work laid for creating the vaccines. From a practical standpoint they have proven extremely affective with very little negative affects. If you are following the trends you will see that around 95% of the new cases are unvaccinated people. Unlike ADs the pandemic is truly a life or death situation and we must use whatever is at our disposal to survive.

 

Avoiding groups, wearing masks and the like are all good steps, but are only part of the solution. I won't try to talk you into getting the shots, that decision is totally up to you. I was very skeptical of the shots when I got them, but am very glad I did, and will be getting my booster in the next few weeks.

@brassmonkeyThank you for this helpful info! I'm considering getting it because I believe I'm immunocompromised with all the inflammation and stress I have. If I'm in a wave right now with my nervous system being really angry at me right now for trying diff supplements, treatments, stress, lack of sleep, do you think getting the shot will worsen my wave or even if it does, worth it? 

[brassmonkey]

I can't really make that call because every one reacts differently, but the response from our members shows that there is little more than the expected reactions to the injections. A couple of days of soreness and fatigue.

[Heath]

@SicksagittariusI was on the fence about vaccine also! I agree with BM . Im glad I went ahead and done it . It is not brand new it has been used in the other viruses before.  There are 2 doses given the second one I felt a little like I had the flu for 2 days.  Just know if you do get the vaccine you may have fatigue and achy feelings for a day or so. I took Tylenol and drank a bunch of water and made myself keep moving. It’s totally up to you .

[Sicksagittarius]

On 10/5/2021 at 3:51 PM, Heath said:

@SicksagittariusI was on the fence about vaccine also! I agree with BM . Im glad I went ahead and done it . It is not brand new it has been used in the other viruses before.  There are 2 doses given the second one I felt a little like I had the flu for 2 days.  Just know if you do get the vaccine you may have fatigue and achy feelings for a day or so. I took Tylenol and drank a bunch of water and made myself keep moving. It’s totally up to you .

@HeathThanks for sharing your experience! I have to do some research of how it can impact people with histamine intolerances. I'm also worried in general about putting chemicals in my body due to all of my food and chemical sensitivities. 

[Sicksagittarius]

@Mia1I'm feeling really down today due to comparing myself to other people and the opinions of my family. I havent worked in a year due to trying to figure out my illness and also suffering from it not allowing me to work due to physical and mental health reasons. I try and push myself to apply for jobs and create my portfolio but it's so difficult with the limitations my health puts on me making me not capable of it. I just feel so worthless as a human and so broken. I know what I want to do in life and I'm disabled because of this drug. I can hardly do the bare minimum each day of basic tasks without getting exhausted. I'm so sick of not being able to live my life and being so hypersensitive to everything such as light and sound. Simple conversations make my brain buzz. I want to travel and go to concerts and be around people and I cant do any of that bc of covid and my immune system being so compromised from the illness and the stress of it all. I hope once I start taking better care of myself with self-care it will allow me to have more physical capabilities. I'm really angry at myself for ignoring self care and trying to push through it but thats what my mom always tells me to do and I just want to get back to life and not have to take the time to do so much tedious self care activities. I'm angry it took me this long, almost a year, to realize the mind body connection with healing as I'd only focused on finding the correct diet thinking that would cure me. I try to remind myself it took this long bc I had to learn it all on my own but it just feels like such a waste of a year. my birthday is in 2 months and its depressing me because I feel like i have no accomplishments to celebrate even though I've came far in my spiritual journey. I also feel like theres nothing i can do to celerbrate because of covid, not being able to eat literally anything, I'm broke, vacatins would be too stimulating, and probably too hypersensitive to get my annual present to myself, a tattoo. I'm trying to practice stress relief more often with EFT and finding a balance of activities each day and to adjust it to a slower pace. I'm so embarrassed of my life I try to disappear from everyone as much as possible. Not being able to work for a year and it being out of my control completely destroyed my self love and self confidence and I just feel so broken. I know others opinion of me is just a reflection of themselves so its irrelevant but its impacting my own feelings about myself since I can't work. I'm trying to remember how hard I work doesnt equal my value as a human but thats what society tells you so its hard to get out of that mindset. I can't even be a good person whose excited or in a good mood bc I just don't feel good a lot of the time. I go between pushing myself to hard for a full day and being completely out with no energy ina wave the next. I'm trying to make changes so this isnt a habit but I have no support on how to navigate this situation. My mom who i live with is always out with her friends or on vacation and completely ignores my situation and I know she thinks I'm just lazy and I hate that it bothers me. I need to start making money to get out of her house that would do wonders for my mental health but I'm so scared about how inconsistent money will be once I start working due to health issues.

[Sicksagittarius]

@brassmonkeyDo I need to try new foods slowly? My diet is very limited due to intolerances caused by WD. I'm struggling because I need to cut out peanut butter bc its high histamine but do I need to wean off of it slowly so it doesnt cause a wave? I just dont have enough food to fill me up if I dont eat PB without trying new foods in normal sizes right away instead of just a bite of the new food to test it out because I'm SOO hungry and will end up eating peanut butter. Would I just get stomach upset if it doesnt agree or would it cause a wave if I try a few new foods all in one week? For example, I want to add in low fodmap amts of sweet potatoes (1/2 cup) just for 1 meal in one day, then the next day try turnips (1/2 of tunrip) in one meal that day to keep a variety and not overload my system w the same food multliple days in a row. then if i dont react poorly to them, I will consistently eat that amount of a sweet potato and turnip each day but alternate which one of them I eat to every other day. the next week i wanted to try an 1/8 of an avocado in one meal (low fodmap) and the yolks of eggs (low histamine) a few days later. I will then eat these 4 new foods consisntely each day but rotate them. Will it be too much on my system to try 2 new foods a week and eat them each day without giving it a few days to clear out of my body to not cause shock at first? If I add these four things it will help keep me full with starch and protein and not cheat with peanut butter because fish and veggies with no carbs is really hard to stay full from without eating a ridiculous amount of veggies and too much fish with it being 4 oz of cod or salmon at each meal. All I can eat are a limited amount of mostly green vegetables and fish and avoid high fodmap, high histamine, inflammatory, sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, processed foods foods bc of candida, sibo, leaky gut, ovarian cysts and more issues. 

[brassmonkey]

I haven't got a clue. I do know it is best to make changes in slow and controlled fashion so you can clearly see if there are any adverse effects from the change, but other than that I have no idea what to suggest.

[Colonial]

I had a bad reaction to trying to change too rapidly to a healthier diet, a lot of neurological issues.

I would not say it is necessarily WD related but it is another way your radically changing your metabolic issues, especially if your taking out foods that are high in sugar and artificial colors, flavors and neurotoxins.

 

It can be beneficial, if you are going to keep what you consider "bad" foods in your diet to limit the amount of times you consume then in a 24-48 hours period.  It can be the amount of times we chronically consume a problem food that is an issue.  For instance you may get away with still eating the old foods once every 24-36-48 hours, but as long as you not consuming something that is triggering you every 6-8 hours your system has time to rest and recover.  At times, it is not the total amount of something, but how often which requires the body to formulate a metabolic response.

 

Consuming the total of all foods that trigger a certain response once a day or every 36 hours, instead of spreading them out can help. That way your liver and kidneys and entire system don't have to keep pumping out insulin or other response ingredients over and over. 

 

Dehydration is also sometimes misinterpreted for hunger.  The more clean water you drink the less hunger pains you will feel.  Also, the more nutrient dense your food, the less hungry you will feel.  The body can get by on half as many ounces of quality food a day than twice as many junk calories.  Hunger is your bodies sign it is looking for nutrition that you haven't yet supplied it with in proper ratio. 

Edited October 9, 2021 by Colonial

[Sicksagittarius]

4 hours ago, Colonial said:

I had a bad reaction to trying to change too rapidly to a healthier diet, a lot of neurological issues.

I would not say it is necessarily WD related but it is another way your radically changing your metabolic issues, especially if your taking out foods that are high in sugar and artificial colors, flavors and neurotoxins.

 

It can be beneficial, if you are going to keep what you consider "bad" foods in your diet to limit the amount of times you consume then in a 24-48 hours period.  It can be the amount of times we chronically consume a problem food that is an issue.  For instance you may get away with still eating the old foods once every 24-36-48 hours, but as long as you not consuming something that is triggering you every 6-8 hours your system has time to rest and recover.  At times, it is not the total amount of something, but how often which requires the body to formulate a metabolic response.

 

Consuming the total of all foods that trigger a certain response once a day or every 36 hours, instead of spreading them out can help. That way your liver and kidneys and entire system don't have to keep pumping out insulin or other response ingredients over and over. 

 

Dehydration is also sometimes misinterpreted for hunger.  The more clean water you drink the less hunger pains you will feel.  Also, the more nutrient dense your food, the less hungry you will feel.  The body can get by on half as many ounces of quality food a day than twice as many junk calories.  Hunger is your bodies sign it is looking for nutrition that you haven't yet supplied it with in proper ratio. 

@ColonialThis is very helpful thank you so much! What neurological problems did you have from dropping certain unhealthy or foods you couldnt tolerate to too quickly? Ive been learning to spread out the foods I need to drop to once a day but I have an issue with binge eating instead of a small amount. How did you learn all of this great info is there a topic on this website for it?

 

I radically changed my diet from mainly sweet potato glass noodles, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, green vegetables and gluten free chips to fish and veggies only and limited carbs way too much. I'm not sure if the diet change, my chornic stress, or supplement changes that caused this symptom, but Its been about 3 months and I have very unfocused vision when I'm outside with bright sunlight. I don't know if I should stick to this diet or if I should try to add some of the processed chips back in to settle it down or if it at this point I should tough it out. 

[Colonial]

2 hours ago, Sicksagittarius said:

but I have an issue with binge eating instead of a small amount.

 

If you are binge eating later in the day, it can be a sign that you haven't eaten the proper nutrients early enough in the day and now your body is behind the eight 8, so to speak, and literally starving for nutrients.

 

From what I am aware, sweet potatoes, green veggies and peanut butter can all be very healthy is eaten organic. The sweet potato does not dump carbs into you system all at once like a white potato does.

 

Organic Rye bread also does not spike your insulin like regular carbs, so taken in moderation is helpful.

One can attempt to eat low histamine but remember that some will likely be unavoidable and it may be better to have some in moderation than try to eat nothing and then crash and overconsume

 

I had issues with sleep paralysis in the afternoon eating carbs and sugars that would rush to my brain, make me super sleepy and leave me unable to move for a period of time until the sugar in my brain regulated.

 

These are basically nutrition info I learned all over the net and talking with others in WD about what would trigger them.

 

[Sicksagittarius]

55 minutes ago, Colonial said:

 

If you are binge eating later in the day, it can be a sign that you haven't eaten the proper nutrients early enough in the day and now your body is behind the eight 8, so to speak, and literally starving for nutrients.

 

From what I am aware, sweet potatoes, green veggies and peanut butter can all be very healthy is eaten organic. The sweet potato does not dump carbs into you system all at once like a white potato does.

 

Organic Rye bread also does not spike your insulin like regular carbs, so taken in moderation is helpful.

One can attempt to eat low histamine but remember that some will likely be unavoidable and it may be better to have some in moderation than try to eat nothing and then crash and overconsume

 

I had issues with sleep paralysis in the afternoon eating carbs and sugars that would rush to my brain, make me super sleepy and leave me unable to move for a period of time until the sugar in my brain regulated.

 

These are basically nutrition info I learned all over the net and talking with others in WD about what would trigger them.

 

@ColonialThat makes sense, because I have to cook every single meal sometimes I do not eat enough during the day. I used to have the crashing after I eat feeling too when I was eating too much high fodmap foods and it stopped once i did low fodmap. I'm trying to do the histmine reset by yasmina and trying to replace the peanut butter with other foods. Thats a good idea to just eat little amts of it once I try to lower the histamine overall in my system caused by stress. I know we are not supposed to do anything detoxifying. Can eating foods, like a lot of broccoli (everyday) be too much on my system bc it detoxes the liver too much? I'm trying to think of other reasons my nervous system has been so sensitive to light for so long. I made the mistake of trying way too many new things at once and dropping things (traditional meds, herbal supps, foods, clean beauty products) so I'm having a hard time pin pointing what could be the cause of the unfocused vision when looking outside for so many months. 

[Colonial]

It sound like your having typical WD issues and you may be making them worse by thinking there is a dietary way to fix it.  That being said, too many herbs and health products can make you worse.  Organic is good and other healthy food in moderation is the best suggestion. Changing too many things at once will upset anyone's system.

[ChessieCat]

50 minutes ago, Colonial said:

Changing too many things at once will upset anyone's system.

 

And it also makes it difficult to know if something is helping or worsening things.

 

 

[Sicksagittarius]

I'm having awful anxiety about covid-19 now that the world is acting like we don't have to be careful with the vaccine now available. I live with my mom as I apply for jobs and save up to move out since having to stop working while ill and she works as a nurse at a hospital, goes out in public a lot, vacactions etc. She doesn't believe that my immune system is weak and I'm really afraid of getting covid due to my system not being able to fight it off. i read in research even if I did get vaccinated, If I'm immunocompromised it still may not help me fight it off if I get it. Is this true or does vaccinating esp the newest one coming out protect us with weaker immune systems?

[Sicksagittarius]

I have PCOS from stopping my birth control pill including extreme hair loss, loss of period, very painful ovarian cysts. My naturopath recommends supplements but I'm really hypersensitive right now and don't want to make things worse. I need to heal my PCOS but also my CNS. Should I try the suplements anyway and deal with the side effects so I can heal PCOS? (vitamin d, zinc, collagen, etc.)

[ChessieCat]

the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable

 

Common sense should prevail.

 

SA recommends:

 

only making one change at a time

 

introducing only 1 ingredient at a time

 

starting with a lower dose than the recommended dose; if you know you are sensitive try a very tiny amount to test to see how you react to it; if now issues then gradually increase it.

 

And keep note for yourself of your symptoms, what improves/worsens.  This helps you to be more objective.  And it is easier and better than trying to remember what happened.

 

 

 

[Sicksagittarius]

@arbor@BrokenWingsHi! I was reading your thread discussing how AD gave you issues like diabetes and high cholesterol. I have high cholesterol and I've eaten very clean since withdrawing from lexapro a year ago. I'm still on 5 mg and the dr wants me to go to a cardiologist to check my heart because this is the third time I've tested for high cholesterol and it increased each time in the past 2 years. I'm hypersensitive and won't be able to tolerate a statin and cannot continue my taper due to injuring my nervous system by trying too many herbal supplements and medications for my stomach issues from withdrawal. What do you recommend doing in order to prevent any damage and decrease cholesterol? Are statins or completely getting off lexapro the only way? I'm worried about long term damage to my heart. My numbers were high risk at 334 out of 120-200 range a year after too fast of tapering, 258 2 months post starting a taper, and 239 a year before starting to taper with a high LDL and HDL but improved triglyceride this most recent time. Can chronic stress cause high cholesterol? This entire year of being sick and not getting any help from drs, loss of my career and increase in anxiety has been a major stressor on my life. If its stress, if I reduce it will that be enough to lower cholesterol without medication intervention?

[Sicksagittarius]

On 10/12/2021 at 6:05 PM, ChessieCat said:

the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable

 

Common sense should prevail.

 

SA recommends:

 

only making one change at a time

 

introducing only 1 ingredient at a time

 

starting with a lower dose than the recommended dose; if you know you are sensitive try a very tiny amount to test to see how you react to it; if now issues then gradually increase it.

 

And keep note for yourself of your symptoms, what improves/worsens.  This helps you to be more objective.  And it is easier and better than trying to remember what happened.

 

 

 

@ChessieCatThank you for the helpful link and advice! I am on PPI omeprazole (for a year) and weaning off, weaned by 25 percent of 40 mg on September 1 and have been holding since (will continue with 10 percent now that I know the rule) the rebound acid reflux has subsided. I am low in ioon and b12 according to blood tests but still have a hypersensitive nervous system due to stress and from trying too many new things. If the tapering of omeprazole impacts my reflux and hopefully not my nervous system, can I continue to taper? Also I read "vitamin B12 deficiency that weakened my nervous system and greatly exacerbated antidepressant withdrawal syndrome" which this PPI has done and is why I want to get off asap. 

[Sicksagittarius]

On 10/9/2021 at 10:02 PM, Colonial said:

It sound like your having typical WD issues and you may be making them worse by thinking there is a dietary way to fix it.  That being said, too many herbs and health products can make you worse.  Organic is good and other healthy food in moderation is the best suggestion. Changing too many things at once will upset anyone's system.

@ColonialWhen you dropped too many unhealthy foods at once, what were your neurological/metabolic issues? Was it the sleep paralysis you felt or was that after eating the carbs and sugars that would rush to your brain? I changed from never eating fish to eating it twice a day, too quickly dropping the sweet potatoes completely that I ate multiple times a day and adding a ton of new green veggies at once and herbs like basil, oregeno and spices tumeric and ginger, and probably too quickly dropped the processed chips but not as drastic as the others. Not sure if this could contribute to the upset of my nervous system. Its been about 3 months since I made drastic diet changes and not sure what to do to help it settle down.

[Sicksagittarius]

On 10/9/2021 at 10:53 PM, ChessieCat said:

 

And it also makes it difficult to know if something is helping or worsening things.

 

 

@ChessieCatSince I tried so many new things at once, like drastically changing my diet to be more balanced with fish, green veggies, fresh herbs and spices like basil, oregeno, tumeric and ginger on my food instead of lots of sweet potatoes and a few vegetables as well as clean beauty product exchanges for old toxic ones like makeup, deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, body soap, jojoba oils for skin and hair, I'm having a hard time deciphering what could be causing my prolonged nervous system upset. I've been under chronic stress so not sure if the stress has just prevented this huge change in July from healing or not. Ive been not using any beauty products except shampoo and conditioner every 1.5 weeks to see if that has been an issue but i'm still feeling super hypersensitive. Could fresh herbs like basil oregeno or powdered spices like ginger and tumeric be activating in any way?

[Colonial]

While changing your diet is good for you, one must realize that herbs or spices that are known to help regulate mood, blood pressure and blood sugar are also likely to affect autonomic dysfunction issue common with WD.  Ginger, garlic and turmeric are all wonder additions that, built up over time, will help not only your over all health and  aid wd symptoms, but but any thing natural used AS a medicine and known to stumulate the body is going to change your bodies chemical processing. You may have just added too many stimulating items all at once, instead of adding one supplement-herb at a time to see how it affected you. It seems you just changed too much too fast.  That being said, if you've been on this diet for 3 months now, you should be starting to regulate.

 

I still don't know why you took out the Sweet Potatoes, they are very good for you and regulating blood sugar.  Regular potatoes are the ones that are problematic.  Fish 2 times a day doesn't sound all that good of an idea long term, since you may be dealing with mercury and other toxin building up. Recommendations I have seen are 3-4 serving a week, never 2 times a day.

 

Any item like Ginger, that has it's own warning page on a RXlist site, needs to be respected in how it can affect anyone, much less a person in wd. You may be someone that can't take it, some people don't do well with it.

 

Ginger: Supplement, Uses, Side Effects, Dosages, Interactions, Warnings (rxlist.com)

 

You should be able to research each herb before adding it do your regime so you know what to expect. Many people can't tolerate certain ones at all.

 

The added stress is not good, but you may be making things worse with an herbal supplement, it's hard to say, and since you started them all at once, it's hard to pinpoint if your body is just detoxing the bad foods or reacting to the herbs. 

Edited October 16, 2021 by Colonial

[Sicksagittarius]

2 hours ago, Colonial said:

While changing your diet is good for you, one must realize that herbs or spices that are known to help regulate mood, blood pressure and blood sugar are also likely to affect autonomic dysfunction issue common with WD.  Ginger, garlic and turmeric are all wonder additions that, built up over time, will help not only your over all health and  aid wd symptoms, but but any thing natural used AS a medicine and known to stumulate the body is going to change your bodies chemical processing. You may have just added too many stimulating items all at once, instead of adding one supplement-herb at a time to see how it affected you. It seems you just changed too much too fast.  That being said, if you've been on this diet for 3 months now, you should be starting to regulate.

So using fresh herbs and powdered spices are good for you but impact the autonomic dysfunction? are all herbs and spices stimulating? I researched oregano, basil, tumeric and ginger just now and they are all stimulating. I incorporated them in for flavor and anti inflammatory impact so I could get off my pharmaceutical drugs. Should I slowly eliminate each one over a period of days to see if it helps calm my system down? Or just stick to it and see if I regulate since its been so long? I put the spices on everything I eat practically to give it flavor so maybe its way too much. Did I just prolong my healing even further and will it take a long time to calm my nervous system since I've been eating them for three months? Im having such a hard time pinpointing what is causing this crazy hypersensitivity that makes outside objects hard to focus on and see clearly. I tried actual multivitamins and supplements in July and dropped my final antiinflamatory drug, then stopped the supplements suddently without tapering and had high stress, convinced this was causing ths issue but its been months so I had to see what else it could be. I thought for sure that was the cause of the upset not knowing about food changes can cause issues as well. Wow I wish I knew sooner about making slow changes and didnt try everything at once, I was just so desperate to get better. Now its so hard to figure it all out. Should I wait until my system calms down to increase fish oil pills and add magnesium?

Quote

 

I still don't know why you took out the Sweet Potatoes, they are very good for you and regulating blood sugar.  Regular potatoes are the ones that are problematic.  Fish 2 times a day doesn't sound all that good of an idea long term, since you may be dealing with mercury and other toxin building up. Recommendations I have seen are 3-4 serving a week, never 2 times a day.

I was having a high fodmap issue and was following the SCD/fodmap diet and went overboard and elimniated them completely due to such awful fatigue from eating way too many of them, not realizing I could eat a smaller amt and be okay. I eat fish so often because of my food intolerances and have a hard time finding protein sources bc I dont eat meat and cannot tolerate legumes, beans, most nuts and seeds. Maybe too much fish is contributing to my hypersensitivity? 

 

[Colonial]

A standard serve of sweet potato, ½ cup (75g), is low in FODMAPs

 

Any item you consume can complicate how all of your bodily interactions work together, especially items known to be stimulating, caffeine, herbs, etc. Ginger is the one I know many "Normal" people have issues with for different reasons.

 

If I were you. I would take out the herbs and spices immediately and see if things settle down over the next month.  How things taste isn't that important if their making you sick. 

 

If you only had issues with food digestion POST med withdrawal the past year, that could have something to do with it. If you had it before than you should already have an idea of how your body reacts to those issues.

 

If things get better, than you can re add ONE, that has both the less likely hood of causing issues AND help as an anti-inflammatory. 

 

Chronic dehydration is a cause of inflammation, make sure your drinking plenty of water every day. Most people are dehydrated before they even become thirsty.

 

Going off the birth control same time as the WD is also a likely part of your system being out of whack.

I would NOT increase the omegas or magnesium yet.

Edited October 16, 2021 by Colonial

[Sicksagittarius]

21 minutes ago, Colonial said:

Any item you consume can complicate how all of your bodily interactions work together, especially items known to be stimulating, caffeine, herbs, etc. Ginger is the one I know many "Normal" people have issues with for different reasons.

 

If I were you. I would take out the herbs and spices immediately and see if things settle down over the next month.  How things taste isn't that important if their making you sick. 

 

If you only had issues with food digestion POST med withdrawal the past year, that could have something to do with it. If you had it before than you should already have an idea of how your body reacts to those issues.

 

If things get better, than you can re add ONE, that has both the less likely hood of causing issues AND help as an anti-inflammatory. 

 

Chronic dehydration is a cause of inflammation, make sure your drinking plenty of water every day. Most people are dehydrated before they even become thirsty.

 

Going off the birth control same time as the WD is also a likely part of your system being out of whack.

I would NOT increase the omegas or magnesium yet.

@ColonialThank you for such a speedy response I appreciate your feedback so much. Thank you for the info about the sweet potatoes, I've slowly added them back in at 1/2 a cup and have been feeling better because I was way too low carb and need more for my PCOS healing. Would dropping all four at once (ginger, tumeric, basil, oregeno) be too harsh on my system instead of weaning of gradually like we do for other drugs? & observe for about a monnth to see not complete settling but improvement? Also seeing that you have to slowly try different foods to see how you react? Yes the digestion and major food intolerances started after tapering they're for sure connected. My inflammation happens when I am high in histamine when I'm stressed or eat peanut butter, which I'm trying to slowly remove from my diet as well to prevent a crazy detox. Or would it be safe to completely drop the peanut butter without weaning? Another theory I had was teh high histamine peanut butter was causing the shakiness in my vision when in light bc I know that histamine can impact your nervous system. I havent been able to kick it yet bc trying to slowly change my diet to try some hemp seeds and little amts of starchy veggies to fill me up. But I for sure need to drink more water so thank you for that info!

 

Yes I went off birth control in February 2021 and started my too fast of taper in September 2020. It discourages me a lot bc I have so many issues like post-pill PCOS with major hair loss and ovarian cysts that I can't take supplements for to heal. Also I know that with dropping AD and Birth control it wrecks your digestive system and mental health so its even more hard to heal. At least I'm doing it all once I cant imagine healing from withdrawals and then go off birth control and relive being sick all over again. i will hold off increasing omega 3 and magnesium until I stabilize. Im also in the process of tapering omeprazole that I've been on for a year that drs gave me for reflux with stomach issues before I learned diet could help manage it. I did 25 percent down from 40 mg on Sept 1 and have held ever since but need to get off due to depleting b12 and iron in labs, which isnt good for WD symptoms and causing more issues with absorbing nutrients. As well as really needing the magnesium and fish oil but the health of my CNS must come first and the body will follow. 

[Colonial]

Because their herbs and not meds, i would just stop them, it's not like a med withdrawal.

Also, you want to get them all out of your system at once to see if there is any notable difference.

Dropping them little by little may confuse your ability to notice a change in symptoms.

 

for acid reflux, I have the top of my box spring raised 6 inches.

I nailed 3 two by 8 pieces of wood together and cut them to fit inside the bed frame.

then you lay the box spring on top of it

cured my issue in a week, haven't need acid meds since.

 

stop the peanut butter and put the sweet potatoes back in,

you can also order pure pea protein powder with no other ingredients or flavors in it.

I cant imagine that much fish each week is good long term so eventually you need ore protein sources.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2021 by Colonial

[Sicksagittarius]

9 minutes ago, Colonial said:

Because their herbs and not meds, i would just stop them, it's not like a med withdrawal.

Also, you want to get them all out of your system at once to see if there is any notable difference.

Dropping them little by little may confuse your ability to notice a change in symptoms.

 

for acid reflux, I have the top of my box spring raised 6 inches.

I nailed 3 two by 8 pieces of wood together and cut them to fit inside the bed frame.

then you lay the box spring on top of it

cured my issue in a week, haven't need acid meds since.

 

stop the peanut butter and put the sweet potatoes back in,

you can also order pure pea protein powder with no other ingredients or flavors in it.

I cant imagine that much fish each week is good long term so eventually you need ore protein sources.

 

 

@ColonialYou don't think I'll have a bad reaction from changing too many things at once by dropping peanut butter and spices/herbs completely all at once and adding sweet potatoes? Would it be okay to eat that 1/2 cup of sweet potatoes daily right away or slowly add it? You're totally right I need diff protein sources. Would I wait a little bit to try new protein sources as I experiment with the dropping of spices/herbs/pb and adding of sweet potato? Would it be okay to continue the taper of my omeprezole or wait until things settle down? My shampoo and conditioner also has natural ingredients like thyme, oregeno, rosemary, honey, flaxseed, nettle, aloe neem, kelp etc in them and of course I tried them at the same time I tried all the new foods and meds. Should I hold off on using those for awhile? Not sure what type of shampoo and conditioner would be safe tats still organic and clean.

[Colonial]

No one can tell you what is going to happen ahead of time.

 

If you want to start with just stopping the herbs, you can do that.

 

But you don't need to wait to start adding the sweet potatoes back in a few times a week as an additional healthy food carb since you were already eating that before.

 

 If you want to wait on cutting out the peanut butter out completely that's up to you.  I don't know how much your eating, if its every day, or how much it's contributing to the anxiety because it's causing histamine issues

 

But if the reason you THINK your having stomach issues is the histamine, then getting peanuts out of your diet is just as much something you need to do eventually.

 

 

 

 

[Colonial]

For the hair care, the problem is all natural and organic companies have to be ridiculous about the number of ingredients.  Depending of whats in them they can be worse for a certain person than just gettin johnson and johnson baby shampoo.

 

You might find some interesting tips in the histamine thread.

 

Histamine food intolerance - Page 7 - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

[Sicksagittarius]

@ColonialThank you for linking the histamine page, I'll find more info about shampoo and conditioner there! I have a feeling the histamine stress, stress of symptoms, work etc has been overstimulating my nervous system for months. Could this mental stress take a long time to settle down since its been so high for various months? I've just been continually stimulated more than I've been relaxed.

[Sicksagittarius]

I've had chronic stress since July after pushing myself too hard when feeling better. Between starting to work again, my dads health deteriorating due to his alcoholism, and stress over withdrawals, PCOS, and eating the wrong foods that are stimulating, and trying too many new supplements, I've had blurry vision when I look outside and try to focus on objects for three months. I'm trying to pin point if its due to the constant stress and because Ive been in this state for months, does that mean it will take months for the wave to subside and my vision to be steady? Is there a list of stimulating vs relaxing activities on here so I know what to avoid?

[Colonial]

The mental stress can resolve quite quickly, depending on how you look at things or if you take some time off of work and re-evaluate any  other issues that you are currently committed to that are taking away from free time your body needs to de stress and heal.

 

The symptoms seem to get better over time when we remove the issues in our lives causing stress or preventing healing, whether in a toxic job, diet, relationships, over committing to helping others, the up coming holidays, etc.  The body needs time to heal, the more stress it has to deal with first, the longer it will take and the more we will be symptomatic along the way.

 

That being said, we can't sit in a dark closet all day either, we do have some responsibilities in life.  But the sooner the stress is reduced, regardless how or why it's occurring, the sooner you will feel better. If you have vacation or sick time accured you may think about taking long weekends more often, taking a week altogether, and using the time to de stress, not go on a vacation.  Remember all stress is detrimental right now, even happy stress of getting a new puppy or forcing yourself into a new routine is going to be problematic.  You may need to take more time for self care and not keep living life trying to live to past expectations, even if it means you dont go to parties or have to take a temporary financial hit in salary.

Edited October 16, 2021 by Colonial

[Sicksagittarius]

@brassmonkeyHi! I've been reading your responses to the Alice1 thread and have a few questions. I'm just learning about how even when you feel better, activities can overstimulate you and throw you into a wave. Also learning how waves can build over time and peak very hard. I tapered too quickly and crashed in April, reinstated and felt better in July. Due to the pressure of my mom, I went back to working, tried new foods, new supplements all in that month. I got into a wave that hasnt ended since and I believed it was just bc of me trying various new supplements. Now I'm learning how much stress can cause waves. I have been very streseed over my symptoms of seeing super blurry and unfocused when I try to foucs on an object outside when its light out, trying to figure out if I can take supplements from my functional dr with my stomach issues, (im not) dealing with post-birth control pill PCOS and my dad dying of alcoholism. Also very stressed about trying to get my career back to move out bc my mom doesnt believe in my illness and thinks I'm lazy, which causes me to overwork myself. I now realize I do way too much in a day from obsessively researching hwo to fix my health, working on my career, and not getting good sleep, driving too much. This has been chronic stress for three months now. I see how Alice1 got themselves into a severe wave from meds and stress. If I start relaxing more, doing less stimulating activities, do you have a ballpark of months in whcih I can heal this? I havent tried any new supplements since July and dropped the last of the supps causing symptoms in August. I've only been trying to taper omeprazole bc its causing me health issues. Did you say that stress induced waves are easier to heal? I belive the wave began due to a multivitamin and dropping an antiinflammatory and now I dont think its ending bc of the excess stress so a wave within the wave. Is there a list of stimulating activities to avoid? Should I just make sure i take lots of breaks when I'm working on things? I need to get back to freelance writing so I can save up to move out of my house bc the pressure of my mom is making me overdo it. I think having my own place and working again to distract myself will aid my healing but having a hard time accomplishing that while not overstimulating myself.

[Sicksagittarius]

15 minutes ago, Colonial said:

The mental stress can resolve quite quickly, depending on how you look at things or if you take some time off of work and re-evaluate any  other issues that you are currently committed to that are taking away from free time your body needs to de stress and heal.

I meant to say can my wave that I'm in right now originally caused by supplements in July but I believe is continuing due to heavy stress subside quicker bc theres no chemical from meds involved? I'm not sure how long a multivitamin induced wave is supposed to last, if 3 months is normal or not. The biggest symptom is the unfocused vision when I try to look at objects outside in the light. I can get sensitivity to sound and light as well but its not an unfunctional wave for the most part besides some days I'm out for the day but feel better the next. I get afraid I'm going to keep pushing my limits to where it gets to the point where I cannot do anything and be in severe symptoms. Working on finding the balance, not fearing my symptoms, and accepting them but its so hard when its been so many months. 

Quote

 

The symptoms seem to get better over time when we remove the issues in our lives causing stress or preventing healing, whether in a toxic job, diet, relationships, over committing to helping others, the up coming holidays, etc.  The body needs time to heal, the more stress it has to deal with first, the longer it will take and the more we will be symptomatic along the way.

 

That being said, we can't sit in a dark closet all day either, we do have some responsibilities in life.  But the sooner the stress is reduced, regardless how or why it's occurring, the sooner you will feel better. If you have vacation or sick time accured you may think about taking long weekends more often, taking a week altogether, and using the time to de stress, not go on a vacation.  Remember all stress is detrimental right now, even happy stress of getting a new puppy or forcing yourself into a new routine is going to be problematic.  You may need to take more time for self care and not keep living life trying to live to past expectations, even if it means you dont go to parties or have to take a temporary financial hit in salary.

I've been off of work for a year so I'm trying to get back into work so I can move out and not have the stress of my mom on me.  She doesnt believe in this and thinks I'm lazy, hence me overworking myself so I can get out of her house and heal in peace. I just need financial stability aka have to work to do that. I believe it will help my healing to have my job as a distraction (freelance blogger from home) and to be in my own place where I can do chores on my own time, This entire year hasnt been a break its been me stressing out over figuring out why I'm sick (i know know its AD WD) what diets work for stomach issues, if drugs, supplement, or treatment will help (they dont). It took me a year of all of that so i just feel like I don't have more time to waste and have been overdoing it. When I'm feeling good, can I try to work but just make sure to be distressed and take breaks and not work for hours straight to preserve my system?