Strugglingmama: a series of withdrawals ?

[Strugglingmama]

Hello.

 

In February 2020 I was a new mom and was prescribed domperidone for lactation: 50mg/day. Which affects dopamine. I took this until April 2020 and then tapered by 10mg/week until off. During my taper I became extremely anxious and was started on sertraline 25mg increased to 100mg in June 2020. In July I fell and hit my head and sustained a concussion. Sertraline made me feel weird so I tapered off over 4 weeks. 
 

then the headaches started. I blamed my concussion but in hindsight I think it was the sertraline withdrawal 

 

took nortriptyline 10mg and sertraline 25mg for 6 weeks (nov-dec 2020) . Headaches resolved and I weaned off because of dizzy spells and I didn’t want to hit my head again. Headaches back by December .

 

in January 2021 I had had daily headaches for 6 weeks so dr recommended nortriptyline 10mg alone daily. I did and felt great no headaches. Then by March 2021 I got tachycardia and the doc suggested I wean off. I opened capsules and did a wean over 4 weeks.  A week after stopping I got leg cramps so bad I couldn’t stand it. Restarted nortriptyline at about 4mg and weaned it over 2 months. Stopped it may 12.

 

may 18-25 extreme anxiety out of no where. Doc started me on escitalopram 5mg which I took for 6 days and stopped. It made my anxiety horrible! Maybe caused kindling? Then 4 days later I felt like myself for about a week. After being off escitalopram for 10 days the anxiety and headaches creeped back in.

 

is this all still nortriptyline withdrawal? Do I reinstate ? Will this get better ? My dose of nortriptyline was so small. Down to 2mg at the end. 

Edited June 9, 2021 by Gridley

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Strugglingmama.  Thank you for completing your drug signature.

 

Your 4-week taper of 10mg Nortriptyline was much faster than we recommend, and the symptoms you describe, including extreme anxiety, are typical of withdrawal.  So, yes, the cause is very likely Nortriptyline withdrawal.  You may also be experiencing withdrawal from the Sertraline.  The substitution of one antidepressant for another doesn't necessarily mask withdrawal from the first drug.

 

So that you have a better idea of what you're experiencing, here is some information on withdrawal and the healing process.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

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.  

 

These explain the healing process really well.

 

Brain Remodelling 

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Regarding reinstatement of a very small dose of Amitriptyline, that's a possibility for you to consider.  Reinstatement of the same drug is the only known way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, but it doesn't always work.  The goal of reinstatement isn't to eliminate withdrawal symptoms completely (though it does for some) but rather to make them tolerable.  Please read:

 

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

 

The alternative is to wait out the process until you recover.  You will get better, but there is no way to predict how long it will take.  We do not recommend taking a new drug (such as the Escitalopram prescribed to you) to deal with withdrawal from the previous drug.  Your system is very sensitized from the fast taper of Amitriptyline (and possibly the Sertraline) and needs stability in order to heal.  If you decide to wait it out, we recommend taking good care of yourself and avoiding stress as much as possible.  Gentle exercise such as a 30-minute walk in nature in helpful in recovery, as is avoiding caffeine, alcohol and processed foods.  

 

We recommend non-drug techniques to deal with withdrawal.  Take a look at the links in the following link and see which might be helpful to you in coping with withdrawal.

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

The following links are to help you deal with anxiety.

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

VIDEO:  Peace from Nervous Suffering - Claire Weekes (1 hour) (http://sendvid.com/vgquc1dg)
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help …

 

10 minute Restorative Yoga for Relaxation | Up the wall

 

If you decide to reinstate, it takes four days for the reinstated dose to reach full strength in your blood stream and a few days more for it to register in the brain.  I'd recommend a reinstatement of 0.5mg Amitriptyline--no more.  Too much can overwhelm your system and further destabilize you.  It's a good idea to keep daily notes on paper to track your reinstatement.  If the reinstatement makes you feel worse, stop it immediately.  If it helps, you'll need to hold there at 0.5mg for several months to get the full benefit of the reinstatement and to allow your system to stabilize.  Then you can taper slowly off the 0.5mg using the taper we recommend, which is no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.  I know 0.5mg seems tiny (as I know the 2mg seemed to you) but these drugs are extremely powerful including at the very low doses.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

This link explains how to get the small dose you'll need if you do reinstate.

 

Tips for tapering off amitriptyline

 

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. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by Gridley

[Strugglingmama]

Hi Gridley,

 

thank you for your response, I am a bit torn on what is the best thing to do- wait it out or reinstate. 0.5mg seems like a very small dose but maybe it’s worth trying for the 4 days. 
 

I am a mom of a busy 22 month old, I work full time (off this past 2 weeks due to anxiety), so part of me is tempted to reinstate if my doctor agrees to prescribe be nortriptyline liquid because I am not sure how long I can function and be this anxious. 
 

 

[Gridley]

59 minutes ago, Strugglingmama said:

it’s worth trying for the 4 days.

If you reinstate, I suggest you give it around 8 or 9 days, so that it has a chance to register in your brain.

 

The liquid would be excellent. That would make getting the small dose easy.

[Strugglingmama]

Hi Gridley,

 

I spoke to my doctor today and she said since I had a good week last week ‘a window’ to not go back on the nortriptyline and just ride it out so that’s my current plan. Minus I’m nervous about it. She didn’t want to prescribe the liquid so I’m hoping it goes okay.

 

my biggest symptoms are: anxiety, muscle aches in my legs (I’m a very active person so this is driving me crazy), and headaches. 
 

this is random, but do people every add cbd oil for aches/pains during this process ? 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Strugglingmama

 

On 6/8/2021 at 1:01 PM, Strugglingmama said:

Restarted nortriptyline at about 4mg and weaned it over 2 months.

 

I would not say you had nortriptyline withdrawal but probably sertraline withdrawal and a series of adverse drug reactions, which the nortriptyline fortunately resolved.

 

Did you feel well enough on 4mg nortriptyline? If so, since it worked before, I might take 0.5mg as a trial reinstatement, as @Gridley suggested, and see if it gives you some relief. Depending on its effect, you may wish to increase the dosage. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata

 

thanks for your thoughts. I agree, I think the sertraline contributed to my concussion and subsequent headaches and I came off way too quickly. 
 

When I was on nortriptyline 4mg, it helped my muscle cramping to an extent. When I had my first attempt to come off the 10mg I developed wild muscle twitching and the leg pain was so awful I couldn’t sleep. Hence the reinstatement of 4mg. It didn’t resolve the cramps fully but it did help them. As of today my leg cramps are back and annoying, but not as bad as originally (now 2-3/10 for half the day) vs 5-6/10 all day and all night before. 
 

I spoke to my psychiatrist today. She said since I had a better week last week, and have been off the nortriptyline for about a month.... she didn’t really want me to reinstate it.  I have capsules and could do this myself but at some point would run out and wouldn’t have a prescriber . So I’m a bit torn.

 

If you want to hear the craziest part of this all, is I’m a pharmacist. I’m learning a lot from this forum. 
 

thanks! 

[Altostrata]

I hope your symptoms continue to improve. Please let us know how you're doing.

 

If you need to, you could probably get 0.5mg nortriptyline started by making a liquid with the capsules you have. They'll go a long way.

 

On 6/9/2021 at 7:30 PM, Strugglingmama said:

If you want to hear the craziest part of this all, is I’m a pharmacist. I’m learning a lot from this forum. 
 

thanks! 

 

You're welcome. 

 

If you want to know more about differentiating drug-induced adverse effects from everything else, see the chart in 

 

Framer, A. (2021). What I have learnt from helping thousands of people to taper off antidepressants and other psychotropic medications. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1177/2045125321991274

 

You will amaze your colleagues.

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata @Gridley

 

i decided to try a dose of 0.5mg made out of liquid myself. I woke up with a very weird tension headache and this evening I feel out of it, like my head is achy and off balance. I know that sounds weird from only one dose, but part of me thinks maybe I was too late to reinstate ? I did it 6 weeks out. Thoughts ?? 

[Mia1]

Hi, just stopping by to offer support and encouragement. I’m sorry you’re going through this, I got off the sister drug Amitriptyline just a couple months ago. Sending you healing vibes 💓

[Strugglingmama]

@Mia1

 

thanks for your message! Yes going off nortriptyline has not been fun for me. Muscle aches, headaches, but for me it’s the anxiety that’s the worst. I think I’m done with my attempts to reinstate. I have been off it for 6 weeks. I’m just going to ride it out and hope for the best. I have great supports, and I am doing weekly CBT with a therapist. Hoping a nice window comes soon. 
 

 

[Mia1]

Yes, anxiety was the biggest thing I had to work on. It sounds like a good plan and I’m happy to hear you have a good support system. It’s going to get better!! Keep in touch.

[Altostrata]

On 6/22/2021 at 4:53 PM, Strugglingmama said:

@Altostrata @Gridley

 

i decided to try a dose of 0.5mg made out of liquid myself. I woke up with a very weird tension headache and this evening I feel out of it, like my head is achy and off balance. I know that sounds weird from only one dose, but part of me thinks maybe I was too late to reinstate ? I did it 6 weeks out. Thoughts ?? 

 

Did you see any improvement as it wore off? If yes, you might try 0.25mg.

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata

 

unfortunately no. I actually have had a wicked daily tension headache that won’t let up since I took the 0.5mg. I’m not sure if it’s my initial headaches coming back (post concussion)…. Why I started nortriptyline in the first place or if this is just part of the withdrawal process ? Any thoughts. 
 

my quality of life is significantly reduced with daily headaches but I really don’t want to go back on notriptyline ….. 

[Mia1]

Have you tried any alternative healing techniques for the tension headaches? I get these quite often and have found that mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing throughout the day helps. Also, peppermint tea helps along with ice packs. Hope you are feeling a bit better today.

[Altostrata]

On 6/22/2021 at 4:53 PM, Strugglingmama said:

@Altostrata @Gridley

 

i decided to try a dose of 0.5mg made out of liquid myself. I woke up with a very weird tension headache and this evening I feel out of it, like my head is achy and off balance. I know that sounds weird from only one dose, but part of me thinks maybe I was too late to reinstate ? I did it 6 weeks out. Thoughts ?? 

 

You took this 0.5mg only 4 days ago? Has your symptom pattern changed since you took it?

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata

 

hi! Yes I took just a single 0.5mg dose on June 21. To be honest my anxiety has let up a ton…. But my headaches started the day after this dose and have been pretty constant. I don’t know if it’s at all related to that single dose or coincidence. 

[Altostrata]

Do you ordinarily have periods of headache?

 

Your problems may have started with domperidone withdrawal symptoms and then sertraline withdrawal syndrome.

 

On 6/8/2021 at 1:01 PM, Strugglingmama said:

took nortriptyline 10mg and sertraline 25mg for 6 weeks (nov-dec 2020) . Headaches resolved

 

If the headache was a sertraline withdrawal symptom, it may have resolved when you reinstated sertraline. If this is so, you may benefit from a very low reinstatement, such as 1mg sertraline (via prescription liquid), may help lingering withdrawal syndrome. Fluoxetine at 0.5mg may be substituted instead. If this helps, you'd stabilize for some months, then taper off very gradually. You might find fluoxetine easier to taper.

 

Many people find fish oil and magnesium supplements helpful, see

 

https://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

 

https://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

Magnesium can help relax head, jaw, and neck muscle tightness, if that is the source of your headaches. You might try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

Acupuncture may be helpful, too.

 

 

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata

 

i have always been prone to headaches. Normal would be 3 a month but treatable with Tylenol or rest. These ones respond to nothing. I’ll give the magnesium a try and see if that helps. I’m hoping time will just allow my brain to heal. I’ll give Accupunture a try as well. I’ve gone before and find it relaxing. 
 

to edit: it all did start with sertraline withdrawal . I’ll ask the doctor about sertraline liquid. 
 

thanks 

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata@Gridley

 

i thought I’d share a little update. I am now 9 weeks after stopping nortriptyline. I have had some better weeks but my anxiety can be very bad and crippling. It’s been extra horrid for the past 10 days. I wake up with what feels like adrenaline surges and anxiety from the get go. I also have crazy tachycardia - heart rates up at 150 with little activity. I see my doctor in a few days about this. I noticed Gridley you experienced anxiety with imipramine withdrawal… just curious how long it lasted. I’m trying to parent and work full time and it’s just so so hard. Any extra encouragement helps. I know my doctor will tell me on Tuesday I should be on meds for my anxiety. 
 

thanks 

[Altostrata]

That surge early in the morning is typical of withdrawal syndrome. Did you decide against reinstating a little sertraline?

 

Have you tried magnesium?

[Strugglingmama]

Hi @Altostrata

 

My doctors don’t really believe that this could be withdrawal at this point so I’m reluctant to bring it up. I could say I want to start sertraline at a low dose and ask for liquid but I know if I say 1mg they will laugh at me. But if things continue to be unpleasant I may just have to start it myself with dissolve and dose. 
 

these are such tricky times.

 

im glad to hear the adrenaline surges aren’t unheard of. They are highly unpleasant. I’m hoping they go away with time. One good thing is my headaches have stayed away. 
 

I do have a question. Do you ever see people use beta blockers (like propranolol) for the withdrawal of high heart rate/adrenaline surges. 
 

thanks 

[HealthHopeHappiness]

Hi @Strugglingmamathanks for replying to my post. I’ve just read your thread, I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through. As a mum to a toddler and working full time, I can relate to how hard it is going through WD, although I did end up taking some time off before I realised it was WD I was dealing with. You are doing great to be functioning, it is so difficult dealing with intense anxiety and panic - it’s exhausting and distressing. Do you have support at home? Take care xx

[Strugglingmama]

@HealthHopeHappiness

 

yes it is so hard parenting and going through this. I feel such guilt to my sweet little boy. I have a wonderful support system. A husband who is actually amazing. Super dad. I also feel guilty to him because I have just not been myself. My mom, sister and mother in law are all very supportive. I just mourn my past life so much! It was so easy. Hoping this passes. I also hope your RLS type symptoms improve. It sounds very unfair . 

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata

 

a little update for you. I ended up seeing a cardiologist who diagnosed me with inappropriate sinus tachycardia and pots. I think this antidepressant withdrawal through my nervous system out of whack. I’ve been started on propranolol but I am not liking the brain fog. I am going to ask about maybe a beta blocker that does not cross the CNS. 
 

I know you previously mentioned sertraline 1mg. I am almost 3 months out from stopping nortriptyline. Do you think it’s too late to start? I have capsules at home so could always attempt a dilution myself and try this for a while as my doctor wouldn’t prescribe this little amount. My anxiety is wicked. 

[Altostrata]

Yes, arrhythmia is common in withdrawal. Usually, it gradually goes away, but this may take months. You might request a lower dose of propranolol instead.

 

Be careful about slipping into drug experimentation to treat withdrawal symptoms, when low-dose reinstatement is far less risky and more likely to work.

 

On 7/18/2021 at 6:54 PM, Strugglingmama said:

My doctors don’t really believe that this could be withdrawal at this point so I’m reluctant to bring it up. I could say I want to start sertraline at a low dose and ask for liquid but I know if I say 1mg they will laugh at me. But if things continue to be unpleasant I may just have to start it myself with dissolve and dose. 

 

If you do not think you can be candid with your prescriber, you might request liquid so you could gradually titrate up in dose. Your prescriber will be thrilled you want to go back on an antidepressant.

 

But first, contact your pharmacist and find out if liquid sertraline is available in your country and how your insurance will cover it. You may end up making your own liquid anyway with the tablets for which you already have a prescription.

[Strugglingmama]

@Altostrata

 

thank you so much for your reply. I totally agree with what you are saying. I didn’t realize heart things were common. They are quite scary. I think I will ditch this propranolol all together. I am only on 5mg twice daily for less than 2 weeks. I’ll taper off it. I agree I’d rather be on less drugs.

 

I will attempt to have a true conversation with my prescriber. If she shuts it down I will ask for liquid and starting slow. 
 

I do have one more question if you don’t mind. I haven’t been on sertraline since December and my most recent drug was nortriptyline. I did a one time dose of 0.5mg of nortriptyline 6 weeks ago and kind of freaked out because I got a bad headache reaction. Would you say reinstatement with sertraline would be better over nortriptyline or should I have given nortriptyline a better try. 
 

thanks again. 
 

I just want to feel myself and I am so mad I did this to myself. I truly appreciate your time and answers. 

[Altostrata]

On 6/9/2021 at 7:04 PM, Altostrata said:

I would not say you had nortriptyline withdrawal but probably sertraline withdrawal and a series of adverse drug reactions, which the nortriptyline fortunately resolved.

 

I cannot say whether another attempt with nortriptyline will resolve your symptoms, or if sertraline is the key. Since you are afraid of nortriptyline now, perhaps you might try a very small amount of sertraline, even 0.5mg.

[Greatful]

@Strugglingmama  Hi, I wanted to welcome you to SA.  I am sorry you are going through the pain of W/D.  You are in good hands with the mods.  I will take time and patience, but you will get this figured out.

  

29 minutes ago, Strugglingmama said:

I just want to feel myself and I am so mad I did this to myself.

This is a very popular feeling around here.  You shouldn't blame yourself, you were only doing what your doctor advise.  Most have no clue what impact these drugs have on our brains and cns, let alone how to get off of them. 

 

Reach out and get acquainted with some of the other members.  It is helpful too know you are not alone.  We are all in this together and want to  help and encourage each other out.

 

You are doing a great job, holding down a job and having young family.  

It is really good to hear your husband is supportive,  You have support at home and you have support here where people can identify to what you are going through.🌻

[Strugglingmama]

@Greatful

 

thank you for your kind words. The past few days have been a huge struggle for me. I see my psychiatrist next week and am going to have an honest conversation about protracted withdrawal. I know she’ll deny it but I’m going to tell her I feel that’s what is going on. I also think I need to step away from work for a bit. I’ll see her thought on that. 
 

I stopped nortriptyline on may 12th. Part of me is really toying with the idea of reinstating versus riding this out. My anxiety is pretty much constant and I’m struggling to be a good mom to my little boy. Do you have any thoughts of reinstatement. 
 

@Altostrata I am going to have an honest conversation with my prescriber next week. I’m not scared per say of either sertraline or nortriptyline reinstatement. I just struggle to know what one would be most beneficial to try. 
 

thanks. 
 

also, I know everyone is different and it’s hard to predict. But have you seen success with people who reinstate at the 3 month mark? 
 

thanks 

[Surviving82]

29 minutes ago, Strugglingmama said:

@Greatful

 

thank you for your kind words. The past few days have been a huge struggle for me. I see my psychiatrist next week and am going to have an honest conversation about protracted withdrawal. I know she’ll deny it but I’m going to tell her I feel that’s what is going on. I also think I need to step away from work for a bit. I’ll see her thought on that.
 

@Strugglingmama, I brought it up with my psychiatrist. He was sympathetic to me feeling bad but he told me he didn't think it was WD. He offered to try a different medication to see if that would help. I declined. Thats mostly what psychiatrists do, they give us different meds. And there is no particular logic behind what med to give. You tried this, well now here try that. That is an algorithm. This is so unfortunate but it looks like we may be on our own in this. At least in my case, psychiatrist could not help. But maybe in your case it would be different, I sure hope so! Definitely keep us updated!

 

P.S. oh and my psychiatrist also did not believe that a low dose can do anything. At some point I wanted to get liquid zoloft to only take a few mg, but he said it was nonsense. He said I have to be at least at 50 to see any therapeutic effect, if I csnt do 50 then at least 25. But any lower than that is just a waste of time. 

[Strugglingmama]

@Surviving82

 

thanks for the reply. How are you doing? I do have a good relationship with my psychiatrist. I am also a pharmacist so she can’t deny my drug knowledge. Unfortunately this exact knowledge (protracted withdrawal) about antidepressants isn’t well known. 
 

i unfortunately have developed some cardiac consequences from my withdrawal. My heart rate is very high all the time and I’m in a constant state of fight of fight ( it’s over 100 at all times and easily goes to 150). I keep dropping pounds by the week because my body is in overdrive. I am a very small person so I feel like this needs to get better. I have an appointment for a cardiac ultrasound on Monday. I’m praying it comes back clean and I can attritube this chaos to withdrawal. 
 

I truly have a wonderful life so I just need to get myself healthy 
 

 

[Surviving82]

9 minutes ago, Strugglingmama said:

@Surviving82

 

thanks for the reply. How are you doing? I do have a good relationship with my psychiatrist. I am also a pharmacist so she can’t deny my drug knowledge. Unfortunately this exact knowledge (protracted withdrawal) about antidepressants isn’t well known. 
 

i unfortunately have developed some cardiac consequences from my withdrawal. My heart rate is very high all the time and I’m in a constant state of fight of fight ( it’s over 100 at all times and easily goes to 150). I keep dropping pounds by the week because my body is in overdrive. I am a very small person so I feel like this needs to get better. I have an appointment for a cardiac ultrasound on Monday. I’m praying it comes back clean and I can attritube this chaos to withdrawal. 
 

I truly have a wonderful life so I just need to get myself healthy 
 

 

@Strugglingmama, Sorry you have this with your heart. I had that too. My heart is now better overall but does get high when I'm very anxious. I did get a cardiac ultrasound and it was normal. Yours most likely will be normal as well. I too lost quite a bit of weight because I am in overdrive and have no appetite most of the time. But I've recently been in a window and got some weight back which is good. No my appetite is gone again. I know it is super tough, I have 4 kids and I work full time. In fact my youngest is only about 22 months old. I feel like I cant be present for my kids or engaged with them bz im constantly anxious. It sucks so much. I hope you feel better soon and find a solution to this!!! 

 

P.s. my psychiatrist didn't deny that protracted wd is possible. He just said he didn't believe this is what was happening to me. He also said that he "usually" doesn't see people get wd beyond a month or 2. What does "usually" mean i did not ask him. Hopefully you can get some clarity on this from your doc!

[Strugglingmama]

@Surviving82

 

Yes it’s sure hard with little ones. My son turns 2 this Friday. 
 

glad to hear you are having a window and your heart has calmed down. I also have had some windows but lately the waves are long and terrible. I would say in the past 3 months I have had 3 or 4 short windows. My cardiologist put me on propranolol for my heart rate which did help with anxiety and the heart rate but it made me so groggy. Like terrible. So I stopped it before I had another thing I would need to withdraw from. 
 

im like you and extremely sensitive to medication. 
 

do you have any techniques for calming yourself that help? Anxiety is by far my worst symptom. along with it comes the lack of appetite, weight loss and racing heart. 

[Greatful]

@Strugglingmama

2 hours ago, Strugglingmama said:

I see my psychiatrist next week and am going to have an honest conversation about protracted withdrawal. I know she’ll deny it but I’m going to tell her I feel that’s what is going on.

Are you going to be seeing your psychiatrist in person?  If so you can print out information 

http://Major milestone: Royal College releases new guidance on stopping antidepressants 

 

"Stopping antidepressants" leaflet:

 

This was giving to me by Gridley when I wanted to understand and explain to my therapist what sert occupancy meant and how it affected your brain.  

SERT means how many of your serotonin neurotransmitters (message senders) have been made to stop functioning by the SSRI antidepressant drug.  

I think of it as parts of your brain that have been captured by the enemy (the drug) and been put out of commission.

There is a high rate of receptor occupancy at low doses of the drug.  That is to say, even on low doses of the drug, it is still having a major effect on the brain.  This is the reason for a very slow taper at low doses of the drug to allow your brain to adapt to your neurotransmitters gradually "coming back to life." 

 

 This link has more information: 

 

SERT Transporter Occupancy Studies

 

2 hours ago, Strugglingmama said:

Do you have any thoughts of reinstatement. 

If you are struggling really bad it is worth a try only you know how much you can endure.  I know it is hard to put these drugs back in our symptoms, but we also have to survive.  It does have it's risks, have  read through the link yet to better inform yourself?

 

On 6/9/2021 at 2:53 PM, Gridley said:

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

 

25 minutes ago, Strugglingmama said:

I do have a good relationship with my psychiatrist. I am also a pharmacist so she can’t deny my drug knowledge. Unfortunately this exact knowledge (protracted withdrawal) about antidepressants isn’t well known. 

 With the information you have available to you here you  should be able to have a intelligent conversation with your doctor.  Yeah! A pharmacist who can learn and educate herself on the good, bad, and the ugly when it comes to psychotropic drugs, and be able to advise clients how to safely taper off.  How many do you see now that are a mess and drug hoping to get relief?  Because the  the doctors don't understand or believe how these drugs change our brains in as short a time as 1 month and start drug jumping to fix the wd symptoms  their patience are experiencing (they don't think they are in wd)  Sorry for the rant this is what happened to me and I am trying to come out of the horrific mess.

 

Hang it there you are doing a great job trying to figure all this out.  The mod's are superb at this and have years of experience.

You all so have a lot of support here wait to help out in anyway we can

[Surviving82]

29 minutes ago, Strugglingmama said:

@Surviving82

 

Yes it’s sure hard with little ones. My son turns 2 this Friday. 
 

glad to hear you are having a window and your heart has calmed down. I also have had some windows but lately the waves are long and terrible. I would say in the past 3 months I have had 3 or 4 short windows. My cardiologist put me on propranolol for my heart rate which did help with anxiety and the heart rate but it made me so groggy. Like terrible. So I stopped it before I had another thing I would need to withdraw from. 
 

im like you and extremely sensitive to medication. 
 

do you have any techniques for calming yourself that help? Anxiety is by far my worst symptom. along with it comes the lack of appetite, weight loss and racing heart. 

Yeah, I've taken propranolol. But I stopped because it was making my BP drop too low sometimes. I ended up mostly taking it before bedtime to prevent cortisol awakenings together with melatonin. But eventually I stopped thst as well bz I was feeling better and better. Not sure if now I need to start it again as my sleep got messed up. 

 

Lack of appetite, weight loss, and racing heart are all symptoms of anxiety. I have them too. I am working with my therapist on anxiety but it is 2 steps forward, 1 step back. So far my success has been modest. I thought I was doing fine until this wave come so now I'm not even sure anymore. But I have a long history of anxiety too so who knows. Im not even sure whats wd and whats my own natural anxiety and ocd. 

 

I hope that you feel better soon and happy birthday to your little guy! Mine turns 2 in October!