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j1290: gets off the Wellbutrin and on with life!


j1290

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DAY 19  2:30 PM, and my symptoms are almost to a T what they were on Day 19 of the last reduction.   Elevated mood in the morning, brain activation in the afternoon with some hangover feeling/brainlock.   Tapering is super annoying but predictable and nothing to fear.  I'm right on schedule.  I feel less impatient about moving fast this reduction.  Its been almost 3 weeks, if I feel like it maybe I will switch 5% to liquid on Friday with no reduction(Day 24) so I have the weekend to adjust a little to it, but I'll play it by ear.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 20   I think some elevation in the morning, little pressure, maybe some chemical elevation in the afternoon, emotional highs and lows, afternoon brainlock.  Overall 2/10.  Expect more physical side effects in 4 days.  

 

That said, I'm almost through with this taper, and unless something goes awry it was successful.  According to this last reduction, I have 6 "bad" days before things get fairly tolerable again.   I think I have to consider to try switching to 5% liquid(no reduction) on Friday, Day 24, so I have the weekend to see how I'm affected.   It's a little quick, but if I'm not actually reducing, can it affect me too much?   Actually, the answer to that is Yes, because I know from changing to a different Time Release at the same dose was almost harder than reducing.   Only one way to know for sure, though.  I have a few days to consider it, we'll see if I'm feeling up for it.   If I stay on course I should feel pretty diminished by WD Normal, so I may be willing to give it a shot.   

 

I'm working, and no matter how badly I want to reduce 10% to get to a 25% reduction, It was rough to hold on for those 6 'bad' days, even without a job, so I don't want to do a full 10% drop.   

 

So far I still like my plan of doing 2 x 5% crossovers to liquid with a hold between(for a total of 10% liquid, which is half a pill, super convenient), followed by something like 3 x ~3% reductions with holds.   

 

Truth is, I may never get off this stuff.  I've been on it so long that may not be possible.   Hurrying this along to the detriment of my health, job, and relationships isn't really in my best interest, with a caveat that my WD Normal is debatably about the same level of discomfort as week 2-4 of a reduction.  If I felt tolerably OK, I'd be much more accepting of a tiny reduction.   People report a significant difference in side effects between 450mg and 300mg, so I'd like to get to 300 ASAP and maybe do an extra long hold there.  We'll see.  I'm still impatient, but much less impatient than last month at least heh!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 21  Pretty uneventful, 2/10, some emotions, slight head pressure, etc.   This was one of my best days in the last taper as well.  If this were the only side effects I had on WB I wouldn't be in a hurry to get off.  My hunch is it's uphill from here, back to the headaches.  The good news is I have a big day tomorrow at my new job, and I should be in decent shape to deal with it.  I'm really tempted to do a 5% crossover to liquid on Thursday or Friday.  What could go wrong?  heh  Let's see how I feel then.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 22   I'm cranky now but overall the day was good 2/10, starting to get head activation etc again.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 23  Been super stressed due to work.   Today was a mild 2/10, with some heavier symptoms in the evening that were a little less intense than Day 23 of my last reduction.  It's weird how identical the 2 reductions have been, but certainly maybe I bias my current Daily Withdrawal Checklist to match the last month's LOL.   Guess we'll see.

 

According to my records, Day 24 is more or less going to be back to WD Normal, which was around a 4/10, or crossing the line into intolerable by my scale.   Since it's Thursday night and I just finished my big 2 day project, I threw caution to the wind, hopefully not prematurely, and switched to 5% liquid tonight, no reduction.  At night, my current dose I take 1 and a half pills, so I took the 1 pill and split the half pill into 2 pieces(1/4).  I dissolved 1/4 piece in water and drank it, and took the other quarter orally.   So no reduction, just that change to liquid.  

 

My impulsive thinking was that I probably won't feel too many side effects tomorrow(this could be quite wrong LOL) and better to kick it off tonight so I have the weekend to recover if things get squirrely.    In retrospect it might have been a better idea to do 1/3rd a pill in solution to see how I react to it, because in my case, I have a very rough time changing time releases.   Guess I shoulda listened to good advice heh!   I always think things will be easier to do than they actually are.   

 

It's only 5% and I didn't actually reduce any, so it seems like it shouldn't be *that* bad.  We'll see tomorrow!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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  • Mentor

@j1290 I look forward to hearing more about you switch to 5% liquid. Hopefully you won't have any symptoms.

 

I am not a health professional in any way.  I do not give medical advice.   Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner.

 

NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER

April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20,  575 to 500 (13%),  Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg

Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. 

HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER

Feb. 2016 to June 2016  - Was on 150mg Zoloft.  Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. 

Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June  2016,  reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016.  From July 2016  to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper.

STARTING SENSIBLE  ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE

Dec. 10 2016  - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg.   Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mgFeb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%).  Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg.  May 9, 2020 1.375 mg.  June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%).  July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%).  August 15, 2020 1.0 mg.  Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg.  Nov. 28, 2020 .75mgJan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%).  Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg.  May 1, 2021 .375mg.  May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg.  October 2, 2021 .043mg.  October 10, 2021 .038mg.  October 23, 2021 .035mg.  October 30, 2021 .032mg.  Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg.  Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg.  Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY

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DAY 24  Pretty good, 2/10 symptoms, maybe even some elevation and vivid senses?  Little bit of head pressure and activation, temple pressure, headlock up, heavy head, but none of it very bad.  

 

I'm reserving judgment about my new WD Normal for another week or so, but at least today I feel better than I did last month.  I'd like to think that's because I'm taking 17% less now, which would be a welcome relief.   

 

Today is one of the first days that was significantly different than the last reduction.  Last month on day 24 I was at a 4/10 head pressure etc that happened at night.  Could it be related to switching to 5% liquid?  Search me.  Might just be a delayed uptick in emotions, I had some down days this week and didn't really have any that felt elevated.   I'll keep an eye on it.   

 

I feel suspiciously good so I'm guessing it's some kind of chemical related elevation, but it could just be I've been successful in my first week of work at a new job, who knows.   

 

Tonight I tossed half a pill in the liquid by accident and totally forgot I was supposed to break it in half, so I did a 10% liquid crossover tonight.  I guess tomorrow we'll see how well I tolerate that.   This is exactly how I get mixed up, when I change my routine.   Super glad I started taking photos of each dose so I don't have to rely on memory to be sure what exactly I took.  Even then I still make mistakes or forget to photograph, so I'm glad to have backups to everything.  Missing a dose is not something I want to do.  

 

Plan is to hold for 3 more days and see how I feel.  

 

@RachelSusan Hey there, thanks for stopping by!   I switched last night at midnight, so maybe the bit of weirdness I'm feeling right now in the evening might be part of it.  Hard to say.  In retrospect I wish I'd been more careful and tried switching 3% liquid.   I think I should feel some kind of effect tomorrow, whatever that will look like, if for no other reason than because I accidently used 10% liquid tonight.  I'll play it by ear and decide how to proceed then.  

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this works for me, and what reducing 3% feels like.   I have to think it'll be an easier ride.  Really glad you encouraged me to go slow!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 25  Mostly felt really great today, maybe a window, maybe chemical related elevation.  Might have said this already, but the last reduction I didn't really have any UP days, so this could be all part of the cycle.   I'm a 2/10 so far today, so I can't complain.  Glad this first week of work is over, feel like this last taper has been successful.  After I do a reduction, historically I have had very clear WD the next day, and I haven't had any of that and I'm on day #3 of the switch to 10% liquid.  Since things are going OK so far, I'm going to keep at 10% liquid.  

 

I have to say, I can't complain that I'm not having 4/10 headaches and head issues like I did last month or most of the last year.  Maybe I'm more used to the all IR time release, maybe I have a better generic that suits me, maybe I'm feeling better because I'm down 17% now, who knows.  Not to complain but I've spent so much time in distress due to side effects, I'm not getting my hopes up that I'll feel like this very long.   I wouldn't mind if it lasts, though!   Looking forward to reducing some more, but man, it is *really* nice to have a break from that stress.  I might just wait till next Thursday or Friday to gather up my strength for the next 3% liquid reduction.  I think I might be getting somewhere in the neighborhood of getting this AD business under control.  It took a lot of work to get here, it's really nice to feel much closer to good again.  

EDIT:  55 days since I last took a Xanax crumb, and I mostly only needed blood pressure/migraine pills the first bad week of WD after a cut.  Glad I have the Xanax as a last resort, but I really don't want to take those.  I think I'm having a second elevated day in a row.  Whatevs, I'll enjoy the ride.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 26  Said it a million times, but keeping this Daily Withdrawal Checklist has been fantastic.   My WD symptoms basically matched more or less day by day the previous taper.  However, the last 3 days or so, they've been uncharacteristically mild.   Could be an extended window, could be my WD Normal is now more comfortable(I hope), I'm just in uncharted territory.   As far as I can tell my switch to 10% liquid approximately 4 days ago was a neutral event, as I should have felt WD symptoms by now if it were negative.   Last month at this time I was 4/10 symptomatic, and today I'm a light 3/10.  Same symptoms, just more tolerable.  That's a huge jump!   4/10 is intolerable to me, and a 3/10 means I don't like it but I can function pretty decently well.   

 

As usual, I get a few good days in me and forget all the bad, and want to do another 10% drop so I'll feel better next month.  Not this time.  I don't think it's worth it.  My plan is to hold today and tomorrow, then on Tuesday dissolve that half a pill (10%) in 45 ML of water, then dose myself 30ML of it.  Seems like that's 2/3rds so should be around 3% reduction, right?  Anybody correct my math?   I guess I could do 40ML and then reduce by 10ML each week or something.  I really feel like I could do that and hold in December maybe.  

 

I didn't know what to expect with switching to 10% liquid, but I'm surprised it's been as easy it has so far.   I knew that getting off this stuff was going to be rough, when I started 1.5 years ago.  I underestimated it by far.  3/10 symptomatic is not where I want to be, but it's worth it to be here.   I think this is my new WD Normal, and I think it's proportional to how much I've tapered.  

Really looking forward to that 3% reduction and seeing how that feels!   I'm going to bet it will also be proportional, and only 1/3rd as sympomatic as my previous ~9% reductions.   Only one way to find out!

 

edit-Just tried 40ML of water to experiment, that's not much.  I think I'll start with 80ML and 1/2 pill(10%) and then reduce by whatever percentage I decide.   I think I was making this out to be harder than it actually is.  As long as my percentage is correct I don't think it matters how many ML of water I use.  Once again, I don't know how I expected to be successful last year without keeping a daily record.   None of this stuff is hard, it's just detail oriented that i don't naturally take to.   I'm eating this elephant one bite at a time! 

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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  • Mentor

Yay, go you! 🐘

am not a medical professional. I provide information and make suggestions based on my own experience and SA guidelines. I am unable to respond to private messages. 

Mirtazepine 15mg Nov 2018 -April 2019  April - Sept 2019 Mirtazepine down to around 6mg - skipping days to taper

October 2019 - Dec 2019 unwell from failed taper including jumping about in doses 

15 December 2019 to 13 June 2021 15mg Mirtazepine 

14 June 2021 started brass monkey Slide.  
2021: 23 August 12.3mg, 28 October 11.1mg, 6 Dec 10mg

2022: 12 Feb 8.5, 25 Oct 4.5mg

2023: 16 Jan 3.6mg, 28 Sept 1.8mg

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Nice work!

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

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  • Mentor
17 hours ago, j1290 said:

 I'm eating this elephant one bite at a time! 

I love the way you put this. I am glad you are doing so well

 

I am not a health professional in any way.  I do not give medical advice.   Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner.

 

NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER

April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20,  575 to 500 (13%),  Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg

Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. 

HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER

Feb. 2016 to June 2016  - Was on 150mg Zoloft.  Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. 

Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June  2016,  reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016.  From July 2016  to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper.

STARTING SENSIBLE  ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE

Dec. 10 2016  - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg.   Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mgFeb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%).  Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg.  May 9, 2020 1.375 mg.  June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%).  July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%).  August 15, 2020 1.0 mg.  Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg.  Nov. 28, 2020 .75mgJan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%).  Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg.  May 1, 2021 .375mg.  May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg.  October 2, 2021 .043mg.  October 10, 2021 .038mg.  October 23, 2021 .035mg.  October 30, 2021 .032mg.  Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg.  Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg.  Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY

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DAY 27  Pshew ruff day at the office!   I think I did great, however, despite the bumps.  My symptoms are defo stronger today, usual headlock and stimulation/dizziness.  Maybe I'm just kidding myself, but I think they've diminished roughly the same 17% that I've tapered so far, 3.5/10.  I just don't feel like they have the edge they used to.   If I'm not at WD Normal now, I'm somewhere in the neighborhood at least :D.  I've got a bunch of work to do so I'm going to hold for another day or two.   

@Thorin @RachelSusan @Faure Hey, thank you so much!  You don't even know how moved I am by your encouragement.   Haha I'm not sure anybody but us understands what a big deal it is to have a successful reduction!   Tomorrow is Day 28, I think I'm going to have to chalk this one up in the win column.    

Thank you again.  Such a pleasant surprise!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 28   Woof what a day!  Lotta emotional ups and downs, irritability I think due to brain stimulation, visual abnormalities, weird pressure and whatnot.   I think I'm right on track, had similar symptoms about this time last month.  Just proves what I'd suspected, in someways I feel better in WD than WD Normal.  The good news is that I know this goes away when I do a taper.  I may have different symptoms then, but at least I know these aren't permanent.  I'm going to hold another day and see what happens, based on previous experience WD Normal doesn't get any better.  It is certainly less bad than when I started tapering, and I hope to feel significantly better when I have reduced to somewhere around 300mg, down from 450mg start.   

  

Day 7 of switch to 10% liquid, still can't notice any particular side effects.  I just realized I need to start taking the liquid as my first dose of the day, because that's the one I want to reduce the next taper since it's the largest.   I think I'm going to go with 2.5% reduction in a day or two, try to minimize work disruption.  My gut feeling is that the effect of the small reduction will also be much easier to handle.   I want to be down to 300mg so badly, but it's not going to be as fast as I want.   I'll be happy with what I have.   Reducing 17% is just enough to take the edge off things and not scare me so much.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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On 10/25/2022 at 4:13 PM, j1290 said:

Haha I'm not sure anybody but us understands what a big deal it is to have a successful reduction! 

 

It's a massive deal. Every time I have a successful drop in dose I feel good because I know that no matter what. That will be the highest dose of that medication I'll ever be on for the rest of my life. I frequently get scared that I won't be able to reduce my dose any further. It's such a relief when it turns out I can!

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

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23 hours ago, Thorin said:

 

It's a massive deal. Every time I have a successful drop in dose I feel good because I know that no matter what. That will be the highest dose of that medication I'll ever be on for the rest of my life. I frequently get scared that I won't be able to reduce my dose any further. It's such a relief when it turns out I can!

 

I couldn't have said it better.  I might get fired tomorrow, who knows what will happen, but nobody can take my 17% reduction away from me.  Oh yeah, I get The Terrors now and then.  Just read your signature, sounds like we've both had a bouncy year with changing around meds!  I pivoted so many times I went in circles LOL  but hey, here I am.  Just took a look at your thread, and boy, can I relate.  I get so many feelings about all of ... this.  I think like a lot of people I just want to put it behind me and forget about it as quickly as possible.  

 

DAY 29 Another rough day at the office, but I'm taking over where several others have failed, so it goes with the territory.  Today was much better, I was in a lot better shape emotionally, without the volatility.   I had 3/10 brain stuff, nothing unusual except that I didn't have major headaches like I used to, so it would be unfair to not acknowledge that improvement.  I haven't had to take any Xanax in 2 months, and it's been a minute since I took anything else for headaches.   The switch to taking the 10% liquid in the morning vs evening seems uneventful as far as I can tell right now.  I don't love rocking the boat like that, but it had to be.  Maybe I'll give it another day before I try my micro taper.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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Hey mate. Rough day today myself. After doing some reading I’ve realised that the most difficult symptoms I’m struggling with is actually akathisia. It’s absolute hell. Fortunately I do not experience it 24/7. Was bad today. I’m contrast, yesterday was ok. Not good, but ok which is enough at the moment. What do you do for work? 

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

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22 hours ago, Thorin said:

Not good, but ok which is enough at the moment. 

I think you said a lot.   I am not where I'd like to be, but for today, I'm OK-enough.   Sorry to hear about the akathisia.  I don't think I've personally had it, but from what I read it's sure not unheard of.   Sounds very challenging.  Hang in there, man!

 

DAY 30  Realized tonight that in the shuffle of switching half a pill of my morning dose to liquid, I miscalculated yesterday and this morning and shorted myself half a pill(10%) so I'm getting WD effects today.   I thought I was peculiarly dizzy, and now I see why!  I praise my new system all the time, but I'm just so pleased with myself that I was able to go through the photos I take of each dose and verify exactly what happened yesterday instead of just guessing.   I'm going to make mistakes, of course, but I'm learning as I go.   I bumped up my night dose by 10% to compensate for missing that this morning.   I'm going to be affected, it's not ideal, but there it is.   

Since I'm already in WD, I think I'll just go ahead and decrease my dose by 2.5% tomorrow.   I was thinking about it anyway, so meh, it is what it is.  

 

Found out that I messed something up at work on my first day a few weeks ago.  Honest mistake but I wish I hadn't.  Glad I had therapy tonight.   Not thrilled about it happening, but I'm handling it better than I would have.  My emotional reactions are trauma based, although I'm not a fan of that phrase.   Good stuff to work on.   Also, accidently woke up early today, so I got in some exercise before work.  Never did that in my life before, was pretty cool.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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You’re doing well man. Keep it up! Just realised today that’ve I’ve been in withdrawal since December of last year and didn’t realise that’s what it was! Thought it was cPTSD! Crazy! Can’t wait until I fully stabilise at this low dose to see what I’m like when I’m mostly off meds and stable

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

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18 hours ago, Thorin said:

Just realised today that’ve I’ve been in withdrawal since December of last year and didn’t realise that’s what it was! 

Hang in there, man!  I had a similar situation, what I thought was one thing, turned out to be another.  There's just no single road map for this stuff.  Congrats on getting to the low dose and getting stable!  

 

DAY 2 of a 2.5% liquid reduction.   A few days ago I realized I miscalculated and missed 10% of my dose, but caught it the next day.  I felt pretty close to WD Normal again, and my WD Normal is not comfortable, so why stick around there longer when I already tipped the applecart by missing a dose.  Yesterday I started a 2.5% reduction.   I'm definitely feeling something, I left my notebook at work but I usually feel a reduction in WD symptoms the first or second day, before the action starts.   Nothing too concerning yet.  If I had to guess I'd say that symptoms are exactly 1/4 as noticeable as a 10% reduction.   So far so good.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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WALL OF TEXT WARNING:  Nothing interesting here, just personal notes. 

 

Just an update to my Day 2.  I think I'm going to do a daily update for another month while trying the liquid microtaper for reference.  I have a 3 ring binder with my daily symptom checklists that I drag around everywhere, and honestly it could get lost.   I was just able to refer to the first few days of my taper that I diaried here to replace my binder that I left at work.   Not as detailed, but accessable.   It's now evening of the second day(I changed from reducing last night to reducing this morning, so technically second day even though its only been 24 hours, just for my notes).   I'm starting to get the hang of the liquid taper, and this isn't a big deal at all, fortunately.   It's been 8 days since I started taking 10% of my daily intake in liquid, and I haven't noticed any real side effects from that.    I'm definitely feeling that first day hangover/waterlogged feeling, but man, 2.5% is way easier to tolerate!   This is more or less background noise, rather than something intense.   2/10 WD effects.   Usually the first day or two is pretty mild and tolerable, but that hungover feeling and weirdness that makes me want to be isolated is less severe.   It's actually better than my WD Normal.   Maybe if I do 2.5% reductions on Fridays, I'll feel better day to day.  Maybe it'll accumulate to a crash LOL who knows, but I'll give it a try next Friday and see what happens.  I did, actually, get a lot of rest today, which is fairly normal after a reduction so I'm not concerned.   Really interested to see how the next few weeks play out, if the first week is nearly intolerable like it was the times I did a 8-10% reduction.   Now that I've been doing this thing a minute and have some data to look at, I'm optimistic that WD will be much less.   Tomorrow will be a good data point.  I anticipate 4-5 more days of the physical followed by the emotional stuff.  Also really excited to be down 19% from my starting point.   There's something to going down 2.5% per week.   The number increasing so often is real motivation.   I anticipate being  down 21% starting next Friday to 355mg, that's a huge amount to me!   In January I could be down to 300mg, which is 1/3rd less than I started at, and psychologically a big deal to me because that means I stepped back a whole step.   They put me on 150 to 300 to 450, so getting back to 300 and less I have hopes of feeling better day to day with less intense side effects, and I really believe I will.  Just thinking about being at 300, and believing that I can get there, feels like victory to me.   Getting to 365 mg and below is victory too, because that's about where I crashed and had to reinstate last year.  Will be great to reclaim that territory that was so frustrating to have to reinstate from.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 3  Things more or less match my previous experience.  Things are maybe 3/10 WD instead of 4/10, I feel well enough to go out and do stuff, I think.  Paranoia, Super irritable and aggro, getting 3/10 brainlock and head pressure, all right on schedule but I think less brain activation/fire feeling.   Will be interesting when I get back to my notebook to see in more detail how I felt when I dropped 10%.   I'm not so sure right now if this is actually less WD than dropping 10%.  I'm not as good as I'd like to be, but I should be well enough to work tomorrow, and honestly I did a year of work in much worse shape.   This is uncomfortable and frustrating, but this time last year I felt like this or stronger every day, + headaches.   

 

My plan is to reduce another 2.5% on day 7 and see how that goes.   The only way to know anything is to give it a try, I think.   Can't wait to see my notebook to compare.  Tapering is not comfortable.  I could try 1% or something.   This month, though, I want to try 2.5% every Friday.  I don't feel great on any dosage anyway, though, so with that as my only other option, I'd rather be moving towards a day when I can be free of this stuff.   Next reduction I'll be down to 355mg, and a solid 20% down from my initial dose.   Can't wait!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 4  4/10 same symptoms as last reduction day 4, approximately, except this was only 2.5% vs close to 10%.   Search me, I think maybe the symptoms are a little less, I feel more under control than the bigger reduction, probably.   Funny, I read my old Daily Withdrawal Checklists and one of them had a note to myself to *never* reduce 10% again because it was such a bad day haha!  I remember that Day 6, thinking it was rough.   By Day 8 things are improving, though, so I only really have 7 bad days.   

 

Am I causing myself to have 28 bad days instead of 7 by reducing 4 times in a month?  Who knows.  I will defo try another reduction this Friday, just to see what happens.   Maybe I'll do micro reductions this month, and 10% next month to compare notes.  I don't know which will be better, but if I can do it, either way this time next month I'll have reduced to my target goal of 300MG from 450MG.    Maybe.  I'd be so happy.  I'm mentally resetting my expectations of feeling substantially better at 300MG.   I think 150MG is a safer bet.  So far, the microtaper liquid reduction has been much harsher than I'd like, but predictable and fairly straightforward to implement.   Maybe I'll just reduce 3ml/day starting Friday and see how that goes, rather than reducing a whole 20ml at once.   Worth investigating.

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 5 of my 2.5% liquid taper

Oof.   I'm thinking of just tapering the rest of the 7.5% liquid on Friday, on day 8.  I thought this would be easier than tapering 10%, but that isn't the case.  My WD side effects are matching in characteristic and intensity as doing a roughly 10% withdrawal.  I'm glad I tried, but if I have to feel this bad, I wish I'd at least dropped 10%.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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Were you feeling stable before you made this drop or still experiencing withdrawals? Could be a cumulative impact from previous drops making it worse

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

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@Thorin Hey man, thanks for stopping by!  How you feeling, bro?   

 

I did only 2 x <10% drops, 4 weeks apart, so in my book that seemed pretty reasonable, and I was on solid ground before reducing again.   Not sure if reducing in a few days would potentially overload the circuits and crash me or not, even though it would seem like it shouldn't, since the total is 10% reduction.    I can't afford a crash, but the thought of doing 2 weeks of WD hell and then starting another 2 weeks is not inspiring.   

 

Appreciate the thoughtful question, will consider it more tomorrow!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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Hey mate,

 

if you were on solid ground then I wouldn’t imagine it’s a cumulative effect. Interesting that 2.5% = same withdrawals as 10%. I’m curious to see how this goes for you.

 

I’ve actually had a good day today. 90% normal which was very welcome. Felt motivated at work which was a nice change from just trying to get through the day.

 

what symptoms are you experiencing at the moment? I had very mild head sensations and the tiniest bit of anxiety. Maybe slightly cut off from emotions but sometimes that can be welcome. Keep it up 👍🏻 

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

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Who knows with this stuff.  I feel like I'm constantly testing out theories and finding out by experience what works for me, so this is all  part of it, just an inconvenience.    

 

Congrats on being 90%, that's fantastic!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 6    of my 2.5% liquid taper.  4/10 day overall.  The morning was pretty good then things just went downhill with irritability, etc.  Not my first rodeo, been coping with this for 1.5 years now, but really thought maybe the lower drop would be different.   LOL nah.   By my records, the first 7 days are roughest.  Because I reduced on a nighttime dose at 10pm and counted that as day 1, I think it's a wobbler as to whether I'm on day 5 or day 6.  I'll look at my records later and decide if this is the way to go forward.  Good to have it as an option.   Next time I plan to reduce 10% though, but who knows, maybe this will be easier in the Emotional symptom phase around day 8.   Regardless, I should be over the worst of it this weekend.   I think I'll probably have to hold another week before I consider tapering again, just to be safe and avoid a crash.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 7    Normal day 7 symptoms 4/10.  I think I have to wait another week to more safely reduce the additional % of this month's taper.   Frustrated but keeping my eye on the prize, I am 19.5% down from my beginning dose,  and after the next drop I'll be at a little over 25%.  That's freaking awesome.   Brain dead at work today when I really could have used 100% but I can't give what I don't have, and even if that's not enough, it'll have to be OK.   I'm bummed I am going through this, but it was 100% worth trying.   I'm also set up next year to work at a night shift where I can have less interaction and keep my WD symptoms to myself for at least a few months.   I think I said this but I've recalibrated my goal of feeling better at being at 150MG and I'm not going to get worried about it till then.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 8  4/10 , things were a little easier today.  Hopefully tomorrow will improve.  Irritable, but will get through this.   Defo need to wait at minimum another week before tapering.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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  • Mentor

@j1290 You have come so far, please take a moment to realize how much you have done and accept a little praise.  I know it has been hard but you are doing it.

 

Don't be afraid to skip a taper every once in a while if you feel the symptoms are building up or if you just need a break from the symptoms. You've got this and you are doing great.

 

 

I am not a health professional in any way.  I do not give medical advice.   Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner.

 

NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER

April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20,  575 to 500 (13%),  Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg

Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. 

HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER

Feb. 2016 to June 2016  - Was on 150mg Zoloft.  Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. 

Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June  2016,  reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016.  From July 2016  to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper.

STARTING SENSIBLE  ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE

Dec. 10 2016  - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg.   Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mgFeb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%).  Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg.  May 9, 2020 1.375 mg.  June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%).  July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%).  August 15, 2020 1.0 mg.  Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg.  Nov. 28, 2020 .75mgJan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%).  Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg.  May 1, 2021 .375mg.  May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg.  October 2, 2021 .043mg.  October 10, 2021 .038mg.  October 23, 2021 .035mg.  October 30, 2021 .032mg.  Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg.  Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg.  Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY

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@RachelSusan

Thanks so much, RachelSusan!  Tapering is a journey, isn't it?  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it !:D   You're right, of course, in my mind I'm treating this like a work assignment that has a deadline, and it's not that sort of party.    Asking how long a taper will be is like asking how long is a piece of string.  

Blah blah blah.  Can't wait till I'm at 300mg or below.  I legit will go out to celebrate.  

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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DAY 9  Having some trouble at work this last week due to my irritability in WD.  I think I smoothed it over a little, but at the end of the day, I'm only there a few months, if that, so it's not the end of the world to make some mistakes, just a little embarassing LOL  Hey, I tried this 2.5% thing hoping it would be much easier, and it just wasn't.  If I don't try, I'll stay stuck, and I refuse to do that, at least in this.   I could no doubt use the money from this job, but I can't catastrophize getting replaced, life really will go on, and I won't miss it a bit.  I feel better after writing that out :D

Today was a 3/10, far from good but really much more tolerable, and if the past is any guide, I should be over the worst of this drop now.   Hey, I'm at 365mg down from 450, and getting to WD Normal on that.   If I remove my timeline demands it takes the emotion out of this.   

 

NEW PLAN:  On day 25 of this taper, which is Monday the 21st, I'll drop the rest of the 7.5% liquid at night.  That'll give me Tues+Wed, the first couple days when I hopefully feel a heavy head rather than the irritability I get day 4-8ish, which will mostly be during time off.  I made a mistake by refusing to take any other pills to counteract my irritability.  My brain gets so locked up and controlled by the chemicals.  I just wrote myself a note that I have permission to take other small fractions of pills during those days because it may save my job.   I'm day 75 or so since my last xanax crumb, so I'm being very careful.   By Christmas I'll be at WD Normal again, and then maybe do my next drop after that and get to 300mg.   A few more drops past that, and I'll be on half the dose I started at.  I don't think my tapering will get easier at lower doses, in fact very likely will get harder, but I hope that the WD Normal will feel better.   I guess I'm afraid I'll have gone through years of taper and find at the end I'm hopelessly addicted because the side effects never go away.   I got off the max dose of Effexor safely, though.   All I can do is try and we'll see what happens.  

 

Also, just for the record, I looked at my old taper notes.   I feel like I'm really on the right track with all this, documentation, planning, everything.   The process hasn't been a vacation, however I'm 100% convinced that doing this is right for me.  I'm only surprised I haven't had more work-related problems due to tapering.  This time last year I don't even know how I was able to do my job, yet somehow I did.   

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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Hey man,

 

Sounds like you're struggling just a little but still keeping your positive attitude. Good to see. Hang in there, be patient and don't be afraid to go slower than you planned. You  may find you're able to make up time at a later date. I struggled for ages (still am if i'm honest) but after holding at one dose for a few months (with one failed attempt to drop by too large a dose) it seems I'm finally stabilising a bit (if this last week's anything to go by). After quite a difficult period I've just had a week with a bunch of ok days (minimal side effects) and even one good day (I felt I was 90 % of where I would like to be). I still have a long way to go but I'm hoping that a much slower taper will mean I can manage the symptoms better and lead a slightly more normal life..... That's the hope anyway. Keep going dude!

Age 16 (1995 - 2000) -Paroxetine
Age 21 (2000-2004) - Effexor 37.5mg
Age 24 (2004-2012) - Lexapro (70mg), Xanax minimum 2mg Xanax a day
About 32 (2012-2017?) - Every mood stabiliser under the sun (not at the same time) and minimum 2mg Xanax a day; occasional amisulpride 
About 35 (2017-current) - Lurasidone 80 mg, quickly titrated down to 40mg, Pristiq (50 mg), minimum of 2mg Xanax a day
About 41 (2020) Switched from Xanax to clonazepam and started tapering at 0.125 mg each reduction, tapered off Pristiq with a cross taper at the end, low dose of dextroamphetamine.
Age 42 (2021) Tried to taper off Lurasidone three times. Quick taper from 40mg to 0 mg over a couple of months the first time. Reinstated at 20mg. Tried twice more to taper from 20 mg to 0 mg dropping by 5 mg each reduction (about every 2 weeks).
Age 42-43 (April 2022) 20mg-18mg; May 18mg-16mg; June 16-14mg; September 14-12mg; September 12-14mg reinstated. February 2023 - hiccup with brand change, Back to Apotek brand and switch to homemade suspension.

Age 44 (August 2023 -restarted clonazepam taper). Start dose 0.375mg. 1/9/2023 - 0.365mg; 1/10/2023 - 0.324mg; 1/11/2023 - 0.264mg; 1/12/2023 - 0.25 mg (holding); 1/2/2024 - 0.232mg; 1/3/2024 - 0.221mg

Health regimen: walks, hot/cold showers, ice baths, breathwork, mostly healthy diet, therapy...... Open to ideas! Supplements: Milk Kefir, Mag, Omega 3, CBD/THC.

 

Link to comment

Quick update, DAY 10 I'm having the symptoms I normally have on Day 9(I think due to the reduction being at my night dose), which is to say emotional and headachey/brain on fire, but without the extreme irritability.   Just talked to an advisor, he said that when I feel irritable during that first week I gotta shut my door to my office and when I want to say something to scream internally and bite my tongue and get back in there before I open my mouth.  Good advice, I think.  I'm also exhausted.  All this is 100% normal, and I'm more or less right where I've been the last 2 reductions.   If things continue as expected, within a day or two I should be emotional but feeling much better with less head stuff.   

 

edit-just realized if I'm going to reduce on day 25, I might as well go for another 10% rather than 7.5%  So far in my first 3 tapers I haven't found the WD to be very sensitive to the amount I drop, so I don't think the lower number is to my benefit.  If I'm wrong, well, I'm going to find out.  

 

@Thorin Congrats and keep up the good work!

I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience.  Consult your physician.

2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor.  Back in the Paxil Progress days.  No rebound.   

2005-2021:  450 mg Bupropion XL Daily

2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/

2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 

2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines

REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE

2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand

CURRENT TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022:  290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023:  262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023:  190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23:  140mg to 100mg//

 

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