AloneLover: My story and experiences of drugs I will write briefly here

[AloneLover]

Hi Chessie Cat I have a lot of information now And I knew everything about antidepressant withdrawal syndrome I hope I can help those who use these dangerous drugs and fulfill my responsibility thank you so much 

[AloneLover]

Does smoking affect the symptoms of  withdrawal? I quit smoking two years ago completely But now I'm alone I'm anxious I had to use it Does it have a negative effect on the symptoms?

 

[ChessieCat]

When recovering after stopping psychiatric drugs you need to be sensible.  If you do, eat or drink something and it makes you feel worse then you know that it is not a good idea to continue it.

 

Some people find that if they do too much exercise they get worse.  Some find that eating a lot of food does it.  For some people it is eating certain foods.

 

We are all individual and we need to take notice of our symptoms. 

[AloneLover]

You are absolutely right I will never smoke again thanks 

 

[AloneLover]

Can antidepressant withdrawal cause extreme and uncontrollable stress ?

[ChessieCat]

Antidepressant withdrawal IS stress on the central nervous system and can manifest in a wide variety of ways.

 

Perhaps you mean anxiety and anxiety is a withdrawal symptom.

 

Have a look at this list of common withdrawal symptoms:

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

[AloneLover]

I quit all the drugs arbitrarily because I didn't not know about tapering and Withdrawal syndrome I have not used any drugs for eleven months 

am I in protracted withdrawal ?

Because I have never reduced the medication I quit arbitrarily

[ChessieCat]

protracted-withdrawal-or-paws-post-acute-withdrawal-syndrome-how-long-does-it-last

 

Read the top section (above the line) of Post #1 of the above topic.

[AloneLover]

11 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

Antidepressant withdrawal IS stress on the central nervous system and can manifest in a wide variety of ways.

 

Perhaps you mean anxiety and anxiety is a withdrawal symptom.

 

Have a look at this list of common withdrawal symptoms:

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

Sorry, my internet is not working properly. I posted a question several times I had social anxiety but I could live I went to the doctor for treatment of social anxiety Now I have stress about anything that even not related to me  Are these are  the side effects of the medication? Thank you so much

[ChessieCat]

Are you wondering if your current symptoms might be your original condition?

 

Is it withdrawal or relapse?  Or something else?

How do I know it's withdrawal and not relapse?

[AloneLover]

10 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

Are you wondering if your current symptoms might be your original condition?

 

Is it withdrawal or relapse?  Or something else?

How do I know it's withdrawal and not relapse?

No I was not like that I had social anxiety for years since childhood, but I enjoyed everything I was happy My thoughts were healthy, my mentality was not like this I myself wonder why these thoughts come to my mind. I did not think at all that way I never thought my mind would get sick like this I've been sick for years, sometimes I doubt if these drugs are really that dangerous I can not think right, but I've been on medication for five months and stopped abruptly after that I found this condition Ten years passed  I used different drugs but I never got better

Edited January 19, 2022 by AloneLover

[ChessieCat]

The effect of going on and off and changing drugs is cumulative meaning that it adds up.

 

I understand that you didn't know about tapering when you stopped the drug/s but that doesn't change the fact that you did cold turkey your drug/s.

 

For the information that you have provided what you are experiencing are typical withdrawal symptoms from having stopped your drug/s too quickly.

 

There is no magic cure.  It is going to take time.

 

Cold Turkey and Too-Fast Tapers

 

But people do recover from cold turkeying their drug/s.  Altostrata recovered and this is the link to a search for the term "cold turkey" in the Success Story forum:

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/search/?q="cold turkey"&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=28

 

 

[AloneLover]

In my country, doctors do not know about tapering. They told me that the withdrawal last only two weeks They told me these drugs had been approved by the FDA to cure mental illness I knew about  withdrawl on the internet You helped me a lot thank you so much  I am at the beginning of the twelfth month It has been less than a year since I do not used any medicine I wish one day I could find mental clarity and be able to think clearly Do you think that some of the symptoms will disappear in this new year? I am very scared and anxious, I am afraid of everything

Edited January 19, 2022 by AloneLover

[ChessieCat]

Nobody knows what will happen, how it will happen and when it will happen.  But what has been seen here at SA is that recovery is very gradual.

 

And the symptoms that you experience can change.  I have already given you the links about this.  It is important to look after yourself, try to keep stress to a minimum, observe the times that symptoms increase and look back on what happened leading up to the worsening.

 

My suggestion is to compare how you feel now to how you felt at your worst, not how you felt at your best or how you want to feel.  This way it might be easier to notice the small improvements.

 

Some people find it helpful to keep a log of their symptoms and rate them.  Other find it better not to focus on their symptoms and try to get on with their life as best as they can.  The other option is to do a review on the same day each week, looking back on how you have felt.

 

Another thing that can be helpful is to stop trying to find answers to questions which might not have an answer, or being angry or sad or wishing it hadn't happened or you had made a different decision etc about what happened (you cannot change this, it is history).  So learning to accept your situation can help.

 

Acceptance

 

Post #1 of this topic has links to spreadsheet and printable withdrawal symptom lists for a whole month (the original list is for one day):

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

[AloneLover]

I'm so sorry to disturb you, I know I asked a lot of questions already One question remains unanswered in my mind I had stuttering and social anxiety before taking the drugs But I was not in such a terrible state of mind like now I abruptly stopped taking the drugs 10 years ago after five months Now if I use drugs my mental state will not change What is the reason? If my body is addicted to drugs, then why do they not make a difference 

[ChessieCat]

Sorry but I cannot answer you question.  And I imagine that even medical professionals might not be able to either.

 

There are some questions which we ask that do not have an answer.  And continuing to try and find an answer can cause stress and anxiety, which can cause a spiral and then make things worse .  It is better to accept that you might never know the reason and whenever the question comes into your mind to remind yourself that you don't know and then try to distract your mind and do something else.  After doing this for a while you can react quicker when the thought comes to mind.  For me when this happens now I just think "no, I am not going there".  When I first was learning to do this I would think "no, I've dealt with that issue before and going back over it is not going to make a difference".  So I now have a shorter phrase that I use to remind myself and sometimes all I need to think is "no".

 

I think you might find it helpful to learn CBT Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or something similar.  I call it to Change Bad Thinking.  There are free resources online for this.

 

cognitive-behavior-therapy-cbt-for-anxiety-depression-and-withdrawal-symptoms

[AloneLover]

Help

 

Iam in the beginning of 12 month since I stopped taking the medicine But I can not bear this condition i have very severe anxiety and panic can I start the drugs again please answer my question  here no one knows about tapering what should I do iam living alone there is no one to help and Guide me 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by ChessieCat
added Intro topic title before merging with intro topic

[manymoretodays]

Hi there AloneLover,

 

Did any of those drugs ever help you AloneLover? 

 

Have you had any luck with engaging a therapist to help you work on non-drug practices to begin to cope and engage with others, and enjoy life again?

 

I'm sure that there are people out there who might help you.  For me I know it took some time, before I learned how to ask for the help I needed.  Even in my early WD.  I told potential helpers that I had an adverse drug reaction, or even many adverse drug reactions........and that was the truth!  And then I too, had WD going on.......which, was a little harder to get others to understand, but eventually I found my own little cheering section, to help me maintain and not panic anymore.

 

What kind of help do you need most too?  I mean think about it a bit, and then you can tell a potential helper what you need help with.   Do you need help with basic living tasks, or cleaning, or help with your rent or mortgage?  There are, usually places to go to find help, and people available to help you navigate getting the help you need.

 

It can take guts or courage to ask for help, and of course I don't know your local area at all......I am hoping you find something soon.  And of course I'm hoping you can avail yourself of non-drug help........I mean, after all, this is a site for tapering and getting off medications.  I think that there must be something that will help in your area though.  Have you tried any of the non-drug coping skills here?  You need to often practice them for a little while until you really sense the change.

 

And I'll keep you in my prayers/best intentions too.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

[ChessieCat]

  SA strongly encourages members to learn and use Non-drug techniques to cope

 

Sometimes all we can do is get through each day hour by hour and sometimes a moment at a time.

 

the-dr-claire-weekes-method-of-recovering-from-a-sensitized-nervous-system

 

There are videos on YouTube - just search for Claire Weekes.

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Female voice - getselfhelp.co.uk
 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Male voice - getselfhelp.co.uk
 

On 4/9/2020 at 10:31 AM, brassmonkey said:

AAF: Acknowledge, Accept, Float.  It's what you have to do when nothing else works, and can be a very powerful tool in coping with anxiety.  The neuroemotional anxiety many of us feel during WD is directly caused by the drugs and their chemical reactions in the brain.  Making it so there is nothing we can do about them.  They won't respond to other drugs, relaxation techniques and the like.  They do, however, react very well to being ignored.  That's the concept behind AAF.  Acknowledge, get to know the feeling involved, explore them.  Accept, These feelings are a part of you and they aren't going anywhere fast. Float, let the feeling float off as you get on with your life as best as you can.  It's a well documented fact that the more you feed in to anxiety the worse it gets.  What starts as generalized neuroemotinal anxiety can be easily blown into a full fledged panic attack just by thinking about it.

 

I often liken it to an unwanted house guest.  At first you talk to them, have conversations, communicate with them.  After a while you figure out that they aren't leaving and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them.  So you go on about your day, working around them until they get bored and leave.

 

It can take some practice, but AAF really does work.

 

 

Understanding what is happening in the body can help us to not be as scared of the symptoms.  When we are scared of the symptoms we can create more symptoms (from http://getselfhelp.co.uk/anxiety.htm😞

 

  

 

[Altostrata]

@AloneLover, which drugs did you go off in January 2021? What were their dosages? How long had you been taking each of them?

[AloneLover]

Thank you so much for giving me the information

[AloneLover]

Hi OAltostrata I do not remember exactly I just remember  when I did a Google search they were  schizophrenia drugs I was so scared the stupid doctor could not make a diagnosis After that, I stopped taking the medication But i remember very well  that fluoxetine destroyed my mind ten years ago

[Altostrata]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:39 AM, AloneLover said:

I can not stop crying I had symptoms of withdrawal Derealization & brain fogs  Doctors prescribed me olnazapine olnazapine is used to treat schizophrenia I read on Google now  I was healthy They can not diagnose the disease How did they do this? They are very evil They are the enemies of humanity. Will the side effects of these drugs disappear? I wish I had never seen a doctor I am in a terrible panic They prescribed me schizophrenia drugs What happens if a healthy person takes schizophrenia drugs ?

Please give me informations they also prescribed me quetiapine I remember now which is also used to treat Schizophrenia 

 

Were you taking olanzapine or quetiapine when you went off drugs in January 2021? What effect did these drugs have on you? For what reason were they prescribed?

 

On 12/19/2021 at 5:00 PM, AloneLover said:

It has been eleven months since I left the medication but the withdrawal symptoms have not disappeared Is it normal for withdrawal symptoms to last longer than 11 months? Iam trying to eat healthy food 

 

What are the symptoms that you attribute to going off drugs in January? These would be new symptoms that started AFTER you stopped the drugs.

 

How have these symptoms changed since last September?

[AloneLover]

I had this condition when I first stopped taking the drug ten years ago. I have no knowledge of my mental state what happend to me I have strange feelings. I  tell the doctor about these symptoms they  prescribe me different drugs They can not diagnose correctly I am fully conscious I know everything I only do not know  about my mental state iam living in confusion 

[Altostrata]

Sorry, I need more information about what happened in January 2021.

[AloneLover]

There is no change in my mental state, at all I just experience different strange feelings

[AloneLover]

In January 2021, nothing happened i have The same condition which I found in 2011 after quitting the drugs I went to lots of doctors for the treatment of this condition during these ten years they prescribed me different drugs but I never got better finally I got Tired I read about these drugs on the Internet And I realized that these are the side effects of the drugs because I was not like this before using the drugs I just had social anxiety and stuttering

[Altostrata]

The drugs had no affect on you at all?

 

What are those strange feelings?

[AloneLover]

3 hours ago, Altostrata said:

The drugs had no affect on you at all?

 

What are those strange feelings?

No, the drugs had no effect on me then I decided to stop taking of them but when I stop them I saw nightmare now I know that that was withdrawal I was very scared, I was afraid of everything My mind was telling me like a bully that I have to afraid of my every thoughts I had strange feelings I could only feel it I could not tell anyone how I was always I asked myself what happened to me How to explain my condition to others

[AloneLover]

Millions of strange thoughts came to my mind and they bothered me alot I was very scared I always asking myself what happened to my mind and I was crying my mind became a bully and torturing me

[Altostrata]

Do you hear voices or are you talking in a mean way to yourself?

[AloneLover]

4 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Do you hear voices or are you talking in a mean way to yourself?

I do not understand what do you mean by hearing voices, I do not hear voices I have a lot of stress Past events bother me I'm always scared, but sometimes I'm a little hopeful for the future, I think maybe things will change

[ChessieCat]

13 minutes ago, AloneLover said:

I do not understand what do you mean by hearing voices

 

Hearing other people talking when there is nobody there.  This is different to your own thoughts in your head.

 

Some people do hear voices which is why Alto asked you that question.

[AloneLover]

14 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

 

Hearing other people talking when there is nobody there.  This is different to your own thoughts in your head.

 

Some people do hear voices which is why Alto asked you that question.

 I've never heard voices I do not pay attention to people Iam trying very hard to forget the past But Iam living in bad conditions But I will continue my efforts I have not used medicine for almost a year, and that makes me happy too

Edited January 29, 2022 by AloneLover

[AloneLover]

Sometime I have thoughts if I tell someone it might seem strange to them For example, I always wonder why I did not take proper care of my dog many years ago. He got sick because of me I am guilty When I see small children in bad situations, I feel guilty for no reason why I can not help them While I am not to blame for their bad condition If I could, I would definitely help them

[Altostrata]

These are habits of mind, which cause you to have thoughts that make you feel bad. Many people have these. See

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

Easing your way into meditation for a stressed-out nervous system

 

Music for self-care: calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

 

Ways to cope with daily anxiety

 

Dealing With Emotional Spirals 

 

Shame, guilt, regret, and self-criticism

 

If you were able to see a psychotherapist, you could talk about these thoughts with that person and perhaps let go of them. Another way to do this is to write them down in a journal. If you want, you can put the paper in the fire.

 

Are these thoughts the reason you were taking so many drugs?