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How do you know if you are out of withdrawal?


curiousnootropics

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I know this is a stupid question, but I wonder how you know if you are out of withdrawal? I mean, it is possible that my original depression and anxiety comes back and I'm okay with that because that was easy compared to this. But do you really feel it after so long time? I have been off 13 months now.

Zoloft, November 2019.  I worked up to 50 mg and stayed there until 1 year later. I tapered for 3 months, which should consider to be cold turkey.
Tapering schedule:
Month 1: 37.5 mg

Month 2: 25 mg

Month 3: 12.5 mg

Month 4(Half the month): 6.75 mg
Month 4(Other half): 0 mg December 9, 2020

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I think when you can sit looking out of a window, at the morning sky, not thinking about anything other than that sky, it's colour, and what you're going to do on that day. When you don't think your life is impeded in any way by your symptoms, or what you had been through.

Or unless you mean acute withdrawal, but you're still afflicted by the drugs, then I think it's marked by how sensitised your nervous system is. There's been no 'feeling' for me, I've just felt myself slipping more and more back into my usual and prior life; you don't notice at first, but you do have little 'oh' moments when you do something that you couldn't do just a few months prior, or when you realise as I put above, that you're at peace with yourself, and what you had been through - a real tangible feeling of peace that only comes with healing, rather than just a mindset.

How do you feel?

Early September 2019 - One 25mg dose of Sertraline taken.

Early October 2019 - Five 25mg doses (pills) of Sertraline taken for five consecutive days.

Withdrawal/reaction happened on the 27th of October (2019) in the evening.

Symptoms that have gone: Joint and muscle pain/weakness in my legs, phantom senses, chemical dread, chemical fear, DP/DR has gotten a lot lot better than what it is now, it was one of my worst and all-encompassing symptoms when it started, awful aphasia, parkinsonism, head pressure, pressure in my frontal lobe when trying to think/work out something, inability to plan or execute anything//feelings of being literally scatterbrained, inability to think in my head other than slight acknowledgements - the voice in my head sounded weak and 'small' like it was restrained to a much smaller area of my brain, constant fatigue, emotional numbness, constant eyestrain, and changes in perception of colour/contrast in sight.

Main remaining symptoms: Visual Snow/HPPD, derealisation, tinnitus, and brain/cog fog.

Drug free.

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13 hours ago, Icip said:

I think when you can sit looking out of a window, at the morning sky, not thinking about anything other than that sky, it's colour, and what you're going to do on that day. When you don't think your life is impeded in any way by your symptoms, or what you had been through.

Or unless you mean acute withdrawal, but you're still afflicted by the drugs, then I think it's marked by how sensitised your nervous system is. There's been no 'feeling' for me, I've just felt myself slipping more and more back into my usual and prior life; you don't notice at first, but you do have little 'oh' moments when you do something that you couldn't do just a few months prior, or when you realise as I put above, that you're at peace with yourself, and what you had been through - a real tangible feeling of peace that only comes with healing, rather than just a mindset.

How do you feel?

I see. I'm in a really bad wave, and I have sent me back a couple of months in withdrawal by using a tDCS device (stimulation). Very bad at the moment, I hope to get some relief soon.

How are you?

Zoloft, November 2019.  I worked up to 50 mg and stayed there until 1 year later. I tapered for 3 months, which should consider to be cold turkey.
Tapering schedule:
Month 1: 37.5 mg

Month 2: 25 mg

Month 3: 12.5 mg

Month 4(Half the month): 6.75 mg
Month 4(Other half): 0 mg December 9, 2020

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  • 3 months later...

Bumping this. Anyone?

Zoloft, November 2019.  I worked up to 50 mg and stayed there until 1 year later. I tapered for 3 months, which should consider to be cold turkey.
Tapering schedule:
Month 1: 37.5 mg

Month 2: 25 mg

Month 3: 12.5 mg

Month 4(Half the month): 6.75 mg
Month 4(Other half): 0 mg December 9, 2020

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm not sure if this is applicable to your situation since from what I can gather you've been off your medication for a while now, and still experiencing protracted withdrawal, and I am still actively tapering. I know that I am out of WD when I feel hopeful again and my initial WD symptoms aren't present anymore. When I have normal reactions to things, like I get mad about something but am able to calm down again quickly, instead of ruminating about it for a while. I think this is individualised in that many WD-symptoms seem to be universal, but I think that the symptoms that are pronounced for you, may not be the ones that are pronounced for me. The WD-symptoms that are pronounced for me are irritability, mood swings, anger, confusion, just feeling negative all around and despair. I also get overwhelmed easily by little things and little things bother me, where I would normally be able to let them go. So when those that stick out, start to wind down, then you can consider yourself to be healing. Only once the WD symptoms have completely gone away for me, is when I feel comfortable and confident enough to start another taper, and even then I hold another week or two. So I guess a good indication for you would be when your protracted withdrawal symptoms are winding down and you are feeling hopeful again and start recognising yourself again, the person you used to be before the meds. Hope this was helpful in some way. 

43yo woman. Cipralex/Lexapro (10mg active ingredient Escitalopram) treatment started March 2007 (28yo at the time). Two unsuccessful tapers (2008 and 2013). Two psychiatric hospital stays (2007 and 2014). Other psychiatric drugs were prescribed and taken from Apr 2014 until June 2016. Tapered off all of the below by June 2016 and from then on have been on Cipralex/Lexapro only.

List of drugs that I had tapered off of so far:

Lamictal (Lamotrigine), Esperide (Sulperide), Dormonoct (Loprazolam), Rivotril (Clonazepam, Klonopin), Prozac (Fluoxetine), Cipramil (Citalopram, Celexa), Stilnox (Zolpidem), Urbanol (Clobazam), Olexar (Olanzapine) and Seroquel (Quetiapine). 

Taking Cipralex (Lexapro) only since June 2016.

Currently on extended Cipralex (Lexapro) taper since Nov 2016.

Started compounded liquid suspension on 01Nov 2022 (1.3mgai/2.5ml). Had problems with flavourant in compounded liquid. June 23: Started to make own liquid from commercial saline then had eye blinking. July 23: Making own liquid using home-made isotonic saline and adding this liquid to gelatine capsules so the liquid will not irritate my esophagus.

Okt23: Current dosage 1.15mg Escitalopram. Jan 2024: 1.12mg Escitalopram. 

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