Wmbcat: Need help

[Wmbcat]

Hello. In 2002 I started taking Effexor. In 2018 I had a bad reaction to Reglan and my Effexor stopped working. I was CT from it by my doctor. Was given 12 different antidepressants until I was put on benzodiazepines in 2019. And Paxil. Fast forward to 2022, I just got out of rehab to get off of benzos. I’m 43 days off. In rehab I was put back on Effexor then taken off Paxil. I was also put on Gabapentin. The Effexor didn’t work so they pulled me off Effexor and gave me Benadryl and Prozac. 
 

I’ve come off Benadryl a week ago, cut the Prozac in half (now taking 10 mg). 
 

So here I am. 43 days off Benzos. I’m taking 10 mg of Prozac, 300 mg of Gabapentin 3x a day, 5 mg of Nadolol, and 1 mg if Melatonin per day. I have POTS (maybe? Often benzos mimic Pots) and I have Barrett’s esophagus. 
 

What the heck do I do next? My doctor is of now help. Need guidance!

[Shep]

Hi, Wmbcat.

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

That's quite a series of drugs you've been subjected to. As you provide more information, we'll be able to help you sort this out. It's possible you may benefit from an updose of Prozac, but before giving any targeted advice, we need to see a complete timeline of your drug changes.

 

Also, please let us know more about your experience coming off benzos. How quickly did the rehab take you off? Which benzos were you taking? 

 

Please add a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

Please continue to use this thread to ask questions and to document your taper. 

[Wmbcat]

Thank you. I’ve updated this. 

[ChessieCat]

14 hours ago, Shep said:

Also, please let us know more about your experience coming off benzos. How quickly did the rehab take you off? Which benzos were you taking? 

 

Please answer these questions from Shep.

[Wmbcat]

I was on Klonopin then switched to Valium then switched to Ativan. I went into detox on 3 mg of Ativan. They did a 16 day taper. I was in rehab for 30 days. 

[Shep]

6 hours ago, Wmbcat said:

I was on Klonopin then switched to Valium then switched to Ativan. I went into detox on 3 mg of Ativan. They did a 16 day taper. I was in rehab for 30 days. 

 

Do you have a timeline and dose for when you were on each of these benzos? 

 

Please note there is a "moderate" drug interaction between your current drugs, gabapentin and Prozac:

 

Drug Interaction - Prozac & Gabapentin

 

Are you currently taking any supplements? Were you given any that you can remember while in rehab? 

 

Did you start Nadolol to help with withdrawal symptoms or were you already taking this drug to treat pre-existing high blood pressure? 

 

What we need:

 

• A benzo timeline, as best as you can remember (name of drug, the month and year, and the dose you started and stopped)
• Please list the times of day you take each of your drugs and the doses. Also include any supplements. 
• Please let us know what your symptoms are and if they get better or worse at any particular time of the day. 
• You mentioned Nadolol in your opening post. Please add this to your signature with the month / year you started taking it. Your signature is here - Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

Once we have an idea of how your drugs are affecting you within the context of when you take them, we can better guide you in what to do next. With so many changes, it may be hard to tell. We don't recommend reinstating a benzo after you've been off for more than a month, as that usually doesn't work and can lead to kindling your nervous system (kindling is trauma to the nervous system). So concentrating on your current drugs and drug changes may be best.