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Diet and Healing


Shanti

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Hello @ChessieCat

Thank you for your replies!

5 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

You can be keto testing strips which test your urine.  Probably cheaper.

I already did, but after some time they don't work anymore, because your body doesn't pee out that much ketones.

 

6 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

I have read that you can often notice a change in the smell of your breath when in ketosis.

I had that during Keto, but I feel I don't have it on carnivore....so perhaps I am not in Ketosis.

 

7 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

And with physical distances and wearing masks, it only affects me!

Well yeah right now you don't have to worry that much. I heard it is not even that noticable by others though. We'll see :D I am single right now, so I cannot check 😆

8 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

I've recently changed my diet to reverse type 2 diabetes, lower my cholesterol and lose weight.

Was that your switch to keto?

 

9 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

To get things kick-started I am doing very low carb at the moment and have, in just under 4 weeks, lost 6.25% of my weight, equals 1/16th.

Congrats, this is awesome!!!!

 

9 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

I have also incorporated 3 per day exercise bike HIIT sessions of 5 1/2 minutes each, when I cycle I do 20 secs as fast as I can and the other 40 secs I just peddle comfortably.  I do NOT use the tension because I have meniscus tears in my left knee.  I also do my physio exercises at least every second day.  Yesterday I started doing light weights (1/2 kg = 1.1 lb) for upper body strengthening.

That sounds like a lot! I am going bouldering two times a week and during the summer I was Mountainbiking every weekend. Need to find something for the winter days though.

 

11 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

In a few more weeks' time I will start introducing some of the higher carb veggies.  I'm looking forward to orange sweet potato.  I will also start eating peas and corn.  But I will NOT be including white potatoes at this time.  Maybe down the track and in moderation.

Does that mean you are going Paleo or something similar? Is your type 2 diabetes gone? I wish you luck with all your endeavours and I hope you will be able to eat all the delicious foods you want to in the future.

 

 

Have a great day

 

Sofa

November 2014: 20mg of Citalopram after burnout.

June 2017: Tried to taper off by splitting the pills and after not being able to split them into more pieces, by taking them every other day and then one in 3 days and so on.

December 2017 Panic attacks, heart racing, fear of dying and a lot of other weird symptoms made me go back on 10mg of Citalopram.

November 2020: Functional medicine doctor told me my leaky gut could be coming from the antidepressant and made me taper off in 2,5 months with ecitalopram liquid.

Last drop of ecitalopram in the middle of january (can#t remember the exact date)

Since then trying to cope with withdrawal.

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17 minutes ago, sofasogood said:

I already did, but after some time they don't work anymore, because your body doesn't pee out that much ketones.

 

It might be that the strips have got damp.  Also, after weeing on them you have to do the check against the packet straight away.

 

18 minutes ago, sofasogood said:

Was that your switch to keto?

 

That was my reason for changing my diet.  I'm not quite sure if/what differences there are between keto and low carb.  I'm using Michael Mosley's 8 week Blood Sugar Diet as a guide.  https://thebloodsugardiet.com/

 

My first blood glucose test was 7.0.  For the 3 days after finding out the result I cut out sugar and really bad foods, and my result (after that 3 days) went down to 6.4.  Yet the doctor didn't seem pleased about that.  I was really excited.  She was still talking about going on a statin and Metformin.  I said, no, I do diet first and will reassess after 3 months.  I also said that it does not make sense to change 2 things at once because if things improve you have no idea what has caused the improvement. 

 

But I have already decided that I am not going on a statin.  Like all drugs it has side effects, including increased blood sugar!, neurological side effects, liver damage, muscle pain and damage.  And I am aware that statins can actually weaken the heart muscle and you should take CoQ10, which apparently was included in the prescription drug when it was first made.

 

And I don't want to take a diabetic drug unless absolutely necessary.  I don't want to risk any of the LONG list of side effects of Metformin.

 

I have also been checking my blood pressure and it is starting to get to a reasonable level.  I had been on 8mg perindopril for 6 months and it was still a bit too high.  After only 3.5 weeks on my new food plan it is about normal.  I will need to be careful because I might need to reduce to 4mg.  I don't want to start passing out from it being too low.

 

33 minutes ago, sofasogood said:

That sounds like a lot! I am going bouldering two times a week and during the summer I was Mountainbiking every weekend. Need to find something for the winter days though.

 

I am not very physically active.

 

Have you checked out HIIT?  Doing continuous strenuous exercise (ie huffing and puffing and cannot talk) for too long raises cortisol.  The idea of HIIT is to do enough strenuous exercise without raising the cortisol too much.  Dr Sten Ekberg explains it really well in this video 6 Ultimate BENEFITS OF EXERCISE For Diabetes, Insulin, Weight Loss, Your Brain & More

 

The interesting thing is that I also found out the stress increases cortisol and that causes the craving for carbohydrates and sugar.  I've been what I call an emotional eater for the last 44 years.  After the age of 20 I have had a lot of major life stressors as well as long term medium life stress.  Once I read about stress and cortisol and craving it made so much sense.

 

39 minutes ago, sofasogood said:

Does that mean you are going Paleo or something similar? Is your type 2 diabetes gone? I wish you luck with all your endeavours and I hope you will be able to eat all the delicious foods you want to in the future.

 

I'm cutting out sugar and high carb foods, and at the moment medium carb foods.

 

I don't know yet.  I will get a blood test done mid January 2022.  I am hoping to shock the doctor!  And I won't be surprised if I do.

 

Thank you.  Yes I hope to reintroduce some of the "normal foods", but in moderation.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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@sofasogoodIm always on some kind of diet! I think a lot of it relates  to anxiety and my attempts at trying to manage it. I am a firm believer in food being our medicine and I have always tried to eat well but obviously there are many versions of a healthy diet! I spent seven years on again off again as a vegan, purely for health reasons. I suffered with terrible IBS whilst eating that way though and it got a lot worse when I tried the Starch Solution maximum weight loss plan. I basically increased my fiber intake quite heavily in order to fill my plate with vegetables of some kind. The theory was increased volume of food without the calories. It totally backfired on me and led to worsening IBS. 
My gut was so damaged that I then was led to a carnivore diet in the hope of healing it. It worked! Within three weeks all symptoms of IBS left. It was then I heard about the claims of healing depression eating that way. In all fairness I only stuck to it for a few weeks. I missed my healthy carbs. I then transitioned to Dr Paul Saladino and his healthier version of carnivore. From there I ended up following the Ray Peat diet. I loved that so much but gained weight!! Not something I wanted or needed. As a type two diabetic I need to lose weight to help reverse my condition. So currently I am using Dr Moseleys 800 fast but sticking to A high protein lower fat regime. So far I’m down 3kg which for me is good. 
I don’t worry about ketosis. I figure if I’m losing weight then that’s good enough. 
My only concern is cholesterol and heart health eating this way. I had a calcium heart test before starting carnivore and my results were excellent. I do think a vegan diet is good for cholesterol but then people say cholesterol is not the bad guy it’s made out to be….. it’s confusing!! 
Id eat anything if it cured depression and anxiety…. I wish it had worked for me like it has for Jordan Peterson and his daughter along with many others. 
Great news about your injury healing though…. It really does fascinate me when I hear these testimonies. I guess healing my IBS was a great testimony too because I’ve heard of people suffering for years and mine healed in three weeks. 

 

December 2007 30mg Lexapro and a benzodiazepine December 2008 25mg, December 2009 20mg, December 2010 15mg Lexapro, December 2011 10mg Lexapro. Long hold as I felt happy with the dose and saw no need at the time to reduce further. September 2015 dropped to 5mg. Terrible anxiety started two months later. June 2016 dropped to 3mg and terrible obsessive thoughts and anxiety so ten days later I reinstated back to 5mg. October 2016 dropped to 4mg. April 2017 dropped to 3mg. September 2017 dropped to 2mg. Terrible obsessive thoughts. Anxiety through the roof. OCD.  September 2018 quit cold turkey 2mg Lexapro. March 2019 feeling better than I have in years. 
Jan 2021 Anxiety returns after a twelve month period of incredible personal stress. 
Dec 2021 Reinstated antidepressants after 12 months of debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. 50mg zoloft. No side effects, unlike starting lexapro 14 yrs ago

Jan 2022. Stable. Like a weight has been 

lifted



 

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9 hours ago, Thelongestroadhome said:

As a type two diabetic I need to lose weight to help reverse my condition. So currently I am using Dr Moseleys 800 fast but sticking to A high protein lower fat regime. So far I’m down 3kg which for me is good. 
I don’t worry about ketosis. I figure if I’m losing weight then that’s good enough. 

 

Have you seen my recent posts here:

 

diabetes/comment=559633

 

diabetes/comment=562027

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 2 months later...
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Me and other members have noticed some level of relief from withdrawal symptoms by implementing this diet called "The Dr. Gundry Diet" or "The Plant Paradox Diet".

 

Please note there is some controversy around this diet, and some of his claims aren't scientifically backed.

Still, I believe Dr. Gundry has strong points and might be quite ahead of his time.

 

Also important to note I am not saying this is THE diet for everyone with psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome, nor that it will definitely help with ADWD symtoms.

 

________________________________________________

 

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Gundry:

 

"Steven R. Gundry (born July 11, 1950) is an American physician and author. He is a former cardiac surgeon and currently runs his own clinic, investigating the impact of diet on health. Gundry conducted cardiac surgery research in the 1990s and was the surgeon in an unusual case where an infant spontaneously healed, avoiding heart transplant surgery. Gundry is a New York Times best-selling author of The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain.

 

He is best known for his disputed claims that lectin, a type of plant protein found in numerous foods, cause inflammation resulting in many modern diseases. His Plant Paradox diet suggests avoiding all foods containing lectins. Scientists and dieticians have classified Gundry's claims about lectins as pseudoscience. He sells supplements that he claims protect against or reverse the supposedly damaging effects of lectins."

 

________________________________________________

 

Here's a Google Document I just made with the entire Dr. Gundry diet.

 

It consists of two lists: the "Yes" list, which is the things you should eat...

And the "No" list - the things you should not eat.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ivuuAb5wIEKw-dC6qlzMhcYwbJklWLC72TRzoricHI0/edit?usp=sharing

 

Please note I am not saying this is THE diet for everyone with psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome, nor that it will definitely help with ADWD symtoms.

 

What I am saying is that me and other members have noticed some level of improvement in symptoms by implementing this diet.

 

peace + healing

 

Edited by ChessieCat
reformatted for easier reading - no changes made

- Escitalopram 10mg from ages 15 - 21

- Severe crash after 4 month taper to 0

- Reinstated, stabilized, slowly tapering.

 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." - Hellen Keller

I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice, but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey @ChessieCat,

On 11/17/2021 at 12:12 AM, ChessieCat said:

I don't know yet.  I will get a blood test done mid January 2022.  I am hoping to shock the doctor!  And I won't be surprised if I do.

Have you had your results yet? Did you shock the doctor as you said?

My last results seemed kinda normal. I was also checking for kidney infections, because my pee was getting a bit cloudy sometimes. But the checks all came back normal. So it might be because of the carnivore eating.

 

Best

November 2014: 20mg of Citalopram after burnout.

June 2017: Tried to taper off by splitting the pills and after not being able to split them into more pieces, by taking them every other day and then one in 3 days and so on.

December 2017 Panic attacks, heart racing, fear of dying and a lot of other weird symptoms made me go back on 10mg of Citalopram.

November 2020: Functional medicine doctor told me my leaky gut could be coming from the antidepressant and made me taper off in 2,5 months with ecitalopram liquid.

Last drop of ecitalopram in the middle of january (can#t remember the exact date)

Since then trying to cope with withdrawal.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm 15 months since I went into a severe withdrawal state due to abruptly stopping 5mg Lexapro.  I promptly reinstated, increased my dose and now am slowly decreasing.

 

I'm moving slowly towards a carnivore diet and have seen improvements.  Intuitively, I know that I need to make diet changes slowly.  I'm also nervous about making the jump from sugar-as-fuel to fat-as-fuel, as it feels like it might be too much for my body right now.

 

I started by removing prepared foods from my diet.

Then processed foods.

Then refined sugar.

Then increased my ruminant meat intake (beef and lamb).

Then removed wheat and most grains.

Then dropped high histamine fruits and veggies.

Then beans and seeds/nuts.

 

This was over the course of 4-6 months.  It took two months after stopping refined sugar and most grains for my remaining psychiatric symptoms to go away.  They had still been a problem around my period and ovulation.

 

Now I'm eating ruminant meats, some other meats like pork, chicken, sardines and salmon, eggs, butter, low histamine fruits and veggies, some white rice, some oatmeal.  Maybe two times per week I will dip the tip of my spoon in some honey and have that.  I'm taking in 80-100 carbs daily.

 

Next step is to reduce to 60-80 carbs daily, although I really hate counting, so I'm just going to measure for a while and then perhaps I'll know what's what.  After that, we'll see if I make the jump to full carnivore or not, or just slowly reduce carbs even more.  

 

I'm sleeping better, psychiatric symptoms like unexplained fear, si and derealization seem to be gone, my head is buzzing less, and I have fewer sensations in my brain like burning.  Also the internal tension that prevents me from relaxing is less, though not yet gone.  I'ts just uncomfortable.  I still have some muscle jerking as I try to go to sleep, but this doesn't bother me anymore.  Most of all, I just feel more like myself and that I have more access to those things that I enjoy, which is a great relief.

 

I find the online Carnivore Community to be really positive.  There are a lot of people that have been really, really sick and improved.  At some point I decided that my symptoms were so bizarre that of course a bizarre diet would help.

 

I've followed these folks on youtube to learn about the diet:

 

Mikhaila Peterson

Ken Berry

Paul Saladino

Kelly Hogan

Judy Cho

 

I got Judy Cho's book and find it to be a helpful resource, The Carnivore Cure.

 

It seems that some people can go right to the diet and balance everything out, feeling better within a couple months, but others can't do this and have to adjust things like electrolytes, fat, vitamin levels, gut health.

 

I'll report back as things change.

 

When I was really sick, I thought "No way can diet help" but now I can see that this was incorrect.  It simply doesn't happen overnight, it takes a few months.  I'm now using food as nutrition to heal my body and am trying to get past my old way of thinking where I pretty much just viewed food as a source of pleasure.

 

Take care everyone,

 

Crochet

 

 

 

2012-present - Escitalopram currently 2.55 mg

Supplements:  Daytime- Green Lipped Mussel 1200mg, Omega-3s 1710mg, Wheat Germ Oil 770mg, Sodium Butyrate 1.2g, Phosphatidylcholine 2600mg, Multi-Min 2 tablets, Liposomal Glutathione 4 pumps, Probiotic 1 capsule, Beyond Balance herbal tinctures for lyme and gut healing (including one only taken during menstruation); Nighttime - L-theanine 200mg, melatonin 1mg, magnesium glycinate 400mg.

History:

2012-2017- Escitalopram 10mg

2017-2020 - Escitalopram 5mg

07/2019-11/2019 - Valium 10mg, every 2-3 days, then stopped

11/2020 - Stopped Escitalopram 5mg abruptly (crashed January 2021)

1/2021-12/2021 - Escitalopram Reinstated 2.5mg to 5 to 10 to 7.5 and then started slow taper

1/2021-2/2021 - Ativan .5mg - Took 13.5 pills over the course of 22 days and stopped

2/2021-9/2021  Hydroxyzine - 50-100mg tapering down to .8mg, then cross-tapered to Claritin and stopped

9/2021-9/2022 - Claritin 5 mg (tapered off)

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Hey @Crochet.

 

I's wonderful to hear, that your health is improving through your diet. I have found it really helpful too. 

1 hour ago, Crochet said:

t seems that some people can go right to the diet and balance everything out, feeling better within a couple months, but others can't do this and have to adjust things like electrolytes, fat, vitamin levels, gut health.

Well I am one of those I think. I am 5 months into carnivore, and my digestion still is unreliable as f***. I think we are yet another case of "sick" with our nervous system repairing itself. This creates lots of different symptoms in itself. But yes diet helps a lot I think.

1 hour ago, Crochet said:

Intuitively, I know that I need to make diet changes slowly. 

Your doing it the right way....I was way to impatient and probably I am still adjusting. I went from normal to keto in 2 weeks, kept it going for 5 weeks and went straight to carnivore. That was way to fast.

Do it as you feel fit. If Paleo is your feelgood diet, then keep it that way until you hit a plateau. It seems you are feeling good at the mo. So perhaps the next step to keto doesn't have to come right away. If you want to avoid the keto flu, perhaps experiment with intermittent fasting, to get a taste of ketosis.

 

1 hour ago, Crochet said:

I'm sleeping better, psychiatric symptoms like unexplained fear, si and derealization seem to be gone, my head is buzzing less, and I have fewer sensations in my brain like burning.

That's awesome. I have a different set of improvements: I come out of waves a lot quicker and my tinitus is way calmer now. Strength and endurance have increased also and I gained a bit of weight (which I am proud of!). Fear and anxiety are still there, perhaps a bit less then before, but a week ago I suffered a major panic attack, because of a job interview. So

even if diet can do a lot, some things we still have to deal with. I am certainly not healed yet, but I will go and check my micronutrients soon. 

 

I hope you will heal quickly and feel awesome again soon!

 

Cheers

 

Sofa

November 2014: 20mg of Citalopram after burnout.

June 2017: Tried to taper off by splitting the pills and after not being able to split them into more pieces, by taking them every other day and then one in 3 days and so on.

December 2017 Panic attacks, heart racing, fear of dying and a lot of other weird symptoms made me go back on 10mg of Citalopram.

November 2020: Functional medicine doctor told me my leaky gut could be coming from the antidepressant and made me taper off in 2,5 months with ecitalopram liquid.

Last drop of ecitalopram in the middle of january (can#t remember the exact date)

Since then trying to cope with withdrawal.

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On 3/23/2022 at 4:08 AM, sofasogood said:

Have you had your results yet? Did you shock the doctor as you said?

 

@sofasogood

 

I posted my results here:

 

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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@sofasogoodThank you so much for your support!  Someone else told me that I was eating Paleo, I didn't realize it :).  Good for you keeping it up for 5 months.  I'm sorry you are having digestive issues, but glad that you are seeing improvement.  I do have more energy, too.  I forgot to note that.  Energy levels are still balancing out, but so much better than just a few months ago.  I think it's a good idea to try intermittent fasting, perhaps move down to 2 meals a day.  And stressors still get to me, too, but the strange body sensations that accompany the stress seem to be gone for now.  I'll check out your thread next.

 

@ChessieCatI'm so happy to hear that you were able to turn things around so quickly through the way you eat!  I appreciate you sharing your success.

2012-present - Escitalopram currently 2.55 mg

Supplements:  Daytime- Green Lipped Mussel 1200mg, Omega-3s 1710mg, Wheat Germ Oil 770mg, Sodium Butyrate 1.2g, Phosphatidylcholine 2600mg, Multi-Min 2 tablets, Liposomal Glutathione 4 pumps, Probiotic 1 capsule, Beyond Balance herbal tinctures for lyme and gut healing (including one only taken during menstruation); Nighttime - L-theanine 200mg, melatonin 1mg, magnesium glycinate 400mg.

History:

2012-2017- Escitalopram 10mg

2017-2020 - Escitalopram 5mg

07/2019-11/2019 - Valium 10mg, every 2-3 days, then stopped

11/2020 - Stopped Escitalopram 5mg abruptly (crashed January 2021)

1/2021-12/2021 - Escitalopram Reinstated 2.5mg to 5 to 10 to 7.5 and then started slow taper

1/2021-2/2021 - Ativan .5mg - Took 13.5 pills over the course of 22 days and stopped

2/2021-9/2021  Hydroxyzine - 50-100mg tapering down to .8mg, then cross-tapered to Claritin and stopped

9/2021-9/2022 - Claritin 5 mg (tapered off)

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  • 1 month later...

This thread addresses what I've been doing for self care: 

 

1. Juicing

2. Diet

3. Exercise (dangerous for me due to ending up in the hospital after exercising for a month)

4. intermittent fasting

5. Vitamins

6. Power Greens and Avacados

 

So something about fresh juice from organic vegetables (and some fruits) makes me feel awesome after drinking and gives me clearer thinking more focus cuts the anxiety too (which is a big plus because the medication I'm on - zyprexa - causes constant anxiety). 

 

I juice carrots, kale, beets, oranges with peel, lemons with peel, limes with peel, celery, cucumber, fresh tamarind root, fresh ginger root. 

 

--

 

About my diet: so I've eased off a bit on the restriction of all non processed foods with no gluten and no sugar. I was on that diet for 4 months last year and I felt great. Anything that is not processed and occurs naturally is a go for eating but I have a focus on vegetables. I also eat power greens right before taking medication. 

 

--

 

Exercising: I love to exercise, I really do like walking and cycling but after exercising every day for 1 month I ended up in the hospital for 4.5 months and they put me on a high dose of medication. 

 

 

--

 

Intermittent fasting. I tried a 16 by 8 daily fasting. It kind of worked but I found myself cheating right before bed which extended my fasts to 18 by 8 or something like that. 

 

--

 

Sugar free: Yes, I was completely sugar free for about 4 months last year. After I got hospitalized for 4.5 months early this year and put on a higher dose of medicine I've stayed with the sugar, but I noticed I feel awful when eating things that are high sugar and amazing when I eat fruits and especially vegetable juice so I'm cutting out sugar as much as possible and trying to get it from fruits and dates. 

 

--

 

Vitamins: Well eating a multi vitamin last year got rid of some symptoms that I had had for a year or longer. 

 

-- 

 

Power Greens and Avacados: in 2011 I got off Seroquel and purchased power greens and ate a bunch and I noticed my thinking was normal I was impressed. Last year when I was reducing zyprexa I noticed that eating Avacados got rid of Anxiety soon after eating and did it more than 6 different times. 

 

--

 

Thanks for reading

 

 

 

https://friendsforpeers.angelfire.com/Index.html - my website and discord server

Zyprexa (not sure what mg) But got off after a month of being put on in hospital. early 2007 Respirodol (experienced ackathesia so got off in 4 - 6 months from a 6mg dose) Later 2007 tried Seroquel but got offbecause didn't like it.  Later 2007 tried Abilify but had ackathesia, got off2008 - 2015 Unmedicated but on Serequel 800mg when hospitalized   Later 2015 - Unmedicated but put on Prolixyn when hospitalized (Had very uncomfortable stiffness so got off immediately when out of hospital)2016 Unmedicated but put on Haldol when hospitalized (caused Seizures and stiffness couldn't lay down for 3 days until taken off) Later 2016Tried Zyprexa irregular dosesEarly 2017 Put on Zyprexa 15mg stayed on 15 mg until 2020 January 2020 Zyprexa 15mg didn't seem to be working so increased to Zyprexa 20mgOctober - December 2020 Reduced Zyprexa from 20 mg to 15mg to 10mg to 7.5mg to 5mg to 2.5mg. Hospitalized January 1st 2021March 2021 15mg Zyprexa April 12.5mg Zyprexa  May, June and July 10mg Zyprexa, August 7.5mg Zyprexa, September 1st toOctober 23th 2021 5mg Zyprexa.  October 23rd - December 13th 3.75mg Zyprexa December 13th - January 12th 3.1mg Zyprexa HOSPITALIZED FOR 4.5 MONTHS put on 10mg then 15mg then 20mg of Zyprexa (Givenlong acting injection of Thorazine as well).  May 23rd 2022 Reduced from 20mg to 17.5mg Zyprexa, June 9th 15mg started nighttime. April 2023 taken off Zyprexa cold turkey and put on two monthly injections of Invega Sustena.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How did exercise cause you to get worse and be hospitalized?  

ProzacNovember 2019: 10MG start

January 2021: up to 60MG 

march 2021: Valium everyday 2MG twice a day for a month or after that take as needed 

April 2021-May: taper to 0MG

June 2021: Zoloft 7 days and ween off. 
August 2021: escitalopram 5MG-10MG

August 2021: Propanol 10MG-20MG as needed 

September 2021: weened off escitalopram over a week.

October 30th: Citalopram 20MG 

November 10th: stopped - 10MG 2 days. 
November 14th: Prozac 20MG

November 18th: stop C/T 

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On 6/9/2022 at 8:38 AM, OptimisticRP said:

How did exercise cause you to get worse and be hospitalized?  

 

Well it's kind of interesting what happened. I had reduced from 15mg to 12.5mg to 10mg to 7.5mg to 5mg. After I got to 5mg I went about a month without much issues but then I had some voices and other symptoms. I felt vigorous enough to exercise at around the 17th day of taking 5mg so I started walking about 9 miles a day or biking. I reduced from 5mg to 3.7mg and I was having voices and other symptoms but exercising daily walking or biking an average of 9 miles (One day I went 24 miles). I reduced to 3.1mg next and went exactly one month before I got hospitalized - I was exercising every day about 9 miles average a day of walking. I was hospitalized for 4.5 months and was put on 20mg of Olanzapine where the symptoms went away after a little over a month of being on the dose but suffered with being all drugged up and spaced out. I am still a lot more cognitively capable than before I did the reductions last year when I was on 15mg so something I did in the reductions last year actually helped me or else I haven't been on a higher dose for as long as before. These are my experiences with excessive exercise, maybe it had nothing to do with my decompensation as I was reducing the medication very fast and my scale was acting up too. 

https://friendsforpeers.angelfire.com/Index.html - my website and discord server

Zyprexa (not sure what mg) But got off after a month of being put on in hospital. early 2007 Respirodol (experienced ackathesia so got off in 4 - 6 months from a 6mg dose) Later 2007 tried Seroquel but got offbecause didn't like it.  Later 2007 tried Abilify but had ackathesia, got off2008 - 2015 Unmedicated but on Serequel 800mg when hospitalized   Later 2015 - Unmedicated but put on Prolixyn when hospitalized (Had very uncomfortable stiffness so got off immediately when out of hospital)2016 Unmedicated but put on Haldol when hospitalized (caused Seizures and stiffness couldn't lay down for 3 days until taken off) Later 2016Tried Zyprexa irregular dosesEarly 2017 Put on Zyprexa 15mg stayed on 15 mg until 2020 January 2020 Zyprexa 15mg didn't seem to be working so increased to Zyprexa 20mgOctober - December 2020 Reduced Zyprexa from 20 mg to 15mg to 10mg to 7.5mg to 5mg to 2.5mg. Hospitalized January 1st 2021March 2021 15mg Zyprexa April 12.5mg Zyprexa  May, June and July 10mg Zyprexa, August 7.5mg Zyprexa, September 1st toOctober 23th 2021 5mg Zyprexa.  October 23rd - December 13th 3.75mg Zyprexa December 13th - January 12th 3.1mg Zyprexa HOSPITALIZED FOR 4.5 MONTHS put on 10mg then 15mg then 20mg of Zyprexa (Givenlong acting injection of Thorazine as well).  May 23rd 2022 Reduced from 20mg to 17.5mg Zyprexa, June 9th 15mg started nighttime. April 2023 taken off Zyprexa cold turkey and put on two monthly injections of Invega Sustena.

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Diet update: 

 

I have cut out sugar again but I eat fruit. I also recently cut out Honey(raw unfiltered) even though I like it... I am eating some processed snacks but trying to reduce them to a minimum. I am eating fruits for sugar for the most part and dates/figs. Raw unfiltered honey was pretty nice but I have cut it out. The biggest update is the juicing that I am doing. Carrot mixed with Kale fresh juice gets rid of my anxiety that my medication causes every single time I drink it. I can get 25 pounds of organic carrots at my local publix supermarket for juicing for $20 and organic Kale is about $5 a pound. I drink juice twice per day, one time when I wake up and when I take my medication. I am more relaxed on the whole foods at the moment and I am eating out almost once per day - I expect to get tighter on my diet when I reduce to lower doses as that's when it matters more to halt withdrawal symptoms. 

 

Right now I am on 15mg of Olanzapine. 

https://friendsforpeers.angelfire.com/Index.html - my website and discord server

Zyprexa (not sure what mg) But got off after a month of being put on in hospital. early 2007 Respirodol (experienced ackathesia so got off in 4 - 6 months from a 6mg dose) Later 2007 tried Seroquel but got offbecause didn't like it.  Later 2007 tried Abilify but had ackathesia, got off2008 - 2015 Unmedicated but on Serequel 800mg when hospitalized   Later 2015 - Unmedicated but put on Prolixyn when hospitalized (Had very uncomfortable stiffness so got off immediately when out of hospital)2016 Unmedicated but put on Haldol when hospitalized (caused Seizures and stiffness couldn't lay down for 3 days until taken off) Later 2016Tried Zyprexa irregular dosesEarly 2017 Put on Zyprexa 15mg stayed on 15 mg until 2020 January 2020 Zyprexa 15mg didn't seem to be working so increased to Zyprexa 20mgOctober - December 2020 Reduced Zyprexa from 20 mg to 15mg to 10mg to 7.5mg to 5mg to 2.5mg. Hospitalized January 1st 2021March 2021 15mg Zyprexa April 12.5mg Zyprexa  May, June and July 10mg Zyprexa, August 7.5mg Zyprexa, September 1st toOctober 23th 2021 5mg Zyprexa.  October 23rd - December 13th 3.75mg Zyprexa December 13th - January 12th 3.1mg Zyprexa HOSPITALIZED FOR 4.5 MONTHS put on 10mg then 15mg then 20mg of Zyprexa (Givenlong acting injection of Thorazine as well).  May 23rd 2022 Reduced from 20mg to 17.5mg Zyprexa, June 9th 15mg started nighttime. April 2023 taken off Zyprexa cold turkey and put on two monthly injections of Invega Sustena.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Withdrawal symptoms are caused by removing the drug too quickly because the brain has adapted to getting the drug and automatically tries to regain homeostasis, or balance things out.  That is what causes the symptoms.

 

You might be interested in the following video.

 

From the "Low Carb Down Under" Youtube channel:

 

Dr. Chris Palmer - 'The Ketogenic Diet in Neurology and Psychiatry'

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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2 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

Withdrawal symptoms are caused by removing the drug too quickly because the brain has adapted to getting the drug and automatically tries to regain homeostasis, or balance things out.  That is what causes the symptoms.

 

You might be interested in the following video.

 

From the "Low Carb Down Under" Youtube channel:

 

Dr. Chris Palmer - 'The Ketogenic Diet in Neurology and Psychiatry'

 

 

Thank you for this information. I am considering a lazy keto diet after talking to my dad. When I was eating mostly keto last year I didn't have any symptoms for 2 months - I was also intermittent fasting. However, I do love juicing because it gets rid of my anxiety every single time I drink it (carrot and kale). I also like avacados because they have gotten rid of mania before after eating more than 6 times in a row. I might try the Keto again though to see if it works... last time I did keto though I started having heart hardness which is why I quit. 

https://friendsforpeers.angelfire.com/Index.html - my website and discord server

Zyprexa (not sure what mg) But got off after a month of being put on in hospital. early 2007 Respirodol (experienced ackathesia so got off in 4 - 6 months from a 6mg dose) Later 2007 tried Seroquel but got offbecause didn't like it.  Later 2007 tried Abilify but had ackathesia, got off2008 - 2015 Unmedicated but on Serequel 800mg when hospitalized   Later 2015 - Unmedicated but put on Prolixyn when hospitalized (Had very uncomfortable stiffness so got off immediately when out of hospital)2016 Unmedicated but put on Haldol when hospitalized (caused Seizures and stiffness couldn't lay down for 3 days until taken off) Later 2016Tried Zyprexa irregular dosesEarly 2017 Put on Zyprexa 15mg stayed on 15 mg until 2020 January 2020 Zyprexa 15mg didn't seem to be working so increased to Zyprexa 20mgOctober - December 2020 Reduced Zyprexa from 20 mg to 15mg to 10mg to 7.5mg to 5mg to 2.5mg. Hospitalized January 1st 2021March 2021 15mg Zyprexa April 12.5mg Zyprexa  May, June and July 10mg Zyprexa, August 7.5mg Zyprexa, September 1st toOctober 23th 2021 5mg Zyprexa.  October 23rd - December 13th 3.75mg Zyprexa December 13th - January 12th 3.1mg Zyprexa HOSPITALIZED FOR 4.5 MONTHS put on 10mg then 15mg then 20mg of Zyprexa (Givenlong acting injection of Thorazine as well).  May 23rd 2022 Reduced from 20mg to 17.5mg Zyprexa, June 9th 15mg started nighttime. April 2023 taken off Zyprexa cold turkey and put on two monthly injections of Invega Sustena.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How many of you healed and attribute it to dietary changes? Also, how many of you healed without incorporating strict diet/ dietary changes? How long did it take? Did you taper or do cold turkey? I was on Keto for about a year but found it very difficult to sustain. It did help me feel better but I also felt extremely anxious and depressed at times. I'm currently not on a strict diet and my concern is that letting myself eat what I want will interfere or even slow recovery.

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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I'm wondering about my diet as well. I started tapering a little over a month ago. Since then my withdrawal symptoms happened I've been avoiding junk food and fast foods, I'm wondering if it's helping. Sometimes I get a little anxiety when eating and sometimes I don't

- Late 2011/Early 2012? - Started celexa 10mg.

- Sometime in 2012? - Due to doctors advice, jumped to 20mg. Not sure when but doctor suggested 40mg. Tried it for a bit, did not like it, felt flat and had low libido so doctor told me to go down to 30mg.

- Started skipping 1 day or 2 days sometimes due to forgetting and hated being on drugs, felt it was a hassle. It became routine to skip one day and only take it when I felt withdrawal symptoms kick in like dizziness. Always took one 20mg pill and broke the second pill in half.

- May 17 2022, finally talked to my doctor about tapering. Suggested I take 10 mg everyday. Tried taking only 10mg, started getting dizzy, took another half tablet, got horrible anxiety that night. Got scared, had to stop and reinstate back to 30mg that night.

- May 18 2022 discovered and joined survivingantidepressants.org (woozy head and impaired balance lasted 1 week)

- May 19 2022, began trying a reduction, (still skipping a day). Though had no scale so was inaccurately cutting my pills. No idea what dose I was taking, 25-27mg?

- May 25 2022, bought a mg scale and started to better measure my dose. Tried 10% reduction, 27mg. (still skipping a day)

- Ending of May was when I started having horrible anxiety

- June 1 2022, finally started 13.5mg dose 8:15am, and began taking my dose everyday now

- went to 13.7mg after a few weeks and still on it currently. Still taking my dose everyday. went up to 14 on 11/6

 

 

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@WanttofreemyselfYeah, I've seen several posts of people attributing their healing to being on a certain diet and am just wondering if maybe that's something I need to do. Currently, I'm letting myself eat what I want but don't go out of my way to buy junk or fast food. I'll only eat it if it's offered to me or made available by someone else. I do seem to feel more anxious and erratic when I eat too much sugar but otherwise I seem to be ok. I don't drink caffeine or any other drugs.

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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Yes it's a little hard trying to figure out what are the triggers when eating. I see you are taking celexa also?

- Late 2011/Early 2012? - Started celexa 10mg.

- Sometime in 2012? - Due to doctors advice, jumped to 20mg. Not sure when but doctor suggested 40mg. Tried it for a bit, did not like it, felt flat and had low libido so doctor told me to go down to 30mg.

- Started skipping 1 day or 2 days sometimes due to forgetting and hated being on drugs, felt it was a hassle. It became routine to skip one day and only take it when I felt withdrawal symptoms kick in like dizziness. Always took one 20mg pill and broke the second pill in half.

- May 17 2022, finally talked to my doctor about tapering. Suggested I take 10 mg everyday. Tried taking only 10mg, started getting dizzy, took another half tablet, got horrible anxiety that night. Got scared, had to stop and reinstate back to 30mg that night.

- May 18 2022 discovered and joined survivingantidepressants.org (woozy head and impaired balance lasted 1 week)

- May 19 2022, began trying a reduction, (still skipping a day). Though had no scale so was inaccurately cutting my pills. No idea what dose I was taking, 25-27mg?

- May 25 2022, bought a mg scale and started to better measure my dose. Tried 10% reduction, 27mg. (still skipping a day)

- Ending of May was when I started having horrible anxiety

- June 1 2022, finally started 13.5mg dose 8:15am, and began taking my dose everyday now

- went to 13.7mg after a few weeks and still on it currently. Still taking my dose everyday. went up to 14 on 11/6

 

 

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@WanttofreemyselfI was, I quit both Celexa and Lorazepam CT. I'm still not sure if it was wise because I think I'm getting hit with stronger WD symptoms right now. I've only been off for 1.5 months so it's been suggested as an option that I reinstate but I honestly feel afraid to do so. 

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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How long were on them. What are your withdrawal symptoms?

 

I've been on mines for 10 years. Finally decided to taper and did not expect withdrawal 

- Late 2011/Early 2012? - Started celexa 10mg.

- Sometime in 2012? - Due to doctors advice, jumped to 20mg. Not sure when but doctor suggested 40mg. Tried it for a bit, did not like it, felt flat and had low libido so doctor told me to go down to 30mg.

- Started skipping 1 day or 2 days sometimes due to forgetting and hated being on drugs, felt it was a hassle. It became routine to skip one day and only take it when I felt withdrawal symptoms kick in like dizziness. Always took one 20mg pill and broke the second pill in half.

- May 17 2022, finally talked to my doctor about tapering. Suggested I take 10 mg everyday. Tried taking only 10mg, started getting dizzy, took another half tablet, got horrible anxiety that night. Got scared, had to stop and reinstate back to 30mg that night.

- May 18 2022 discovered and joined survivingantidepressants.org (woozy head and impaired balance lasted 1 week)

- May 19 2022, began trying a reduction, (still skipping a day). Though had no scale so was inaccurately cutting my pills. No idea what dose I was taking, 25-27mg?

- May 25 2022, bought a mg scale and started to better measure my dose. Tried 10% reduction, 27mg. (still skipping a day)

- Ending of May was when I started having horrible anxiety

- June 1 2022, finally started 13.5mg dose 8:15am, and began taking my dose everyday now

- went to 13.7mg after a few weeks and still on it currently. Still taking my dose everyday. went up to 14 on 11/6

 

 

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@WanttofreemyselfI was on Celexa for two weeks and Lorazepam for three weeks. I'm currently experiencing lots of anxiety, fear, irritability, rage, suicidal and homicidal feelings, intrusive thoughts of wanting to end myself, restlessness and I didn't sleep well last night. I develop insomnia like symptoms from time to time.

 

How are you doing with your taper?

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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I'm sorry you're going through this. I was warned not to cold turkey. 

 

My first day of tapering I listened to my doctor and did a big taper, bad idea so I started a slower taper. 

My symptoms the first week I had dizziness and brain fog but that went away and the worst came, out of nowhere waves of anxiety came at me for 2 weeks but it's been getting better week by week. My sleep isn't great also. Still have lingering anxiety and some depressive mood

- Late 2011/Early 2012? - Started celexa 10mg.

- Sometime in 2012? - Due to doctors advice, jumped to 20mg. Not sure when but doctor suggested 40mg. Tried it for a bit, did not like it, felt flat and had low libido so doctor told me to go down to 30mg.

- Started skipping 1 day or 2 days sometimes due to forgetting and hated being on drugs, felt it was a hassle. It became routine to skip one day and only take it when I felt withdrawal symptoms kick in like dizziness. Always took one 20mg pill and broke the second pill in half.

- May 17 2022, finally talked to my doctor about tapering. Suggested I take 10 mg everyday. Tried taking only 10mg, started getting dizzy, took another half tablet, got horrible anxiety that night. Got scared, had to stop and reinstate back to 30mg that night.

- May 18 2022 discovered and joined survivingantidepressants.org (woozy head and impaired balance lasted 1 week)

- May 19 2022, began trying a reduction, (still skipping a day). Though had no scale so was inaccurately cutting my pills. No idea what dose I was taking, 25-27mg?

- May 25 2022, bought a mg scale and started to better measure my dose. Tried 10% reduction, 27mg. (still skipping a day)

- Ending of May was when I started having horrible anxiety

- June 1 2022, finally started 13.5mg dose 8:15am, and began taking my dose everyday now

- went to 13.7mg after a few weeks and still on it currently. Still taking my dose everyday. went up to 14 on 11/6

 

 

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@WanttofreemyselfYeah, I thought Cold Turkey would be fine since I was only on the drugs for about three weeks but apparently that's enough for people to develop dependencies. Which I did not know at the time. I'm still debating on whether or not to reinstate. I've been told by one Mod that 1.5 months might still be an ok time to try. But it's a gamble nonetheless because sometimes people feel worse.

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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I have not yet healed, but I find that I feel enormously better when I eat the right thing, and enormously worse when I eat the wrong thing.  Same with exercise, not enough or too much exercise I feel enormously worse, the right amount and type of exercise I feel much better… I think being healed means that diet changes do not affect your mental state significantly.

2007-Prozac then off replaced with Zoloft 

2008- Off Zoloft replaced with Fluvoxamine 

2008-2009 50mg Fluvoxamine 

2009-2020 150mg Fluvoxamine 

2013-14 addition of Lexapro and Zyprexa

2015 back to only Fluvoxamine 

2019-2021 additional 150mg Wellbutrin 

2020-present taper off Fluvoxamine and Wellbutrin 

2022 - mid-February - last dose 25 mg Wellbutrin

July 2021 25 (12.5 twice a day) mg Fluvoxamine hold

switch to compounded XR 12.5 mg Fluvoxamine capsules twice a day mid July 2022

Magnesium, Fish Oil, microdose CBD 

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13 minutes ago, PupperMintPatty said:

Yeah, I thought Cold Turkey would be fine since I was only on the drugs for about three weeks but apparently that's enough for people to develop dependencies. Which I did not know at the time. I'm still debating on whether or not to reinstate. I've been told by one Mod that 1.5 months might still be an ok time to try. But it's a gamble nonetheless because sometimes people feel worse.

How were you feeling before taking the drugs.

 

Yeah it's always a gamble with our situation. Had no idea about withdrawal 

- Late 2011/Early 2012? - Started celexa 10mg.

- Sometime in 2012? - Due to doctors advice, jumped to 20mg. Not sure when but doctor suggested 40mg. Tried it for a bit, did not like it, felt flat and had low libido so doctor told me to go down to 30mg.

- Started skipping 1 day or 2 days sometimes due to forgetting and hated being on drugs, felt it was a hassle. It became routine to skip one day and only take it when I felt withdrawal symptoms kick in like dizziness. Always took one 20mg pill and broke the second pill in half.

- May 17 2022, finally talked to my doctor about tapering. Suggested I take 10 mg everyday. Tried taking only 10mg, started getting dizzy, took another half tablet, got horrible anxiety that night. Got scared, had to stop and reinstate back to 30mg that night.

- May 18 2022 discovered and joined survivingantidepressants.org (woozy head and impaired balance lasted 1 week)

- May 19 2022, began trying a reduction, (still skipping a day). Though had no scale so was inaccurately cutting my pills. No idea what dose I was taking, 25-27mg?

- May 25 2022, bought a mg scale and started to better measure my dose. Tried 10% reduction, 27mg. (still skipping a day)

- Ending of May was when I started having horrible anxiety

- June 1 2022, finally started 13.5mg dose 8:15am, and began taking my dose everyday now

- went to 13.7mg after a few weeks and still on it currently. Still taking my dose everyday. went up to 14 on 11/6

 

 

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@WanttofreemyselfI was in extreme despair/ feeling doomed. I wasn't eating, showering or sleeping well. Experiencing extreme anxiety and depression.

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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Dietary interventions have made a big difference in my day-to-day functioning. 

It's an ever-changing thing, I experiment and make it up as I go along. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes not. 

It can mean the difference between decent sleep and no sleep at all, so not trivial. 

I've used my various fluctuating digestive issues to guide me. The proof is in the poop, as they say. 

 

In general, no matter what other dietary guidelines one follows, as long as one is in WD it's advisable to eliminate alcohol, caffeine, and sugar.

Any of these can exacerbate WD symptoms and cause setbacks to recovery. 

1996-2018 - misc. polypharmacy, incl. SSRIs, SNRIs, neuroleptics, lithium, benzos, stimulants, antihistamines, etc. (approx. 30+ drugs)

2012-2018 - 10mg lexapro/escitalopram (20mg?)    Jan. 2018 - 10mg -> 5mg, then from 5mg -> 2.5mg, then 0mg  -->  July 2018 - 0mg

2017(?)-2020 - vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine 60-70mg    2020-2021 - 70mg down to 0mg  -->  July 2021 - 0mg

March-April 2021 - vortioxetine 5-10mg (approx. 7 weeks total; CT)  -->  April 28th, 2021 - 0mg

supplements: magnesium powder (dissolved in water) as needed throughout the day; 1 tsp fish oil w/ morning meal; 2mg melatonin 

August 1, 2022 - 1 mg melatonin

 

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.  - Karle Wilson Baker

love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters.  - Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Holding multiple truths. Knowing that everyone has their own accurate view of the way things are.  - text on homemade banner at Afiya house

 

I am not a medical professional; this is not medical advice. 

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1996-2018 - misc. polypharmacy, incl. SSRIs, SNRIs, neuroleptics, lithium, benzos, stimulants, antihistamines, etc. (approx. 30+ drugs)

2012-2018 - 10mg lexapro/escitalopram (20mg?)    Jan. 2018 - 10mg -> 5mg, then from 5mg -> 2.5mg, then 0mg  -->  July 2018 - 0mg

2017(?)-2020 - vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine 60-70mg    2020-2021 - 70mg down to 0mg  -->  July 2021 - 0mg

March-April 2021 - vortioxetine 5-10mg (approx. 7 weeks total; CT)  -->  April 28th, 2021 - 0mg

supplements: magnesium powder (dissolved in water) as needed throughout the day; 1 tsp fish oil w/ morning meal; 2mg melatonin 

August 1, 2022 - 1 mg melatonin

 

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.  - Karle Wilson Baker

love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters.  - Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Holding multiple truths. Knowing that everyone has their own accurate view of the way things are.  - text on homemade banner at Afiya house

 

I am not a medical professional; this is not medical advice. 

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1996-2018 - misc. polypharmacy, incl. SSRIs, SNRIs, neuroleptics, lithium, benzos, stimulants, antihistamines, etc. (approx. 30+ drugs)

2012-2018 - 10mg lexapro/escitalopram (20mg?)    Jan. 2018 - 10mg -> 5mg, then from 5mg -> 2.5mg, then 0mg  -->  July 2018 - 0mg

2017(?)-2020 - vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine 60-70mg    2020-2021 - 70mg down to 0mg  -->  July 2021 - 0mg

March-April 2021 - vortioxetine 5-10mg (approx. 7 weeks total; CT)  -->  April 28th, 2021 - 0mg

supplements: magnesium powder (dissolved in water) as needed throughout the day; 1 tsp fish oil w/ morning meal; 2mg melatonin 

August 1, 2022 - 1 mg melatonin

 

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.  - Karle Wilson Baker

love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters.  - Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Holding multiple truths. Knowing that everyone has their own accurate view of the way things are.  - text on homemade banner at Afiya house

 

I am not a medical professional; this is not medical advice. 

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30 minutes ago, PupperMintPatty said:

was in extreme despair/ feeling doomed. I wasn't eating, showering or sleeping well. Experiencing extreme anxiety and depression

I can relate. During the peak had no appetite and libido

- Late 2011/Early 2012? - Started celexa 10mg.

- Sometime in 2012? - Due to doctors advice, jumped to 20mg. Not sure when but doctor suggested 40mg. Tried it for a bit, did not like it, felt flat and had low libido so doctor told me to go down to 30mg.

- Started skipping 1 day or 2 days sometimes due to forgetting and hated being on drugs, felt it was a hassle. It became routine to skip one day and only take it when I felt withdrawal symptoms kick in like dizziness. Always took one 20mg pill and broke the second pill in half.

- May 17 2022, finally talked to my doctor about tapering. Suggested I take 10 mg everyday. Tried taking only 10mg, started getting dizzy, took another half tablet, got horrible anxiety that night. Got scared, had to stop and reinstate back to 30mg that night.

- May 18 2022 discovered and joined survivingantidepressants.org (woozy head and impaired balance lasted 1 week)

- May 19 2022, began trying a reduction, (still skipping a day). Though had no scale so was inaccurately cutting my pills. No idea what dose I was taking, 25-27mg?

- May 25 2022, bought a mg scale and started to better measure my dose. Tried 10% reduction, 27mg. (still skipping a day)

- Ending of May was when I started having horrible anxiety

- June 1 2022, finally started 13.5mg dose 8:15am, and began taking my dose everyday now

- went to 13.7mg after a few weeks and still on it currently. Still taking my dose everyday. went up to 14 on 11/6

 

 

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45 minutes ago, Ariel said:

Dietary interventions have made a big difference in my day-to-day functioning. 

It's an ever-changing thing, I experiment and make it up as I go along. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes not. 

It can mean the difference between decent sleep and no sleep at all, so not trivial. 

I've used my various fluctuating digestive issues to guide me. The proof is in the poop, as they say. 

 

In general, no matter what other dietary guidelines one follows, as long as one is in WD it's advisable to eliminate alcohol, caffeine, and sugar.

Any of these can exacerbate WD symptoms and cause setbacks to recovery. 

Are you on any specific diet? I don't drink alcohol nor consume caffeine but I do eat sugar everyday in varying amounts. I've overdone it a few times and feel really tired and sleepy afterwards. 

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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17 minutes ago, Wanttofreemyself said:

I can relate. During the peak had no appetite and libido

But you're currently doing better? 

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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1 hour ago, Mdawg said:

I have not yet healed, but I find that I feel enormously better when I eat the right thing, and enormously worse when I eat the wrong thing.  Same with exercise, not enough or too much exercise I feel enormously worse, the right amount and type of exercise I feel much better… I think being healed means that diet changes do not affect your mental state significantly.

Are you on any specific diet? And what do you do for exercise? I walk for about 30 minutes every day. 

  • April to June 2015: Sertraline
  • 2016 to 2019: Cocktail of drugs: Trazodone, Fluoxitine, and Venlafaxine. Several cold turkeys during this period of time. Didn't stay on any drugs consistently, missed many doses and wouldn't take any for longer than a month or two.
  • June 2021: Gabapentin 800mg twice daily for a week then CT also AD that I'm having trouble remembering also only took for one week then CT
  • May 2022: Lorazepam .5mg daily for three weeks then CT. Also Citalopram 20mg for 2 weeks then CT.
  • July 1st 2022: about 1.5 months CT. Also decided to lower magnesium glycinate from 400mg to 200mg since I took note that it could interfere with recovery.
  • Dec. 25th 2022: about 7 months CT. No significant set-backs. Worst symptoms are mild to moderate brain zaps, irritability, mild to moderate anxiety/depression, and mild to moderate nerve pain. Taking electrolytes as needed and only managing symptoms with a Carnivore woe, sunlight, exercise, water, and deep sleep. This marks nearly 3 months of Carnivore so far.

 

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@PupperMintPatty

 

5 minutes ago, PupperMintPatty said:

Are you on any specific diet? I don't drink alcohol nor consume caffeine but I do eat sugar everyday in varying amounts. I've overdone it a few times and feel really tired and sleepy afterwards. 

 

No specific diet, as I said I make it up as I go along based on symptoms, which are ever in flux.

I've written a summary of sorts in my intro topic:

 

1996-2018 - misc. polypharmacy, incl. SSRIs, SNRIs, neuroleptics, lithium, benzos, stimulants, antihistamines, etc. (approx. 30+ drugs)

2012-2018 - 10mg lexapro/escitalopram (20mg?)    Jan. 2018 - 10mg -> 5mg, then from 5mg -> 2.5mg, then 0mg  -->  July 2018 - 0mg

2017(?)-2020 - vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine 60-70mg    2020-2021 - 70mg down to 0mg  -->  July 2021 - 0mg

March-April 2021 - vortioxetine 5-10mg (approx. 7 weeks total; CT)  -->  April 28th, 2021 - 0mg

supplements: magnesium powder (dissolved in water) as needed throughout the day; 1 tsp fish oil w/ morning meal; 2mg melatonin 

August 1, 2022 - 1 mg melatonin

 

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.  - Karle Wilson Baker

love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters.  - Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Holding multiple truths. Knowing that everyone has their own accurate view of the way things are.  - text on homemade banner at Afiya house

 

I am not a medical professional; this is not medical advice. 

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