Lizzard5045: tapering off sertraline, Abilify and lamotrigine

[Lizzard5045]

Hello! I am in a hell of withdrawal. I have been on many different SSRI’s in the past and they all worked but had intolerable side effects. About a year ago I started sertraline, and when it didn’t work my psych put me on Abilify and lamotrigine. The Abilify seemed to help a bit but gave me crazy anxiety and tardive skenesis. The lamotrigine has never seemed to do anything. Since last March I have been trying to taper. I’ve had two terrible experiences when my doc told me to stop the S and A cold turkey. I’m back on low doses of both.

 

Currently I take 12.5mg sertraline, 2mg Abilify, 200 mg lamotrigine and would like to get off all of them, if possible. I have terrible anxiety and crying spells that I’ve had since starting the sertraline and Abilify.

 

Im wondering which drug I should try to taper first??

 

Thanks for your help!

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  You have come to the right place.  Thank you for giving us your drug history. 

 

On 11/9/2022 at 11:30 AM, Lizzard5045 said:

they all worked but had intolerable side effects.

What were these side effects?

 

On 11/9/2022 at 11:30 AM, Lizzard5045 said:

The Abilify seemed to help a bit but gave me crazy anxiety and tardive skenesis

It sounds like this drug has gone paradoxical on you - doing the opposite of what it should.  Ability is usually a sedating drug.  You may want to consider tapering this drug first.  This link will explain how to figure out which drug to taper first.

 

You say you are in WD, and your last drug you got off of was Prozac in 2021.  Please tell us more about how you got off Prozac.  Did you taper or cold turkey?  If you tapered, please give us details about that. 

 

Did these withdrawal symptoms start before of after you got on the sertraline, lamotrigine, and Abilify?  What are your withdrawal symptoms?  

 

Taking Multiple Psych Drugs - Which to Taper First

 

Also, please go to this link, and see if your drugs have major bad interactions.  

 

https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we generally taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the reduction becomes exponentially smaller.

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

When we know more about your recent drug history, and get answers to our questions, we will try and give you more specific suggestions about what to do.  Hang in there, you can recover and get off of these drugs.  We look forward to hearing back from you. 

[Lizzard5045]

 

2 hours ago, getofflex said:

 

What were these side effects?

 

 

 

Effexor - poor sleep, fatigue, akathesia, new addiction to cigarettes and alcohol that hadn't been there before

Serzone - light spots in vision and didn't work

Celexa - insomnia that never improved

Prozac - fatigue such that I needed an FMLA because of chronic missed work

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by ChessieCat
added quote

[Lizzard5045]

Thank you for your response!

 

3 hours ago, getofflex said:

It sounds like this drug has gone paradoxical on you - doing the opposite of what it should.  Ability is usually a sedating drug.  You may want to consider tapering this drug first.  This link will explain how to figure out which drug to taper first.

I may be wrong that it is the Abilify that is causing the anxiety. For all I know it could be the sertraline or lamotrigine. The anxiety cropped up the worst when I was on all three so, truly, it's anyone's guess. The anxiety came on in December of 2021 after I'd been on all three medications for at least a month. 

 

10 minutes ago, getofflex said:

You say you are in WD, and your last drug you got off of was Prozac in 2021.  Please tell us more about how you got off Prozac.  Did you taper or cold turkey?  If you tapered, please give us details about that. 

I tapered Prozac from 30mg to 10mg over several years - from about 2018 through 2021. In April of 2021 I went off completely from 10mg without many problems.

 

I say I am going through WD because my psychiatrist had me cold turkey off of sertraline and Abilify in May of this year and again in September. I reinstated the meds both times after trying to CT for several weeks. I feel like I am still restabilizing from the cold turkey's and reinstatements. I note the timing of these cold turkeys and reinstatements in my signature.

 

13 minutes ago, getofflex said:

What were these side effects?

See my updated signature below, which now includes side effects

 

17 minutes ago, getofflex said:

Did these withdrawal symptoms start before of after you got on the sertraline, lamotrigine, and Abilify?  What are your withdrawal symptoms?  

 

Actually no, I felt much better before I got on the sertraline, lamotrigine and abilify. After going off the Prozac in spring 2021, I felt fine for a few months but then began to feel very irritable and rageful, which is when I started the sertraline, abilify and lamotrigine. After a few weeks of being on these drugs I felt high anxiety, sadness and sobbing.  

 

 

[getofflex]

On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said:

I feel like I am still restabilizing from the cold turkey's and reinstatements.

 

On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said:

Actually no, I felt much better before I got on the sertraline, lamotrigine and abilify.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the above 2 statements seem contradictory.  

 

On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said:

After going off the Prozac in spring 2021, I felt fine for a few months but then began to feel very irritable and rageful, which is when I started the sertraline, abilify and lamotrigine.

It is not uncommon for withdrawal symptoms to show up several months after we jump off a drug at a dose like 10 mg prozac.  That is still a significant dose.  

 

On 11/15/2022 at 4:23 PM, Lizzard5045 said:

After a few weeks of being on these drugs I felt high anxiety, sadness and sobbing. 

 

These may have been caused by withdrawal from the prozac, adverse reactions to the new drugs, or a combination of both.  

 

There have been so many drug changes, plus the cold turkeys and reinstatements, that it is hard to understand what is causing what.  Your nervous system is in chaos because of all the abrupt drug changes.  Also, the more we go on, off, on, off, drugs, etc, the more we are at risk of our nervous system becoming hypersensitive.  

 

If it were me, I would not make any drug changes at this time.  

 

I will confer with the other staff, and we will get back to you.  

Edited November 17, 2022 by getofflex

[Lizzard5045]

8 minutes ago, getofflex said:

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the above 2 statements seem contradictory.  

 

Sorry, I agree it is really confusing because of how much has changed recently. Here it is in bullet points:

 

Spring 2021 went off Prozac 10mg after 9 years

- felt fine for a few months

- in Fall 2021 started to feel irritability and rage

 

Fall 2021 briefly tried Lexapro but had insomnia

 

Later Fall 2021, dr put me on Sertraline, Abilify and Lamotrigine

- felt better for a few weeks

- then felt sobbing, high anxiety, which has continued until the present

- dr had me go on, off, up, down the SLA combo to try to correct the sobbing and high anxiety

- the changes have clearly not helped the situation

- I noted that I felt better BEFORE going on the SLA combo than I do now

 

I agree with you that my nervous system is going nuts.

 

I will avoid altering any meds until I hear back.

 

Thanks so much for your feedback.

[Altostrata]

Hello, @Lizzard5045

 

It appears you have been going on and off many psychiatric drugs since 2003, with 23 separate drug changes in the last year.

 

If it doesn't seem to help, why did you increase lamotrigine 4 times in 12 months?

 

Is your goal to go off this batch of drugs to try a new batch of drugs?