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Stress and Trauma During Withdrawal and Recovery


Mikey1975

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Without a doubt; stress creates cortisol which has a major effect on brain function. Too much cortisol can make you tired, angry and very negative. All of which create more cortisol.

This is why relaxation and exercise are recommended, both are proven to reduce cortisol as well as positive thinking.

I learnt this from my hypnotherapist who is many qualifications in studying the brain etc. it seems to work!

Moe

2010 - 20mg Citalopram for Anxiety and Depression.

2011 - 30mg, then 40mg and back to 30mg.

2013 - 20mg.

2014 - Hypnotherapy (amazing) down to 10mg.

2015 - 20th May 0mg on doctors advice

Today - withdrawal symptoms for 5 weeks including anxiety doom and gloom!

2015 - 29th June - reinstate to 5mg

2015 - 26th July - 10mg citalopram.

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For sure...stress can trigger almost everything, anxiety, depression etc etc

And it's no easy to escape from it, it seems that society wants you to be stressed. :unsure:

06/2012 - 02/2015 CIPRALEX 10 mg (for somatic abdominal pain + reflux) - prior to this NOT any significant episode of anxiety/depression

on medication: emotional-sexual numbness, total inability to cry, +8 kg, fatigue -> abdominal pain gone

02/2015 - 1/04/2015 tapering from 10 mg to 0 mg doctor advised

05/05/2015 huge anxiety, burning skin sensation, panic, fear, not able to cry again, never-had-before insomnia, totally lost appetite, little loss of vision in one eye, sweating, chest pain, short breath, restlessness, accelerated heartbeat, mild akathisia legs-feet

30/05/2015 reinstated 8mg (I was suggested 5 mg here)

middle 07/2015 general improving

10/2015 start disastrous too long taper 7mg  11/2015 6mg  12/2015 5mg 1/2016 4mg  2/2016 4mg  3/2016 3mg ->FAIL back to 4mg .... 8/2016 3mg 8/2017 2mg  (short wave in summer '17) 8/2018 2mg stable  8/2019 1mg  1/2020 0.6 mg 

1/APRIL/2020 0mg FREE!

7/2020 - 10/2020 MILD WAVE(mostly anxiety, poor sleep)

6/2021 - 9/2021 WAVE (anxiety, severe insomnia, total loss of appetite, deep depression, internal restlessness, anhedonia)  0.125g triazolam  2 times

18/03/2022 WAVE (anxiety, severe insomnia, total loss of appetite, PAIN in muscles and nerves, arms and right leg,cannot exercise,hard to walk) 0.125g triazolam 3 times

7/5 rein 0.1mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Stress (both emotional and physical) and PMS can absolutely exacerbate or even bring on w/d symptoms. No question. I think this may be why people who have gone CT or withdrawn too quickly may experience symptoms longer and with greater intensity... Because of the increased stress on the body and mind from the sudden withdrawal.

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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I agree. My biggest problem with all these withdrawal stuff is that my job is very stressful. Add some PMS in there and here we go again... I'm still looking for ways to reduce stress. Lately I've been focusing on positive thinking and if that doesn't help, I've decided to not give a damn about anything. I don't need to be so diligent all the time. 

My history:
Escitalopram 5-10mg 2006-2008

Fluoxetine 40mg 2008-2010
Venlafaxine 150mg 2010 - December 2014
I tapered off very quickly:
1. week 75mg
2. week 35,5mg
3. week 17mg
4. week 8,5mg
5. week none

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I agree!!!! I also try to reduce stress but I'm in this hell and nithing is easy as before....I think it's a long way to learn what is best for everyone of us to reduce stress....

hugs!!!

06/2012 - 02/2015 CIPRALEX 10 mg (for somatic abdominal pain + reflux) - prior to this NOT any significant episode of anxiety/depression

on medication: emotional-sexual numbness, total inability to cry, +8 kg, fatigue -> abdominal pain gone

02/2015 - 1/04/2015 tapering from 10 mg to 0 mg doctor advised

05/05/2015 huge anxiety, burning skin sensation, panic, fear, not able to cry again, never-had-before insomnia, totally lost appetite, little loss of vision in one eye, sweating, chest pain, short breath, restlessness, accelerated heartbeat, mild akathisia legs-feet

30/05/2015 reinstated 8mg (I was suggested 5 mg here)

middle 07/2015 general improving

10/2015 start disastrous too long taper 7mg  11/2015 6mg  12/2015 5mg 1/2016 4mg  2/2016 4mg  3/2016 3mg ->FAIL back to 4mg .... 8/2016 3mg 8/2017 2mg  (short wave in summer '17) 8/2018 2mg stable  8/2019 1mg  1/2020 0.6 mg 

1/APRIL/2020 0mg FREE!

7/2020 - 10/2020 MILD WAVE(mostly anxiety, poor sleep)

6/2021 - 9/2021 WAVE (anxiety, severe insomnia, total loss of appetite, deep depression, internal restlessness, anhedonia)  0.125g triazolam  2 times

18/03/2022 WAVE (anxiety, severe insomnia, total loss of appetite, PAIN in muscles and nerves, arms and right leg,cannot exercise,hard to walk) 0.125g triazolam 3 times

7/5 rein 0.1mg

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Stress is really hard for me to deal with in any fashion. Anything that is challenging in my life can quickly go to overwhelming in no time flat and it sucks.  So, as self protection I have withdrawn from many things to try and conserve and protect myself from stress.  It feels like limiting my life to the absolute basics, but it is a matter of survival during this process, especially when in a wave of symptoms.  When a window happens to show up I have the capacity to do more and deal with more stress.  I won't ever take the ability to handle simple things in life for granted any more; just living day to day and being able to deal with it is a real pleasure.

20+ years of Zoloft 50-100 mg CT 03/2014 for 5 months
Back on Prozac 20 mg for 4 months CT since 11/2014
Found this forum the last day of 2014
The secret is to keep going!  Time will heal.


 
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I totally agree pug.

Been taking paroxatine for approx 15 years.Tried a few times yo stop but failed. Am currently on 3.5mg liquid

Jan 2016 been slow tapering paroxatine and i am currently at 2.9 mg and last drop was 5 weeks ago.

Started to feel awful about 3 weeks ago with brain ???? , shakes, blurred vision and dizzyness. ..

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  • 6 months later...

Has anyone experience a death in the family while in withdrawal?  I had an adverse reaction and am now 9 months off but still in bad mental state with crazy neuro-emotions, sensitivities, derealization, etc....  I just learned my 6 yr old daughter's cancer is back and they are saying it is untreatable and prognosis is very poor.  It is gliomatosis cerebri. Please tell me how I am supposed to get through this.

Dec 2014 I tried Zoloft 25mg for one week (adverse reaction - extreme anxiety and felt like I was on an amphetamine). Dr. said to quit cold turkey, so I not only quit Zoloft but also 2 weeks of Xanax .25mg -- extreme dizziness, hyperarousal and anxiety began! On Jan. 29, 2015 my psychiatrist put me on new stuff and this is how my next 2 months and 7 days looked like (I was having the same bad reactions to all of these):Effexor XR 37.5mg (3 days) - throwing up, heart palpations, night tremors/convulsions or something where whole body shakes for a second, Prozac 10mg (15 days), Prozac 20mg (7 days) - internal restlessness, electric current through body/brain (not zaps), agitation, intense fear and could no longer nap at this point (still can't today because of this), Lexapro 5mg (4 days) - same as Prozac, a horror show...extreme internal agitation, Lexapro 7.5mg (2 days), Lexapro 10mg (16 days), Zoloft 12.5mg (3 days)...she said try it again since my blood relative does well on it, Zoloft 25mg (7 days) - same as before and getting worse!! Zoloft 50mg (6 days), Zoloft 25mg (4 days and then came off cold turkey on April 8, 2015). I used Xanax .25mg about 7 times per month through all of this until June 30, 2015 (my last benzo dose). Extreme anxiety, nervous system traumatized, mental akathisia, anger triggered by nothing but the brain totally going off on its own, feeling of a pressurized electric current going through me like my brain and body are trying to explode, stress reaction x10000 to everything, waking in terror lasting all day, fear, very sensitive, brain can't keep up, don't know what to do with myself, feeling like everything is going too fast and I can't keep up, helium head, deep depression like something is ripping out my soul, out of my mind, can hardly drive or be alone, cognitive issues, simple tasks are so complex and straining, feel disturbed because the brain can't process anything right even though your brain tries so hard and it makes you go mad, episodes of deep anguish with a sick toxic poison feeling (like you have some unknown virus).

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I'm so sorry to hear this & I wish I had magic words to say to make it all better. Prayer, counseling, making sure you take care of yourself while taking care of your daughter are surely good foundational blocks. Big hugs to you.

On Zoloft for 10 years (50 mg) for GAD & panic attacks

Weaned off fall of 2013, terrible set back in Feb '14 back on 100 mg & trazadone to sleep.

Did CT off of Zoloft in May 2014 - bad decision!

Back on 50 mg Zoloft & Xanax as needed (was upped to 75 mg by doctor in Feb 2015)

Started to wean off of Zoloft in April 2015 ~ totally off Zoloft in Oct 2015 and now am on Buspar 11.25 mg to help.

I was on a 50 mg pill & 25 mg pill - I cut the 25 mg pill in half (12.5) and took that with the 50 for 6 weeks - 1st week June 2015

 50 mg for another 6 weeks. 25 mg in half and the 50 mg in half (37.5), 25 mg mid Sept for about 2 weeks.,1/2 of the 25 mg last week of Sept/1st week of Oct then off.

Update** 9 mg Zoloft reinstated early Nov 15, along with 1.5 mg Buspar daily. On .50 of Buspar & 9 mg of Zoloft. Oct '16 - off of Buspar, Nov '16 - down to 7.5 mg Zoloft. March'17 - 4 mg Zoloft. July'17 - 2 mg, Sept 1 mg. Oct'17 - off! Done!

I also take magnesium, L theanine, Gaba Calm, L Glutamine, Vit B complex(for methyl issues), Liver & Gall bladder support, Zinc, Whole Food Vit C & Fish Oil. DARE & the bible are the tools I use to help navigate this  process.

 

 

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  • 6 years later...

Please move this, if this isn't in the right place.

 

I'm 10 years off medication, so I'm having doubts about my symptoms being from withdrawal. I guess stress could bring back some of it?

 

I was under alot of stress this year, and my sleep started to fade, drank lots of coffee, kinda aggressive and just stressed out.

 

My question is: could it have been the stress that got me so wound up? 

 

My symptoms are derealization,  depersonalization,  some tinnitus and anxiety.

 

I noticed before all this came on, I did have anxiety and felt fatigue...then boom, the foggy headedness started up.

 

I can go out and functional, but I'm in a fog.

 

I was doing great for years, and then this.

 

Anyone have any advice? 

 

I guess I'll have to manage stress better. 😩 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

Was on Lithium, Tegretol, Ambien, Klonopin and Depakote for several years. Came off Lithium, Tegretol, Ambien and Depakote c/t in 2009. Came off Klonopin in 2012. 

I forget the dosage other than 4mg of Klonopin. 

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  • Moderator

Stress and insomnia go hand in hand unfortunately. All the symptoms you list are common with stress and anxiety. It may be that your cold turkey withdrawal 10 years ago has left your nervous system more sensitive to stress and anxiety in everyday life. I’d hazard a guess that it’s not entirely withdrawal based given your long period of feeling well. 
 

I had the same symptoms you list from anxiety and stress, before any psychotropic medications even passed my lips.
 

You may find the information on https://www.anxietycentre.com helpful, I certainly did before I found this website. It’s an amazing resource, you in particular may find the pieces on stress and hyperstimulation helpful. It explains how prolonged stress and anxiety can lead to chronic symptoms that seem like they don’t go away.

 

The good news is it’s easily treatable through practicing focused relaxation every day and reducing stresses in your life.

Active Monday-Friday UK time

 

MEDICATION:

1) Sertraline:

50mg - Oct 2020, 100mg - Dec 2020, 50mg - April 2021, 75mg - May 2021, 50mg - Sep 2021; Failed taper attempt (50 -> 49) - Jan 2024; Second attempt to start taper - 17 Feb 2024

Current dose: 48.9mg (Feb 2024)

2) Mirtazapine:

15mg  - Nov 2020

SUPPLEMENTS:

Cod liver oil

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14 minutes ago, Erimus said:

Stress and insomnia go hand in hand unfortunately. All the symptoms you list are common with stress and anxiety. It may be that your cold turkey withdrawal 10 years ago has left your nervous system more sensitive to stress and anxiety in everyday life. I’d hazard a guess that it’s not entirely withdrawal based given your long period of feeling well. 
 

I had the same symptoms you list from anxiety and stress, before any psychotropic medications even passed my lips.
 

You may find the information on https://www.anxietycentre.com helpful, I certainly did before I found this website. It’s an amazing resource, you in particular may find the pieces on stress and hyperstimulation helpful. It explains how prolonged stress and anxiety can lead to chronic symptoms that seem like they don’t go away.

 

The good news is it’s easily treatable through practicing focused relaxation every day and reducing stresses in your life.

I think you're right.

 

I felt 100% healed for years... until I got overwhelmed! 

 

Took a vacation to Florida and slept maybe 15 hours in a week back before this happened. 

Was stressed out bad in October.

Then one day, I had an all day anxiety attack.. I would call it. I fell into this derealization and fog. 

 

I definitely have to get stress under control. 

 

I've substituted candy with apples...

No coffee recently and relaxed.

 

The derealization has subsided some. 

 

Sleep has got better.

 

I have to believe it was stress related, because idk what else it could be.

 

Does it feel like withdrawal? Somewhat, but not as bad because I can function. 

 

Just very foggy headed and anxious. 

 

Ty for the links! Will definitely read them. 

Was on Lithium, Tegretol, Ambien, Klonopin and Depakote for several years. Came off Lithium, Tegretol, Ambien and Depakote c/t in 2009. Came off Klonopin in 2012. 

I forget the dosage other than 4mg of Klonopin. 

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  • 11 months later...
  • Mentor

Has anyone’s stress tolerance gotten better? 

2000-2013 Paxil - 1 year fast taper

2013-2018 merry go round
zoloft, cymbalta, lamictal, Prozac.

 Nov. 2018 lexapro 15 mgs, Dec. 2019 to Mar. 2020 taper to 10mg. Jul 2020 to October 2020 taper to 8.5 ml.
Oct 2020 reinstated to 9 ml.
Apr 2021 to Jul  taper to 7ml. Oct 2021 to Jan 2022 taper to 5.9ml, Mar 5 2022 5.8 ml, Mar 12 5.7ml, Mar 20 5.6ml, Mar 27 5.5ml, April 23 5.4ml, April 30 5.3ml, May 7 5.2ml,  Jul 9 2022 5.4ml, 

Klonopin prn, Allegra 180 for 3 seasons, aspirin 81 mg, plavix , nitroglycerin 0.4 mg prn, 2k mg  turmeric Qunol, 4- Trader Joe’s omega 3 -2400 mg, Pepcid 20mg,  Prilosec 40 mg, Tylenol arthritis 4 tablets daily, 350mg calm magnesium citrate, melatonin 2.5- 5mg as needed to sleep. Saline spray as needed. 

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  • 2 months later...
On 11/30/2023 at 2:21 PM, Heath said:

Has anyone’s stress tolerance gotten better? 

Nope 

April 2022- Only 1 celxa pill 10mg

had an adverse reaction & never took anymore again 

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