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Novalis: Brain fatigue/ fog because and despite of psychotropic drugs


Novalis

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Hello,

 

Very good site here! I'm another person with massive problems, mainly cognitive ones, in connection with psychotropic drugs.

 

I'm suffering significant cognitive problems and I'm incapable to work in any intellectual job since having very fastly tapered a combination of three drugs in September 2010. I had taken them for one year (Sep. 2009 - Sep. 2010):

30 mg tranylcypromine

100 mg sulpiride

50 mg agomelatine

I fastly tapered the med's within five weeks. Reinstating the meds only partially helped: my head doesn't feel like being stuffed with cotton-balls any more. Also my cognitive listening problems are gone. But my cognitive reading problems still continue. Focussing on the content works very bad, especially when the content is rather abstract. Also thinking forward works bad. My brain feels like it is out of blood.

In the last eight months I tried many other drugs which are associated with dopamine, but without success. Next I won't take any psychotropic drugs at all for a longer period. Anyway it is the only thing, I have not tried yet. But I'm optimistic because: In January 2012, I have experienced a time window of two or three days with my concentration back (as it was before Sep. 2010). I couldn't explain at that time, but now I believe it is a window as described by Alto in his Intro to antidepressant withdrawal syndrome.

 

Already in 2008 I have experienced a fast worsening of concentration, after a six-months-interval of taking a lot of combinations of antidepressant drugs with frequent changes and fast taperings. Since that time there is a strange decrease in concentration in the course of the day. From 15h on, I can't work properly any more, because of deficit of concentration. Towards evening, it slightly gets foggy; i.e. there is some derealisation. Doing sports or relaxing things doesn't have any effect on the decrease/ fog. In retrospective I suspect that are withdrawal symptoms, too. I have never recovered from them.

 

I have recently noticed that I have unwittingly taken a psychotropic/ neuroleptic drug in my youth: metoclopramide (Mcp, Reglan, Gastrosil). It all started at the beginning of my youth with a mysterious food poisoning which resulted in fatigue, chronic gastrointestinal problems and in taking metoclopramide (Mcp, Reglan, Gastrosil) again and again. Due to the package insert, Mcp can on rare occassions cause depression, anxiety, fatigue. I wonder, if my brain fatigue, depression and/ or anxiety have been caused or maintained by Mcp. But of course, it is impossible to know.

 

I would love to know how I would feel without having wittingly and unwittingly taken psychotropic drugs in the last two decades!

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  • Administrator

Welcome, Novalis. Thank you for posting your story.

 

I am very sorry you're having these problems. It sounds like your brain got bounced around too much by the different drugs.

 

What drugs and dosages are you taking now?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thanks for your reply, Alto. At the moment I'm tapering Bupropion XR. That's the last of the drugs which I tried in order to treat my brain fog ... without success . Brain fog has even increased.

 

History: 6 weeks 150mg, 8 weeks 300mg, since 2 weeks 150mg.

In 4 weeks, when I will see my doctor again, I will leave the complete 150mg.

 

The steps are very big, but they are tablet size. In Germany there is only XR ("Elontril"). I've read http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/877-tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-buproprion/, but I'm afraid of breaking XR tablets. If I should get additional w/d symptoms, I will ask for individual capsules with less than 150mg.

 

This week I really feel more foggy, slightly. But it does not make such a big difference for me, because I am not capable to work anyway (except for doing a menial job). If this is a slight bupropion w/d brainfog, do you think it is a good idea to taper so "fast". Do I risk a significant increase of recovery time of my prolonged w/d syndrome which I am already suffering since 24 months?

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  • Administrator

You've been on buproprion such a short time, a faster taper with bigger drops is probably okay. It is somewhat easier to go off than other antidepressants.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello,

 

I' m off Bupropione now since about six weeks (B. didn't improve my withdrawal syndrome). Tapering by the 150 mg steps was without problems.

 

Could anyone please tell me, if there have been healings from prolonged withdrawal while taking antidepressants?

 

I ask this because since several weeks my depression is back and I consider asking my doctor for reinstating my former cocktail, which is the only one which has helped against depression. It is the same cocktail (tranylcypromine - sulpride - agomelatine) which I tapered too fast two years ago. I know that it doesn't worsen my withdrawal symptoms, because we have already reinstated it in 2011, at that time in order to fight withdrawal symptoms (in the first weeks withdrawal syndrome even partially cleared, but in the next months there was not any improvement any more, so that we tapered very slow, without additional problems). Now depression is back, the first time since three years. It is because I realize more and more my horrible situation after two years of suffering withdrawal brain fog: I am doing a simple, funded job since several weeks, but even that turned out to be too much.

 

Thank you very much!

Greets,

Novalis

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  • Administrator

Your past experience can't predict how your system will respond to more psychiatric drugs now.

 

Since you've experienced severe withdrawal, you may be very sensitive to any other psychiatric drugs.

 

Your reaction is unpredictable. They could make you worse.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hi...

 

I just looked up your medications for the American names and the first one is Parnate here in the states and it is an MAOI inhibitor which is an old medication used to treat depression.

 

The Sulpride is for Schizophrenia and it quite strong which could very well be the reason for the brain fog.

 

All of these drugs cause brain fog. Changing doses, getting off and getting on them will produce the brain fog and short term memory issues. I get this, and it has changed how I learn and retain information. Don't like it at all.

 

When I stabilize it improves alot. There are drugs that treat depression that are not as strong as the sulpride.

 

Believe me, alot of us here have this issue.

 

Nikki

Intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1902-nikki-hi-my-rundown-with-ads/

 

Paxil 1997-2004

Crossed over to Lexapro Paxil not available

at Pharmacies GSK halted deliveries

Lexapro 40mgs

Lexapro taper (2years)

Imipramine

Imipramine and Celexa

Now Nefazadone/Imipramine 50mgs. each

45mgs. Serzone  50mgs. Imipramine

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