Jump to content
Support our work - please give today

Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD: Repetitive intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviors

dunerbug

By dunerbug
in Symptoms and self-care

 Share

Recommended Posts

Broken Newbie

Broken

Posted
Posted
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3882-ocd-obsessive-thoughts-compulsive-behaviors/page-2#entry152996

December 2008 Prescribed 20mg citalopram (celexa) for depression and OCD.July 2013 stopped taking citalopram (celexa). November 2013 reinstated citalopram (celexa) following replapse at 20mg for 4 weeks, 40mg for 4 weeks and tapered off over 4 weeks as my condition had deteriorated. February 2014 started 20mg of fluoxetine (prozac). Didn't tolerate it and stopped 4 weeks later, experienced no withdrawal. May 2014 started 25mg of sertraline (zoloft), increased to 50mg after 1 week. Remained at 50mg for 4 weeks before increasing to 100mg at the request of my psychiatrist despite advising of suicidal ideation for an additional week before stopping. Advised to drop to 50mg for 3 days before withdrawing altogether. I did as advised and horrendous withdrawal ensued. 11th August 2014 commenced escitalopram (lexapro), weaned off end of October 2014. Commenced Clonazepam December 2014 0.5mg twice daily, switched to Diazepam 10mg twice daily with a view to tapering of the benzodiazepine altogether. Tapering schedule presently at a reduction of 1mg of Diazepam every 1-2 weeks depending upon side effects. So far experienced no severe physical side effects except worsening of PGAD symptoms upon reduction which does seem to improve within a few days of doing so. Presently taking no antidepressants however still experiencing mild agitation, severe depression and PGAD which is currently being treated by a physiotherapist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Replies 210
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • btdt

    13

  • Cheryl

    11

  • Susanne

    10

  • dunerbug

    8

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Mia1
Mia1

Hi everyone, this is my biggest issue to date coming off Amitriptyline. I had some minor OCD prior to medication, much more intense since coming off meds. I meditate and practice mindfulness, both of

Eastcoastgirl
Eastcoastgirl

It is important to remember, at least in my case, that a lot of these symptoms are withdrawal and not the real me. Repetitive thoughts and OCD are very very common withdrawal symptoms and they often m

Ariel
Ariel

WD anxiety, a.k.a. neuro-anxiety, is different from normal anxiety.    We mustn't let ourselves be discouraged if our usual non-drug coping techniques and run-of-the-mill CBT-style tactics d

btdt Newbie

btdt

Posted
Posted

 

I have no idea if this will work but it comes from the book on brain plasticity by Norman Doidge 

the video is the guy who wrote the book brain lock... 

supposedly the new cutting edge help for ocd... 

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Farout Contributor

Farout

Posted
Posted

I'm new to this forum, so I'm not sure of the protocols with posting links but I wanted to share something that has helped me immensely through WD. I had significant harm OCD style thoughts - both around my kids and for myself. I never had them before I took AD and I haven't had them (or been bothered by them) for a long time but recently had a bad wave, where they all came flooding back - along with some new themes as well.

 

I read this article daily in the early days and went back to it in the recent wave. I mentally insert 'withdrawal' before OCD in the article - i.e. 'You are bothered by these thougts because you have WITHDRAWAL OCD'.

 

http://ocdspecialists.com/bizarre-thoughts-and-me-confessions-of-an-ocd-therapist/

1

March 2003 took two sartroline tablets after a traumatic incident and had a reaction so stopped.  I am not sure now whether what I had for the next 18 months was WD after the reaction or the emotional fallout from the traumatic event.  Some of it was very similar to WD in hindsight.  

 

February 2014 - Took five pristiq (50mg) tablets and three Ativan and had a severe reaction.
Extreme withdrawal symptoms for three weeks compounded by visit to naturopath -

One week later took 900mg St John's Wort x 3 daily for six weeks - more negative effects and suspected serotonin syndrome - before tapering over three weeks. Last tablet late May 2014.

Waves and windows cycle of recovery with longer windows and manageable waves.

May 2015 - already in a mild wave, following a usual pattern, I took clarithromicin and amoxicillin for two weeks for a sinus infection which I also seem to have had quite a reaction to.

 

February 2016 - Feeling much better.  I still have waves and windows but they are manageable.  I'm largely enjoying life again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Farout Contributor

Farout

Posted
Posted

Purplesky, I disagree but, fortunately, don't feel any need to justify myself or my experience to you.

 

Regardless of how caused, there is absolutely no harm in a person informing themselves about the patterns of OCD and obsessional/intrusive thoughts and to try to recognise and alter unhelpful thought processes that can be feeding it. The posts on here share information in the spirit of support for people who are going through a difficult time. I'm not entirely sure what your motivation is.

1

March 2003 took two sartroline tablets after a traumatic incident and had a reaction so stopped.  I am not sure now whether what I had for the next 18 months was WD after the reaction or the emotional fallout from the traumatic event.  Some of it was very similar to WD in hindsight.  

 

February 2014 - Took five pristiq (50mg) tablets and three Ativan and had a severe reaction.
Extreme withdrawal symptoms for three weeks compounded by visit to naturopath -

One week later took 900mg St John's Wort x 3 daily for six weeks - more negative effects and suspected serotonin syndrome - before tapering over three weeks. Last tablet late May 2014.

Waves and windows cycle of recovery with longer windows and manageable waves.

May 2015 - already in a mild wave, following a usual pattern, I took clarithromicin and amoxicillin for two weeks for a sinus infection which I also seem to have had quite a reaction to.

 

February 2016 - Feeling much better.  I still have waves and windows but they are manageable.  I'm largely enjoying life again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Broken Newbie

Broken

Posted
Posted

OCD is OCD regardless if how it originally came to be and the way in which you need to address it is no different.

 

Just my correct opinion and excuse me if I'm coming across as somewhat arrogant and big headed.

 

I am.

December 2008 Prescribed 20mg citalopram (celexa) for depression and OCD.July 2013 stopped taking citalopram (celexa). November 2013 reinstated citalopram (celexa) following replapse at 20mg for 4 weeks, 40mg for 4 weeks and tapered off over 4 weeks as my condition had deteriorated. February 2014 started 20mg of fluoxetine (prozac). Didn't tolerate it and stopped 4 weeks later, experienced no withdrawal. May 2014 started 25mg of sertraline (zoloft), increased to 50mg after 1 week. Remained at 50mg for 4 weeks before increasing to 100mg at the request of my psychiatrist despite advising of suicidal ideation for an additional week before stopping. Advised to drop to 50mg for 3 days before withdrawing altogether. I did as advised and horrendous withdrawal ensued. 11th August 2014 commenced escitalopram (lexapro), weaned off end of October 2014. Commenced Clonazepam December 2014 0.5mg twice daily, switched to Diazepam 10mg twice daily with a view to tapering of the benzodiazepine altogether. Tapering schedule presently at a reduction of 1mg of Diazepam every 1-2 weeks depending upon side effects. So far experienced no severe physical side effects except worsening of PGAD symptoms upon reduction which does seem to improve within a few days of doing so. Presently taking no antidepressants however still experiencing mild agitation, severe depression and PGAD which is currently being treated by a physiotherapist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
Tootsieroll Rookie

Tootsieroll

Posted
Posted

Sorry for jumping in here, but I need some insight on my OCD issue.  I have this repetitive movement OCD.  If I start off with a movement such as brushing my teeth, it's almost like it has momentum and then I find it hard to stop that motion.  It's as if the brain took that signal in a current and the current perpetuates till it either becomes a big wave or it slowly dissipates.  Regardless, it all starts off with a repetitive movement.  I'm 18 months off celexa and 15 months off  2 months of benzo use.  Is it all interconnected?  Is this considered protracted?

<p>10 years of ssri and finally tapered off in 2 years. Off Celexa by jan/28/2014 and off benzos by March/6th/2014 after only two months use and still experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
btdt Newbie

btdt

Posted
Posted

Sorry for jumping in here, but I need some insight on my OCD issue.  I have this repetitive movement OCD.  If I start off with a movement such as brushing my teeth, it's almost like it has momentum and then I find it hard to stop that motion.  It's as if the brain took that signal in a current and the current perpetuates till it either becomes a big wave or it slowly dissipates.  Regardless, it all starts off with a repetitive movement.  I'm 18 months off celexa and 15 months off  2 months of benzo use.  Is it all interconnected?  Is this considered protracted?

I don't think it is protracted yet.  The majority of people I think have some wd going on for a good 3 years post stopping.  I am not too sure about the benzos I am just learning about them some from reading here I quit them like I quit everything else the wrong way.  

I am trying to think of repetitive movement ocd .. not sure I have heard that term before and suspect we are just messing around with terms here it is likely called something else my weary brain can't think of just now. 

I will sleep on it and maybe somebody else will clue in and answer you before I get up .

peace

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tootsieroll Rookie

Tootsieroll

Posted
Posted

LOL i think i may have made that term up myself.  I guess it is aptly called the compulsive part of the OCD.  Just imagine a parkinsons patient and how their hand can shake from one direction to the next and it never ceases to stop, unless with major effort and anxiety.  Is it just the wiring of the brain gone wrong and it's shooting the signals repeatedly?  I read up that in Parkinsons, the issue is no dopamine.  It has to make me wonder.  It only continues when I start up a movement THEN my thought process tells me that I have to continue doing it or my anxiety will get worse.  But it's almost as if it was involuntary.

<p>10 years of ssri and finally tapered off in 2 years. Off Celexa by jan/28/2014 and off benzos by March/6th/2014 after only two months use and still experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
btdt Newbie

btdt

Posted
Posted

LOL i think i may have made that term up myself.  I guess it is aptly called the compulsive part of the OCD.  Just imagine a parkinsons patient and how their hand can shake from one direction to the next and it never ceases to stop, unless with major effort and anxiety.  Is it just the wiring of the brain gone wrong and it's shooting the signals repeatedly?  I read up that in Parkinsons, the issue is no dopamine.  It has to make me wonder.  It only continues when I start up a movement THEN my thought process tells me that I have to continue doing it or my anxiety will get worse.  But it's almost as if it was involuntary.

 

I think I know what you mean .. kind of.. there is counting thing I use to do that involved my fingers.. at some point in withdrawal I just had to count and touch my fingers to my thumbs.. when I use to work with kids I would often notice some kids doing this... for some it meant they were in thought for others it meant .. that is enough of this activity... I need time out.. 

 

I worked with disabled kids not all of them could speak so being aware of cues was important... 

 

The parkinsons I wonder about too... I have been shaking again at the start of a movement.. just sometimes but it is back and I don't like it.. two things now smells making me sick and the shaking .. intermittently .. I am thinking it passed once before it can pass again. I do wonder what set it off... I had a car accident it was back bad after that for a time... and is back again now. I am not sure it may be just part of wd for some of us... and maybe this is just waves coming and going... still. 

Naturally if your in this process and a major stress comes it will kick of a wd response things like car accidents you can expect fallow out... the rest.. why it comes and goes... rubic cube I guess.. I don't know. 

 

As with all things wd getting bent our of shape by it does not help so I try not to but some days I do freak out.. depends on the day. Time will be the deciding factor it comes and it goes... just hoping to end this story on a go not a come.. if you know what I mean. 

peace

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
RockSie Newbie

RockSie

Posted
Posted

Hi guys,

 

i just want to know if anybody knows this symptoms? Its a kind of obsessive doubts if its wd or not. I dont know how to explain it exactly. The whole day I have to think about it. Like obsessive rumination. Then I try to analyze everything. 

Thank u so much.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Administrator
Altostrata Grand Master

Altostrata

Posted
  • Administrator
Posted

Added Admin Note to post #1.

 

Let me also say I am extremely proud of our many members who have learned how to meditate or use CBT or DBT or other disciplines to manage their obsessive tendencies while on the journey to going off drugs.

1

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 5 weeks later...
antidepressantsNoMore Newbie

antidepressantsNoMore

Posted
Posted

Anyone here suffer from Pure-OCD?? All obsessions reside in your head along with the horrible intrusive thoughts. It can provoke some physical symptoms but is more mental than ritual. It is a horrible thing.

trintellix 1 mg and rexulti .5mg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
LucaDiProspero Newbie

LucaDiProspero

Posted
Posted

Anyone here suffer from Pure-OCD?? All obsessions reside in your head along with the horrible intrusive thoughts. It can provoke some physical symptoms but is more mental than ritual. It is a horrible thing.

yes, mine is pure-OCD.

As i wrote in my thread, during all the day I keep asking to myself why I have to watch TV (also when I watch TV) or why I have to take a shower, to go out for a walk and so on. What's the point in doing anything?

Same questions when I have a conversation with someone: why saying anything to him/her, what's the point in speaking about everything?

And also when I'm alone I keep asking to myself: what I have to think now? I don't know what to think! it's odd :/

I think it's something related to nihilistic/existential depression.

I mean, we simply exist without a reason so we are obliged to do something in order to fill the day every day. It's like an over-active consciousness...I'm aware all the time of my mind and my body. I don't really know if this OCD is from WD or is something different!

Anyone has similar obsessions?

March 2010/ October 2010:

Sereupin 30mg a day, EN 15 drops a day

October 2010/ 1st November 2014:

Cipralex 50mg a day (tapered to 40mg a day in August 2013), EN 15 drops a day (switched to Lexotan 15 drops a day in September 2014)

Started Risperdal 1mg a day on the 1st November 2014.

Stopped Risperdal on the 23 November 2014 because that day, after a short mental crysis, I suddenly lost all my emotions,desires,motivation and they not come back yet.

Stopped Cipralex C/T in December 2014.

Added, tapered and stopped other drugs during the following months (also a voluntary hospitalization in January 2015 for a suicide attempt)...no changes yet.

 

 

I'm med free from 3rd December 2015

Link to comment
Share on other sites
antidepressantsNoMore Newbie

antidepressantsNoMore

Posted
Posted

 

Anyone here suffer from Pure-OCD?? All obsessions reside in your head along with the horrible intrusive thoughts. It can provoke some physical symptoms but is more mental than ritual. It is a horrible thing.

yes, mine is pure-OCD.

As i wrote in my thread, during all the day I keep asking to myself why I have to watch TV (also when I watch TV) or why I have to take a shower, to go out for a walk and so on. What's the point in doing anything?

Same questions when I have a conversation with someone: why saying anything to him/her, what's the point in speaking about everything?

And also when I'm alone I keep asking to myself: what I have to think now? I don't know what to think! it's odd :/

I think it's something related to nihilistic/existential depression.

I mean, we simply exist without a reason so we are obliged to do something in order to fill the day every day. It's like an over-active consciousness...I'm aware all the time of my mind and my body. I don't really know if this OCD is from WD or is something different!

Anyone has similar obsessions?

 

 

Pure-O OCD is a living hell. The worst thing about the intrusive thoughts is the doubt that comes along with it. When in doubt, we seek re-assurance, and the cycle repeats itself. I'm on Prozac now. It is very good at treating OCD.

trintellix 1 mg and rexulti .5mg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LucaDiProspero Newbie

LucaDiProspero

Posted
Posted

antidepressantsnomore, my pure ocd is unbearable.

I also read Prozac is good in treating ocd, do you think I should start it?

I don't know if a new ssri is good for my mind! I finished tapering my last one four months ago.

March 2010/ October 2010:

Sereupin 30mg a day, EN 15 drops a day

October 2010/ 1st November 2014:

Cipralex 50mg a day (tapered to 40mg a day in August 2013), EN 15 drops a day (switched to Lexotan 15 drops a day in September 2014)

Started Risperdal 1mg a day on the 1st November 2014.

Stopped Risperdal on the 23 November 2014 because that day, after a short mental crysis, I suddenly lost all my emotions,desires,motivation and they not come back yet.

Stopped Cipralex C/T in December 2014.

Added, tapered and stopped other drugs during the following months (also a voluntary hospitalization in January 2015 for a suicide attempt)...no changes yet.

 

 

I'm med free from 3rd December 2015

Link to comment
Share on other sites
servadei Rookie

servadei

Posted
Posted

Luca, I definitely wouldn't start another sssri. I think therapy like cbt would be much more healthier and successfully in the long run.

I also ruminate all the time and I'm overly aware of my own existence. It is quite hard to live like that :/

CD off meds in July 2015, not on any medication since. Went through WD nightmare, now dealing with normal anxiety, but decided not to leave this forum yet because I want to support and give hope to others. ♡

Link to comment
Share on other sites
antidepressantsNoMore Newbie

antidepressantsNoMore

Posted
Posted

antidepressantsnomore, my pure ocd is unbearable.

I also read Prozac is good in treating ocd, do you think I should start it?

I don't know if a new ssri is good for my mind! I finished tapering my last one four months ago.

 

I had to go back on prozac. I am currently taking it for OCD. It is helping. I know a lot of people are agaisnt SSRI on this forum after all the mess. However, the prozac is helping me with intrusive thoughts.

trintellix 1 mg and rexulti .5mg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Polly1974 Newbie

Polly1974

Posted
Posted

Hello everyone

 

I'm so sorry to bother you all. Need some reassurance that I'm not alone here.

 

Is there anyone else who is really struggling with their original anxiety problem during their withdrawal.

 

My original diagnoses was and OCD type phobia. The thoughts and fears I am dealing with now are off the scale compared to pre Benzos? The thoughts are relentless, have more power and the fear is much stronger.

 

If there is anyone else with something similar I would love to hear from you it would give me so much hope.

 

Thanks everyone,

Polly

Prescribed Lorazepam for OCD/ fear for 6 years.

Reached tolerance at 9mg Per day.

Was taken off using only 30 mg Valium over 6 months. Didn't realise about withdrawal and was prescribed 7 anti depressants (8 week trial on each), 3 antipsychotics and then a reinstatement of 30 mg Valium Per day.

Been drug free for 14 months but believe i am in severe withdrawal from stopping and starting all these medications.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Moderator Emeritus
Petunia Newbie

Petunia

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted (edited)

Its quite common for an original (psychological) problem to get worse in withdrawal, if it hasn't been dealt with through counseling or other treatments. Anxiety is a common symptom of withdrawal, and any underlying patterns of thinking and behaviour triggered by anxiety will be intensified.

 

Some people who have never experienced OCD or phobias before, will develop them in withdrawal.

 

See: OCD: obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors - Surviving ...  *topics merged

Edited by Petunia
updated

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
caperjackie Newbie

caperjackie

Posted
Posted

WD anxiety is a whole different beastie to the original condition. As you say ....... 'off the scale' .......... One good thing about it is that once it calms down, the anxiety we had pre meds (which in a lot of cases put us on the meds) is like a walk in the park by comparison. Hang in there ....... it eventually becomes more bearable .....

1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
HopeforBetter1110 Newbie

HopeforBetter1110

Posted
Posted

Polly1974, you're not alone. And it was helpful coming across your post because I'm looking for reassurance today, too. I'm struggling most lately with rumination, guilt, and panic/anxiety. I really don't feel this was what I was like previous to medications, but my mind makes me doubt myself often. These withdrawal emotions can be so scary and painful.

 

Like caperjackie said, it seems that once this is all over and we've been able to survive and work through these neuro emotions of withdrawal, that our original struggles should be much easier to deal with. 

Last taper was off of Lamictal (Lamotrigine): Started drop from 225 mg in April 2014 by going down 25 mg every 2 weeks. Then to 12.5 mg every 3 weeks. Then 10 mg every 3 weeks. Then 5 mg after 3.5 weeks. (using the chewable, dispersible pills) I had gone down to 30 mg, but was far too sick and went back up to 35. I then dropped back down to 30 mg, then 1 mg drops until 25 mg. Dropped off completely at 25 mg because the symptoms from taking the pills were becoming more unbearable than the withdrawal at times. Completely off as of 5/11/15. Update 10/28/15: Reinstated 0.0625 mg, meant to take 0.25, measured wrong. Only took 2 days.

I've gotten off of: Abilify, PRN Klonopin (0.5-1 mg) - no taper as took it infrequently, and Effexor (300 mg). Abilify and Effexor were rapid tapers around the beginning of 2014. After tapering Effexor and Abilify I tried taking Remeron and Topamax for a short time with very bad side effects. (I have taken numerous psych drugs over the years (starting in my early teens), but these were the ones I was on when getting off completely).

On 2/9/15, received a Promethazine injection for nausea, which caused pain, numbness, burning, shooting pain and was prescribed pain meds (made me sick and didn't help), 5 days of Prednisone, and some sort of anti-inflammatory. I had been doing somewhat better with Lamictal taper until this point.

Current Supplements: Omega-3 with Co Q-10: 1000 mg x 2, Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids and Rose Hips: 500 mg x 2, Multivitamin, Vitamin D, Probiotics

 

Dx: Asperger Syndrome (originally misdiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, ADHD), GAD, and PTSD

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Administrator
Altostrata Grand Master

Altostrata

Posted
  • Administrator
Posted

Heightened anxiety is such a very common withdrawal symptom, one need not have a pre-existing "anxiety disorder" to experience it intensely in withdrawal.

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
Theon Newbie

Theon

Posted
Posted

Hello people, 

 

I have been reciently dealing with HOCD that is basically a type of ocd in which you are worried of being homosexual, like I am getting intrusive thoughts about : What if ssri have made mehomosexual? and that causes me fear.

 

I have always been straight and always liked girls until fluoxetine killed my libido and sexuality, now I am basically asexual,,, but with the fear of becoming homosexual. 

 

The thing is that now I am getting intrusive thoughts that tell me that I might have become homosexual because of the ssri... and that causes me fear because I don't want to be homosexual (I have nothing against them, really, but I want to recover my own sexuality)...

 

This is caused directly by pssd, because if I still had my sexuality, I wouldn't fear becoming homosexual (again I don't have anything against them)

About me ------------------------ College student with a history of anxiety, excessive worrying and health anxiety.

April 2014 - May 2015----------    Prozac 20mg On and Off.  Second time on it I developed apathy, changes in personality, asexuality.

May 2015  -   July 2015-----------------  Tappering off prozac. Still no feelings,anhedonia, apathy, no libido, asexuality.

Current symptoms--------  pssd (asexuality in my case). Anxiety and depression developed some months afer stopping prozac, could have been caused by obsessing and beating myself up too much when I found myself unable to like girls again. The best thing to do with pssd (which in my case is asexuality) is accept it and move on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bluebalu86 Newbie

bluebalu86

Posted
Posted

There are many resources online how to deal with all kinds of OCD. Can you afford to work closely with a qualified therapist?

Your thoughts are irrational and have no basis in reality. You cannot "become" homosexual. You either are or you aren't. It's not something that changes like that. 

I suffer from depression, anxiety, pure-o ocd, and panic attacks since 2004. Been on multiple different psychiatric drugs since 2006. Never had a significant WD problem before, only brain zaps for a month and then I'd be fine...............Been on Cipralex (escitalopram) 15 mg and Fluanxol (flupentixol) 1 mg since Sep 2014. Stopped taking the Cipralex after a fast 20-day taper.Took the last 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 5th, 2015. Then took Seroxat (paroxetine) 10 mg for a week, and stopped it too. Severe WD started suddenly on Feb 16th. RI 5 mg Cipralex on Feb 18th, 2015. RI worked and was relatively stable for a while................April 7 - decreased Fluanxol from 1 mg to 0.5 mg and took it at this dose for a week. - BIG MISTAKE; April 13 - WD starts creeping in; April 14 - RI full dose of Fluanxol 1 mg => severe muscle twitching and jerking when trying to relax and fall asleep, overwhelming sense of doom, dread, terror, and horror, insomnia, hoping to stabilize.
Tried doing a 10% cut off Fluanxol in the end of May for a few days, but quickly updosed to full dose because the twitching returned.
Experiencing waves and windows in the following months.
Unsuccessful brief taper attempt of Fluanxol by 5% on November 1st. Symptoms hit the next day. Too scared to continue tapering, reinstate full dose.
Severe crash in November after stupidly trying a barbiturate on November 9th. Grave mistake. Sense of unshakable inescapable internal torture, like my soul is in hell being tortured, terror/horror/dread/doom (probably akathisia?) that gets especially bad when trying to relax and fall asleep, muscles twitch, jerk and move on their own, shaking, insomnia, can't eat, confusion, disorientation, brain not working normally. Never felt so bad in my entire life. Never experiment with other meds while in WD! Praying to God I stabilize and get back to my baseline.
December - things getting even worse.

January - unbearable suffering

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Shoulditakethis Newbie

Shoulditakethis

Posted
Posted

Theon, I'm sorry to hear your problems but I can relate and maybe offer some advice.

 

Although I took antidepressants for migraines I also suffer from OCD. One of my first themes, among several now haha, was HOCD. I'd been with several girls and had a long time girlfriend at that point.

 

Just remember to accept any intrusive thoughts, ignoring them or stifling them will make them come back with vengeance. It isn't easy but you have to cope with the anxiety that they bring. Try finding a psychologist, they can really help. You are not homosexual.

 

I've beaten HOCD and you can too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Theon Newbie

Theon

Posted
Posted

Theon, I'm sorry to hear your problems but I can relate and maybe offer some advice.

 

Although I took antidepressants for migraines I also suffer from OCD. One of my first themes, among several now haha, was HOCD. I'd been with several girls and had a long time girlfriend at that point.

 

Just remember to accept any intrusive thoughts, ignoring them or stifling them will make them come back with vengeance. It isn't easy but you have to cope with the anxiety that they bring. Try finding a psychologist, they can really help. You are not homosexual.

 

I've beaten HOCD and you can too.

 

But Shoulditakethis, it is easy to know that you are not gay if you are straight and like girls, but now I am just asexual. I suffer from pssd. So if anything I have to convince myself that I am asexual and not gay, because I feel the same way when I look to a naked girl as when I look to a naked guy; I just feel nothing at all... So maybe I have to accept this new asexual me. At least being asexual scares me less than being gay, because of stigma I guess.

About me ------------------------ College student with a history of anxiety, excessive worrying and health anxiety.

April 2014 - May 2015----------    Prozac 20mg On and Off.  Second time on it I developed apathy, changes in personality, asexuality.

May 2015  -   July 2015-----------------  Tappering off prozac. Still no feelings,anhedonia, apathy, no libido, asexuality.

Current symptoms--------  pssd (asexuality in my case). Anxiety and depression developed some months afer stopping prozac, could have been caused by obsessing and beating myself up too much when I found myself unable to like girls again. The best thing to do with pssd (which in my case is asexuality) is accept it and move on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus
JanCarol Contributor

JanCarol

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

Hudgeons:

 

I don't know if this will work for others but this is how I dealt with my own obsessional/unwanted thoughts.

First, I recognized that trying to run away from these thoughts doesn't work any better than dwelling on them.

Dismissing them doesn't work either. If you try and dismiss them they will get angry (so to speak) and return

later, and usually more insistent-they don't like being ignored, and respond by getting louder (more annoying).

Trying to distract yourself from them is about the same thing with the same results. Dwelling on them seems to add

to there strength, so when you put them back in your memory, they are either just as strong or stronger, and will

thus, certainly return.

 

So, what kind of response is left?

 

The answer is to take them as exactly as they are. What I mean here is that the other methods mentioned above are essentially

exaggerations (or not taking them as they really are). Dismissing them or distracting yourself from them is the same as saying they have no meaning or that they don't really exist, respectively. (Distraction being a kind of pretending they're not there). Dwelling on them is like overemphasizing their importance. all 3 methods are exaggerations and therefore not dealing with the problem as it really is. So the answer is to move from strategies that are unrealistic (so to speak) and move to a strategy that takes in the reality of the problem, no more, no less.

 

The way to take the problem (unwanted idea) as exactly what it is, is exactly that. You have to begin by letting the thought be exactly what is is. So how do you do this without simultaneously dwelling on it? You accomplish this by not focusing on the

"content" of the thought but instead, on the feeling(s) it (the thought) creates at the time. So when the thought(s) arise, look within and observe how you're feeling at that time, just letting the feeling be exactly what it is, no judgments about it at all, in fact no interpreting it in words here. Just a scanning, for example,  how different parts of your body feel individually, or how you're feeling overall. The focus must me nonjudgmental and a simple sort of focus or awareness of your inner state just after the unwanted thought occurs.

 

This technique can be practiced for a minute or so.

 

The immediate result is that the unwanted thought does not have the usual negative impact. the long term result is in an unwanted thought returning less and less, and even when it does, it's affect is progressively weaker. I think that this is because of putting it back into your memory in a slightly weaker form each time you practice this simple, though not necessarily easy, technique. You begin to associate it with the calming effect of the technique. 

 

It can also help if, after the above technique, you can remember something (anything) in your memory that you feel good about. I used to recall a sitcom I enjoyed watching. This helps further weaken the unwanted thought(s) because thoughts that are linked in time are also linked then in the memory, and they, being that close, affect each other. And so you will be weakening the unwanted thoughts in two ways each time they occur.

 

I just gotta bump this and say, this is GREAT!  Thank you Hudgeons for some awesome insight into management of intrusive and persistent thoughts.

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Moderator Emeritus
JanCarol Contributor

JanCarol

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

Theon writes:  

 

I have been reciently dealing with HOCD that is basically a type of ocd in which you are worried of being homosexual, like I am getting intrusive thoughts about : What if ssri have made mehomosexual? and that causes me fear.I have always been straight and always liked girls until fluoxetine killed my libido and sexuality, now I am basically asexual,,, but with the fear of becoming homosexual. 

It's just a thought, Theon. 

 

Why would that be horrible?  So what?  

 

Why not hang out with the asexuals on http://www.asexuality.org/en and sort it out?

 

That's what I've been doing, similar to - not homosexual - but "what if I'm frigid?"

 

When I talk to these asexuals, I find - there are all kinds of people in this world. The asexuals on that site are very good at exploring relationships, and facets of relationships in open and curious ways.  Very healthy.   So what if I am a people like this one or that one?  So what if I find I now prefer chanting rhymes to goldfish instead of having sex?  Explore the feeling of NON sexuality, and when you come out on the other side, you may find you are open to all kinds of options.

 

It's like Hudgens said:  acknowledge the thought, call it that - if you can, acknowledge the feeling behind the thought.  Then call it a "thought."  This is just a thought.  This is a withdrawal thought, or a neuro-thought.  Then, think of something else (like your breath, or a pretty view, or a good feeling).  Rewrite your own script.

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Moderator Emeritus
JanCarol Contributor

JanCarol

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted (edited)

This post will not make me popular.  Think of it as a cognitive challenge.  Most of my complaint is linguistic, but behind the linguistic is, I believe, a thinking pattern which feeds "OCD."


 


Other mods and posters have hinted at this, but I'm going to just come out and say it.


 


You see, I don't believe in "OCD," it wasn't invented until it was put into the DSM IV-TR in 2000.  It is psychobabble.


 


It is more helpful and realistic to discuss:  intrusive thoughts, persistent thoughts, sticky thoughts, reactions to fear, thoughts of harm, and sticky feelings.  It is more real to talk about urges, ugly thoughts, horrible images, persistent internal dialogue, obsession with harm, rumination, stuck in a rut. And discuss the feelings that give rise to these intrusive and persistent  thoughts.


 


OCD is, by its very nature, a DISORDER, as named by the American Psychiatric Association in the DSM. 


 


When I hear so many of you saying "Oh I have OCD" it's like you are admitting that you have a psychiatric disorder.  That you are a victim of that disorder, that this disorder can be triggered by things beyond your control.  That you can put these thoughts and feelings and suffering in a little box named "OCD" and lock it away.


 


But that only makes it worse.


 


I'm not denying the reality of these thoughts, feelings, intrusions, stickiness, repetitiveness, pain, fear, - or horribleness of these things.  I'm only challenging what you call it. 


 


I challenge you to - every time you want to say "It's my OCD" - do you want to OWN it?  Does it OWN you?  Are you married to or in a relationship with it, like "My BFF?"


 


Or


 


When you say, "I HAVE OCD" - oh, can you buy or sell it? Stockpile it? Is it contagious?  Can you eat or drink it, does it fill up an empty hole?


 


Or


 


When you say, "I AM OCD" - what?  Is it your IDENTITY?


 


Or even,


 


"I suffer from OCD" - "this disorder, which I am a victim of - makes me suffer." Talking like this takes away your choice (and it is this choice which I am challenging) - if only by thinking differently, you no longer HAVE, ARE, GET, or SUFFER FROM OCD.  You may experience Obsessive, instrusive, ruminating, frightening thoughts, and maybe even OCBehaviours, but OCD is fiction, made up by doctors and drug companies, to sell pills.


 


IF your compelling, suffering, terrible horrible intrusive thoughts become ACTIONS, that is when it becomes the OCD of the DSM.  Compulsions.  You have to wash your hands.  You have to avoid carrying coins in your pocket.  You can't go out in the rain.  You have to check your power switches, you have to turn around and sit down before you walk out the door because you know you've forgotten something.


 


BUT I CHALLENGE THE VERY DSM.  I don't like diagnosis, any diagnosis.  If you have these compulsions - how about calling it "Obsessive Compulsive BEHAVIOUR." (OCB) Because a disorder takes your power away - but calling it behaviour puts the power back into your hands.


 


(yes, I have obsessive compulsive behaviours.  I'll keep them to myself for now, just trust that I'm working on them.  I will confess to ruminating on my husband's smell for the past 48 hours.  WTF?)


 


BUT - if it doesn't get to the BEHAVIOUR - then - it's just thoughts and feelings.  It's not OCD and it's not OCB.  Like Broken said:  It starts with "What if. . . ."


 


Challenge yourself.  If it's just a thought, then you can, as Hudgeons says, admit:  it is just a thought.  If it is a sticky, horrible fear or feeling, Acknowledge:  It is a sticky horrible fear or feeling.  Accept it.  And Float (thank you Brassmonkey for the AAF acronym)


 


In Acknowledging it, use feeling words, not "diagnosis words'  (I have this same feeling about "Manic" and even "anxiety," and "triggers," because these are intellectual descriptions of a feeling - but not the feeling itself. 


 


Here is a suggestion for feeling words. 


 


Feeling Vocabulary Wheel


 


And here is my challenge:  anytime you are telling yourself, telling me, telling others about something in your mind, your feelings, your experience, your situation, and you want to use "diagnosis words" like "OCD", "anxiety", or "manic" or even "ADHD" or "triggering" -


 


Be still for a moment, look at the "Feeling Wheel" or any other of the plentiful lists of "Feeling words" on the web, and pick words that better express what you are feeling, without feeding the hungry diagnostic DSM monster, or your own victimhood of that DSM.


Edited by JanCarol
fix link

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus
JanCarol Contributor

JanCarol

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

Claire Weekes:  "An obsession is just a strange thought in a tired mind."

 

I would add: with emotional content and attachment, the strange thought keeps repeating.  It is the fear of the thought which makes the thought so powerful.

1

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
marie2015 Newbie

marie2015

Posted
Posted

I have had OCD for years. The usual treatment (apart from medication) is CBT and in particular Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). It is considered the gold standard. But there is also a new approach, a specific form of CBT : Inference-Based Approach (IBA). I did around 20 sessions with a therapist specialized in this approach and it helped me a lot. Just my 2 cents!

1997-2004 : Paxil for anxiety

2007-2014 : Celexa for anxiety

2014-15 :  Remeron and Clomipramine for PPD

2015-2019 : Clomipramine 25-100mg

2020-2023 : slow tapering of Clomipramine. Zero (from 0.5mg) in march 2023
July 2023 : reinstating Clomipramime because of intense insomnia and DP/DR


 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Moderator Emeritus
ChessieCat Grand Master

ChessieCat

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

JanCarol,

 

An excellent post!  Labelling sets it in stone, recognising the thoughts and feelings makes it something that you can challenge and learn to do something about, remembering the neuroplasticity of the brain.  The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is worthwhile reading.

 

CC

* 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

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Moderator Emeritus
Petunia Newbie

Petunia

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted (edited)

An article from The OCD Recovery Center about the use of Inositol.

 

Animal and human studies have shown Inositol to have efficacy in treating: Mild-Moderate Anxiety; Panic Attacks; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); Agoraphobia; Simple Phobias; Social Phobia; Sensory Nerve Problems; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mild-Moderate Depression.

 

http://www.ocdrecoverycenters.com/about/prot_inositol.html

 

edit - I just found another article written by a doctor about the use of Inositol for OCD

 

Inositol and OCD  By Frederick Penzel, Ph.D.

 

Also see our Inositol topic for a discussion of its use while tapering or in withdrawal.

Edited by Petunia
added link

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Moderator Emeritus
JanCarol Contributor

JanCarol

Posted
  • Moderator Emeritus
Posted

...and here I was gonna let the inositol go.  I can't tell what it is doing for me, but if it helps with the sticky thoughts, rumination, and rituals - well.  That's a thing!  Thanks Petunia!

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
antidepressantsNoMore Newbie

antidepressantsNoMore

Posted
Posted

OCD is a real disorder, it is an anxiety disorder and is horrible. Prozac has gotten rid of 80 to 90 percent of the intrusive thoughts/rituals I used to preform. It also has taken away a lot of the compulsive reassurance behavior I used to preform caused by distress from the intrusive thoughts/rituals/uncertainty.

trintellix 1 mg and rexulti .5mg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RockSie Newbie

RockSie

Posted
Posted

Hi guys, I'm thinking a lot about the ocd thing. In Germany ocd isnt a anxiety disorder. Before taking citalopram I was diagnosed with panicattacks. I jumped from one doctor to another while thinking I was truly ill. Maybe these was ocd too?? After stopping citalopram my main symptom was intrusive thoughts about suicide. Do you think its practically the same? Maybe the intrusive thoughts about suicide isn't withdrawal but my mental illness? Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy

  I accept