lexicon: off ADs for 2 months and in horrible distress

[lexicon]

Can I talk to him on the phone ..? Would he help me even though I am not his patient ..?

Riverside ..

[Altostrata]

You'll have to phone Dr. Shipko to see what he can do!!!! http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/page__view__findpost__p__21322

 

You need to fire your current psychiatrist.

[lexicon]

Thank you Alto ..

I did talk with Dr.Shipko but He wants me to go see him .. Problem is I to not drive anymore and would need to find someone to take me ..this is not easy ..

He is a kind, and gracious human being. Too bad he does not do phone counseltations..

I will try and find someone to take me .. He said when ready, to let him know ..

I am grateful for your care Alto .. God bless you ..xx

[Hudgens]

Lex, I get a little virtigo sometimes but no zaps, thank God. They sound awful. I don't have heart issues, in fact, other than the WD's, I perfectly healthy.

 

I'm getting ready to try making my own liquid beginning either tomorrow night or the next day. I've been measuring with a kind of callipers for a long time--reducing the pills each day by rubbing them in a piece of sandpaper. I did this years ago (1994) tapering off of 4mgs of xanax, and had very liitle trouble. I wish the Effexor were that easy. And really it was, until I got down around 2mgs and the WD's began. I was pretty suprised. I'm now on my 18th day of my new dose and I'm still not feeling good enough to cosider another drop.

I'm switching to the liquid tapering to hopefully add accuracy and stability to my tapering. Seems to have worked for a lot of people before me.

 

I really hope you can get what you need from your dr very soon. Getting things done when you're feeling as sick as you do is very tough. Sorry you're feeling so bad the last 2 mnths. I Really hope you're doing much better very soon, Benz

[lexicon]

Benz, you are at (. 29) Mg ..that is pretty low, no? Is it Effexor

That you will try to turn into liquid.?

Sometimes I wonder how I got to this point .. myself and all the other

people here .. What an unacceptable way to live ..

But I am proud of you, trying different ways to get to your successful ending of these miserable medications ..I will pray for that, for you ..

Thank you for writing Benz .. Wishing you a good and uneventful night ..xx

[Hudgens]

Yes, I'm going to try mixing Effexor with water.

Yeah, I've gotten the taper down pretty low, but I need to go from .29 to .10 or even .05mgs that could take until next fall, and half a dozen more drops. Then, of course, that's only the half way mark--I still have to face whatever post-taper WD's there are and for ever how long they last.

Thinking too much into the future can get scary.

Well, thanks for praying for me, that's nice. I feel fine again right now after a day of mild depression and anxiety (yet even the "mild" versions feels awfull to me).

I'm wishing you a peacefull night. Benz

[lexicon]

Can someone please tell me, how does the reinstatement of 2mg of Sertaline works.?

What is the goal ..? How far up should I go in terms of dosing?

How long do I stay there before tapering down ..?

I have asked this before, so please someone help me to understand hoe this works ..

Thank you so much ..xx

[Altostrata]

Try 2mg and see what happens, whether it makes you feel better. You may not want to increase the dosage.

[lexicon]

Thank you Alto.

I made an appt to see the doctor next week ..Wed.

 

Today am feeling as though my body is made of jello. ... Very weak and as though I will not be able to keep my spit in my mouth ..

What do we get reduced to. No dignity ..

Anyway, has anyone complained of this situation before? Please tell me, as it is distressful ..Also, I have been having breathing problems again .. Like am choking for air ..

Thank you as always ..God bless you, and all the people who are suffering ..xx

[lexicon]

Benz, how are you today ..? I hope yours is a good day ..xx

[Meimeiquest]

Thank you Alto.

I made an appt to see the doctor next week ..Wed.

 

Today am feeling as though my body is made of jello. ... Very weak and as though I will not be able to keep my spit in my mouth ..

What do we get reduced to. No dignity ..

Anyway, has anyone complained of this situation before? Please tell me, as it is distressful ..Also, I have been having breathing problems again .. Like am choking for air ..

Thank you as always ..God bless you, and all the people who are suffering ..xx

 

I think I did. Maybe just didn't describe it that way. I remember being in the doctor's office twice completely unable to sit up. Bad times! As far as the possible hyperventilating, the symptoms come from too little carbon dioxide in the blood. You can breathe into and then from a paper bag...that way you breathe back in part of the carbon dioxide you just breathed out. I am so excited you are able to see a knowledgeable doctor! I know little snippets of text are so inadequate. But, really, someday this will be just a bad memory.

[lexicon]

Aww, my dear and kind meimei .. Thank you .. maybe it is the nervous system falling apart ...

I do not know ..

I just hope it does not become permanent .. That is my fear always ..

Unfortunately I see my doctor. ..To see the doctor Alto suggested is a bit challenging as I do not drive anymore .. He is a bit far from me .. aww, but how I wish ..

How are you feeling? How are your days ..? I think of you, and pray for your wellness ..God bless you always, for the help you are giving me ..xx

[Meimeiquest]

Sorry about the doctor thing! Nervous systems rebuild...it is just a teeny, tiny falling apart. My big fear, too, was that it would be permanent. Believe me, I took every drug offered and absolutely would have reinstated if I knew that was the problem. But I was clueless, so now I am doing it over again with a different antidepressant. This afternoon the anxiety-in-the-pit-of-my-stomach has started. But I know it will pass, I just may not get anything done for awhile.

[lexicon]

I admire you, for your optimism, in the face of adversity ..I hope to learn from you, and take your example ..

I am saddened about the anxiety .. I know this and it always frightens me ..especially when it is the prolonged kind ..

I am grateful that you make time to listen and help another fellow human ..

You are in my prayers dear meimei ..xx

[lexicon]

Hello everyone ..

It has been over 2 months now, since my abrupt taper off Lexapro and Zoloft ..

The road has been debilitating, with a lot of physical, neurological and psychological distress ..

My anxiety is still here, my heart is still beating scarry, I am dizzy, cannot walk without help, I have depression and cry a lot ..I feel that these medications have caused all this harm, as I was never depressed .. I am now, because of my unbearable circumstances ...My head feels heavy and in places numb and tingly .... My body feels weakness, almost like it will just melt on the floor ..

Lately I feel nausea, and have lost my appetite which is a new symptom ..Also some intestinal troubles are new ..

I read that as time goes by, there will be some windows of glimpses of getting better .. I have not seen them yet ..

Only constant waves of the same to endure ..

Is there anyone with prolonged withdrawals? ..If so, have you experienced any windows ..?

I would be grateful for any response ..

Wishing everyone calmness and wellness ..God bless us all ..xx

[lexicon]

Thinking of you Benz, hoping you are doing. great. ..xx

[Hudgens]

Yes, I've had a couple of pretty good days. Last fall I had about a month and a half of what felt like unbearable WD symptoms, they were a lot like yours. I had depression too, and never had it before--I was put on Imipramine and the Effexor for anxiety attacks. I still get an accassional day of depression, and still concider it the worst of the symptoms.

 

After that 60 days I began getting days and parts of days when I suddenly felt completely normal. Sometime in November I had 5 in a row. So yes, you're going to eventually have these windows, too. There are also partial windows, which are days with symptom(s) but less intense and managable. You're feeling awful right now, but you will not be stuck feeling that way foreever. It's going to get better. Benz

[lexicon]

I am so happy that you are having some good days Benz ..

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement .. This is truly a lifelike for me, this site., as I have met kind people who come to the rescue, such as you ..Thank you.

I hope to start getting those windows soon .. from your lips to God's ears. Today I am dealing with anxiety, which involves the dreaded weird heart beats ..It is very uncomfortable, and frightening ..

Keep up having your good days ..I do remember you in my prayers. ..xx

[lexicon]

The last four days, I have difficulty breathing. .. I feels as though I am breathing empty air .. Can someone please tell me if you have experienced this? Is it withdrawel or is it Ativan issue.?

I take 4 daily. ( 0.5) each .. I cannot wait to get rid of it .. When to you think will be a good time, to start thinking my options for tapering ..?

Also yesterday and today the back of my head is heavy and uncomfortable, and am very dizzy ..

Any help will be appreciated ..

Thank you .. Wishing everyone a serene day ..

[Hudgens]

Lex, I still think your breathing problem is hyperventilation. I had this a few days prior to going on Imipramine in 1992. It continued for several months after that. I had my blood gasses checked at the time, they were completely normal. I was also checked for asthma and allergies, and other things to do with the lungs. All negative. My brother had this feeling of not being able to get a complete breath right after he started an antidepressant, too. I tried to tell him it was hyperventilation but he wasn't convinced. Good news is that his went away by itself eventually. I think he said it took 6 months, though.

 

With all your symptoms and worry you're just breathing a little faster than you should, so there's a little more oxygen in your blood than you need, but that's giving you the opposite feeling--that you're not getting enough oxygen. So you try breathing more or deeper and it gets worse because now you've got even more oxygen in your blood.

 

I remember at the time thinking that it couldn't just be hyperventilation, that there had to be something very wrong with me. But now think, if you really weren't getting enough oxygen you'd be having a lot more problems than just feeling like you weren't getting a full breath.

 

By the way, I just remembered, on the way to the emrgency room, on the occasion of my first big panic attck-one of my main symptoms was feeling I was geting any air, so the EMT gave me oxygen, which, of course, only made things worse.

 

As I said before, I think you just need to slow down your breathing, even if everything inside you tells you to do the opposite. Hope this resolves for you soon, but it will most likely all by itself eventually anyway. I just thought, since I've been through it myself, I could help it be sooner rather than later. Benz

[Hudgens]

I should also add that dizziness, anxiety, "pins and needles" feeling in hands or face are also symptoms of hyperventilation. Benz

[Angel7366]

Sorry to barge in on this but I honestly think if you are having trouble breathing and for whatever reason you must see your doctor as soon as possible. He may prescribe you a beta blocker which will help slow your breathing and palpitations down.

 

I hope you find relief soon.

 

Angel

[lexicon]

Angel, thank you for your care ..And also for trying to help my situation ..I am grateful ..

The problem is, is that since all this nightmare started, my body rejects any pharmaceuticals .. Medicines turn paradoxical ..

I tried a beta blocker for these stressful palpitations, but it felt like I was on speed.

Thank you again .. please feel free to comment anytime ..

Wishing you blessings, and wellness ..xx

[lexicon]

Thank you Benz ..You are such a dear ..I am grateful to you, for taking the time to help ..

God bless you ..

I think you may be right .. I will pay attention to my breathing ..But I wonder why did this start

over two months after dropping the AD 'S ..

You talked about having had your blood gasses checked .. Maybe I should do that too.

Do you actually ask it like that? Blood gasses? Forgive me, I have not heard that before ..

How was your day? Have you started shaving your medication?

I am always thankful with you trying to help me ..

I pray that you will be well soon ..xx

[Hudgens]

Seeing a doctor is a good idea. I felt better when I went to one and had certain things ruled out.

 

I think that's what the blood test is called, it's just a way to find out the levels of different gasses in your blood, including, of course, oxygen.

 

As to why you started feeling like you couldn't get a good breath of air when you did? You can hyperventilate at any time, especially, I suppose when you're not feeling well.

 

What you are feeling just sounds so much like what I felt that I just had to mention it.

 

As I said, at the time, I couldn't believe there wasn't something terribly wrong somewhere. I wanted you to know that there very probably isn't something terribly wrong with you to cause this awful sensation. Just a terrible feeling, due to anxiety and worry and hyperventilation.

 

But Angel's right about letting a Dr look at you if for no other reason than to rule out other causes.

 

In addition, I'll tell you what my brother reported about what I think is the same condition as yours-

He said that just when he thought it would never go away, one day he realized he hadn't thought about it for a few hours. A liitle later, he realized he'd forgotten about it for a day, then several days. And not too much later, he didn't experience it at all anymore.

 

As for myself, I felt pretty good today, thanks for asking. I hope what I've said is reassuring to some extent. Benz

[lexicon]

Aww yes, thank you Benz .. Your words make me feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel ..Did your brother suffer from having his AD 'S stopped abruptly too?

This is my story, and according to Alto, the reason why I ended up with these debilitating withdrawal symptoms ..

Today, my heart has not stopped beating with premature beats as I was told at the ER that these were ...It has been going all day ..

I wish my ordeal to end like your brother's ..How long did he suffer with withdrawals, before he saw the light ..?

I am grateful to you Benz. ..You are a sweet and kind soul ..

Thank you again ..Wishing you to get well soon too ..xx

[Meimeiquest]

Thinking of you, Lexicon! I would be interested in more of your story. How was it in the detox program? Did they tell you everything would be fine? Did they offer ongoing support? I've heard some places are quite unethical and might not have prepared you for this stage of withdrawal. I really think your symptoms are entirely as expected, but I don't know what you should do. Hang in there!

[Hudgens]

My brother is still on his antidepressant, he had the breathing problem for half a year after starting.

 

I had the same problem just before and for several months after beginning an antidepressant.

 

Very rarely (maybe once or twice a year) I'll get that "I'm not getting a full breath" feeling again, and I deliberately slow my breathing down. Down to where I'm really NOT getting a full breath of air--and, in a very short time, the bad feeling goes away.

 

Hope you have a peaceful evening and sleep, Benz

[Angel7366]

Hi again Lexi

 

I know what you mean about medicines turning paradoxical. I had it with my brief encounter with Mirtszapine and a while back with Effexor which I took for a number of years. That seemed fine for a long while then it started up make me ill but strangely, although I was under doctor guidance, I didn't taper to the bitter end and only had a coiple of days of mild discomfort discomfort. I never researched it on the net either thank goodness and had no idea it might have caused me problems.

 

From your signature it seems you have been on a lot of ADs including the dreaded Paxil so I would guess you are basically getting a lot of stuff out of your system. It might take a while but I am sure you will get there. Then you can concentrate on the Ativan.

 

Re beta blockers - my doctor has instructed me to take 40mg a day to help with withdrawals. I also took them during my benzo withdrawals. They may make you feel a bit spaced out but they are very effective IMO.

 

Finally my opinion (and after some belated research) is this: AD's are no better than placebos with nasty side effects. They have been shown to work with some major depression but otherwise they are ineffective. It us the placebo effect talking for most of us Check it out..

 

The doctors overprescribe. They have to give us something. And once we are hooked it us too late. Drugs offer employment. Doctors are kept busy and psychiatrists are kept in business because of addictions and dependence in the wretched things.There are other natural ways to treat anxiety, depression etc. And next time I feel a bit down and if a doctor offers me a pill I will throw it back in his face!

 

By the way I have 2 doctors as I live between 2 countries - a bad doctor (who prescribed me these pills and even increased them) and a good one who I am seeing now and who I saw in my benzo trauma and who is very anti-drug and who is helping me through this. He is angry (not with me ) got duped again into a mess. He is the one who has prescribed the betablockers

 

Don't panic. Time is the only healer, same with the Ativan once you tackle it. You will be fine but be wary of taking any mind- altering drugs again.

 

Angel xx

[Angel7366]

Excuse the typos. Am writing this from my small screen mobile. It is the middle of the night here and I can't sleep - a w/d symptom of the Mirtazapine dammit!!!!

[lexicon]

My dearest meimei ..

I had been so ill with protracted panic attacks, that would last most day ..I kept isolated, anid would only be taken to doctors ..I saw several, among them three psychiatrists, who did not have a clue about my condition, could not diagnose, they would only say that my case was atypical ..

One of them said that if he knew what was causing my distress, he would have retired ..!!

It was in desperation that I went to this clinic ..I knew nothing about them ..

The doctor diagnosed with Serotonin overload .. Thinking hack, I think it was more like Serotonin toxicity ..

Nothing was said to me about withdrawals ..and I was illiterate about these things then, and did not ask ..

Upon discharge after 15 days, the clinic doctor remained my doctor ..when I started having withdrawals, to this day he has not said that that is what it is ..He tried to reinstate the last dose of 12.5 Mg Sertraline, but my blood pressure went sky high ..he then quit the effort, and nothing more was done ..

I am sorry, I wrote you s book ..!!

Please tell me how you are, as I think about you ..I always sm grateful that you offer Mr comfort meimei ..God bless you ..

God knows I need it as I suffer ..The latest to deal with among all the usual, is difficulty breathing, but with chest discomfort ..I wonder it it id part of withdrawal ...

Wishing you a serene day, and s blessed day ..xx

[Altostrata]

When is your appointment with Dr. Shipko?

[lexicon]

Hi dear Alto ..I have been trying to arrange transportation to Pasadena, as I do not drive anymore. ..My choices are limited, as two friends who usually drive me have issues this week ..

I pray it can br done soon, because I cannot take this any more ..

[lexicon]

Alto all of a sudden I have a problem ..the fight ot flight set in ..I feel like I will throw up .. cannot sit still .. my head is acting up in the back with slight headache and dizzy ..I wonder if it id anxiety. .. is it??

If so it is scarry ...

[Altostrata]

That sounds like a typical surge of withdrawal symptoms.

 

Some people find ginger tea helps the queasiness and magnesium the anxiety.

[lexicon]

Oooh my stomach too is in knots and my heart is beating quickly ..I usually get the full blown anxiety attacks .. this is sneaky and unexpected .. I quess it needs to run its course right? How long ..how long ..???