DontFeedTheMonkeys Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 I don't know what you find curious? Drug History 1997–Present - fluoxetine 20mg capsules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Popular Post Altostrata Posted July 29, 2022 Administrator Popular Post Share Posted July 29, 2022 @DontFeedTheMonkeys no one denies that antidepressants, which are psychotropics, have psychotropic effects. You got high from Prozac and interpreted this as beneficial. Others might have been alarmed by this effect. The "antidepressant" benefit is subjective. "No better than placebo" means over large numbers of people, there is no greater benefit from antidepressants than from placebo. That does not mean antidepressants have no effect. I invite you to wrap your mind around this difficult concept. In the meantime, we discourage discussion of antidepressants as miracle drugs correcting an imbalance here because 1) they don't; 2) the discussion is repetitive and tedious; 3) the rest of the Web is full of this nonsense and you can go there. 11 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 More sharing options...
Mirtazapine20mg Posted July 29, 2022 Share Posted July 29, 2022 3 minutes ago, Altostrata said: 1) they don't; 2) the discussion is repetitive and tedious; 3) the rest of the Web is full of this nonsense and you can go there. LOL 1 2004: (apr): Citalopram 20 mg, June 60 mg., dec 20 mg 2004 (dec): Mirtazapine 15 mg. 2014 (Jun): Citalopram stop cold turkey. Began 10 mg Vortioxetine 2017: (dec): Mirtazapine 15 mg ->30 mg (after three day stint on psych ward) 2020: (aug): Vortioxetine 10 mg stopped cold turkey. 2020 (dec): Mirtazapine 30 mg -> 15 mg (GPs instructions) 2021 (feb): Mirtazapine reinstatement 26,25 mg 2022 (Jan): Mirtazapine (5% taper): 14. Jan 24,9 mg, 6. feb 23,7 mg, 1. marts 22,5 mg, 15. marts 21,3 mg, 2. april 20 mg, 26. april 19. mg, 25. may 18.1 mg, 26 jun 17 mg. Have always taken fish oil capsules. Do not drink alcohol when tapering. 1 multivitamin pill a day. Try to eat healthy, but impossible on mirtazapine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Onmyway Posted July 30, 2022 Moderator Share Posted July 30, 2022 On 7/29/2022 at 8:13 AM, DontFeedTheMonkeys said: I cannot speak to the medical literature which finds no real evidence of a chemical imbalance related to seratonin levels, but I can tell you that after a lifetime of suffering near weekly depression, at the age of 40 I was placed on Prozac after two years of weekly psychotherapy failed to cure my depression. Within 6 weeks, my life went from despair and sadness to complete euphoria, [LSD-like symptoms that lasted several weeks] and after several weeks I balanced out to what became my new normal and could function properly for the first time in my life. I am certain this was not the Placebo Effect, the results were so profound and dramatic as to be stunning. It changed my life dramatically for the better. How else can this be explained other than a chemical imbalance, corrected by Fluexotine? Cocaine, MDMA etc would have given you a similar high, just sooner - you wouldn't have had to wait 6 weeks. No one can be certain that they are not experiencing a placebo effect - there is no way to measure it except in comparisons with people who are not taking the drug. The question now will remain whether you have bought yourself years long withdrawal or sexual side effects, weight gain or poopout and akathisia in a few years. Will the devil ask for his payment in a few weeks/months/years? The fact that the euphoric effect has subsided means that your brain is adapting to the new drug. You will find out the consequences of that soon enough. I have a friend who takes prozac for seasonal low mood and then quits it in the spring when the sun shines longer. She has done it for a while and raves about how amazing it is. This year a month and a half after she quit she had inexplicably high anxiety and insomnia. She won't listen to any criticisms of ADs so I hold my tongue. Hers subside after a while. But which year is the one when they won't subside and she will think she has to continue taking them yearlong because suddenly her low mood has become permanent? I was certain I had a chemical imbalance and would tell off anyone who said otherwise (a few relatives protested). Life is a good and patient teacher, with some severe methods, unfortunately! I hope you find fellow prozac enthusiasts in some other corner of the web, you won't find any here. When you are ready to come off of your drugs though you might find our hard won wisdom helpful. Please remember to look for help here. We are a supportive bunch. We won't say 'I told you so' Cheers, OMW A scientific article that is not that hard to understand on placebos - 57% of the AD trials that were submitted to the FDA for approved ADs were either negative or null, meaning in only 43% of these trials is the AD shown to be better than the placebo and even then by a tiny amount - 25% better than placebo (with the issues of breaking blind) and the significant side effects and physical dependence. For comparison, the mRNA Covid vaccines are 96% better than placebo https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4172306/ 6 "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontFeedTheMonkeys Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 I am not a 'Prozac enthusiast'. If I was I'd continue its use. My comments on here have been misinterpreted by more than one person, even the mods, and I've been given a warning for defending myself when accused of being a fake when my comments were misinterpreted rather rudely by another member. That's no way to make a newcomer feel welcome. My 'high' effects lasted several weeks and then my mood evened out to a balanced state, so I was not giving accolades for the 'high effect' - in fact it terrified me at first until I chalked it up to some kind of brain or neurotransmitter adjustment. I'm not an advocate of the chemical imbalance theory, nor am I pro-Prozac, I was simply recounting my story to the forum in hopes of some guidance. I posited a question asking about what might be a reasonable explanation for how the drug lessened my depression. It's a bit difficult not to tell my story without giving some perspective on my experience but somehow here it is taken as a discussion on the chemical imbalance theory and it never was intended to be. I am appreciative of the good intentions and some of the very good articles and some of the very good advice here on tapering, which I know has been hard won by many of you. I am new here, and just starting on my journey to get free of Prozac. 1 Drug History 1997–Present - fluoxetine 20mg capsules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Onmyway Posted July 30, 2022 Moderator Share Posted July 30, 2022 (edited) @DontFeedTheMonkeys The fact that a drug has an effect on the brain does not mean that it corrects an imbalance. The fact that extra serotonin does things to the body doesn't mean that one lacked serotonin before the drug. The common example is alcohol - alcohol helps with social anxiety but we don't say we had an alcohol deficiency disorder. I don't know why you felt better on Prozac. When I was put on citalopram the first four weeks were a nightmare similar to the worst of withdrawal - my anxiety became 10x worse, I had night terrors and lucid nightmares, night sweats and nausea. Once that passed anything would have felt good even the anxiety I had prior. In my case I also moved schools and found new friends etc so that changed things It could also be placebo. The most famous story of a placebo was when women with pregnancy morning sickness were given a drug that they were told would help then stop vomiting. The drug they were given, however, was ipecac which causes people to vomit. Guess what, though, a substantial portion of the women given ipecac were 'cured' of their morning sickness. The effect was very real. Placebos even cause cancer remissions. We do get a substantial number of AD enthusiasts here to convince us of our lost way and if you go to Twitter a similarly substantial number of people deny this hellish experience. Especially MDs or medical students seem to be very enthusiastic about how SSRIs saved their lives (instead of asking why medical training is so awful that they needed ADs to begin with). As a result, we are cautious. This is our 'safe space', so to say, - we don't want to engage in discussions and arguments and debates that end up being triggering. I'm happy to answer questions and educate on what is what. I learned all of this too late myself, after withdrawal started and happily share sources. I deal in scientific articles but will also find you books and YouTube videos if that's more your speed. But there was a lot of material out there for years that I hadn't seen in time. I wish I had. I share it widely now. Welcome to the other (unfortunately dark) side! OMW Edited July 30, 2022 by Onmyway 5 "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontFeedTheMonkeys Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Much appreciated, OnMyWay! My takeaway from this is that the forums are to be focused specifically for getting off these drugs safely, and not debate the subjective effects of the drugs and why they have the effect they do. I shared my experience and my own view of that experience to give some context and background to how I got started on them and the effect they had on me, and I think that was probably what created the blowback. The main thing is to get off of them safely. 2 Drug History 1997–Present - fluoxetine 20mg capsules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Shep Posted September 15, 2022 Administrator Share Posted September 15, 2022 Great article by Robert Whitaker on the latest paper which debunks the chemical imbalance: Psychiatry, Fraud, and the Case for a Class-Action Lawsuit 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Faure Posted September 15, 2022 Mentor Share Posted September 15, 2022 WOW what a powerful article. I hope Whittaker gets onto a class action regarding the dependency they create and the WD effects people have to endure / years they have to spend tapering off them. Lives, careers and families destroyed. It’s so heartbreaking 💔 3 I am not a medical professional. I provide information and make suggestions based on my own experience and SA guidelines. I am unable to respond to private messages. Mirtazepine 15mg Nov 2018 -April 2019 April - Sept 2019 Mirtazepine down to around 6mg - skipping days to taper October 2019 - Dec 2019 unwell from failed taper including jumping about in doses 15 December 2019 to 13 June 2021 15mg Mirtazepine 14 June 2021 started brass monkey Slide. 2021: 23 August 12.3mg, 28 October 11.1mg, 6 Dec 10mg 2022: 12 Feb 8.5, 25 Oct 4.5mg 2023: 16 Jan 3.6mg, 28 Sept 1.8mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontFeedTheMonkeys Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Fabulous article! 1 Drug History 1997–Present - fluoxetine 20mg capsules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoTheLion Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Great article! I saw the study when it first came out and had lots of emotions swirling around about it. Wish I could get an apology and some financial remuneration after my doctor seriously mismanaged my medications which caused me to be hospitalized. Then, while in the hospital I was prescribed EIGHT different meds, which they kept switching around frequently because nothing was working. Duh. Then I received ECT which left me with very serious long term memory problems. I have a host of other medical issues due to the meds and ECT. The misery a class action lawsuit would cause them wouldn't be enough for all the lives they've ruined. 3 2015 Lexapro 10 mg 2020 Lexapro 20 mg, Wellbutrin 400 mg, Abilify 2 mg, Modafinil 200 mg ☹️ 3/10/22 - begin 10% taper off Abilify 2 mg. June 2022 - off Abilify Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 Tweet it! 1 2003/7 (at age 52) Prozac 20mg. For chronic fatigue syndrome. 2007/10 20mg citalopram, 2010/11 Cold Turkey citalopram Severe withdrawal, 2011 back on citalopram 10mg, 2014 Discontinued Citalopram over a month period 2014/15 Suffered severe withdrawal and was prescribed Prozac 20mg, 2017/18 After research I decided that I have never had such severe mental illness, only withdrawal 2017/20 Various failed attempts to ‘taper’ (missing doses), 2020 Sept 16th started a 5% taper using mini scales, 2020 Nov Ended taper Back on 20mg Prozac 2021 Nov 24 Reduced to 19mg Prozac from starting dose of 20mg (5% reduction) 2022 Jan 3rd Reduced to 18mg Prozac (5.26% reduction) 2022 Feb 27th Reduced to 17.2mg Prozac (4.44% reduction) 2022 Mar 12th Reduced to 16.8mg Easier to read on Syringe 2022 Jun 15 16mg 4.76% reduction 2023 Mar 29th Reduced to 15.5mg Hand on heart, "Personally I have never heard of anyone suffering withdrawal from Prozac" Dr P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Onmyway Posted September 15, 2022 Moderator Share Posted September 15, 2022 5 hours ago, LeoTheLion said: Great article! I saw the study when it first came out and had lots of emotions swirling around about it. Wish I could get an apology and some financial remuneration after my doctor seriously mismanaged my medications which caused me to be hospitalized. Then, while in the hospital I was prescribed EIGHT different meds, which they kept switching around frequently because nothing was working. Duh. Then I received ECT which left me with very serious long term memory problems. I have a host of other medical issues due to the meds and ECT. The misery a class action lawsuit would cause them wouldn't be enough for all the lives they've ruined. @LeoTheLion I believe there is a lawsuit being prepared against ECT in the UK. Lucy Johnstone has been active with it. Check her on Twitter. 1 "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeralCatman Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 Here is my understanding of why the chemical imbalance theory doesn't work and could never have worked. Please correct me if I am incorrect. My understanding is that in order for the theory and its 'treatments' to work several overly simplistic and incorrect assumptions were made. These are. 1. Neurotransmitters work independantly 2. Neurotransmitter levels are constant 3. The body does not react to changes in neurotransmitter levels 4. The drugs only affect receptors in the brain 5. If you take the drug away your symptoms will simply return. Once you understand a bit of how the nervous system works it is easy to see why these assumptions are fatally flawed. Flawed Assumption 1 - Neurotransmitters do not work independently they work in concert together. To affect one is to affect them all. Flawed Assumption 2 - Neurotransmitter levels throughout the brain and body are constantly being adjusted due to changing conditions and environment. So, there is no 'balance' to restore. The body and brain are constantly adjusting the levels based on current conditions and needs. The body can also convert neurotransmitters from one form to another by breaking them down and rebuilding them into whatever is needed at the moment. So if you create an excess of one chemical the body can break it down and convert it to what is needed or it can choose to simply metabolize and get rid of what is not needed. Flawed Assumption 3 - The body reacts to changes in internal and external environment. Our DNA is encoded with the instructions for maintaining the preset homeostatic set points you were born with. It will always try to get back to that. This is done through various process including up-regulation and down-regulation of neurotransmitter receptor sites. So, if you start blocking serotonin receptor sites the nerve signaling changes and the body starts building more receptor sites to boost the signal back up which negates the original intent of the drug. It also leads to dysfunction in the body and nervous system over time. Flawed Assumption 4 - The drugs are not targeted to receptors that only affect mood. They will bind with any receptor site that they come into contact with. Since neurotransmitters and their receptor sites are used and located throughout the body not just in the brain the drugs will disrupt any body system they happen to bind with. This is the unpredictable part of the equation. This is part of why these drugs affect every body system not just the brain and mood. Flawed Assumption 5 - Since after only a few weeks on the drug you have altered functioning wherever the drug has bound with its associated receptor sites and a chain reaction of compensatory reactions has begun. As the body tries to compensate for the altered nerve signaling from the affected receptor sites you then alter other signals, feedback loops, cell functions, and enzyme functions, etc. Once you take the drug away you are left with dysfunction and the longer you took it the worse the dysfunction will be because more changes have been made to compensate for the drug and the longer it will take for the brain and body to go back to where it originally was and needs to be. The good news in all of this is that nothing I have read says that these medications alter the DNA in any way which means the original blueprints and instructions are still there and once the drug is gone your body will go about the process of making the adjustments to go back to factory settings. It's like the backup partition on your computers hard drive. As long as that partition is not damaged in any way you can always go back to factory settings. This is what recovery is all about. Please make any additions or corrections to whatever I have wrong here. 4 Current Psychiatric Medications Paxil 10mg daily (a.m.) 2017 - Present Carbamazepine 400mg daily (split half a.m. and half p.m.) 2011 - Present Recently Stopped Psychiatric Medications Seroquel - Tapered from 700mg to 0mg From April 2018 to August 2021 - Final Dose 6.25mg - In Recovery Past Psychiatric Medications From 1994 to April 2018 - Depakote, Lithium, Risperidone, Xanax, Lamotrigene, Olanzapine, Lorazepam, Welbutrin, Trazodone, Oxazepam, Gabapentin, Abilify, Topiramate, Prazosin, Ambien (See Attached Spreadsheet And Seroquel Tapering And WIthdrawal Summary) Current Non Psychiatric Medications - Levothyroxine 88mcg (a.m.)-Vitamin D3 1000 IU (p.m.)-Fexofenadine 180 mg twice daily -Clonidine 0.1 mg (p.m.)-Azelastine Nasal Spray Other - Fish Oil Twice Daily-Multi-Vitamin (a.m.)-Vitamin C 1000mg Daily (a.m.)-Saline Nasal Spray-Salsalate 750mg twice daily PRN, Diclofenac Gel on affected joint PRN-Magnesium Citrate 125mg twice daily, Betaine HCL & Digestine Enzymes With Meals Quitting Seroquel_A Vacation In Hell_Redacted.pdf Other Documents https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/26099-feralcatman-recovering-from-seroquel/?do=findComment&comment=633907 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted March 4 Administrator Share Posted March 4 The examination of "chemical imbalance" as the cause of mood disorders is fundamentally misdirected, as life experiences have long been known have a huge effect on emotional patterns. Looking in the wrong place for the answer is called a "category error". "Chemical imbalance" could never be the determining factor for mood disorders because it arises from a category error. 4 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 More sharing options...
littlebird Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 10 minutes ago, Altostrata said: The examination of "chemical imbalance" as the cause of mood disorders is fundamentally misdirected, as life experiences have long been known have a huge effect on emotional patterns. Looking in the wrong place for the answer is called a "category error". "Chemical imbalance" could never be the determining factor for mood disorders because it arises from a category error. Wish I'd encountered this sooner. I'd been told "chemical imbalance" runs in families like mine and I was doomed to be miserably drugged till I died. Really, generational trauma runs in families. Hoping we can all start looking at life experiences instead of assuming some/many brains are born broken! It just doesn't make evolutionary sense that so many humans need pills to survive. If that's true, we need to change a lot about society so that folks don't need to numb themselves to live, not just keep inventing new pills to make us stop having feelings about the very real problems we face. Thanks for doing this work! 8 Pronouns: they/them/theirs Started on Prozac as a teen in 2000 to treat cPTSD, been on various cocktails ever since. 2002-2004, 2017-2022: Buspar, tapered down to 0 2016-present: 100mg Seroquel for sleep -> May 2023: 90mg -> June 2023: 81mg -> September 2023: 72mg -> switched to brand name, much too strong, down to 60mg -> October 2023: 54mg -> November 2023: 50mg 2016-Present: 100mg Wellbutrin SR -> January 2023: 75mg IR (37.5mg 2x a day) -> February 2023 (33.75mg 2x a day) -> July 2023 (30.37mg 2x a day) -> August 2023 (27.33mg 2x a day) 2018-present: 25mg Pristiq 2015-present: 600mg Gabapentin (200mg 3x a day) -> December 2022: 300mg Gabapentin (100mg 3x a day) per GP's recommendation after side effects -> March 2023: 90mg 3x a day (switched to liquid suspension) -> April 2023: 81mg 3x a day -> September 2023: bad generic, switched back to homemade liquid; too strong after bad generic, down to 70mg 3x a day, still bad -> 67.5mg 3x a day, much better Supplements: Multivitamin w/magnesium, probiotics, digestive enzymes, anti-viral nitric oxide nose spray as needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas45140 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 6 1999-2002 Seropram 20mg, 2002-2004 Paxil 10mg; 2004-2012 Paxil 20mg, 2012-2013 Effexor 75mg, 2013-2018 Paxil 20mg, 2018-2019 Effexor 75mg, 2019-2021 Paxil 20mg, 2021-present Lexapro 5mg 10-2022 Lexapro 4,5mg + Fish oil + Magnesium, 06-25-2022 Lexapro 4mg + fish oil + Magnesium, 07-23-2022 Lexapro 3.5mg + fish oil + magnesium 08-23-2022 Lexapro 3.2mg + fish oil + magnesium 10-13-2022 Lexapro 3mg + fish oil + magnesium 01-01-2023 Lexapro 2,9mg + fish oil + magnesium (insomnia + night anxiety + anxiety) 01-20-2023 Lexapro 3mg + fish oil + magnesium 02-11-2023 Lexapro 5mg (no fish oil - no magnesium) Had to take one prazepam (10mg) in night January22nd 2023 Had to take one prarepam (10mg) in night February 10th 2023 Prazepam if needed in case of panic attack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertZ Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 Serotonin is mostly in the gut, where it belongs. Why somebody decided there should be more of it in the brain too is beyond my comprehension. 1 Since early March 2022: escitalopram 10 mg + trazodone 75 mg, after a month or so switched to sertraline 50 mg + mianserin 10 mg; Later augmented with quetiapine 75 mg for insomnia; Cold turkeyed all antidepressants in November 2022; Currently on: Quetiapine: 275 mg (21/02/2023; down from 300 mg) -> 250 mg (18/03/2023) -> 225 mg (26/04/2023) -> 200 mg (19/05/2023) -> 187.5 mg (12/06/2023) -> 175 mg (27/06/2023) -> 162.5 mg (16/07/2023) -> 150 mg (31/07/2023) -> 137,5 mg (15/08/2023) -> 125 mg (17/09/2023) -> 112,5 mg (02/10/2023) -> 100 mg (17/10/2023) -> 87,5 mg (05/11/2023) Diazepam 2.5 mg Supplements: magnesium, omega 3 cod liver oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Happy2Heal Posted October 29 Mentor Share Posted October 29 (edited) it's sad that this theory has become so well entrenched that it's about as hard to get rid of as a fungus and just as annoying I signed up for telehealth "therapy" to help me negotiate some surgery I really really do not want but may have to have This place called Confidant Health, is all over the US and seem primarily geared towards addiction but also seems to heavily promote drugs for anxiety and depression https://www.confidanthealth.com/anxiety-and-depression/what-medications-are-prescribed-for-anxiety https://www.confidanthealth.com/about-us they have a "learning library" with this little gem in it Not sure If I'll quit now after the annoying intake, or see if I might be able to educate these folks a little bit before I go Imbalanced Brain Chemistry Depression can not only result from an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, but it can also lead to this imbalance after being triggered by another factor, like a traumatic event. The main chemicals -- or neurotransmitters -- responsible for mood regulation are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Sometimes the brain doesn't produce these chemicals in sufficient quantities. Other times, there's an adequate supply of these neurotransmitters, but the brain's neurons simply aren't reacting to them appropriately. Each neurotransmitter also plays a role in other bodily functions, like sleep or digestion. Your specific depression symptoms can help a behavioral health professional pinpoint the chemical that's causing your depression. Edited October 29 by Happy2Heal 1 pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. I tried to get off it several times. WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok til Sept, then acute WD hit!! reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106 Tapered off to zero by Oct. 2017 Doing very well, age 62 (total of 42 yrs on psych meds) Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content Aug 2022❤️ loving life ❤️ age 66 - and things just keep getting better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator hayduke Posted October 29 Moderator Share Posted October 29 2 hours ago, Happy2Heal said: it's sad that this theory has become so well entrenched that it's about as hard to get rid of as a fungus and just as annoying Funnily enough, I happen to be watching this video at the moment. Dr Mark Horowitz does some good myth busting here 2 I am not a health professional - your actions are your own. Please do not seek tapering support via private message - "Any reason to hold is a good one" My taper visualised as a graph | My intro thread Backdrop: 2003 10mg olanzapine | 2004 2-3mg risperidone | end 2014 3wks aripiprazole 2015: olanzapine 10 -> 7½ -> 6⅔ -> 5mg by crude pill cutter 2018: Mar 5.00mg -> water titrated taper -> Aug2.5mg tablet and hold Jan 2019 2.50mg water titration -> Jan 2020 1.214 -> Jan 2021 0.44 -> 2 Oct 0.205 ->3 Oct ZERO🥂 Jun 2023 💉150mg paliperidone "loading" depot shot, 100mg week after Jul 100mg Aug, Sep, Oct 75mg/mo Jul 2023 2.50mg aripiprazole/day attempt to lower prolactin^ Ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country did to you" -- KMFDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator hayduke Posted November 10 Moderator Share Posted November 10 Also relevant from Dr Joanna Moncrieff I am not a health professional - your actions are your own. Please do not seek tapering support via private message - "Any reason to hold is a good one" My taper visualised as a graph | My intro thread Backdrop: 2003 10mg olanzapine | 2004 2-3mg risperidone | end 2014 3wks aripiprazole 2015: olanzapine 10 -> 7½ -> 6⅔ -> 5mg by crude pill cutter 2018: Mar 5.00mg -> water titrated taper -> Aug2.5mg tablet and hold Jan 2019 2.50mg water titration -> Jan 2020 1.214 -> Jan 2021 0.44 -> 2 Oct 0.205 ->3 Oct ZERO🥂 Jun 2023 💉150mg paliperidone "loading" depot shot, 100mg week after Jul 100mg Aug, Sep, Oct 75mg/mo Jul 2023 2.50mg aripiprazole/day attempt to lower prolactin^ Ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country did to you" -- KMFDM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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