LisasLove The Most Horrible Time Of My Life

[Altostrata]

Have your symptoms decreased, increased, or stayed the same since you've increased Zoloft?

[LisasLove]

Have your symptoms decreased, increased, or stayed the same since you've increased Zoloft?

My symptoms have stayed the same. However, when I reinstated Zoloft and every time I increase the dose there's a day or so that I have worse headaches. The last dose increase from 75 mg to 100 mg made me feel that I had a real bad hangover.

[Altostrata]

Very often, more is not better when it comes to withdrawal syndrome. If your symptoms continue at the higher dosage, you might consider reducing it.

[FeelingAlone]

Hey Lisa's love, when I had my brain zaps they lasted all day too. Anytime I moved my head or eyes and at night is when they were the worst. They diminished very slowly over a period of months.

[LisasLove]

Hey Lisa's love, when I had my brain zaps they lasted all day too. Anytime I moved my head or eyes and at night is when they were the worst. They diminished very slowly over a period of months.

Did you have tinnitus along with the brain zaps?

[FeelingAlone]

Yes I did, it was severe for a bit, but the tinnitus went away a lot quicker than the brain zaps.

[LisasLove]

Yes I did, it was severe for a bit, but the tinnitus went away a lot quicker than the brain zaps.

I have had the brain zaps and tinnitus for eleven months. It's ridiculous how loud the tinnitus can get. Thank you for your reply, maybe there's still hope for me.

[Altostrata]

Omega-3 fish oil can be good for brain zaps, have you tried that? Also magnesium.

[LisasLove]

Omega-3 fish oil can be good for brain zaps, have you tried that? Also magnesium.

I just increased my fish oil intake to 1920 mg of Omega-3's and I am going to restart the magnesium.

[LisasLove]

I met with my Pdoc today and he is disappointed that my symptoms haven't changed much. We are going to meet in two weeks and make a decision what to do next.

 

What has change is my sleep has been better the last 2 days. It only took me about 1/2 hour to fall a sleep where it usually takes me two to three hours. I hope this continues.

[Altostrata]

The sleep improvement is significant!

 

Recovery is very gradual. Please don't try to push it with dramatic treatments. Do what you can to take care of yourself, treat your nervous system gently.

[LisasLove]

The sleep improvement is significant!

 

Recovery is very gradual. Please don't try to push it with dramatic treatments. Do what you can to take care of yourself, treat your nervous system gently.

So do you think I am on the right path and should stay at 100 mg of Zoloft? Both my Pdoc and Neurologist think my symptoms should have improved over the last couple of months. My Neurologist said if I don't see the symptoms go away in the next month I should start to taper off of the drugs again. She is basically saying it must be something else if the reinstate doesn't cure the problem. My Pdoc is heading in the same direction and saying it may be more of a toxicity problem than a withdrawal problem.

 

My immune system seems to be falling apart right now I have huge fever blister and eye infection.

[Rhiannon]

It's always hard to say for sure, but I'm inclined to agree with Alto: treat your nervous system gently. Going up and down on doses and on and off meds hasn't made you better so far. Perhaps taking a number of months to just allow your body to settle down, rather than changing things up again, might be helpful. At least worth considering.

 

When we're suffering the urge is always to try to find something to fix it, some trick of meds, supplements, something. I feel the same way when I get bad. But often that's exactly the wrong thing to do and what we need most of all is patience and time, lots of time.

 

The exception to that would be maybe if you're on too high a dose of Zoloft--it sounds like you quite recently went up to 100 mg. If that's aggravating your problems you might consider a stepwise decrease to 75 or 50. However, from what you've described, I would not expect that--or anything else--to produce immediate results, or even results soon. And it does sound like you're sleeping better--would hate to mess with that.

[Altostrata]

Very often, more is not better when it comes to withdrawal syndrome. If your symptoms continue at the higher dosage, you might consider reducing it.

Since it seems your sleep has improved a bit, it seems you're doing okay where you are.

[LisasLove]

This electric shock type feeling in my head is the strangest thing, it's almost like there are a bunch of low voltage shocks throughout my head. When these shocks are not painful it feels like something is crawling on my head (maybe that's why some individuals explain the feeling as "Brain Shivers"). These shocks seem to be stimulating the muscle or skin tissue. Then these low voltage shocks will concentrate in different areas (forehead, front part of the head and then the top of the head). Once they concentrate in these areas it's more of a higher voltage shock feeling with pain and pressure. It's almost like your eyes and/or thoughts have some sort of negative affect over the shocks. When I shut my eyes the shocks gets worse especially at night. I have turned my head and/or eyes and have received painful shocks through my head and eyes. I have also felt the shocks on the back of the neck, nose and chest. These are not as common though. I have seen arcs and flashes of light several times when I had my eyes closed while trying to fall asleep. It's almost as though the voltage is hitting my Retina or Optic Nerve.

 

I am wondering if this electric shock feeling may have something to do with serotonin levels and the misfiring of the electrical pulses between nerve cells.

 

This tinnitus is very strange as well. I am wondering if the Primary Auditory Cortex is picking up the electric pulses of these misfires?  The sound is high pitched like different sizes of glass giggling around in your head but much higher pitched. I have read that others have compared the sound to that of a light-saber used in the Star Wars movie (the sound of the movement and the impact).

 

I hear three distinct sounds, though some are louder than the others.  I would explain it as if you were standing between a gun and a target and the gun was fired (you hear the explosion), the bullet (you hear it traveling past you) and the bullet hitting the target (you hear the impact).  It probably in a different order since electricity travels faster than sound.  However, once in a while one of my ears will ring louder as though the electrical pulses actually hits the Auditory Nerve or Cochlea in that ear (I have heard this individually in both ears).  The louder ring sound in that individual ear actually stop minutes later.  I have never taken an Anatomy or Physiology class so I may be completely wrong with my discussion of the Auditory System.

 

I have put a lot of thought into this because this has been one of the hardest things to explain to Doctors. Doctors want me to call this a migraine headache but I have never experienced anything like this. Has anyone else experienced the same feelings and is so how long did it take for these symptoms to go away?

 

 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

See our discussions about brain zaps and tinnitus in the Symptoms and Self-care forum. Many people have experienced similar symptoms. They are recognized withdrawal symptoms.

[LisasLove]

Met with my Pdoc yesterday and we have agreed to decrease the Zoloft to 50 mg and the Neurontin to 200 mg twice a day. I hate being on SSRI's I feel like crap today and i need to fake it and lie to my client's that i am ok. 

[Altostrata]

You may wish to decrease the Zoloft to 50mg gradually.

[LisasLove]

In August 2013, I got a new MD since the original MD caused all these problems. He is trying to help me with the use of Supplements.

 

In September 2013, I have now completely tapered off of Neurontin and Zoloft with the help of my Psychiatrist. I have also started tapering Celexa at 2.5 mg per month. I am currently at 27.75 mg of Celexa.

 

I still have the electrical shock feeling in my head  for most of the day and it gets much more intense at night when I close my eyes to go to sleep. It actually prevents me from sleeping for at leas an hour.  I also still have the tinnitus.

[Petunia]

Hi LL,

 

Thank you for the update.

 

How did you taper off Zoloft?  From you signature it looks like you went from 100mg to zero in under 3 months, that may be what's causing your symptoms. It seems like in general your sleep is ok, and that's a good thing.

 

If it were me, I wouldn't be tapering Celexa until I was stable again.

 

You might want to consider holding your Celexa taper and perhaps even reinstating a small amount of Zoloft until you stabilize and then continuing with a slower taper.

 

Here are Zoloft tapering tips:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/

 

Celexa tapering tips here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2023-tips-for-tapering-off-celexa-citalopram/

 

What was the last dose of Zoloft you took before stopping?

 

I'm concerned that your symptoms may become worse if you continue to taper at the rate you are, some people are more sensitive to these medications.

 

Other members may have further suggestions.

 

Petu.

 

 

[flower]

Are you using a liquid to taper the Celexa?

[LisasLove]

Are you using a liquid to taper the Celexa?

 

I am meeting with my Pdoc every month to discuss how I feel (he takes his time and is very thorough the appointments take up to an hour). The plan is to taper by 10% per month so we will be using liquid at some point. Things could change with tapering (faster or slower) it just depends on how I feel.

[LisasLove]

I am going to see my MD today. He looks at the whole picture when he treats someone. He has been treating my SSRI DS symptoms but there is also something wrong with my Adrenal Glands. He says I am in constant Fight or Flight. I am also not absorbing calcium for some reason. I don't know if the problem with my Adrenal Glands is related to the SSRI DS or not. He has me on Oxygenic A Plus Drops, Potassium Citrate, Resonance Formula, Pycnogenol, Drenamin, Cataplex and Nuero-T (kind of his own 5htp creation). He has me on the Page Fundamental Food Plan (which I haven't been following perfectly) amongst other healthy activities like, drinking enough water, exercise, grounding myself and enjoying the sunshine.

[Altostrata]

I would be careful with those mysterious mixed supplements. Some may contain ingredients that are activating.

 

Also, be careful with 5-HTP and SAM-e. They can be too strong. See this discussion http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/656-5-htp-5-hydroxytryptophan-and-tryptophan/

 

Unless the doctor has seen withdrawal syndrome before, naturopathic treatment is often not helpful and may be harmful.

[LisasLove]

Thanks Alto

 

The MD says he has seen SSRI DS before... here is the ingredients of the Neuro-T Supply - Vitamin C 492 mg, Niacin 30 mg, Vitamin B12 400 mcg, Calcium 66 mg, Magnesium 22 mg, Zinc 7.5 mg, a 1850 mg proprietary blend of L-Tyrosine, L-Lysine, 5-HTP, Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate, (Co-enzyme Vitamin B6), L- Tryptophan, Thiamin pyrophosphate (Co-enzyme Vitamin B1), Folinic acid, Organic Alfalfa juice powder.

 

He added a couple more supplements TCM Heart Ease, ReMag Solution, Formula MHM and Lithium Orotate 5mg. He said that a very small dose of Lithium Orotate will help stabilize my CNS.

 

The MD also wants me to taper off of the Celexa a little faster with a 10% drop every 2 weeks instead of every month. The MD say's I am more protected from withdrawal since I am on these supplements. He also said that there are fewer problems with Celexa than Zoloft. I will talk to my Pdoc about this next week. 

[flower]

_{Wow you tapered 600mgs of neurontin in 1 month..Gives me hope...200mgs at a time too..Every week?}

[LisasLove]

Both my Pdoc and MD were not concerned with the Neurontin taper they didn't think I would have any problems at all. I tapered by 100 mg twice a day for about 2 months. I didn't have any problems with Neurontin but I believe everyone may react different to medication so be careful with your taper if you decide to do it.

[LisasLove]

The MD really thinks the Celexa is my problem going forward. My Pdoc said that he just wants me to be as comfortable as possible through this. My MD, Pdoc and myself have agreed that I am going to taper the Celexa a little faster with a 10% drop every 2 weeks instead of every month. We will see how it goes from here. If there is any problems we will take them as they come. I am still having what I call electrical headaches, apathy, insomnia and tinnitus. I am also still dealing with anger towards my original MD the one who created this horrible journey through Xanax addiction/withdrawal and Zoloft Discontinuation Syndrome. I am still very fearful I am going to get fired from my job. If anyone knows how to protect my job please let me know. The only way I know if through disability.

 

I asked my MD who is helping through the use of supplements if he would put me on disability since I can't work very much and he got angry with me. I spoke with my Pdoc and he called the MD and left a message for my MD to see if he would put me on disability. I really don't want to get fired from my job my income is less than half of what I am use to so I am looking to rent out my house. My Pdoc said I should go back to my original MD to see if he would put me on disability. I don't think I can do that right now I just have to much anger towards him. 

 

This is very trying on my relationship with my Fiancé as well. She is going to all my doctor appointments with me and is very hopeful that we will get through this but it's eating away at her. She wants to get on with our life.

 

I guess I need a book on how to survive antidepressants, keep my job, my relationship and my assets?

[Meimeiquest]

Is there an accommodation that would help you do your job? I think that you.would do that through HR with the Americans with Disabilities act. Someone wrote once that the disability process is easiest using the original diagnosis, like depression. Once you have ID'd the doctor, I think you would start with HR.

 

This is probably laughable in your case, but everyone has advised me to work unless I just cannot, that the structure helps. Having had multiple brain issues in my extended family, I do believe structure optimizes brain function. It is very counter-intuitive, but you might give working in the office a try, where collapsing on the couch is just not an option. I have truly lived on the edge of medical incompetence this year, and I am a mess on my days off, but I do think it has helped overall, and leaves me without a hole to explain in my work history. But I have an embarrassingly easy job, and I totally understand it might not work for you. You also might look for ways to add more structure to working at home.

 

Really wishing you the best!

[flower]

I watch and feel for you and your fiance..My thoughts are with you..

[Altostrata]

LL, you've made so many changes and are taking so many possibly problematic supplements, it's impossible to tell what's causing your symptoms.

 

For sure, we can say they are iatrogenic -- caused by the drugs. Which are withdrawal symptoms and which are adverse reactions to anything you're currently taking? The only way that can be identified is by systematic elimination of potential issues.

 

You really need to be consistent in a regimen for more than a couple of weeks. You need a baseline so you can tell what's doing what. Also, you need to keep notes on paper about your daily symptom pattern.

 

I know you're extremely anxious about your job and financial situation. I sincerely hope you haven't gotten yourself in an iatrogenic snarl, and somehow everything settles down for you right away.

[LisasLove]

Is there an accommodation that would help you do your job? I think that you.would do that through HR with the Americans with Disabilities act. Someone wrote once that the disability process is easiest using the original diagnosis, like depression. Once you have ID'd the doctor, I think you would start with HR.

 

This is probably laughable in your case, but everyone has advised me to work unless I just cannot, that the structure helps. Having had multiple brain issues in my extended family, I do believe structure optimizes brain function. It is very counter-intuitive, but you might give working in the office a try, where collapsing on the couch is just not an option. I have truly lived on the edge of medical incompetence this year, and I am a mess on my days off, but I do think it has helped overall, and leaves me without a hole to explain in my work history. But I have an embarrassingly easy job, and I totally understand it might not work for you. You also might look for ways to add more structure to working at home.

 

Really wishing you the best!

Thanks Me...I think there is some good advice there...

 

This is more of a rant to get off of my chest...

 

The problem is that the original diagnosis was Generalized Anxiety which I found out latter was caused by my chronic respiratory insufficiency (Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Though the Hospital took a blood test none of the Doctors even told me about my High Red Blood Cell count which is linked to OSA. So basically my MD was treating the symptom with Xanax which actually worsens the problem. The treatment (Xanax) became the new problem which was then treated with Zoloft which complicated things even more. I should have never been on any of these drugs. I am over the insane anxiety caused by Xanax withdrawal/rebound and the horrible homicidal thoughts caused by the Zoloft discontinuation syndrome. 

 

 

(How can I go out on disability for Generalized Anxiety when I am tapering Celexa the insurance company will question this) I have talked to the Pdoc and it's more of a medical problem now instead of a psychological problem. The drugs have damaged my brain and I am suffering the consequences of that damage. Hopefully, this damage will heal and I will be fine but in the mean time I am stuck with a medical system that does not believe that this problem even exists. The crazy thing is that I have disability insurance (short and long term) that I have paid for over 14 years and I can't even use it. Instead my client's get the worse service ever and I look like I don't care about my job to everyone.

[LisasLove]

I watch and feel for you and your fiance..My thoughts are with you..

Thank you Flower

[LisasLove]

LL, you've made so many changes and are taking so many possibly problematic supplements, it's impossible to tell what's causing your symptoms. This has been going on for over 14 months now. It was the Zoloft. Even when I tried to reinstate the Zoloft back in April (eight months later) every time I stepped up the Zoloft the electrical headaches would get worse. After being on it for several months with no changes every single Doctor wanted me off of it (Neurologist, Pdoc and MD).

 

For sure, we can say they are iatrogenic -- caused by the drugs. Which are withdrawal symptoms and which are adverse reactions to anything you're currently taking? The only way that can be identified is by systematic elimination of potential issues.

 

You really need to be consistent in a regimen for more than a couple of weeks. You need a baseline so you can tell what's doing what. Also, you need to keep notes on paper about your daily symptom pattern. I am not sure where you get the couple weeks from but I have been on Celexa for over a year and it did help with the horrible homicidal thoughts that were caused by the Zoloft but it's time to taper this too. Again  the Doctors want me on these drugs.

 

I know you're extremely anxious about your job and financial situation. I sincerely hope you haven't gotten yourself in an iatrogenic snarl, and somehow everything settles down for you right away.

[LisasLove]

I went back to my original health care provider's office to have a talk with one of the Doctors that saw me while my original MD (the one that caused the problems) was on vacation. This is the doctor that prescribed the Zoloft to me for the Xanax withdrawals. I haven't spoken to him in over a year. At first he was very stand offish. I explained my story to him and he said that I should be working with my original Doctor. I told him there is no way I can go back and work with him after what he did to me. I went through my entire story with him and when I told him that my original Doctor did not taper me off of the Zoloft he looked like he was in shock. He said to me the MD put you on another SSRI as he took you off of Zoloft right! I said no and I took out my paperwork with my prescription drug history. He said the drug that he put me on after the MD took me off of the Zoloft was not a SSRI and is more for sleep. Now he seemed more concerned and he started listening to me and wanting to help.

 

He actually took a manuscript and some articles from me that I had about SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome and later called my Pdoc. My Pdoc must have really educated the Doctor about SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome because on the next visit he completely changed his attitude. He told me that he was on my team to help me get through this. He is also willing to help with the disability claim so I don't lose my job. So here is my team so far (MD, MD for Supplements. Pdoc and Neurologist).

 

I have been on the The Page Fundamental Food Plan for the last couple months but I haven't been following it real strict. I am going to follow it more closely. I am also going to start exercising. I have had no motivation to exercise but all of the Doctors say I need to do this. So I am going to do it. I am also thinking about getting a Psychologist that may help me with my motivation.

[Narcissus]

Kudos for educating your doctors about withdrawal syndrome!  

 

Good luck with the diet and the exercise, remember to pay careful attention to how your body responds to everything.  Let us know how you do!