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☼ About Altostrata -- 11 years of protracted antidepressant withdrawal syndrome


Altostrata

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She is so helpful to us all

Update 8122017

Zoloft  2004. Effexor 2004-2006. Paxil 20 mg for 2006-2010. Ct 2010, bad effects back on, stable by 2011.  Poopout June 2015. Zoloft with paxil for a while, stopped Zoloft.

Sep 2016 paxil 16.2 mg alone(295 mg pill weight). Started tapering 11/14/2016.

Took off 1 mg pill weight(total pill weight of 20 mg = 365 mg and 16 mg is 295 mg). Went down 1 mg per week of pill weight so down to 291 mg by end of November. Starting getting anxiety issues starting since 12/10/2016. Hoping that a faster taper will help.

12/14/2016 - 15.95 mg (291 mg pill weight)

12/16/2016 -  15.83 mg (289 mg pill weight)

12/23/2016 -  15.67 (286 mg pill weight)

8/12/2017 -  15.34 (280 mg pill weight)

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  • 1 year later...

Hello Alto, may I ask if you had windows and waves throughout this journey, or was your recovery more of a progression from feeling bad to better over time?

Lexapro 1/17 - 3/17 10 mg.  Switched to Elavil 3/27/17 10 mg

Upped to 20 mg June 5, 2017 3 days, back down to 10mg June 8

Up again to 20 mg June 12, 2017 4 days, back down to 10 June 16

9/17 dropped to 9.5 mg

11/17 dropped to 9.3mg

2/18/17 dropped to 8.8 mg

February 14/2018 Adverse reaction to zofran pill at clinic

10/7/19 8.48 mg

12/22/19 7.3 mg, 2/7/20 6.5 mg, 5/23/20 5.84 mg,  5/7/23 .70 mg

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Alto- You are truly a saint!  God Bless you and all the mods on this site!

  • Ativan Mid April 1999-to end of May 1999 ( COLD TURKEY and flushed them down the toilet) I went through hell for 3 months-I had no idea what was happening to me there was no information on the internet about this drug)
  • Zoloft 200mg 1999 to 2017
  • Wellbutrin 2015 6 months Started having exterme anxiety-quit taking switched back to Zoloft ( I have quit about 6 jobs from this time0  Klonopin .5-1.0 of and on for two months (tapered off in Dec-Jan)
  • 15 mg Remeron 2012-presnt
  • **Started tapering down Zoloft 12/?/17 12/09/17 down to 50mg; 12/12/17-12/14-17 Zoloft 100mg; 12/16/201712/19 -Zoloft 150mg; 12/20/17-01/06/18 Zoloft 200mg; 01/07/18-01//18/18 Zoloft 180mg
  • 01/18/18-present Zoloft 200mg
  • February 2018-Copaxone 40mg (3 times a week shots) (for Multiple Sclerosis)2/17/18 begin transition to liquid 200mg
  • magnesium, fish oil

 

 
   

 

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  • 4 months later...

So your sleep has returned?  Incredible if it has.

My Intro FB Zyprexa 2015-September 2018

1st time I tried to come straight off of 10mg Zyprexa I was hospitalized for insane insomnia.

Current - Abilify Maintena & L Theanine(for akathisia)

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/16/2011 at 7:50 AM, Altostrata said:

I developed prolonged antidepressant withdrawal syndrome after going off 10mg Paxil over 3 weeks in October 2004, at the age of 54.
 
I very slowly and painfully recovered from the autonomic nervous system damage over 9 years. For the last 5 of those years, I was unable to work due to prolonged withdrawal syndrome.
 
I started taking Paxil in 2001 for what I now believe was symptoms of menopause aggravated by intense work stress. After 3 years  with side effects on Paxil 10mg, I "tapered" under medical supervision at University of California San Francisco and immediately suffered severe antidepressant withdrawal symptoms.
 
My doctors at UCSF did not recognize acute and severe withdrawal syndrome and treat it properly by reinstatement of Paxil even though I requested it in January 2005. I had found information about diagnosis and treatment of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome on the Web. (The recommendation for reinstatement in cases of severe withdrawal symptoms was added in the package insert by GlaxoSmithKline in December 2001 during a widely publicized lawsuit regarding Paxil withdrawal syndrome; the FDA has caused similar advice to be added to antidepressant package inserts ever since.)
 
Instead, I was prescribed Wellbutrin; when that didn't work, a parade of other drugs I refused.
 
Ironically, the notes from UCSF include a diagnosis of "prolonged withdrawal syndrome." After 10 months, in July 2005 I left the care of UCSF Psychiatry and started my search for a doctor who might be able to help me. That proved to be near-impossible.
 
Over 3 years, I probably talked to 50 psychiatrists, including a good proportion of the Psychiatry faculty at UCSF, one of the top medical centers in the world, and none of them knew anything about antidepressant withdrawal syndrome -- so don't be surprised if your doctor is clueless. I was told by dozens of psychiatrists that I was suffering from "relapse." One elite psychiatrist told me that my belief I was suffering from withdrawal syndrome was a delusion.
 
I struggled with an ever-changing panoply of withdrawal symptoms for years, including excruciating tingling pain in my arms and shoulders for 2 years. Meanwhile, I read everything I could about antidepressant withdrawal syndrome, particularly in medical journals. (I was a medical researcher for a couple of years a while back; I've worked for 2 biotech companies.) Many of these papers and citations are posted in From journals and scientific sources .

 

I've talked to many, many doctors of various specialties and found psychiatrists to be the least sympathetic and just as ignorant as any other doctor about withdrawal syndrome. Most alternative practitioners, however well-meaning, are equally in the dark, having adopted the bogus "chemical imbalance" model; their recommendations can also be injurious.

 

Like many others, withdrawal made me hypersensitive to neurologically active medications and prone to paradoxical reactions. Personally, I found very small amounts of some supplements and herbs, along with acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy, and osteopathic manual therapy, to be helpful in reducing physical symptoms, see the Symptoms and self-care forum for the accumulated wisdom of myself and other members.

 
In December 2007, after an ill-advised job change, I completely lost the ability to sleep and became disabled. In late 2007, I finally found a doctor, a psychiatrist and sleep specialist, who understands and treats withdrawal syndrome, coincidentally in San Francisco.
 
Under his care, I very slowly recovered. Unfortunately, in January 2010, I developed severe atrial fibrillation, an autonomic heart condition. This was successfully treated in June 2013, but it took me a very long time to recover from the procedure. As I'm now 65+, I am still dealing with many health problems, but my autonomic nervous system is stable, my mind is clear, and my mood is generally calm.

 

Over the years, I learned a great deal about how my doctor views iatrogenic drug damage, which corresponded closely with the impression I had gotten from my reading. This, and my treatment, is recounted in One theory of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome
 
As my condition permitted, I advocated for psychiatric patient rights and educating the medical establishment about withdrawal syndrome. When I felt up to it, I ran a peer support group for antidepressant withdrawal in San Francisco for about 2 years. I was a frequent participant in PaxilProgress.org for 5 years.
 
In March 2011, with a group of friends from PaxilProgress.org (closed in December 2014), I founded SurvivingAntidepressants.org to provide peer support for tapering and to document withdrawal syndrome for the education of the medical establishment -- see About SurvivingAntidepressants.org
 

Medicine is in wide denial about the existence and severity of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome, leading physicians to almost always misdiagnose withdrawal syndrome as a relapse or emergence of a psychiatric condition and treat it improperly with ever-escalating combinations of drugs, which tend to make the condition worse.

 

Psychiatry ignores the adverse effects of these drugs because writing prescriptions is how it makes its living. In reality, the best doctors will admit treatment with psychiatric drugs is trial and error, success being when the patient stops complaining.

Even though most of the drugs they purvey are truly addictive or are well known to cause physical dependency, most psychiatrists know very little about how to get patients off psychiatric drugs with a minimum of withdrawal symptoms, indicating wear and tear. There is a widespread but spurious belief that withdrawal symptoms are invariably trivial and transient.
 
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is here to document that belief and practice regarding getting patients off psychiatric drugs is incorrect and needs to be informed by real patient experience, such as mine.

It’s helpful to me to read your history. So awful for you. There’s so much damage being done, as many of us probably believe, by the pharma industry and so called medical care system

 

1994 began Paxil 20. Jan2018-began taper @ 2.5 mg every 6 wks. 10mg Paxil on May 12/2018

May 2019 - 9.75 mg Paxil; July 12/19 9.5 mg

July 20/19 -9.75 mg

Aug  12/19 10 mg Paxil 10 mg Prozac, “Prozac bridge” ;Vit D 1000iu 6 per day, magnesium bis-glycinate 200mgx3, Omega 3 600mg x3, gaba 600mgx2, Inositol powder

Meditation, tapping, breathing and grounding, yoga, art, counselling 

Aug 21 dropped Prozac; increase Paxil to 15mg

March 8/2021. Reinstated to 20 mg Paxil

July 2021 added .75 mg Wellbutrin

 

 

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  • Administrator

A YouTube video from a few years ago: Alto Strata's Paxil Prolonged Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome (8 minutes)

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

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

All postings © copyrighted.

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16 hours ago, Altostrata said:

A YouTube video from a few years ago: Alto Strata's Paxil Prolonged Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome (8 minutes)

Courageous! Glad that you are fighting for what you believe in Altostrata

 

On 6/27/2018 at 8:52 AM, Blandell said:

It’s helpful to me to read your history. So awful for you. There’s so much damage being done, as many of us probably believe, by the pharma industry and so called medical care system

 

 

Edited by Altostrata
deleted duplicate lines

 

1994 began Paxil 20. Jan2018-began taper @ 2.5 mg every 6 wks. 10mg Paxil on May 12/2018

May 2019 - 9.75 mg Paxil; July 12/19 9.5 mg

July 20/19 -9.75 mg

Aug  12/19 10 mg Paxil 10 mg Prozac, “Prozac bridge” ;Vit D 1000iu 6 per day, magnesium bis-glycinate 200mgx3, Omega 3 600mg x3, gaba 600mgx2, Inositol powder

Meditation, tapping, breathing and grounding, yoga, art, counselling 

Aug 21 dropped Prozac; increase Paxil to 15mg

March 8/2021. Reinstated to 20 mg Paxil

July 2021 added .75 mg Wellbutrin

 

 

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Alto, firstly, well done for recovering from withdrawal and inspiring countless others, including myself.  You have given us hope, where before there was only ignorance.

 

Now, it appears from your youtube video, at least, that you were prescribed an antidepressant for what you term a physical illness (vitamin deficiency/menopause)?

Maybe it is reasonable to say you were not predisposed to mental illness, unless precipitated into it by psychotropic drugs like Paxil?

 

Presumably, those of us who were prescribed AD(s) for, say, depression following a delayed catastrophic mental breakdown due to childhood PTSD, are likely to encounter greater, if not insurmountable, difficulties in achieving complete withdrawal from psychotropic meds and regaining a good quality of life totally without them?

 

This is the way I am starting to think now, having hit the buffers recently after a slow taper of two years (225.0 to 56.3mg Effexor).

 

By the way, I do not subscribe to the view that there is "no such thing as mental illness".

 

Finally, which of the heroes like David Healey, Peter Breggin, Joanna Moncrieff, Robert Whitaker, Thomas Szasz, etc,  have experienced mental illness themselves. 

 

I asked a question like this on a separate thread sometime ago but did not see any response at the time.  The silence spoke for itself, I suppose.

 

Sincere regards.

Born 1945. 

1999 - First Effexor/Venlafaxine

2016 Withdrawal research. Effexor.  13Jul - 212.5mg;  6Aug - 200.0mg;  24Aug - 187.5mg;  13Sep - 175.0mg;  3Oct - 162.5mg;  26Oct - 150mg 

2017  9Jan - 150.00mg;  23Mar - 137.50mg;  24Apr - 125.00mg;  31May - 112.50mg holding;  3Sep - 100.00mg;  20Sep - 93.75mg;  20Oct - 87.5mg;  12Nov - 81.25mg;  13 Dec - 75.00mg

2018  18Jan - 69.1mg; 16Feb - 62.5mg; 16March - 57.5mg (-8%); 22Apr - 56.3mg(-2%); CRASHED - Updose 29May - 62.5mg; Updose - 1Jul - 75.0mg. Updose - 2Aug - 87.5mg. Updose - 27Aug - 100.0mg. Updose - 11Oct 112.5mg. Updose - 6Nov 125.00mg

2019 Updoses 19 Jan - 150.0mg. 1April - 162.5mg. 24 April - Feeling better - doing tasks, getting outside.  7 May - usual depression questionnaire gives "probably no depression" result.

Supps/Vits  Omega 3;  Chelated Magnesium;  Prebiotics/Probiotics, Vit D3. 

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  • Administrator

We're all predisposed to mental illness. Mental illness can be diagnosed in a ham sandwich.

 

Much later after I was taking Paxil, I found the symptoms for which I was prescribed it by my GP were probably due to menopause or low vitamin B12, or both.

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

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

All postings © copyrighted.

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22 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

We're all predisposed to mental illness. Mental illness can be diagnosed in a ham sandwich.

 

Much later after I was taking Paxil, I found the symptoms for which I was prescribed it by my GP were probably due to menopause or low vitamin B12, or both.

Not surprised 

 

1994 began Paxil 20. Jan2018-began taper @ 2.5 mg every 6 wks. 10mg Paxil on May 12/2018

May 2019 - 9.75 mg Paxil; July 12/19 9.5 mg

July 20/19 -9.75 mg

Aug  12/19 10 mg Paxil 10 mg Prozac, “Prozac bridge” ;Vit D 1000iu 6 per day, magnesium bis-glycinate 200mgx3, Omega 3 600mg x3, gaba 600mgx2, Inositol powder

Meditation, tapping, breathing and grounding, yoga, art, counselling 

Aug 21 dropped Prozac; increase Paxil to 15mg

March 8/2021. Reinstated to 20 mg Paxil

July 2021 added .75 mg Wellbutrin

 

 

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  • Mentor

Altostrata,

Thank you for posting the clip. You spoke well and seemed very relaxed. Not sure if that is how you felt but that is how you appeared. Great job.  Thanks for going to the front lines and fighting to education the public. Thank you for taking the time to share your information with us. I was looking at your number of posts, 27 thousand plus posts. That's a lot of time and effort.  Much much much appreciation.

RS

 

I am not a health professional in any way.  I do not give medical advice.   Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner.

 

NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER

April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20,  575 to 500 (13%),  Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg

Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. 

HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER

Feb. 2016 to June 2016  - Was on 150mg Zoloft.  Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. 

Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June  2016,  reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016.  From July 2016  to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper.

STARTING SENSIBLE  ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE

Dec. 10 2016  - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg.   Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mgFeb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%).  Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg.  May 9, 2020 1.375 mg.  June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%).  July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%).  August 15, 2020 1.0 mg.  Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg.  Nov. 28, 2020 .75mgJan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%).  Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg.  May 1, 2021 .375mg.  May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg.  October 2, 2021 .043mg.  October 10, 2021 .038mg.  October 23, 2021 .035mg.  October 30, 2021 .032mg.  Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg.  Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg.  Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY

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I was prescribed numerous medications for a kidney condition r/t repeated infections as a child...causing potassium wasting.  Only after FInally having someone find the answer in Feb, 50 years later, to my on and off depression, anxiety, muscle pain, abnormal sweating patterns, headaches, weakness, polyuria, heat intolerance,etc etc, am I able to look back and realize this has all been the result of the kidney issue, not depression, or anxiety etc etc. I also have secondary heart issues r/t the undiagnosed kidney issue as well as the medications.  I now know why I felt better when I did not eat etc....salt makes it worse for example.

It is a challenge to accept the consequences of the medications...more difficult when the doctors behind them were so incorrect, and were able to say you take this medication or leave this facility.  And to actually come to believe that you are mentally ill is something...even now I find it hard to not think that.

Im grateful for all I have learned here and thank you Altostrata for all you have done, here and otherwise, in hopes of bringing about change.  Your dedication is beyond words.  The you tube video was wonderful...thank you for sharing.

-Nardil 1976 < year, stopped. React to AD's. Klonopin .5BID 1990, 2.5mg til 2016

-Klonopin doubled Jan '16. Taper to 2.25mg May to Nov '16. Bad react to Lexapro, stop. React to Prevacid too, taper off. 

-November '16 Tapered .25mg Klonopin in hospital. Jan '17 started Viibryd, 20mg from Feb to June '17,     

-20mg to 10mg Viibryd from 3/25 to 6/10 2017, 12/15 10% Viibryd taper...back up next day

-Clonazepam 2mg to 1.85mg 4/14 '17 to end November; taper to 1mg Clonazepam in hospital 9/1 tp 9/14 '17

-Feb '18 Amiloride .25mg  5/18 off Amiloride d/t react. Clonaz compounded  

-4/27 '18 Viibryd 9.5mg, 6/11 9.0 mg, 1/27 '19 Viibryd 8.75mg, ; Clonazepam .2mg 530pm and .7mg 1130pm, Premarin .3mg 830PM CARAFATE QID 2/27/19 to 3/5/19

-July 6'19 1/2 10mg Claritin 230pm, stopped it about July 18, started Oct 11 '19, 

-7/27 Viibryd 8.5, 8/29 8.25, 10/24 8.0, 12/19 7.75, Feb '20 7.50, 3/20 7.25, 5/20 7.0, 6/20 6.75, 7/20 6.5, 8/20 6.25, 10/2 20 6.0, 11/25'20 5.75, 1/9/21 5.5, 2/23 5.25

-1015 AM Viibryd, vit D 4,000IU 130, 415 Clonazepam .2mg, 815 Premarin .3mg, 1015 Clonaz .7mg,

  1115 3t fish oil+D 1145 Castor Oil 650mg(4) 1230 Carafate 1/2GM,Methylated B Vit  1/week,Reacted Mag prn

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Finally able to put a face to a name!  Thanks for what you do!  How are you doing now, Alto?

PAST

Gabapentin:  about 6 months in 2015, 300-900 mg, cold turkeyed Sept 2015 (at same time dc'd Klonopin)

Klonopin: June 2014- Sept 2015; 1mg tapered over 6 mths, dc'd at 0.25mg, withdrawal hellish (perhaps because of concurrent dc of gabapentin)

Mirtazepine: Jumped off at 2.4 mg. (stable in 8 months).

Seroquel:  June 14 - July 24, 2016, 25 mg alternate nights; smaller doses for shorter periods. Total use about 3 months 

Lamictal: March 19, 2018 - 1 mg; March 23 - 1.25 mg; April 6 - 2mg. Discontinued at 2 mgJuly 1, 2018 due to Steven Johnson Syndrome.

 

CURRENT

Supplements: Vit D, turmeric

Naturethroid: 65 mcg for hypothyroidism

Trazodone: Oct 2015 - June 2016; 75 mg tapered over 2 mths, intense w/d after 3 weeks. Reinstatement: 07/25/16 - 25 mg; updosed 08/03/16 - 50 mg;  10/01/16-  62mg; 03/24/17 dropped to 50 mg (stable in 2.5 months)

                           Current psych meds: Trazodone 50 mg

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On 3/17/2011 at 1:50 AM, Altostrata said:

 

 
In December 2007, after an ill-advised job change, I completely lost the ability to sleep and became disabled. In late 2007, I finally found a doctor, a psychiatrist and sleep specialist, who understands and treats withdrawal syndrome, coincidentally in San Francisco.
 
 

 

It will be a great help ,If you can let us know, how you revived your ability of sleep.

I am encountering problems with sleep as I am tapering lower doses.

How the way this sleep specialist treated your sleep?

Congratulations on your full recovery.

I appreciate you very much as a person you are.

 

Edited by ChessieCat
changet\ font

Cold turkeyed risperidone (1m.g)and trihexyphenidyl combination drug out of ignorance,In August 2016 after one month use.

Withdrawal symptoms settled at dreamful,disturbing sleep.

Thus introduced to olanzapine for sleep.Started using olanzapine out of ignorance.

Tapering olanzapine 10 m.g from February 2017.

May 2018 :Still suffering dreams,Still tapering olanzapine at 0.625.100ml water+2.5 mg olanzapine. June 2018 22.5ml=0.57mg.July 2018 20ml,August 2018-17.5ml,September 2018-15ml,October 2018 10 ml,December 2018 7 ml, BrassMonkey slide method so far at lower doses.2 nd December cold turkeyed , only to reach minure doses as reinstatement to cutshort endless tapering process.4rth December started 1ml.

Almost no symptoms and sleep is better,So started 0.5 ml from 17-12-2018.

"0"from31-12-18.Re birth happened from 10- 2020,as rejuvenation took whole2019.Completely recovered now.

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Thank you Alto for posting your story here.  You have done us all a great service through your dedication to healing and sharing information on antidepressant withdrawal.  

 

I'm glad you feel better and like most of the people here, we know what it takes to reach that place.  

9/2013-4/2014:  After moms death, was prescribed a series of meds for short periods of time that didn't work. Zoloft, Lexapro,  Nortriptyline, Liquid Prozac, Cymbalta. 

1/2014-9/2014. Clonzapam: Given Lamictal, stopped Clonzapam at .125mgs  

1/2015-4 2017 Remeron: 41.25 -0.025mgs

7/2015-11/2018 Lamictal: 200mgs-0.05 mgs Had paradoxical reaction to Lamictal wd, broke my heart to take a benzo but wasn't sleeping. 

3/28/2019 -2/5/ 2021  Clonazapam: 0.625mgs-.00115 Med Free 

July 27th, 2022**Severe Setback due to surgery/ anesthesia. 

9/7/22-10/4/22 Trazadone 50-100mgs for sleep, 10/13/22-11/13/22 Trazadone 1 mg to stabilize

10/4/22-11/20/22 Remeron 7.5mgs (for sleep doesn't work) 11/20/22 7.3 - 12/31/22 6.3 

2023: 1/18/23 6.1 - 6/6/23 3.6  6/16 3.4  6/28 3.0 7/12 2.7  7/28 2.5 8/11 2.2 8/23 2.0  9/5 1.8  9/16 1.6  9/30 1.4  10/13 1.2  10/26 1.0  11/9 0.8  11/22 0.6  12/6 0.4  12/23 0.2.

2024 1/4/24  Remeron/Mirtazapine free 

Additional Support:  Armour Thyroid 75mgs, Magnesium Glycinate 300-500mgs,  L-theanine 

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1 hour ago, Hibari said:

Thank you Alto for posting your story here.  You have done us all a great service through your dedication to healing and sharing information on antidepressant withdrawal.  

 

I'm glad you feel better and like most of the people here, we know what it takes to reach that place.  

Yes!

 

1994 began Paxil 20. Jan2018-began taper @ 2.5 mg every 6 wks. 10mg Paxil on May 12/2018

May 2019 - 9.75 mg Paxil; July 12/19 9.5 mg

July 20/19 -9.75 mg

Aug  12/19 10 mg Paxil 10 mg Prozac, “Prozac bridge” ;Vit D 1000iu 6 per day, magnesium bis-glycinate 200mgx3, Omega 3 600mg x3, gaba 600mgx2, Inositol powder

Meditation, tapping, breathing and grounding, yoga, art, counselling 

Aug 21 dropped Prozac; increase Paxil to 15mg

March 8/2021. Reinstated to 20 mg Paxil

July 2021 added .75 mg Wellbutrin

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 6/29/2018 at 4:24 AM, Altostrata said:

A YouTube video from a few years ago: Alto Strata's Paxil Prolonged Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome (8 minutes)

You were so brave doing this video! You were so confident you wouldn't think you've been through so much! Thank you so much for this website, you are so kind and you've helped everyone here so much. :) I hope one day there will be more awareness about withdrawals and it's thanks to people like you that that should happen one day. :) This website is definetly spreading a big awareness and one day most doctors and specilists will know what post-withdrawal syndrome is and even know new ways to treat it. :) I hope you're doing well today and thank you for everything you've done and are doing! ❤️

16.4.14 - 25.4.15 Took Paxil (??mg) - cold turkey. Had random pgad symptoms around this time but not sure when exactly.

?.5.14: Started Citalopram (10mg) / 17.5.14: Quickly upped to 20mg  / 9?.15: upped to 30mg. 

8.16: Tapered off Citalopram in less than 2 weeks / 9.16: straight back on 20mg for just a week then stopped cold turkey. 11.16 Very mild pgad, PN symptoms and other withdrawals started.

7.12.16: Took Amitriptyline 10mg for just 2 days then stopped cold turkey.

14.12.16: reinstated 5mg of Citalopram / 1?.16: 10mg Citalopram / ?.16: 20mg Citalopram. 3.17 (6 months since withdrawing) pgad hit.

8.2.18: 15mg Citalopram / 8.3.18: 10mg / 8.4.18: 5mg / 12?.5.18: 2.5mg / 19.5.18: 0mg. pgad worsened almost instantly from first tapper, all sorts of PN symptoms, earworm, tinnitus, other things, coming and going until late 9.18 (4 months since 0mg) where it all got SO MUCH worse for 1.11 years (with windows and waves).

1.9.20: 99% healed ❤️

31.5.21: Smoked weed 5 out of 9 days. Pgad and other old withdrawals came back, plus developed akathesia & fibromyalgia.

7.22: Steadily recovering again ❤

2.23: Acute withdrawals coming back, no apparent reason.

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I agree Rbvdk. I’m very grateful for this forum as it’s helped me a lot by affirming all that I’ve been experiencing so far. I also benefit so much from the knowledge and guidance. 

I don’t know what I’d do without it. 

And yes, Altostrata you are an important voice that helps to bring awareness and recognition to these life changing issues. 

 

1994 began Paxil 20. Jan2018-began taper @ 2.5 mg every 6 wks. 10mg Paxil on May 12/2018

May 2019 - 9.75 mg Paxil; July 12/19 9.5 mg

July 20/19 -9.75 mg

Aug  12/19 10 mg Paxil 10 mg Prozac, “Prozac bridge” ;Vit D 1000iu 6 per day, magnesium bis-glycinate 200mgx3, Omega 3 600mg x3, gaba 600mgx2, Inositol powder

Meditation, tapping, breathing and grounding, yoga, art, counselling 

Aug 21 dropped Prozac; increase Paxil to 15mg

March 8/2021. Reinstated to 20 mg Paxil

July 2021 added .75 mg Wellbutrin

 

 

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Altostrata, I also thank you. Not only for me but I find it really very nice how each evening you try to help others  to survive this even if you could do other programme to yourself. And this also totally without cost. It is great that there are still people for whom to help other people is more important than to have always more money and carriere. I really admire it. It is actually very brave to stand here with totally other knowledge than the doctors and pharma try to push  and insist that something like withdrawal syndrome exists and they  are mistaken. It wants a lot of courage. 

05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free-

symptoms OCD

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  • Administrator

Thank you all. 💕

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

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

All postings © copyrighted.

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15 hours ago, Rbvdk said:

You were so brave doing this video! You were so confident you wouldn't think you've been through so much! Thank you so much for this website, you are so kind and you've helped everyone here so much. :) I hope one day there will be more awareness about withdrawals and it's thanks to people like you that that should happen one day. :) This website is definetly spreading a big awareness and one day most doctors and specilists will know what post-withdrawal syndrome is and even know new ways to treat it. :) I hope you're doing well today and thank you for everything you've done and are doing! ❤️

So that’s what Saint Altostrata looks like 

2005-2015 sertaline, 2015 to November 2018 escatalopram. Used liquid titration to drop doses. By 0.5mg at first then drops as small as 0.01mg at end of taper. Jumped of at 0.02mg

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@Altostrata glad to see your doing better. Did you have depression during your withdrawl. Im finding it hard to find people who did. Most people deal with anxiety. I never had depression before withdrawls. Im very scared, its very dark where im at. I feel as though I wont ever get better. Any words of encouragement or hope? Thank you

13 months on 25 mg of sertraline.

Fast taper in march 2018, reinstated 12.5mg

Cold turkey sertraline april 17,2018

Zyprexa 5mg april 17,2018

Zyprexa taper to lamictal May 4-13 (life threatening rash)

Back on zyprexa 5mg for 10days & tapered over 5 weeks.

21 months off sertraline 

19 months off zyprexa

22 months into withdrawl 

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I watched it again.

 

Alto how often do you get "out there", into the real public domain as you did when you filmed that?

 

Did you get a big crowd, were people supportive?

Dose History: 19 Feb 2014 - Escitalopram 10mg daily June 2015 - Started taper, 5mg every other day July 2015 - 5mg every 2 days August 2015 - 5mg every 3 days September 2015 - 5mg every 4 days Sept 14th - Completed tapering, but at 7 weeks "drug free" I suffered serious WD symptoms as a consequence of "incorrect" tapering. Nov 25 2015 - Re-instated Cipralex @ 2.5mg daily. WD symptoms faded. Held at this dose and experienced "windows and waves". 12 Oct 2017 Reduced dose to 1.25mg. 13 Mar 2018 Reduced dose to 0.625mg (approx.). 16 April 2018 0mg. Windows and waves triggered by stress (IBS/reflux, headaches, sinus issues) Aug 2019 Mirena coil fitted 6 Jan 2020 MAJOR Wave hit 19 months following last dose (protracted WD).  Symptoms listed below Mar 2020 Mirena coil removal.

Therapy: Nov 15th 2016 Re-started therapy Jan 19th 2017 Started CBT Dec 2017 Started listening to Hypnotherapy CD (self-esteem). Nov 2019 Started couples therapy.

Supplements: "Bioglan" Biotic Balance Ultimate Flora 10 billion CFU, live Bacteria, Probiotic, suitable for Vegetarians, with Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium Longum"Pukka" Vitalise a unique blend of 30 energising botanicals.

Diet: 16 April 2018 Detox cleanse / anti-candida for 90 days. Jan 2020 Started "small plate" diet (i.e child size portions).

Exercise: Stretching, Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, Elliptical/upper body workout, walking.

Medical Test Results: 4 Jan 2017 Homeopathic Treatment starts 24 Feb 2017 Started weight loss program 24 Mar 2017 Naturopathic Treatment + anti-Candida diet started due to suspected Candida Related Complex (CRC). DETOXED for 7 weeks to "re-set" gut. April 2017 "Genova Diagnostics" Comprehensive Stool Analysis NEGATIVE; Full Blood Count (Normal) / Blood Cholesterol: 5.6 (Borderline) / Blood Sugar (Normal) / 28 Jun 2017 FSH 8.2 / 14 Nov 2017 FSH 17.7 Dec 2017 Blood Cholesterol: 3.9 (Normal) / Kidney Function (Normal) / Blood Sugar (Normal). December 2017 "Genova Diagnostics" Food panel allergy (bloodwork) analysis - a few "VERY LOW/VL" allergens; Mar 2018 "Genova Diagnostics" SIBO urine analysis: High Level of Yeast/fungal markers found in small intestine but NO SIBO.  April 2018 Thyroid (Normal) / Full Blood Count (Normal) / FSH (Normal). 16 April 2018 Started anti-Candida diet - 3 month protocol.   25 March 2020 All test results "Normal". CRP" 5 mg/L (normal range to 0-5 mg/L).

Symptoms:  Flu-like symptoms, anxiety, anhedonia, sinus headaches right-side (severe), IBS issues/reflux (severe)**, tinnitus, fatigue, inner tremor, nausea, chills/hot flushes, pounding heart, muscular issues including stiff left hip flexor, intense anger, PSSD (ongoing).  **Histhamine intolerance (suspected).

Major Life Events: 

Re-located to UK from Canada: Jan 2016

My father died: 5:05pm, Monday 5 Feb 2018 Last Lexapro dose: 16 April 2018 (its now been over a year since I quit ADs)  Moved house: Friday 23rd February 2018  "Divorced" toxic Mother: Monday 26 March 2018 Starting working again: 19 November 2018  Diagnosed with: 5th August 2021 PTSD/C-PTSD Diagnosed with: March 2022 Interstitial Cystitis (IC)/Painful bladder syndrome

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  • Administrator

Elyssa, I had every withdrawal symptom except nausea.

 

Junglechicken, I don't speak in public. I'm trying to find time to do this. Thank you for your encouragement.

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

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

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 4 weeks later...

@Altostrata 

 

Wow! I read your story here. You have had a very long struggle. Do you mean that this withdrawal syndrome from tapering can become a permanent situation and that you still have it?

 

How on earth is it possible that these pharmaceutical companies are able to get away with this. In the US and worldwide?! It's just infuriating. 

 

 

-2001-2010 Zoloft

-2011-2012 Venlafaxine

-2013:Buproprion Hydrochroride 150mg Extended release. Once am. 

-2016: Buproprion Hydrochrolide. 100mg immediate release. Cut to 3 times daily: am 50mg, pm 25mg, pm 25mg. 

-2017-2018: Buproprion Hydrochloride 75mg immediate release. Cut to 3 times daily: am 37.5mg (half the pill) , pm 18.75mg (1/4 of the pill), pm 18.75mg.

-March 7, 2019: Started tapering this cutting appr. 1/4 by eye estimate of the morning dosage. Appr. 12%. Could not do it, after 4 days had to return where I was before. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Alto strata that is quite a story.  You have really been through a very long and very difficult process.  I admire your for your extreme level of perseverance and strength.  

 

I hope that some day, some way, we are able to somehow make a difference in the medical establishment with the ignorance and pushing of these dangerous and addictive drugs.  

Please do not private message me.  Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you.  

 

***Please note this is not medical advice.  Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one.

 

Lexapro   Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg;  started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20  0.18 mg; Jul 16  0.17 mg, Aug 23  0.16 mg, Oct 7  0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005,  Jul 8, 0.00.  Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!!  Woohoo!!!

other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg

magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed

suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc

suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg

 

Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 

Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 

Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly 

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@Altostrata thank you so much for creating and founding this site!

 

I know this is a sensitive matter but have you ever thought about doing a documentary of this subject matter? This is a worldwide issue that needs serious attention. Thanks to Google I found this site, and I am in Europe . 

-2001-2010 Zoloft

-2011-2012 Venlafaxine

-2013:Buproprion Hydrochroride 150mg Extended release. Once am. 

-2016: Buproprion Hydrochrolide. 100mg immediate release. Cut to 3 times daily: am 50mg, pm 25mg, pm 25mg. 

-2017-2018: Buproprion Hydrochloride 75mg immediate release. Cut to 3 times daily: am 37.5mg (half the pill) , pm 18.75mg (1/4 of the pill), pm 18.75mg.

-March 7, 2019: Started tapering this cutting appr. 1/4 by eye estimate of the morning dosage. Appr. 12%. Could not do it, after 4 days had to return where I was before. 

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I am so happy you made it through and started this site.  I have been on so many meds and it is absolute hell.  I am currently on 30 mgs of Lexapro, went up from 20mg 3 days ago as I am having tolerance withdrawal and am experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, though not as severe as in the past when I have fully come off the pills.  My goal is to become stable again at 30 mgs and then taper off very, very slowly this time.  I tried twice before and couldn't get through it.  This time I will take my time and try harder to be positive in the process.  I hope you are well and thanks again for providing us all with this resource.

 

1994-2009 benzos from age 20 to 36.  Added Cymbalta 60mg in 2007.

2008-2009 tapered benzos to zero and quit Cymbalta Cold turkey.  WD HELL for two years

2011 started on Lexapro to combat the withdrawal and it worked.  

2015 switched to Prozac as Lexapro was not working as well

2017 quit Prozac cold turkey November and crashed into WD.  Reinstated Prozac In December with no benefit. 

2018 Switched back to Lexapro in January and it took most of the issues away in around 2-3 weeks

2019 In February Lexapro has pooped out and WD feelings back.  Tolerance WD I'm sure.

           March 12th Upped my dose to 30 mgs per doctor's advice to see if Tolerance WD goes away but have had worsening sleep issues with limbs jerking and less sleep.

           March 17th dropped back down to 20 mgs and had less limb jerking last night but sleep no better.  

           April 20th cut to 18mg.            

 

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  • 1 month later...

Altostrata, Thank you for setting up this Website and providing as much time and support as you do and have over the years! You have been a true trail blazer and are a wealth of knowledge for all of us. My Dr's were failing me, pushing more medication on me, and draining my bank account. I am so happy I found SA.org. Thank you!

1999: Paxil ?? mgai (Paroxetine Hydrochloride) - stopped cold turkey
2001-03: Celexa ?? mgai (Citalopram Hydrobromide) - switched to Lexapro
2003-August 2015: Lexapro 20 mgai (Escitalopram Oxalate) - rapid 5 mgai increment taper down to 0 mgai
December 2015 - January 2016: Short hospital stay for unknown acute AD WD due to rapid taper
January 2016-February 21, 2016: Prozac ?? mgai (Fluoxetine Hcl) and Wellbutrin ?? mgai (Bupropion Hcl) - switched to Lexapro
February 21, 2016-July 22, 2018: Lexapro 10 mgai  - rapid 5 mgai increment taper down to 5 mgai
July 22, 2018-March 17, 2019: Lexapro 5 mgai - endured horrible waves due to rapid taper
March 17, 2019-April 7, 2019: Lexapro 3.226 mgai - endured horrible wave due to rapid taper
April 7, 2019-April 28, 2019: Lexapro 3.548 mgai - updosed to level out
April 28, 2019: Implemented Brass Monkey Slide taper method (2.5% weekly reduction) - IT’S WORKING!!!
September 2, 2020: Lexapro 0.000 mgai / 0 mgpw / 100% Taper COMPLETE!

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Thank you for paving the way for the others, Alto.  I am brand new here, especially to even the idea of tapering, and I am so completely humbled and inspired by you and the countless people here who are going through so much suffering.  I hope we all find peace and relief, and the inner knowing that the journey is the real revelation in who we truly are 💟

Aug/13/'19   buspirone  30mg  increase 45mg sep/11/2019, back to 30mg sep/22/'19

2019   oxcarbazepine   900mg 

2001   venlafaxine XR  150mg increase  sep/11/2019  from 75mg

2006   ziprasidone    60mg  increase sep/11/2019  from 20mg,  taper to 54mg  sep/23/2019

2014   gabapentin     3600mg  

1999   lorazepam      3mg  taper sep/15/2019 - 2.5mg 

2017   metoprolol     75mg

1998   levothyroxine   125mcg

2018   losartan/hctz  100/25mg

2015   lovaza 2GM  |  2014   pantoprazole 40mg

'01-'19  trazodone | '01-'19  divalproex sodium                        🖤  Intro here 💜

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  • 5 months later...
Hi Alto, you all give us hope, thanks for everything you do. We look forward to your entire story
pity I do not understand English because I would have liked to listen to your video

😃

Deroxat (paxil) 20 mg pour 10 ml

12/14 18 mg réduction de 5% tous les mois 13/01/15 14.4mg 15/08 9,6 mg 16.01 reduction3% 8 mg par mois 16/02 7,8 mg 18.02 3 mg

18.03 2,92 à 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg

 18/06 2,66 mg

26/06/18 2,58 mg en 26 jours

19/03 1,78 mg 15 jours

19/04 1, 64 mg 21 jours

19/05 1,58 mg

24/07/19 1,44 mg

14/08/19 1,4 mg

27/09/19 1,48 mg

10/09/19 retour à 1,58 mg  27/12/19 retour à 1,65mg direct transition to fluoxetine the 11/01/2020 1,65mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

@rola

 

This is the transcript of Altostrata's video.  You can copy and paste it into a translator.

____________________________________________

 

My name is Altostrata  This is a pseudonym I use because I have been holding out the hope  of going back to work eventually using my real name and because of the stigma of mental  illness I am not using my real name.

 

I want to share my story with you and ask for your help.  My story I have told very few people because it is something that people do not want to hear about and that is when you get off psychiatric drugs if you do not do it in the right way the psychiatric hell does not end.  I have been more or less house bound for the last four years so this is a real challenge to me to be able to talk to you today.  Also the autonomic distress that I have had for the last eight years from Paxil withdrawal has gotten into my heart and I now have a serious heart condition.

 

My story I will l just put in a nutshell and that is that in about 2001 I went on Paxil.  My internist prescribed it.  I think that at that time actually what I was suffering from was low B12.  It is quite common that physical ailments are mistaken for psychiatric problems and that people are mistreated with psychiatric drugs instead of addressing the underlying physical ailment and if the person does not respond to the psychiatric drug of course it supposed to mean that they need more psychiatric drugs.  However I was on Paxil for about three years and I suffered typical side effects.  I gradually became very demotivated.  I of course had the sexual side effects and at last I determined that I would get off of Paxil because it was not doing me any good.

 

So I went up to UCSF which is a premier medical institution here in San Francisco University of California San Francisco.  I thought their psychiatrists would know how to take me off of Paxil.  It turned out that they knew absolutely nothing about tapering and when I came down with severe withdrawal syndrome they did not do the appropriate thing which is to immediately reinstate the drug.  Instead they thought that I was having a relapse of something and had no connection with reality because I was obviously suffering from withdrawal syndrome with the brain zaps and so forth.  Now since that time which was eight years ago I have learned a great deal about withdrawal syndrome and I am probably one of the top six experts in the world on withdrawal syndrome and tapering off drugs.

 

I have started a website called surviving antidepressants dot org which gives people specific information about how to taper off of specific drugs.  In other words if you are on Risperdal there is a topic that explains how to titrate Risperdal.  If you are on Effexor there is a topic that describes how to titrate off Effexor.  It is very important to go off these medications in a gradual fashion.  How slow depends on your individual nervous system but I cannot emphasize how important it is for you to go off in a gradual fashion so that you do not end up like me basically.  There are many people who come to my website who have gone off cold turkey and they are suffering terribly.  And there is nothing that can be done for them.  If some time has passed and we cannot reinstate the drug all they can do is wait until they heal.

 

Let me tell you a little bit about withdrawal symptoms.  Those brain zaps are not just some minor little problem.  I had them for six months which is a long time but they are not a minor problem even if they last for two days.  What they are is abnormal electrical activity in your brain.  It is a form of epilepsy.  This is not something that a normal brain should be experiencing.  There are other withdrawal symptoms such as disorientation, confusion, inability to concentrate, inability to sleep.  All of this speaks of a very unhappy nervous system.  You do not want to stress your nervous system like that.  My problem I have been suffering from autonomic problems for eight years because of Paxil withdrawal syndrome and I urge you not to unbalance your autonomic nervous system.  It runs everything in your body.  It runs your breathing.  It runs your heart rate.  It runs your muscle tone and if you upset it by going off  too fast it can take a very long time to recover.

 

The good news is that you do recover over time.  The bad news is that most likely withdrawal syndrome leaves you hypersensitive to medications including medications that you might at some time want to take like anaesthesia for major operations and it makes it very tricky for doctors to treat real medical conditions like for instance heart problems.  For me there is really no drug therapy because I am hypersensitive to medications and my heart problem probably I am probably going to need surgery which is not a happy option for me.  So the favour that I want to ask you is.  Oh let me go back a little bit.  All right so I want to tell you that good news is you can get off of psychiatric drugs safely.  You absolutely can.  The trick is to go slowly enough so that you do not push yourself into withdrawal symptoms.  That is really important to go slowly.  This excludes cold turkey as a tapering option.  It is not a tapering option.  Please if you know of anyone who is thinking of going off psychiatric drugs please ask them to taper rather than cold turkey or they could hurt themselves and get themselves into psychiatric hell off the drugs for many years.

 

So thank you very much for  listening to me and I am really glad that I found a slot at the very end here and I hope that all of you will help me out and help save people from being injured by withdrawal from psychiatric drugs.  Thank you.

 

____________________________________________

* 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

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4 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

@rola

 

Ceci est la transcription de la vidéo d'Altostrata. Vous pouvez copier et coller dans un traducteur.

____________________________________________

 

Je m'appelle Altostrata. C'est un pseudonyme que j'utilise parce que j'espérais pouvoir retourner au travail en utilisant éventuellement mon vrai nom. En raison de la stigmatisation de la maladie mentale, je n'utilise pas mon vrai nom.

 

Je veux partager mon histoire avec vous et demander votre aide. Mon histoire, j’ai raconté très peu de gens parce que c’est quelque chose que les gens ne veulent pas entendre. C’est quand on cesse de prendre des médicaments psychiatriques si on ne le fait pas correctement, mais l’enfer psychiatrique ne se termine pas. Cela fait quatre ans que je suis plus ou moins confiné à la maison. C’est un véritable défi pour moi que de pouvoir vous parler aujourd’hui. De plus, la détresse autonome que je ressens depuis huit ans depuis le retrait de Paxil m'a envahi le cœur et j'ai maintenant une maladie cardiaque grave.

 

Mon histoire, je vais la résumer: c’est-à-dire qu’en 2001 environ, j’ai pris le Paxil. Mon interniste l'a prescrit. Je pense qu’à ce moment-là, ce dont je souffrais était très pauvre en B12. Il est assez courant que des maux physiques soient confondus avec des problèmes psychiatriques et que des personnes soient maltraitées avec des médicaments psychiatriques au lieu de traiter le mal physique sous-jacent et que, si la personne ne réagit pas au médicament psychiatrique, elle est supposée avoir besoin de plus de médicaments psychiatriques. . Cependant, je prenais du Paxil depuis environ trois ans et je souffrais d’effets secondaires typiques. Je suis progressivement devenu très démotivé. Bien sûr, j'avais les effets secondaires sexuels et j'ai finalement décidé de quitter Paxil parce que cela ne me faisait aucun bien.

 

Je suis donc allé à UCSF, qui est une institution médicale de premier plan ici, à l'Université de San Francisco, à San Francisco. Je pensais que leurs psychiatres sauraient me retirer de Paxil. Il s’est avéré qu’ils ne savaient absolument rien au sujet de la diminution progressive du nombre de patients et lorsque j’ai eu le syndrome de sevrage sévère, ils n’ont pas pris les mesures qui s’imposaient, à savoir rétablir immédiatement le médicament. Au lieu de cela, ils pensaient que je faisais une rechute et que je n'avais aucun lien avec la réalité, car je souffrais manifestement du syndrome de sevrage avec zaps, cerveau, etc. Depuis cette époque, il y a huit ans, j'ai beaucoup appris sur le syndrome de sevrage et je suis probablement l'un des six meilleurs experts au monde en matière de syndrome de sevrage et de réduction progressive de la consommation de drogue.

 

J'ai lancé un site Web appelé antidépresseurs survivants, dot org, qui fournit aux utilisateurs des informations spécifiques sur la manière de réduire progressivement l'utilisation de médicaments spécifiques. En d'autres termes, si vous êtes sur Risperdal, un sujet explique comment titrer Risperdal. Si vous êtes sur Effexor, un sujet décrit comment titrer Effexor. Il est très important d’abandonner ces médicaments progressivement. La lenteur dépend de votre système nerveux individuel, mais je ne saurais trop insister sur l’importance pour vous de partir progressivement, de façon à ne pas être comme moi au fond. Il y a beaucoup de gens qui viennent sur mon site Web qui sont partis de froid et souffrent terriblement. Et il n'y a rien qui puisse être fait pour eux. Si un certain temps s'est écoulé et que nous ne pouvons pas rétablir le médicament, ils ne peuvent qu'attendre la guérison.

 

Laissez-moi vous parler un peu des symptômes de sevrage. Ces zaps cérébraux ne sont pas juste un petit problème mineur. Je les ai eues pendant six mois, ce qui est long, mais ce n’est pas un problème mineur, même si elles durent deux jours. Qu'est-ce qu'ils sont, c'est une activité électrique anormale dans votre cerveau. C'est une forme d'épilepsie. Ce n'est pas quelque chose qu'un cerveau normal devrait connaître. Il existe d'autres symptômes de sevrage tels que la désorientation, la confusion, l'incapacité de se concentrer, l'incapacité de dormir. Tout cela parle d'un système nerveux très malheureux. Vous ne voulez pas stresser votre système nerveux comme ça. Mon problème Je souffre de troubles du système nerveux autonome depuis huit ans à cause du syndrome de sevrage de Paxil et je vous exhorte à ne pas déséquilibrer votre système nerveux autonome. Il court tout dans votre corps. Il exécute votre respiration. Il fonctionne votre fréquence cardiaque. Votre tonus musculaire circule et si vous le contrariez en allant trop vite, la récupération peut prendre beaucoup de temps.

 

La bonne nouvelle est que vous récupérez avec le temps. La mauvaise nouvelle est que le syndrome de sevrage risque de vous rendre hypersensible aux médicaments, y compris ceux que vous voudrez peut-être prendre comme l'anesthésie pour les opérations majeures, et il est très difficile pour les médecins de traiter des problèmes médicaux réels, tels que des problèmes cardiaques. Pour moi, il n’ya vraiment pas de traitement médicamenteux car je suis hypersensible aux médicaments et mon problème cardiaque va probablement nécessiter une intervention chirurgicale, ce qui n’est pas une bonne option pour moi. Donc, la faveur que je veux vous demander est. Oh, laissez-moi revenir un peu en arrière. Très bien, je tiens à vous dire que la bonne nouvelle est que vous pouvez cesser de prendre des médicaments psychiatriques en toute sécurité. Vous pouvez absolument. L'astuce consiste à y aller assez lentement pour ne pas vous enfoncer dans les symptômes de sevrage. C'est vraiment important d'aller lentement. Cela exclut la dinde froide en tant qu'option de réduction progressive. Ce n'est pas une option effilée. S'il vous plaît, si vous connaissez des personnes qui envisagent de ne plus consommer de médicaments psychiatriques, demandez-leur de réduire leur consommation au lieu d'être un dindon sauvage, sinon ils pourraient se faire mal et se mettre dans un enfer psychiatrique sans médicaments pendant de nombreuses années.

 

Je vous remercie donc beaucoup de m'avoir écouté et je suis vraiment heureux d'avoir trouvé un créneau à la toute fin et j'espère que vous allez tous m'aider et aider à sauver des personnes de la blessure résultant du retrait de médicaments psychiatriques. Je vous remercie.

 

____________________________________________

merci beaucoup 😀

 

Deroxat (paxil) 20 mg pour 10 ml

12/14 18 mg réduction de 5% tous les mois 13/01/15 14.4mg 15/08 9,6 mg 16.01 reduction3% 8 mg par mois 16/02 7,8 mg 18.02 3 mg

18.03 2,92 à 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg

 18/06 2,66 mg

26/06/18 2,58 mg en 26 jours

19/03 1,78 mg 15 jours

19/04 1, 64 mg 21 jours

19/05 1,58 mg

24/07/19 1,44 mg

14/08/19 1,4 mg

27/09/19 1,48 mg

10/09/19 retour à 1,58 mg  27/12/19 retour à 1,65mg direct transition to fluoxetine the 11/01/2020 1,65mg

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  • Moderator Emeritus

That is a very sobering tale of Altostrata's experience.  I think she has the grounds for a lawsuit.  How can the healthcare community allow such irresponsibility?  I thank God for this website.  I was tapering off Lexapro, and my psych told me to cut my pill in half for a month, then in half again for the 2nd month, and then go off.  Thank God I found this place!  It's a godsend. I'm now tapering very slowly as per this site's advice.  Altostrata you are in my prayers for total healing. 

Please do not private message me.  Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you.  

 

***Please note this is not medical advice.  Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one.

 

Lexapro   Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg;  started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20  0.18 mg; Jul 16  0.17 mg, Aug 23  0.16 mg, Oct 7  0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005,  Jul 8, 0.00.  Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!!  Woohoo!!!

other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg

magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed

suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc

suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg

 

Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 

Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 

Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly 

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  • 2 months later...

@Altostrata

 

I wish you a happy new year thank you for all you do for us

Deroxat (paxil) 20 mg pour 10 ml

12/14 18 mg réduction de 5% tous les mois 13/01/15 14.4mg 15/08 9,6 mg 16.01 reduction3% 8 mg par mois 16/02 7,8 mg 18.02 3 mg

18.03 2,92 à 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg 3% 5 mai 2018 2,74 mg

 18/06 2,66 mg

26/06/18 2,58 mg en 26 jours

19/03 1,78 mg 15 jours

19/04 1, 64 mg 21 jours

19/05 1,58 mg

24/07/19 1,44 mg

14/08/19 1,4 mg

27/09/19 1,48 mg

10/09/19 retour à 1,58 mg  27/12/19 retour à 1,65mg direct transition to fluoxetine the 11/01/2020 1,65mg

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  • Administrator

Thank you, rola! 😊 Happy new year to everyone in our community!

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

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

All postings © copyrighted.

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