Pdtrtr: Zoloft + Risperdal Withdrawal

[pdtrtr]

Hi all,

I am a new member from Turkey. 

My withdrawal is going very difficult, with no signs of recovery.  I was forced into these drugs due to OCD and arguments with family but these drugs themselves caused obsessions and obsessive thinking styles, also anger. I cannot believe these are anti-obsessive drugs.  The doctor did not explain side effects nor did enough talking therapy.  He completely based the treatment on drugs and said talking is useless.   After stopping my life views changed and I am truly shocked by my past life and  thoughts with drugs.  These drugs made anxiety worse and on top of that I am living withdrawal symptoms due to sudden changes in my perception and constant fear.  The doctor offered me more drugs right after stopping (had no symptoms then) to silence me as he also knew such symptoms would appear. Because of personality created by these drugs,  I made a very bad decision regarding something that had been important to me, now my motivation in life is gone. I cannot be active because I think that my behavior looks bizarre to others. I feel weak,  not like a man.   It feels as if I am totally disconnected from my past and my body.  I do not know what to do to get out of this situation.

Thanks. 

 

2004: injected antipsycotics2004-2005: Cipralex, Zyprexa2005-2012: 200 mg Zoloft, 2mg Risperdal (side effects not explained by doctor)2012: Tapering managed poorly by doctor, living withdrawal since.

[Petunia]

Hi Pdtrtr,

Welcome to our forum, I'm sorry you are not feeling well and are still suffering with withdrawal.  There are a lot of people here in a similar situation, I am one of them.  Doctors don't understand these drugs, how they work and how difficult they are for some people to come off of.

 

It would be helpful if you could give a few more details about how you tapered off your medications in 2012.

 

What withdrawal symptoms are you still having and is there any pattern to them.  When we understand more about your situation, we can offer some suggestions.

 

You will find a lot of helpful support here.

 

Petu.

[pdtrtr]

Thanks Petu.

My tapering instructed by doctor is as follows:

Risperdal tapered from 2mg between 2011 December-2012 February with no problems. 

200 mg Zoloft: March and April 2012.

150 mg Zoloft: May to July 14 (doctor insisted that I take the whole 150 mg dose at once, I don't know why) 

100 mg Zoloft: July 15- August 14

50 mg Zoloft :  August 15- September 15

25mg Zoloft:  September 16-22

Symptoms started on stopping. 

I lived many physical symptoms common to other people in withdrawal such as hypersensitivity, brain zaps, insomnia and nightmares. 

Mentally, I am living my childhood emotions between ages 12 -20 despite I started drugs at 24.  I feel like a child very often at age 33, I also look lot younger than my age.  I live depersonalization, it seems to me that I see places and people I have always seen  for the first time.  I feel like I am learning the realities of life for the first time which causes fear.   I feel resentment, guilt and shame for my past thoughts and life style although I never did something terrible, the drugs made me lose self-perspective and repressed my emotions.  Drugs inhibited the growth of my mind.  Since the thought patterns of drug period are gone, I am lost and confused.  I have listed the drug and withdrawal side effects in a word document, I can attach it if you wish. 

Thank you. 

 

 

[mammaP]

Hi and welcome to SA.  I am so very sorry that you are feeling so bad. My heart goes out to you.

After 3 months it may be possible to reinstate zoloft  at a fraction of the last dose you were on.

Maybe 5mg, and see if that helps. If it helps a little then you could increase slightly until you are

comfortable. If it makes you feel worse then stop immediately. Zoloft is available in a liquid which 

is much easier for tapering. 

 

Thank you for giving us your history, if you could copy that into your signautre it will appear at

the bottom of all your posts and be most helpful for us. 

 

Here is how to do that. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

And here is a link to tapering off zoloft. We recommend no more than 10% drop every 4-6 weeeks if

stable, 

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

[pdtrtr]

Hi Silver star,

Thank you for your reply. 

It has been 15 months since quitting.

If this makes some of you feel better, Dr. David Healy wrote to me once that very slow taper makes no difference at all for some people.   He has seen young people going into withdrawal after just 2 weeks on ADs. 

Kind regards.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, pdtrtr.

 

Our Symptoms and Self-care forum contains some suggestions for coping with symptoms and supporting your nervous system while it recovers.

 

I'm sorry you and so many others are going through this. But, at least we can support each other as we heal.

[mammaP]

I am so sorry, pdtrtr I mis-read your post and thought it was September this year that you quit.

In that case reinstatement is not likely to work   .  There is lots of information here to help

you cope with withdrawal and make yourself more comfortable.  I really hope that you will

find some suggestions that will  help you feel better. 

[pdtrtr]

Hi all,

The only thing that helped me so far is changing objects, people, friends and environment.  I think change faciliates formation of new connections and thus healing.  Throwing or donating the stuff at home I don't need or bought for no good reason for instance was little helpful.  Freeing myself from things or people that irritate me makes me little stronger.  Making new habits or even buying new objects instead of the ones I dispensed could have been helpful.    Otherwise the symptoms are cruel and tend to get worse by time for me regardless of how much time I work, exercise or what I eat.

Good luck to you all.