Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted June 17, 2020 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 17, 2020 It might be because of the added stress from the Covid situation. Life has been and still is very different at the moment. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft;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 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Dejavu Posted February 4, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 4, 2021 Hi @Hopefull, how are you doing these days? I hope those cortisol spikes you were having in June have abated. 2016 - Zoloft 50 mg for klonopin w/d Approx. Nov 2017 - successful taper of klonopin; Approx. Jan. 2018 - rapid taper Zoloft over 2 wks - no w/d symptoms; May 2018 - Reinstate 50 mg Zoloft per doctor; Aug 2018 - Rapid taper Zoloft over 3-4 weeks - no w/d symptoms for 1 mo.; Late Oct 2018 - pdoc rx'd 5mg lexapro -took for 1 wk; Early Nov 2018 - Reinstate 25 mg Zoloft; updose to 37.5 on Nov 28, 2018; Nov 30 2018 - returned to 25mg Zoloft upon mod. advice; Dec 9 - Dec10 2018 - 12.5mg zoloft liquid+12.5mg zoloft pill; Dec 11 2018 - 25mg zoloft all liquid; Feb 14 2019 - updosed to 26.25 mg liquid; Mar 6 2019 - updosed to 26.88 mg liquid - new symptoms; Mar 13 2019 - back down to 26.25 mg per mod suggestion Dose Changes: Dec 2 2019 - 5% to 25mg; Jan 14 2020 - 10% to 22.5 (increase in sxs all month); Mar 10-15? 2020, accidental updose to 25mg; Mar 22 2020 - back down to 22.5mg; Apr 12 2020 - 2.5% to 21.94mg; Apr 19 2020 - 2.5% to 21.375mg (symptom increase); May 17 2020 - 2.5% to 20.625mg; May 24 2020 - 2.5% to 20.1mg - Jun 14 2020 - noticed uptick in symptoms settled 2 days later - July 10 2020 - onset of wave Link to comment
Hopefull Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 On 2/5/2021 at 7:13 AM, Dejavu said: Hi @Hopefull, how are you doing these days? I hope those cortisol spikes you were having in June have abated. Hi Dejavu, How are you doing? I am going ok. I have not experienced any cortisol spikes since. However I recently tried not eating meat for a week and my brain did not like that, so I started experiencing a little bit of symptoms. It goes to show that any slight changes can still trigger me off. So I just have to be careful. My brain likes meat and I won't be experimenting again. 😂 My brain needs fat. Otherwise it is protesting! 1 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted May 31, 2021 Author Share Posted May 31, 2021 After all these years, I have managed to go back to work full-time. Couple of years back it was impossible. Anyone out there struggling, please keep in mind things do get better. WDS is temporary, it takes years to recover, but perseverance and determination pays off. Each individual has the strength inside them to keep going. 8 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
marie123 Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 Hi Hopefull. I am glad you are doing so well. Your posts have helped push me through the long haul of tapering. I'm happy to hear from you again. Marie. 1 10/13--10/14 Ambien. Started tapering 1/14 Jumped 10/14. Done. 3/14 7.5 Remeron still taking this. 2/14 75 Trazodone - Tapered by dry cutting all the way down. 1/16 4 mg Trazodone - Jumped. Bad mistake. Got hit with late withdrawal 6 weeks later. Reinstated. 4/16 Reinstated 1 mg, updose to 2 mg Trazodone 2/19 .04 Trazodone. Walked off. Done. 10/3/19 Started 7.5 Mirtazapine taper cut to .073 gram weight, pill weighs .076 4/5/20 New Mirtazapine Taper - Compound Liquid 7.35 mg April '20, 7.25 mg May, 7.05 mg June, 6.99 mg June, 6.78 mg July, 6.57 mg Aug, Sept 6.35 mg, Sept 6.24 mg, Sept 6.21 mg, Oct 5.99 mg, Oct 5.90 mg, Oct 5.70 mg. 1/11/21 6.05 mg Messed up taper due to syringe change. Must remember the 1 ml syringe contains 1.5mg! 1/16/21 5.99 mg 2/21 5.75 mg, 3/21 5.6 mg, 4/7 5.45, 4/14 5.30, 5/12 5.15, 5/25/21 4.99 mg, 6/29 4.87 mg, 7/14/21 4.74 mg, 8/5 4.62 mg 8/17 4.5 mg, 8/30 4.38 mg,9/16 4.26 mg,10/9 4.14 mg, 10/23 4.05 mg, 11/6 3.96 mg,11/17 3.87mg.***Jan 22 Liquid was changed/couldn't tolerate***Changed back to pills. Feb 22/3.9 mg, 2/17/22 3.8 mg, 3/23 3.7 mg, 4/7 3.6 mg, 5/10 3.5mg,6/10/22 3.4 mg, 7/4 3.3 mg, 7/25 3.2 mg, 8/20/22 3.1 mg, 9/15 3 mg, 10/8/22 2.9 mg., 12/15 2.8 mg, 1/6/23 2.7 mg, 2/16/23 2.6 mg, 3/9 2.5 mg, 4/4 2.4 mg, 4/29/23 2.3 mg, 5/26 2.2 mg, 6/22/23 2.1 mg, 10/14 2 mg, 11/12 1.9 mg, 11/28 1.8 mg , 12/14/23 1.7, 12/31/23 1.6 mg, 1/20 1.5 mg, 2/6/24 1.4 mg, 2/12 updose 1.5 mg, 3/27/24 1.4 mg. Taking multi-vitamin, vit. D, cholestoff, psyllium husk, and fish oil. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted June 6, 2021 Author Share Posted June 6, 2021 On 6/1/2021 at 10:18 AM, marie123 said: Hi Hopefull. I am glad you are doing so well. Your posts have helped push me through the long haul of tapering. I'm happy to hear from you again. Marie. Thank you. Keep pushing through. You will get there in the end. It is hard, but you will get there! Take care. 2 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 My question is, can a low dose of Vitamin A make WDS symptoms to reappear? I am experiencing a bit of a skin issue and my dermatologist has suggested that I go back on Accutane. I have taken Accutane in the past way before I had a bad reaction from Zoloft. I was fine on it, didn't experience any mental issues and I took 20 mg for a year. This time my dermatologist has prescribed a very low dose 5mg for me to take for 6 months to get my skin condition under control. I am feeling really nervous to take it, but at the same time I need to treat my skin condition. It is Vitamin A, not sure how I am going to react to it. Another thing that the dermatologist has prescribed is Soolantra Cream for mild Rosecea. It is Ivermectin cream, I am reluctant to try that as well not sure how my brain is going to react. Not sure which way to go. Any advice is greatly appreciated. DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Boris Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 I would never in a million years touch accutane even if I'd not experienced this withdrawal from anti depressants. It's just not worth the risk. 1 April 2007 - Seroxat 20mg August 2008 - Cold Turkey August 2009 - Cold Turkey November 2009 - Reinstatement adverse reaction akathesia/suicidal/anxiety March 2011 - Start taper November 2012 - Crash badly at 1.25mg akathesia/suicidal/extreme anxiety January 2013 - 5mg Seroxat, 300mg Lyrica April 2017 - Successfully get off Seroxat with taper followed by 4 month of withdrawal January 2018 - Start with constant urinary urge/pain/burning/genital sensations 2 week after anxiety/akathesia ends January 2019 - Started reducing Lyrica as I suspect it's causing frequent urination, tinnitus, fatigue, brain fog and mental decline. December 2019 - Off all pysch meds Link to comment
Hopefull Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 5 hours ago, Boris said: I would never in a million years touch accutane even if I'd not experienced this withdrawal from anti depressants. It's just not worth the risk. Thank you. That is what I am thinking. I am too scared to try it after everything I have been through. I am scared about experiencing wds symptoms again since it has taken me many years to recover. I will stick with topical Vitamin A cream rather than taking it externally. 1 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Icip Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 @Hopefull, I used to take a few drops a day of CBD oil initially for nerves/anxiety, but kept taking it for my skin. It cleared my skin up completely, and even back then as an 18/19 year old it made my skin younger. I tried it a bit after my initial reaction + it made me feel a little rubbish - but that rubbish cleared up after a day. I haven't taken it since (for two years), but it might be okay for you? Have you looked into any dietary factors that might be triggering your skin? - Just if you'd like to stay away from meds. Hope this is useful after all this time! I had a reaction to Zoloft too, after five pills a little over two years ago now. Icip. Early September 2019 - One 25mg dose of Sertraline taken. Early October 2019 - Five 25mg doses (pills) of Sertraline taken for five consecutive days. Withdrawal/reaction happened on the 27th of October (2019) in the evening. Symptoms that have gone: Joint and muscle pain/weakness in my legs, phantom senses, chemical dread, chemical fear, DP/DR has gotten a lot lot better than what it is now, it was one of my worst and all-encompassing symptoms when it started, awful aphasia, parkinsonism, head pressure, pressure in my frontal lobe when trying to think/work out something, inability to plan or execute anything//feelings of being literally scatterbrained, inability to think in my head other than slight acknowledgements - the voice in my head sounded weak and 'small' like it was restrained to a much smaller area of my brain, constant fatigue, emotional numbness, constant eyestrain, and changes in perception of colour/contrast in sight. Main remaining symptoms: Visual Snow/HPPD, derealisation, tinnitus, and brain/cog fog. Drug free. Link to comment
RemeronHell Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 @Hopefull how are you doing these days? Do you feel back to 100% ? Remeron 15mg for 1 day in July '21, then 7.5mg for 6days ending 30 July 21. Immediate ADR. Went to ER several times, including ICU stay. Dealing with headaches, headpressure, tinnitus, hyperacusis, arm weakness, panic attack like feelings ever since. No more drugs since, just vitamins Magnesium L-Threonate & Glycinate, fish oil , curcumin , ubiquinol, acetyl L Carnitine and alpha-lipoid acid, vitamin d3, vitamin k2 as mk7, and an overall men’s multi-vit. Though I'm mainly just using magnesium since 2022. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 I feel good touch wood! I hope I don't jinx my self. I am studying at the moment so that is positive. WDS symptoms have gone. My memory is still not as sharp as it used to be prior to AD'S. DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 On 2/10/2022 at 3:54 AM, Icip said: @Hopefull, I used to take a few drops a day of CBD oil initially for nerves/anxiety, but kept taking it for my skin. It cleared my skin up completely, and even back then as an 18/19 year old it made my skin younger. I tried it a bit after my initial reaction + it made me feel a little rubbish - but that rubbish cleared up after a day. I haven't taken it since (for two years), but it might be okay for you? Have you looked into any dietary factors that might be triggering your skin? - Just if you'd like to stay away from meds. Hope this is useful after all this time! I had a reaction to Zoloft too, after five pills a little over two years ago now. Icip. Sorry to hear about the reaction you had with Zoloft. It sure ain't fun! How are you feeling now? I don't have acne, but mild Rosecea. I use prescription topical Vitamin A and it helps, plus lazer treatment and it helps to control the flare ups. I would be too scared to try CBD incase I react to it. But I wouldn't be surprised if it helped to clear your skin. I hope that you are doing well these days. What symptoms did you experience when you reacted to Zoloft? DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
RemeronHell Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 @Hopefull How long did it take for you to achieve certain milestones in recovery? Is it possible if you could let us know a timeline of improvements? Your thread is 18pages long so it was hard to get a feel for this haha Remeron 15mg for 1 day in July '21, then 7.5mg for 6days ending 30 July 21. Immediate ADR. Went to ER several times, including ICU stay. Dealing with headaches, headpressure, tinnitus, hyperacusis, arm weakness, panic attack like feelings ever since. No more drugs since, just vitamins Magnesium L-Threonate & Glycinate, fish oil , curcumin , ubiquinol, acetyl L Carnitine and alpha-lipoid acid, vitamin d3, vitamin k2 as mk7, and an overall men’s multi-vit. Though I'm mainly just using magnesium since 2022. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted March 25, 2022 Author Share Posted March 25, 2022 12 minutes ago, RemeronHell said: @Hopefull How long did it take for you to achieve certain milestones in recovery? Is it possible if you could let us know a timeline of improvements? Your thread is 18pages long so it was hard to get a feel for this haha It took couple of years. I completely got off Mitrazapine in 2019. It took me 4 years to get off Mitrazapine. I had a reaction to Zoloft in 2013. So it took couple of years to recover. Getting off Mitrazapine was extremely frustrating and hard. Getting off is one thing but once you get off there is a feeling of vulnerability and anxiety for not taking anything and fear of WDS hell. It takes a while to get through that plus you still experience WDS even after carefully tapper but not as intense as you would if you go cold Turkey. Either way WDS is inevitable for many people. You just have to be strong and believe that recovery is possible and it certainly is. So hang in there and don't give up. Take care Hopefull. 😊 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
marie123 Posted March 25, 2022 Share Posted March 25, 2022 7 hours ago, Hopefull said: I feel good touch wood! I hope I don't jinx my self. I am studying at the moment so that is positive. WDS symptoms have gone. My memory is still not as sharp as it used to be prior to AD'S. Nice recovery Hopefull studying wow, withdrawal symptoms gone, so great. Marie. 10/13--10/14 Ambien. Started tapering 1/14 Jumped 10/14. Done. 3/14 7.5 Remeron still taking this. 2/14 75 Trazodone - Tapered by dry cutting all the way down. 1/16 4 mg Trazodone - Jumped. Bad mistake. Got hit with late withdrawal 6 weeks later. Reinstated. 4/16 Reinstated 1 mg, updose to 2 mg Trazodone 2/19 .04 Trazodone. Walked off. Done. 10/3/19 Started 7.5 Mirtazapine taper cut to .073 gram weight, pill weighs .076 4/5/20 New Mirtazapine Taper - Compound Liquid 7.35 mg April '20, 7.25 mg May, 7.05 mg June, 6.99 mg June, 6.78 mg July, 6.57 mg Aug, Sept 6.35 mg, Sept 6.24 mg, Sept 6.21 mg, Oct 5.99 mg, Oct 5.90 mg, Oct 5.70 mg. 1/11/21 6.05 mg Messed up taper due to syringe change. Must remember the 1 ml syringe contains 1.5mg! 1/16/21 5.99 mg 2/21 5.75 mg, 3/21 5.6 mg, 4/7 5.45, 4/14 5.30, 5/12 5.15, 5/25/21 4.99 mg, 6/29 4.87 mg, 7/14/21 4.74 mg, 8/5 4.62 mg 8/17 4.5 mg, 8/30 4.38 mg,9/16 4.26 mg,10/9 4.14 mg, 10/23 4.05 mg, 11/6 3.96 mg,11/17 3.87mg.***Jan 22 Liquid was changed/couldn't tolerate***Changed back to pills. Feb 22/3.9 mg, 2/17/22 3.8 mg, 3/23 3.7 mg, 4/7 3.6 mg, 5/10 3.5mg,6/10/22 3.4 mg, 7/4 3.3 mg, 7/25 3.2 mg, 8/20/22 3.1 mg, 9/15 3 mg, 10/8/22 2.9 mg., 12/15 2.8 mg, 1/6/23 2.7 mg, 2/16/23 2.6 mg, 3/9 2.5 mg, 4/4 2.4 mg, 4/29/23 2.3 mg, 5/26 2.2 mg, 6/22/23 2.1 mg, 10/14 2 mg, 11/12 1.9 mg, 11/28 1.8 mg , 12/14/23 1.7, 12/31/23 1.6 mg, 1/20 1.5 mg, 2/6/24 1.4 mg, 2/12 updose 1.5 mg, 3/27/24 1.4 mg. Taking multi-vitamin, vit. D, cholestoff, psyllium husk, and fish oil. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 On 3/26/2022 at 1:30 AM, marie123 said: Nice recovery Hopefull studying wow, withdrawal symptoms gone, so great. Marie. Thank you Marie. Recovery is possible but to get to that point is tedious, extremly challenging, but it can be done. Patience and letting time do its healing is the key. Unfortunately it takes a long time for the brain to regenerate and heal. Once a person accepts that the recovery will be easier, but accepting the predicament you find yourself in is not easy. So many times I wished for the time to pass quickly so that I can heal. But that only prolongs your misery. It is better to focus only one day at a time. But this experience has thought me that you should never give up and healing is possible! To anyone out there who has struggling with WDS please remember that you will heal and give your self plenty of time to do that! 1 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Memphisto Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 hello hopeful, have you stopped mirtazapine completely? Did your cortisol anxiety improve after you hit zero or before that? March 2020 - 15 mg mirtazapine May 2020 - 10 mg escitalopram , mirtazapine 15 mg June 2020 - 10 mg escitalopram / 7.5 mg mirtazapine mid-July - 5 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine Aug, 2020 - 1.5 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine Jan, 2021 - 0.95 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine Feb 25, 2021 - 0.90 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine >>> Crash! - Start with 150 mg opipramol (50-50-50) Jan, 2022 - 0.78 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine / 112 mg opipramol ... 01/2024 0.62 mg escitalopram / 11,85 mg mirtazapine / 80 mg opipramol Link to comment
Memphisto Posted May 13, 2022 Share Posted May 13, 2022 Hello hopeful, I have now read your entire topic. My question as to whether you stopped taking the mirtazapine has now been answered. I couldn't see it in your signature two weeks ago. I think I read that your fear of cortisone had mostly disappeared before you stopped taking it. I no longer suffer from this morning anxiety every day. have you had days during weaning when you felt almost normal, without fear and despair? are such window days more common over time? I have occasional days when I don't have anxiety and despair, but when they come it's still pretty overwhelming. Unfortunately, I started Mirtazapine over two years ago because of insomnia and anxiety, then the dose fluctuating between 15 and 7.5 mg led to mood swings and more anxiety. then escitalopram was added for 2 months. Escitalopram discontinued almost cold from 10 to under 2 mg. and since then I've suffered from flare-ups of fear and despair. I hope You are fine. maybe they will give a new update soon. they've been off mirtazapine for so long now. I know y it will get better. but if you're still in the middle of it, it's like it's never going to end. excuse my english, it's not my native language All the best memphisto March 2020 - 15 mg mirtazapine May 2020 - 10 mg escitalopram , mirtazapine 15 mg June 2020 - 10 mg escitalopram / 7.5 mg mirtazapine mid-July - 5 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine Aug, 2020 - 1.5 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine Jan, 2021 - 0.95 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine Feb 25, 2021 - 0.90 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine >>> Crash! - Start with 150 mg opipramol (50-50-50) Jan, 2022 - 0.78 mg escitalopram / 15 mg mirtazapine / 112 mg opipramol ... 01/2024 0.62 mg escitalopram / 11,85 mg mirtazapine / 80 mg opipramol Link to comment
Hopefull Posted July 16, 2022 Author Share Posted July 16, 2022 On 5/13/2022 at 6:13 PM, Memphisto said: Hello hopeful, I have now read your entire topic. My question as to whether you stopped taking the mirtazapine has now been answered. I couldn't see it in your signature two weeks ago. I think I read that your fear of cortisone had mostly disappeared before you stopped taking it. I no longer suffer from this morning anxiety every day. have you had days during weaning when you felt almost normal, without fear and despair? are such window days more common over time? I have occasional days when I don't have anxiety and despair, but when they come it's still pretty overwhelming. Unfortunately, I started Mirtazapine over two years ago because of insomnia and anxiety, then the dose fluctuating between 15 and 7.5 mg led to mood swings and more anxiety. then escitalopram was added for 2 months. Escitalopram discontinued almost cold from 10 to under 2 mg. and since then I've suffered from flare-ups of fear and despair. I hope You are fine. maybe they will give a new update soon. they've been off mirtazapine for so long now. I know y it will get better. but if you're still in the middle of it, it's like it's never going to end. excuse my english, it's not my native language All the best memphisto Hi, Sorry it has taken me a while to answer your questions. How are you feeling these days? Any better? There are days when you will feel "normal" and then back to square one. That is the healing process. You will experience "windows " when you feel normal and "waves", when the symptoms come back. Eventually with time you will experience more windows and less waves, until the time you will experience only windows. That whole healing process varies from person to person. Some people heal faster and others very slow. It depends on your genetic make up. By the wayyour English is very good. I hope that you are doing much better. Hopefull. 1 DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Icip Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 @Hopefull, hi! I never got back to you, I’ve just re-come across your thread. I’ve had mainly sensory issues pertaining to my eyesight (seeing static), tinnitus, and being emotionally sensitive. I’ve come back to your thread, as I’ve been starting to struggle again with my emotions. I also just wanted to ask how you’re doing? It gives me a lot of hope to hear that you’re working full time again, and now, or have been studying. I’m currently taking a Masters, and it’s been four years since my reaction. Icip. Early September 2019 - One 25mg dose of Sertraline taken. Early October 2019 - Five 25mg doses (pills) of Sertraline taken for five consecutive days. Withdrawal/reaction happened on the 27th of October (2019) in the evening. Symptoms that have gone: Joint and muscle pain/weakness in my legs, phantom senses, chemical dread, chemical fear, DP/DR has gotten a lot lot better than what it is now, it was one of my worst and all-encompassing symptoms when it started, awful aphasia, parkinsonism, head pressure, pressure in my frontal lobe when trying to think/work out something, inability to plan or execute anything//feelings of being literally scatterbrained, inability to think in my head other than slight acknowledgements - the voice in my head sounded weak and 'small' like it was restrained to a much smaller area of my brain, constant fatigue, emotional numbness, constant eyestrain, and changes in perception of colour/contrast in sight. Main remaining symptoms: Visual Snow/HPPD, derealisation, tinnitus, and brain/cog fog. Drug free. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted December 22, 2023 Author Share Posted December 22, 2023 On 11/24/2023 at 11:00 AM, Icip said: @Hopefull, hi! I never got back to you, I’ve just re-come across your thread. I’ve had mainly sensory issues pertaining to my eyesight (seeing static), tinnitus, and being emotionally sensitive. I’ve come back to your thread, as I’ve been starting to struggle again with my emotions. I also just wanted to ask how you’re doing? It gives me a lot of hope to hear that you’re working full time again, and now, or have been studying. I’m currently taking a Masters, and it’s been four years since my reaction. Icip. I am doing okay. I still carry a bit of emotional baggage from this AD withdrawal ordeal, PTSD. It appears occasionally with certain situations. How are you doing? DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Kimboslice Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 Hey hopefull.. how are you getting on? I’m so pleased to see your circumstances have improved and your back in the life of the living. OCT 2016 - I quit Sertraline 50 mg CT after a family bereavement had turned my life upside down .. as a result it felt the drug was totally ineffective. MAY 2017- After what had been an appalling 6 months (which i thought was horrific grief but now realise it is likely withdrawal is the more likely culprit) I reinstated Sertraline at 50 mg before raising the dose to 100 mg due to not feeling any effect (again this is something that makes sense now). In time i had started to feel normal again and presumed it was because I had worked my way through my prolonged grief. FEB 2019 - Life was now back on track and decided it was time to try and rid myself of the shameful daily pill pop that is AD's. I quit Sertraline Via a fast taper... but may aswell have been a CT. JUN 2019 - I found SA . .. realised i was withdrawing .. and had inadvertently made multiple mistakes along the way. NOV 2019 - I'm roughly 8-9 months into withdrawal & STRUGGLING Link to comment
Hopefull Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 On 1/21/2024 at 1:34 PM, Kimboslice said: Hey hopefull.. how are you getting on? I’m so pleased to see your circumstances have improved and your back in the life of the living. Thank you. I am trying to move past everything that has happened. Lately PTSD has reared its ugly head. I think I got triggered by my brothers passing last April. But I was busy studying so I had no time to process it. I also moved in December and I got triggered by what happened to me regarding AD withdrawal and took a while to settle. Was ok for a while and for the last week I am dealing with PTSD, related to AD. I felt fine for the last 2 years, kept myself busy studying, moving house and my brothers passing triggered me off. It took me back to the place what I was experiencing. I kind of get a warning that is coming on because I had a disturbing dream. I am keeping it real here. What happened to me regarding AD reaction and withdrawal has had a profound affect in my life. Eleven years on I still feel the effects of it from time to time. You can still live a relatively normal life, achieve your goals, but also being realistic that for some of us PTSD will appear from time to time. I have accepted it to an extent, but I will definitely seek counselling and therapy regarding this issue. I just want people to feel positive about their recovery and also to have realistic expectations. Not everyone will experience PTSD from WDS, some of us are more prone to it. DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Kimboslice Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Thanks hopefull.. dealing with life stressors such as death and grief will, especially immediate family members will cause issues for anyone.. a withdrawal survivor or not. Grief is always a process that needs working through. How would you describe your PTSD symptoms and differentiate them from the ones you fought during WD? Since messaging you my life’s improved drastically and despite still experiencing symptoms the relief is insurmountable and is making life at a lot more enjoyable than years previous. As far as the ptsd is concerned maybe the DNRS programme could be a helpful tool to help work your way through. 1 OCT 2016 - I quit Sertraline 50 mg CT after a family bereavement had turned my life upside down .. as a result it felt the drug was totally ineffective. MAY 2017- After what had been an appalling 6 months (which i thought was horrific grief but now realise it is likely withdrawal is the more likely culprit) I reinstated Sertraline at 50 mg before raising the dose to 100 mg due to not feeling any effect (again this is something that makes sense now). In time i had started to feel normal again and presumed it was because I had worked my way through my prolonged grief. FEB 2019 - Life was now back on track and decided it was time to try and rid myself of the shameful daily pill pop that is AD's. I quit Sertraline Via a fast taper... but may aswell have been a CT. JUN 2019 - I found SA . .. realised i was withdrawing .. and had inadvertently made multiple mistakes along the way. NOV 2019 - I'm roughly 8-9 months into withdrawal & STRUGGLING Link to comment
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