Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I have been on welbutrin and various SSRI's for 7 years. I have decided I want off all of it. So I tapered off Zoloft by taking 3/4 if the pill for 4 days, then 1/2 for 4 days, then 1/4 for 4 days, then off. It has now been 18 days and I still feel horrible. I changed my diet, try to exercise when im not bedridden, and I added omega III's and a few other supplements. This process its terrifying and im only off of one of the meds, I still have welbutrin. My symptoms are, fatigue, major/constant brain zaps, major sensitivity to sounds and light, ringing in my ears, and I feel like im drunk when I walk. This totally sucks! I was going to wait to get off of the welbutrin until after this went away, but not I'm thinking I should just do it now since I already feel terrible. I am just afraid of it being unbearable coming off both at the same time. Oh and I wake up drenched in sweat at night and sweat very easily during the day too. I started active B12 supplements today which is suppose to help. I hope this all doesn't take forever, it's not fun. Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted May 31, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 31, 2014 Hi Flutrby, I moved your post here to introductions, you can use this as your own thread adding to it as you need. Welcome to SA, I'm glad you found us. It sounds like you have withdrawal symptoms from stopping Zoloft much too fast. We recommend tapering by 10% every 4 weeks to minimize discomfort and reduce further harm to our delicate nervous system. This topic explains this in more detail: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ What dose of Zoloft were you on? Withdrawal symptoms can often be stopped by reinstating the drug, stabilizing and then beginning a slow, safe taper. Please read through this thread which explains more about reinstatement: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3079-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-stop-withdrawal-symptoms/ Here is our topic for properly tapering off Zoloft: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/?hl=%2Btips+%2Bfor+%2Btapering+%2Boff+%2Bzoloft If I were in your situation, I would reinstate a 50% dose of Zoloft and then hold, waiting to become stable and symptom free again. Others may suggest a different amount, depending on what your were on. Because you also want to taper off Wellbutrin, that's the one I would taper from first, after becoming stable on Zoloft again. The reason for this is because we find its easier to taper off the most activating drug first. These are tips for tapering off Wellbutrin: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/877-tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-buproprion/?hl=%2Bhow+%2Btaper+%2Boff+%2Bwellbutrin We generally don't recommend tapering more than one drug at a time, please slow down, learn about how to taper properly and avoid possible long term suffering. You are already suffering from withdrawal and it could go on for a long time. Please carefully read through the links, and ask any questions you may have. There is a lot of friendly helpful support here, if you stay in touch regularly, we can help. Petu. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Administrator Karma Posted May 31, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 31, 2014 Hi Flutrby and welcome to our community. Petu gave you excellent advice. I support the recommendation to reinstate Zoloft immediately at 50% of your original dose. You can't tough out these withdrawals and you need to minimize your discomfort. There is a safe way to come off of these drugs and while it may take longer than you originally planned, the goal is to be able to function and have a quality of life while doing so. I would drop the B12 supplement at this point in time because it could cause additional activation and make symptoms worse. Omega 3's are probably a good idea, but what we find is that when we come off of these drugs too fast we sensitize our nervous system and need to add supplements slowly to ensure no negative side effects. What other supplements have you added? You'll find lots of support here. Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Wow this is great information!!! Thank u for ur replies. I was on 100mg of zoloft. Unfortunately I also threw away the bottle. I'm going to call my pharmacy in a little bit to find out if I have any refills. I left a msg for my psychiatrist over a week ago telling her I was getting off and she still hasn't called back. So I've been doing all this with the advive of the internet and a friend. My friend is the one who told me about the b12. I have a gene called MTHFR 677t which if u read up on it says I need them, but I have a feeling with all this crap still in my system it wont help any way. Im going to look at the suggested treads and find out more about tapering. Thx Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 By the way my friend was a nurse for 49 yrs and she has studied nutrition extensively so that's why I've gone to her Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 That as suppose to be 39 yrs :-) Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Since I have been off the Zoloft now for 19 days do u think I should still go back ok and taper slowly? My fear is any day now my withdrawal will get better and I will have gone back on and prolonged it ... any experience with that? Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted May 31, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 31, 2014 I think other people will probably chime in here about their own experiences. I've had only horrible times with withdrawal myself, but never stayed off meds, always gone back on due to the suffering, and now I'm tapering (which is going well). I guess there are some people who can come off ADs with minimal and short-lasting withdrawal symptoms. I think they generally weren't on them for very long in those cases. But other people suffer for years. A fairly typical pattern is to get over the initial withdrawal symptoms after a month or two and then get hit about three to six months later with another wave of symptoms that doesn't go away. By this time it's often too late to reinstate, and the recovery can take years (usually does). We have no way of knowing what your outcome will be. The kind of suffering and disability that people experience when they come off meds too fast can be so extreme and horrible that we feel the stakes are too high to gamble. Since you are very recently come off, you are in the lucky, enviable position of having the option of reinstating a partial dose and stabilizing and avoiding that kind of outcome. I think everyone here will encourage you to do that, but of course it's up to you. Another advantage to reinstating now and stabilizing is that it does give you the option, once you're feeling well (which is going to take a little while) of learning how to taper properly and then tapering off the Wellbutrin or at least getting the dose down lower, which might be good since Wellbutrin is quite stimulating and activating. As far as your friend the nurse, I'm glad you have support. Her information and experience will probably prove helpful down the road a bit during the long-term recovery period, after you're no longer experiencing withdrawal symptoms. But it probably doesn't apply right now, unless she has specifically worked with lots and lots of people in withdrawal from psych meds. We find that supplements can be tricky in withdrawal, particularly B complex. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm so glad I found this site and I'm so grateful for everyone's feedback. I have another question...how do u guys cut ur dosages precisely by 10ths? That seems difficult. Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted May 31, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 31, 2014 I think there's probably mention of your options in the thread on tapering Zoloft. I haven't read that thread. There are other options described in the Tapering section. Depending on the med you can get it in a liquid formulation directly, get it compounded into a liquid formulation, make your own liquid, use a scale to dry cut a bit at a time, or if it's something that comes in beads in a capsule you can count out the beads. When I say "high stakes" and "gamble" here's an example of somebody who came off Zoloft too fast and didn't get a chance to reinstate within the "window" for reinstatement, who is here on the forum: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5798-trouper-prolonged-zoloft-withdrawal/ It's not that bad for everyone, but because it CAN be that bad for ANYone (we have no way of knowing), nobody here is going to suggest that you take that chance. When you get the chance, please put your drug and withdrawal history into your sig line as described here:http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/?p=7719 Thanks--glad you're here. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted May 31, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 31, 2014 Hi Flutrby, I moved your post here to introductions, you can use this as your own thread adding to it as you need. Welcome to SA, I'm glad you found us. It sounds like you have withdrawal symptoms from stopping Zoloft much too fast. We recommend tapering by 10% every 4 weeks to minimize discomfort and reduce further harm to our delicate nervous system. This topic explains this in more detail: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ What dose of Zoloft were you on? Withdrawal symptoms can often be stopped by reinstating the drug, stabilizing and then beginning a slow, safe taper. Please read through this thread which explains more about reinstatement: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3079-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-stop-withdrawal-symptoms/ Here is our topic for properly tapering off Zoloft: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/?hl=%2Btips+%2Bfor+%2Btapering+%2Boff+%2Bzoloft If I were in your situation, I would reinstate a 50% dose of Zoloft and then hold, waiting to become stable and symptom free again. Others may suggest a different amount, depending on what your were on. Because you also want to taper off Wellbutrin, that's the one I would taper from first, after becoming stable on Zoloft again. The reason for this is because we find its easier to taper off the most activating drug first. These are tips for tapering off Wellbutrin: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/877-tips-for-tapering-off-wellbutrin-sr-xr-xl-buproprion/?hl=%2Bhow+%2Btaper+%2Boff+%2Bwellbutrin We generally don't recommend tapering more than one drug at a time, please slow down, learn about how to taper properly and avoid possible long term suffering. You are already suffering from withdrawal and it could go on for a long time. Please carefully read through the links, and ask any questions you may have. There is a lot of friendly helpful support here, if you stay in touch regularly, we can help. Petu. Contains links to threads on reinstatement, tapering, and on tapering Zoloft. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 31, 2014 Administrator Share Posted May 31, 2014 Welcome, Flutrby. How did you feel when you added the B12? I agree with Petu, Karma, and Rhi -- I would reinstate a partial dose immediately. If you're still feeling horrible 18 days off, you're not one of those people who bounce back quickly after quitting psychiatric drugs. You need to taper more slowly. Please read the links we work so hard to post for you -- there's important information in them. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Flutrby Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 I only took quarter of a b12 yesterday for the first time. The only difference I noticed is in the afternoon after taking a nap I woke up with a massive headache. So I didnt take it today after reading that it may not be good right now. I did call in a script for zoloft that im going to pick up later today and give that a try. Started on Lexapro in 2007 for major depression and anxiety then added welbutrin later that same year. I have stayed on welbutrin this whole time but have tried many SSRI's during the last 7 years. Started to taper off zoloft 25% every 4 days May 4, 2014, but once i got down to a quarter of a pill on May 12, 2014 I started having major withdrawals Which includes major consistant brain zaps, major fatigue, shakiness, nausea a few days, drunk feeling when I walk all the time, and sensitivity to sound and light. Today is day 20 of withdrawal (May 31, 2014) I am on this site to find help and hear from others about their experiences. I also want to get off of the welbutrin along with birth control and an acid blocker they put me on 5 years ago. I want to try life completely drug free and I am changing my diet/nutrition and exercising. I was also taking xanex only when i had panic attacks that started 5 years ago, but at the beginning of this year I had another tramatic experience that caused every day panic attacks so my doc told me to take up two 2 1mg xanex every day for a while. Once I felt better I decided to stop taking a xanax. However I immediately started having major trembling in my hand and i felt like I was on speed so I had to go back on the xanex and taper off. That was fun. Thankfully that taper didn't take so long TThough and the trembling never came back. Link to comment
Administrator Karma Posted June 1, 2014 Administrator Share Posted June 1, 2014 Hi Flutrby I think you'll find reinstating zoloft will give you some measure of relief. Keep us posted. I'm not saying that you don't need B12, but what I'm saying is that your situation is complicated right now. By going off of Zoloft too rapidly you have bounced your nervous system around. That means your nervous system may not react in a predictable manner when you add a supplement. Once you get some relief from re-instating Zoloft, then you may want to very slowly introduce B12 and monitor your symptoms to see how you feel. If it helps then you can gently ramp up to a recommended dose. If it is over-activating your symptoms will show that and you can hold off for awhile longer. Karma 2007 @ 375 mg Effexor - 11/29/2011 - 43.75 mg Effexor (regular) & .625 mg Xanax 200 mg Gabapentin 2/27/21 - 194.5 mg, 5/28/21 - 183 mg, 8/2/21 - 170 mg, 11/28/21 - 150 mg, 4/19/22 - 122 mg; 8//7/22 - 100 mg; 12/17 - 75mg; 8/17 - 45 mg; 10/16 40 mg Xanax taper: 3/11/12 - 0.9375 mg, 3/25/12 - 0.875 mg, 4/6/12 - 0.8125 mg, 4/18/12 - 0.75 ; 10/16 40mg; 1/16 0.6875 mg; at some point 0.625 mg Effexor taper: 1/29/12 - 40.625 mg, 4/29/12 - 39.875 mg, 5/11/12 - Switched to liquid Effexor, 5/25/12 - 38 mg, 7/6/12 - 35 mg, 8/17/12 - 32 mg, 9/14/12 - 30 mg, 10/19/12 - 28 mg, 11/9/12 - 26 mg, 11/30/12 - 24 mg, 01/14/13 - 22 mg. 02/25/13 - 20.8 mg, 03/18/13 - 19.2 mg, 4/15/13 - 17.6 mg, 8/10/13 - 16.4 mg, 9/7/13 - 15.2 mg, 10/19/13 - 14 mg, 1/15/14 - 13.2 mg, 3/1/2014 - 12.6 mg, 5/4/14 - 12 mg, 8/1/14 - 11.4 mg, 8/29/14 - 10.8 mg; 10/14/14 - 10.2 mg; 12/15/14 - 10 mg, 1/11/15 - 9.5 mg, 2/8/15 - 9 mg, 3/21/15 - 8.5 mg, 5/1/15 - 8 mg, 6/9/15 - 7.5 mg, 7/8/15 - 7 mg, 8/22/15 - 6.5 mg, 10/4/15 - 6 mg; 1/1/16 - 5.6 mg; 2/6/16 - 5.2 mg; 4/9 - 4.8 mg; 7/7 4.5 mg; 10/7 4.25 mg; 11/4 4.0 mg; 11/25 3.8 mg; 4/24 3.6 mg; 5/27 3.4 mg; 7/8 3.2 mg ... 10/18 2.8 mg; 1/18 2.6 mg; 4/7 2.4 mg; 5/26 2.15mg; 8/18 1.85 mg; 10/7 1.7 mg; 12/1 1.45 mg; 3/2 1.2 mg; 5/4 0.90 mg; 6/1 0.80 mg; 6/22 0.65 mg; 08/03 0.50 mg, 08/10 0.45 mg, 10/05 0.325 mg, 11/23 0.2 mg, 12/14 0.15 mg, 12/21 0.125 mg, 02/28 0.03125 mg, 2/15 0.015625 mg, 2/29/20 0.00 mg - OFF Effexor I am not a medical professional - this is not medical advice. My suggestions are based on personal experience, reading, observation and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 2, 2014 Administrator Share Posted June 2, 2014 Well put, Karma! This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
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