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BeatAnxiety: New Here, struggling with the discontinuation


BeatAnxiety

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Hi,

First post here.  I started ADs in January 2013 due to severe anxiety brought on by tinnitus and insomnia.  I have taken Lexapro, Pristiq, Celex, Effexor and lastly Cymbalta during this time, none of which had anything but partial response.  In Feb of this year I started having a lot of pain and muscle weakness in my lower back and was getting myalgia in my legs and calves, burning sensations, etc.  I also had arthritis like feelings in my hands and fingers.  I also had a stiff neck   I went from being a 5 mile per day to runner to being unable to exercise and in chronic pain.

 

My Dr finally agreed with me that this was adverse side effects of the meds and we needed to stop and take a "wait and see approach."  I also am in a CBT program and want to try and function without the meds and restore my ability to run and work out again.  Genetric testing confirmed that the SSRIs and SNRIs are not likely to work well for me anyway and more likely to cause adverse events.  The last med was Cymbalta, 30 mg and I was on it for a month following low dose Celexa.  I tapered fast over 2 weeks by removing balls from the capsules until I got down to 10mg, stayed there a few days and then stopped last Saturday.  I was also on Ambien and Trazodone for sleep as well as low dose Xanax as a PRN.

 

To deal with anxiety I have been prescribed Xanax XR 1.0mg and 25mg Seroquel for sleep.  The Seroquel works great and has replaced Ambien and Trazodone, albeit I am groggy for a couple hours in the AM and have a difficult getting out of bed.  My anxiety seems under control.

 

My issue is that I'm now suffering from terrible depression and my pain has gotten worse, especially around my waist and trunk.  The burning sensations are gone though as is the pain in my hands and neck thankfully as well as the roving myalgia.  But I am in a dark abyss of despair and am getting some of the brain zaps, mostly when I am lying down or they briefly wake me up in the night.  Small electric sensations in my head.  I am also very agitated and over-reactive to basic everyday events.  I assume this is garden variety discontinuation.  Fortunately I was on lower than usual doses of these meds.  But, still suffering. Fish Oil, B-12 and all that mumbo-jumbo don't seem to help much.  Any advice or encouragement is appreciated.  Today was really bad, probably my worse day so far since stopping a week a go.  

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello Beat Anxiety and welcome to SA!

 

I'm really sorry you are are going through such difficult times.

 

You've really gone through a lot in this one year with changing all those drugs while waiting for you doctor to realise that you are extra sensitive to them and that they cause you even more adverse reactions than they do to most people. 

 

I hope you can benefit from our experience with these drugs here. What would help us to offer some concrete advice is more detail on all the drugs you are taking now including their doses and the dates when you started taking them including the dates of any changes if you remember them.

 

These is a link which explains how you can do that: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Everything that was happening with the drugs before (starting and stopping various drugs at various doses) probably contributed a great deal to how you are feeling today so it would also help to list the days and dosages of all the drugs you were taking.

 

Coming off a drug in 2 weeks can't really be called tapering. It looks more like cold turkey and from everything you are describing you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from it in which case reinstating a certain amount of the drug could probably give you relief from your symptoms. Despite the adverse effects it seems that stopping yet another medication made things even more difficult for you so a much slower taper would be in order.

 

Here is the link with advice on how to taper cymbalta following the generally recommended 10 % decrease every 30 days (which is a lot slower than what you did).  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/283-tips-for-tapering-off-cymbalta-duloxetine/ Since it seems you weren't on that drug for a long time, you might be going faster than that but it is good to start conservative to see how your brain reacts.

 

At the moment it seems your brain must be very shocked with all the changes that were happening and  will appreciate stabilising on a certain dose to allow it a time to heal and recover. I would wait for the opinions of others on what could be the right dose for you to try and stabilise on. You've been off medication for a week so I'd try with 50 % of what you were taking, that is 15 mg, see how you react to that and then adjust your dose accordingly. But I'd also like to hear what others have to say.

 

You are right that supplements except for omega 3 and magnesium might be adding even more confusion, especially vitamin B 12 which many people with sensitive CNS find too activating. You might wish to explore magnesium which people generally find safe and is very helpful for managing anxiety: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

Small electric sensations you mention are called brain zaps and are a very common symptom of withdrawal as well as agitation and over-reacting. When you have time, I'm sure you'll find a lot of what you've been going through explained here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/603-what-is-antidepressant-withdrawal-syndrome/

 

I hope this hasn't been too much for the first time ;) You will find a lot of friendly support here and welcome once again.

 

best,

 

bubble

Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2

2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013)

Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 
1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg.
2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg
went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days after
reinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours
28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr  2015 1 mg,  25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64  Xanax     9 month hold

24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26

Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic 

I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi BA, welcome to SA. I am astounded at the number of drugs you were prescribed in such a short time

and there is no wonder you are feeling ill!   Bubble is right that we need a bit more information to be

able to understand what is happening. You were on Cymbalta for a month, was that a month including

the 2 week taper or  a month before starting the taper? 

 

Seroquiel has replaced Ambien and trazadone, which could mean you are suffering withdrawal from 

either / both of those. Xanax is very addicting if taken daily and can cause rebound anxiety. 

 

I'm glad that you found us and we will be able to offer advice tailored to your situation when we have more

details of all  the meds and doses, especially the most recent ones if you can remember. 

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Thanks for the couple of replies.  I added my med history in detail to my signature block.  Yes, it was a roller coaster ride of meds trying to find one that would work.  Celexa was the bomb, most effective and offered such immediate relief even at 10 mg but the SE's nearly debilitated me.  Keep in mind I have been through all this while managing a high stress full time job.  

 

My best non-med coping mechanism was running.  It was the one thing I did on my own that gave me some relief.  It was my escape zone and happy place. With that now gone, my #1 priority is restore that ability even if it means I have to suffer some despair in the meantime.  Pain is more localized now in my lower back and less "weird" if that makes any sense.

 

I wish we had done the Prozac bridge method, maybe we still can.  I hate having to be on Xanax but right now I'm afraid it's needed to function.  I will start magnesium today.  I'm wondering if something like L-tryptophan, St John's Wort or 5HT might provide some relief from the depression?

 

 

 

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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One of the other distressing things about all is that my Dr does not recognize the fact discontinuation can occur even coming off low doses.

 

Quote:  "Just alternate your Cymbalta every other day until it's gone.  That is a pittance of a dose and you will be fine."

 

I would have insisted on a more gradual approach but my pain was reaching unbearable levels and I felt as though we needed to get the offending drug out as quickly as possible.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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HI BA-

So glad that you have found this site.I has been a God send for me over this past year. These people have been through it all & are the most knowledgeable around. Hang in there. I think a lot of the battle with me was knowing that there was a reason that I was feeling so bad, that it was the drugs & that it would eventually get better. It can be excruciatingly slow for some of us, but it does happen. Most people in the medical profession don't have a clue about this stuff. They just cause it. There is a ton of information on the site. Check it out. 

Take care,

Zoe

 

Jan. 1994 Pamelor

2000 switched to Zoloft 

2011 Zoloft pooped out- Dr. switched me directly to Lexapro15mg -had a horrible 6mths

2013 upped Lexapro to 20 mgs-pooped out

June 2013 Dr. added 150 Wellbutrin to Lexapro.

July 2013 Switched back to Zoloft 100mgs.Was still taking Wellbutrin. Lots of anxiety from the Wellbutrin

July 2013 Started to wean Wellbutrin- off by Sept.

Oct. 2013 added 400 mgs of Neurotin to the Zoloft

Jan 2014 Tapered off of the Zoloft and onto Prozac 30 mgs. Also still taking 400 mgs Neurotin

Feb 2014 Reduced Prozac to 13 mgs. Still taking 400 mgs Neurotin

Aug. 2014 Prozac 13 mgs. Finished with Neurotin. .7 Risperadol

 

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Thanks Zoe, I do fall victim to "all or nothing" thinking too where one gets feeling awful and fears they are stuck and will never feel better.  I will check out the site in more detail.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Moderator Emeritus

As regards your doctor thinking you should be able to drop quickly off low doses:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6036-why-taper-paper-demonstrates-importance-of-gradual-change-in-plasma-concentration/

Check out the charts starting on page 4 and you can see why "low" doses still correspond to high receptor occupancy that must be tapered. Also that the "therapeutic" dose of these meds is probably overkill most of the time--they're actually prescribed at pretty high doses even to start.

 

Your doctor sounds dangerously ill-informed about psych meds to me (this is a crazy number of meds to be put on in such a short period of time, and after you had an initial bad reaction to the first one you should never have been tried on the others). Unfortunately this is fairly common. I would begin to contemplate the possibility that he might not be your best source of information and support for making choices and decisions about using these kinds of drugs. 

 

Your situation is a bit tricky as you get bad effects from taking the drugs but you're also having withdrawal effects. Usually in this case the best thing to do is to reinstate on the smallest dose you can take that will help alleviate the withdrawal effects somewhat while minimizing the deleterious side effects. I would recommend trying a small dose of Cymbalta, maybe 5 mg, and see if that helps with the brain zaps and other withdrawal symptoms.

 

I'd also recommend checking out the website cepuk.org and getting hold of a copy of Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker. 

 

I'm a little confused about what drugs you're still taking and at what dosages.

 

Xanax is tricky. If you only take it once or twice a day, but you do take it more than once or twice a week, it can cause rebound anxiety due to interdose withdrawal effects. Something to take a look at maybe eventually.

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.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

The "all or nothing I'm never going to feel better" thinking is actually another classic withdrawal symptom. One of the most humbling and scary things we learn from these drugs is how much less we actually control even our own thoughts, than we think we do.

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.

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 Right now I am only taking 2 meds:  Xanax 1mg XR once per day and 25mg Seroquel at night.  Xanax holds the anxiety and tinnitus at bay and Seroquel allows me to sleep.  So far anyway.  I am seeing a new Dr and these are the Rx's he wants me to stay on for the next month.  My issues are really in the anxiety spectrum but they eventually gave birth to depression.  Now that we have removed the serotonin action the depression is in full swing.  I am pretty early in the CBT process to have mastered those skills yet.

 

Other than that I am doing Omega 3 Fish Oil, a B-complex vitamin and will add a good Magnesium supplement too.  I am also doing Vitamin D.  Other than Magnesium I have been taking the other supplements for months.  

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Administrator

Welcome, BeatAnxiety.

 

My head is spinning at your drug history. Going on and off that many drugs, with adverse reactions to them -- no wonder your nervous system is complaining now.

 

My guess is your "depression" is not psychiatric depression but a legacy of your adverse reactions, including switching and too-fast withdrawal, from all those drugs. Our nervous systems are not made of rubber. The stresses from all the drugs build up and dysregulation occurs.

 

Your nervous system needs to settle down. I have no idea if reinstatement of anything will help. It's possible adding a couple of beads of Cymbalta might stop the brain zaps.

 

I guess the best thing to do right now might be just to keep very steady on your regimen, which is kind of working. You need to be patient. You may need to do this for 6 months or more before you see any improvement.

 

Your nervous system has probably become sensitized to all neuroactive drugs. You need to get out of the mindset that you require drugs to treat your symptoms. Most likely, they will make you worse, especially at the doses most doctors would insist were "therapeutic."

 

Have you tried chiropractic, acupuncture, osteopathy, massage, or physical therapy for the pain in your waist and trunk? Often withdrawal syndrome makes us hypersensitive to pain in areas of mechanical stress, e.g. a lot of sitting, bending, or lifting.

 

Also be aware that "depression" can be a common side effect of benzodiazepines. Again, this is not psychiatric depression but an adverse effect of the drug. Most likely, you will eventually have to taper very carefully off Xanax.

 

It sounds like your original doctor was clueless. See our doctor list http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/

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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Yes indeed, there was some bad advice from Dr's.  And you are correct, my brain really does not know what to withdraw from…  While I feel like crap, I can honestly say I had days on ADs when I felt a lot worse.  At least someone woke up and recommended genetic testing.  Here is what it says in nutshell:

 

1.  I have the short arm version or "S" allele of the serotonin transporter.  Higher than average odds of depression.  "Exercise caution when prescribing SSRIs due to poor response, slow response and increased likelihood of adverse events."    

2.  I am an intermediate metabolizer of CYP2D6 which is the primary pathway for most psychotropic meds, including Cymbalta and most of the TCAs. "Caution with standard doses of substrates processed via this pathway, alter dosing regimen to reduce adverse events."

 

That basically left Pristiq as the only real candidate in the non-TCA med spectrum but since it acts potently on norepinephrine it wasn't a good candidate for anxiety.  So, that takes out the "go to" antidepressants as well as Effexor since it is basically an SSRI until you get to about 150mgs.  Using an atypical medication such as Remeron or one of the TCAs at a lower dose are other potential options.  

 

For now I will eat right, exercise as best as I can and try to gut it out.  I am doing massage and will continue CBT.  I think the advice of my new Dr to simply let your body reset and do our best to contain anxiety may be the best strategy for now. As bad as it is at least Week 1 is in the rear view mirror.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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I am now in severe pain.  Going to my general practitioner in the AM to start ruling out other causes as referrals to specialists and MRI/CT scans, lab work etc. could take a few weeks.  My Psych Dr said that in 32 years of clinical practice he has not seen the type of pain symptoms I am having as a result of discontinuing a med.  He said the handful of patients having pain as a result of ADs experienced near immediate cessation of pain upon stopping the med.

 

I am getting close to begging for the Prozac Bridge method.  I'm not sure how I could feel any worse.  Give me something with a long half life I can gradually withdraw from over several months.  Getting close to affecting my job.  

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Moderator Emeritus

We have all seen our doctors more or less completely clueless when it comes to withdrawal. Alto here knows an awful lot about these things so if I were you, I'd very carefully read what she wrote on your situation (among other things she concluded your doctor appeared clueless).

 

Why are you agaisnt reinstating a small dose of Cymbalata, like 5 mg as you were advised here? (sorry, our suggestions were a bit different because there are no guarantees that anything will work when we are in such states). But if I were you, I'd give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn't work and then you can stop taking it because it is such a small dose and you will notice immediately whether it's working or not.

 

In my opinion bridging with Prozac is more risky since you are adding a new drug to your system and thus adding more confusion and this is the least your CNS needs at the moment.

 

My experience was that the longer I resisted reinstatement, the worse the symptoms got. Upon reinstatment I felt almost instant relief but since I was resisting for 45 days it took me almost 4 months to start feeling sort of normal.

 

Take care.

 

bubble

Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2

2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013)

Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 
1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg.
2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg
went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days after
reinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours
28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr  2015 1 mg,  25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64  Xanax     9 month hold

24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26

Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic 

I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. 

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  • Administrator

Do your symptoms have any daily pattern? Please keep notes on paper. This helps identify potential causes for the symptoms.

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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No set rhythm of patterns each day really,  A few things we are going to do:

 

1.  First thing in the AM I meet with my General Practitioner who is going to order some lab work and get me referred to physical therapy to investigate my low back and leg pain that has existed since starting Celexa in early Feb through Cymbalta and now worsening on Day 10 of "med free."  So, at least we get some activity focused on that….ASAP.  Lacking an easily identifiable cause we do X-rays, MRI and CT scan to rule out other causes.  

 

2.  My new Psych Dr is giving me the option to re-introduce some Cymbalta or do the Prozac bridge.  He is not a fan of pill disassembly and bead removal.  I was only on 30mg Cymbalta for a month and it was not helping with anything and making anxiety worse.  He claims Prozac is a common way to get people a softer landing from the short half-life SNRIs,  Is concerned that ultra low dose Cymbalta plays to much ping-pong with the brain as it is essentially gone each day and then reinstated and is also jacking with both serotonin and norepinephrine.  But, it's up to me.  He actually prefers I just gut it out and use Xanax as needed provided we can keep the dose manageable,

 

The whole goal of this for me right now is the STOP THE MUSCLE PAIN and restore my ability to exercise.  The belief is that the ADs are somehow causing it.  That belief might not be valid, dunno,  

 

 

 

 

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Moderator Emeritus

It sounds like your new psych doctor is much more sensible about these meds than that doctor who put you on such a crazy merry-go-round last year. Whew! Glad to see you in better hands.

 

If your experience with him turns out to be good and he's able to help you taper off the Xanax in a way that works for you, would you mind letting us know? We're always looking for good, experienced, sensible, knowledgeable physicians to refer people to.

 

I wish you the best of luck and fast progress, and I hope you get some relief soon.

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.

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  • Administrator

BeatAnxiety, trying Prozac at this point is likely as any other drug option.

 

I urge you to start with a very low dose, no more than 5mg. This may be enough and it will reduce the extent of a bad reaction, if you have one.

 

Prozac comes in a liquid form for titration or you can make a liquid yourself, info here http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/

 

It sounds like your new psychiatrist may be half-way sensible. His not being a "fan" of the bead method indicates he doesn't know much about tapering. You may have to be assertive if you want a prescription for Prozac liquid.

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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  • 2 weeks later...

Today ends 3 weeks off of Cymbalta following a stupid 3 week taper.  You can see the trail of crap I was on for the past 16 months.  They all sucked.  Had to stop ADs due to parasthesia and other unpleasant symptoms such as roving and weird myalgias.

 

My biggest problem is pain around my mid-section, low back and pelvic area which has all but eliminated my ability to exercise and is not getting better.  Doing some physical therapy though for my back and it is helping a tiny bit.  If we could fix the pain I would be back on the Colorado running trails and in the gym where I could partially heal myself.  I am getting close to being unable to walk.

 

Not sure I'm winning this war.  Dr has me on 1.5MG Xanax per day to curb the horrible anxiety.  Low dose 25mg Seroquel is letting me sleep but the nightmares are getting troublesome and I feel overly sedated.

 

Heck, I thought 3 weeks in the rear view mirror and my CNS would start resetting to normal and kicking out a few good days.  Pain is scaring me and next step is to get into a neurologist.  I hate to surrender and start another AD but there are different levels of misery and this is a pretty low one, worst than being on the meds that didn't work.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi BeatAnxiety,

I added your new post to your original introduction thread, its one intro thread per member and this one has all your background information.

 

I'm sorry to hear that you are still having a lot of pain.  I take it that you decided not to start on a low dose of Prozac?  Because the pain is getting worse, I think its a good idea to investigate other sources, besides the effects of medication, that way you can rule out anything more serious.  It may just be a coincidence that the pain and weakness started a month after starting on anti-depressants, it may be totally unrelated.

 

When did the nightmares start?  Are you having them every night? Do you still have tinnitus?  In your first post you say that insomnia and tinnitus were the cause of anxiety, do you know what caused the sudden tinnitus and insomnia? What I mean is, were you exposed to loud noise or did you experience a stressful life event which kept you awake worrying?

 

Its not surprising that you are feeling overly sedated, both xanax and seroquel are sedating. 

 

Because your situation is complex and some symptoms started before you went on any medication I'm reluctant to suggest anything drug related.  If I were in your situation, I would want to rule out other potential causes for the increasing pain and weakness before assuming it was drug related.  If in fact it turns out to be caused by the drugs, then I would think it would be an adverse reaction, rather than withdrawal.

 

Others may have some suggestions, I hope you get some good days soon.

 

Petu.

 

edit:  PS. Please would you add the xanax and seroquel to your signature.

Edited by Petu
added content

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

 

 

 

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  • Administrator

Perhaps reducing the Seroquel slightly? It sounds like you are having adverse effects.

 

Please understand that if you take 1.5mg Xanax a day, you most likely will have to taper it. Be very careful to take it regularly so as not to introduce yet another confounding factor in your situation.

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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I skipped my Seroquel last night and guess what? I slept anyway. No nightmares and had a very good today. Pain was substantially diminished. Hmmmm....

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Administrator

How long have you been taking Seroquel every night? If it's more than a few weeks, please don't just quit it. You can get withdrawal symptoms from that, too.

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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Today is end of Week 4 off of ADs.  There is no doubt in my mind that ADs caused some sort of neurologic damage that impacted the muscles in my low back and extremities.

 

Today was the first day since February that I was able to jog for a few minutes and not experience pain.  In fact I did a walk-jog combo for 20 minutes.  Walk 2 mins, jog 1 min.  I was able to start riding my bike last week and went for almost a 40 minute ride yesterday.  I have been in physical therapy (PT) for a couple weeks now and I feel like they are having to retrain some of my muscle groups…almost like they do for people who have suffered traumatic brain injury (although not on that scale obviously).

 

I am still getting a brain zing now and then and having non-specific chest pain and some other pain around my pelvis and trunk.  This is getting better, but only very gradually and the progress is measured by small improvements each week, not each day.  I just hope the damaged neurons continue to recover, if that is what is happening.  16 mos on ADs and 1 month off.  I have to be making some headway in my neurotransmitters re-regulating.  

 

Coming off 1.5MG Xanax is next target but is a ways out.  Still need Ambien to sleep.  Tapered Seroquel over a week, was on it for about a month.  It could still be used as a sleep "rescue drug" if needed.  Having a good day today, but that could change tomorrow.  Seems like I have a set-back every few days and then a bit of a recovery.  This is probably my first "semi normal" day since stopping Cymbalta where I felt 90% functional.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Have you stopped taking Seroquel now?  How are you sleeping?

 

Please would you add the seroquel taper and end to your signature.  Its not a good idea to use it randomly as a sleep aid.

 

I'm happy to hear that you have had a good day, it may be a good idea to wait for a while before making any more changes. You may still experience withdrawal from stopping the seroquel too fast.

 

I'm glad you are feeling better.

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

Yeah, well, feeling better lasted about 36 hours.  

 

I will not last long without Seroquel.  it was a nice try and a worthwhile adventure to cut the pills in half and work my way down to zero but if I don't get some stable sleep soon things are going to go to hell in a handbasket pretty quickly.  30 days of Seroquel and 8-9 days coming down should have been sufficient.  I would rather be chained to a post and beaten than suffer sleep deprivation.  Friggin Ambien stopped working which is unusual.

 

My pain issues need to be solved soon too and I plan to make an appointment with a neurologist ASAP.  If I only could have found the right AD I would rather be on it then suffer through this hell.  

 

Need to get my supplements sorted out, have been reading about those on the site.  Started Glucosomine and have chronic diarrhea.  Stopping that now.  Going to take fish oil way up as I am not on enough.  My Magnesium is the crappy kind that doesn't absorb and the B12 complex I am on has an ingredient label a mile long.  Need a basic sublingual form.  I have no confidence in OTC supplements but worth a try.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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What I really need is a sleep drug that you need to take while climbing into bed that will knock you into the next county for 7 hours.  And, one that works so fast that if you take it at the bathroom sink you will wake up on the bathroom floor bathed in the sunshine of morning.   :)

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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I don't know why you think 8-9 days tapering off a month of Seroquel is sufficient. A month of any psychiatric drug puts you at risk for withdrawal syndrome if you don't taper properly.

 

The B12 may be keeping you awake.

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

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Hi BA, please see:  Tips for tapering off seroquel

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

 

 

 

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Going to have to re-instate an antidepressant.  The depression and anxiety are simply too severe to manage.  Seeing a new psychiatrist next Weds.  Having chest pains and being on Xanax alone, by itself is not helping.  Too much physical pain, feels like I am starting to shut down.

 

Genetic testing and past experience says stay away from SSRIs and SNRIs.  New guy wants to explore either a low dose TCA or Remeron.  I don't want to…but am losing my ability to function.  

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Administrator

My guess is if you reinstated a low dose of Seroquel -- much lower than you were taking -- these symptoms would be alleviated. Please re-read http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6491-beatanxiety-new-here-struggling-with-the-discontinuation/?p=90346

 

Please be very cautious about any additional psychiatric drugs. Psychiatrists tend to want to dose them quite high. Your nervous system may be sensitized and not be able to tolerate aggressive drug treatment.

 

Also, depression is a common side effect of benzos. Your Ambien and Xanax may be contributing to your depression.

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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I guess I could discuss that with the Dr.  I was really only Seroquel for about a month and was just using it for sleep.  25mg was my max dose and I don't think it does much beyond act as a powerful antihistamine at that dose.  Not sure it starts hitting the neurotransmitters until you get well above 50mg.  It did work for sleep but did nothing for anxiety or depression.  Last Dr simply prescribed it since once I stopped the battery of other ADs I had rebound insomnia…not the kind where you have trouble sleeping, the kind where you don't sleep for 2-3 days at all. None.  Seroquel worked well for that but the hangover lasted until about noon.  No Ambien needed with SQ.

 

The only problem I had with the ADs was they caused all kinds of myalgias and burning sensations and low back pain.  The character of that has all changed now…the pain is likely muscle tension due to anxiety vs a neurotoxicity effect.  A real shame too as Celexa was the bomb.  My depression and anxiety lifted 48 hours into the med…I mean like a metamorphosis.  But, about a week into it and all kinds of weird physical stuff began to happen.   Side effects are one thing…diarrhea, some dizziness when standing, acne, dry mouth, etc.  All manageable.  But pain…that is an adverse event.  Had it not been for that I would be in la-la land and happy as a clam.

 

I agree on Xanax potentially causing depression.  I am getting more and more convinced of that with each passing day.  I want off to it in a big way too…but that opens a whole other can of worms. It does kill my tinnitus though…I mean knocks it down by 75%. I did buy the Shipko book on how to taper  from it.  I am on the XR version which he doesn't like.  Step 1 of Xanax taper is get off of the XR and onto the regular stuff, then start the taper.  I have a thread going on that over in the benzo section.  Good news is Xanax is one of the easier ones to stop and not as bad as the ADs.  Easy being a relative term.

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Administrator

You might find 12.5mg Seroquel is enough for sleep as you go off the benzos -- including Ambien.

 

You can still get physiologically dependent on 25mg Seroquel. Or 12.5mg, for that matter. These are very powerful drugs.

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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Agree, the pills are really tiny and hard to cut but 12.5 might be the ticket.  I will try it tonight as that is why it was Rx'd.  I see the Dr on July 2nd and we will go from there.  

2013 Jan-Mar (12 weeks) Cymbalta 60mg (way too activating)2013 Apr-May (8 weeks) Pristiq 50mg (partial response)2013 Jun-Aug (12 weeks) Lexapro (can't remember dose); caused muscle and joint painSep 13 to Jan 14 (20 weeks) Back to Prsitiq, muscle pain subsides but drug not working2014 Feb - Mar (8 weeks) Celexa 10mg (not even therapeutic dose), killed all depression and anxiety within 1 week but severe pain started within 5 days in back and lower extremities.2014 April (4 weeks) Effexor, worked like Celexa seamless transition, pain continuesThere was some Gabapentin, Buspar, Propranalol tossed there from time to time as well that did nothing.<p>Switched to Cymbalta 30mg on April 17. Dr directed stop on May 7th. I went down to 15mg within a week and felt OK, then to 10mg for 5 days and stopped.

Current Meds: 5-10mg Ambien, 1.5MG Xanax XR in 3 divided doses of .5MG each.  25mg Seroquel as a rescue drug for sleep.

 

Supplements:  Fish Oil, combination of Theratears Nutrition (designed for dry eye and is recommend by my ophthalmologist) and Arctic Pure.  Total EPA and DHA are 1540mg spilt between AM and PM.  NutNCology Magnesium Citrate, 170mg in the evening.  Twinlabs B-12 sublingual Dots, 500mcg (AM).

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  • Administrator

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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  • Moderator Emeritus

I've met a lot of people who would disagree that getting off Xanax is easier than the ADs! I don't really know how to compare though. Withdrawal from Valium seems to be different in some ways than from Xanax but I don't know I'd say it's harder or easier, so far. I wonder what Shipko is referring to specifically. Hm. I'm curious.

 

Not to be discouraging, just, respect the Xanax, don't take more than you have to, and approach that taper with the same respect and care you would any other taper, because in my personal experience it's no picnic.

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.

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