GiaK Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Part 2 was posted today. See the series here: “IT GETS BETTER” This collection is intended to help those who are currently dealing with the iatrogenic (medically caused) injury from psych meds…so that they might know that we can heal from it all. The series will continue weekly for some time. It is also intended to help educate the masses to the realities that we face. Protracted psychiatric drug withdrawal is real. It’s also sometimes gravely disabling. The fact is it’s largely denied in the medical community. We are routinely blamed and told that the experience is psychiatric…this leads to more drugging and sometimes forced drugging with the very drugs that have harmed us. This must end. We have no societal support when we are coming through this heinous process either…many people have no familial or community support whatsoever. This is a dangerous reality. Please become educated. And please pass the information along in any way that makes sense, so that those of us struck with this can get the help we need and deserve. Thank you. See the series here: “IT GETS BETTER” The “It gets better” collection will be a series of republished posts from when I was gravely ill from the psych drug withdrawal process and the following protracted psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome. So many folks out there are now going through the heinous process of finding their way through psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome and other iatrogenic injuries from psychiatric drugging. See also: Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal and Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome Round-Up Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 many more posts have been added: see here: http://bit.ly/1xb4x60 (scroll down for a list of all the posts) There is a collection of IT GETS BETTER posts now on Beyond Meds. The series was done weekly for a while and now on occasion new ones are added. The IT GETS BETTER collection is intended to help those who are currently dealing with the iatrogenic (medically caused) injury from psych meds…so that they might know that we can heal. It is also intended to help educate the masses to the realities that we face. Protracted psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome is real. It’s also sometimes gravely disabling. The fact is it’s largely denied in the medical community. We are routinely blamed and told that the experience is psychiatric…this leads to more drugging and sometimes forced drugging with the very drugs that have harmed us. This must end. But yes, to those who are still suffering, it gets better. Indeed, I do not consider myself ill anymore. I consider myself HEALING which is a vibrant state of movement and change. My limitations do not mean that I am sick. Learning to make boundaries for my well-being has been one of the healthiest things I’ve learned to do. Deeply respecting the needs of this body/temple is one of the most wonderful achievements of WELLNESS. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilu Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Hi Gia, Are there any books you can recommend that address nutrition for depression and anxiety? I found several on amazon, but then inavariably the bad reviews change my mind about getting them. Thanks. Lilu 2005-2008: Effexor; 1/2008 Tapered 3 months, then quit. 7/2008-2009 Reinstated Effexor (crying spells at start of new job.) 2009-3/2013: Switched to Pristiq 50 mg then 100 mg 3/2013: Switched to Lexapro 10mg. Cut down to 5 mg. CT for 2 weeks then reinstated for 6 weeks 8/2013-8/2014: Tapering Lexapro (Lots of withdrawal symptoms) 11/2014 -8/2015: Developed severe insomnia and uncontrollable daily crying spells 12/2014-6/2015: Tried Ambien, Klonopin, Ativan, Lunesta, Sonata, Trazadone, Seroquel, Rameron, Gabapentin - Developed Anxiety disorder, PTSD, and Psychogenic Myoclonus 7/2015-1/2016: Reinstated Lexapro 2 mg (mild improvement, but crying spells still present) 1/2016-5/2017: Lexapro 5 mg ( helped a lot, but poor stress tolerance & depressive episodes) 5/20/2017 - Raised dose to Lexapro 10 mg due to lingering depression(Total of 2 failed tapers & severe PAWS) 9/11/2018 - Present: Still on 10 mg Lexapro and mostly recovered.(Anxiety still triggers Myoclonus.) 10/7/2022 - 20 mg Lexapro (brand only) Plus occasional Klonopin for anxiety and Ambien for insomnia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member cymbaltawithdrawal5600 Posted December 22, 2014 Member Share Posted December 22, 2014 I'm not GiaK but a google search brings up a humongous amount of results (like 35 mil and change). From the Indian Journal of Psychiatry (via NCBI and the NIH): Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878 July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site. Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilu Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 I'm not GiaK but a google search brings up a humongous amount of results (like 35 mil and change). From the Indian Journal of Psychiatry (via NCBI and the NIH): Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses I wanted recommendations of specific books. I looked at several food-mood type of books and they're still talking about serotonin imbalance! 2005-2008: Effexor; 1/2008 Tapered 3 months, then quit. 7/2008-2009 Reinstated Effexor (crying spells at start of new job.) 2009-3/2013: Switched to Pristiq 50 mg then 100 mg 3/2013: Switched to Lexapro 10mg. Cut down to 5 mg. CT for 2 weeks then reinstated for 6 weeks 8/2013-8/2014: Tapering Lexapro (Lots of withdrawal symptoms) 11/2014 -8/2015: Developed severe insomnia and uncontrollable daily crying spells 12/2014-6/2015: Tried Ambien, Klonopin, Ativan, Lunesta, Sonata, Trazadone, Seroquel, Rameron, Gabapentin - Developed Anxiety disorder, PTSD, and Psychogenic Myoclonus 7/2015-1/2016: Reinstated Lexapro 2 mg (mild improvement, but crying spells still present) 1/2016-5/2017: Lexapro 5 mg ( helped a lot, but poor stress tolerance & depressive episodes) 5/20/2017 - Raised dose to Lexapro 10 mg due to lingering depression(Total of 2 failed tapers & severe PAWS) 9/11/2018 - Present: Still on 10 mg Lexapro and mostly recovered.(Anxiety still triggers Myoclonus.) 10/7/2022 - 20 mg Lexapro (brand only) Plus occasional Klonopin for anxiety and Ambien for insomnia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 I've got some info here: http://beyondmeds.com/gut-health/ and the books I've found most helpful are listed here: http://astore.amazon.com/beyondmedsbookstore-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=11 they're not all specific to depression and anxiety (some are) but the fact is finding an optimal diet for YOU will help all of you...including those things... I found that going for general total-wellbeing instead of trying to fix specific symptoms to be the way to go...trust your gut on how to proceed...see what's interesting and experiment...finding an optimal diet is a long term commitment for most people. also as cymbaltawithdrawal suggested, there is a ton of info out there and we all seem to need to find out own way with food given there is so much contradictory info...I've come to believe this is because we all truly need at various times very different diets. best to you. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 I wanted recommendations of specific books. I looked at several food-mood type of books and they're still talking about serotonin imbalance! oh Lilu...yes, you're right and a few of the books on my list are still like that and they're NOT my favorites... I think this is why I like the approach of total well-being best and it seems perhaps we're similar that way. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 22, 2014 Administrator Share Posted December 22, 2014 Thanks, Gia. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 I've added a page that collects all the IT GETS BETTER posts in one place...here it is: http://beyondmeds.com/2015/03/20/reciprocity-thank-you/ It Gets Better: the series MARCH 20, 2015 Beyond Meds has been a profound act of reciprocity. Thank you. The It Gets Better SeriesLast year for several weeks I republished old posts from the days when I was bedridden and unable to speak. I posted them with the contrast of the current commentary that reflected how much health I have found in the last few years of coming back from a severe iatrogenic injury caused by psychiatric drugs. Today I’m collecting those posts so that I can add this page to the drop-down navigation menu. When I put it into the archives above I will title it “The It Gets Better Series.” So that is what you will want to look for in the future. For now I’ve given it a different title because I wanted to underscore the fact that this blog has helped me in profound ways too. It’s never been a one way street. So I got the title from a sentence later in the post. From the first post as way of explanation: The “It gets better” collection is a series of republished posts from when I was gravely ill from the psych drug withdrawal process and the following protracted psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome. So many folks out there are now going through the often heinous process of finding their way through psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome and other iatrogenic injuries from psychiatric drugging. While many find their way through after weeks or months (with relative ease), for others it can take years to really get out of the deep disability and darkness it sometimes creates. I’ have reposted personal pieces from those difficult days, so that people can see how far I’ve come and find hope that they too might come out of that darkness and find some peace and joy again. I know it’s possible from my own experience and from the many who have found healing and wellness again on this journey ahead of me and with me. It was in part by trusting those who had gone ahead of me that I found the faith to continue. During the worst of these times I was unable to sit upright in bed. I was only able to walk to the bathroom and rarely to the kitchen. My muscles became totally atrophied. I was too weak to hold a toothbrush up to my mouth and therefore went a couple of years without doing what most people consider simple acts of hygiene. I wrote with the laptop propped on my knees and my head propped up a bit with a pillow. Writing was a lifeline that helped me continue. It’s been a source of great joy to find out that my keeping this blog has helped so many others. I don’t believe I would have made it without that daily contact with others who also needed the information that was helping me so much. Among other things, this blog has been a profound act of reciprocity. The grave disability is had for many years is no longer my reality. I am up and out of bed. I practiceyoga daily. I dance, I walk and I cook and run errands and do chores. I have not achieved perfect functioning. I still can’t make firm commitments or travel. Still I can enjoy many things in life and I’ve developed a deep appreciation for what I’ve been through and how much it has taught me. Life is a wondrous thing and simply being alive is a reason to be grateful as far as I’m concerned. I’ll post one a week for a while and see how it goes. Most of these were written from within a dark fog of various sorts of pain and hellish sensations. I will be leaving them largely unedited, so consider that when perhaps something is not clear. The collection: To those suffering acute and protracted withdrawal symptoms… (it gets better!) believe and know… (IT GETS BETTER) It gets better: A Portrait of Poly Psychopharmacology It gets better: Extreme sensitivity to noise, touch, movement, commotion etc… Fear is life force… (in clinical circles it’s often called anxiety) – also an IT GETS BETTER post It gets better: Living well while being sick It gets better: Healing sometimes goes so slowly you don’t know if it’s happening It gets better: Revisiting the withdrawal symptom list Hallucinations (it gets better!) It gets better: An email to close friends It gets better: This is what it’s like… It gets better: Neuropsych doctor confirms psych drug iatrogenisis, PTSD, brain injury It gets better: Sleep, insomnia and iatrogenic injury It gets better: Speech Psych Drug Withdrawal Symptoms (Dysarthria) It gets better: Dyesthesias — abnormal pain from psych drug withdrawal It gets better: Dear psychiatrist part two If I had remained med compliant… (another IT GETS BETTER post) On iatrogenic injury: Psychiatric Drugs Send 90,000 to the ER Yearly More posts on psychiatric drug withdrawal: *it is potentially dangerous to come off medications without careful planning. Please be sure to be well educated before undertaking any sort of discontinuation of medications. Do not assume your MD will know how to do it either. They are generally not trained in discontinuation and may not know how to recognize withdrawal issues. A lot of withdrawal issues are misdiagnosed to be psychiatric problems This is why it’s good to educate oneself and find a doctor who is willing to learn with you. See: Psychiatric drug withdrawal and protracted withdrawal syndrome round-up ● Psychiatric drug withdrawal and protracted withdrawal syndrome round-up ● Online Support in WithdrawalSee also: Peer support? This is the real thing. Free of institutionalization. (psych drug withdrawal) For my documentation of my own journey with lots of references to what I learned on the withdrawal boards as 1000s of us were learning to get healthy see here. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 NEW POST in the IT GETS BETTER SERIES The isolation of illness comes to an end – IT GETS BETTERhttp://beyondmeds.com/2015/04/29/the-isolation-of-illness/ Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Could you name the drugs you took the dose and how long you took them please. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoast Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 One of my doctors highly recommended The China Diet for overall health, and while I was in the throes of withdrawal mania and agitation. You can find it in Amazon and see if it looks helpful. 2009: Cancer hospital said I had adjustment disorder because I thought they were doing it wrong. Their headshrinker prescribed Effexor, and my life set on a new course. I didn't know what was ahead, like a passenger on Disneyland's Matterhorn, smiling and waving as it climbs...clink, clink, clink. 2010: Post surgical accidental Effexor discontinuation by nurses, masked by intravenous Dilaudid. (The car is balanced at the top of the track.) I get home, pop a Vicodin, and ... Whooosh...down, down, down, down, down...goes the trajectory of my life, up goes my mood and tendency to think everything is a good idea.2012: After the bipolar jig was up, now a walking bag of unrelated symptoms, I went crazy on Daytrana (the Ritalin skin patch by Noven), because ADHD was a perfect fit for a bag of unrelated symptoms. I was prescribed Effexor for the nervousness of it, and things got neurological. An EEG showed enough activity to warrant an epilepsy diagnosis rather than non-epileptic ("psychogenic") seizures. 2013-2014: Quit everything and got worse. I probably went through DAWS: dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome. I drank to not feel, but I felt a lot: dread, fear, regret, grief: an utter sense of total loss of everything worth breathing about, for almost two years. I was not suicidal but I wanted to be dead, at least dead to the experience of my own brain and body. 2015: I began to recover after adding virgin coconut oil and organic grass-fed fed butter to a cup of instant coffee in the morning. I did it hoping for mental acuity and better memory. After ten days of that, I was much better, mood-wise. Approximately neutral. And, I experienced drowsiness. I could sleep. Not exactly happy, I did 30 days on Wellbutrin, because it had done me no harm in the past. I don't have the DAWS mood or state of mind. It never feel like doing anything if it means standing up. In fact, I don't especially like moving. I'm a brain with a beanbag body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 84 mg of Concerta 50 mg of Seroquel - 3 year 200 mg of Zoloft -- SSRI of some sort off and on for 20 years...often changed 400 mg of Lamictal -- 10 years maybe...before that depakote and others 11 mg of Risperdal -- about 15 years...before that thorazine and others 3 mg of Klonopin -- 20 years and this is a list of every drug I ever took...39 total In order roughly by class (class is a bit subject to interpretation as so much of this stuff is used off label, especially when it was given to me): Mood Stabilizers: 1. Lithium 2. Tegretol 3. Depakote 4. Trileptal 5. Topomax 6. Lamictal 7. Neurontin Neuroleptics (antipsychotics—which is a bullsh*t term—these are chemical straight-jackets they don’t stop psychosis they just stop brain function in general) 8. Haldol 9. Prolixin 10. Mellaril 11. Thorazine 12. Risperdal 13. Seroquel 14. Geodon 15. Abilify 16. Zyprexa Antidepressants: 17. Imipramine 18. Desipramine 19. Prozac 20. Wellbutrin 21. Zoloft 22. Effexor 23. Reboxitine (yes, I had it shipped from Europe as it was not approved here) 24. Paxil 25. Lexapro Anti-anxiety agents: 26. Gabatril 27. Ativan 28. Xanax 29. Klonopin 30. Valium 31. Visteral Sleep Aids: 32. Restoril 33. Ambien 34. Sinequan 35. Trazadone Stimulants: 36. Ritalin 37. Concerta 38. Provigil 39. Strattera Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus peggy Posted April 29, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 29, 2015 that is such a mind boggling list Gia - you are one of the true heroes Started in 2000 - On 150mg most of the time, (but up to 225mg at highest dose for 6 months in the beginning)Reduced off easily first time - but got depressed (not too much anxiety) 6 months laterBack on effexor for another 9 months.Reduced off again with no immediate w/d - suddenly got depressed and anxious ++ again 3 or 4 months later.Back on effexor - this time for 3 yearsReduced off over a month - 6 weeks later terrible anxiety - back on.Rinse and repeat 4 more times - each time the period before the anxiety comes back got shorter and shorterJan - July 2012 75mg down to 37.5mg;, 8/3/12 - 35mg. 8/25/12 - 32mg. 9/11- 28mg, 10/2 - 25mg, 10/29 - 22mg, 11/19 - 19.8mg; 12/11 - 17m,1/1- 15.5mg; 1/22 -14mg, 2/7 14.9mg, 2/18 - 17.8mg - crashed big time: back to 75mg where i sat for 2 years.... 4th March 2015 - 67.5mg; 31st March - 60mg; 24th April - 53mg; 13th May - 48mg; 26th May - 45mg; 9th June - 41mg; 1 July- 37.5mg; 20 July - 34mg; 11 August - 31mg; 1st Sept - 28mg; 1st Dec - 25.8mg; 28th Dec - 23.2mg; 23rd Jan-21.9mg; Feb 7th- 21mg; March 1st - 20.1mg, March 30th - 18mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 84 mg of Concerta 50 mg of Seroquel - 3 year 200 mg of Zoloft -- SSRI of some sort off and on for 20 years...often changed 400 mg of Lamictal -- 10 years maybe...before that depakote and others 11 mg of Risperdal -- about 15 years...before that thorazine and others 3 mg of Klonopin -- 20 years and this is a list of every drug I ever took...39 total In order roughly by class (class is a bit subject to interpretation as so much of this stuff is used off label, especially when it was given to me): Mood Stabilizers: 1. Lithium 2. Tegretol 3. Depakote 4. Trileptal 5. Topomax 6. Lamictal 7. Neurontin Neuroleptics (antipsychotics—which is a bullsh*t term—these are chemical straight-jackets they don’t stop psychosis they just stop brain function in general) 8. Haldol 9. Prolixin 10. Mellaril 11. Thorazine 12. Risperdal 13. Seroquel 14. Geodon 15. Abilify 16. Zyprexa Antidepressants: 17. Imipramine 18. Desipramine 19. Prozac 20. Wellbutrin 21. Zoloft 22. Effexor 23. Reboxitine (yes, I had it shipped from Europe as it was not approved here) 24. Paxil 25. Lexapro Anti-anxiety agents: 26. Gabatril 27. Ativan 28. Xanax 29. Klonopin 30. Valium 31. Visteral Sleep Aids: 32. Restoril 33. Ambien 34. Sinequan 35. Trazadone Stimulants: 36. Ritalin 37. Concerta 38. Provigil 39. Strattera Wow ..... glad you survived. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Another new IT GETS BETTER post... http://wp.me/p5nnb-cli too many pics and a video...so you need to go there to read and see it: here is a taste: Miracles happen: it gets better So really, all the above feel like little miracles to me. Every moment feels that way if I let it. And yeah, sometimes things still really suck, too. My nervous system is still healing and that is the way it is. Nonetheless, I can see the miracles now and when things are more on the painful side I know that the miracles are still there even though this body is having a hard time. It means I experience life with a sort of freedom I never had before. Life is amazing. And it’s amazing even when I’m feeling crappy. Because the wondrous nature of life is consistent even while it’s manifestations are ever-changing. http://wp.me/p5nnb-cli Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 I read this It gets better: Dyesthesias — abnormal pain from psych drug withdrawal as I have pain Do you take any medications for pain have you any insight to any drug that may help this.. and I hope the answer is not lyrica... WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 No, I don't take drugs. I don't tolerate virtually any pharmaceutical drugs...not even ibuprofen...I do okay with tylenol actually but I don't take it generally. I took it for a while because it actually lowers cortisol for me quite nicely. For pain I did many different things in combination...I did a post on that here: Adventures in natural pain relief http://wp.me/p5nnb-7O7 that's been ever evolving...since I wrote that piece I started eating frozen cherries a lot...they really help with pain. It doesn't matter if they're tart cherries or not...all cherries help my pain...I also drink 100% tart cherry juice. Since I wrote the piece I also stopped tolerating essential oils...that capacity comes and goes...in any case, I do what is right at the moment...there is no one time fix for pain for me. Fish oil has helped a lot at time too...but I can't take it every day all the time. there are lots of links to other pages that might help too...meditation and yoga helps too...it's really about foundational lifestyle for me. one day at a time...often one moment at a time ... it comes together slowly Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btdt Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Thanks I have frozen cherries in the freezer I had not noticed an association with pain relief I take tylenol #3 small amounts just now I think it helps me sleep had no idea about the cortisol thought it wa pain relief that was a sleep inducer. I feel the same way pain is moving target what works is always changing... lifestyle is the steady winner about putting those coins in the piggy bank so the body is built up. Thanks for the response. WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG Had a car accident in 85 Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89 Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above. One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking. As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/ There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvisibleUnless Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 GiaK, in those 6 years of withdrawing, did you experience symptoms in an order curiously resembling an approximate reverse-chronological order of your initial medicating? from 2005-2012, i spent 7 years taking 17 different psychotropic medications covering several classes. i would be taking 3-7 medications at a time, and 6 out of the 17 medications listed below were maxed or overmaxed in clinical dosage before i moved on to trying the next unhelpful cocktail. antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, tetracyclics): zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor, lexapro, prozac, cymbalta, remeronantipsychotics (atypical): abilify, zyprexa, risperdal, geodonsleep aids (benzos, off-label antidepressants & antipsychotics, hypnotics): seroquel, temazepam, trazodone, ambienanxiolytics: busparanticonvulsants: topamax i tapered off all psychotropics from late 2011 through early 2013, one by one. since quitting, ive been cycling through severe, disabling withdrawal symptoms spanning the gamut of the serious, less serious, and rather worrisome side effects of these assorted medications. previous cross-tapering and medication or dosage changes had also caused undiagnosed withdrawal symptoms. brainpan addlepation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I don't know what you're asking. Most of what I experienced during and after withdrawal I had never in my life experienced before. Withdrawal is its own ugly beast. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvisibleUnless Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 sorry, im not always the clearest in expression these days. i was asking if the side effect/withdrawal symptoms you experienced were noticeably grouped, especially if it is pertaining to the specific medication and order in which you took the medication. ill try to be more specific, even at the cost of length. i was on several antipsychotics, which have a clearer 'signature' to me than most of the antidepressants and other things. the antipsychotic hunger is different for each one, the change of smell in my body sweat is different for each, the cognitive fog, etc. while i have experienced many things in withdrawal that i never really experienced on the medications, from all classes i took, i have noticed that the collections of side effects that i experience from month to month, in my withdrawing state, roughly correlate to a reverse-chronology of the medication cocktails i was initially taking. this is based on my experiences while taking them for symptoms i recognized from before (scents, perceptions, so on), but also the much more severe symptoms, which have to be matched up more by medication class and then considered along with the side effects i did experience previously (like crippling dystonia, psychosis, fainting). the severity of the side effects correlate with the dosage of the medications, the starting and stopping of particular types of withdrawal symptoms tend to correlate with the specific medications and medication classes i was moving through (beginning, ending) from year to year. some activities seem to expedite transitions sometimes (like exercising sometimes pushing my body from a state of less symptomatic experience to a new stage of cocktail side effects) and i recently briefly experienced the highest degree of partial remission of the entire past 3 years, which i realized may be my short stint on naturopathics when i lost insurance and could not afford psych meds. about 80% or more of my 80-100 symptoms were things i never experienced while on meds, but after noticing the timeline consistencies, i began to suspect that i was experiencing some sort of revisiting as i burned through the fat in my body containing this lipophilic medications (or whatever other unknown cause), most especially due to how my experiences, while mostly new, all fit the side effect lists of the respective meds (psychosis and dystonia from antipsychotics, seizures from anticonvulsants, serotonin syndrome from antidepressants, etc). the patterns are what led me to research the possibility of protracted withdrawal, which i never knew about and was in withdrawal for over 2 years before even conceiving of since information is often so scant through official channels. so in summary, im saying i have noticed that ive been having withdrawal symptoms from the last medications i took during the earliest parts of my withdrawal, and the more years into withdrawal i get, the further back in my medication history i seem to be going, in terms of side effect profiles and the few changes in my functioning i recognize and remember from my time on meds: a sped up mirror-reflection of side effect profiles. it seems like the majority of people here were traumatized by a single or small handful of psychotropics, but some individuals were on a dozen or more. since you are quite experienced with that greater number, and also well self-documented, i would really like to know if your experiences reflected that same approximate timeline---a reversal of the order in which you took the meds and maybe even a duration and intensity that correlates to your dosing duration and intensity. from 2005-2012, i spent 7 years taking 17 different psychotropic medications covering several classes. i would be taking 3-7 medications at a time, and 6 out of the 17 medications listed below were maxed or overmaxed in clinical dosage before i moved on to trying the next unhelpful cocktail. antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, tetracyclics): zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor, lexapro, prozac, cymbalta, remeronantipsychotics (atypical): abilify, zyprexa, risperdal, geodonsleep aids (benzos, off-label antidepressants & antipsychotics, hypnotics): seroquel, temazepam, trazodone, ambienanxiolytics: busparanticonvulsants: topamax i tapered off all psychotropics from late 2011 through early 2013, one by one. since quitting, ive been cycling through severe, disabling withdrawal symptoms spanning the gamut of the serious, less serious, and rather worrisome side effects of these assorted medications. previous cross-tapering and medication or dosage changes had also caused undiagnosed withdrawal symptoms. brainpan addlepation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 okay, yes...I see what you're asking. I don't have quite the same experience you do (none of us ever will...we are unique) but I do have some sense of revisiting old stuff and healing...on a kind of spiral sort of structure...I revisit certain stuff again and again and again...but each time more healing occurs...some of it (not the majority) is, indeed, stuff I had before I was medicated...returning to be healed. is that helpful? I just woke up and I'm tired... your mindfulness is wonderful and if you keep it up I think you'll find your way through...I have found it helpful to watch all this stuff but not get too tripped up on analysis or interpretation...to remain the witness only, if at all possible...that would be my suggestion to you if it feels resonant. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvisibleUnless Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 that answers my wondering, yeah. i can relate to the spiral idea, too...its not exactly linear. i see a lot of cycles occurring, both with the healing and in general. three is a prominent number, at least in my own cycles. ive also found that ditching the meds and healing from it gradually is healing other pre-medication issues---old scars that wouldnt heal while i was on meds, psychological maladaptations that needed more conscientious treatment by me, an accelerated learning curve, almost like being on medications for that long put everything on hold and there was a positive deluge as well as the flood of side effects. ive adopted a healthier attitude, and also realized that maybe things were never as bad before meds as they were during, in terms of all the stuff pegged as mental illness and the physical and psychological manifestations of it. i started the meds at a very bad point in my life, and it wasnt really easy to see, back then, their preventative hold on my development. i do agree with what you said about mindfulness...sometimes i like to look at the patterns and find meaning, but sometimes i have to just let things be. a lot of passive-observer methodologies seem like dissociation triggers for me personally, but ive learned a lot about different ways to direct myself in different periods so balance can be achieved. i feel closer to understanding why animals seem so damn happy a lot of the time. thanks for taking the time to respond, it is encouraging. from 2005-2012, i spent 7 years taking 17 different psychotropic medications covering several classes. i would be taking 3-7 medications at a time, and 6 out of the 17 medications listed below were maxed or overmaxed in clinical dosage before i moved on to trying the next unhelpful cocktail. antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, tetracyclics): zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor, lexapro, prozac, cymbalta, remeronantipsychotics (atypical): abilify, zyprexa, risperdal, geodonsleep aids (benzos, off-label antidepressants & antipsychotics, hypnotics): seroquel, temazepam, trazodone, ambienanxiolytics: busparanticonvulsants: topamax i tapered off all psychotropics from late 2011 through early 2013, one by one. since quitting, ive been cycling through severe, disabling withdrawal symptoms spanning the gamut of the serious, less serious, and rather worrisome side effects of these assorted medications. previous cross-tapering and medication or dosage changes had also caused undiagnosed withdrawal symptoms. brainpan addlepation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 I find that body oriented stuff helps keep things grounded and thus helps me avoid dissociation...dancing has been great and yoga too...but not in the classroom...I've had to listen to my body and classroom settings are simply too much...I can't follow a teacher and listen to my body at the same time...sometimes yoga is incredibly powerful and all I do is 2 minutes of holding something... I used youtube mostly to learn how to move my body... others find tai chi or chi gung or other martial arts...and even sword fighting helpful...really any physical movement you feel drawn to done mindfully can help... and body oriented meditation too...I learned a lot with these programs from sounds true: Body-Centered Inquiry Inhabiting our bodies in meditation “I wrote a new story for my nervous system” — neurosculpting, neuroplasticity Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 oh, and yes, the body holds everything from the time we were drugged...it is like all was on hold...but also everything that happened to us while drugged gets stored up too...and then yes, wow, accelerated processing for some of us, it seems. I've talked about this some in a radio interview but I've not really written about it a whole lot because it's still in the process of becoming clear. I know I bring it up in these interviews...but I don't remember where exactly: http://beyondmeds.com/2014/09/17/interview-with-monica-cassani-on-sept-17/ Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvisibleUnless Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 ill check out all those links. moving/exercising was always a very big comfort and centering activity for me, but meds made me too comatose to be as active, and now withdrawal entails such a debilitating dystonia from movement, and oftentimes a dangerous lack of balance or energy or mental coherence, that ive pretty much been relegated to short walks here and there on most weeks. meditation and body positioning that pays mind to things sometimes described as 'chakras' or other neuro-religious terms has been a new interest of mine the past five or so years, but after withdrawal began, i have had unbearable psychosis and paranoia regarding spiritual practices and the power of the mind and physical orientation. voices, hallucinations, altered perceptions, seemingly involuntary thoughts/emotions/significant bodily locomotion, and also unrelenting, acute bodily pain began in the first 6 months of withdrawal and ive put my spiritual studies on the back burner for the next while unless i am in a safer state than i often find myself (which occasionally does happen). i did read the blog explanations of all those materials, though, and bookmarked them for later perusal. for now, i try to be productive, and also keep some peace. im not always sure when to try adopting a different paradigm and when to try to heal from within the 'psychotic delusions' on their own terms. it quickly becomes dangerous, and disorienting to the point of being potentially fatal. from 2005-2012, i spent 7 years taking 17 different psychotropic medications covering several classes. i would be taking 3-7 medications at a time, and 6 out of the 17 medications listed below were maxed or overmaxed in clinical dosage before i moved on to trying the next unhelpful cocktail. antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, tetracyclics): zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor, lexapro, prozac, cymbalta, remeronantipsychotics (atypical): abilify, zyprexa, risperdal, geodonsleep aids (benzos, off-label antidepressants & antipsychotics, hypnotics): seroquel, temazepam, trazodone, ambienanxiolytics: busparanticonvulsants: topamax i tapered off all psychotropics from late 2011 through early 2013, one by one. since quitting, ive been cycling through severe, disabling withdrawal symptoms spanning the gamut of the serious, less serious, and rather worrisome side effects of these assorted medications. previous cross-tapering and medication or dosage changes had also caused undiagnosed withdrawal symptoms. brainpan addlepation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 oh...you know...I didn't move at all for a couple of years...was totally bedridden...and that was necessary in some way it seems...also I couldn't stand listening to audio files of any kind for maybe 5 years...so...yes, timing is everything and please do listen to yours... Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexy Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Giak This is probably not the correct thread to post this but I tried to pm you and wasn't able to send. Somewhere I read that you had also tried low dose naltrexone. If so, can you give me any info? My doctor has prescribed it for fatigue and aches and pain dye to effexor wds. Any info is appreciated. Started Effexor August 2012 Sept'12-150mg=extreme anxiety Oct'12 cut half-75mg severe wds Feb 2013 68.5mg. Mar'13- 65mg. Apr'13-59mg. May'13-57mg. June '13-52mg Aug'13 49.75mg. Sep'13-48.75. Nov'13-47mg Dec'13-45..5mg May 2014 42mg. Jun'14 40mg (depressive mood started). Aug'14 -40mg/ started brintellix 2.5mg Oct '14 -39 Nov'14 36.89 Dec'14 34.45 Jan 2015- 31 Feb'15 29mg. Mar'15 26.72. Apr'15 24.48. May'15 22.31mg. Jun'15 20.30mg Aug'15-18.89. Oct'15 16.96. Nov/16- 16.10. Dec/15- 15mg Jan 2016-14.22. May'16 11.45. Aug'16-9.60. Sep/16- 8.88mg. Oct/16- 8.39mg. Nov/16- 8.13. Dec/16- 7.89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 no...I really don't have info...it was not helpful to me at all...I reacted very badly to the tiniest dose...and it was a long time ago now...several years ago so I don't remember details on it.... there are yahoo groups and lots of info online about it... I do have a friend who has MS (unrelated to drug withdrawal) that did very well on it...it totally changed her life for the better... I don't know of anyone who has used it for withdrawal...I'm the only person I know that has tried it for that and it made me worse for some time. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus WiggleIt Posted June 10, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 10, 2015 Invisible, I also have Dystonia. Plus every other movement disorder: dyskinesia, akathisia, myoclonic major jerks. Every part of my body is affected. Face, tongue, voice, torso, arms, fingers, legs, feet, shoulders, neck. It is worse in some body parts than others, but the movements really make their way around the globe of my body. I am amazed you can walk. I can only shuffle in the driveway with a walker. *I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience **Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014 -All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness. It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage. All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors -Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine -Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey) -Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011 -Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less) -Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week -Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs -First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened -Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD. Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed. NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it. -Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned -Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia -Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat -Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged -7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvisibleUnless Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 i am really sorry to hear that. i can very much relate, but i think two things keep me a bit more functional than average. one is that i have a faster-than-average metabolism, which can ramp up the onset of acute symptoms but also means they can be less persistent than i imagine some people experience. so while akathisia can accompany insomnia for several hours a night sometimes, and dyskinesias can make it so i cant eat without biting myself bloody, and pronouncing words or being on here without my eyes spasming is sometimes impossible, i feel like some people have each respective thing worse than me in this whole withdrawal abyss. another is that i have tried to adapt to the best of my abilities with activity restriction and dietary considerations. i dont know if such things can work for everyone, but i can PM you some details. walking in particular can be difficult...and the dystonias can prevent me from leaving the house for days at a time, and cause problems even if all i do is sit or lay down (with breaks, when i can), but i just do what i can when i can. exercise is often completely out of the question, even walking around the block (an enormous distance, all things considered), but the severity, which i associate more with the antipsychotics than anything else insofar as i can determine, sometimes lessens and i can take a walk or feel comfortable sitting instead of being in tense pain. so sometimes i do have the 'antipsychotic shuffle', but i dont have kids to take care of and would not last even 10 minutes at a job, so i face less than some people on here. from 2005-2012, i spent 7 years taking 17 different psychotropic medications covering several classes. i would be taking 3-7 medications at a time, and 6 out of the 17 medications listed below were maxed or overmaxed in clinical dosage before i moved on to trying the next unhelpful cocktail. antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, NDRIs, tetracyclics): zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor, lexapro, prozac, cymbalta, remeronantipsychotics (atypical): abilify, zyprexa, risperdal, geodonsleep aids (benzos, off-label antidepressants & antipsychotics, hypnotics): seroquel, temazepam, trazodone, ambienanxiolytics: busparanticonvulsants: topamax i tapered off all psychotropics from late 2011 through early 2013, one by one. since quitting, ive been cycling through severe, disabling withdrawal symptoms spanning the gamut of the serious, less serious, and rather worrisome side effects of these assorted medications. previous cross-tapering and medication or dosage changes had also caused undiagnosed withdrawal symptoms. brainpan addlepation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmanone Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Hi guys, im on here because i was injected with a 234mg loading shot and 156 initial injection of invega sustenna. This is closely related to ripserdol, in fact its the acting metabolite of it. I have been experiencing anhedonia and sexual dysfunction pretty badly. Its been 3 months from the shot so far and i havent really noticed any substantial improvements. I was wondering if anyone knew the likelihood that i would recover from this? Is my brain damaged for life? Anafranil 100mg -was injected with invega sustenna 234mg then a week later 156mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiaK Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 I'm sorry Redmanone. That sounds really terrible. To be shot up with something that lasts such a long time is truly a gross violation. I know you're suffering, but besides the fact that it's been a terrible insult to your body/mind, there is no reason to think you should not be able to recover like anyone else who've had lots of these drugs in our bodies, one way or another. I would not consider your brain damaged for life, no. I suggest you seek information on supporting your body/mind/spirit to heal and move forward in trust that your body is highly resilient and will heal in time...we are built to heal. I have come to believe that...I do think it helps to believe that as well. The series above has lots of information on how to get better and so does this website. I wish you the best on your healing journey. Everything Matters: Beyond Meds https://beyondmeds.com/ withdrawn from a cocktail of 6 psychiatric drugs that included every class of psych drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmanone Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Thanks Gia, how did you deal with AP withdrawel? Im assuming you took them if i remember correctly. Anafranil 100mg -was injected with invega sustenna 234mg then a week later 156mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveandLight Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Thank you Giak..I'm looking forward to reading/listening about neuro sculpting 2000 - sertraline for job anxiety low confidence (17 years old) ..which turned the next 16 years into nightmare! On/off sertraline severe withdrawals every time. 2014 - felt better as reduced dose of sertraline no more inner restlessness. Doctor rushed off again. Hit severe withdrawal. Lost the little I had in life. Couldn't get stable again on 12.5mg. Was switched to prozac. Had severe reaction to prozac..came off in November 2015 at 6mg as felt more confused and damaged on it..Even more withdrawal ..rage, depression, dyphoria, near constant suicidal ideation, self harm impulses, doom, concrete block in head, unable to do much of anything with this feeling in head..went back on 6mg of sertraline to see if would alleviate anything. It didn't..reduced from December to June 2016 came off at 2.5mg sertraline as was hospitalised for the severe rage, suicidal impulses, and put on 50mg lofepramine which in 2nd week reduced all symptoms but gave insomnia which still have..psych stopped lofepramine cold turkey..no increased withdrawal symptoms new symptoms from lofepramine except persistant insomnia which has as side effect. Taking Ativan for 8 months for the severe rage self harm impulses 1-3 times a week (mostly 2 times a week) at .5mg. Two months (I'm unsure exactly when the interdose started to happen) ago interdose withdrawal seemed to happen..2 days I think after the Ativan. Nightmare that could have been avoided! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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