Martin Stopped taking venlafaxine after having tapered to 9 mg.

[Martin]

I've been slowly tapering off venlafaxine and have gone from 9 to 0 mg using your guide on it.

 

9 days have passed since I tapered down from 18 mg. I read online that you could use saint johns wort after you had stopped taking your antidepressant, so I did that today. - I'm having some shivering, stomach issues and was close to having a panic attack, but I took some lyrica (150 mg) which has me calm at the moment.

 

Last time I tapered from 37.5 to 18 mg, i waited approximately 4 weeks, so the tapering has in general been slow. I then tapered from 18 to 9 mg after 3 weeks. the reason for the quick stop is that I was experiencing fainting and my mother saw that as my antidepressants at such a low dose being unhealthy for me....

 

My doctor questioned why i remained on the 18 mg dose also because it was such a low dose and I should have no trouble stopping on it, which also factored into my decision to heed my mother and try and quit.

 

So yeah, I'm writing because I'm quite uneasy and wondering what you guys think. 

 

I'm at my mothers place so there's people around me atleast.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Martin.

 

Here at SurvivingAntidepressants.org, we do NOT recommend taking St. John's Wort after going off antidepressants.

 

Many people have bad reactions to St. John's Wort. It is not a gentle herbal remedy.

 

It sound to me like you were feeling faint from reducing Effexor perhaps a little too fast for your nervous system. Often the last part of the taper is the most difficult. We might have suggested you hold at 9mg for a while to let your nervous system adjust.

 

If you are having odd symptoms, if I were you, I'd immediately reinstate perhaps 3mg. Reinstatement often helps withdrawal symptoms. It is best done right away.

[Martin]

Thank you for your reply. - I'm doing a lot better now - exept for some sweating and dizziness I think I'll manage, but I agree that saint johns wort probably wasnt good for me as I got a lot of anxiety/panic just after I took that, pretty much the opposite of what I expected after reading that it could help with most withdrawal symptoms, so that came as a nasty surprise. 

 

I was also very surprised to find that after I stopped taking as much venlafaxine, that I had a lot more energy and motivation and emotions - normally I'd be pretty much apathetic towards most things, now I'm much more alive and myself again. 

 

Also the fainting thing seems, from what I've read online, to be blood sugar related which is an issue when withdrawing from antidepressants, and I was starting on a diet too which meant that my blood sugar levels were very low here yesterday when I was feeling like I was about to faint.

[Martin]

So you ended up being right Alto - had to start taking 4.5 mg of venlafaxine XL to be able to sleep... At this point I should probably mention that I have generalized anxiety disorder and schizotypal disorder, and the things I've suffered with the most in my life are anxiety and insomnia so having those two side effects as withdrawal symptoms are very hard on me.

 

I suspect the saint johns wort gave me a good bit of anxiety too but I'm not sure if that makes any sense.

 

I've been counting beads and withdrawing through that method. Started at 72 which is a bit lower than half of 37.5 mg, then went to 36, which is about 9mg venlafaxine (probably a bit lower again), and now I'm going to take 18 beads (4.5 mg) for a week and if I have no withdrawal symptoms after a week I'll reduce with 50% of the current beads, which would be down to 9 beads.

 

I underestimated venlafaxine withdrawal - I also withdrew successfully from 130 mg of oxaxzpam and I'd say the withdrawal from venlafaxine has so far been very much like that exept I'm able to withdraw faster as it took me 1.5 years to withdraw from the oxazepam. Its also easier to know what to do when it comes to withdrawing from benzo's because there is soo much documentation on it online and offline people are much more aware of the issue also whereas with antidepressants its an entirely different story...

[Martin]

I'm wondering, now that we've established that 9 mg(probably a bit less) is a bad point to stop the withdrawal, how low would I have to go before stopping altogether...? Is there a common consensus on this subject or is it just subjective...?

 

I've managed the day with a few withdrawal symptoms, mostly the whole cold/hot thing where you sweat and then stop sweating, and dizziness, nothing unbearable like yesterday when i had to sleep.

[Petunia]

Hi Martin,

 

Welcome from me too.  Here are our tips for tapering off venlafaxine:

 

http://survivinganti...or-venlafaxine/

 

 

I'm wondering, now that we've established that 9 mg(probably a bit less) is a bad point to stop the withdrawal, how low would I have to go before stopping altogether...? Is there a common consensus on this subject or is it just subjective...?

 

 

This decision is usually made on an individual basis, but its best to taper as low as possible before jumping off.  Part of the decision might rest on how long you have been on these kinds of drugs.  This isn't always the case, but in general, someone who has only been on these drugs for a few months can often stop faster than someone who has been medicated for years.

 

When did you first start taking psyche meds?

 

Ideally, you would have been cutting by 10% of your current dose month after month and getting mild or no withdrawal symptoms each time and then you taper as low as possible and slide off so that your nervous system hardly notices the change.

 

Our long time member Hudgens is about to stop taking effexor after tapering down to .02mg, he has been tapering since 2010, here is the last page of his introduction thread:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4038-hudgenss-story/page-20

 

You may be able to stop sooner, it depends on how your nervous system responds to cuts, learn how to listen to your body and its symptoms and be guided by how you are feeling.

 

Petu.

[Martin]

Hey Petu, 

 

Thank you very much for your reply - clearing these things up is very important.

 

I first started taking venlafaxine 5 years ago but generally the dosage has been around 75-112.5 , it was at 150 for half a year I think, maybe 7 months.

I've been pretty much withdrawing with 50% of the current dose and then waiting for a month, but I do have withdrawal symptoms which I've managed with lyrica, l-theanine, and seroquel. Lyrica is quite the drug when it comes to helping with withdrawal symptoms, something one of my good psychiatrists told me. 

 

I will continue to try and withdraw, but if my body dictates that this is not possible then I will slow down. I'm having a hard time coming to terms with being told by doctors to just stop taking it at 75 mg or 18 mg, both which I've experienced and then falling into a very different reality which is crazy withdrawal symptoms. It still gave me this idea that venlafaxine wouldn't be too terrible to withdraw from but the methods you're using on here would suggest that its on par with benzodiazepine withdrawal which is an incredible arduous and slow and painful process I already had to endure. 

[bubble]

Hello from me too Martin,

 

among other valuable information Petu provided for you there is one other important question that is still missing from you drug history: when did you start taking psychotropic medication, both Venlafaxine and other? 

 

It seems you focus only on Venlafaxine but you mention also benzos.  All this prior experiences will have their influence on you experience with tapering Venlafaxine. I would also like to point out that the idea behind tapering is not to replace one drug with the other/others so we don't tackle withdrawal issues from one drug by taking other drugs. That scenario can only make us worse. There are people here tapering Lyrica and Seroquel as well. Also please include Lyrica and Seroquel in your signature.

 

And yes, our painful experiences tell us that all psychotropic drugs (I don't call them medication) have to be tapered and not only benzos. They all cause deep structural changes in our brains which have to be slowly reversed. That's why slow taper is the only way to allow your brain to regrow itself. When our brains get destabilised by psychotropic drugs, we get very sensitive to other drugs, supplements and even food. 

 

I think that your brain has already clearly told you that reducing by 50 % is too much for it... You should prepare for a very likely possibility that it will be as slow as the benzo taper. But if you go at the speed your brain can follow it doesn't have to be painful.

 

keep us posted,

 

Best,

Bubble

[bubble]

There are also moderate interactions between these 3 drugs you seem to be taking at the moment: http://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=2296-1524,1937-2171,1979-1274

[Martin]

Greetings Bubble, 

 

I was not aware that it was the whole history you guys wanted, but ahh well... I started taking drugs back when I was 23, and I was born in 1987 so basically 5 years ago more or less...

 

I ended up taking something like 130 mg oxazepam and i dont remember how much triazolam but I successfully managed to withdraw using diazepam and tapering for 1.5 years. 

 

I'm quite aware that tapering doesn't mean that you replace it with other drugs, I've been taking lyrica and seroquel for years now - lyrica merely helps with dealing with the withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety and insomnia, I'm also aware that these drugs that I'm taking has some pretty bad interactions which is why I started withdrawing from venlafaxine in the first place... I also very much agree that tapering is a healthy and slow process, i'm just a bit dumbfounded that every other information online or from doctors has been that I could just stop taking it, but as you say my body is a prime example that you cannot just stop so yeah...

 

I'll get to updating my sig, it'll take a little while because its a pretty long history. 

[Martin]

hah, I wrote a sig that was waaay larger than I what was allowed, dont have the strenght to change it right now so I'll write what I wrote here so you guys can see it...

 

2009 : I had a nervous breakdown which forced me to seek professional help, I started on 10 mg citalopram and 10 mg oxazepam...

2009; I spoke with a psychiatrist who believed I should take 30 mg oxazepam and change my antidepressant to 75 mg venlafaxine

2009: My psychiatrist gave me triazolam, which I took for 2 months. At this point I was aware that I was addicted and quit triazolam

2009: due to my addiction to triazolam I was now on 80 mg (estimated) of oxazepam, and my psychiatrist gave me 75 mg lyrica

2009: I wanted to quit benzodiazepines and got diazepam from my doctor, which I used to slowly taper off oxazepam, I had been on 130 mg of it, used this table http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm#s10

2009: I got a new psychiatrist and she gave me 300 mg lyrica, and told me to quit venlafaxine cold turkey, this I did, and christmas I was going completely insane from withdrawal symptoms, so I took 75mg venlafaxine again, 3 days of withdrawal symptoms. 

2010: I got another psychiatrist and we slowly followed the table I've linked to throughout this time.

2010: I managed to quit diazepam after tapering for 1.5 years, I started taking seroquel 25 mg to sleep on because I was still having heavy insomnia.

2010: my psychiatrist prescribed me invega, I have no idea how much of this I took. I wanted more venlafaxine because my body couldn't handle invega, too high prolactin levels, venlafaxine made me unable to handle much in my life, was on 112.5 mg

2011: tapered to 75mg venlafaxine and then managed to stop taking invega after half a year. fluctuating between 450mg of lyrica and 300mg during this time, also fluctuating between 50-75 mg of seroquel

2012: took 150 mg of venlafaxine due to stress, lost all ability to manage anything. slowly became aware that venlafaxine equalled less ability to handle stuff..

2013: Tapered to 75 mg of venlafaxine, was on 600 mg of lyrica to handle the withdrawal symptoms, had gained too much weight to continue with the tapering.

2013: Started on slow release melatonin 2 mg, responded very well to it, tapered to 300 mg of lyrica.

2014 june: Wanted to withdraw from venlafaxine again because I was acutely aware of how it made me incapable of handling much of anything, wasnt allowed to do so by psychiatrist, same psychiatrist who wanted me to take more of it.

2014 august:, started tapering of venlafaxine from 75mg to 37.5mg, psychiatrist agreed to allow me to do it since I showed initiative.

2014 septemper: found this site and read how you could take granules out of venlafaxine xl, went from 37.5 to 18.75 mg of venlafaxine, venlafaxine anxiety made me take 450 mg of lyrica instead of 300.

2014 oktober: went from 18.75mg venlafaxine to around 9 mg venlafaxine.

2014 oktober: wanted to see if I could quit from 9 mg venlafaxine since in my estimation it was not much at all - hit a brick wall of withdrawal, had to reinstate 4.5 mg, 

[Martin]

After reading a lot of various stories on here I've decided to stick with 4.5 mg, I cant bear the thought of going up again feels like admitting defeat. I'll then wait a month and see if I get any withdrawal besides the ones I already have as I've read many reports of people getting withdrawal symptoms later on. Then take it a lot more slowly than I have, seems like the last few mg's are pretty hard on me - have been having anxiety on and off all day which very much reminded me of the stuff that gave me panic attacks as a young boy, it is a different kind of anxiety, I'm not sure what to make of it, suppose I might be more used to full scale panic than this butterflies in the stomach and feeling of unease and uncertainty which comes with thoughts of imminent death, poetic stuff.

 

I'll ask my psychiatrist about the prozac bridging method once I get the chance, I dont really enjoy the ridiculously low half life of venlafaxine. 

[Petunia]

I'll ask my psychiatrist about the prozac bridging method once I get the chance, I dont really enjoy the ridiculously low half life of venlafaxine. 

 

Some people split their venlafaxine dose in half and take it every 12 hours, you could try that.

 

We generally advise tapering off the drug you are currently on, if its possible, rather than switching to another drug. A direct taper from the drug to which your nervous system is accustomed carries less risk than a switch to a new drug This is the "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know" rule.

 

The risk of a switch is justified if you find a  taper from the original drug is simply too difficult. Usually people will do a switch when they find reducing the original antidepressant by even a small amount -- 10% or even 5% -- causes intolerable withdrawal symptoms.

 

Here is some information about the prozac bridging method:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1463-the-prozac-switch-or-bridging-with-prozac/?p=13616

[Martin]

Again, I want to say that I hugely appreciate you guy's help. Being alone with tapering is not an easy thing so you guy's input here has been extremely valuable - I also note that you're spending quite a long time responding to everyone here which is making a difference. 

 

When i was tapering oxazepam it took me 8 months to make the switch from oxazepam to diazepam so I hear what you're saying Petu, but I still suspect it would be much better with the prozac bridging method and likely much less hard on my nervous system. Doesn't mean I'll do it but I just might - depends on what my psychiatrist says. I have no doubt it would be good for me. I'm withdrawing using XL capsules so there is no need to take it every 12 hours.

 

I also suspect that had I stayed on venlafaxine for longer I might have suffered from brain damage. That intense apathy I felt with no motivation and energy cannot have been healthy - this is part of why I've been tapering so fast, I fear what venlafaxine will do to me in the long run. Which again is why I appreciate your input because if it hadnt been for that I would have continued tapering too fast. 

[Petunia]

I'm glad you are finding this site helpful Martin, do let us know what you decide to do.  I hope your psychiatrist appt goes well.

[Martin]

It has been a while since I last wrote in here, and the reason is that I haven't been experiencing as powerful anxiety as I did when I had just tapered too fast, it's under control. What I am experiencing is somewhat dysphoric moods and anger... So much anger in the back of my head that I dont really know what to do with - I suspect that a lot of therapy and crying may be in my future. 

 

The physical symptoms of withdrawal has also been easier to deal with. I dont switch between cold and hot anymore and mostly its just dizziness that I'm experiencing. I'm guessing that I'm having and easier time with it because I never took very high doses of venlafaxine to begin with... Still I feel like I need to be cautious and wait a while because I fear a second wind of withdrawal coming. In fact I suspect that logically the second wind of withdrawal will come, it is not a matter of "if" but when, and it is a matter of how powerful it will be - so I'm biding my time. 

 

Also I stopped drinking caffeine altogether and that appears to have been wise. 

[bubble]

These are very promising signs and benefits of reinstating and sticking with the dose are clearly visible.

 

But you are right: after what you put your CNS through, the recovery will come in what we call windows and waves so it is good that you are prepared for recurrence of symptoms. When that happens just stay calm and wait for them to go away without changing the dose again.

 

This thread helped me tremendously as I was waiting to stabilise after reinstating: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-recovery/

[Martin]

It's been a while since I've been writing - mentally I've been doing ok, but physically I'm suffering from some really bad lightheadedness and vertigo and also constipation pretty much all of the time... I've been at the doctor to get a blood test done and I'll learn if its anemia or low blood sugar, low blood sugar which apparently can happen due to withdrawal from antidepressants...

 

Have you guys heard of any cases of lightheadedness and how bad is it typically and how long till it normally clears...? 

 

For some reason l-theanine, which has some serotonin increasing or decreasing effects or matcha tea (which is a good at stabalizing blood sugar) appears to help me somewhat with the dizziness... Getting fresh air and or eating sweets also appears to help, somewhat. (might be a stress reducing effect that is helpful also)

 

I read in prozac backlash that some form of dizziness apparently is the norm for antidepressant withdrawal symptoms - what are your experiences you who clearly have more experience with this stuff than I do...?

 

 

Edit - I also went to see a nurse at the psychiatric hospital who oversees me - she was unhappy that I had withdrawed as fast as I did and she wanted me to reinstate at a slightly higher dose, which I said that I wouldn't  - I instead told her that I'd stay on the dose which she then agreed with. The plan now is to wait for atleast a month more before even considering what to do again - so atleast it seems I'm in good hands. I honestly never even dared believe that she'd understand antidepressant withdrawal, had I known that she would, then I would honestly have sought her advice instead of doing things on my own. My doctor doesn't believe in antidepressant withdrawal which I find rather troubling. 

 

Also mentally I am doing a lot better - not much in the way of dysphoric foods and anxiety is lower though I still experience it on some levels - no the vertigo appears to be the main issue and it frightens me because I might go for a walk to buy something and what if I lose conciousness when crossing a road...? Its creepy as heck!

[mammaP]

Dizziness and vertigo are common in withdrawal. I find that fish oil helps but some days it is

worse than others and going out seems to help, sometimes carbs seems to help too but

I never had my blood sugar checked. I do wonder sometimes if it is anxiety and going out

and doing something helps to regulate breathing. I have no other reason than gut feeling for

thinking this but it does seem to be bad sometimes and I don't feel like I can do anything 

because of it but getting out does seem to help.  Doing nothing doesn't help at all and I can

waste days waiting for it to lift. I seems to be like everything else, part of the windows and waves

that we have to put up with through withdrawal. 

[Altostrata]

Hello, Martin. Magnesium supplements can help constipation, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

For fish oil, see

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
 

[Martin]

Thank you for your replies - I will try fish oil and see if it has any beneficial effects.

 

I'll keep you updated on my blood tests.

 

mammap - There was a woman in the book prozac backlash who forgot to take venlafaxine one day and then experienced crazy vertigo, faintness and lightheadedness. I'm guessing this may be a bigger issue with withdrawal from venlafaxine since there's some Norepinephrine action going on. Norepinephrine apparently increases the brains oxygen supply from what I just read on the wiki, so when you're withdrawing from venlafaxine your brain might just lack oxygen due to a disruption in the function of Norepinephrine...? Just a thought. 

[Martin]

Its been something like 2 months since I went from 9 mg to 4.7 mg... I've been feeling ok since I last wrote here... It took a while for the dizziness to clear (and I was crazy lightheaded) So I'm guessing around 1 week and 1 month ago is the last time I felt really bad. Now withdrawal symptoms seems to be back. 6 days ago I started feeling slight dysphoria, and anxiety... Its been slowly getting worse. Today I've been having close to panic attacks, lightheadedness, shivering, heat, feeling like crying, fatigue, loads of trembling and jitteriness, Stomach issues, slight nausea, ringing in ears, and quite powerful anxiety... I fear going to bed because I'll probably suffer from insomnia also. I've been somewhat thinking that it might be withdrawal symptoms these past few days, but today I'm absolutely certain of it, due to the severity of the symptoms.

 

I'm still on 4.7 mg, havent changed a thing - its a bit ironic because not so long ago I was contemplating withdrawing by 10 percent since things were going so well, but now after this I have to wait a month atleast again once I feel better to feel safe... I'm not even sure I can feel safe going down to lower dosage after a month because this is so odd - The degree to which the withdrawal symptoms have reappeared has completely taken me unawares. 

 

I also have experienced an odd sensation where I remember keenly bad experiences or traumatic experiences from my past, its been happening quite a lot today... Sort of feels like my brain has gotten the brilliant idea that it needs to go against me at all costs. My brain is like:" Hey Martin, I know you're feeling really bad today, but some imagery from your past that troubled you greatly would greatly help you right about now I'm sure" .... 

 

It feels bad having to excuse myself when things were going so well for me, but I guess I cannot flee from the realities of life... 

[Altostrata]

Have you tried fish oil and magnesium?

[Martin]

Have you tried fish oil and magnesium?

I made sure to stock up on fish oil and magnesium today... I seem to have somewhat less symptoms due to the fish oil, but it is still pretty severe. Regardless, some reduction of symptoms is definately better than no reduction of symptoms, and it seems to be the difference between unbearable, and livable which is pretty important I would say.

[Altostrata]

Correct, they're not a cure but they can reduce symptoms slightly. Every little bit helps.

[Martin]

having some really powerful anxiety that hits just before going to bed... I'm starting to theorise that withdrawal from antidepressants requires the brain to go through all the emotions, all the memories that were supressed while on the drug. That this is a necessary thing for the brain to heal. Basically the whole idea of antidepressants is a huge pipe dream, because you're just loaning feeling good, and once you're off the drug again you have to pay back the system. 

 

Sanity is starting to dwindle, because the degree of the anxiety is a bit too much. 

[tgirl]

Hello Martin,

I'm thinking along those same lines. The fish oil and magnesium do seem to help me.

I hope your anxiety lessens!

Wishing you well,

Tgirl

[Hudgens]

Anxiety makes you feel like you're losing your mind but you aren't. It can also make you feel like you're going to die, but you won't.

 

It's a difficult truth to accept, but one that needs to be grasped at the outset: when it comes to antidepressants, most doctors don't

know their ass from their elbows.    

[Martin]

Well, yesterday my anxiety reached panic and I was unable to sleep at all without waking up my mom and calling the psychiatric hospital... Today I've been at the psychiatric hospital and told them all of my withdrawal symptoms. The doctor apparently agreed that it was probably withdrawal symptoms and have put me on 10 mg prozac... I know its a too high dosage but I was disallowed to change the dose since they could see in their systems that I've had a history of doing that. I've been having diarrhea all day due to the prozac and when I took it I felt something akin to panic due to changing medications, but slowly I started regaining myself and I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms besides that and some shivering and lightheadedness. 

 

I cant help but imagine if I hadn't known it was withdrawal symptoms... Then I'd have been given antipsychotics and all kinds of other medications.

 

I also feel like I've failed quite a bit because I'm now at quite a higher dose than before, but I was starting to develop panic disorder and its christmas, not many places I could turn to besides that psychiatric hospital. Nothing worse than making my family suffer due to my psychiatric issues.

 

I'm still gonna withdraw, but I imagine I have to wait a while for my brain to get used to the prozac, and I have to talk to my primary caregiver about what we'll do next. The psychiatric hospital wasnt my primary caregiver, it was just a place you can go to if you feel like you're losing it. 

[mammaP]

I'm sorry you were hit by this huge wave Martin. People do sometimes switch to prozac to taper from effexor

because it is a nasty drug for withdrawal. I am quite surprised that the psych hospital acknowledged withdrawal

but I am glad they do. I wish the gp's and pcp's would do their homework and keep up with developments! 

 

I hope the prozac helps your symptoms and you can taper it without too many problems. I would hold for a few

months before starting to taper again, to allow your nervous system to settle down again. 

 

Here is our topic for tapering prozac.http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/759-tips-for-tapering-off-prozac-fluoxetine/ 

[Martin]

Yeah I've been reading up on things - waiting a while seems prudent... I've been taking the 10 mg prozac for 5 days now and not taken any venlafaxine at all - and been relatively ok, exept for tinitus and some anxiety. Diarrhea is gone and sleep has not been an issue. I feel slightly ill and lightheaded but the symptoms aren't as severe as they were. Some of the depressive symptoms of withdrawal seem gone too, motivation is back somewhat and I dont feel like crying all of the time - I also dont fantasise about hitting people with big obstacles which thinking back at it is a really odd thing to explain to that psychiatrist at the mental hospital...

 

Pretty much all of the withdrawal symptoms has gotten better exept perhaps the lightheadedness and tinitus, but i'm still not really feeling well at all, which speaks to the severity of the withdrawal symptoms I was experiencing. In the future I'll have to be much more careful to taper much more slowly it would seem. 

[Martin]

day 8 on prozac - here's my thoughts...

 

This antidepressant is incredible stimulating, which is very unlucky for my very thin nerves. It is causing diarrhea, anxiety, and insomnia, aswell as trembling. I've been reading around and on some forums they speak of a very high dose as being akin to amphetamines. I have a friend who was once on such a dose and he likened it to cocaine. 

 

I've been visiting the mental hospital, and they said I can do whatever I want with the dose of prozac - so come tomorrow I'll get myself a 5 mg dose - 10 mg is countering the effects of the anxiolytics I take which is very unhealthy for my mental well being... The doctor were very unhelpful, I kept repeating myself that prozac is causing me to feel severe anxiety and is incredible stimulating - I dont think they believed a word I said, which is troubling because they're the place I'll have to go to if things completely go out of hand. Its the usual story of, just take it and believe things will be better, and then they'll magically be better.

 

I'm hoping I wont get more withdrawal symptoms from going down so quickly. Its a damned if you do, damned if you dont situation, if I stay on the prozac I'll lose my mind, and if I stop it I'll also lose my mind, I dont have much to lose in this case...

 

I'm going to try and get in touch with the mental hospital close to here, they know me better and have been following me for years, only reason I haven't been doing this is due to the holidays so they've  been closed... I hope they can set things straight.

[Rhiannon]

Martin, you might see if they will prescribe you the liquid form of the Prozac, which will make it easier to get the lower dose. (I agree, it sounds like 10 mg is too activating for you. You might do well with as little as 3 mg.)

 

And once you're stable enough to begin tapering, the liquid makes it easier to taper very slowly.

 

After everything you've been through and how sensitive you are now, you will need to taper very, very slowly.

 

Also, please do allow a good long time to stabilize (many months) before beginning another taper (which I am sure is the last thing on your mind today given how you're feeling!)

 

Good luck, hopefully they will give you the liquid and you can try a much smaller dose of the Prozac. 

[Martin]

 (which I am sure is the last thing on your mind today given how you're feeling!)

 

 

Yeah you're quite right and thank you for your responce! Feeling a bit less lonely and a bit more secure now which is definately needed - this christmas has been extremely trying for me and my family. I was about to fall asleep today because I didnt take the prozac - wanted to wait till I'd have been at the doctor... After being there I took the 10 mg prozac and about 30 min into it I started having anxiety, trembling, and diarrhea, and that cemented in my mind that there's something very stimulating afoot with prozac. 

 

The doctor just stared at me in disbelief that 10 mg could cause all of these issues, stating that 10 mg is almost nothing and should have very few side effects. I believe otherwise - I believe that people with generalized anxiety disorder and schizotypal disorder cannot manage much in the way of stimulants, everything I'm taking which relieves my issues are sedating, not stimulating, in nature, so it makes complete sense in my head that I have to take a lower dose. However I still feel quite uneasy about this whole thing.

 

I'll keep you updated on how that goes. 

[nigella]

Thank you for your reply. - I'm doing a lot better now - exept for some sweating and dizziness I think I'll manage, but I agree that saint johns wort probably wasnt good for me as I got a lot of anxiety/panic just after I took that, pretty much the opposite of what I expected after reading that it could help with most withdrawal symptoms, so that came as a nasty surprise. 

 

I was also very surprised to find that after I stopped taking as much venlafaxine, that I had a lot more energy and motivation and emotions - normally I'd be pretty much apathetic towards most things, now I'm much more alive and myself again. 

 

Also the fainting thing seems, from what I've read online, to be blood sugar related which is an issue when withdrawing from antidepressants, and I was starting on a diet too which meant that my blood sugar levels were very low here yesterday when I was feeling like I was about to faint.

Hello, I just wanted to give people a heads up about St. John's Wort. If you ingest a lot of dairy, (I do) ST. JW will give you high Blood pressure.

[Martin]

 

Hello, I just wanted to give people a heads up about St. John's Wort. If you ingest a lot of dairy, (I do) ST. JW will give you high Blood pressure.

 

 

You learn something new everyday, but I sadly dont dare do much in the world of supplements anymore due to how I've been feeling lately. Even something like magnesium is giving me anxiety, which is very paradoxical and troubling to say the least. I'm only really taking curcumin because I have very good experiences with that.