Martin Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 Actually Degen - I now remember how I got the incentive to withdraw from effexor... It was a B vitamin complex that I tried for a few days - that gave me back my emotions and with it I became acutely aware of how dulled I had become... I then read about how effexor has severe drug interactions with all the other medications I take and suddenly I became furious while on B vitamin - and that fury drove me to take 50% less of the drug and stay on that dose for a while. I just had this intense sensation of -hating- the drug and wanting it out of my system for this reason. Have been on psyc drugs for years, too many to include in this signature. Currently on 475 mg lyrica, 37.5 mg venlafaxine 50mg seroquel, 2mg melatonin. 1-2.5 litres chamomile, only thing that seems to help with all of this. Multivitamin and vitamin D prescribed by doctor for not going out in the sun enough. Link to comment
btdt Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Actually Degen - I now remember how I got the incentive to withdraw from effexor... It was a B vitamin complex that I tried for a few days - that gave me back my emotions and with it I became acutely aware of how dulled I had become... I then read about how effexor has severe drug interactions with all the other medications I take and suddenly I became furious while on B vitamin - and that fury drove me to take 50% less of the drug and stay on that dose for a while. I just had this intense sensation of -hating- the drug and wanting it out of my system for this reason. For me B vit make me insane... anxiety thru the roof and I will not touch them... and I know a lot of people are the same post E use so don't fool around with them if your having and restlessness or anxiety they will harm you and it took a couple of months for me to come down from very little of it... be CAREFUL I get the vitamins I need from food if I am not getting it there... I don't get it period... green beans bran the sticks not the other... helped me feel better. 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
degen12 Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 Degen, have you read Anatomy of an Epidemic yet? If not, I highly recommend it. I recommend it to everyone pretty much, but I really specifically think it would be a good read for you. Hi, Rhi, thank you for the recommendation. I will order and read the book. I strongly believe that psychotropics lead to impaired character development (when prescribed to children and adolescents) and the inability to develop normal coping skills when prescribed to adults, but there is always more to learn. I think the medicalization of normal behaviour is one reason for the overprescription of psychiatric drug to be sure, but I also believe it is a symptom of a greater underlying problem that big pharma is simply capitalizing on and encouraging, rather than the ultimate villain (although villainous they are). April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
degen12 Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 My paternal grandfather has died from complications of lymphoma. I don't know how to feel about it. We were never close and he, along with my grandmother, disowned me from the family after my mother and father divorced about 5 years ago. Still, he was my grandfather and I will try and remember some of the better aspects about him... I increased my diazepam to 30 mg, against my doctor's wishes. I see a new psychiatrist next week. I have successfully held Luvox at 150 mg for a few days, down from 200 mg. My plan is now to keep these dosages constant now until I feel stable enough to continue. At that time I will re-taper diazepam from 30 to 20 mg, albeit at a slower pace. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Degen, have you read Anatomy of an Epidemic yet? If not, I highly recommend it. I recommend it to everyone pretty much, but I really specifically think it would be a good read for you. Hi, Rhi, thank you for the recommendation. I will order and read the book. I strongly believe that psychotropics lead to impaired character development (when prescribed to children and adolescents) and the inability to develop normal coping skills when prescribed to adults, but there is always more to learn. I think the medicalization of normal behaviour is one reason for the overprescription of psychiatric drug to be sure, but I also believe it is a symptom of a greater underlying problem that big pharma is simply capitalizing on and encouraging, rather than the ultimate villain (although villainous they are). I agree with that... Degen. They are working the system they helped create. I would recommend that book to as well as medication madness tho I am having a hard time reading it just now. Other books are listed in recommended books... One by a Toronto Author too... recommended by me..Pluto to Prozac it did not get much attention. Talking back to prozac I think was Glenmullens books I like it a lot... each take a different angle... Prozac Backlash was good too... One of my very fav books on all this was Our Daily Meds... If I had to rate them... Our Daily Meds would be top... then Glenmullens ... then Whitaker.... any from there on. If you have a mind for it Grace E Jacksons books... another Canadian Patricia Churchland ... Braintrust... Some food for your busy mind ... the last books are hard reads and truth be told if your not in top form you may not be able to read them... I gave them both a go even tho I was not functional. I got some insight from them. I wish others would attempt them... I don't see anyone else who has read them. 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
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 My paternal grandfather has died from complications of lymphoma. I don't know how to feel about it. We were never close and he, along with my grandmother, disowned me from the family after my mother and father divorced about 5 years ago. Still, he was my grandfather and I will try and remember some of the better aspects about him... I increased my diazepam to 30 mg, against my doctor's wishes. I see a new psychiatrist next week. I have successfully held Luvox at 150 mg for a few days, down from 200 mg. My plan is now to keep these dosages constant now until I feel stable enough to continue. At that time I will re-taper diazepam from 30 to 20 mg, albeit at a slower pace. It seems we are both up early and you made this post at the same time I was making one to you... death is hard to deal with at the best of times. I am sorry to hear of your grandfathers passing. I have lost a lot of people this year and many since I started withdrawal. I hope he had a full and good life and that your good memories of him predominate when you do think of him. I am not sure if I should go here or not but will put a toe in... We do things when we are taking drugs we may not do otherwise... we become people we would not otherwise be. While I am not sure why your grandfather disowned you I do know i was rejected by loved ones when I was on these drugs... I could not see their side till a long time into withdrawal. If this in anyway could play a part in your life rest assured your not alone in this. Many others have lived it too. When thinking of him know he was just a man... one with faults as we all have. My thoughts are with you I hope stability comes to you soon. I wish you peace. 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
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 PS It was not till I was long off the drug I could see both sides it takes time but you will get there.. and I could be completely wrong where your concerned it may just be my own experience peace 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
degen12 Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 Thank you bdtd for your wishes. Your second paragraph is interesting to me (referring to your first post). While I was growing up the paternal side of the family never understood my difficulties... It is hard now to tease out what was iatrogenic and what was part of my illness. My father doesn't either. He thinks I should just be able to drop these drugs, get a job or an education, and move on with life just like everybody else. Edit: Oh! I am so caught up in myself I forgot to tell you how sorry I am for all of your loses this year. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I know how that hurts like hell. I always thought I should be able to get on with things too...part of my continued drug use was to be able to do that... and all the while... they were messing me up... at times I know I needed them as cold turkey and other ways of attempting to get off did not work.. I was put in hell trying... You have to keep this in mind... Never before in history were there any drugs like this NEVER! Older people or even younger do not understand what the hell we are going thru or what we are talking about. I know it sucks to always have to be the one to rise above everything and believe many times I have just said....f)*^&^ it and stayed clear as I could not do both...look after me and them. As time goes on and I continue to attempt to enlighten not only family but doctors and people I have loved... I find others who get it... I read books that increase my understanding and suggest them knowing family will never read them... And I keep loving them best I can... and I keep striving to get my life to be mine really mine. It sounds like a lot and looks like nothing but it is something it is me and it my life. In the mean time I am kind to them and me as kind as I can be. . Mostly... nobody is perfect and I take time out lay low do battle whatever is called for but mostly I am trying to heal and deal with each thing as it comes... and find some peace in my daily existence. They can't help not understanding look at how the information is given ...NOTHING IN THE INFORMATION GIVEN..... not even doctors know how could we expect our loved ones to know. Nothing in the information about these drugs tells what you read on any of these pages... still it is true. Some things too you only know by living them... this is one of them I think even if we explain it after we understand it best we can they can never really know what it is like.. unless they live it and I DO NOT want any of the people in my family who are not already on these drugs to start so they can find out... it sure is not worth that. It can be a lonely thing that is why this place is so important but it can be done... there is a post on here ... comes to mind will see if I can find it. peace 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
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 when strangers become your people http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7318-when-strangers-become-your-people/ 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
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 We all want to be with people who are like us... who offer us hope..and understand what we say. 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
degen12 Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 The worst for me is being thought of as a hypochondriac who invents illness so he can leach off of society. Then there is the issue of being labelled a drug-seeker for those who are dependent on benzodiazepines. My GP, who landed me in the hospital for a week unable to stand up, due to his 6-week taper of 4 mg clonazepam (he wanted it done in 3, originally, until I talked him into 6), still has the gall to insinuate this in virtually every conversation, and hands out my prescription now in weekly increments because I am "impulsive". April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 The worst for me is being thought of as a hypochondriac who invents illness so he can leach off of society. Then there is the issue of being labelled a drug-seeker for those who are dependent on benzodiazepines. My GP, who landed me in the hospital for a week unable to stand up, due to his 6-week taper of 4 mg clonazepam (he wanted it done in 3, originally, until I talked him into 6), still has the gall to insinuate this in virtually every conversation, and hands out my prescription now in weekly increments because I am "impulsive". Your not alone in that either... lol seen it a lot. I have a doc who did not want to give me T3 this wk we have been going thru this thing about migraines and treatment... ect.... had a car accident currently have a broken jaw from ... cause dammed if I know... I keep telling her I will be the last of her patients to ever be a drug addict... I have been thru too much. I know they idea behind it is that the drugs fog your thinking and you become unaware of your own state be it drug ect... truthfully I have had times where I did use an opiate to pull me out of a bad withdrawal state ... is why I was curious of your drug use previously and perhaps it was a bad thing to do but ...( this is now a bad sentence) whatever.... I have pain I cannot sleep cause of pain and likely other issues T3 helps me sleep... one a day... often less sometimes more. I get that crap all the time she has offered benzos for sleep ...no thanks I say as last attempt at that caused a paradoxical reaction. It is all part of the crap we have to put up with to get what we want at the end of the day to be stable and hopefully well and drug free some day. Jump threw a hoop... we all do it. Some I have talked to have started their taper and lied to their doctors saying they were still on the same dose in order to get enough drugs ahead to finish the taper and once they did never went back to the doctor again.... we see all sorts of things. Whatever it takes I guess... I prefer to be upfront and tell the truth so they could possibly learn something from me but my experience with my psych was a waste of time from what I could tell ... as in trying to get him to see withdrawal for what it was and not an illness. It is odd my doc gave me 15 migraine pills I did not need more for 2 years because I use the T3 to stop the headache before it gets bad... she was bent out of shape cause I had both drugs yet she gave them both to me... finally I took in both bottles and said think about this 15 pills in 2 years... I am trying to keep use of the bigger drug down... I think maybe I got thru to her that day but I know another day I will go see her and we will start all over again. As she tends to forget around we go. I no longer think a doctor has my answers... my doc once said to me why do you have a doctor you want to be your own doctor... I said I want to be part of my own care ... as whatever I do is going to affect me more than you. I refuse some drugs she thinks I should have and want some she things I should not have. Again around we go it is like a dance. I do to get my needs meant. There have been times I have gone behind her back to another doctor to get a drug I need... I was having a suicidal reaction to an H2 blocker ... for stomach acid ... she would not change it ... I could not live with it ..or the pain in my gut ... so I went to a different doctor and had the drug changed to a different kind of stomach acid blocker... at the end of the day I am the one who has to make the decisions as for better or worse I know my own body and what I am feeling nobody outside me could possibly know, because of that fact we all sometimes put up with crap and dance with our doctors. In medication madness one reason Breggin gave for people to keep taking drugs was they "believed in the expertise and authority of the doctor" I no longer believe as I once did I will bet I am not the only one here who is like that. I suggest you read some books it can help with the understanding. First book I read about this I was gobsmacked... peace 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
LoveandLight Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 How are you? 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
degen12 Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 Bad weather is getting me down. There's not much I can do in this weather. My eyes are a long-standing issue and screens create eye-strain quickly. Plus my new psychiatrist is stupid. Thanks for asking though. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 To stop the computer screen from hurting your eyes so much use this https://justgetflux..../pages/welcome/ there is more about it in the last posts of Muddles latest thread... it was brought to our knowledge by cymbalta5000.. I love it myself 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
btdt Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 You can find more about it here http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5717-muddles-desperate/page-20 this is where I found it. May help with your sleep too apparently the blue light from computer screens messes with our heads and sleep... I sure don't need it. I could not get it to accept the city I live in I tried Toronto too it would not take that so I left it where it was and just set it to be as low it would go both night and day. so far I am loving it. peace to you 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
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted November 22, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 22, 2014 Degen I have just caught up with your thread and have to say that while reading your post that gave the timeline of drugs I just wanted to give you a huge hug and tell you that things will get better. I know that it hard to believe sometimes but they will. It is heartbreaking that you were put on drugs at such an age, you were just a baby . I understand when you talked about feeling all the rejections and traumas from your past and believe that SSRIs do indeed make that happen. I remember when I went onto seroxat, (paxil) . I was in the hospital huddled in a corner under the huge curtains, curled up in a ball sobbing and rocking. It felt like every trauma I had experienced (and I had a lot) had just happened, all at once. I was feeling the pain of all those traumas as if they were still happening. It was sheer hell and I was suicidal, akathisia was crippling and I kept running away. They said I was suffering from severe agitated depression and piled more drugs on me. You will get away from this drug filled life and will discover who you are. You will make your own life and prove to everyone that you can live without drugs, and do it well. I believe that 100% and I hope you believe it too. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
degen12 Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 @mammaP: Thank you very much for your post. I am heartened by your belief in me. The time it will take to rebuild a new life seems daunting. It's definitely surreal when I see the successes of my former classmates, although perhaps it will not do to be envious. @btdt: Thank you for the suggestion. I use f.lux. 1900K (the "candle" setting, although it comes nowhere close) at night and 2700K during the day. I also use an old PWM-free CCFL-backlit LCD because I can't seem to tolerate any LED-backlit screen, regardless of PWM. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 I thank you for your attempt to educate me but I am sorry to say that was like you trying to read Chinese ( I hope you can't read Chinese) Thanks anyway... ask cymbalta5000 about computer stuff she know I bet. hope you had a decent day peace 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
degen12 Posted December 6, 2014 Author Share Posted December 6, 2014 Just checking in. Frustrating choice tonight. I bought tickets to a concert a while back when I was feeling good. Now I'm worried about sensory stimulation and the exhaustion and crash that almost always inevitably follows (some of this ME/CFS and POTS related, but nonetheless I never had problems with gigantic pupils before I began trying to taper my SSRI). My entire autonomic nervous system is screwed, probably secondary to mitochondrial dysfunction. I have a mitochondrial disorder called adenosine monophosphate deaminase deficicency type 1. The tickets were over $100, and I don't relish the idea of missing out, but I suppose my health should come first. All of my meds are the same. I feel some relieve at 200 mg Luvox however, so I will follow my own advice and taper to 175 mg instead of switching between 150 and 200 mg. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I am curious about the mitochondria issue you seem to know about but am not the brightest sprinkle in the jar just now... if you would like to explain it further go ahead but I will not press you when I am not likely going to understand it anyway. It is not clear to me what your saying about the POTs ...cfs either.. tho I know it has been suggested CFS is caused by Mito damage. I have this to say about POTs yes I looked it all my symptoms over the years and POTs was one of them... feeling like your going to faint when standing wobbly on your feet... I actually did a face plant one night trying a piece of exercise equipment in a store and smashed my face. This was after I went cold turkey from Effexor... and some how I got thru that time and my body healed I rarely have any dizzy spell any longer. I now think it was one more of the effects I had to heal from. I was also dx with CFS ... as some things seems strange to me lately with dx I have had... I don't even know if I believe that dx now... who the hell knows. I sometimes thing they say it when they don't know what is going on... could be withdrawal. It sure seems a lot of people have body pain in withdrawal and for some it ends... apparently. I have been reading these stories a long long time you will never know what you could be without these drugs until you are without them a long long time... as it takes a long time. I just re read what Mamma said to you in her last post and I will second all of that... and not only with your getting healing related to your phych self but to your phsyical self as well... I think it may well be possible. Tho it is a long road you really do have to take yourself out of the competition with friends as this is not a race... this is healing. The only way any comparison would make any sense would be to put them on the drugs you have been on since your youth other wise it is senseless and harmful. don't fall for it. peace 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
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted December 7, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 7, 2014 Sorry that you missed out on your concert Degen, I know the feeling well as I also crash and burn after doing things. It is good that you bought the tickets because it gave you something to look forward to, even tho you can't make it. I've booked a theatre break with my daughter for Feb, I felt ok when I booked it but if I had seen it today I wouldn't even consider it! We are looking forward to it and it is a goal to work towards. If I don't make it I will be gutted but it will have been something to look forward to for a few months. If that makes sense? I would make a smaller cut of luvox if I were you, you have lots of physical stuff to deal with and can do without any withdrawal symptoms to add to it! **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
btdt Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 since you live in Toronto I thought you might be interested in a tvo show called the agenda with Steve Paikin... they did a mental health show last wk and talked of child phychiatrists doing dx over skype... apparently there are not enough kid shrinks here only 108 and they are over run with cases ... so in order to get the drugs to the kids they are doing teledoc apts... how about that? Thought you may find it interesting blah blah blah... not sure if your interested at this point but more importantly there was a lady on the show who made some sense and had some real ideas about support for mental health as she is an advocate and past consumer of mental health.... her name is Lana Fredo and she works here http://soundtimes.com/ services http://soundtimes.com/services/ I don't know what your life is like if you have housing food support.... but if this place can help thought maybe it would be a good idea to know about it...maybe useful maybe not. peace to you 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
Wildflower0214 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hey there, Read a lot of your thread. Hope you are feeling ok, and coping well. Peace. 2005-Zoloft bad reaction.....2006-Lexepro......2012-Upped Lexepro.......2013-Upped Lexepro......2/2014- Attempted Taper Lexepro...2/2014- Updosed Lexepro.......3/2014-Ativan.....5/2014- CT switch from Lexpro to Effexor..... 5/2014-7/2014-Tapered Ativan from 1mg to .25mg.....6/2014-Bad reaction to Effexor........7/2014- Rapid taper Effexor every other day......7/5/2014- Off Effexor.......7/2014-12/2014 - Ativan .25mg.......12/25/2014 -Taper Ativan by 4% due to paradoxical reaction .24mg...11/18/2015-Taper Ativan 1% CURRENTLY ON: .2376mg Ativan taken in 6 .0396mg doses. Link to comment
degen12 Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Thanks for your interesting posts btdt, they are appreciated. Thank you for your support JDM1984 and and mammaP. I ended up giving the tickets away to a friend really enjoyed the concert, so I don't feel any regret. About my mito disorder. I discovered I had it after genetic testing. It is said that mito disorders often don't rear their heads until your physiology is really stressed, maybe by an infection, psychological stress, or a combination. That was the case for me. I developed POTS shortly after a relatively fast benzo taper. I was in hospital and my HR in the prone position was 120-130 and up to 165 when standing still. It wasn't until clonazepam was reinstated that I improved. I admit that it might have been the Florinef or reinstatement of an SSRI that also occurred while I was an inpatient but I have done a lot of reading on the effect of benzodiazepines on the heart and mitochondria that I'm sure benzo withdrawal was the cause. Months later a resident at a psych ward told me that benzo withdrawal can cause autonomic dysfunction. POTS is a form of autonomic dysfunction. SSRIs also have a close relationship with the autonomic nervous system. Basically benzo and SSRI withdrawal is a really great way to completely upset your autonomic nervous system and cause mito dysfunction. I can't think of a single bodily system that is not negatively impacted. Back to the mito disorder. My disorder causes increased adenosine. New research has linked abnormal adenosine regulation to autonomic dysfunction. I still have POTS, which I take a beta-blocker for at the moment. It is not nearly as bad as at the hospital, but it has never really healed either. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
degen12 Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 First night taking 15 mg diazepam. Can't get a wink of sleep. EDIT: I took an extra 150 mg of Lyrica and now I'm dizzy as hell and can barely think or type so I'm going to stumble off to bed. Hopefully my posts made sense tonight. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted January 26, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 26, 2015 Too much diazepam can cause a paradoxical reaction -- instead of helping you sleep, it keeps you awake. Same with Lyrica. 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
Wildflower0214 Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I also have POTS. I had it before I ever took an AD. It's no fun, but it can be managed pretty easily. I was diagnosed as a teenager. Sometimes it resolves on its own over time. I hope it does for you. 2005-Zoloft bad reaction.....2006-Lexepro......2012-Upped Lexepro.......2013-Upped Lexepro......2/2014- Attempted Taper Lexepro...2/2014- Updosed Lexepro.......3/2014-Ativan.....5/2014- CT switch from Lexpro to Effexor..... 5/2014-7/2014-Tapered Ativan from 1mg to .25mg.....6/2014-Bad reaction to Effexor........7/2014- Rapid taper Effexor every other day......7/5/2014- Off Effexor.......7/2014-12/2014 - Ativan .25mg.......12/25/2014 -Taper Ativan by 4% due to paradoxical reaction .24mg...11/18/2015-Taper Ativan 1% CURRENTLY ON: .2376mg Ativan taken in 6 .0396mg doses. Link to comment
btdt Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Thanks for your interesting posts btdt, they are appreciated. Thank you for your support JDM1984 and and mammaP. I ended up giving the tickets away to a friend really enjoyed the concert, so I don't feel any regret. About my mito disorder. I discovered I had it after genetic testing. It is said that mito disorders often don't rear their heads until your physiology is really stressed, maybe by an infection, psychological stress, or a combination. That was the case for me. I developed POTS shortly after a relatively fast benzo taper. I was in hospital and my HR in the prone position was 120-130 and up to 165 when standing still. It wasn't until clonazepam was reinstated that I improved. I admit that it might have been the Florinef or reinstatement of an SSRI that also occurred while I was an inpatient but I have done a lot of reading on the effect of benzodiazepines on the heart and mitochondria that I'm sure benzo withdrawal was the cause. Months later a resident at a psych ward told me that benzo withdrawal can cause autonomic dysfunction. POTS is a form of autonomic dysfunction. SSRIs also have a close relationship with the autonomic nervous system. Basically benzo and SSRI withdrawal is a really great way to completely upset your autonomic nervous system and cause mito dysfunction. I can't think of a single bodily system that is not negatively impacted. Back to the mito disorder. My disorder causes increased adenosine. New research has linked abnormal adenosine regulation to autonomic dysfunction. I still have POTS, which I take a beta-blocker for at the moment. It is not nearly as bad as at the hospital, but it has never really healed either. I had POTs undx except for me easy thing to do when you fall over trying to stand up. What sort of mito test did you have done.. who did it what does it cost... how would I go about getting it done? This is important I do not see a betablocker on your list of drugs... the list needs to have ALL drugs not just psych drugs they all go thru your liver and some just don't get along... I hope the fallout from too much lyrica is not too bad... peace 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
degen12 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Too much diazepam can cause a paradoxical reaction -- instead of helping you sleep, it keeps you awake. Same with Lyrica. I've tapered diazepam from 60 to 15 mg. I doubt that's keeping me awake. I'm taking Lyrica temporarily for an increase in fibro pain but I'm already weaning off it, which doesn't take long if you've only taken it for month IME. Pain is a larger barrier to sleep than Lyrica, but I would not recommend Lyrica to anyone long-term due to its negative effect on synaptogenesis. I find it much more likely that a schedule full of nothing and poor sleep hygiene leading to a non-24 hour circadian rhythm probably has more to do with it than any drug I'm taking. At the moment I eat, attend a couple of doctor's appointments a week, sleep 14+ hours a day, and wait for nicer weather. I will be starting group psychodynamic psychotherapy soon, which I was told can get pretty intense, so I have at least one more thing to look forward too. I'm also waiting to see a social worker who is supposed to work with me to find ways to improve my QOL. The organization here actually called me recently to let me know I'm still in line. Gosh it is a long wait. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
degen12 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks for your interesting posts btdt, they are appreciated. Thank you for your support JDM1984 and and mammaP. I ended up giving the tickets away to a friend really enjoyed the concert, so I don't feel any regret. About my mito disorder. I discovered I had it after genetic testing. It is said that mito disorders often don't rear their heads until your physiology is really stressed, maybe by an infection, psychological stress, or a combination. That was the case for me. I developed POTS shortly after a relatively fast benzo taper. I was in hospital and my HR in the prone position was 120-130 and up to 165 when standing still. It wasn't until clonazepam was reinstated that I improved. I admit that it might have been the Florinef or reinstatement of an SSRI that also occurred while I was an inpatient but I have done a lot of reading on the effect of benzodiazepines on the heart and mitochondria that I'm sure benzo withdrawal was the cause. Months later a resident at a psych ward told me that benzo withdrawal can cause autonomic dysfunction. POTS is a form of autonomic dysfunction. SSRIs also have a close relationship with the autonomic nervous system. Basically benzo and SSRI withdrawal is a really great way to completely upset your autonomic nervous system and cause mito dysfunction. I can't think of a single bodily system that is not negatively impacted. Back to the mito disorder. My disorder causes increased adenosine. New research has linked abnormal adenosine regulation to autonomic dysfunction. I still have POTS, which I take a beta-blocker for at the moment. It is not nearly as bad as at the hospital, but it has never really healed either. I had POTs undx except for me easy thing to do when you fall over trying to stand up. What sort of mito test did you have done.. who did it what does it cost... how would I go about getting it done? This is important I do not see a betablocker on your list of drugs... the list needs to have ALL drugs not just psych drugs they all go thru your liver and some just don't get along... I hope the fallout from too much lyrica is not too bad... peace I sent a sample to 23andMe when they used the much better v3 chip. I ran my raw data through Promethease and it popped up as rare and significant allele, or else I never would have known about it. It's one of the most common inherited muscle disorders, according to the NIH, and its significance is up for debate. Some studies show no impairment and some show significant impairment of muscle function. Some case reports have shown D-ribose to help. This disorder effects skeletal muscle only so I doubt it contributes significantly to my POTS, except to perhaps impair the skeletal muscle pump, particularly in the calves. However not having a mitochondrial disorder does not mean that you do not have mitochondrial dysfunction. This is a budding field of research and probably most notable for this message board, many drugs have the potential to cause mitochondrial dysfunction, usually by inhibiting various components of the electron transport chain. Some of this research is posted in that sub-forum and some SSRIs are indicated. Sertraline is indicated and I took that drug for well over a decade. Now I have an enlarged liver, and the radiologist thinks that there are fatty or iron deposits on it. Are they connected? Who knows, but I'm not taking any more chances. It seems to me that a good overall index of the mitotoxicity of a particular drug is the incidence of elevated liver enzymes in the list of adverse events on the PI sheet. I added the beta-blocker to my signature. It is called Bystolic (nebivolol). April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
degen12 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Too much diazepam can cause a paradoxical reaction -- instead of helping you sleep, it keeps you awake. Same with Lyrica. Thanks for checking in! Since I can't edit my old post now, I want to make it clear that I don't disagree with your post as a general statement. Somehow I took it as a personal statement directed at me. Luckily I've never had paradoxical reactions to benzos or Lyrica and its sister gabapentin. I do remember the absurdly quick tolerance I gained to clonazepam. Taking 10 mg of clonazepam and being able to function at home is definitely not normal, but at that time 4 mg had little effect and I was edging up on 6 mg. Higher doses of benzos also gave me behavioural disinhibition, which can be very dangerous. I remember taking a boat load of clonazepam once and being on a help line. I ended up at a Starbucks. He told me to drink a coffee which worked and got me out of my stupor, more or less. (I am not advocating this! This was a confidential help line that would only call the authorities if they thought my or another's life was in danger). He eventually got on the phone with my mom and told her to hide all the alcohol until I came down. It was good advice. This is probably one of the most important events that caused me to begin my taper. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
btdt Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 That is all very interesting I would like to have the test too but money is a problem for me. I wonder if you have talked to your doctor about this as I have heard one reason to do the testing is to see which sorts of drugs could be a problem for you. I think it worth the effort to let the doctor know and see what opinions come. I am looking at your drug list I think it is worth noting that most of these drugs I don't hear a lot about Luvox 250 mg, diazepam 15 mg, Bystolic 2.5 mg, Lyrica 150 mg The only one I have tried was Lyrica when I first stopped Effeoxor cold turkey .. it was too much for me so he gave me the lowest dose he could I still reacted to it so quit taking it. I wonder if you could say how you got on each drug and for how long you have been on each...please. I looked up bystolic one reason not to take it was liver issues ... which you stated you have... believe me I am not throwing stones I have been there too where I had to take drugs even tho they compromised something else in my body. I also looked at you plan... " My plan is now to keep these dosages constant now until I feel stable enough to continue. At that time I will re-taper diazepam from 30 to 20 mg, albeit at a slower pace" I see you have tapered down from there to 15mg already. I know your taking a few things I would expect to slow you down... and would like to say what I see on here more than not is people lowering the dose of the antidepressant before the benzo type drugs. I can't say for sure if this is a great idea or not maybe somebody who knows more of the ins and outs of the reasoning will chime in and fill us both in. I just know I see it suggested a lot. I also read where the online help guy said go to starbucks gotta love those giving souls that have lived it when I was intolerance on effexor I was put on clonodine something like that for sweating.. yep sweating and had no idea what it was.. don't recall the dose either... I found I was at starbucks all the time getting a red eye as I could not keep my eyes open or my brain thinking... when I quit effexor cold turkey I quit that too and a few other drugs... no wonder I hurt so bad... but that is what happens when you don't know what your doing. I am glad your here where people know stuff... I hope you have a gentle landing and return to good health. I wish you peace 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
degen12 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 That is all very interesting I would like to have the test too but money is a problem for me. I wonder if you have talked to your doctor about this as I have heard one reason to do the testing is to see which sorts of drugs could be a problem for you. I think it worth the effort to let the doctor know and see what opinions come. I am looking at your drug list I think it is worth noting that most of these drugs I don't hear a lot about Luvox 250 mg, diazepam 15 mg, Bystolic 2.5 mg, Lyrica 150 mg The only one I have tried was Lyrica when I first stopped Effeoxor cold turkey .. it was too much for me so he gave me the lowest dose he could I still reacted to it so quit taking it. I wonder if you could say how you got on each drug and for how long you have been on each...please. I looked up bystolic one reason not to take it was liver issues ... which you stated you have... believe me I am not throwing stones I have been there too where I had to take drugs even tho they compromised something else in my body. I also looked at you plan... " My plan is now to keep these dosages constant now until I feel stable enough to continue. At that time I will re-taper diazepam from 30 to 20 mg, albeit at a slower pace" I see you have tapered down from there to 15mg already. I know your taking a few things I would expect to slow you down... and would like to say what I see on here more than not is people lowering the dose of the antidepressant before the benzo type drugs. I can't say for sure if this is a great idea or not maybe somebody who knows more of the ins and outs of the reasoning will chime in and fill us both in. I just know I see it suggested a lot. I also read where the online help guy said go to starbucks gotta love those giving souls that have lived it when I was intolerance on effexor I was put on clonodine something like that for sweating.. yep sweating and had no idea what it was.. don't recall the dose either... I found I was at starbucks all the time getting a red eye as I could not keep my eyes open or my brain thinking... when I quit effexor cold turkey I quit that too and a few other drugs... no wonder I hurt so bad... but that is what happens when you don't know what your doing. I am glad your here where people know stuff... I hope you have a gentle landing and return to good health. I wish you peace Hi bdtd, " My plan is now to keep these dosages constant now until I feel stable enough to continue. At that time I will re-taper diazepam from 30 to 20 mg, albeit at a slower pace" Is that in my signature? It's not there for me. I did end up going back up to 25 mg and staying there for another month or so, before I made 5 mg cuts monthly to reach 15 mg where I am now. - I will make 2.5 mg cuts monthly now until I reach 10 mg. - At 10 mg I will make 1 mg cuts every 2 weeks until I reach 5 mg. - At 5 mg I will make 1 mg cuts every month. At least that is the current plan. It will probably change a lot subject to how I feel, which is king in how fast I taper. I decided that to taper my benzo first because there is an interaction between my antidepressant and diazepam. The interaction greatly potentiates diazepam and increases its half-life considerably. In my point of view that should, in theory, make the taper even smoother, since the whole point in the first place of changing to diazepam from clonazepam was for its longer half-life. Thank you for your kind wishes. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
degen12 Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 I'm starting to really feel contented with the high-dose SSRI experience. I am experiencing apathy, emotional numbness, and time distortion. I don't feel like these are actually negative effects in the presence of my sh*tty life circumstances that can't be altered, or seem impossibly far away and difficult to grasp or fix. I feel I could ride it out here for a while while things sort themselves out or something. Certainly my problems seem a lot farther away then they did a couple of months ago when I was at 150 mg of Luvox. Now I am at 250 mg. This brings me back to the SSRI enigma that I alluded to in my OP. To call it an enigma was stupid. More like a conundrum. It confuses me a lot. I could go back and read my journal notes when I began to lose emotion. They were quite powerful, and some of it is in this thread, I think, but somehow I don't feel like it. I will finish my benzo taper. Maybe that will change my perspective. April / 2016: Cipralex 10 mg, Mirtazapine 30 mg, Lyrica 600 mg, Diazepam 20 mg, Bystolic 5 mg 2018: Lots of polypharmacy which is undocumented here. Started and stopped several drugs and changed doses of existing ones August / 2018: Back on track! Cipralex 15 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg, Diazepam 15 mg September 2018: Cipralex 15 mg -> 12.5 mg October 2018: Cipralex 12.5 mg -> 10 mg, Mirtazapine 7.5 mg -> 3.75 mg -> Stopped, Diazepam 15 mg November 2019: Cipralex 5 mg, Diazepam 10 mg Link to comment
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