Scared in MA: Question about which ADs are most troublesome

[ScaredinMA]

Hi All,

I am at the end of a valium taper and a member of benzobuddies. I am posting here becasue I am concerned for my niece who is on ADs and is very worried about coming off them, (but very much wants too) after seeing the living hell I have been going through for the past year.

 

My question, to start is, she is on Lexapro and Abilify. I have read that certian ADs are particularly difficult to withdraw, cymbalta and effexor, come to mind. To those with experience with Lexapro and Abilify, are these particulary difficult or notorious for causing difficult withdrawal?

Thanks for any advice or tips. She has been on them a little over a year.

[chicken]

When I visited a doc who specializes in helping people get off meds, he said that Paxil, Effexor and Pristiq were the hard ones from his experience. But I'm sure all of them can be difficult as everyone is different.

[mammaP]

Hi ScaredinMA, welcome to SA. First, congratulations for tapering valium, benzos are no picnic!

It is great that you are looking out for your niece, if you can get her to come and read up on some threads here 

she will get an understanding of how tapering works and the best ways to go about it.  Some ADs are difficult

to taper but everyone is different and some people have had problems with the so called 'easy' ones. The only way

to avoid withdrawal is a slow taper. We recommend reductions of no more that 10% of the current dose, which

means that cuts get smaller as the taper progresses. This allows the brain to adjust to lower doses gradually and

avoids the 'shock' from tapering too fast.   When tapering multiple drugs we usually recommend tapering the Ad first. 

Abilify is an antipsychotic which is often prescribed as an add on to antidepressants. 

 

Here is the topic for tapering lexapro. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/406-tapering-off-lexapro-escitalopram/

Why taper 10% http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

Tapering abilify. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1896-tips-for-tapering-off-abilify-aripiprazole/  

 

The rules of the 3KIS, are most important. Keep It Simple... Keep It Stable... Keep it Slow...http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable/ 

[dalsaan]

Hi

 

I also think it's not good to anticipate a nightmare of withdrawal, this isn't a great starting position for your nervous system. The goal is always to minimise withdrawal by managing your taper. Planning I it before you start is a great first step. I ended up here, deep in withdrawal, with a totally destabilised nervous system and numerous failed attempts up my sleeve. I am sure that my withdrawal experience would have been very different if I had understood the key principles to start with and had not already fried my nervous system

 

Go very slow, hold between drops, listen to your body, don't look for a magic fix, support your nervous system with fish oil, relaxation techniques, gentle exercise, eat well, be patient, aim to get off well, not quickly. Your niece can be successful in this

 

Dalsaan

[ScaredinMA]

Thanks Chicken for the info. Thanks Mammap, benzos has been the most horrible experience of my life and I am not out of the woods yet. The reason I am checking this out ahead of time is because I don't want her to start looking at these sites yet, for just the reason Dalsaan expressed. Don't want her going into it thinking she is going to have a problem. At the same time I realize I am probably the only person who can help her if she does. From my benzo experience I have realized that nobody realy gets it unless they have had the experience, that includes the most well meaning doctors. When she starts to taper I will direct her to this website for sure. Thanks for the info and links.