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Zant808: 17+ years of psychiatric drugging


Zant808

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Hi Zant808,

I am so sorry the medical profession have put you through this

As i read through the posts i just feel so bad for you.

 

I have to say i dont know anything about depakote.

Couldnt see tips for tapering it on this site.

 

But  i did notice you say you are going to taper of the balance of it (375) within the next 2 weeks.(by dec 31 2015) I assume thats the pdocs advice right.

Rhi Petu and MammaP shared their concerns earlier in this thread about coming off too fast . If its like ads then its the last bit that can really be difficult to get off.

 

I see it is a mood stabilizer initially developed as an anticonvulsant.

 

Breggin says regarding depakote "even when used in routine doses as a mood stabilizer a gradual withdrawal is advised to protect against withdrawal seizures."

 

I dont know, what do you think, does 2 weeks to taper the remaining 375mg of depakote sound gradual.

 

I assume you were given this for sleep and stuff but not  seizures.

 

Depakote caused me a lot of suffering, so I decided to cold turkey the medication about 6 months later.  This led to another inpatient hospitalization

I would hate this 2 week taper off 375mg to trigger another hospital visit .

 

As Rhi said

Does the pill dissolve in water? if you can dissolve the pill, you can make an aqueous suspension and go down at your own rate.

I think it sucks that 250 mg is apparently the smallest dose.  Have you looked into whether a 250 can dissolve in water?

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Administrator

After a long struggle this year, I've managed to find a reliable withdrawal pdoc and I am down to 375 mg of Depakote (the regular kind, not ER) and 3 mg of Klonopin.  I should be off of Depakote completely by December 31, 2015 and will focus on coming off the 3 mg of Klonopin in 2016.

 

That's good news, Zant. How are you decreasing Depakote?

 

Can you recommend this doctor? If so, please post his or her contact information in http://tinyurl.com/7cp8l8v

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hey Zant, I'm cheering for you here. Adding my voice to those who encourage you day by day to take this slow sure and steady.. no sudden 'hey I'm doing better now, I'll just jump off my meds since I'm nearly at the end...'

 

I hope too you can rebuild your sense of yourself - what's happened to you/how you've acted - it's not you - it's these terrible drugs, I would challenge anyone to have been drugged like you have to come out of this without some really very significant diagnoses.

 

You can do this - and it'll be the sweetest success story. One day at a time :)

 

Drug history

  • 20mg paxil in 2001 - 4 months use  
  • 20mg paxil in 2003 - 2 months use 
  • 20mg paxil in 2008 - 8 years continuous

Withdrawal history:

  • March 2014 - disastrous alternate day taper
  • Jan 2015 - 15mg to 10mg. Disaster
  • Sept 2015 -  10mg to 5mg. Disaster. Reinstated to 6mg. Relief
  • Oct 2015 - started slow 10% taper 
  • Oct 2016 - at 4mg- stop taking paxil (not recommended)

 

I'm not a medical professional. Seek advice from a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

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Hi Zant808,

I am so sorry the medical profession have put you through this

As i read through the posts i just feel so bad for you.

 

I have to say i dont know anything about depakote.

Couldnt see tips for tapering it on this site.

 

But  i did notice you say you are going to taper of the balance of it (375) within the next 2 weeks.(by dec 31 2015) I assume thats the pdocs advice right.

Rhi Petu and MammaP shared their concerns earlier in this thread about coming off too fast . If its like ads then its the last bit that can really be difficult to get off.

 

I see it is a mood stabilizer initially developed as an anticonvulsant.

 

Breggin says regarding depakote "even when used in routine doses as a mood stabilizer a gradual withdrawal is advised to protect against withdrawal seizures."

 

I dont know, what do you think, does 2 weeks to taper the remaining 375mg of depakote sound gradual.

 

I assume you were given this for sleep and stuff but not  seizures.

 

Depakote caused me a lot of suffering, so I decided to cold turkey the medication about 6 months later.  This led to another inpatient hospitalization

I would hate this 2 week taper off 375mg to trigger another hospital visit .

 

As Rhi said

Does the pill dissolve in water? if you can dissolve the pill, you can make an aqueous suspension and go down at your own rate.

I think it sucks that 250 mg is apparently the smallest dose.  Have you looked into whether a 250 can dissolve in water?

 

I usually spend around 2 hours talking to this withdrawal specialist pdoc each session, so we construct and redefine the tapering plan each time.  I am just going down at whatever pace I feel safe to do so.  If I ever notice withdrawal symptoms that would cause hospitalization like mania, myoclonic jerks, insomnia, then all I need to do is updose and hold for a little bit longer and then try again.  Depakote isn't anything like anti-depressants where you can dissolve the pill.  For people who supposedly have bipolar disorder such as myself it has to use enteric coating or polymer matrix delivery.  Depakote cannot be safely compounded because the key ingredient which is merely divalproex sodium cannot be purchased by itself.  I was told by many different compound pharmacies that this is a result of legal reasons stemming from Depakote's original manufacturer Abbott Labs and other major generic drug manufacturers like Teva and Mylan.  Depakote Sprinkles are a possible option but I would have to be so quick in measuring a percentage of the dose, sprinkling it on food such as applesauce and eating because apparently when the contents (probably still just raw divalproex sodium) come in contact with air, it goes bad very quickly.  With that said though, I'm feeling better with every reduction but I will extend my complete withdrawal date past 12/31/2015 if necessary.

 

 

After a long struggle this year, I've managed to find a reliable withdrawal pdoc and I am down to 375 mg of Depakote (the regular kind, not ER) and 3 mg of Klonopin.  I should be off of Depakote completely by December 31, 2015 and will focus on coming off the 3 mg of Klonopin in 2016.

 

That's good news, Zant. How are you decreasing Depakote?

 

Can you recommend this doctor? If so, please post his or her contact information in http://tinyurl.com/7cp8l8v

 

 

I had to switch from Depakote ER to regular Depakote which was pretty dangerous because it causes blood pressure problems.  That was the hardest part but I am over it.  I started by reducing 125 mg approximately every 3 to 4 weeks but I am now going down by 125 mg no more than 1 week at a time.  Because Depakote can be measured by bloodwork and there is a so-called "therapeutic range", I can be monitored to see if there is any toxicity.  I am way below the therapeutic range now and if I were really someone with bipolar disorder, I would have already skyrocketed into full-blown mania and would have needed to be hospitalized.  But, since I'm doing well, it just proves that giving me so many different psychiatric medications for so many years was the cause of my "mental illness."  I had to dig deep and get special permission from someone who used to run a forum like this to see this new pdoc because they were not accepting any new clients.  I will ask the pdoc if someone can take my spot when I am done.  The pdoc wants to help me as a medical expert in a lawsuit but at the same time is nearing retirement so I'm not sure what will happen.  I will keep you posted.

 

 

Hey Zant, I'm cheering for you here. Adding my voice to those who encourage you day by day to take this slow sure and steady.. no sudden 'hey I'm doing better now, I'll just jump off my meds since I'm nearly at the end...'

 

I hope too you can rebuild your sense of yourself - what's happened to you/how you've acted - it's not you - it's these terrible drugs, I would challenge anyone to have been drugged like you have to come out of this without some really very significant diagnoses.

 

You can do this - and it'll be the sweetest success story. One day at a time :)

 

Once I am completely off everything by the end of 2016, I have big plans to help people get informed about the dangers of psychiatric medications.  If anyone claims that psychiatric medications cause no harm, I can give them an open challenge to take the 40+ medications that I have been on and see how they wind up...probably dead?  ;)

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well apparently going below 500 mg of Depakote causes me to have insomnia and hypomania.  So, I had to updose to 500 mg of Depakote to stablize.  I have the 125 mg Depakote Sprinkles capsules now but it looks like it is going to be nearly impossible to do accurate measurements since there are probably hundreds of sprinkles in the pill.  I am not sure how much time I have to measure it out and take it before it expires.  I was told by a pharmacist that I should discuss the option of Depakene with my pdoc which is a liquid form of valproic acid.  For every 5 mL, there is 250 mg of valproic acid.  Instead of dropping from 500 mg to 375 mg like I did, I would drop to no less than 450 mg.  So, I would just need to take 9 mL of the Depakene.  I definitely need to move slower.  It may take me all of 2016 to get off of valproic acid.  I also need to check with multiple sources if Depakene has a true 1:1 ratio with Depakote.  All of these things (Depakote ER, Depakote, Depakene) are just supposed to turn into valproic acid in the bloodstream.  But still, with so many pdocs and pharmacists telling me that there was no liquid option for me to take until just this past week makes me second guess the information they are telling me.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

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  • 1 month later...

I just wanted to update this to say that I have stabilized at around 5 hours of sleep per night and I am now down to 475 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

I just wanted to update this to say that I have stabilized at around 5 hours of sleep per night and I am now down to 475 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin.

Great.

 

I am way below the therapeutic range now and if I were really someone with bipolar disorder, I would have already skyrocketed into full-blown mania and would have needed to be hospitalized.

I dont know so much.

 

Hey Zant its great you have a new supportive pdoc are you able to tell us his name.

 

Well apparently going below 500 mg of Depakote causes me to have insomnia and hypomania.

Do you think this could be due to going below 500 in too large a drops.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

I just wanted to update this to say that I have stabilized at around 5 hours of sleep per night and I am now down to 475 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin.

Great.

 

I am way below the therapeutic range now and if I were really someone with bipolar disorder, I would have already skyrocketed into full-blown mania and would have needed to be hospitalized.

I dont know so much.

 

Hey Zant its great you have a new supportive pdoc are you able to tell us his name.

 

Well apparently going below 500 mg of Depakote causes me to have insomnia and hypomania.

Do you think this could be due to going below 500 in too large a drops.

 

 

nz11,

 

Thank you very much for your reply.

 

I just spoke to my new withdrawal pdoc and for now the pdoc is not accepting any new patients and does not want to be included on any lists for now.  Once I am off everything, the pdoc will consider taking on another patient to replace me.  However, even with the most perfect conditions happening my life while following my withdrawal plan, I will not be off both the Depakote Sprinkles and Klonopin until the end of April 2017.

 

The drops were definitely too big for me, but I have learned to be more patient and reworked my withdrawal plan.  I am doing reductions of 25 mg per week now on the Depakote Sprinkles and I am now down to 425 mg.  This is a huge improvement considering I am doing better now than I was doing on 1250 mg of Depakote ER last year.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

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I am still averaging 5 hours of sleep per night.  Less than 6 months ago, I was 25 pounds heavier.  Reducing the amount of Depakote in my system has caused this positive weight loss effect.  I am down to 400 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin now.  In a week, I won't have to mess with measuring the sprinkles on my scale for a while because I can just take three 125 mg Depakote Sprinkles capsules.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

That's a great update Zant.

Do you think that perhaps 25 mg per week over the coming months or two may become too fast?

I would hate to see you trigger withdrawal symptoms and then have to go right back to the start again.

 

Brassmonkey is dropping each week for four weeks and then holding for two weeks to allow his body to adjust to the lower dose.

Is the plan of your P-doc to continue to drop 25 mg a week so in 16 weeks you'll be off depak.?

 

I'm sure you are aware this site recommends each successive drop becomes smaller which produces a trajectory of best fit to the SERT diagrams.

Anyway something to think about.

 

I'm glad you are doing well.

I think you might be sleeping better than me.

 

nz11

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment

That's a great update Zant.

Do you think that perhaps 25 mg per week over the coming months or two may become too fast?

I would hate to see you trigger withdrawal symptoms and then have to go right back to the start again.

 

Brassmonkey is dropping each week for four weeks and then holding for two weeks to allow his body to adjust to the lower dose.

Is the plan of your P-doc to continue to drop 25 mg a week so in 16 weeks you'll be off depak.?

 

I'm sure you are aware this site recommends each successive drop becomes smaller which produces a trajectory of best fit to the SERT diagrams.

Anyway something to think about.

 

I'm glad you are doing well.

I think you might be sleeping better than me.

 

nz11

 

Once again, I wanted to report that I have now successfully made it down to 375 mg of Depakote Sprinkles.  This is considered a children's dose by most pdocs.  Dropping by 25 mg a week may become too big of a drop or too quick at some point but I will make adjustments if needed.  I'm still getting 5 hours of sleep and the ability to take at least one nap per day.  However, I've noticed I am having a lot of vivid dreams / nightmares now.  When I was on 1250 mg of Depakote ER from 2010 to most of 2015, I never had any recollection of dreams.  I don't know if the nightmares are a result of permanent brain damage, withdrawal symptoms or if it is a sign of healing.  What are you averaging now per night for sleep now nz11?

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment
  • Administrator

Good to hear, Zant.

 

Whatever your nervous system is telling you with the change in your dreams, it might be a good idea to hold on all drug reductions for a good while right now and let it settle down from all the changes.

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

Good to hear, Zant.

 

Whatever your nervous system is telling you with the change in your dreams, it might be a good idea to hold on all drug reductions for a good while right now and let it settle down from all the changes.

 

I'll be holding at 375 mg of Depakote Sprinkles until at least March 14, 2016, so that will have me at around 3 weeks on that dose before making another 25 mg reduction.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Its not a race Zant.

Be careful out there.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm down to 350 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin now.  Hopefully I will sleep well tonight despite the 25 mg reduction.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Now I'm down to 325 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin.  As long as my sleep doesn't go below 4 hours per night, I feel alright.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Hi Zant--just wanted to say--wow, you've been through a lot! You've got a good attitude, and I'm sure you'll make it out and be fine. I'm almost off the drug I've been on my entire adult life, and I'm surprised how well I am actually doing considering the length of time. The body has amazing powers of healing!

Sarah

1975--first signs of depression

1981--started on imipramine (Tofranil) for IBS and depression

1983-1986--severe depression, rotated through several drugs, on MAOI for one year, eventually back to tricyclics

1986-1994--chronic low grade depression, on tricyclics

1994-96--severe depression, rotated through several drugs inc. Prozax, Effexor, etc..

1996-2013--chronic low grade depression, SAD, on amitryptiline usual dose 12.5-25mg

     flurazepam (Dalmane) as needed for insomnia

2013--developed temazepam (Restoril) dependance for 2 months, tapered off over 1 month

   started bio-identical progesterone 5 mg., depression has lifted completely to this day

March 2016--forced to c/t both amitryptiline and flurazepam, zolpidem not helpful

reinstated small dose (.5 mg) amitryptiline due to stomach issues and tapering w/titration

June 19th--jumped from amitryptiline--drug free!

Link to comment

Hi Zant--just wanted to say--wow, you've been through a lot! You've got a good attitude, and I'm sure you'll make it out and be fine. I'm almost off the drug I've been on my entire adult life, and I'm surprised how well I am actually doing considering the length of time. The body has amazing powers of healing!

Sarah

 

Thank you Sarah!  I'm glad to hear you are healing well.

 

I am now down to 300 mg of Depakote Sprinkles and 3 mg of Klonopin.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

I am getting a steady 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night now.  I have made it down to 275 mg of Depakote Sprinkles now.  That is almost 1000 mg less than what I was taking in 2015.  The most noticeable improvements are that my hair is no longer falling out and I am becoming thin again.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Hey good going zant.

Sounds like you are onto a winning formula.

If you are worried about weight loss i 'll happily give you some of my paxil wgt gain that i cant seem to loose!

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment
  • Administrator

Excellent.

 

Please do tell us that pdoc's name.

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

Hey good going zant.

Sounds like you are onto a winning formula.

If you are worried about weight loss i 'll happily give you some of my paxil wgt gain that i cant seem to loose!

 

This seems to be going a lot smoother towards the end than I expected.  I am finally down to 250 mg of Depakote Sprinkles now, so that is officially 1000 mg less than what I was taking just in late 2015.  I've been overweight for far too long because of the Depakote, so I'll pass on the Paxil weight gain.  But hey, don't give up on losing the weight if that is what you want.  It really is as simple as eating properly.  Exercise will speed things up, but it honestly isn't even necessary.

 

 

Excellent.

 

Please do tell us that pdoc's name.

 

When I discussed this with my pdoc, he doesn't want his name out there just yet because he doesn't want to get overwhelmed by anymore patients.  When I am off all psychiatric medications a year from now and I no longer need to see him, he will accept at least one new patient to replace me.  If other people quit being his clients, he will also take them on.  There was a doctor that I used to see years ago that was on one of those unofficial withdrawal pdoc lists and he got bombarded with so many people coming into his practice.  He tried drug screening and found out that most people were there were lying to him and basically just wanted to see him to just get prescribed Valium to abuse it along with other street drugs.  As a result, he no longer takes any new patients and doesn't even handle withdrawal cases anymore.  When I contacted Dr. David Healy a while ago, he mentioned he was developing a database of withdrawal pdocs and therapists.  He will soon be the top doctor to go to when it comes to finding the "anti-psychiatry" professionals so many people need.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Hey Zant--so glad to see that your taper is going well! It really cheers me up. We will be off these drugs completely soon!

Sarah

1975--first signs of depression

1981--started on imipramine (Tofranil) for IBS and depression

1983-1986--severe depression, rotated through several drugs, on MAOI for one year, eventually back to tricyclics

1986-1994--chronic low grade depression, on tricyclics

1994-96--severe depression, rotated through several drugs inc. Prozax, Effexor, etc..

1996-2013--chronic low grade depression, SAD, on amitryptiline usual dose 12.5-25mg

     flurazepam (Dalmane) as needed for insomnia

2013--developed temazepam (Restoril) dependance for 2 months, tapered off over 1 month

   started bio-identical progesterone 5 mg., depression has lifted completely to this day

March 2016--forced to c/t both amitryptiline and flurazepam, zolpidem not helpful

reinstated small dose (.5 mg) amitryptiline due to stomach issues and tapering w/titration

June 19th--jumped from amitryptiline--drug free!

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm down to 225 mg of Depakote Sprinkles now and I have approximately 60 days left until I am off of this poison forever!

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

I'm down to 200 mg of Depakote Sprinkles now and rapidly approaching the day when I am off Depakote once and for all.  My sleep seems to have stabilized around 5 hours per night.  I continue to lose weight at a rate I am happy with and that is just with proper diet and no exercise.  I'm still frightened that I will not be able to come off of the 3 mg of Klonopin though due to the severely crippling insomnia withdrawal effects.  I will have to return to doing cardio at a ridiculous rate in order to stand a chance at beating Klonopin.  But, I'm letting my impatience get the best of me.  For now, I must focus on the remaining 6 - 8 weeks I have to work on my Depakote withdrawal.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

I'm now down to 175 mg of Depakote Sprinkles.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Great going.

Zant do you think this could be a tad too fast ...id hate to see you trigger wdl. and then loose the great gains.?

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey Zant, I think NZ11 has a point, you are going down pretty fast now. Tapers need to get slower as the dose gets lower. Ten percent of the current dose. I would also hate to see you develop symptoms and have to updose.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

I'm at 125 mg of Depakote Sprinkles now.  I agree with nz11 and Petunia.  I will hold at this dose for longer than expected.  I will do reductions of 12.5 mg instead of 25 mg.  It becomes very difficult to reduce by any less than 12.5 mg due to the sensitivity of my gram scale and the size of the "sprinkles" inside the capsule.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

I'm at 112.5 mg of Depakote Sprinkles now.  I'm almost there...

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Thanks for sharing your story. Goodluck. Im new to tapering so no advice to share.

Currently on 50mg Fluvoxamine. Reading more before the next attempt at tapering.

 

Started Lexapro 04, have been mostly on med combinations since for 12 years.

May 2015 - zeldox 80 - 100mg, fluvoxamine 200mg, dexamphetamine 10mg

Lorazepam and clonazepam on and off for over a decade. Heavily sedated with antipsychotics - mostly Zyprexa and seroquel. Many hospitalisations. Many types of therapy, last being 7 years of psychodynamic that only figured out my pain was real.

Pain meds - Lyrica 150mg palexia 100mg - discontinued eary 2016

Done ok so far but cant drop the last antidepressant without physical illness.

Link to comment

I'm now at 62.5 mg of Depakote Sprinkes.  Freedom from Depakote is coming very, very soon!

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

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Wow, how are you feeling?

Currently on 50mg Fluvoxamine. Reading more before the next attempt at tapering.

 

Started Lexapro 04, have been mostly on med combinations since for 12 years.

May 2015 - zeldox 80 - 100mg, fluvoxamine 200mg, dexamphetamine 10mg

Lorazepam and clonazepam on and off for over a decade. Heavily sedated with antipsychotics - mostly Zyprexa and seroquel. Many hospitalisations. Many types of therapy, last being 7 years of psychodynamic that only figured out my pain was real.

Pain meds - Lyrica 150mg palexia 100mg - discontinued eary 2016

Done ok so far but cant drop the last antidepressant without physical illness.

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Wow, how are you feeling?

 

I feel so much better than I did being on the 1250 mg.  The 62.5 mg I'm on now is pretty much placebo to me at this point.  Since tapering, I don't feel completely numb anymore, I'm steady at 6 hours of sleep per night, I'm no longer having blackouts from the Klonopin/Depakote interactions, I've lost 40 pounds and my hair is no longer falling out.  So yeah, pretty much all positive stuff for once!

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

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I have excellent news!  I'm finally off Depakote!  I will give my brain some time to rest and adjust.  However, I must tackle the issue of coming off 3 mg of Klonopin sooner than later.  It will take a minimum of 300 days to come off of 3 mg of Klonopin under the most perfect conditions.

I've been on dozens of psychiatric medications starting with being forced to take Prozac back as a minor in the mid 1990s.  All doctors would cold turkey me from medications.  I did not learn about withdrawal until the mid 2000's by reading Dr. Breggin's books and finding sites similar to this one.  I had one successful full cleansing from medication in 2007 and began to recover from some of the iatrogenic damages.  I started to drink alcohol in 2008 to try and recover from PSSD and then about 6 months later, I lost my ability to sleep and was put into an inpatient psychiatric facility and redrugged.  The only med combination that has allowed me to sleep was 1250 mg of Depakote ER and 3 mg Klonopin.  However, my quality of life is terrible on these meds.  I want to try to get off everything now once again.  I have failed a couple of times trying to come off these meds recently but will try again once I can find a psychiatrist who understands withdrawal and can support me.

 

UPDATE:

 

I have not consumed any alcohol in over 10 years.  May 2019 - I started to reduce Anafranil very slowly so I can see a PSSD specialist.  I also plan on trying stem cell therapy to repair my iatrogenic brain damage.

 

Current meds:  1125 mg Depakote Sprinkles, 3 mg Klonopin

 

Current side effects:  PSSD, insomnia, odd sleep schedule, anhedonia, lack of motivation, cognitive issues, memory loss, hair loss, weight gain, dry mouth

Link to comment

Congratulations.

That was a fast taper i sure hope things stay well for you

Well done Zant.

Wishing you perfect conditions.

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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