MatGMax Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 (edited) Hi allMy fav source of info gone!And the people were friendly.Mainly.I did kind of get my head bitten off when I said I took 50 mg modafinil while tapering off lexapro.I mean I don't like ssri's.They are like denture given to people who need fillings. They are given out like lolly water and they should be reserved for people whos neurotransmitters are truly already stuffed up.But I'm not anti all drugs at all times for all people.Anyway that is my rant for the day.Cheers allDamien Edited March 5, 2017 by scallywag tags Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
mustangwoman Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Damien glad to see you on the other side! zoloft 2004-08 tapered too fast(2 weeks) Luvox 5/08 100 mg 07/10 40mg via small reductions, 08/10 39mg, 09/10 38mg, 10/10 37mg, 11/10 36mg,2/11 35mg, 5/11 34mg, 8/11 33mg, 11/11 32mg, 01/12 31mg, 03/12 30mg, 4/12 29mg, 5/12 28 mg, 8/12 27 mg, 11/12 26 mg, 1/13 25 mg, 3/13 24 mg, 4/13 23 mg,6/13 22 mg, 7/13 21 mg, 8/13 20mg, 10/13 19 mg, 11/13 18 mg, 12/13 17 mg, 1/14 16 mg, 3/14 13 mg, 9/14 10.9 mg, 1/15 10 mg, 3/15 9 mg, 5/15 8 mg. 11/15 7.12 mg. 4/16 5 mg, 6/16 4.5 mg, 9/16 4.2 mg, 1/17 3.48 mg, 2/17 3.2 mg, 4/17 2.2 mg, 5/17 2.0 mg, 6/17 1.74 mg, 7/17 1.58 mg, 9/17 1.27 mg, 11/17 1.0 mg, 1/18 0.79 mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted December 18, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 18, 2014 Hi Damien, welcome to SA, we don't bite heads off here. **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
compsports Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 (edited) On 12/18/2014 at 8:59 PM, MatGMax said: Hi all My fav source of info gone! And the people were friendly. Mainly. I did kind of get my head bitten off when I said I took 50 mg modafinil while tapering off lexapro. I mean I don't like ssri's. They are like denture given to people who need fillings. They are given out like lolly water and they should be reserved for people whos neurotransmitters are truly already stuffed up. But I'm not anti all drugs at all times for all people. Anyway that is my rant for the day. Cheers all Damien Damien, I have mentioned on this site that I take sleep meds on a PRN basis and have not gotten my head bit off here. You are safe. Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat changed quote - new member name Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010 Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006 Finished taper on June 10, 2010 Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016 Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted December 19, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 19, 2014 Hi Damien, Welcome, definitely no head biting here, you may get the occasional friendly suggestion though. Glad you found your way over here. How long have you been off Lexapro? Coming off that too fast was what started my withdrawal journey. Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Putting a short version of your drug and tapering history in your signature helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it: http://survivinganti...your-signature/ Petu. 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
MatGMax Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 Hi Petu Thanks for taking an interest. I'm still on 2.5 mg lexapro a day. I'll update signature when I'm next in front of a computer but I've been dropping from 20 mg for about 1.5 years. The strangeness of ssri symptoms sometimes gets me. The biggest danger one I have is I can get very angry for a 10 day strech a month after dropping. I've leant to recognise it and warn my wife I'll be snappy. She is generally supportive. My next drop will be 2.5 mg to 1.25 mg (1/8th a 10 mg lexapro tablet). I'll stay on 1.25mg for 4 months or so then drop to zero. I also take 50 mg modafinil each morning. I may drop that after I have come of lexapro, but am not worried about it. Compared to ssri' it seems much better tolerated. Plus I take magnesium, vitamin d, fish oil cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Brandy Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Damien, I wasn't at PP much at all for a long time and I'm not familiar with your taper. Forgive me if there are reasons I'm not aware of, but dropping from 2.5 to 1.25 is a very large drop (50%). Especially with a high-potency drug like lexapro, and especially at the lower dose range you are now in. Perhaps your anger spells would be reduced (and your wife might be happier too ) if you did smaller drops. This group, like PP, recommends drops of 10% or less of most recent dose. I've observed that small drops are especially important for most people during the last approximately half of their original dosage, and especially the last 25% of original dose. It also makes for less suffering generally and better recovery after your last dose (which should not be too abrupt a jump). If any of this is inapplicable in your particular case, forgive me. I was "TryingToGetWell" (aka TTGW) on paxilprogress. I also was one of the original members here on Surviving Antidepressants I had horrific and protracted withdrawal from paxil, but now am back to enjoying life with enthusiasm to the max, some residual physical symptoms continued but largely improve. The horror, severe derealization, anhedonia, akathisia, and so much more, are long over. My signature is a temporary scribble from year 2013. I'll rewrite it when I can. If you want to read it, click on http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/209-brandy-anyone/?p=110343 Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 19, 2014 Administrator Share Posted December 19, 2014 Welcome, Damien. See Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram) 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
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted December 20, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 20, 2014 Damien, What you are planning, dropping from 2.5mg to 1.25mg (lexapro) is exactly how I tried tapering off it 4 years ago... and I'm still here on this site, in protracted withdrawal. I thought if I just kept breaking the pills into halves, then quarters etc, it would be fine. It wasn't. Going CT off 1.25mg of lexapro is not a good idea. Please check out the link Alto posted and slow down. 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
MatGMax Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 Hi Petu Well there is something to be said from learning from other people's mistakes rather than your own ;-) I'll check what is available for lower doses. I don't think the liquid is easily available here on Australia. I'm finding that doing a bigger drop and stabiliser for 4 months seems to work for me. But I take your point 2.5 mg to 1.25 might be too much. Maybe a 2.5 to 2 mg then stabiise for 4 months would be less risky. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 21, 2014 Administrator Share Posted December 21, 2014 Please do read Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram) You can make your own liquid. 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
MatGMax Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Not sure if it's because I've stabilised on 2.5 mg lexapro or it is the magnesium oil I've been rubbing on me, but I've been feeling good the last two weeks. Life's not perfect but I don't feel the weight of depression on me. I'll keep note and report back. I'll be tapering from 2.5 mg to 0 over 2 years. Mind you it is easy to fall for the next miracle cure. Especially when things come in waves and you attribute your good mood to the last change you have done. I'll have to wait 2-3 months before making any conclusions. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Ever Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Heya Damien! Excellent news! I'm aiming to taper my last 4mg Paxil over the next 2 or 3 or whatever years lol, so I look forward to journeying with you. Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat changed to first name Put on Prothiaden for severe depression in 1989. Recovered. Prescribed Paxil for another bout of depression around 2000. Have been trying to taper ever since but always crash about 2 months after getting to zero. Because of the crashes, for years I thought that there was something wrong with me. Then found that the crashes were simply withdrawal. Now following a maximum of a 10% reduction every month or so and ready to slow down any time I feel any symptoms whatsoever. Feeling good:). 7th Jan 15 - 3.6mg 28th Jan 15 - 3.2mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted December 28, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 28, 2014 Hi Damien, I moved your new post into your introduction thread, its one intro/update topic per member. You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Thanks for updating, that's great news, I'm glad you are feeling better. Petu. 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
MatGMax Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thanks Petu I was wonder about whether I posted to the same thread or started a new one! Good luck with the taper Ever. I'm going to have to start making my own liquid window it is down to low doses. How are you doing it? Cutting pills, a liquid or compounded ? Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Ever Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I'm still cutting Damien. I'm a bit freaked out about making the liquid, but I'll have to give it a go Put on Prothiaden for severe depression in 1989. Recovered. Prescribed Paxil for another bout of depression around 2000. Have been trying to taper ever since but always crash about 2 months after getting to zero. Because of the crashes, for years I thought that there was something wrong with me. Then found that the crashes were simply withdrawal. Now following a maximum of a 10% reduction every month or so and ready to slow down any time I feel any symptoms whatsoever. Feeling good:). 7th Jan 15 - 3.6mg 28th Jan 15 - 3.2mg Link to comment
MatGMax Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Anyone with a cure for 115 deg F. Heat! It is baking hot down here in oz. i don't think it is depression so much as lethargy! How are you meant to entertain a 2 and 4 year old when it is too hot to go outside! Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Ever Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) lol Damien! Just don't know how you guys survive in Oz. It's 22C here and I'm complaining already lol Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat changed to first name Put on Prothiaden for severe depression in 1989. Recovered. Prescribed Paxil for another bout of depression around 2000. Have been trying to taper ever since but always crash about 2 months after getting to zero. Because of the crashes, for years I thought that there was something wrong with me. Then found that the crashes were simply withdrawal. Now following a maximum of a 10% reduction every month or so and ready to slow down any time I feel any symptoms whatsoever. Feeling good:). 7th Jan 15 - 3.6mg 28th Jan 15 - 3.2mg Link to comment
MatGMax Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Just got blood drawn for the mthfr gene test. Results back in about a week. Wish me luck! Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
mustangwoman Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I did this as well. Just be careful and go slow if they want you to take something based on your findings because we can be a little more sensitive during withdrawal. I know from first hand experience. zoloft 2004-08 tapered too fast(2 weeks) Luvox 5/08 100 mg 07/10 40mg via small reductions, 08/10 39mg, 09/10 38mg, 10/10 37mg, 11/10 36mg,2/11 35mg, 5/11 34mg, 8/11 33mg, 11/11 32mg, 01/12 31mg, 03/12 30mg, 4/12 29mg, 5/12 28 mg, 8/12 27 mg, 11/12 26 mg, 1/13 25 mg, 3/13 24 mg, 4/13 23 mg,6/13 22 mg, 7/13 21 mg, 8/13 20mg, 10/13 19 mg, 11/13 18 mg, 12/13 17 mg, 1/14 16 mg, 3/14 13 mg, 9/14 10.9 mg, 1/15 10 mg, 3/15 9 mg, 5/15 8 mg. 11/15 7.12 mg. 4/16 5 mg, 6/16 4.5 mg, 9/16 4.2 mg, 1/17 3.48 mg, 2/17 3.2 mg, 4/17 2.2 mg, 5/17 2.0 mg, 6/17 1.74 mg, 7/17 1.58 mg, 9/17 1.27 mg, 11/17 1.0 mg, 1/18 0.79 mg Link to comment
MatGMax Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Glad to hear from you again mustangwoman! I'm trying not to think or plan too much till the test comes back. I'm kind of hoping it comes back positive as it would explain a lot of things. And there seems to be a treatment for it. But on the other hand I hope I haven't passed any bad genes to my 2 boys! Can I ask somethings? Did you find you felt better after taking the methyl folate and methyl B12? Also did you tell blood relatives so they could get tested? Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Mentor ang Posted January 27, 2015 Mentor Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hello fellow Oz sufferer, nice to meet ya! Glad you found us...... Were you on paxil progress? Paxil wasnt called paxil in oz /////////// was it? Was called Aropax or Zyprexa? How did you find the other group, when I couldnt? today I managed to get out far enough to have a whole heap of blood tests done. (Yep told the doc what to test for, he was only more than happy to add more and more...damnit!). I used to be a pathologist, and phlebotomist in a previous life, ie before antidepressants made me unemployable.... any questions on blood tests, that I know about, happy to answer. ang. albany wa 1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression. Serotonin syndrome, oh yes! seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol. Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly) pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby). 98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout.... Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol, and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg tegretol 400mg. Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.Mid 15 .... 75mg seroquel, 3 x 1800mg SJW 2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW:::: 28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::; 18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump. 23/9 3mg....., 27/9 0mg. Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg............. LIGHTBULB MOMENT, I have MTHFR 2x mutations. CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it. Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues. Link to comment
Mentor ang Posted January 27, 2015 Mentor Share Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) On 1/3/2015 at 4:54 PM, MatGMax said: Anyone with a cure for 115 deg F. Heat! It is baking hot down here in oz. i don't think it is depression so much as lethargy! How are you meant to entertain a 2 and 4 year old when it is too hot to go outside! put on the sprinkler, damn the sprinkler police, and sit under it, with your kids! Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat changed quote - new member name 1992 Dothiepin 375mg 8 weeks, exhaustion/depression. Serotonin syndrome, oh yes! seizures . Fell pregnant, 3rd baby, Nitrous Oxide, 3 weeks mental hospital pp psychosis. zoloft tegretol. Feb 1996 ct tegretol, tapered Zoloft 8 weeks. as (unexpectedly) pregnant. Steven died after 3 days.(Zolft HLHS baby). 98 had run in with Paxil, 2 tablets, 3 weeks taper, survived.2005..menopause? exhausted again. Zyprexa, mad in three days, fallout.... Seroquel, Effexor, tegretol, and 8 years of self destruction. Failed taper.Damn 1/4 valium... nuts again! .fallout, zoloft 100mg seroquol 400mg mirtazapine 45 mg tegretol 400mg. Mid 14 3 month taper. Nov 14 CRASH.Mid 15 .... 75mg seroquel, 3 x 1800mg SJW 2 week window end of December followed by 6 week wave5/2 68mg seroquel, 2.5 x 1800mg SJW::::20/2 61mg seroquel, 2.5 x SJW::: 26/2 54mg seroquel, 2 x SJW::::21/3 43mg seroquel, 1 x 2700SJW :::: 23/4 36mg seroquel 1 x 1800 SJW15/5 33mg seroquel, 1 x SJW:::: 28/5 30mg seroquel, 1 x SJW::::; 18/6 25mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::::, 11/7 21mg seroquel 1/2 SJW::, 26/7 18mg seroquel 1/2 SJW:::, 9/8 12mg seroquel :::, 16/8 6mg seroquel ;;;;, 12/9 0 jump. 23/9 3mg....., 27/9 0mg. Reinstated, 6mg, then 12mg............. LIGHTBULB MOMENT, I have MTHFR 2x mutations. CFS and issues with MOULD in my home. So I left home, and working 150km away during week, loving it. Oh was hard, panic attacks first week, gone now, along with the mould issues. Link to comment
MatGMax Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Thanks ang Was onto to paxilprogess. I think Google led me there. But I had a good idea that all the ssri's had similar side effects. Sorry to hear that ssri's affected your work so much. I'm fortunate that I fell into programming work and by luck there is a shortage of people with the computer language I know. Without that I'm sure I would have run into more trouble at work. Thanks for the offer of help with the path results. Will wait and see for the mthfr results before plotting the next course. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
mustangwoman Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 (edited) On 1/27/2015 at 8:05 PM, MatGMax said: Glad to hear from you again mustangwoman! I'm trying not to think or plan too much till the test comes back. I'm kind of hoping it comes back positive as it would explain a lot of things. And there seems to be a treatment for it. But on the other hand I hope I haven't passed any bad genes to my 2 boys! Can I ask somethings? Did you find you felt better after taking the methyl folate and methyl B12? Also did you tell blood relatives so they could get tested? Cheers Damien To be honest it made me feel worse. However, it could be due to the withdrawal. It didn't make me depressed I just got super, severe anxiety with it, but it may have affected me that way because I'm already sensitive in withdrawal. But looking at my results they are not severe and I think I may be better off without them. I don't have a lot of homozygous results I was just hoping it would be a "fix". My husband was also tested and his was worse than mine and he never has had problems with depression or anxiety, but he felt much worse taking the methylfolate and methyl b12. But everyone is different, and I know that some people really benefit from the protocol. Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat changed quote - member name zoloft 2004-08 tapered too fast(2 weeks) Luvox 5/08 100 mg 07/10 40mg via small reductions, 08/10 39mg, 09/10 38mg, 10/10 37mg, 11/10 36mg,2/11 35mg, 5/11 34mg, 8/11 33mg, 11/11 32mg, 01/12 31mg, 03/12 30mg, 4/12 29mg, 5/12 28 mg, 8/12 27 mg, 11/12 26 mg, 1/13 25 mg, 3/13 24 mg, 4/13 23 mg,6/13 22 mg, 7/13 21 mg, 8/13 20mg, 10/13 19 mg, 11/13 18 mg, 12/13 17 mg, 1/14 16 mg, 3/14 13 mg, 9/14 10.9 mg, 1/15 10 mg, 3/15 9 mg, 5/15 8 mg. 11/15 7.12 mg. 4/16 5 mg, 6/16 4.5 mg, 9/16 4.2 mg, 1/17 3.48 mg, 2/17 3.2 mg, 4/17 2.2 mg, 5/17 2.0 mg, 6/17 1.74 mg, 7/17 1.58 mg, 9/17 1.27 mg, 11/17 1.0 mg, 1/18 0.79 mg Link to comment
MatGMax Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hi mustang woman It is possible that the methyl B12 and methyl folate started to turn the dial on the toxin/heavy metal removal and you felt worse. It is also possible there are other blocks in your enzyme process and unlocking the mthfr simply puts more pressure somewhere else. But on the other hand when people say things like that I always think of leach therapy! The magnesium group I'm part of would simply say you need to eat, drink, rub on and possibly breathe in more magnesium to fix it ;-) Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted January 28, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) On 1/27/2015 at 12:01 PM, MatGMax said: Just got blood drawn for the mthfr gene test. Results back in about a week. I'm also interested in your test results, I think I have some of this going on too, but for the reasons mustangwoman has written about, I'm not in a hurry go there yet. Withdrawal messes with our entire body and its systems, so there really doesn't seem much point in trying to fix the original, underlying problem, until the current one is sorted out. A nervous system sensitized by withdrawal doesn't respond to anything the way a healthy nervous system does. Do the members of your magnesium group ever report any adverse effects from taking too much magnesium? Here's how to add your signature from a phone: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/?p=84105 Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat changed quote - new member name 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
mustangwoman Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) On 1/28/2015 at 9:04 AM, MatGMax said: Hi mustang woman It is possible that the methyl B12 and methyl folate started to turn the dial on the toxin/heavy metal removal and you felt worse. It is also possible there are other blocks in your enzyme process and unlocking the mthfr simply puts more pressure somewhere else. But on the other hand when people say things like that I always think of leach therapy! The magnesium group I'm part of would simply say you need to eat, drink, rub on and possibly breathe in more magnesium to fix it ;-) Cheers Damien That could be. Interested in knowing your results. Edited April 9, 2018 by ChessieCat redid quote with new member name zoloft 2004-08 tapered too fast(2 weeks) Luvox 5/08 100 mg 07/10 40mg via small reductions, 08/10 39mg, 09/10 38mg, 10/10 37mg, 11/10 36mg,2/11 35mg, 5/11 34mg, 8/11 33mg, 11/11 32mg, 01/12 31mg, 03/12 30mg, 4/12 29mg, 5/12 28 mg, 8/12 27 mg, 11/12 26 mg, 1/13 25 mg, 3/13 24 mg, 4/13 23 mg,6/13 22 mg, 7/13 21 mg, 8/13 20mg, 10/13 19 mg, 11/13 18 mg, 12/13 17 mg, 1/14 16 mg, 3/14 13 mg, 9/14 10.9 mg, 1/15 10 mg, 3/15 9 mg, 5/15 8 mg. 11/15 7.12 mg. 4/16 5 mg, 6/16 4.5 mg, 9/16 4.2 mg, 1/17 3.48 mg, 2/17 3.2 mg, 4/17 2.2 mg, 5/17 2.0 mg, 6/17 1.74 mg, 7/17 1.58 mg, 9/17 1.27 mg, 11/17 1.0 mg, 1/18 0.79 mg Link to comment
MatGMax Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 I've added signature. Hopefully it will show up. Petunia, Yep, some people report troubles from too much magnesium. Sometimes they are told they need to build up to bigger levels. More worrying to me in the group (facebook 'magnesium advocacy group') is there belief that it is a cure all. I've seen people posting that they have cold turkey'd for ssri's and people suggest that magnesium will help. (It probably will help, but not nearly enough!). They also have a hatred that borders on maniacal for calcium and vitamin D supplements. They have some great ideas but also grasp at every new fad. Main side effect of too much magnesium is diarrhea so at least it is self limiting. Hopefully results of Mthfr test come soon (speaking of new fad's :-). Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
MatGMax Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hi all, I just for confirmation I carry a single copy of the the mthfr gene C677T. Checking out options now but probably will star taking methyl b12, methyl folate and a couple other things. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Hopefull Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Hi Damien, Can you please tell me what mthfr gene test is about? I had pharmocogenic test done, is this the same? Thanks, Hopefull. DRUG HISTORY: November 2013- Zoloft, ( Bad reaction). January 2014 - March 2014 Seroquel.( Quit Cold Turkey). January2014- Mirtazapine, I was taking 15mg at one stage, reduced to 7.5mg, Pgad reactions to Mirtazapine. Doctor kept increasing it to 37.5mg, until July 2014. No improvement, experiencing panic attacks, on 37.5 mg. I had enough by October 2014. Began tapering. October 2014- Started tapering Mirtazapine from 37.5mg. September 2015- Down to 4mg of Mirtazapine. Crashed. September 16th- Up dosed to 5mg. Held this dose for almost 5 months. Stabilised. February 2016- Began tapering again. From 5mg to 4.5mg of Mirtazapine. (Rocking the boat, again)! Lol. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted February 13, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 13, 2015 Hi Damien You can buy jewellers' digital scales on ebay.com.au that weigh as little as 0.01 (or was it 0.1?) m.g.'s. They cost $13:95 with free delivery. Good investment. There's a website called www.mthfr.net that I found really interesting. Good to meet you , Fresh 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
MatGMax Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Thanks Fresh, I use Iiquid Lexapro now. I dissolve 2 tablets 10mg in 24 ml of water and take 3 ml of the emulsion (not really a liquid) each day. I'll increase the amount of water to tablet as I drop from 2.5 mg down. It seems to work. Hopefull, as fresh pointed out check www.mthfr.net. I got the mthfr gene test through Melbourne pathology. $75 through a GP. A pharmagenic test is a new one to me. I don't know if it includes mthfr genes or not. Do you know if test checked actual DNA or was more measuring levels of things (like B12 etc) and making guesses at broken pathways. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
MatGMax Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 I got my new supplements for seeking health and felt better within a day! If course as I tend to have moods that go up and down i won't know for at least 2 months for sure if they are helping. I got multi vitamins with methyl b12 and methyl folate (small amounts) But have also started taking NAC as it was suggested for mthfr positive people. If I was a betting man I would say that it is the 500mg NAC that is making a big difference. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
MatGMax Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 Just checking in with everyone. The new mthfr vitamins give me a lot more energy! (Methyl b12, methyl folate, Nac) but they are not a cure for withdrawal. I felt so good I dropped to 2mg (from 2.5) Lexapro and certainly felt the effects. Manageable but not great. I was very grumpy for a week or so. At least I am better at realising it so I don't put a strain on my wife and boys. (As much anyway). Back to 0.2mg drops again. It seems a lesson I learn over and over. It is good though to be down to 10% of my original dose though. Cheers Damien Off all SSRIs as at November 2016. Been on SSRIs (mainly Lexapro) for around 15 years. failed attempts to go cold turkey before I got proper info on it. Over last 2 years I've slowly gone from 20 mg Lexapro to 2.5 mg Lexapro. on 25th Jan 2015 I've now moved to home made liquid Lexapro. Plan is to drop roughly 0.2 mg per month over the next 1-2 years. 25th Jan 2015 2.5 mg Lexapro liquid. 24th Mar 2016 1.0 mg lexapro (crushed tablet mixed and refilled into capsules) Planned to be at 0.0 mg lexapro by about October 2016. I also take 50-100 mg modafinil per day, no short term plans of stopping/tapering modafinil but will re-evaluate after I'm off lexapro. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted March 24, 2015 Administrator Share Posted March 24, 2015 Very good to hear, Damien. Yes, the B vitamins tend to be stimulating. 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
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