Jump to content
SurvivingAntidepressants.org is temporarily closed to new registrations until 1 April ×

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms


Altostrata

Recommended Posts

it looks like the first site has gone but i'll have a look at the other one - thankyou ☺

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Please discuss your own personal reinstatement issues in your Introductions topic, @thecowisback

 

Your chart is remarkable, @Lloyd. Is there another column where you identified the member? That would have been helpful for follow-up.

 

 

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
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Please discuss your own personal reinstatement issues in your Introductions topic, @thecowisback

 

Your chart is remarkable, @Lloyd. Is there another column where you identified the member? That would have been helpful for follow-up.

 

 

Hi Alto, sorry didn't include the members names in the spreadsheet.

 

Paroxatine - 2004-2006

Effexor XR 75mg 2006 - 2016 (Discontinued Feb 2016) - Withdrawal for 6 months.

Effexor XR 75mg Re-instated June 2017 (Discontinued Dec 2017)

Effexor XR 2-3 mg Re-instated March 10 2018 - 1 day (Didn't work)

Effexor XR 2mg Reinstated (Again) May 11 2018. 6 Beads

July 2018 - 0.0mg of Effexor. Zilch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Can you identify and add them?

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
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Please discuss your own personal reinstatement issues in your Introductions topic, @thecowisback

 

Your chart is remarkable, @Lloyd. Is there another column where you identified the member? That would have been helpful for follow-up.

 

 

 

 

Here you go 😃

 

SADrugReinstatement.xlsx

 

Paroxatine - 2004-2006

Effexor XR 75mg 2006 - 2016 (Discontinued Feb 2016) - Withdrawal for 6 months.

Effexor XR 75mg Re-instated June 2017 (Discontinued Dec 2017)

Effexor XR 2-3 mg Re-instated March 10 2018 - 1 day (Didn't work)

Effexor XR 2mg Reinstated (Again) May 11 2018. 6 Beads

July 2018 - 0.0mg of Effexor. Zilch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Is it possible to reinstate with a different drug than the original one?

If so, that seems it would be a better alternative than having to deal with dividing up beads of Cymbalta, where the beads may be designed differently even though they look the same. 

A different drug might be able to be sized down easier, or may come in much smaller doses in the first place. 

ANTI-DEPRESSANTS (approximates):

2000--2009/10. Zoloft, mid-high dosage. Alprazolam, as needed, rarely. 

2009/10--2016/17. Cymbalta, 90 mg

Early 2017--Mid-2017. Cymbalta, 60 mg

Mid-2017--Jan 2018. Cymbalta, 30--60 mg, reduced in 30 mg increments w/o physical w/d symptoms, possibly some emotional w/d symptoms. Mar 2018--Early 2019. Back on Cymbalta, fluctuating dosages from 30 to 90mg. Reduced from 60 to 30, then from 30 to 0 again, this time WITH very light physical w/d symptoms. Back to 30mg. Early 2019--April 2019. Cymbalta, 30mg. Down from 30 to 0. Physical w/d symptoms again. Back to 30mg. May 2019. Cymbalta 30 mg. Down to 20 mid-month. Started taking every other day in final week of the month. 

Jun 2019. Cymbalta 10-ish mg. Started “eyeballing” about half of the beads in the capsule. Taking every other day, then at mid-month every 4 days. 

July 2, 2019. Took last dose of “eyeballed” 5-ish mg. July 24, 2019. Took first reinstatement dose of 2mg. Dropped down to 1mg (6 beads) the very next day.

Aug 6, 2019. Up-dose to 1.33 mg. Aug 30, 2019. Up-dose to 1.5 mg. 

SUPPLEMENTS

Vitamin D3 4,000 IU/day

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@DavidfromTexas You've probably thought of it or considered it in the past but if you're facing difficulty trusting your dosages now, it could be a time to reconsider water titration as a method of reducing your dose accurately:

However, I am not sure if Cymbalta dissolves in water very well; if it does then the difference in bead composition would no longer be an issue. I used water titration with Prozac/fluoxetine and the contents of the capsules dissolved perfectly, although it was a powder inside, not beads. 

2012: 2 weeks of paroxetine, I cannot recall the dose. Strong side effects, stopped cold turkey, had intense, horrible withdrawal thereafter

2012 to 2016: Fluoxetine 40mg daily, sometimes 20mg daily, a couple of bad tapers under doctor's advisement, increasingly bad withdrawal symptoms with each major dose change

Oct 2016 to June 2017: 10-month reinstatement of 20mg fluoxetine daily to stabilize. A very difficult period but withdrawal gradually improved

July 2017: At 20mg (100%), started a linear tapering regimen using water titration (20mg fluoxetine into 300ml of water).

June 2019: Currently at 0.200mg (1.00%). I have many symptoms, most I attribute to fluoxetine, some to withdrawal, and the rest to hypothyroidism. Continuing to reduce anyway.

July 2019: Jumped from 0.066mg (0.33%) to 0.000mg (0.00%); I'm now free of the poison.

 

My introduction thread: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/14226-kittygiggles-generic-prozac-fluoxetine-stabilization/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus
1 hour ago, DavidfromTexas said:

Is it possible to reinstate with a different drug than the original one?

If so, that seems it would be a better alternative than having to deal with dividing up beads of Cymbalta, where the beads may be designed differently even though they look the same. 

A different drug might be able to be sized down easier, or may come in much smaller doses in the first place. 

 

the-prozac-switch-or-bridging-with-prozac

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus
1 hour ago, Kittygiggles said:

However, I am not sure if Cymbalta dissolves in water very well; if it does then the difference in bead composition would no longer be an issue.

 

On 5/7/2011 at 5:26 AM, Altostrata said:

 

Cymbalta is tricky to taper. It does not come in liquid form and cannot be compounded into a liquid. To protect the drug, each bead inside the gelatin capsule has an enteric coating to protect the drug from stomach acid, which would destroy the drug. (It is absorbed further down in the digestive tract.) The pellets cannot be dissolved in any liquid without destroying the active ingredient.

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sorry, I had no idea, forgive my ignorance about this. That's so unfortunate for those on Cymbalta. Hopefully bridging will work out, if you decide to try it. 

2012: 2 weeks of paroxetine, I cannot recall the dose. Strong side effects, stopped cold turkey, had intense, horrible withdrawal thereafter

2012 to 2016: Fluoxetine 40mg daily, sometimes 20mg daily, a couple of bad tapers under doctor's advisement, increasingly bad withdrawal symptoms with each major dose change

Oct 2016 to June 2017: 10-month reinstatement of 20mg fluoxetine daily to stabilize. A very difficult period but withdrawal gradually improved

July 2017: At 20mg (100%), started a linear tapering regimen using water titration (20mg fluoxetine into 300ml of water).

June 2019: Currently at 0.200mg (1.00%). I have many symptoms, most I attribute to fluoxetine, some to withdrawal, and the rest to hypothyroidism. Continuing to reduce anyway.

July 2019: Jumped from 0.066mg (0.33%) to 0.000mg (0.00%); I'm now free of the poison.

 

My introduction thread: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/14226-kittygiggles-generic-prozac-fluoxetine-stabilization/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

Just FYI to add to the total information on this subject:  I tapered very slowly off citalopram but took the last bit from about 0.3 mg down pretty fast, and jumped off at 0.1 mg in early June 2019. Had no acute symptoms, but got hit with the 3-month delayed withdrawal in August. I reinstated to 0.05 mg about the last week of August. It's 10/3/19 today and I am feeling much better. My sleep is still not quite back to normal but everything else is good.

 

So in my case, a reinstatement a little over three months out, to half the dose I stopped off at, after what was mostly a very slow taper but went a little too fast at the end -- I would say it has been successful.

 

Hope this helps somebody.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rhiannon said:

after what was mostly a very slow taper but went a little too fast at the end

 

Thank you for your  update.  I'm happy to hear you're feeling better! 🌞

 It does concern me that after a slow taper to 0.1 mg, you had the 3 month delayed w/d.

 Isn't that a good point to stop?  I've not read about others doing a proper taper and having to reinstate,

though I guess it happens.  Not good news for us if it does often.  I wonder what makes a difference

between successful and unsuccessful slow tapers?  

 

1997 Prozac ?mg

1991 Sertraline ?mg

2002 Escitalopram 10 mg

2018 2.5 mg - stopped by Dr./Reinstated, up-dosed to 7.5 mg

04/19 Began BM slide @7.5 mg

CURRENT  0.36 mg 🌼

 

"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

Mark 9:23

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 2/12/2019 at 12:00 AM, Lloyd said:

Hi All,

 

Was trying to get an overall idea of how reinstatement worked for people who had posted their stories in this thread. I have compiled a spreadsheet (attached) which details all the user experiences shared in this thread in hopefully an easy to read quick view.

Some of the feedback was a little hard to gather exact details from, however you should be able to at a glance see how many people reported success with reinstatement and the time windows reported.

Hope this helps 😃

 

Edit: I should add that the majority of user experiences reported an improvement in symptoms after reinstatement.

 

image.thumb.png.e3316128fdd680727dd308477fa55050.png

Wow, thanks so much.  Always amazed at the work people put into this site.  My depressed mind was definitely fixating on all the negative experiences in this thread. Looking at that spreadsheet, the results from Lexapro RI are actually quite positive.  I never would have reached that conclusion on my own.

2008 - 05/2013 :  20mg Lexapro

05/13-07/13 :  10 mg 

07/13-09/13 :  5 mg 

09/13-10/13 :  5 mg every other day

10/13-11/13 :  5 mg every third day

11/13-03/14 :  no meds, minimal W/D

03/14-04/14 :  W/D intensifies

04/14-01/19 :  reinstated 20 mg Lexapro

01/19 :  C/T stop Lexapro

01/19-07/19 :  no meds, minimal W/D

07/19-present :  intense W/D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

My questions are:

 

What happens if reinstatement failed (for whatever reason?

 

What then happens if ongoing WD or deferred adverse effects become utterly unbearable?

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

Cymbalta 2007

Lyrica 2010

Venlafaxine 2010-2018

Amitriptyline October 2018-2019. (25, 50, 75, 100, 75, 50, 25)

CT 10 Sept 2019

Reinstate amitriptyline 5 mg 29 Oct 2019

Reinstate amitriptyline 2.5mg 19 Nov 2019

CT 24  Nov 2019

Vitamin D 16 Dec and Promethazine 25mg 16 Dec (one month only)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

We want to see what happens with reinstatement first. Plan B is different for everyone.

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
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Guys please help me I am tapering from Seroxat 20 mg I am now on 5 mg but WD symptoms hited me 2 months ago and persist until now. Anxiety mild agoraphobia micro panic attacks ( I am glad that insomnia disappeared) what should I do? Can I rise dose to 6-7 mg or higher? Now I am just using 1.5 mg Lexotan if I feel bad but I don't want to make a habit from it. 

 

AD: Seroxat since 2005 20 mg and tapering from March 2018 10% every 4 weeks.

15-11-2019 down to 5.5 mg 

28-12-2019 crashed really bad on 5.5mg 

01-01-2020 updose to 7mg

16-01-2020 Updose to 9 mg

 

Benzos: Bromazepam 1.5 mg daily since 2015

Quit CT Bromazepam 16-01-2020 No withdrawals 

Occasionally 1.5 mg extra

Last extra 1.5 mg 12-01-2020

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

how long do people usually go between upping doses during reinstatement? do they increase after a week to ten days or wait a little longer for the effects of the drug to kick in? 

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus
2 hours ago, thecowisback said:

do they increase after a week to ten days or wait a little longer for the effects of the drug to kick in? 

Yes, wait around a week to ten days for the new dosage to reach full state in the blood. During this time there should be some gradual improvement as the days pass.   If there has been improvement, hold there to see how that dosage over the following weeks.  If after ten day there has been no improvement and symptoms remain intolerable, you can increase by a very small amount, like 1mg.

Gridley Introduction

 

Lexapro 20 mg since 2004.  Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017.   

End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg 

End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg

End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg  

Oct. 30, 2020  Jump to zero from 0.025mg.  Current dose: 0.000mg

3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete.

 

Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements

Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium

Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium 

End 2021  year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg

End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg 

End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg

Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper.

Taper is 95% complete.

 

Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986.  Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg  

March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper

Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper

Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper.  Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thankyou :) 

 

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

what is the best thing to do if symptoms worsen after increasing the dose? is it better to drop back to the previous dose or carry on at the new dose?

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope a veteran member answered you already to know if you can reduce a dose that you just increased and feels like it is too strong.  I'm new here.  I just started a reinstatement 5 weeks ago with higher dose instead of the lowest dose.  I made a big change by splitting the dose in 2, one am and one pm.  One day, I increased the total dose from 25mg total to 30mg and I freaked out.  I reduced it the next day and it worked for me.  I wish I had started on the lowest dose possible as recommended here in this forum, but I just found SA last week.  I had a problem reducing it by 10% taking it from the am dose, and I had new scary symptoms such as a tremor for few seconds and insomnia again.  What helped me today is finding a French video by Dr. Christophe André who really helped me to learn how to meditate.  It worked so well that listening to some after lunch, I wanted to sleep and did for 3hrs.  I really know now how to meditate.  Do you meditate yourself?  And keep me updated if you find an answer to your question or if not, what you did and how it worked for you.  

1989, 25mg, Amitriptyline 1st prescribed for 1wk insomnia, 2020 october Cold turkey

20/12/21, 22.5mg reinstated; waited 1.5 year to start tapering

21/07/25, 20mg tapering started. 10% every 4 weeks

22/02/26, 9.5mg - Emergency surgery put chaos to tapering: chronic insomnia till May

22/04/11, 10mg tapering started. 10% every 4 week. Sleep came back but trickled away in Sep' 22

22/09/17, 5,1mg - 10/15, 4.6mg - 11/12, 4,1mg - 12/10, 3.7mg.  Too fast. Permanent symptoms.

22/12/28, 4,0mg - partial updose where I'll remain until perfect stabilizing

22/12/30, 4,0mg - started Melatonin 3mg, Maritime Pine Bark Extract am & pm

23/02/03, 4,0mg - sleeping well every night with dreams, symptoms are diminishing

22/03/20, 4,0mg - insomnia is back on some nights. Waves. Anxiety. My dog is sick.

Maritime Pine Bark Extract (Omega Alpha Labs) in capsules am & pm, Melatonin 3mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thankyou . i've tried mediation many times in the past but i've never been able to grasp it properly. 

i'm still on the higher dose and wondering what to do for the best. 

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@thecowisback  I hope you will get an answer soon as to know if you can reduce the higher dose.  You are trying to reinstate again Prozac, yes?  Could you edit your Signature to show this new reinstatement if so?  

 

As for meditation, I recommend to you "Mindfulness for beginners audio program (by Jon Kabat-Zinn)" on YouTube or other video by him.  He's the best.  Mindfulness is just to gently observe your breathing or something else without judging, without forcing your breathing, and every time random thoughts come, to gently put it away.  Random Thoughts are making Mindfulness work, as you are aware of them and put them away to continue to observe what's going on now.  I'm still a beginner, but this is what I understood, and I can almost meditate even without videos.  It's very easy.  I saw a video yesterday that in France, Alzheimer patients meditate and have great benefits from doing it.  Even children can do it.

 

1989, 25mg, Amitriptyline 1st prescribed for 1wk insomnia, 2020 october Cold turkey

20/12/21, 22.5mg reinstated; waited 1.5 year to start tapering

21/07/25, 20mg tapering started. 10% every 4 weeks

22/02/26, 9.5mg - Emergency surgery put chaos to tapering: chronic insomnia till May

22/04/11, 10mg tapering started. 10% every 4 week. Sleep came back but trickled away in Sep' 22

22/09/17, 5,1mg - 10/15, 4.6mg - 11/12, 4,1mg - 12/10, 3.7mg.  Too fast. Permanent symptoms.

22/12/28, 4,0mg - partial updose where I'll remain until perfect stabilizing

22/12/30, 4,0mg - started Melatonin 3mg, Maritime Pine Bark Extract am & pm

23/02/03, 4,0mg - sleeping well every night with dreams, symptoms are diminishing

22/03/20, 4,0mg - insomnia is back on some nights. Waves. Anxiety. My dog is sick.

Maritime Pine Bark Extract (Omega Alpha Labs) in capsules am & pm, Melatonin 3mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks 😊 

i keep forgetting to update my signature when i'm on the puter. 

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I apologize if this was addressed somewhere and I missed it somehow, but I read the entire thread and the following is still not clear to me:

 

While I understand that reinstatement of a low dose is the only known method to relieve withdrawal symptoms, I am confused as to the theory behind reinstatement. It's not clear to me what the consensus of the goal of reinstatement is, or if there is a consensus among forum members about what the goal is. Is the purpose of reinstatement to try to stabilize withdrawal symptoms in any case, or to is it just to mitigate them in the case that they have become unbearable? In other words, is it always preferrable to try to stop withdrawal symptoms by reinstating while within the appropriate time window, or is it only recommended for those whose withdrawal symptoms have become so severe that they are unbearable? Is the argument in favor of reinstatement saying that reinstatement is a relatively low-risk method to stabilize and mitigate withdrawal symptoms before they worsen?

Lexapro/Escitalopram 20 mg, December 2013 - December 2019

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My thoughts are that re-instatement is an option for people experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms to try & alleviate them and give the mind and body time to stabilize before trying to reduce again. For some of us it's to help us cope with what can be a truly awful experience.

Paroxatine - 2004-2006

Effexor XR 75mg 2006 - 2016 (Discontinued Feb 2016) - Withdrawal for 6 months.

Effexor XR 75mg Re-instated June 2017 (Discontinued Dec 2017)

Effexor XR 2-3 mg Re-instated March 10 2018 - 1 day (Didn't work)

Effexor XR 2mg Reinstated (Again) May 11 2018. 6 Beads

July 2018 - 0.0mg of Effexor. Zilch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that is why i've gone back on prozac. i'm hoping to stabilize then wean off slowly over a number of years. i felt like i had nothing to lose by trying reinstatement as my quality of life had got so bad. 

Took prozac 40 mg for 20 years.

January 2017 started cutting down prozac by 12.5% a week. End of February 2017 completely off prozac and withdrawals began.

Currently taking Levothyroxine 75 mcg, Magnesium citrate 200mg,Sage leaf 50mg daily

Amlodipine: October 2017 , discontinued 26 Feb 2019; Candesartan:  26 Feb 2019, 4mg.

Discontinued magnesium citrate 200mg Apr 3rd 2019

Reinstated prozac:  14 Jan 2019, 1mg; 26 Jan, 1.5mg; 4 Feb, 2mg; 16 Feb, 2.5mg; 2 Mar, 3mg; 5 Mar, 2.5mg, 23 Mar, 3 mg; 6 Apr, 3.5mg, 14 Apr 4mg, 23 Apr 5mg, 10 Jul 8mg, 1 Dec 20mg, 1 Apr 2020 40mg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
On 8/22/2015 at 3:51 AM, Vonnegutjunky said:

So I am almost a week stabilized after 3 months of a double dose of reinstatment A

 

it was like a switch just flipped on Tuesday and bam I feel normal! I still have ringing in my ears, some side effects, a little anxiety but all of these things are before and after medication symptoms so I would not say they are wd related.

 

My doc really wanted me to switch meds- she said the Paxil was no longer working- I can't say I will be like this in an upward feeling of normalcy without anymore waves; I don't discount that I will probably have some, but it really is a huge difference; I think patience is the key with reinstatment (imo) as alto says our cns is unstablized and it needs stability.

 

So just wanted to post my experience here; and I hope my bad wd experience has prepared me for anything I might face when I begin to taper next year.

I am in a similar situation as you.  You mentioned that it took you about 3 months to stabilize?  I am just over 3 weeks from reinstatement at 20mg vs 30mg of Paxil and really very little relief.  However in your case it would indicate to just stick it out and stabilize will happen? 

Meds: Paroxetine, Hydrocodone, k flex, Xanax, Amatriptline, Gabapentin

1998-Apr 2020 Paroxetine 30mg.  04/20 2-week taper off, 0ff 6 weeks -05/20 reinstated 20mg,  Paroxetine - Cymbalta Cross taper attempt 04/20 - 30mg - Cut CT after 6-7 weeks.   Around 06/19 started Paroxetine taper from 30mg by cutting and eyeballing - By 08/19 symptoms started 09/19 - 04/20 = 3 back surgeries thinking symptoms were spine related.  During that time was on and off opiods after each operation, Gabapentin 300 mg daily for about 6-8 weeks, K flex / Flexeril - once before bedtime 04/19 - 05/20, Xanax as needed for past 3 years - stopped 04/20, ( usually twice per week ), Amatriptline 10mg for aprox 6 weeks = off since aprox 02/20.  Currently Tapered all the way down to 1 mg Hydro daily and 20mg Paroxetine - In severe withdrawals. Was taking .5 Hydro 2 times daily.   Spread it out to 3 then 4 times daily to avoid inter dose withdrawal.   Taking .5 hydroo 4 times daily. - 2mg daily.    Spread Paroxetine to twice daily.  10 mg at 7 am and at 3:00 PM for a total of 20 mg daily.  04/13/2021 Paroxetine 10mg twice daily (total 20mg )  7:00 am and 7:00 pm.  10/22/2021 Completely OFF Hydrocodone. 10/2022 - 10mg Parox AM - 9 mg parox PM ( 19mg) 01/06/2023 18mg Paroxetine-9mg am /9 mg Pm 11/2023  - Been dropping 1% every 30 days after extended hold.  Currently at 17.2 mg Paroxetine daily.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

That’s what seems to have happened for me. But it was much long than 3 months. Hang in there. 

 

*Currently at 8.2-8.5 mg of my 10mg pill of Paxil (they actually weigh 12.5mg) 

january 2023 I began reducing my med again. I was a 9mg weight for years, I went to 8.9 in January, went to 8.6mg in February, and in March 2023 I went down to 8.5-8.2 mg ( my scale varies, so I stick within that .3 range because of that) 

*No other supplements or vitamins 

*Taper schedule in the pdf 

Blank.pdf

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-5vShtJtwAOGA30OxIP87steLmMdFzD29F0fzAPD564

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 7/12/2014 at 11:38 PM, arwen said:

In my experience, each time I decrease the dose, I have some symptoms. The decision to updose or reinstate depends entirely on the severity of the symptoms. Brain zaps, tinnitus, lighthead, uncomfortable in my own skin, waking up trembling, all this I can bear. But when the dizziness doesn't allow me to go to work, the fear is so extreme, I don't want to exit the house, I am continuously tense or crying, then I know I did it too fast, and I have to go back to the last dose.

When you say you did it to fast, what do you mean? Are you meaning you resistanted to high of a dose and you have to go back down to your last original dose? Or you tapered to quickly and have to go up to your last original dose? I have reinstated at 5 and a bit weeks at 7.5mg. I am like you, I can bear most side effects, but not the dizziness and vertigo, which is what I am still experiencing. I have reinstated 10 days ago at 7.5mg and wondering if I should go up a dose or down a dose. I came of 60 mg mirtazapine cold Turkey. I only feel 5 % better, but that could be bc I'm taking valium to help with the withdrawals. I would love to hear your response, bc times ticking for me and I need to make a decision soon. My drs dont understand that's why I'm here. Thank u

 

-17th August started abilify 10mg 2020 to 24th of August 2020.

-Stopped abilify 10mg 7 days after taking it, as I developed induced akathisia on day 4.

-21st of August 2020 started self medicating 30mg morning and night mirtazapine to help subside the akathisa. 

- 28th of August 2020 stopped mirtazapine 30 mg morning and night cold Turkey.

-28th of August took       -Clonidine 50 mc morning and night.

-Reinstated Mirtazapine 4th of October 15mg.

-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator Emeritus

@Biloelagirl89

 

You can check a member's drug signature and/or go to their Introduction topic to get more information.

 

In Arwen's case, it looks like the drug dose changes might have been well documented.

 

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/10/2018 at 9:02 AM, Godiswithme said:

So, I really never suffered from depression. I did suffer from anxiety. I had been taking around 1 mg of Xanax for approx 4 or 5 yrs. Due to life circumstances, I made a huge mistake. I was feeling overwhelmed and went to a psychiatrist for the first time in my life. I went on Lexapro, most of the time at 30mg for 2 yrs. I then lost my job. She added 2mg of Abilify for the last 8 mos. of those 2 yrs on Lexapro. Time passed and my life got better. I don’t believe the Lexapro or Abilify helped me in the least. I CT’d off the Lexapro and Abilify at the same time. After about a month, I went into a hell that is indescribable. I suffered for 5 mos and am amazed I am alive.

 

I tried reinstating Lexapro using the liquid. It was a disaster. Someone on the forum gave me advice to stay away from the liquid. The person saved my life. The liquid was much too strong. I then got tablets. I  split a 5mg tablet into quarters. I started taking 1.25mg. I stayed on that for a month. Very, very Slight improvement. I then took 2.5mg. Stayed at that for 4-6 weeks. Then 5 mg, 7.5, 10mg, 12.5, and finally 15mg. I stayed at each increase for 4-6 weeks hoping I could stop. 15mg is when the intense dread and fear subsided. Although there had been improvements along the way. At most every increase, I had a couple of days of awful adrenaline surges. It was rough. I was taking 1mg of Klonopin per day at the time. 

 

I am now tapering the Klonopin. I am down to .475mg per day. I haven’t returned to work. But I am alive. I am there for my children and husband. I feel that I am severely traumatized from what happened. 

 

I think many people would benefit from reinstating with a portion of a tablet rather than liquid.  I would love to get off of the Lexapro someday if I can gather the courage and the strength to try. My heart goes out to anyone dealing with this. I was seriously planning to end my life, the suffering was so intense. No where near anything I had ever experienced in my entire life. 

 

Only way I got of lexapro was through prozac bridge, it stopped my withdrawals immediately. Than tampered of prozac with no problem bc of it's long half life.

 

-17th August started abilify 10mg 2020 to 24th of August 2020.

-Stopped abilify 10mg 7 days after taking it, as I developed induced akathisia on day 4.

-21st of August 2020 started self medicating 30mg morning and night mirtazapine to help subside the akathisa. 

- 28th of August 2020 stopped mirtazapine 30 mg morning and night cold Turkey.

-28th of August took       -Clonidine 50 mc morning and night.

-Reinstated Mirtazapine 4th of October 15mg.

-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, ChessieCat said:

 

See the links to tips for tapering different drugs in this topic:

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

I had dropped to .5 and then had to go back up to 1.0 after 2 weeks.  I was completely non functional.  I have been using a small scale

Meds: Paroxetine, Hydrocodone, k flex, Xanax, Amatriptline, Gabapentin

1998-Apr 2020 Paroxetine 30mg.  04/20 2-week taper off, 0ff 6 weeks -05/20 reinstated 20mg,  Paroxetine - Cymbalta Cross taper attempt 04/20 - 30mg - Cut CT after 6-7 weeks.   Around 06/19 started Paroxetine taper from 30mg by cutting and eyeballing - By 08/19 symptoms started 09/19 - 04/20 = 3 back surgeries thinking symptoms were spine related.  During that time was on and off opiods after each operation, Gabapentin 300 mg daily for about 6-8 weeks, K flex / Flexeril - once before bedtime 04/19 - 05/20, Xanax as needed for past 3 years - stopped 04/20, ( usually twice per week ), Amatriptline 10mg for aprox 6 weeks = off since aprox 02/20.  Currently Tapered all the way down to 1 mg Hydro daily and 20mg Paroxetine - In severe withdrawals. Was taking .5 Hydro 2 times daily.   Spread it out to 3 then 4 times daily to avoid inter dose withdrawal.   Taking .5 hydroo 4 times daily. - 2mg daily.    Spread Paroxetine to twice daily.  10 mg at 7 am and at 3:00 PM for a total of 20 mg daily.  04/13/2021 Paroxetine 10mg twice daily (total 20mg )  7:00 am and 7:00 pm.  10/22/2021 Completely OFF Hydrocodone. 10/2022 - 10mg Parox AM - 9 mg parox PM ( 19mg) 01/06/2023 18mg Paroxetine-9mg am /9 mg Pm 11/2023  - Been dropping 1% every 30 days after extended hold.  Currently at 17.2 mg Paroxetine daily.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

 

See the links in Post #1 to tips for tapering different drugs in this topic:

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

 

Thank you

Meds: Paroxetine, Hydrocodone, k flex, Xanax, Amatriptline, Gabapentin

1998-Apr 2020 Paroxetine 30mg.  04/20 2-week taper off, 0ff 6 weeks -05/20 reinstated 20mg,  Paroxetine - Cymbalta Cross taper attempt 04/20 - 30mg - Cut CT after 6-7 weeks.   Around 06/19 started Paroxetine taper from 30mg by cutting and eyeballing - By 08/19 symptoms started 09/19 - 04/20 = 3 back surgeries thinking symptoms were spine related.  During that time was on and off opiods after each operation, Gabapentin 300 mg daily for about 6-8 weeks, K flex / Flexeril - once before bedtime 04/19 - 05/20, Xanax as needed for past 3 years - stopped 04/20, ( usually twice per week ), Amatriptline 10mg for aprox 6 weeks = off since aprox 02/20.  Currently Tapered all the way down to 1 mg Hydro daily and 20mg Paroxetine - In severe withdrawals. Was taking .5 Hydro 2 times daily.   Spread it out to 3 then 4 times daily to avoid inter dose withdrawal.   Taking .5 hydroo 4 times daily. - 2mg daily.    Spread Paroxetine to twice daily.  10 mg at 7 am and at 3:00 PM for a total of 20 mg daily.  04/13/2021 Paroxetine 10mg twice daily (total 20mg )  7:00 am and 7:00 pm.  10/22/2021 Completely OFF Hydrocodone. 10/2022 - 10mg Parox AM - 9 mg parox PM ( 19mg) 01/06/2023 18mg Paroxetine-9mg am /9 mg Pm 11/2023  - Been dropping 1% every 30 days after extended hold.  Currently at 17.2 mg Paroxetine daily.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hello everyone,

 

I was wondering if there is a 'typical' dosage for people to stabilize on after reinstating? I am currently taking 3 beads (approx. 1mg) of Venlafaxine for reinstatement, I feel terrible anxiety/panic and just cannot imagine to ever stabilize on such a low dose.. Is it possible? Or does it usually take a couple of weeks of updosing to notice an effect? Aren't I currently sensitizing my body to the microdose, the longer I stay on such a small dosage? I wonder how it will ever be possible to taper off 3 beads then one day?

 

I'd be very grateful for any opinion/input/experience on that!

 

Thanks for caring

Fluoxetine (Prozac) (25mg?) from December 2002 - November 2005 for anxiety/depression

Effexor (Venlafaxine) Retard (75mg) due to Panic attacks from November 2005 until around May 2020 when I started tapering off from 75mg to about 33mg in September. Accidentially missed a dose and naively went cold turkey from around 33mg to zero on 26th of September. Hell broke loose in early December.

25th December: Reinstated Venlafaxine with one bead (0.3/0.4mg) in the evening, proceeding with two beads (0.7/0.8mg)

since 5th January: 3 beads of Venlafaxine daily and nothing else except fish oil and magnesium. No changes in daily routine

15th January - 17th January: 4 beads of Venlafaxine

since 18th January: back to 3 beads of Venlafaxine due to extreme agitation, introduced Ashwaghanda supplement.

Since 23. January: introduced Lyrica to help with sleep/jerks keeping me awake: updosed from 4mg to 8mg.

Since February: 700mg Valerian and 2mg Melatonin for sleep

March: tapering Lyrica again due to side effects.

April: down to 2 beads of Venlafaxine

17th October: Off everything. Braindead, apathetic/anhedonic Zombie.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...also - I was wondering: if I'd try and 'jump' to a slightly higher dose, and would have a notable adverse effect - would that 'cut' the reinstatement road for me for good, or could I, in your experience, just return to a lower dose then? Thank you for your input!

Fluoxetine (Prozac) (25mg?) from December 2002 - November 2005 for anxiety/depression

Effexor (Venlafaxine) Retard (75mg) due to Panic attacks from November 2005 until around May 2020 when I started tapering off from 75mg to about 33mg in September. Accidentially missed a dose and naively went cold turkey from around 33mg to zero on 26th of September. Hell broke loose in early December.

25th December: Reinstated Venlafaxine with one bead (0.3/0.4mg) in the evening, proceeding with two beads (0.7/0.8mg)

since 5th January: 3 beads of Venlafaxine daily and nothing else except fish oil and magnesium. No changes in daily routine

15th January - 17th January: 4 beads of Venlafaxine

since 18th January: back to 3 beads of Venlafaxine due to extreme agitation, introduced Ashwaghanda supplement.

Since 23. January: introduced Lyrica to help with sleep/jerks keeping me awake: updosed from 4mg to 8mg.

Since February: 700mg Valerian and 2mg Melatonin for sleep

March: tapering Lyrica again due to side effects.

April: down to 2 beads of Venlafaxine

17th October: Off everything. Braindead, apathetic/anhedonic Zombie.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy