Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted January 25, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 25, 2015 Good to see you here steeley . . . happy to hear you'll be ditching the old Kurrawong 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
Moderator brassmonkey Posted January 25, 2015 Moderator Share Posted January 25, 2015 It's wonderful to hear that your have been feeling so good lately. A very good reason not to be coming around. Hope it keeps up. (((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))) 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
Micromonster Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 glad to hear your doing great! you saying how the ozzys say sex instead of six, reminds me of when I visited you fair old land and the guy asked when I paid my bill if I had a pen. "no" I said, thinking what a lazy git he was not reaching a foot away and grabbing one. he insisted I needed a pen, until eventually someone else told me he wanted my PIN for the credit card! paroxatine.30mg-98-14 (16years)/15mg March 14/15mg may 2014 every two days on docs advice, went nuts so went up to 10mg. Took 2months to stabilise.10mg July 2014-sept 2014 (6.9mg)tried WD at 10% every two weeks. went nuts, nearly left husband, cats and country.10mg sept-December 14/9mg Dec-Jan 15/8.5mg Jan-Feb 15/8mg Feb-March 15/7.5mg march 15/7mg march-present. By October, off meds and on ivf. 3 failed ivf and end of 11yr relationship.10mg/July 16- July 17/5mg Jan 18- july 18 0mg july- present. Really struggling Link to comment
steeley Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks Fresh, Brass and Micro, Yes, the Kurrawang ruler has been ditched, but I will always hold it close to my heart as a reminder of the old days (still not out of the woods), when the struggle was really on, and I couldn't count or measure for nuts. I got an earlier post muddled up too, and I do call it a jug, my Mum calls it a kettle. WDNormal, and I've got to get back to you Tom we haven't corresponded in ages. I'm putting on weight and about to have dinner, or sometimes we call it tea. Breakfast, dinner and tea. And if you're lucky you get supper. As always my very best wishes to everyone. Go team spirit, did Nirvana do that? Prescribed 30mg Mirtazapine approximately 10 years ago. PTSD C/T 50% of dose - dreadful, hellish Begin to reduce by 10% every 3-6 weeks now: 5.11.14 4.50mg - going to wait a bit longer Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus dalsaan Posted January 30, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks Fresh, Brass and Micro, Yes, the Kurrawang ruler has been ditched, but I will always hold it close to my heart as a reminder of the old days I hope you framed it and took it straight to the pool room Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist. Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014. Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September. Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015. Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15). Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past. DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017 >My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted January 30, 2015 Moderator Share Posted January 30, 2015 WDnormal can be a good place to be. I can't really tell where I am right now as everything is being overshadowed by a nice case of the flu. Well at least it forces me to sit still and do nothing for a while, I do have a tendency to over extend my self physically. One nice thing is that we started to get paid sick leave from work last week, how's that for timing. Hope the WDnormal moves up to WDbetterthanusual. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
Micromonster Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Me and john ALWAYS argue over weather it's called dinner or tea! Personally I'm a breakfast, lunch, dinner kinda person. Sooty to hear about your man flu brass paroxatine.30mg-98-14 (16years)/15mg March 14/15mg may 2014 every two days on docs advice, went nuts so went up to 10mg. Took 2months to stabilise.10mg July 2014-sept 2014 (6.9mg)tried WD at 10% every two weeks. went nuts, nearly left husband, cats and country.10mg sept-December 14/9mg Dec-Jan 15/8.5mg Jan-Feb 15/8mg Feb-March 15/7.5mg march 15/7mg march-present. By October, off meds and on ivf. 3 failed ivf and end of 11yr relationship.10mg/July 16- July 17/5mg Jan 18- july 18 0mg july- present. Really struggling Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus WiggleIt Posted February 1, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hey Steeley, I hope things are hanging well. *I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience **Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014 -All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness. It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage. All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors -Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine -Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey) -Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011 -Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less) -Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week -Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs -First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened -Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD. Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed. NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it. -Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned -Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia -Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat -Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged -7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia Link to comment
steeley Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks Dalsaan - KURRAWANG RULES, OK! Funny bugger. Thanks too Tom for WDNormal moving to a better place. Never thought it would start to work out for me, and now really understand and appreciate the wisdom in the word SLOW. It's the key. From what I've come to understand as I've rambled my way around here, is that you were having a bit of difficulty in the lower ranges (3's?). I hope that you have ridden it out, and things are good for you now, no good about the flu either and hope you are back on deck. Chuck a sickie Tom, it's the only way to go. I reckon you must be Australian Micro, but then you could be English, they say 'tea' too. As a kid I called it tea 'cause that was what Mum called it, now with the Americanisation of a lot of our words we say 'dinner', more posh or something. I really am improving Wig, and by the tone of your posts I can hear little signs of progress in you too. I really want this for you (everyone) as I can tell you have been suffering. The early days are the worst of hell, but we come out the other end stronger and wiser, and I am not being glib. Still not counting my chickens though, as these drugs are tricksters, and there was nothing up my sleeve when they fed them to me. My best to all steeley (I still can't 'edit', so if my posts look like I failed grammer, I'm shifting the blame to the edit button. Prescribed 30mg Mirtazapine approximately 10 years ago. PTSD C/T 50% of dose - dreadful, hellish Begin to reduce by 10% every 3-6 weeks now: 5.11.14 4.50mg - going to wait a bit longer Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted February 3, 2015 Moderator Share Posted February 3, 2015 So glad you're feeling better steeley. Yea slow is the only way. I took a couple of sick days which made for a long weekend during which I just sat and played on the computer and slept. I started Tamiflu on day three and it has really helped. I'm not 100% back to my WDself, but am making through the day pretty well. To me "Tea" sounds posh while "dinner" is more than ordinary. the low 3s down to the middle 2s was pretty rough. Now that I'm in the low 2s (2.1mg yesterday) things seem to be settling out. Although it is hard to tell with all the other c**p gong on right now. But this too shall pass. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
Micromonster Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 So, the question is, does your toilet roll go over or under the roll!?!!? That determines how posh you really are paroxatine.30mg-98-14 (16years)/15mg March 14/15mg may 2014 every two days on docs advice, went nuts so went up to 10mg. Took 2months to stabilise.10mg July 2014-sept 2014 (6.9mg)tried WD at 10% every two weeks. went nuts, nearly left husband, cats and country.10mg sept-December 14/9mg Dec-Jan 15/8.5mg Jan-Feb 15/8mg Feb-March 15/7.5mg march 15/7mg march-present. By October, off meds and on ivf. 3 failed ivf and end of 11yr relationship.10mg/July 16- July 17/5mg Jan 18- july 18 0mg july- present. Really struggling Link to comment
steeley Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 And if you raise a pinkie. The better way to drink tea. Funny how language goes isn't it? I thought 'dinner' sounded more posh, while you Tom, believe the opposite. For me having tea conjures images of scones, cream and Jam. Devonshire Tea. TEA on the hand hand, reminds of childhodd with my mother yelling at us from the back door that, "tea was on the table. It was not posh one little bit. We ate though. Happy you made it through the high and middle two's you must be reaching "drop off day", which makes me scared, but it will happen. Hope it's going well. Somewhere along this thread I think I have been misquoted. I did not say, that New Zealanders say 'six', and Australians say 'sex'. I said, or meant the opposite. LOL Just, a point, don't want anyone to confuse us Australians with that mob, and we're the best of friends. LOL - (no smilies available). Prescribed 30mg Mirtazapine approximately 10 years ago. PTSD C/T 50% of dose - dreadful, hellish Begin to reduce by 10% every 3-6 weeks now: 5.11.14 4.50mg - going to wait a bit longer Link to comment
Ever Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Don't pay any attention to Steeley. She's Australian... 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
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