Administrator Altostrata Posted March 27, 2019 Administrator Share Posted March 27, 2019 Tell your GP you intend to take a much lower dose of Prozac than you did the last time you tried it, the earlier dosage was too strong for you since cold turkey, and you do not expect side effects to be the same. Point out you were taking Prozac for many years. If that fails, I would get liquid citalopram. Please continue 0.5mg lamotrigine and let us know how you're doing. 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
Tattyapple Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Thank you I will try that. i am also taking a low dose of hrt now. I have not noticed any difference. Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
Tattyapple Posted April 2, 2019 Author Share Posted April 2, 2019 I can’t get it out of my head that I’m going to have a stroke. I read sleep deprivation can cause it and Iv slept 3 hrs a night for the last week and 1 day. I can’t control my thoughts at night they torture me. Im still taking 0.5 lamotrgiene don’t know if to increase ? I try so hard in the night to meditate but the thoughts are so strong and always end in my doom. I cannot get to see my dr untill the 12th but will ask for liquid Prozac again but I’m terrified of being the akathesia back even though it’s never fully left it’s just subdued i can’t stand this feeling of sleep deprivation iv been working hard on recognising negative thought patterns and challenging them but after another night of no sleep it’s impossible. 5 years is too much Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
thecowisback Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 5 years is a bloody long time to be going through this. i hope you can get some relief soon xxxxxx 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
thecowisback Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 i just re-read your thread and noticed i posted practically the same message today as last time! it's because i have no other advice (well non that's any good anyway!) but i do wish everyone on here could recover sooner rather than later. 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
Tattyapple Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 I can’t do this anymore I can’t live without sleep anymore. I can’t live with morning buzzing from 6 am when Iv been awake since 3. I give up. My brain can’t handle 2 weeks of 3 hr sleeps. I can’t even cope with a few pots being left in the sink without a total mental breakdown Things were better 3 years ago because I had hope then. I told myself constantly things would slowly improve but I feel worse than year 2. I can do less than year 2. Constant dizziness, tinnitus, crushing fatigue, migraine every single day! No neck movement. Constant hyper alert. Constant thoughts and worries looping around. I can never relax and enjoy anything or any situation I give up. This is not a life it’s a cruel existence and I’m not doing it anymore Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
thecowisback Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 so sorry you're feeling so rough 😣😣😣i hope this is a case of 'it's darkest before the dawn' for you and that you will turn a corner soon. every day i ask my husband 'will it always be like this?'and of course he has no answer. i have no advice, i just wanted you to know i'm thinking about you and what an amazing strong person you are to have made it this far xxxxx 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
Tattyapple Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 Thank you xx Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
Tattyapple Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 Can’t get Prozac so trying trazadone. Will start low and cross everything that can cross this has to be my year. Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
thecowisback Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 good luck!!! xxx 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
Tattyapple Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 It’s almost 6 years since I cut cold turkey. things never improved in fact got slowly worse Today I started on 10mg of Prozac liquid. I know this is high but I cannot take the tiny amounts. I panic feel horrendous and stop way before it could make a difference. I have too much time to think about it before it’s making a difference the only reinstatement success stories I have found we’re from people that reinstated at higher amounts and got to doses higher that they previously took. Well I only ever took 10 mg so I would be happy to succeed on 20mg i cannot explain how limited and difficult my life is. It is not just the mental torture it’s the physical. My neck, shoulders jaw all stiffened up from akathesia and they have never relaxed. Iv not been able to close my jaw properly in 6 years. I have constant unrelenting headaches every day like my head in crushed in a vice. I have little life quality. I can’t get to things in my brain. I see things I should or used to enjoy and I cannot access the part of my brain that can be there to enjoy it. you could put me in the most beautiful place in the world and I wouldn’t be mentally able to access it or relax. i still have rls. I cannot sleep longer that 1 hour without waking. Sleep in torture I know I had akathesia. It’s been diagnosed by two psychiatrists one that called it a troublesome side effect. Understatement!!! they still want me to take Prozac as it worked so well for me. Iv read 10 will make me feel worse before better but how to know what is a reaction and what I should struggle through ? please help I know I have suffered a long time with no progress but I will try so hard this time. Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
pinciukas Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 5 hours ago, Tattyapple said: It’s almost 6 years since I cut cold turkey. things never improved in fact got slowly worse Today I started on 10mg of Prozac liquid. I know this is high but I cannot take the tiny amounts. I panic feel horrendous and stop way before it could make a difference. I have too much time to think about it before it’s making a difference the only reinstatement success stories I have found we’re from people that reinstated at higher amounts and got to doses higher that they previously took. Well I only ever took 10 mg so I would be happy to succeed on 20mg i cannot explain how limited and difficult my life is. It is not just the mental torture it’s the physical. My neck, shoulders jaw all stiffened up from akathesia and they have never relaxed. Iv not been able to close my jaw properly in 6 years. I have constant unrelenting headaches every day like my head in crushed in a vice. I have little life quality. I can’t get to things in my brain. I see things I should or used to enjoy and I cannot access the part of my brain that can be there to enjoy it. you could put me in the most beautiful place in the world and I wouldn’t be mentally able to access it or relax. i still have rls. I cannot sleep longer that 1 hour without waking. Sleep in torture I know I had akathesia. It’s been diagnosed by two psychiatrists one that called it a troublesome side effect. Understatement!!! they still want me to take Prozac as it worked so well for me. Iv read 10 will make me feel worse before better but how to know what is a reaction and what I should struggle through ? please help I know I have suffered a long time with no progress but I will try so hard this time. So sorry that you suffering so bad Maybe reinstatement will work for you. There are a lot of people who did reinstatement in whole world so I hope it will work for you 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
thecowisback Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 i feel for you tattyapple. i haven't updated my intro post for a while but i'm back on 20mg of prozac. i stuck it out for 2years before trying a low dose. i worked up to 8mg but it wasn't helping. i'm 3 weeks into 20mg and am already feeling calmer. the first.week was horrendous but i was already feeling calmer by week 2. i hope this lasts as i'm scared it will go wrong. there are so many scary stories of failed reinstatement but i had to take the risk. i can't get the last 3 years back but at least i tried to cope without the meds. good luck whatever you decide. i'd hit rock bottom so felt like i didn't have a choice any more. xxx 1 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
Tattyapple Posted February 16, 2020 Author Share Posted February 16, 2020 11 hours ago, thecowisback said: i feel for you tattyapple. i haven't updated my intro post for a while but i'm back on 20mg of prozac. i stuck it out for 2years before trying a low dose. i worked up to 8mg but it wasn't helping. i'm 3 weeks into 20mg and am already feeling calmer. the first.week was horrendous but i was already feeling calmer by week 2. i hope this lasts as i'm scared it will go wrong. there are so many scary stories of failed reinstatement but i had to take the risk. i can't get the last 3 years back but at least i tried to cope without the meds. good luck whatever you decide. i'd hit rock bottom so felt like i didn't have a choice any more. xxx I’m glad you are feeling better.. for what it’s worth I think you have made the right decision. I can take any symptoms but agitation. god I hate these drugs. My poor body is trying it’s hardest to Cope. My heart has not beat normally since I came off Prozac Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
thecowisback Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 how are you today? 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
Tattyapple Posted February 19, 2020 Author Share Posted February 19, 2020 On 2/16/2020 at 12:07 PM, thecowisback said: how are you today? Very anxious and jittery How did you feel? my nervous system is still raw iv had sound and light sensitivity for years Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
thecowisback Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 i've been very anxious over the last 2 days with a lot of intrusive thoughts. i hope it's just a blip. 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
Snorky Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Hi I’m also really struggling with the inner restlessness. (Not external) Every morning for last few weeks same drill. Awful restlessness combined with mental anguish/tightness. Can’t shift it, no matter what I do, including meditation. Currently 5+ months into CT after amitriptyline. Hope it resolves, as cant tolerate this much longer. Thanks 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
Tattyapple Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 32 minutes ago, Snorky said: Hi I’m also really struggling with the inner restlessness. (Not external) Every morning for last few weeks same drill. Awful restlessness combined with mental anguish/tightness. Can’t shift it, no matter what I do, including meditation. Currently 5+ months into CT after amitriptyline. Hope it resolves, as cant tolerate this much longer. Thanks I had it for 6 years not saying you will too I think I was a extreme example akathesia is always worse in the morning have you tried propranonol it helped a little for me in a smallish dose of 40mg Effexor 37.5mg 1999-2004 cold turkey. 2004- prozac 20mg untill 2014 then cold turkey. Very unwell since. 2018 November started 30mg propranolol. Feb 2019 started 0.5 lamotrgiene Link to comment
Snorky Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 44 minutes ago, Tattyapple said: I had it for 6 years not saying you will too I think I was a extreme example akathesia is always worse in the morning have you tried propranonol it helped a little for me in a smallish dose of 40mg Hi T OMG- can’t tolerate this for another few days, never mind six years. No, haven’t tried that. Trying my best to stay clean. Was thinking of magnesium and fish oil, but worried about my sensitivity to those. 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
ktp Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 i'm no authority but in my own experience, calcium/magnesium supplements have provided truly remarkable relief from anxiety. The stuff is called Calm and was introduced to me by a real MD Psychiatrist. get it online or at a health food store. may be very well worth a try. you won't get complete shutdown like with a benzo but a very noticeable reduction in tension. good luck! 20090810 Dx GeneralAnxietyDisorder & PanicDisorder. Rx Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) 50mg. stable, side effects minor but blurry vision, impotence, others. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5418-ktp-weaning-from-4yrs-50mg-pristiq/ for more details. 20140210 switch Pristiq50mg (can't cut them!) to Effexor (venlafaxine, V) same drug but easier dose reduction (and mfr TEVA's beads are handily ~= 1mg ea). 20140218 125mgV 0309 112mg 0401:100mg, 410:75, 0506:70, 0512:65, 0525:56, 0614:37.5, 0620:30, 0624:27, 0630:26, 0706:24, 0724:22, 0801:20, 0804:19, 0808:18, 0813:17, 0818:16, 0819:15, 0821:13, 0903:12, 0911:11, 0918:10, 0921:9, 0927:8, 1001:6, 1021:5, missed a day?, darn, it was going so well, or so I thought. SEVERE ANXIETY, INSOMNIA. WAY TOO QUICK REDUCTIONS! hindsight: 0813:5%/5days, 0818:6%/5days, 0819:6%/1day, 0821:13%/2days, 0903: 7%/14days, 0911:8%/8days, 0918:9%/7days; 0921:10%/3days, 0927:11%/6days, 1001:25%/3days (still okay!) 1021:16%20days. guideline is 10%/30days = i am a self-diagnosed idiot. 20141103 back to 6mgV, xanax next several days. 1111 insomnia bad, 10mgAmbien slept well. 1112 8mgV no Ambien; miserable. 1113 Ambien+xanax, tough night. 1114 Very Tired. 0.125Xanax, 25mgV at 10, better 10min later. 20141115 37.5mg V +Ambien. miserable month, still insomnia & anxiety. 1214 upped to 75mg V, ate .125Xanax. 1215 37.5mg mornings; force sleep for one week and come back". 20150115 lots of appts lots of chat but we never get to MY agenda = meds discussion. Upping to 47.5mg mornings (no more xanax-, lunesta-forced sleep) but still anxious. PAYING BIGTIME FOR TOO-FAST WEANING in OCTOBER 2014! 20150220 50mg V. 20150330 still anxy each am let's try reducing: 45mg V 1/day mornings. 20150511:42mg, 0611:40, 0626:39, 0710:38, 0717:37, 0731:33, 0813:32, 0915:29, 0927:28, 1004:27, 1015:26, 1101:25, 1116:22mg/day. Still anxiety every morning, this sucks. 20151124 found a shrink who seems to get weaning: 20151125 add 10mg/day Prozac aka fluoxetine F, continue taper V to zero, then taper the F, "easier". 20151203:10mg Prozac=P 19mg V, 1213:10mgP17mgV, daily anx quieter but lurking. 1227:10mgP15mgV, 20160108:10mgP14mgV, 0124:10P13V, 0131:P10,V12. 0215 P10,V11. 0223:P10V10. 0314:P10V9. enjoying relatively quiet brain. 0407 P10V8, 0427P10V7, 0517P10V6, 0611P10V5, 0706P10V4, 0818P10V3, 0921P10V2, 1021P10V1, 20161128Prozac10mgVenlafaxine ZERO, 20170115 still anxious upped Prozac to 20mg/day, better anxiety control... 20190301 finally stable enough to consider weaning again, started skipping one day / week. 20190501 started skipping every 3rd day so 13.3mg/day average. several days long 1/2life must be why the docs think of prozac as 'self-tapering' i think it just means longer time between upsetting the cart and seeing apples all over the road. skipping is bad practice, even with longlife prozac: let's do liquid: 20190902 first day of 13mg via 5ml liquid made from 13 20mg caps in 100ml water. 20190921 12mg same way(7.7%/20days). 20191010 11mg (8.3%/20days) 20191031 10mg (9.1%/20days) 20191124 9mg (10.0%/24 days) 20191213 8.5mg (5.6%/20 days) 20191231 8mg (5.9%/20days) 20200120 hit a wall? going another 20 days at 8mg, just started Lisinopril for hypertension (caused by prozac withdrawal creating less-than-panic-grade anxiety??) and doubled atorvastatin to 40mg. Minimizing changes in general and had a semi-panic 4am 1/20... BP still wild. 20200208 back to 9mg daily anxiety starting about 1/18. 20200212 increase to 10mg prozac cap daily. anxiety still there but clears within hour of drugs. 20200222 still anxy 2 hrs after 10mg, added another 1mg and mucho better. 20200223 11mg early. anxious enough to be glad i can actually sit. will wait another 5 days before adding another milligram. 20200229 12mg prozac still anxious. 20200317 13mgProzac still anxious. 20200610 15mgProzac. bp under control with Losartan50mg (lisinopril cough dictates change) 20201028 10am met w Dr S. to switch back to Venlafaxine XR, "take 10mg prozac + 37mg VenlafaxineXR for a monththen quit prozac." i think i'll taper thanx... 20201116 9am start 10mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin. 20201230 5mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin. 20210124 4mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A. 20210213 3.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210306 3mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A 20210328 2.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210501 2.0mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A;20210519 1.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210607 1.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A. 20210614 1.0mgP,37V,40S, 50L,81A. 20210702 0.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A; 20210728; 0.0mgProzac,37.5Venlafaxine,40Atorvastatin50Losartan,81Aspirin; 20210917 0915am anxiety started about a week after dropping the last 0.5mg of prozac. just took 0.10mg xanax. 20210929 1:28 PM I'm anxious after so carefully weaning off prozac - the last 0.5mg may need to come back?? instead, trying an extra cap of 37.5mg venlafaxine, let's see if there's sudden relief? it seems possible. fingers x'd. not sure but 5 minutes later i think i feel better gawd i hope. 20210930 7am anxious out of bed, took drugs early and oops chewed them. no more drugs 2day. 11:41 AM 10/1/2021 very jagged today, avoiding the shower. took <1/6 of a .5mg xanax and still anxy at noon. 6:59 PM 10/4/2021 2nd or 3rd day of 75mg Venlafaxine met w/ shrink 2day he says i'm doing it right so 20210728 75.0mgVenlafaxine,40Atorvastatin,50Losartan,81Aspirin;10mgCarbidopa-Levodopa; 12/18/2021 112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 3x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa. 20220308 new neurologist, raising CL: 112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 4x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa. possibly need to reduce losartan to avoid fainting. 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Snorky Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 38 minutes ago, ktp said: i'm no authority but in my own experience, calcium/magnesium supplements have provided truly remarkable relief from anxiety. The stuff is called Calm and was introduced to me by a real MD Psychiatrist. get it online or at a health food store. may be very well worth a try. you won't get complete shutdown like with a benzo but a very noticeable reduction in tension. good luck! Thank you. Pity there is no equivalent to deal with depress/anhedonia/restlessness type symptoms. 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
ktp Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 my General Anxiety Disorder presents with depression, restlessness, anhedonia, and of course general anxiety. the nice thing about Calm is that it doesn't require an Rx and it actually works. not as well as a xanax of course, but quite noticeable and nearly immediate improvement. btw for the sake of just giving it a try, you can buy "individual servings" at the health food store. all the best to you with whatever works! 20090810 Dx GeneralAnxietyDisorder & PanicDisorder. Rx Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) 50mg. stable, side effects minor but blurry vision, impotence, others. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5418-ktp-weaning-from-4yrs-50mg-pristiq/ for more details. 20140210 switch Pristiq50mg (can't cut them!) to Effexor (venlafaxine, V) same drug but easier dose reduction (and mfr TEVA's beads are handily ~= 1mg ea). 20140218 125mgV 0309 112mg 0401:100mg, 410:75, 0506:70, 0512:65, 0525:56, 0614:37.5, 0620:30, 0624:27, 0630:26, 0706:24, 0724:22, 0801:20, 0804:19, 0808:18, 0813:17, 0818:16, 0819:15, 0821:13, 0903:12, 0911:11, 0918:10, 0921:9, 0927:8, 1001:6, 1021:5, missed a day?, darn, it was going so well, or so I thought. SEVERE ANXIETY, INSOMNIA. WAY TOO QUICK REDUCTIONS! hindsight: 0813:5%/5days, 0818:6%/5days, 0819:6%/1day, 0821:13%/2days, 0903: 7%/14days, 0911:8%/8days, 0918:9%/7days; 0921:10%/3days, 0927:11%/6days, 1001:25%/3days (still okay!) 1021:16%20days. guideline is 10%/30days = i am a self-diagnosed idiot. 20141103 back to 6mgV, xanax next several days. 1111 insomnia bad, 10mgAmbien slept well. 1112 8mgV no Ambien; miserable. 1113 Ambien+xanax, tough night. 1114 Very Tired. 0.125Xanax, 25mgV at 10, better 10min later. 20141115 37.5mg V +Ambien. miserable month, still insomnia & anxiety. 1214 upped to 75mg V, ate .125Xanax. 1215 37.5mg mornings; force sleep for one week and come back". 20150115 lots of appts lots of chat but we never get to MY agenda = meds discussion. Upping to 47.5mg mornings (no more xanax-, lunesta-forced sleep) but still anxious. PAYING BIGTIME FOR TOO-FAST WEANING in OCTOBER 2014! 20150220 50mg V. 20150330 still anxy each am let's try reducing: 45mg V 1/day mornings. 20150511:42mg, 0611:40, 0626:39, 0710:38, 0717:37, 0731:33, 0813:32, 0915:29, 0927:28, 1004:27, 1015:26, 1101:25, 1116:22mg/day. Still anxiety every morning, this sucks. 20151124 found a shrink who seems to get weaning: 20151125 add 10mg/day Prozac aka fluoxetine F, continue taper V to zero, then taper the F, "easier". 20151203:10mg Prozac=P 19mg V, 1213:10mgP17mgV, daily anx quieter but lurking. 1227:10mgP15mgV, 20160108:10mgP14mgV, 0124:10P13V, 0131:P10,V12. 0215 P10,V11. 0223:P10V10. 0314:P10V9. enjoying relatively quiet brain. 0407 P10V8, 0427P10V7, 0517P10V6, 0611P10V5, 0706P10V4, 0818P10V3, 0921P10V2, 1021P10V1, 20161128Prozac10mgVenlafaxine ZERO, 20170115 still anxious upped Prozac to 20mg/day, better anxiety control... 20190301 finally stable enough to consider weaning again, started skipping one day / week. 20190501 started skipping every 3rd day so 13.3mg/day average. several days long 1/2life must be why the docs think of prozac as 'self-tapering' i think it just means longer time between upsetting the cart and seeing apples all over the road. skipping is bad practice, even with longlife prozac: let's do liquid: 20190902 first day of 13mg via 5ml liquid made from 13 20mg caps in 100ml water. 20190921 12mg same way(7.7%/20days). 20191010 11mg (8.3%/20days) 20191031 10mg (9.1%/20days) 20191124 9mg (10.0%/24 days) 20191213 8.5mg (5.6%/20 days) 20191231 8mg (5.9%/20days) 20200120 hit a wall? going another 20 days at 8mg, just started Lisinopril for hypertension (caused by prozac withdrawal creating less-than-panic-grade anxiety??) and doubled atorvastatin to 40mg. Minimizing changes in general and had a semi-panic 4am 1/20... BP still wild. 20200208 back to 9mg daily anxiety starting about 1/18. 20200212 increase to 10mg prozac cap daily. anxiety still there but clears within hour of drugs. 20200222 still anxy 2 hrs after 10mg, added another 1mg and mucho better. 20200223 11mg early. anxious enough to be glad i can actually sit. will wait another 5 days before adding another milligram. 20200229 12mg prozac still anxious. 20200317 13mgProzac still anxious. 20200610 15mgProzac. bp under control with Losartan50mg (lisinopril cough dictates change) 20201028 10am met w Dr S. to switch back to Venlafaxine XR, "take 10mg prozac + 37mg VenlafaxineXR for a monththen quit prozac." i think i'll taper thanx... 20201116 9am start 10mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin. 20201230 5mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin. 20210124 4mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A. 20210213 3.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210306 3mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A 20210328 2.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210501 2.0mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A;20210519 1.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210607 1.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A. 20210614 1.0mgP,37V,40S, 50L,81A. 20210702 0.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A; 20210728; 0.0mgProzac,37.5Venlafaxine,40Atorvastatin50Losartan,81Aspirin; 20210917 0915am anxiety started about a week after dropping the last 0.5mg of prozac. just took 0.10mg xanax. 20210929 1:28 PM I'm anxious after so carefully weaning off prozac - the last 0.5mg may need to come back?? instead, trying an extra cap of 37.5mg venlafaxine, let's see if there's sudden relief? it seems possible. fingers x'd. not sure but 5 minutes later i think i feel better gawd i hope. 20210930 7am anxious out of bed, took drugs early and oops chewed them. no more drugs 2day. 11:41 AM 10/1/2021 very jagged today, avoiding the shower. took <1/6 of a .5mg xanax and still anxy at noon. 6:59 PM 10/4/2021 2nd or 3rd day of 75mg Venlafaxine met w/ shrink 2day he says i'm doing it right so 20210728 75.0mgVenlafaxine,40Atorvastatin,50Losartan,81Aspirin;10mgCarbidopa-Levodopa; 12/18/2021 112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 3x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa. 20220308 new neurologist, raising CL: 112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 4x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa. possibly need to reduce losartan to avoid fainting. 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Snorky Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 14 minutes ago, ktp said: my General Anxiety Disorder presents with depression, restlessness, anhedonia, and of course general anxiety. the nice thing about Calm is that it doesn't require an Rx and it actually works. not as well as a xanax of course, but quite noticeable and nearly immediate improvement. btw for the sake of just giving it a try, you can buy "individual servings" at the health food store. all the best to you with whatever works! Hi K Thank you for this. Can you tell me a bit more about Calm, Never heard of it. Is it just a supplement (albeit combined) available without prescription? Is it addictive? Do many folk on here use it successfully? 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
ktp Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 many years ago I was introduced to a powdered product called A-to-B CalM where CalM is a mashup of CalciumMagnesium. This intro was by a genuine practicing shrink, same guy who also wrote me Rx for Halcion and Xanax. I mention this to underscore that it's not a quack product. Calm is an over the counter supplement. https://www.google.com/search?q=atob+calm 20090810 Dx GeneralAnxietyDisorder & PanicDisorder. Rx Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) 50mg. stable, side effects minor but blurry vision, impotence, others. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5418-ktp-weaning-from-4yrs-50mg-pristiq/ for more details. 20140210 switch Pristiq50mg (can't cut them!) to Effexor (venlafaxine, V) same drug but easier dose reduction (and mfr TEVA's beads are handily ~= 1mg ea). 20140218 125mgV 0309 112mg 0401:100mg, 410:75, 0506:70, 0512:65, 0525:56, 0614:37.5, 0620:30, 0624:27, 0630:26, 0706:24, 0724:22, 0801:20, 0804:19, 0808:18, 0813:17, 0818:16, 0819:15, 0821:13, 0903:12, 0911:11, 0918:10, 0921:9, 0927:8, 1001:6, 1021:5, missed a day?, darn, it was going so well, or so I thought. SEVERE ANXIETY, INSOMNIA. WAY TOO QUICK REDUCTIONS! hindsight: 0813:5%/5days, 0818:6%/5days, 0819:6%/1day, 0821:13%/2days, 0903: 7%/14days, 0911:8%/8days, 0918:9%/7days; 0921:10%/3days, 0927:11%/6days, 1001:25%/3days (still okay!) 1021:16%20days. guideline is 10%/30days = i am a self-diagnosed idiot. 20141103 back to 6mgV, xanax next several days. 1111 insomnia bad, 10mgAmbien slept well. 1112 8mgV no Ambien; miserable. 1113 Ambien+xanax, tough night. 1114 Very Tired. 0.125Xanax, 25mgV at 10, better 10min later. 20141115 37.5mg V +Ambien. miserable month, still insomnia & anxiety. 1214 upped to 75mg V, ate .125Xanax. 1215 37.5mg mornings; force sleep for one week and come back". 20150115 lots of appts lots of chat but we never get to MY agenda = meds discussion. Upping to 47.5mg mornings (no more xanax-, lunesta-forced sleep) but still anxious. PAYING BIGTIME FOR TOO-FAST WEANING in OCTOBER 2014! 20150220 50mg V. 20150330 still anxy each am let's try reducing: 45mg V 1/day mornings. 20150511:42mg, 0611:40, 0626:39, 0710:38, 0717:37, 0731:33, 0813:32, 0915:29, 0927:28, 1004:27, 1015:26, 1101:25, 1116:22mg/day. Still anxiety every morning, this sucks. 20151124 found a shrink who seems to get weaning: 20151125 add 10mg/day Prozac aka fluoxetine F, continue taper V to zero, then taper the F, "easier". 20151203:10mg Prozac=P 19mg V, 1213:10mgP17mgV, daily anx quieter but lurking. 1227:10mgP15mgV, 20160108:10mgP14mgV, 0124:10P13V, 0131:P10,V12. 0215 P10,V11. 0223:P10V10. 0314:P10V9. enjoying relatively quiet brain. 0407 P10V8, 0427P10V7, 0517P10V6, 0611P10V5, 0706P10V4, 0818P10V3, 0921P10V2, 1021P10V1, 20161128Prozac10mgVenlafaxine ZERO, 20170115 still anxious upped Prozac to 20mg/day, better anxiety control... 20190301 finally stable enough to consider weaning again, started skipping one day / week. 20190501 started skipping every 3rd day so 13.3mg/day average. several days long 1/2life must be why the docs think of prozac as 'self-tapering' i think it just means longer time between upsetting the cart and seeing apples all over the road. skipping is bad practice, even with longlife prozac: let's do liquid: 20190902 first day of 13mg via 5ml liquid made from 13 20mg caps in 100ml water. 20190921 12mg same way(7.7%/20days). 20191010 11mg (8.3%/20days) 20191031 10mg (9.1%/20days) 20191124 9mg (10.0%/24 days) 20191213 8.5mg (5.6%/20 days) 20191231 8mg (5.9%/20days) 20200120 hit a wall? going another 20 days at 8mg, just started Lisinopril for hypertension (caused by prozac withdrawal creating less-than-panic-grade anxiety??) and doubled atorvastatin to 40mg. Minimizing changes in general and had a semi-panic 4am 1/20... BP still wild. 20200208 back to 9mg daily anxiety starting about 1/18. 20200212 increase to 10mg prozac cap daily. anxiety still there but clears within hour of drugs. 20200222 still anxy 2 hrs after 10mg, added another 1mg and mucho better. 20200223 11mg early. anxious enough to be glad i can actually sit. will wait another 5 days before adding another milligram. 20200229 12mg prozac still anxious. 20200317 13mgProzac still anxious. 20200610 15mgProzac. bp under control with Losartan50mg (lisinopril cough dictates change) 20201028 10am met w Dr S. to switch back to Venlafaxine XR, "take 10mg prozac + 37mg VenlafaxineXR for a monththen quit prozac." i think i'll taper thanx... 20201116 9am start 10mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin. 20201230 5mgProzac,37Venlafaxine,40Statin,25Losartan,81Aspirin. 20210124 4mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A. 20210213 3.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210306 3mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A 20210328 2.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210501 2.0mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A;20210519 1.5mgP,37V,40S,25L,81A; 20210607 1.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A. 20210614 1.0mgP,37V,40S, 50L,81A. 20210702 0.5mgP,37V,40S,50L,81A; 20210728; 0.0mgProzac,37.5Venlafaxine,40Atorvastatin50Losartan,81Aspirin; 20210917 0915am anxiety started about a week after dropping the last 0.5mg of prozac. just took 0.10mg xanax. 20210929 1:28 PM I'm anxious after so carefully weaning off prozac - the last 0.5mg may need to come back?? instead, trying an extra cap of 37.5mg venlafaxine, let's see if there's sudden relief? it seems possible. fingers x'd. not sure but 5 minutes later i think i feel better gawd i hope. 20210930 7am anxious out of bed, took drugs early and oops chewed them. no more drugs 2day. 11:41 AM 10/1/2021 very jagged today, avoiding the shower. took <1/6 of a .5mg xanax and still anxy at noon. 6:59 PM 10/4/2021 2nd or 3rd day of 75mg Venlafaxine met w/ shrink 2day he says i'm doing it right so 20210728 75.0mgVenlafaxine,40Atorvastatin,50Losartan,81Aspirin;10mgCarbidopa-Levodopa; 12/18/2021 112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 3x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa. 20220308 new neurologist, raising CL: 112.5mgVenlafaxine, 40Atorvastatin, 50Losartan, 81Aspirin; 0.4mgFlowmax; 4x 25/100mgSinemet aka Carbidopa/Levodopa. possibly need to reduce losartan to avoid fainting. 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Snorky Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 5 minutes ago, ktp said: many years ago I was introduced to a powdered product called A-to-B CalM where CalM is a mashup of CalciumMagnesium. This intro was by a genuine practicing shrink, same guy who also wrote me Rx for Halcion and Xanax. I mention this to underscore that it's not a quack product. Calm is an over the counter supplement. https://www.google.com/search?q=atob+calm Thank you again. Will investigate. 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
Tootles Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Hey Tatty, really feel for you, and i'm personally just over 3 years since quitting CT from Cymbalta and i am experiencing all the things you have and continue to. Existing like this is torture, you are incredibly strong to have made it this far. I just want my life back, being off the medication has caused a total mental breakdown and now close to losing everything. Nothing has got better if anything it's got steadily worse. Again i know this site is not an advocate of reinstatement after such a long time but i would very much appreciate anyone who has tried and had any success to please also PM me? Wishing you every success with your reinstatement! 2005 (aged almost 22) - Prescribed Citalopram 10mg (All of this from the start was whilst smoking Cannabis chronically) 2006 Citalopram 20 mg 2007 Citalopram 40 mg - underwent a craniotomy to remove a large blot clot on my brain, Citalopram stopped cold turkey in hospital, late 2007 - Using Cannabis chronically. Doctor Prescribed 20mg Cymbalta quickly rising to 30mg. 2008 Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 Cymbalta raised to 90mg when needed 2012 -2014 On and off between 60mg and 90 mg depending on how i was feeling (doctors advice to do this) 2014- 2015 approached doctor to stop taking medication i believed was causing issues. (sexual dysfunction, gastro intestinal, hair drastically falling out, heart palpatations, rage and severe irritability, insomnia etc etc) He said take a 60mg one day then a 30mg the next day an alternate for a week, then just take 30mg for another week every day and then stop. 2015 totally off of medication and experienced acute withdrawl, severe crippling anxiety, Tardive Akathesia, life started to fall apart. Link to comment
Tootles Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 On 2/21/2020 at 10:00 AM, Tattyapple said: I had it for 6 years not saying you will too I think I was a extreme example akathesia is always worse in the morning have you tried propranonol it helped a little for me in a smallish dose of 40mg Have you ever tried Benzos on a very short term basis to help kick the Akathesia? Ive read some stuff that it can kick the restlessness and then after the short course some people say it never returned 2005 (aged almost 22) - Prescribed Citalopram 10mg (All of this from the start was whilst smoking Cannabis chronically) 2006 Citalopram 20 mg 2007 Citalopram 40 mg - underwent a craniotomy to remove a large blot clot on my brain, Citalopram stopped cold turkey in hospital, late 2007 - Using Cannabis chronically. Doctor Prescribed 20mg Cymbalta quickly rising to 30mg. 2008 Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 Cymbalta raised to 90mg when needed 2012 -2014 On and off between 60mg and 90 mg depending on how i was feeling (doctors advice to do this) 2014- 2015 approached doctor to stop taking medication i believed was causing issues. (sexual dysfunction, gastro intestinal, hair drastically falling out, heart palpatations, rage and severe irritability, insomnia etc etc) He said take a 60mg one day then a 30mg the next day an alternate for a week, then just take 30mg for another week every day and then stop. 2015 totally off of medication and experienced acute withdrawl, severe crippling anxiety, Tardive Akathesia, life started to fall apart. Link to comment
Rozon1 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Hey @Tootles have you decided on reinstating or you going to stick it out? Example: 2018 - Started Effexor 37.5 in Janurary of 2018 2019 January, 2nd - Cold Turkeyed from Effexor for 3 days. Reinstated on the third day, then stabilized(It took 3 months to stabilize) 2019 June - I switched from Effexor instant release to Extended Release 37.5 for better tapering. I tapered to 50% in 4 weeks before reinstating my dosage back to 37.5(due to withdrawls). I waited 2 months to stabilize but never did at 37.5 2019 September - continued to taper in to 25% on extended release 2019 October - continued to taper to half of the beads(18.75mg)... WIthdrawls were so bad I tried switching back to the instant release at the same dosage(18.75mg) 2019 November 28th - Discontinued effexor at 18.75 without anymore tapering. 2020 January - Just can't sleep, have constipation, low libido and still lack of full emotion Link to comment
Tootles Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Hey @Rozon1....I don't want to resinstate Cymbalta really if i'm honest, i just want the Akathesia to stop! trying to stick it out. I'm so scared of going back to square one and making things worse. Cymbalta not coming in small doses, measuring beads etc all that rubbish it just makes the whole thing so much more painful going through all that. I've considered Prozac as it seems to be the least intrusive, but no i can't decide, been driving myself crazy for the last 2 years as i've GOT to do something, i need things to change i'm close to losing my job, and i've just lost my partner over this now. She can't deal with it anymore. It's the final straw. 2005 (aged almost 22) - Prescribed Citalopram 10mg (All of this from the start was whilst smoking Cannabis chronically) 2006 Citalopram 20 mg 2007 Citalopram 40 mg - underwent a craniotomy to remove a large blot clot on my brain, Citalopram stopped cold turkey in hospital, late 2007 - Using Cannabis chronically. Doctor Prescribed 20mg Cymbalta quickly rising to 30mg. 2008 Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 Cymbalta raised to 90mg when needed 2012 -2014 On and off between 60mg and 90 mg depending on how i was feeling (doctors advice to do this) 2014- 2015 approached doctor to stop taking medication i believed was causing issues. (sexual dysfunction, gastro intestinal, hair drastically falling out, heart palpatations, rage and severe irritability, insomnia etc etc) He said take a 60mg one day then a 30mg the next day an alternate for a week, then just take 30mg for another week every day and then stop. 2015 totally off of medication and experienced acute withdrawl, severe crippling anxiety, Tardive Akathesia, life started to fall apart. Link to comment
Rozon1 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Hey @Tootles I’m 3 months off Effexor and debating on reinstating. I don’t want to do the measuring thing either and all that jazz but I can’t keep going like this Example: 2018 - Started Effexor 37.5 in Janurary of 2018 2019 January, 2nd - Cold Turkeyed from Effexor for 3 days. Reinstated on the third day, then stabilized(It took 3 months to stabilize) 2019 June - I switched from Effexor instant release to Extended Release 37.5 for better tapering. I tapered to 50% in 4 weeks before reinstating my dosage back to 37.5(due to withdrawls). I waited 2 months to stabilize but never did at 37.5 2019 September - continued to taper in to 25% on extended release 2019 October - continued to taper to half of the beads(18.75mg)... WIthdrawls were so bad I tried switching back to the instant release at the same dosage(18.75mg) 2019 November 28th - Discontinued effexor at 18.75 without anymore tapering. 2020 January - Just can't sleep, have constipation, low libido and still lack of full emotion Link to comment
Tootles Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 @Rozon1 I'm 3 years so i think that reinstating is more than risky. However i have read things from people who after that amount of time (years) did go back on AD's and they are infinitely better, obviously only the medication that is making them that way though. If they stop again as we know they'll be back to the hell of withdrawal. At 3 months mate that's about the threshold apparently for successful reinstation according to the expert advice on here. I don't want to be medicated long term anymore but i totally get where you are coming from. It's a total nightmare and i am so much worse than before i started taking AD's. 2005 (aged almost 22) - Prescribed Citalopram 10mg (All of this from the start was whilst smoking Cannabis chronically) 2006 Citalopram 20 mg 2007 Citalopram 40 mg - underwent a craniotomy to remove a large blot clot on my brain, Citalopram stopped cold turkey in hospital, late 2007 - Using Cannabis chronically. Doctor Prescribed 20mg Cymbalta quickly rising to 30mg. 2008 Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 Cymbalta raised to 90mg when needed 2012 -2014 On and off between 60mg and 90 mg depending on how i was feeling (doctors advice to do this) 2014- 2015 approached doctor to stop taking medication i believed was causing issues. (sexual dysfunction, gastro intestinal, hair drastically falling out, heart palpatations, rage and severe irritability, insomnia etc etc) He said take a 60mg one day then a 30mg the next day an alternate for a week, then just take 30mg for another week every day and then stop. 2015 totally off of medication and experienced acute withdrawl, severe crippling anxiety, Tardive Akathesia, life started to fall apart. Link to comment
Rozon1 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 @Tootles Yes, I’m Much like you. I’ve got a lot riding on this and me just patiently waiting for my nervous system to calm down is painful. I read stories like yours(3 years without improvements) and I just can’t scared man. Like I don’t see how this could end? Example: 2018 - Started Effexor 37.5 in Janurary of 2018 2019 January, 2nd - Cold Turkeyed from Effexor for 3 days. Reinstated on the third day, then stabilized(It took 3 months to stabilize) 2019 June - I switched from Effexor instant release to Extended Release 37.5 for better tapering. I tapered to 50% in 4 weeks before reinstating my dosage back to 37.5(due to withdrawls). I waited 2 months to stabilize but never did at 37.5 2019 September - continued to taper in to 25% on extended release 2019 October - continued to taper to half of the beads(18.75mg)... WIthdrawls were so bad I tried switching back to the instant release at the same dosage(18.75mg) 2019 November 28th - Discontinued effexor at 18.75 without anymore tapering. 2020 January - Just can't sleep, have constipation, low libido and still lack of full emotion Link to comment
Tootles Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 The only thing i hold onto is if your brain changed this way that causes all this ****, then it CAN change back. Somehow it must be possible. How long is the problem, and i've had enough. Life is ruined. I am shell of a person but i really dont think going back on Cymbalta only to have to try and get off it again is going to help. I wanna burn BigPharrmas AD devision to the ground given the opportunity. I am so bitter and angry that this has persisted. PAWS is a real thing and much more common than was ever disclosed. And it can clearly last years and years if you're one of the unlucky ones. 2005 (aged almost 22) - Prescribed Citalopram 10mg (All of this from the start was whilst smoking Cannabis chronically) 2006 Citalopram 20 mg 2007 Citalopram 40 mg - underwent a craniotomy to remove a large blot clot on my brain, Citalopram stopped cold turkey in hospital, late 2007 - Using Cannabis chronically. Doctor Prescribed 20mg Cymbalta quickly rising to 30mg. 2008 Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 Cymbalta raised to 90mg when needed 2012 -2014 On and off between 60mg and 90 mg depending on how i was feeling (doctors advice to do this) 2014- 2015 approached doctor to stop taking medication i believed was causing issues. (sexual dysfunction, gastro intestinal, hair drastically falling out, heart palpatations, rage and severe irritability, insomnia etc etc) He said take a 60mg one day then a 30mg the next day an alternate for a week, then just take 30mg for another week every day and then stop. 2015 totally off of medication and experienced acute withdrawl, severe crippling anxiety, Tardive Akathesia, life started to fall apart. Link to comment
Rozon1 Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Hey @Tootles do you wake up with major anxiety everyday. Do you feel like you constantly think about your issues? It’s a tough one. It’s all I think about. Can’t even be a father. It’s ***** man Example: 2018 - Started Effexor 37.5 in Janurary of 2018 2019 January, 2nd - Cold Turkeyed from Effexor for 3 days. Reinstated on the third day, then stabilized(It took 3 months to stabilize) 2019 June - I switched from Effexor instant release to Extended Release 37.5 for better tapering. I tapered to 50% in 4 weeks before reinstating my dosage back to 37.5(due to withdrawls). I waited 2 months to stabilize but never did at 37.5 2019 September - continued to taper in to 25% on extended release 2019 October - continued to taper to half of the beads(18.75mg)... WIthdrawls were so bad I tried switching back to the instant release at the same dosage(18.75mg) 2019 November 28th - Discontinued effexor at 18.75 without anymore tapering. 2020 January - Just can't sleep, have constipation, low libido and still lack of full emotion Link to comment
Tootles Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 I can't sleep, i can't just sit, all my muscles twitch and i throw my body around, pace around constantly when i'm up, can't relax to get anything done yeah constantly think about the restlessness it takes over everything. Get it on my torso, back, legs, arms. Mind races constantly but seemingly not thinking anything?! does that make sense? brain fog. Really Irritable, cry alot and get very emotional, no motivation or ambition anymore. No confidence. So so lost now. Oh dude and you have a family so i get how that must be so painful. Did you honestly feel better on the medication? 2005 (aged almost 22) - Prescribed Citalopram 10mg (All of this from the start was whilst smoking Cannabis chronically) 2006 Citalopram 20 mg 2007 Citalopram 40 mg - underwent a craniotomy to remove a large blot clot on my brain, Citalopram stopped cold turkey in hospital, late 2007 - Using Cannabis chronically. Doctor Prescribed 20mg Cymbalta quickly rising to 30mg. 2008 Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 Cymbalta raised to 90mg when needed 2012 -2014 On and off between 60mg and 90 mg depending on how i was feeling (doctors advice to do this) 2014- 2015 approached doctor to stop taking medication i believed was causing issues. (sexual dysfunction, gastro intestinal, hair drastically falling out, heart palpatations, rage and severe irritability, insomnia etc etc) He said take a 60mg one day then a 30mg the next day an alternate for a week, then just take 30mg for another week every day and then stop. 2015 totally off of medication and experienced acute withdrawl, severe crippling anxiety, Tardive Akathesia, life started to fall apart. Link to comment
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