Dauntless: not dauntless at all

[Dauntless]

Hi there, I just came to this site after reading a few comments elsewhere directing those in need of help to come here.

My name is Dauntless, a reference to the way I wish I could be feeling.

I am 18 years of age & have been taking 200mg of pristiq for depression since about 1/4 way through 2012, after taking st johns wort for a short period of time when diagnosed earlier that year.

I'm currently suffering from incredibly severe withdrawal symptoms after tapering down as directed by my doctor- 200 mg to 100mg for two weeks then 50 for two weeks and now nothing at all, starting in early december.

I am can barely remember details about the process or anything much at all for that matter, and have been experiencing pretty much every single symptom imaginable over the last few days.

Particularly, I have been incredibly easily enraged and irritable toward things that would usually not bother me, crying uncontrollably over even the slightest mishaps(such as typos or misclicking things)which happens every 5-10 minutes, unable to sit up due to head spins and mild head zaps and dizziness, sensitivity to all light, strong and regular suicidal thoughts, mild panic attacks, insomnia, feeling hopeless and fatigued, much, much more depressed than ever before to the point where it's borderline crippling, finding it hard to concentrate & am anxious as well- none of these symptoms had I ever experienced before.

After doing a fair bit of reading I've managed to only depress myself further as I've found that with many people these symptoms won't dissipate for months.

My doctor gave me a script for some other med to take shortly after tapering off pristiq the name of which I have forgotten but I don't want to have to rely on antidepressants any more or suffer through this process twice so I have not filled the script and dont plan on doing so.

Is there any sort of light at the end of this tunnel? Its unbearable living like this and I wish I could just stop existing.

If anyone could give me some help I would really appreciate it, whether it be natural remedies for how I'm feeling, advice or words of encouragement.

Thankyou

[ten0275]

dauntless, hi. i am really sorry to hear you are experiencing the very typical symptoms of withdrawal. despite your suffering, you sound like you have a good grasp on what is happening to you. i'm sure a moderator will be along soon to welcome you also. i just wanted to say hello and to also say that i was where you are suffering-wise about 2 years ago and i have improved by leaps and bounds. patience is a hardwon ally, but your most valuable one. healing happens. hang in there.

 

dave

[Ever]

Hi Dauntless, I'll bump this up - the moderators may have missed it.   Hang in there.

[mammaP]

Hi Dauntless, welcome to SA. I'm sorry that you are suffering so badly, sadly your story is not unusual here, these drugs are terrible to get off and cause misery for many people.  When did you take the last dose? And did you feel any withdrawal symptoms when tapering?  The only way to stop the withdrawal is to reinstate the drug, stabilise then taper slowly. No one EVER wants to do this, not a single one of us have wanted to reinstate but it can make a difference quite quickly. 

 

Here is a link to the topic on reinstating. ( The dose you would reinstate at depends on how long you have been off .)

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3079-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-stop-withdrawal-symptoms/

 

What is withdrawal syndrome http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/603-what-is-withdrawal-syndrome/

 

Sadly your doctor didn't have a clue about tapering AD's, here is how we recommend tapering pristiq, you could follow this 

method if you decide to reinstate  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/876-tips-for-tapering-off-pristiq-desvenlafaxine/

[Songbird]

Since you have not been off for long, it may be a good idea to reinstate and wait to stabilise.  (Reinstatement is most likely to work when only off the drug for a short time, the more time passes, the less likely it is to work.)  It's hard to say what is the best dose to reinstate at, you may not need to go all the way back to 200mg, maybe try 100mg or 150mg.  Whatever you choose, be sure to take the same dose each day.  Some people feel relief very quickly, but for many it can take several weeks to feel significant improvement, so don't despair if you don't feel better straight away, be patient.  Once stable you can begin a much slower taper, as mammaP has recommended above.

[Dauntless]

I don't understand, if I can't cold turkey, I can't alternate doses and I can't cut up the pill due to time release coating, what can I do?

I really can't handle this and I know if I go back to my doctor she will reinstate or perhaps come up with something equally ludacris. I just want to be put in a coma until it stops hurting me.

[xlmplmplmp]

Hang in there, Dauntless! Your plight is real but you will pull through with time!

[Dauntless]

I have to start back at tafe at the end of the month too, no idea how that's going to work seeing as these symptoms are only getting worse & my course involves sitting at a computer doing repetitive tasks for up to 9hrs a day.

I'm considering not reenrolling and instead just taking the year off. I don't want my studies impacted by this.

I just wish there was some way to get clear cut answers.

Like if I start back on the 50mg will that mean this week of suffering was in vain?

Will I have to wait longer for it to even kick in?

Why did my psych ever think that this was a good idea?

Who in their right mind would think that this drug or any like it could do more good than harm?

[Dauntless]

What do I do?

[Songbird]

I don't understand, if I can't cold turkey, I can't alternate doses and I can't cut up the pill due to time release coating, what can I do?

I really can't handle this and I know if I go back to my doctor she will reinstate or perhaps come up with something equally ludacris.

At this point, reinstating is your best option. The time release coatings can make tapering difficult, but don't worry about that for now, we can help you figure out how to taper later, once you've restabilised. The important thing now is to get stable again by taking the same daily dose.

 

Like if I start back on the 50mg will that mean this week of suffering was in vain?

Will I have to wait longer for it to even kick in?

Why did my psych ever think that this was a good idea?

A week of suffering is nothing compared to what can happen with a cold turkey withdrawal. Not trying to scare you, but problems from c/t can continue for months or years. That is why it is a good idea to reinstate if at all possible, and the sooner the better, as the longer you wait, the less likely it is to work.

 

Your psych thought it was a good idea because most doctors are misinformed about withdrawal and don't understand the need for slow tapering. When withdrawal hits, they tell people it is a 'relapse' or return of their original condition and offer reinstatement or switches to other ADs or addition of other meds such as anti-psychotics and mood stabilisers. 

 

Your body has got used to Pristiq over a couple of years and that is what it wants.  The sooner you restart it, the sooner it will kick in and the sooner you will restabilise.  It can take several weeks to feel significant improvement, although some people begin to feel better within a few days, sorry we can't give a precise timeframe.

[Dauntless]

Back at 50mg, feeling significantly better.

Periodic headaches that force me to go to bed and a fair bit of lightheadedness are all that's happening now.

I hope to try to correctly taper after visiting a doctor who knows their stuff.

Thank you all

<3

[mammaP]

Glad you are feeling better Dauntless. Maybe you could see Dr Purssey who is in Australia and on our list of recommended doctors.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/page__view__findpost__p__47108

[Dauntless]

Five years on I am back to bump this thread with a question.. are there any solutions yet? I have been on 50mg since this incident and still suffer withdrawal symptoms as soon as two days without taking pristiq. Have asked a doctor for 25mg but apparently that doesn't exist in Australia? Anyone know someone perhaps in the sydney/central coast area who understands this awful drug?

[Gridley]

6 hours ago, Dauntless said:

Anyone know someone perhaps in the sydney/central coast area who understands this awful drug?

 

ChessieCat, one of our moderators, lives in Sydney and has tapered Pristiq from a high dose down very close to zero using a compounding pharmacy.  She is about as expert as you could want with respect to tapering Pristiq. @ChessieCat

[ChessieCat]

Hi Dauntless and welcome back,

 

25mg is not available in Australia.  It is not the pharmaceutical company (I have contacted them about this) but the TGA who have made that ruling.  I am disgusted that it isn't available because the tablet is not supposed to be cut.  But I digress.

 

Yes, it can be compounded.  The lowest dose my compounder will make is 0.125mg.  Smaller doses can be made but it becomes expensive.  You need to request slow release formula to be added.  He will also used different coloured capsules if you wish.  I found this helpful.  Even though they are required to label the bottle with use by 6 months after "manufacture" of the capsules, I have been using them for many months after with no issues.  I've already got my capsules made up for the rest of my taper, which will end in about 12 months.

 

I'm fairly certain that my compounding pharmacist told me that they will send them in the mail.  This is my taper doses and holds:

 

First part of taper

 

Last part of taper

 

When I got to 10mg I started to dose twice a day, taking the smaller amount at night so that if I experienced withdrawal symptoms that it would be whilst I was asleep.

 

However, because I felt so bad at the start of my taper, I may not have recognised that I was experiencing interdose withdrawal when I was only taking my capsule dose once a day in the morning.  In hindsight I should have been split dosing after I got lower than 50mg.