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How soon do most people experience WD symptoms after a reduction?


sunflower

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Hi,

 

How soon after a reduction can one experience wd symptoms? Can one experience symptoms up to 2-3 months after a reduction?

 

Thank you.

 

Sunflower

1998-2010. Zoloft 100 mgs.

3/2010. Switched to generic Z and began not to feel well.

7/2010. Estrogen patch added which caused severe depression.

8/2010 to 10/2010. Zoloft increased from 100 mgs to 200 mgs., Klonopin .25 mgs in am; .50 mgs pm; Remeron

.25 mgs. added by new doc

1/2011. Began tapering K; last dose of K 7/2011.

11/2011 Began Remeron taper; last dose of R 1/2012 (Tapered K & R by dry cutting)

1/2013 Began tapering Z from 200 mgs to 100 mgs by dry cutting

3/2013. Experiencing wd sx...took break

9/2013. Down to 150 mgs.

2/2014 - Present. 100 mgs Z

1-21-15. Began dry cutting 100 mgs.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

It's pretty variable, and it depends on which drug you're cutting, but there are a couple of rough patterns.

 

First, there are the immediate symptoms, which people experience as the drug level drops, within a few days of the cut. Then there are the symptoms that play out after that as the body adjusts to the change; those can play out and come and go and change over weeks or sometimes months.

 

Second, when people are cutting too often or too fast, there can be a sort of cumulative crash when they've just gotten way too far ahead of their body's ability to adapt, and that can come on fairly suddenly at any point in a taper of pretty much any med.

 

But there's also a pretty common thing with ADs in particular, where people taper or cut and don't have much trouble at first, and they feel like they're doing pretty good, and then they get hit suddenly further out, anywhere from about three months to a year. In that situation the person has been feeling okay but then they just get hit out of the blue, although there's often a stressful event that precipitates it.

 

Hope this answers your question. :-)

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.

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Dear Rhi,

 

Yes it does. Thank you! So happy to see that you are doing well!

1998-2010. Zoloft 100 mgs.

3/2010. Switched to generic Z and began not to feel well.

7/2010. Estrogen patch added which caused severe depression.

8/2010 to 10/2010. Zoloft increased from 100 mgs to 200 mgs., Klonopin .25 mgs in am; .50 mgs pm; Remeron

.25 mgs. added by new doc

1/2011. Began tapering K; last dose of K 7/2011.

11/2011 Began Remeron taper; last dose of R 1/2012 (Tapered K & R by dry cutting)

1/2013 Began tapering Z from 200 mgs to 100 mgs by dry cutting

3/2013. Experiencing wd sx...took break

9/2013. Down to 150 mgs.

2/2014 - Present. 100 mgs Z

1-21-15. Began dry cutting 100 mgs.

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  • 5 years later...
On 1/21/2015 at 7:07 AM, Rhiannon said:

É bastante variável e depende de qual medicamento você está tomando, mas existem alguns padrões aproximados.

 

Primeiro, existem os sintomas imediatos, que as pessoas experimentam à medida que o nível da droga cai, poucos dias após o corte. Depois, há os sintomas que surgem depois disso, à medida que o corpo se ajusta à mudança; aqueles podem jogar e ir e vir e mudar ao longo de semanas ou às vezes meses.

 

Segundo, quando as pessoas estão cortando com muita frequência ou rapidez, pode haver uma espécie de acidente cumulativo quando ficam muito à frente da capacidade de adaptação do corpo, e isso pode acontecer repentinamente em qualquer ponto do cone. de praticamente qualquer med.

 

Mas também há uma coisa bastante comum com os anúncios em particular, onde as pessoas diminuem ou cortam e não têm muitos problemas no começo, e sentem que estão indo muito bem e são atingidas repentinamente mais longe, em qualquer lugar três meses a um ano. Nessa situação, a pessoa está se sentindo bem, mas é atingida do nada, embora geralmente ocorra um evento estressante que a precipita.

 

espero que isso responda sua pergunta. 🙂

 

but what to do if I am suddenly hit in the middle of withdrawal

 

Edited by ChessieCat
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2013  paroxetina aprazolam
2014 paroxetina,buspirona
2015 nortripitilina
2018 nortripitina
2019 nortripitilina  fevereiro redução gradual 

2020 nortripitilina 75 mg

2021 nortripitilina 30 mg 

2022 nortripitina 15 mg

2023 nortripitilina  fevereiro 1,75 mg atual 2,25 mg 
 

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  • 8 months later...

Thank you for your feedback, @Rhiannon.

 

What should we do if/when withdrawal symptoms occur? I've seen where people have increased the prescription dosage slightly if/when the symptoms persist. And I've seen where people "gutted it out." And I'm sure there are other options. 

 

Is tapering done differently for AD than a non-AD? For example, I'm weaning off Lithium (I think this is a non-AD) now and praying to wean off Bupropion (AD) without too much pain next. 

 

And is the tapering process always the same (ie. 10% reduction every month) regardless of AD, dosage and time (three-months or 30-years) on the prescription?

 

I apologize if these questions are in the wrong topic. 

Celexa: 2002-2014, 20mg; 2014 0 mg (converted to Lexapro);

Lexapro/Escitalopram: 2014 - 2020, 20mg; 01/01/2021, 0 mg; 05/11/2021, 20 mg; 06/20/2021, 15 mg; 07/20/2021, 10 mg; 08/20/2021, 5 mg; 10/01/2021, 4 mg; 0 mg;
Zoloft/Sertraline: 06/01/2020, 50 mg; 08/10/2021, 0 mg;
Amitriptyline: 07/10/2020, 20 mg; 07/14/2020, 0 mg;
Trazodone: 07/14/2020, 50 mg; 08/06/2020, 0 mg;
Temazapam: 08/10/2020, 15 mg; 08/11/2020, 0 mg;
Seroquel/Quetiapine: 10/15/2020, 200 mg; 04/11/2021, 150 mg; 05/09/2021, 100 mg; 05/23/2021, 50 mg; 06/06/2021, 25 mg; 06/20/2021, 12.5 mg; 07/20/2021, 0 mg;
Paxil/Paroxitine: 10/17/2020, 40 mg; 10/18/2020, 0 mg;
Wellbutrin/Bupropion: 10/21/2020, 75 mg; 10/24/2020, 150 mg; 11/18/2020, 300 mg; 04/11/2021, 200 mg; 04/25/2021, 100 mg; 05/09/2021, 0 mg;
Lithium: 12/02/2020, 300 mg; 12/15/2020, 600 mg; 12/28/2020, 900 mg; 01/27/2021, 600 mg; 02/10/2021, 300 mg; 02/24/2021, 150 mg; 03/10/21, 0 mg;

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Mentor

Hey, wondering if people have had experiences of WD Symptoms months after a reduction... or some story here to read about someone... thank you!4

- Escitalopram 10mg from ages 15 - 21

- Severe crash after 4 month taper to 0

- Reinstated, stabilized, slowly tapering.

 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." - Hellen Keller

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.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

@Yesyes123

 

I've responded to your question posted in another topic:

 

1 minute ago, ChessieCat said:

 

This might happen, if nothing else has changed, if a drug has reached tolerance, also known as poop out or tachyphylaxis, which can happen after a person has been taking a drug for an extended time and it loses its effectiveness.  When this happens the doctor may increase the dose and the person starts to feel improvement then after some more time the same thing happens.  See:

 

tolerance-or-poop-out-or-tachyphylaxis

 

and

 

Tachyphylaxis, Reaching Tolerance or as It's Lovingly Known “Poop-Out”

 

Generally withdrawal symptoms after a reduction show up during the first 1 or 2 weeks after the dose is lowered and then they start to reduce.  Tolerance to a drug generally happens gradually over time and one sign that it is tolerance might be that when a reduction is made a person starts to feel better but the longer they hold then the symptoms start to worsen.

 

* 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

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Mentor

Hi, has anyone here experienced WD symptoms that only started months after a reduction?

 

Beeing absolutely symptom free for +1 month and then starting to have symptons only then, from that reduction?

- Escitalopram 10mg from ages 15 - 21

- Severe crash after 4 month taper to 0

- Reinstated, stabilized, slowly tapering.

 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." - Hellen Keller

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.

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@Yesyes123

When that happens it is a good idea to not assume that it is directly related to the reduction.

 

It's a good idea to be your own detective and consider what other thing/s happened at, around or leading up to the time that the symptoms increased.

 

Things to consider:  alcohol, late nights, going out, loud music, bright lights, playing lots of games on the computer or similar, watching movies with a lot of excitement/suspense/tension, different food/s, caffeine, external stress (job, financial etc), change/loss of job, relationship issues, death of a person or pet, moving, holidays/travel (even good stress can have an effect), change in routine, sickness, antibiotics, supplements started or stopped, exercise.

* 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

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  • Mentor

Thanks so much for the kind response @ChessieCat.

 

The thing is, when I started fast tapering last year and after stopping Lexapro, I was actually fine and with minimal symptoms for around 2-3 months.

 

Now, I'm sure fast tapering and stopping the drug is a very different thing than reducing the dose by small increments. 

 

I'm just worried that since I had that experience of being almost symptom free for months and then crashing extremely hard from stopping the drug, the pattern of symptoms from reducing the dose might follow a similar timeline.

 

Like, reducing it and only starting to get hit with terrible symptoms 1 month or more later, like it happened when I CT'd.

 

So, in your view, if I make a reduction and have no symptoms at all after 1 month on the lower dose, it means that reduction did not cause any problems? 

 

Also, when I crashed last year, I had absolutely nothing else wrong in my life, it was 100% withdrawal from the drug.

 

What do you think about this @Gridley?

- Escitalopram 10mg from ages 15 - 21

- Severe crash after 4 month taper to 0

- Reinstated, stabilized, slowly tapering.

 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." - Hellen Keller

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.

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@Yesyes123

 

Please discuss your own situation in your Introduction topic.  That way your history is in one place, it means you do not have to repeat yourself and it keeps the general topics "on topic".

* 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

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3 hours ago, Yesyes123 said:

 

So, in your view, if I make a reduction and have no symptoms at all after 1 month on the lower dose, it means that reduction did not cause any problems? 

 

I'm sorry, I don't know.   Withdrawal symptoms can be delayed and the time frame can differ from person to person.  One month would seem to be indicative that the drop was well-tolerated, but that's just my opinion based on my Lexapro taper which involved a 2-week hold, so the parallels with your situation aren't the same.  I do know that there were certain dosages where symptoms showed up after the 4-week taper and I had to hold longer and other dosages where I was able to proceed.  So it's going to vary.

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.

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  • 1 month later...
  • Moderator Emeritus
On 3/29/2021 at 11:07 AM, Yesyes123 said:

 

 

Like, reducing it and only starting to get hit with terrible symptoms 1 month or more later, like it happened when I CT'd.

 

So, in your view, if I make a reduction and have no symptoms at all after 1 month on the lower dose, it means that reduction did not cause any problems? 

 

 

This is actually my typical pattern for every bout of withdrawal off of SSRIs that I have had. There are acute symptoms, and then things seem okay, and then I get hit hard about two months out. I've seen a lot of other people have a similar pattern. I don't think it's that unusual. The timing can vary.

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.

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The first time i stoped paxil the withdrawal was severe after 3 days.

The 2nd time i experienced brainzap after 3 days and severe symptoms after 3 week.

The third time is the same as 2nd time except i feel normal for about one week before severe symptoms start again.

2020-8...Prescribe Paxil 20mg.
2020-9. Diagnosed with schizophrineha and prescribe olanzabine 5mg.(stop paxil) and i almost go crazy and back to paxil 20mg with olanzapine 5mg.
2020-11..stop paxil again and hell broke loose again and diagnosed with bipolar and prescribe olanzapine 10mg and lamotrigine and back to paxil 20mg.
2021-2..quit olanzapine and lamotrigine and start tapring paxil. 10mg.
2021-3..tapring paxil 5mg..
2021-4..quit paxil..
2021-5..feeling not good and reinstated to 10mg.

2022-1...off Paxil 1.5 mg dose

2023-4...Relapse due to toothache, i did not take paxil

2023-5.. Symptoms improved.

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  • Mentor
11 hours ago, Rhiannon said:

This is actually my typical pattern for every bout of withdrawal off of SSRIs that I have had. There are acute symptoms, and then things seem okay, and then I get hit hard about two months out. I've seen a lot of other people have a similar pattern. I don't think it's that unusual. The timing can vary.

 

Thank you so much. I am a huge fan of yours. All you say on this website is so precise and valuable. Thank you.

- Escitalopram 10mg from ages 15 - 21

- Severe crash after 4 month taper to 0

- Reinstated, stabilized, slowly tapering.

 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." - Hellen Keller

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.

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