Post-withdrawal nervous system hypersensitivity, hyper-reactivity and kindling

[Kozak70]

i have a long story  of 07 years with kindling ,and hypersesitivity , at the begining i ignored that it was all about the adverse reactions & too late reinstatement that i have done in 2012 !i kept taking prozac 20 mg wich i was on for 10 years (2001-2011),my psychiatrist said that i have to keep eating it & it will kick in in few days as in the past ,i beleived him however every day i was experiencing worse adverse raection to it i told him what was hapening to me but he didnt beleive in kindling or neurotoxicity or anything else ,for him the drugs were safe all of them !i was not knowing or discovred this best website SA ,wich i found it 5 years later ,& when i read topics & discovered files on here ,it help me a lot !so i was damaging my brain over 6 years after 2012 ,during them i have uped ,lowed,gone back & forth ,cold turkyed went through serotonin syndrome ,panic attacks , switched to lexparo for a short period  too! i have also went through a horrific protracted withdrawals with hundreds of uncredible symptoms every day , later in 2017 i learned all from this wonderful site that i have to taper slowly & that the antidepressants are no longer the answer for me !so i started tapering 5 mg of lexapro  for 01 year & last summer i was off of it (august 2018) i was verry sick during the adverse reactions & kindling years almost 06 years in 2018 ,after that i was stabilized a bit (symptoms were present 24/7) three months later (december 2018) withdrawals started to rise again & hit stronger ,i said that i wont reinstate ,i said no it wont help ,i did it before & i was damaged a lot (two decades 1997-2018),this time i wont take back an SSRIs  or a Benzo ! i lived through a hell every day ,there was not an other way , this last week i have experienced an other symptom wich was a pain brains,& pain /burning itching behind my neck & down to my back! wich lasted 7 days ! i was eating every thing had a lot of issues ,but now that i read this posts i ll avoid a lot of things ,i need Diet ,i steel experiencing withdrawals at 7 months off but its too early to heal, i know that it will take several months or maye be years ,is there some advices about alternatives or a Diet programm ?what shall i avoid? as you know i m hypersensible to every thing ,light,noise,some foods, hearing music,dark places, i do feel bad in winter, feeling cold,sweating, these are the a part of symptoms the others onces are the known withdrawals symptoms ! physical & psychological ! thank you

[JB1234]

On 2/21/2012 at 11:17 AM, Altostrata said:

squirrel, I combined your new topic with our other topics on hypersensitivity.

 

I can say my own hypersensitivity has decreased.

 

- I am now no longer hypersensitive to sound. For me, this took perhaps a year.

 

- My light sensitivity decreased greatly, but being on the computer past 8 p.m. still affects my sleep (too much light at the wrong time of day).

 

- I don't have dizziness when standing for some time anymore. I can handle crowded stores (for a while, then I feel overloaded).

 

- My heat sensitivity has diminished greatly.

 

- I can eat just about anything now. I am no longer hypersensitive to some foods. My digestion and bowel movements (previously diarrhea-like) have become normal.

 

I still am careful about herbal tea; I drink very weak tea. Various supplements don't have a noticeable effect -- except for B vitamins, they're still too strong.

 

- I haven't tried caffeine yet -- I used to love a nice strong cuppa tea every day -- I'm afraid it will affect my sleep. But I am eating a little chocolate now and then, not too late in the day, and enjoying it. It used to be too stimulating for me.

Hi @Altostrata I’ve been reading your posts recent and past. They are very helpful. Could you perhaps direct me to info on dizziness and vertigo info from previous posts please? 

[Longroadhome]

On 3/20/2017 at 8:30 PM, Daisies24 said:

Hi everyone. I was just wondering if I could ask, for those who are hypersensitive to medications, herbs, and supplements now, what exactly are your symptoms, and secondly, which drug did you withdraw from?

 

It seems like I am reading a higher correlation of hypersensitivity to supplements, etc. for people who were on Prozac, though I know it can be a problem for any type of antidepressant. I also haven’t seen many people who seem to share my specific symptoms of hypersensitivity such as extreme itching, hives, rashes, head and ear pain and pressure, chest tightness, lung pain, puffy face, etc. I am just wondering if there is anyone else out there with similar symptoms?

 

Thanks for any responses; any information is greatly appreciated!

Hi daisy 

just read this thread and I have exactly the same symptoms as you 

hives skin rash stomach problems lung pain and extreme itching

how is yours now what did you take for it and did you have the symptoms every day ?

thank you 

[Kozak70]

i m 18 months Off ,and kindled since 2012 when i reinstated prozac wich i was on for 10 years ,i had adverse reactions then i cold turkyed it & gone back to it again till i started experiencing very bad withdrawals every time ech time was much more Hell i experienced strange symptoms that i have never had before (i was doing well while on the drug 2001-2011) the kindling worsened when i aswitched to Lexapro in 2016 & i was unable to stay on it ! so i stoped it quicly (fast taper) but i was already damaged ,now i found that my brain is hypersensitive to everything even food i have devlopped candida ,IBs,anhedonia,PSSD, depression & anxiety with fibromyalgia as well i think i have to fellow a Diet :no sugar,no gluten,no milk  ,feeling cold & tired 24/7 , i hope that i will heal with time & even omega3 fish oil are makin my withdrawals worse .

i m 18 months Off ,and kindled since 2012 when i reinstated prozac wich i was on for 10 years ,i had adverse reactions then i cold turkyed it & gone back to it again till i started experiencing very bad withdrawals every time ech time was much more Hell i experienced strange symptoms that i have never had before (i was doing well while on the drug 2001-2011) the kindling worsened when i aswitched to Lexapro in 2016 & i was unable to stay on it ! so i stoped it quicly (fast taper) but i was already damaged ,now i found that my brain is hypersensitive to everything even food i have devlopped candida ,IBs,anhedonia,PSSD, depression & anxiety with fibromyalgia as well i think i have to fellow a Diet :no sugar,no gluten,no milk  ,feeling cold & tired 24/7 , i hope that i will heal with time & even omega3 fish oil are makin my withdrawals worse .

[Junglechicken]

On 5/25/2011 at 9:16 PM, Neuroplastic said:

Hypersensitivity was mind-blowing in early WD for me, Stan. It's gotten better, and it will be getting better. I still can't tolerate too much light, all the everyday sounds are very often too much to take, but the progress, though slow, is there. Dizziness, vertigo and others are caused to a great extend by an over-stimulation. What you're experiencing is WD. I know that you know all of this, but telling yourself those bizzare feelings are just temporary helps a lot.

 

Just a little bit more. It will be improving. Please, remind me, how many months off you're now?

 

I've been ultra sensitive to light for the past 5 yrs (since taking ADs).

 

I shower in the dark all year round (yup even in winter), and all lights in the house have to be dimmed or off.

 

During the summer I have to wear sunglasses all the time when outside.

 

High pitched screaming (i.e by kids), is unbearable.

 

No let up on either of the above, and I am 19 months off Lexapro.

 

 

 

 

 

[AdviceNeeded]

Hello community,

 

Is a kindling reaction basically the same as any adverse drug reaction? For example, if you have a regular ADR, you’re likely sensitised to drugs and/or other substances for a while? 
 

I could be overthinking it but am not sure I’ve fully grasped the concept.

 

[AdviceNeeded]

Hello again community,

 

Still pondering the kindling reaction here.

 

Looking around the web and at some stories on here, it looks like jumping doses erratically, or coming off and later going back on too high, all have some similar effects. There seems to be a general wholly uncomfortable reaction, the specifics of which vary, alongside some other, more universal symptoms. These being the ‘activating’ symptoms, including raised heart rate, insomnia, anxiety and the like. 
 

Could it be that immediate ADRs, dose jumping and unsuccessful reinstatement shock the body, putting into flight or flight mode? And that that this then takes a fair old while to calm down? I’m thinking it could account, to some degree, for hypersensitivity.

 

I could be way of the mark here and am certain more intelligent brains than mine have pondered this on SA. I’m just trying to gain an understanding.

 

Would love to hear any comments and/or corrections.

[AdviceNeeded]

Still thinking about kindling... I’m obsessed. I think I seem to believe that if I can understand it I’ll be better placed to find a way out (which is most likely time, stability and patience).

 

So... kindling is a sensitised (dysregulated) system reacting to a stimulus. The more sensitised the system and the larger the stimulus, the greater the reaction. In a similar way, some people are initially more sensitive (possibly due to emotional turmoil, recent alcohol use, etc) hence start up symptoms that fade (for some) as the CNS acclimatises. 
 

This ties in with withdrawal effects. A system which is stable on the drug becomes unstable as the drug is removed, hence discomfort and sensitivity to previously tolerated substances. Once the system stabilises, discomfort ceases and tolerance returns. 
 

So, the ‘alerting’ needs to have a physiological basis, which could be noradrenaline, possibly underpinned by excessive glutamate activity. This could be what results in excessive sympathetic nervous system activation.

 

So, could it be possible that calming the CNS through activities such as meditation, and correct supplementation (where tolerated) could help  move the body towards a parasympathetic state and aid healing? Possibly also reducing hypersensitivity?

 

I’ve heard of mould exposure triggering hypersensitivity, could this be a similar mechanism to kindling? The body viewing a drug as a toxin in much the same way it can with other substances such as mould, pesticides, etc?

 

I’m just thinking out loud, I’m guessing it’s okay to post this kind of stuff. I’m not looking to influence anyone, just to get a better understanding.

 

Looking through the success stories there definitely seems to be a number of folks who’ve experienced some hefty destabilisation through polydrugging (another source of kindling?) and gone on to heal. So healing looks to be a workable homeostasis... which should be as close as possible to the pre-drug state (possibly better if the pre-drug state led to drug use in the first place). And we need to remember that homeostasis was always a fluid state to begin with.

 

The main factors for healing appear to be stability and time. There’s examples of stability being achieved during super slow tapers with smooth jump offs, and stability arising months to years after a cold turkey or rapid taper. Factors influencing the time taken to achieve stability and a workable homeostasis seem to include the extent of the dysregulation (polydrugging, CTs, ADRs, etc), age and level of self care.

 

 

[Jilla]

I withdrew from Paxil way too fast and have been having horrible post acute withdrawals. I believe I am also histamine intolerant have been trying to follow a low histamine diet. When my PAW’s was misdiagnosed as a relapse, I was put of Duloxitine 60mg. That also messes with histamine.  Has anyone tapered off of an antidepressant while in the midst of withdrawals from another? Don’t know if this would be a good idea or bad idea. Thanks!