Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 14, 2019 23 hours ago, Gridley said: Andy, I wish you the best. You definitely win the still-carrying-on-with-life award. Thanks, Gridley. I don't feel like I've "won" much of anything the past several years, but I appreciate the kind words. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted January 14, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 14, 2019 23 hours ago, Martina23 said: Andy thank you for your explanation, it helped me a lot 🙂 Glad to clarify, Martina. 23 hours ago, Martina23 said: I wish you today a good today's nights sleep of at least ten hours (but hopefully you will not then miss the work :-)) I had to settle for 6+ which is better than a lot of nights. Working from home due to snow so I could have slept later had my body/brain let me. Thanks for your wishes. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Frogie Posted January 21, 2019 Moderator Share Posted January 21, 2019 Hi: Just wondering how you are doing? Hope you caught a window. I didn’t read your thread. i did read you were going to have hip surgery. I don’t know when but I really wish you the best. Thank you for all your help. I’ll still need it though, so don’t go anywhere lol... Keep warm. We are under a Blizzard Warning, only up to 4” of snow, but 50mph winds, Take care, Frogie xx PREVIOUS medications and discontinuations: Have been on medications since 1996. Valium, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Prilosec and Zantac from 2000 to 2015 with a fast taper by a psychiatrist. Liquid Lexapro Nov, 2016 to 31-March, 2019 Lexapro free!!! (total Lexapro taper was 4 years-started with pill form) ---CURRENT MEDICATIONS:Supplements:Milk Thistle, Metamucil, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Levothyroxine 25mcg, Vitamin C, Krill oil. Xanax 1mg 3x day June, 2000 to 19-September, 2020 Went from .150 grams (average weight of 1 Xanax) 3x day to .003 grams 3x day. April 1, 2021 went back on 1mg a day. Started tapering May 19, 2023. July 28, 2023-approximately .87mg. Dr. fast tapered me at the end and realized he messed up. Prescribe it again and I am doing "slower than a turtle" taper. 19-September, 2020 Xanax free!!! (total Xanax taper was 15-1/2 months-1-June, 2019-19-September, 2020) I am not a medical professional. The suggestions I make are based on personal experience. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted January 21, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 21, 2019 10 minutes ago, Frogie said: Just wondering how you are doing? Thanks for checking in, Frogie. No great windows but I'm hanging in there. Some good days and some not so good days. Time, time and more time. 11 minutes ago, Frogie said: Thank you for all your help. I’ll still need it though, so don’t go anywhere lol... My pleasure. Not going anywhere. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Frogie Posted January 21, 2019 Moderator Share Posted January 21, 2019 1 minute ago, apace41 said: Thanks for checking in, Frogie. No great windows but I'm hanging in there. Some good days and some not so good days. Time, time and more time. My pleasure. Not going anywhere. Best, Andy Glad to hear you are a “little” better. Remember what a mess I was when you took me on? It will be 3 years when I’m done with the Lexapro, can’t belive it. I’m glad you aren’t going anywhere, I’m going to need you I’m sure. I drop again at the end of the month😊 Take care, Frogie xx PREVIOUS medications and discontinuations: Have been on medications since 1996. Valium, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Prilosec and Zantac from 2000 to 2015 with a fast taper by a psychiatrist. Liquid Lexapro Nov, 2016 to 31-March, 2019 Lexapro free!!! (total Lexapro taper was 4 years-started with pill form) ---CURRENT MEDICATIONS:Supplements:Milk Thistle, Metamucil, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Levothyroxine 25mcg, Vitamin C, Krill oil. Xanax 1mg 3x day June, 2000 to 19-September, 2020 Went from .150 grams (average weight of 1 Xanax) 3x day to .003 grams 3x day. April 1, 2021 went back on 1mg a day. Started tapering May 19, 2023. July 28, 2023-approximately .87mg. Dr. fast tapered me at the end and realized he messed up. Prescribe it again and I am doing "slower than a turtle" taper. 19-September, 2020 Xanax free!!! (total Xanax taper was 15-1/2 months-1-June, 2019-19-September, 2020) I am not a medical professional. The suggestions I make are based on personal experience. Link to comment
Martina23 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Andy, I am sure you will see healing. You dont see it because I think the drug has adverse effect on you. So it is very possible that you dont see windows because drug changes as a side effect your brain chemistry and therefore you feel anxious and depressed. It must not have anything to do with you. If you want to taper slowly, it's ok, just taper slowly, I guess when you are totally off drug you will find you are ok and that you are not anxious at all. 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted January 30, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, Martina23 said: Andy, I am sure you will see healing. You dont see it because I think the drug has adverse effect on you. So it is very possible that you dont see windows because drug changes as a side effect your brain chemistry and therefore you feel anxious and depressed. It must not have anything to do with you. If you want to taper slowly, it's ok, just taper slowly, I guess when you are totally off drug you will find you are ok and that you are not anxious at all. Thanks, Martina. Your comment incorporates what is, for me at least, the most critical of all issues, i.e., do we heal as we reduce the medicine or do we need to be off the medicine to heal? This is a subject of incredible amounts of debate, especially on the benzo forums. My personal belief has always been that over time, so long as you have reduced enough of the med to "trigger" the upregulation of previously downregulated receptors (serotonin in the case of the SSRI and GABA in the case of the benzo), you "should" start to see healing take place. The idea of a slow taper is to try to match the reduction with the upregulation so as to minimize symptoms along the way. Hence, if one had a way to "know" the speed of upregulation one could theoretically match the taper to the speed of upregulation and do a microtaper that had virtually no symptoms. Of course, as we know, this is FAR more complicated than that and if one is having an adverse reaction to the med (even a minor one) the whole theory goes out the window. I've been holding since mid-November on 1/2 of a 25mg pill of Sertraline, largely because I got sick and tired of measuring the liquid like I was back in high school chemistry class! I love the convenience of breaking the tablet and taking half and moving on with my day (as a cross check, I did that with like 10 of the pills and weighed them to make sure the 2 sides where it was scored were roughly equal and I was surprised and pleased to see it was VERY close). I had hoped that the roughly 20% updose from 10.6 to 12.5mg would improve my symptoms but no such luck. If I haven't seen improvement in the next couple of months I will most likely resume my taper as I can't see updosing further. So, we shall see. I remain thankful that I am functional enough to continue working and performing well at my job. It would be nice to be happy, sleep and enjoy life a little, but, hey, I can't be greedy can I? Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Martina23 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Andy, I think that we heal on the way because when I first jumped off drugs I got terrible intrusive thoughts - really unbelievable. I reinstated half of a dose and managed to taper off first in 8 months. And when I got off I realized that the intrusive thoughts were maybe 1/3 of that how they were after jumping first time. So I believe that you heal on the way. It is just that drug makes you feel other (even if it doesnt hurt you in small amounts, you heal under it, you just dont know it, because there is foreign element in the brain. So I didnt mean it bad. You dont have to worry. You heal under the drug, I think however that how much you really healed you will see really reliably when you are off the drug because then you wouldnt have even these mood swings they come mostly from the drug (or by me it was like that) 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted January 30, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 30, 2019 Thanks, Martina! Very helpful and glad you have seen some improvements. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Martina23 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 Andy how are you? 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
powerback Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 On 1/30/2019 at 7:50 PM, apace41 said: Thanks, Martina. Your comment incorporates what is, for me at least, the most critical of all issues, i.e., do we heal as we reduce the medicine or do we need to be off the medicine to heal? This is a subject of incredible amounts of debate, especially on the benzo forums. My personal belief has always been that over time, so long as you have reduced enough of the med to "trigger" the upregulation of previously downregulated receptors (serotonin in the case of the SSRI and GABA in the case of the benzo), you "should" start to see healing take place. The idea of a slow taper is to try to match the reduction with the upregulation so as to minimize symptoms along the way. Hence, if one had a way to "know" the speed of upregulation one could theoretically match the taper to the speed of upregulation and do a microtaper that had virtually no symptoms. Of course, as we know, this is FAR more complicated than that and if one is having an adverse reaction to the med (even a minor one) the whole theory goes out the window. I've been holding since mid-November on 1/2 of a 25mg pill of Sertraline, largely because I got sick and tired of measuring the liquid like I was back in high school chemistry class! I love the convenience of breaking the tablet and taking half and moving on with my day (as a cross check, I did that with like 10 of the pills and weighed them to make sure the 2 sides where it was scored were roughly equal and I was surprised and pleased to see it was VERY close). I had hoped that the roughly 20% updose from 10.6 to 12.5mg would improve my symptoms but no such luck. If I haven't seen improvement in the next couple of months I will most likely resume my taper as I can't see updosing further. So, we shall see. I remain thankful that I am functional enough to continue working and performing well at my job. It would be nice to be happy, sleep and enjoy life a little, but, hey, I can't be greedy can I? Best, Andy Maybe its time for some RNR Andy ,your doing a lot . total respect mate ,I get overwhelmed just looking at yous mods 😣🙂🙏. Alcohol free since February 2015 1MG diazepam 4.5MG PROZAC. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted February 12, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Martina23 said: Andy how are you? Pretty much the same, Martina. Groundhog Day I suppose. Biggest issues tend to be dizziness (24/7) and depersonalization, along with disordered sleep. I'm back to the 5+ hours a night as opposed to the zero or very little so I'm grateful for that. I think my CNS has been severely hyperstimulated and it's going to take some time and patience before it starts to return to some level of normal. The challenge is what PB notes in his post: 1 hour ago, powerback said: Maybe its time for some RNR Andy ,your doing a lot . total respect mate ,I get overwhelmed just looking at yous mods 😣🙂🙏. I do a lot of it to myself but I'm trying to continue to live my life through the withdrawal recovery process. I say this having left work at 2:15PM yesterday to drive to New York to have dinner with 5 of my high school buddies. Best friends I have in the world and in the long run I think the positive of connecting with them and the sense of being alive that it gives me is worth the short term suffering as I am now back in my office having left NY at 7 in the morning and arriving in my office at 11AM. Obviously, not the best thing for ones nervous system but, as I said, to me it was worth it to spend those 3+ hours with them. So, while I continue to struggle I also am mindful that I can still do a lot but that I pay the price for what I do more than I ever did before in my life. I recognize the need to pick and choose the things I do in this regard, and I also need to not be surprised and upset when my body responds to this 24 hour period with some protestations. Thanks for your thoughts -- both of you. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Martina23 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 7 minutes ago, apace41 said: Pretty much the same, Martina. Groundhog Day I suppose. Biggest issues tend to be dizziness (24/7) and depersonalization, along with disordered sleep. I'm back to the 5+ hours a night as opposed to the zero or very little so I'm grateful for that. I think my CNS has been severely hyperstimulated and it's going to take some time and patience before it starts to return to some level of normal. The challenge is what PB notes in his post: I do a lot of it to myself but I'm trying to continue to live my life through the withdrawal recovery process. I say this having left work at 2:15PM yesterday to drive to New York to have dinner with 5 of my high school buddies. Best friends I have in the world and in the long run I think the positive of connecting with them and the sense of being alive that it gives me is worth the short term suffering as I am now back in my office having left NY at 7 in the morning and arriving in my office at 11AM. Obviously, not the best thing for ones nervous system but, as I said, to me it was worth it to spend those 3+ hours with them. So, while I continue to struggle I also am mindful that I can still do a lot but that I pay the price for what I do more than I ever did before in my life. I recognize the need to pick and choose the things I do in this regard, and I also need to not be surprised and upset when my body responds to this 24 hour period with some protestations. Thanks for your thoughts -- both of you. Best, Andy Oh Andy, I thought you were from Washington but if it took you only 4 hours to New York than you must be somewhere nearer. Or is it with airplane so close? I also love New York. 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted February 12, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 12, 2019 3 minutes ago, Martina23 said: Oh Andy, I thought you were from Washington but if it took you only 4 hours to New York than you must be somewhere nearer. Or is it with airplane so close? I also love New York. I AM from Washington and it's 4 hours with no real traffic and no real stops and, well, driving pretty fast. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Frogie Posted February 12, 2019 Moderator Share Posted February 12, 2019 2 minutes ago, apace41 said: I AM from Washington and it's 4 hours with no real traffic and no real stops and, well, driving pretty fast. Best, Andy You’re too funny lol...😊 PREVIOUS medications and discontinuations: Have been on medications since 1996. Valium, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Prilosec and Zantac from 2000 to 2015 with a fast taper by a psychiatrist. Liquid Lexapro Nov, 2016 to 31-March, 2019 Lexapro free!!! (total Lexapro taper was 4 years-started with pill form) ---CURRENT MEDICATIONS:Supplements:Milk Thistle, Metamucil, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Levothyroxine 25mcg, Vitamin C, Krill oil. Xanax 1mg 3x day June, 2000 to 19-September, 2020 Went from .150 grams (average weight of 1 Xanax) 3x day to .003 grams 3x day. April 1, 2021 went back on 1mg a day. Started tapering May 19, 2023. July 28, 2023-approximately .87mg. Dr. fast tapered me at the end and realized he messed up. Prescribe it again and I am doing "slower than a turtle" taper. 19-September, 2020 Xanax free!!! (total Xanax taper was 15-1/2 months-1-June, 2019-19-September, 2020) I am not a medical professional. The suggestions I make are based on personal experience. Link to comment
Martina23 Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 5 minutes ago, apace41 said: I AM from Washington and it's 4 hours with no real traffic and no real stops and, well, driving pretty fast. Best, Andy Really, Andy. I checked on google maps. I think, my knowledge of geography is pretty bad. 05/2013 Lyrica 100 mg / per day for pain + PGAD resulting from caesarian delivery11/2014 started to taper: 50 mg per day/ for one week then c/tafter one month reinstated at 50 mg /per days of 10 July 2015 drug free- symptoms OCD Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted February 12, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 12, 2019 I'd have made it faster but for the crappy weather in both directions. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
bubbles Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 Glad you had a nice time with your friends and hope you get a good night's sleep tonight. I can't imagine driving into New York - I hope it was only to the outskirts!! I'd have a nervous breakdown driving in Manhattan. 2005 St John's Wort / 2006-2012 Lexapro 20mg, 2 failed attempts to stop, tapered over 4.5 months in early 2012 January 2013 started Sertraline, over time worked up to 100mg July 2014 Sertraline dropped from 100mg to 75mg, held for six months, slower tapering until 2019 22 Dec 3.2mg 2020 Sertraline 19 Jan 3.1mg, 26 Jan 3.0mg; 1 Mar 2.9, 7 Mar 2.8, May (some drops here) 24 May 2.5, May 29 2.4, June 21 2.3, June 28 2.2mg, July 4 2.1mg, July 24 (or maybe a bit before) 2mg, early Nov switched to home made suspension; 29 Nov 1.8mg; approx 25 Dec 1.6mg) 2021 Some time in about Jan/Feb realised probably on more like 1.8mg and poss mixing error in making suspension; doses after 10 Feb accurate; 10 Feb 1.6mg; 7 Mar 1.4, continued monthly 10% drops until 1mg, then dropped 0.1mg monthly. May 2022,0.1mg, now dropping 0.01mg per week 29 August 2022 - first day of zero! My thread here at SA: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1775-bubbles/page/21/ Current: Armour Thyroid Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus bubble Posted February 13, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 13, 2019 Just stopped to see how you are doing and enjoy your writing and sense of humour. Have nothing to add except that I hope you start feeling improvement. I also believe rest is key. And can totally relate to how connecting with friends adds the necessary juices to our lives and are worth the sacrifice. Do you overall feel any better in warmer parts of the year (that's definitely the case with me...). Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2 2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013) Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg. 2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days afterreinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours 28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr 2015 1 mg, 25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64 Xanax 9 month hold 24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26 Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted February 13, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 13, 2019 13 hours ago, bubbles said: Glad you had a nice time with your friends and hope you get a good night's sleep tonight. I can't imagine driving into New York - I hope it was only to the outskirts!! I'd have a nervous breakdown driving in Manhattan. Thanks for the well wishes, Bubble. So happy with how well you are doing on your taper! My sleep was like it usually is -- broken and not long enough, but it was better than zero! I love driving in NY. It's kind of a sport. Definitely not something you can do if you are not in a position to be aggressive if need be. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted February 13, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 13, 2019 7 hours ago, bubble said: Just stopped to see how you are doing and enjoy your writing and sense of humour. Aw, thanks Bubble. Nice to see BOTH of my "bubbly" friends checking in on me. As I've often said, if I can't maintain some sense of humor through this ridiculous process, I'd certainly go mad. 7 hours ago, bubble said: I also believe rest is key. I think the core of the symptoms in most cases is a severe disruption and perturbation of the central nervous system. Rest is one of the only things that can help that. 7 hours ago, bubble said: And can totally relate to how connecting with friends adds the necessary juices to our lives and are worth the sacrifice. That was certainly the thought. I can't say that during my 3 hour dinner I totally forgot about withdrawal, my symptoms, etc., but I was able to lose myself a little which has to be good. 7 hours ago, bubble said: Do you overall feel any better in warmer parts of the year (that's definitely the case with me...). I think that's true for most people. When it's warmer we are outside more, get more vitamin D, reset our circadian rhythms more easily, etc. I don't hate the cold but I think the spring/summer is better for me. Hope you are doing well, Bubble. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
bubbles Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 10 hours ago, apace41 said: I love driving in NY. It's kind of a sport. Definitely not something you can do if you are not in a position to be aggressive if need be. LOL. Happy for you. Not my kind of sport! Quote Nice to see BOTH of my "bubbly" friends checking in on me. I have no idea why I picked that name, all those years ago. I think it seemed optimistic. Quote 17 hours ago, bubble said: Do you overall feel any better in warmer parts of the year (that's definitely the case with me...). I think that's true for most people. When it's warmer we are outside more, get more vitamin D, reset our circadian rhythms more easily, etc. I don't hate the cold but I think the spring/summer is better for me. Not for me, but I live in a hot climate where I'm often uncomfortable in summer and end up hiding out indoors under a fan. I usually have some energy in winter. I lived somewhere cooler, I'd probably agree. 2005 St John's Wort / 2006-2012 Lexapro 20mg, 2 failed attempts to stop, tapered over 4.5 months in early 2012 January 2013 started Sertraline, over time worked up to 100mg July 2014 Sertraline dropped from 100mg to 75mg, held for six months, slower tapering until 2019 22 Dec 3.2mg 2020 Sertraline 19 Jan 3.1mg, 26 Jan 3.0mg; 1 Mar 2.9, 7 Mar 2.8, May (some drops here) 24 May 2.5, May 29 2.4, June 21 2.3, June 28 2.2mg, July 4 2.1mg, July 24 (or maybe a bit before) 2mg, early Nov switched to home made suspension; 29 Nov 1.8mg; approx 25 Dec 1.6mg) 2021 Some time in about Jan/Feb realised probably on more like 1.8mg and poss mixing error in making suspension; doses after 10 Feb accurate; 10 Feb 1.6mg; 7 Mar 1.4, continued monthly 10% drops until 1mg, then dropped 0.1mg monthly. May 2022,0.1mg, now dropping 0.01mg per week 29 August 2022 - first day of zero! My thread here at SA: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1775-bubbles/page/21/ Current: Armour Thyroid Link to comment
bubbles Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 If I lived... 2005 St John's Wort / 2006-2012 Lexapro 20mg, 2 failed attempts to stop, tapered over 4.5 months in early 2012 January 2013 started Sertraline, over time worked up to 100mg July 2014 Sertraline dropped from 100mg to 75mg, held for six months, slower tapering until 2019 22 Dec 3.2mg 2020 Sertraline 19 Jan 3.1mg, 26 Jan 3.0mg; 1 Mar 2.9, 7 Mar 2.8, May (some drops here) 24 May 2.5, May 29 2.4, June 21 2.3, June 28 2.2mg, July 4 2.1mg, July 24 (or maybe a bit before) 2mg, early Nov switched to home made suspension; 29 Nov 1.8mg; approx 25 Dec 1.6mg) 2021 Some time in about Jan/Feb realised probably on more like 1.8mg and poss mixing error in making suspension; doses after 10 Feb accurate; 10 Feb 1.6mg; 7 Mar 1.4, continued monthly 10% drops until 1mg, then dropped 0.1mg monthly. May 2022,0.1mg, now dropping 0.01mg per week 29 August 2022 - first day of zero! My thread here at SA: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1775-bubbles/page/21/ Current: Armour Thyroid Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Carmie Posted April 5, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 Hi Andy, I just saw on another thread you have had an operation. Just wanted to wish you all the best in your recovery.💚 Seroquel. 2019:➡️ From 7.25mg to 5.80mg✔️ 2020➡️From 5.60 to 4.80✔️ 2021➡️From 4.60 to 4.0✔️ 2022➡️From 3.95 to 3.55✔️2023➡️ Jan 26=3.50✔️March 17=3.45✔️ June12=3.40✔️ July30=3.35✔️ Sep14=3.30✔️ Oct31=3.25✔️ 2024➡️Jan15=3.20✔️ Feb19=3.15✔️ March26=3.10✔️This is NOT medical advice.Consult your doctor. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted April 5, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 5 hours ago, Carmie said: I just saw on another thread you have had an operation. Just wanted to wish you all the best in your recovery.💚 Thanks, Carmie! Very sweet of you. Yes, a week ago today I had bilateral hip replacement surgery, i.e., both hips replaced at the same time. It's been pretty remarkable in terms of the technology and recovery as they did the latest approach, direct anterior replacement which is the most targeted approach and allows the fastest recovery. I was up walking with my walker at pretty normal speed the morning after surgery and have progressed over the week to the point where I am walking very well and using the walker as a guide (to avoid falls) as opposed to needing it for support. If you'd have told me I'd be this far along in a week I'd have said you were crazy. There is, of course, still a lot of swelling and bruising at the sites which leads to some stiffness, etc., but that is all manageable. I stopped pain meds the day after surgery and am only taking a couple of Tylenol here and there. It's frankly pretty hard to believe. As you would expect, it's impacted me in terms of my nervous system and withdrawal and I had a couple of pretty rocky days with high anxiety, but I'm starting (I hope) to level out and had a much better day yesterday and so far today. Anyway, it's a process and it will be a while for full recovery, but I'm moving forward. Thanks for your care and concern. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Junglechicken Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Andy, Likewise, wishing you a very speedy recovery with minimal WD trouble! It’s great that you’re on your way to much improved mobility. You’ll be the bionic man 😄 TC, JC Dose History: 19 Feb 2014 - Escitalopram 10mg daily June 2015 - Started taper, 5mg every other day July 2015 - 5mg every 2 days August 2015 - 5mg every 3 days September 2015 - 5mg every 4 days Sept 14th - Completed tapering, but at 7 weeks "drug free" I suffered serious WD symptoms as a consequence of "incorrect" tapering. Nov 25 2015 - Re-instated Cipralex @ 2.5mg daily. WD symptoms faded. Held at this dose and experienced "windows and waves". 12 Oct 2017 Reduced dose to 1.25mg. 13 Mar 2018 Reduced dose to 0.625mg (approx.). 16 April 2018 0mg. Windows and waves triggered by stress (IBS/reflux, headaches, sinus issues) Aug 2019 Mirena coil fitted 6 Jan 2020 MAJOR Wave hit 19 months following last dose (protracted WD). Symptoms listed below Mar 2020 Mirena coil removal. Therapy: Nov 15th 2016 Re-started therapy Jan 19th 2017 Started CBT Dec 2017 Started listening to Hypnotherapy CD (self-esteem). Nov 2019 Started couples therapy. Supplements: "Bioglan" Biotic Balance Ultimate Flora 10 billion CFU, live Bacteria, Probiotic, suitable for Vegetarians, with Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium Longum. "Pukka" Vitalise a unique blend of 30 energising botanicals. Diet: 16 April 2018 Detox cleanse / anti-candida for 90 days. Jan 2020 Started "small plate" diet (i.e child size portions). Exercise: Stretching, Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, Elliptical/upper body workout, walking. Medical Test Results: 4 Jan 2017 Homeopathic Treatment starts 24 Feb 2017 Started weight loss program 24 Mar 2017 Naturopathic Treatment + anti-Candida diet started due to suspected Candida Related Complex (CRC). DETOXED for 7 weeks to "re-set" gut. April 2017 "Genova Diagnostics" Comprehensive Stool Analysis NEGATIVE; Full Blood Count (Normal) / Blood Cholesterol: 5.6 (Borderline) / Blood Sugar (Normal) / 28 Jun 2017 FSH 8.2 / 14 Nov 2017 FSH 17.7 Dec 2017 Blood Cholesterol: 3.9 (Normal) / Kidney Function (Normal) / Blood Sugar (Normal). December 2017 "Genova Diagnostics" Food panel allergy (bloodwork) analysis - a few "VERY LOW/VL" allergens; Mar 2018 "Genova Diagnostics" SIBO urine analysis: High Level of Yeast/fungal markers found in small intestine but NO SIBO. April 2018 Thyroid (Normal) / Full Blood Count (Normal) / FSH (Normal). 16 April 2018 Started anti-Candida diet - 3 month protocol. 25 March 2020 All test results "Normal". CRP" 5 mg/L (normal range to 0-5 mg/L). Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms, anxiety, anhedonia, sinus headaches right-side (severe), IBS issues/reflux (severe)**, tinnitus, fatigue, inner tremor, nausea, chills/hot flushes, pounding heart, muscular issues including stiff left hip flexor, intense anger, PSSD (ongoing). **Histhamine intolerance (suspected). Major Life Events: Re-located to UK from Canada: Jan 2016 My father died: 5:05pm, Monday 5 Feb 2018 Last Lexapro dose: 16 April 2018 (its now been over a year since I quit ADs) Moved house: Friday 23rd February 2018 "Divorced" toxic Mother: Monday 26 March 2018 Starting working again: 19 November 2018 Diagnosed with: 5th August 2021 PTSD/C-PTSD Diagnosed with: March 2022 Interstitial Cystitis (IC)/Painful bladder syndrome Link to comment
powerback Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Happy hiking to you Andy with the new hips . Take care. Alcohol free since February 2015 1MG diazepam 4.5MG PROZAC. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted April 5, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 28 minutes ago, Junglechicken said: Likewise, wishing you a very speedy recovery with minimal WD trouble! It’s great that you’re on your way to much improved mobility. You’ll be the bionic man 😄 LOL, JC. Trying to go slow and not push too hard. Not my strong suit. Thanks for you thoughts. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted April 5, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 6 minutes ago, powerback said: Happy hiking to you Andy with the new hips . Take care. Thanks, PB. I appreciate your visit. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Frogie Posted April 5, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 5, 2019 Hi Andy: You told me you were having the surgery. I didn’t say anything because I figured you would say something if you wanted people to know. I’m really glad you are doing so well. That’s remarkable the technology now days. I hope you have a great recovery and you will definitely feel better once it’s over with. Again, thanks for being there for me even through your surgery. Take care, Frogie xx PREVIOUS medications and discontinuations: Have been on medications since 1996. Valium, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Prilosec and Zantac from 2000 to 2015 with a fast taper by a psychiatrist. Liquid Lexapro Nov, 2016 to 31-March, 2019 Lexapro free!!! (total Lexapro taper was 4 years-started with pill form) ---CURRENT MEDICATIONS:Supplements:Milk Thistle, Metamucil, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Levothyroxine 25mcg, Vitamin C, Krill oil. Xanax 1mg 3x day June, 2000 to 19-September, 2020 Went from .150 grams (average weight of 1 Xanax) 3x day to .003 grams 3x day. April 1, 2021 went back on 1mg a day. Started tapering May 19, 2023. July 28, 2023-approximately .87mg. Dr. fast tapered me at the end and realized he messed up. Prescribe it again and I am doing "slower than a turtle" taper. 19-September, 2020 Xanax free!!! (total Xanax taper was 15-1/2 months-1-June, 2019-19-September, 2020) I am not a medical professional. The suggestions I make are based on personal experience. Link to comment
wantrelief Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Hi Andy, I am so glad you are doing really well in your recovery post-surgery - that is incredible you were already up and walking at a normal pace the day after! Sorry about the high anxiety but happy to hear you are hopefully leveling out now. I am wishing you all the best in your recovery! -1/06 - 3/07 Cymbalta. Fast taper (essentially CT); withdrawal symptoms after 4 mos (didn't realize was WD) -10/07: 100 mg Zoloft; 1 mg Klonopin - tapered off Klonopin after 4 mos. Several unsuccessful slow tapers of Zoloft; went up and down in dose a lot -Spring 2013 back on 1 mg Klonopin to counter WD symptoms; switched over 5-6 mos from Zoloft to 35 mg citalopram -Two attempts at slow tapering citalopram, always increased dose due to WD; also increased Klonopin to 1.25 mg in 2014, then to 1.5 mg in 2015 -8/17-9/17: After holding one year at 20 mg, feeling withdrawal symptoms due to stress - slowly increased to 25 mg. No change in symptoms after 6 months (? tolerance ?) - decided to start citalopram taper February 2018 (still on Klonopin 1.5 mg). Supplements: fish oil; magnesium; vitamin D3; curcumin Citalopram taper: 2/2018 - 12/2019: 25 mg - 11.03 mg I 2020: 10.89 mg - 7.9 mg I 2021: 7.8 mg - 5.26 mg I 2022: 5.2 mg - 3.36 mg I 2023: 3.3 mg - 1.47 mg 2024: 1/5/24: 1.44 mg; 1/19/24: 1.40 mg; 1/26/24: 1.37 mg; 2/2/24: 1.34 mg; 2/9/24: 1.31 mg; 2/23/24: 1.28 mg; 3/1/24: 1.25 mg; 3/8/24: 1.22 mg; 3/15/24: 1.19 mg; 3/29/24: 1.17 mg; 4/5/24: 1.14 mg; 4/13/24: 1.11 mg; 4/20/24: 1.09 mg Link to comment
Mentor RachelSusan Posted April 5, 2019 Mentor Share Posted April 5, 2019 Andy, Happy Hips to you. I had one hip done January 2018. It was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had done both at the same time and gotten it over with. Wait until you are completely recovered. You will be amazed at how good you feel. Congrats!!!! I am not a health professional in any way. I do not give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner. NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20, 575 to 500 (13%), Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg Medications: Gabapentin, Prednisone 1.5mg a day, Cortisol Inhaler daily. HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER Feb. 2016 to June 2016 - Was on 150mg Zoloft. Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June 2016, reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016. From July 2016 to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper. STARTING SENSIBLE ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE Dec. 10 2016 - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg. Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mg. Feb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%). Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg. May 9, 2020 1.375 mg. June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%). July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%). August 15, 2020 1.0 mg. Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg. Nov. 28, 2020 .75mg. Jan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%). Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg. May 1, 2021 .375mg. May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg. October 2, 2021 .043mg. October 10, 2021 .038mg. October 23, 2021 .035mg. October 30, 2021 .032mg. Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg. Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg. Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted April 5, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 17 minutes ago, Frogie said: I didn’t say anything because I figured you would say something if you wanted people to know. Again, thanks for being there for me even through your surgery. I appreciate that, Frogie. Im so pleased with where you are in your journey. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Frogie Posted April 5, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 5, 2019 Just now, apace41 said: I appreciate that, Frogie. Im so pleased with where you are in your journey. Best, Andy Thanks: I never would have been here like this without your help. Happy recovery. You’re doing wonderful it sounds 😊 Take care, Frogie xx PREVIOUS medications and discontinuations: Have been on medications since 1996. Valium, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Prilosec and Zantac from 2000 to 2015 with a fast taper by a psychiatrist. Liquid Lexapro Nov, 2016 to 31-March, 2019 Lexapro free!!! (total Lexapro taper was 4 years-started with pill form) ---CURRENT MEDICATIONS:Supplements:Milk Thistle, Metamucil, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Levothyroxine 25mcg, Vitamin C, Krill oil. Xanax 1mg 3x day June, 2000 to 19-September, 2020 Went from .150 grams (average weight of 1 Xanax) 3x day to .003 grams 3x day. April 1, 2021 went back on 1mg a day. Started tapering May 19, 2023. July 28, 2023-approximately .87mg. Dr. fast tapered me at the end and realized he messed up. Prescribe it again and I am doing "slower than a turtle" taper. 19-September, 2020 Xanax free!!! (total Xanax taper was 15-1/2 months-1-June, 2019-19-September, 2020) I am not a medical professional. The suggestions I make are based on personal experience. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted April 5, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 14 minutes ago, wantrelief said: I am wishing you all the best in your recovery! Thanks, WR! Much appreciated. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted April 5, 2019 Author Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 5, 2019 6 minutes ago, RachelSusan said: Andy, Happy Hips to you. I had one hip done January 2018. It was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had done both at the same time and gotten it over with. Wait until you are completely recovered. You will be amazed at how good you feel. Congrats!!!! I’ve heard only good things, RS. Thanks for confirming. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
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