Dina Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I have reinstated twice at low doses. Unfortunately, none of the RIs worked for me, they made me feel worse, but because of the low doses when i stopped them (2 days and 7 days respectively) i went back to feeling the old very bad but not as bad as the RIs. I am in a better place now, actually ;o) Dina - on pp in 2014 Lexapro for 6 years. Stopped September 2013. details: 10 mg - jan 2007- sep 2009. 2 month taper = CT aug.-sep.2009. HUGE crush nov. 2009. 5 mg dec 2009. 10 mg 2010 My first real taper from 10 mh to 3 mg - all 2011. november 2011 - crush. back to 10 mg till may 2012. My second taper taper from 10 to 0 mg jun 2012 - sep 2013. nov 2013 - crush. I think my crush is because i have jumped from 1 mg lex to 0 in sep 2013. Lex is a very powerful drug. NEVER jump from 1 mg to 0. TAPER IT IN TENTHS OF MG, PLEASE. I had 10 months of SEVERE withdrawal. moderate to mild now. better ! Not taking any drugs now. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus dalsaan Posted February 20, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 20, 2015 Hi Dina, Welcome to SA. Because this is your first post I have moved it to the intro section. Everyone has their own thread in the intro section that you can go back to time and again to ask questions, seek support, detail what's happening for you etc ... Can I ask that you complete your signature so that we have a better sense of your drug history. Instructions on how to do that are here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ I'm glad you are in a better place now. If you have residual symptoms have a look through our symptoms forum. There is lots of info on non drug ways of managing the stuff that comes up in WD. Dalsaan Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist. Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014. Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September. Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015. Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15). Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past. DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017 >My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted February 20, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 20, 2015 Hi Dina , welcome. How long ago did you last take something? It would be great if you could provide a little more detail. Good to have you here , Fresh 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
Dina Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Hi Fresh and Dalsaan, oh, ok, - i see. That first post was to contribute to a different conversation but i will take some time later on to write an intro here. Dalsaan, could i ask you, just for later on, when i write a proper intro would you please be able to put it as my first post in this thread ? Fresh, i am 16 months off lexapro. In this time i have made 2 attempts to RI (of 1 week each, on very low doses) but i could not carry on with any of them and have realized the AD train has left me and i have to deal with moods in other ways. Talk later, D Lexapro for 6 years. Stopped September 2013. details: 10 mg - jan 2007- sep 2009. 2 month taper = CT aug.-sep.2009. HUGE crush nov. 2009. 5 mg dec 2009. 10 mg 2010 My first real taper from 10 mh to 3 mg - all 2011. november 2011 - crush. back to 10 mg till may 2012. My second taper taper from 10 to 0 mg jun 2012 - sep 2013. nov 2013 - crush. I think my crush is because i have jumped from 1 mg lex to 0 in sep 2013. Lex is a very powerful drug. NEVER jump from 1 mg to 0. TAPER IT IN TENTHS OF MG, PLEASE. I had 10 months of SEVERE withdrawal. moderate to mild now. better ! Not taking any drugs now. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted February 22, 2015 Administrator Share Posted February 22, 2015 Welcome, Dina. Don't worry, you can go into greater detail in a post you add to this topic. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Dina Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Hi All, i would like to present myself. I am Dina and am here because of having spent 6 years on lexapro. It was prescribed to me for depression and anxiety, which i have developped soon after a lengthy hormonal and antibiotics treatment. I have soon realised that if i was discontinuing lexapro i would feel even worse than the very reason i have started it. After my first real taper of 1 year i had to go back on lexapro, things got very bad. Then i thought that i would do a slightly longer taper and would take B vitamins in parallel. This time, at the end of my taper, was still feeling ok. WD hit 2 months later. And things got as bad as before. But i did not go back on the drug. Well, i had 2 attempts of 1 week to reinstate at small v doses but each time i woud get akathisia (a very very bad inner restlessness). This got me to fin paxil progress which helped encourage me not to re-instate. I went through 10 months of ongoing withdrawal torment. With the very ocasional day off hehe. Well, am 16 months off. I have times when i am completely fine again. But if something stresses me, then it doesn't go away soon like it happens for the normal people. It can take weeks for me to stabilise back. Things are like this at the moment anyway. I hold a part time job now. Was not able to work at all during the severe wd. Anyone with a similar experience? Lexapro for 6 years. Stopped September 2013. details: 10 mg - jan 2007- sep 2009. 2 month taper = CT aug.-sep.2009. HUGE crush nov. 2009. 5 mg dec 2009. 10 mg 2010 My first real taper from 10 mh to 3 mg - all 2011. november 2011 - crush. back to 10 mg till may 2012. My second taper taper from 10 to 0 mg jun 2012 - sep 2013. nov 2013 - crush. I think my crush is because i have jumped from 1 mg lex to 0 in sep 2013. Lex is a very powerful drug. NEVER jump from 1 mg to 0. TAPER IT IN TENTHS OF MG, PLEASE. I had 10 months of SEVERE withdrawal. moderate to mild now. better ! Not taking any drugs now. Link to comment
Canadiangirl Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 You are doing very well. I am 10 months off of lexapro and starting to feel alittle better but still crappy. I wanna go back to work part time but I can't right now. It gives me hope hopefully by the end of the yr I might be able to work again too. I started ssris around 2000 sorry I cant remember exactly everything and when but i will try Paxil from about 2000-2004 from 10 mg right up to 40 mg felt like it wasnt working THen I have been on Celexa from 2004-2007, then well butrin and abilify was thrown in somewhere up until 2010 tried to c/t off celexa a few times could do it.. went on Cymbalta from about 2010-2012 then had gastric bypass surgery so i wasnt absorbing it very well 2012-2014 went back to celexa then slowing between july 2013 and april 2014 weaned about 1 mg a month last dose taken was April 2014 And havent really felt that bad at all.. until recently 9 months out and wanted to start college i think this sent me into a wave...i suffered 2 strokes in the small part of my brain in around 2010 but they arent exactly sure when by the time we found them. I had c/t off my meds at that time and was given a triple dose of birth control pill to take for a few months ( so we think that could have caused them).. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted March 3, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 3, 2015 Welcome Dina, I'm also in withdrawal from Lexapro, like you, when I stopped taking it, I felt ok for 2 -3 months, but then started to get symptoms, but I didn't know it was withdrawal and.... well, things just got worse for me from then on because I started trying other drugs to fix it. But I'm happy to read that you are slowly improving now and that you are able to work part time. Here is the link to our symptoms and self care section, you may find some useful ideas to help manage symptoms as you continue to recover. Especially read the topics pinned at the top. Please feel free to write whenever you want, you will find a lot of friendly help and support here. Petunia. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Dina Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hi Canadiangirl. At 10 months off i only started to feel a bit better. So it's supposed to improve. i started work at 11 months off, but my first months in work were not very productive, Part time anyway... Petunia, i will defo look into the symptoms and self care, i really need to be reminded about ways to , well, at least, not get worse again. Can you tolerate caffeine and other things you could not tolerate in the beginning? I started to tolerate caffeine. in very small quantities. It comes in the form of white tea. It improves my mood and motivation in windows but makes me anxious in waves, when i try to avoid white tea again. And the oil-based supplements ? Lexapro for 6 years. Stopped September 2013. details: 10 mg - jan 2007- sep 2009. 2 month taper = CT aug.-sep.2009. HUGE crush nov. 2009. 5 mg dec 2009. 10 mg 2010 My first real taper from 10 mh to 3 mg - all 2011. november 2011 - crush. back to 10 mg till may 2012. My second taper taper from 10 to 0 mg jun 2012 - sep 2013. nov 2013 - crush. I think my crush is because i have jumped from 1 mg lex to 0 in sep 2013. Lex is a very powerful drug. NEVER jump from 1 mg to 0. TAPER IT IN TENTHS OF MG, PLEASE. I had 10 months of SEVERE withdrawal. moderate to mild now. better ! Not taking any drugs now. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted May 1, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 1, 2015 How are you doing Dina? 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
westcoast Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I second Fresh's query. 2009: Cancer hospital said I had adjustment disorder because I thought they were doing it wrong. Their headshrinker prescribed Effexor, and my life set on a new course. I didn't know what was ahead, like a passenger on Disneyland's Matterhorn, smiling and waving as it climbs...clink, clink, clink. 2010: Post surgical accidental Effexor discontinuation by nurses, masked by intravenous Dilaudid. (The car is balanced at the top of the track.) I get home, pop a Vicodin, and ... Whooosh...down, down, down, down, down...goes the trajectory of my life, up goes my mood and tendency to think everything is a good idea.2012: After the bipolar jig was up, now a walking bag of unrelated symptoms, I went crazy on Daytrana (the Ritalin skin patch by Noven), because ADHD was a perfect fit for a bag of unrelated symptoms. I was prescribed Effexor for the nervousness of it, and things got neurological. An EEG showed enough activity to warrant an epilepsy diagnosis rather than non-epileptic ("psychogenic") seizures. 2013-2014: Quit everything and got worse. I probably went through DAWS: dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome. I drank to not feel, but I felt a lot: dread, fear, regret, grief: an utter sense of total loss of everything worth breathing about, for almost two years. I was not suicidal but I wanted to be dead, at least dead to the experience of my own brain and body. 2015: I began to recover after adding virgin coconut oil and organic grass-fed fed butter to a cup of instant coffee in the morning. I did it hoping for mental acuity and better memory. After ten days of that, I was much better, mood-wise. Approximately neutral. And, I experienced drowsiness. I could sleep. Not exactly happy, I did 30 days on Wellbutrin, because it had done me no harm in the past. I don't have the DAWS mood or state of mind. It never feel like doing anything if it means standing up. In fact, I don't especially like moving. I'm a brain with a beanbag body. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 1, 2016 Administrator Share Posted August 1, 2016 Hello, Dina, how are you doing now? This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 28, 2016 Administrator Share Posted August 28, 2016 Dina, thank you for responding to Lex1992 Hi Lex,I haven't been on the forum for about a year but just looked in and have seen your topic. I've spent 6 years on lexapro and i've been lexapro-free for almost 3 years. I spent about 15 months to decrease my dose and it took 4-5 months to get into horrible horrible withdrawal. It took me around 10 months to feel better than acute ALL THE TIME, and another year to get more resistent to stress. But I can say i'm doing good, i do have my moments but definitely much much MUCH better. It's been a hell of a journey but looking back, there was no way around it, the only way was through withdrawal. I have also tried to reinstate 1 mg of Lex at a certain point but i got , just from that 1 mg, bad akathisia (the horrible sensation that one is connected to the plugs and is very restless) so i just could not reinstate, even if i wanted to. I tried to to RI other drugs as well but to no avail, i would become very very sick on them since day 1 or 2. Acute withdrawal was much much more than anxiety for which i took lexapro, it was the pits of the hell, and the horrible thoughts that would only occasionally stop. A food that i feel helped me is raw garlic taken with food. I started it since month 9 off and then at month 10 off i was much better. It is not a coincidence for me. Even nowadays, after i spend 2-3 months with no raw garlic, i would feel some residual symptoms such as bad mood, anxiety, anger. Well this stops if i eat a clove of raw garlic at least 3 days in a raw. It is not a recipee for all i know, but i did and does help me personally and if you want to try some, at least it's a well spread food item. Another thing that helped me was long long walks, preferably with a family member or friend who knew and were not afraid to hear once more about my symptoms and my despair.Do not be too scared of the lengthy withdrawal time, it sound very bad i know but the alternative on drugs is likely to make you quite instable for life, so better what you started. Many, just like me, report to feel much better after 1 year or 2. Some need 3. Those who took ssrI-s for longer usually. But this has an end or at least acute has an end and things will get better.I'm around if you want to PM me.a hug, Dina It sounds like you're a lot better. Do you still have any withdrawal symptoms? This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 26, 2020 Administrator Share Posted August 26, 2020 @Dina, how are you doing? This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
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