UnfoldingSky Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 http://www.madinamerica.com/2015/02/stopping-ssri-antidepressants-can-cause-long-intense-withdrawal-problems/ Stopping SSRI Antidepressants Can Cause Long, Intense Withdrawal Problems February 23, 2015 In the first systematic review of withdrawal problems that patients experience when trying to get off SSRI antidepressant medications, a team of American and Italian researchers found that withdrawing from SSRIs was in many ways comparable to trying to quit addictive benzodiazepine sedatives and barbiturates. Publishing in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, they also found that withdrawal symptoms can last months or even years, and entirely new, persistent psychiatric disorders can emerge from discontinuing SSRIs. The authors analyzed 15 randomized controlled studies, 4 open trials, 4 retrospective investigations and 38 case reports of SSRI withdrawal. They found that paroxetine (Paxil) was the worst, but that all the SSRI antdepressants could cause a wide range of withdrawal symptoms from dizziness, electrical shock sensations and diarrhea to anxiety, panic, agitation, insomnia and severe depression. More at above link. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 What is going on with this article???? They are trying to claim that withdrawal can be treated successfully with antidepressants???? Do they mean reinstatement? And then saying that the study team found no difference between tapering and cold turkey???? I've done a taper off a drug before and done a cold turkey--there was a profound difference...How can they miss something like this??? I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Maybe this whole post should just be removed. The early part of the article sounds okay but the last part sounds way off. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 The end of the article is also confusing in that they sort of imply that people's new psych issues from withdrawal are "organic mental illness"--meanwhile, the diagnoses they list DON'T INCLUDE things like flu-like symptoms or electrical shock sensations, or movement issues or akathisia, issues that show the drug is to blame and not some new "mental illness". Not to mention there are people like me who had adverse reactions to drugs and withdrawal who can't just start up new ADs whenever they want to fix withdrawal.... I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Addax Posted February 23, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 23, 2015 They say that tapering over a SHORT period may be no better than ct, but that evidence suggests tappering is beneficial: "While the study authors found no difference between gradual tapering over relatively short periods and abrupt discontinuation of SSRIs, the editorial authors argued that there was evidence to suggest benefits to tapering." It also sounds like they're saying that the disorders that arise with withdrawal abate when an SSRI is introduced. I don't think they mean to advocate taking another SSRI but that it's evidence of the "disorder" actually being symptoms of withdrawal. I don't have time just now to read the actual study, but it may list more symptoms and have much more detail about the withdrawal experience than this MIA article. Thanks for posting this, Sky! 1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts) Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast) April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop) Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but… Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding. My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks Addax, I was half-asleep when I read it, I should have paid closer attention! That makes way more sense. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus dalsaan Posted February 23, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 23, 2015 Yes I think it's carefully crafted to challenge what passes as standard practice/understandings 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted February 23, 2015 Administrator Share Posted February 23, 2015 You need to read the entire original paper before jumping to any conclusions. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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