naturegirl: please help

[bluebalu86]

Hi naturegirl

 

Recovery may take a lot of time but we have no other choice but to wait for out bodies and brains to heal on their own terms. Even if you do have akathisia (do you feel the need to pace and move around a lot?) it's not the end of the world. Lots of people on the forum have had it and recovered from it. It's not permanent. It's just another WD symptom. What you are experiencing is "normal" for withdrawal. This will not last forever, please don't despair. It's a hell of a ride but that's the way recovery happens - slowly and painfully. There's nothing we can do about it, there's no way out of this, we have to be patient and let it run its course. I'm sure you will heal. I feel like I'm losing months and years of my life too, but the most important thing for me right now is to just survive this and be alive to experience the healing which is in the end of this journey. I understand the desire to have a child - I'm 29 and have no children and no boyfriend and I want to have, but it's just not possible at the moment when I'm so unstable. If you are not able to sleep try to at least relax your mind a little. You will not die from sleep deprivation, it's just very uncomfortable. Try not to stress yourself with anxious thoughts. This will pass and will not last forever. 

[Altostrata]

The sensation in your legs does not sound like akathisia, it sounds like parathesia.

 

You may find magnesium oil massaged into your legs helps that symptom, or acupuncture or massage.

[naturegirl]

Thank you everyone. I am continuing to do epsom salt soaks and take magnesium for the parasthesia. I just realized that I am suffering from depression. I feel hopeless, agitated, and can't sleep. I have poor concentration, weakness and muscle aches. I don't know if it is depression triggered by withdrawal from an SNRI a year ago, or depression that would have occurred regardless (I do work a very stressful career, so risk factors are there). Either way, I am going to have to find a way to get through it. I am still convinced that drugs are not the answer... in fact, I just read literature that summarized studies indicating that psychiatric drugs- while they may help in the short term- end up causing chronicity of depression, and actually make people worse in the long run. I read that depression can take 6-9 months to "run it's course". Ugh. But, if I can get through it without meds, I am absolutely going to do that. What I feel now doesn't really feel like the med withdrawal I have experienced throughout the last year. It feels like plain old depression. I went through it before, when a boyfriend cheated on me and broke my heart. It took about a year to resolve that time, but I'm sure I lengthened the recovery by taking part in all sorts of destructive behaviors (lots of late nights partying with plenty of alcohol to numb my pain). As we know, alcohol alone can cause depression. But, I didn't know any better at the time, and was young. I'm a whole lot smarter now. I'm going to keep writing here, like a journal. It helps me to write things down. So far I'm doing everything right (eating healthy, even exercising three times daily in hopes that it will help me sleep at night, refusing to touch medication). And only getting worse But, I know this type of illness isn't going to go away in a hurry. I hope I live long enough to see the day when the medical community realizes these drugs do more harm than good and they become a thing of the past. It will be so satisfying to see! And I'll say "yeah, I could have told them that years ago". As could all of you.

[freespirit]

I'm sorry you're struggling so much naturegirl. It's really tough not sleeping, which of course impacts everything.

 

The thing about wd is that normal rules need to sometimes fly out the window. Exercising 3 x day might be good under normal circumstances, but could be too energizing right now. I've found the need to adjust exercise routines on a daily basis. Some days, it's helpful to go slow and meander..and some days, I can be a bit more energetic with things. What's often required is a careful listening to the body, rather than an idea in ones head.

 

Have you read through the insomnia thread? People have found a wide range of things that prove helpful at different times.

 

One of the hardest aspects for many of us is that we get upset about not sleeping, which tends to compound the problem. Are you doing any meditation or relaxation practices during the day? If we are doing more energizing things during the day, it can make it harder to rest.

 

When recovering from a brain injury some years ago, as well as through wd, I've found it useful to do some form of relaxation during the day. Sometimes that's lying down to rest (usually not to sleep)), doing hypnosis, meditation, moving meditation...anything that helps to rest the nervous system a little. If I'm more restless or anxious, I do deep breathing a lot of times during the day. That practice of settling the body/mind through the day seems to help.

 

Also, even if you aren't able to sleep at night...resting through those kinds of practices can be useful too. Better than lying awake fretting and stewing. I always keep my ipod next to the bed. I listen to something every night before sleep, and it's there if I wake up during the night..I find I can rest and often go back to sleep..even if it happens a few times.

 

Gentle yoga, tai chi, mindful slow walking, qi gong are all ways of moving the body, but doing so in a way that tends to help settle mind and emotions.

 

I haven't found there to be any one magic thing, but many things put together that help in one way or another. And, there's also the aspect of sometimes opening to what's happening, without trying to do anything about it. I think for a lot of us, being patient about not sleeping is a very challenging one.

 

One thing I've learned through this process is that not sleeping isn't as bad as I always thought it was. I've gone through bouts of insomnia for decades, so have had a lot of practice. Some nights, only sleeping 4 or 5 hours will leave me feeling more rested than the nights I don't wake up for 8 hours.

 

I hope you're able to find some things that help along the way.

[naturegirl]

Not going well here. No longer sleeping at all. Hands and feet burn, itch and tingle like crazy. Not sure what that means. Scared that this isn't drug withdrawal. Feels like depression but even more than that. So scared. Maybe I'm starting to go crazy. Why can't I sleep...my brain feels calm and sleepy, I'm even yawning frequently. But I don't sleep. I don't understand. My body is trying to off itself. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should give in and go back on meds. I'm not surviving, I'm merely existing. I don't know where this came from. 1 month ago I was totally normal- sleeping great, going to work each day, not depressed. What's going on? Where did this come from? Please help me.

[AliG]

 Hi Naturegirl, Are you still taking Clonazepam.  I just checked the side effects, and some of them coincide with what you are experiencing. I had the same thing happen with "phenergan".  It was unbearable.   Just a thought. I hope things improve. I can identify with what you're going through.

[mammaP]

Hi Naturegirl, I understand completely the horror of insomnia. I am a chronic insomniac who rarely gets more than 3 hours sleep. 2.5 is good,  but I have periods when I can go for days without any sleep. It is a nightmare, maybe that's the wrong word, you have to be asleep to have a nightmare!   Withdrawal insomnia is the worst but it does pass, it doesn't last forever but worrying about it makes it worse.  I don't usually think about whether I will sleep or not, but make sure my bed is comfy, the room is cool and not too warm and have a blackout blind to cut out light. I take magnesium before bed, 3 capsules of magnesium glycinate. 

I make it my mission to rest in bed, to control what thoughts are going through my mind and reject the negative ones.  Try and focus on positive thoughts and good memories. My absolute favourite is floating in the pool on holiday with the sun glistening on the water and the children laughing in the background. 

 

I used to go swimming 3 times a week and when I went into the pool I left my worries at the door. I meditated on how the water felt, supporting my body. How I floated when I took a breath and how I started to sink as I exhaled. I then swam for 30 lengths of the pool, nice leisurely pace.  I LOVED those times and that is what I think about when I want to relax. Sometimes I drift off, not into a proper sleep but it is enough for me to keep going. 

 

This is a tough time to get through and acceptance is huge. I think of other things that can happen, illness, accidents that need recovery times.  Broken limbs, spinal injuries all need time to heal. No amount of drugs will  rush the healing, accepting the situation and working with it is what gets people through. This is your injury and it needs to heal. All the weird symptoms are your brain healing, as one part is fixed it starts on another.  The windows and waves are how it goes, the waves are hard but they pass, the windows are periods of relief  that don't last long enough but they do give some respite.  Go with the flow and don't fight it. Try and keep to a routine as normal as possible, eat good simple food and avoid additives, alcohol and caffeine. The exercise you are doing is great but on bad days slow it down a little to a more leisurely pace and take in what is around you rather than focus on discomfort.   This is going to get better, it isn't permanent and life will be so much sweeter for persevering through it. 

[clearday]

Not going well here. No longer sleeping at all. Hands and feet burn, itch and tingle like crazy. Not sure what that means. Scared that this isn't drug withdrawal. Feels like depression but even more than that. So scared. Maybe I'm starting to go crazy. Why can't I sleep...my brain feels calm and sleepy, I'm even yawning frequently. But I don't sleep. I don't understand. My body is trying to off itself. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should give in and go back on meds. I'm not surviving, I'm merely existing. I don't know where this came from. 1 month ago I was totally normal- sleeping great, going to work each day, not depressed. What's going on? Where did this come from? Please help me.

 

Burning, tingling skin very common type of paresthesia from SSRI WD...

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8627-someday-random-tingling-pin-prick-burn-y-sensations-around-my-body-face-anyone/

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8082-nathalou-introducing-myself-need-support-badly/

 

etc

[naturegirl]

Thank you all, your responses are very comforting. It seems to me that the main thing keeping me from sleeping is the paresthesias. They are so uncomfortable and impossible to ignore. I don't think they will go away any time soon so....will my body learn to be able to sleep with this going on? It seems to get worse at night and after a bath. I don't even feel them when I'm moving a lot or exercising....but any time I'm at rest, especially lying down, they are bad. How long do paresthesias usually last? I had them before, after I discontinued lexapro. That is what I was put on effexor for...which worked- took the feelings away very quickly. Now I'm back in the same boat. If I start another med, I assume the paresthesia will return as soon as I taper off the new med. So it's either start a med and stay on it for life, or try to wait this paresthesia thing out. This combined with the insomnia is the biggest challenge yet. And I thought the chronic nausea and GI problems were bad. Or the dizziness and head zaps. This is definitely worse. Also, it doesn't seem to matter how slowly you taper off a med. I tapered 37.5 mg effexor over 7 months- still I'm in hell at 1 year out, was fine 2 months ago. Hate this carnival ride!

[naturegirl]

Is there anyone out there that has had parasthesias before, and recovered? Please, anyone- let me know if it is possible to recover from this! How long did it take? What did you do to help it? Could you sleep while it was occurring?

[clearday]

There is a forum on here - success stories - maybe looking through there may help -

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/28-success-stories-recovery-from-withdrawal/

 

Here is one Effexor recovery story -

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6106-clare-i-survived-hell-after-withdrawing-from-effexor/

 

From the stories I have read, 

 

Many people seem to slowly get better over time, and although still in protracted WD, life becomes more tolerable. 

 

Early phases of delayed onset protracted WD, like where you are now, and early waves, are often the worst. 

 

Although difficult waves can hit later on, they become less frequent and windows last longer.

 

Some say it gets a little easier after the first year or so, but still takes a couple years to feel mostly back to normal.

 

I think two or three years is common for protracted withdrawal to run its course. 

 

But every story is unique. Some recover quicker than others. Some have it harder than others.

 

I think most people who recover move on with their lives and stop posting here (understandable!). The active threads on here are people who are still suffering, so we wonder, where are all the success stories? 

 

This is definitely worth reading: 

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3523-success-recovery-from-protracted-zoloft-withdrawal-and-pssd/

[naturegirl]

Thanks clearday. Reading success stories definitely helps. Over the past 2 weeks, I have taken 3 doses of a benzo (two clonazpam, one lorazepam), and also a trazadone. These were left over from the old days. Until these doses, I hadn't had a single thing in 13 months. Now I'm angry at myself for being so weak, do you guys things I've ruined my progress and confused my CNS? I gave all the pills to my husband, who hid them from me.

[clearday]

Regarding benzos, I can only speak for myself,

 

I've taken small doses of Xanax a few times during my withdrawal. Especially to help me fall asleep during my insomnia wave (see my signature). The insomnia was so bad, for days in a row, that I was getting psychotic, so it was either take the Xanax or go to the ER. And in the ER, they would have just given me a tranquilizer anyway. So I was grateful to have the Xanax on hand to avoid a visit to the ER.

 

I don't believe occasional small amts of Xanax has affected my recovery. And on the days that I did use small amounts, my withdrawal symptoms didn't get worse. For me, it was the SSRIs that is at the root of all the damage and instability. 

 

I do think it is good to stay away from benzos in general. I know they cause problems for some people. Especially at high doses and daily, dependent usage.

[naturegirl]

The paresthesias and lack of sleep are killing me, slowly but surely. Since my brain doesn't ever calm down enough to sleep, does this mean I'm manic? I'm constantly internally agitated and restless, can't really sit still for long. Losing hope here. Maybe I should go back on meds? At least when I was on meds, I could sleep consistently (after the first hellish two weeks).

[bluebalu86]

I don't think that's mania. Sounds like plain old withdrawal. I don't know what to advise you regarding the meds, if you feel there's no other way maybe you could try something, but this forum doesn't recommend it because new meds might destabilize you further and complicate things. I don't think insomnia can kill you. How long have you had it for? Try to rest even though you cannot sleep. 

[clearday]

Maybe I should go back on meds? At least when I was on meds, I could sleep consistently (after the first hellish two weeks).

 

Going back on the meds after being off for over a year is generally not advised here. Your body has gone through a lot of changes over the past year being off the meds. Reinstating is usually only advised within the first three months after discontinuance.

 

In any case, sometimes reinstatement works, other times it makes things worse.

 

My insomnia wave hit me 7 months out, and lasted a couple months, slowly got better and now I sleep fine for five months now.

 

Delayed-onset WD insomnia waves - what you're going through - are very common on here. They usually resolve in a few months. IMO the brain is re-setting its REM sleep architecture after years of disruption due to SSRI use.

[Altostrata]

It sounds to me like the parathesia is a withdrawal symptom. It's quite common. It also sounds like your alerting is a withdrawal symptom.

 

Many people occasionally take a little benzo to get through withdrawal syndrome. Take the lowest effective amount as infrequently as possible.

 

Have you tried fish oil and magnesium? Are you also sensitive to light?

[naturegirl]

An update...times are tough here. The insomnia is very hard to deal with, getting 1-3 hours per night. Paresthesias are still present and seem worse when I'm anxious. Had an MRI which was normal. My doctor said the paresthesia is caused by anxiety and that I needs meds. So far I'm declining. Cry off and on throughout the day (mostly when I remember what a fun, normal person I used to be). Lots of muscle pain from never resting properly. Still working out twice daily and seeing a therapist once weekly. Have decided not to speak to my family anymore, they are acting more and more like jerks regarding this whole thing so I am going it alone from here on out. Currently going through a job change, stress of that probably not helping matters. But, the old job was super stressful and I needed to get out. I pray to God that I can make it through this. Hardest thing I have ever done, by far. Hope that God helps protect me from myself when things get really tough. Good luck to you all.

[naturegirl]

Things were just too hard. Doctor prescribed remeron and prozac yesterday. Took 1/2 of a 7.5 mg Remeron last night and slept for ~9 hours, for the first time in weeks. This morning I took 5 mg prozac. Doctor is starting me at low doses since I'm so sensitive to meds. The remeron is to be used only for the first few days, to help get me through worsened insomnia and nausea from starting a new drug. Strangely enough, the paresthesias in my legs are 95% gone now. Yesterday they were raging out of control. What does this mean? If the paresthesia was from natural stress/anxiety/depression, it should take 2-6 weeks for the meds to work and relieve my symptoms, I would think. If the paresthesia was from prolonged effexor withdrawal, would these meds take the problem away so quickly? Maybe the paresthesia was from chronic sleep deprivation, and getting 9 hours of sleep fixed it? I already feel less anxious. I don't know whats going on, clearly 1 day of medication is not enough to relieve my anxiety. I'm so confused as to if the way I'm been feeling is natural anxiety and depression vs drug withdrawal induced. Seems impossible to figure out. Your thoughts are much appreciated.

[clearday]

These are very powerful medications. They always worked on me right away, within two days. When I went on Lexapro, my dysthymia was lifted within two days and never came back. It was amazing, and I was happy it worked at the time. I was always sensitive to these SSRIs. Others on here have reported similar.

 

Doctors tell us that these SSRI meds take "2-6 weeks to work", meaning that long to lift depression or anxiety. But they also tell you to expect symptoms like jaw tightness within the first few days of taking the drug, which goes away. That happened to me. That shows that these drugs do something to our nervous systems right away. Many people have strong adverse reactions from these drugs the day they take it. Studies show that within 3 hours these drugs are already acting on our nervous systems:

 

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-antidepressants-brain-structure-20140918-story.html

 

IMO your paresthesia is from Lexapro/Effexor WD, based on so many similar stories on here. Your symptoms and story doesn't sound confusing at all. It fits perfectly with protracted, tardive onset SSRI WD. 

 

Modern medicine recognizes that the only effective treatment for SSRI WD is reinstating an SSRI, and it seems that is what is helping your symptoms. That is what doctors usually do. They say they are treating a tardive relapse of "anxiety" when in fact they are treating drug withdrawal by reintroducing the drug, whether they realize it or not. We see it over and over on here. And plenty of doctors already understand this, unfortunately too many don't.

 

When people come here and complain that their WD symptoms are too tough to take, we suggest reinstatement at the lowest dose which reduces the WD symptoms. The person then stabilizes on the lowest dose and then does a very slow taper from there.

 

But the view here is to get off the drug eventually. Your doctor's view is to start on a low dose and go UP from there, from what you said. I guess you'll have to figure out if you want to stay on SSRIs or eventually taper off them.  

 

Good luck, I hope it all works out for you - glad to hear your symptoms improving. Protracted withdrawal is brutal. 

[naturegirl]

I am 14 months off effexor and doing awful- the worst insomnia and anxiety I have ever experienced in my life, along with paresthesias. I am starting to think it isn't possible to discontinue effexor... I had made it so far after such a long, slow taper- only to have all of my hard work and perseverance unravel in a couple of weeks. My doctor prescribed remeron and prozac- I don't want to take them, but I'm not getting any better, and can't afford to check out of my life until this resolves. I have bills to pay, a family to care for, and a job to go to. What am I to do? I can't find a solution. If I could just start sleeping again, I could handle anything. With no sleep for days on end, I am non-functional and probably shouldn't get behind the wheel of a car. 1.5 months ago, I was sleeping great. How did this happen? I hate effexor and what it has done to my brain. This feels like permanent damage, and as though I have no choice but to stay on meds for life, if I want to be functional for any length of time. Before meds, I never had extreme anxiety and insomnia like this. I know for a fact the meds somehow did this to me. Please, someone help me figure out what to do. I'm so frustrated and sad about the loss of my progress and hard work. My brain and body hurt from lack of sleep. Please help me......

[mammaP]

Insomnia has been the worst symptom for me too while tapering effexor, it is completely debilitating. It will get better, I tend to get periods where I get no sleep at all then some days when I get a few hours, not enough but better than none.  I wish I had the answer, if I did I would give it to you. There are several topics on withdrawal insomnia, you might find some tips there that have helped others.  Scroll down to sleep problems http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/604-important-topics-about-symptoms-including-sleep-problems/

 

I hope you find something that helps you. Personally I take magnesium at night and occasionally take inositol but can't really say that has helped. The magnesium is calming and I seem to have worse nights when I haven't taken it. 

[Altostrata]

See One theory of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome

[clearday]

Yeah, we all have to decide whether to go back on meds or not.

 

Once we realize that it is the meds that did this to us, we want to get as far away from the meds as possible.

 

But the withdrawal can be so tough that we go back on simply to avoid withdrawal, and become dependent on the meds.

If the meds work, then we just accept that we are on the meds for life, if we don’t want to go through withdrawal. Hopefully things go well. But often the meds stop working, our bodies can’t handle them anymore, side effects get bad, causing problems in “poop-out”, and then there’s no way out, we have to get off the meds and endure withdrawal.  

 

These drugs cause nerve damage, and can take a couple years to heal. In the meantime, people often have to quit their jobs. Families suffer along with the person suffering from protracted SSRI withdrawal as they go through bad waves and slow recovery.

 

When I went through this the first time, over ten years ago, I had to quit my job and my life plans were all put on hold. I knew I had to simply survive. And I didn’t even know it was due to WD, the doctors failed to identify it. If I would have known it was WD, I never would have gone back on these meds, knowing how damaging they are.

 

And now, I am going through this protracted WD again. But this time, I know I will never go back on these meds, because I finally figured out what was going on. I always trusted doctors, and never guessed they could be so ignorant. But after all I’ve been through, it’s obvious that these drugs have caused me years of suffering and life setbacks. They have been the worst thing to happen to me. I am shocked at the incompetence of the many doctors who I ran into along the way who are clueless and failed to identify the cause of my severe WD symptoms. I had so many medical tests done to figure this out, all a waste of time. I spent years researching chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal fatigue, thyroid, diet changes, environmental toxicity exposure, etc. The cause should have been obvious:- powerful nerve-altering drugs taken for years. Often the most obvious cause is overlooked. It was right in front of my face. But the fact that I was fine for four months after stopping Prozac before I got hit hard with WD meant that I lost cause and effect. If I had an informed, intellectually curious doctor, he would have identified it. Instead, my doctor was smug and self-satisfied. He was funny and entertaining, but he failed me big-time. 

 

People who ride out protracted SSRI WD often heal within a couple years, some longer. They say the waves come and go, and eventually symptoms go away, for some, completely. They urge us to "hang in there" and "stick it out" even though it seems we won't get better. I got mostly better from Prozac WD years ago, but it took a couple years of difficult symptoms. 

 

The initial insomnia wave usually goes away in a few months. Then you should sleep much better than you sleep now. It should become tolerable. People often use small amounts of benzos, or whatever, to get through the worst of the insomnia. IMO whatever gets you through it, within reason. 

[naturegirl]

Is there anyone out there that developed constant paresthesia after taking effexor???? Did it ever go away and how long did it last? If anyone out there knows how long I may have to deal with this, please respond. I really need a ray of hope right now. Thank you!

[Fresh]

Hi  naturegirl ,     on May 14 you said the parasthesia had gone , but it sounds like it's back.   Is it still coming and going?

Are you still having sensations of inner agitation and restlessness?

 

Have you continued  remeron and prozac since May 14?

 

Fresh

[clearday]

You're still on Prozac 5 mg starting May 13th? 

 

According to your signature, your paresthesia (buzzing in arms and legs) began after a few weeks of Lexapro back in 2011, and you were prescribed Effexor to deal with the paresthesia.

 

Now off of Effexor for over a year, seems that paresthesia is back again -

 

So your paresthesia can be traced back to Lexapro usage as well?

[clearday]

Here's just my view of things -

 

You are in the same pattern that most of us are stuck in.

 

Initial use and discontinuance of SSRIs causes damage and withdrawal effects.

 

We go back on SSRs to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms, but we don't like being on SSRIs, so we discontinue again. 

 

We suffer WD again, go back on again. Then discontinue again. Over and over.

 

I've chosen to try to stop this cycle of further damage, and give my body a chance to heal. A real chance that will take a lot of time.

 

Healing takes a lot of time, often years.

 

I've been damaged by Lexapro, it has caused me a type of paresthesia, in my brain - the head ringing and ear ringing.

 

Some say the ringing stops in a year and half, some say much longer.

 

So I can choose to go back on again, and spend the rest of my life on SSRIs.

 

I don't want to cause further damage, I want to stop this cycle.

 

Many report that their symptoms - including all symptoms we might experience during WD, like paresthesia, subside after a few years.

 

I can only hope that in a few years, symptoms slowly subside and life becomes more tolerable. I'm in it for the long haul.

 

I am definitely healing, my symptoms are dynamic and changing, and slowly improving. But it is very difficult. As is expected for SSRI recovery, the symptoms come back strong in waves, followed by windows of feeling better. My brain is showing me that it is trying to heal, and that it is healing. This is a path that includes times of despair, followed by renewed hope as we see improvement. The early months of delayed onset WD, that you are in, are usually the most difficult. 

 

Years ago, it took me 3 years to largely recover from Prozac WD, but I did recover. Now I am going through it after Lexapro. Given the amount of healing I have had during the last 15 months, I have good reason to believe that healing will continue. I also have reason to believe I will heal further based on so many stories of successful recovery. These stories reveal that recovery often takes a few years.

 

I think of my life a couple years from now. It seems more probable than not that I will continue to improve.

 

There is no easy answer for the dilemma we find ourselves in. 

 

But the message of those who have recovered after a long and arduous withdrawal is that it pays to hang in there and ride it out.

 

We have to choose whether to break the cycle or choose to stay on SSRIs. I have to make that decision on some level everyday.

[naturegirl]

Hi Fresh,

 

On May 14th the paresthesia had improved quite a bit, but this only lasted a couple days and came back in full force. It has been pretty much constant for 1 month, other than that couple day window. The only medication I have continued (unfortunately) is prozac 5 mg. The inner restlessness and agitation comes and goes, but is gradually improving and less severe overall.

 

Hi Clearday,

 

Yes, the paresthesia can be traced back to lexapro withdrawal, and also zoloft withdrawal. I am puzzled because I intentionally tapered off effexor extremely slowly to avoid the paresthesia again, and had been off for 13 months before it hit. After the other meds, I stopped them quickly and the paresthesia appeared immediately or within a few weeks. I thought I was safe this time and don't really understand how or why the problem showed up after a year.

 

I completely agree with what you said about stopping the continuous cycle of SSRI usage/withdrawals. I wish I could have held out and not started the 5 mg prozac. I suffered a lot before caving in, but I just couldn't deal anymore. I guess at some point I will have to deal with coming off the prozac. Hopefully since it's only 5 mg it won't be that bad (although I know there is no guarantee about anything). I'm going to wait to attempt it until things in my life settle down-- there's a lot going on right now.

 

Thanks for your responses. It really helps to hear from others.

[clearday]

I wouldn't question anyone's decisions to go back on or off, we do what we have to do to survive this. And whatever works best. I can only speak for myself.

 

The paresthesia is a sign of damage that must heal on its own if it ever is to heal. Going back on the meds to minimize the symptoms does just that, but it does not heal the underlying damage.

 

Just a side note: if I have nicotine occasionally, it always makes my ringing disappear. It is the only thing that can make it go away, and only very briefly.

 

But I would never use nicotine or suggest its use to treat the symptoms, for obvious reasons. I just think it is interesting that a chemical such as nicotine, or SSRIs, make the symptoms go away. And it confirms the neurochemical nature of this damage. And it shows that as long as my body slowly restores a proper, natural neurochemical balance, which it is trying to do, and is doing, then the symptoms can in fact go away.

 

Best of luck to you -

[Fresh]

Naturegirl ,    I think what you have been describing is not parasthesia , but akathisia , as you suspected.

Inability to be still , constant sensations of jitteriness under the skin , "internally agitated and restless".

This is different to sensations of prickles or numbness (parasthesia).

 

Many members here have/have had akathisia , and it does recede and disappear for most. However , it can

get way , way worse before it starts to get better.

For others it's a long-term symptom that comes and goes (see ardyes , still has akathisia 9 years after stopping

meds).

I had it very severely for about 5 months (see Fresh's Fractured Fairytale , post 1).   I was completely housebound

and unable to do pretty much anything. It only went away when I restarted an ad.

 

I think you're very lucky that you've found a medication that can stop it developing further.  You have the opportunity

to stabilize and then taper off very slowly.

[naturegirl]

Things are really bad for me now. The prozac 5 mg I'm taking seems to have made my anxiety and insomnia even worse. So now, I'm taking clonazepam, mirtazapine, and I have some Trazadone on hand. I'm right back to where I started, but even worse. I feel nauseous, dizzy, weak, and have diarrhea. I have been taking proazac for 12 days now and have yet to feel stable. I'm thinking of giving up. I mean ending it all. The withdrawal from the effexor was too bad, and now new meds are not helping me, and are making me worse. I'm stuck with no where to turn and no one and nothing to help me. I turn to the doctor for help and get more drugs which make me feel worse. I tried staying off drugs and made it over a year before I couldn't take the withdrawal anymore. My family has no clue what to do with me. Therapy doesn't help when the anxiety is induced by drugs. I think I'm gonna give up. Can't keep doing this. Too much pain and suffering. No solution or end in sight. I can't afford to quit my job and just hole up and wait for it all to improve. I don't want to, but I think it's all over for me. I'm very sad. I had a very bright life and future, and am shocked that it is coming down to this. I never would have seen this happening to me. I'm very sad.

[clearday]

Thoughts of suicide are so common during protracted SSRI WD -

 

Especially during the worst early phases like you are in now -

 

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, and SSRI WD is a temporary problem.

 

Jobs take a back seat when our life is at stake, we do whatever we have to do to survive this thing. 

 

It doesn't matter what doctors or family think, this is your fight.

 

Many people have suffered just as you are and eventually recovered, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

It's better just to ride out this tough early phase, and learn to live with it, knowing that things should get more tolerable in the next few months, and much better in the long term. Give your body the time it needs to heal from these drugs.

 

Have you seen this video?

 

[LoveandLight]

I cannot tell me how many times I've thought that whilst being in and out of WD (I just thought I was mentally ill)..

 

It does pass...the suicidal thoughts are insistent and persuasive, I know, but they are still just thoughts and they will clear in time and you will be glad you did not give up.

 

It is just about survival now and doing whatever you must.

 

Not to scare you but I ended up in a homeless shelter years ago in withdrawal..it's terrible to lose so much and not be able to cope but I'm still alive..and I believe things can improve. When withdrawal thinking is not hammering my butt I'm glad I'm still here..even although I unwittingly entered withdrawal again and lost everything..again..it's just a job a the end of the day..

 

When all this passes, you'll be glad to have peace of mind, really. Everything else takes a backseat.

 

Do whatever you can to survive..who cares what people think. They are not the ones going through this.

 

You will survive, the thoughts will clear and you will get on with your life again.

[naturegirl]

Hi, thanks clearday and loveandlight for responding. I am hanging in there, just very upset about it all. I'm supposed to leave on a trip to see my family tomorrow and I don't even want to go. This is very disturbing because I love my family dearly and hardly ever get to see them. I had been looking forward to this trip for months, until the most recent crash of insomnia and anxiety, which has spiraled into depression. Now i'm worried I'll be ill from lack of sleep, and ill from drugs the whole time. I haven't cracked a genuine smile or laughed in weeks. My family is so happy and full of life, I'll feel like a stranger amongst them. i so wish I had never touched a psych med in my life. Damn the doctor that started this all off for me. I was so innocent and trusting then. I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing trying this 5 mg prozac. Its making me worse right now, but meds always made me worse in the beginning. I need to stop dabbling with the mirtazapine, clonazepam and trazadone. I take one here, take one there and all it does is confuse the hell out of my body. But the relentless insomnia is so agonizing, I just don't know how to get by otherwise. I fear I will end up in a psych ward or dead if I don't get some sleep here and there. What should I do???

[Addax]

When I had a horrible bout with withdrawal last fall sometimes it felt like, "if I could just sleep, I know I'd feel better." The only thing that helped me ( not a cure) was magnesium and a sleep mask. It wasn't perfect, but they helped. Towards the end I downloaded a mindful meditation app. That was helpful with falling asleep sometimes.

 

Lately I've taken 2000 mg of vitamin C after reading that others have found success with it in regard to anxiety. Placebo? Maybe. But I have to admit it was helpful for me during a recent wave. I took it in the morning to counter the morning cortisol, and if I felt anxiety at any point during the day.

 

I'm sorry you're feel poorly right now, and I hope your visit with your family is much better than you're anticipating. I have a feeling it will be, anticipation is usually so much worse than the actual event. Plus out thinking is so negatively skewed during w/d that we only thing of the bad thing that could happen. Truth is, the warmth from family and being around them is likely to facilitate a release of oxytocin, a hormone that directly counter cortisol and is known for its calming effect. So being with family might be a great remedy.

 

Enjoy your family!