Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted October 30, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hello Naturegirl, You are further down the tapering tack than I am so I don't have much to add, but wanted to say hello from another Effexor survivor. I know that when you're in the worst of the worst times it's nearly impossible to remember or believe that things could be good again. It's at these times we need to trust others to hold out that hope for us till we can grasp it again. Perhaps you can get this from some of the more experienced taperers here, or the success stories? I've had to do let others hold the hope for me a few times in my life now, and - eventually - things have always come back around to a good place where I could feel hopeful again. It's hard, so I hope I don't sound glib - this is something I deeply believe. Hoping that you'll continue to find your way, KarenB 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Thanks Karen. I think I'm going to hold out for another week or so, and if things don't improve I may just give in. If it was only me I needed to worry about, I would keep going. But my poor family. And I have a full time job to hold down. I cannot believe how difficult this is, and how powerless I feel. I hope it will all make me stronger some day. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted October 30, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 30, 2015 Oh boy I can see that this is feeling next to impossible for you right now. With your family and a job too, no-one should have to deal with this. I'm sorry there is not the support and care you need right now. This world can be too harsh sometimes. The mods will know more about possibilities like perhaps finding a minimum amount of Prozac to reinstate, where you could try to stabilise for a long time, and one day be in a place of options to taper again. I see some goodness in your signature - like you are now Effexor free, and that was one nasty drug. Whatever you decide, there will be people here to lisen to you. You are not alone. Hugs and love, KarenB 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted October 30, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi, Naturegirl, I'm sorry you are in such a bad wave. When is the last time you felt stable and were sleeping? How long ago and at what level of Prozac? Thanks in advance, 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
naturegirl Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hi Andy, the last time I recall sleeping decently was beginning and mid July. I was on about 2 mg prozac. However due to long half life and delayed withdrawal my body probably was feeling 3 mg Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted October 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 31, 2015 I don't understand naturegirl . . . if you were taking 2mg , why would you say your body was feeling 3mg? From your signature , you went from 4mg prozac on 15 June to 0.4mg on 22 August. You have tapered too fast You have withdrawal syndrome. You wrote on another thread that you are a doctor , and I see you continue to try outsmarting this process by taking occasional doses of this or that and dropping your Prozac far faster than has been recommended. You simply can't win this battle the way you've been going. 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
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted October 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 31, 2015 Regardless of how you got here, Naturegirl, I think going back to 2.5 mg and trying to stabilize there is a plan that has merit. I agree with Fresh that you have come too far too fast. I think going back to the level you last felt well is the way I would go. 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
naturegirl Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 KarenB, thanks for your kind words. Fresh and Andy, Thanks for your responses. I just typed a long post and lost it, so will try to briefly recap it. I am a doctor, but not of the type that would ever prescribe psychiatric drugs, so I am just as scared and clueless as the next person. I have made mistakes throughout my journey, but they were choices made during times of desperation in an attempt to prevent suicide and save my career (dramatic, but true). When I started prozac it immediately made the akathasia I had much worse- I regretted my decision and decided to taper off fairly quickly, before my body became too dependent on the higher dosages. I never felt very good or stable on it, and my sleep was never "good", but for a short period was better than it is now. The mg stated in my post didn't match my signature because I was posting using my phone and couldn't see my signature, so I was working from memory. I am reluctant to re-start prozac as I never felt good on it. If I re-started, it could take weeks or months before I felt stable. I could begin to heal and start feeling stable by waiting that same amount of time with no drugs at all. Since I would like to be drug free, this seems like a better option to me. While I do believe that a slow taper can ease withdrawal symptoms, especially physical ones, it doesn't guarantee a smooth ride, at least not for me. I tapered 37.5 mg of effexor very slowly after two failed quick doctor-directed tapers. I was relatively fine for 6 months, then crashed when increased stressors appeared in my life. I fought through that crash without drugs- it took 2 months but I recovered and returned almost to normal 6 months later my stress levels increased and I crashed again. I had never been this fragile before drugs. I believe that the drugs leave us very fragile and sensitive to stress, and the only way to over come this is with time, lack of exposure to more drugs, and as little stress as possible. I don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I do know that I need to work on being more positive. This whole experience has really beaten me down, and I struggle with thinking positively now. I commit to being optimistic and hopeful. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
OffEFFexor Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hi Naturegirl I haven't posted in six weeks, I have barely read the site. I've had a very rough time of it too recently, but I'm lucky to have some small signs to bolster my faith that time will heal us. I'm sorry you are suffering so, but you're not alone. 1983-1995: On and off several tricyclic ADs1995: Quit alcohol, started Prozac2003: Stopped Prozac; 2004: Started Effexor XR 2252014: Tried and failed three rapid tapers; stopped cold turkey March 11, 2014, eight days of Prozac as a bridge.March 19, 2014: SSRI/SSNI free; four weeks acute withdrawal, then five month window of minimal symptoms.Sept 2014-June 2015: Delayed, prolonged severe withdrawal from Effexor. Roller coaster, way up and way down. Symptoms swing widely. Clear improvement in Mar-Apr, but still much hell. In May symptoms shifted to insomnia and depression, less HA, tinnitus and brain fog. July-Sept 2015: After two weeks of using CES device, tremendous relief of insomnia, depression and other symptoms. Feeling much better, finally! Symptoms still come and go, good and bad days.Sneaking up on return to good health. Alto gave me a 'Here Comes the Sun'!!! ☼ Oct 2015-Feb 2016: Difficult several months, some good days but the bad days felt like I'm moving backwards. Struggling after steady improvement, but hanging tough. Current supplements: Mg-Threonate; glutathione; krill oil; borage oil; phosphatidyl choline; multivite, vit B12, vit C, vit D vit E; OTC meds pseudoephedrine in the AM and benadryl at bedtime. Clonidine 0.2 bid for high blood pressure. Filled with hope, courage and self-appreciation. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted October 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hi Naturegirl, I can't quite make out from your signature exactly how slow you did your slow Effexor taper. Have you ever tried an extremely slow taper - like slower than what people call slow? I am currently tapering by 0.4% amounts and I'm actually doing okay. Yes, it's rediculously slow and will take a rediculously long time, but I can manage life pretty well while it's happening. Due to the sensitivities you have gained from the drugs, it may be your way out. It's like turtle-tapering with a broken ankle and prickles in the other 3 feet. Just a thought for you - I know you have lots you are considering right now, Hugs, Karen 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 31, 2015 Administrator Share Posted October 31, 2015 naturegirl, when one has been on and off many psychiatric drugs, the nervous system can become very sensitive to drug changes. It sounds like yours is sensitive. How are you doing now? It might be a good time for a nice long hold on tapering, let your nervous system accommodate. 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
naturegirl Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 OffEffexor, thanks for posting. You have been a true friend to me. I'm sorry to hear it's been rough lately, I so wish you and everyone on this site didn't have to go through this. Stay strong! Karen, I tapered off effexor 37.5 mg over 8 months. I was only on the drug for 4 months. I was well stabilized on it before starting the taper. I have contemplated many times whether I would have done better had I gone even slower. I listened to my body and things were going well, everything seemed okay. I also wonder had I not had increased life stress 6 months after the taper, would I still have crashed with severe anxiety? Who knows. Since I'm off effexor for 19 months now, I would never consider reinstating that one. And the prozac was never good for me, so I think I'll just plod along and see what happens over the next few weeks. I think I have developed the type of insomnia where you associate the bedroom with tortured nights and begin to fear bed-time. So, I'm trying everything I know to break this cycle (involves getting out of bed anytime I can't sleep and doing coloring books and sipping chamomile tea until I'm sleepy again). It just gets old night after night. Alto, thanks for checking in. I'm doing better today. I forced myself to go to a halloween party last night (thought I was way too anxious and exhausted to even consider it) and had a really fun time. I did drink two glasses of wine (I know, a big no-no!) but it doesn't seem to have set me back (other than bad sleep last night but what else is new). Best wishes to all for a restful weekend. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 31, 2015 Administrator Share Posted October 31, 2015 Good to hear. If I were you, I would take a vacation from tapering and let your nervous system settle down for the final push. 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
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted November 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 2, 2015 Sure, it's one day at a time. And in regard to the Effexor, I wasn't meaning to reinstate, just looking at the tapering rate to get an idea of how fast you'd done things in the past, in case it could be be useful when considering future tapers. So many unknowns in this whole area. Thinking of you, hoping things are going okay. KarenB 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Hi everyone, I'm wondering if anyone on this forum has fibromyalgia? I have been having severe body pain that waxes and wanes in severity ever since stopping effexor 19 months ago. Today is an extremely bad day, it almost feels as though my nerve endings are on fire, and as though they are vibrating a bit, along with the deep ache in my muscles (especially neck and upper and lower back, and between my ribs). The pain is directly related to the quality of sleep I get- last night was terrible, restless sleep and so I'm not surprised the pain has been very bad today. I don't seem to get much fatigue with this- I hiked 8 miles with my dogs today in hopes that the exercise and sunshine would alleviate the pain. It didn't help the pain, but I was able to do the exercise without much trouble. Anyhow, I'm trying to figure out if this is truly fibromyalgia or still protracted withdrawal syndrome. I can only handle this severity of pain for a finite period of time....maybe I can stick it out for a few more months. But if it doesn't resolve or gets worse, I'm going to have to start trying the recommended fibro drugs (of course I hate this idea, but the amount of pain I deal with is simply not tolerable forever). I'm already doing everything safe and natural I know of to deal with this....exercise, epsom salt baths, magnesium, fish oil, vitamin D, ibuprofen and acetaminophen (as sparingly as possible), melatonin, massage. I am an otherwise healthy 35 year old woman who was hoping to have a baby but is far too ill to now. Before taking psychiatric drugs, I was 100% healthy with no symptoms of fibromyalgia whatsoever. Went on meds for work related anxiety, and as of 4 months ago have reduced my work load to 32 hours per week at a quieter, slower work place. Thanks all. Just really want to investigate this as much as possible before committing to a lifetime of fibromyalgia drugs. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
AliG Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Hi Naturegirl, This might be helpful. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2221-fibromyalgia-flare-up-and-withdrawals/. This and C.F.S , seems to be common , in withdrawal. I hope your symptoms ease up a little. Hang in there. Ali. Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
naturegirl Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 I had blood work done recently and my vitamin D came back slightly low at 27. I had been taking 1000 units vitamin D3 daily prior to this. I was prescribed 50,000 unit vitamin D2 capsules to take weekly. I took the first dose Saturday evening and felt fine. Sunday morning I woke up with terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea along with nausea, which persisted all day. I didnt sleep a wink last night and feel very wired like I'm on speed. My heart rate is elevated, but it doesn't seem to be from anxiety. The pamphlet that came with from the pharmacy said there are no known side effects. Searching the net, I am finding that a lot of people had similar reactions. I assume this is from the vitamin D, but i fear my anxiety/depression/drug withdrawal is worsening. I'm throwing all of my supplements in the trash, as I can't trust anything to not harm me anymore. I'm miserable and wondering how long this may last, since it was such a whopping dose of vitamin D, and its fat soluble, so I won't be urinating it out in a day or so. I am so tired of being iatrogenically harmed I can't even stand it. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted November 18, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 18, 2015 I'm sorry to hear about your reaction to Vitamin D naturegirl. 50,000 IU! I would be terrified to take that amount. I've slowly worked up to 2000 IU D3 per day and seem to tolerate that ok with my sensitive NS. Doctors don't understand withdrawal and how it effects us, we need to do our own research and take responsibility for what we put into our bodies if we are going to get well, and this site is the best place to start. There's a lot of information about taking vitamin D while in withdrawal here: Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol or calcitriol) - Symptoms and self ... Here is the link to our symptoms and self care section, you may find some useful ideas to help manage symptoms as you recover. Especially read the topics pinned at the top. Many people find fish oil and magnesium helpful, see King of Supplements: Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) and Magnesium, Nature's Calcium Channel Blocker 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
naturegirl Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 Hey everyone. Things are really brutal for me right now. I started having insomnia and anxiety around my cycle each month. It was quite bad. In retrospect, I think it was the 5mg melatonin I had been taking every night for over a year that messed up my hormones and triggered all this. I would also take an additional 5 or 10mg if not sleeping, which after doing a lot of research I now know was really dumb. Anyhow, I should have known better, because I have tried psych meds in the past with disastrous results, but I was feeling badly enough that I sought help. Long story short....After 2 weeks of trying gabapentin, trazodone, doxepin, hydroxyzine and ambien and getting sicker and more mentally destroyed with each new drug, I agreed to start Prozac 5mg. I took it for 5 weeks, and every day was hell but I was trying to hang in there and let it work. After 5 weeks, I cut to 2.5mg for a week, then discontinued. Felt pretty good for 3 weeks, then the gates of hell opened. I feel a horrible chemical anxiety and a crushing feeling in my chest constantly now. I don't sleep much or well. My GI tract is really messed up. I only eat to stay alive. I have a constant vibrating/shaking feeling in my entire body. From 5mg, how is this possible???? My husband is out of town and I am caring for our two small children by myself. I'm also working 3.5 days per week at a high stress job. Please help me, I know the only way through this is one day at a time and no more prescriptions, but this feels impossible right now. I won't even take supplements, I really feel like the melatonin had a part in the initial problem. I really need support... Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 What to do when I literally feel like I'm going to die? I've been distracting myself and moving all day and I get no relief. This is absolute torture. I can't re-start Prozac because I felt terrible on it the whole time. I forgot, I was also given low dose mirtazapine and took 3 doses of lorazepam. That was all during the prozac, which I stopped 1 month ago. Please help me, I can't tolerate this. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 I'm so scared. Can anyone help me? No sleep tonight. Whole body feels so sick, headache. Feel like i'm going crazy. I have a good life, i dont want to lose it to this. My kids need me. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 Please please please help me, i'm dying here!! I called hotline and they told me to go to the er and get ativan, i cant do that!!!! Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted July 27, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 27, 2022 (edited) Hello, and welcome to SA. We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs. I'm really sorry you are in this situation! It sounds to me like you had an adverse reaction to Prozac, but you were on it for 6 weeks, so your brain became dependent upon it. When you quite suddenly, your brain didn't have a chance to adjust to being without the drug. Please don't despair, there is a light at the end of this very dark and scary tunnel. Are you still on the low dose of mirtazapine? How did that effect you? 18 hours ago, naturegirl said: I agreed to start Prozac 5mg. I took it for 5 weeks, and every day was hell but I was trying to hang in there and let it work. This indicates you had an adverse reaction to prozac. What specifically were your symptoms while you were on the prozac? How was your sleeping, eating, and basic daily functioning while you were still on it? Can you please update your signature with your drug history to include all drugs you are on and have been on since 2015, especially for the past 18-24 months? It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise vertical list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase. Use this format: Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose… Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose… Etcetera Please read the link below for instructions. This will allow us to give you the best guidance. How to List Drug History in Signature Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work. This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds. Please read the link about stability: Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. Magnesium Omega 3 Fish Oil Even though you had an adverse reaction to the prozac, it may really help you to do a very small reinstatement of it. Going back on a small dose of your drug, which we call reinstatement, is best done very carefully. This is temporary, and after stabilizing you would then taper gradually off of this. There is some risk involved, and we need more specifics about your drug history before we can suggest a good dose at which to reinstate. Here is some information about reinstatement. About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms I've given you quite a bit of information here. Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and take heart. We in this forum have been through this, and we understand first hand the pain and discomfort you are going through. Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities. It takes time, but healing can and will happen. Edited July 27, 2022 by getofflex Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted July 27, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 27, 2022 Previous 4 posts merged with your original intro thread. Please keep all comments and question about your situation in this one thread, to minimize confusion and duplication of effort. Thank you. Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
Ninabird Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 13 hours ago, naturegirl said: 'm so scared. Can anyone help me? No sleep tonight. Whole body feels so sick, headache. Feel like i'm going crazy. I have a good life, i dont want to lose it to this. My kids need me. I understand and sympathize with what you are going through. You are not going crazy. Crazy people don't know they are going crazy. Try to update your signature so the Mods can offer you some help. We are all here to support you. Sending you prayers. PREVIOUS 2018 Ativan 1mg Oct-Jan (CT), 2019 Effexor 75mg, Klonopin .25mg, Trazadone 75mg, Bridge to Prozac (?dose), 2020 Taper off all, 2021 Zoloft (?dose), Jan-May (CT @ Hospital), Remeron (?dose) Trazadone 75mg, Propanolol (?dose), Klonopin .50mg, Buspar (?dose), 2021 Prozac (?dose), Trazadone 75mg, Klonopin 2 times a day, 2021 August fast taper Trazadone Prozac fast taper in August. August Lexapro 10mg 2022 January Lexapro to 25mg, February FT to 10mg Lexapro over 6 weeks, Klonopin .25mg 2 times a day, May Effexor 35mg, June bridge from Effexor to 30mg Cymbalta. Held on Lexapro until November. supplements 2023 Jan Probiotics stopped taking after two weeks ADR April 1k Iu Vitamin D W/ K stopped after a few days ADR. March 50mg Mag glycinate stopped after a week ADR January 2023 - added an additional .25 mg Klonopin (.25 mg three times a day) CURRENT 1/23-Present Klonopin .75mg divided into .25mg 3 times a day. 6:30am, 12:00pm, 6:30pm 1/23Present Lexapro .101 mgpw - 8.08 mgai 8:00am 1/23-Present Estradiol .50mg 8:00am 1/23-Present 30mg Cymbalta 12:30pm 6/23 to present Holding no changes 7/4 reduced Lexapro to 7.92mg 7/31 7.84mg 8/7 7.76mg 7/14 7.60mg 10/1 7.44mg 10/28 7.36mg 2/1 7.12mg 2/14 7.04mg 3/5/24 6.88mg 3/12 6.80mg Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 Hi getofflex, I have updated my signature. On day 1 of prozac i was tired and foggy headed. Every other day of the remaining 5 weeks on it i was jittery/caffeinated/trembling feeling, insomnia/tortured sleep with clenched fists, profuse night sweats, appetite loss, waves of depression and suicidal thoughts alternating with an odd euphoria. The first 3 weeks after stopping prozac, i felt much better. Thinking gradually became more clear, vision focused better, jitteriness subsided, sleep improved. 4 weeks out now and my sleep is nearly non existent, i have shaking/vibrating in my legs, pins and needles in my feet, chest pressure, difficulty breathing, panic feelings, despair. Started a supplement with ashwagandha, gaba, l theanine, mushroom today. Either it was helpful, or the fact that i dragged my sleep deprived panicky self to work and pretended to be normal helped....anyhow, i'm somewhat calmer now. I appreciate you all more than u will ever know and am so grateful for help. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted July 28, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 28, 2022 10 hours ago, naturegirl said: Started a supplement with ashwagandha, gaba, l theanine, mushroom today. Either it was helpful, or the fact that i dragged my sleep deprived panicky self to work and pretended to be normal helped....anyhow, i'm somewhat calmer now. I'm very glad to hear you are doing better now. It sounds like you are experiencing the windows and waves pattern of recovery. Just FYI, supplements can have unpredictable effects on a destabilized nervous system. Use them at your own risk. Here is our thread about supplements. Supplements: What Helps, What Doesn't Important Topics About Supplements, Tests, Treatments Hypersensitivity to Drugs, Foods, and Supplements If you want to, you could do a very small reinstatement of Prozac. I know you had an adverse reaction to it, but your brain also became dependent on it after being on it for 6 weeks. You could try a test dose of 0.25 mg, and see how you react to that. Oftentimes, a very low dose can help to lessen withdrawal symptoms. The less time there is between quitting your drug and reinstating, the more likely it is to work. It's up to you. Let us know what you decide. If you do decide to do it, this link will explain how to dose this very small amount. Using a liquid would be the easiest way to do this. Dosing and Tapering Prozac Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 I passed out from the exhaustion of not sleeping for 2 days and slept for 8 hrs. I feel much calmer and more like me. I am definitely in windows and waves, this same pattern happened a week ago and i came through it. It's weird, when the wave is bad it's so hard to remember ever feeling good, even if it was just the day before. I plan to not reinstate and try to stay level headed while i ride these waves. 1 Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted July 28, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 28, 2022 1 hour ago, naturegirl said: I plan to not reinstate and try to stay level headed while i ride these waves. Sounds good. When you get in a wave, check out the link I gave above on non drug coping techniques. These can help a lot. I'm glad you got some good sleep! That really helps. Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
Alibe Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 @naturegirl how are you doing? I've been following your thread. You said you recovered after your first bad round 6 years ago? How long did it take your akathisia/inner restlessness to go away? It seems like the prozac introduced it again:(.. Im so sorry. I cant believe these drugs can do this.. I'm experiencing akathisia right now. 2013- Nov 6 2021: Lexapro 7.5 mg CT 2010-present Klonopin .25 mg as needed Nov 12-24, 2021: Buspar 10 mg 2x per day-stopped. Nov 2021: Gabapentin 100 mg x3 to 300 mg x3 Nov 25, 2021: Reinstated Lexapro after 2.5 mg-5 mg- some improvement then developed Akathisia. Dec 1 2021: 1 mg Lexapro- still poor reaction tapered off in 5 months using liquid. Apr 2022: 0 Lexapro April 2022: Effexor 25 mg. Helped with akathisia and SI. but caused joint pain, high HR, and very heavy/dizzy. May 2022 12.5 mg then Stopped Present: Gabapentin 300 mg x3, klonopin .25 mg as needed, benadryl as needed, propanolol 10 mg Suffering from akathisia, head burning, depression, anhedonia, anxiety, DR/DP, fatigue, dizziness Magnesium, fish oil, D3+K2, lipothiamine, b12 injections, vit c/e, betaine hcl, probiotic Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 Hi Alibe, I believe the akathisia the first time around lasted about 6 months. I never thought i would heal, but i did. I never thought i would be well enough to get pregnant and have babies but i was. I dealt with it by getting into triathlons. I would train for 2hrs most days. Also allowing time to pass, and not dabbling with prescriptions. Even one dose of a benzo would set me back for a week to a month. My brain is so sensitized that i get withdrawal from just one dose. I can't believe i freaked out and went on another med merry go round, i really thought i learned my lesson last time. I'm back in it now, i pray this withdrawal and nervous system distress only lasts a few months. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
Alibe Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 @naturegirl Thank you for your input even when you are struggling now yourself. If you don't mind I have some more questions about your journey. I like hearing that it ended in 6 months and you trained for triathlons. Wow. Did you train while you had akathisia or after? Did you experience fatigue/brain fog at all? How was your depression/motivation? Processing emotions? Could you watch TV or listen to music? All these things are tumbling on me so hard right now. What were your symptoms when you said that one benzo would set you back? I'm just scared I'm making my situation worse because I will occasionally take a benzo. I'm also on gabapentin and idk if that's prolonging the akathisia. After the 6 months, when akathisia was gone, what were your symptoms? How long did those last? I can't believe that these drugs have these effects many years later. Since you only took it for a few weeks I hope it will be a way shorter duration. That only makes sense. Much love to you, Alibe. 2013- Nov 6 2021: Lexapro 7.5 mg CT 2010-present Klonopin .25 mg as needed Nov 12-24, 2021: Buspar 10 mg 2x per day-stopped. Nov 2021: Gabapentin 100 mg x3 to 300 mg x3 Nov 25, 2021: Reinstated Lexapro after 2.5 mg-5 mg- some improvement then developed Akathisia. Dec 1 2021: 1 mg Lexapro- still poor reaction tapered off in 5 months using liquid. Apr 2022: 0 Lexapro April 2022: Effexor 25 mg. Helped with akathisia and SI. but caused joint pain, high HR, and very heavy/dizzy. May 2022 12.5 mg then Stopped Present: Gabapentin 300 mg x3, klonopin .25 mg as needed, benadryl as needed, propanolol 10 mg Suffering from akathisia, head burning, depression, anhedonia, anxiety, DR/DP, fatigue, dizziness Magnesium, fish oil, D3+K2, lipothiamine, b12 injections, vit c/e, betaine hcl, probiotic Link to comment
naturegirl Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 Hi Alibe, During my triathlon training, i had everything going on...akathisia. brain fog, depression, anxiety, muscle weakness, etc. I would literally force myself out the door to do it and always felt better after. Sometimes 5% better. Sometimes 80%. But i just kept doing it no matter what. Sometimes i thought to myself "i may collapse and die out here doing this but oh well". My body was never as sick as it felt, it handled everything i threw at it. I finished every day with a warm epsom salt bath. I even shocked myself and won some medals for triathlons. My goal was just to finish. I had a hard time sitting still during the akathisia times, so listening to music and watching tv were not something i did back then. It took many months before i could sit comfortably and watch tv. I often said i was in the best athletic shape of my life even though i felt absolutely terrible. If i had stopped dabbling with benzos, i would have healed faster. Cutting those out completely was hard, but thats when the real healing started. I am reading a book called death grip- a climbers escape from benzo madness. Its a true story. If that guy can recover, anyone can- he used crazy amounts of benzos over and over and took countless antidepressants. He quit everything and is fully recovered. 2 Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 Whew this is tricky. I have been going about life close to normally, but i have a lot of symptoms and i hope this is as bad as it's gonna get. 5.5 weeks out from last prozac. My body continues to shake, vibrate, and tingle. Stress worsens it. I often wake in the night with it. Cant sleep past 5am, my legs get restless and i feel squirmy. I get 6-7 hrs sleep most nights (soooo thankful for this)! But, there have been a couple nights of zero sleep and a couple with 2-3 hrs. I often have a strange feeling of anxiety and crushing in my chest. Not normal anxiety, a strange anxiety. I get overwhelmed and overstimulated easily. One of the hardest things is i am struggling to maintain my patience with my precious 2 and 4 yr old daughters. They are at challenging ages regardless, and now i have withdrawal on top of it. I distract to the max all day long. I cant believe i'm going thru all this. I really think high doses of melatonin kicked off my initial anxiety. I wonder if anyone else has had trouble from melatonin. I also wonder if the l theanine, ashwagandha, gaba, shitake supplement i'm taking is hurting me. I take it in the morning and feel like it causes tiredness which is better than anxiety, but then i had crushing chest anxiety later so maybe rebound? I cut the dose in half today and will try to eliminate it. I have also been drinking herbal teas-i hate to think these could cause problems, but maybe should cut these out too. I can't believe how powerful a measly 5mg of prozac is. Thank goodness i didnt take more, but regret sticking with it for 5 weeks. I also regret all the junk i tried before it for insomnia. I also have little appetite and my stomach always feels strange. I am going to try cold showers for the anxiety. Although i dont feel well or like me, i am grateful that i can do things with my daughters like take them to the park, cook for them, etc. I also go to work which is quite stressful at times. My arms feel weak, this scares me. I pray that the worst is occurring and it will be progress towards healing from here. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 It seems like i'm getting worse....when can i expect to turn the corner? I had little sleep tonight, and what i did get was filled with nightmares that are so real it takes me awhile to realize it was just a dream. I still shake all the time. I need support, guys. Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
naturegirl Posted August 2, 2022 Author Share Posted August 2, 2022 I also have overactive bladder now and have even peed in my pants! I cant seem to stop dropping weight even though i force myself to eat. I really need a friend. Does anyone want to be my friend? I'm 42 year old mom of little girls. If so, PM me Approximately 6 years ago, recovered from a horrific multi-year psychiatric med withdrawal including several benzos and antidepressants. Went on to have 2 beautiful babies, fulfilling my dream. Never thought i would be in this situation again.... Started having severe insomnia and anxiety linked to my cycle. Took excessive amounts of melatonin to combat it, I believe this worsened everything. Sought help and was given: April to may 2022- gabapentin 300mg, trazodone 25-75mg x 1 week. Hydroxyzine 50mg 1 dose. Ambien 10mg 2 doses. Doxepin 25mg 1 dose. Seroquel 1 dose. Carbemazepine in ER x 1 dose for tremors from 1 week of gabapentin. May 22-June 23 2022- prozac 3.2mg x 2 weeks, 5mg x 2 weeks, 2.5mg x 1 week, stop. Also mirtazapine 1.87mg-3.75mg x 2 weeks to deal with prozac insomnia. Also 3 doses lorazepam 0.5mg to deal with severe akathisia from prozac. Benzos are a huge no-no for me due to past accidental dependence. Off everything including melatonin supplement as of June 23 2022. Link to comment
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