KitKat63 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I have been medicated since I was 15 years old when I first started symptoms of depression and PTSD. I am now 52 and have been prescribed almost every type of psychiatric drug available out there including Thorazine and Stelazine as a teenager. I got myself off Pristiq 50 mg a day 5 months ago with very little problems and have not had any symptoms of depression. I was only on it for 3 years, so that, I guess, is why there were so few problems. The last drug I am on, Lamictal is giving me the most trouble. I take 100 mg twice a day and have been doing so for 16 years. In the beginning of this year I went from 300 mg total a day down to 200 mg total a day. I had no problems with that. Recently, I tried to reduce it to 100 mg in the AM and 50 mg at night, but after 3 days I was very lethargic and was having trouble falling and staying asleep. I was also very irritable. I went back to my original dosage but am still having trouble with my sleep. I want to be off this medication and need to know how to do it in the safest way possible. I found this forum and think it will be very helpful to me during this process. KitKat63 1978-2011 Many different psychiatric meds 2/2011- Pristiq 50 mg QD, Lamictal 100 mg in AM, 200mg PM 5/2013- Pristiq 50mg QD, Lamictal 100mg BID- no major withdrawal symptoms 2/2014- Began taper of Pristiq, minimal mood disturbance, no sleep problems 4/2015- Off Pristiq no residual withdrawal symptoms since 9/2015 Began taper of Lamictal- 75mg in AM, 100mg in PM Negative thinking, cry easily, sleep disturbances, irritability Link to comment
jammin83 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi there KitKat welcome to the site! I can relate to a lot of your history as I have have been on pretty much everything at some point or another too but I am only 31. The general rule of thumb is a 10% a month reduction. I didn't know what I was doing when I was stopping some of the drugs I was on and went too fast. It was a huge mistake that I am paying for dearly. Don't rush it because it will delay the amount of time it takes to heal and you really won't be saving yourself any time if you totally destabilize your nervous system. Sometimes if you go too fast, reinstating doesn't always work so you should be careful when you start experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Generally speaking, as you get lower in doses and the receptors become less saturated you will experience more difficulty. Sometimes even smaller cuts than 10% are required when you get closer to being off of it. You can purchase a mg scale off of Amazon for around 20 dollars. I recommend the gemini 20. You need to be as precise as possible when making cuts. Some people have some success with making smaller cuts over shorter periods of time. Some people make solution or a suspension and utilize volumetric dosing. You can pick up an oral syringe from a pharmacy. Sometimes they will give them out for free if you just ask. You should update your signature with the drugs you are on and what doses you are taking. Is lamictal the last drug you are taking? If so, that is quite an accomplishment. You are almost free. I'm sure someone will be around shortly to give you some more 'official' information. Good luck on your journey. 2007-2010 - adderall, vyvanse, klonopin, prozac, symbyax, ativan, klonopin, seroquel, gabapentin, lyrica, concerta, lithium, elavil, 2011-2014 - adderall, vyvanse, gabapentin, celexa, cymbalta, intuiv, tegretol, lamictal, risperdal, zyprexa, trazondone, wellbutrin May 2014 - Vyvanse - 70 mg, gabapentin 3200 mg, zyprexa - 20 mg August 2014 - Gabapentin 800 mg, zyprexa 10 mg October 2014 - Attempted to taper off of zyprexa completely - did not succeed, gabapentin 900 mg January 2015 - Zyprexa 5 mg, switched to seroquel @ 100 mg, gabapentin 900 mg Feburary 2015 - Seroquel - 50 mg, gabapentin 900 mg March 2015 - Seroquel - 100 mg, zyprexa 5 mg as needed, gabapentin 900 mg April 2015 - Determined seroquel was useless but remained at 25-50 mg, gabapentin 900 mg May 2015 - Seroquel 50 mg, gabapentin 900 mg, tenex 2mg June 2015 - Seroquel 50 mg, gabapentin 900 mg July 2015 - Seroquel upped to 100 mg to stabilize, gabapentin 900 mg, took olanzapine six times 10 mg, tenex 2mg Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 19, 2015 Moderator Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi KitKat-- welcome to the group, we have a ton of information here that will be helpful. I thought I had been medicated for a long time at 23 years. The real key, after long term use, is to go slow on the taper. Check out the tapering forum for specific information. A good place to start would be with this thread Why taper by 10% of my dosage? 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
KitKat63 Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi, thanks for the welcome and tips. Currently I am only taking Lamictal 100 mg twice a day. I have been reading the tapering tips and am going to pharmacy today. I am currently moving to a new place on Tuesday, so once things have settled down, I am going to start the tapering. I found an alternative medicine doctor nearby and am hoping I can afford his rates. I really don't trust conventional doctors anymore. 1978-2011 Many different psychiatric meds 2/2011- Pristiq 50 mg QD, Lamictal 100 mg in AM, 200mg PM 5/2013- Pristiq 50mg QD, Lamictal 100mg BID- no major withdrawal symptoms 2/2014- Began taper of Pristiq, minimal mood disturbance, no sleep problems 4/2015- Off Pristiq no residual withdrawal symptoms since 9/2015 Began taper of Lamictal- 75mg in AM, 100mg in PM Negative thinking, cry easily, sleep disturbances, irritability Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted July 19, 2015 Administrator Share Posted July 19, 2015 Welcome, KitKat. You're probably familiar with Tips for tapering off Lamictal (lamotrigine) Are you taking any other drugs? 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
KitKat63 Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 I have been in my new place for 1 1/2 months. I'm starting the tapering off the Lamictal tomorrow. The only other medications I take are Lopressor for high blood pressure and Synthroid for hypothyroidism. I have read everything I could find about Lamictal now and know it is going to be a rough ride. I have joined a nearby spiritual community and will use them for support. My best friend is not sure if I should do this but I hope she can be supportive. My family doesn't know yet. They never understood what I went through and in their minds I am their crazy sister and they would be of no help and in fact could possibly get in my way of having any success. I am nervous and believe it or not, excited about this undertaking. 1978-2011 Many different psychiatric meds 2/2011- Pristiq 50 mg QD, Lamictal 100 mg in AM, 200mg PM 5/2013- Pristiq 50mg QD, Lamictal 100mg BID- no major withdrawal symptoms 2/2014- Began taper of Pristiq, minimal mood disturbance, no sleep problems 4/2015- Off Pristiq no residual withdrawal symptoms since 9/2015 Began taper of Lamictal- 75mg in AM, 100mg in PM Negative thinking, cry easily, sleep disturbances, irritability Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted September 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 16, 2015 Wow - of course you are excited - the freedom is getting closer and closer . Sounds like you've been preparing carefully - got any meals in the freezer? Perhaps you could tell your friend that she doesn't need to do anything except come and be with you sometimes. Sometimes the presence of another person is all it takes - they don't need any special skills or info etc. Keep reading on this site, especially on hard days you can find some real gems in here to keep you going. You'll get there, sounds like you have a lot of strength already. 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
KitKat63 Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 Well, it's been about a month since I decreased my dose by 25mg. My dreams are strange, very anxiety ridden. I certainly cry a lot more easily at sad things and have been having dismal thoughts about my life and future. I don't sleep well at all, barely getting 6 hours a night and I toss and turn and wake up a lot. After a few days I am so tired I will finally have a night where I will sleep straight through to the morning and manage to get 7-8 hours of sleep. I'm worried about getting so negative and down that I will decide to give up on living. It scares me because it has been a very long time since I have felt this way. I've started up counseling sessions with a past therapist. He is aware of what I'm doing. I haven't gone to a new psychiatrist yet and my new PCP isn't good at listening to me so it has been hard to trust her enough to tell her about this. I have no faith in doctors of any profession, I know I need to let them in on this. I've lived in my new place for 2 1/2 months now. Maybe I should have waited a little while longer before I started tapering off the Lamictal. I feel like it would not do me any good to go back up to the 100mg twice a day again though. I really want to succeed in this undertaking. Any thoughts? 1978-2011 Many different psychiatric meds 2/2011- Pristiq 50 mg QD, Lamictal 100 mg in AM, 200mg PM 5/2013- Pristiq 50mg QD, Lamictal 100mg BID- no major withdrawal symptoms 2/2014- Began taper of Pristiq, minimal mood disturbance, no sleep problems 4/2015- Off Pristiq no residual withdrawal symptoms since 9/2015 Began taper of Lamictal- 75mg in AM, 100mg in PM Negative thinking, cry easily, sleep disturbances, irritability Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted October 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 16, 2015 Hi Kitkat, Could you write a signature so we can see more easilly what is happening for you? Good to hear you are going to counseling. I know what it's like to have all that sadness and anxiety, strange dreams and desparately negative thoughts. It's utterly horrible and, thanks to the drugs, can last for longer than would naturally occur. I have noticed a gradual easing of these symptoms over the course of this year as I've slowly tapered. Dropping from 100mg to 75mg is a pretty big jump - enough to put you in a difficult place symptom-wise. It could certainly explain neuro-emotions such as your negative thoughts about living. If you can keep up the determination, keep reminding yourself 'if it wasn't for the pills I wouldn't be having this thought' then you will come through it. It takes time for your whole system to settle after such a drop in dose. I don't know enough to advise on reinstating etc, so I'll leave that to a mod. Apart from that, my main thought would be for you to really focus on supporting your brain and nervous system as they heal. You've already started this at counseling. Have a look at http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/ for ideas. Each little thing you can do to nourish and nurture yourself through this will add up. Wishing you peace, 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 17, 2015 Administrator Share Posted October 17, 2015 KitKat, we recommend a much smaller decrease per month, see Why taper by 10% of my dosage? Did you take the 25mg off the morning or evening dose? If I were you, I would not reduce again until your sleep settles down. 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
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now