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UnfoldingSky: protracted withdrawal from Celexa, other drugs


UnfoldingSky

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All the talk of being in the sun reminded me that this song mentions sunshine! I'm glad it cheered you up. That's what I was hoping for!

 

It worked, thank you! 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Looks like neither you nor I have been able to get ahold of Pug. I certainly hope everything is okay.

I think I just had a Pug spotting over on Winning Through's thread.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Putting up another note to myself, so I don't forget.

 

It seems the first patch of eczema I got, which started many months ago may be going away.  It seems to be fading. I still have many other patches but this one does look a bit better. 

 

I don't know why it's going away though, if it is.  I started vit. D recently and read it can help with eczema so maybe that is why?  I also started that herb, and I used to eat a lot of peanut butter but stopped that a while ago (I was told it could be a food allergy so maybe that was the cause? Peanuts? I have no idea.)

 

I hate even mentioning this since so many people are in so much worse positions than I now am.  It really isn't at the forefront of my mind either, there are other more pressing problems like sleep  I need to attend to.  But it does seem to have improved a little so I wanted to note that and what I've been doing in case I find it starts to worsen again, so I know what might help it clear up.  I know this problem is trivial compared to say akathisia or any number of problems many people here have, this is just me noting this for future reference and not me trying to say my life is awful because of this or that it's even remotely comparable to the many varied severe problems withdrawal can cause.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Putting up another note to myself, so I don't forget.

 

It seems the first patch of eczema I got, which started many months ago may be going away. It seems to be fading. I still have many other patches but this one does look a bit better.

 

I don't know why it's going away though, if it is. I started vit. D recently and read it can help with eczema so maybe that is why? I also started that herb, and I used to eat a lot of peanut butter but stopped that a while ago (I was told it could be a food allergy so maybe that was the cause? Peanuts? I have no idea.)

 

I hate even mentioning this since so many people are in so much worse positions than I now am. It really isn't at the forefront of my mind either, there are other more pressing problems like sleep I need to attend to. But it does seem to have improved a little so I wanted to note that and what I've been doing in case I find it starts to worsen again, so I know what might help it clear up. I know this problem is trivial compared to say akathisia or any number of problems many people here have, this is just me noting this for future reference and not me trying to say my life is awful because of this or that it's even remotely comparable to the many varied severe problems withdrawal can cause.

Sky, don't feel guilty for using your thread to track your symptoms! Just because other people have some pretty wicked problems happening right now that doesn't mean that what you are going through does not deserve feedback or attention. Besides, I think your supportive attitude of others and everything that you have conquered certainly earns you the good karma to be able to talk about your eczema problems.

 

Are you able to tolerate avocado? I know that avocado is supposed to be excellent for the skin, so maybe this could be something to try regularly adding to your diet if you don't already consume enough of it.

 

You are so gentle with others, Sky. Please don't forget to be gentle with yourself, too.

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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Putting up another note to myself, so I don't forget.

 

It seems the first patch of eczema I got, which started many months ago may be going away. It seems to be fading. I still have many other patches but this one does look a bit better.

 

I don't know why it's going away though, if it is. I started vit. D recently and read it can help with eczema so maybe that is why? I also started that herb, and I used to eat a lot of peanut butter but stopped that a while ago (I was told it could be a food allergy so maybe that was the cause? Peanuts? I have no idea.)

 

I hate even mentioning this since so many people are in so much worse positions than I now am. It really isn't at the forefront of my mind either, there are other more pressing problems like sleep I need to attend to. But it does seem to have improved a little so I wanted to note that and what I've been doing in case I find it starts to worsen again, so I know what might help it clear up. I know this problem is trivial compared to say akathisia or any number of problems many people here have, this is just me noting this for future reference and not me trying to say my life is awful because of this or that it's even remotely comparable to the many varied severe problems withdrawal can cause.

Sky, don't feel guilty for using your thread to track your symptoms! Just because other people have some pretty wicked problems happening right now that doesn't mean that what you are going through does not deserve feedback or attention. Besides, I think your supportive attitude of others and everything that you have conquered certainly earns you the good karma to be able to talk about your eczema problems.

 

Are you able to tolerate avocado? I know that avocado is supposed to be excellent for the skin, so maybe this could be something to try regularly adding to your diet if you don't already consume enough of it.

 

You are so gentle with others, Sky. Please don't forget to be gentle with yourself, too.

 

 

Thanks WI, you are such a sweetheart.  Go figure though, after all I wrote now it looks like it's back to where it started so I guess I just rambled on for no reason.  :unsure:  Maybe I'll try the avocado, you know I don't think that I've ever tried it before.

 

I hope you are doing okay I popped in on your thread and saw you had been to emergency I so hope everything is settling down for you. 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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WI forgive me that last post came out all wrong, I am not doing that great today and can't think clearly, I've had some bad news (not really bad but not great) just recently (not health-related either) and I'm finding that this is setting me back some.

 

I know you have had an awful time lately and didn't mean to make that post sound like I was insensitive to that, reading it back it sounds that way, but that was just my spaced out brain, I am all over the place today.  Please don't take it that way I am genuinely very concerned about your situation. 

 

And I so, so hope you get a big window like ASAP. 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Sky, you have never once sounded insensitive! I am devastated to hear you have gotten bad news. Would you please send me a private message if you need to talk about whatever is happening?

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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Hi WI, thank you for your concern, you're such a caring  soul. I will be okay though, the news wasn't great but it isn't the end of the world or anything, and there is still a very small chance what I was told won't come to pass so I'm at present trying not to think about it hoping that this will just blow over.  It just triggered a kind of reality check last night, it basically caused me to sit down and really look yet again at all the secondary damage the drugs have done to my life, all the things I lost, and that was a bit more than I could handle.  But today I feel a little better.

 

How are you doing?  I dearly hope your night tonight is better than it was yesterday.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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I am a mess. My swallowing got worse and my jerking, too, which both just make me want to give up.

 

Regardless of what's happening with me, I'm here if you need to chat and I will keep my fingers crossed that nothing bad comes to pass for you.

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Sky, I know you have lost a lot through this experience, but everything that you have managed to overcome is truly a beacon of hope for me. I know it doesn't help repair what you no longer have, but I want you to know that you ARE an inspiration for someone in this world.

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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I am a mess. My swallowing got worse and my jerking, too, which both just make me want to give up.

 

Regardless of what's happening with me, I'm here if you need to chat and I will keep my fingers crossed that nothing bad comes to pass for you.

 

Hi WI, argh you so need a break.  Was today any better?  I so hope so.  Please don't give up, you are worth fighting for!  And you can't let the drug companies win! 

 

Thanks for your offer to lend an ear too.  I am trying to avoid thinking about the bad thing I mentioned, hoping that it just won't come to pass.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Sky, I know you have lost a lot through this experience, but everything that you have managed to overcome is truly a beacon of hope for me. I know it doesn't help repair what you no longer have, but I want you to know that you ARE an inspiration for someone in this world.

 

Thanks WI, I am glad to be of help to someone, I feel so useless sometimes.  You are quite inspiring yourself though, your struggle is so hard and you are doing a commendable job getting through it.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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I had so much more I wanted to write but I ate some chocolate before logging in here and it has made me rather spaced out. 

I think I am underestimating the impact sugar and caffeine are having on me.

 

In severe withdrawal just the smallest amount of either could be utterly unbearable, it would cause awful akathisia.  But that is long gone, I usually can take it without even getting any anxiety from it.

 

But I laid off it for day or so and then started it again..It's hitting me rather hard, in terms of cognitive fog.

 

I guess I will have to leave off for a bit.

 

Hopefully I'll remember what I wanted to say tomorrow.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Before I forget another symptom of the adverse drug reaction I had that I forgot to mention above in my story was high blood pressure. 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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  • Member

 

I read some really fascinating stuff about D in early wd. It is actually a hormone and one website actually talked about how when it is low there may well be a valid physiological reason for it. Don't know if I can find it again. That search thing, ya know?

 

Hi CW, do you mean that it would be a bad idea to supplement then?  I'd love to see the article if you come across it.  I didn't get much sun this past year so feel I probably am low and need it, took one today and am feeling a little better.  I was getting it from salmon but over time I'm getting more worried about how polluted salmon might be because of the meltdown in Japan.  So I'm running on like no D...lol

 

 

Nothing like me being quick on the draw, right? Have been trying to catch up on threads and saw yours at the top of my list this morning. Would you believe I had (thankfully) marked this in my thread? Here it is and it is really thought provoking. Let me say that I have no idea if the guy is blowing smoke, a lot of those 'healthy' sites cherry pick links, studies and often just cannibalize each other to tout their 'supplement' regimes. But this guy sure makes it sound like he did the research. His was the reason I decided not to mess with supplementing D because it may very well be true that it is a 'biomarker' of what is going on in the body, not the 'cause' of something (as in if you take some you will 'cause' something or other 'bad' not to happen or something 'good' to happen). Very interesting reading, glad I read it again.

 

http://gettingstronger.org/2012/11/why-i-dont-take-vitamin-d-supplements/

What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878

 

July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site.

 

Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey.

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Hey thanks CW you are awesome!  I will have a go at reading the article when I am a little less spaced out.  I did try supplementing D but after a few days felt spacey so for the time being I have stopped taking it.

 

My new plan is to do this naturally so I'm going to the beach...in the snow.  lol

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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  • 2 years later...
  • Administrator

UnfoldingSky, how are you doing now?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Alto, thanks for asking after me and sorry I took so long to respond here.

 

I have to post a short update, I'd like to post a longer one later but wished to say that I believe I have found a cause for severe fatigue I've been suffering over the winter. I don't know if psych drugs caused it, no one knows the cause of this medical problem, however I feel undoubtedly they probably helped it along.

 

I'm waiting on a diagnosis from a doctor, though, so this is still tentative.  Basically if I'm right it's a skin condition that causes fatigue, and can lower iron too.  It fits problems I have now.  If I'm right about this it's definitely not going to be a problem many here have or will get.  However it really highlights for me the extreme necessity of being very thorough about medical examinations and doing your own research.I don't know how many times I've been passed off by doctors saying fatigue is "depression" when I'm sure that I have some medical problem that they are missing...Now it's looking like I was right.

 

I also have to note I've been having some blurred vision in my left eye on and off these past few days, cold intolerance which is strangely at its worst in spring and fall, still cognitive difficulties, some stress intolerance.  Sometimes when I'm outside in the spring or fall I will start to feel so cold and become overwhelmed with a feeling like I can't move .I'm going to be tested again for hypothyroidism just to make sure it's not the root cause.  I have been tested for it before but that was a while back. 

 

I also have a bit of numbness in my fingers some days. 

 

And just to keep up with recovery overall I still have not had a recurrence of akathisia, TD symptoms are so minimal as to be barely worth speaking of (I might twitch once every few months), I still have not had a recurrence of dissociation, depersonalization or derealization, no zaps...I'm sure I'm forgetting others that are now gone too.  So recovery for those issues is still holding. 

 

More later!  As always too I hope you are well!

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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  • 9 months later...

Bumping my thread as I need to finish writing my story. 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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Hey, it's good to hear about someone who has gone through hell and is only facing what you call "trivial" problems. I'm in akathisia today and looking forward to the "trivial" symptoms.

Current daily meds. Citalopram 2.5mg morning. Diazapam 1.5mg evening, Propanalol 40mg split 4x10mg throughout day.

 

Recent meds. Fluoxetine 20mg began 24th Nov 2017, CT on 4th December on medical advice due to bad Akathisia. Citalopram 10mg began on 13th Dec 2017, tapered to 2.5mg by 20th Dec 2017 on medical advice. Diazapam 2mg began on 6th Dec 2017 cut to 1.5 mg on 26th Dec. Propanalol 40mg began on 13th Dec. Zopiclone 3.75 mg began 13th December, used maybe 5 times then quit.

 

Previous history. Tricyclics, Fluoxetine or Citalopram for periods of 6mo to 2yrs over last 25 years. Probably 5 yrs in total. No significant ill effects.

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  • 9 months later...
  • Administrator

Hi, Unfolding, how are you doing? Sounds like your recovery from psychiatric drugs is well underway.

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.

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to UnfoldingSky: protracted withdrawal from Celexa, other drugs
  • Moderator Emeritus

My dear UnfoldingSky,

I haven't written to you in so long!  I disappeared from here for a long while, only checking in every once in a while, and I'm back again to check in on others and write some of my own updates.

I'd really like to know if you've had more answers to the puzzles about skin, winter, and fatigue.

I'm so glad that the aka and movements have improved for you.  Your voice and hopefulness kept me going through the absolute worst of my TD.  Thank you for never giving up on me.

I look forward to reading more from you.  Love, Wiggle

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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  • 5 months later...
On 11/4/2018 at 2:58 PM, Altostrata said:

Hi, Unfolding, how are you doing? Sounds like your recovery from psychiatric drugs is well underway.

 

Well here is my very late update..

 

I am still generally free of a list of problems that psychiatric drug reactions and withdrawal gave me.  It's been many years now since I last had akathisia. I had a very short bout of tardive dyskinesia symptoms after trying a supplement but it only lasted one day, then stopped.  Otherwise I had not had those in a long time either.  I have not had zaps in ages.  Dissociation/depersonalization/derealization is gone as well, once it left it never returned.  I don't have pure "O" OCD which came on with the pills.  I have pretty well stopped waking up with morning adrenaline rushes as well.  That one gradually went away, lessened in severity over time, and now has pretty well ended. I am no longer in a constant state of terror as I was with aka.  I am far far far more calm than I was during withdrawal in the early days too.

 

Things that continue...my memory is still not perfect. It is however much improved as I've stated before around the site.  I found out last year that i also needed to put in a bit more effort to get it to improve--I had felt so demoralized as I used to have a near photographic memory for some subjects, that sometimes i was not making much of an effort to engage memory when I might have.  Once I started doing that I found I improved more.

 

Cognitively I could still be doing better too, my thinking still is not where it used to be either, but that I think has improved over all too. 

 

I also find I second guess myself a lot now too.  I think this is a holdover from having had akathisia.  When I had it it was so hard to pay attention it was almost impossible to make a decision and stick to it.  With body in constant fight or flight mode it's hard to say okay, I'm going to do x, and keep to that.  So even when aka went away, the mindset of "you can change your mind whenever you want' still remained. It was like a bad habit I got in to.  That's something I wrestle with.

 

I have a case of tinnitus that started with the pill reactions/withdrawal that I don't think I mentioned here, as it was so minor when the aka was going on I didn't feel it warranted mentioning. That is still an issue.

 

And I feel there is something a bit "off" about my personality, that I can't quite put my finger on but put down to the pills and also all the attendant problems surrounding have been harmed by the medical system and not being believed.

 

I think I will always have some level of trauma over what occurred too but it's nowhere near what it was before.  With time of course and healing of symptoms the trauma becomes easier to bear. 

 

One of the biggest remaining impacts continues to be all the problems the pills caused to my life otherwise--ruined relationships, lost work opportunities and so on.  Of course some of that can't be recovered.  I find I have little trust in people after putting up with so many I knew well telling me my problems were not real or exaggerated, etc.  As I lost friends because of what happened, often pushing them away when they caused problems, I had to try to make new ones where I live.  That has not worked out very well.  A lot of people where I live are biased against "mentally ill' people and I find when I start to get to know someone they usually will rapidly divulge that bias in some way, without even suspecting what happened to me.  Some of them even see "mental health" professionals.  I can't bear to listen to this sort of bias now, so it usually puts an end to me pursuing a friendship.

 

Now on the bad side, I am being investigated for serious health issues, I'm not sure if the pills caused them or something else.  Generally there is not much evidence the pills cause these sorts of issues, except maybe one, but in that case that has so many causes and I've unfortunately been exposed to many. 

 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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On 11/6/2018 at 6:27 AM, WiggleIt said:

My dear UnfoldingSky,

I haven't written to you in so long!  I disappeared from here for a long while, only checking in every once in a while, and I'm back again to check in on others and write some of my own updates.

I'd really like to know if you've had more answers to the puzzles about skin, winter, and fatigue.

I'm so glad that the aka and movements have improved for you.  Your voice and hopefulness kept me going through the absolute worst of my TD.  Thank you for never giving up on me.

I look forward to reading more from you.  Love, Wiggle

 

Hi Wiggle, I know you are not feeling well, but thought I should answer in case you happen by...sorry this is so late...I had a few problems come up when you posted this so was not able to answer then.

 

It turned out that I did have that skin issue I suspected I had. It is a pretty obscure condition though it's thought that many have it and just have not been diagnosed properly.  Thankfully it's not that serious, at least my case isn't. It can clear up on its own too, particularly I think in women when they hit menopause. It's not acted up for me in many months. 

 

I find it a bit odd though that I got something so...obscure after the withdrawal I went through and in reading on your thread and seeing you are dealing with some issues with skin too I have to wonder how much relates to the pills. 

 

Reading over what I wrote above it may be that one condition I'm being investigated for might explain some other stuff I mentioned. 

 

I'm so very glad you kept on going after what the drugs did to you.  It hurt a lot to read your story and think of you suffering as you were.  I hope things continue to improve and of course that the infection clears up.  You are a very strong person and a great inspiration to me as well. On reading some of your thread lately too it seems we may be living a bit of a similar life..I'm still living with my parents over what happened (having moved back in) and live sort of like a hermit as well.  Like you had mentioned on your thread a little while ago I can be pretty happy appreciating what I am able to do now.

 

Love and healing, US

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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2 hours ago, UnfoldingSky said:

 

I find it a bit odd though that I got something so...obscure after the withdrawal I went through and in reading on your thread and seeing you are dealing with some issues with skin too I have to wonder how much relates to the pills.

 

 

I wonder, too, as mine is also extremely obscure... In my case, I do think I already had a risk factor, though, that was unrelated to the pills.  Still, I can't imagine the pills helped.

I'm VERY glad yours can clear up and that it has not acted up for many months.  May it NEVER act up again!  

*I'm not a doctor and don't give medical advice, just personal experience
**Off all meds since Nov. 2014. Mentally & emotionally recovered; physically not
-Dual cold turkeys off TCA & Ativan in Oct 2014. Prescribed from 2011-2014

-All meds were Rxed off-label for an autoimmune illness.  It was a MISDIAGNOSIS, but I did not find out until AFTER meds caused damage.  All med tapers/cold turkeys directed by doctors 

-Nortriptyline May 2012 - Dec 2013. Cold turkey off nortrip & cold switched to desipramine

-Desipramine Jan 2014 - Oct. 29, 2014 (rapid taper/cold turkey)

-Lorazepam 1 mg per night during 2011
-Lorazepam 1 mg per month in 2012 (or less)

-Lorazepam on & off, Dec 2013 through Aug 2014. Didn't exceed 3x a week

-Lorazepam again in Oct. 2014 to help get off of desipramine. Last dose lzpam was 1 mg, Nov. 2, 2014. Immediate paradoxical reactions to benzos after stopping TCAs 

-First muscle/dystonia side effects started on nortriptyline, but docs too stupid to figure it out. On desipramine, muscle tremors & rigidity worsened

-Two weeks after I got off all meds, I developed full-blown TD.  Tardive dystonia, dyskinesia, myoclonic jerks ALL over body, ribcage wiggles, facial tics, twitching tongue & fingers, tremors/twitches of arms, legs, cognitive impairment, throat muscles semi-paralyzed & unable to swallow solid food, brain zaps, ears ring, dizzy, everything looks too far away, insomnia, numbness & electric shocks everywhere when I try to fall asleep, jerk awake from sleep with big, gasping breaths, wake with terrors & tremors, severely depressed.  NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION, EVER. Meds CREATED it.

-Month 7: hair falling out; no vision improvement; still tardive dystonia; facial & tongue tics returned
-Month 8: back to acute, incl. Grand Mal seizure-like episodes. New mental torment, PGAD, worse insomnia
-Month 9: tardive dystonia worse, dyskinesia returned. Unable to breathe well due to dystonia in stomach, chest, throat
-Month 13: Back to acute, brain zaps back, developed eczema & stomach problems. Left leg no longer works right due to dystonia, meaning both legs now damaged
-7 years off: Huge improvements, incl. improved dystonia

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21 hours ago, WiggleIt said:

 

I wonder, too, as mine is also extremely obscure... In my case, I do think I already had a risk factor, though, that was unrelated to the pills.  Still, I can't imagine the pills helped.

I'm VERY glad yours can clear up and that it has not acted up for many months.  May it NEVER act up again!  

 

I had some skin issues before the pills but after acquired more, I feel like soon I'll be gracing every page of dermatology textbooks...(though I guess they don't use actual books now...)

 

And now that I just wrote it was not acting up I now seem to be developing an issue that could be that obscure skin problem again...the fun never stops...

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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  • 3 months later...

Hi UfS hope your healing continues and gathers momentum i read somewhere about a herb that you were taking that brought you relief 

 

could you possibly  divulge the name 

May the gods of recover be with you 

 

 

I've been medication free for 65 months and a half months as posted of May 30th 2021 , stopped   med's December 14th 2015,  history  20 years on  Prozac 80mg & Moclobemide 150 mg  per day,  stopped  Moclobemide sometime in 2012 then about a year later lowered Prozac  dose to 20mg  per day, then changed to Paroxetine, then change to a Mirtazapine,  then change to Lexapro,  then changed to Brintellix,  then changed to Edronax  all at 10mgs or less  over a period of about  year,   Edronax tapered 4mg to 2mg over  10 weeks, 2 mg for 8 weeks 1 mg for 10 weeks  stopped all meds completely 14 December 2015  3 months later all HELL broke loose 

18 Jan 2019 reinstated Prozac  .25 mg then ceased 8/8/20

 

 

 

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  • 10 months later...

Hi US, I was wondering how long you had aphasia for? I saw on another thread that you had it. I have expressive aphasia, just got it at almost 11 months off. Did you do anything to help recover from it? Thanks! 

3/21/19 started Bupropion XL 150 mg

3/21/19 started Risperidone 2mg

7/7/19 start Abilify half dose 5 mg. discontinue Risperidone

7/9/19 full dose Abilify 10 mg

7/29/19 discontinued Abilify due to panicky side effects

8/2/19 Began Latuda 20 mg

8/5/19 discontinued Latuda due to similar side effects 

8/10/19 discontinued Bupropion after realizing it was causing the insomnia

From 8/10/19 no drugs whatsoever

Currently taking vitamin C, D, E, a probiotic and fish oil. 
Message me here if you want: 
https://www.facebook.com/morra.lal.3/  I've been getting a lot of fake friend requests, so please send a message before friend requesting me, thank you!

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  • 4 months later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

@UnfoldingSky

 

Please add your drug signature.  It gives members your background and provides context when you post elsewhere on the site.  Thank you.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature
Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 1 month later...

You sit curled in a petrified ball worried about suffering a bad reaction to a remineralizing toothpaste lol

 

Okay so does anyone actually know if it's safe to open such a toothpaste? I'm being told I need to take it and I really don't want to wind up with a return of withdrawal issues for something so..silly.

 

I have some Sensodyne Pronamel is this safe to use? I notice it has sorbitol in it which is a kind of alcohol, which I know can be a problem. However turns out since recovering from akathisia I have used another toothpaste unaware it had sorbitol and nothing happened to me (at least, nothing major.)

 

 

 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to You know psych drugs have made you neurotic when ...
  • Moderator Emeritus

It's not really a case of is it safe to use.  It's a case of are you able to tolerate something.  You've been a member here since 2011 so I'm sure you are aware of the start with a low dose when trying anything new and only make one change at a time.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator Emeritus

UnfoldingSky, please create your drug signature.  It gives members your drug history that provides some context to your posts.  Thank you.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Just now, ChessieCat said:

UnfoldingSky, please create your drug signature.  It gives members your drug history that provides some context to your posts.  Thank you.

 

I would but I honestly can't even remember what I took when now!  I have it written down somewhere though, will post when I find it.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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PS I have been drug free since 2011 though, I do know that much.

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
5 minutes ago, UnfoldingSky said:

I have been drug free since 2011 though

 

At the very least please put this in your drug signature until you get more information.

 

Do you have a success story yet?

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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No I haven't got a success story. I'm partly recovered .   I have recovered from a lot which I think I mentioned earlier up-thread but, I retain certain problems and now have a serious eye problem that likely partly ties to the antidepressants. 

 

 

I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions.

 

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