rae49 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I have been visiting this site for quite some time, but have never said anything. Just read what others had to say. I had taken various ssri antidepressants and klonopin. I had already discontinued the effexor by tapering it over several months and then was c/t off of klonopin in June of 2009. I am still very sick, now at 6 years and 3 months off all medicines. The reason I finally decided to post something is because I saw that Alto Strata had the same problems as I have with paradoxical reactions to medications. I was hoping someone could shed some light on this for me. I have an aortic aneurysm and really need to be taking a b/p med for it but, even now at 6 plus years off ,I am having pardoxical reactions to them. My doctor doesn't believe me about the reaction , so I'm in a really tough spot here. I might have to have surgery in the next few years and I need someone in the medical field to understand this reaction. Sorry I have cog/fog very badly. various ssri fo 20 years with c/t klonopin n June 2009 figting to normalize for 6 years now. Link to comment
LoveandLight Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I am so sorry your still sick at 6 years..have you had some improvements? 2000 - sertraline for job anxiety low confidence (17 years old) ..which turned the next 16 years into nightmare! On/off sertraline severe withdrawals every time. 2014 - felt better as reduced dose of sertraline no more inner restlessness. Doctor rushed off again. Hit severe withdrawal. Lost the little I had in life. Couldn't get stable again on 12.5mg. Was switched to prozac. Had severe reaction to prozac..came off in November 2015 at 6mg as felt more confused and damaged on it..Even more withdrawal ..rage, depression, dyphoria, near constant suicidal ideation, self harm impulses, doom, concrete block in head, unable to do much of anything with this feeling in head..went back on 6mg of sertraline to see if would alleviate anything. It didn't..reduced from December to June 2016 came off at 2.5mg sertraline as was hospitalised for the severe rage, suicidal impulses, and put on 50mg lofepramine which in 2nd week reduced all symptoms but gave insomnia which still have..psych stopped lofepramine cold turkey..no increased withdrawal symptoms new symptoms from lofepramine except persistant insomnia which has as side effect. Taking Ativan for 8 months for the severe rage self harm impulses 1-3 times a week (mostly 2 times a week) at .5mg. Two months (I'm unsure exactly when the interdose started to happen) ago interdose withdrawal seemed to happen..2 days I think after the Ativan. Nightmare that could have been avoided! Link to comment
rae49 Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 yes, I have had improvements, but they are very slow. I tell people like a nanogram a day. At one point it felt like someone had poured gas on me and lit a match, having a stroke , while at the same time someone injecting cocaine into me. I couldn't even sit on my body for several months. The pain was so bad. The pain isn 't as bad now,but I still have body wide paresthesia, neuropathy n my hands and feet, terrible cog/ fog. I am starting to sleep better than at any time in the last 6 years though. Just in the last month. I really need to take b/p meds and am unable with an aneurysm. Not fun. Link to comment
LoveandLight Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 No not fun..I hope with the improved sleep it accelerates your healing some! 2000 - sertraline for job anxiety low confidence (17 years old) ..which turned the next 16 years into nightmare! On/off sertraline severe withdrawals every time. 2014 - felt better as reduced dose of sertraline no more inner restlessness. Doctor rushed off again. Hit severe withdrawal. Lost the little I had in life. Couldn't get stable again on 12.5mg. Was switched to prozac. Had severe reaction to prozac..came off in November 2015 at 6mg as felt more confused and damaged on it..Even more withdrawal ..rage, depression, dyphoria, near constant suicidal ideation, self harm impulses, doom, concrete block in head, unable to do much of anything with this feeling in head..went back on 6mg of sertraline to see if would alleviate anything. It didn't..reduced from December to June 2016 came off at 2.5mg sertraline as was hospitalised for the severe rage, suicidal impulses, and put on 50mg lofepramine which in 2nd week reduced all symptoms but gave insomnia which still have..psych stopped lofepramine cold turkey..no increased withdrawal symptoms new symptoms from lofepramine except persistant insomnia which has as side effect. Taking Ativan for 8 months for the severe rage self harm impulses 1-3 times a week (mostly 2 times a week) at .5mg. Two months (I'm unsure exactly when the interdose started to happen) ago interdose withdrawal seemed to happen..2 days I think after the Ativan. Nightmare that could have been avoided! Link to comment
rae49 Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 Thank you Loveandlight. It seems from being on the help forums that benzo and antidepressants have a lot of the same withdrawal symptoms. I have noticed that on a day when I slept particularly hard I notice more improvement. I read somewhere that it is due to human growth hormone. Is that true? Do you know of others with this paradoxical reaction to blood pressure meds?? Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted September 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2015 Hi rae , welcome to the site , now that you have your own introduction thread. Could you tell us a little more about the paradoxical reactions you're having to the blood pressure meds? What happens? What have you taken , what doses , what was the effect . . . you know the drill. Sorry that you're in this situation , glad you decided to post. Best wishes , Fresh 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 Petunia Posted September 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 2, 2015 Welcome rae, Thank you for posting an introduction. I'm sorry you are still experiencing withdrawal symptoms, 6 years is a long time to have to be dealing with the effects of these drugs, unfortunately for some people, it can take a long time to recover completely, its good you have had some improvement. As Fresh has mentioned, if you could elaborate about your paradoxical reaction, we might be able to help. It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it: http://survivinganti...your-signature/ When we have a few more details, we will be in a better position to offer support and suggestions. Petunia. 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
rae49 Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thank you for the replies. First off I want to tell people that I have very bad cog/fog, slowed thinking, but I will try my best. I had taken various ssri and klonopin for 20 years. In 2006, I decided to taper off the effexor that was the last ssri that I had been prescribed. It took me 8 months. I had to take the capsules apart and taper so many little beads each week. It was pretty bad, but when I came off the last of the effexor , it was pretty much over for that part of it. It was then that I decided to taper off the klonopin. I used the Ashton method I found on the internet. I switched over 1.0 mg of klonopin to 20 mg of valium and began my taper. This was much harder for me than the effexor had been, but I persevered. It took me about 8 months as well for the klonopin. The week I came off was SO bad that I went back on the klonopin. I tried to take it for about a year, and had to c/t because I was so sick from trying to take it again. It never worked again. So I have been on a c/t withdrawal from the klonopin since June of 2009. It has been something only a few of the people on here could imagine. I have literally been fighting for my life every day since. With only the few hours I get for sleep as a break from the constant symptoms. Body wide paresthesia, neuropathy in hands and feet, and terrible pain. And almost a dystonia from the muscles in my chest. Well, I have lived through this now for 6 years. I was taking blood pressure medicines when I came off the klonopin, but had to quit taking them too, because they went paradoxical and were raising my blood pressure. Of course no doctor would believe me. So for 6 years I have not taken any blood pressure meds at all, and I really need to take them. Then about 4 months ago, I tried to take blood pressure meds again. First metoprolol. That was terrible. I couldn't think, had to quit. Then I tried diovan. I could take it for about 2 weeks and then I started having terrible insomnia again and had to quit. I was able to sleep once I quit the diovan. Then, thinking that maybe it was just the diovan, I tried hydrochlorothiazide. Same thing happened. But this time it started raising my blood pressure. Of course the doctor thinks I'm a nut case, so I just stop taking them again. I was hoping that by this time I would be able to take them again. I have an aneurysm and really need to be taking them. I am looking at surgery, (bit surgery) in a few years for this problem. I read on the internet that Alto had the same reaction to lamictal when she took it. Just wanted to know if it got better, or if anyone else has experienced this. hx of ssri and klonopin use since 1990. It was given to me to help me cope with a family member. Some help they gave me. Worst thing that ever happened to me was taking the prozac 25 years ago. I lost everything that was dear to me and almost my life because of these drugs. Link to comment
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