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SSRI support group - tapering while on benzo's or after recovery


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Like Smiffy said, any and all SSRis caused me to be manic. I must have tried six of them in the past, pre benzo days. I just couldn't handle that horrible anxiety they caused me so I just C/T them w/o my doctor's permission. My anxiety just turned back into my baseline and didn't feel any affects from those C/Ts so that why she put me on benzos. For my anxiety. If I didn't develop even more anxiety I probably would have stayed on them because I just loved that manic feeling.

 

Bets

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You and me both, Smiffy. I've spent sometime on the Surving Antidepressants forum and that's a wealth of knowledge over there. Have you visited the site?

 

I know for me that when I did fast tapers (3-6 months) they always ended badly and the w/d sx for me were eerily similar to benzo's w/d. When I finally got with the program and tapered 10% a month I was fine. You probably don't need to go that slow but I had no time table.

 

I felt reasonably well throughout, but subsequently given Ativan to help with the break through panic when I had tapered from 40mg to 30mg in 1 day (prior to starting the 10% taper) :idiot:

 

FWIW, I don't think 10% a week is "too" fast. That is within the recommended range. If it turns out to fast, then you can pull back the reigns. Right?

 

Also, as my husband often reminds me.....if we can get through benzo withdrawal than SSRI withdrawal will be a cake-walk.

 

:smitten:

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You and me both, Smiffy. I've spent sometime on the Surving Antidepressants forum and that's a wealth of knowledge over there. Have you visited the site?

 

I know for me that when I did fast tapers (3-6 months) they always ended badly and the w/d sx for me were eerily similar to benzo's w/d. When I finally got with the program and tapered 10% a month I was fine. You probably don't need to go that slow but I had no time table.

 

I felt reasonably well throughout, but subsequently given Ativan to help with the break through panic when I had tapered from 40mg to 30mg in 1 day (prior to starting the 10% taper) :idiot:

 

FWIW, I don't think 10% a week is "too" fast. That is within the recommended range. If it turns out to fast, then you can pull back the reigns. Right?

 

Also, as my husband often reminds me.....if we can get through benzo withdrawal than SSRI withdrawal will be a cake-walk.

 

:smitten:

 

I've been on survivingantidepressants, but they tend to be so militant about the 10% a month thing. I get it. I get they are doing harm minimisation and in any other situation I would do 10% a month but I haven't got the time. And maybe it will end badly so my rushing will be pointless but I'm not sure I shouldn't at least try. I did get withdrawal effects from the SSRI when I dropped from 20/15 - 10mg. And they were really pretty unpleasant. But they did pass in a month or two.

So yes I almost posted on survivingantidepressants last  night but I held off because I was pretty sure I'd get told just to do 10% a month.

Even 6 month tapers knocked you huh?

Damn

:-[

 

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Kid when you did get hit from the withdrawal effects of a fasterish taper did you ever hold out for a while to see if it would go?

If yes, how long did you try to wait it out?

 

Hi Bets  :)

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Hey Smiffy - yes, even 6 month tapers took me out and shook me up quite a bit. I will say though, when I dropped from 40mg to 30mg I was pretty rough for about 2 months then I levelled out, if I'm remembering correctly. If I hadn't of just moved I'd go check my journals for you (I have no clue where they are).

 

What about 10% every two weeks and see how it goes? It so hard to say. I wish I had a crystal ball for you, Smifferton  :smitten:

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I came off Zoloft in 4 weeks and its been a complete and total NIGHTMARE since.

 

I have 15 yrs with this drug and have gone up and down off and on several xs  this time I have to stay off it and grit my teeth

 

I should NEVER have come off it that quick but I had a Dr who wanted me to go onto gabapentin...well I did that for one week and then found how horrible that would be to get off so I quit it after the 1st week

 

so I am even at 10 weeks off in the throws of w/d and its AWFULLLLLLLL

 

 

please whatever any of you do go to Surviving Anti website and follow their suggestions...THIS IS BAD

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I did a 6 month taper of Celexa at the same time as my valium taper and I jumped off the SSRI 1 month after jumping off Valium. With hindsight I wouldn't have been in such a rush to come off the SSRI because the last year has been extremely difficult and stressful for me and its sometimes hard to know whether its dur to w/d from bentos or SSRIs.

I will say that I never experienced depression or despair before in my life but I now live with that daily and I think that comes from my long term SSRI use. I was on SSRIs for 14 years,

began with Celexa, then Paxil ( about 9years ), Zoloft, Effexor, Lexapro and back to Celexa for the taper because it comes in liquid form.

I wonder sometimes could I reinstate a SSRI to alleviate the s/x I'm going through from a triple whammy of alcohol cessation, bento w/d and SSRI w/d. I can't even smoke anymore without being sent into a panic attack.

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I wanted to add that SA are very "militant", as someone else suggested...and they can be rude too. I will no longer go there or post...guess I wore out my welcome

 

Anyway may I say that I tapered for a year from diazepam...jumped ship in March :-[. But nothing I felt during that whole time compares to this. I feel SO unwell and if you want me to describe it I can't...

 

Its this inner feeling in my head that spins and makes me feel so bad

 

I have no idea how long this is going to last but I can not do anything until it passes.

 

Seretonin Syndrome....isn't that when you have been given two SSRI's ?

 

I have no idea what it is if not that

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You are in ssri withdrawal

 

Serotonin syndrome is when you have too much serotonin On board

 

I think it should settle down in a few months Lainey

Hang in there till then

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Hey lainey,

 

I wanted to add that SA are very "militant", as someone else suggested...and they can be rude too. I will no longer go there or post...guess I wore out my welcome

 

Anyway may I say that I tapered for a year from diazepam...jumped ship in March :-[. But nothing I felt during that whole time compares to this. I feel SO unwell and if you want me to describe it I can't...

 

Its this inner feeling in my head that spins and makes me feel so bad

 

I have no idea how long this is going to last but I can not do anything until it passes.

 

Seretonin Syndrome....isn't that when you have been given two SSRI's ?

 

I have no idea what it is if not that

 

 

Wiki link on Seratonin Syndrome.

 

I've had it a couple of times and I'd describe them as the first and second most unpleasant experiences of my life so far. 

 

In layman's terms it's an overdose of seratonin in the brain, can be caused by drug combinations or uni-drug reactions and even smoking strong weed while on antidepressants (how I personally came by the experiences both times).

 

It's not that common and even when it does strike it isn't ultra deadly, but it can be fatal in extreme cases so it's well worth reading up on antidepressants and anything else you may ingest that increases seratonin (some natural foods/supplements do this very thing and can be the catalyst for seratonin syndrome, too, if taken with certain psych meds).

 

 

SSRI's, in general, produce all sorts of unwanted side-effects and a spinning head is pretty common, as what's happening is a transformation of the brain's receptors and we tend to feel that with brain zaps/dizzy/blurry vision etc, especially when coming off of them.

 

It really is temporary, though, and in my experience far easier to quit than benzos.  All we can really do is bear with it while we adjust..  you'll be free of them soon enough.

 

 

 

3 :hug:

 

 

 

 

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so I can not be having that since I no longer am even on a SSRI.

 

so its w/d 

 

but when can I start to feel well. It seems its been getting worse the longer I have been off

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Oh, you'd certainly know about it if you had seratonin syndrome as it is EXTREMELY unpleasant and only lasts for hours if untreated.

 

Benzo withdrawal is the same sort of thing in terms of brain restructuring so you're not describing anything unusual, if that helps reassure you a little.

 

Ya know, I've withdrawn from many things in my life and the weirdest was benzos, not because of the symptoms perse, but more because it's non-linear (windows & waves) so I never knew what to expect from day-to-day.  One week was fine, the next was hell.  The week after that it was worse, then back to normal again.  I hated it.  No, I truly despised its unpredictability because I couldn't see it slowly getting steadily better to give me a gauge on when it would end.

 

I came here looking for that answer and found that benzos, unlike other drugs, doesn't transition with a smooth linear drop in symptoms, and so many of us are constantly freaking out and losing hope wondering when it will all end.

 

Only a week or so ago I was right there with you, utterly without my sanity, and now I feel not so bad considering I haven't slept for a couple of days. 

 

'When' is the million-dollar question.  But it's also the million-dollar statement, too, meaning it's a certainty, it's just a matter of when.  I wish we could tell you but nobody will be able to predict the responses to withdrawal.

 

We can give you lots of these along the way, though, if they help:

 

 

http://www.island-cats.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/BigCatHug.gif

 

 

3 :hug:

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so I can not be having that since I no longer am even on a SSRI.

 

so its w/d 

 

but when can I start to feel well. It seems its been getting worse the longer I have been off

 

nah lainey you can't have it because you aren't on an ssri and it is very unlikely at this point you have too much serotonin

 

how long have you been off?

 

it really depends and i'm no expert on how long it will take to feel better. a lot of people feel better in a few months but i know there are some cases of 6 months (maybe more for a hard CT). survivingantideps people will know a bit more, but as you say they aren't super warm and fuzzy, particularly if you aren't/haven't followed the 10% a month thing.

 

Does anyone know another support forum for withdrawing off antidepressants?

 

My very not well informed guess though is those extreme physical symptoms will start to ease up over the next few months

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Smiff, from your lips to Gods ears.

 

I have been off for exactly 11 week this Friday

 

symptoms have not gotten any better as of yet

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  • 2 weeks later...

what happened? no one wants to play in this playground?

 

well I will update anyway ...so this Friday will be 13 weeks off and no real progress in feeling any better

 

I have made an apt with my rheumatologist (who dx me with fibro) to see if on the off chance I may have Sjogrens.

 

Have had extreme dry eye had the schemer test done years ago and I was not producing ANY tears!!!

 

as of the last year or so I have found my lips to be so dry that I reapply chapstick several xs a day..mouth is a bit dry also

 

I just want some of my symptoms to be related to ANYTHING but w/d

 

I feel burning now in my sinus' at leas that's what it feels like behind my nose and eyes...ny brain feels like its on fire too

 

off balanced/ light headed more frequently now

 

tingling and prickly bottoms of feet

 

over all feeling of totally being unwell

 

sleep is not good anymore

 

and the # 1 problem is I do NOT get my evening windows the way I always did even while I was tapering from diazepam  which as you can see was a loss...jumped ship

 

This burning in my head is driving me absolutely bonkers and I am really scared that my brain is infected or something like that.

 

so will I ever reinstate onto an SSRI...NEVER EVER NEVER.

 

God be with us all as we try to find our way home

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Sorry Lainey....it's hard feeling ill all the time. I wouldn't expect too much improvement yet, w/d from SSRI's have the same profile as benzos in regards to timelines (from everything I've read). Have you read Anatomy of An Epidemic? It's a must read for anyone on any type of psychoactive med, IMO.

 

At 13 weeks you are still early in recovery according the stats.

 

I hope you get a break soon  :)

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Lainey how is the anxiety going with the withdrawal?

You described mostly physical symptoms, plus bad sleep.. is that right?

 

Kid you really reckon SSRIs have a similar timeline to benzos?! That sucks so hard. I don't want so many more years of this.

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the anxiety is always horrendous in the mornings...then waxes and wanes throughout the day...but that is because I am still on lorazepam :(

 

I didn't get but an hour or so of sleep last night. Had palpitations all night...which scare me and make it impossible to sleep.

 

my family has been plagued with a stomach flu for going on 3 weeks now. My married daughter and her family had it 1st and then my husband got it a week ago (missed 2 days of work)  but was fine ...suddenly he and my son got hit with it (2nd time for hubby) on Wednesday :sick:

 

I have done everything in my power and with constant prayer that I would not get it....do not know how I could handle a fever, throwing up and diareah with how crappy I already feel

 

last night I felt like I was getting a fever (99.2) which made me start obsessing and then I went to sleep in guest room so as not to be breathing my husbands air...and could not fall asleep

 

this is bad and never had this problem until coming off the Zoloft. Never slept great but always fell asleep good and if I did wake always went right back to sleep...not so anymore

 

I have read the book (can not think of a book I haven't read on this)  still makes it hard when your Dr looks at you and says..."its not w/d, you have been off it to long"

 

so I guess I must wait this out and pray that I will stabilize eventually to come off the loreazepam

 

anyone have success with melatonin? I have read all on it and know that you should ONLY take 1mg (its more then our bodies even produce)  going to try it again tonight  Tried it at 3 mgs once and I did fall asleep but only for 3 hours and felt crappy the whole next day...that's when I found info regarding taking to much melatonin

 

arghhhhhhhhh  why did I ever listen to that Dr 16 years ago and start on this garbage?  Oh to be well again

 

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the anxiety is always horrendous in the mornings...then waxes and wanes throughout the day...but that is because I am still on lorazepam :(

 

I didn't get but an hour or so of sleep last night. Had palpitations all night...which scare me and make it impossible to sleep.

 

my family has been plagued with a stomach flu for going on 3 weeks now. My married daughter and her family had it 1st and then my husband got it a week ago (missed 2 days of work)  but was fine ...suddenly he and my son got hit with it (2nd time for hubby) on Wednesday :sick:

 

I have done everything in my power and with constant prayer that I would not get it....do not know how I could handle a fever, throwing up and diareah with how crappy I already feel

 

last night I felt like I was getting a fever (99.2) which made me start obsessing and then I went to sleep in guest room so as not to be breathing my husbands air...and could not fall asleep

 

this is bad and never had this problem until coming off the Zoloft. Never slept great but always fell asleep good and if I did wake always went right back to sleep...not so anymore

 

 

 

I have read the book (can not think of a book I haven't read on this)  still makes it hard when your Dr looks at you and says..."its not w/d, you have been off it to long"

 

so I guess I must wait this out and pray that I will stabilize eventually to come off the loreazepam

 

anyone have success with melatonin? I have read all on it and know that you should ONLY take 1mg (its more then our bodies even produce)  going to try it again tonight  Tried it at 3 mgs once and I did fall asleep but only for 3 hours and felt crappy the whole next day...that's when I found info regarding taking to much melatonin

 

arghhhhhhhhh  why did I ever listen to that Dr 16 years ago and start on this garbage?  Oh to be well again

Melatonin can be taken at dosages of up to 5mg daily for sleep. It helps me.

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Smifferton - I know you don't want to hear that....I'm sorry. But yes, accordingly to the literature I've read it's very similar both in duration and symptoms. But, the good news is, not as intense or as long lasting IF tapering is done properly. When I said that to Lainey it was because of her fairly abrupt taper. The good news for all of us is that we DO heal.

 

Lainey - I can't help with sleep problems as I haven't had too much problems in that department yet (knock on wood). I'm thinking of you and hope you find relief soon

 

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thank you....melatonin is sold in 1mg, 3mg, 5mg and 10mgs....but the newest literature will tell you that anything over 1mg is overkill.....so I will stick to that
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  • 4 weeks later...
Hi all! Im trying to get off of the Zoloft I started in March 2015, I'd been on it before, had weight gain, tapered off with little difficulty. Well, this time, Im not able to get off of the crap. Ive gained 12 lbs so far, and I must get off of it. My pdoc said that she uses Prozac to get patients off of SSRIs. It takes a long time to leave the body,( just as some of us c/o to Valium from short acting benzos to taper off of). So, this morning I took 1/2 of a 10mg Prozac, and did not take my Zoloft last night. I feel really good and NO withdrawals from the Zoloft! Im supposed to take it a week and then stop. I hope this works.  :)
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Ingrid please keep me posted on how this is for you..I personally still have lorazepam to get og=ff of so am not keen on adding another drug

 

I am not doing well at all

 

seems like its all getting worse and I definitely am having I/D with the lorazepoam

 

even though it doesn't seem to be doing anything for me anymore

 

so scared

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Hi all! Im trying to get off of the Zoloft I started in March 2015, I'd been on it before, had weight gain, tapered off with little difficulty. Well, this time, Im not able to get off of the crap. Ive gained 12 lbs so far, and I must get off of it. My pdoc said that she uses Prozac to get patients off of SSRIs. It takes a long time to leave the body,( just as some of us c/o to Valium from short acting benzos to taper off of). So, this morning I took 1/2 of a 10mg Prozac, and did not take my Zoloft last night. I feel really good and NO withdrawals from the Zoloft! Im supposed to take it a week and then stop. I hope this works.  :)

 

Switching to prozac to taper off SSRIs makes sense as you say however I would imagine it takes more than a week, I personally used Celexa ( citalopram ) as it also has a long half life and is available in liquid form.

Good luck with that...

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