HELP!!! anti-depressants whilst tapering?

can anyone please tell me if they have found tapering easier whilst taking anti-depressants, really struggling with this taper at the moment, not sleeping, and anxiety is off the scale.

 

Thanks.

Sharlom

 

So sorry you're having a tough time. It's the hardest thing to get through at times. I started Escitalapram (an SSRI) before I began my taper. Unfortunately, the start up symptoms were horrendous for me (severe anxiety most of the day), but once they resolved (after about 5 weeks), I felt much better. My psychiatrist prescrbed Atarax to help me during those 5 weeks, and it really did help.

 

However, whilst tapering, I still suffer all the usual withdrawl symptoms with every cut.

 

I'm currently staying on 9.5mg diazepam to try to stabilise. There may be other anti depressants that are easier to get on, I don't know. Are you able to speak to a psychiatrist?

 

All the best,

Paul

It made my taper /post withdrawal much more complicated, because although I had been on antidepressants many times, this time I reacted badly to it, but could not quit it either because my already compromised CNS could not handle the antidepressant nor the taper of one. But I'm holding on because there is no other option than to keep going.

But if I could go back, I would never throw another psychotropic med that affects the CNS in the mix. Because in my opinion most protracted members are polydruggers (not all of them I know) but it seems that antidepressant do cause a number on some people.

You could be one of the lucky ones. But at the other hand some people do fine on benzo's and even cold turkeying them. So it's a gamble. But it's a gamble that brought you here in the first place (by trusting the benzo's as being benign)

 

If you could hold on somehow you will heal, and the pain will go away. But if you start an AD, someday you will have to taper that and the pain could start all over. (or of course it doesn't but you will only know when you know) So in the end it's up to you. I'm sure there are people who have good experiences with AD's.

 

Sharlom

 

So sorry you're having a tough time. It's the hardest thing to get through at times. I started Escitalapram (an SSRI) before I began my taper. Unfortunately, the start up symptoms were horrendous for me (severe anxiety most of the day), but once they resolved (after about 5 weeks), I felt much better. My psychiatrist prescrbed Atarax to help me during those 5 weeks, and it really did help.

 

However, whilst tapering, I still suffer all the usual withdrawl symptoms with every cut.

 

I'm currently staying on 9.5mg diazepam to try to stabilise. There may be other anti depressants that are easier to get on, I don't know. Are you able to speak to a psychiatrist?

 

All the best,

Paul

 

Thank you Paul, seeing my doc tomorrow, going to ask to be referred to a psychiatrist.  I really don't think i have the strength in me to do this, its awful just awful

It made my taper /post withdrawal much more complicated, because although I had been on antidepressants many times, this time I reacted badly to it, but could not quit it either because my already compromised CNS could not handle the antidepressant nor the taper of one. But I'm holding on because there is no other option than to keep going.

But if I could go back, I would never throw another psychotropic med that affects the CNS in the mix. Because in my opinion most protracted members are polydruggers (not all of them I know) but it seems that antidepressant do cause a number on some people.

You could be one of the lucky ones. But at the other hand some people do fine on benzo's and even cold turkeying them. So it's a gamble. But it's a gamble that brought you here in the first place (by trusting the benzo's as being benign)

 

If you could hold on somehow you will heal, and the pain will go away. But if you start an AD, someday you will have to taper that and the pain could start all over. (or of course it doesn't but you will only know when you know) So in the end it's up to you. I'm sure there are people who have good experiences with AD's.

 

thanks corsair, its a difficult one, i have been on AD's before, some worked, however i wasn't tapering then, seeing my doc tomorrow, I just feel beat, need to see what he can do for me, although his knowledge is limited, he is a good doc, i'll see what he says, just want my life back 

But if you start an AD, someday you will have to taper that and the pain could start all over. (or of course it doesn't but you will only know when you know) So in the end it's up to you. I'm sure there are people who have good experiences with AD's.

 

I've come of AD's twice, so have had to go on them 3 times. My doc and psychiatrist have to told me I have to accept that I'm on them for life. I found them fairly easy to come off though 20 > 15 > 10 > 5 holding for 3 months between each cut.

 

They probably aren't right for sharlom's case though. It sounds like sharlom needs something more immediate. Sharlom, maybe ask about Atarax. It did winders for me. Also, a few people on here swear by buspar. All these things depend on your circumstances and general health though. Some of these drugs can't be tolerated by everyone.

But if you start an AD, someday you will have to taper that and the pain could start all over. (or of course it doesn't but you will only know when you know) So in the end it's up to you. I'm sure there are people who have good experiences with AD's.

 

I've come of AD's twice, so have had to go on them 3 times. My doc and psychiatrist have to told me I have to accept that I'm on them for life. I found them fairly easy to come off though 20 > 15 > 10 > 5 holding for 3 months between each cut.

 

They probably aren't right for sharlom's case though. It sounds like sharlom needs something more immediate. Sharlom, maybe ask about Atarax. It did winders for me. Also, a few people on here swear by buspar. All these things depend on your circumstances and general health though. Some of these drugs can't be tolerated by everyone.

 

I know. I have taken several of them, always stopped them fairly quickly. But the delay effect of antidepressants is so tricky. With benzo's you feel it almost immediately, with the AD''s it can hit you until 1 year off. And that's how I got onto benzo's. I did not know it was ad withdrawal because I stopped it more than a half year before.

It always gets worse. Each withdrawal. For me at least. I was in a wheelchair last year because I couldn't walk anymore (muscle/neurological problems) I'm happy to be off the trazodone. And I'm never touching a pill again.

 

I don't think anyone should take it for life, that's of course what doctors think. But if you taper properly and then never touch these pills again you can heal and have a good life.

But antidepressants and antipsychotics have potential permanent side effects (for example post ssri sexual dysfunction or dyskinesia's with the antipsychotics) .  Although of course it's not really proven anything can be permanent, everytime I hear about AD's and AP's it seems to be worse than benzo's unfortunately. You can get these side effects where you need to go off the med.  Of course that's just a small part of the people on AD's, I haven't seen many of these kind of severe cases on benzobuddies. It seems that most people on benzo's heal in about two years whereas I have seen many people on AD's/AP's taking at least 5 years to heal. I'm sure I will take at least 5 years (but if it's the case I would be happy because that is at least healing)

 

The annoying part is that you also need to wait a month between cuts, and they also need to be 10% from your last cut, so it's even slower than benzo's. £

 

surviving antidepressants is a good site and you could look into it to make an informed decision. Again this is my opinion and experiences. I'm sure there are some people who don't get so many problems

I was on antidepressant before I started tapering.  Didn't help.  I am five months off now and I am still struggling.  I am actually wondering if AD doesn't make the process more difficult...But who can really tell.  Time and patience is what I really need...

I went on remeron, an "atypical antidepressant" before beginning my current taper as the other two tapers I could not get through. I am tapering slow and still high up in my dosage, but it is helping immensely. I had hit tolerance and was anxious, couldn't sleep, nauseous and getting sick to my stomach for about three months before beginning the remeron, and after less than 2 weeks on started my taper and it is going well--mild anxiety. It does have side effects--I am always tired and weight is up a bit, but I would rather have this than feeling like I couldn't manage. I think my doctor wanted me on trazodone instead but that did not agree with me.

I find  Imipriamine helpful for depression. I was on it for a couple years back in the early 90's, and it was easy to come off of.

And I also found this reassuring; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11097963

I went back to this old tricyclic, because I could not tolerate the newer stuff, SSRI's, etc. Remeron was ok, but it's effects seem to wear off in a matter of months.

good luck,

J-man