Need help on antipressant, Ativan and zopiclone

Hi Buddies, Please I hope you could help me. Thx

 

When I was 11 years old I started to smoke cigarettes, about 1 to 2 packs a day plus I smoked  marijuana too. I got my first panic attack from smoking marijuana at 18 years old, so I quit smoking both all together.  I went to see a doctor who gave me clonazepam 1mg.  I took it for a week which made me depressed and I was ******** so I quit cold turkey. I decided to see another doctor who gave me my first anti-depressant (1995 - 1997). I ended up taking it for a year than quitting cold turkey which made me relapse.

 

I was put on paxil 20mg to 30mg for 15 years (1998 - aug 2013). I first started to tapper from 20mg on aug 2013 for 15 months down to 0mg. I was feeling ok, no anxiety or depression. No pill for 2 weeks. After that I relapsed so I went back on to 20mg mid nov 2014.

 

I started my second round of tapering May 2015. I took 1mg less every month, 20mg to 10mg May 2015 to Apr 2016 and that was when i started to feel the anxiety/depression symptoms come back. I went to the hospital May 13 2016 for withdrawal (crying and insomnia)

They put me back on Paxil 20mg to 30mg and then to 40mg For six weeks didn't work (May 13 - June 24 2016)

 

The doctor gave me zopiclone 15mg which made me start to have bad thoughts (May 13 to July 5 2016). I ended up quitting cold turkey.

I was also given Ativan 1 to 2mg (May 13 to Sep 15 2016). I tapered down to 0mg in 6 weeks. At the same time, I switched to Prozac 20mg for 8 weeks (June 25 - aug 20 2016). Got a new doctor which brought me down to Prozac 10mg (Sep 2016 to Jun 2017).  He wasn't happy that i wanted to quit so i found another doctor who i have been working with ever since. Currently tapering Prozac 10mg to 2mg (jul 2017 to apr 2018)

 

Currently I'm only taking prozac 2.01mg and this is how I'm feeling.

- Insomnia is getting better I sleep around 5 - 7 hours of broken sleep (after my last Paxil crash I didn't sleep for 6- 8 days that when I was put on Ativan and zopiclone for 3 month and I only sleep for 1 to 3 hour a day)

- Panic Attack it is getting weake, but I still have anxiety

- bad thoughts come and go

-crying spells (after my last Paxil crash I cried for 3 mths, I cried 2- 5 times a day at 2-25mins at a time) but when I was on Prozac and tapper down to 2mg I cried only 5 times only last 30 seconds.

 

Since I've been tapering my prozac from10mg to 2mg (tapper 10% every 2 weeks), I am feeling depressed and I have  Brain fog, blurry vision, anxiety and feeling of rage. Today I am feeling bad.  I started to cry again for a minute.  I am having anxiety and am shaking.  I think I am having withdrawals.  Should I jump off of my prozac right now (2.01mg)? 

 

I also take supplements like omega 3- 900mg, vitamin d -2000iu, vitamin c -1000mg.  I also do Light therapy , cold showers and exercise daily.

No. Don't jump off it.

 

I think your body is seriously in need of a rest from trying different things and then tapering quickly or going c/t. Was there any time where you thought you had found a drug which gave you SOME relief? Perhaps you could go back on that alongside the drug you are on now.

 

Please find a doctor who you can relate to and stick with them. And I wouldn't consider tapering anything for a good long time. You need some degree of stabilization before considering a very slow and steady taper. Good Luck.

I think I am having withdrawals.  Should I jump off of my prozac right now (2.01mg)? 

 

Hi viper, I don't think you should jump because that will for sure make your withdrawal symptoms even worse. On the contrary, if you want to feel better during your taper, you should slow it down. Surviving AD recommends cutting 10% per month. So, I would hold at 2mg until I felt better and then follow their advice for the rest of the taper.

 

Great that you exercise, it'll help a lot your healing!

 

Thank you for the help,

 

I will not jump, I am feeling a little better, I noticed when I drop my dose every time I feel like carp for the first week. Spring and summer is coming, should I tapper 10% every 2 weeks and in the winter, fall tapper 10% every 3 to 4 weeks.

Hi,

 

I need help please, I don't know is it withdrawals  from the prozac 2.01mg that I taking right now or am I having a wave from Ativan or Zopiclone that the doctor make me quit cold turkey 20 months ago. I am crying a lot for 2 weeks now. I didn't sleep tonight and I am have bad thoughts and high anxiety and body shaking too. I don't know what to do. I feel like giving up. I have two kids and a wife I love a lot.

 

My symptoms from Paxil poop out, Zopiclone and Ativan that I quit cold turkey:

Insomnia - 1yr and 3 months after that I slept good for 6 months

Panic attack - 3 months. I don't have it now

Mourning anxiety - 1yr. I don't have it now

General  anxiety - come and go

Crying - 3 months. Didn't cry for 15 months but now I start to cry 3 weeks ago

Bad thoughts - come and go

Nausea - first 6 month bad, come and go now

Dizzy spells -  come and go

Blurry vision - come and go

Headache - come and go

Body twitching - come and go

Body shaking - come and go

Memory problems - come and go

Brain fog - come and go

lots of sweat  - 3 months. Gone now

 

And every time I use any electronic I get depressed, anxiety, anger, very bad nausea and blurry vision.

 

Please help thx

viper,

 

I'm sorry you're feeling that bad! For what I know, withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants can hit us months after the cut. On the other hand, as far as I know antidepressants don't have the problem of kindling so you could try to up your dose a little, hold it until you feel better and then resume the taper.

 

I really think you should slow down the antidepressant taper. Surviving Antidepressants recommend that you cut 10% in the first month and then 10% in the second. Only in the third you may try to cut a larger percentage if you are stable. This because the first cuts may take a long time to manifest. The delay might be particularly significant with Prozac because of it's longer life.

 

I hope you get better soon

Thx for your help,

 

Today I quit my prozac and I just take 5htp 20mg. See if this work if not than I will try CBD oil

Hi,

i really need your help today I break down and cry so hard that I scare my family, I think I am suicidal, right now I am on 1.63mg of prozac, tomorrow I will go down to 1.47mg. I try 5htp 50mg 2 times a day for 12 days it didn't work for me so I try cbd oil  6 day ago. Today I fell really bad. So I am going to stop cbd oil. I was crying like 6 time in 10 months  when I try to wean my self of prozac from 10mg to 1.63mg my crying I could handle but the cbd make my crying worse. Should I stay on 1.47mg for aleast 3 to 6 month to stabilized before I tapper again. I think I tapper to fast 10% every 2 weeks from 10mg to 1.64mg. When I get stabilize on 1.47mg prozac than I will tapper 10% every 4 to 6 weeks. So right now I am not going to take 5htp or cbd oil, I will only take prozac 1.47mg,  omega 3, vitamin c, vitamin d and  magnesium only. I do not want to go to the hospital, if I go to the hospital, my old doctor  will drug me up big time. He told me he want to up my prozac to 80mg and put me on  Ativan 4mg and high does of sleeping pills.

 

Should I stay on 1.47mg for aleast 3 to 6 month to stabilized before I tapper again.

 

Yes, definitely. You should listen to your body if you want to minimize withdrawal symptoms. Hope all goes well

I have stop taking my Prozac 1.67 mg for 1 week already, I hope I don’t have any withdrawal, wish me luck, if I do I will be Prepared. I have to stop taking Prozac because I have a lot of problems with it.

A little update, in April I cry around 4 to 6 times, 30 second each time. In may I cry around 5 time 30 second each time,  the Fifth time I force myself to cry it last around 30 second. In June 16 I Force myself to cry, the whole month of June I feel sad. I stop my Prozac 1.67mg around almost 4 weeks ago. Two year ago when I stop Paxil I cry for 3 months I cry averaged 400 minutes a month. But this Year I quit Prozac 1.67mg I cry averaging 8 minuets a month. I don’t know is it window and wave pattern or am I at the honeymoon phase.

 

-Came of off paxil 2 years ago, depression,  insomnia, very bad thought, panic attack, and a lot of symptoms and crying was the worst, I cry for 3 months Straight. In one month I cry around 400mins.

 

-My second depression episode and my crying started in April this year (April 1 to May 20) I cry around 8 minuets total. Prozac 1.85mg to 1.67mg.

 

-stop the Prozac  (may 20 to June 30) I cry total of 4mins.

 

-I have my first window lasted for 2 to 3 weeks

 

-July 10 to August 5 I cry for around 2 mins i think.

 

-I have my second window lasted for 2 to 3 weeks.

 

-right now I think I in a wave again for 3 days now, depression feel like crying. But not that intense.

 

I think my widow are closing, I having depression agian for a couple of days, feel like crying but this wave is not as intense. Maybe I have this wave because my wife and kids went on vacation for the whole week and I am home alone. They went on vacation today.

 

Here is my symptoms from May 13, 2016 to Aug 20, 2018

(stop prozac 1.67mg and take no meds on May 20, 2018)

Insomnia - 1yr and 3 months, now I sleep around 6 to 8 hrs (11 months)

Panic attack - 3 months. I don't have it now

Mourning anxiety - 1yr. I don't have it now

General  anxiety - come and go

Crying - 3 months. Didn't cry for 15 months but now I start to cry off and on

intrusive thoughts - come and go

Nausea - first 6 month bad, come and go now

Dizzy spells -  come and go

Blurry vision - come and go

Headache - come and go

Body twitching - Gone

Body shaking - Gone

Memory problems - Gone

Brain fog - come and go

lots of sweat  - 3 months. Gone

**impulsive suicidal behavior** first time happened in may 14, 2018 it last 3mins. Second time on July 19, 2018 last 30 seconds. I don't have it now.

 

And every time I use any electronic I get depressed, anxiety, anger, very bad nausea and blurry vision. I don't know when this is going away.

Hi a little update, I am 3.5 years no Paxil, 3.7 years no zopiclone or Ativan quit cold turkey and 22 months no Prozac. I was doing ok from September 2019 to March 15 2020, just some up and down feeling, But on March 15 I think I got a cold not a flu. I think I am in a wave right now. My symptoms is depression I rate my depression 2 out 10 (10 is bad) and anxiety 3 out of 10. Crying  is 1 out 10. My panic attacks is like 2 out of 10, I don’t know I getting better because I have window like for 5 to 6 month but do have some bad days in between. In the beginning my window last around 2-3 weeks only And the depression, anxiety, crying spell and panic attacks was like a 7-9 out of 10. But now my symptoms is like 2 to 3 out of 10. Do think is my cold that cause my to have a wave. This is my longest window I have 5 to 6 months.

That’s great news you’ve had such success!  Your windows are long, your struggles are few.  Feeling sick with cold or flu makes everyone feels worse.  Rest, drink tea, rest some more.  You’ll get better! 

Thank you, I hope I will get better just won’t give up