Need help from EVERYONE on or has gotten off an AD

I have been on Lexapro (20mg) since January when I was in acute after CT .5 Ativan after 1 1/2 months. I was then told to continue the Ativan while the Lexapro kicked in during February. I literally "needed" it every three days. At this time nobody thought what I was going through was w/d from Ativan. They still don't.

 

Anyway, my question is how do you determine what symptoms you have are from an AD AND WHAT IS FROM W/D?!?

 

I feel like an overthinking zombie.  I had three days of ruminating horrible thoughts last weekend and I swear to God I have never felt like that in my life. I've read so many stories of bad things with Lexapro and I want off this AD SO BAD but can barely make a micro cut without feeling it.

.I over think everything. I need validation for everything. My Sister even sent me a video of a guy giving advice about how to stop overthinking...which of course made me iverthink more.

 

I just need to hear from people on an AD THAT I will be okay and it's not doing brain damage. Or I need to hear from people who got OFF AN AD and they are fine.

 

Please, NO horror stories or don't tell me to just c/t it or get off as soon as possible. That's already my goal but I need to do it so slow it's pathetic. How do I get through it?

And yes I know about surviving antidepressants. I am not ready to go there I don't think.

 

Oh, and the biggest question i have is (and I know..I will discuss it with my doctor) but has anybody switched ads during w/d?  If I think it's the Lexapro causing these these thoughts and the horrible depression/anxiety, should I switch?,

I did the DNA test and it says I should take Pritique.

Anybody ever withdrawal from that?

Dear Makeit,

 

My doc gave me Amytriptiline (not sure about the spelling) in February and I took it for 3 weeks, I was very unhappy about this since I was not depressed before the detox. My hair started to fall and I went back, showed her how much hair I lose after one brush. At this point she gave up on giving me any AD and stick only with the reinstatement....in fact i told my husband who was pushing me to take AD, that I won't take it even if she gives me another one...luckily she did not. I feel much better without this and the idea I have to taper off another med.

 

Hugs,

Mary

I took AD drug for a short period of time as adviced by my doc. Felt awful and got dizziness, nausea, head ache  etc. Quit tapering it off in 2 weeks and started feeling much better after 3 weeks. My doc proposed me to switch an other AD drug but I refused. Nowadays year after I think I made right decision.

My biggest issue right now is still the feeling of just going through the motions. Like a zombie. To everyone else I appaer fine. Inside I am a mess. I am overthinking, obsessive thoughts...wanting to just feel "normal" again. That and the fear that I can fall into a black depression again. I never felt depression until all this started! And I am 52. I never felt anxiety either. I had driving anxiety but it wasn't even anxiety...it was more an avoidance. If that makes sense. THIS anxiety is debilitating. Is it w/d or Lexapro?? 

And if Lexapro is supposed to help with this and isn't, should I try to switch to Pristiq??

I think the important thing is to calm down about this.  It would be very difficult to distinguish between withdrawal from Ativan and side effects of an antidepressant when you started the A/D during acute withdrawal.  You are in the early stages of withdrawal still and you have not been taking the A/D for very long.  Perhaps try to plan to make small cuts of the A/D as and when you feel able.  A/Ds are not much different from benzos, people become dependent on them over time and they can be very difficult to get off but it varies between individuals.  You say you had a blood test and you have been advised to take another A/D .. this tells you nothing about how difficult it might be to withdraw from it, only indicates that it might be more effective and there might be fewer side effects.  The ruminating thoughts could be due to Ativan withdrawal.   

 

I think the important thing is to calm down about this.  It would be very difficult to distinguish between withdrawal from Ativan and side effects of an antidepressant when you started the A/D during acute withdrawal.  You are in the early stages of withdrawal still and you have not been taking the A/D for very long.  Perhaps try to plan to make small cuts of the A/D as and when you feel able.  A/Ds are not much different from benzos, people become dependent on them over time and they can be very difficult to get off but it varies between individuals.  You say you had a blood test and you have been advised to take another A/D .. this tells you nothing about how difficult it might be to withdraw from it, only indicates that it might be more effective and there might be fewer side effects.  The ruminating thoughts could be due to Ativan withdrawal. 

 

I am trying to stay calm. I just overthinking so much. I am so tired of this whole situation and don't know how people go for so long before healing. At this point it's hard for me to even believe it was the Ativan anymore because it's been so long. And it's only been three months for me.

 

The only way to cope with withdrawal is a day at a time and that is what we do .. we get through three months ... and then the next three months ... and the next three months always hoping that it will be much better.  Now for most folk it will get better and it won't be so bad.  Some of us are not quite so lucky.  You have to be positive and hope for the best.  It is the only way to deal with it. 

 

it is very hard to accept that a prescription drug can do this to us but it can and even though you weren't on Ativan for very long it can still be difficult to get off it as you know.  Taking an A/D has obviously complicated things for you because you can't tell what is what.  What you do next will be a judgement call .. can you carry on as you are doing, perhaps tapering the A/D slowly or staying on it for a while and tapering later.  Switching is possible but no-one can tell you if it will help or not.

 

The constant thinking will be very tiring for you so no wonder you feel exhausted.  Perhaps if you could just make a decision and make a plan ... even for a few weeks ... that might help.

 

By the way I am off antidepressants after 35 years, I am not aware they have done me harm, it was the benzo that caused all the problems as far as I can tell.  I tapered off 225 mg Effexor over 10 months.

Hi FakeItTilYouMakeIt,

 

I've been off Benzos for 8 months and during this time is switched from Zoloft to Effexor. I don't think switching has helped me and I didn't get worse. I think getting off benzos has helped a lot but I can't honestly say I am seeing any benefit from AD's. The only AD that is helping a little is Trazodone which I take in small doses to help me sleep. Regarding my main dose of Effexor, I don't know if it's doing anything at all for my anxiety, good or bad. I do think it could be helping with depression. I often think it could be making my anxiety worse. Currently I'm experiencing windows and waves. More waves than windows but the windows are getting longer and more often. The last two years of being on Benzos, I was lucky if I would see 1 or 2 days of windows in a month. So my hope is that I will continue to heal from Benzos and that the Effexor will begin to finally work at the current dose of 262.6mg which I started this morning.

 

BTW, a just came off a really nice 19 day window that ended yesterday. I tried Gabapentin 200mg 3 times per day and felt pretty good. Yesterday that all ended. Gabapentin is probably better for anxiety if you can get the dosage right.

 

I am sorry to dive in here but gabapentin is yet another drug of dependence and can also cause immense problems .... I really do not think that adding in yet another drug into the mix is wise advice.  Effexor similarly can be very difficult to get off, I count myself lucky that I seemed to escape that. 

I am sorry to dive in here but gabapentin is yet another drug of dependence and can also cause immense problems .... I really do not think that adding in yet another drug into the mix is wise advice.  Effexor similarly can be very difficult to get off, I count myself lucky that I seemed to escape that.

 

Very lucky.