Medication Free!!

Wow I am completely medication free!!

Yippee, yahoo it has been a very long road. Yesterday I took my last 0.5 mg of Pristiq ( AD) after a very long taper to minimize the withdrawal affect. It has almost been 19 months that I have also been benzo free. I started the AD as I was misdiagnosed with anxiety when I was actually in withdrawal after using benzos for a short period of time. I was in quite the pickle as once I figured out it was not anxiety I was already on the medication and did not want to make more changes. I started my AD withdrawal 9 months ago and used a compounding company to reduce the amounts gradually as prisitq cannot be cut or crushed. I really do not know if my waves (very short) are now from AD withdrawal or benzo withdrawal but my worst symptom continues to be tinnitus. I am also very sensitive to stress. I am honestly so happy to be back living my life and not on my couch where I spent a good 7 months at the beginning of my benzo withdrawal. This adventure will be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. You could never even try and explain what withdrawal is like to someone who has never experienced it. I used to lie in bed and read the success stories and they wood give me hope. I am so close to writing my own success story and I want to give hope to others who are struggling. I am so grateful that this website was here when I needed it with others who could relate to my struggles. Here's  to a new chapter medication free... :smitten:

Congratulations!

Wow I am completely medication free!!

Yippee, yahoo it has been a very long road. Yesterday I took my last 0.5 mg of Pristiq ( AD) after a very long taper to minimize the withdrawal affect. It has almost been 19 months that I have also been benzo free. I started the AD as I was misdiagnosed with anxiety when I was actually in withdrawal after using benzos for a short period of time. I was in quite the pickle as once I figured out it was not anxiety I was already on the medication and did not want to make more changes. I started my AD withdrawal 9 months ago and used a compounding company to reduce the amounts gradually as prisitq cannot be cut or crushed. I really do not know if my waves (very short) are now from AD withdrawal or benzo withdrawal but my worst symptom continues to be tinnitus. I am also very sensitive to stress. I am honestly so happy to be back living my life and not on my couch where I spent a good 7 months at the beginning of my benzo withdrawal. This adventure will be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. You could never even try and explain what withdrawal is like to someone who has never experienced it. I used to lie in bed and read the success stories and they wood give me hope. I am so close to writing my own success story and I want to give hope to others who are struggling. I am so grateful that this website was here when I needed it with others who could relate to my struggles. Here's  to a new chapter medication free... :smitten:

 

Congratulations on being med free. Your story struck me as being very similar to mine. I am benzo free as of a couple of weeks ago after a 1-1/2 year taper, but I am still on an AD, Lexapro. for now. I too was given an AD for anxiety which in actuality was withdrawal symptoms from the benzo I was on. I want to get off of Lexapro too and will begin what I anticipate will be a year long taper off of the Lexapro. Glad to hear that there is someone else who was able to taper off both a benzo and AD successfully.  Thanks and Best Wishes going forward.

Thanks so very much. Yes I am doing so much better...pretty much back to normal life. 

Wow I am completely medication free!!

Yippee, yahoo it has been a very long road. Yesterday I took my last 0.5 mg of Pristiq ( AD) after a very long taper to minimize the withdrawal affect. It has almost been 19 months that I have also been benzo free. I started the AD as I was misdiagnosed with anxiety when I was actually in withdrawal after using benzos for a short period of time. I was in quite the pickle as once I figured out it was not anxiety I was already on the medication and did not want to make more changes. I started my AD withdrawal 9 months ago and used a compounding company to reduce the amounts gradually as prisitq cannot be cut or crushed. I really do not know if my waves (very short) are now from AD withdrawal or benzo withdrawal but my worst symptom continues to be tinnitus. I am also very sensitive to stress. I am honestly so happy to be back living my life and not on my couch where I spent a good 7 months at the beginning of my benzo withdrawal. This adventure will be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. You could never even try and explain what withdrawal is like to someone who has never experienced it. I used to lie in bed and read the success stories and they wood give me hope. I am so close to writing my own success story and I want to give hope to others who are struggling. I am so grateful that this website was here when I needed it with others who could relate to my struggles. Here's  to a new chapter medication free... :smitten:

 

O..M...G!!!  This is my story also!! And I am wanting g to get off the Pristiq. Today is my third day on 25mg. I wish I could find a compounding pharmacy in my town! I don't know how I am going to reduce. I was put in Lexapro initially but switched to Pristiq about a month ago because Lexapro gave me horrible horrible intrusive thoughts. I cannot wait to be med free other than my insulin.

Good for you and congratulations!!!!! 

Congratulations Riversedge for being completely medication free! Being free from benzo and other medications  is truly a big accomplishment! So happy you are feeling much better and pretty much feeling back to normal!

 

Sending you lots of hugs and prayers for more healing. Hope to see your success story soon!

 

Blessings!

Pi

 

 

Congratulations!!!!! I hope you continue to heal and enjoy life to the fullest!!!

How are you doing today Riversedge since stopping? I would like to keep updated on how you do now that you're free of the Pristiq!  I am down to 25 (doc reduced it) and I found a compounding pharmacy that can make smaller doses for me to go from there. Did you have a taper schedule you can share? What dose did you start at? How did you taper?, For how long?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to do this right.

Thanks!

HUGE accomplishment - you should feel so proud! Truly happy for you. Congratulations!

Fake it till you make it.

 

Great news that you found a compounding pharmacy! Normally you take prisiq once a day however when you have it compounded they put  extended release in it that will last about 8 hours so I divided all my tapers into two doses per day and took 3 doses when I got really low on my taper. I reduced 5 mg every 14 days until I got to 15 mg. Than I start reducing by 3 mg  every 14 days  until I got to 5 mg and than I went down by 1 mg every two weeks. At the very end of my taper I was taking 0.5mg  a day until I stopped. It really worked well nothing like the benzo withdrawal but I am much more educated now. I feel great and it is so strange not to be taking any medication as it was such a habit to take it twice a day. This worked for me and I worked with my natural path who was my support through both my tapers.

 

Thank you for all the well wishes and I am hoping to write my success story very soon!! 

Congratulations Riversedge! So good of you to share your story. Glad to hear you are doing so well.

Fake it till you make it.

 

Great news that you found a compounding pharmacy! Normally you take prisiq once a day however when you have it compounded they put  extended release in it that will last about 8 hours so I divided all my tapers into two doses per day and took 3 doses when I got really low on my taper. I reduced 5 mg every 14 days until I got to 15 mg. Than I start reducing by 3 mg  every 14 days  until I got to 5 mg and than I went down by 1 mg every two weeks. At the very end of my taper I was taking 0.5mg  a day until I stopped. It really worked well nothing like the benzo withdrawal but I am much more educated now. I feel great and it is so strange not to be taking any medication as it was such a habit to take it twice a day. This worked for me and I worked with my natural path who was my support through both my tapers.

 

Thank you for all the well wishes and I am hoping to write my success story very soon!! 

 

 

Thank you a million times over.  I'm going to print this out because it seems like a schedule I can live with.  I'm waiting for the compounding pharmacy to call me back on pricing.

 

I'm on day 6 of 25mg and so far doing ok except some mild anxiety.  That "headband" feeling on my forehead seems to return every now and again which has me a little worried.  That was the symptom that I felt in the hospital after the nurse gave me my first ever Ativan.  I later found out it's a symptom of anxiety and it's causing a little PTSD to feel it . . . but I will barrell through.

 

I truly hope to be behind you by just a few months in the success story arena.