success stories from those who have polytapered from polydrugs simultaneously?

this is for success stories from those who have polytapered from polydrugs simultaneously. (especially antipsychotics and benzos, but any class is fine)

 

i want to hear from people who've been on multiple drugs for many years and who tapered them at the same time or in combinations and how much and how long  or how fast a rate of reduction/taper did you feel the best at.

 

some "horror/fear porn/doom n gloom" is ok[glow=red,2,300] if the outcome was successful[/glow], but i really want to hear from the successful cases, because i've been polydrugged with over 45 different psych meds in 24 years and i need some hope!  some actual real deal success and proof that this is doable, and how it was accomplished by those in similar shoes. btw i wear a size 6. 

also i am 46 years old and post surgical menopausal on hrt.

 

lemme know what helped the most, and what hurt the process the most, and what you'd have done differently if you knew then what you know now... if anything in particular comes to mind.

 

thx in advance!

Sorry, This isnt exactly within your reply peramiters, -But I think if one is going to do a propper taper, which I assume would be guided by symptoms in some manner, then we need to invest some "energy" into knowing the WD SX of each med, and their overall relation to each other...

This is the main reason I DIDNT do a DLMT...

pill splitting gave me the feed back and the holds gave me the respite to see where I was at..

 

bumping this thread...hopefully someone will respongd with success stories!

.

I tapered Pristiq, Addarell and have tapered like 110mg of diazepam still have 17mg to go. all done in less than a year. at present only side effect is severe depression, tremors and insomnia

 

hi Feebi

 

so by success stories i meant polytapering from polydrugs simultaneously with GOOD results...dd i read your response and signature correctly to see you have

severe depression, tremors and insomnia

?

 

your signature says:

Jan 2018 Started 10mg Temazepam

March 2018 - Diazepam 20mg

November 2018 - Ceased Pristiq after 13 years

Jan 2019 Ceased Addarell HIGH doses

June - Feb 2019 upped to Cloneazepam 6mg

Started a rapid detox Feb 19 as instructed by psychiatrist of 0.5 K per week.

Got down to 0.5mg in 2 months had the usual, insomnia, not able to tolerate stress, severe anxiety and depression.

Was updosed to 1mg Cloneazepam in detox facility- they then reduced 0.25 a few days later. Late March. Left hospital saw my GP & Was updosed again + crossed over to V to try and treat my depression which was extremely severe. doctors plan was futile. currently on 17mg of V hoping if i taper the rest snail slow ill somehow prevent hell. its so hard not knowing ..

 

did you typo the part that i bolded in red...it looks like maybe you meant Jan instead of June-feb 2019... is that right?

did you taper all of the meds from jan 2018-jan 2019 or did you cease the Adderall HIGH doses ct?

 

just trying to get an accurate picture here of what you did.

 

so after the end of Adderall, you went to 6mg of clonazepam? that's equivalent to 120mg of Valium! why did you suddenly jump up to such a high dose? were you feeling bad then from the 3 meds you came off of in jan 2018-jan 2019? or was it a new issue?

 

 

Sorry, This isnt exactly within your reply peramiters, -But I think if one is going to do a propper taper, which I assume would be guided by symptoms in some manner, then we need to invest some "energy" into knowing the WD SX of each med, and their overall relation to each other...

This is the main reason I DIDNT do a DLMT...

pill splitting gave me the feed back and the holds gave me the respite to see where I was at..

 

this is not what this thread is about,though i appreciate your viewpoint.

 

i have already moved past the particular point though, and have decided to do a polytaper for polydrugs.

 

there is no such thing as a

propper taper

because there are many ways to do a taper and each with varying degrees of success...Successes  which are based on the individual's personal drug history, length of time and on and dosage of each drug, whether or not the person has been ct'd or rapid tapered off those meds in the past and how many times, their metabolism, their age, their diet, what supplements and minerals and vitamins they take, whether they are male or female, whether or not they have their original organs or have had them removed or altered, whether or not they are on hormone replacement therapy, how much exercise they get, how much they weigh, any diseases or conditions they have...oh my god the variables are endless! that is why one taper method works better or worse for one person than another. there is not one single proper way to taper. and many people have already done it successfully without doing a long consecutive one drug at a time taper.

 

the purpose of this thread is to hear from those on BB who have done a polydrug taper successfully. i read a lot of success stories on another forum where i first learned of this possibility for myself. i want to hear from those who've done it here at BB.

I don't know what you consider success but I am one who tapered off everything all at once.  I went way too fast doing it all in one year.  If I had it to do again, I would do it WAY, WAY slower.  There are no guarantees of course that if I did I wouldn't have suffered as much.  Monica Cassini on Beyond Meds tapered for 6 years, I don't think she did all her drugs at once.  It's really hard to compare degrees of suffering but my understanding is that she is not well yet either and off approximately the same time as me I think.  I am really hoping that I might see recovery in another two years or so.  I hope.

 

It would be good to see your signature if you can manage to do one.

sorry ‘nomoredrugsforme’. Ive confused you.will need to adjust my signature.  I have been on benzos for 18 months now. i started tapering in Feb this year and was told to take off equivalent of 10mg of diazepam per week. i got down to 10mg and it wasnt pretty so i was updosed im doing the last 20mg very slowly.

I came off Pristiq, anti psychotics, propananol and Addarell all since Oct last year. Ive done a 3 month hold from benzo withdrawal trying TMS but unfortunately no benefit from it. im back to diazepam tapering 1mg at a time for now.

ive also just finished tapering effexor to add to the list - and clonidine at one point which im back on

I don't know what you consider success but I am one who tapered off everything all at once.  I went way too fast doing it all in one year.  If I had it to do again, I would do it WAY, WAY slower.  There are no guarantees of course that if I did I wouldn't have suffered as much.  Monica Cassini on Beyond Meds tapered for 6 years, I don't think she did all her drugs at once.  It's really hard to compare degrees of suffering but my understanding is that she is not well yet either and off approximately the same time as me I think.  I am really hoping that I might see recovery in another two years or so.  I hope.

 

It would be good to see your signature if you can manage to do one.

 

hey Whoopsie

 

my drug history is in my buddie blog it's pretty freakin long so i took it off my signature as there actually was not enough room to put it all there, no matter how much i abbreviated the words and dates. i'm a veteran polydrygged person of over 45 prescribed meds plus other ones too. i spent 24 years polydrugged. my blog tells it all.

 

success?

i guess my definition is anyone who finished polytapering polydrugs simultaneously who felt good afterwards and did not have bad sxs that lingered or made them updose or reinstate or begin new different drugs or addictive behaviors/habits instead of learning how to cope in healthy ways after the tapers were finished.

i don't define a successful polytaper from polydrugs by the length of time the taper took.

is that more clear?

 

my own taper from seroquel began october of 2017 so i'm closing in on 2 years on that one. it's an antipsychotic which gave me drug induced metabolic syndrome, so i'm only reducing 2.5% every 6 weeks. i was at a high dose for many years, over a decade. going to start my clonazepam taper on sept 16th next month following vacation. am going to start it at 1% reduction every 14 days for 4 months... as i ease my CNS into adjusting to a new change. then, on jan 6th or 7th, 2020, i'll increase the rate to 1.63% (0.015mg) per Jim Hawk's online calculator...reductions every 14 days...for the remainder of the taper off clonazepam(between 2-3 years). i'll HOLD as needed. so it will overlap the end of my seroquel taper.  perhaps next year, sometime in 2020, or the next, i will add my final taper off gabapentin. i'm letting my sxs be my guide.

 

 

Hi.  Sorry no success story here, but am wondering those who have been on many drugs, how do you know what did what?  If you have tremor, insomnia, etc., do you think it is benzos or do you think it antidepressants?

 

In my case, was put on 6 weeks mirtazapine which gave me all kinds of symptoms... so I stopped.  It was THEN I went into acute with all the symptoms, very severe.

I pretty much know I cannot take antidepressants (certainly not mirtazapine).

 

But trying to stabilize and function... then can concentrate on the benzos.  However, I don' tknow if benzos really caused my problem at all and really doubting my judgment, frankly.

 

As to the topic, I do know someone on FB who is getting off celexa, temazepam and something else at same time... her dr. is making her do slow taper all at once.  She is doing better than she had been doing!  Pretty functional!

Im surprised the doctor is allowing multiple tapers at once. Mustn’t be that dangerous.. then again its hard to trust doctors after traumatic experiences. with psych meds these doctors just make alot of guesses and play russian roulette, some cause far less damage. Ive had doctors in my past and I wondered how on earth they even have a license to practice. You gotta do alot of your own research thats why these forums are helpful but they can also cause mass hysteria. just remember none of us will have the same journey so comparing yourself to others wont help. we all have different genetics which pay a big part

Sorry, This isnt exactly within your reply peramiters, -But I think if one is going to do a propper taper, which I assume would be guided by symptoms in some manner, then we need to invest some "energy" into knowing the WD SX of each med, and their overall relation to each other...

This is the main reason I DIDNT do a DLMT...

pill splitting gave me the feed back and the holds gave me the respite to see where I was at..

 

this is not what this thread is about,though i appreciate your viewpoint.

 

i have already moved past the particular point though, and have decided to do a polytaper for polydrugs.

 

there is no such thing as a

propper taper

because there are many ways to do a taper and each with varying degrees of success...Successes  which are based on the individual's personal drug history, length of time and on and dosage of each drug, whether or not the person has been ct'd or rapid tapered off those meds in the past and how many times, their metabolism, their age, their diet, what supplements and minerals and vitamins they take, whether they are male or female, whether or not they have their original organs or have had them removed or altered, whether or not they are on hormone replacement therapy, how much exercise they get, how much they weigh, any diseases or conditions they have...oh my god the variables are endless! that is why one taper method works better or worse for one person than another. there is not one single proper way to taper. and many people have already done it successfully without doing a long consecutive one drug at a time taper.

 

the purpose of this thread is to hear from those on BB who have done a polydrug taper successfully. i read a lot of success stories on another forum where i first learned of this possibility for myself. i want to hear from those who've done it here at BB.

Nomore,

Isnt pollytapering tapering more than one med at a time..?? Sorry im confused..??

 

Maybe “proper” wasnt the right word, It wasnt meant in relation to a certain speed or style, -more with some sort of direction that isnt a CT and hopefully avoids jumping around, up n down too much.. So getting away from what feels good on the day, to what is working over a bit longer period..

We each have to find out what works for ourselves, -and what doesnt...

 

Given all the challenging factors you list, It seems you understand the complexities involved, and I dont see how it can be done without using SX feedback pretty heavily...?? Less or more of an issue for some than others, I would imagine..

 

I guess I could say I tapered 4 meds at the same time, but that would be a bit misleading.. At times it was 3, 2, or hold one and taper another for a while (ish).. Also a couple of low dose or short term reinstatement's... So far from perfect, but it aint a perfect world..

Sorry, I cant write a book on my whole ordeal, but I do consider what I have achieved to be a success, -I am just tapering my final med now, and know I will be ok again in time, -as I was at the end of my benzo taper... Some life events had a huge impact right at the wrong time, Im being a bit proactive in minimising that potential this time...

-Well, I feel like a success any time I stand back a little and look at the big picture and road traveled...

Again, sorry if it doesnt fit your definition, -just ignore what isnt of any help...

 

I was med free for most of my life before the accident 10 yrs ago, so thats as “long term” as it gets for any of my meds... I have counted 74 different meds thus far as I come across them in my records here n there.. Many were short or very short term, but a couple were at insane doses, due to lack of options...  Two that stand out are PIC line AB’s for months, in conjunction with blood transfusions and “wash outs”, and the opiates for forced mobility on an un-fixated pelvis (much like a dog that has a FHO procedure), which later became a tolerance and physical dependency issue in a paradoxical fashion..

-sorry, -different situations... -And yet here we are... I think Feebi makes the point well, -that it will probably end up being very individual...

I dont see any definitive reason why people cant multi-taper meds simultaneously, but there will probably be some considerations to contend with, -upsides and downsides, etc..

 

I have followed some of your posts, and it is my understanding (right or wrong) that you wish to be quite formatted with it, and are prepared to allocate time if thats whats needed..??

Anyways,

Best wishes, -however you do it..

 

 

***

To answer Barb, It has been very hard to split the difference between SX from my meds, I feel that to a point, I had Set and similar SX no matter what the med was.. Though each also had their signature SXs too.. Valium was chemical anxiety, lyrica was muscle neuropathy, opiates were more GI... Though they did intermingle and all seriously hit my GI too.. Complex and individual.. Probably the brain acrobatics and sensations were more benzo too.. I have never listed all my SX, I just dont bother...

 

There were times I did a double sized cut of one med too see which SX significantly increased, and others when I just held, or even “rescue dosed” to see what was alleviated... I tried to make choices that gave me “feedback” when I was unsure... -A partial success, but that would probs depend on med profiles, and so much more.. All my meds pretty well served as muscle relaxants by the time dependancy set in and it was time to taper...

Im not sure how this would translate to your sleep and personal needs, but I do hope you can work out what, if, or how much each med is doing what...

I think its a fair thought that benzos might not be your dominant problem, -worth exploring at least..

I know how important sleep was to my healing and sanity and I really feel for you when I read your posts, and the effort you have put in trying to find answers...

Im not much help to you, but if you ever think I could be in some way, pls sing out or shoot me a link to particular thread...  (I will leave this one to go back to its “intended” course..)

 

 

Freebi... totally agree.  Drs. mostly mix and match and guess.  Many of us here had bad experience but then you *can* get drawn into mass hysteria not trusting meds and/or drs.

 

Yes, think I have bad genetics for sure.

I'd get them tested if I thought that would help anything, but I don't think it would!!!

yes i dont think there is any genetic testing out there for it and there isnt enough funding going into support this research. maybe we are the minority? I dont seem to think thats true though, i think doctors and the pharmaceutical industry has been down playing this for years

this thread is for SUCCESS STORIES ONLY from people who have COMPLETED a polytaper from poly (more than one at a time) drugs and have no more meds to taper off of and have no lingering (1 year out  or more) bad symptoms and have not had to updose, reinstate, or begin another medication to deal with sxs or began destructive/unhealthy habits instead of learning new coping skills at the end.

 

there is no limitation on time/duration of the polytaper, other than no CT/rapid tapers please.

 

the purpose of this thread is to collect success stories specifically for the polydrugged who are choosing to do very carefully planned slow SYMPTOM BASED POLYTAPERS only.

 

there are hundreds of success stories from other types and i want to hear from the ones doing it this way in particular.

 

a little about me and why i chose to polytaper vs monotaper:

 

my first encounter with a person who succesfully polytapered from multiple drugs at the same time was on another forum besides BB.

it was a lady with an education in various areas that gave her the understanding required to attempt this method of tapering without fear.

she decided that since her body was used to all of the drugs she was currently on (back then) in the exact ratio that she was taking them, that to do a single taper off of one medication at a time would throw that ratio off.

since she understood the synergistic way the meds all reacted together in her system, she decided not to upset that balance and to do a polytaper instead.

she chose a very very slow rate of reduction and began decreasing her meds~ (all liquid to make it possible to draw out tiny increments on the slip tip syringes) ~at the same time.

the key here is "very very slow rate of reduction". much slower than if she was tapering only one medication. because all of the meds together added up to more than one of course.

 

by going very very slow and utilizing HOLDS whenever any WD symptom would become uncomfortable, & by using her symptoms as her guide to slow down or keep going, she finished her polytaper with less problems than most of her peers. the polytaper went very well, and she finished SUCCESSFULLY and now lives a happy productive life. she didn't (have to) reinstate, she didn't (have to) updose, she didn't replace her tapered meds with new ones, she didn't take up new bad unhealthy habits to deal with stress, and she started new healthy exercise & diet habits (during her polytaper) that continue to this day. she learned new coping techniques & fully reintegrated into society.

 

this is my template. 

 

(my polydrug history is in my Buddie Blog because it literally would not fit into a signature, no matter how much i abbreviated the words and dates. everything is there if you want more details.)

 

since 1995 (24 years) i've been polydrugged on over 45 prescription psych meds and also some others. (am currently on 3 psych meds plus 2 hrt meds which affect my GABAa receptors). i was inpatient over a dozen times in a single decade. i've been misdiagnosed with various physical conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, (which turned out to be Seroquel side effects at high doses for almost 20 years. the sxs disappeared when the dose was reduced to a low enough amount.)

 

the psychiatrists and therapists misdiagnosed:

my sadness as depression,

my happiness and joy as mania and euphoria,

my occasional feelings of self-esteem and pride in my achievements as grandiosity,

my fear or worry about my future as panic/anxiety disorders,

my memories of past abuses as complex ptsd,

my suspicion of potential abusers as paranoia,

my creativity and energy as adhd,

my anger as intermittent explosive disorder,

my variable moods as bipolar disorder,

my many-faceted personality as mutiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder,

etc etc etc...

 

they did this with the help of DSM IV and now DSM V...the bible of psychiatrists and prescribers so they can literally turn your feelings into a diagnosis which they can then prescribe drugs to anesthetize. yay.  cha-ching! as they say...

 

these "specialists/experts/md's/phd's,etc" also committed numerous abuses against my body and mind, using up my insurance dollars to fund the "treatments" they prescribed.  at one point they had me taking so many different drugs that i couldn't form a complete sentence. i couldn't walk without a roling walker or a cane. i couldn't ride a bike without falling over. i got lost in the night trying to find my bathroom. i had urinary and bowel incontinence. i fell down a lot and injured my vertebrae. i lost my only pregnancy that got as far as 4 months. they put me in CT WD and i was in interdose WD for decades without ever being told. i was yanked off of one med as it presented more side effects and put on increasing amounts of another without time to taper in between so many times i lost count. "kindling", as they coined the term, yup. and so much more, but you get the idea.

 

so after this much suffering, i decided i do not want to torture myself with another 15+ years of the same. once i found the method of polytapering successfully outlined in several paragraphs above, i decided that this is the way for me. by being very in touch with my body,  through my whole-foods plant-based diet and holistic healing approaches, helps me be very aware of what i'm currently feeling, which i think will be useful in the polytaper based on my sxs...at any given time. i already have this in my toolbox to help me know when to slow down or to HOLD along the way.

 

i've chosen very modest rates of reduction to do my polytaper from polydrugs.

for instance, my seroquel taper has been 2.5% every 4 weeks with a 2 week HOLD following. the antipsychotic caused me the most problems (drug induced metabolic syndrome), so i started tapering that one first, about 2 years ago. now my seroquel taper is more than 3/4 finished. i have held at various points to stabilize after traumatic events in my life during this time. i'm holding currently to remain stable while my CNS adjusts to the added clonazepam taper.

 

my clonazepam taper is only a 1% reduction every 14 days, increasing that rate up to 1.63% every 14 days after the initial 4 months at 1%. this gives my CNS time to slowly adjust to a very tiny taper amount. then gradually, the increase in rate, to a still very modest reduction rate that i will continue, (with HOLD's as needed) until the completion date. 

 

the final drug taper will be added, (and overlap other taper/s) later, as my body sxs tell me i'm stable enough to take another change to the CNS.

there is NO RUSH. i don't believe anyone telling me i'm going too slow and disregard their remarks.

it's not a competition for me. it's about maintaining balance and taking this as slow as neccesary to carry on daily activties with a minimum of upsets to my CNS. 

 

...so now that's out of the way,  bring on the SUCCESS STORIES of POLYTAPERING (1+ years after)!

I don't know what you consider success but I am one who tapered off everything all at once.  I went way too fast doing it all in one year.  If I had it to do again, I would do it WAY, WAY slower.  There are no guarantees of course that if I did I wouldn't have suffered as much.  Monica Cassini on Beyond Meds tapered for 6 years, I don't think she did all her drugs at once.  It's really hard to compare degrees of suffering but my understanding is that she is not well yet either and off approximately the same time as me I think.  I am really hoping that I might see recovery in another two years or so.  I hope.

 

It would be good to see your signature if you can manage to do one.

 

hey Whoopsie

 

my drug history is in my buddie blog it's pretty freakin long so i took it off my signature as there actually was not enough room to put it all there, no matter how much i abbreviated the words and dates. i'm a veteran polydrygged person of over 45 prescribed meds plus other ones too. i spent 24 years polydrugged. my blog tells it all.

 

success?

i guess my definition is anyone who finished polytapering polydrugs simultaneously who felt good afterwards and did not have bad sxs that lingered or made them updose or reinstate or begin new different drugs or addictive behaviors/habits instead of learning how to cope in healthy ways after the tapers were finished.

i don't define a successful polytaper from polydrugs by the length of time the taper took.

is that more clear?

 

my own taper from seroquel began october of 2017 so i'm closing in on 2 years on that one. it's an antipsychotic which gave me drug induced metabolic syndrome, so i'm only reducing 2.5% every 6 weeks. i was at a high dose for many years, over a decade. going to start my clonazepam taper on sept 16th next month following vacation. am going to start it at 1% reduction every 14 days for 4 months... as i ease my CNS into adjusting to a new change. then, on jan 6th or 7th, 2020, i'll increase the rate to 1.63% (0.015mg) per Jim Hawk's online calculator...reductions every 14 days...for the remainder of the taper off clonazepam(between 2-3 years). i'll HOLD as needed. so it will overlap the end of my seroquel taper.  perhaps next year, sometime in 2020, or the next, i will add my final taper off gabapentin. i'm letting my sxs be my guide.

 

I wish you good luck with your tapers.  Just an FYI, if you end up with a neuro injury like many of us have, don't believe that you are a failure, I sure don't feel that way about myself.  Instead I learned how very strong I am and so much more about myself and what's acceptable and what's not.  Going off these drugs is a learning and growing path like no other.

 

A simple signature would look something like: Tapering Seroquel since Oct./17, starting Clonazepam taper Sept./19, plan to follow that with Gabapentin taper.  The details don't matter just for a quick signature so people get an idea of where you are at in this process.  You can update periodically as you progress. Once again, I wish you so much luck getting free of these drugs.

quote author=Cantfly link=topic=221776.msg2923958#msg2923958 date=1565957054]

Nomore,

Isnt pollytapering tapering more than one med at a time..?? Sorry im confused..??

 

yes.

 

Given all the challenging factors you list, It seems you understand the complexities involved, and I dont see how it can be done without using SX feedback pretty heavily...?? Less or more of an issue for some than others, I would imagine..

 

exactly. it is a SX BASED POLYTAPER. at a very slow conservative rate of reduction. with HOLDS as needed.

 

I guess I could say I tapered 4 meds at the same time, but that would be a bit misleading.. At times it was 3, 2, or hold one and taper another for a while (ish).. Also a couple of low dose or short term reinstatement's... So far from perfect, but it aint a perfect world..

Sorry, I cant write a book on my whole ordeal, but I do consider what I have achieved to be a success, -I am just tapering my final med now, and know I will be ok again in time, -as I was at the end of my benzo taper... Some life events had a huge impact right at the wrong time, Im being a bit proactive in minimising that potential this time...

-Well, I feel like a success any time I stand back a little and look at the big picture and road traveled...

Again, sorry if it doesnt fit your definition, -just ignore what isnt of any help...

 

I was med free for most of my life before the accident 10 yrs ago, so thats as “long term” as it gets for any of my meds... I have counted 74 different meds thus far as I come across them in my records here n there.. Many were short or very short term, but a couple were at insane doses, due to lack of options...  Two that stand out are PIC line AB’s for months, in conjunction with blood transfusions and “wash outs”, and the opiates for forced mobility on an un-fixated pelvis (much like a dog that has a FHO procedure), which later became a tolerance and physical dependency issue in a paradoxical fashion..

-sorry, -different situations... -And yet here we are... I think Feebi makes the point well, -that it will probably end up being very individual...

I dont see any definitive reason why people cant multi-taper meds simultaneously, but there will probably be some considerations to contend with, -upsides and downsides, etc..

 

I have followed some of your posts, and it is my understanding (right or wrong) that you wish to be quite formatted with it, and are prepared to allocate time if thats whats needed..??

Anyways,

Best wishes, -however you do it..

 

i consider you successful in your method of tapering indeed, you are healing!

 

however for the purpose of theis thread i was asking specifically for polydrugged people who polytapered and finished completely without having more drugs and more sxs that were lingering on indefinitely.  i do appreciate you Cant and your experience. thank you for your support, i also wish you the very best

 

Ta, I think its an important subject to discuss.. I wish I had more info at the time..

 

I guess I replied at the start, notating that it wasnt exacty what you asked for, because it is important (IMO), and I “suspected” very few, -if any, were in a position to reply as per your requests...

 

I do hope the discussion continues if others can contribute...