Quitting anti depressants after benzos

Has anyone come off of anti depressants after benzo w/d? I'm just a little over 3 months off clorazapam. I was put on the lowest dose of prozac a year ago during a rough time. I could only tolerate a low dose. I gained a huge amount of weight though since being on it and now even with diet and more exercise (i still can't do too much) its really not coming off.  I don't think I need the medication really and if anything its making me miserable bc of the added weight. Normally I would def. just come off it but I'm sacred since I'm still in w/d. Has anyone come off of an anti depressant after benzo w/d?

I would wait until you know you are fully recovered from benzos, the a/d could be hiding some symptoms or making you not feel the symptoms.

Anxiety could come back big time if not healed.

Thanks. How long do you think I have to wait? Some people on here seem to still be recovering after a year or more.

My general practitioner wants me to take antidepressants because I’ve been anxious and I’ve lost a lot of weight, I jumped ten days ago, so I’m giving my system some time to recuperate. My worst symptom now is tachycardia. I’m terrified of taking any medication.

🦋

hi there

 

i will tell you i waited 7 months before i quite the anti depresint meds. it was alot easier then comming off the benzo's but its takes about 4 weeks to 5 to start feeling better. i think each person heals at a diffrant pace.

 

you need to listen to your body aswell. i also changed my diet cut on my suger intake starches limeted and i personaly felt after 3 to 4 days noticed a huge improvment in my symtoms but thats what i did. 

 

 

if you do decide to come off the anti depresents consault with your GP first.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/Smileys/standard/thumbsup.gif

hope this helps you and good luck   

Thanks Jang. Good to know you were able to come off them after 7 months. At least I know its possible in the near future.

yes i took klonopin for three years 3mg a day i been off seven months ,now i weaning off 150mg of zoloft have it down to .125 at this point .

531290Dog,

Congratulations!

You have accomplished a lot more than most can even fathom.

You give us all hope and courage.

Best.🦋

i dont no about that one foot in front of other theres nothing else we can do .

I'm doing it

Yes, I guess that’s what all of us have done, put one foot in front of the other.

May we all heal.

🌻

My last med I tapered was a benzo (Ativan). I tapered one med after the other and did not really take a rest between the taper. With the knowledge of today I would have paused for 3 months between the tapers. Cause you do not recover fully while still being on a psycho med. But this is just my personal opinion out of my experience. Congrats for having finished the first taper!!!

Marigold1 how do you know you don't fully recover while on a psych med? There is one med I have to stay on.

Marigold1 how do you know you don't fully recover while on a psych med? There is one med I have to stay on.

 

As I wrote this was my personal experience. I took a lot of different meds, tried a lot, - today I know I never felt like my true self and had absolutely no access to my inner strength. Instead I felt more and more poisoned and sick, could not tolerate stress in any kind.

Today I am me and all my mental problems are gone, because I had access to myself. I do not know how to explain better. Of course its hard when reality hits you and you need to learn strategies while being at your lowest point, but on the other hand this is the best point to start from because you need to focus on alternatives to swallow a pill. For me I did reach the best condition and life only by saying goodbuye to any kind of med. Even the birth control pill - holy hell how good I felt after a while being just me hormonally seen.

 

Which med do you have to stay on and for which reason?

Marigold1,

I agree with you regarding taking a pill for anxiety. I did that for many years and it didn’t work, I never processed correctly my experiences or losses. At 69 I want to learn to solve my problem and anxiety by other methods. I’m trying as much as possible to stay away from negative people and situations.

Thanks for sharing.

🌸

Marigold1,

I agree with you regarding taking a pill for anxiety. I did that for many years and it didn’t work, I never processed correctly my experiences or losses. At 69 I want to learn to solve my problem and anxiety by other methods. I’m trying as much as possible to stay away from negative people and situations.

Thanks for sharing.

🌸

 

You should be proud of yourself! Lot of people that I know at your age have given up the idea of changing something in life. As long as you are alive change is possible, that is what I think! It is your life, you deserve the best and you are allowed to get what you want and say no! to what you do not like.

It is never too late.

Marigold1,

I started tapering at sixty seven, it has taken me two years to jump. I still have weight loss, tachycardia and not too motivated to do most activities, but I have hope and I’m hard headed and love a challenge and this has been the hardest challenge to accomplish and it still is not over.

Thanks.

So this is just an update for anyone curious. I saw a doctor who said I could come off of the a/d. I'm almost at the 4 month mark. First when I told them I'm still dealing with benzo w/d they just said I could wait a month more to come off the a/d since I'm sensitive to meds or I could come off now. Again like with taking benzos to help anxiety I just trusted since the doctor said ok it would work.lol. Not so much. I was happy she listened to me and said I could try coming off them but not happening. She told me to just start taking it every other day. Even though I'm on prozac which has a long half life and the real side effects don't kick in for several weeks to a month they came right away. I tried it two days and my w/d symptoms and anxiety picked up where I couldn't do anything and was sweating thru the sheets. I knew I couldn't take more at the moment. I'm already so worn out from w/d which isn't letting up. I went back to taking it regularly several days ago and I don't know if it from that but my suicidal ideation is thru the roof with rumination of everything I've done wrong in my life. Yesterday the anger I would have came back where I was afraid to leave the house I was so angry. My anxiety was so bad last night I was rocking and it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest and sick to my stomach. Which is just an overall like out of body experience and panic to the point I thought I might end up in the hospital. I'm starting to have those same feelings now but praying its not as bad as last night. I hope trying to come off it didn't make things worse for myself now. I hate these drugs.

So this is just an update for anyone curious. I saw a doctor who said I could come off of the a/d. I'm almost at the 4 month mark. First when I told them I'm still dealing with benzo w/d they just said I could wait a month more to come off the a/d since I'm sensitive to meds or I could come off now. Again like with taking benzos to help anxiety I just trusted since the doctor said ok it would work.lol. Not so much. I was happy she listened to me and said I could try coming off them but not happening. She told me to just start taking it every other day. Even though I'm on prozac which has a long half life and the real side effects don't kick in for several weeks to a month they came right away. I tried it two days and my w/d symptoms and anxiety picked up where I couldn't do anything and was sweating thru the sheets. I knew I couldn't take more at the moment. I'm already so worn out from w/d which isn't letting up. I went back to taking it regularly several days ago and I don't know if it from that but my suicidal ideation is thru the roof with rumination of everything I've done wrong in my life. Yesterday the anger I would have came back where I was afraid to leave the house I was so angry. My anxiety was so bad last night I was rocking and it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest and sick to my stomach. Which is just an overall like out of body experience and panic to the point I thought I might end up in the hospital. I'm starting to have those same feelings now but praying its not as bad as last night. I hope trying to come off it didn't make things worse for myself now. I hate these drugs.

 

you should really add a signature, so we can see all meds and since when you are off etc. !

When I get it right, you are only 4 months free from benzos, right? Thats early in withdrawal. I would wait a little bit longer, and then taper the AD like the Ashton manual says (not like your doctor said!) If you cannot split the pills, maybe ask on the website survivingantidepressants how to taper your med properly.

If you cant do it now, tell yourself "i cant do it YET" instead of "not", understand?

I did it, one med after the other, and the best you can do is to get a feeling when you need to wait and when to push yourself. You will find your way and finally be med-free. I would not tell the doctor that you will stop, in order to have enough prescriptions to do a long taper, and not to be pushed to do it faster.

Chin up. In this journey, its all about trial and error. You will not get into a huge setback, you just tried to stop the next med like you asked your body a question. Work with the answer.

 

Best wishes

Marigold

 

 

We don’t give medical advice here but a tiny dose of an AD you don’t feel you need can go. Taper reasonably, come off. The weight will come off and then your brain can truly heal. Win win! Don’t be surprised if you experience an uptick in symptoms but it will pass. Off all drugs is the ideal!!! You got this!!! I’m so happy for you

So another update. I did finally add a signature as suggested and looking at my datebook I was only 3 months off when I last posted not 4. It was all such a blur and dragging out I thought it was longer.Oh well. My doctor really wants me to come off. I have started tapering and its gone better as my other w/d symptoms improved very slightly.  She wants me to taper off pretty quick but I think I'm gonna do it a bit longer. I will keep updating here or myself and anyone interested.

Please do! I am starting this journey in November with a VERY slow taper.

Can I join this thread? I am 4.5 months off benzodiazepines and want to plan my taper off Zoloft. I think it’s making me FAT. 😂

Restoration123 yeah thats why I'm coming off.  Prozac did nothing for me but made me fat I'm pretty sure.

So I will keep updating but so far much better. I've been taking prozac every other day instead of daily for over a week now and if anything I was feeling very slightly better for several days. Then I kinda slipped back but nothing too noticeable. I know it doesn't really hits you until a month later but last time I tried to come off it was impossible and this time I've even had glimpses at windows. I'm kinda frustrated if nothing else that this may effect my benzo w/d longer then normal as I'm so sick of being in this fog but oh well. I'm still happy to get off these meds.