These medications are ruining my life

[EveHarrington]

If tapering sucks, can you just jump? I mean, the taper may be making things worse?

 

[AnonymousGirl99]

That did occur to me. The way my current psych has me going down is 1 pill one night, 3/4 the next, 3/4 the next, and then one pill again, and so on and so forth. She suggested the one pill intervals because I was already having trouble. I don't know what to do. I'm actively looking for another psych to advise.

 

[EveHarrington]

I am skeptical about that kind of taper.

It’s essentially a non-taper if you understand half lives. Body tapers down a little, then boom! It gets more. It’s keeping you in a medication hell.

The truth is that coming off of Effexor is hell, no matter which way you cut it. I’m not trying to minimize what you’re going through, but if you can still work, it’s not as bad as it could be, and I think it may be a matter of planning for time off work and a long weekend in bed, and just stop taking it. This is how I came off of it. A number of days in bed. I know others who have done the same. Just accept that it’s going to suck and go for it. This prolonged taper isn’t going to make it any easier.

 

[Friday]

Effexor is an extremely dangerous med to go cold turkey on. The risk of seizures is present even with just taking a dose just a few hours late, never mind stopping them altogether. Effexor is well known for causing both convulsive seizures, as well as absent seizures. And, as always, the biggest risks of seizing are brain damage and death.

If a person avoids dying, it may become necessary to go on anti seizure medication, for either an extended period of time or in some cases even for life, as the damage done by the withdrawal seizures permenantly affect the electrical processing of the brain, creating both more seizures and extreme emotional volatility / mood swings.

I cannot more strongly reccomend that anyone on a medical taper of Effexor continue that taper, and discuss any alterations with their doctor before making them.

 

[AnonymousGirl99]

I’m not on Effexor; I’m on Mirtazapine (Remeron).

 

[Sideways]

I've been nauseous all day. Again. I've taken Zofran. Did help this morning. Now I'm trying to determine - is this nerves? Am I ill? Or is this withdrawal? Sadly, I will never know.

You should definitely speak to your doctor. Nausea is one of the withdrawal symptoms of coming off this medication. There are fairly specific guidelines for tapering off Mirtazapine.

Psychotropics aren’t really wise to mess with - they’re powerful drugs. Often, faster tapering can be done as an inpatient where you can be monitored. Your physician will also be taking into consideration other things like your medical history, including other (sometimes seemingly unrelated) medical conditions, medications and the general state of your physical and mental health.

So of the current tapering plan isn’t working for you, for any reason, speak to your doctor about changing the plan safely.

 

[Cyberluddite]

Effexor is an extremely dangerous med to go cold turkey on. The risk of seizures is present even with ju...

Effexor ended up being dangerous to start taking, for me. The side muscles on my torso spasmed uncontrollably and hard, my folks freaked out when they saw it three days into the drug.

Nothing else I've ever been put on was that bad, but the "absent seizures" part is interesting. It's never a good idea to go off any SSRI or SNRI medication cold turkey. I did that with Olanzapine (the last of many, many) a few years back, and I'm still paying for it today.

Taper off, under medical supervised guidance if possible. As for Zoloft, it didn't help with what ended up being a PTSD-induced Type 1 allergic reaction to MSG. Keep in mind, I'm not an expert on anything, so do your own homework and consult someone who is.

 

[AnonymousGirl99]

Ragdoll, do you know what these fairly specific guidelines are? To tapering off Mirtazapine? Were you on it as well?

 

[Sideways]

@Ellie May - I’ve seen information for physicians about them before, but I havezero training in medicine, so I would need a doctor to interpret it for me. I haven’t been on that specific medication, but the serious withdrawal side effexts is definitely something that I’ve heard discussed before. I only remember it because it was far more detailed than a lot of the “how to taper off this medication” guidelines that you tend to see with more common psychotropics.

I don’t know if it’s an Australian thing, but all approved pharamceuticals have to have patient information fliers that set out specific information for patients about the way the medication works, safe ways to take it, side effects, signs of overdose, signs of allergic reaction, and on and on. The infomation has to be made available to the patient the first time they get their script filled. They’re usually an awesome source of information, usually several pages long but easy to read.

Those patient information leaflets are available from the pharmacy or online if you can hunt them down. Your pharmacist may be able to help you out there.

I have certainly been admitted hospital before in order to come off psychotropic meds safely before. It’s definitely not something to take lightly, and the experience left me really hyper vigilant about being prescribed, well, pretty much anything. Because starting meds is one thing, getting off them is another. Frustrating, but also potentially dangerous.

So if you’re getting ill, and it’s abnormal for you, definitely it’s time to let your doctor know, even if it’s just by email. He might be able to change your taper without an appointment, Idk.

 

[Scarlet13]

Hi,
So, I have not tapered off this specific drug before, but have tapered from lexapro, ambien, and klonopin.
I have a brain that gets very severe withdrawal that can be protracted.
I am 11 mos out from my klonopin taper and I STILL get withdrawal symptoms like nausea, flu like symptoms, OCD thoughts all the time.
I am SO excited to just have CPTSD at some point soon.
My withdrawal from the SSRI during post partum depression was hellish and traumatizing (after following my doctor's taper plan of 50 percent cuts).
I had to take the klonopin nightly for 2 yrs after that and then the klonopin withdrawal was horrid even though I was more smart about that taper.
My best advice for you is to right now hold your dose. Some people find help from even going back up on their dose to the last level they could tolerate and then hold and stabilize.
You need to find a psychiatrist to work with.
I cannot advise you medically, but I can tell you what are good ways of thinking about this.
I find the best docs are the ones who are flexible and supportive and do not try to control your taper. My doc let me smash up my klonopin into milk and use liquid titration. I controlled this taper and got info about it from benzo support sites, but I informed her of what I was doing and she supported me and gave me klonopin.
I took 8 mos to get off the last bit of klonopin, .125 mg.
You will want to find a slow, steady taper plan. The nervous system likes slow and steady. Little changes. Work with your doctor, but take charge of your own healing. Doctors can offer plans that are too fast. A very slow taper plan is 10 percent cut every two to four weeks. But you could go faster, listen to your body.
You can do this in a lot of diff ways depending on your drug.
The daily micro taper off of klonopin saved me.
Also, taking supplements can be tricky during withdrawal causing adverse reactions.
Some doctors think you can go fast and then use supplements to over ride the withdrawal and this can backfire.
There are supplements that have been amazing for me, but also I have had many bad reactions.

 

[AnonymousGirl99]

Thanks everybody. I just made an appt with a new psych for February (earliest she could see me). I’m not sure why, but my symptoms seems to spike every other day. I’m stayig at 3/4 of a pill for now until I feel completely normal or I see my new psych, whichever comes first. Hopefully I can make it.

 

[Deleted member 541]

I suggest that you tapper very slow. I did cold turkey from Cymbalta and prayed for death for the 11 days I laid on the couch and couldn’t even walk to my bathroom. It was s tupid move on my part, but it did teach me one thing.... I will NEVER EVER take another antidepressant again. NEVER EVER!!!!!! Just not worth it....

It took 6 more months for the withdrawals to finally end...