Weaning Off Anti-depressants And Anti Anxiety Medications. How To Deal With Arising Feelings?

[ms spock]

I weaned off my anti anxiety medication late last year and I lost the weight I put on with that. I feel grateful about that.

I am now down to the last half a table of the anti-depressant medication Luvox. I am finding things very difficult. I am feeling so much overwhelming anxiety.

Can you remember when you went off your medication? How did you manage? How long did it take?

I am coming off my medication under the supervision of my psychiatrist.

I am crawling out of my skin at times with the anxiety and have free floating anger at times as well.

Really struggling.

 

[madmax]

I guess if you continue at your present state you will end up on CNN!
Take your medicine work your butt off at a gym

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I literally didn't sleep SLEEP for a month. Sometimes I would go days wide awake, if I was lucky I had an hour or so of twilight sleep (which we all know doesn't really count).

But, after about a month and a half things started to calm down. I started sleeping again. My anxiety decreased.

I still have Ativan to take as needed. I only have one pill left so I'm saving it just in case the apocalypse happens between now and when I can afford to go see my psychiatrist again.

Maybe you'll stabilize off of medication, and maybe you'll need to be on meds again. I just want to say that there is hope that you'll be able to continue your healing without regular medication. (And don't let anyone try to dissuade you unless you've really tried to stabilize without meds and find it impossible.)

 

[anthony]

Took me about a good 6 - 12 months without it to wrap my head around self management correctly. The most gratifying thing for me without anti-depressants, was that I stopped feeling like a zombie who went through the motions, but didn't really feel or experience things fully. It was quite a difference to feel truly like shit, so I knew what I had to work on. Medication was masking the issues, and every time they came through the doctors response was to simply keep increasing them... until what??? was my response to him!

 

[Delta62]

I agree with ScaredofLonely and can relate to the sleep part. Please make sure you are doing this underneath a Dr's supervision. I tried to wing myself off of the medication without doing so, it didn't work for me. Be careful.

 

[ms spock]

Please make sure you are doing this underneath a Dr's supervisionful.

Oh yes I am doing this under my psychiatrist's supervision.


I am finding it hard that is all.

 

[BloomInWinter]

It's a lot like pulling the training wheels off a bike and beginning to ride on your own. It'll be shaky at first, but as you keep practicing those skills, eventually you'll hit your stride. Hang in there.

 

[Hashi]

I'm sorry, Ms Spock. Sounds like you're having a really bad time.

I can only talk about stopping self-medication. Skills is the word - lists of things I could do to distract myself, soothe myself, manage the anxiety, process the feelings etc. Then I had to make myself look at the lists and do things from them, although I can't tell you how much I didn't want to and how miserable I was doing them. It got me through, though.

For anxiety, best advice I was ever given was to do deep breathing for a minimum of 20 minutes, timed by the clock. The time is really important. Around 9 or 10 minutes I was feeling even worse, but by 12 minutes and upwards things really started to shift.

Sending lots of sympathy and support.

 

[ms spock]

I am still really struggling.

I am having SI and anxiety. I am finding it really, really hard.

 

[BloomInWinter]

Ms Spock, please call your therapist. It sounds like you may need to be weaned off more slowly, or perhaps this isn't the time.

Remember to continue your self-care routine. While it may feel dark right now, you still are loved and I know you make our world a better place by being in it with us.

(((((((((Ms Spock))))))))

 

[The Albatross]

Concur with the call to the therapist. I gave you a link on the private conversation for the 21 Day challenge to look over. :hug:

 

[ms spock]

I am not going to act on the SI. I am just really struggling.

I have been weaned off really slowly.

That article was very helpful Alba.

It is just a really hard time.