Zoloft, Buproprion, Adderrall, ???
- I was taking 250mg of Zoloft, 100 mg of Buproprion, 20mg Adderrall and some anti anxiety med can even remember the name of it. I had enough. I tapered off for a few days and then just quit it all cold turkey. Did not know about discontinuation syndrome. I feel like I want to take someone's head off and like I have vertigo, headaches, wierd thoughts and vivid dreams. I think my doctor was just supporting the drug companies. Who takes that much medication for depression??? Will this feeling ever go away?
- —Guest Lynn
7 years of Paxil withdrawal syndrome
- I was tapered off Paxil too quickly in 2004 by UCSF Psychiatry outpatient clinic and have suffered prolonged withdrawal syndrome ever since. For the last 3 years, my sleep problems from it have been severe and disabling. I am now very slowly recovering. A peer support site, Surviving Antidepressants, is collecting cases of prolonged withdrawal syndrome. It's good t be with others with similar problems. Believe me, it's not psychological or "all in your head."
- —Guest Altostrata
Paxil induced insomnia - protracted
- I was on paxil 20mg for about 9 months, due to energy drink phase and anxiety induced by them.while it helped me get rid of the anxiety, i started to feel very tired on it and decided to wean myself off of it - i tapered from 10mg to 0 in one month period. While i didn't experience any withdrawal symptoms during first two months being off of it, i started to notice that my sleep was getting poorer and poorer, which culminated with severe sleep deprivation which lasted 2 months ( sleeping 2 hrs/day), i was non functional at work, i even tried benzos, but i only developed akathisia and they didn't help me fall asleep and stay asleep. Now, 8 months off i am still having sleep issues - my sleep is not deep nor restorative and i feel numb during the day. I consider myself lucky that i found paxilprogress.org where i was convinced by other people's experiences not to go back on drugs. If I have had listened to psych docs, I would have been already on coctail of venlafaxine and olanzapine!
- —Guest Insomniac
withdrawls
- I'm so glad I have read other ppl's stories, I'm one week off 20mg extine and have felt every one of these symptons- the dreams are so vivid I'm not sure which is real, my real life or my dreams?? Strange sensatations in my brains, night fevers, flu..the list goes on... I went to a helth food shop & he recommended a natural alternative called 'mood manager' & kelp. Unfortunatley like the rest I will have to let nature take its course & deal with it- better than being on pills that are doing more harm than good - fingers crossed its going to be a smooth ride for me and everyone else.
- —Guest CJ
Discontinuation Syndrome?
- Cmon people...really? Discontinuation Syndrome? Oh yeah..the trash man is a sanitation engineer.....You guys have been going through hell and you still refuse to call it what it is.....WITHDRAWL.....ADDICTION........why is it that you bought the drug companies bs..and you still refuse to call it what it is even when you are going through it?
- —Lost10
Severe prozac discontinuation symptoms
- I have been off prozac for over a year now and it has ruined my life. I still have no feelings (as if I am still on the drug), I have sensory problems, insomnia, ear problems, not deafness but a pressure of some sort in both ears. Numbness to my scalp. Concentration problems, problem solving, spatial awareness, intuitive responses affected. I blame this drug for all of these symptoms and hope and pray I will make it through long enough to 'recover'. If I had known of the dangers of these drugs before I started taking them, I would never have taken them in the first place. I was on them for just over two years and at a low dose. Doctors automatically diagnose the original problem has reappeared when you visit them to report these adverse effects. Don't listen to them, they will only put you on another anti-depressent and prolong the inevitable. I bet you that 99% of people will be on another drug within a year of being off their original medication. It's the damaging effects!
- —Guest christine
PATTI
- I WENT OFF VENLAFAXINE AND HAD THE RUNS AND CRYING SPELLS FOR A WEEK. IM STARTING TO FEEL BETTER BUT VERY TIRED STILL.
- —Guest PATTI
horrible
- I stopped taking Citalopram when I wasn't feeling great and my doctor suggested I upped my dose. It occurred to me that I really didn't want to continue to take increasing doses of medication. I'm into my second week SDR now. When you are prescribed an antidepressant you are never told that the effects of stopping it are worse than the symptoms that caused you to take it in the first place. If I had the chance, I would tell anyone who is depressed and think they need medication to put their whole effort into alternative drug-free techniques - I feel as if my brain has disconnected from my skull and is just swishing about in there, and my skin is crawling. Each day it improves a tiny tiny bit but it's a long process - My advice to anyone going through this is to keep up the positive self talk - it WILL end and you CAN get through it. My advice to anyone who is depressed is to NOT take medication unless absolutely necessary - get a counsellor and start walking.
- —Guest mememme
Heads up
- Hi there, I am also someone going through this awful syndrome. It's been about 6 weeks and I still feel horrible. I feel faint, dizzy, head heaviness, pulsating head, tingles over my whole body, anxiety attackes, etc. However, I am less nausious now and the severe bloating in my fingers and stomach went down. I encourage everyone who reads this to not go back on that sh@t because look what it does? I wish everyone well and a speedy recovery. It does get "better" with time, but it's no easy even after 6-7 weeks.
- —Guest Guest Girl
beat the nausea
- Most people mention nausea during withdrawl. Don't be a martyr, ask your Dr. for some Phenergan or Vistaril, highly doubt you'd be refused. Either will stop the nausea, but probably make you sleepy. If you're experiencing insomnia or just feeling crappy, the drowsiness will be an added blessing. This is a small part of the withdrawl but any little bit helps. I'd rather just be sick and be done with it rather than crawling around nauseous all day but if you can escape this part, why not?
- —Guest deenie61
discontinuation experience
- First off let me say how sorry I am for anyone having to go through depression/anxiety, etc. and then on top of it to have to go through this. I have been on various SSRI's and mood stabilizers since 1995, they would work for awhile and then quit. I would try other combos until something worked and go another 2 years. Approx. two years ago when my combo quit...I started trying to find anoter...2 years later, nothing has worked and my psych said stop everythin. It has been almost 2 mos. and I am still experiencing withdrawl. All the symptoms you have all mentioned...brain zaps, chills, insomnia, mood swings, NO libido, headaches, ear pain, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, my brain doesn't work, can't concentrate, keep forgetting, drop everything, can't drive my car, horrible anxiety and I'm driving everyone around me crazy! I fear I am going to lose my job, I have five kids and a new husband and he is getting sick of this. Well, so am I....I can only hope it gets better soon......
- —Guest IUnderstand
make it stop
- I've been taking citalopram for about 5 years now. I started taking it for anxiety not depression. I started out taking 40mg years ago and finally got myself down to 20mg. Over the years I haven't been adament about taking a pill everyday but when I do miss a day or two I pay for it with horrible brain zaps and fogginess. In the last month or so I went to see my doctor to discuss finally weaning myself off of the drug (I've kind of forgotten why I started taking it in the first place). He suggested going slowly so he cut my dosage to 10mg. He said to take 10 for 14 days and then go down to 5mg for 14 days and so on. Well, I've been doing that and have probably missed a few in between but my brain is messed up. So foggy and sometimes I feel like I'm in the room but not in my own body. Just crazy stuff and it's driving me nuts. Will this ever go away? I just don't feel like myself and it's actually starting to depress me.
- —crazyinthehead
Traditional Chinese Medicine for SRRIs
- Hi--I am currently discontinuing Paxil CR and made the bad mistake of coming off the drug to quickly--the Dr. took me from 25 mg to 12.5, which was ok, so I then decided I could quit the drug WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. I've used acupuncture for years to maintain health and can recommend it and the herbs an acupuncturist can prescribe to support the transition off of SSRI medication. At least one gets some relief through the discontinuation process. There are still days when I don't feel too hot, but it's tolerable and I'm very much looking forward to ending my relationship with Paxil, but probably won't try until summer break starts in June. Many sites recommend getting time off of work if possible when stopping SSRI drugs, particularly Paxil. I certainly understand why. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs prescribed by Traditional Chinese practitioner help the body in the titration process.
- —Guest Debbie
off citalopram
- I've gone off citalopram several times now (I can cope without during the summer) and I find it unpleasant but bearable. I get the brain zaps something fierce, and some mild facial twitches, and symptoms last about a month. This is true whether I wean off or go cold turkey, although cold turkey might have been slightly worse... but Im not even sure it was, which tells you how little difference there was for me. When it gets really annoying I take 10mg which takes care of the symptoms completely for a day or so. The intervalls seem to get longer all by themselves. Overall, citalopram withdrawal is unpleasant but manageable for me.
- —Guest sara
celexa to pristiq to nothing
- Dr decided I needed more help so discontinued celexa and put me on pristiq. In those few short days, i'd never been so sure I was going to just die. I was so sick, nausea, fuzzy head, felt like I was in another world and a constant state of just feeling downright BAD. Plus I broke out in little heat bumps all over my chest and face. So I stopped it all cold turkey. Head spins as if I was drunk, very angry nightmares, out of breath and feeling like I need to puke after just putting up groceries (simple task). I am only 27 and I am not going thru this forever. I didn't realize how bad off these drugs had me feeling. I got really bad. I'm feeling a little better everyday trying to free myself from them. All I am on currently are migraine meds and an ambien to help me sleep. And I'm ok with that.
- —Guest chevy3girl
