View Full Version : Diazepam and zoplicone withdrawal
Hi I am trying to withdraw from diazepam and zoplicone Been taking them for over a year. If I drop half a tablet I notice within a couple of days I start to feel really anxious, tired, headaches. I am hoping this is just a result of withdrawal. I am going to try and drop just quarter but feels like it is going to take forever. The doctor won't give me more than 28 tablets at a time, so it is getting really expensive. At present I take 2 x 2mg tables and one half of diazepam a day and one zoplicone a day.
I was swapped to Exffexor 8 weeks ago. I think I am feeling better. This being the 3rd antidepressant in a year. Just sick of struggling.
I haven't even started trying to withdraw from zoplicone yet. Doctor reckons that won't be as hard.
Any feedback would be appreciated. I would love to hear some success stories of getting off these drugs. I only hear all the negative stuff!
Hi, there! I successfully withdrew from benzodiazapenes after having been on them for many years, it can be done! The most important thing to understand is that your mind as well as your body have become dependent on the diazepam, if you've been taking the tablets continuously for a year. The diazepam will leave your system and that will in turn make you feel increased anxiety, have headaches and so on, it has to be expected. The slower the dose reduction, the less strongly the anxiety will peak. Headaches and body aches and restlessness are all part of withdrawal, but so are mental impulses to revert to a higher dose, or even to give up the withdrawal altogether. Your brain will try to tell you you can't cope, or you are physically too unwell to continue, all sorts of stuff. This is the mental dependency talking. This is often tougher than the physical dependency to overcome, but of course you can do it, despite how stridently it's going to tell you otherwise! CBT can teach you some thoughts and actions to effectively counteract the negative thoughts and feelings you will have. Go ahead and say them out loud, it'll help!
There are a few different strategies for withdrawal for you to consider. If you decide on slow titration, then it is recommended to consider dose reductions two weeks apart if possible. It is suggested that the dose reductions as you begin taking the smallest amount of the drug, are kept even smaller than at the start of withdrawal, so that at the end there isn't a sudden drop. Some people have taken up to a year to withdraw from benzodiazapenes. It sounds like you don't have that kind of time. In which case, you can titrate down more rapidly but your withdrawal symptoms will be more intense but over with all the faster. It's great that you have been on Effexor now for some time and it's working, and you can also consider asking your doctor about a beta blocker against physical symptoms, but I didn't have access to these and made it through okay. You should be okay to take headache tablets and teas like chamomile, but check with your doctor.
It is also a big help that you won't be trying to withdraw from zopiclone at the same time, because you will want and need to sleep :D I started on Effexor 12 weeks ago and have just been prescribed Wellbutrin now as well. I asked the doctor about taking mirtazapine, which is another antidepressant instead and withdrawing from zopiclone (which I started taking a number of years ago), but he felt that Wellbutrin is better for my case, and is okay with me continuing on zopiclone. I am on the lowest therapeutic dose of Effexor and now also Wellbutrin. I take the 7.5 mg tablet of zopiclone, never more than one. I figure on being on the antidepressants for years to come, but would like to look at coming off the zopiclone finally.
On this forum you can read lots of posts about mirtazapine, the good, the bad, and the ugly, lol! Different drugs effect people differently, and mirtazapine is no exception. For some it has caused weight gain, others not. For lots of people it has helped them sleep and after the initial full-time drowsiness side effect is gone (a couple of weeks, usually, but there may be other side effects as well) then they can function fine during the day and still get a full night's sleep. There are a number of people on the forum who are taking a combination of Effexor (aka venlaxafine) and mirtazapine. Myself and another lady talked about coming off of zopiclone while going onto mirtazapine, and she posted a helpful schedule of how she did it quite painlessly. For at least 12 years after withdrawal from benzodiazapenes, I managed without a sleep aid at all. It is do-able!
Good luck, and forewarned is forearmed I say! Expect that from time to time you will start to rethink the withdrawal from diazepam or think "I'll just go back up for a couple of days", but this is counterproductive to getting off it for good, and would only strengthen the dependency. Fight back! You can do this! As for the zopiclone, when you are ready, the strategies are the same, and you can expect a good deal of sleeplessness in coming off of it if you aren't taking something else instead. You will sleep again, and if you once had good sleep patterns, you will have again, eventually. Meanwhile, a short course of beta blockers may help with the jitters, you could ask your doctor.
Take care! :hugs: :flowers:
Marie
I was put on Lexapro and diazepam 10 yrs ago
I went cold turkey on the Lexapro 5 yrs ago but stayed on the Diazepam.
Been taking 2 x 5mg / day for 10 yrs now and don't see any reason to give up.
Just my thoughts :shades:
I was put on Lexapro and diazepam 10 yrs ago
I went cold turkey on the Lexapro 5 yrs ago but stayed on the Diazepam.
Been taking 2 x 5mg / day for 10 yrs now and don't see any reason to give up.
Just my thoughts :shades:
People talk about dependence, tolerance and addiction to Diazepam a lot.
I'm just wondering if after so many years on it, does the anxiety calming effects of the medication still work as well for you? Have you ever had to increase the dose to get the same effect?
Look up the Ashton Manual for a programme of withdrawal. My GP was happy to follow it. Professor Ashton is a lecturer in medicine at Newcastle University.... and actually was my GP's Professor
sarah
People talk about dependence, tolerance and addiction to Diazepam a lot.
I'm just wondering if after so many years on it, does the anxiety calming effects of the medication still work as well for you? Have you ever had to increase the dose to get the same effect?
No never increased it.It was still great after 5 years
Things changed and I gave it up 5 yrs ago
The gradual withdrawal thing didn't work for me (too long) so I just went cold turkey
Suffered head zaps for a couple of weeks then all good ever since
---------- Post added at 18:24 ---------- Previous post was at 18:21 ----------
Look up the Ashton Manual for a programme of withdrawal. My GP was happy to follow it. Professor Ashton is a lecturer in medicine at Newcastle University.... and actually was my GP's Professor
sarah
It's OK for all these doctors and professors to give advice but unless they've been a sufferer themselves they have no idea of what we go through.
I was lucky in that my GP at the time had suffered both anxiety and depression so she knew what she was talking about
No never increased it.It was still great after 5 years
Things changed and I gave it up 5 yrs ago
The gradual withdrawal thing didn't work for me (too long) so I just went cold turkey
Suffered head zaps for a couple of weeks then all good ever since[COLOR="blue"]
I'm a bit confused, did you stop the diazepam cold turkey after 10 years? If so that sounds a bit hardcore and potentially dangerous.
If you are talking about the lexapro I can understand though.... the brain zaps when you stop those type of SSRI antidepressants are nasty, but I never had the patience to slow taper with them either.
I've been using Lorazepam (similar to diazepam) for about 6 months now and my main concern is that I will get tolerant to the ant-anxiety effect, although it hasn't happened yet.
I gave up the Lexapro
I'm still taking the diazepam 5mg/day and in spite of everything you hear about tolerance and addiction I have never increased the dose and it still works.
After all this time at such a low dose I'll admit the effects are probably more psychological than physical but it works so I'll keep it up.
I really hate it that I have become reliant on these drugs. I never really wanted to take them in the first place, but the antidepressants make so anxious when I start them I can't cope.
I have gone back up to the half the diazepam I dropped and will then try dropping them by quarter of a tab again in a weeks time hopefully if I feel better. But at the moment I feel really upset that it is so hard to get off these things, considering my doctor says I am on a low dose.
With all these things I take I feel like a walking pharmacy. I hate anxiety and hate the fact I have to take drugs to help it. I do have counselling, but I feel it dosen't really do much.
I just can't stop worrying about how I am feeling. Weekends seem to be the worst.
I know how you feel.
Believe it or not what made the biggest change for me was taking a high stress 7 day a week job.
Idle time is the enemy cause it gives the mind time to think.
Funny, I've been thinking about how good it would be to have work again to focus on, the more challenging the better. :ohmy:
---------- Post added at 18:41 ---------- Previous post was at 18:07 ----------
Anyway, Hemps, I know your frustration. You may want to try again after you've been on the venlaxafine for another month or so. Here's what I found at between 11 weeks and 12 weeks: I couldn't deny that I was doing way better, i.e. I realized I hadn't cried for weeks. At last I was finding that the negative thoughts were coming much less often, and that my mind was able to steer away from them much easier! I have a confidence now that everything is going to be okay now, but it really gelled at right around the 3 month mark. :)
So, that's what I'm suggesting; in another few weeks you may have more confidence to take the steps again to come off the diazepam. You could ask your doctor for that beta blocker before you start (for physical symptoms), and stock up on chamomile tea and movies and develop a support network that will help. Be good to yourself :flowers:
Marie
(ps, don't be afraid to consider a detoxification centre, it might be what you ultimately need. That's what they're there for, plenty of people have struggled before you).
Hi thanks everyone!
I think maybe I am trying to come off too fast. Haven't really given the Effexor much time to kick in. I don't know. Think I will have to have a wee chat with my doctor.
I go to tech during the week to study and feel quite good when I am there, but in the weekends finds things really hard.
I am just going to have to grin and bear it and hope the effexor kicks in and take things really slowly when withdrawing from the other two drugs.
Anxiety sucks and I would wish it on my worst enemy!
Hemps, I used to feel the same way bout weekends. Work gives me a structure and something else to think about - I try and use weekends to relax, to focus on myself and wht I need, to feel lousy if I want to. I also try and book things in to keep me busy...a kind of balancing act.
I too am withdrawing from 4 months on Diazepam. I'm doing it it 1mg a a time. At my highest I was taking 2 mg, 3 times a day, today I decreased to 1mg in the morning. I've done it really gradually and not let my GP pressure me to do it faster. I feel a 'bump' after a few days, and the anxiety (tight chest, feel sick, trembling) and negative "I can't do this" thinking comes back but it dissipates after a few days. I'm also on 40mg citalopram and am certainly not thinking about reducing both at the same time. Just take your time and try to stay positive, I knwo it's really hard as I'm doig this too.
Yep I hate weekends. And I have three young boys so it doesn't help. I have been feeling quite anxious again at the moment. I can't seem to drop more than quarter of diazepam at a time. I probably should go back to the dr but he will only increase my effexor. I was feeling heaps better about a month ago but now seem to have gone backwards with trying to wean off the diazepam.
I just want to be on one med. I used to be able to cope on one med, I feel things have gotten out of control over the last year.
Good luck with your weaning it sounds like you are doing well!
Hi I have just dropped three quarters of a tablet of diazepam over the last three weeks. One quarter each week. Today I feel absolutely horrible today. Started to notice changes with having a severe headache a couple of days ago, now extreme anxiety and not being able to sleep, also tight muscles in my stomach and feeling sick.
I don't know what to do. I am thinking maybe raising it again and stablising and trying again. I am trying to tell myself it is just the drugs but doesn't seem to be sinking in.
Anyone got any advice for me?
What strength tablets are you on?
You have reduced quite quickly, however the important thing with benzo withdrawal is generally not to increase the dose back up if you can possibly avoid it.
It does sound like you have withdrawal symptoms though.
Hi I am only on 2 mg tabs. Now down to .5 in morning and 2 mg at night.
I think I am starting to feel a bit better. Will try and not increase and right it out.
I will leave it for a few weeks before trying again.
Hi I have been trying to wean off my diazepam. I withdrew 1/4 tablet per week as I felt okay. Then 3rd week accidently forgot one of my doses and decided I would just knock that one out as well. That was a very wrong decision. Since then my anxiety has risen, I feel really stressed, my head feels fuzzy. This has been happening for 4 weeks. To add to it I have had three sick children for a week, my husband tore his calf muscle, had an ear infection so I was left to do everything, and I am very behind in my school work.
I don't know what to do. If I go back to the doctor he will increase my antidepressant but that will take weeks, I go to a physicologist but don't have an appointment until next week
I hate this drug! Wish I never started taking it.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Aw, hunni, I feel for you. I've done the benzo withdrawal thing so I know from experience what you are going through. It is only the diazepam you are currently withdrawing from, right? Not the zopiclone also, is that right? ...
Is it the morning dose you forgot, the lower one? Not sure if you can manage it with your daytime responsibilities, but I have read that Benadryl helps with benzo withdrawal. Recommended on a number of sites, although I didn't know about it myself so I can't speak from experience. Talk to me when I am coming off the zopiclone! Ha ha! Worth a shot? This could keep you going until you see the psychologist, and an increase in Effexor kicks in. I also haven't upped that in months but will be soon. The last refill, I got the pharmacist to make it up out of the lowest dose capsules so I can titrate up more slowly for a week or two so the side effects aren't hopefully as noticeable. It should be in two days that he gives me the increased scrip, I will ask him how long before I can feel a difference and let you know how it goes.
Good luck, hun, keep us posted okay? xx
Marie
It was a late afternoon dose I forgot. Haven't even gone anywhere near the zoplicone withdrawal yet. I don't know whether to increase the dosage of the diazepam (really don't want to to do this) or ask the doctor what he thinks.
It is so hard as my husband doesn't understand what I am going through and when I try and talk to him he switches off and gets really stressed.
Oh, see, I'd definitely try replacing the late afternoon dose with Benadryl. You're home then for the night, I assume?
Do you know how does taking Benadryl work? I looked it up and it is a cough mixture antihistame. (sorry spelling is crap).
This is so hard because I seem to be have panic attacks more often which freak me out and I just feel out it sometimes with a nice big knot in gut.
How do I know if it is diazepam withdrawal or just anxiety relapse?
I was actually speaking of the Benadryl tablets/capsules, (diphenhydramine). Antihistamines generally have drowsiness as a side effect. Think of this one as calming but not quite sleep-inducing! So a good choice for once you are in the house for the rest of the day, and don't need to be doing anything that requires alertness (like driving). I am now reading where it is recommended to only take it every other day so as to not build tolerance for it. Not everyone gets drowsy from it, the odd person gets the jitters.
Doxylamine is another antihistamine with a different formula that could possibly be used if having problems when you withdraw from your evening dose. This is the active ingredient in Unisom, Nytol, and Medi-sleep which are marketed as a sleep tab. IN U.K. brand names include: Somnil, Donormyl, DSozile and Restavit. Dozile is a brand name in New Zealand. You could alternate this with melatonin, which is a natural hormone that helps with sleep. This is also OTC (over the counter, at least it is in North America). I would choose the lowest dose that works, and only move up if necessary. Do not take more than the recommended dose for any of these. You may find that you sleep longer than usual or are groggy on waking.
If you choose to take Benadryl or another brand of diphenhydramine, you will want to take it well apart from your nighttime dose of diazepam, and avoid alcohol or other relaxants when you take it.
NOTE: SIDE EFFECTS WILL INCLUDE DRY MOUTH AND A GENERAL DRYING EFFECT ON NASAL PASSAGES. That's how antihistamines are supposed to work, as a treatment for allergies. Be sure to drink plenty of water. A sugar-free plain "cough drop" helps too. I keep Ricola on my bedside table, they are gently herbal only.
There may be interactions with some medications you may be on or have taken in the past couple of weeks. Check with the pharmacist/chemist.
Interestingly, some anti-depressants work on the histamine receptors in the brain, which is why withdrawal symptoms may include feelings of having flu or a cold!
Good luck! xx
Marie
Just thought I would let you know that I went to doctor and he has upped my dosage of effexor by 35.75 mg? He thinks it might help a little bit with my anxiety and stress. Now worried if I will experience side effects.
Reckons it will take a couple of weeks to kick in.
I really hope this helps.
Hey, me too! Lol! As of yesterday, my doctor upped my Effexor by 37.5 mg, which I, too, hope won't cause too much by way of side effects. From all accounts, a small increase like this is the best way to go. Takes time and patience, but for those who got start-up side effects, (not everyone does), the side effects with any increase are much milder. And the benefits well worth it!
At start-up I had a few days of nausea and learned to eat breakfast before taking my capsules. Dry mouth meant packing water with me everywhere I went, and gum and hard candies. Got light-headed, and some muscle tonus (tension in muscles of my legs and arms and abdomen), but it did pass. Long, slow breaths. Relaxing with the laptop or tv when I couldn't do much. Especially if it will even milder than that, then I'm good with it!
Keep posting, and do search for threads on venlaxafine on here! Lots of support and good tips and success stories :yesyes:
Good luck!
Marie
Good luck to you as well. I am really hoping that the increase will have minor effects as well. But positive effects. When you have anxiety you always think the worst is going to happen. It's horrible!
Thanks. I know, we are so used to fear and worry, we find it hard to live in each day as it unfolds. But you know, there are SO many success stories here and from people who pop back in occasionally to say they are more confident, productive, social and happy than they've ever been thanks to ven, it gives me real hope! Take heart! There will be blips, but more and more good days between the struggling ones. I can hardly wait! :D
Hi Marie
Just wondering how you are feeling with your increase? I am feeling really light headed like I am drunk. Feeling a little more anxious.
Can I ask what your total dosage is now?
Paula
Hi, Paula :hugs:
(Sorry for the novel, below!)
Well, I decided to wait until today (Saturday) to start, as I began my venlaxafine journey on a Saturday, and it makes it easier to keep track of number of weeks I've been on which dosage. I began with just one 37.5 for the first week, then doubled it after that to 75 mg. day. Doc has kept me on this dosage all spring/summer, and now at last has began to titrate up. Just added 37.5 today and am to stay at 112.5 for the next month.
I have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and after a horrible winter breakdown last time, I went to see my GP in March. He has treated my depression before with zoloft, a number of years ago. But this time he diagnosed me with SAD (and generalized anxiety disorder concurrent), and chose Effexor XL. His strategy is to ramp it up every month or so until winter and then keep me at that dose if possible through til spring. I sure hope it helps, I was a mess last winter, it seems to get worse every year, and agoraphobia tries to take hold too. Since June, at my request I am also on Wellbutrin for motivation. I don't think it is helpful for anxiety, though. I have been more anxious since then.
This is normally the time of year that the SAD-related anxiety takes hold and I have been just hanging on waiting for the dosage increase! I am so relieved he has upped the Effexor finally from 75 to 112.5! I know there will be adjustments with each increase especially once it gets over 150, but if it keeps me functioning I will try to cope with the side effects. May have to drop the Wellbutrin, although it too is for the SAD.
As for your anxiety, I've seen it explained on many threads on here that our anxiety will normally spike as a new increase takes hold. This is part of the serotonin response, it is normal, and temporary, no worries! The lightheadedness/drunken feeling is right on cue too, so you seem to be right on track! Not nice, I know, as the lightheadedness (and muscle tautness) were the last symptoms to ease off as I stabilized on the ven, which took a few weeks. Didn't like that bit at all. Following advice on here I did long, slow deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Exhaling for a few counts longer than you inhale for. Usually half a dozen breaths like this would help with the tension a lot. Repeated as necessary.
To be honest, I had to be gentle with myself as I wasn't up to par, really. Are you working atm? How long have you been taking Effexor?
Marie xx
Hi Marie, I have been taking Effexor XL since April. Third antidepressant in a year. I was on Zoloft for a while but hated it. First was celexa which I had been on for years and found really good. But decided I didn't need it anymore. And was only taking 10 mg a day and thought I was feeling great. Three weeks after stopping boy was I wrong. When I tried starting it again it wouldn't kick in. Therefore starting taking the anti anxiety and sleeping pills as well.
I have just increased from 150 Effexor by the 37.5 mg. Feeling more anxious today. Felt sick this morning.
Where abouts do you live? I am in New Zealand and we are in winter here now. It has been a very cold winter and I can't wait for it to be over. Hoping summer will be good. Unfortunately we had a terrible summer last year. I have three boys, two of them are twins. So sometimes I don't think they help with my anxiety. I don't work but go to polytechnic each day to study which helps slightly.
Let me know how you are getting on.
Paula
Hi, Paula!
Oh, I do understand about the tensions around raising children, mine were 5 years apart, but that for some reason made them fight and pit themselves against each other, ugh! Constant interruptions as they vied for my attention, the younger one teasing the older one, the older one thumping on the younger one. I was always trying to distract them with shopping trips, followed by favourite videos, stories etc etc when they really should have been able to amuse themselves by that age, at least for a little while! Well, I guess they were really, at my expense! :winks:
Good for you and school! I did try it myself, but my ex was counterproductive and after the split, I fell ill for some years. Anyway, the kids are grown and manage to get along alright now, and visit each other often, ha ha! Big congrats for you and your determination to complete your education :bighug1: I agree, having something that allows your brain to work on something apart from "home/family" is really, really good when you're dealing with anxiety! Otherwise we tend to go around in circles with only the anxiety working away up there, and it takes over :ohmy:
Mmm, I took zoloft some years ago and it wasn't for me, either. And yes, I have heard about when people come off of a med and then beginning with it again later, and it not working. But lots of people have success with venlaxafine, as you may have noticed on here! Some people say once they are stabilized on the right dose for them, they've never coped better. :) My doctor's confidence in it gives me hope, I must say. I guess by mid-December I will be on the same dose as you are, and that's expected to be very effective.
Ven is one drug that allows for even further increases in dose in cases of treatment-resistant anxiety and depression. And there are other meds to augment treatment that have been found to work well alongside. So I feel relieved about that. Now, at 112 for the past few days I haven't noticed much by way of side effects, but I do expect to feel more anxious over time and then less so as I go through the dose increases upcoming. I understand the physiological reasons for that, and that we aren't getting worse at all, and the spikes will pass. I felt stomach upset this afternoon, but then I have some stuff going on and my stomach has been iffy for weeks, ugh! Try to hang in there and give it the 6 to 8 weeks to take hold, okay? I kind of wish my doc was giving me that kind of time between increases, but I guess there isn't long before winter really sets in here. :weep:
I live in northern Alberta, Canada, although thankfully we have eventual plans to move to a much more hospitable part of BC. 10 winters of months at -35 degrees and worse, with 4 1/2 hours of daylight have taken their toll on my psyche, but I feel as though I am forewarned AND forearmed this year, lol! :yesyes:
Oh, I envy you as you head into spring just as we are heading into fall here! The weather being good then for the kids to play outside will help alleviate things at your house, I'm sure! More time to study .. or do you get a summer break? Fingers crossed that it's a sunny, warm, gorgeous summer for you this year! :shades: Lol!
Keep posting how you're doing too!
Marie :hugs:
-35 degrees is crazy. There is no way I could handle that! I live in Taupo the middle of the north island of New Zealand. It is the coldest part of the north island to live can get to -10 degrees at my husband's work. But in the summer can be amazing. Not to hot, the highest we would get is 30 degrees.
I enjoy the study but will have to try and get some work when I have finished which will be in about 10 weeks. Fingers crossed I can get some. Then I might do some more part time study. It has been hard work after 20 years of no study bit of a shock to the brain.
I am really hoping this increase will help. I really want to get off diazepam and zoplicone. Going to put this on hold for a couple of weeks.
I have found the last year to have been a complete roller coaster, so many ups an so many downs. Always fearful I will end up at the bottom again.
I am glad you aren't getting any major effects with your increase.
Paula
With so much to look forward to now, and just 10 weeks full-time school left, I am rooting for you that any dips will be small and swift for you, and a good job presents itself as soon as you're done! Summer sounds amazing there! Sigh! :)
Marie
I am rooting for you both and hope that the ven increase helps to cut the need for further meds. Wouldn't it be good if a drug became available that actually helped our condition without causing any dependency, weight gain, liver disease, blood pressure discrepancies etc etc.
Both my daughter and myself find diazepam to be the best "med" for agitated depression BUT of course now the GPs think it the worst thing ever. It would be so good if a non-addictive drug which gave the same effect as diazepam could be formulated in the future ,wouldn't it?
Thanks, Pulisa! I'm optimistic about the ven, and feel pretty lucky to have found it! I honestly still feel like "me" and so long as that continues I'm on board! ... Meanwhile you are right, that's the trouble with most meds, the ones that work seem to be addictive or else have other effects that miss the mark! Unfortunately, try as I did to make the benzodiazapenes work for me, memory problems and tolerance forced me to give them up. Glad I did that, though, and, now, like Paula, I really want to come off of zopiclone too. For one thing, it can cause depression! Ugh!! Talk about working against myself, no wonder mine keeps getting worse :wacko:
Once the Effexor/ven is up to where I am functioning well even in winter, then I would like to try some other options from other anti-depressants that help with sleep as well. Two birds with one stone, why not? To be able to ease my anxiety, let me sleep soundly, and lift my depression in that dreaded -35 dark, I fully expect to need a combination but I'm okay with that! Actually, I will be over the moon, ha ha! :yahoo:
That said ... I do hope you and your daughter find some things to help you both. Agitated depression, I think that really best describes how I get. If it wasn't that it really is seasonal at its worst, then I'd be trying the 5-HTP and all those natural remedies! Which of those, if any, have you tried, if you don't mind me asking? :)
I totally agree, I would love someone to invent a drug that totally solves all my problems with no side effects! I suppose that would make life boring though.
I just try and keep myself busy. Finds that can really help.
Must say since the increase my head is feeling really weird. Hope it settles down soon.
Marie, both my daughter and I have had little luck when trying all the "natural" ways to alleviate the agitation side of things. My daughter is also on the autistic spectrum so this really complicates matters. We love our pets though and find that caring for animals really helps to lighten the load.
I don't personally have any faith in herbal remedies or alternative therapies such as massage and reflexology. For me it's all about stopping my brain from overworking/going into overdrive and I can't do that on my own. I can't distract myself to any degree and basically I just burn myself out. Pacing myself is really important.
Hemps, I do hope that you soon feel more like yourself as you tolerate the ven increase more easily.
Omigod, it's true, being busier helps me to keep my mind off things, less time to fret is a good thing. :D
Pulisa, I really really wish more natural means would work for me, they did once ... but I am afraid that once I went the route of pharmaceuticals, they don't cut it anymore. However, I am still really grateful for having overcome my addiction to benzodiazapenes (albeit I am still chained to zopiclone, it isn't technically a benzo and I haven't developed a tolerance for it). Massage and yoga DO really help a lot, but I would need them every day to stay chill. Way too expensive :mad:
Paula, how're you doing now with the ven increase? I actually had around an hour or more of peace and relaxation this morning, around 2 hours after taking my pills. I am really hoping it bodes well for the future. I remember feeling my mood lift suddenly, within a week of taking ven to start, and now I just think I need to reach the right dosage to make this happen more of the time. I just need to plow through the tough bits first. How do you feel about that, are you feeling strong enough to tough it out?
My cat is keeping me busy these days and forces me to draw on patience and calm like I haven't done in years! He has a liver problem at the moment that means syringe feeding and lots and lots of care around that. He fights and it is so time-consuming, but I am determined to help him get well, the little monster, lol! :roflmao:
Hepatic lipidosis treatment by syringe-feeding is heart wrenching, traumatic yet oh so necessary as you well know, Marie. My heart goes out to you- I had to do the same when my cat was recovering from a sub-total colectomy and refused to eat. You can't even explain to them that it is in their best interests to comply and the stress is just horrible..I do hope that you soon start to see an improvement xx
Sending best wishes to you too, Hemps. It's a bloody old business but maybe today will be a better day for you?
Hi guys. I am not sure how I am feeling. I felt really good for a few days, and then since yesterday starting feeling a bit more anxious again. Really weird.
The only time my head feels really good is first thing in the morning.
How are you doing Marie? How is your increase going? And your cat, how is the feeding going.
Thanks Pulisa for your positive notes as well.
Paula
Hi, Paula!
Very encouraging that you got some good days, remember and hang onto that! The way I've seen it go on here is that there will be blips of a day to several days duration, then a lift out of it again. And you need to work with those good days to get out and about and do things that need doing, which all work alongside to make you feel better. Know that the blips are just that, and they will pass. As time goes on, the blips will be of shorter duration and then get fewer and further between. :hugs:
Thomas had hissing, growling fits last night over his pill (he's on mirtazapine and hates when it dissolves on his tongue!) and his last feeding. Hope he's in better spirits this morning, I have to get him up now and off to the vet's for a weigh in. I will be sure to report! :winks:
My cat had a horrible reaction to mirt-can't believe that vets use it to stimulate the appetite of cats refusing to eat! Wonder whether humans on mirt know this?!
I do hope that all your hard work with Thomas will see an increase in weight, Marie, but don't be disheartened if there's not much change. So long as his weight is not dipping you are doing just fine.
Paula, if it's any consolation I am having a prolonged dip and have a load of horrible physical symptoms at the moment. It is so debilitating having to constantly battle through the day. On Sunday my daughter and I are going to look at some week- old baby guinea pigs with a view to choosing 2 males to take home when they are around 6 weeks old. I am hoping to distract myself sufficiently to throw off some of the symptoms but it's so hard ,isn't it?
Is your cat quite old Marie. Can't believe they give animals antidepressants!
Pulsia, I know how you feel. Just have to keep on fighting. It is very hard when you have slumps. When this happens to me I just keep telling myself that I have been here before and I will get back to feeling okay again it is just going to take time. (I get really anxious and worried that I am going to go back to feeling really bad and not cope with things, its so hard). But no matter how horrible I feel I don't let it hold me back. If I have to go somewhere I just go. Then I come home and have a cry and sometimes feel heaps better.
I think a major for me at the moment is I have developed a tolerance to diazepam and when it wears off I feel horrible. But I don't take it until the time when I am meant to again.
I had a really horrible panic attack the other day and couldn't breath. I said to myself, there are two things I can do here. Take some diazepam or try and breath and keep telling myself it will go away. Which I did, and in time it did go away. Felt so proud of myself.
I need to get off the diazepam and then find a good dose of effexor to settle on. This is going to take time. I just wish it was tommorrow.
How are things going with you Marie. Noticed any increase in side effects?
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