withdrawal from medication - need support badly

[lotus]

I'm experiencing what I believe is withdrawal from my medication, which I tapered too quickly over a 20 day period.

My symptoms are severe and started on the 16th of February.

I want to ask if some of you have experienced withdrawal and how long did it last? I found a website called http://survivingantidepressants.org/
but it's full of horror stories of people suffering for months and even years. It's so disheartening.

Is it possible that my withdrawal doesn't last that long and goes away after, say, a month? I'm very scared. Don't know if I can last many months or years like this...:scared15::wacko::weep:

[Cody2015]

I"m sorry you're suffering. Did you speak with your doctor? Psyche? perhaps you tapered off too quickly and need some professional guidance. Try to stay as positive as you can. I feel your pain.:weep:

[nicola1980]

What med did you taper off? The best way to taper of any AD is by decreasing it only 10% at a time and waiting until you feel stable then taper another 10% and so on. If your really struggling as I expect you're then see you Gp or physc ASAP. XX

[swgrl09]

You should speak with your doctor, as I'm sure there are things they can suggest to help the withdrawal and provide more insight. Stay positive, like Cody says.

[MrAndy]

I'm experiencing what I believe is withdrawal from my medication, which I tapered too quickly over a 20 day period.

My symptoms are severe and started on the 16th of February.

I want to ask if some of you have experienced withdrawal and how long did it last? I found a website called http://survivingantidepressants.org/
but it's full of horror stories of people suffering for months and even years. It's so disheartening.

Is it possible that my withdrawal doesn't last that long and goes away after, say, a month? I'm very scared. Don't know if I can last many months or years like this...:scared15::wacko::weep:
dont read that website it will scare you to death about withdrawal and medication.Yes you can get withdrawal symptoms but they dont often last,you could go back on the original med and taper off it slowly again
I came off sertraline over a few months, nice and slow and didnt have any problems just a bit of nausea and that was it
Go back to your doctor if you are really worried and explain how you feel

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, I agree with MrAndy. You can Google about anti depressants and find some real horror stories. The same can be said for starting on them and it always puts me off but its not an issue you can avoid, you have to grin & bare it. You started the medication, yet there are tons of horror stories out there about starting, so does that dispell your concerns a bit?

I tapered off Citalopram 20mg to 10mg for about 2 weeks then off completely. I had some cotton wool heads initially and head zaps, a bit of dizziness, etc. It didn't last more than a few days on the first stap but lasted about 15 days when completely finishing.

What I can tell you is that I suffered very badly starting Citalopram. The withdrawal was very manageable and nothing compared to the onset side effects of starting the stuff at 20mg.

I suffered really badly going on Duloxetine, which I am still on. Worse than Citalopram. But I expect the withdrawal, whenever that time may come, to be far easier because I don't feel anywhere near as bad as back then.

Some people seem to need a really slow taper, there is nothing wrong with that.

[lotus]

Guys, do you think my brain will recover?

I feel really discouraged by what I read on that site... it says it can take many months or even years. I won't last that long... I have muscle twitches, brain zaps, visual disturbances and derealization (which is the hardest for me to bear). I also have shaking, feeling cold, trouble breathing ... This has been going on since the 16th. I spoke to the doctor and he said to reinstate the drug, which I did on the 18th at the lowest dose.

I'm scared I have brain damage and it will not go away. Do you think I will recover?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Antidepressants are heavily used across the world, if they caused brain damage there would be cases.

All they do is work on substances that your body already produces from food. They inhibit it so it can't be wasted so quickly. Well, it is for SSRI/SNRI's, I don't know much about TCA's, MAOI's, Benzo's, Hypnotics, etc so can't say on those.

If you take the case of SSRI's, if your body ends up with too much of it becomes a medical emergency. I'm not saying this to worry you because its rare and tends to be because of combined medications so not for how you are using them. I'm saying it because if that happened, you would know about it. That wouldn't be brain damage, I don't know that much about it but it would certainly need medical intervention. You haven't even had that so how can you have something as serious as brain damage? Does that make sense?

With SNRI's, the same can apply, but if you get too much adrenaline its not going to be affecting the brain anyway.

Its just a horrible experience you are going through and I bet we would all be saying the same as its such a strange experience with symptoms like you describe, its bad enough starting up on them.

I've read some of the stories about how medications takes 6 months to drain out of your system. I can't say that I have researched this using reputable sources, not those websites but research papers which will be accurate, but the one thing that stands out for me is that we all know when we start these medications because they cause us a load of side affects and we all know when we stop them because we experience them then too. If the medication really did take years, wouldn't you feel it? Another thing to consider is what if you miss you dose for a few days...you get withdrawal. So, doesn't that show that the medication has reduced sufficiently in your system? That proves your body is using it up and excreted any waste product.

Its far more probable that these people withdrew and then found there original anxiety or depression came back because the medications were keeping them at bay. I withdrew from Citalopram and I had a relapse 6 months later. Why? Because I wasn't properly recovered and the medication was masking the severity of the symptoms.

How do these people know its still in their system? How can they measure it? They can only believe it because they feel symptoms. The thing about these medications is that they cause the exact symptoms that anxiety and depression do so thats another thing that makes me think its more that they have their underlying issue back again. Another question to ask is how would they know, after they withdrew, whether it was still the medication or anxiety/depression? Can they spot the difference between the two?

These stories only exist in places like that. All forums, this one included, are full of user names, you never really know who people are. Just look at places like Amaxon, there are loads of fake reviews that get added on there. Just like that, some people dislike medication, some people have a massive chip on their shoulder about drug companies (you can usually spot these people as they use the term "big pharma" a lot) and they are often just out to promote natural remedies. The anxiety self help market is full of affiliate marketers and if you dig into their websites, you can find they aren't even owned by the same person but a company!

So, its hard to take what you see as real. You have to rationalise it and monitor the situation because this is all so individual and only you will ever know how you feel as time goes by. Be honest with yourself over what is a side effect and what is likely to be the underlying condition and it will help you to understand what it is that you are experiencing.

I hope you are feeling better for reinstating your dosage. You can recover, people do but it means finding what works for you and a lot of work. Good luck with the withdrawal.

[swgrl09]

I have been on an SSRI myself and come off it just fine with no lasting effects... did it slowly under my doctor's care. I work at a behavioral health center and 75% of our clients are or have been on one... I am not aware of any with long-lasting effects after going off, and lots did just stop taking them without doctors advice. It wasn't pleasant while they went through it, but they didnt have a long-lasting effect.

[steph25]

I had a really bad time coming off Sertraline and I had only been on it for a few months.

I was sick, dizzy, brain zaps, twitching, headaches and everything else you named. I was like that for a few days but it did eventually go away.

Take it slowly and look after yourself.