Want to get off meds but struggling

[RubyTuesday]

In my humble opinion, everyone needs to read Peter Breggin's new book: Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal. It has really helped me get a handle on what is the w/d, what is the poisoning from the medication, and what to do about all of it. Here wishing you all of the best and letting you know that the brain is a self-healing organism.

[Iggy131313]

the new book is very annoying as he doesnt acknowledge protracted withdrawal at all, he talks about chronic brain impairment but his outlook is very bleak, and we KNOW people recover from this, when you say what to do about it all, could you start a thread with what you have found helpful from the book Ruby? its £50!!!!!

[Sheila]

Michele -- To me, the fact that you’re not stabilizing just means that your body is saying no to these meds, and you just have to slowly taper off. I’m sure you will be able to taper off. You just have to go slowly in small increments, and get some support during the process.

Maybe you can think of it this way – you’re going to have to go through some pain, but it will be doable, and you’ll have a lot of company, and the reward will be freedom from the tyranny these meds have over your life, and you will have a whole new life, better than anything you’ve experienced yet. And…you’re one of the guides for the pandemic that is coming. You’re going to be using this w/d experience in some vital way for the good of the whole.

Now, another idea I have – and this is speculative – is that you might try slowly going up on Omega-3 before you start tapering or while you start an ultra-slow taper. I hypothesize – but don’t know – that Omega-3 may be neuroprotective during the taper. There’s tons of evidence of it being neuroprotective in other neurological conditions.

Do you feel your headaches are caused by muscle tension, sinus congestion, or something else?

[shel]

Thanks so much for your supportive note and encouragement - I really need it right now as I am not feeling very confident about being able to do this. However, your note gave me some hope. I have been wanting to get off of these meds for such a long time and for exactly the reasons you described: I too think that my body is just done with ADs and I want to live a better life than the one I've been living on ADs. I have feel like if I can get to the other side of this, life will be fuller off of ADs (and eventually the Klonopin as i will still have to deal with that too - also why this all feels so impossible). I also have always wanted to use this experience and all I've learned to help others - not sure what that would look like but in some way. I have to think we are all going through this for a reason and I agree with you that a pandemic is coming (if it hasn't already).

Interestingly, I've been taking Omega 3's and my psychiatrist suggested taking more than I had been so I've upped it to to 3 capsules a day (not sure but think that is around 3000).

To answer your question about what is causing the headache - I think it just is the Celexa, or changes to something inside my brain from the Celexa as that is the only change I can attribute it to. It could be also something to do with how Celexa is messing with my hormones as I tend to get headaches/migraines related to my cycle. And my period has been going on now for 3weeks so something is definitely being messed with hormonally.

So any ideas on how my taper would look? I am thinking I have to see how it goes and adjust from there but was curious if you have any intuition on this? Maybe go down by 1 mg at a time in the beginning?

Thank you so much for being here and for encouraging me,
Michele

[Iggy131313]

In my opinion as you are on 35mg 1mg per month would be a great starting point

personally, If it were me I would go down by 1mg per month until you get to 30, then hold few 2 or 3 months and see where you are from there,

also with your omega 3, sheila will say the same, its not the fish oil content but the amount of active dha/epa, have a look at your capules and tell us how much is in each pill, also be sure to check as mine say 900 but thats in 3 pills so really its 300 per pill....let us know

[Luc]

Sounds like a good plan, Michele. If you felt better, there's always an option of tapering it faster, but it's always better to start slowly. You will simply need to listen to your body and adjust accordingly. With time, you will be able to learn very well how your system reacts to each drop.

[shel]

Thanks Iggy and Luc,

I will try the 1 mg for now. i would try more if I was feeling better but am not stabilizing from the switch from Zoloft to Celexa and am having what i believe is an adverse reaction to the Celexa with this constant headache.

[stan]

tolerance or adverse reaction is the same, you have to taper, i never stabilize and continue to taper, wanted no more the celexa in my body, i was switched from paxil (in tolerance since years i think)to celexa, being bad, i tapered celexa about 11 months with a syringue

[Sheila]

Stan makes a good point.

OK, so your headaches sound like they’re hormonal or sort of directly chemical, as opposed to w/d-induced muscle tension or sinus congestion.

I’m so glad you’re open to the idea that this is happening for a reason and that you already have it in mind to do something with your ordeal in terms of using it to help others coming down the road after you!

I feel that many of us are being called to take up some aspect of this mission – perhaps especially the members of this “boutique” forum. :) Who knows what you will be called to do. It might be something obviously related to w/d, or it might be something less obviously related, but that still utilizes what you’ve learned and that helps people.

This has been the single most helpful thing to my coping – coming to believe that this was happening for a good reason. And I was an atheist (although interested in psi) before this.

You might find the Vanguard essay helpful for making your suffering meaningful in the context of an historic moment of which you are part --

http://antidepressantwithdrawal.info...e-The-Vanguard

[PAROX2010]

Hi, fellow citalopramer.
It's curious you said your headaches are around your left eye/temple area. My pain episodes (headache/migraine and something else) have always had that element in them. .

Me too, and also tingling in the left cheek.

Well, actually I have had headaches since I was a teenager.
I had a lot of headaches while decreasing the paxil / seroxat. After taking my last dose I had a headache every day for 3 or 4 meses.Yo almost always took ibuprofen (sometimes paracetamol). I often woke up with headaches, and persisted throughout the day.
At present I have only occasional headache .. I think you have given good advice on how to reduce, especially listen to your body.

hugs

Tina