SSRI support group - tapering while on benzo's or after recovery

[Guest [Mi...]]

Mindseeker-  I still haven't done anything with the lexapro and I'm still getting that ramped up feeling about 5 hours after I take it.  Think it's safe to do an experiment and try taking the lexapro a little later than my usual time, to see if it affects me later.

 

Hi, Sierra.

 

I'm only online very briefly tonight, but real quick, I doubt it will have any long term negative effects if you wanted to wait a couple of hours later. Write down what you experience and your buddies can give you some feedback, if you think that might help.

 

If it turns out that it's the Lexapro causing this ramped up feeling, perhaps it's time to start a very slow, careful taper.  And if not, it may be the benzo causing it. Unfortunately, this a common withdrawal and side effect from both drugs.

 

But give it a go. Try to keep other things as steady as possible - same kinds of food, same amount of exercise, etc. You don't want to conflate this experiment with anything else.

 

[[Sm...]]

Mindseeker-  I still haven't done anything with the lexapro and I'm still getting that ramped up feeling about 5 hours after I take it.  Think it's safe to do an experiment and try taking the lexapro a little later than my usual time, to see if it affects me later.

 

Good idea!

I do that when I'm trying to work out what is going on where

I suspect the lexapro will be part of the problem. You may even find a 10% cut a relief

Try the change and see if it is the lex

[[Co...]]

Well it's not a SSRI but I want to taper my seroquel. Only problems is that now that i decided to taper (not started yet) i'm in a wave. As if my body wants to tell me something.

Well only 2-3 hours of sleep last night urgh

[[bc...]]

I have posted a similar question on another thread....but was wondering....I have been off benzos for 12 weeks....have a lot of severe depression and anxiety and it seems to be getting worse.  I was put on both effexor and ativan at the beginning of June for a panic attack...the first one I have ever had.  I started to get a lot of symptoms about a week or two after starting on them.  I knew I had to get off ativan so I started to taper about 8 weeks later...but am now wondering if the effexor is causing a problem, too  I am only on the lowest dose of 37.5 mg.  The dr. thinks I should increase the effexor to get rid of the depression and anxiety...he also does not believe that it is benzo withdrawal this far out.  I, actually, would like to taper the effexor...because I was on it before and I tapered off of it about a year and a half ago...but was then put back on it when I had the panic attack.  I went off of it because I felt it was not helping me much anymore and I was getting a lot of brain zaps.  I didn't have a problem coming off of it and had no problems during the time I was off.  The panic attack came about because of a misdiagnosed health issue.

 

Is this a good time to start to possibly taper off of it.....or would an increase help for the depression, etc.  So confused and frustrated.  If I want to taper off of it what would that look like?

 

Thanks for any advise or information.......

 

Sending healing thoughts to all......

[[bc...]]

Anyone??

[[Ki...]]

Hi bcalm - while I can't tell you what to do, I will just give you some information.

 

It's generally thought that you don't do back-to-back tapers without any time in between. That is different for everyone though. If you feel pretty stable from your benzo taper than perhaps you'll be fine. One of our members, Smiff, is tapering her SSRI after completing her V taper 4 weeks ago and is doing quite well.

 

I would not go up in dose. Ever. But that's just me. Sounds like your last experience with Effexor wasn't very good so it doesn't make sense to updose, IMO. If you do decide to taper, I would go sloooow to start and see how you react.

 

Please visit the online support forum: Surving Antidepressents. It's a lovely community, just like this, but centered around SSRI's. They have a lot of collective wisdom on the site.

 

There are other ways to deal with depression, that have proven to be more effective than SSRI's. Diet, exercise, mediation, B12, CBT, etc. I personally, would try any/all of those things before increasing the dose. But we are all different and depression can be scary and debilitating.....so be gently with yourself .

[[bc...]]

Thanks Kiddo1977 for your reply and your all the info and advise.  Do you think it could be the effexor that may be contributing to some of the symptoms that I am having....has anyone experienced that? It seems that the farther out I am from benzos the worse the symptoms are getting....is that part of the wd or could it be the effexor?  Sorry for all the questions.

 

How are you doing in your withdrawal?  Hope things are going well.

 

Sending lots healing thoughts.........

[[Ki...]]

Hi Bcalm,

 

Who knows? For me that's the most frustarting part. I want A + B to = C but it doesn't seem to go that way in withdrawal.

 

If Effexor has bothered you before, it stands to reason that it could be the culprit this time too. But with that being said you are still VERY early into benzo recovery. Are your symptoms actually getting worse or are you getting hit with waves of sx after having a period of feeling "better"? I keep a journal and log everything, it helps to be able to look back and see if I'm actually worse or just getting hit with a wave. Usually, for me it's a wave. But they are intense and demoralizing.

 

I'm doing better.....was doing better. I headed into a wave last night and I'm still floundering today. It's miserable. But every day is one day closer to recovery.

 

Knowing that w/d can last 18-24 months on average, I've decided to wait at least year before beginning my SSRI taper. I just don't want to add any fuel to the fire when I'm already feeling so fragile.

 

[[Sm...]]

Yea my quick two cents is: I wouldn't up your dose at this point. And it is less likely the effexor is making things super worse if there is depression in the mix too. More bad reactions to SSRI have to do with overactivation and the anxiety spectrum rather than on the depression spectrum. Having said that it may be that you do feel better completely drug free, it is just I wouldn't be putting another taper on your plate at this point if it is not critical. Give yourself time to heal

[[bc...]]

Thanks Kiddo and Smiff for all your advise....I will probably stay where I am at with the effexor till I feel more stable.  I keep a journal of my symptoms, etc. and looking back I had more days of feeling less intense symptoms in the first month or so then I have now.  The depression/anxiety/fear is getting worse and I have less time when I am feeling a bit better....certainly not "me"....because I don't know where "me" went.  I had glimpses of that during tapering but not now.  I feel very emotionally flat and have no interest in anything I used to love doing....I usually am not functional thru the day because of these symptoms and do a lot of crying because everything looks so hopeless and a fear of never getting well again.  I try to distract but it works for a very short time.  How do people cope with this severe depression and will this depression/anxiety/fear go away?    Sorry.....I guess I am venting here....sorry for the negative post....

 

Again, thanks for all the info....I do appreciate all your help.....I will leave things the way they are for now and reevaluate at a later time. This is a very tough road to travel.

 

Sending lots of healing thoughts to both of you...... :smitten: 

[[Ki...]]

No need to apologize, bcalm. We've all been there. I had awful depression, apathy and endless crying for quite a while. It was during my taper though. The only thing I could do was wait it out. It was so difficult. I believe when it comes to depression and anxiety we are getting hit two-fold. Part of it is withdrawal, without question, but I believe the other part is situational. It's perfectly normal to feel depressed and anxious about what we're going through. How could we not? We are, after all, only human 

[[bc...]]

Thanks Kiddo for your kind words.  I had some depression during tapering....but it is so much worse now in withdrawal and it seems like  it will never do away. I think that is the hard part....when will it end...if someone gave me a date as to when it would go away, it would be so much easier to deal with it till then...but all of this is so unknown.  Everyday you think that maybe tomorrow and then tomorrow comes and it is still here........so frustrating...and depressing.

 

Thank you so much for all that you do for all of us on BB.  It is so greatly appreciated. 

 

Wishing you well in your withdrawal and sending healing thoughts your way.....

[[Ki...]]

My pleasure, bcalm. Just keeping talking...support helps. We're all in this together 

[[bc...]]

Well, I am back again with another question...Has anyone tapered their AD during benzo withdrawal?  I have posted this in another place but maybe I can get some answers here.....

 

I would like to taper my vanlafaxine XR, 37.5 mg.  I am 3 months out from the last benzo.  I am still quite symptomatic, but I am wondering if some of the symptoms are caused by the AD.

 

I have discussed this with a few others but am still wondering if there is someone who tapered their AD successfully after their benzo taper and how did you go about it.  I really feel that the AD is not doing anything for me and may have a paradoxical effect. 

 

Thank you and sending healing thoughts to all.......

 

 

 

 

[[la...]]

I did it the other way around  7 months ago was my last dose of Zoloft..tapered in 4 weeks ( I KNOW>>>>TO FAST)

 

I am also trying to taper from benzo now...just c/o to diazepam from Lorazepam  (2nd time trying to taper)

 

and I have no idea what is causing what. Except that once I had gotten off the Zoloft I started having horrible dizzy spells Seen ENT and neurologist  They believe I am having silent migraines that have been excaberated by the w/d

 

all I know is this is torture anyway you look at it

[[Co...]]

I tapered trazodone in 8 weeks. (also way too fast) But the taper was hellish, afterwards was better. But now I'm feeling awful again. Not sure what is what.

[[ro...]]

Hi buddies.

Very depressed. Crying much again.

Post holiday and marital. Troubles.

I was thinking of taking Zoloft again small dose. 25 mg

I seemed to help last summer. Took for 3 months.

 

Is it just benzo tapering you think. ,?

I have lots that I'm sad about.

See a therapist

But it seems worse .dark mood today. Few days. Crying.

Any thoughts. ?

Thank you.love Terry. Rose.

[[bc...]]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.  I will have to do some thinking on this whole thing....however, I may try a very small reduction and see how that goes....still thinking about it.  I know that I want to discontinue the AD just not sure when is the best time. 

 

It seems that we are all struggling to get off of all these meds.  We will heal in TIME.  All the success stories always say that it is TIME that does it.

 

Sending healing thoughts to all......

[[Co...]]

Another question for you SSRI people, do you have a lot of muscle problems? I wonder if this is typical for serotonin

[[ni...]]

Since coming off SSRIs I've had unrelenting muscle problems which expresses itself in extreme tenseness and tightness and various forms of tendinitis... although this could simultaneously due to bento w/d as I came off of both at around the same time..

[[bc...]]

Another question.....has anyone changed their AD during benzo withdrawal.....say from a short acting one to a longer acting one?  And if so how did you do it?

[[ni...]]

Yes I changed from paxil (paroxetine) to cipramil (citalopram) during benzo w/d. I just switched to the equivalent dose and because cipramil is available in liquid form I was able to taper off at my own pace...

Cipramil has also a longer half life compared to paxil... Basically I used the same Ashton protocol on both benzos and SSRIs...

[[bc...]]

Thanks nicolaud...for your reply.....did you start your AD taper right after your benzo taper?  How did you know what dosage to change to from paxil to cipramil....were you doing this with a drs. help?  How are your symptoms now?

[[ni...]]

bcalm: No I started my AD taper halfway through my benzo taper, in hindsight I would probably wait until a few months after the benzo taper before beginning to taper the AD. You can get the corresponding AD dosages from the 'surviving antidepressants' website. My psychiatrist knew what I was doing and while he didn't try to stop me and prescribed me whatever I asked for it was my decision to taper off as he would have preferred putting me on a cocktail of meds until the desired effect was reached. I am in a high anxiety state now and have been since coming off all of that stuff but I am also an alcoholic ( abstinent for over 2 years now ) and my history of using SSRIs, benzos and huge amounts of alcohol to feel good has a lot to do with it, so I'm not sure that its only benzo w/d, throw into the mix my original s/x and messed up thinking due to a turbulent childhood and you've got an explosive introduction to sobriety... But I'm hanging in there, one day at a time ( have to remember that )...

When you're in hell, keep walking....

Just do whatever your gut tells you...

[[bc...]]

Thanks nicolaud..for your prompt reply.  I am 3 months out from the last benzo....still very intense symptoms...but am thinking that some of them may be related to the effexor.  So still need to do a lot of thinking on this.  I really want off this AD...

 

Take care and hang in there.....they say it will get better......sending healing thoughts your way......