Is the Anti-Medication Stance Really Good for People in Withdrawal?

[[be...]]

Please stop this pissing match and get back on topic. There is a tree for everyone out there.

[[Ho...]]

I feel like antidepressants have helped me immensely. I started ADs before benzo use.

 

I first started taking citalopram 10 years ago to help me through a rough patch in my life. It worked amazingly well, at least after I figured out the dosing. (lesson learned: start on a really low dose and build up.) A year later I tapered off without serious problems, although the brain zaps were annoying. Several years later I started taking it again. And it worked very well again. I'm still taking it, although I've reduced from the 40 mg max dose to 20 mg.

 

Then a few years ago I was diagnosed with cancer (I'm ok now). The citalopram wasn't carrying me through that, so I was switched over to wellbutrin. That was awful, so I went back on the citalopram. A psychiatrist in the hospital where I was getting chemo decided to do much more research, and suggested mirtazapine. I felt a little manic the next day - which I knew to watch - but immensely better emotionally, even after just one dose. The mania subsided, and I kept with the mirtazapine. After about 3 months the mirtazapine really kicked in, and I was able to really take a good look at my life and forge a path forward after finishing chemo.

 

I don't think antidepressants anaesthetize your emotions at all. They've really brought me up from the depths of despair and helped me think clearly.

 

Like I said, I started these before benzo use. The benzos came after I finished chemo, probably for two reasons. One is, well, I just finished chemo and wondering if the cancer will come back is very anxiety-producing. It was about 2 years before I finally got to the point where I didn't think every little thing was cancer. The second reason is because, since I had lost 50 pounds from the cancer, my thyroid hormone dose was suddenly much to high for me. Anyone whose experienced hyperthyroidism knows what that feels like.

 

Are ADs a good idea to add while tapering from benzos? That I don't know. I'm still on antidepressants, and I don't plan on stopping them soon. But I was on them already when I started taking alprazolam and all through my taper.

[[or...]]

I don't think antidepressants anaesthetize your emotions at all. They've really brought me up from the depths of despair and helped me think clearly.

 

Hope, I'm glad you were helped, but that kind of statement is just what is the mods are asking us not to make. They helped YOU. They didn't anesthetize YOUR emotions. That's all you can legitimately claim. You can't speak for what ADs might do for the rest of us.

 

I tried Zoloft a few years ago (as well as several other ADs) and was not helped. They certainly did anesthetize my emotions, especially Zoloft. So . . . all I can usefully do is tell my story. I wasn't helped. My emotions were numbed. I felt dead.

 

Your experience and mine were not the same. As they say on here: "everyone's different".

 

All we can do here is tell our stories and let people make up their own minds.

 

And I am truly glad that you were helped.

 

Best to you,

 

Katz

[[no...]]

I don't think antidepressants anaesthetize your emotions at all. They've really brought me up from the depths of despair and helped me think clearly.

 

Hope, I'm glad you were helped, but that kind of statement is just what is the mods are asking us not to make. They helped YOU. They didn't anesthetize YOUR emotions. That's all you can legitimately claim. You can't speak for what ADs might do for the rest of us.

 

I tried Zoloft a few years ago (as well as several other ADs) and was not helped. They certainly did anesthetize my emotions, especially Zoloft. So . . . all I can usefully do is tell my story. I wasn't helped. My emotions were numbed. I felt dead.

 

Your experience and mine were not the same. As they say on here: "everyone's different".

 

All we can do here is tell our stories and let people make up their own minds.

 

And I am truly glad that you were helped.

 

Best to you,

 

Katz

 

i agree, both in premise and in experience...i was zolofted (and ct'd 2x off of it). but while on it, i felt very anesthetized...it worked as well as the alcohol i drank years ago to smooth my emotions over enough to make me able to socialize with some very sketchy types without even worrying about my safety. while on zoloft, both times, i had no worries at all. i didn't worry about my looks, my household, my pets. i didn't even worry about my Husband. (i later was described during that time as a compulsive hoarder) .in fact, when i took my first dose of zoloft, i felt no urge to drink for 2 years, because it numbed my emotions so much i felt perpetually "comfortably numb". (good song right?) what happenned when i stopped using zoloft was a sad story, best left to my Buddie blog.

[[Co...]]

I'm starting to really worry that the depression and fear and intrusive thoughts and anger are just a part of me now at 17 months off benzos. I quit c/t after being kindled many times. Last summer, when I was 5 months off, I actually had hope and thought I would be better by now. I thought being off the medication would turn my life around. It hasn't. The medication allowed me to work for years when I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.

 

I'm worried that I'm not going to get better and that I may just need medication for depression/anxiety. I am wondering if the anti-medication stance that most people have on these forums and Facebook groups is good for people or not who are suffering mostly mental symptoms, espeically after waiting so long. One woman on a Facebook group said she would rather kill herself than take medication again. I asked her if she had tried any antidepressants after benzo withdrawal and she said no, she hadn't. She would prefer an assisted suicide over trying anything. I mean shouldn't she be encouraged to try something if she is considering that. She has been off for two years now. I'm just wondering if steering people away from all meds is really a good idea.

 

I agree with your general point about people taking a general anti-medication stance not being good for their interlocutors. It is OK for people to relate their personal experiences and what they intend to do with their own lives. However, the problem arises when people 'advise', suggest or tell other people what they should do, and/or posting generalities based upon personal experience and anecdote. On the whole, our members are more vulnerable than the general population; they may be more prone to suggestion than they would be if not for fogginess caused by their use of benzodiazepines, and the (often) negative experience of side or withdrawal effects . For these reasons, we have rules governing the language members utilise in their posts at BB.

 

Policy Document: Anti-doctor, Anti-psychiatrist and Anti-medicine Comments and Links

 

Policy Document: Guidelines Regarding the Giving of Medical Advice

 

In fact, I'd recommend that members read all our Policy Documents (the stickied/pinned threads):

 

Board: Community Policies & Documents

 

I have written about this very many times over the years. Here are two recent posts which may be of particular interest to you:

 

Thread: a lifetime of decisions, and a long weird path back towards reinstatement (my comment is reply #4)

 

Thread: There is hope, this will be deleted but give yourself a chance, this is goodbye

 

Of course, there was no question of deleting the above post/thread. I replied twice.

 

I hope this goes some way to reassure you - at least about our position on this matter at BB. If you (or another member) feels a post/thread oversteps the boundaries of fair discussion into territory of 'advice', propaganda, or otherwise failing to respect that medicine and people are complicated, with different needs and bodies, then please use the 'Report' button associated with the individual post.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Colin.

[[lo...]]

 

I don't think antidepressants anaesthetize your emotions at all. They've really brought me up from the depths of despair and helped me think clearly.

 

 

You might find this link useful to read. 

 

https://www.nationalelfservice.net/treatment/antidepressants/what-causes-emotional-blunting-in-people-taking-antidepressants-results-from-a-survey/

[[be...]]

I might add my two cents that my decision to take trazodone during my taper was a good one. I had gone months and months with virtually no sleep and felt I lost touch with reality. Only when I got off benzos did I learn it turned paradoxical on me and ruined my sleep 💤. I then got off it and felt much better. I won’t t say one way or another, just what worked, and didn’t work for me. It was not taken for depression, however. But if I was going to kill myself from horrible depression I would hope I was sane enough to talk to my health care provider and try an AD. One thing. I’ve been here since 2013 and not once has a member given me a hard time about my adjunct medications. I never feel that people judge me here, which is incredibly thoughtful.

[[bo...]]

My thoughts are this. I'm now 17 months off benzos, nearing that 18 month mark where people say most should be healed. I'm mainly dealing with a fear of being around my daughter because of the thoughts and feelings I'm having toward her, but I do get those same thoughts and feelings toward others at times. I'm going to see how the first few weeks at my new job go, and if I'm literally afraid to face my family after work every day, I will probably start a low dose of Remeron. I have the prescription now. I'm not going to feel like this for another year around my daughter and family. It's not worth it. At least now I know if I want to get off a medication I can taper very slowly and probably not have as many problems.

[[co...]]

I'm experiencing very bad depression as well and have since the beginning of all of this. Nothing has changed it... exercise, diet, vitamins, all kinds of different treatments, therapy etc..

 

I'm trying 5-htp (again) as a last ditch effort before I go back to see any doctors in this regard. I've been down the medication path with very poor results. But you of course need to do what's right for you and of course everybody responds differently to these things. Good luck in all facets of your experience... it was a tough go at 18 months and still a tough go at 34 months which is now worse because I thought I would be back to normal at this point and very tired of living this "disabled" life.

[[Fl...]]

My thoughts are this. I'm now 17 months off benzos, nearing that 18 month mark where people say most should be healed.

 

I don't know where the 18 month figure came from and I do believe that most people probably do heal up pretty well within the first couple of years but the fact that this 18 month number gets thrown around so much doesn't do some people any favors. At least not those of us who do not fall into the "standard" healing timframes.

 

It is not abnormal to still be symptomatic at 17 months. You can't rely on other people's healing or some arbitrary timeframe (and it is mostly arbitrary, no one really know the numbers) to guide you.

[[Co...]]

My thoughts are this. I'm now 17 months off benzos, nearing that 18 month mark where people say most should be healed.

 

I don't know where the 18 month figure came from and I do believe that most people probably do heal up pretty well within the first couple of years but the fact that this 18 month number gets thrown around so much doesn't do some people any favors. At least not those of us who do not fall into the "standard" healing timframes.

 

It is not abnormal to still be symptomatic at 17 months. You can't rely on other people's healing or some arbitrary timeframe (and it is mostly arbitrary, no one really know the numbers) to guide you.

 

Yep. It took me years before I felt much improved. In my case, I only belatedly realised that an occasional beer was hindering recovery. Only once I cut it out totally did I began to properly progress.

 

We have the suggestion that member do not bother with the Protracted board until at least 18 months have passed. There is no distinct line, of course. It was party what people were already talking about, and partly a pragmatic, reasonable cut-off point from a more common recovery time frame, to one that might be considered more protracted. If you recall, I never wanted to create the board in the first place for these kind of reasons. But many members here wanted it, so we tried to accommodate them. Organising a space like this is full of compromises.

[[Fl...]]

Yep. It took me years before I felt much improved. In my case, I only belatedly realised that an occasional beer was hindering recovery. Only once I cut it out totally did I began to properly progress.

 

We have the suggestion that member do not bother with the Protracted board until at least 18 months have passed. There is no distinct line, of course. It was party what people were already talking about, and partly a pragmatic, reasonable cut-off point from a more common recovery time frame, to one that might be considered more protracted. If you recall, I never wanted to create the board in the first place for these kind of reasons. But many members here wanted it, so we tried to accommodate them. Organising a space like this is full of compromises.

 

It isn't as much about a line being drawn as it is the the expectations that have evolved from it. It seems like a lot of these things come from Ashton's observations that maybe weren't properly clarified initially. It does seem like most people at least disappear from the support community after a couple of years so it's probably safe to assume that she was in the ballpark as far as that goes but it has never really been freely acknowledged that it can persist much longer for some people. That's why having a protracted space was really necessary. It lets people know that they aren't alone.

 

I guess what I am saying is that the timeline thing isn't that big of a deal (and having some kind of distinction for people who take longer to heal is helpful) as long as people aren't mislead to believe that they are somehow a freak if they aren't healed at 18 on the button.

[[Co...]]

Well, if you have any suggestion for clarifications, rephrasing, even corrections, I am all ears. In fact, even better:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=227746.0

[[Fl...]]

Well, if you have any suggestion for clarifications, rephrasing, even corrections, I am all ears. In fact, even better:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=227746.0

 

I don't have any complaints about how BB defines it, my complaint is about the way the community as a whole interprets it. I think I misspoke when I said that the 18 month figure doesn't do anyone any favors. Having some kind of distinction for people who take longer to heal is helpful. The idea that protracted doesn't really begin until 5 years off has been floated around and I think there might be an argument for that but the more important thing is just that people understand that just because they don't heal by a set date that doesn't mean that they are doomed to suffer forever.

[[se...]]

Well, if you have any suggestion for clarifications, rephrasing, even corrections, I am all ears. In fact, even better:

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=227746.0

 

I don't have any complaints about how BB defines it, my complaint is about the way the community as a whole interprets it. I think I misspoke when I said that the 18 month figure doesn't do anyone any favors. Having some kind of distinction for people who take longer to heal is helpful. The idea that protracted doesn't really begin until 5 years off has been floated around and I think there might be an argument for that but the more important thing is just that people understand that just because they don't heal by a set date that doesn't mean that they are doomed to suffer forever.

 

The unintended consequence is how the BB community interprets it.  I don’t have a solution and I don’t think there is an easy solution.  But I think one should expect some segregation of viewpoints when making that type of distinction in a vulnerable population.

[[Es...]]

My thoughts are this. I'm now 17 months off benzos, nearing that 18 month mark where people say most should be healed. I'm mainly dealing with a fear of being around my daughter because of the thoughts and feelings I'm having toward her, but I do get those same thoughts and feelings toward others at times. I'm going to see how the first few weeks at my new job go, and if I'm literally afraid to face my family after work every day, I will probably start a low dose of Remeron. I have the prescription now. I'm not going to feel like this for another year around my daughter and family. It's not worth it. At least now I know if I want to get off a medication I can taper very slowly and probably not have as many problems.

 

I think it could be a good idea to give Remeron a try. The forum is supposed not to be prescriptive.

I guess it's not possible for the BB Team to react to what each anti psych meds member has to say. There are newcomers who need help. This forum is not prescriptive. So please just ignore anyone who sounds prescriptive and is very loud. Your time and energy are valuble. Your posts made me anxious. There is something bad going on, I can sense it.

[[Es...]]

Hi, Challis. I know you were the person who welcomed me when I joined this forum in March of 2018. I understand why people are anti-med. I really do. I have endured hell on earth because of the medication. But how do we know the depression is still from benzos after a certain amount of time? I'm almost eighteen months now. But I also drank the first couple months off maybe I'm only to about fifteen months off now. Today, while taking a shower, I just felt there was no reason to go on living. Why can't that feeling just go away on its own?

 

Please stay away from booze. It's even worse than the BZD. Acts on the same GABA receptors in the brain. I cannot even eat chocolate with alcohol filling. Makes me feel so strange. I know mirt helped a lot of people in the BZD WD.

[[Th...]]

I need help too. I’m in tolerance withdrawal and I’m having some serious mental symptoms and my family is finally saying take some medication, you can’t go on like this. My psychiatrist wants me to go on a low dose of Zoloft but I’ve had bad reactions to SSRIS in past and now I’m in tolerance withdrawal as well.

[[Ba...]]

Totally agree if someone is suicidal why would they NOT try a medication?

 

I also get we are all traumatized as had no idea any medication could ruin us so much.  So get the anti-med stance.

 

However, makes it hard on this and on FB forums to get balanced input.

Too bad not a place where people can explain themselves and drs, patients, everyone weigh in on their take on it.

I guess that might be too confusing, tho.

 

I do wonder if there are dr. forums where they post difficult cases and get input from other drs.  I'd think such a thing would exist.

[[Ca...]]

Totally agree if someone is suicidal why would they NOT try a medication?

 

I also get we are all traumatized as had no idea any medication could ruin us so much.  So get the anti-med stance.

 

However, makes it hard on this and on FB forums to get balanced input.

Too bad not a place where people can explain themselves and drs, patients, everyone weigh in on their take on it.

I guess that might be too confusing, tho.

 

I do wonder if there are dr. forums where they post difficult cases and get input from other drs.  I'd think such a thing would exist.

Yes, -to your last paragraph.. -Well here in Au. anyway..

-Not that it has shed much light on anything for us...

 

 

[[no...]]

Totally agree if someone is suicidal why would they NOT try a medication?

 

I also get we are all traumatized as had no idea any medication could ruin us so much.  So get the anti-med stance.

 

However, makes it hard on this and on FB forums to get balanced input.

Too bad not a place where people can explain themselves and drs, patients, everyone weigh in on their take on it.

I guess that might be too confusing, tho.

 

I do wonder if there are dr. forums where they post difficult cases and get input from other drs. I'd think such a thing would exist.

 

i don't know either, but if you find one, please let us know!!

[[Ba...]]

Hey there is someone on here who is a dr... he would know!

I'm sure they must exist.

There are such forums for veterinarians.

 

[[be...]]

If someone tells you not to take a medication, please report that post. The team is too short handed to monitor every one of them.

[[Es...]]

If someone tell you not to take a medication, please report that post. The team is too short handed to monitor every one of them.

 

I second this. The site is not supposed to be prescriptive.

[[bu...]]

If someone tells you not to take a medication, please report that post. The team is too short handed to monitor every one of them.

 

It happens many times, each day, all across the board!