medication withdrawals

hello and welcome to the forum @talitha

there are lots of questions i could ask here but letting you know my husband did the same thing and has suffered those withdrawals

going off these medications take time and decreasing them slowly

you may need to see other Gp

my husband has gone back onto his anti depressants by the doctor which made a big difference

sending you understanding hugs xx

Many years ago I came off my meds cause I was stable. I did it slowly with medical supervision. But it was that last small dose that was the hardest. My gp gave me an antihistamine, it helped heaps.

Thank you shaz51. Unfortunately I do not want to go back on medication because they triggred a really bad case of ocd 13 years ago and I had been problems sleeping in the last 2 years. I am going to see a new gp next week. Good luck to your husband.

Hi @talitha ,

You can tag @Bow and @Shaz51 into the above posts by typing "@" in front of their names.

With meds, I took my tapering VERY VERY VERY slowly. Over a few years in fact. I'd done it quickly in the past, and I ended up worse that how I started.

Definitely worth speaking to your dr about it.

Hello @talitha

I do hope your withdrawals are not going to induce any more long term medical effects. We are not allowed to mention specific amounts or meds due to legal concerns and giving medical advice etc when not qualified.

I have been on a similar combination for 7 years and currently at the end of titrating them down slowly over last 2-3 years. I was on each level for 3-6 months til I was not needing to take prn along the way.

I have no idea how quickly you discontinued, but really hope you do not suffer too much and can find a more suitable gp for you.

I understand the why. Have decided this week to reduce a blood pressure med due to side effects and general wariness. Slowly slowly.

Good to see you around.

It's hard to be much help when we are defined as too vulnerable to discuss medication specifics ... And I'm not med sensitive myself so going off every med cold turkey is fine for me, but my daughter is med sensitive. See if you can have a look at the film Medicating Normal which describes the difficulties some people have with discontinuing psych meds and the strategies they've used... I don't think it's a balanced film and have problems with it, but it might help you. Super slow tapers off are usually what people do, as far as I'm aware there's no standard other strategy. Try searching antidepressant discontinuation syndrome and taper for medical advice on how to taper. There's a 2019 Lancet article something like 'Tapering of SSRIs to mitigate withdrawal symptoms' that provides credible medical information on how best to taper. Discontinuation syndromes aren't recognised for antipsychotics as far as I'm aware. Without knowing more specifics it's hard to make suggestions. I'd be looking for a psychiatrist who believes in discontinuation syndromes (they vary in their assessment of how common they are) to help me. Sorry I'm not much help.

Thank you for sharing @AuntJobiska - very interesting points you've raised there 🙂

I won’t speak to your specific medication because it’s important you have a treating doctor who you feel safe with, and comfortably enough with to discuss exactly what you are going through.
That disclaimer aside, I am currently in a very similar, nightmarish situation.

MY DIAGNOSES

• ADHD

• Panic Disorder

• PTSD

MEDS I TAKE

[removed by moderator to align with guidelines around naming medications. Read Guidelines here https://saneforums.org/t5/help/faqpage/title/safety]

(yup, that’s three giant portions of the infamous white anxiety saviour a day, for the last 10 years).

WHY WITHDRAWALS?

Because my psychiatrist is both negligent and incompetent. But I am stuck with him (there are legal difficulties with prescribing stimulants and only psychiatrists can apply for authority). Leaving the deets for another time and place, Ive developed a tolerance for a** [removed by moderators] so my dose no longer has the required effect, but my physical body is heavily addicted to a high daily dose, so either I stick to my ancient dose, which means I don’t run out, but I don’t get the psychological relief they used to give. So sometimes I take more and run out.

My Advice?

This advice comes from my personal experience (honestly I’m surprised I’m still standing). Don’t self-manage your meds - withdrawals from some psychoactive medication is particularly dangerous. I’ve lived through agonising withdrawals, and there will be more to face again soon. I wouldn’t voluntarily go through this if I had any other choice. If I were you I would be hunting for a doctor to help you safely and gradually reduce your dose rather than stopping suddenly.