New diagnosis but no treatment offered. :(
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Hey Kam - just wanted to say that I've had a lot of experience going off meds, including an SSRI. My suggestion would be to take it slowly, and if you start getting really weird side effects - vertigo, nausea, restless legs, etc - just slow down your taper. I went too fast with one of my tapers, and I was SO sick (it wasn't zoloft, though). Good luck . . . hoping you see some vast improvement SOON!
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BlueCrab54
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:21 am
Hi All-
Kam--be VERY careful about stopping or starting any anti-depressant, including ZOLOFT and CYMBALTA. I have been at my wit's end these past months with chronic diarrhea AND withdrawal symptoms from stopping my ZOLOFT too quickly.
Please look at Joseph Glenmullen's (MD) book, THE ANTIDEPRESSANT SOLUTION. Although it was published in 2006, the evidence, both empirical and anecdotal, is very strong. Many people have problems getting off their antidepressants. Also, many people have side effects that can be very powerful and disrupt their lives. The catch-22 aspect of the use of these drugs is an incredible phenomenon, I think. This book is well worth checking out.
After stopping my ZOLOFT altogether about 4 weeks ago, my bowel problems cleared up. It was a visceral experience. I could feel it happening through the weekend after I stopped. However, I also experienced very powerful withdrawal symptoms that incapacitated me for about 3 weeks before I could figure out what was going on. I am now back on a dose of ZOLOFT. My colitis symptoms returned full force with 36 hours of getting back on the ZOLOFT. I am firmly convinced that it is the culprit. However, after reading Dr. Glenmullen's book (he is Harvard trained), I am equally convinced that once I get the withdrawal under control, I can put all of these problems on the back burner and restore myself to health.
Good luck and don't give up trying to advocate for yourself.
Beth Miller
Kam--be VERY careful about stopping or starting any anti-depressant, including ZOLOFT and CYMBALTA. I have been at my wit's end these past months with chronic diarrhea AND withdrawal symptoms from stopping my ZOLOFT too quickly.
Please look at Joseph Glenmullen's (MD) book, THE ANTIDEPRESSANT SOLUTION. Although it was published in 2006, the evidence, both empirical and anecdotal, is very strong. Many people have problems getting off their antidepressants. Also, many people have side effects that can be very powerful and disrupt their lives. The catch-22 aspect of the use of these drugs is an incredible phenomenon, I think. This book is well worth checking out.
After stopping my ZOLOFT altogether about 4 weeks ago, my bowel problems cleared up. It was a visceral experience. I could feel it happening through the weekend after I stopped. However, I also experienced very powerful withdrawal symptoms that incapacitated me for about 3 weeks before I could figure out what was going on. I am now back on a dose of ZOLOFT. My colitis symptoms returned full force with 36 hours of getting back on the ZOLOFT. I am firmly convinced that it is the culprit. However, after reading Dr. Glenmullen's book (he is Harvard trained), I am equally convinced that once I get the withdrawal under control, I can put all of these problems on the back burner and restore myself to health.
Good luck and don't give up trying to advocate for yourself.
Beth Miller
Hi Kam,
You want to get well as soon as you can.
You can still do the diet thing while you are weaning off Zoloft. Then, when you get stable do a food challenge to see if going back to a 'normal' diet causes you to revert. It takes time for the diet to work, so if you wait until you are weaned off the Zoloft before starting, it could ultimately lengthen the time it takes to get well.
Good luck.
Lyn (Canberra)
You want to get well as soon as you can.
You can still do the diet thing while you are weaning off Zoloft. Then, when you get stable do a food challenge to see if going back to a 'normal' diet causes you to revert. It takes time for the diet to work, so if you wait until you are weaned off the Zoloft before starting, it could ultimately lengthen the time it takes to get well.
Good luck.
Lyn (Canberra)
Hi everyone! Just thought I'd report back to let you know how I went. Within 2 days of cutting back to half dose of Zoloft, my diarrhea settle right down. (You may remember I started at half dose also for a couple weeks but didn't develop diarrhea until going up to full dose) Over the course of 2 weeks I tapered off completely with no real adverse effects, and I'm now completely symptom free! :D :D :D
I considered staying at the half dose seeing as my MC settled down, but half dose wasn't doing anything for my anxiety disorder, so after weaning off it completely I have started Effexor XR instead. It's a SNRI rather than a SSRI, so hopefully should not cause any problems(My doctor felt it prudent to stay away from all SSRI's just to be on the safe side). I have to say side effects with Effexor are very minimal, so I'm very pleased so far, and if anything it seems to slow my bowels down, which is not a bad thing for me anyway as I've always tended toward the little too frequent side! :) SOOOO much easier than going on Zoloft was. Since coming off Zoloft my appetite has also picked up, and I'm starting to put on a little of the weight I lost, probably because the MC has subsided. I'm very happy!!!! :D :D
I considered staying at the half dose seeing as my MC settled down, but half dose wasn't doing anything for my anxiety disorder, so after weaning off it completely I have started Effexor XR instead. It's a SNRI rather than a SSRI, so hopefully should not cause any problems(My doctor felt it prudent to stay away from all SSRI's just to be on the safe side). I have to say side effects with Effexor are very minimal, so I'm very pleased so far, and if anything it seems to slow my bowels down, which is not a bad thing for me anyway as I've always tended toward the little too frequent side! :) SOOOO much easier than going on Zoloft was. Since coming off Zoloft my appetite has also picked up, and I'm starting to put on a little of the weight I lost, probably because the MC has subsided. I'm very happy!!!! :D :D
Great! It's always nice when MC can be resolved that easily. I think that you are wise to wean completely off the Zoloft, because even at a half dose, it was probably causing half as much inflammation, and even though that might not have been enough to cause a reaction, in the long run, that could lead to problems with food sensitivities and autoimmune issues.
Doctors never like to admit that the drugs they prescribe can cause disease. IMO, they need to learn to acknowledge that fact, instead of always trying to deny that the problem even exists.
Thanks for the update. It's always nice to read success stories.
Tex
Doctors never like to admit that the drugs they prescribe can cause disease. IMO, they need to learn to acknowledge that fact, instead of always trying to deny that the problem even exists.
Thanks for the update. It's always nice to read success stories.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Kam
awesome awesome news!
it is amazing how much better our days are when there is no D!
it also seems your GP is pretty good and was willing to help in the right way.
I dont like being the one to burst the balloon of happiness, please keep in mind that at some stage the symptoms may return
once we eliminate one major trigger, another item (food or med) can become the next major trigger
in saying that, make the most of D free days!
take care
awesome awesome news!
it is amazing how much better our days are when there is no D!
it also seems your GP is pretty good and was willing to help in the right way.
I dont like being the one to burst the balloon of happiness, please keep in mind that at some stage the symptoms may return
once we eliminate one major trigger, another item (food or med) can become the next major trigger
in saying that, make the most of D free days!
take care
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
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BlueCrab54
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:21 am
Congratulations, Kam! I hope the Effexor XR relieves your anxiety. Be on the look out for any increase in side effects when you get to full dose. Also, if your anxiety doesn't improve, you should taper off of it, too. Often time, the drugs are not effective and can cause more havoc than you need. The book, The Antidepressant Solution, that I mentioned earlier, talks a lot about substituting one drug for another and the effects that can result. No need to suffer needlessly.
Good luck and the best of health to you!
Beth Miller
Good luck and the best of health to you!
Beth Miller
welcome to the forum Kam :)
My mum has collagenous colitis (1st colonoscopy in 2007 but no-one bothered to look at her pathology report until 2010 to diagnose her - has then taken 2 years to find a specialist who knew enough about colitis to be willing to put her on Entocort)
What state are you in? I'm in WA and my mum is in Qld and it took us years to find a decent gastroenterologist. Crohns & Colitis Australia (http://www.crohnsandcolitis.com.au) were very helpful in this regard - the way they put it was that there are only 1 or 2 in each state worth visiting - any others are a complete waste of time & money.
In 2010 we had the Enterolab test done for gluten, soy and casein for my mum. I froze the sample and the courier I ended up using was "Pack n Send" $75 two-business-day service - it had to be lodged in a capital city otherwise it took more than 2 days. There were no issues with customs, I checked the tracking number and it arrived on time. From memory I put a sign on it saying that it was a human stool sample being sent to a lab for testing, as I figured that might stop customs from slowing down the delivery.
Good luck with your treatment journey, everyone on this forum is very helpful :)
My mum has collagenous colitis (1st colonoscopy in 2007 but no-one bothered to look at her pathology report until 2010 to diagnose her - has then taken 2 years to find a specialist who knew enough about colitis to be willing to put her on Entocort)
What state are you in? I'm in WA and my mum is in Qld and it took us years to find a decent gastroenterologist. Crohns & Colitis Australia (http://www.crohnsandcolitis.com.au) were very helpful in this regard - the way they put it was that there are only 1 or 2 in each state worth visiting - any others are a complete waste of time & money.
In 2010 we had the Enterolab test done for gluten, soy and casein for my mum. I froze the sample and the courier I ended up using was "Pack n Send" $75 two-business-day service - it had to be lodged in a capital city otherwise it took more than 2 days. There were no issues with customs, I checked the tracking number and it arrived on time. From memory I put a sign on it saying that it was a human stool sample being sent to a lab for testing, as I figured that might stop customs from slowing down the delivery.
Good luck with your treatment journey, everyone on this forum is very helpful :)