From Effexor.
I have been working on getting off this one for some time now. I can tell when I need one by the nights I have. Horrible dreams. Almost hallucinations.
I am determined, though, to kick them. I am trying SO hard to get off meds. As many as I can.
I doubt if I will be able to get off Pamelor any time soon, because I am taking no pain pills, and am struggling with the pain. I have been off Norco for a long time already, so the pain isn't rebound. It's the back damage giving me hell.
Pamelor is a pain suppressant, and I really need it right now. I am trying to walk 3 times a week, and go in the pool 4-5x a week. I am SO exhausted from the pain, the bad nights. and, off course, the digestive issues, which continue to plague me.
I know Cynthia managed to get off her anti anxiety meds. Has anyone else had symptoms like mine?
Withdrawal...
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Lesley,
From my experience the horrible nightmares are definitely caused by withdrawing from an antidepressant. When I withdrew I titrated down very very slowly. I remember cutting the pills into quarters and then spending a week on a 3/4 dose, and then another week on a half dose one night and a 3/4 dose the next, and then a week on a 1/2 dose each night, then one week on a 1/2 dose one night and 1/4 dose the next, then a week with a 1/4 dose each night and finally 1/4 dose every other night and finally free from all antidepressant. The key for me was the slowness of the process. This was a while ago so I might be slightly off on the process but I know I did it very slowly and it worked. The hardest part of was cutting the pills so small.
It would be nice if doctors warned people ahead of time of how hard it can be to get off antidepressants. They never really helped me. Dietary change, getting off gluten particularly, made the most dramatic and long-lasting change in my mood.
Jean
From my experience the horrible nightmares are definitely caused by withdrawing from an antidepressant. When I withdrew I titrated down very very slowly. I remember cutting the pills into quarters and then spending a week on a 3/4 dose, and then another week on a half dose one night and a 3/4 dose the next, and then a week on a 1/2 dose each night, then one week on a 1/2 dose one night and 1/4 dose the next, then a week with a 1/4 dose each night and finally 1/4 dose every other night and finally free from all antidepressant. The key for me was the slowness of the process. This was a while ago so I might be slightly off on the process but I know I did it very slowly and it worked. The hardest part of was cutting the pills so small.
It would be nice if doctors warned people ahead of time of how hard it can be to get off antidepressants. They never really helped me. Dietary change, getting off gluten particularly, made the most dramatic and long-lasting change in my mood.
Jean
Lesley,
With osteoarthritis, I usually wake up with back and general joint stiffness and pain, but after I move around a bit, it disappears. Apparently yours never actually disappears. Or does it? Do you know what actually causes the pain? Is it nerve damage, joint/vertebrae damage, fusion, cartilage/disk damage, or???
Tex
With osteoarthritis, I usually wake up with back and general joint stiffness and pain, but after I move around a bit, it disappears. Apparently yours never actually disappears. Or does it? Do you know what actually causes the pain? Is it nerve damage, joint/vertebrae damage, fusion, cartilage/disk damage, or???
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.
Jean - I knew I needed to do it gradually. These are capsules and hard to divide. They were actually given to me as a serotonin stimulator because I was so tired all the time. Had I known how difficult to get off I would never have started them.
I started skipping one a week, then 2, and so forth. Right now I need it every 5th day I think. Another week and I hope to be able to take it down to every 6th day.
Tex - My back - I had a bad T4-5 disk problem, had a microdiskectomy, it failed. A year later I was in more pain so the surgeon went in to clean everything out. Scar tissue grew on the nerve and has been sitting there ever since causing trouble. I have piriformis syndrome (muscle in back) which is very difficult to deal with, and now it's gone bilateral.
The pain is 24/7. Some days it's a little better, others, like today, it's horrible. And talk about fuzzy head and exhausted. Pretty well knocks me out.
I am not taking Norco any more, so the pain reaches real peaks. That's why I still need the pamelor. It helped when I was having migraines and it helps now with my back.
I have trouble lifting my leg at times, and then I fall. I have to concentrate on steps. If I don't I go flying.
So there's the story.
I started skipping one a week, then 2, and so forth. Right now I need it every 5th day I think. Another week and I hope to be able to take it down to every 6th day.
Tex - My back - I had a bad T4-5 disk problem, had a microdiskectomy, it failed. A year later I was in more pain so the surgeon went in to clean everything out. Scar tissue grew on the nerve and has been sitting there ever since causing trouble. I have piriformis syndrome (muscle in back) which is very difficult to deal with, and now it's gone bilateral.
The pain is 24/7. Some days it's a little better, others, like today, it's horrible. And talk about fuzzy head and exhausted. Pretty well knocks me out.
I am not taking Norco any more, so the pain reaches real peaks. That's why I still need the pamelor. It helped when I was having migraines and it helps now with my back.
I have trouble lifting my leg at times, and then I fall. I have to concentrate on steps. If I don't I go flying.
So there's the story.
Lesley,
Capsules would certainly make it harder. It seems unconscionable that doctors prescribe these meds without warning people of the difficulties involved in withdrawal, but what else is new? I hope your effort to get off the drug are successful. I am so glad that I no longer take an antidepressant.
Jean
Capsules would certainly make it harder. It seems unconscionable that doctors prescribe these meds without warning people of the difficulties involved in withdrawal, but what else is new? I hope your effort to get off the drug are successful. I am so glad that I no longer take an antidepressant.
Jean
I see -- it's a nerve issue (scar tissue and piriformis syndrome). That's really a bad situation if none of the exercises directed at piriformis syndrome provide any help.
Have you ever tried Boswellia serratta extract? Boswellia is an Ayurvedic plant that contains boswellic acids known to be anti-inflammatory. Dried extracts of the resin of the tree have been used in India to treat inflammatory conditions, probably since the beginning of recorded history.
Determining an effective dosage rate is probably the trickiest part, because there are no label guidelines for treating pain, (due to the fact that it's an OTC herbal medication).
Tex
Have you ever tried Boswellia serratta extract? Boswellia is an Ayurvedic plant that contains boswellic acids known to be anti-inflammatory. Dried extracts of the resin of the tree have been used in India to treat inflammatory conditions, probably since the beginning of recorded history.
Determining an effective dosage rate is probably the trickiest part, because there are no label guidelines for treating pain, (due to the fact that it's an OTC herbal medication).
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.
Allow me to look at this from a different perspective....... why withdraw from them? If your body needs the medication and if it helps you, why put yourself through this? I have been on Prozac for 21 years now and have tried to wean off S L O W L Y several times. No luck.... as soon as I get down to about 5 mg. a day the panic attacks come back and I REFUSE to live like that again. They stole too many years of my life so I am accepting the fact that my chemical makeup requires the medication to function normally. You have so many medical issues to deal with and so much pain..... why not get a little relief wherever it's available? Is staying on the Effexor causing a problem of some sort?
Not only will I not try going off Prozac anymore, but I also will never go off Asacol again! My stupid need to be "drug free" is what put me in this flare up that has stolen my life for the past three months and if I can get it under control again I will NOT give up the Asacol again. Life's too short.
I don't know the entire story but maybe being drug free should not be your goal.... perhaps cutting yourself some slack and taking the help wherever it's available would be a kinder way.
Just my two cents.... take it for what it's worth.
Sue
Not only will I not try going off Prozac anymore, but I also will never go off Asacol again! My stupid need to be "drug free" is what put me in this flare up that has stolen my life for the past three months and if I can get it under control again I will NOT give up the Asacol again. Life's too short.
I don't know the entire story but maybe being drug free should not be your goal.... perhaps cutting yourself some slack and taking the help wherever it's available would be a kinder way.
Just my two cents.... take it for what it's worth.
Sue
Sue
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Diagnosed November 2004, Used Asacol and Lialda, sometimes worked, sometimes made it worse. Entocort always works but hate it. Remission only lasts 3-6 months and then back on Entocort. Enterolab test July 2017, now gluten free. Time will tell!
Tex - the exercises keep me going, and independent. They exhaust me, but then, so does the pain. And my digestive problems.
I haven't tried Boswellia. I stopped all anti-inflamatories when my feet and legs swelled incredibly. They still swell a little, but NOTHING like they were.
Jean - "It seems unconscionable that doctors prescribe these meds without warning people of the difficulties involved in withdrawal, but what else is new?"
Big pharma doesn't want them to tell you. You stop, they loose money.
Sue - I was on a LOT of meds. Way too many, and I have been getting off them, one after another. I stopped PPIs cold turkey when I realized the damage they did. Stupid. The resultant pain was horrific because the espohagitis was so acute. Tail between legs I slunk back onto Nexium, 2x a day. I am now trying to ditch them using apple cider vinegar (which is disgusting!)
The worst was getting off the prednisone, though I hadn't been on them so long this time. Only a couple of months.
A close second was the Norco - they controlled the pain somewhat, but they made me even more constipated (a plus when I had WD), made my head even more foggy, and all sorts of other side effects.
Sue - I don't know whether effexor really helps me at this point. I don't know whether staying on it creates a problem either. I do know that I sleep badly and have hallucinations when I don't take them.
I am not sure what to do at this point.
Thanks all!!
I haven't tried Boswellia. I stopped all anti-inflamatories when my feet and legs swelled incredibly. They still swell a little, but NOTHING like they were.
Jean - "It seems unconscionable that doctors prescribe these meds without warning people of the difficulties involved in withdrawal, but what else is new?"
Big pharma doesn't want them to tell you. You stop, they loose money.
Sue - I was on a LOT of meds. Way too many, and I have been getting off them, one after another. I stopped PPIs cold turkey when I realized the damage they did. Stupid. The resultant pain was horrific because the espohagitis was so acute. Tail between legs I slunk back onto Nexium, 2x a day. I am now trying to ditch them using apple cider vinegar (which is disgusting!)
The worst was getting off the prednisone, though I hadn't been on them so long this time. Only a couple of months.
A close second was the Norco - they controlled the pain somewhat, but they made me even more constipated (a plus when I had WD), made my head even more foggy, and all sorts of other side effects.
Sue - I don't know whether effexor really helps me at this point. I don't know whether staying on it creates a problem either. I do know that I sleep badly and have hallucinations when I don't take them.
I am not sure what to do at this point.
Thanks all!!
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fatbuster205
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I totally agree! Some stuff is going to be gut related - other stuff not! But given that me and pain NO WAY!!!! listen to what others are saying - if your symptoms do not improve, stick with the meds until (if) such time that you can reduce the inflamation. Then slowly, slowly, catchy monkey!!!Sue777 wrote:Allow me to look at this from a different perspective....... why withdraw from them? If your body needs the medication and if it helps you, why put yourself through this? I have been on Prozac for 21 years now and have tried to wean off S L O W L Y several times. No luck.... as soon as I get down to about 5 mg. a day the panic attacks come back and I REFUSE to live like that again. They stole too many years of my life so I am accepting the fact that my chemical makeup requires the medication to function normally.
Sue
I'm sorry you have so many issues you struggle with, Lesley, it's easy to see how you got into this and I understand why you want out of it and off of meds, but maybe Sue has a good point here. If you are taking what helps and these meds aren't causing the esophagitis, maybe it's not the worst thing for you.
Resolved MC symptoms successfully w/L-Glutamine, Probiotics and Vitamins, GF since 8/'09. DX w/MC 10/'09.
Lesley,
I'll tell you what my oldest brother is doing. He's 70 years old. He, too has had back surgery three times in the same location and is in pain all the time. They can't do any more surgeries because of the scar tissue. He takes 22 pills a day. Some are for pain; oxycodone is one of them. He's depressed and is starting to use a walker and a wheelchair. Last year he also had a torn minescus and that surgery wasn't as healing as he expected. He's had 16 surgeries in his life. He tells me every time I talk to him. My other brothers and I think he always opts for surgeries when he could sometimes wait it out, but that's another story.
He's scheduled another surgery, a threading of wiring next to his spine which will intercept and block nerve signals. The monitor is also implanted in his body, near his waistline, and is the size of a cell phone. After two weeks of testing the wiring, he will have permanent wiring installed. If it's not done correctly, he could be paralyzed. He says he can't take the pain anymore. I don't think it's a good idea because of the risk of paralysis, but he always wants to fix things and can never be talked out of the surgeries. He trusts the doctors; he doesn't seem to have any skepticism towards them like me and my other brothers. He had asthma as a child and got used to seeing doctors as his rescuers, I guess.
Gloria
I'll tell you what my oldest brother is doing. He's 70 years old. He, too has had back surgery three times in the same location and is in pain all the time. They can't do any more surgeries because of the scar tissue. He takes 22 pills a day. Some are for pain; oxycodone is one of them. He's depressed and is starting to use a walker and a wheelchair. Last year he also had a torn minescus and that surgery wasn't as healing as he expected. He's had 16 surgeries in his life. He tells me every time I talk to him. My other brothers and I think he always opts for surgeries when he could sometimes wait it out, but that's another story.
He's scheduled another surgery, a threading of wiring next to his spine which will intercept and block nerve signals. The monitor is also implanted in his body, near his waistline, and is the size of a cell phone. After two weeks of testing the wiring, he will have permanent wiring installed. If it's not done correctly, he could be paralyzed. He says he can't take the pain anymore. I don't think it's a good idea because of the risk of paralysis, but he always wants to fix things and can never be talked out of the surgeries. He trusts the doctors; he doesn't seem to have any skepticism towards them like me and my other brothers. He had asthma as a child and got used to seeing doctors as his rescuers, I guess.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
I have been considering this one Gloria. I am not worried about paralysis, because if done properly the chances are very slim. I am worried about infections, to which I am prone. Then it's antibiotics and more gut problems.He's scheduled another surgery, a threading of wiring next to his spine which will intercept and block nerve signals. The monitor is also implanted in his body, near his waistline, and is the size of a cell phone.
Connie - I know Sue has a good point. And that's why I am not going to even try to give up the Pamelor. I know I need them, and that it would be really bad to even try to stop.
I don't know if Effexor helps or not. I am still exhausted. All I know is that I am having these weird dreams.
I will keep on keeping on for a bit. If the dreams don't abate I will go back to it.
Thanks again! I love this place.
Lesley,
A good massage therapist can really help with the piriformis syndrome. You may need to see someone weekly for a couple of weeks until you started seeing solid improvement. They would be doing a lot of work on your butt, to release that muscle. It would probably hurt to have done, but if you also do the prescribed exercises in between visits, the difference can be dramatic.
I used to be a massage therapist, and seriously, you can see people improve. Of course, a Bowen treatment would help without the discomfort, but those therapists are rare in your part of the world.
I read about someone using Prozac for a very short period to help get over Effexor withdrawal. No personal knowledge, but might be worth investigating.
Lyn
A good massage therapist can really help with the piriformis syndrome. You may need to see someone weekly for a couple of weeks until you started seeing solid improvement. They would be doing a lot of work on your butt, to release that muscle. It would probably hurt to have done, but if you also do the prescribed exercises in between visits, the difference can be dramatic.
I used to be a massage therapist, and seriously, you can see people improve. Of course, a Bowen treatment would help without the discomfort, but those therapists are rare in your part of the world.
I read about someone using Prozac for a very short period to help get over Effexor withdrawal. No personal knowledge, but might be worth investigating.
Lyn
Lesley,
You might want to check out this "Harm Reduction Guide for Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs and Withdrawal"
http://willhall.net/comingoffmeds/
I have not read it but I have heard of it and heard of Will Hall. I used to be involved in mental health advocacy. I even chaired a community board that allocated the state mental health funding in Southern Maine, so I know something about the subject and still know a lot of people involved in advocacy work. I think one of them might have relatively recently come off Effexor herself. If you want I can check with her to see how she did it. I know it was hard and over a long period of time.
It is so hard to juggle the multiple health issues you are dealing with. I hope you can find a way through this maze of diseases and disorders. At least you keep on trying.
Jean
You might want to check out this "Harm Reduction Guide for Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs and Withdrawal"
http://willhall.net/comingoffmeds/
I have not read it but I have heard of it and heard of Will Hall. I used to be involved in mental health advocacy. I even chaired a community board that allocated the state mental health funding in Southern Maine, so I know something about the subject and still know a lot of people involved in advocacy work. I think one of them might have relatively recently come off Effexor herself. If you want I can check with her to see how she did it. I know it was hard and over a long period of time.
It is so hard to juggle the multiple health issues you are dealing with. I hope you can find a way through this maze of diseases and disorders. At least you keep on trying.
Jean
Lesley,
I contacted my friend and she has a website about withdrawing from Effexor:
http://www.curiouslittlemonkey.com/blog ... effexor-xr
I hope it is helpful.
Jean
I contacted my friend and she has a website about withdrawing from Effexor:
http://www.curiouslittlemonkey.com/blog ... effexor-xr
I hope it is helpful.
Jean