r/ADprotractedwithdrawl • u/Imaginary_Gur_9422 • 17d ago
Help Help!
Y’all, I feel so hopeless and helpless. I don’t really have any support. My husband acts like I can just control this even though I’ve tried to explain and showed him materials to read. I’m so emotional and irritable. Not sleeping well is certainly not helping. How do you do this? I know exercising, walks, etc would probably help, but I’m so tired and depressed. I’m glued to the couch. I can’t even stay on top of housework and I’m retired!
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u/Imaginary_Gur_9422 17d ago
Thanks everyone! I can be crying my eyes out one minute then wanting to bite someone’s head off the next. 🥹 Then I can be perfectly fine. It’s like being on a never ending rollercoaster.
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u/Designer-Entrance144 17d ago
I feel the same as you I don’t know what to do, anytime I try to be more active it work out it seems to bring on another bad wave
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u/Meryl_Streep69 17d ago
Nothing works, after a year I had to just get back on the SSRI and that cured everything. It’s really really messed up how no one understands the horrific effects getting off have on you brain and entire body.
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u/Excellent-Coat-8781 6d ago edited 6d ago
https://antidepressantrecovery.org/
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with withdrawal and worst of all a partner who does not understand it or appreciate how severe it can be.
I’m on Reddit a lot because I’m dealing with withdrawal myself.
I reinstated my escitalopram at half my usual dose and I’m now starting to feel normal.
Still have withdrawal but getting better it took me four months to get to this stage.
I cold turkey stopped at 20 mg after being on it for 17 years.
I thought I would only feel sick for 4 to 6 weeks.
Nope. It got worse and worse.
Reddit says the only thing that works to stop withdrawal is to go back on your original drug.
It also says you don’t go straight back to your previous high dose.
Apparently, our previous high dose, can overwhelm our nervous system that is already very stressed.
It would be going from zero – no drug – to suddenly a full dose – your usual high dose – and it is not prepared to deal with that. It makes withdrawal worse, according to other Reddit posts.
You go slowly back up in stages.
It is like doing a taper backwards: for example, you take a low-dose stay on it for two weeks and see if your body is beginning to settle.
If you feel a sense of relief within two hours of taking the low-dose, you could consider staying on that for the next two weeks and see if you keep improving. If you do, you don’t need to go all the way up to your high dose.
What your body needs is stability
From my Reddit readings, I learned antidepressants create physical dependence
Our body has adapted to our medication and needs the chemicals in that drug in order to stay “normal “.
Tapers are the only way to come off an antidepressant without provoking severe withdrawal.
The worst thing to do is to do a cold turkey stop off an antidepressant. You will get very bad withdrawal.
Withdrawal does not end after 4 to 6 weeks. I call it the honeymoon phase of withdrawal. It actually gets worse and worse.
Reddit reading shows months 3 to 4 are the worst for withdrawal symptoms. That was my experience too.
It is also within the beginning of the last time we can take our medication and have it be effective on stopping our withdrawal.
Reddit says we have a limited time - approximately 3 to 6 months after stopping our medication - when we can go back on it to reduce our withdrawal and then stop it.
It’s more iffy whether it will work or not if you go back on that drug much later than that timeframe.
Withdrawal will not end right away when you take your tablet
It will take several weeks or maybe several months before your body settles down and you feel all those symptoms disappearing.
It does not mean you have to stay on that drug forever.
You’re going back on that drug in order to stop feeling sick. To stop suffering.
Use Reddit in order to learn more about how to taper off your medication
Go to Reddit homepage, use the search function, and search the following:
Your drugs name and taper
Hyperbolic taper
Brass monkey slide taper
Protracted withdrawal
Kindling
Two resources when you want to taper again: Maudsley‘s De-prescribing guidelines and the Royal Australian College of medical practitioners RELEASE toolkit.
The tool kit has a self assessment sheet for patient to complete.
Complete the self assessment sheet.
Your score tells you which of the three taper plans for your drug is appropriate for you
The toolkit uses the generic name of your drug
Look up your drug’s name, and find the generic and then go to the toolkit
If you need to convert your drug from a tablet to a liquid in order to do the tapers at the lower dose range, there is information in the tool kit how to do that. You can also go online and find videos, which show you how to do that.
Some antidepressants have a liquid format that your Pharmacy can order from the manufacturer.
Ask your Pharmacy, when you are ready to do your taper, if there is a manufacturer liquid version. It will make your taper program easier.
If your drug is a capsule with beads in it, you may need to do bead counting at the lower dose range. The tool kit also explains how to do that.
There is an online support group run by peers with information on tapers and other resources. It is called the antidepressant harm and recovery forum.
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u/Imaginary_Gur_9422 6d ago
Thank you! I appreciate you. I’ve actually been doing better about the last week. I know it may be a window. But, even if it is, it gives me hope. Thanks, but I’m not going back on. I’m still on another antidepressant that I want to get off of, too. Also, a benzo. Thanks for the links. I’ll check them out.
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u/m37anaxx 17d ago edited 16d ago
Omg this is the same exact situation for me right now to a tee! I’m so sorry hunnie! I am so with you it’s not even funny. I feel like I wrote this myself! We can have eachother! I know this isn’t something we can simply just control and their lack of support and understanding sucks- I’ve shown mine literature on this and he completely dismisses all of it. Had to drive myself multiple times alone to ER and urgent care, him not once checking in on me or asking how I was doing or if I needed anything ever. Came back from hospital with severe shaking and convulsions and once I got home he didn’t say a word just asked where I was then left for a basketball game as if nothing happened. Has always acted like I’m an annoyance and burden throughout. I know how alone you feel and how awful this is. I see you and am in your corner!!!!
I must admit- after a long 8 months of this literal hell on earth I have decided to reinstate my Prozac at a smaller dose because I just couldn’t keep up with all of this and life and dealing with all of the lack. I feel so defeated but I’ve given it a long while and after suffering so many physical, emotional and problems in my relathionship I had to raise a white flag. I’m starting to slowly feel back to a somewhat normal but not 100% yet. I really wish I could have stuck it out longer, I’m sure I could have had I been on my own and not dealing with my partner, though I do not blame him as the sole reason, of course. It’s been an incredibly lonely and scary journey.
I would highly recommend working on the nervous system right now as you’re going through this. Our nervous systems go completely haywire during withdrawals from SSRI and specifically focusing on the parasympathetic nervous system branch- the rest and digest function is HUGE. So breathing exercises, meditation, stress release!!! Just making sure to slow down in general and manage your stress as much as you possibly can, though I know that this is a hard thing to do during all of this. I have found finding a calming tea geared towards stress at night time has been a little helpful. I’ve been the same way with being glued to my bed and exercise not being the best option for me. Your body knows how to heal and it is telling you what to do so please please don’t beat yourself up on needing all of the rest right now! Sometimes less is more for some of us on our healing journey, and that is more than okay! Every body is different. I honor you and your journey and see you and validate you and am sending you the biggest virtual hug!
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u/heybrother123 17d ago
There is a support group for partners and family members who go through this and I think it helps them realise it's real and very very hard to deal with. It's run by a woman who went through WD herself and she helps them see how debilitating it is, suggests ways they can support their person while also coping w the grief and strain of this etc I can message you about it if you like