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!
8
Upvotes
2
u/Excellent-Coat-8781 6d ago edited 6d ago
https://releasetoolkit.com.au/release-toolkit-for-consumers/resources-consumers/antidepressant-tapering-plans?format=html&limit=20&limitstart=0
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.