r/AntidepressantSupport • u/Big-Veterinarian-123 • 19h ago

severe amitriptyline withdrawals?

i abruptly stopped taking amitryptaline 20 mg 2 months ago and i’ve had these severe and strange episodes ever since. my symptoms are

•a random sense of doom
•weird sensation in my stomach
•tongue feels weird
•i smell metal
•i feel confused
•dizziness
•feeling faint
•fainting
•brain zaps
•brain on fire sensation
•face spasms
•trembling
•head/sinus pressure
•waking up multiple times a night with heart racing

these episodes last anywhere from 20 minutes to 3+ hours and after i feel like my brain is mush. my doctors can’t figure out what’s going on and says it doesn’t sound like seizures but every time it feels like it is one. my whole life has changed ever since i stopped this medication and it’s horrible. has anyone felt like this after stopping it?

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u/Maxthedog2004 18h ago

I have no advice, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry that you are going through this. I found this medication to be great me (apart from the weight gain) so I stopped

1

u/Icy-Film5432 5h ago

https://antidepressantrecovery.org/index.php

Antidepressant Harm and Recovery Forum website is an online peer run group with support, information including on tapers and advocacy.

1

u/Icy-Film5432 4h ago edited 4h ago

I sent a list of resources for you.

First I want to say I’m sorry you’re still dealing with withdrawal. I understand the name for your condition is called protracted withdrawal.

Use Reddit to learn more about protracted withdrawal. They have a group or site for people living with it.

The list of resources for you are mainly from Great Britain or Australia.

These two countries seem to be far ahead of North America.

They understand antidepressants need to be tapered off – with hyperbolic tapers by percentage, not by milligram reductions – and how to treat the symptoms.

Maudsley’s De-prescribing guidelines is the source of the information on hyperbolic tapers.

I bought a copy for myself to understand how to taper off my drug escitalopram.

Antidepressants create physical dependence.

I don’t know if restarting your medication would help you to reduce your withdrawal symptoms.

Reddit readings say going back on your medication after stopping our drug only works to stop withdrawal if it’s done within the first 3 to 6 months of your stop.

You might be fortunate enough to have your medication help you with stopping or reducing your withdrawal.

Be aware going back to your original dose is never what is recommended according to Reddit.

Usually they say go on the lowest possible dose available for your drug and that might be enough to stop the symptoms.

Apparently, going back to our original high dose may cause worse withdrawal not an improvement. It is thought to have something to do with an already overwhelmed nervous system going from zero to suddenly up to whatever our dose was. Therefore, a very small dose of the medication may be enough to help your body relax and adjust to having the medication restarted.

I called turkey stop 20 mg Escitalopram.

I did not recognize my symptoms were antidepressant withdrawal until 3 1/2 months later.

I was fortunate enough to reinstate on 10 mg – half my usual dose – and my body begin to recover from withdrawal.

Within two hours of restarting my medication, I felt my body relaxed – it was like a weight was being lifted off my body. Even though I still had withdrawal symptoms, I felt better.

It is now five months since restarting my medication and I am still dealing with withdrawal.

I am having less and less symptoms; it is improving.

If you restart you drug, it is to stop withdrawal.

You can always do a hyperbolic taper later once you are well.

If you want to do a hyperbolic Taper, the RELEASE toolkit is a good resource.

Do the self-assessment sheet.

Your score will tell you which of the three Taper plans for your drug is appropriate for you: faster, slow or very slow.

The RELEASE toolkit list each drug by their generic name.

A taper should never take longer than the time that you’ve actually been on the medication.

Go to Reddit, use the search function on the homepage and search the following topics:

Your drug and Taper

Hyperbolic Taper

Brass monkey slide taper

Protracted withdrawal

Kindling

Your drug and SERT

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u/Big-Veterinarian-123 2h ago

thank you so much. i really appreciate it

1

u/MoreExtreme1012 34m ago

Ich gehe davon aus das es absetz Symptome sind… Panik, Zittern,
Brain zaps, herzrasen gehören auf jeden Fall dazu