Lets all be anxious/depressed together.

want to disappear · 28-01-2014 10:21pm

Had been feeling well for the past few months (maybe too well).

Just feel so completely lost and lonely

Chiquitita · 28-01-2014 11:02pm

sorry that you're feeling so low, you're not alone...there's quite a few of us here :P so feel free to share your experiences x

lukesmom · 28-01-2014 11:05pm

want to disappear wrote: »

Had been feeling well for the past few months (maybe too well).

Just feel so completely lost and lonely

Sorry your feeling this way. Would you visit your gp, maybe arrange some counselling and of course we are here always can talk to us we are all in the one boat x

SillyMangoX · 28-01-2014 11:25pm

handbagmad wrote: »

may I ask what anti depressants you are coming down off of please?

Citalopram, was on 20mg and weaned to 10mg with no problems, now I'm taking the 10mg every second day and it's driving me mad!!

Esel · 29-01-2014 12:40am

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Just thought I'd pop into this thread. Been on antidepressants for a year and the doc decided that it's time for me to wean off them. The side effects from withdrawal are driving me crazy!! Can't sleep, dizzy, constantly anxious, headaches. Hopefully they won't last much longer or I'm upping my dose again!!

Just a thought: some ADs are much harder than others to discontinue. I hope your doctor is fully aware of the protocol for the particular one you are taking.

Sometimes a patient is switched to fluoxetine (Prozac) while reducing the dose of the original AD, as fluoxetine, with its long half-life, is one of the easiest from which to taper off.

The above is my own opinion only. IANAD.

handbagmad · 29-01-2014 12:54am

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Citalopram, was on 20mg and weaned to 10mg with no problems, now I'm taking the 10mg every second day and it's driving me mad!!

im in the same boat im on effexor (venlafaxine). tappering down but cant at the moment get below 75mg. Side effects are horrendus.
I shouldnt have googled it either.

lukesmom · 29-01-2014 1:11am

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Citalopram, was on 20mg and weaned to 10mg with no problems, now I'm taking the 10mg every second day and it's driving me mad!!

I took citalopram for five years. I came off it one during that time by going from 30mg to 20mg for a month and 10mg for a month. I got no withdrawal effects either but depression returned two months later so I went back on them.

lukesmom · 29-01-2014 1:14am

handbagmad wrote: »

im in the same boat im on effexor (venlafaxine). tappering down but cant at the moment get below 75mg. Side effects are horrendus.
I shouldnt have googled it either.

Apparantly effexor is one of the harder ones to come off. that and cymbalta which I am on. Keep away from Google if you can. I haven't researched meds in over two weeks and feel much better for it. I was obsessed researching all I am on and it was doing my head a lot of damage. Sometimes we read withdrawal effects and almost bring them on through anxiety. Best of luck with effexor taper, slower the better.

Esel · 29-01-2014 1:17am

handbagmad wrote: »

im in the same boat im on effexor (venlafaxine). tappering down but cant at the moment get below 75mg. Side effects are horrendus.
I shouldnt have googled it either.

Venlafaxine has a very short half-life, so tapering off is a long-term and slow process. If going below 75mg, what dose has your doctor stipulated? If it is too sharp a decrease, your pharmacist should be able to make up an intermediate dose for you to try. So, instead of going from 75mg to 37.5mg for instance, they could make 60/62.5mg capsules, then 50mg capsules.

Does your discontinuation schedule include varying between previous (e.g. 75mg) dose and new lower (e.g. 37.5mg) dose on an increasing pattern? That is, when stepping lower, you take your first lower dose of 37.5mg on the first day, next day back to 75mg, next two days 37.5mg, next day 75mg, next three days 37.5mg. Not in that exact pattern maybe, but I hope you know what I mean. This is the preferred method, afaik.

Also, while the discontinuation effects of venlafaxine are fairly extreme, they are relatively short-lived (about a week in total from a cold-turkey stop?).

From what I have read, it's all about the neurotransmitter systems having to up-regulate to normal after having been artificially modulated for so long.

Again, this is personal opinion only. I am not a doctor.

handbagmad · 29-01-2014 1:26am

Esel wrote: »

Venlafaxine has a very short half-life, so tapering off is a long-term and slow process. If going below 75mg, what dose has your doctor stipulated? If it is too sharp a decrease, your pharmacist should be able to make up an intermediate dose for you to try. So, instead of going from 75mg to 37.5mg for instance, they could make 60/62.5mg capsules, then 50mg capsules.

Does your discontinuation schedule include varying between previous (e.g. 75mg) dose and new lower (e.g. 37.5mg) dose on an increasing pattern? That is, when stepping lower, you take your first lower dose of 37.5mg on the first day, next day back to 75mg, next two days 37.5mg, next day 75mg, next three days 37.5mg. Not in that exact pattern maybe, but I hope you know what I mean. This is the preferred method, afaik.

Also, while the discontinuation effects of venlafaxine are fairly extreme, they are relatively short-lived (about a week in total from a cold-turkey stop?).

From what I have read, it's all about the neurotransmitter systems having to up-regulate to normal after having been artificially modulated for so long.

Again, this is personal opinion only. I am not a doctor.

hi yes ive sucessfully reduced from a high dose of 375mg. like you said i take 150mg then 75mg for three days. I suppose it will just take time, everything will have to even its self out

Esel · 29-01-2014 2:05am

handbagmad wrote: »

hi yes ive sucessfully reduced from a high dose of 375mg. like you said i take 150mg then 75mg for three days. I suppose it will just take time, everything will have to even its self out

Wow! 375mg sound high to me? I thought the maximum daily dose for extended release venlafaxine was 225mg.

Either way, talk to your doctor about a less steep step than going from 150mg to 75mg. You could go (should at least be going?) (in staggered stages) from 150mg to 112.5mg (i.e 75mg + 37.5mg) then from 112.5mg to 75mg.

As I said in my previous post, your pharmacist could prepare intermediate capsules when you are ready to go below 75mg.

Again: I am not a doctor, and the above is my personal opinion only.

handbagmad · 29-01-2014 2:13am

Esel wrote: »

Wow! 375mg sound high to me? I thought the maximum daily dose for extended release venlafaxine was 225mg.

Either way, talk to your doctor about a less steep step than going from 150mg to 75mg. You could go (should at least be going?) (in staggered stages) from 150mg to 112.5mg (i.e 75mg + 37.5mg) then from 112.5mg to 75mg.

As I said in my previous post, your pharmacist could prepare intermediate capsules when you are ready to go below 75mg.

Again: I am not a doctor, and the above is my personal opinion only.

yes psychiatrists orders. Was very unstable n suicidal.
Wish I had sought out a good therapist from the get go would have saved myself a whole lot of hassle.

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 10:53am

I was on citalopram (cipramil) for about 6 or 7 months (40mg). The doctor weaned me off them over several weeks. I didn't have bad depression but mild depression and quite bad anxiety. Since I've been off them my anxiety has come back when I'm badly stressed like i am now and i feel my mood being very down and the bad days are incredibly dark.

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 12:03pm

Cant tolerate this any longer, I'm going to see the GP this evening.

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 2:14pm

I feel like i am getting worse. I wish this nightmare would end

LanaFey · 29-01-2014 3:19pm

Hang in there kryptonmight, and tell the GP exactly how you feel tonight. There is help available.

Gremlinertia · 29-01-2014 3:56pm

kryptonmight wrote: »

I feel like i am getting worse. I wish this nightmare would end

Have you made your appointment yet? There's a few of us here at all times, well i try! :P As always, pm if you want, and keep well..

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 4:06pm

Appointment is at 5.30pm. I feel like I get some momentary relief, then the waves of panic and dread come back over me and pull me a bit deeper each time.

Gremlinertia · 29-01-2014 4:24pm

kryptonmight wrote: »

Appointment is at 5.30pm. I feel like I get some momentary relief, then the waves of panic and dread come back over me and pull me a bit deeper each time.

Fingers crossed for you, let me know how you get on..

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 4:34pm

The thing that is causing me the stress may not happen, but its possible and I've convinced myself it will happen and I feel like there is no way out, cant think straight, nothing.

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 4:48pm

It also doesn't help that I seem to get reminders of it everywhere i look.

Gremlinertia · 29-01-2014 4:51pm

Hmm, do you try breathing techniques at all? Is there any distracting pastimes for you? Hopefully talking to your doc will help alleviate your stress.. I hate not actually being to help, but my thoughts are with you.

murria · 29-01-2014 5:10pm

Hi Kryptonmight. Sorry to hear you are in a bad way, but only an hour and a half to go before your appointment. You could spend some of that time jotting down some bullet points so that you leave nothing out when you're talking to the GP. I often find when I put my thoughts down on paper I stop going over things in my head so much. When you've done that maybe you could listen to a guided mindfulness meditation on Youtube, just to give your mind a little breather.

Hope all goes well at the docs. Thinking of you.

Murria.

Hugo Stiglitz · 29-01-2014 8:04pm

Anxious as **** today. I had my old horrible gagging sensation back too. I hope it was just a once off.

kryptonmight · 29-01-2014 8:10pm

Back from the GP. I found it very hard to talk and was getting very emotional but just about held back the tears.

She has prescribed me some Xanax for the next few days to get me through this rough patch but wants me to come back as she reckons I need to start CBT again. Then possibly if needed, go back onto regular medication but not yet.

lukesmom · 29-01-2014 8:27pm

kryptonmight wrote: »

Back from the GP. I found it very hard to talk and was getting very emotional but just about held back the tears.

She has prescribed me some Xanax for the next few days to get me through this rough patch but wants me to come back as she reckons I need to start CBT again. Then possibly if needed, go back onto regular medication but not yet.

Sounds good. Xanax will take the edge off and cbt is wonderful. You WILL get better I promise. I know it's so hard but keep fighting it and you will come through.

Hugo Stiglitz · 29-01-2014 8:41pm

kryptonmight wrote: »

Back from the GP. I found it very hard to talk and was getting very emotional but just about held back the tears.

She has prescribed me some Xanax for the next few days to get me through this rough patch but wants me to come back as she reckons I need to start CBT again. Then possibly if needed, go back onto regular medication but not yet.

It's perfectly allowable to get upset when talking to someone about how things are going for you.

I burst out crying in front of my psychiatrist recently. I was trying to talk while crying but he couldn't understand me until I calmed down a bit. It was so embarrassing!

That being said, it allowed me to truly communicate how I was feeling as because I had already gotten emotional there was no fear about about gettting upset.

I'm delighted to hear that you are getting some help though this now. If you can just take the next few days to take things easy and look after yourself. Best of luck with the CBT too.

Gremlinertia · 29-01-2014 10:00pm

Should hear from hospital by end of next week.. Otherwise back to doc to get back into it again. And to think if i lived about ten miles away i'd probably be in a different region with what seems to be far superior support.

handbagmad · 30-01-2014 2:38am

Feeling very tired n run down today. Have cold sores on my lips I look like death.
So tired yet no sleep!
Hope everyone is hanging in there xx

kryptonmight · 30-01-2014 10:51am

Took a Xanax last night before bed as I was feeling a bit stressed. Got to sleep ok but woke again early, around 4.30am and sort of dosed since.

I'm not feeling as stressed today which is good, but part of me is thinking that's bad as I feel like not worrying is just asking for trouble. I also hate the way I constantly doubt myself.

Anyone else get like that?

Lets all be anxious/depressed together.

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