Anyone ever gone off of an antidepressant? *Update bottom of page 2*

[JenBKR]

If you have, I could use some advice. I have been off of mine for about 2 weeks now, and for the most part I feel fine. But it seems to me like I am getting over the top angry over the smallest things, and really overreacting. I don't know if I am just over-analyzing my feelings because I am paranoid that I'm going to start feeling depressed again, or if I went off them meds too soon, or what it is. For anyone who has ever gone off of an antidepressant, how did you feel in the weeks following?

[CatLuvrs]

I have went off of mine a few times and ended back on them. I got angry over the stupidest things Marissa did and then went back to feeling down all the time. Did you slowly go off or just quit cold turkey?

Sorry I am not much help I have learned that I can't go off of them ever because it just makes me worse.

[JenBKR]

That's what I'm afraid is happening to me. I went off oh so slow, in fact it has taken me about a year to completely wean off. I might have to consider going back on one if this keeps up, but I don't think I want to go back to Effexor, only because of the side effects of missing a pill. Thanks for your input!

[CatLuvrs]

i took that one and didn't like it. I am on Lexapro again. I hate the side effects.

[borzoimom]

I was put on antidepressants when I left my now ex husband. When I went off, I felt the same. The doctor told me to take "B complex". Its given to depression patients but also woman to stabilize the hormone system. I sure did feel better.
I do think you need to talk to your doctor, but if you ask him about B complex, I would bet he would agree. ..

[JenBKR]

What is B complex? Is it a prescription drug? Oh wait, no, that's a vitamin right?

[Argranade]

My dad is on it & it only makes him WORSE! he yells more and swears, he's acting all weird and it's like he has no feelings sometimes ... my mom told the doctor this and he just kept giving my dad more new prescriptions and now the doctor is making him get off of it very slowly.

My advice DON'T take that stuff if you get a chance, it make's people worse from what I have seen.

[JenBKR]

My dad is on it & it only makes him WORSE! he yells more and swears, he's acting all weird and it's like he has no feelings sometimes ... my mom told the doctor this and he just kept giving my dad more new prescriptions and now the doctor is making him get off of it very slowly.

My advice DON'T take that stuff if you get a chance, it make's people worse from what I have seen.

Maybe your dad needs to see a different doctor, it doesn't sound like he's getting the right kind of medication. I've been on an antidepressant for 10 years and I can't tell you enough how it saved my life. It also saved my mother's life - she's a completely different person since getting on medication. The meds can be extremely helpful.

[borzoimom]

What is B complex? Is it a prescription drug? Oh wait, no, that's a vitamin right?
No ma'am - its a vitamin you can get anywhere. Now i use the ones at GNC because I think they are better. But it sure did work!
Remember your warning signs they told you about, but try it. and its not expensive. You want to get the whole B complex and not the singles like 6 and 12 types. You can feel it in one hour, and what you dont use, you will pass in your urine ( your urine will look darker, but its fine...)
I can still tell if I dont take it. Now I take one at night before I go to bed, but if I forget I take one in the morning. The reason for night time, is this is a water soluable vitamin and will pass. At night keeps it in the system longer.
Do you have a GNC near you? If not even a walmart brand would help alot.
Keep me posted and you can pm me if you want.. Take care and God bless..

[JenBKR]

No ma'am - its a vitamin you can get anywhere. Now i use the ones at GNC because I think they are better. But it sure did work!
Remember your warning signs they told you about, but try it. and its not expensive. You want to get the whole B complex and not the singles like 6 and 12 types. You can feel it in one hour, and what you dont use, you will pass in your urine ( your urine will look darker, but its fine...)
I can still tell if I dont take it. Now I take one at night before I go to bed, but if I forget I take one in the morning. The reason for night time, is this is a water soluable vitamin and will pass. At night keeps it in the system longer.
Do you have a GNC near you? If not even a walmart brand would help alot.
Keep me posted and you can pm me if you want.. Take care and God bless..

Thank you so so much! I am going to try that - I will buy some today. I will be right by a GNC later on today so I will get some there. I feel relieved already - one of the reasons I went off the medication is because we want to start trying for a baby, but I don't want to be on the antidepressants while pregnant. Of course, I don't want to feel depressed either......but it sounds like this vitamin will help. Thank you!!!

[borzoimom]

It helps TREMENDOUSLY!!!! ( also good for reproduction too.. lol.. ) You take care- I am here most of the time during the day, and you can always email me at [email protected] if you want too.. God bless!

[JenBKR]

It helps TREMENDOUSLY!!!! ( also good for reproduction too.. lol.. ) You take care- I am here most of the time during the day, and you can always email me at [email protected] if you want too.. God bless!

Thank you very much!! I really appreciate that!

[borzoimom]

you got it hon- ( yes i am southern.. lol..) and it really does help! ALOT!! Let me know okay??

[cfuh]

Hi there!!

Just wondering if you went off your meds cold turkey or slowly by reducing the dosage? The withdrawal affects are less if you do the latter.

Cathy

[JenBKR]

Hi there!!

Just wondering if you went off your meds cold turkey or slowly by reducing the dosage? The withdrawal affects are less if you do the latter.

Cathy

I very slowy weaned off...I don't think I could have gone cold turkey with Effexor because the side effects are so severe. In fact, it took me close to a year, then I switched to Prozac for a couple weeks to keep the side effects at bay. Thank you!

[Catty1]

I have had good experience with Paxil and its cousins....Lexapro, Celexa.

There are different "families" of SSRIs out there.

I think anyone should be free to try a completely different one if you need to. Doctors make educated guesses - they are the experts, but you are the boss. You know how you feel and don't feel.

Communication! That's the ticket. Jen - maybe you just need a low dose of the Paxil type?

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Getting off is never easy. I got alarmed by the slightest negative feeling ... .
But with the help of my neurologist, I was able to stay off for at least 2 years. I was taking Prozac then.
I have also been on Effexor, but I got so much weight in no time; so I switched to "SERLAIN". No side effects now.

That tip about B-complex sounds very promising! I will talk about it to my doc next time!

[Karen]

My dad is on it & it only makes him WORSE! he yells more and swears, he's acting all weird and it's like he has no feelings sometimes ... my mom told the doctor this and he just kept giving my dad more new prescriptions and now the doctor is making him get off of it very slowly.

My advice DON'T take that stuff if you get a chance, it make's people worse from what I have seen.

You cannot base your opinion of antidepressants on one person's reaction! There are many different kinds, and it often take several attempts to find the right one that will help you. Perhaps your father needs to try a different one. Everyone's brain chemistry is different, unfortunately we cannot yet just do a scan and say "Aha - this person needs X drug or X vitamin" - it's still a field we are learning about.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I have had good experience with Paxil and its cousins....Lexapro, Celexa.
Paxil was the worst thing for me, I was on it for my anxiety. Paxil didn't help my anxiety as much as I would have liked, it only took the edge off a little. The thing I most hated about it was that if I forgot to take my pill at the right time I would have bouts of rage. I normally took it before bed, because that's when I could best remember, but if I did forget I would wake up in the morning feeling horrible. Sometimes I would be filled with anger and rage towards everything including my pills and I wouldn't want to take them. Justin would notice when I didn't take it though and he'd make me take it. I was on Paxil for several years simply because I was afraid of the side effects of getting off of it. Eventually I did slowly wean off of it and onto Zoloft. I liked Zoloft, but my body built up an immunity to it after about a year and I was switched to Lexapro. I quite my job earlier this year and thought I could function without my anxiety meds. I was weaned off the Lexapro and had little side effects when doing so. I'm much happier now not being on the meds. I don't go out as much and never by myself, but it's worth it to me to be off the meds.

[Catty1]

Wow, what a scary experience that was KBlaix!

I have been on these things for depression only, so they have always had some good effect for me.

So glad to hear you are feeling better!

[Zippy]

I have been on many many meds.and still am.I have bi-polar and ADHD so weaning off them in not a opision.I would talk to your doctor about it and see what he/she thinks.My aunt went off her meds(she is bi-polar)and she tryed to kill herself,still thinks people are folliowning her,thinks her family are spys,thinks her kids are other people,ect...

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Wow, what a scary experience that was KBlaix!

I have been on these things for depression only, so they have always had some good effect for me.

So glad to hear you are feeling better!
I usually remembered to take it (and Justin usually remembered to ask/remind me), so it didn't happen too often. It was scary though, but I didn't usually realize what I was doing at that moment. It was like I was 2 different people.

[JenBKR]

Well I bought some B-complex yesterday and took one last night,and I have to say I feel pretty good today. I know it's too soon to tell if that exactly why I feel better, but it's a start. Thanks all for your input, it has been so helpful to have this support. I'll update in the next couple of days to let you know if I am still feeling good :)

[dogzr#1]

My mom takes antidepressants. She is on...Effexor, or something like that right now, or at least I think she is. She's switched so many times. She started taking them when she got a divorce with my dad and the first type she tooks was Paxil I think. The withdrawal effects were nasty and scary for me! She would be real grumpy a lot and get some scary thoughts and stuff. She was also thinking suicidle thoughts. She's taken many different ones. I know she's taken Wellbutrin and it worked for a while but she got an immunity to it or something and then the withdrawal effects were really really nasty. She's also taken Zoloft. I don't really remember how she's reacted to that one though...

So all I have to say is that you have my sympathy. After seeing what my mom went through, I really do feel for anyone who takes them.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

I've been on Prozac for a long time now and although have reduced the dosage gradually to the point of no longer taking them on a couple of occasions I am now back on them - taking one tablet every evening.

I found without it all my symptoms came back which means they were doing their job properly. The last time I tried to come off them someone pm'd me to say that I should look at it like a diabetic taking insulin - prescribed for a reason, does what it should and to stop taking it would upset the balance again.

Hope you start to feel better soon sweetie

[borzoimom]

Well I bought some B-complex yesterday and took one last night,and I have to say I feel pretty good today. I know it's too soon to tell if that exactly why I feel better, but it's a start. Thanks all for your input, it has been so helpful to have this support. I'll update in the next couple of days to let you know if I am still feeling good :)
Yea it really works. They give it to depression patients at the hospital. I can tell if I dont take it thats for sure.
Keep us posted..

[Donnaj4962]

I hope that the Vitamin B helps you. I take Effexor, and have for about 6 years now. It helps me tremendously, but I know it is not for everyone. My doctor put me on it when I was going through my divorce, and it helped me to get through it all. The depression and anxiety had me not sleeping. In fact, I went for 5 days and 4 nights with so little sleep that I looked like a zombie. Seriously. I have had various doses of Effexor throughout the years, but am now down to 75 per day. In fact, when I was last in to see the Dr. and asked her about lowering the dosage again, her response was, "And what would others around you think of this?" ;) She is so cool! She made me realize that I not only take it for myself but also for everyone that I associate on a regular basis. The folks at work can tell if I am out ofmy prescription because I suddenly become very moody and overreactive.

I have to admit, that I am afraid of the sied effects of going off it completely. But my Dr. assures me that if we slowly wean me off of it, I will be fine. She was a pharmacist before she got her MD, so I trust she knows what she is talkign about. I hope to be off of it by the end of next year. But I also realize that I may need to take it forever, if that is what it takes to make me function as a happy and normal human being.

Good luck... and let us know how things continue for you. Donna

[BOBS DAD]

Jen,

I hope it all works out for you. I take Paxil for anxiety and I can't stop. I don't feel anxious anymore and I don't feel any more anxious in the instances that I have tried to stop. But i get this very weird almost lightheadedness sensation that is very disturbing. I also get the KA-Raziest of Vivid Dreams - more like night terrors and wake up feeling tense and physically sore from clenching fingers, etc. So I guess I have to stay on them.

I hope you can succeed and that vitamins are your cure! Good luck,

Dan

[lovingpaws]

I was on anti depressents in the late '80's, the 'other" kind before ssri's. then in the '90's I was diagnosed with bi-polar and have made the rounds with ssri and anti convulsant type combos. I've finally ended up with prozac & topamax both which have the bonus of helping me with migrains which were almost a daily occurance. Different types of med effect people differentlly, and some people do react to them with anger - small percentage, but biollogically there are other things going on as well. prozac all take about 6 weeks to get into the system and see/feel difference and the same to exit. Also while these meds are ok alone, it is best to seek/have therepy during treatment to understand what your're going through, and 'talk' it out.

I had my share of going on & off the meds due to the side effects. For me that really is not an option. I do well on them, and I do have seasonal dosage changes, so that may be something to consider, sometimes you may need more sometimes less.

[JenBKR]

Well, I hadn't updated for a while, just wanted to thank everyone for your support. The B vitamins have helped a little, but I was still not doing well. I talked to my doctor, who recommended a low dose of Prozac. I have been on Prozac before, and it's a medication I can continue to take when I get pregnant. So far, it has helped tremendously. I think I'm starting to realize that I may be on an antidepressant for the rest of my life, or at least for a very long time, but I think I'm ok with that. I've been feeling so much better the past few days (been on the Prozac for a couple weeks now, it's finally starting to really kick in). It really hit me when I was on vacation for a few days and couldn't stop crying that something was wrong. I just wanted to update and thank everyone so much for all of your support. It helped more than you know. ((((hugs))))

[moosmom]

JenBKR,

Weaning off anti-depressants is very important. Stopping them cold-turkey can have very bad affects, depending on the medicine you're on.

The best way to get off of them is with the help of your doctor. I tried going off of Effexor and the side effects were awful. Dizziness, vertigo, nausea.

Please talk to your doctor first.

[Craftlady]

I was put on Cymbalta (spell?) for one month when I first found out about Thumpers tumor.

The side effects while on it was unbareable. The runs up to 3 x a day and gas (I smelled like a sewer system) was awful. After consulting the pharmacy
I tried every other day. Potty problems on days I took medication. No brainer.... Stop taking the crap (no pun intended LOL)
It took 2 weeks to stop the diarreha and gas once I stopped taking all together.

The medication was wonderful but the side effects were unbareable.

Now, that Thumper is doing so much better I dont need have the need for medication to control emotions.

[Catty1]

JEN {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}

I think of it as diabetes of the brain, hon...serotonin instead of insulin.

The rest of my life? Likely.

For now, just a day at a time, and feeling better!


HUGS

[cassiesmom]

Jen,

I hope it all works out for you. I take Paxil for anxiety and I can't stop. I don't feel anxious anymore and I don't feel any more anxious in the instances that I have tried to stop. But i get this very weird almost lightheadedness sensation that is very disturbing. I also get the KA-Raziest of Vivid Dreams - more like night terrors and wake up feeling tense and physically sore from clenching fingers, etc. So I guess I have to stay on them.

I hope you can succeed and that vitamins are your cure! Good luck,

Dan

I take Effexor and fluoxetine. I have long, crazy, vivid dreams now. Sometimes they are like Bob's Dad describes - night terrors - where I wake up physically achy. Most mornings I wake up beat from excessive REM sleep. I'll take that over how depressed and anxious I was before I started on the fluoxetine, though. There is one more minute of daylight each day - YEAH!! If anybody out there has a way to get rid of SSRI dreams, I could use a good night's sleep. Research has shown that the brain during REM sleep uses almost as much energy as the brain when awake.

[borzoimom]

Well I bought some B-complex yesterday and took one last night,and I have to say I feel pretty good today. I know it's too soon to tell if that exactly why I feel better, but it's a start. Thanks all for your input, it has been so helpful to have this support. I'll update in the next couple of days to let you know if I am still feeling good :)
B complex is given to patients for depression. It works and I am glad it worked for you as well! ;)

[K9karen]

Ran out of Zoloft which I've been taking about 2 years, so renewed it last week after a month off it (cold turkey), since I get paid once a month. I didn't noticed any side effects except that I gained 9 pounds, (no change in eating habits). Within 3 days of taking it again, I lost 3 pounds, no kidding, It kills my appetite. I started it again because the holidays were going to drive me crazy. I know I shouldn't play around with it, but I just took my chances.