Med here means anti-depressant. Sooner or later I guess it has to be done, especially for those medications which may cause dependencies issue. If you have any experience on how you come off your medications I would be interested in it! How terrible was it? Any pitfalls?
(I am coming off Xanax, btw. The doctor ordered it. Curious how other Dopers went through the progress).
I came off zoloft this year. My Doctor knew, and it was really slow and gradual. I never noticed any changes while I was doing it. Now I am off it I notice a huge increase in my sex drive, and a moderate increase in temper. I am more likely to perceive slights and am more moody. But I was depressed due to being a doormat, so an increase in bitchiness is actually a bit of a load off my back.
I’ve been taking Elavil for about 20 years, for chronic depression and severe insomnia. Once in a while, just to see what happens, I skip a dosage. The first effect is that I don’t sleep. At all. So the following day I’m somewhat strung out and crazed from sleep deprivation. I also get extremely horny, as if under the influence of an aphrodisiac. But, strangely, I do not get depressed.
At some point I become so strung out and miserable that I give in and take the damn pill.
I’m not sure why you’d need to come off a medication that works for you. I also take insulin for my diabetes. Should I be worried about becoming dependent?
For me, it’s the doctor’s orders.
I also came of Zoloft slowly and gradually – and quite uneventfully. I did a month of every-other-day, then a month of every-third-day, and then stopped.
No negative effects being off – I’m not Little Miss Sunshine, but I’ve also been looking for full-time work for a year and a half, so there are situational reasons for that. Also I’m more tuned into issues around depression than I was before I started taking anti-depressants, so I make behavioral changes when I start getting passive and withdrawn. If I were concerned, I’d definitely consider resuming medication, but I’m really not seeing it as necessary.
[moderator]This should be in IMHO, so I’ll move it thither from MPSIMS.[/moderator]
I went off Lexapro cold turkey. Not a great idea. The main withdrawal side effect for me was what felt like electric shocks out of my head through my body. Not pleasant at all. They went away after a few weeks. Other than that, I didn’t notice any difference being on or off the drug.
Here’s a recent thread that might be helpful:
Experiences with Zoloft withdrawal
I came off Prozac this past spring. I really, really don’t like depending on medication, so it was my choice, but I did it with the knowledge of my doctor and therapists.
I gradually reduced my dose by 10 mg every two weeks until I was down to 10 mg, then I took 10 mg every second day for two weeks.
I didn’t notice much difference in my moods or behavior with the gradual decrease.
Personally, I feel the therapy made 90% of the difference and the medication 10%. I’ve kept up the therapy and am still doing well.
I was on Zoloft for about 10 months. When I stopped, I weaned very gradually. I can’t remember the exact protocol anymore, but the dosage reduced very, very, very gradually. I think it took a total of 2 months to fully wean, so I was on the medication for 12 months total. I didn’t have any side effects or withdrawal issues.
When my mom went off Effexor, she had a lot of side effects, including tingling and numbness, insomnia, hot flashes, maybe a few other things. I’m not sure how gradually she weaned, though. I have anecdotally heard that Effexor is one of the toughest antidepressants to wean from.
Xanax is in the class of drugs called benzodiazepenes.Web MD here. I only mention it because withdrawal from a benzo can be dangerous (it can cause seizures) if you don’t taper gradually and in the proper way. That said, I took Xanax a couple of years ago at a low dose for about 9 months and didn’t experience any withdrawal symptoms while tapering off of it according to my doctor’s instructions.
Edit: I think the taper took about a month.
Effexor withdrawal, even having tapered off gradually, was the WORST MONTH OF MY LIFE. The electric shocks, flu-like symptoms, ugh. I never, ever want to do that again.*
I have tried many other anti-depressants in the past and had relatively few problems by comparison.
*I supposed this is a slight hijack, but until I was on Effexor I never had problems with Restless Leg Syndrome. Unfortunately, RLS has been with me since (It was probably about 5 or 6 years ago that I tried Effexor.) and in my opinion is worse than having to deal with depression. Ok, maybe not, but the combined effect is truly awful.
I was on Lexapro for about 5 years. I’ve gone off it cold turkey unintentionally in the past - once when I couldn’t refill my prescription in time, and once when I was taking an antibiotic that, as it turns out, can interfere with it. Both times, I had the electric shocks, plus feelings of vertigo, and by the third or fourth day, a crippling depression far worse than what made me start taking the drug in the first place.
Since I’m trying to get knocked up, I recently went off Lexapro fully, by tapering. I was on 20mg, then took 15 for a month, 10 the next, 5 the next, and then nothing. I probably should have then done a month of 5 every other day, but it wasn’t a big deal just stopping.
Because of my previous experiences, I was nervous, but it went fine. I had a little of the shocky feelings for a few weeks when I finally stopped, but I’ve been fine since. I do still have periodic feelings of anxiety and depression, but they’re a lot easier to handle now. I’m much better able to identify what is actual emotion and what is just the disease, and I can largely ignore the latter, as I would a headache.
I took Zoloft in high school. When I moved to a different state with a different insurance company that wouldn’t continue the prescription unless I went to therapy, I decided I didn’t need either.
No withdrawal, and no subsequent (chronic) depression.
I was on Paxil for several years.
I seem to have had a easy tapering off (there’s a forum somewhere dedicated just to getting off Paxil). I tapered off and experienced nausea and dizziness. The nausea I took care of with ginger. I’ve been fine, minus normal hormonal problems.
There’s a lot of information out there. One dissident psychiatrist (Peter Breggin) recommends tapering down 10% at a time, which seems reasonable. Some compounding pharmacies can help you out with this kind of thing.
For myself, I just took a few days off work, quit cold turkey, and went to bed. I had the sweats, flu-like aches and pains, electric shock sensations in my head and neck, and bizarre dreams. When I rejoined the world, all was well.
This is new to me , and kind of alarming, for my psychiatrist never mentioned this to me. Her appointment is always full, so I guess I better drop by a nearby clinic to get some guidance. (She never instructed me how to taper; she only said to take it when necessary).
Is she the doctor who said you need to get off it in the first place? If so, I’m kind of curious what her reasoning was. The fact that she just said “take it when necessary” makes me slightly suspcious of her pharmacological knowledge.
If it was another doctor, though, I’d think they could work out a tapering plan with you.
I don’t want to alarm you (as that’s the worst thing you can do to someone who is in acute withdrawal), but benzodiazepine withdrawal can be quite serious, and you’re on the most addicting one out there. Shame on your psychiatrist for not at least giving you a less addicting one. Better would have been an actual antidepressant, not a tranquilizer.
I’ve been withdrawing from Klonopin, which is less addictive, and I am completely housebound. Originally, I was almost suicidally depressed and having full out panic attacks multiple times a day. Do not take this lightly. Taper 10% or even less if your body can’t handle it. If your psychiatrist tells you you can do it more quickly, don’t believe her. In fact, get a new psychiatrist.
Dr. Heather Ashton is probably the worlds leading authority on benzodiazopine withdrawal. She has tested and found the best withdrawal schedules. (The link is on a scare site, but they included the doctor’s book for free. Be very careful reading the rest of the site, as it’s full of people who got seriously addicted, and their withdrawal horror stories.
The reason you have to get off is quite simple: if you get addicted, you’ll develop tolerance. And likely start having interdose withdrawal. This will lead you to take more in order to cope, as your brain is saying “Get me more, or I’ll have a seizure.” And you can only take so much before you start having physical problems. This drug is only recommended for short-term use for a reason. It’s more addictive than the opiates. And I don’t know many people who would say “Keep taking heroin if it makes you feel better.”
BTW: Stay away from alcohol, as it only hinders withdrawal. Alcohol is like a lighter version of a benzo (besides its other effects).
IANAD and my own experience with Xanax is limited. It’s my understanding, though, that one is more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms if you have been taking the benzo every day, at a high dose, and for a long time. Cite (see pp. 5-6) As I mentioned, I was taking the Xanax extended release version (Xanax XR) at a low dose every day for 9 months and didn’t have withdrawal symptoms during the taper period. I do agree that you should seek a doctor’s advice about the taper, but your experience in tapering off Xanax may not be a bad one.
Took Paxil for about 6 years. It made me sleepy so I cut the bigger dosage pills in two, or just requested the lower dosage for refills. So I took the lowest dosage for a couple years, found myself skipping a pill here and there with no noticeable side effects. A doctor told me I could try taking one every other day for a week, then one every two days for a week, .etc. Taper off, slowly. So I did, and I had zip. zero. nada. none of the dreaded head zaps or other bad withdrawal symptoms.