I generally disagree that doctors are in league with Big Pharma. I genuinely believe they want to help patients.
But, I was shocked when I was prescribed duloxetine (for migraine prophylaxis and depression) and read the P.I.L. and prescribing information which both state that you should come off the drug gradually, tapering the dose. However, they only have 2 sizes of capsules so it's actually not possible to taper the dose. Having a short half-life means it's not ideal to reduce the dose by taking it every other day. I got advice from a professor of pharmacy that people have to open the capsules, count the beads (approx 200 per capsule), remove 10% and put the other 90% back in the capsule, and then take it (and so on, reducing the number you take very gradually). It's outrageous to expect patients to do that, the Pharma who make them should be making a series of smaller dose units available.
Thankfully, it gave me severe stomach ache after 2 weeks so I was able to stop taking it immediately.
I'm on Citalopram ATM (20mg) & have forgotten to take them on occasion. we were on holiday in August for my 60th & was going part time from early September, I forgot to take them for 4 days but felt no ill effects.
I would think you'd need to go a week or more before you noticed anything. I'm on the same dose and did get ratty on the two attempts I've had at coming off them. Wife prefers me on them as do I (prefer myself on them), hence decided just to take them for life. Once a year the GP asks if I want to stay on them and that's about it...
[quote=vickypea ]Having a good relationship with the counsellor is vital.
Definitely. I had some counselling before which I'm not sure really helped me at all. After my session this week I'm really thinking this is going to work - not because of anything specific in the session which was mainly filled with my negativity, but because he happily abandoned what he had planned in order to go with the issues I was having this week (and commented at some point that he'd probably extend my sessions).
I guess I'm in a similar but different position to you, as it seems my only option is counselling - not because I can't cope with ADs, but because they appear to make no difference (and yes I did try a few). Well realistically my only option is probably huge changes in my life, but I kind of need the counselling to enable me to get there.
It's been four days, not feeling too bad.
Stick at it then! I ended up with some strange zapping sensation in my head, along with feeling really hot.
aracer: good luck with the counselling. My counsellor never has a plan for a session, they're all guided by where I want to go, and he was fine with extending the number of sessions past the standard 6.
It's not so much that I can't "cope" with antidepressants, but all of the SSRIs and SNRIs give me severe stomach pain, and one of them also exacerbates my migraines. I've not tried mirtazapine or amitriptyline because I don't want to feel sedated and gain weight. I really tried with lamotrigine twice but I literally didn't sleep for 2 weeks even on a tiny dose so the dr told me to stop.
Day 6 in the Big Brother house... Start off feeling ok, no really sleepy with 'jet lag' type symptoms. Perhaps more to do with no sleep though, as apparently the hours of 00:30-04:30 are optimum for street protest in Granada!!!
Day 9 (I think), mornings much easier, loads more energy. Still weeping eyes, not just spontaneous tearfulness, but hay-fever like itchiness and constant weeping. Head rushes have subsided greatly, much more of a background echo now.
In terms of temperament, I feel energised, much more human, but feel I need to self-regulate again as life stresses can cause me to vocalise my frustration in a unsophisticated manner. I'm very much more self-aware though, and feel confident I can work through this.
Good to hear that things are going well for you OP.
I have been on 2 kinds of AD: Fluoxetine and Sertraline. Coming off Fluoxetine was quite straight forward with little in the way of side effects, but Sertraline is a different kettle of fish completely and so far I have only come down from 100mg to 50mg.
The first week wasn't too bad, but then I had 3 weeks of intense dreams/flu-like muscle pains/terrible earache caused by TMJ pain.
I think that I am over the worst of it now, but it was pretty nasty and not something I would like to go through again.
If I ever come off them completely I will taper, going down in steps of 12.5mg every couple of weeks. The thought of going from 50mg to nothing leaves me cold.
Any updates op.
I’m on 150mg Of venlafaxine and have been on it for a year.
I was originally prescribed for anxiety after the death of a very close friend who I cared for while he fought lung cancer.but then developed depression after starting taking them. The ven has helped with the anxiety but the depression especially recently is getting really bad so want to stop the ven and see what happens.
Did any ven users suffer loss of libido and erectile dysfunction?
I have a friend....
No erectile dysfunction, but sometimes fail to “arrive”
Not failed to arrive but on arrival it felt like little Derek had been hit with a toffee hammer.
Apart from little derek how are you finding ven?
Derek, toffee hammer and failure to arrive are both known side effects....I once over heard in a pub while waiting for a pint......
Been on Venladaxine for just over a year, for me it's removed the low lows but that I'm constantly exhausted, as in will happily sleep all day.....if it was possible, going to chat to the GP to see what's what, as this isn't a great way to live! But it's not helped with the lack of energy but neither did the sertraline maxed out either.
I do really dislike the black dog?
