Hello to all

[unionmary]

Happy meet Abemmy

As of April 09 i have totally weaned off lamictal, a stabilizer for bipolar...have had to deal with a few things, but overall my psychiatrist and I agree my progress is good.

I am gonna meet with him again in December, just so we can keep tabs together. I love our conversations anyway, he is a brilliant man, and not that hard to look at either, (did i say that out loud?) I passed on this link to him, he was interested.

Glad you found this site, lots of info and support here gal

[TSOW]

Hello Abemmy!

Welcome to Psychlinks. We're glad you found our forum and hope you will find some insights while you're here.

What was the reason for withdrawing Effexor and clonazepam?

What was the dose Effexor, after what period of time and was the dose tapered while discontinuing the medication?

What was your dosage regimen for clonazepam prior to discontinuation, and what regimen are you following for discontinuation?

[abemmy]

I am currently on a low dosage of Effexor XR, but did decrease it from 285.5 down to what I am currently on which is 150 mg. I honestly didn't have much withdrawal effects. The most bothersome effect was an upset stomach and a mild headache. I decreased it one dosage level a month. Each decrease my doctors monitored my symptoms and for possible relapse. For each drop, the doctors advised until I reached 150 mg where at their advice, stopped lowering it and still continue to take.

The post that Daniel mentioned, I can now say I didn't either have withdrawal symptoms from taking Clonazepam for that week span, but I only do take it as required so not often am I taking it more than a few days in a row.

Are you going off your medication under doctors supervision? I would be concerned of the possibility of confusing withdrawal symptoms with actual relapse of symptoms. Everyone is different, so if you are experiencing very bother some withdrawal symptoms then please contact your doctor. Of course if your doctor is currently not aware that you are going off your medication, it is important they know of this too.

Good Morning,

It's so nice to feel that I am not alone!!

I need to give more background information about my situation. I think it was about a year ago that I did go to my psychiatrist and told him that I didn't think that the Celexa I had been taking for 8 years was working any more. I was told to withdraw from that and I was to try to withdraw from the clonazepam also so I could enter a study program the doctor had available. I realized that I couldn't withdraw from both while I was working. I was getting very irritable, uptight, couldn't think and stayed on the clonazepam. I was put on a performance review at work due to the side effects of the withdrawal in April. I went back to my psychiatrist and immediately asked for a new antidepressant and he gave me Effexor XR.

After deciding on my own that I wanted to be off all medication, in July I slowly started weaning from the Effexor XR and took my last pill around mid September. As I mentioned before it was a very bumpy ride and I started taking more and more clonazepam to try and keep the side effects at least to a minimum.

In mid October I went to my family doctor and told her what I had done. She put me on sick leave for 8-12 weeks, which was a good thing because my job was suffering again. I saw my psychiatrist at the end of October and he was very irate with me. He has written up that I should enter a substance abuse program (which is not due until early January) and would not give me any more clonazepam so I could withdraw slowly. My family doctor did give me some clonazepam. I have gone from 6-8 0.5 pills per day down to 2 a day at this time.

I know I am tapering quickly. I am reducing my usage by half every 10-14 days. But I want to get back to work. I am getting more tired as I reduce the dosage and have a constant churning in my stomach. Can someone give me feedback on my situation.

Once again, I have to thank everyone that is replying to me. It feels wonderful to know someone out there cares.

[David Baxter]

After deciding on my own that I wanted to be off all medication, in July I slowly started weaning from the Effexor XR and took my last pill around mid September.

That's not "slow weaning" at all.

As I mentioned before it was a very bumpy ride and I started taking more and more clonazepam to try and keep the side effects at least to a minimum.

I assume you discovered that the clonazepam didn't help much and that in the end all you did was susbtitute one problem for another.

I don't mean this to sound critical but honestly everything you are describing is a textbook example of why whould should always taper off medications under a doctor's supervision.

That said, you're now left with the question of what to do now. This time, please talk to your doctor and/or psychiatrist about the best answer to this question. Whether you should or should not be continuing to take anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications is the first question to be answered.

[Jackie]

Welcome

[abemmy]

Hi again,

I am seeing my family doctor this week and I will talk to her again. I know I am tapering too fast but I really worry about getting fired if I don't go back to work. I have told my physciatrist that if after withdrawing from both drugs I feel depressed I will certainly be going back on an antidepressant. After 11 years on both drugs how can I tell if I really need them or not? When I was on the drugs, 150 Effexor XR (for 3 months) and .05 clonazepam (usually 1 pill at night) and also when required (2 or 3 a week) I was feeling dead inside. I had no energy, no emotions. I have been feeling this way for years. I just feel at this time it is the right thing to do. I would hope with therapy, I can live a normal life. Does this make any sense to anyone??

Thanks for listening!!

[Into The Light]

welcome abemmy i haven't taken either drug so unfortunately i have no experiences to share with you. i have been through severe depression and made it through, and have weaned down to the lowest dose on my anti-depressant. my doctor wants me to stay on it until spring before i stop completely because of the winter/less light right now.

great to hear you are going to counselling. i have found it invaluable and i think anyone needing help to change their lives for the better can benefit. good luck