4 replies to this topic

[ItsNotRight]

I have read post from people who tapered off, people who have bead counted and people who have quit cold turkey. I am not seeing much difference in the amount of suffering. It's almost like prolonging the inevitable. Granted cold turkey starts the hell immediately. I am still reading when the taper or bead counting is over the withdrawal is just as hard core as in the beginning of cold turkey. So my question is what makes one more logical? 

 

Also my S.O has hit a wall. He is now thinking he needs a different drug to help him with the symptoms he's having. (another AnitD) I think this is a BAD idea because he didn't start this for depression but for pain. Antidepressants have not set well with him. Now he's got a bit of an addict sounding mentality. Needing the drugs to make the pain stop. (the symptoms) (The withdrawal) (They're not addictive though right? ) (rolls my eyes so hard they nearly popped out of my head. lol) This man does not need to start the cycle all over again.. We are looking for 100% drug free when this is over. Not another pill for his newly developed ssri/snri induced depression, Or his brand sparkling new anxiety/panic withdrawal syndrome. 

 

He wants to know when will it be over? I wish I had an answer for him, or at least a ballpark estimate. . . 

 

 

 

Thanks for any input. <3 

 

 

[FiveNotions]

Hi INR, this is a question for fishinghat, I think ... he's currently using Zoloft ... and knows more about the other anti-d's .... we also need some of the others here who took it for pain, not depression, to weigh in. I'm sure they'll arrive soon.

 

How are you doing?

[fishinghat]

I have been on here for nearly 2 years. There are some who bead counted that had just as hard as someone who went cold turkey. But in general I would say that by bead counting it is about 80% easier. Let me explain, as TM says there are two issues. I did bead counting during weaning and had no symptoms until 3 days before I was done. I then went through several months of what is called discontinuation. This is the part where you have come off the medicine and you body is trying to learn how to adjust. We all have to go through that. Cold turkey, in my opinion, runs significantly worse, especially during the first 2 or 3 months after the CT. But you are right, Both methods can be hell but bead counting is just a little less hell..

 

What makes it logical. By bead counting your body does not have the sudden shock of suddenly being without any of  the medicine. It has more time to adjust.

 

Secondly, there are those who go on Lexapro, Zoloft or Prozac to deal with the withdrawal and then come of the new med because they have a lot easier withdrawal. I don't usually recommend that process unless there is no choice. Many lean on Clonidine or hydroxyzine to help during the withdrawal/discontinuance symptoms. They have little to no withdrawal. Many also use a benzo but they are addictive. And you are right, anti-depressants are not addictive.

 

When will it be over. Some researchers say that the long withdrawal is due to large amounts of Cymbalta that are stored in our liver and fat tissue. Cymbalta has been detected in the blood of patients up to 6 months after coming off the drug. Age also plays an important part as well. How long. You have read the posts, 4 months to two years.

[thismoment]

INR

 

The anecdotal data (there's little science on this yet) seems to indicate that the severity of symptoms varies with the length of exposure (two months vs 6 years, for example). For long-term exposure (say 4-10 years), the difference in symptoms between cold turkey and weaning for a couple of months is probably similar.

 

There is proof, however, that ultra-long weaning 1-1.5 years yields virtually no symptoms. So there is a choice. Many people want to 'get-er-done' and will tackle the symptoms head-on. There's good reason to believe the get-er-done approach will yield a less-than-satisfactory overall recovery due to the high stress involved, but there is no science on that either. Long-term slow weaning is the more logical choice to me.

 

You could consider piggy-backing off on Prozac and then weaning off that later (it's easier to get off, but still not perfect).

 

Your S.O. says he feels like he needs meds to help with the symptoms, and any doctor he would go to would agree and immediately write a prescription for another SSRI or similar. It's common. Are these drugs addictive? Of course they are, but there are no clinics to deal with that (there are more than 14,500 clinics in the US to help you get off opiates and opioids though).

 

Opiates and opioids are appropriate medications for pain (my opinion), and they have few side effects when used in therapeutic doses. Are they addictive?  If addiction is related to withdrawal and discontinuation, they both are.

 

He sounds like an addict because he is an addict, and he's in a world of pain!

 

Opiates would surely help with the pain, the anxiety, and they would attenuate the withdrawal symptoms too. 

 

How long? You've got to weather the symptoms for probably 6 months before you're out of the woods.

[fishinghat]

Medically addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. There is no compulsive dependence with anti-depressants as most are quite willing to get off the med. The problem is a long protracted painful withdrawal/discontinuance.