110 replies to this topic

[FiveNotions]

Hi inajam, my you are up early! Is it the anxiety or are you an "early bird" by nature? Only two things get me up early...anxiety, or an (age-related) bathroom run ;-)

I'm not familiar with some of the meds you've listed, so I'm going to take a bit of time and read up on them...I'll then come back here with thoughts/suggestions etc....

It's interesting how exquisitely different each of us is in regard to opening up to people, in person and online.....I have only one friend in my "non cyber" life with whom I can share everything....I mean everything.....as for therapists and witch docs, I've had just one about/with whom I felt likewise....and she was my very first therapist, back in the 1980s....it was a miracle for me to have her first, because that's when I needed her the most....

I am more comfortable and open posting here than I would ever have imagined....I feel safe here....maybe, for me at least, it's the anonymity...at least it was at first....I sort of figured "well, if I screw it up or they turn out to be idiots, or I make an idiot of myself, I can just disappear and never go back again"......and yet I was immediately welcomed, by warm, intelligent members....many of whom I soon learned were suffering, had suffered, much more than me.....and, not just that, they were/are surviving, living and loving, and getting better....

Anyway, now I'm the one rambling.....oh, one other thing that I wanted to mention.....I realized when members here asked me questions about myself, my health stuff, etc....no one else in my life ever really did that....not even most of the docs/therapists....I realized that here we really really do want to hear about each other...and I got solid answers, genuine encouragement, and a lot of good suggestions ...and I also learned that if I didn't feel comfortable answering, I could just say so....and nobody "flipped out"......

:-)

[inajam]

Hi inajam, my you are up early! Is it the anxiety or are you an "early bird" by nature? Only two things get me up early...anxiety, or an (age-related) bathroom run ;-)

I'm not familiar with some of the meds you've listed, so I'm going to take a bit of time and read up on them...I'll then come back here with thoughts/suggestions etc....

It's interesting how exquisitely different each of us is in regard to opening up to people, in person and online.....I have only one friend in my "non cyber" life with whom I can share everything....I mean everything.....as for therapists and witch docs, I've had just one about/with whom I felt likewise....and she was my very first therapist, back in the 1980s....it was a miracle for me to have her first, because that's when I needed her the most....

I am more comfortable and open posting here than I would ever have imagined....I feel safe here....maybe, for me at least, it's the anonymity...at least it was at first....I sort of figured "well, if I screw it up or they turn out to be idiots, or I make an idiot of myself, I can just disappear and never go back again"......and yet I was immediately welcomed, by warm, intelligent members....many of whom I soon learned were suffering, had suffered, much more than me.....and, not just that, they were/are surviving, living and loving, and getting better....

Anyway, now I'm the one rambling.....oh, one other thing that I wanted to mention.....I realized when members here asked me questions about myself, my health stuff, etc....no one else in my life ever really did that....not even most of the docs/therapists....I realized that here we really really do want to hear about each other...and I got solid answers, genuine encouragement, and a lot of good suggestions ...and I also learned that if I didn't feel comfortable answering, I could just say so....and nobody "flipped out"......

:-)

 

Hi FiveNotions, same here really just couldn't settle and then once i'm up its really hard to get back off again, properly anyway.  But I've been up since about 8am UK time, so 7 hours, so far. 

 

Some of those meds are old and some are newer ones I may have been put on or suggested/requested and like i said i'm sure there are others but there just not at the forefront of the old brainbox right now.  It is difficult especially with anxiety, because you just don't know who you can trust, coz you just don't know them at all and you can't initially do anything about that.  Hopefully that will improve over time eh. 

 

I've never really found anyone who has either from the beginining, or as sessions have progressed, eventually just seen me as 'another client or number' which really makes me unhappy and sad.  You really want someone to whom its a vocation for them, so I think you fell lucky with that one therapist you mentioned.  I'm still being careful on here, again because i don't know one person from the other, but i do like how you come across, coz i think you know 'where i'm coming from'.  i've yet to meet that many people on here, as I would of imagined there are a lot more than the few i have come across, anyway we'll see.  I would like to hear other peoples stories of getting through and then eventually past Cymbalta, like i'm currently trying to do atm, so i hope i hear from some other people because that would be helpful and encouraging and give me some hope (hopefully!)

 

 

:-)

[FiveNotions]

Our personal stories here come out over time...as do our personalities....it's like an installment series on TV ...character development and backstory and progress and plot twists....even if you don't feel like posting, just read along with us..also, you can read our individual profiles and see our most recent posts and topics by clicking on our profile pictures....and, if you haven't already, you can search for specific topics by using the key word search box on the upper right of the page....if you search from the main page, it will sort through the entire site.....about 6 years back ....if you search from a particular discussion thread page, it searches just that discussion....and, it doesn't seem to like key words with less than five characters....(I think it's five...maybe four?)

Thanks for mentioning that you're in the UK....it helps to know that you've got the NHS, compared with the US, Aussie, Spanish, Canadian, etc. and other country systems various of us have....

Time for me to focus on finding a job....the library job I was so excited about last week hasn't gotten back to me....logically I know that's entirely appropriate, as the school is having graduation this weekend and no one is thinking about a little part time job issue....but subjectively, of course, I'm on "pins and needles" ... ;-)

I'll also read up on those meds....it'll give me a respite from resumes and cover letters....aaaargh....

Oh, before I forget......have you checked out this social anxiety support website?

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com

http://www.socialanx...port.com/forum/

They've got tons of online forums....I've browsed and lurked a bit....learned some good stuff, but never felt inclined to participate....

[inajam]

Our personal stories here come out over time...as do our personalities....it's like an installment series on TV ...character development and backstory and progress and plot twists....even if you don't feel like posting, just read along with us..also, you can read our individual profiles and see our most recent posts and topics by clicking on our profile pictures....and, if you haven't already, you can search for specific topics by using the key word search box on the upper right of the page....if you search from the main page, it will sort through the entire site.....about 6 years back ....if you search from a particular discussion thread page, it searches just that discussion....and, it doesn't seem to like key words with less than five characters....(I think it's five...maybe four?)

Thanks for mentioning that you're in the UK....it helps to know that you've got the NHS, compared with the US, Aussie, Spanish, Canadian, etc. and other country systems various of us have....

Time for me to focus on finding a job....the library job I was so excited about last week hasn't gotten back to me....logically I know that's entirely appropriate, as the school is having graduation this weekend and no one is thinking about a little part time job issue....but subjectively, of course, I'm on "pins and needles" ... ;-)

I'll also read up on those meds....it'll give me a respite from resumes and cover letters....aaaargh....

Oh, before I forget......have you checked out this social anxiety support website?

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com

http://www.socialanx...port.com/forum/

They've got tons of online forums....I've browsed and lurked a bit....learned some good stuff, but never felt inclined to participate....

Hey FiveNotions - I'm not ignoring you by not replying, sometimes I just like to take stuff in and download things a little before responding.  Feel free to PM me at anytime if you want to check in.

 

inajam

[Clara]

inajam, It's def hard to trust, I/we get it! Just please know that all of us here are with you in your struggle and will do whatever we can, whether it be info, personal experiences, prayer, whatever! My heart goes out to you!  clara

[inajam]

inajam, It's def hard to trust, I/we get it! Just please know that all of us here are with you in your struggle and will do whatever we can, whether it be info, personal experiences, prayer, whatever! My heart goes out to you!  clara

Thank you Clara it is greatly appreciated, Just lose some hope sometimes as recovery is taking so long (with life's pressures as well, as you may have read), prayer is good thank you, I need all I can get spiritually right now, not the darkness that feels like is enveloping me. inajam

[thismoment]

inajam 

 

It's been about 25 days since your transition from Cymbalta to Zoloft- how's it going? Hopefully the withdrawal symptoms from Cymbalta have subsided some. 

 

Hope never arrives in bushel baskets- it's meted out in coffee spoons. It's tiny- a sliver, the first robin in a snowy spring. Soon the new meds should be shining a little light on those dark days of Cymbalta withdrawal.

 

Hang in there!

[inajam]

inajam 

 

It's been about 25 days since your transition from Cymbalta to Zoloft- how's it going? Hopefully the withdrawal symptoms from Cymbalta have subsided some. 

 

Hope never arrives in bushel baskets- it's meted out in coffee spoons. It's tiny- a sliver, the first robin in a snowy spring. Soon the new meds should be shining a little light on those dark days of Cymbalta withdrawal.

 

Hang in there!

Hi, tbh there have been signs but then that hope has disappeared again as quickly as it appeared, I find that very distressing to cope with.  Its the brain zaps that are the worst.  Thanks for checking in and I do hope change happens and quickly now because I m really starting to struggle now especially with dark thoughts which I don't find pleasant at all.  Hope and prayer seems to be all I have as time runs down.

 

inajam

[thismoment]

Inajam

Change will not happen quickly.

It's clear that you're struggling, and it's my opinion you need to talk with a therapist right now. Please do this and let us know how it goes.

[inajam]

Inajam

Change will not happen quickly.

It's clear that you're struggling, and it's my opinion you need to talk with a therapist right now. Please do this and let us know how it goes.

thismoment, thanks for your concern its really appreciated.

 

I know it won't happen quickly its just that it has taken a lot longer than I ever imagined and I don't think I ever imagined it would take this long, hence my thought processes some times.  I'm very much in a situation I have never experienced before and as someone else has said to me, change will happen and what i'm feeling and my thoughts 'isn't 'me', but the changes in my brain now that the poison is out of my system and i'm re-adjusting.  Hopefully the Zoloft will soon kick in and I will start to see some some benefits.  Going back to see my Doctor in a few days time as he has been away, and I will tell him exactly how i'm feeling and see if there are any immediate alternatives that might help me through maybe like you suggested, but tbh I don't know whether that will be possible.

 

Thanks again, will let you know when there is something to report.

 

inajam

[gail]

 

Hope never arrives in bushel baskets- it's meted out in coffee spoons. It's tiny- a sliver, the first robin in a snowy spring. Soon the new meds should be shining a little light on those dark days of Cymbalta withdrawal.

 

Hang in there!

Tm, my goodness, you have a way with words. Its comforting to read you. Coffee spoons, love this.

[thismoment]

Hi Gail

 

Interesting that you note the coffee spoon, as it enjoys a history as an honorary literary reference. A teaspoon is small, but a coffee spoon is smaller.

 

In his dramatic monologue The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot muses that "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons."- little painstaking snippets of life: There's no deliriously swooning passionate lovemaking on top of the Baby Grand piano going on here!

 

The poem is early 20th Century (published in 1915), and it's a glimpse into the tortured psyche of middle-aged modern man- he's eloquent though intensely neurotic, and he is starving for intimacy yet he is profoundly stilted and shy. While it's an iconic work and certainly brilliant, it's relentless, heavy, and pathetic. Therefore I highly recommend it!  His later work, The Waste Land, however, eclipsed Prufrock.

[Gran23]

Welcome, inajam, I'm so happy you found us!

First off, you are okay, and you are going to get through this....just hang in there, and we'll do our best to help you! Everything you are experiencing is typical for cymbalta withdrawal....you've essentially quit cold turkey, which, as I know because I did it, is the hard way to go.....but there are better ways to do it, that will make the process more manageable and hopefully interfere less with your job...

Second, your doc and pharmacist are both jackasses....and dead wrong about how to get off the cymbalta and/or "cross-over" to a different med! The members of this forum know more about how to do this than the entire med profession combined!

I gather from your post that you've been on cymbalta for 3 months, or maybe a bit more, including while you were unemployed....how much time total would you say?

Also, what dosage was the cymbalta?

What dosage is the Zoloft?

Also, if you don't mind my asking...how old are you? (One of the things we've noticed here is that our younger members often have an easier time getting off cymbalta.)

One of our other members, Fishinghat, has experience with Zoloft (and Prozac I believe), as well as with the cross-over process....others here do also, but I can't remember who right now....

My own suggestion, subject to confirmation by fellow members, is that you reinstate the cymbalta at the last dose level you were on, get stabilized, and then wean off very gradually using the bead counting method....where you remove a couple, or even one, bead per day or every other day.... Do you have enough on hand to do this? If not, can you get your doc to prescribe another month or two for you?

I can't speak to when/how in that process you'd begin adding in the Zoloft, so I'll leave that foe the others to explain....

Also, do you have something on hand to help with the anxiety while you are managing the withdrawal/cross over process? A benzo or maybe hydrocodone?

In the meantime, before the others chime in here, take a look at the "nutritional support" and "what's helping me" forums....you'll get lots of info on what you can do to ease the symptoms, etc....

Chelates magnesium and Epsom salt bath soaks help the muscle tingles and zaps....Epsom salts is another form of magnesium and can get to the muscles transdermally.....for the nausea, ginger ale, ginger tea, raw ginger, or even powdered ginger from your spic rac help....

You can do this!

I agree.  inajam CAN do this but it may be difficult for awhile.  I'm new on here also, but I've been in withdrawal for 2 weeks now.  If I hadn't read about bead counting on here even before I was approved to post, I don't believe I would been able to continue to withdraw.  I had been on Cymbalta 60mg for about 4 years.  My doctor decreased me from 60mg to 30mg  all at once.  I was miserable.  All the symptoms I've read others had on here plus the heart palpitations. When I switched from Zoloft to Cymbalta it was not hard, no withdrawal symptoms with Zoloft.  BUT that is not the story with Cymbalta.  Before Cymbalta I was on Zoloft, before that other meds.  All adding up to 20 years on one antidepressant or another. I don't know what my normal will be, but I'm determined to get off of all pharmaceuticals.   I've been on a mission for the past year to get myself healthier.  I exercise everyday and have lost 50 pounds.  I would like to know more about the supplements others are taking.  I also would be interested to know if others have lost weight and kept it off after discontinuing Cymbalta as I hope to get a boost with weight loss from it's discontinuation and all other meds like it.   FiveNotions, your post is a great help.  

 

GranMama23

[Gran23]

thismoment, thanks for your concern its really appreciated.

 

I know it won't happen quickly its just that it has taken a lot longer than I ever imagined and I don't think I ever imagined it would take this long, hence my thought processes some times.  I'm very much in a situation I have never experienced before and as someone else has said to me, change will happen and what i'm feeling and my thoughts 'isn't 'me', but the changes in my brain now that the poison is out of my system and i'm re-adjusting.  Hopefully the Zoloft will soon kick in and I will start to see some some benefits.  Going back to see my Doctor in a few days time as he has been away, and I will tell him exactly how i'm feeling and see if there are any immediate alternatives that might help me through maybe like you suggested, but tbh I don't know whether that will be possible.

 

Thanks again, will let you know when there is something to report.

 

inajam

I agree with thismoment.  Please talk to someone.  It will get better but it' always good to talk with someone.

 

Granmama23

[inajam]

I agree with thismoment.  Please talk to someone.  It will get better but it' always good to talk with someone.

 

Granmama23

Hi Granmama23,  hope you are doing ok.  As I said to this moment in my post I will try and see someone (when I speak to my Doctor) but I don't know where you are situated but in the UK it isn't easy seeing a therapist/counsellor quickly, which can be when you want to!, you have to wait for weeks (I can also speak to a particular friend, who I know understands me very well, when i'm stuck as well). That was one of the reasons I came on this forum and talk to you guys on here, which gives me a great outlet to express myself honestly and also get feedback.  As I have said in my previous posts I do find it very difficult at times, you know ups n downs, these particularly can be very difficult to cope with.  But I don't want to change how I express myself because if i did I wouldn't be being honest with myself or you guys.  Anyway, fingers crossed 'things will get better' and soon eh!

 

Take care, inajam 

[inajam]

Haven't been on for quite some time because I haven't felt up to it tbh. Is it me or do people sometimes just not feel like they have the strength or desire to discuss their situation with others, because of how awful your withdrawal is making you feel? (don't know if that makes sense)  I have been feeling really anxious and paranoid and I didn't want to post anything for fear of peoples responses being negative toward me. For example if I post this now I will be worrying???!!! Daft really.   I feel really lost and a bit despondent guys can anyone offer me any words or a word or encouragement please???   Please be sensitive if you reply because I am not confident about anything right now, thanks. (can't wait till I feel myself again)    I may not post again because of how I am feeling tbh, just the way it is i suppose.

 

inajam

[fishinghat]

Not uncommon to feel like that. Just hang on and be patient. There is a couple of posts on here today from old-timers who said there symptoms finally just faded away. There is hope.

[Clara]

inajam, what you are saying does make sense to me and prob' all the others here. I, too felt so alone much of the time early on in w/ds even tho' I had support from hubby! I hate what this nasty drug has done to us! BUT do not give up hope, please! It is a somewhat slow process, but things will get better as time passes. You are not alone in how you are feeling and certainly not without support from us on the forum. God bless with all you need to get through this! Hugs and prayers for you!  clara

[inajam]

Not uncommon to feel like that. Just hang on and be patient. There is a couple of posts on here today from old-timers who said there symptoms finally just faded away. There is hope.

Its just that it seems to be going on forever.  I stopped on 2nd May, from 60mg p/day to 50mg p/day Zoloft, ( this was done suddenly, under advisement I must add, which i'm very upset/angry about), so its 5 weeks now and i'm still suffering terribly. I sometimes feel like i'm getting worse as opposed to better!  thats what is getting me down mentally as well as physically, the monotany of the 'daily sameness' is slowly grinding me down to, i just don't know what, coz i don't know what will be left of me if/when i get better.  Will improvement/getting better happen suddenly or gradually??

 

Despondency/frustration isn't a pleasant place to be resident atm, although I am trying to keep my chin up everyone.

 

Think I may take a break from here after all and see what happens,too confused all the time

 

inajam 

[Wagtail]

Its just that it seems to be going on forever.  I stopped on 2nd May, from 60mg p/day to 50mg p/day Zoloft, ( this was done suddenly, under advisement I must add, which i'm very upset/angry about), so its 5 weeks now and i'm still suffering terribly. I sometimes feel like i'm getting worse as opposed to better!  thats what is getting me down mentally as well as physically, the monotany of the 'daily sameness' is slowly grinding me down to, i just don't know what, coz i don't know what will be left of me if/when i get better.  Will improvement/getting better happen suddenly or gradually??
 
Despondency/frustration isn't a pleasant place to be resident atm, although I am trying to keep my chin up everyone.
 
Think I may take a break from here after all and see what happens,too confused all the time
 
inajam

Inajam it sounds very normal to me , you are in the throes of withdrawel & the only thing you can do about it is to accept that it is going to take time to heal .
5 weeks is very early days & usually the worst time !.
Acceptance is critical & you have to ride out each & every bad side effect & feeling , your body & mind is working very hard to rid itself of this evil chemical & fighting it only adds to the stress & is deprimental to your healing.

Time is what you need & nothing can speed up the process.. I found that accepting what I was suffering & recognizing it for what it is " WITHDRAWEL " that I felt better about everything.
It's a hard journey but don't be discouraged , you are healing little by little , day by day .
Don't forget that your brain has to rewire itself & every cell of your body ... Someone once said on here to allow one month of healing for every year you were on CRAPALTA ... I took it for ten years @ 60 mg a day so I have to allow myself 10 months of healing , it's now 7 months & I am getting better & returning to normal more & more everyday .
The first 4 months were the worst by far & after that I was having good days & bad days but slowly the good days are becoming more & more frequent.
If you spend some time reading other members posts you will recognize the pattern & be able to relate to where you're at in your own recovery .
Yes it's painful & yes it's very scary @ times & yes you do think you're alone & going mad but your not .... You are a strong person who is suffering from a Chemical / drug withdrawel & with time you will recover..
Bless you & be positive ... You ARE going to get through this just like all the others before you ... :-)

[fishinghat]

Inajam, Zoloft will work fine but 50 mg is minimal dosage. You need to get to your dr and request the normal dose of 150 mg/day. With your history your dr needs to stop playing around with this and get some medicine in you. Usually they will take you to 100 for a week and then to 150. Insist on increasing the Zoloft would be my recommendation.

[thismoment]

Hi inajam

 

Withdrawal is drudgery! Yes, sometimes it feels like it's getting worse-- there's a kind of wave-action to it all. Up and down. Improvements happen slowly, but there are definite levels that you can identify, and each threshold tells you you're getting better. That gives you hope!

 

It's like having the flu and a broken heart together for a couple of months!

 

I assure you it slowly goes away. 

[FiveNotions]

The first 4 weeks were the worst for me....then, about the 6th week things seemed to reach a turning point....the symptoms started fading a bit, and there were more, and longer, good moments...then hours....

Just hang in there....I felt bewildered, weak, helpless and hopeless...totally broken and ready to accept that that was simply how the rest of my life would be....I lay in bed, too sick to even care that I was unemployed, living off savings, etc....I just gave up...and turned it all over to God....and rather than spending my mental time worrying about how I was ever, or if, going to get well, I just put what little energy I had into begging God to heal me....

Some of the greatest saints have had the greatest suffering...therese of Liseux , elizabeth of the Trinity, etc....they said that suffering is the greatest prayer....and I sure am no saint, but I figured I'd just offer my suffering as a prayer for my healing....

However, it still sucked...it was still hell... :-)

But I got through it....with the help of all the Saints in this forum!

I've had a really awful three days just now..with anxiety big time....and yet it's nothing compared to those first few weeks of withdrawal!

[FiveNotions]

FH, thanks for the dosage info on Zoloft....my idiot said that 25 mg was the bare minimum and 50 was "standard".....he said I shld spend 2 weeks at 25 and then go to 50.....I just looked at the bottle, and realized that the tabs are 50 mg each...I was supposed to split them...but both doses I've taken were full tabs of 50.....

I really don't trust this guy....and Im Thinking that if I pull out of this anxiety phase, I won't take the Zoloft....the Valium is sort of helping, but frankly, I think the tryptophan I've been taking works better...I know, be careful of serotonin syndrome...and, the blood brain barrier issue....but, placebo or not...I get anxiety relief within 30 min of taking tryptophan....the Valium I can't feel any difference....

Anyway, isn't it a shitty state of affairs that we have to be our own doctors? This forum is what librarians call "crowd sourcing"....having a group of people, not necessarily in the same location, all working to solve the same problem...that's us!

[fishinghat]

Valium is a weak benzo. I am glad that your tryptophan helps and I don't worry about you and serotonin syndrome. I know you will be watching out. If you can hang in there and see this anxiety come to an end it would be great. I can't believe only 25 mg!

[FiveNotions]

Fishinghat, what's the best approach to this Zoloft and Valium thing? After reading what you said about dosage, I also did some checking...I'm also concerned that the Valium won't mix with the Lunesta I have for sleep....he said there'd be no problem....

I really really hate the idea of going back on a second antidepressant (I already take wellbutrin 300 mg xl, have been at that dose for about 10-12 years).....Suppose I were to keep taking the Z for another few days, or even a week...at the 50 mg, not 25.....and if by then I'm still stable with the anxiety, can I safely just stop the Zoloft, or do I need to reduce down to 25 and then to 0 ... would I have to taper by titration with water...god forbid....

If I'm not stable with the anxiety by then, I would feel more sure that I to keep taking the Zoloft...

And, the idiot prescribed Valium 2 mg a day, "as needed"...to be taken at bedtime....he gave me 30 pills, with 3 refills....said I shouldn't be worried about getting addicted...I'm terrified of benzos....

I think I've been an idiot myself....Friday, The first day of the rx, I really took too many I think...I think it was 8 mg...in 2 mg doses...about 4 hrs apart,starting at noon....And again yesterday, I think I took it 3 times...total 6 mg....between about noon and midnight....

Of course, I gave myself blurred vision and wobbly knees...:-(

I took just half a dose just now...1 mg...and plan to take the other half tonight at bedtime....did it go overboard?

Also, in my anxiety, I forgot to get the lunesta rx I have refilled...so I haven't had that...and my sleep is back to being horrid since Wednesday night....I'm getting about 1-2 hrs in intervals, with a couple of hours awake in between....the Valium does nothing to help that....

Anyway, im back to having too many meds...and I do not like it one bit!

[inajam]

inajam, what you are saying does make sense to me and prob' all the others here. I, too felt so alone much of the time early on in w/ds even tho' I had support from hubby! I hate what this nasty drug has done to us! BUT do not give up hope, please! It is a somewhat slow process, but things will get better as time passes. You are not alone in how you are feeling and certainly not without support from us on the forum. God bless with all you need to get through this! Hugs and prayers for you!  clara

Thanks Clara its good to know you are there for me.

 

inajam

[inajam]

Inajam it sounds very normal to me , you are in the throes of withdrawel & the only thing you can do about it is to accept that it is going to take time to heal .
5 weeks is very early days & usually the worst time !.
Acceptance is critical & you have to ride out each & every bad side effect & feeling , your body & mind is working very hard to rid itself of this evil chemical & fighting it only adds to the stress & is deprimental to your healing.

Time is what you need & nothing can speed up the process.. I found that accepting what I was suffering & recognizing it for what it is " WITHDRAWEL " that I felt better about everything.
It's a hard journey but don't be discouraged , you are healing little by little , day by day .
Don't forget that your brain has to rewire itself & every cell of your body ... Someone once said on here to allow one month of healing for every year you were on CRAPALTA ... I took it for ten years @ 60 mg a day so I have to allow myself 10 months of healing , it's now 7 months & I am getting better & returning to normal more & more everyday .
The first 4 months were the worst by far & after that I was having good days & bad days but slowly the good days are becoming more & more frequent.
If you spend some time reading other members posts you will recognize the pattern & be able to relate to where you're at in your own recovery .
Yes it's painful & yes it's very scary @ times & yes you do think you're alone & going mad but your not .... You are a strong person who is suffering from a Chemical / drug withdrawel & with time you will recover..
Bless you & be positive ... You ARE going to get through this just like all the others before you ... :-)

Thanks for your support Wagtail.

 

inajam

[inajam]

Inajam, Zoloft will work fine but 50 mg is minimal dosage. You need to get to your dr and request the normal dose of 150 mg/day. With your history your dr needs to stop playing around with this and get some medicine in you. Usually they will take you to 100 for a week and then to 150. Insist on increasing the Zoloft would be my recommendation.

I am seeing my doctor tomorrow and will see what he says.  also gonna see about seeing a psychiatrist instead/aswell as i think my doc is unsure as to what to do tbh which is no good for me, as i stand to lose my job v soon as i ain't there doin it and that is will cause me more anxiety.

 

inajam

[inajam]

The first 4 weeks were the worst for me....then, about the 6th week things seemed to reach a turning point....the symptoms started fading a bit, and there were more, and longer, good moments...then hours....

Just hang in there....I felt bewildered, weak, helpless and hopeless...totally broken and ready to accept that that was simply how the rest of my life would be....I lay in bed, too sick to even care that I was unemployed, living off savings, etc....I just gave up...and turned it all over to God....and rather than spending my mental time worrying about how I was ever, or if, going to get well, I just put what little energy I had into begging God to heal me....

Some of the greatest saints have had the greatest suffering...therese of Liseux , elizabeth of the Trinity, etc....they said that suffering is the greatest prayer....and I sure am no saint, but I figured I'd just offer my suffering as a prayer for my healing....

However, it still sucked...it was still hell... :-)

But I got through it....with the help of all the Saints in this forum!

I've had a really awful three days just now..with anxiety big time....and yet it's nothing compared to those first few weeks of withdrawal!

Thanks for these words of encouragement, however I hope your current anxiety experiences improve quickly.  I've been having anxiety issues lately and it makes me feel nauseas as well which is horrible.  Take care

 

inajam