22 replies to this topic

[ittybittysmitty]

I thought I posted this already but can't find it..

On Saturday, I cut my dose to 1/8 cap from 1/8 twice a day...I slept half of Saturday and felt fine Sunday morning but then slept the remainder of the day...

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced a life altering drowsiness and foggy brain...

Thanks in advance!

[thismoment]

IBS

 

You cut your dose by 50%. How many milligrams is that?

 

Yes drowsiness and brain fog are part of this, but I can't remember at what phase I had that. I wonder if there is a specific order in which these symptoms arrive.

 

My brain fog started to lift well after I was off the drug-- several months later. But my ability to think abstractly, analogously, and metaphorically didn't start to return for many months after my last bead-- it's still getting better after 26 months. An artist thinks constantly in metaphor (I'm not a real artist), and when that's gone you're locked into a kind of thought-blindness-- your ideas are generated from a monochrome spectrum.

 

Things will improve.

 

Take care.

[FiveNotions]

Hey IBS, good to hear from you!

I think you made too big a drop in dose ... why did you decide to do it that way? Why not go back up to the twice a day ...and counting beads down from there, more slowly?

Also, come visit us more often / regularly ... we miss you!

[Carleeta]

IBS. I agree with FiveNotions here on taking away 50% of you dosage. It is quite a drop all at once. It sounds like you are experiencing side effects from this huge cut. It's possible to think about going back up and start with the bead counting method to make for a much easier withdrawl pace.

[FiveNotions]

IBS, I just checked back through your posts ... this cutting in half stuff is what your doc told you to do?

 

He's an idiot. Please start bead counting and be sensible about this.

[ittybittysmitty]

FN,

Thank you...you're absolutely right...I can't handle this drop...I'm ANGRY this morning, partly because i'm taking care of my mom too many hours and there's constant chattering upstairs when other caregivers are here...i want to f===ing scream at them....

i can't think...keep asking my mom the same question over and over..when her doc appt is today...i FEEL RETARDED!!

So, i'm taking your advice and going back up to 1/8, 1/8 and taking a bead out a day...

PLEASE REMIND ME HOW TO DO THIS...so tomorrow I take out 2, then 3, then 4?

You guys are lifesavers...it's a shame the damn doctors don't know what we do...am I right?? HA!

[ittybittysmitty]

Good morning ,

FN, yes, my doc told me to take 1/8 cap twice a day for 10 days, then 1/8 a day for 10 days, then stop.

BTW...

I just found this yesterday...a great summary of what we all have gone through or are still experiencing!

http://mentalhealthd...nal-experience/

[fishinghat]

FN,

Thank you...you're absolutely right...I can't handle this drop...I'm ANGRY this morning, partly because i'm taking care of my mom too many hours and there's constant chattering upstairs when other caregivers are here...i want to f===ing scream at them....

i can't think...keep asking my mom the same question over and over..when her doc appt is today...i FEEL RETARDED!!

So, i'm taking your advice and going back up to 1/8, 1/8 and taking a bead out a day...

PLEASE REMIND ME HOW TO DO THIS...so tomorrow I take out 2, then 3, then 4?

You guys are lifesavers...it's a shame the damn doctors don't know what we do...am I right?? HA!

 

You are right but I would suggest you stabilize first. Go back up to the last dose and stabilize. After that, just like yoou said, Take out 2 beads, them 3, then 4. After a week, if you are not having problems, then try dropping 2 beads a day. Listen to yoour body.

[ittybittysmitty]

No wonder I felt like a rageaholic this morning...my last dose was at 8 am yesterday!

You're right FH...I think I'll take a few days and feel more like myself and go from there.

Is it normal to feel like you have brain damage?

[TryinginFL]

IBS,

 

Yes, I think that is normal, because that is how I feel! (But what is  "normal" at this point? )  At least that's the way we feel...

 

Thank you immensely for that link - that was an excellent read and I forwarded it to both of my sons - I can only hope that it will at least HELP them to understand this horrible experience!  So difficult though, when one hasn't experienced it first -hand.

 

Yes, please go up to where you were stable - you can take your time bead counting down.  There is no rush and how you feel is what's important.

 

Be kind to yourself - you don't need extra stress since you are taking care of your mom as well.

 

Please keep us posted!

 

Love, Hugs and Prayers,

Liz

[ittybittysmitty]

Hi Liz!

So nice to hear from you...I miss your cheerful spirit...;o)))

I'm glad you liked the article and will pray your sons better understand the horror of this.

Remind me how long you've been off C or are you still tapering?

Blessings on your day,

Sarah

[TryinginFL]

IBS

 

Thanks for your kind message!

 

I went off this crap cold turkey 8 months and 3 weeks ago - was on 60 mg. for about 4 yrs (can't remember exactly) and went off Lyrica cold turkey at the same time.  About 4 months later, I did a fast withdrawal from Trazodone as well.  My life has been hell for a good portion of that time.  Physical issues not much of a problem, but the mental problems make me often feel that I should check myself in somewhere.  

 

The anxiety makes me crazy and I still have no motivation or energy.  I only go out when I absolutely have to and if you have been following previous posts I'm sure you have read about the horrible trip that I should never have made...

 

Bless you, my friend.

 

Liz  

[fishinghat]

No wonder I felt like a rageaholic this morning...my last dose was at 8 am yesterday!

You're right FH...I think I'll take a few days and feel more like myself and go from there.

Is it normal to feel like you have brain damage?

 

Funny, I have felt that way all my life. Most of my friends feel that way about me too.  lol 

 

Yes it is normal. And to be truthful your brain, especially the nerve pathways have been altered to adjust to the medicine.

[thismoment]

IBS

 

It's normal to feel abnormal coming off these toxins. Your behaviour and perceptions are altered, therefore your brain has been altered. If everything returns to normal function after discontinuation, then the altered state has returned to normal. If, however, symptoms persist and they remain long enough to be considered permanent, perhaps brain damage is the correct term. Time will tell.

 

But that's a future that may never arrive, so there's no need to worry about that right now.

 

Without a doubt your cognitive abilities have been retarded (slowed down), or attenuated to the point where your short-term memory is poor and you find you have to ask the same question over and over. (Been there!!) That will improve over time in discontinuation. Patience. Give yourself 6 months of reprieve from self-criticism.

 

As FH, FN, and TFL have suggested, go back to 1/8 X 2 per day until you feel stable (no overt symptoms, no rage, no self-loathing). Stay at that dosage for as long as it takes to level out and feel a little "normal". It might take 2 or 3 weeks. Whatever.

 

Then bead-count your way to zero. No rush here either. DON'T IMPOSE A TIMELINE. Take whatever time you need to keep the overt symptoms at bay. That might be two or three months-- doesn't matter. Just make yourself feel good along the way-- nobody's keeping score. Keep the stress to a minimum by going slowly.

 

Take care.

[ittybittysmitty]

Well, good evening folks...i haven't forgotten you...;o)

about a week ago, I switched from bead counting for about 4 days to just wanting to get the weaning over with...so I decided to go back to my doc's plan of dropping by 50% for 10 days...my last dose will be on Wednesday.

He has me on Zyprexa to help my mood swings...It causes weight gain, so I've had difficulty taking the full dose...but if i don't take the prescribed dose i end up feeling crazy the next day like i do today...i can't figure out how to plan meals, i snap at my mom, i take everything WAY too seriously...for example, this guy at the coffee shop i have a crush on didn't come over and talk to me so I jump to the conclusion that he's not interested...my thinking is so distorted and I let a disappointment ruin my day. The obsessive thoughts take me over completely and I can't think of anything else...

So i learned my lesson about the Zyprexa...

I'm also out of adderall so i have to wait until Monday's appointment...Without it I can't use my brain at all...

I guess I didn't have the patience to count the beads....

[TryinginFL]

Oh, IBS...

 

Please go back up above and re-read TM's post regarding the bead counting (posted Sept. 23).  It is so much easier on you and it is obvious that things aren't going great for you now.  I'm truly sorry - life gets so screwed up that way.

 

You are putting yourself back into the cold turkey withdrawal again.  If you were to do this, would the Zyprexa be necessary? (The weight gain would be enough to turn me off right there!) 

 

I'm sure that you are tired of hearing about patience and time, but what is the rush?  Isn't the main goal to get off this poison with as little discomfort as possible?  If you are snapping at your mom, that is evidence of the cold turkey again.  Please go back up to where you felt stable - even if it takes a couple of weeks and PLEASE bead count down!  You will feel much better and hold the worst parts of the withdrawal at bay.

 

We really are trying to help - there is no time line!!

 

Please continue to keep us posted.

 

Liz

[ittybittysmitty]

Dear Liz..thank you for being straight with me...deep down I know that I'm just following the doc because he's the doc..what does he know, right?

He said he wanted the cymbalta 'out of the way" to know what changes to make next so I guess that swayed me.

Liz, I remember so vividly when I was bead counting that I about 4 hours after my morning dose i got crabby and anxious so after I took the second dose was back to feeling stable...now I'm down by 50% like you said and there is no second dose..I'm thinking as I write this..why do this to myself? To please a shrink?? He doesn't have to go through hell..I do!

Since cutting by half I've become a totally different person...even hearing my thoughts like voices talking to me...yes, I'm talking to myself now...lol..someone please add that to the symptoms list!

Tomorrow I'm going back to the 1/8 twice a day until I see him Monday...

Thanks again and I hope you are well...and coping as best you can in sunny Florida;0))

[TryinginFL]

Yaaaaaay!!!!  I'm cheering for you - you can do this!!

 

BTW, hearing the thoughts talking to you is also one of the s/e's - don't feel that you are alone!  Remember  -  the doc is most likely totally ignorant of the symptoms you have been going through - has HE done this???  He is a an idiot - so easy to tell someone what to do w/o the knowledge of what the withdrawal is like!

 

Please stick with the bead counting - you don't have to tell him!  Just be sure that you have enough RX for counting!   And let him write out whatever RX he wants - you are an adult and free to tear it up when you leave the office - then perhaps you should start shopping for a new doc!   I am on my 3rd PCP this year - last one wanted to put me back on the poison after I had been off of it for 5 months!  That was the last time I saw him...

 

Please hang tough - and don't set any time lines.  We'll help you through this!!

 

Hugs,

Liz

[gail]

.even hearing my thoughts like voices talking to me...yes, I'm talking to myself now...lol..someone please add that to the symptoms list!
 

 

IBS, going on 8 months here, and can relate to this. Isn't it tiring to hear that monologue going inside the mind?

 

You just want to say shut the fuck off! It is out of our control. Being aware of this is a good thing.

 

Some days when I feel anxiety , I hear that darn voice saying this and that, nothing pertinent. A little pest that likes hearing itself talk and thrives on anxious thoughts. I cant remember those thoughts 5 minutes later.

 

Just wish TM was here, as I recalled he or she talked about that in some posts.

[ittybittysmitty]

Hi Gail...when they say the mind plays tricks on us that puts it mildly...

[gail]

IBS, I sure understand what you are saying.

 

Where are you at with the bead counting? My brain is a bit off at the moment.

And the Zyprexa? You have to understand, I am also reminding myself as I say this, that medication is necessary to get us through.

 

You have the advantage of being younger than most of us. I believe that older ones have much more difficulty regarding discontinuation.

 

The fact that every single thing is blown out out of proportion, this is what Claire Weekes callls sensitization. Mental fatigue.

 

If you have a chance to get her book, it will soothe you, at least for a while. Title ESSENTIAL HELP FOR YOUR NERVES.

 

Or look it out on internet.

 

I know that the forum is slow for some reasons, It will pass, sure hope so.

[ittybittysmitty]

Gail...thanks for jogging my pea brain...I haven't set up meds for this week..do you get spacey too ?

I honestly don't know what to do...I see the psych tomorrow and will need to be honest that the fifty percent drop was a disaster...

Did you count beads? Are you still withdrawing or in discontinuation?

I took the prescribed dose of Zyprexa and feel calm and unruffled..

Thanks for the book tip! There's also a book called Hope and Help for your Nerves but I'm not sure who wrote it.

Take care...I will keep ya posted

[FiveNotions]

hello IBS and Gail ... I'm back ... had to take a day... almost 2 days ... off ... I've had a "crapalta relapse" and was absolutely totally incapacitated with exhaustion ... (learning to work in the world again, and putting one of my kitties to sleep)... just another phase it seems ... and it's passing, so I'm back to my favorite place in the universe ... the only freaking place where I'm understood ...
 
Ok... let's see ... IBS .... well, you sure are a stubborn broad, aren't you? It's both a survival mechanism, and a screw-yourself-royally mechanism (self-screwing, at least in my own experience, is never any fun) ... you quit bead counting, and went for the rapid escape route, and it came back to bite you in the butt ...
 
And yay, the survivor tough broad saw the light and went back up a dose, and has re-started the slow weaning ... it's gonna' take you a couple of days to stabilize after that jolt you gave yourself ... but not to worry, you're almost there ...
 
Stop listening to your doc ... he's even less competent / real than that pesky little voice inside your head talking all the crazy talk ...
 
Like Gail and TFL said, those thoughts just sorta' talk to us, they aren't us, but they live, rent free, in our heads, and pop out whenever we're the most vulnerable ... for you, it's likely cuz you stopped the slow weaning and went too fast, so they saw their opportunity and jumped into the breach to "amuse you" ... and, for me, the past couple of days because I've been so exhausted and sad  ... my little voices have been having the equivalent of a frat house party in my head, 24/7 ...
 
IBS, everything you're experiencing / describing is truly just part of this process ... and a blessing you have is that you're younger than TFL, Gail and me ... you're getting through this really well ... really you are!!
 
Gail and IBS ... great book suggestions ... Gail, a while back, you started a thread on "inspirational books" or some such .... https://www.cymbalta...books/?hl=books

Would you guys put those titles in it for future reference, easier finding?