topic Stopping Medication in Treatments, health professionals and therapies

Stopping Medication

thehiss — Mon, 02 May 2016 10:10:37 GMT

I stopped taking my medication a week ago after being on it for over 8 years and I am going through hell, I don't think the withdrawal symptoms will ever go away. From restlessness to derealisation I've got it all, the derealisation is really bothering me I feel like I don't know where I am almost like I'm in a different world. The last couple of days I've also had this feeling of suffocating, its like I'm stuck under all this rocks and I'm yelling out for help but no one can hear me meanwhile I'm running out of air to breathe, but I think this might be more due to severe anxiety rather than withdrawal side effects. My doctor wants to try me on an SNRI but I really don't want to go on another medication. Has anyone else felt like this, I feel like I'm losing it.

Stopping Medication

James75 — Mon, 02 May 2016 10:30:01 GMT

So sorry you are going through hell, why did you stop medication... Sometimes we feel we must stopped it for many reasons... But 1000s of people take all kinds of medication all their life wheter for heart problems , HIV and all sorts... Some people drink alcohol all their lives .. If it helps then it might mean excepting that you might need to take it for the rest of your life.... If it helps to get you thought your day, take it day by day as tomorrow will never come hope some of this is helpful

Stopping Medication

geoff — Mon, 02 May 2016 19:55:14 GMT

hello, it seems as though you are drying out from your previous antidepressant and please correct me if I'm wrong, but drying out is very painful, as it seems to be throwing you from one corner of the room to the other side until it leaves your body.
It could well be your anxiety causing this, but the withdrawal side-effects jump on board as well, especially after being on it for 8 years, and if you were on a high dose then I would think that the withdrawal is causing your anxiety, never the less what ever is causing this isn't pleasant.
If your doctor wants to try you on a SSRI then he/she would know best, because you have to take yourself back to the days when you weren't taking any medication and why you were put on this AD, I know it was 8 years ago and probably difficult to remember, but there must have been an urgency for your doctor to do this.
There is no shame in taking AD's, however people feel as though by taking them that they are abnormal, well not so, you, me and all the others have an illness, because depression of any type is so prolific in our society, and as though it's something we all hate and don't want, it's so prevalent and can't avoid.
We can learn to control it, but before we can do this, it's takes a process to know how and why we get it, so to start on SSRI we must realise how we will be if we don't take it, in other words the pro's and con's. Geoff.

Stopping Medication

blondguy — Mon, 02 May 2016 19:59:06 GMT

Hi thehiss

Coming off meds can be difficult. The derealisation is very normal and unsettling but please see your doc about this phase.

The running of of air and inability to breathe effectively is the anxiety talking for sure. Possibly severe anxiety as you have mentioned.

I have had severe anxiety for 25 years which has nearly all healed...especially as the result of taking a small dosage of a AD everyday which also work well as an anti anxiety tool as well.

I understand that you have been on your previous meds for 8 years and good on you for trying so hard. Sometimes it may be worth trying another....The meds dont fix the problem as a whole...they do provide us with a platform on which we can recover and heal.

You would be in bad place right now with the withdrawals, please do contact your doc even by phone to get some assistance today....He'she can only help..Please let us know how you go

Here for you

Paul

Stopping Medication

CheeseSlices — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 12:17:53 GMT

How are you going?

I am wondering if I do start my next taper, how long did your withdrawal last? From the information I am finding about 3 years seems like a decent expectation to get back to normal functioning. Rushing off the medication can cause protracted discontinuation symptoms.

I hope your brain was able to heal and they treated you well.