Ceasing Antideppresants and having terrible withdrawals - hospitalisation or is this just wasting people's time?

[Michael9]

After approx 12 years on Antideppresants, last 2 years @ 300mg daily, a new psych in Adelaide, which took 11 weeks to see as a new patient, 7 week gap then took place due to his scheduled holidays. As a result though I completed the taper & am off antideppresants but not yet on any alternative. The script he gave me was refused filling by two local chemists. I called my Melbourne Doc & he agreed to not touch it as it was more addictive than antideppresants & could not see how a psychiatrist after 2 sessions could diagnose me. The psych hasn't for clarity. The withdrawals have made me beyond irritable & following quitting my job to take care of my elderly father a year ago, I'm at breaking point in terms of frustrations & anger, I am in no danger to myself & pose none to others. However I haven't slept for more than 11 days have no access to sleeping medication (which went from instant sleep to needing at least 3 tabs to get to sleep for perhaps 2 hours). Valerian etc is all a waste & I eat sleeping medication like tic tacs (kidding, but nowhere near strong enough) My GP in Adelaide said there were very few good psychiatrists in Adelaide & doing a search on this site and the RANZCOP with a 50km radius came up with NONE!

Do I present to a hospital? I have hospital cover & full extras, but I am concerned that I do not want to endure a cinematic experience & end up there for life in a wheelchair staring out a window. I can function but I need something to curtail these withdrawals. I've often wondered if my depression is just symptomatic of something else (I have mountains of books I buy each week but never read, no motivation etc) but it's unreasonable for a new psych to be able to diagnose this after 2 sessions & sadly due to more holidays (his) I can't see him again til May. This is the antideppresant withdrawals I know (I hope). Is Adelaide really that hard to get a good doctor? I've been trying since September & have clearly drawn a dud after waiting 11 weeks for my 1st appointment. Any advice, suggestions would be appreciated. Should I present to a hospital (Flinders or?) I just don't want to create a future problem with my private health cover, employment opportunities etc by taking this step. Will this just pass on its own in a few weeks? For those of you that beat antideppresants eventually, did your sweating stop? That was one of the worst things about it, but now I'm very irritable, sad, exhausted and can't remember the last time I felt really alive.

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi Michael9,

Welcome to the Beyond Blue forum. It is great to see you reaching out here for some support as I have answered quite a few threads on people who are struggling with medication changes. You are not alone. I am sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time sleeping and with finding an available practitioner in your area.

There are many suggestions that I could pose but first I would ask if you have a GP that you see regularly? Have you had a recent complete physical assessment with your GP? This could be a great starting point especially after coming off antidepressant medication. Getting a physical health check as well as discussing your insomnia with your GP could be a good first step.

You mentioned seeing a psychiatrist but I wonder if you have tried any other health professional for your symptoms such as a psychologist? There are many other health professionals who are able to support the treatment of low mood and support your in your journey off antidepressants. For example, your GP could refer you to psychologist under a mental health care plan where you may find some support through different types of therapy such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

As you are already under the care of a health practitioner it would be important to include your GP into any new type of treatment you start, including an admission to the hospital. Having a consultation with your GP may help you gain clarity on the right solution for you and give you some interim support or even look at other strategies.

The side effects of coming off medication are very individual and it is difficult to say how long it will take for some of these experiences to pass. I would recommend completing a side effect journal so you can track where you are at and if things are getting better or worse over time. This would also be helpful to your psychiatrist at your next appointment so they could gain a better picture of how you are travelling. A journal could be simple including date, time and your mood as well as your withdrawal / side effects and how much they are impacting you on a scale of 1 - 10.

Another suggestion is to use the Beyond Blue support line on 1300 22 4636. Talking about all the the things that are going on for you and getting them off your mind may benefit your sleep. And when your sleep improves, everything tends to feel less difficult. Let us know how you go and don't hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Nurse Jenn