ive stopped taking AD's and feel rough

[jimmyjamas]

i have weaned myself off cipralex better known as escitalopram 20mg and feel really rough, i.e. banging headache, a bit nauseas, is this normal??

my GP doesn't know i am off them but he did say to me at my last appt that its time to wean off them as they shoudn't be taken long term. I was quite happy to stay on them.

anyway, i am on other meds for something else and i suppose he didn't want me being on too many meds.

just wondered if anyone experienced headaches and nausea when coming off AD's?

yep, that is totally what you will go through if you come off them too quickly
did the doc advise how to wean off them?

how did you do it??

I think he would have given you 10mg ones for a long time and then every other day , very slowly anyway

i just cut the tab in half for about 3 weeks, then went every other day taking it, then every few days now i have stopped completely. he told me u are only supposed to be on them for 6 months and its been 8 months.

anyway, hopefully i will ok soon. i didn't want to take AD's and strong ant -acids tablets lansoprazole 30mg.

something else i have noticed is i feel so bloody stroppy, really irritable and snappy with everyone. but i really don't want to be on them anymore though. hopefully in a few weeks i will feel fine again.

6 months!!!!
hmm thats not good advice
ad's take a long time too reset your chemical levels, you should be on them for a year at least to ensure you dont become depressed again
along with counselling or whatever to riught the reasons you became depressed

I've been on and off them for 7 years and none of the many docs that know have ever said I need to get off them

I have just started cipramil(similar AD) 20mg and my Gp also recommended 6 months and then wean off. I have heard others describe the headaches and nausea when coming off these, you have to wean v slowly- sounds like you have been though.
My little sis tried to wean herself off cipralex a month ago and her husband nearly left her because her anger/stroppiness was unbearable!She went back on them.
It must be very difficult for you- makes me v worried about weaning off myself, especially as Gp recommended around xmas! That'll be nice for my family!

Make sure you let me know how you get on -it'll be invaluable to many people on here!

6 months, what bollocks!!

I was on prozac for years, there's even a graph somewhere that shows waht happens if you come off at 6 months rather than 1 year etc. Take them again if you need them

I've been on my AD's for 18months (Sertraline).

I'm a pretty high doseage,150mg, but I see my GP every 3 months and she's in total
agreement with me that I need to stay on them.

I don't want,or feel ready to come off of them and when the time is right (be it another 18mnths-2yrs or beyond) i'll come off of them when it's right for me, not my GP.

i went cold turkey 5 years ago on 250mg of venoflaxine.

I felt sick, dizzy and really ugh

But I wanted to try for a baby (part of reason i was depressed,mid thirties and no kids) and side effects lasted two weeks but it was worth it

I've been on every AD imaginable, Sertraline
is the latest one as my dd who is 3 now still has 1-2 breastfeeds a day. Sertraline has the shortest 'Half life' so is safe to take when b.feeding and also when pregnant.

I was off my AD's from the moment I found out I was pregnant till dd was 19mnths, if only i'd known I could have been taking Sertraline in that time.....

Prozac worked well for me for 2yrs, then I went onto Seroxat. Seroxat has had a really bad press, and I would certainly not reccomend anyone to take it willynilly. For me when I discoverd I was pregnant (at 5 weeks!) I stopped the Seroxat.

I had major side effects coming off of it, but I think when my dd has stopped b.feeding completely I will go back onto it.

WHY? Cos it works for me. I have an imbalance in my brain, a chemical imbalance and AD's put that balance right.

I am most definately not an advocator of
AD'S.

For most people they can get through life's ups and downs without the need of drug therapy.
I'm 31 (in November) and i've been on AD's on and off since I was 16.

I function alot better by taking my tablet
everyday than by not taking it. Without it I have been hospitalised and housebound for nearly a year.

With it, I'm a highly functional Mummy

Dd and I do activities most days of the week, but we also just spend together at home. Doing nothing, baking, painting, arts&craft, watching tv and thinking up the next practical joke to play on Daddy!

AD's are not something to be taken lightly, my life is better on them, but hey that's just one person.

thanks everyone. adorabelle - i agree about functioning better on them as i felt i could take on the world when i was on them. before taking them i was a nervous wreck & ;happy to stay indoors all day.

anyway, last night i had the worst nights sleep ever. headaches, nausea, sweating and no matter how hard i tried, i just couldn't sleep. i'm knackered today.

i am going to make an appt to see my GP again. for some reason they don't want me on them, i think its because of the strong ant acids they have prescribed - maybe they react badly with ad's (don't know).

i went on AD's for panic attacks and high levels of anxiety. so maybe i don't need to be on them as long as someone with bad depression, although i admit i suffer mild depression too.

i will keep u updated.

I'm not sure if you will read this, but just wanted to add my conviction that it's complete codswallop to say you should only be on them for 6 months, if anything it could (only could, mind) make it worse.... also, if your gp said you need to come off them soon, why would you stop taking them before you have him giving you a plan??

I truly do not understand this idea that you have to get off them as soon as possible - you wouldn't suddenly stop taking tablets and watching your diet if you had Type 2 diabetes .... would you? (you meaning anyone reading, not you in particular!!)It's such an amazing act of courage to start taking them and allow yourself to get the help that was needed, it just seems an unseemly rush

Anyway, I'm not having a go at you, just wondering out loud about the billions of posts of people who are willing to go cold turkey (I realise you ahven't done that)... ime, Cipralex was very easy to come off, but then I did it my own unique way - well problaby not unique - but it's working for the venlafaxine at hte moment which is really far more grim. In fact escitalopram is used as a buffer stage in coming off it because it's so much easier.....

I take the dose after 24 hours, then work out what the time will be 25 hours after that, and take the next dose then... adding an hour every time.. until you get to 48 hours or so... and then split the tablet and do the same again with that.......... in the end you're taking almost nothing, and, ime, no side effects. GP was interested, impressed, but don't know if anyone has ever done it like that before... so just a suggestion.

BTW, ellasmum - if you see this - my gp particularly didn't want me to come off them in the winter as most people find life more difficult/grey in the winter and he said spring summer was usually far more successful/easier.! No idea if he has scientific papers to back that up, but an interesting idea....

Good luck to everyone - I know I needed it!

thanks jackaroo - i am usually in bed by now but i still have the most horrendous headache and nauseas feeling.

i thought that i had done everything right to come off the AD's - but I feel like shite.

at this rate i will pop another AD just to get a good nights sleep.

Again, only ime, I owuld just start taking them again for a bit, and try coming off again iyswim. If you're feeling that awful it's not going to be easy to see whether you're OK without them I guess. Meanwhile, I've said before that taking loads of drinks of water can help. No idea why except others have agreed that the headached does feel like hte headache you get in the sun/when you're dehydrated.

It really truly is not the end of the world to take them for a little bit longer.

Sorry if I was a bit strident last night, in the middle of major horrible convos with DH (Or just H?!), and whilst coming off my drugs too - not good timing!!

Just wanted to send you some 'Virtual Support' jimmyjamas.

How are you? I hope you're feeling ok and your symtoms are getting easier to deal with as the days pass.

Keep us all informed as to how you are xx

jackeroo - thanks for your support, i am going to see how i get on without the AD's for a while, and if i start to feel panicky/highly anxious again i will start on them again.

adorabele - i am feeling a bit better this morning. last night i had a lovely bath, then did some meditation and managed to get a good nights sleep. I still have the headaches though (feels like a hangover type headache) and the nausea has disappeared.

i am going to see my GP soon as i need to go about my acid reflux problem, and i will tell about stopping the AD's.

thanks