Sorry... can't help with going off the meds but merely offer my experience with same.

The feelings of growing up, maturing, etc. may well be the effects of the medications. The meds correct a chemical imbalance in the brain... that imbalance is not something that improves. If you have a borderline imbalance then diet and other changes may work, but if the imbalance is more pronounced then you need the meds.

Compare it to diabetes... if you are borderline, you can change diet to effect it. But if you are diabetic, you need the insulin.

 

My Mother, I believe, got off of her heart medication by breaking up a pill and only taking most of it to wean herself. If you were to alternate taking 3/4 of a pill one day and all of it the next, etc. would such a gentle decrease upset the apple cart? I know it took my Mother many, many months to get off of it entirely.

Congrats of feeling stronger and more capable, by the way!

 

Oh, yes.

It also depends on what you have. My husband stopped the anti-depressants, but, my daughter will take meds for life. As Homesteadforty said, there are some chemical imbalances that a person cannot tolerate.

 

Take heed of what your body is trying to tell you. You might not WANT to be on pills for the rest of your life, but if you NEED them, accept it.

The diabetes analogy is a good one. A similar one is hyopthyroidism. If your body doesn't produce enough of the thyroid hormone, then you need the tablets to provide it - for the rest of your life.

Same with certain anti-depressant drugs. If your body needs them, and you stop taking them, it can create havoc. It's nothing to do with addiction.

I'm all in favour of herbal alternatives - but you should be aware that it's very difficult to get the dosage right with herbs - and (since herbs are medicines just like conventional medicines) the risks of side-effects etc are just the same. Stick with the conventional meds because you KNOW they work for you.

 

May I ask how old you are? You can PM me if you don't want to answer here.

 

A similar one is hyopthyroidism. If your body doesn't produce enough of the thyroid hormone, then you need the tablets to provide it - for the rest of your life.

I'll agree with the "listen to your body" sentiments, but I will be the rare one to disagree with the hypothyroidism analogy. I have hypothyroidism, among other things, controlled through diet. I was on meds which my body did not like. After losing some weight, my TSH levels have improved enough to go without drugs! :banana02:

But YES, listen to your body. There are some instances that your body NEEDS those supplements.

 

You can die by going off cold turkey. Weaning is a LENGTHY process- you must prepare yourself to very very gradually taper. Some meds can't be cut in half or quarters- you have to have the medication formulated at the lower dose.
Tell your doctor you want to do a Gradual Dose Reduction. If he has ANY geriatric patients, he should recognize what you are talking about. Doctors are mandated to reduce geritaric sedatives, hypnotics and anxiety meds. I believe most nursing home doctors do 6-8 weeks at each lower level, monitoring to make sure that you are tolerating the reduction and you're not having an exacerbation of symptoms.
Good luck with what you are trying. (From someone who started taking Elavil for pain control and discovered that she HAD been suffering from chemical imbalance all her life and suddenly had more energy and creativity than she knew what to do with)

 

I'm 32.

I went on these darn things when I had a bunch of stuff going on in my life and I wouldn't let myself relax and let other people help me, hence the panic attacks. I've never been diagnosed as having a mental problem. I know how to do this stuff now and I do have a script for clonazapam which is a true anxiety med, which knocks you out but is non habit forming that I plan on keeping as my "saftey device" so I have that as a backup if I need it. That is what I need if I have a bad day, not something daily that doesn't do a dang thing. But I don't need a daily script. Since being on these pills, I've gained 40 lbs which I can NOT lose. I have a very low sex drive which is annoying and need to sleep a lot and poor memory, which I've NEVER had. I've been found healthy otherwise. Just had a full physical a few months back

Here's the side effects if you try to get off these - complete and utter dispair with the only thought in your head that makes any sense is ending your life, however I know how ridiculous it is, so just sat in the corner of the bathroom crying with DH trying to calm me down. Along with severe headaches and electrical "zaps" that shoot thoughout your body - which makes you wonder what the heck is wrong with you. I've looked this up on the net and found lots of places where people state the exact same symptoms and say it's just like an illegal drug withdrawl and it's about 2-3 weeks of complete he!! and then you're fine, but you never know who you are talking to there, I feel "safe" here at least. You know darn well a doctor won't agree about symptoms. Just like with the script they started me out on - Wellbutrin - I had hallucinations when sleeping and would actually wake up hitting DH or throwing myself out of bed - but doctor wouldn't acknowledge that officially, just switched my drug.

 

I don't know you, and I am unfamiliar with your problems. I will say that a sister in law of mine needed her anxiety/anti depressants just to function. She would proclaim herself cured and quit her meds. Then wreak havoc on the family with her behavior, mood swings, violent outbursts. Every family function ended in her temper tantrums. My brother tried for years to make it work with her. When she was on them, she was OK. When she was off them, Katy bar the door! He finally divorced her. The calm after the storm is so sweet.

The point I am trying to make is that you may not be the best judge of whether you should quit your meds. Please talk to your doctor!

 

I have been on Zoloft for almost 10 years now. Was on Elavil before that. Not only will I NEVER stop taking Zoloft, my husband won't let me! We know full well the horrible side effects I have when I stop taking it.

I am happy that I can manage now on 50 mg a day. I used to be on 200 mg.

Your horrible side effects could very well be your body's "norm" without the medication.

Wanted to mention...I'm 49. I've been on antidepressants since I was 28. There is no amount of "maturing" or "growing up" that will change my brain chemistry. I'm thankful the small pill I take nightly does that for me.

 

My best friend weaned herself off. She is now a work-out junkie. Her hubby will literally hand her her running shoes and say "go do it" if she has missed exercising for more then a few days LOL. Not 100% sure if she weaned slowly or went cold turkey (am leaning towards weaning)

 

My experience says that if you have a hard time getting off - perhaps you really need them. If the old nerve synapsis doesn't work correctly, they just don't work correctly.

I am not sure why you don't want to take them, but I woudl re-think this if I were you. I know many people say such bad things about people that take this kind of medicine, but they are really uninformed. I would not live without them unless I had to. Hopefully, if I ever do, my last child will be grown. I am a much better Mom with the medication.

Could you consider lowering the dose to the lowest possible and still keep your symtoms away?

 

Dbarjminis, there are a couple of things that I am not seeing.

The most important one is what your doctor said along with "just take it". Did he not tell you WHY he wanted you on it? The effect that he was after? What did he say when you told him it was affecting your weight and sex life? If you had told him about this, he should have responded. IF he did not, you need a different doctor who WILL talk to you.

The other is where you had an honest and open talk with your doctor about your long range goals. Did you?

 

Two years ago I had a horrible ENT infection. Driving home from the doctors I passed out for a few seconds behind the wheel. After that I couldn't drive ANYWHERE without having panic attacks...it was horrible. I totally became dependant on Hubby to drive me everywhere!!! I couldn't even make it to the CVS a mile away. Not wanting to be *medicated* I tried tons of herbal products for over a year!!! I think I counted 28 bottles of various things when we moved...oy. Then I found L-tryptophan. Relief in a bottle, not cheap but well worth the price when added to B vitamins. Sleep is also GREAT which it rarely was before. This just might be something you may want to research. Not sure it helps with the libedo, but then you can try some horny goat weed for that (works for me!).

Good luck to you!!

Hillside

 

I also take that particular medication which is a generic for celexa which i started taking cause it was less expensive than lexapro. The symptoms you mention are part of what is called a discontinuation syndrome. It is no where near the same thing as drug addiction withdrawal which involves being both physically as well as mentally addicted to a drug. Your doctor should explain to you how you can get off the med without doing damage to yourself. Your doctor may also tell you the reason he/she wants you to keep taking it. The bottom line is that it is your body.....however your body is also shared with others who love you and do not want you to feel the need to harm yourself. If you are unable to find a way off the particular medication without feeling you need to harm yourself perhaps you should think about the real reason you might want off this med. This is akin to a diabetic deciding that they will no longer take insulin even though they will feel like death warmed over until they die from their diabetic condition. Just something to think about? I have been on this med for over 5 years, would love to be a person who does not need to take this med but at the same time am eternally grateful to have finally (after 15 years) found something that allows me to be not depressed. Sis

 

You need to talk and be monitored by your doctor. We have tried to have my daughter weaned off a few times and were always very closely monitored by her doctor (not general MD but her psychiatrist). Weaning takes around two months.

As a side note I have taken my daughter to two different natropaths and had tons of testing done for her with the natropaths, both told me to continue SSRI's. Her serotonin levels are so low when she doesn't take her meds she gets horrible migraines and can barely function emotionally. The SSRI literally just corrects her chemical imbalance so she can function. I should note that she does not take them for depression.

If you are having that hard of a time maybe the meds are working and you need to keep taking them? I am not someone that would willy nilly give my children drugs (chemicals) if I truly didn't think she had a chemical imbalance to correct. Just because it is a pharmaceutical doesn't mean it is all bad (none of us take any other pharma drug by the way, only homeopathic/supplement/herbal but this is something that can not be touched by the "natural" remedy). Just give it some thought.

 

I weaned myself off this med very slowly.. first by cutting back from 40 to 20 to 10 mg daily.. then 10 mg every other day. I've been doing this since around the first of the year. I took the 10 mg every other day, and then twice a week for about 5 months. It's been 3 weeks since I took the last one. I would not recommend going cold turkey, you are going to have all of those side effects.. the electric shocks, dizziness.. don't expect too much of yourself, just go easy.
Five years ago I was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety, but things have changed in life, - have learned coping skills and improved health, so I'd like to try going without the Celexa. If this doesn't work I'll go back on. I do have the Xanax on hand if needed, and just having it there is helpful.
If you decide to do this, give yourself a very long time, even a year if you have to, to be completely off. See how you feel, keep in touch w/your doctor and let him/her know how you are doing.. and don't hesitate to stay on if you need to.

Take care

 

Not to sound mean but, when you go off the meds the doctor gave you, and you go on some herbal voodoo medicine, remember that when you have a break down one day and hurt yourself or some one else, please, don't sue the doctor.

If you have bad side effects from one drug, try a different one. if the doctor you have will not swap you out on meds until you find one that works with little side effect, then get another doctor.

Do not try to "ween yourself off" a medication until you know HOW to. All meds are different, some are very dangerous to get off of if you do it wrong.

I suggest first, you try an new doctor.
and no herbal voodoo.

herbal voodoo can also interact with many drugs.

 

Weaning is a long process. I took Zoloft a few years back for depression and panic attacks...the depression and such led to some OCD behaviours, so the Zoloft ended up being a godsend to me. That being said, I cut out the zoloft pretty quickly when I decided to go off of it (like **weaned** off of it in about a month's time) and it was NOT pretty. I had to go back on for a while and then slooooowly wean off of them. I believe it took 6-8 months for me to wean off of it. And when I weaned that slowly, it was successful.

HOWEVER, had I still needed it, I would have kept on it. There was a possibility that I would have had to stay on it, and my doc said it was a real possibility. It's been about 4-4 1/2 years since I did that long weaning off and things have been good.

It's definitely not something you want to do in a matter of weeks or a month....it's a long process. Good luck to you! (And ITA with the other posters who said to find another doc.....*Just take it, it won't hurt you* is not a medical reason to stay on something, nor is it a medical deterrent for going off of a med.)

Shawna

 

I've been on the gamut of different meds for a couple years, the first round was because of a misdiagnosis - they thought I was depressed after my parents death and had me on lithium, depakote, trezadom and resperdal (Unsure if spellings are correct) I had HUGE issues, the depakote left me with the shakes, and when I was asleep and dreaming upon waking up I couldnt tell if what I dreamed was really a dream or if it just happened and I wasn't aware of it.

New doctor new meds, first he tried effexor but after reading up on the weaning process, and the like, I took myself off that one cold turkey luckily with none of the side effects that i"ve read so many have horribly experienced. I think perhaps it was because I wasn't on it long enough.

Went to a new Dr - this time someone that was held highly in regard in his profession (A psychiatrist vs an MD) he went through a full work up including an eval and discovered that it wasn't depression, bi polar, or any of the other things that MD's were literally guessing at, but I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and general anxiety disorder stemming from my parents death and a sexual assault that occured at work a few years back. Went into Talk therapy 3x a week and he prescribed valium. I did try xanax before that but it did nothing for me.

The talk aspect of the therapy has been over for quite some time now, but I have all of his numbers if I should ever need them, he taught meditative excercises, (which whether I was doing them wrong or what, but they didn't seem to work for me lol)

He had me on 10mg 2-3x a day for my anxiety because once we moved up here I got to the point I didn't want to leave my house etc. He's now turned over that aspect of treatment to my OB/GYN due to the pregnancy, and will resume/come visit at the hospital once I deliver. My OB has cut down the dosage to 5 miligrams 1x per day, however on super bad days I am "permitted" to double the dosage.

I do try to space the dosages out, being pregnant, but there are some days that I just need them to function and not be a hormonal b****, moreso now that the holidays are approaching (my worst times/set offs) I've went off it up to a couple weeks at a time just to get my body used to it becuase I will be off them totally the last 3 weeks before I deliver so the little one doesn't have withdrawal affects. (Nothing dangerous, just a bit lethargic but still) There are times when it's very difficult but the NP has done some aromathy work with me which helps while not nearly as much, it does take the 'edge" off.

Not sure if this was exactly the advice you were looking for, this has just been my experience with the different "drugs" mentioned in my post.....

 

I take paxil, off and on as the need arises. I never stop cold turkey, always wean. And I am self-aware enough to recognize when I am needing to restart. Take good care of yourself.

anette

 

Thank you for the information.

 

I have taken citalopram and buspirone daily and have for 10 years. I will never stop taking them. EVER. I am 46 and until 10 years ago I was not a very nice person to be around. I was always mad at someone for something and the littlest thing could set me off. When we moved and I changed doctors he was the one to realize that I had a major problem with anxiety and depression. I just recently talked to him about going off of them but that I didn't want to be that mean person anymore and he told me that I had just answered my own question. Take the meds. I love the person I am today and never want to go back.

 

I love the person I am today and never want to go back.

Me, too.
I've taken Zoloft for 14 plus years now.

I've tried the weaning process, but now, I know.
Like a diabetic needs insulin, I need the extra seratonin.

I only wish I'd started taking it 20 years sooner, so my family could have had a less moody Mom to live with.

 

I am on 3 meds. Which I'm not too happy about, but they do the trick. 5mg a day Bystolic, which is a blood pressure med. It's a beta blocker that helps with my racing heart. 10 mg a day Lexapro for my depression/anxiety. 5 mg Atavan for when I have a panic attack.

I vividly remember my first panic attack, it was in the hospital after having my gall bladder out. Totally freaked me out. I made them take the monitors out of my room because I would watch my heart rate go up and I would get upset which would make it go up more. So they put me on a remote monitor. Then everything went downhill from there. For the past 5 years, I've been fighting anxiety and panic attacks.

It all came to a head this past July 4th, when I totally lost it in the grocery store. I was with hubby and we were on our way to his cousin's for a party. I absolutely could not deal with it. Then the following week I was in the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.

Finally I was diagnosed with GAD and Depression. Spent the summer in therapy, and feel halfway normal.

I am no longer in therapy, but say with all sincerity that I would not give up my meds. I've cut my caffeine intake way down, and try not to get stressed out. (right..) I also have a friend that is as "normal" as I. We get together and talk, and talk. It really helps!