I'm in antidepressant protracted withdrawal,15 months and counting. Severe Tinnitus,muscle aches & pains throughout my body, difficulty concentrating, irritability and highly stressed with symptoms of stress and anxiety,but feeling so relieved those drugs are not invading my brain and system anymore.Dependency and protracted withdrawal kept me taking these drugs for over 31 years. I want compensation for all the years of agony and suffering from 7 attempts of trying to stop these poisons. 6 relapses with severe depression & anxiety that once kept me off work for a year,and the next caused me to quit my job,tens of thousands in lost wages,a large part of my pension and years of my life along with any long term damages done to my brain.
Same happened to me , I was never able to hold a job and have never been able to earn money because of psych meds I have no security for tomorrow or future It's scary when you are so vulnerable and depend on other and especially psychiatrists who might decide to cut you off. Not having money insurance and help from government It's scary when you are feeling disabled
@@Catherine-mp1yt thank you kind soul, I am in tears, I applied for disability income several times been through hearings appeals and no one believes me I am exhausted of trying to prove them that I am sick and feel bad Social security doesn't believe me Their physiatrists do not believe me, they say I can work I am just on a wrong medication and want to do more experiments on me and my brain my nervous system. Doctors just want me to go off them in one day and it's scary because they have done that and I ended up in emergency and they said just go home we can't help you. Not being able to keep any kind of employment I have never had insurance and those doctors that agreed to see me and then billed in thousands of dollars all went into collections so I have been totally locked out of this sick system and depend on my husband for money. I am greatful to him and pure kind loving soul he is, he is my saviour protecting me from the cruel unjust system. Just thinking about me makes me lightheaded. I need to chill and breeze and live one moment at a time and I am not afraid of death I am afraid of suffering I refuse to suffer Peace and love and less no suffering to all of you beautiful people Justice will come A higher justice of the universe from system do not expect anything good. They don't help people they do the opposite.
Having the same experiences for 50+ years, I recommend looking up Mark Horowitz on UA-cam. The video he did on After School is excellent! It will help you make sense of your experiences. I just watched the video this morning. It expressed my experience with a psychiatrist last week, who tried to tell me my withdrawal symptoms from Effexor, were an anxiety disorder I had developed in addittion to my depression. I did not accept this diagnosis and demanded to be put on an SSRI, prozac, which has a longer half life and makes it easier to withdraw from. Be good to yourself. Depression and experimental use of drugs encouraged by the drug companies to make money have victims - Us .
There has been a robust effort by psych med developers to NOT identify side effects (like withdrawal). It's expensive to study and could threaten profits - can't have that.
You’re going to become a hero in this country for doing what you’re doing. Keep it up. These meds needed a light shined upon them and you are the light. Thank you.
I like what you added about the caregivers.. In our constant suffering it's easy to forget that they need breaks of enjoyment, and still have to live their lives ❤
Agreed. Caregivers are essential support for people experiencing protracted withdrawal, especially for severe cases where the person in withdrawal is unable to look after themselves. Caregivers should receive financial support and respite - without them, people in withdrawal would need residential care provided by the healthcare system.
I've been off benzos for over 10 years now (did my own slow taper) and found other ways to deal with my anxiety-the biggest solution was lowering the expectations on myself and on others. And try not to compare yourself to others (I understand, in our culture, this is easier said than done). But there lies the most powerful solution. Love your videos and your courage as a medical professional. ✅
@@NotA-Lizard In our society, people often deceive themselves into thinking they control complexity (aka doctors) and are being fair in their assessments. It's an illusion they find themselves trapped in.
Again, thank you for this information. I think it is easy to get impatient at the end of a taper and just want to hurry up. This presents good reason to keep it slow and steady.
Thank you Dr. Josef, you are one of the few out there that make sense and talk to us dealing with this situation in a way we can understand and relate to.
I was on Paroxetine from 2003 until 2017. I had a hysterectomy in late 2017. I left my meds at home. I had to stay an extra week in hospital. When I got home, I felt fine and decided to not continue with Paroxetine. In November, I had eye surgery (pterigium removed) under conscious sedation. On 21 Dec (on holiday) I had a secondary eye infection, and on 31 Dec (2017) I had severe vertigo and was hospitalized. Once home (in early January) I saw an ENT twice for vertigo treatment and am fine now. Divorced 2022 and happier. 🌈🌈🌈✨✨✨🙏🙏🙏
I do appreciate this video. This is a constructive helpful video. And you do let us know that while this happens for some people it's also rare. That is more informative than alarmist and I appreciate that.
I never ever had no caregivers when I tried to get off benzos I was disabled sick and had to take care of kids husband and house and even was emotionally and mentally abused while I was so sick This is a cruel world we love in. No one came to help Caregivers where are you ?
Isn’t that called seratonin syndrome? I was overdosed on Zoloft and Paxil in 1995. I have permanent damage , never slept again and got worse anxiety. I definitely have this trying to get off klonopin but I’m very stable at .25 every other day now. Makes sense why it was easy going from .75 to .25 . Your videos really help me. I pray God Bless you greatly.
Well, withdrawal is when you stop taking meds, and serotonin syndrome is when you get too much serotonin - so that wouldn’t happen when you’re tapering off meds.
@@i.ehrenfest349 Raised serotonin lingers for months after ssri/snri so it is possible for it to last for months. A study of rats on ritalin (which also raises serotonin) showed lasting increase of serotonin for at least three months. The effect of ritalin stayed in my system for about 4-5 months. After that I experienced withdrawal and nerve damage/repair. I'm 18 months off now and have little withdrawal left but rather neurological damage. Extended fasting helps with detox and healing everyone.
3:42 this is what I have thought of.For example,in benzos taper,every reduction is 5%-10% of former dosage rather than every time reduce (for example)0.5mg
Protracted withdrawal from antidepressants is very very severe. And it is such an effort to deal with fam and friends to explain how sick we are. If they would acknowledge us more we would be able to go through this terrible ordeal for years a bit better. Because even though we know it will end eventually, it is bitter suffering. Very difficult also to explain to people around us what waves and windows are. So good one day and then debilitating bad on and off.. But thank you for this video. It’s a start…( nurse Europe protracted from antidepressants now for 48 months all waves and windows getting better )
If you could make a video on protracted withdrawals from stimulant medications next that would be much appreciated. I was an extreme case as I'm still recovering from stopping them almost four years later, but for others debating on whether they should begin treatment. Stimulant medications are so normalized yet the complications are often misdiagnosed or even dismissed. Navigating the world while being severely cognitively impaired with no resources to support me has been more than a challenge. I wouldn't have started medications if I knew they could make things harder than they already were
What a great video! Thank you so much! It covers up all the important things that the medical community doesn't know about or just ignores... I was one of those rare cases where meds like Lyrica and Klonopin had to be rapidly tapered due to extreme paradoxical effects and severe side effects like akasthisia. It all started off with severe lingering akasthisia caused by a short 10 day long low dose trial of 10mg paxil. All the other meds were started to try to treat the akasthisia which was misdiagnosed as panic attacks and agitated depression. Every new med introduced aggravated the akasthisia I had. All these meds made me so sick! They slmost killed me of I hadn't have my birds. Getting off it as fast as possible was in my case with these extreme adverse effects my very best choice. Once off of Klonopin which was my last med, the akasthisia eased at once. Then acute withdrawal set in with typical symptoms but no more akasthisia. Now I suffer from BIND close to 9 months off. But for me it was the right decision to rapidly taper. ....though I am totally traumatisized because I went to detox and was labeled and treated as an addict which I wouldn't recommend. But my family couldn't handle my extreme symptoms.
@ehrenfest... it was awful! But all those extremely paradoxical effects of all those psych meds when I was on them was even (a lot) worse. BIND means Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction. It's what was formerly known as Protracted Benzodiazepine withdrawal. But I am really healing. I still have waves a lot and they last long more than 2 months and often I have several waves and windows throughout the day. But I have healed a lot. Still a lot to improve though but it doesn't scare me anymore
I definitely have damage. Had MRI and EEG in early PAWS and it didn't show. Don't know if it would now when the damage is worse. Protracted. Can probably be seen in some cases. But neurons, cells, neurotransmitters, receptors, I don't think it's visible. Maybe there are other tests.
I can't answer your question specifically but I do know that the Dizzy Cook (youtuber with vestibular migraine who was on a bezo) said at the end of her taper off of Xanax it was a sliver. When I tapered off of Xanax (.25 mg 2x a day) I did a very slow taper and at the end my dose was a mere sliver, often broken...I'd dump (from my pill cutter) the pieces into the palm of my hand and like a dog stuck them to my tongue to swallow them with water. It worked...I never worried if it was exact b/c no medication is an exact dose..the FDA allows a pharmokinetic variation in dose of 80% to 125% for generic meds relative to the brand name med, although the bioequivalence must be the same as the brand name, which boils down to a 10% variation allowed in either brand or generic.
I had a serotonin syndrome from my old doctors trying to taper me too fast off an antidepressant. I'll just stick with my 0.5 Klonopin a Day. It gives me quality of life, and yes I know the risks. I also know life comes with risks, and I rather spend what I have of my life left less anxious than a mess every day
I can't really do anything. actives, vacation , yard work , golf, bicycle., running, And barley can drive ir use pI power tools. . I used to sleep well so much insomnia now.
I've been on 10 mg Celexa for 25 years. I started getting Parkinson's-like symptoms that I attributed to the SSRI so a year and a half ago I started to very slowly withdraw using a liquid titration method. I titrate by .01 ml (I crush a 10 mg tablet in 100 ml water) every 6 days and after a year and a half I am down to 2 mg so far. I don't feel any emotional discomfort. No brain zaps. But about 6 months ago I started feeling REALLY BAD. I thought I developed Long Covid but now I'm wondering if my symptoms are actually due to the slow withdrawal. I've always been an insomniac, but now it is through the roof. I also experience sudden, overwhelming bouts of irresistible sleepiness during the day. It's almost like Narcolepsy. It only happens on the days when I've had enough sleep. I also experience roving dull pain in my limbs. Could these symptoms be due to withdrawal? If so, will they ever go away. I'm suicidal because of the lack of sleep and useless days of sleepiness on the days I do sleep. I can't go much slower than I'm going. I will hold for a few months at 2mg. Any advice would be enormously appreciated. Maybe it's Long Covid. God knows what's happening but it is unbearable. I feel for everyone else suffering along with me.
I only missed taking my medication for one day and I got dreadful diarrhea hot and cold sweats brain fog muscle aches just a genuine feeling of lousy,😢😢😢
Yep, i was doin ok for a while but im failin now and its kind of scary, I went off prozac and valium cold ,.....DONT DO IT !!!!,..i think ill have to self destruct, i tried to reinstate , but it did not work,..
I developed protracted wd even slowly tapering from Sertraline 50 with liquid ! I went down to 46 mg over the course of 3 months. At every minimum drop I would have some wd for 2 weeks and than stabilize.. Unfortunately at 3 months I become so severe ill. My nerves so sensitive, to heat , palpitations, anxiety, diarrhea, shaky, insomnia ! I went up to 50mg on the advice of the doctor but nothing improved and have the feeling of being worse… It’s the second time this happened to me ! First it was with rapid taper from citalopram over 8 weeks time..and now with slow taper. Pls doctor give me some advice! I’m suffering a lot and it seems the doctors here they don’t care and don’t recognize this as protracted wd.😢 I would really appreciate some advice ❤
Im off zoloft 14 months soon I took it 16 years..I tapering 27months its still hard withdrawal symptoms..doc dont know things in sweden to..im in a group on fb who helping me a lot..
@@birgittafloren1716what group is it. I’m 14 years on sertraline/ Zoloft. Tapered for 2 years. Last 12.5mg over a month. 8 weeks later I was in hospital, didn’t sleep for a month.
Hi to all. I started to develop a severe ssri protracted withdrawal after cold turkey and psylocybin microdosing plus regular macrodosing saved me in just three months. Now all the somatic symptoms are gone
It's crazy they have to be so rude. Just say "I'm sorry but I don't know about that" and refer me to another doctor. Insted they blacklist us by just writing there is nothing wrong in the journal for our next doctor to dismiss us from.
They did not write in the journal where it was. So the next Dr did not understand reaction and severe WD. It's so horrible. And it ended in disaster. Disabled. But sick leave for usual exhaustion, sick.
Hi dr Josef. While using Paxil my menstruation stopped. I tappered the medicine slowly, but the menstruation still doesn t come. I did some tests and i am not pregnant
I cold turkeyed of paxil and celexa decades ago. I knew nothing about tapering. I was kindled twice with paxil and celexa. Infact over the 3 years that i took meds i cold turkeyed or tapered over a couple weaks. Mood de stabilizers and benzos. I was updosed twice on celexa and overdosed with celexa. I have the severest inner Akathesia there is and ive been like this since early mid nineties. My life destroyed. No help. I take no drugs for 15 years
And here I thought I was smart cutting my 2 pills daily to 1 pill daily for 3 months, to 1 pill every other day for 3 months, then 1 pill every 3 days, etc. I guess it was smarter than cold turkey, and it probably helped I hadn't been on the head meds for more than a couple years. I just didn't realize the cut should have been so small. I'm lucky I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms
I'm not a doctor, medical professional etc but I have read that it depends on the person...you can experience withdrawal on as low of a dose of Xanax .25 mg for more than two weeks. I was on .25 mg of Xanan for 6 mos and experienced interdose withdrawal and when I did a slow taper I experienced withdrawal symptoms but I did a very slow taper so while it was noticeable it was doable...my neuro couldn't believe how slow I went...called my dose a 'baby dose'...told me I could just stop taking it...that is fine if you don't use it daily like I did, but the body becomes quickly 'addicted' to it which is why those who understand the dangers of these meds generally prescribe them as a last resort or for a very short term in the minimal therapeutic dose for acute symptoms. My sil used Xanax for sleep issues one or two times a week as needed and she stopped cold turkey and had no issues.
7 yrs & counting after 30+ different psych meds (which includes numerous antidepressants) over 44 yrs. I'm 56 (my DOB: 7/20/1967) & the only thing that provides me relief from these debilitating withdrawal symptoms is drinking beer (criticize me all u want bc of the alcohol content in beer but drinking beer PREVENTS ME from feeling suicidal). Again; please don't construe this as advocation 4 alcohol use as like any other drug/substance, its effects does vary amongst individuals but the alcohol does get rid of the suicidal feelings caused by psych meds.
very true. I automatically tend to drink more always when i tapered my dosis. Its not because i want to treat emotional pain its just that my whole body and mind feels off when i am tapering. Only sunlight, sport, veggies and alcohol helps to feel balanced.
@@kirakeynow Thanks 4 ur support/reply/feedback. IDK how long u have been on psych meds but if seems that our philosophies r in-sync w/each other. BTW; u have another sub (courtesy of me).
I used cognitive behavioral therapy, extremely low doses of lithium, then only diazepam, when Wellbutrin caused this. Diazepam acts as an antidepressant for some lucky folks.
I get brain zaps if I miss dose of cymbalta once. Weirdly enough it’s linked to my eye movements, which seems to be a common denominator among people experiencing this. Good luck getting mg doses to taper off though.
Is this anything like Opioid withdrawal? I’ve been through severe opioid withdrawal several times and it’s all I have to compare to protracted antidepressant withdrawal. Can anyone with any experience in both please let me know??
My dr closed his practice in Covid and didn’t fill my scripts so I ended up going cold turkey on benzodiazepines neuroleptics and 2 antidepressants and whatever nemenda for Alzheimer’s is. Same time. Still feel like garbage years later
do people really recover or just habituate to their suffering. if the analogy you use in a fast taper or cold turkey scenario is a building collapsed, does recovery from protracted withdrawal look like a rebuilding of these internal structures? surely this is a hasty reconstruction. you can never go home again.
Horowitz doesn't say anything about it being related to a neurological injury, on the contrary, he says that saying so is a big mistake. Be careful, you are discouraging and scaring people.
@@wellinever1558🙌🏻👏🏻 🇦🇺 I’m shocked at what goes on. Im a survivor of protracted acute. PAWS. People should be well informed but they aren’t which is incredibly scary when you find this out. 😢
Not completely off, 1.5 Xanax but I tried cold turkey . 5 days of zero sleep. Felt like insanity. Absolutely no sleep..how is Protracted withdrawl discovered by doctors. have mass. insomnia.
This video is a disgrace you are not a patient centred person. In protracted withdrawal, Mark Horowitz got it totally right. You, however, are missing the point. The withdrawal , which I am recovering from, can leave you suicidal, anxiety ridden, and feeling like the depression has returned full force. In that state it is impossible to think about the effect on others. I worried about the effects on others, but I was unable to do anything about it. I was trying not to commit suicide. This is an advert for a company, it is not helping people!
I'm in antidepressant protracted withdrawal,15 months and counting. Severe Tinnitus,muscle aches & pains throughout my body, difficulty concentrating, irritability and highly stressed with symptoms of stress and anxiety,but feeling so relieved those drugs are not invading my brain and system anymore.Dependency and protracted withdrawal kept me taking these drugs for over 31 years. I want compensation for all the years of agony and suffering from 7 attempts of trying to stop these poisons. 6 relapses with severe depression & anxiety that once kept me off work for a year,and the next caused me to quit my job,tens of thousands in lost wages,a large part of my pension and years of my life along with any long term damages done to my brain.
Same happened to me , I was never able to hold a job and have never been able to earn money because of psych meds
I have no security for tomorrow or future
It's scary when you are so vulnerable and depend on other and especially psychiatrists who might decide to cut you off. Not having money insurance and help from government
It's scary when you are feeling disabled
You deserve a HUGE sum of money for what you've been through. Still wouldn't be enough!!!
@@Catherine-mp1yt thank you kind soul, I am in tears, I applied for disability income several times been through hearings appeals and no one believes me
I am exhausted of trying to prove them that I am sick and feel bad
Social security doesn't believe me
Their physiatrists do not believe me, they say I can work I am just on a wrong medication and want to do more experiments on me and my brain my nervous system. Doctors just want me to go off them in one day and it's scary because they have done that and I ended up in emergency and they said just go home we can't help you. Not being able to keep any kind of employment I have never had insurance and those doctors that agreed to see me and then billed in thousands of dollars all went into collections so I have been totally locked out of this sick system and depend on my husband for money. I am greatful to him and pure kind loving soul he is, he is my saviour protecting me from the cruel unjust system. Just thinking about me makes me lightheaded. I need to chill and breeze and live one moment at a time and I am not afraid of death I am afraid of suffering
I refuse to suffer
Peace and love and less no suffering to all of you beautiful people
Justice will come
A higher justice of the universe from system do not expect anything good. They don't help people they do the opposite.
Having the same experiences for 50+ years, I recommend looking up Mark Horowitz on UA-cam. The video he did on After School is excellent! It will help you make sense of your experiences. I just watched the video this morning. It expressed my experience with a psychiatrist last week, who tried to tell me my withdrawal symptoms from Effexor, were an anxiety disorder I had developed in addittion to my depression. I did not accept this diagnosis and demanded to be put on an SSRI, prozac, which has a longer half life and makes it easier to withdraw from. Be good to yourself. Depression and experimental use of drugs encouraged by the drug companies to make money have victims - Us .
have u taken benzo also
There has been a robust effort by psych med developers to NOT identify side effects (like withdrawal). It's expensive to study and could threaten profits - can't have that.
Finally people starting to get on board how many have had to die - for them they listen ??????🥸😎
Right!!
You’re going to become a hero in this country for doing what you’re doing. Keep it up. These meds needed a light shined upon them and you are the light. Thank you.
I like what you added about the caregivers.. In our constant suffering it's easy to forget that they need breaks of enjoyment, and still have to live their lives ❤
Agreed. Caregivers are essential support for people experiencing protracted withdrawal, especially for severe cases where the person in withdrawal is unable to look after themselves. Caregivers should receive financial support and respite - without them, people in withdrawal would need residential care provided by the healthcare system.
I've been off benzos for over 10 years now (did my own slow taper) and found other ways to deal with my anxiety-the biggest solution was lowering the expectations on myself and on others. And try not to compare yourself to others (I understand, in our culture, this is easier said than done). But there lies the most powerful solution. Love your videos and your courage as a medical professional. ✅
This isn't about benzodiazapines though. Benzo wd is difficult, won't deny that, but meds like Paxil, Effexor,
@@NotA-Lizard Yes, I was just talking about withdrawal in general....
@gamezswinger it all sucks. We get to go through w/d from these meds and then the doctors that prescribed them treat us like we did it to ourselves.
@@NotA-Lizard In our society, people often deceive themselves into thinking they control complexity (aka doctors) and are being fair in their assessments. It's an illusion they find themselves trapped in.
Dr. WD, you just keep getting better at explaining this stuff professionally and balanced. I appreciate your example.
This is the first video to explain protracted withdrawal clearly. Thank you so much! ❤
Again, thank you for this information. I think it is easy to get impatient at the end of a taper and just want to hurry up. This presents good reason to keep it slow and steady.
Thank you Dr. Josef, you are one of the few out there that make sense and talk to us dealing with this situation in a way we can understand and relate to.
Thank you for bringing awareness to this horrific diagnosis
I was on Paroxetine from 2003 until 2017. I had a hysterectomy in late 2017. I left my meds at home. I had to stay an extra week in hospital. When I got home, I felt fine and decided to not continue with Paroxetine.
In November, I had eye surgery (pterigium removed) under conscious sedation.
On 21 Dec (on holiday) I had a secondary eye infection, and on 31 Dec (2017) I had severe vertigo and was hospitalized. Once home (in early January) I saw an ENT twice for vertigo treatment and am fine now.
Divorced 2022 and happier.
🌈🌈🌈✨✨✨🙏🙏🙏
I do appreciate this video. This is a constructive helpful video. And you do let us know that while this happens for some people it's also rare. That is more informative than alarmist and I appreciate that.
These symptoms are the same for benzo’s as well.
Caregivers? Yeah, I wish!
I never ever had no caregivers when I tried to get off benzos I was disabled sick and had to take care of kids husband and house and even was emotionally and mentally abused while I was so sick
This is a cruel world we love in. No one came to help
Caregivers where are you ?
@@marinaoceana601 I am sorry you had to go through that, it really is hard.
@@agilli5388 thank you kind person ❤️
Exactly!!! What caregivers
Isn’t that called seratonin syndrome? I was overdosed on Zoloft and Paxil in 1995. I have permanent damage , never slept again and got worse anxiety.
I definitely have this trying to get off klonopin but I’m very stable at .25 every other day now.
Makes sense why it was easy going from .75 to .25 .
Your videos really help me. I pray God Bless you greatly.
Well, withdrawal is when you stop taking meds, and serotonin syndrome is when you get too much serotonin - so that wouldn’t happen when you’re tapering off meds.
@@i.ehrenfest349 Raised serotonin lingers for months after ssri/snri so it is possible for it to last for months. A study of rats on ritalin (which also raises serotonin) showed lasting increase of serotonin for at least three months. The effect of ritalin stayed in my system for about 4-5 months. After that I experienced withdrawal and nerve damage/repair. I'm 18 months off now and have little withdrawal left but rather neurological damage. Extended fasting helps with detox and healing everyone.
Thank you. You read my mind! I needed this video.
3:42 this is what I have thought of.For example,in benzos taper,every reduction is 5%-10% of former dosage rather than every time reduce (for example)0.5mg
Protracted withdrawal from antidepressants is very very severe. And it is such an effort to deal with fam and friends to explain how sick we are. If they would acknowledge us more we would be able to go through this terrible ordeal for years a bit better. Because even though we know it will end eventually, it is bitter suffering. Very difficult also to explain to people around us what waves and windows are. So good one day and then debilitating bad on and off.. But thank you for this video. It’s a start…( nurse Europe protracted from antidepressants now for 48 months all waves and windows getting better )
Its totaly nightmarish but the nightmare does not end ...omg the anxiety and ocd that withdrawal can produce is alarming.
Yes indeed
If you could make a video on protracted withdrawals from stimulant medications next that would be much appreciated. I was an extreme case as
I'm still recovering from stopping them almost four years later, but for others debating on whether they should begin treatment. Stimulant medications are so normalized yet the complications are often misdiagnosed or even dismissed. Navigating the world while being severely cognitively impaired with no resources to support me has been more than a challenge. I wouldn't have started medications if I knew they could make things harder than they already were
I'm so sorry for all you're going through.. These videos are helpful and important, but I do wish there was more someone could do for people..❤
What a great video! Thank you so much! It covers up all the important things that the medical community doesn't know about or just ignores...
I was one of those rare cases where meds like Lyrica and Klonopin had to be rapidly tapered due to extreme paradoxical effects and severe side effects like akasthisia. It all started off with severe lingering akasthisia caused by a short 10 day long low dose trial of 10mg paxil. All the other meds were started to try to treat the akasthisia which was misdiagnosed as panic attacks and agitated depression. Every new med introduced aggravated the akasthisia I had. All these meds made me so sick! They slmost killed me of I hadn't have my birds. Getting off it as fast as possible was in my case with these extreme adverse effects my very best choice. Once off of Klonopin which was my last med, the akasthisia eased at once. Then acute withdrawal set in with typical symptoms but no more akasthisia.
Now I suffer from BIND close to 9 months off. But for me it was the right decision to rapidly taper. ....though I am totally traumatisized because I went to detox and was labeled and treated as an addict which I wouldn't recommend. But my family couldn't handle my extreme symptoms.
Awful, Emily. What is BIND?
@ehrenfest... it was awful! But all those extremely paradoxical effects of all those psych meds when I was on them was even (a lot) worse.
BIND means Benzodiazepine Induced Neurological Dysfunction. It's what was formerly known as Protracted Benzodiazepine withdrawal.
But I am really healing. I still have waves a lot and they last long more than 2 months and often I have several waves and windows throughout the day. But I have healed a lot. Still a lot to improve though but it doesn't scare me anymore
@@emelytschmolly-ei5zg ok thanks, Emely. I guess if it doesn’t scare you anymore you have already won 90% of the battle.
Thank you... Im 28 months off withdrawal is hell
Beautiful information, thank you 🙌
I have it from duloxetin. Tapered 2 months, still have it.
This should be told to every single person that is offered antidepressants.
100%
My question to doctor is if eeg and brain MRI are useful tools to see if there is some neurological injury to the brain.
I definitely have damage. Had MRI and EEG in early PAWS and it didn't show. Don't know if it would now when the damage is worse. Protracted. Can probably be seen in some cases. But neurons, cells, neurotransmitters, receptors, I don't think it's visible. Maybe there are other tests.
@@Snowflake1374 Μe too. There is no question for the damage.
No, these are not anatomical, but functional challenges. They will not show up on any images or tests.
@@annaskinner7187 Agree. Neurological functional dysregulated injury. Is there any chance of healing, I have severe damage.
Amen.
Speaking of the final tiny doses, what amount do people finish at? 0.01mg? Higher or lower?
I can't answer your question specifically but I do know that the Dizzy Cook (youtuber with vestibular migraine who was on a bezo) said at the end of her taper off of Xanax it was a sliver. When I tapered off of Xanax (.25 mg 2x a day) I did a very slow taper and at the end my dose was a mere sliver, often broken...I'd dump (from my pill cutter) the pieces into the palm of my hand and like a dog stuck them to my tongue to swallow them with water. It worked...I never worried if it was exact b/c no medication is an exact dose..the FDA allows a pharmokinetic variation in dose of 80% to 125% for generic meds relative to the brand name med, although the bioequivalence must be the same as the brand name, which boils down to a 10% variation allowed in either brand or generic.
I had a serotonin syndrome from my old doctors trying to taper me too fast off an antidepressant. I'll just stick with my 0.5 Klonopin a Day. It gives me quality of life, and yes I know the risks. I also know life comes with risks, and I rather spend what I have of my life left less anxious than a mess every day
I can't really do anything. actives, vacation , yard work , golf, bicycle., running, And barley can drive ir use pI power tools. . I used to sleep well so much insomnia now.
Same here
I've been on 10 mg Celexa for 25 years. I started getting Parkinson's-like symptoms that I attributed to the SSRI so a year and a half ago I started to very slowly withdraw using a liquid titration method. I titrate by .01 ml (I crush a 10 mg tablet in 100 ml water) every 6 days and after a year and a half I am down to 2 mg so far. I don't feel any emotional discomfort. No brain zaps. But about 6 months ago I started feeling REALLY BAD. I thought I developed Long Covid but now I'm wondering if my symptoms are actually due to the slow withdrawal. I've always been an insomniac, but now it is through the roof. I also experience sudden, overwhelming bouts of irresistible sleepiness during the day. It's almost like Narcolepsy. It only happens on the days when I've had enough sleep. I also experience roving dull pain in my limbs. Could these symptoms be due to withdrawal? If so, will they ever go away. I'm suicidal because of the lack of sleep and useless days of sleepiness on the days I do sleep. I can't go much slower than I'm going. I will hold for a few months at 2mg. Any advice would be enormously appreciated. Maybe it's Long Covid. God knows what's happening but it is unbearable. I feel for everyone else suffering along with me.
The symptoms of severe insomnia and flu-like symptoms certainly sounds like protracted withdrawal...it DOES get better but takes time. God bless❤.
Can another antidepressant alleviate symptoms? I need relief, I have kids and need to find a new job. Effexor withdrawal, just started Prozac.
I only missed taking my medication for one day and I got dreadful diarrhea hot and cold sweats brain fog muscle aches just a genuine feeling of lousy,😢😢😢
Yep, i was doin ok for a while but im failin now and its kind of scary, I went off prozac and valium cold ,.....DONT DO IT !!!!,..i think ill have to self destruct, i tried to reinstate , but it did not work,..
WOW! You are right! "Don't do it!" You may need to reinstate , then S L O W L Y taper off.
@@susanmorgan4151 nope
I developed protracted wd even slowly tapering from Sertraline 50 with liquid !
I went down to 46 mg over the course of 3 months.
At every minimum drop I would have some wd for 2 weeks and than stabilize..
Unfortunately at 3 months I become so severe ill. My nerves so sensitive, to heat , palpitations, anxiety, diarrhea, shaky, insomnia !
I went up to 50mg on the advice of the doctor but nothing improved and have the feeling of being worse…
It’s the second time this happened to me ! First it was with rapid taper from citalopram over 8 weeks time..and now with slow taper.
Pls doctor give me some advice!
I’m suffering a lot and it seems the doctors here they don’t care and don’t recognize this as protracted wd.😢
I would really appreciate some advice ❤
25 years on Zoloft, tried going off four times, failed every time! I’m in Germany and my Doctor is clueless!
Im off zoloft 14 months soon I took it 16 years..I tapering 27months its still hard withdrawal symptoms..doc dont know things in sweden to..im in a group on fb who helping me a lot..
@@birgittafloren1716what group is it. I’m 14 years on sertraline/ Zoloft. Tapered for 2 years. Last 12.5mg over a month. 8 weeks later I was in hospital, didn’t sleep for a month.
Hi to all. I started to develop a severe ssri protracted withdrawal after cold turkey and psylocybin microdosing plus regular macrodosing saved me in just three months. Now all the somatic symptoms are gone
How long were you off before you started experimenting with mushies and how long do you microdose for and when do you macrodose around that?
Today my new dr said Protracted wd does not exist!! He was so rude!! He said you and other drs teaching this are nuts!!
That is really bad! The one you cant count on.
Sounds like my doctor. Unfortunately my doctor sold his soul to Pharma for multiple vacations a year, speaking gigs & papers.
He's e real nut one
It's crazy they have to be so rude. Just say "I'm sorry but I don't know about that" and refer me to another doctor. Insted they blacklist us by just writing there is nothing wrong in the journal for our next doctor to dismiss us from.
They did not write in the journal where it was. So the next Dr did not understand reaction and severe WD. It's so horrible. And it ended in disaster. Disabled. But sick leave for usual exhaustion, sick.
Hi dr Josef. While using Paxil my menstruation stopped. I tappered the medicine slowly, but the menstruation still doesn t come. I did some tests and i am not pregnant
I cold turkeyed of paxil and celexa decades ago. I knew nothing about tapering. I was kindled twice with paxil and celexa. Infact over the 3 years that i took meds i cold turkeyed or tapered over a couple weaks. Mood de stabilizers and benzos. I was updosed twice on celexa and overdosed with celexa. I have the severest inner Akathesia there is and ive been like this since early mid nineties. My life destroyed. No help. I take no drugs for 15 years
I'm so sorry....has akathesia stayed the same for 15 years?😢
@@susanmorgan4151 pretty much
I must be really lucky. Stopped anti's after 3 years and nothing. Its like nothing even changed.
Do you use a high fat animal based diet to help with your protocol?
And here I thought I was smart cutting my 2 pills daily to 1 pill daily for 3 months, to 1 pill every other day for 3 months, then 1 pill every 3 days, etc. I guess it was smarter than cold turkey, and it probably helped I hadn't been on the head meds for more than a couple years. I just didn't realize the cut should have been so small. I'm lucky I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms
How long do you have to had used antidepressants in order to experience withdrawal/protracted withdrawal when quitting?
I'm not a doctor, medical professional etc but I have read that it depends on the person...you can experience withdrawal on as low of a dose of Xanax .25 mg for more than two weeks. I was on .25 mg of Xanan for 6 mos and experienced interdose withdrawal and when I did a slow taper I experienced withdrawal symptoms but I did a very slow taper so while it was noticeable it was doable...my neuro couldn't believe how slow I went...called my dose a 'baby dose'...told me I could just stop taking it...that is fine if you don't use it daily like I did, but the body becomes quickly 'addicted' to it which is why those who understand the dangers of these meds generally prescribe them as a last resort or for a very short term in the minimal therapeutic dose for acute symptoms. My sil used Xanax for sleep issues one or two times a week as needed and she stopped cold turkey and had no issues.
You can have protracted withdrawal from just a few doses. Every person responds differently. 😢
Please make a video about ketamine! People need to know if its as harmful as other prescriptions!! 🙏🙏
Thank you for the incredible work you are doing
Dr David Healy wrote about it.
@@BeatrizHatfield-vc4ig whatd he say
7 yrs & counting after 30+ different psych meds (which includes numerous antidepressants) over 44 yrs. I'm 56 (my DOB: 7/20/1967) & the only thing that provides me relief from these debilitating withdrawal symptoms is drinking beer (criticize me all u want bc of the alcohol content in beer but drinking beer PREVENTS ME from feeling suicidal). Again; please don't construe this as advocation 4 alcohol use as like any other drug/substance, its effects does vary amongst individuals but the alcohol does get rid of the suicidal feelings caused by psych meds.
very true. I automatically tend to drink more always when i tapered my dosis. Its not because i want to treat emotional pain its just that my whole body and mind feels off when i am tapering. Only sunlight, sport, veggies and alcohol helps to feel balanced.
@@kirakeynow Thanks 4 ur support/reply/feedback. IDK how long u have been on psych meds but if seems that our philosophies r in-sync w/each other. BTW; u have another sub (courtesy of me).
I used cognitive behavioral therapy, extremely low doses of lithium, then only diazepam, when Wellbutrin caused this. Diazepam acts as an antidepressant for some lucky folks.
I get brain zaps if I miss dose of cymbalta once. Weirdly enough it’s linked to my eye movements, which seems to be a common denominator among people experiencing this. Good luck getting mg doses to taper off though.
Is this anything like Opioid withdrawal? I’ve been through severe opioid withdrawal several times and it’s all I have to compare to protracted antidepressant withdrawal. Can anyone with any experience in both please let me know??
My dr closed his practice in Covid and didn’t fill my scripts so I ended up going cold turkey on benzodiazepines neuroleptics and 2 antidepressants and whatever nemenda for Alzheimer’s is. Same time. Still feel like garbage years later
Insomnia is what ruining me.now. What can I do to get to fall asleep???
Prof. Ashton wrote the manual, and it's free. But he makes a lot of money, 38.000 dollar! All is about money.
Its brain and nervous system damage not a withdrawal syndrome. Neurotoxicity.
do people really recover or just habituate to their suffering. if the analogy you use in a fast taper or cold turkey scenario is a building collapsed, does recovery from protracted withdrawal look like a rebuilding of these internal structures? surely this is a hasty reconstruction. you can never go home again.
Horowitz doesn't say anything about it being related to a neurological injury, on the contrary, he says that saying so is a big mistake. Be careful, you are discouraging and scaring people.
They need to be scared we were given these drugs without any discussion informed consent and no treatment plan.
@@wellinever1558🙌🏻👏🏻 🇦🇺 I’m shocked at what goes on. Im a survivor of protracted acute. PAWS. People should be well informed but they aren’t which is incredibly scary when you find this out. 😢
Not completely off, 1.5 Xanax but I tried cold turkey . 5 days of zero sleep. Felt like insanity. Absolutely no sleep..how is Protracted withdrawl discovered by doctors. have mass. insomnia.
Omg, this is worse than street drug$
This video is a disgrace you are not a patient centred person. In protracted withdrawal, Mark Horowitz got it totally right. You, however, are missing the point. The withdrawal , which I am recovering from, can leave you suicidal, anxiety ridden, and feeling like the depression has returned full force. In that state it is impossible to think about the effect on others. I worried about the effects on others, but I was unable to do anything about it. I was trying not to commit suicide.
This is an advert for a company, it is not helping people!
Yes , I have all those symptoms now, its just awful, dnt. know what ill do now .
Its same with the fluoxtine