Need some reassurance

[vivalalacy]

Hey y'all.

I'm Lacy and I found this forum while trying to find somewhere I can get some support. My fiance is so wonderful but he doesn't have issues with anxiety and has trouble understanding and I don't want to worry anyone else outside of him.

I've struggled with anxiety for years and about a year ago I started having panic attacks a lot more frequently, just about every day, where they would come out of nowhere. I ended up going on a SNRI Venlafaxine 75mg since my doctor said there weren't any side effects and "it would be like you're not taking anything at all." It worked for awhile but I started noticing that I couldn't miss my dose by an hour before the brain zaps started (by the way, my doctor has never heard of this in 25 years of practicing medicine, but it's all over medical websites and definitely happening to me). This, coupled with the medication no longer seeming to prevent panic attacks, prompted me to consider going off the medication.

I got a new doctor and he told me that all medications are going to be like this and I'll experience withdrawals when reducing dosage. I still wanted off so we formed a plan of weaning me and doing Ativan PRN for future panic attacks.

I am now at half a 37.5mg (18.75?) and it's a living hell. I did well enough on the 37.5mg that I thought I could do this. I am crawling out of my skin. I have at least one sobbing meltdown a day and I cut my leg with my fiance's razor last night. I have had rough moments of suicidal thoughts but I don't think I'd go through with anything. I still want off the medication. I just need someone who has been through this to tell me that this is going to turn out okay, that my body and sanity will be okay. That eventually this will stop. I have a plan in place to manage my anxiety once I get through this, I just have to get there.

It's been a struggle continuing to go about my life and attend to my responsibilities this week. All I want to do is crawl in bed and cry and sleep but I can't do that. My fiance suggested that maybe I need to do the 37.5mg a little longer but I don't have a refill on the prescription my doctor gave me, plus I feel so weak if I cave and go back up.

Does anyone have any advice?

[Agora1]

vivalalacy, I went through weaning off years and years of Xanax and then Ativan. It needs to be done slowly and safely under a doctor's watch. It's about the number of years as well as the dose you were on all that time that makes the difference in how you feel. Be reassured that if you follow a well planned wean, you will eventually come out feeling great.

I was on the Dr. Heather Ashton's method of weaning off benzos. Using Valium as a substitute drug since that lasts longer in the body. It helps in not getting the sudden withdrawal effects but know that there is no way around not feeling discomfort.

The weaning consists of small cuts in medication every 2 weeks (3 the longest) NEVER going back up no matter how bad you feel. The drug reduction in your brain will kick and scream wanting you to replace the missing dose.....Don't, it will only prolong the agony.

Every 2 weeks cut the dose into quarters and finally 1/8 until you literally have just powder in your hand. You can also titrate by liquid form of the drug in water. Expect to have symptoms that will lessen as you get further down the road to almost being off the meds. Your brain has been using the chemical properties of the drug instead of making it naturally in the brain. It needs time to heal even after stopping the last few grains of the dose.

After being completely off your meds, give it time, the difference being that each and every day will bring you closer to feeling normal once more. The difference from one day to another can be huge. One day you will look forward to a clear mind like you hadn't felt for a long time. That is when you know you are coming to the end of that long tunnel and about to see the daylight once more. Keep being positive, write me privately for support and encouragement. We all need that when coming down off the meds. I wish you the best and know that you can do it. Hugs xx

[Jason337]

Hi there! I'm going through a similar experience right now with stopping Lexapro. I've been on Lexapro 3 different times in the past 12 years, most recently taking it for 3 years up until this past July. I've also taken Zoloft and Buspar in the past, all for panic attacks, and I never had problems going off medication until what I'm going through right now. My anxiety is through the roof, and it's just a completely different experience stopping it this time. I don't know if it's because I was on it for longer this time, or other changes in my body, but even taking 8 months to taper down from 20mg to 0 was hard.

After I had already stopped the Lexapro, I came across a website survivingantidepressants.org where they recommend reducing your dose by only 10% every month! Their reasoning is it takes the brain much longer to adapt to going without the drug than what doctors recommend. Now I don't know if I completely believe it has to be that slow, but part of me wishes I had done that when I stopped Lex. It does take a very long time though, since if you do that math that's like 2 years to taper from 20 mg to 0 at 10% monthly. I did find some other tips and links to other sites from there with suggestions about diet and other natural things to try specifically to help your brain and body adjust to stopping medication. Some of their stuff is a little too anti-medication for me, but in general I found some helpful stuff there.

The best thing you can do is listen to your body, and make sure you take good care of yourself while it adjusts to the changes in medication. I'm 5 months med free, and it's definitely been a good days and bad days type deal, but it seems like the good days are becoming more frequent the longer I go. It gets better but you have to be really patient, unfortunately. And of course, if the benefits of the med outweigh the downsides it might be better to just stay on it, so don't rule that out completely either.