Mental Health Journey Episode 25
Howdy folks got a bit of a journey today so let’s get to it 20 september 2020 tomorrow i start my half dose antidepressants for a two week taper then i’m done i think i’m choosing more work not less send your spare prayers 18 october 2020. it’s a sunday it is important that we talk about this venlafaxine withdrawals are no joke my va doc had me ramp down off
By taking a half dose for two weeks then stopping completely sent me that exact prescription in fact i asked about what to expect for withdrawal symptoms was told nothing since i was ramping down if i had simply stopped then maybe i asked what to watch for and she said worsening of my ptsd panic anxiety disorder major depressive disorder symptoms she was quick
To suggest that i might have to go back on meds and continue them indefinitely she really didn’t want me stopping this last med since i had a history of maybe three episodes of depression in my life i figured i wasn’t being told everything and expected to be grumpy anxious and moody as my brain learned how to do without i was not prepared for the dizzies i was
Not prepared for the brain pops so i took my last pill on a sunday monday was great on tuesday i woke up disoriented i figured it might be mild vertigo from all the pollen my lymph nodes were pissed and it was windy symptoms got worse all day soon nausea came then lethargy then brain fog of course the old familiar guard of anger anxiety and depression reported
For duty i need to add that that day i was doing tree work in a bucket truck on fort riley so that was great with all those symptoms i had wednesday morning off to run errands i took the rest of the day reality started to glitch like pop rocks in coke in my brain i started to suspect meds called my family doc and her response was along the lines of oh yeah
Happens all the time we’ll have to taper you off a lot more slowly relief to have an answer got a new prescription with some guidance but was allowed to control my own dosing schedule not from the va i did this with my family doc two hours after taking a half dose pill all my symptoms were gone rather frustrating to have to learn all this the hard way now i’m
Dosing every other day moving to every third day every fourth day etc over the next couple of months that’s the optimistic plan might take longer the family and i have talked about the roller coaster i’m riding as i taper off we’re working on it together it’s not fun for anyone but worth working through it’s been several years since i’ve had this much suicidal
Ideation i can do pain but not dizzy apparently check on each other forgive each other try again and then 9 january 2021. it is important that we talk about this i am five weeks off my antidepressants finally holy moly what a roller coaster that was one of the worst experiences of my life top 10 for sure and i still agree with that assessment va doc was no help
But i think i’ve said that already i had to taper off by increasing the days between pills every two weeks took four months it worked i’m here wow i described being on this side of the meds as being on the surface riding the storm got to use those skills and tools being on meds was like being below the surface watching the storm rage above i’m happy with my
Choice the good things are hard to do humbly grateful for my wife’s help through all of this she is strong help each other folks keep going use all your tools ask for help it’s important that we talk about this folks i can’t account for the mistaken timeline in my last post by my account it took maybe two and a half months if i was five weeks off the meds to
Be a four-month taper it would have had to bend the end of january 2021. i don’t know what i was counting at the time or what mistake i made i do remember the days dragging on and on and on and on as i tapered off the pills in my memory it feels like four months is the right amount of time that it took but the dates don’t align i’m not going to worry about it
Too much suffice to say it sucked so now tell me your medication stories in the comments let other folks know they are not alone because mental health medication troubles are normal and common and remember hope is a choice
Transcribed from video
SSRI, SNRI Withdrawls – Venlafaxine By brainwerc
