Posted by 49er on April 21, 2011, at 2:45:57
In reply to Re: the only way out » 49er, posted by SLS on April 20, 2011, at 12:45:35
<<<I was just thinking out loud. Silly, I know. I was thinking along the lines of receptor downregulation continuing beyond the point that is necessary to maintain efficient neurotransmission. It would be a gene expression thing. Sorry for my elementary answer to a sophisticated question.>>>
You're not being silly as you made some points that challenged my brain which is a good thing. Uh no, you're answer is definitely not elementary.
Ok, gene expression thing makes sense.
SLS - <<<severe flulike symptoms - headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chills, dizziness and fatigue. There may be insomnia. Agitation, impaired concentration, vivid dreams, depersonalization, irritability and suicidal thoughts are sometimes occurring. These symptoms last anywhere from one to seven weeks and vary in intensity.">>>
49er - <<Uh, they can last alot longer than that. And they come and go.>>
SLS - <<What are the most common symptoms to persist beyond 4 weeks?>>
All of the above and there are many others.
<< If we were talking about Paxil at 40mg or Effexor at 300mg, approximately how long would it take to taper these drugs and reach total discontinuation using a the schema you recommend? A rough guess would be fine. 4 weeks? 12 weeks? 12 months?>>
Everyone is different as it depends on so many factors, including age, time on drugs, what type of drugs, and rate of taper.
I do know this - Even though I am still struggling with issues that I feel were due to being on psych meds, in my opinion they would have been a lot worse if I had tapered alot faster.
<<This is true. I guess one would rely on the notion that the period for withdrawal is time limited. I don't think a depressive rebound due to the discontinuation of antidepressants will usually last much beyond four weeks. I'm not absolutely sure, though. I think the answer to this question will depend upon which observations one is using to identify true withdrawal, and which are consistent with a syndrome of persistent post-discontinuation adverse effects. Although I have seen references to a time limit on withdrawal periods as a way of delineating adverse events, I have not seen any kind of scientific investigation to resolve this issue. I haven't looked, though.>>
In thinking more about your post, let me ask this question. You keep distinguishing between withdrawal symptoms and ones that are post discontinuation adverse effects.
Does it really matter and of so, why?
Unfortunately, you're not going to find any scientific references because physicians in general, not just psychiatrists, minimize adverse drug side effects.
49er
poster:49er
thread:983009
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110418/msgs/983404.html