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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by BRC on September 3, 2008, at 11:44:28
Hi,
First of all I know that you are not suppose to change and/or stop any medication without the knowledge and/or supervision of your physician.
That being said. I trust the men and women (those who happen to be part of psycho babble) for their opinions and comments b/c like me they actually have to take this stuff.
I posted earlier how over the years Remeron has caused me to put on quite a bit of weight. I am a very active 32 year old male and over the course of treatment with Remeron I have went from about 165lbs. to about 205lbs with no change in activity just appetite. I do not however contribute all the weight gain solely to the Remeron. I basically take the Remeron for sleep purposes
My question is the following: I take 60mg of Cymbalta, 200mg Luvox, 600mg Lyrica, 4mg Klonopin, 30mg Remeron for OCD and GAD. If I were to just stop the Remeron cold turkey, would the other meds help block the withdrawal side effects from the Remeron? Or would I feel withdrawal side effects anyway?
I want to stop the Remeron to see if my appetite slows down. I know at night after I take my Remeron I get extremely hungry. I know that it is in part due to the histamine effects the Remeron has on the brain. I do not want to stop the Remeron suddenly if it is going to cause adverse effects. But if my appetite does slow down then I want my doc to take me off the med.
Hope to hear your advice and comments.
brc
Posted by Phillipa on September 3, 2008, at 13:07:26
In reply to Advice!! Can I just stop taking my Remeron?, posted by BRC on September 3, 2008, at 11:44:28
First call you doc tell him what you would like to do then work out a weaning schedule unless he feels it's not wise as I don't have your history and am not a doc. Phillipa
Posted by ricker on September 3, 2008, at 16:36:45
In reply to Re: Advice!! Can I just stop taking my Remeron? » BRC, posted by Phillipa on September 3, 2008, at 13:07:26
I've been taking remeron 15mg. for approx. 4-5 years. Geez, pretty bad when I can't remember when I started! Anyway, my p/doc has said it was okay to stop, when, trialing knew meds.
Everytime I stopped, my main issue was sleep, or lack there of. I really did not notice other withdrawl symptoms such as an increas in anxiety or a regression in my mood.
Keep in mind I was only on 15 mg's so I would certainly consult with my med. practioner prior to stopping cold turkey.You situation may be different than mine.... current med cocktail, starting different med. etc.
I'm back on Remeron 15mg. and untill I find a med that allows me 8 hrs. sleep with minimal drug interaction/side effects, I will continue it.
Yes, weight is an issue for me as well. I'm 6'-2" and currently 222lbs. I would like to get back to 210lbs.
I seem to yoyo alot... health kicks for 6 mnths. weight is good and then I put it back on. The cycle has been going on since I started Remeron. All part of my depressive episodes I guess, and maybe a little to do with my metabolism/age?
Goodluck with whatever you decide.
Rick
Posted by BRC on September 3, 2008, at 19:50:52
In reply to Re: Advice!! Can I just stop taking my Remeron?, posted by ricker on September 3, 2008, at 16:36:45
Thanks for taking the time to answer my post. Wish you the best.
brc
Posted by bleauberry on September 4, 2008, at 15:45:43
In reply to Advice!! Can I just stop taking my Remeron?, posted by BRC on September 3, 2008, at 11:44:28
You are already aware that stopping any med cold is not a good idea.
What might happen?
1. Bad withdrawals of anxiety or insomnia or flu-like symptoms.
2. A return of original symptoms, indicating that the med was an integral part of the cocktail.
3. Mild withdrawals and everything is fine.
4. No problem.How to predict which of the above 4 might happen is impossible. In any case, all these meds are powerful molecules that affect the body's nervous system, endocrine system, in profound ways. Stopping one cold could, not guaranteed, cause trauma to the body as it readapts.
Personally in your shoes I would reduce by 1/4 for about a week, 1/2 for another two weeks, 3/4 for another week, and then small chunks in descending sizes for a week. Somewhere along the way if things become weird, you can always stall at where you are and wait or go back up.
Other than that, you might benefit from a couple other things. A diet heavy on protein and veggies without sugars or carbs. And/or thyroid supplementation. The meds you are on really squash down the whole adrenal/thyroid axis.
Posted by yxibow on September 7, 2008, at 3:27:47
In reply to Re: Advice!! Can I just stop taking my Remeron?, posted by bleauberry on September 4, 2008, at 15:45:43
> You are already aware that stopping any med cold is not a good idea.
>
> What might happen?
> 1. Bad withdrawals of anxiety or insomnia or flu-like symptoms.
> 2. A return of original symptoms, indicating that the med was an integral part of the cocktail.
> 3. Mild withdrawals and everything is fine.
> 4. No problem.
>
> How to predict which of the above 4 might happen is impossible. In any case, all these meds are powerful molecules that affect the body's nervous system, endocrine system, in profound ways. Stopping one cold could, not guaranteed, cause trauma to the body as it readapts.
>
> Personally in your shoes I would reduce by 1/4 for about a week, 1/2 for another two weeks, 3/4 for another week, and then small chunks in descending sizes for a week. Somewhere along the way if things become weird, you can always stall at where you are and wait or go back up.
>
> Other than that, you might benefit from a couple other things. A diet heavy on protein and veggies without sugars or carbs. And/or thyroid supplementation. The meds you are on really squash down the whole adrenal/thyroid axis.
I agree with the sentiment above basically -- ask your doctor about decreasing and eliminating it -- I know its a weight gainer for most but there can be consequences for dropping any psychotropic that one has built a plasma level unless there is some immediate life threatening or harming side effect.Its true that it can be zero. You can be the lucky one. But do you want to roll the dice on your body? I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just saying there are practicalities. Once you are finished off the Remeron the weight will go down especially with a reduced calorie diet and some exercise.
-- best wishesJay
Posted by 49er on September 7, 2008, at 8:12:18
In reply to Advice!! Can I just stop taking my Remeron?, posted by BRC on September 3, 2008, at 11:44:28
> Hi,
>
> First of all I know that you are not suppose to change and/or stop any medication without the knowledge and/or supervision of your physician.
>
> That being said. I trust the men and women (those who happen to be part of psycho babble) for their opinions and comments b/c like me they actually have to take this stuff.
>
> I posted earlier how over the years Remeron has caused me to put on quite a bit of weight. I am a very active 32 year old male and over the course of treatment with Remeron I have went from about 165lbs. to about 205lbs with no change in activity just appetite. I do not however contribute all the weight gain solely to the Remeron. I basically take the Remeron for sleep purposes
>
> My question is the following: I take 60mg of Cymbalta, 200mg Luvox, 600mg Lyrica, 4mg Klonopin, 30mg Remeron for OCD and GAD. If I were to just stop the Remeron cold turkey, would the other meds help block the withdrawal side effects from the Remeron? Or would I feel withdrawal side effects anyway?
>
> I want to stop the Remeron to see if my appetite slows down. I know at night after I take my Remeron I get extremely hungry. I know that it is in part due to the histamine effects the Remeron has on the brain. I do not want to stop the Remeron suddenly if it is going to cause adverse effects. But if my appetite does slow down then I want my doc to take me off the med.
>
> Hope to hear your advice and comments.
>
> brcBRC,
As one who is tapering Remeron, DO NOT CT IT.
Personally, I would taper 10% of the current dose every 4 to 8 weeks. Doing it the way most psychiatrists would taper might be too fast and would be the equivelant of a cold turkey taper.
Your brain needs time to adapt the neurochemical changes of having less of the drug in your body. A cold turkey withdrawal or too fast of a taper can cause withdrawal symptoms that look like a return of the illness.
By the way, my last cut was 5% and it took 3 weeks to feel "normal". But I am at around 3mg so I think it gets really harder at the lower doses.
If you're interested, I can tell you how to do the taper at the rate I am suggesting. I am not selling anything as I just don't want people to suffer.
49er
PS - I don't always remember to check for follow up responses. So if I don't respond right away, please don't take it personally
This is the end of the thread.
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