Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 847565

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10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 15:41:57

For those that have used SSRI's for 10 continuous years, let me know:

1. How are you feeling?
2. Do they still work?
3. Any new side effects?
4. Has it affected your cognition?
5. Do you think if you go off of them, you will snap back to "baseline"?

I went off of them for a little while after 14 years and became way more obsessive and anxious then I was prior to being on them, and seemed to get more depressed. Its almost like after artifically increasing your seratonin for 14 years, if you stop doing it, your brain will not produce as much as it did. Also, I am just not as smart as I was either--memory, verbal, attention to detail, abstraction. If you stay off these things for over a year, do you really think you will be back to "normal"?

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by bleauberry on August 21, 2008, at 16:19:57

In reply to 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 15:41:57

I don't know. I assume everyone is a bit different in what happens with longterm ssru usage.

I was on ssris for about 12 years. Paxil one year, zoloft half a year, and prozac all the rest. The 6 month period after paxil was drugfree and I was ok for a few months and then gradually deteriorated against my will no matter what.

I have been off meds now for about 2 years. I have had very short (days to a couple weeks) trials of various other things, but no ssris. Anyway, yeah, it seems like I no longer make very much serotonin. All the symptoms of low serotonin are present...anxiousness, disturbed sleep, and blue mood.

My doctor had me do a urinary neurotransmitter metolite lab test. I don't know how accurate they are for telling what is going on in the nervous system, but the results that stood out bigtime were slightly elevated gaba and extremely low almost non-existent serotonin. We figured that either my body is hanging on to all the serotonin it can make and not excreting it because there isn't enough to afford to excrete, or that it just wasn't being produced, and that gaba was trying as hard as it could to make up for the shortage. Hypothesis. But the lab numbers were kind of stunning to see.

I tried 5htp for a couple weeks. Very sensitive to it. Started at just some powder on the tip of the finger and worked up to 25mg in late afternoon. It was reminiscent of ssris. That is, calm, everything is ok, good sleep, but absolutely no interest in life, and sexual dysfunction worse than ssris. In some ways my body liked the serotonin, but in other ways did not.

Since then the only thing I have responded to is a primarily norepinephrine med (Milnacipran) from overseas mailorder. Even Cymbalta was way too strong on serotonin for me and had me in the dumps rather quickly.

So I don't know. For me at least, I have no doubt that longterm ssri screwed some things up pretty bad. I went a solid 6 months drugfree to see if I would stabilize, but each passing week just got a little worse and worse, and then serotonin manipulation did not do what it used to. I never did well on norepinephrine meds before, but now I do, so what the heck. Something changed, a lot. All I know for sure is that my pee had normal levels of all other neurotransmitters in it but hardly any serotonin, and that I now ssris feel like poison.

My doc does not like longterm ssri usage. He says it does permanent changes in the brain and is neurotoxic in that respect. Just his opinion. I do not believe present day science really knows anything about this topic you brought up.

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 16:36:54

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by bleauberry on August 21, 2008, at 16:19:57

This is very interesting to me! Can you explain a little more? Why did you go off of SSRIs? If you take it now, how does it make you feel and how is that different from before?

I was on zoloft for 8 years, and it worked great. Then, after 8 years, I started to experience new SE including confusion, mental and physical lethargy, muscle ache, and non-restful sleep. In other words, the SE's completely changed to the point I had to go off of it. So I tried Lexapro and experienced similar SE's. I tried Cymbalta but it made me more anxious. I tried Wellbutrin and the TCA's and became hyper. I tried prozac and after a month it made me SEVERELY DEPRESSED. Even the benzodiazepine's make me depressed in a weird numbing way. I tried to go back on zoloft and it made me more anxious!

My doctor says I have become hypersensitive to the drugs and that I am atypical. He says most people who experience problems after years on one drug can find another one. I have no idea what happened!

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » NewQuestions

Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2008, at 16:55:41

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 16:36:54

Now this is pure speculation on my part. But could it be like say thyroid or diabetes where the organ is receiving what it didn't have in the beginning and now the organ doesn't feel that it needs to produce serotonin? Or just tolerance or allergic reaction. I guess no one really knows. Hence same thing happened to me the first SSRI many moons ago after three months of nasty side effects my brain adjusted and with xanax low very low dose returned to work and felt good. Then my old pdoc got involved with drug companies and wanted to try what then was new to the US and that was luvox tolerated 250mg no side effects and it was then ativan. Pooped out after about 2-3 weeks and now can no longer tolerate anything higher than 50mg so stay there with valium. New pdoc I saw said my brain had adapted to it and to just keep taking the same. Wonder if anyone with an answer will pop in? I'm sorry you feel miserable after doing well. Phillipa

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by Justherself54 on August 21, 2008, at 18:54:25

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by bleauberry on August 21, 2008, at 16:19:57

I've been on and off AD's for 20 years. There was a time when I could go 2 to 3 years med free..that has changed dramatically. After stopped Nardil I was able to go close to a month without an AD, but it didn't take long for the depression to return. I think my neurotransmitters are fried!

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » Justherself54

Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2008, at 20:23:37

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by Justherself54 on August 21, 2008, at 18:54:25

Justy that kind of sounds bipolarish? Phillipa

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » Phillipa

Posted by Justherself54 on August 21, 2008, at 21:01:44

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » Justherself54, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2008, at 20:23:37

> Justy that kind of sounds bipolarish? Phillipa

That's probably because I am!

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » Justherself54

Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2008, at 21:16:05

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » Phillipa, posted by Justherself54 on August 21, 2008, at 21:01:44

Justy I really didn't know that so I haven't lost the knack I had when working to help pdocs diagnose? Thanks Love Phillipa

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » NewQuestions

Posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on August 21, 2008, at 22:49:35

In reply to 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 15:41:57

Well, as somebody who has been on different SSRI's over a 15 year period, I'd say that the worst time I had was when I was on Effexor (SNRI) and the best time on a combo of Prozac and the dopamine agonist Mirapex. It wasn't mania, but the Prozac/Mirapex combo made me feel even BETTER then I did before I started meds. Mirapex is also considered to be neuroprotective. What had happened is I had brought in a couple of journal articles about Mirapex being used in depression, for my doc to have a look at. He went through them one day over lunch, and called me that afternoon with a starting prescription.

People complain to their dry-cleaner when their clothes don't come back properly, so why in the heck don't people complain about the care they (do or don't) receive from their doctor? You are your best advocate, and quite likely if you think you are smarter then your doctor, his or hers little piece of paper on the wall doesn't make any difference. You MUST demand the top-of-the-line care! If not, FIRE your doc or pdoc and get a new one....and then another new one, whatever it takes. This is YOUR life and mental-health they are gambling with. I'd highly suggest reading "The Noonday Demon" as the author makes the same case I do. And the author has interviewed some of the top and best psychiatrists and researchers in the field.

Sorry I kind of swayed off topic, but I thought these things where important to consider when evaluating a medication. That is, possibly adding another med, or getting a better doc/pdoc.

Best,
Jay

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by NewQuestions on August 22, 2008, at 8:44:50

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » NewQuestions, posted by Jay_Bravest_Face on August 21, 2008, at 22:49:35

It doesn't sound like you guys are having the same effects as me? Read my original post and let me know!

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » NewQuestions

Posted by sunnydays on August 22, 2008, at 13:22:09

In reply to 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 15:41:57

Is there a reason you need to stay off them? I'm just curious about that because I do hope to get off my SSRIs some day, but I also realize that the way my depression has gone so far, I may need to take these for quite a long time.

sunnydays

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » NewQuestions

Posted by 49er on August 23, 2008, at 12:31:58

In reply to 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by NewQuestions on August 21, 2008, at 15:41:57

> For those that have used SSRI's for 10 continuous years, let me know:
>
> 1. How are you feeling?
> 2. Do they still work?
> 3. Any new side effects?
> 4. Has it affected your cognition?
> 5. Do you think if you go off of them, you will snap back to "baseline"?
>
> I went off of them for a little while after 14 years and became way more obsessive and anxious then I was prior to being on them, and seemed to get more depressed. Its almost like after artifically increasing your seratonin for 14 years, if you stop doing it, your brain will not produce as much as it did. Also, I am just not as smart as I was either--memory, verbal, attention to detail, abstraction. If you stay off these things for over a year, do you really think you will be back to "normal"?

Hi,

It depends on what you define as normal.

Due to horrific side effects such as a mild to moderate hearing loss and a worsening of my learning disability symptoms, I made the decision to taper off of all meds in 2006. Looking back, I think I was at the beginning of poopout.

I am down to two from an original cocktail of 4.

I engage in alot more activities than I did while on meds. For example, I went to an activity after work on Thursday even though I was exhausted from work. In the past, I would made some excuse not to go but this time, I didn't which I credit to not being so drugged up.

As far as my cognition, it depends on where I am in my tapering. Today, I am having horrific withdrawal symptoms in spite of tapering very slowly. But I expect they will clear up within a week and I will start feeling better.

Once I am completely off meds, which I anticipate will be sometime in mid 2010 as when you get lower in dose, you really have to go slowly, I have no idea how long it will take before I feel completely normal. But I know it will happen at some point as I see windows of it now.

By the way, I am writing this post to not stir up trouble or to tell people they should go off of meds. Sorry, I am feeling defensive after reading other posts.

Since my experiences are relevant to what you asked, I responded as best I could. Sorry, if I am rambling as today is not one of my best days for coherency.

49er

PS - If you decide to go off meds, taper 5 to 10% of the current dose. I had tapered more quickly than that, there no way I would have been successful in getting off of meds. Many people are finding that to be the case which doesn't make for a scientific survey. Then again, this isn't being studies by doctors so there are none to be found on this issue

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by francineus on August 25, 2008, at 14:18:01

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects » NewQuestions, posted by sunnydays on August 22, 2008, at 13:22:09

I've had the same response. I was "healthier" before going on meds than when I stopped. I read that people can develop a BipolarIII disorder just from overuse of SSRIS. I never saw myself as bipolar, yet am now on lithium and it is helping with many of the crying jags I was having. Wonder if you need a mood stabilizer?

 

Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects

Posted by NewQuestions on August 25, 2008, at 15:58:27

In reply to Re: 10+ Year Users of SSRI--Effects, posted by francineus on August 25, 2008, at 14:18:01

> I've had the same response. I was "healthier" before going on meds than when I stopped. I read that people can develop a BipolarIII disorder just from overuse of SSRIS. I never saw myself as bipolar, yet am now on lithium and it is helping with many of the crying jags I was having. Wonder if you need a mood stabilizer?

Can you give me more details? How long were you on them? When did you go off of them? I tried Lactimal but had too many cognitive effects.


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