claus Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 Hey there, About three days ago I stopped taking my antidepressants, which I had been taking for about 2 years straight. These are: lithium carbonate, 1000mg ravotril seretran those are once a day, at night for the past days I've felt worse than I can remember, I feel dizzy and my head hurts a lot, also, I feel weakness in my muscles and feel overall less energy than before. I've been thinking about taking the drugs back, because I can barely get through the day with this things What do you guys think?
fratboy11 Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 I wouldn't stop taking them unless directed to by a doctor, and even then you'd want to slowly wean yourself off of them instead of dropping them off the cliff. And even if you yourself are a doctor, talk to one of your doctor friends, because people tend to be bad at judging their own condition. Good luck! I'm about to start on a mood stabilizer (maybe) so I too look forward to the day when I no longer have to take them.
dragon lady Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 Goodness, you can't just stop taking these drugs cold turkey! You need to ween yourself off them over a period of time. No wonder you feel terrible.
scorpio47 Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 That sounds like a lot to just stop all of a sudden. Did the doctor recommend that you just stop like that? When I was on my meds, the doctor backed me off slowly over time. Even at that, there still was some dizziness. Give us more info.
Day After Today Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 It's never a good idea to suddenly stop taking anti depressants...you should speak to your doc about lowering the dosage over time....I suddenly stopped a year or so ago and the side effects were pretty bad...
Ac143 Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 Goodness, you can't just stop taking these drugs cold turkey! You need to ween yourself off them over a period of time. No wonder you feel terrible. Yes! You will feel terrible quitting cold turkey like this. Did you speak to your doctor before doing this?
top bloke Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 I would recommend you ween yourself off as previously mentioned. If you are at the stage that you hate doctors then half the dosage and see how you go. Do this for a while if it works and the cut down say to 1/3 .. Then stop. If you are not coping talk to your doctor anyway..no need for you to suffer brother.
calidreamin0 Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 All the poster's are correct. You have to ween yourself off of them, and this is something you and your doctor should be doing together. These are strong drugs to just stop taking. Right now, your pretty much going through withdrawals that can be very dangerous for your body. And your brain. I would take them as soon as possible, then schedule an appt. with your doctor to set a plan to get off of the pills.
jengh Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 Oh my... do NOT just suddenly stop taking these drugs, especially lithium. It's very important you ween yourself off. And you should not do so without talking to a doctor first!
chaosa Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Call your doctor. I just recently weened myself off two anti-depressants under a doctors supervision. It was painful and I am STILL having slight withdrawal symptoms. You can have numerous problems going off cold turkey, including stroke and death. I don't want to scare you, but you need to know this is a real danger.
My Advice Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Claus I stopped cold turkey the lithium but more out of a curiosity than because I didn't expect it wouldn't do something to me. You are having withdraws. You can actually send yourself into a seizure. Look it up online. You need to start taking them again, see a doctor, and ween yourself off them. What you are doing is seriously unhealthy. You are supposed to slowly come off. It's like a drug addict trying to come off something without supervision. Any chemical addiction can have severe side effects including seizures.
claus Posted February 3, 2009 Author Posted February 3, 2009 alright thanks for the replys. I'm gonna take the pills from small doses until I reach what I used to be taking, maybe I'll take a week or two to get them back to normal. I'll call my doctor and ask for an appointnment ASAP. Once again, thanks a lot.
claus Posted February 3, 2009 Author Posted February 3, 2009 These feelings have to be some of the strongest I've had in a long time... my muscles are so weak that when I walk my leg muscles don't work very well and my knees bend... like I'm about to collapse. Just now I took some of what I used to take.. I'm going to bed now and hope for a better day. Thanks guys.
My Advice Posted February 3, 2009 Posted February 3, 2009 Wait, that doesn't necessarily sound like a good idea either... What dose were you on, how long did it take for you to get there and how long have you been off them now? It couldn't have been more that long if you are still feeling the effects. You might want to take the FULL amount again. Not just a small amount.
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