[BipolaRNurse]

....and I'm really nervous. It didn't go very well the last time my pdoc tried taking me off my baby dose of Celexa, which is why I'm still on it despite the fact that he HATES giving antidepressants to bipolar patients. Now that I'm having this badass breakthrough mania, he wants me off and while I don't blame him (could be what's activating it) I don't want to go through the kind of withdrawal I did the last time.

Of course, as he pointed out, I wasn't manic the last time and I didn't go into a depression so much as I had an angry, agitated mixed sort of thing going on. I'm also better medicated now. Just wanting some thoughts if any of you have been taken off ADs and how you dealt with any w/d symptoms.

[BlueInanna]

Have had BAD w/d symptoms - cymbalta was evil - brain zaps, body pain, etc. but I was a bad girl (surprise) and quit cold turkey. I'm guessing your doc knows what he's doing & wish you an easy process of it. May as well try it, you trust him.

Fish oil! I usually always get brain zaps and body aches and pains coming off meds, but taking fish oil has helped heaps with that. I havent had any side effects from lowering my AP and have been taking fish oil and vitamin B this time around. When Im coming off AD I get dizzy and weak as well, and I carry a spew bag with me everywhere just incase. I make up frozen dinners and make sure I eat healthy. Your body is going through enough stress so you need to be as healthy as possible.

You might not even notice side effects while you are up so try not to stress about it

I went off effexor not too long ago and though I had a little bit of mood swings it wasnt as terrible as I'd heard, though I am still on an ssri so that might be some of the reason. Just go very slowly and take care of yourself otherwise, pamper yourself.

[Phoenix_1]

I went off celexa two years ago, and it wasn't that bad.
Going off effexor was terrible!

[thickntired]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

....and I'm really nervous. It didn't go very well the last time my pdoc tried taking me off my baby dose of Celexa, which is why I'm still on it despite the fact that he HATES giving antidepressants to bipolar patients. Now that I'm having this badass breakthrough mania, he wants me off and while I don't blame him (could be what's activating it) I don't want to go through the kind of withdrawal I did the last time.

Of course, as he pointed out, I wasn't manic the last time and I didn't go into a depression so much as I had an angry, agitated mixed sort of thing going on. I'm also better medicated now. Just wanting some thoughts if any of you have been taken off ADs and how you dealt with any w/d symptoms.

,

Hi,

I went into a bad manic episode and couldn't get it together. The first thing they did at the hospital was take me off of my prozac, and the mania went away. From what I understand with bipolar Dr's have to be very careful treating the depression and treating the mania because one can offset the other. Right now I'm on lamictal for depression and they should be adding seroquel or zyprexa for mania. I could tell a difference in my depression from the lamictal alone, and I see that you take that. I think coming off the AD will be buffered by lamictal.

Peace,

TnT

[gayleggg]

I was taken off Risperdal, Viibryd and something else but I can't remember what it was, cold turkey due an interaction with a blood thinner I was put on. I started halucinating, so the took me off all my psych meds except Klonopin. I didn't have any withdrawl effects at all. I'm now on a whole different mix, though, he is switching me from Seroquel to Latuda, but after looking up the cost without insurance, he's going to have to find something else. It's know wonder that half the time I can't remember what I'm taking anymore.

[Moose72]

Gayle, I had to bring a list with me to the psych er/inpatient because I'm on so many I couldn't possibly remember the name and amount for everything.

[Zabine]

It has been many years, but I don't remember having any problems going off celexa....

[Resident Bipolar]

I didn't experience any withdrawal from Celexa either.

Anyway, your doctor most likely knows what he's doing. If you experience any bad withdrawal symptoms this time, please speak to your doctor straight away as he may be able to prescribe another medication to offset or alleviate the effects.

You'll be fine. Try not to worry. Getting you out of this mania is the most important thing for now (:

RB.

[~Christina]

I understand your fear, I really do ..

But your Pdoc has proven he really knows his stuff and cares about your well being... Trust in him and talk to him about "whats the game plan if you have problems going off the med"

I just took a leap of faith with my pdoc and he made the right call.

[BipolaRNurse]

Yeah, he said we'll definitely revisit the issue if I have bad withdrawal symptoms or crash into depression. But he honestly didn't think either would be an issue this time, as I'm on a decent-sized dose of Lamictal which helps a lot with the depression, plus I'm on a good amount of Geodon with some wiggle room to go up if need be. Not to mention the fact that I was manic as hell the past two days and hypomanic for a week or so prior to that.

Ultimately, I trust him, so I'm doing it and hoping for thebest.

[BipolaRNurse]

Well, THIS sucks.

It's taken a few days for my brain to catch onto the idea that it's not getting Celexa anymore. So far, the w/d isn't AS bad as it was the last time, but this is only my 5th day off and while I'm not crashing into depression, I am angry and irritable and yappy and weepy by turns. I took the Zyprexa for three nights, didn't take it last night because I thought I was OK, and then didn't sleep....only dozed for about five hours.

This is what happened when I tried going off of ADs the last time. My family was ready to throw me out of the house by the middle of the 2nd week! I really do want to stick it out this time because I suspect the same thing my pdoc does (the AD is fueling the mania and that's why I keep having episodes). What I think I'll do tonight is take a half dose of the Zyprexa along with my usual meds, try to sleep, and if I don't feel any better by tomorrow I'll call him. This is such bull$#!+.

your plan sounds good. Hang in there. Hopefully this will pass soon.

[BipolaRNurse]

Okay, now I seriously doubt I'm supposed to hallucinate, for pete's sake!!! I can't sleep anyway, so I'm up on the computer half the night and keep seeing things out of the corners of my eyes AND hearing snippets of soft music while I'm trying to go to sleep, or they wake me up. There is NO source of music anywhere in the house, our phones are off, no TVs etc so where the hell can those sounds be coming from?? And have any of you had this happen when you were coming off an SSRI?

It seems like such a massive overreaction. I'm not crashing, in fact I'm still kind of manic. Agitated and irritable mostly. I know I've got to call my pdoc tomorrow when he's back in town, but I need a few survival tips in the meantime, other than loading up on the meds tonight (which I'm going to do---I tried going without the PRN Zyprexa last night and obviously that didn't work well). I have enough of my mind together to know that this is not normal, but also that it's not real. Still scary though.

[LacunaCoiler]

When I got taken off of Celexa I was in the hospital because of a really bad mixed manic episode and tried to commit suicide. I really didn't feel any different when they took me off of it. I'm partially thinking it was because of the already manic state I was in. Once I got back to "normal" I didn't even really miss it. Since then I haven't and won't use a A/D. docs orders.

[BipolaRNurse]

OK, we have an action plan. Doc called me around 10 this morning and is talking hospitlazation if this med change doesn't work. He doen'st like the fact that I am halluicinating and put me on Zyprexa for at least a couple of weeks and increased the Lamictal. He remembers how miserable I was the last time we tried this, but I am bound and determined not to every go through this again even though he thinks the w/d symptoms will get worse befor they get better (hence the ^ in Lamictal). He does not thing the hallucinations are due to the w/d because I had some before I stopped the celexa.

Sure hope this works. I've got too much to do and I don't have health insurance, so a hospitaliztion would be disastrous.

[~Christina]

I think he has a good plan laid out ..He sounds like a wonderful Doctor that really cares. I think the short term use of Z is going to help you out alot .

You can do this. I here if you ever need a shoulder.

[BipolaRNurse]

Thanks, hon. I'm thisclose to going inpatient and I'm scared. He even admitted he's running out of ideas and that we might have to start over if the med change doesn't do it. I didn't even tell him about the paranoia.....forgot about it until a couple of hours after we talked on the phone. Oh well, I see him on Friday and hopefully all this will be better. I've got way too much to do over the next week or so and I can't afford to be sick, let alone in the hospital.

And yes, I am incredibly lucky to have such an awesome pdoc. I don't know how he does this, but he takes the time to really know his pateints as people with quirks and foibles, not just diagnoses. I never leave his office without feeling better than I did when I went in. I trust him, literally, with my life.

[~Christina]

Do you think you need inpatient ???

Is he considering inpatient due to the fact that "sometimes" your med changes and increases can be done quicker since your being watched over 24/7 ? But like Lamictal... that just takes time no way to avoid that.

I think you should be upfront and honest about your symptoms of course and just because you have hallucinations or paranoia going on doesn't mean you really need to go inpatient.

I understand your concern also about the cost of going inpatient. Usually you can get some help with that bill because it's typically a big expense.

I'm glad your seeing him Friday

[BipolaRNurse]

Yeah, me too Christina.

I'm actually feeling a little less freaked-out tonight. I'm glad the discussion about inpatient happened, because now I realize that I was being paranoid and that he's trying to keep me OUT of the hospital. Do I think I need IP? I have no idea.....If I were suicideal or self-harming I'd say 'yes', but everybody seems to think my mania is more dangerous than my depression (and they're probably right). Still, I trust Dr. Awesomesauce; he knows my financial, work, and home situations very well, and if he were to recommend IP, I'd go even though I'm scared spitless.

Well, I guess this shoots down the idea I had about three weeks ago, about all this bipolar stuff having been nothing more than a giant existential crisis that lasted for a couple of years. This is how the universe gets back at us when we get too big for our britches. LOL

[~Christina]

What scares you the most about the idea of going inpatient ? just curious .

[BipolaRNurse]

I think it's the loss of control and dignity......that and being locked up. I'm claustrophobic and don't deal well with being someplace that I can't get out of. I'm also worried about the OTHER crazy people in there, lol.

I have an appointment tomorrow, and I'm going to ask my pdoc what to expect if I'm ever admitted. Maybe taking the mystery out of it will ease the fear......if this med combo fails, he said "we'll have to do something more drastic" and that means IP.

[~Christina]

Let me tell you how my inpatient trips have gone ..

I have always signed myself in... So unless I am swinging from the ceiling there is no reason I can't leave after 72 hours .

The actually hospital I have gone to is one of the best in the state .. Its a beautiful place.

Other crazy people ? Yeah normally they keep the real scarey ones seperated from your run of the mill folks like us..

Dignity ? I never felt like I lost it , I did/do have issues with being "locked up" thats my biggest source of stress.. well stress besides the nonstop damn group therapy .

Group therapy in that place starts at 730am and runs til 8pm at nite .. A few 15 min breaks here and there and 30 min meal breaks . I CAN NOT STAND all that group therapy .. That is a deal breaker for me ever going inpatient again.. My Fibro pain goes insane there as there is so much sitting involved .

Since my Pdoc is 90 miles from the hospital ..I see the head asshat of the place .,. He is a smug b.as.tard to be honest .. I Loathe that man and he knows it .. he is the medical director and he doesnt much care for my opinion and likes to just order meds I refuse to take

All that said the 3 times I have gone there it has kept me safe so it's ok . But My T is looking into other places I could go that isn't all about overload therapy to the point I am more suicidal in there than out. Every place is different .. hell some has internet and use of cell phones ..

Maybe an IOP would be helpful to you instead of full on inpatient ..

Inpatient is fine when you need it ... no matter how much I just B!tched about it

[BipolaRNurse]

Thanks, Christina. I think I've come down enough now that going IP won't be an issue, at least not this time. That Zyprexa is some kick@$$ stuff and it's pretty much beaten the mania into submission.

But it's good to know something about the hospital just in case I ever do need it, which wouldn't shock me since I've had some pretty serious manic episodes, even on a fair amount of meds. I just hope that once the Celexa w/d gets over with, the absence of the drug will put the kibosh on them. I love my hypomania but it never wants to stop at that; it always escalates, and it usually takes additional meds that I then can't seem to get rid of. So it would be better not to live in fear of being admitted, if it ever comes to that.