Beth's Keeping Track Post

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi If it is not working then get rid of it. Just saying.... bizi

Exactly my thought.

medications that don't work should be weaned off of not abrutely discontinued
bizi

Pdoc agrees that there's no reason to be on the AP if I don't need it right now. So I'm down to just 4mg. perphenazine and so far, so good. I have to cut out some of the meds I'm on, it's too many.

Down to 4mg Trilafon. I'm unsure of the effect, if any, because of the headache I've had for 8 days. I do feel very anxious...but that could be from not seeing my therapist for over a week. Hopefully, she won't cancel and I'll see her Thursday. I'll be better able to assess where I am then.

I would say to stay at this dose for a while before reducing.coming off of geodon hospitalized and I was manic/psychotic for so long. I was in there almost 1 month. The geodon had stopped working and that is why I wanted off of it, I needed different meds. Now I am on the lowest of doses Than I have every been on and pretty stable.
All of this to say that be aware the you can have some ill toward effects while tapering off. Am sorry.
keep in touch
love bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi I would say to stay at this dose for a while before reducing.coming off of geodon hospitalized and I was manic/psychotic for so long. I was in there almost 1 month. The geodon had stopped working and that is why I wanted off of it, I needed different meds. Now I am on the lowest of doses Than I have every been on and pretty stable. All of this to say that be aware the you can have some ill toward effects while tapering off. Am sorry. keep in touch love bizi

Thank you, bizi. I agree. I'm pretty sure I dropped the dose too fast. I'm holding it at 8mg. for now, then will drop to 6mg after I feel physically (and mentally) better than I've been feeling.

I don't know why I posted "$mg" - I meant 8mg.

I've been experiencing a tremendous amount of anxiety, even panic. I took an extra 2mg. of Trilafon this morning and feel much calmer this afternoon. *sigh* I want to be on less meds, but I am so much more stable on more meds. The anxiety absolutely cripples my existence.

I do not know what to do.

Yes go on a slooooooow taper. I know its easy to want to jump off stuff fast but our bodies seldom agree !

Has your headache returned??? I sure hope not !

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Christina Yes go on a slooooooow taper. I know its easy to want to jump off stuff fast but our bodies seldom agree ! Has your headache returned??? I sure hope not !

Yes, slow, slow. It's so hard to be patient, but I'll suffer if I'm not.

The worst of the migraine is over...I don't think my head ever actually stops aching entirely. It wears me down.


Thank you, Christina

You must be patient. any way to get a smaller
dose of meds so that way you can go down
even smaller doses like 1 mg at a time instead

of 4 or even 2.
just one mg pills more of them to account for
your taper. I went bonkers psychotic

discontinuing the geodon so abruptly and

in a psych ward for a month until I stabilized on haldol.
just a suggestion.
bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi You must be patient. any way to get a smaller dose of meds so that way you can go down even smaller doses like 1 mg at a time instead of 4 or even 2. just one mg pills more of them to account for your taper. I went bonkers psychotic discontinuing the geodon so abruptly and in a psych ward for a month until I stabilized on haldol. just a suggestion. bizi

Thank you so much for your advice and experience, bizi. I'm finding that impatience leads to failure when it comes to psych meds.

Yes if you could get 1mg pills then that would help you with the taper.
bizi

Had appt. with pdoc yesterday. She wants me to completely stop the perphenazine by tomorrow and replace it with Gabapentin, for anxiety. I'll try it; we'll see.

good luck beth.

I find gabapentin really effective for anxiety. I take a lot of it but it helps. My goal is to get off klonopin and just use gabapentin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow I find gabapentin really effective for anxiety. I take a lot of it but it helps. My goal is to get off klonopin and just use gabapentin.

Thank you, Rainbow, for letting me know. I'm also in the process of (very slowly) withdrawing from Klonopin. I think it stopped working for me many years ago, but my body is addicted to it- hence, the very slow decrease.

Anyway, my fingers are crossed for the gabapentin to help with this miserable anxiety.

You are setting up for anxiety.
please call your pdoc and switch gradually.
not a sudden switch.
bizi
I n
know you want to end this process but it is
needed to go slowly
off of the medication.
This seems to sudden.
sorry just my observation.
bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi You are setting up for anxiety. please call your pdoc and switch gradually. not a sudden switch. bizi I n know you want to end this process but it is needed to go slowly off of the medication. This seems to sudden. sorry just my observation. bizi

Thanks, bizi. I'm a bit concerned about that, too. I was surprised...my pdoc is usually extremely cautious. I know that she's very concerned about continuing an AP because she believes I am having symptoms of tardive dyskenesia. I'm seeing a neurologist about the TD, but - get this - my first appointment isn't until September! Nothing like rushing me in...

4 months is a long time to wait!!!!!
heavy sigh
I will wait with you.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi 4 months is a long time to wait!!!!! heavy sigh I will wait with you. (((((HUGS))))) bizi

Thank you for being such a good friend, bizi. I've taken into account what you said about not stopping the perphenazine suddenly. I took both that and the Gabapentin last night and was very sedated and kind-of loopy. I'm thinking that what I'll do is cut the perphenazine by half, see how that goes. (Frankly, I feel so much less anxious with BOTH meds, but we're trying to cut down on the number of meds I'm on.)

you must fallow your heart.
just wanted to leave you a hug.
((((((HUGS)))))))
bizi

I have an appt. with Dr. W tomorrow. I can't report on whether the Gabapentin has decreased my anxiety because this past week has been sheer hell...impossible to feel anything but viciously anxious.

I want to ask her to allow me to decrease my Lamictal dose. I believe it's causing me to be depressed and without motivation to be creative. It's very unlike me.

one thing at a time please.
((((((hugs)))))
bizi

While its possible Lamictal could cause depression altho I have never of anyone that happening to.

Lamictal works just on the depressive end of Bipolar. Yes they have now classed it as a mood stabilizer the medication is actual for Seizures

Quitting more than one med at a time typical has people crash and burn,

Unless a Doctor advises stopping numerous ones The best way to manage it more safely and easier is too determine what the half life of a medication is and then cut in half IF its a med that can be split, Then stay on that a couple weeks, The go every other day for a few weeks then cut to every 3 days ..

All that said I am NOT a Doctor of course. But stopping one medication at a time and going slow gives you the best chance of not throwing yourself into hell.

Thank you bizi and Christina You cannot believe how much I appreciate your input.

When I spoke with my pdoc yesterday she said something about staying on the perphenazine for now (???). I think she made a mistake when she mentioned stopping the perphenazine entirely.

I'm just getting so worried. My blood labs are starting to show some serious stuff. I feel so discouraged.