[Blue_Bird]

I'm considering coming off my meds. Yes I know I should consult my doctor but she doesn't think it's a good idea and kind of brushes me off when I mention it.

My question is, how long will it take until the meds are really out of my system?

Is it worth it going off them just to see if I really need them or have just grown dependent on them (not physically, mentally)

Here are the meds I'm on:

Depakote
Invega Sustenna
Paxil
Remeron
Hydroxyzine
Zyprexa
and Trazodone prn

And yes I know Depakote has to be tapered off of slowly, because last time I didn't know and had withdrawal seizures.

[CANDC]

Bluebird, I am of the mind if a person is stable don't change the meds, even though I think natural is nice, stable is of utmost importance.

The other problem with getting off meds is that you may or may not have side affects. When meds are first started it takes time for them to work. When someone stops they take a considerable time to stop working. The worst case situation is the person getting off substantial med dx like you have may be fine for a few months then have a major break down with IP.

Only a doctor of psychiatry has the expertise to know how or if getting off meds will work. Here are articles that discuss the topic.

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://...04H_cmmvvu1Rew

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://...4U7X9SJ58uQcWA

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://...NB49PEo20v48aA

[nushi]

Hey Blue_Bird,,,

I've got exactly the same problem as yours! Though I don't go to a psychiatrist currently, but I've been taking Seroxat (Paroxetine) for around 5 years now, for my OCD, & can't stop taking it, 'cause I tried to stop it several times gradually, & even though I don't have an exact measure if my OCD symptoms increased then, but I had to go through severe nausia all the time while trying to withdraw, so I always return back to this drug (like a slave! ) only to stop this nausea!

I have the same thoughts you've got, I mean, I hate this feeling of having my body, my mind, & my whole life dependent & slave to a drug! & worse, it takes more than a quarter of my monthly spending to buy this expensive drug (my slavery master! )...

Anyway, I'm willing to try again & again to release myself from this drug-slavery...

But you know what, I think we should consider several things to help us withdraw safely from such drugs:

1. I think a psychiatrist must help us in that. I'm willing to pay the high-fees of a psychiatrist just so that he could help me withdraw safely from this drug (I mean, it's a money-saver in the long run anyway ). So really, try to press the issue further with your psychiatrist, & if he ignores you, try a strategy of telling him that you already decided to stop the drugs, "so are with me, or should I do this alone?!". Or try to tell him/her that if he/she thinks it's not a good idea right now, to tell you at least, when is it gonna be a good idea? Maybe he/she'd tell you after a certain number of years you could do that safely, or he/she'd tell you, if you progress further in your psychotherapy & show signs of improvement, & that should give you a motivation to improve to be able later to stop your medication as a reward prize...

2. I think it would better to try to stop the drugs, when we feel more advanced & improved in our progress in psychotherapy & self-healing & adaptation techniques to our problems, that we feel that we could do it on our own without medication anymore. Perhaps drugs are only to help us half-way or even 3/4-way through to healing, & then we withdraw from them, & say goodbye to them, in our final stages of adaptation to psychotherapy techniques for controlling our lives with our mind problems...

3. I think it's also best to withdraw from drugs only in time-periods (of course, with the consultation of a psychiatrist to know the best time) in which we don't go through life situation that might cause additional stress or anxiety, like for ex., going through your last year in a diploma, or working in a new job, or going through the beginning of a relationship... etc. But instead, in a time that has no new situations, or out-of-the-ordinary events...

4. While withdrawing also, I think we should prepare ourselves with ready-up techniques & strategies for dealing with any side-stresses or withdrawal symptoms that will take place. Perhaps like for ex., sticking to a schedule of going for outside walks or having some entertaining strategies (& never skipping this schedule no matter what pain of withdrawal we go through) in order not to give up to depression & to not get wrapped-up with the withdrawal symptoms & doing nothing else in life, which would only increase the pain & stress of getting the drug our of our systems...

& I really pray & hope that you & me could free ourselves one day from this slavery...

[BlueGreenTabbyCat]

I used to be on Paxil (which is called Seroxat or Paroxotine over here in the UK). I tried over 9 months initially to come off 30mg (having taken it for about 4 or 5 years beforehand but being rubbish about actually remembering to take it every single day). I stopped at Christmas, by February I was feeling suicidal and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital because of this. I left and a few months later went back onto Seroxat.

I did a bit of research after this I then found out that the drugs have a half-life of about 2 days but can remain in your system for around 1-2 months. Which could be why I slowly became worse before landing myself an admission.

I did come off in the end (I went back on to Seroxat a few months later for a few years) and the second time reduced down from 20mg over 18 months and managed a lot better even if I got side effects for much of that (physical side effects rather than mental or psychological).

I can't help wondering if the reason the initial 9 months wasn't enough was not because I was reducing too fast as much as any residue left in my system would have been depleting too fast and along with my intake reducing was just too quick. I'd advise taking your time reducing that particular a/d because it wasn't easy despite the very positive set-up I had at the time.

[WantToGrow]

First of all, the psych profession is NOT the most knowledgeable about how to get off these meds; they are quite bad at it actually, and much suffering has occurred due to discontinuation syndrome from stopping these meds too quickly.

I am not familiar with all the drugs in your cocktail, but the fact that you are on so many makes it much more complicated.

The best resource you can access with regards to safely coming off meds is surviving antidepressants dot org. The whole forum is about withdrawing from antidepressants and other psych drugs. They advocate a 10% per month tapering schedule to minimize harm. My p-doc was okay with me coming off Remeron and Effexor (one at a time) but said it was OCD that I was coming off so slowly and measuring my dosages with a milligram scale. I had my own horror story trying to come off Effexor last year, landing me on Remeron, and then Effexor again when the Remeron quickly pooped out, probably because I was still in WD from the Effexor. When I took that first dose of Effexor, I felt normal within an hour! These drugs are not supposed to work until around four weeks, so that was a sure sign of dependency.

I think people really misunderstand how these drugs work and think that once it is out of their system they shouldn't have withdrawal. These drugs when first taken CREATE an imbalance of neurotransmitters. The brain gradually compensates by up or down-regulating receptors trying to regain homeostasis. Then, when the drug is reduced or cold turkey'd, the brain and nervous system once again have an imbalance of neurotransmitters since the drug is no longer there either blocking reuptake or causing higher secretion, whatever the mode of action. Once again, it takes time for the neurons to adjust, sometimes a very long time depending on how long you were on the drug and how high the dosage. During this time, you are suffering withdrawal symptoms, physical and/or mental. Often times, a p-doc will say the patient has relapsed and throw you on another drug. In reality, the emotional turmoil is due to withdrawal.

So, half lives do affect onset of symptoms; short ones cause more rapid onset, and longer ones delay WD symptoms, which may develop a head of steam when the drug is finally out of the system.

Each drug will result in WD when it is no longer in the system, even if a new AD is added, if they work by different mechanisms.

I would advise you to go to SA.org and check in with the very knowledgeable folks who have been in the trenches.