[FireDragonMom]

i am sick of meds. I have decided to stop. I take cymbalta 60 mg...Provigil 100mg...Ativan 1mg 3x a day as needed....abilify 10 mg and seroquel 200 mg.
any help for what to watch for from the withdrawals would be appreciated.
i know i am taking a risk with this...but i am done with meds and still being a basket case.

help help help

[CedarS]

I can understand being sick of meds but I sure can't help with what you are going through other than to strongly encourage you to not do this on your own.

Can you work with your doc to withdraw slowly from one med at a time?

Please take good care of yourself.

[(JD)]

This is NEVER a good idea! It's okay if you no longer wish to take medication (unless someone is ordered by the court to do so.) BUT you MUST, simply MUST notify the prescribing physician and use their advice on HOW to do so safely.
The modern medications, especially psychotropics, are specific for brain chemical involvement, and going "cold turkey" off them can be quite harmful.
You have the right not to take them, but the liability is on your physician who thinks you are taking them.
You won't have to "watch" for withdrawals, they'll be all over you! Call your doctor, and wait until the doctor sees you or calls you back, PLEASE?

[tracy33]

I totaly understand your frustration, however, I wouldn't advise going off all meds at once. I get aggravated at times and want to give up on meds, and I'll stop taking one med for a while. Within weeks I feel like crap and realize I need the med.
You say you are still a basket case with the meds?
Maybe you're not on the right combination. Aren't Abilify and Seroquel the same thing? Why do you take both? Just curious.
I was a mess for quite some time until I found a new pdoc who was willing to listen to me and let me make most of the decision making. I basically wrote my own treatment plan with her approval of course. I am doing great now. My meds work great together.
I hope you don't quit cold turkey. Please talk it over with your doctor.

[yutzman]

This is risky with the number and amount of meds you are on. Don't throw caution to the wind. You don't want to crash! Talk to your psych, work something out. These meds may seem not to be working, but with a sudden stop, you just may feel the effects of how much they were!

[serafim_etal]

I don't know what the risks of stopping most of those meds cold turkey are, other than what others have already said, but I do know the risks of stopping a regular dosed (as opposed to a prn dose) benzodiazapine (ativan). Stopping that particular med cold turkey can (often) cause severe seizures. That's not a risk I would be willing to take. Please talk to you doctor.

[Visioneer]

I am learning a difficult lesson about not stopping meds on your own... I have stopped taking two of my three meds in the last week and I feel absolutely terrible... I didn't sleep for the first few days, then I started to get muscle cramps and headaches, and then dizziness and nausea (I have eaten twice since Friday night - it's now Monday). I was taking Celexa and Zyprexa; I tried weaning my self off of them slowly by cutting down my pills over a week. I can't even go in to work today I feel so bad. I am still taking Wellbutrin, but only because I have slow release tablets which can't be cut.

BOTTOM LINE: TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. They can't force you to take meds; it's your body and your mind. But they can give you advice on what to do about withdrawal (which can include hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, be warned) and how to avoid it, such as a tapering schedule appropriate to your medications, or something better to take while you are adjusting. I am talking to my doctor as soon as possible.

I understand how you're feeling about your meds. One of the reasons I have stopped taking them is that I realized they were physically addictive. Best of luck to you.

[Christina86]

Hi ((((((FireDragonMom))))))))))))

I'm urging you to not try to go off all of them "cold turkey" because the results could be disasterous, and result in you having to go to the hospital with any number of complications and health problems. It could be safe to go off each seperately "cold turkey" but that is still not advisable at all. Please talk to your prescribing physician or pdoc.

I agree--DON'T DO IT WITHOUT A DOC'S SUPERVISION. I am planning on trying to get off or at least decreasing the dosages of my meds (already trying to decrease the Abilify) in the next couple years. I think I need to stay on the ones I am on now basically until I get a firm foundation through therapy & DBT--get control of the thoughts & emotions, then I can start decreasing the meds, but my plan is to go into the best psych hospital & do it under the hospital's supervision as I have been on these heavy-duty anti-psychotics for over 10 years now.

It can cause serious problems if you don't get off them without medical superviusion. Please heed everyone's concerns.--Suzy

[FireDragonMom]

I am touched by all the concern.
Thank you all so much. I am still taking my Abilify, Seroquel, and Provigil.
I skipped my Cymbalta for four days. I got nauseated when I decided to try the Cymbalta again. So, now back off..see the doc this week. We'll go from there. My moods seem to be okay with just seroquel and abilify. This medication thing is so tricky to keep balanced isn't it?!?!

[(JD)]

Indeed it is! And that's why, unless you are a pharmacist or medical doctor, you really shouldn't be playing with such an important element of your life.

I'm glad you are taking your meds. But really, if you no longer wish to take all of them, you have that right. It might not be in your own best interest, but you do have that right. What you don't have the right to do is jeopardize your physician's standing with regards to expected compliance and expected results from prescribing a course of action.

TC!