Anyone worse 2 years later?

[AntonySandler]

Did anyone get worse 2 years after horrible withdrawal?

[dave]

It was still a struggle Antony! I ve been of 3 and a half years now and still have bad times but am able to gather my resources a little quicker.

On a more positive note i m sure that this drug sets up imbalances within the body that need to be addressed with the help of a nutritionist in order for the body to heal. It simply is not a case of positive thinking! And i ll challenge anyone on this!

Sorry but i feel stongly on this point.

[dave]

Just caught some of your other postings Antony. Seems we have some things in common, in that you sound just like i did at your stage! May i say slightly obssessive in terms of the intrussive thoughts.
I managed to get myself labeleed as ocd. But i aint a doc and i don t know you well enough to make that judgement. Whilst i don t paricularly believe in labels it did give me a direction in terms of learning to manage them.

Some supplements such as magnesium, fish oil, diet and a psychologist you trust could make all the difference here. Pm me if you want to talk more. Things can improve!! I ve been there!

dave

[Fritz96]

Dave, is it an individual thing, or are there certain nutritional principals we all should follow?

[Dawn B.]

Anthony,
Have you looked at the website for 'The Road Back'? Granted you are way past the taper they recommend, but the reason I brought it up is that I talked to someone there, who told me that these SSRI drugs suck out the Omega oils from your brain. Are you taking fish oil by any chance? I am taking 6000 mg. a day. I think a good portion of the people here are taking it with good results. I agree that the drugs cause an imbalance that needs to be addressed. I have been seeing a homeopath who concurs with the need for high Omega oils, (you can get them from flax oil too, I also take a tablespoon of flax oil daily). You also need amino acids and lecithin. Global DNA who seems to be affiliated with the road back makes a protien powder with the lecithin and amino acids in it. I tried it, but I can't seem to handle it because of the lactose, so I take a lecithin capsule and use braggs amino acids which is just like soy sauce. I'm not sure if the lecithin if doing anything, but I'm sure the fish oil is helping. Are you taking any supplements?
Dawn <><

[akaenew]

Anthony- I have not gotten to two years yet. So I understand if you think my thoughts are not valid.

I don't really know what to say. I just want to send some comforting words. I do think I understand your despair though. I don't believe you can think your way out of this- but I know people on this site that have turned the corner after two years. I hope faith will come to you. I believe you will be well and will go on to be whole. akaenew

[Amaya's Nana]

Originally Posted by Dawn B.

Anthony,
Have you looked at the website for 'The Road Back'? Granted you are way past the taper they recommend, but the reason I brought it up is that I talked to someone there, who told me that these SSRI drugs suck out the Omega oils from your brain. Are you taking fish oil by any chance? I am taking 6000 mg. a day. I think a good portion of the people here are taking it with good results. I agree that the drugs cause an imbalance that needs to be addressed. I have been seeing a homeopath who concurs with the need for high Omega oils, (you can get them from flax oil too, I also take a tablespoon of flax oil daily). You also need amino acids and lecithin. Global DNA who seems to be affiliated with the road back makes a protien powder with the lecithin and amino acids in it. I tried it, but I can't seem to handle it because of the lactose, so I take a lecithin capsule and use braggs amino acids which is just like soy sauce. I'm not sure if the lecithin if doing anything, but I'm sure the fish oil is helping. Are you taking any supplements?
Dawn <><

Dawn - amino acids may be working for you but its been my experience and also the experience of lots of others on this board, that amino's are not something you play with. It takes a very delicate balance of the right one's and if you take too much of the wrong thing, you are going to suffer. Period. While we can support our bodies with healthy choices and healthy living, adding in a bunch of supplements may do a LOT more harm than good. Everyone is individual and we have to be very, very careful with what we put in our bodies. We do know that fish oil and magnesium seem to be good, safe bets that are helpful for MOST people. But not all. Its trial and error when you're in withdrawal and even if we support ourselves with good nutrition, Paxil withdrawal takes a while to heal from. That's just the facts. And, the Road Back is not all its cracked up to be. As a matter of fact, there's been some members of this board who got extremely sick from their stuff. So, be careful. There's lots of wolves in sheep clothing out there who will take advantage of another's suffering just to make a buck, if you know what I mean.

Antony - I didn't mean to hijack your post. What Dave told you is some good advice. I encourage you to seek counseling with someone qualified who can help you sort through these destructive thoughts. I wish you the best and hope you feel better soon.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Dawn B.

Anthony,
Have you looked at the website for 'The Road Back'? Granted you are way past the taper they recommend, but the reason I brought it up is that I talked to someone there, who told me that these SSRI drugs suck out the Omega oils from your brain. Are you taking fish oil by any chance? I am taking 6000 mg. a day. I think a good portion of the people here are taking it with good results. I agree that the drugs cause an imbalance that needs to be addressed. I have been seeing a homeopath who concurs with the need for high Omega oils, (you can get them from flax oil too, I also take a tablespoon of flax oil daily). You also need amino acids and lecithin. Global DNA who seems to be affiliated with the road back makes a protien powder with the lecithin and amino acids in it. I tried it, but I can't seem to handle it because of the lactose, so I take a lecithin capsule and use braggs amino acids which is just like soy sauce. I'm not sure if the lecithin if doing anything, but I'm sure the fish oil is helping. Are you taking any supplements?
Dawn <><

Dawn, some of these supplements can be very stimulating. Fish oil and magnesium are the ones that have been most successful for folks here. To many new substances can really screw with your body. Simple is better.

[Dawn B.]

You guys are right and I stand corrected.
I took some amino acid tablets at the suggestion of my homeopath and it did screw up the balance of other supplements I have taken for years. I should have said that. The Braggs amino acids I mentioned is not a supplement. It's just like soy sauce, only contains no wheat. I only use it once in a while, but I stand corrected.
I'm interested in hearing the negatives about The Road Back. I have not read any no so good info about them. I have the fish oil from Global DNA, and use it and another one I got on my own. I was not able to take their whey powder, but I was not able to use any other whey I tried either.
Sorry if this has gotten off the original line of the post, but I guess it's important to correct my error.
Dawn <><

[mapleleafgirl25]

they are all right..i only take the fish oil..and magnesium..and the vitamin C time release..and with the mag..i dont take it everyday..because it gives me the runs..but the fish oil..i take 4 capsules a day..and its great!!!..i dont feel scared about putting that into my body!!

michele

[Dawn B.]

I've read a lot here about people taking magnsium, but it concerns me that when you only take magnesium and not the correct balance of calcium along with it run the risk of an imbalance. If you have ever noticed most supplement contain Calcium and magnesium, and even most have zinc as well, in the correct balance.
Dawn <><

[dave]

Fritz i don t really like to speak for everyone!
But Dr Anne Blake Tracy seems willing to! In her book she discribes the damage these drugs do to the body, she argues they over stimulate the body. i.e an anti depressant is in fact a stimulant, over a period of time these use up the bodies resources so our initial condition worsens. They also attack the digestion, after all this is where serotonin is made, it simply has to interfere with this process. This is why i strongly believe i addressing the digestive process. Its damaged and therefore needs repairing if the body is to recover.

[Buxy`s Back]

Anthony, i hear ya , and yes i have said so many times, bloody hell i feel worse at a year off,then at 2 years and i could even say that now, nut ya know what? when i really look back it just feels worse now.
In those early days, i think we accept that we are crap, after all thats what withdrawal is about, but i also think those first months we are still zombified for a while that made accepting this hell a bit better, if you are with me.
As time passes and our senses are waking up again i think we feel more aware of how maimed we have been, ie awareness of the injuries make it harder to cope with, also its like waking from a coma and reality hits hard.
Let me try to explain, the first 18mths i knew i would feel crap and i accepted thats how i had to feel to get through to recovery ect.
The you get to 18mths and hey why do i feel no better? others have, then we start questioning,also our nervous systems and brains have done 18 mths recovering , but these new senses that were closed down by the drug are raw, very raw, its like you can feel every nerve in your body and every insane thought in your brain more, but i really feel this is awakning of our emotions, nerves, brains ect, and although it feels like hell im sure it is good news of recovery.
I really hope i am making sense here, the further along you go the further along we feel more, after all we were numb on the drugs, i suppose compare to being in complete darkness while on them, then slowly opening your eyes, the light gets brighter and brighter but you can just about handle it but then you are fully awake and the lights too bright for a while as your senses need time to adjust to it again.
Sorry if i am not explaining this too well but at 3 years, this is certainly how i feel, worse but i know its not actually worse it just gets more frustrating.

[AntonySandler]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I am taking omega 3, and a daily vit. My diet is very good. My problem right now I think is beer. I will just have to quit drinking all together. I had about two - three weeks where I felt better then back to hell. I had an over abundance of alcohol two weeks ago at my father-in-law's 50th b-day party, and have been feeling bad again ever since. But a week before that, I was sitting at work and feeling like I was going to lose my mind. God, I just hope and pray I get my self back.

[squirrel]

Anthony I agree with what Buxy is saying, I am 2 and a half years off .

[AntonySandler]

How do you turn on the PM?

[rdjanis]

Go to 'my profile', top left of page. It is under 'edit options'.

[LossLeader]

Buxy, you're bang on there. Sadly. Everything you say I agree with 100% (I'm at 2 years right now).

I don't have as many extreme symptoms as I did at 4 months, or 8 months, or even 1 year... but somehow I FEEL worse. I don't know if it's some kind of PTSD or just that thing of being relatively "awake" now and really feeling the misery of living in a bombed-out brain. I do know I can't take it much longer. When all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball, it was easier to take this chaos and misery - now that my brain has woken up enough that I want to live my life, it's agony not being able to. And on top of that, physical symptoms have started coming back these last few months as well.

[TryingtoGetWell]

Originally Posted by Dawn B.

I've read a lot here about people taking magnsium, but it concerns me that when you only take magnesium and not the correct balance of calcium along with it run the risk of an imbalance. If you have ever noticed most supplement contain Calcium and magnesium, and even most have zinc as well, in the correct balance.
Dawn <><

Dawn, I get a lot of calcium (from diet, not supplements) and don't take magnesium, although I certainly can see that magnesium helps most people here a great deal. But I certainly agree that getting enough calcium is essential, both for the nervous system and for the body to utilize magnesium properly.

The key I think is to take the calcium supplements (or foods rich in calcium such as dairy, soy, etc.) separately from the magnesium supplements - at least four hours apart. Taking them together is fine for preventing a deficiency, but not for getting the therapeutic effects of the magnesium that people in w/d and recovery are seeking with supplemental magnesium.

Some of us have had problems with zinc (and many other) supplements, so I suggest taking that in smaller doses than usual, at least to start, and observe whether your body tolerates such supplementation. If not, it might be best to make sure you get enough from your diet. (Be sure not to take too much zinc; zinc is essential to health but too much is toxic.)

[TryingtoGetWell]

Originally Posted by LossLeader

Buxy, you're bang on there. Sadly. Everything you say I agree with 100% (I'm at 2 years right now).

I don't have as many extreme symptoms as I did at 4 months, or 8 months, or even 1 year... but somehow I FEEL worse. I don't know if it's some kind of PTSD or just that thing of being relatively "awake" now and really feeling the misery of living in a bombed-out brain. I do know I can't take it much longer. When all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball, it was easier to take this chaos and misery - now that my brain has woken up enough that I want to live my life, it's agony not being able to. And on top of that, physical symptoms have started coming back these last few months as well.

LL, I'm so sorry you're going through such a hard time. I'm 16 months off, and finding there seem to be stages of recovery; it's not a straight line, and some symptoms seem to be more severe at some stages and other symptoms at other stages.

Can't remember whether it was this board or another where I read that a lot of people really "turn the corner" in the period 2-3 years off.

Are the physical symptoms that have come back like the ones you had early in w/d or are they the ones that started or worsened later?

I've been going through a setback recently also, so I really empathize. I'm doing better the last couple of days; waiting to see if the improvement is due to my taking some aspirin (1 tab 3 times a day) after realizing that my w/d symptoms seemed a bit better when I took aspirin recently for flareup of bad back problem. My theory is that w/d may cause some kind of inflammation of the nervous system or entire body. Too soon to tell if the improvement I've had the last couple days (starting a day after trying the aspirin 3 times a day) is coincidence or whether I need to find a way to suppress inflammation more safely. I'm staying with the aspirin for a little while, if it doesn't start causing problems, just as an experiment, then will take it from there.

If we can just find out the reasons for these fluctuations or increases in severity of symptoms, I think we'll have a better idea how to deal with them.

[Buxy`s Back]

Originally Posted by LossLeader

Buxy, you're bang on there. Sadly. Everything you say I agree with 100% (I'm at 2 years right now).

I don't have as many extreme symptoms as I did at 4 months, or 8 months, or even 1 year... but somehow I FEEL worse. I don't know if it's some kind of PTSD or just that thing of being relatively "awake" now and really feeling the misery of living in a bombed-out brain. I do know I can't take it much longer. When all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball, it was easier to take this chaos and misery - now that my brain has woken up enough that I want to live my life, it's agony not being able to. And on top of that, physical symptoms have started coming back these last few months as well.

LL,thanks hun you explained it so much easier than me lol, im so sorry you are having a set back at the moment but a few of us are too.I seem to have everything back full force again and have for the last couple of weeks, but also i am thinking maybe a change of seasons and viruses are making things worse.My son had a bad siezure last week ,although he has been stable for a few months now, and it was noted in hopital that his ear and throat were inflamed, and hes also had a bad cold, so i am thinking if this can affect his brain to cause his epilepsy barrier to be crossed then it can affect every part of our sensitive brains and bodies too,heres hoiping this passes again for us all soon.
I know the exact feeling of not wanting to do this hell any more but somehow we hang in there untill the worse passes again.
Like you, i just want to live again and i feel your frustration entirely, lets hope one day thats a possibility eh?

[AntonySandler]

This is the first time in over a year when I came home from work and started to cry... FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE I AM A 34 YEAR OLD MAN!!!!! I could never hurt my wife but all the time have these feelings. We had a conversation on the way home, the guy on the left of me had a son who was bi-polar and the mom of the woman on the left of me. Then he said that some people get these things later on in life. I hope this is not something that I've always had and just decided to show it's ugly face. What is up with me? Why can't my mind just go back to normal????? I JUST WANT TO BE BACK TO THE NORMAL ME.

[Buxy`s Back]

Anthony,these are just withdrawal thoughts, i go over the same senarios, was i always like this?, what was i like before? will i ever feel normal again? ect bloody ect, but i know it is just my injured brain and sub concious that is asking this..not me.... i know logically the person i was before, and yep i had my hang ups, didnt like bridges,scared of heights, spiders, didnt like violence ect ect, but im sorry this is totally not me, withdrawal is fear, it is running scared and being afraid, especially of staying this way for life and losing your mind, but as these symptoms started with a drug reaction, then in cold turkey, then 5 days after my last drug dose, im sorry noone is telling me that this aint still withdrawal or discontinuation syndrome which ever fancy name peeps want to use.
Until i feel anything like i did pre drug then i just have to face things and try to lose the fear, its just our brains playing tricks on us.

[AntonySandler]

Thanks Joanne, this really helps. I just want to get back to the pre-medicated me. What did they do to my brain?

[Buxy`s Back]

lol, unfortunately, the same thing they did to my brain and yours and every one else that ever took the poison, stay strong dude, others have recovered and i am sure we will in time