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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
You know despite what your doctor thinks, did you ever go off the meds and find that you were OK?
Posted by rainbowbrite on August 30, 2005, at 22:11:06
In reply to anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
Well...I just did that. Its been a few weeks I believe. Not sure anymore. I don't feel as though I am having any adverse reactions. But time will tell. Ive done this unsuccessfully before but usually I know by about this point that it isn't going well. I believe it is possible for people to do it.
I will keep trying until it works for me but I would advise if you are considering it to be very sure and very careful.
Posted by denise1966 on August 31, 2005, at 7:00:02
In reply to anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
Hi,
Yes I did come off Seroxat when I was about 31 and after one or two shaky weeks did just fine, unfortunately about 4 years later, the depression started again (again for no apparent reason) and the drugs have never worked as well since, infact I've spent the last four years (I'm now 39) sometimes feeling so bad I wanted to kill myself and having to take Antipsychotics to make me feel better.
In hindsight I really regret ever coming off Seroxat in the first place, although maybe I would still have got depressed again. It's hard to know what to do. The Doctors don't really know. Maybe once they get more insight into depression and start using Pet Scans as a matter of course they can begin to monitor people and advise them on what to do.
Denise
Posted by linkadge on August 31, 2005, at 7:07:15
In reply to Re: anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by rainbowbrite on August 30, 2005, at 22:11:06
I've been off my meds for 6 months.
Mentall illness wise, I have been doing a better than I expected. I have really bad lows but they only last a few days.
I have been managing with exercise, and sleep phase advance/sleep deprivation.
The bad news is that 6 months later I am STILL having withdrawl symptoms brain zaps, walking, ballance problems. I guess they are permanant. I get a lot of arguments about how the meds are not addictive from people *on* the meds. But anyone I bump into who is coming *off* the meds, always has a different story to tell.
Anyhow, meds cause a lot of problems, and in many cases the meds have made me feel more helpless than the depression.
Linkadge
Posted by Bill LL on August 31, 2005, at 15:55:19
In reply to anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
I think that most people on meds for endogenous depression and anxiety will probably have those 2 illnesses for life. By endogenous, I mean that they are always depressed. It's not a situational thing and it's not due to a traumatic event.
But the choice of taking meds or not taking them depends on the situation. If someone is doing well on a medication, why stop taking it? That might be a mistake.
But if the side effects are unbearable or if the drugs are not working, then the person should ask their doc about what changes to make.
> You know despite what your doctor thinks, did you ever go off the meds and find that you were OK?
Posted by willyee on August 31, 2005, at 16:14:36
In reply to Re: anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by Bill LL on August 31, 2005, at 15:55:19
If my medication worked as it is supposed to,ID TAKE IT EVERY single morning with the biggest smile on my face.Id do this for the rest of my entire life.
Unless of course as u mentioned side effects existed that were a major problem.
But as far as wanting to simply not be medicatio for the sake of *not* being medicated,geez half the country takes meds for something,high blood pressure,allergies,etc etc
I would not understand why anyone on a succesfull med,with bearable or no side effects would even have any desire to stop the med and risk ever having to stare into the face of depression for a single second again in their life.
But that is just me!
Oh btw,u think taking a pil or two is something,follow a obsessed body builder for a day,see how many pills,shakes,specific foods and fruits he MUST consume every single day and u might feel a whole lot better staring down at that one little pill u need.
Posted by Phillipa on August 31, 2005, at 18:51:35
In reply to Re: anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by willyee on August 31, 2005, at 16:14:36
But it's the idea it's a med. A vitamin is supposed to be healthy. I always took a lot. And when I had to start taking synthroid I couldn't get it down as I felt my body had failed me. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by sleepygirl on August 31, 2005, at 21:55:53
In reply to anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
I appreciate all the perspectives given (why this site is awesome). I've been on some type of psychotropic med for about 5 years now-never in that time have I stopped taking them.
I am on effexor XR 225 mgs right now, and I divide the dose (75 in morn, 150 at night) and the half life is so short that I get withdrawal effects if I delay the morning dose (especially headache) :-(, but yes it has helped me. I wonder if it doesn't contribute to my anxiety though.???? Right now seroquel helps with that but it's sedating.
I feel like I'm a bit high maintenance(with the medications), but I'd like to stay stable. It's hard to say what would be beyond the hump of med withdrawal, and at this time I'm not ready to find out. I have a hard time appreciating mental illness as a chronic thing like diabetes or something I'll always have to take a drug for. I just keep wondering.
Anyway thanks for the feedback, all food for thought. :-)
Posted by Jedi on September 1, 2005, at 1:38:52
In reply to Re: anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by Bill LL on August 31, 2005, at 15:55:19
> I think that most people on meds for endogenous depression and anxiety will probably have those 2 illnesses for life. By endogenous, I mean that they are always depressed. It's not a situational thing and it's not due to a traumatic event.
>
Hi Bil LL,
I believe that you are right on target. My depression is endogenous. Before several relapes, every time I came off Nardil, I thought that I would be able to quit the meds at some point. However, I now believe I will be on medication the rest of my life. Chances of the scientists understanding the brain enough to come up with a cure in my lifetime, is pretty slim. We don't even really know how the current antidepressants work. I really hate trial and error. But that is what we are stuck with at this time.
Take care,
Jedi
Posted by Sebastian on September 3, 2005, at 14:08:19
In reply to anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
Unfortunatly no. I've never gone off drugs and been just fine as much as I wanted to and how many times I tried.
Posted by waterfall on September 6, 2005, at 18:35:24
In reply to anyone ever go off meds were just fine, posted by sleepygirl on August 30, 2005, at 21:24:03
> You know despite what your doctor thinks, did you ever go off the meds and find that you were OK?
Yeah, I went off everything one a half years ago - Depakote, Wellbutrin, Remeron, Provigil, Ativan, Klonipin. Took 9 months to get off everything. Eveything was OK for a good long while, then it was pretty horrible due to a relationship that was bad for me. The relatinoship is no longer as much of a concern, but I'm feeling pretty bad anyway and considering going back to "something." I'm not sure what. I was crawling out of my skin with anxiety for a year and took nothing. Now, I feel so PRESSURED. How I feel is the only thing I can think about - and usually its pretty crappy. I've never had this before, this obsession and pressure. And the big D is creeping back. In any case, good luck if you try it. I sure as heck feel less ashamed, less dependent on a shrink to decide how I should live, and I dont' have to feel creepy when/if somebody asks me if I'm on anything. Those are definite plusses.
This is the end of the thread.
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