Combination antidepressant treatments

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tommykazim

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21
Location
london, uk
Hi, just wondering if any have had a good response from an antidepressant for cognitive / mood / energy levels and then lost that benefit then tried a myriad of monotherapy antidepressants and then ended up on a useful combination of antidepressants?
Is so which combo are you on?
Thanks!
Tom
 
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Irat

Senior Member
Messages
288
tommykazim said:
Hi, just wondering if any have had a good response from an antidepressant for cognitive / mood / energy levels and then lost that benefit then tried a myriad of monotherapy antidepressants and then ended up on a useful combination of antidepressants?
Is so which combo are you on?
Thanks!
Tom
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A combo of antidepressants ? Ugh you might first want to inform yourselff what this can do to you. An antidepressant was what brought me here in the first place.wish I knew that before I ended up with drug induced neurotoxicity

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/

https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/01/what-really-call-psychiatric-drugs/
 
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tommykazim

Messages
21
Location
london, uk
Yip it's true I don't think we know enough about long term effects of antidepressants however I think they can be helpful even life saving for some. I think why I've benefited is that the the pathophysiological process of my condition mimics that of anxiety / depression. Whether this is due to a neurotransmitter receptor or transport molecule antibody or faulty gene or what I know not. But there is undoubtedly not just the one disease process at play for all those labelled with CFS and even if there was individuals respond differently to the same stuff...
 
hmnr asg

hmnr asg

Senior Member
Messages
571
I have been on a number of antidepressants since I got cfs 11 years ago. They helped with my anxiety but did nothing for my cfs.

Except Lexapro: when I was quitting Lexapro , the withdrawal caused a major crash that made me permanently worse. I'm currently on duloxetine and it's not doing anything for my cfs. But I'm worried again about what happens if I have to stop taking it. I think the withdrawals can cause serious crashes.
 
Judee

Judee

Psalm 46:1-3
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hmnr asg said:
I'm currently on duloxetine and it's not doing anything for my cfs. But I'm worried again about what happens if I have to stop taking it. I think the withdrawals can cause serious crashes.
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I don't know if this would be of any help: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-to-stop-duloxetine-cymbalta-without-withdrawal-symptoms

They had a suggestion from a a board-certified family physician who specializes in pain and addiction who said,
“The best way to stop this drug is to put the patient on fluoxetine (Prozac) for one to two weeks. You then stop the Prozac. Prozac is so long lasting that it gradually decreases blood levels slowly enough so that the discontinuation syndrome doesn’t happen.​
“This is simple and inexpensive. It is important, as you say in your article, that people do not stop this medication [duloxetine] on their own. However, it is not necessary to go through the ‘Chinese water torture’ by such a prolonged and unnecessary tapering regimen.​
“Since most physicians do not know this simple trick, it is up to the patient to ask their physician to use the simple method.”​

Hopefully he wasn't just giving an "easy-peasy" answer.

The site advises that people make sure to work with a physician (hopefully a knowledgeable one). Plus, I would do a lot of research before starting.
 
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Irat

Senior Member
Messages
288
Judee said:
I don't know if this would be of any help: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-to-stop-duloxetine-cymbalta-without-withdrawal-symptoms

They had a suggestion from a a board-certified family physician who specializes in pain and addiction who said,
“The best way to stop this drug is to put the patient on fluoxetine (Prozac) for one to two weeks. You then stop the Prozac. Prozac is so long lasting that it gradually decreases blood levels slowly enough so that the discontinuation syndrome doesn’t happen.​
“This is simple and inexpensive. It is important, as you say in your article, that people do not stop this medication [duloxetine] on their own. However, it is not necessary to go through the ‘Chinese water torture’ by such a prolonged and unnecessary tapering regimen.​
“Since most physicians do not know this simple trick, it is up to the patient to ask their physician to use the simple method.”​
Those drugs are really rough to get off of. I've heard of some people experiencing "brain zaps" when trying to go off of that one.

The site advises that people make sure to work with a physician (hopefully a knowledgeable one) as they get off of these drugs. Plus, I would do a lot of research before starting.
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That's bs. And "old thinking" from this doc ...,.Fluoxetine can just destroy you as any other one too.....plus even switching an SSRI can cause serious withdrawal.....so this is not true....he said withdrawal won t happen because of the long lasting half time....but it's wrong and has nothing to do with that.anyway you never know in which team you are before your trying an AD,ppl get away with it just fine,but if it hit you it's too late
 
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Irat

Senior Member
Messages
288
Judee said:
Yeah, I edited it because I wondered if he was just giving an "easy-peasy" answer.

Thanks for replying.
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Judee,I just edited my post too.ppl can get away with taking an AD, but if it's hit you it's too late,and your brain is f ..,ed....and I will never stop warning ppl .I have lost so many friends over suicide in the last few years from drug damage
 
hmnr asg

hmnr asg

Senior Member
Messages
571
Antidepressants have helped many people live somewhat normal lives that would have otherwise been completely overwhelmed by depression/anxiety/ocd. They have their downside: some people respond terribly, withdrawal symptoms are bad, and yes, suicide ideation is a thing that your doctor should be mindful of. They also have numerous other less serious side effects (low libido, weight gain, etc etc). If someone has had previous suicide attempts or is at risk of it then they should be closely monitored.
There is no free lunch when it comes to medication (or anything else in life). You have to weigh the pros and cons.

I take duloxetine for nerve pain and it has done wonders. I know discontinuing will be a nightmare. Using prozac is a very common technique and it works for discontinuation of ADs as @Judee mentioned.

And as I mentioned, they dont do anything for CFS. Except abilify (which is an antipsychotic). Many people have had success with low dose abilify and there are long threads on that on this forum you can check out.
 
F

fatiguedinRI

Messages
48
Irat said:
A combo of antidepressants ? Ugh you might first want to inform yourselff what this can do to you. An antidepressant was what brought me here in the first place.wish I knew that before I ended up with drug induced neurotoxicity

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/

https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/01/what-really-call-psychiatric-drugs/
Click to expand...

What are your symptoms? What mediation were you on, and what dosage? I've been wondering if I had neurotoxicity from trying to go back on Lexapro.
 
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Irat

Senior Member
Messages
288
fatiguedinRI said:
What are your symptoms? What mediation were you on, and what dosage? I've been wondering if I had neurotoxicity from trying to go back on Lexapro.
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Hi,just read your Intro.....yes ging back on an Ssri can cause neurotoxicity.this it is called kindling.also asap adverse reactions can cause neurotoxicity, or a too fast tapering, I was screwed after the first dose of paxil ....you can go into the group surviving antidepressants
https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/

Or better the Facebook group neurotoxicity .....(toxic encephalopathy)

Good,luck,just my advise ; never ever again touch a drug or a supplement that touches the same receptors )
 
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fatiguedinRI

Messages
48
Irat said:
Hi,just read your Intro.....yes ging back on an Ssri can cause neurotoxicity.this it is called kindling.also asap adverse reactions can cause neurotoxicity, or a too fast tapering, I was screwed after the first dose of paxil ....you can go into the group surviving antidepressants
https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/

Or better the Facebook group neurotoxicity .....(toxic encephalopathy)

Good,luck,just my advise ; never ever again touch a drug or a supplement that touches the same receptors )
Click to expand...

So do you think I had neurotoxicity? I tolerated Lexapro very well before this. I'm so worried I have permanent damage.

What were your symptoms with Paxil? What tests were done to show neurotoxicity? How sudden was it for you to experience neurotoxicity?
 
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Irat

Senior Member
Messages
288
fatiguedinRI said:
So do you think I had neurotoxicity? I tolerated Lexapro very well before this. I'm so worried I have permanent damage.

What were your symptoms with Paxil? What tests were done to show neurotoxicity? How sudden was it for you to experience neurotoxicity?
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Join a group....its long time ago my experience and I healed......its not permanent but can take 6 to 11 years in general to heal from it,for many not completely though......wish you good luck and stay away from all drugs ,supplements and antibiotics,no tests there,but some it shows on a spect that the brain is screwed,depends on how severe you are.don t scare yourself,you will get better.use nature and food and such to heal your nervous system.you does n t sound that severe.

For me it was immediately with the first pill.unfortunately stayed on it for another 3 weeks and when I stoped all hell broke loose,with akathesia and so on
 
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fatiguedinRI

Messages
48
Irat said:
Join a group....its long time ago my experience and I healed......its not permanent but can take 6 to 11 years in general to heal from it,for many not completely though......wish you good luck and stay away from all drugs ,supplements and antibiotics,no tests there,but some it shows on a spect that the brain is screwed,depends on how severe you are.don t scare yourself,you will get better.use nature and food and such to heal your nervous system.you does n t sound that severe.

For me it was immediately with the first pill.unfortunately stayed on it for another 3 weeks and when I stoped all hell broke loose,with akathesia and so on
Click to expand...

Did you ever have chronic stiff neck issues or neuropathy?
 
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