Have you completely gotten off of anti-depressant meds?

[KIN]

I'm just curious if anyone has been able to get off of anti-depressant meds. I'm feeling better with my meds, but I do want to be able to get off of them eventually. What things did you do to help? Any natural stuff? Exercise? Anything else?

[Janna]

I did. It took me a year to do it though. I was literally down to shavings to wean off. Because of that, I will try *anything* else before going back on them. Which hopefully, won't ever be necessary again, anyway.

 

I haven't been on them since, which was 5 years ago. I haven't had to do anything either. My circumstances changed, it was the little boost I needed and that was it. Hope it's the same for you!

[Chris in VA]

I've been off a year. My circumstances changed slightly, but I think I did have some signs of depression last fall. It helped to have grown up a little inside--I became more able to deal with the cruddy way I felt, so I didn't feel a need to medicate. Please take that as intended--I IN NO WAY believe it is immature to be depressed. I do think it's a chemical condition. For me, however, I developed tools to deal with the intense feelings; my path led to therapy. Other people may not get the same benefit.

[Michelle T]

I did it cold turkey, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND! I felt so bad for weeks, horribly dizzy, nauseated all the time, it was sort of like having the flu.

 

I went off Zoloft not because I was "better", but because I had gained so much weight from its use. I actually would like to find an antidepressent/anxiety med that I could use, but all the others I've tried have too many side effects.

 

If you wean off meds, be sure to do it very slowly. Taking a month or more is the best way.

MIchelle T

[Rosie_0801]

I've never been on anti-depressants, but I was reading about it in this book recently. Maybe that'll have something useful for you to consider.

 

Rosie

[Maria/ME]

I was on anti depressants for a number of years. I had to switch as Zoloft wasn't working anymore. Switching was awful as nothing was working. I landed on Wellbutrin but then weaned myself off as it quit working too.

 

At the same time, I radically changed my diet and felt more positive, more joyful, more energy, and just plain happier than I EVER had felt since puberty! No exaggeration. I was amazed and pleased. I slowly started eating like I always have though,and since have seen myself get progressively worse in terms of anxiety,depression, negativity and anger. I did go to therapy for 8 months and I credit that for helping a great deal too! I was able to learn to change my thinking patterns to a more positive outlook. Even when I am down I am able to work through the feelings of negativity and anxiety. Again, I credit a good therapist for that! Therapy takes work. It can be painful, but, like childbirth, the outcome can be well worth the effort.

 

I now get therapy "tweaks/reminders" every once in awhile. (I was fortunate enough to have insurance for therapy at first. I realize it's costly!) I really feel, however, the radical change in diet saves me from going back on meds. While I don't follow it strictly as I feel would benefit me best, following to an extent helps me a great deal. And helps my family. ;)

[KIN]

Maria -

 

What "radical changes" do you make in your diet? I lost 50 lbs. several years ago by mostly giving up white flour, white rice, eating potatoes in moderation and cutting sugar. I felt GREAT! Then, things just changed and I started to be depressed, gained weight and got pregnant. My baby is now 1-1/2 years old and I've been on anti-depressants for 6 months or so.

 

I'm mostly better, but I gained all of the 50 pounds I lost. I want off of the meds and want the weight gone too. I'm ready to be radical and feel better!

[Vida Winter]

Yep. I didn't even plan to do it but my body changed enough going through premenopause to not need them any more. I've had the same last 4 pills dangling in my purse for the last few months. I'm not through the change yet - I hear that can last up to 10 years - but they got me through the terrible first part of it.

[KIN]

Rosie -

 

That looks like an interesting read! Thanks!

[Jackie in NE]

It's been almost 2 years. I don't know exactly what changed, and it's kind of one of those "why ask why?" things. I just kept forgetting to take my meds, and pretty soon realized I just didn't need them anymore.

 

What changed? A move to a lower elevation which I think mattered. Although here I am back at 8000', and I still don't need meds. My life got a little bit easier, as my kiddos matured. (Or maybe I'm the one that matured). :001_huh: My hormones began to change to premenopausal. (joy). I didn't take any supplements. I actually exercised less due to lingering back injuries (and a 4 yr. old filly who loved to dump me off). As a Christian, I made the conscious choice to see everything as gift and as provision. I wish I could give you more concrete examples of what I did differently, but I honestly cannot pinpoint one thing.

 

And let me assure you, my circumstances were not "happy". There were marital problems, business insecurity, and discipline issues with my dc.

 

But one thing that I can say for certain has changed.... and that is that I don't beat myself up like I used to do. I am so done feeling inadequate. I still make mistakes, and I'll never be perfect, but I don't beat myself up. I get up, dust myself off, etc., etc.

 

Sorry to ramble. I hope something in there is helpful.

 

Best wishes to you on your journey,

 

Jackie

[Lovedtodeath]

I went off Zoloft not because I was "better", but because I had gained so much weight from its use. I actually would like to find an antidepressent/anxiety med that I could use, but all the others I've tried have too many side effects.

 

I was the same way. They work really great for a month, then after another month I have to go off of them due to side effects. I take 2,000 IU Vitamin D, make sure my thyroid is getting treated (www.drrind.com) and I was taking a lot of fish oil. You need 6-8 caps a day to get the recommended Omega 3s for depression. I switched from fish oil to Udo's organic blend and it works just as well if not better and I only have to take it once a day with less after taste.

 

There are two biggest that are working now.

 

For Dopamine (energy, motivation) and tryptophan: Raw organic cocoa. 1/2 T - 2 t. a day. (I can tell if I miss it... powerful stuff!)

 

For anxiety and insomnia: Gaba. I am on Gaba calm, which helps with ADD issues as well, and I just added a higher dose Gaba in the morning that has Vit B. It really helps my back pain too.

 

In the past I have been on Formula IV from GNLD. It helps because you get more vitamins from your food and it contains essential oils. I stopped taking it b/c of my son's oatmeal allergy.

 

So... there you have it. Lots of natural alternatives.

[Maria/ME]

KIN:

 

This is going to be a book. I could PM you and would be happy to, but I'm going to write this for the benefit of anyone else who may be interested. And I"m sorry if I bore anyone!

 

When I was going off Wellbutrin I was at my wit's end in terms of going thru meds and the ups and downs. I just didn't want to go there. I felt so hopeless. A friend of mine was doing this juicing/raw diet thing. I was totally rolling my eyes, because of course, I knew that my problems had nothing to do with my eating, right. It's chemical. Duh. So she came over and brought her juicer and a book. Natalia Rose's Raw Detox Diet. I just sat and drank the green juice she prepared (it wasn't so bad) and kept the book to look through. I read it and was like, "What do I have to loose? It's got to be better than drugs..."

 

So I just started doing it. I liked Natalia Rose's approach. She was gentle and was more into slowly introducing your body to raw foods instead of cold turkey/throw out all your cooked food. But the changes started paying off w/in three days. I was juicing green and there was something about that green stuff that my body was craving and loving! My taste buds changed totally.

 

I didn't beg my family to do this all the way with me, but they started incorporating small changes. My husband works long, physically hard 10 hour days. He noticed a change in his stamina. We did have some cooked meals in the evening but they became much, much healthier. (no sugar/white flour/vegetarian) My daughter really got into making her own recipes and fruit plates. We had much more energy,and like I said before my moods changed drastically. I have never, ever liked exercise. People would always say "If you just did it, then you would like it more..." Ya, right. That euphoria you're supposed to feel. I never had it. Well, when I was eating raw and high raw diet I wanted to exercise because I had the energy to do so. I had energy before and after exercising instead of feeling drained. I lost weight w/out trying. That was not why I started but it was a great benefit. However, the weight I was loosing wasn't like the weight I had lost on other diets. My body tightened and toned. Got leaner. Minor skin issues that I had (little white bumps on my face or under eyes) went away. I mean, beyond the depression/anxiety/noise sensitivity (I don't think I mentioned before i have major noise issues) stuff, I was getting all these other benefits!

 

I have two stories in particular that I find personally amazing. I am a cookie dough addict. I mean from the time I was eight I make cookies and just eat the dough. After about two months of eating high raw/100%raw my daughter asked me to make cookies. Real cookies she said. I thought "Well, why not...it's been awhile so okay..." I made them and took a bite of dough. I quickly spit it out. I had made this recipe totally wrong, apparently! It was awful. Like fire the taste stayed with me,burning even after consuming large amounts of water. My daughter took some and said it was fine. I was like "No WAY! " My husband then took some dough and said it tasted fine by him. My taste buds were totally reacting to the high concentration of sugar! It truly was awful to me.

 

The other story having to do with my energy levels. I have this friend who is a major hiker/high energy person. She has always worn me out physically. I can't keep up. She came to ME for a visit and of course wanted to hike. We hiked for two miles. The "old" me would've never been able to keep up. EVER. And upon returning home, I would've needed a nap. We hiked, went home, I made us dinner, she wanted to go for a walk again and I was up for another mile. And we stayed up talking until midnight. That was absolutely inconceivable for the "old" me! And this wasn't because I had been exercising and building some sort of tolerance. I just had the energy to be active.

 

Having said all this, I haven't been raw for some time. And my moods show it. Depression/Anxiety/Anger and it's not just seasonal. I recently had a huge/major week long fight with my husband. It culminated in him begging me to either 1) Go on meds or 2) Go raw.....because he couldn't live with me anymore. So, I am back on track, slowly moving towards raw again. It's that big of a difference for me.

 

I'm not saying this would work for everyone. It can be hard (personally I found after three days of transition it was easier) It's a new way to think about food. YOu will have cravings to some degree at first, and fresh food can be expensive (although, truly, I found that my body was getting so much of the nutrients it needed that after awhile I wasn't as hungry) but I found that the cost to my family and my meds were just as expensive, kwim? This is a trade off I am willing to take.

 

For others, just going off sugar and white flour can be enough. I've done that, also and feel really good (going off gluten helped very much too!) but not as good as I did on a high raw to 100% raw diet. You may want to try those options to transition a bit towards raw. Getting used to "cooking" differently can be a challenge. Juicing is a large componant of raw food. I bought a cheap (79.00) juicer at first to just try it. Now I have a more expensive one that was lovingly given to me. So, sure, it can look daunting in various ways. All I know, is that my above mental health issues are rather daunting, too. Good Daunting vs. Bad Daunting....hmmmm....which do I want?

 

There is much info (pro and con!) out there on raw food. And let's face it (huge/major generalization coming up!) there can be some pretty wild and crazy people on the fringes of health food movements! Don't be put off by that! This diet works for many many people and many family's. There are questions everyone worries about (protein for one) and these are answered well and to my satisfaction in much of the raw food literature. I have about a million and one links and book suggestions under the raw food category, but if I had to choose another book besides Natalia Rose's book I would say that The Live Food Factor is the book I wish I had had at the very beginning.

 

The Raw Food movement is growing, too, and there are tons more books/recipes and so forth out there, than there was even three years ago when I first started this foray into a raw food diet.

 

Phew!! Is anyone still there?! KIN if you have more questions/thoughts feel free to PM or email me too. Ya, I'm a little long winded, but this is what helped me (along with therapy per my other post) to stay off of drugs the most successfully and healthfully.

 

I SO wish you the best in your desire to stay off meds. I know that I would never fault anyone for being on them. They totally saved my life. I will never regret that choice to take medication. My husband takes medication now. But there are other options that work for some people, and raw food/high raw diet certainly worked wonders in so many ways for me!

[Maria/ME]

But one thing that I can say for certain has changed.... and that is that I don't beat myself up like I used to do. I am so done feeling inadequate. I still make mistakes, and I'll never be perfect, but I don't beat myself up. I get up, dust myself off, etc., etc.

 

Jackie

 

That is just HUGE isn't it? Why do we, especially as women, beat ourselves up?? I know that for a lot of us it has to do with our childhood and pressures we put on ourselves as women, but it takes real work to quit doing that! To just say "I like me and I am good enough." I sound like Stewart Smalley (are you all too young to remember him from SNL?) but it's sooo true!!

[ereks mom]

about what you meant when you said "...premenopause...the terrible first part of it". Not meaning to hijack this thread or anything like that ;) but I'm in the first part of permenopause now, and for me, it HAS been pretty terrible, emotionally speaking (ups & downs, sudden weepiness for no apparent reason, etc.).

 

I guess I'm wondering is this the "normal" pattern for most women during the first part of premenopause?? And the emotional upheaval begins to even out as you get further into it?? I hope so!

[joannqn]

I took Zoloft for a while. It worked ok. I still was unhappy but not suicidal and had the side effect of major brain fog; I wasn't able to do much of anything practical (clean house, keep a checkbook). I weaned myself off of it because I realized that have no financial records over that year and a half period (and I mean none) was not good.

 

The only reason I've been able to be off and stay off is that I have a wonderful support system that I see every week and can call anytime. They love to tell me how great I am at all kinds of things and I really need someone to lift me up that way since I can't seem to tell myself that and don't get it at home.

[Sharon H in IL]

I'll be able to give up the Pristiq when my DH gets lots and lots of therapy.

[Targhee]

I've been off for 2 years now, after about 4 years of being on. Exercise was probably the most helpful for me in replacing the meds. Be sure to go off them slowly - incrementally!!! I went of bupropion (wellbutrin) too fast and put on 10lbs in less than a month. :sad: It took a while to get rid of those 10 lbs, but since exercise was already in my routine it wasn't too difficult.

[Beth in OH]

but I'm in the first part of permenopause now, and for me, it HAS been pretty terrible, emotionally speaking (ups & downs, sudden weepiness for no apparent reason, etc.).

 

I guess I'm wondering is this the "normal" pattern for most women during the first part of premenopause??

 

You are describing my experience.

[KIN]

Maria -

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story. You are motivating me to quit the white sugar/flour again and eat better. I know that for me that is a huge part of my depression. I will look into the book you recommended as well.

 

I didn't say in my previous posts, but I was on Wellbutrin and Lexapro. In the past month I just cold turkey stopped the Wellbutrin (my insurance isn't covering anything in the new year until I meet my deductible and the cost of both meds was incredible). I'm really struggling ever since I quit. Yet, I don't want to go back on. I want to figure out how to get better! I know that diet and exercise and supplements are huge for me. So, now I just need to get well enough to be able to make the changes. Thanks again.

[jail warden]

I did it cold turkey, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND! I felt so bad for weeks, horribly dizzy, nauseated all the time, it was sort of like having the flu.

 

I went off Zoloft not because I was "better", but because I had gained so much weight from its use. I actually would like to find an antidepressent/anxiety med that I could use, but all the others I've tried have too many side effects.

 

If you wean off meds, be sure to do it very slowly. Taking a month or more is the best way.

MIchelle T

 

Have you tried Lexapro? My doc put me on that because of the few side effects. It really works well for me and I know several others on it.

[Jennifer in MI]

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

I don't have advice on the medication, but I wanted to encourage you Kathy! I have a hunch that making those changes that you made before when you lost all the weight will help. You did it before and you CAN do it again!!! Weren't you doing the Couch to 5K last year? I thought I remembered that. Can you start that back up again? The weather is getting nicer again!

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

[KIN]

Jennifer -

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I think, too, going back to what worked before will do the trick. I just need to do it!! That is the hard part when you don't feel well. But, I'm going to do it. God will give me the strength, I just need to take the first step. Be praying for me please, when you think of me. :)

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I went off Paxil after being on it for 3 months. My depression was post partum and sleep deprivation. It still took me a whole year after that to feel "normal." While I was on Paxil, I began using deep breathing techniques and prayer to get through the worst of the anxiety. I continued that after I was off.

 

I started feeling things again 3 weeks after I went off the meds. I found that I was able to cope with symptoms if I embraced them instead of fighting them. If I found myself awake at night, I would plan something or think about things I wanted to do, instead of thinking of how much I needed the sleep. If I felt like crying, I would let myself cry. If I felt that pins and needles feeling I would sit down, close my eyes, relax, and let it wash over me, knowing it would end within a few minutes. If I found myself in a negative loop, I began a thankfulness prayer. It wasn't long before the episodes began to decrease in frequency and intensity.

 

I don't know if any of this will apply to you. Hope it helps.

[Maria/ME]

Maria -

 

 

 

I didn't say in my previous posts, but I was on Wellbutrin and Lexapro.

 

KIN: I found Wellbutrin horrific to get on and come off!! It really threw me for a loop mentally and physically! Give yourself plenty of time and leeway for moods and such. Be kind to yourself!!

[Desert Rat]

I've been off Welbutrin for a year now. I make sure I'm taking vitamins and exercising. I can tell when I don't exercise that my mood starts slipping again (like right now!). I do daily yoga. I also keep a running list in my head of positive. If I find myself being negative I make sure I say 3 positive things. I also know that if my depression lasts for more than a month (my personal comfort zone) I'll need to go back on meds.

HTH

[Tree House Academy]

I have gone on and off mine for years now. I wean off and it takes about a month to do so without me getting totally sick. Unfortunately, the issue I have that puts me on them will not just go away (OCD), so I often find myself resorting back to them. This time, they are working so well, I am just sticking with them for awhile. If I had diabetes, I would take the insulin, KWIM? This is just my version of diabetes, I guess. :(

[Lovedtodeath]

Rebecca, by all means if they work for you stick with them!!! Don't you dare feel like you need to try to get off of them. I have horrific side effects (memory loss, rectal bleeding, night terrors... ) when I am on them, which is why I gave up.

 

As a matter of fact, I applaud anyone who sticks with medication. You are doing what you need to keep your life on track!

[Vida Winter]

about what you meant when you said "...premenopause...the terrible first part of it". Not meaning to hijack this thread or anything like that ;) but I'm in the first part of permenopause now, and for me, it HAS been pretty terrible, emotionally speaking (ups & downs, sudden weepiness for no apparent reason, etc.).

 

I guess I'm wondering is this the "normal" pattern for most women during the first part of premenopause?? And the emotional upheaval begins to even out as you get further into it?? I hope so!

 

I sent you a PM.