Posted by medlib on January 23, 2002, at 21:58:41
In reply to off meds cold turkey, posted by sar on January 23, 2002, at 20:27:04
Hi Sar--
I'm sorry you've had such a rough time; IMO "cold turkey" sucks at best; and, at worst, it can be dangerous. It doesn't make much sense to me, either, since your intake is supervised (unless your OD had prolonged effects).
I don't know how much you had been taking or for how long (and both those factors can be significant) or what you ODed on with how much in your system for how long. Prozac is eliminated from the body *very* slowly, so, if you were taking a low dose, abruptly stopping it shouldn't be a big problem. Klonopin is a benzo with a half-life of more than a day, but some people here have reported significant withdrawal problems with it, even tapering off slowly. Neurontin is much shorter-acting (5-7 hrs.); it isn't metabolized in the body, just eliminated unchanged in the urine. Shorter-acting drugs can be more difficult to get off of than longer-acting ones, depending.
I don't know if your OD intentions were to exit or simply to seek greater relief from the pain. Either way, the powers-that-be should know 1) that your meds weren't working, and 2) you're having intolerable withdrawal symptoms *now*. Our healthcare "system" isn't known for its responsiveness, so it may be necessary to remind them forcibly and often. I'd also ask if/when they plan to restart what--and if not, why not.
Sorry not to be of much help. Try to hang in---and forgive them, 'cause it's more than likely "they know not what they do."
Thinking of you---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:91335
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020116/msgs/91351.html