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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sar on January 23, 2002, at 20:27:04
i was on prozac, klonopin, and neurontin. i had taken myself off lamictal, and several weeks later was admitted to the state hospital, where they took me off all meds cold turkey.
symptoms: twitching, restless legs; pain in left leg; poor sleep; tongue-tied; shaky hands; anxiety through the roof and i am smoking like mad!
it has been a week and a half since i was taken off. was it unwise of the doctors to take me off cold turkey (i was committed because i'd overdosed on my meds), and when can i expect these symptoms to go away? the return of social/general anxiety angers me. the meds had diminshed my anxiety greatly but very apparently did not work for my depression very well.
any opinions would be very much appreciated.
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
Posted by TSA West on January 23, 2002, at 22:01:04
In reply to off meds cold turkey, posted by sar on January 23, 2002, at 20:27:04
At least get yourself on Prozac...the docs know that you can't overdose with it and you can start on an effective dose with 70% serotonin reuptake immediately, if necessary (20 mg).
Posted by Krazy Kat on January 23, 2002, at 23:46:21
In reply to Re: off meds cold turkey » sar, posted by TSA West on January 23, 2002, at 22:01:04
I agree with tsa. oh, hon - please keep posting here and on social...
Posted by JohnX2 on January 24, 2002, at 20:34:16
In reply to off meds cold turkey, posted by sar on January 23, 2002, at 20:27:04
It was very unwise. You may even have a legit lawsuit
if your pain was bad enough depending on the exact
circumstances, not that there is
enough litigation in the world. AD's generally should not
be stopped colled turkey all though they can.
Neurontin may not be too horrible, unless you
are seizure prone,
Klonopin can definately cause rebound
convulsions/seizures!!!!Sorry for such a horrible experience.
-John
> i was on prozac, klonopin, and neurontin. i had taken myself off lamictal, and several weeks later was admitted to the state hospital, where they took me off all meds cold turkey.
>
> symptoms: twitching, restless legs; pain in left leg; poor sleep; tongue-tied; shaky hands; anxiety through the roof and i am smoking like mad!
>
> it has been a week and a half since i was taken off. was it unwise of the doctors to take me off cold turkey (i was committed because i'd overdosed on my meds), and when can i expect these symptoms to go away? the return of social/general anxiety angers me. the meds had diminshed my anxiety greatly but very apparently did not work for my depression very well.
>
> any opinions would be very much appreciated.
Posted by sar on January 26, 2002, at 13:38:30
In reply to Re: off meds cold turkey » sar, posted by JohnX2 on January 24, 2002, at 20:34:16
dear all,
thank you!
i have an appointment with pdoc on monday. anxiety is mounting everyday--i am shaking and grinding my teeth; boyfriend nearly kicked me out of bed because i couldn't stop jerking around (a major twitch once every minute or so). but he says my personality is better, that this is the sar he originally liked before i got on meds! this baffles me because i feel terrible (mainly jittery and very unsure).
a nurse at the hospital said that i'd probably fare better on celexa or wellbutrin, which now confuses me because i've remembered that celexa is sedating and wellbutrin can cause anxiety.
none of my pants fit anymore and i was a size 6, damn! now i am busting out of eights and tens. this is ridiculous, heinous! i'd thought that prozac/klonopin/neurontin were all free of weight-gain side-effects.
when i took the overdose of about 80 neurontin and 9 (weekly dose) prozacs, i really thought that i wanted to die. and then immediately i didn't. i don't know, i was drunk.
the pdocs at the state hospital said they didn't want to put me on anything because i seemed fine and had an "overdose history." somehow one overdose constitutes a "history." i'm shaking so badly that at noon today i tried to pour myself a glass of wine to calm down, and half off it sloshed over my hand.
Posted by sjb on January 28, 2002, at 9:53:56
In reply to Re: off meds cold turkey, posted by sar on January 26, 2002, at 13:38:30
Wow,
I can really relate to your experience although my meds were different.
I went off all meds cold turkey on Jan 2. It's been a real struggle. I was on Celexa and Adderall and was abusing alcohol from time to time, well, fairly often. I haven't had a drop of alcohol since then either. I'
ve experienced major crashes, unbelievable amount of sleep and unbelievable amount of food consumption, esp. in the baked goods category. I, too, cannot fit into my clothes. However, I'm determined not to start another "diet" as my goal is to cut down on my binge eating. I know in my head that restricting leads to binges so I want to be patient with the weight problem.On the plus side, on days when I'm feeling like I have more energy I see improvements in my strength, like at the gym. I no longer have insomnia, my sex drive has improved physically but since I've gained weight, I dont' want my husband to touch me! Duh.
I stopped seeing my PDoc. I'm just so confused. I hope you all the best. It's so hard knowing what is right and best for ourselves.
This is the end of the thread.
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