"You'll always have to take meds."

[missgsr]

Wow, I can't believe this post is still going (I started it years ago!!). Just checking in. At the beginning of this year I was on 60mg of Celexa a day and decided I was ready to get off of these meds once and for all...yes, I actually felt ready (something I never fathomed happening). I'm down to 30mg/day and I feel like I am being reborn (not a religious reference). I'm planning on starting another thread right now discussing what I've gone through, what I'm still going through, and (this is the important part) how I TRUELY believe that getting off meds IS POSSIBLE!

[LyndaLu]

missgsr:
Thank you for giving us hope !
I plan on being med free by the end of this year.
Lynda

[Jlk]

THIS IS WHY I WAS SCARED TO DEATH TO TAKE MEDS FOR MY ANXIETY AND DEP: before i knew i had anxiety i had a narcotic problem, luckily i got over it, i wen't through all the major major withdrawls, after just watching my boyfriends grandma, (the person who was giving them to me ) and i saw the road i was headed down. after a few years it subsided. and after tath my brother died of an overdose from self medicating.
THIS IS WHAT CHANGED MY MIND: I started group therapy after starting regular sessions adn having so much in common with everyone there and seeing the relief of people who were on medication, I was still very skeptical so i decided well if this is indeed a biological disease, let me try and see if it works. When i started them i started a rlly low dose so it wouldn't be hard to get off of them, and before i knew it it was helping. Now i don't know if your anxiety is biological or environmental, but you may want to consider that : just like someone with genetically high blood pressure has to take blood pressure meds, people born with anxiety need anxiety meds as well, if nothing else is helping. I know ther is all knids of stigma about meds, i use to believe them all, but don't be afraid to just go with it and say so what " I'm taking my meds because i am an anxious person, i was born with anxiety" just like someone was born with high blood pressure or anything like that. Just give yoruself a break. and don't get me wrong i too feel like it can be an endless cycle, and "what if i cn get meds my whole life, what if something happens and i run out or they stop making them", but then i realize ok now im what if thinking and were back to anxiety lol.
I hope this helps someone not feel so helpless because they have to take meds. It's not a big deal.

[LyndaLu]

I started to lower the doses of my psychiatric medications back in January 2012

because I knew that my COBRA health insurance would be expiring in February 2012

and that I would no longer have the money to purchase the medications. I was taking

six medications as prescribed by my psychiatrist. Along the way I ran out of my

Abilify first. I really did not feel any side affects from eliminating the Abilify.

But recently I have run out of three medications at the same time, my Lamictal

and my Seroquel and my Lunesta. This will be an unsure week for me as I

have totaly run out of these three medications all in the same week.

I have not slept at all in the past three evenings since the elimination of the

Lunesta. I have been taking Lunesta for 5 1/2 years and I believe that this

medication, from what I have read, is to be used for only short term use.

I have not slept without medications in over 5 1/2 years. Before the Lunesta

I tried out over the counter medications like Melatonin and also Nyquil.

So I am now down to just taking two of my psychiatric medications,

the Wellbutrin and the Clonazepam. I should be running out of those two

medications by the end of this year, 2012. Although I have wished in

the most recent past that I could eliminate all psychiatric medications

from my life, I now have no choice in the matter.....I have had no job

for QUITE a while, no health insurance since February 2012 and my

Unemployment Insurance Benefits have been expired since May 2012. I have

no real income, so I cannot afford to take six psychiatric medications.

I knew that this day would come eventually, the day that I would be

coming down from all of the psychiatric medications, but now that it

has come about for real I am sort of apprehensive and scared. I am happy to be

off of the drugs but I am scared of the side effects of eliminating them.

I had a major severe mental breakdown in 2007 and I am so worried about

having another one now. I think that being on six medications for over 5

years is way long enough. A person should not have to be on that many

medications for so long. The psychiatrists just seem to be pill pushers.

Wish me luck and hope in my journey to be drug free and to have a

happy and healthy life without having to be drugged up all of the time.

Others have gone drug free and have made a good life for themselves,

I hope that I can do the same. Pray for me. Thank you for listening.

Lynda Lu

[meluv3]

Wishing you all the best Lynda Lu!!! Here's a website I found ... not sure if this would be helpful: http://www.theroadback.org/ ... it talks about how to withdraw from medication!! Keep us posted! Rooting for you!!!!!

[meluv3]

Oh, I just reread that you already stopped! Not sure if the site would be of much help?? Still rooting for you!! Just take one day at a time and reach out for support!! =)

[LyndaLu]

Wishing you all the best Lynda Lu!!! Here's a website I found ... not sure if this would be helpful: http://www.theroadback.org/ ... it talks about how to withdraw from medication!! Keep us posted! Rooting for you!!!!!

Thank you so much for your help.

I WAS taking six psychiatric drugs during the past 5 1/2 years.
The reason that I am starting to wean myself off of all of my "psyche" drugs is because of the cost
of the medications. I am unemployed, I have no regular income, and I have no health insurance.
The first drug I ran out of was the Abilify. I did not have any side effects from discontinuing this drug.
I am STILL taking my Wellbutrin and my Clonazepam until my supply runs out.
Last week I ran out of three of my "psyche" drugs ! I ran out of my Lunesta, Seroquel and Lamictal.
I have been having dull headaches, nausea, ringing in my ears, dry heaves in the morning, some hot
flashes and I have been suffering from severe insomnia. Even before I ran out of the above three
medications I started to feel suicidal. I have been crying a lot because I am so worked up about
my life situation, which includes the unemployment and loss of income and loss of the health
insurance, plus the real possibility of becoming homeless. I currently have a Social Security Disability
Case that is in progress, but it is a slow process and makes me worry even more.
I cannot afford the supplements on the website that was provided, but I am still planning on
reading the book chapters that are provided on the website. The supplements on this website
cost just as much as some of my prescriptions would cost. I must remember not to panic
and to remember that the feelings that I am feeling are a natural part of the withdrawal process.
Without taking the supplements that are recommended on the website, I have no idea how long
my withdrawal process will take on its own ? Will it take days, weeks or months ?

Thanks again to everyone for their support. It is going to be a rocky road ahead.
In April of this year I started to attend church again and I have been attending bible classes
and I have been starting to socialize with church members. The folks at the church are
wonderful and loving people. They will certainly be a big part of my recovery and my state of mind.
But I will also be experiencing the traumatic physical effects of the drug withdrawals
in the meantime. I have not slept hardly a wink for a week now and I have no idea what
this will do to my health, but it cannot be any worse than the effects of all of the strong drugs
I have been putting into my body for the past 5 1/2 years. ( Previously, in 2003, I was also
on Paxil ).

Lynda Lu

[WW]

It's been a longtime I hope you are making good progress Lynda. I wish I could post more but my life is just so busy (in good ways) these days.

[lilchrissy]

I get mad every time I see this threads title... I was told that for many years before I used CBT and the TEA forms to get better and have been COMPLETELY med free for years now and feel like I am getting better and better all the time. Don't let drug companies that profit from this line of thinking control the message!

[coachjanine]

Hey everyone. This is coach Janine In my personal situation many years ago, I went to see a psychiatrist for my anxiety. Every time I had a session with him I felt worse. He was trying to delve into my childhood and my relationships with people. I always felt worse after the session. I only saw him 6-8 times. I discovered the StressCenter.com program by accident while seeing him. I figured out that my problem was just anxiety. I brought the program in to him to check it out, to let him know that this was all I needed! That was the end of those sessions with him. I did also see a Therapist who specialized in CBT (which is what the StressCenter.com's program involves) for about 6 months. The extra counseling was very helpful to me, as they reinforced what we learn from the program! Keep on moving forward! You can do it