8 months Effexor free

[alex]

It has been 8 months since the last dose of Effexor.

It has been a rough ride, but I must admit It has improved, slowly but it is happening.

A few months, even weeks ago, it was terrifying, now it´s difficult.Even my worst and most feared symptom, insomnia, is getting slowly better.

I am having the classic wave-window pattern with an overall improvement sensation.Symptoms come and go, but I have noticed they are not as powerfull as they used to be.Others like panic attacks, dysphoria, suicidal thoughts are gone or very weak.

And I question to myself: am I healing...?or am I coping better? I don´t really know...but I don´t feel as bad, and sometimes, short times, I feel "almost" normal.

For me the key has been 1st of all staying away from psy med. of course, and try to be active and positive, even tough it is hard.

I have also learned to be mindfull about my neuro-emotions, like fear, one of the worse symptoms for me.Despite fear, I try to keep active and do the things I have to do, and that seems to help my neuroplasticity.

I am having a hard time with money issues and that doesn´t help, but I have learned to manage and to keep on going with my main goal wich is HEALING.

So I must say it is getting slowly better.WHAT A BIG AND UNESPECTED LIFE LESSON!!

HANG IN THERE!

[Luc]

It has been a rough ride, but I must admit It has improved, slowly but it is happening.

A few months, even weeks ago, it was terrifying, now it´s difficult.Even my worst and most feared symptom, insomnia, is getting slowly better.

I am having the classic wave-window pattern with an overall improvement sensation.Symptoms come and go, but I have noticed they are not as powerfull as they used to be.Others like panic attacks, dysphoria, suicidal thoughts are gone or very weak.

And I question to myself: am I healing...?or am I coping better? I don´t really know...but I don´t feel as bad, and sometimes, short times, I feel "almost" normal.

For me the key has been 1st of all staying away from psy med. of course, and try to be active and positive, even tough it is hard.

I have also learned to be mindfull about my neuro-emotions, like fear, one of the worse symptoms for me.Despite fear, I try to keep active and do the things I have to do, and that seems to help my neuroplasticity.

I am having a hard time with money issues and that doesn´t help, but I have learned to manage and to keep on going with my main goal wich is HEALING.

So I must say it is getting slowly better.WHAT A BIG AND UNESPECTED LIFE LESSON!!

HANG IN THERE!

I've put in bold the most important points you have made, Alex. It will be of great help for others.

That is really really great you've been improving. Just keep it that way. Yes, it's an incredible life lesson. You can't compare it to anyhting else.

Just a thought, if you had enough energy, perhaps you could start your journal in the Journals subforum? And describe how difficlut it used to be for you and how much it has improved already? It's very very inspiring and offering so much hope. :)

Please, keep us regularly updated! It is great to read about your progress.

[Sheila]

Congratulations, mi amigo.

I, too, have often questioned what's the difference between healing and coping better. Since our ailment is neuro-psychological, it makes it tricky. It's not like we have a broken leg which is a more concrete ailment.

Probably, it is both, and they work synergistically with each other.

I have money stress, too, and it's very hard. You are absolutely right that healing is what we need to focus on as much as possible, and try to trust that we will manage financially.

You are really doing a great job of doing things to help your neuroplasticity!

Bravo!

[m&m]

Am I wrong? But healing would be having that natural chemical balance back that the meds took away from us. I didn't suffer from depression or mental illness before. I had "stress".... normal life circumstances....and was fully functional and happy. Unless I have this whole thing wrong... the meds some how caused an imbalance and now we suffer until the balance is restored? So healing to me would be having that back. Not just coping with a handicap.

I mean I can cope with this cancer.... but I don't want to cope with it my whole life, at some time I will die early if it is not healed.


Healing and coping are two different things. I don't want to cope I want healing.

Glad your feeling better Alex

[alex]

I believe my CNS is healing.

I can notice it because symptoms like "fight or flight" reaction to life stressors are getting very weak;floating anxiety still there, but not as bad;I am begining to do and even enjoy things that couldn´t even imagine to do sometime back.I can "feel" a relief in my cortisol levels at night.My apetite is better.Energy, better.

I repeat, I know I have probably a long road ahead, but I feel improvement;little, with bad setbacks or waves, but the symptoms start to SLOWLY break down.I treasure these improvements greatly and that gives me the strenght and hope to cope better...and one thing leads to the other, doesn´t it?

[Luc]

Getting your body back to homeostasis again ("homeostasis" here being a very general term, for we have a long way to learn what *exactly* WD is) simply takes time, M&M. At certain phase of WD, when nothing "out of ordinary" happens, you may not even feel the symptoms that much. But when you shake up the system a bit, the symptmos will worsen. One needs to get to the point when even the extra stress, over-exertion, illness, etc., won't cause the onset of the symptoms.

[m&m]

Getting your body back to homeostasis again ("homeostasis" here being a very general term, for we have a long way to learn what *exactly* WD is) simply takes time, M&M. At certain phase of WD, when nothing "out of ordinary" happens, you may not even feel the symptoms that much. But when you shake up the system a bit, the symptmos will worsen. One needs to get to the point when even the extra stress, over-exertion, illness, etc., won't cause the onset of the symptoms.

One "needs" to get to that point?... Or one "will" get to that point?

Just having a bad time with things (as I know everyone else here is as well). Iggy found this recovery story during her research. Here it is if anyone needs some hope: http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/...ad.php?t=28908

Prayers for all.

[alex]

One "needs" to get to that point?... Or one "will" get to that point?

Just having a bad time with things (as I know everyone else here is as well). Iggy found this recovery story during her research. Here it is if anyone needs some hope: http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/...ad.php?t=28908

Prayers for all.

I DON´T understand "Lov´s" post...in her signature she says she recovered, but in her posts she says she stills suffering??

Am I confused or what??

[Luc]

I DON´T understand "Lov´s" post...in her signature she says she recovered, but in her posts she says she stills suffering??

When you create a signature, it gets displayed on all the posts a person has ever made.

[alex]

I´m sorry Luc, I still don´t understand....this woman who had the bad reaction from Prozac is the same who says she took 18 months to recover??