Want to get off meds but struggling

[Sheila]

Michele -- To me, the fact that you’re not stabilizing just means that your body is saying no to these meds, and you just have to slowly taper off. I’m sure you will be able to taper off. You just have to go slowly in small increments, and get some support during the process.

Maybe you can think of it this way – you’re going to have to go through some pain, but it will be doable, and you’ll have a lot of company, and the reward will be freedom from the tyranny these meds have over your life, and you will have a whole new life, better than anything you’ve experienced yet. And…you’re one of the guides for the pandemic that is coming. You’re going to be using this w/d experience in some vital way for the good of the whole.

Now, another idea I have – and this is speculative – is that you might try slowly going up on Omega-3 before you start tapering or while you start an ultra-slow taper. I hypothesize – but don’t know – that Omega-3 may be neuroprotective during the taper. There’s tons of evidence of it being neuroprotective in other neurological conditions.

Do you feel your headaches are caused by muscle tension, sinus congestion, or something else?

[shel]

Thanks so much for your supportive note and encouragement - I really need it right now as I am not feeling very confident about being able to do this. However, your note gave me some hope. I have been wanting to get off of these meds for such a long time and for exactly the reasons you described: I too think that my body is just done with ADs and I want to live a better life than the one I've been living on ADs. I have feel like if I can get to the other side of this, life will be fuller off of ADs (and eventually the Klonopin as i will still have to deal with that too - also why this all feels so impossible). I also have always wanted to use this experience and all I've learned to help others - not sure what that would look like but in some way. I have to think we are all going through this for a reason and I agree with you that a pandemic is coming (if it hasn't already).

Interestingly, I've been taking Omega 3's and my psychiatrist suggested taking more than I had been so I've upped it to to 3 capsules a day (not sure but think that is around 3000).

To answer your question about what is causing the headache - I think it just is the Celexa, or changes to something inside my brain from the Celexa as that is the only change I can attribute it to. It could be also something to do with how Celexa is messing with my hormones as I tend to get headaches/migraines related to my cycle. And my period has been going on now for 3weeks so something is definitely being messed with hormonally.

So any ideas on how my taper would look? I am thinking I have to see how it goes and adjust from there but was curious if you have any intuition on this? Maybe go down by 1 mg at a time in the beginning?

Thank you so much for being here and for encouraging me,
Michele