Unbeknownst to me, withdrawal from anti-depressant is a PITA (need advise from those in the know)

[Hey Please]

I was on 20mg of apo-amitriptyline for around 3 months and then around a week and a half ago, stopped cold turkey when the pills ran out. I had zero idea that:

1. There were going to be withdrawal symptoms
2. That they would manifest over a week after
3. And that it would present itself as a constant state of low intensity dull headache and dizziness, the one that is tell tale sign of motion sickness (working offshore, I am all too familiar with the sensation).

Sitting still and especially concentrating on things that require attention (like trying to learn a new language or studying) is difficult and missing out on gym just drives my anxiety.

I am keenly interested in knowing what home remedies there may be to alleviate the situation and whether anyone knows how long the withdrawal symptoms persists.

 

[Revolver_Ocelot]

Highly highly recommend to not quit cold turkey. It should be tapered off

 

[TheIlliterati]

You should never go off meds without doctors advice for just this reason. See a doctor.

 

[DJ_Lae]

I'm not entirely sure how long the symptoms last for (although I'll go through it eventually whenever I stop my own) but I have been advised to never cut it off directly. You want to taper off your dosage over a period of time to minimize the withdrawal.

 

[jb1234]

Talk to your doctor. You might be able to ween your way off them in a way that is less uncomfortable.

 

[Brazil]

It's really bizarre that no one advised you against just stopping taking the medicine out of nowhere. You need to reduce the dosage across weeks and sometimes months to not feel those effects.

I don't know about any home remedies, but it may take a couple of weeks for your organism to completely settle down and naturally get used to things.

You should probably consult whoever it was that told you to take anti-depressants in the first place, though.

 

[Hey Please]

My doctor is away on a short vacation. I ought to have thought of that before consuming all the pills.

 

[BebopCola]

Definitely see your provider/practitioner ASAP. They will help you ramp down the dosage until your body is weaned off. It may get worse, as those withdrawal symptoms don't seem too serious compared to other meds. And regardless, I hope you don't get the brain zaps.

 

[Alcoremortis]

I kinda had withdrawal from amitriptyline when i was reduced from 10 mg to 5 mg (i was taking it for migraines), though I didn't really know that's what was happening at the time, I just suddenly started feeling extremely depressed and didn't know why. I'll echo the above posters that if there's any way you can taper off the medication instead, you should probably do that. IIRC the low doses aren't very expensive if that's a concern.

Even if the doctor is on vacation, you should be able to call the office and get a refill from whoever's on call, I think.

 

[BebopCola]

My doctor is away on a short vacation. I ought to have thought of that before consuming all the pills.

Click to shrink...

Oh, you might be able to get a "bridge" prescription from your pharmacy, especially for something like this. Definitely call and ask them.

 

[Brazil]

Even if the doctor is on vacation, you should be able to call the office and get a refill from whoever's on call, I think.

Click to shrink...

Oh, you might be able to get a "bridge" prescription from your pharmacy, especially for something like this. Definitely call and ask them.

Click to shrink...

Yup. Look into this, OP.

 

[samoyed]

You are absolutely not supposed to stop an SSRI cold turkey.

The "proper" way to come off an anti-depressant is with a "taper". First you take the pills once every other day, then once every three, and so on until you're down to the bare minimum dosage. The specifics will change depending on patient to patient and drug to drug.

Contact your a nurse or someone at your docs office and ask for professional advice.

 

[Futureman]

You have a terrible doctor if they didn't tell you about this when you started taking it.

 

[Ashdroid]

The withdrawal period will last for at least a few weeks, and it will get worse before it gets better (based on my experience going cold-turkey with different antidepressants). However, if you've already been off of it for over a week, it might be worth toughing it out, if you can. If it gets too bad, though, definitely see a doctor so you can taper.

 

[Joshua]

Caffeine and forced exercise are the only two things I found that helped with a similar situation for me in the past.

Also echoing what others have said to say you shouldn't have stopped cold turkey. This isn't something you get through in a couple of weeks - it's going to take months plus you havent even described having mood and emotion swings yet? Go see a doctor yesterday.

 

[jb1234]

You have a terrible doctor if they didn't tell you about this when you started taking it.

Click to shrink...

This is actually more common than it should be.

 

[Hey Please]

Oh, you might be able to get a "bridge" prescription from your pharmacy, especially for something like this. Definitely call and ask them.

Click to shrink...

Woah, I did not know this. Thanks.

Definitely see your provider/practitioner ASAP. They will help you ramp down the dosage until your body is weaned off. It may get worse, as those withdrawal symptoms don't seem too serious compared to other meds. And regardless, I hope you don't get the brain zaps.

Click to shrink...

What's a brain zap?

I kinda had withdrawal from amitriptyline when i was reduced from 10 mg to 5 mg (i was taking it for migraines), though I didn't really know that's what was happening at the time, I just suddenly started feeling extremely depressed and didn't know why. I'll echo the above posters that if there's any way you can taper off the medication instead, you should probably do that. IIRC the low doses aren't very expensive if that's a concern.

Even if the doctor is on vacation, you should be able to call the office and get a refill from whoever's on call, I think.

Click to shrink...

The shitty thing is, I was not diagnosed and prescribed that medication because depression but rather nerve pain from a C-spine disc bulge that was interfering with my sleep. Now, I am showing signs of things people who actually suffer from depression do. Drugs are one hell of a drug.

 

[BebopCola]

What's a brain zap?

Click to shrink...

They are extremely annoying withdrawal side-effects that I had a few times when, for one reason for another, I didn't have access to my meds for a few days. The best way I can describe them is like a constant feeling of being "jolted" awake, like if you're falling asleep at your desk and you catch yourself. They can be pretty frequent and are just god f'ing awful.

 

[Hey Please]

The withdrawal period will last for at least a few weeks, and it will get worse before it gets better (based on my experience going cold-turkey with different antidepressants). However, if you've already been off of it for a week, it might be worth toughing it out, if you can. If it gets too bad, though, definitely see a doctor so you can taper.

Click to shrink...

I am wondering if I can just power through now given it has been over a week and a half and recently I have been reading up on how anti-depressants can contribute to weight gain. I have been going to the gym around 4 days/week on average and have yet to drop body fat % (albeit whilst gaining muscles). That alone has been causing me anxiety.

Caffeine and forced exercise are the only two things I found that helped with a similar situation for me in the past.

Also echoing what others have said to say you shouldn't have stopped cold turkey. This isn't something you get through in a couple of weeks - it's going to take months plus you havent even described having mood and emotion swings yet? Go see a doctor yesterday.

Click to shrink...

Gym is honestly the only thing that helps and because I live alone, I have no idea whether I have mood swings or not.

Weirdly enough, caffeine had exacerbated the dizziness.

They are extremely annoying withdrawal side-effects that I had a few times when, for one reason for another, I didn't have access to my meds for a few days. The best way I can describe them is like a constant feeling of being "jolted" awake, like if you're falling asleep at your desk and you catch yourself. They can be pretty frequent and are just god f'ing awful.

Click to shrink...

Wow! While I have not been sleeping well I have, mercifully, not faced what you are describing, yet. Let's hope it stays that way. Thanks for the info.

 

[Cerulean_skylark]

I accidentally quit prozac cold turkey while traveling overseas. i would occassionally get like random bursts of disorientation that would last only fractions of a second. took about a month for it to work entirely out of my system.

But when i quit cyprolex when i was a teenager, i had zero ill effects. it probably helped that the drug made me feel like a zombie and never helped me in the first place.

 

[Hey Please]

I accidentally quit prozac cold turkey while traveling overseas. i would occassionally get like random bursts of disorientation that would last only fractions of a second. took about a month for it to work entirely out of my system.

But when i quit cyprolex when i was a teenager, i had zero ill effects. it probably helped that the drug made me feel like a zombie and never helped me in the first place.

Click to shrink...

Good lord that sounds fucking rough. I was hoping my situation would be akin to yours with cyprolex but alas, twas not to be.

 

[Alcoremortis]

The shitty thing is, I was not diagnosed and prescribed that medication because depression but rather nerve pain from a C-spine disc bulge that was interfering with my sleep. Now, I am showing signs of things people who actually suffer from depression do. Drugs are one hell of a drug.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, that's what happened with me. It does a decent job with nerve pain, but you really gotta wean off of it or you'll get the depression symptoms. You might want to ask about nortriptyline when you see your doctor again as well. I switched to that due to the issues I was having with the amitriptyline. I'm not a doctor so I don't know if it will be sufficient for your issues, but it's worth bringing up in case it's an option for you. It seems to have fewer of the depression side effects than the amitriptyline.

Good luck.

 

[Hey Please]

Yeah, that's what happened with me. It does a decent job with nerve pain, but you really gotta wean off of it or you'll get the depression symptoms. You might want to ask about nortriptyline when you see your doctor again as well. I switched to that due to the issues I was having with the amitriptyline. I'm not a doctor so I don't know if it will be sufficient for your issues, but it's worth bringing up in case it's an option for you. It seems to have fewer of the depression side effects than the amitriptyline.

Good luck.

Click to shrink...

I am intrigued. I have this post bookmarked for when I am there to see my doc next time. Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 8463]

Oh, you might be able to get a "bridge" prescription from your pharmacy, especially for something like this. Definitely call and ask them.

Click to shrink...

Yep do this OP. I need to pretty regularly cause my GP is terrible. They'll usually give 1-2 weeks up front if you're prescribed them.

 

[Hey Please]

Yep do this OP. I need to pretty regularly cause my GP is terrible. They'll usually give 1-2 weeks up front if you're prescribed them.

Click to shrink...

Merci beacoup, monsieur. I shall venture forth into the bosom of Sobeys' pharmacy department tomorrow and see what outcome fate hath wrought.

Edit: Even if I had forgotten to quote your response, please know that I am thankful for all the helpful replies.

 

[Cerulean_skylark]

Good lord that sounds fucking rough. I was hoping my situation would be akin to yours with cyprolex but alas, twas not to be.

Click to shrink...

Yeah depending on the drug it can have some serious physical effect. I basically didn't drive at all for a month beacuse of the bursts of dizziness. You really have to ease it out of your system.

It varies though. remember it's all about the chemical balance of your brain.

 

[nihilence]

Op requested lock.