A week ago I went to my dentist and they were unable to treat me do to the antidepressant I was on at the time Nardil. So I took my dental health into consideration and I put it against my mental health then decided which was more important and the physical pain won. I took myself off of Nardil and called my doctors office to let them know. The next day I was called into his office and pretty much received his blessing and a small lecture on stopping my meds on my own.

For the last week I have had a headache and at times I must have given the impression that I was manic, out of control running on impulse, to be completely honest at times I was. All of this is connected to the fact that my brain no longer had the assistance of Nardil. When you are talking to doctors about antidepressants they basically sell it like they are trying to convince you to buy a Lexus so everything is positive and inflated. When the patient asks about side effects they play it right down with the old “Oh don’t worry they only last for a few days then disappear plus the positives outweigh the negatives” and as a patient you believe them until you start to do your homework and reveal the piece that the doctors never seem to talk about. A lot of antidepressants have discontinuation syndrome when you stop taking them which in english means your brain is going through withdrawal and oh is it not happy about it. The side effects range from headaches to feeling ill to sudden mood switches to brain zaps and many more. Brain zaps catch people right off guard as everything could be going smoothly then your brain basically feels like it blinks, this does not hurt but it is annoying as hell for it comes out of nowhere with no warning. The range of severity for the symptoms have a couple of factors: A) Which drug you are on. B) How slowly your taper process was while stopping if any. The two kings of discontinuation syndrome are Paxil and Effexor that has people comparing it to coming off of heroin and is so bad that both companies are being sued because of it and for not properly warning the patients before they started the med. Some people suffer more then others when it comes to the withdrawal process and I know more then a few people who were still suffering months after they came off of the drug. The taper process differs from person to person and from med to med depending on how fast their brain can adapt to a lower dose. For some the process may take a few weeks where others it requires months it really varies from situation to situation but the best advice is the slower the better. At one time there were Paxil and Effexor taper programs all across the web but now people are charging others for access to it, go to healthboards or crazyboards and someone there will help you through it free of charge.

So why do people still turn to these meds especially Paxil and Effexor? Normally they are unaware of the process in coming off of the meds and the other reason is when you are in the middle of hell you do not think long term just on the immediate situation and both Paxil and Effexor are two of the strongest meds out there plus they are prescribed in huge numbers so it looks very appealing. If you want a great med review ask someone who is still taking Paxil or Effexor and if your looking for a bad review ask the same people when they come off of the med. The Lexus looks like such a beautiful car but the salesman fails to mention it explodes when you reach your destination.

On a personal note I really do not go through a high withdrawal period as my body destroys meds so I guess there is some positive to being drug resistant. When it was time to stop Effexor plus a couple more meds I was hospitalized, yes there were other circumstances, and my wonderful doctor stopped the meds after a three day taper but I was also under twenty four hour surveillance at the time normally the recommended reduction program is at least six weeks if not longer. As far as the Nardil goes I just need to keep track of where I am mentally at all times and when I start to slide in the wrong direction I know what I have to do and I just need to make sure I do it.

I am not a pharmacist or a doctor so don’t take what I say about meds as gold. Every time your doctor suggests a new med question every single aspect and when possible do your homework. In cases of severe depression an antidepressant is needed but there is a right way to come off the med when the time is right but unfortunately a lot of doctors think the discontinuation syndrome is not real. A quick search on Paxil and Effexor lawsuits say differently.

Related posts:

1. A Reminder About Antidepressants And Other Mental Meds
2. Antidepressants
3. The Catch-22 of Antidepressants
4. Scientists Rate The Top Antidepressants
5. Blame It On The Drugs
6. Wrong Choice Equals Another Painful Lesson Earned
7. Coming Off Of Mental Meds
8. What The Hell?
9. Prescription Medication Side Effects – Repost
10. Study: Doctors Don’t Always Spot Depression – Article