Dodgee Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 I'm sure @Boojum has had a nightmare trying to come off venlafaxine. Pretty much what you guys above described, brain zaps I think he called it. Sounds fucking awful. I've been on mirtazapine for years at various doses and if I ever stop for awhile the worse that happens is I struggle getting to sleep and my appetite disappears. For myself the sedation and increased appetite that others find a problem are both big positives. Near enough the only reasons I still use it tbh. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diddy Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Im on Venlafaxine @ 50mg from a high of 300mg after my brain telling me it was "having a rest from my shit" (Basically life caught up as it has a habit of doing) I take cannabis and other than the effect that it had pre taking venlafaxine there are no noticeable side effects for ME. Tell you what though I have run out of my 50s in the past due to being far too "busy" at life....Won't do the 3 days without again...literally couldn't add and subtract, Im a spark I was in the middle of a job that I could do with my eyes close....I forgot how to wire a ring circuit ffs...Eventually after a torturous 2 hours on the phone (Ideal considering i could hardly do a thing...) I got an emergency script to go to the local 24hr...step daughter went and got them....Thing is with venlafaxine it is slow release..it does take 12-24 hours to "sort out withdrawals" Other withdrawal effects are seeing those floating lights that you sometimes get when you turn your head to quickly except you get them without turning your head....excellent stuff. Add a good dose of anxiety and the ability to hallucinate. I saw a car pass me by twice in a couple of seconds....I wasn't driving So I can confirm coming off long term Venlafaxine (or any of its many variants) is best done under doctors instructions...Why haven't I done so yet ? Well I "feel" great, im on an even keel I have the same reactions to life's problems that i had before my breakdown... The biggest help for me was talking to a councillor for a while - think it was twice a week at the beginning and went on at once a week for months....At first it was talking, then it was "let's look at it from a question and answer viewpoint" and finally some little exercises to see if i could still plan and set goals without me "breaking" again... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Mix Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 When things get wobbly here and I need to ground I practice the rule of four. Which is look and find something to appreciate , hear a noise like a bird chirping and listen. Touch something like a tree or something natural. The fourth thing is concentrate on long deep breathing in and out. All four together distracts you from the feelings you experience at that time. It takes practice I thought when I was shown it was bollocks. It sometimes does the trick for me , involves no drugs pharma or otherwise. Hope it makes sense. Also talk to someone you trust . 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdog Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 3 hours ago, Absurdist said: As a daily smoker with decades of experience I'm surprised to see so many recommending a break. really, do you wake and bake everyday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdog Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 Just now, Arthur Mix said: Also talk to someone you trust . this is probably the best bit of advice in this thread 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cannaboy_420 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 4 hours ago, hash72 said: i was 22 when i met my wife 75 when she left me forever Sorry to hear this mate, you'll be back with her one day 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilled artist Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 just like lots of people, i know about this subject, unfortunately, so,.... Medications- I wouldnt, got tinnitus etc from that scenario... Get Outside, say hello to folk Meditate/cold showers........Wim Hoff style.....you can!!!! just because yous are in different houses dont mean you cant call, talk to your son as much as you like. Keep your chin up proud of you for sticking a hand out, i know thats hard Peace 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 (edited) On 19/08/2021 at 8:01 PM, Dodgee said: I'm sure @Boojum has had a nightmare trying to come off venlafaxine. Yep. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't touch venlafaxine with a ten foot barge pole, it's a fucking shit drug, barely makes things better (if at all) when you're suicidal then once you're on it you can't get off cos the withdrawal is just so fucking horrendous. Some antidepressants do and can work (short-term, to keep your head out of the REALLY bad place while you get your shit together), venlafaxine isn't one of them, it just gets you addicted to venlafaxine and then you have to keep taking it Doesn't make me want to kill myself any less when I'm suicidal, but if I stop taking it I want to kill myself even more because the withdrawal is just so fucking horrible I want to kill myself to make it stop (overegging the pudding, but it really is shit) Edited August 21, 2021 by Boojum 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieThePainter Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 One of the things I really hate about MH treatment in the NHS is the willingness to just throw you onto AD. The lighter ones like Sertraline can work (as Boojum says for the short term) but you really need to get some decent therapy in there for anything to be useful. I've always found the pills to be there to talk you off the ledge and once you're off the ledge, then you're in a state to actually talk about your issues. It pains me to say this, but you're really better going private for that. Eventually the NHS will treat you further, hell it's brutal to even get assigned a medic from them for most things, and we can offer base things like psycho therapy, psychology sessions and occupational therapies... but if you want to dig, like most people realy need to, you really want to be going private for it. Tell them fuck all about your weed if you go NHS. Regardless of the docs opinion, they are bound by law to quote the law to you in the sense that they will genuinely put you down as cannabis induced psychosis etc. Cannabis psychosis is treated s a thing whether we agree with it or not. IMO it's best not to tell. Sorry to hear of your current down, @northeastbudlover but this shows me that you're well equpped to deal with it - you're seeking help. Never be ashamed to do this, we're not all able to deal with everything on our own and that's why we formed societies in the first place. Keep looking for the help you need to make sense of it all, there are brighter days ahead. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgee Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 This video from the school of Life is a really good explanation of the potential benefits and the limitations of AD's and similar meds. Completely agree with folks recommending talking therapy, it really is far and away more effective than any other interventions (in my experience). I totally understand why people swerve it, the idea of bearing your soul to a complete stranger isn't exactly appealing is it. But the reality of therapy isn't like that. Unless you want it to be of course but that's up to the individual. If the NHS waiting list around you is too long and you can't afford to go fully private there are some services that do a kind of halfway thing (at least there are near me). They will provide therapy for a set time and period and you have a agreement to donate whatever you think you can afford at each session whether it's a pound/fiver or even 50p. If you literally can't afford anything the service is free but there is a limit on how many sessions you can have. I used the service myself 5 or 6 years back now and I can thoroughly recommend ATB 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieThePainter Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 To further on the therapy/AD side of it, I've often found that one of the best uses of AD's is to get people to the stage where they feel comfortable talking about the black dog that's been running around with them all this time. Take care, mate, the worst of it is when you don't know where to turn, so the worst is over. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 Way I see it is that antidepressants and mood stabilisers and shit are a temporary way to stop shit in your head getting too bad, they don't solve anything, what they can do is give your head some temporary respite from the really bad shit to give you an opportunity to sort shit out in other ways, they can keep the symptoms at bay to allow you to deal with the cause - if you know what the cause is, and that's the bigger problem, knowing what the cause is 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieThePainter Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Dodgee said: If the NHS waiting list around you is too long and you can't afford to go fully private there are some services that do a kind of halfway thing (at least there are near me). They will provide therapy for a set time and period and you have a agreement to donate whatever you think you can afford at each session whether it's a pound/fiver or even 50p. If you literally can't afford anything the service is free but there is a limit on how many sessions you can have. Out of curiosity, what is the waiting lists like down south? We're 12 weeks up here and we get proper chinned if anyone goes outwith that time. Fairly proud of the service we run up here; our medics even cancel their AL to keep within the time. But they're a great bunch really. One of them is from Malaysia and he plays some serious fucking skins. @northeastbudlover they are there to help you, bud, and none of them will ever judge you. Just take that step, man. You'll find that the type who go into MH tend to be dealing with their own issues so they're more than empathic on the subject Well done, mate. Edited August 21, 2021 by JamieThePainter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 (edited) 'Emergency referral' to the mental health services in Brighton means you get a letter offering an appointment in 6-8 weeks Always makes me fucking laugh that, in 6-8 weeks I'll either have killed myself, killed someone else or I'll be over this particular episode E2A Sorry for flippant posts. Edited August 21, 2021 by Boojum 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdog Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 (edited) sertraline was fucking horrible, as was another that the names escapes me right now i would rather take my chances than take something that might work after 6 weeks of head fuckery mirtazipine was very different, more a sedative on the first night tbh Edited August 21, 2021 by ratdog 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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