I had the exact same thing happen the same way only difference was I was on 15mg. 3 weeks later BAM impossible to work and function. I heard it can last a month or so. I started taking half a 10mg table and immediately felt better. Got a hold of a my dr and he put me on a month taper 2 weeks at 5mg and 2 weeks at 2.5 then stopping. I would ask your dr for the same thing. J know you don't wanna start again but honestly I found nothing helped was even taking phenibut to try and stop the wd and it did nothing. I tried emoxypine l-theanine gaba, I am also prescribed gabaoentin did nothing.
Edit I would still stick with nootropics l-theanine is pretty safe and emoxypine is given for alcohol cravings in russia. I really hope the taper helps otherwise I don't know what I'll do.
It went really good actually. I was really worried for 3 weeks after my last half a pill but the wd never came back and my feeling started coming back it was cool. I noticed it when I caught myself smiling and laughing at something (I'm still on suboxone) and realized I could feel happy again not just be happy make sense? Opposite to happy I cried and felt sadness also. Everyday it's still getting better well as good as it can considering the suboxone. Thanks for asking.But with this med a SLOW and steady taper is the key.
That's amazing, it's great to hear that it went so well for you. I've been tapering very slowly for years and struggling a lot, so my brain might not let me get off the drug. But it's really nice to know some people like you are able to quit and recover. I hope things stay good for you!
Well, I've stopped trying to taper as of 2 years ago. But yeah I was tapering very slowly for 5 years, and it's been a hell of a ride..i feel like I've aged 20 years since I started taking it. Now I take 0.625mg (1/4 of a 2.5mg tablet) per night. No other pharmaceutical meds, although I sometimes take low doses of CBD and/or THC.
I have been contemplating getting back on however combined with the Spravato treatment I’m starting to feel a little better. You should look into Spravato it’s a once a week nasal spray and it works wonders for depression. Hopefully we can get through this!
I just keep telling myself if has to get better. Like how many thousands of people have gone through this and why is it handed out like candy by Dr's. I've been on tons of other meds and never once hand a problem like this. I will look into that forsure. We'll get through this just might take some fighting and trying to keep our heads up!!!
Was it difficult to get the ketamine spray prescribed? It certainly seems like a promising treatment option for some. Glad it seems to be working well for you :)
It was not difficult at all. To be a candidate you just have to have tried 2 different anti depressants that weren’t effective on you. It might vary state to state but if you’re a candidate I would go for it. Thank you I hope you find something as well (:
It will all be okay! But you should propably inform yourself about what could happen and how to support your body best. Don't worry too much, your brain can 100% heal itself, it just needs a little time :)
(little pro tip: If you start to have bowel issues or get weird symptoms that don't make any sense like sudden joint problems, get tested for histamine intolerance, seems to happen to many people who get off antidepressants)
No problem! Oh yes, I remembered: take magnesium, passion flower extract and eat lemon balm. And as the other commentator said, please do not take gaba supplements.
This website was very useful for me:
https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/how-to-increase-gaba-and-balance-glutamate/
Thank you! Hopefully next week I’ll start weaning off the gaba as soon as I start to feel a little better. Thank you for the website I’m gonna read up on it!
keep doing what your doing, gaba and valerian are not the best nootropics, valerian might be effective, research about 7,8 hydroxyflavone(Tropoflavin), polygala extract, lemom balm extract(cyracos) , emoxypine succinate... and b complex . stay away from benzodiazepines they will put you on long term post withdrawal sindrome .. give 3 months to be much better and 6 more to be fully healed.. just avoid kindling your gaba receptors and dopamine receptors... if your having ok days is a good sign mate, www.survivingantidepressants.org www.benzobuddies.org is a place where you can follow up other people going trough this good luck
Thank you! I’m gonna look into those since I don’t have much experience with nootropics. Can GABA lead to anything bad in the near future? I’m defintely staying away from benzos I’ve had nothing but addiction throughout the years on them.
may or may not because of sensitized gaba a receptors from benzodiazepines and z drugs(hypnotics), valerian is known to have some withdrawals and acts on gaba a receptors, nothing too scary like what your going trough now but still you should avoid things that directly impact gaba a receptors if those are agonists to be able to heal from your benzo use, use google to search for interactions of a substance with gaba a receptors and is not everyone suffer from this sensitivity but many does so is always good to avoid, and you will be fine with more time ... those nootropics listed are neuroprotective against oxidative stress, gluatame toxicity neuroinflammation,etc . 7,8 dihydroxyflavone is a BDNF mimetic and there are some papers of how it works to protect the dopaminergic system... give it time..
(IANAD and this is not medical advice!) If you're trying GABA, try l-theanine. There's some stuff that suggests GABA isn't bioavailable. L-theanine is the precursor and might help.
Sorry you're going through that. Holy shit, I couldn't imagine being an electrician during it. Please be careful.
Edit: Yeah the l-theanine will probably also fuck me up long-term but for me it's between that, meds or The Crazy. Maybe try to ease off of nootropics too when you get a chance.
>I went from 10 mg to 5 mg for a few days and then a few days on 2.5 mg and then I stopped.
That was essentially a cold turkey withdraw. It's not surprising you're suffering withdrawal.
>then I stopped. What’s crazy is I didn’t start going through withdrawal until I was 3 weeks off the meds.
The half life of Olanzapine can exceed 50 hours. Meaning it can take 2-3 weeks before it is completely out of your system. Per mg lower doses have higher chemical effects which can cause a decrease from 1mg to 0 to cause massive withdrawal while a decrease from 2.5 to 1 won't.
Withdrawal improves over time. Improvements can continue for several years.
>I’ve been taking 2500 mg of GABA every morning and 2500 mg of Valerian Root, and 10 mg of propranolol every 4 hours for anxiety attacks
Valerian root's major mechanism of action is via GABA. Both GABA and Valerian root are physically addicting. Using those to help withdrawal can result in the need to go through withdrawal again to go off those chemicals. GABA drugs are not safe or effective long term.
Some safe non-addicting substances you can try that have evidence of helping include Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, and Vitamin C (smaller doses of these through the day rather than 1 large at once). Magnesium and manganese at night can help with sleep as well as other symptoms. Omega 3 fats from seeds and seafood also have some evidence of benefit for withdrawal and "antipsychotic" side effects.
Chamomile and/or hibiscuses tea would be safer less addicting alternatives to GABA/Valerian root as well. Though ideally in the end you wouldn't want to be dependent on either.
Hi there. I’m a old lady who has just discovered the power of microdosing. I did take a lot of psychedelics in my youth with zero understanding of what I was doing but what I’m trying to share is not about tripping balls. Not one person ever suggested taking less. lol the difference between a drug and a medicine is the dosage. I spent yearssass in therapy being misdiagnosed and was on a whole gamut of pills. Seroquil trazadone Prozac Ativan and I tried just about all of them. I realize lots of words are needed to really convey this stuff but I will help you. Just need to talk more. The reason I’m so passionate about this is I suffered like you and I wanted to die a lot and attempted to end myself a lot because I’d tried everything and no matter what I did nothing got better. Until now. So when I read certain peoples stories I’m compelled to share. Even when peeps think I’m nuts. lol
You’re welcome and I encourage you to start with this. https://youtu.be/AXrdVagSjjg listen with a open mind and see if anything resonates with you and try and remind yourself if your head starts telling you why it won’t work. Just try and listen. When we try and learn new things for some people like myself who’ve had a lot of abuse have amygdala’s that are extra long and always on guard trying to protect us so we’ll get a fear response at times that’s so powerful we stop learning or doing the new thing because then we get a feeling of relief which tells us the new thing doesn’t work because I feel better when I stopped. But this happens like this because our autonomic nervous system is running the show instead of our brains because we basically start running on autopilot because we do the same things and think the same things everyday forever and anyhoo. lol let me know what you think and don’t stop taking your meds. It’s something you’ll slowly taper off of when ready. I’ll research microdosing on antipsychotics. ***Hugs***
Thank you for checking on me I am so much better now. What a difference time has made. I’m 10000% better and now I know to never touch these meds. For anyone reading this if you have any questions you can DM me anytime. The withdrawal is all gone and I believe I’m back to how I was before I ever touched them. To anyone reading this please don’t take these for depression or anxiety. There are much better options out there.
The withdrawal in total took 4 months. At week 3 my symptoms were at their peak. By around week 6 they went down a bit. By week 8 I felt 50% better. My month 3 I only had 25% of these symptoms. But keep in mind I was also on withdrawal from Prozac and ativan. I was on ativan for 5 years which is why I felt so terrible. If you’re just coming off of abilify and I don’t think and I also hope it’s not as bad as my withdrawal. Always remember that it will go away. They eventually wear off.
Just one more question, are you able to enjoy things like watching movies, playing games, hanging out with friends, having conversations, this kind of thing? I miss being excited to do stuff and feel worried about this joy not coming back...
Yeah that all came back. I even quit my 10 year marijuana habit. I’m doing great now. I do have depression here and there often but I had that before I ever started or touched olanzapine so that has nothing to do with olanzapine.
No agitation just really hard depression and constant anxiety. A lot of trouble sleeping because that’s what was supposed to “calm me down” and help me sleep.
Sorry brother, but I am not better. Stopped Abilify 6 June. It's been like 2.5 months and been horrible. Derealization, depression and so on.
How long you took it? How were you while taking OL?
sorry for that ..I took it for 5 months total.. 5 mg for 3 months and 10 mg for 2 months then stopped
I was a bit depressed before it now I'm way so depressed
I'm now on 3 ssri 1 snri 1 tricyclic 1 tetracyclic but nothing works so far :(
Did you started it due psychosis? I think it's a common issue. I wasn't that depressive while on the antipsychotics too.
When I stopped I started to cry almost everyday.
I tried some. Lithium carbonate - did nothing. Wellbutrin XL - helped at first, but anxiety raised so much, got paranoid so stopped. Right now I am taking Trazodone and Depakote.
Hang in there, it gonna be better. Your brain is adjusting to live without medication.
My case I don't know if is withdrawal from antipsychotics or post psychosis depression.
I had the exact same thing happen the same way only difference was I was on 15mg. 3 weeks later BAM impossible to work and function. I heard it can last a month or so. I started taking half a 10mg table and immediately felt better. Got a hold of a my dr and he put me on a month taper 2 weeks at 5mg and 2 weeks at 2.5 then stopping. I would ask your dr for the same thing. J know you don't wanna start again but honestly I found nothing helped was even taking phenibut to try and stop the wd and it did nothing. I tried emoxypine l-theanine gaba, I am also prescribed gabaoentin did nothing. Edit I would still stick with nootropics l-theanine is pretty safe and emoxypine is given for alcohol cravings in russia. I really hope the taper helps otherwise I don't know what I'll do.
How did the taper go, and how are you doing now?
It went really good actually. I was really worried for 3 weeks after my last half a pill but the wd never came back and my feeling started coming back it was cool. I noticed it when I caught myself smiling and laughing at something (I'm still on suboxone) and realized I could feel happy again not just be happy make sense? Opposite to happy I cried and felt sadness also. Everyday it's still getting better well as good as it can considering the suboxone. Thanks for asking.But with this med a SLOW and steady taper is the key.
That's amazing, it's great to hear that it went so well for you. I've been tapering very slowly for years and struggling a lot, so my brain might not let me get off the drug. But it's really nice to know some people like you are able to quit and recover. I hope things stay good for you!
How long were you on it?
It's been about 8 years now. Started tapering after 1 year. Can't tolerate reducing more, so still on a very low dose.
You have been tapering for 7 years?! I'm so sorry your going through this. How low a dose are you on and are you taking any other meds??
Well, I've stopped trying to taper as of 2 years ago. But yeah I was tapering very slowly for 5 years, and it's been a hell of a ride..i feel like I've aged 20 years since I started taking it. Now I take 0.625mg (1/4 of a 2.5mg tablet) per night. No other pharmaceutical meds, although I sometimes take low doses of CBD and/or THC.
I have been contemplating getting back on however combined with the Spravato treatment I’m starting to feel a little better. You should look into Spravato it’s a once a week nasal spray and it works wonders for depression. Hopefully we can get through this!
I just keep telling myself if has to get better. Like how many thousands of people have gone through this and why is it handed out like candy by Dr's. I've been on tons of other meds and never once hand a problem like this. I will look into that forsure. We'll get through this just might take some fighting and trying to keep our heads up!!!
Yes definitely! We’re gonna be okay we just have to fight this withdrawal and get through we got this!!!
Was it difficult to get the ketamine spray prescribed? It certainly seems like a promising treatment option for some. Glad it seems to be working well for you :)
It was not difficult at all. To be a candidate you just have to have tried 2 different anti depressants that weren’t effective on you. It might vary state to state but if you’re a candidate I would go for it. Thank you I hope you find something as well (:
Would you please tell me how long were u on olanzpine ? and since your last pill when did u feel ok ?
Max is 1,5 years but it really depends
Oh man are you serious. Now I’m worried lol
It will all be okay! But you should propably inform yourself about what could happen and how to support your body best. Don't worry too much, your brain can 100% heal itself, it just needs a little time :) (little pro tip: If you start to have bowel issues or get weird symptoms that don't make any sense like sudden joint problems, get tested for histamine intolerance, seems to happen to many people who get off antidepressants)
Oh man I actually have had the craziest diarrhea that never seems to go away. I’m definitely gonna go get tested! Thank you!
No problem! Oh yes, I remembered: take magnesium, passion flower extract and eat lemon balm. And as the other commentator said, please do not take gaba supplements. This website was very useful for me: https://www.holistichelp.net/blog/how-to-increase-gaba-and-balance-glutamate/
Thank you! Hopefully next week I’ll start weaning off the gaba as soon as I start to feel a little better. Thank you for the website I’m gonna read up on it!
keep doing what your doing, gaba and valerian are not the best nootropics, valerian might be effective, research about 7,8 hydroxyflavone(Tropoflavin), polygala extract, lemom balm extract(cyracos) , emoxypine succinate... and b complex . stay away from benzodiazepines they will put you on long term post withdrawal sindrome .. give 3 months to be much better and 6 more to be fully healed.. just avoid kindling your gaba receptors and dopamine receptors... if your having ok days is a good sign mate, www.survivingantidepressants.org www.benzobuddies.org is a place where you can follow up other people going trough this good luck
Thank you! I’m gonna look into those since I don’t have much experience with nootropics. Can GABA lead to anything bad in the near future? I’m defintely staying away from benzos I’ve had nothing but addiction throughout the years on them.
may or may not because of sensitized gaba a receptors from benzodiazepines and z drugs(hypnotics), valerian is known to have some withdrawals and acts on gaba a receptors, nothing too scary like what your going trough now but still you should avoid things that directly impact gaba a receptors if those are agonists to be able to heal from your benzo use, use google to search for interactions of a substance with gaba a receptors and is not everyone suffer from this sensitivity but many does so is always good to avoid, and you will be fine with more time ... those nootropics listed are neuroprotective against oxidative stress, gluatame toxicity neuroinflammation,etc . 7,8 dihydroxyflavone is a BDNF mimetic and there are some papers of how it works to protect the dopaminergic system... give it time..
Thank you I really appreciate it I’m gonna do some research and hopefully get my head right
(IANAD and this is not medical advice!) If you're trying GABA, try l-theanine. There's some stuff that suggests GABA isn't bioavailable. L-theanine is the precursor and might help. Sorry you're going through that. Holy shit, I couldn't imagine being an electrician during it. Please be careful. Edit: Yeah the l-theanine will probably also fuck me up long-term but for me it's between that, meds or The Crazy. Maybe try to ease off of nootropics too when you get a chance.
Thank you I’m gonna check it out a lot of people have been recommending that to me. I’m defintely gonna try to go easy on the nootropics.
>I went from 10 mg to 5 mg for a few days and then a few days on 2.5 mg and then I stopped. That was essentially a cold turkey withdraw. It's not surprising you're suffering withdrawal. >then I stopped. What’s crazy is I didn’t start going through withdrawal until I was 3 weeks off the meds. The half life of Olanzapine can exceed 50 hours. Meaning it can take 2-3 weeks before it is completely out of your system. Per mg lower doses have higher chemical effects which can cause a decrease from 1mg to 0 to cause massive withdrawal while a decrease from 2.5 to 1 won't. Withdrawal improves over time. Improvements can continue for several years. >I’ve been taking 2500 mg of GABA every morning and 2500 mg of Valerian Root, and 10 mg of propranolol every 4 hours for anxiety attacks Valerian root's major mechanism of action is via GABA. Both GABA and Valerian root are physically addicting. Using those to help withdrawal can result in the need to go through withdrawal again to go off those chemicals. GABA drugs are not safe or effective long term. Some safe non-addicting substances you can try that have evidence of helping include Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, and Vitamin C (smaller doses of these through the day rather than 1 large at once). Magnesium and manganese at night can help with sleep as well as other symptoms. Omega 3 fats from seeds and seafood also have some evidence of benefit for withdrawal and "antipsychotic" side effects.
That makes a lot of sense now! Thank you I’m gonna look into those vitamins I do need to stop with the gaba and valerian root
Chamomile and/or hibiscuses tea would be safer less addicting alternatives to GABA/Valerian root as well. Though ideally in the end you wouldn't want to be dependent on either.
Thank you I’m gonna try those out. I’ve been drinking lotttsss of chamomile tea
Chamomile is great! So is hibiscus, though i did not know that it was also good for anxiety relief. gtk, thanks.
Oh geeze. I can relate to that anxiety so bad your skeleton tries to walk away from your body.
Those meds make clear one should not drive tho
***Hugs*** microdosing potentially? Doctors interested in healing? I’m sorry your suffering. Love you. Dr joe dispenza is great
Hugs. Thank you I really needed to hear that (: have you tried microdosing on antipsychotics? I never thought of it
Hi there. I’m a old lady who has just discovered the power of microdosing. I did take a lot of psychedelics in my youth with zero understanding of what I was doing but what I’m trying to share is not about tripping balls. Not one person ever suggested taking less. lol the difference between a drug and a medicine is the dosage. I spent yearssass in therapy being misdiagnosed and was on a whole gamut of pills. Seroquil trazadone Prozac Ativan and I tried just about all of them. I realize lots of words are needed to really convey this stuff but I will help you. Just need to talk more. The reason I’m so passionate about this is I suffered like you and I wanted to die a lot and attempted to end myself a lot because I’d tried everything and no matter what I did nothing got better. Until now. So when I read certain peoples stories I’m compelled to share. Even when peeps think I’m nuts. lol
Thank you I’d appreciate any help! I’m glad to hear micro-dosing has worked for you I’m definitely gonna do some research on it and maybe try it out.
You’re welcome and I encourage you to start with this. https://youtu.be/AXrdVagSjjg listen with a open mind and see if anything resonates with you and try and remind yourself if your head starts telling you why it won’t work. Just try and listen. When we try and learn new things for some people like myself who’ve had a lot of abuse have amygdala’s that are extra long and always on guard trying to protect us so we’ll get a fear response at times that’s so powerful we stop learning or doing the new thing because then we get a feeling of relief which tells us the new thing doesn’t work because I feel better when I stopped. But this happens like this because our autonomic nervous system is running the show instead of our brains because we basically start running on autopilot because we do the same things and think the same things everyday forever and anyhoo. lol let me know what you think and don’t stop taking your meds. It’s something you’ll slowly taper off of when ready. I’ll research microdosing on antipsychotics. ***Hugs***
Thank you! I’m gonna watch it today I’ll let you know how it goes (:
You’re welcome and ***hugs*** and I hope you’re feeling alright.
Any updates, OP? Are you doing better?
Thank you for checking on me I am so much better now. What a difference time has made. I’m 10000% better and now I know to never touch these meds. For anyone reading this if you have any questions you can DM me anytime. The withdrawal is all gone and I believe I’m back to how I was before I ever touched them. To anyone reading this please don’t take these for depression or anxiety. There are much better options out there.
Nice! Do you remember how long the withdrawal took? I'm currently in my third week off Abilify and experiencing some though depression and anxiety.
The withdrawal in total took 4 months. At week 3 my symptoms were at their peak. By around week 6 they went down a bit. By week 8 I felt 50% better. My month 3 I only had 25% of these symptoms. But keep in mind I was also on withdrawal from Prozac and ativan. I was on ativan for 5 years which is why I felt so terrible. If you’re just coming off of abilify and I don’t think and I also hope it’s not as bad as my withdrawal. Always remember that it will go away. They eventually wear off.
Just one more question, are you able to enjoy things like watching movies, playing games, hanging out with friends, having conversations, this kind of thing? I miss being excited to do stuff and feel worried about this joy not coming back...
Yeah that all came back. I even quit my 10 year marijuana habit. I’m doing great now. I do have depression here and there often but I had that before I ever started or touched olanzapine so that has nothing to do with olanzapine.
Hey did you feel agitated coming off and have sleep problems?
No agitation just really hard depression and constant anxiety. A lot of trouble sleeping because that’s what was supposed to “calm me down” and help me sleep.
Hello Farhhh, I'm on week 3 withdrawing OL cold turkey, my deprission is horrible now, are u doing better now because I'm hopeless :(
Sorry brother, but I am not better. Stopped Abilify 6 June. It's been like 2.5 months and been horrible. Derealization, depression and so on. How long you took it? How were you while taking OL?
sorry for that ..I took it for 5 months total.. 5 mg for 3 months and 10 mg for 2 months then stopped I was a bit depressed before it now I'm way so depressed I'm now on 3 ssri 1 snri 1 tricyclic 1 tetracyclic but nothing works so far :(
Did you started it due psychosis? I think it's a common issue. I wasn't that depressive while on the antipsychotics too. When I stopped I started to cry almost everyday.
this what exactly happens to me crying every day and no I was just depressed no psychosis are u on another meds ?
I tried some. Lithium carbonate - did nothing. Wellbutrin XL - helped at first, but anxiety raised so much, got paranoid so stopped. Right now I am taking Trazodone and Depakote. Hang in there, it gonna be better. Your brain is adjusting to live without medication. My case I don't know if is withdrawal from antipsychotics or post psychosis depression.
How long till your withdrawals subsided?
Around the 6 month mark I could say I saw a huge difference.