Posted , 100 users are following.
Hi all, i have tried unsuccessfully to withdrawal from amitriptyline twice. every time i get down to 5mg i start with awful symptoms, bad headaches, nausea, belching, abdominal cramps, back ache and my bowels get so upset they feel like they are swollen i get bloated have wind and abdomen feels bruised. has anyone experienced this also?
9 likes, 915 replies
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binar69124 amanda59745
Posted
I wanted to inform you that after going back on the pills now i only take half a pill every two nights and sleep is so much better now
Withdrawl working good i assume after two weeks i will be compeletly off the pills for good
amanda59745 binar69124
Posted
Sheena737 binar69124
Posted
I am about 3 weeks away from being completely off.
amanda59745 Sheena737
Posted
borderriever amanda59745
Posted
When you get down to below minimum dose of a drug, like above the time has come where the need to come of the medication becomes terminal and we cease taking medication.
In this case you will need too bite the bullet and stop taking this medication, if yo are still getting side effects you may find the withdrawal effects could be Anxiety.
Come of the drug and move on with your life, any discomfort will soon disappear. I reduce and increase this medication quite regular although I do not stop completely I have no problem. My drug levels at high are 75mg and on low 50mg, I have no problems
Good Luck
BOB
amanda59745 borderriever
Posted
edie90930 amanda59745
Posted
I think I may have stumbled on to a ridiculously easy way to come off Amitriptyline ~ FAST and EASY. I was on a monster dose of Amitriptyline - 150mg!!! to treat Interstitial Cystitis Syndrome (ICS). My bladder was SO destroyed by lesions and the pain so unbearable, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider putting a gun to my head every minute of every day. I had no side effects from the Ami for quite awhile when I first started taking it. Plus, whatever side effect I did have, it didn’t come close to being as uncomfortable than the ICS pain. After even longer- years by now - very slowly, I started to experience pretty much every side effect I’ve read on this forum. I also developed these weird facial ticks, my jaw would pop open and shut spontaneously, my right eye would blink rapidly, and my mind got very foggy and I’d forget words, or in the middle of my sentence I’d flat out forget what I was talking about. When I tried to talk, between the muscle ticks, popping jaw, weird memory lapses, rapid blinking, it fully looked as though I had Tourette’s. It was at this point I decided enough was enough and I had to figure out how to wean down or get off the Ami altogether. My urologist was completely against the idea of doing this because the Ami did do wonders for the bladder pain. But I have a medical background and I just kind of sat down, dredged up my pharmaceutical training from way back in the day, and I had a discussion with myself while looking at all the different drugs I was on. You know how that starts: you take a drug to fix a physical or mental problem, you get side effects from that drug, so you take another drug to treat that, and BOOM! ~ you’re in that never ending cycle of taking drugs to treat other drug side effects.
I was afraid of what would happen with the bladder pain if I tried to wean off the Ami, but at the same time, I just couldn’t deal with all these other wacky problems. One drug I was on is Lorazepam. Everyone will tell you this is such a dangerous drug because it’s so addictive and it’s only meant for short term, blah, blah, woof, woof. But I’ve been on the same exact dose for nearly 15 years, and it is ~ for me ~ the only drug I don’t have side effects from, and that actually treats what it’s supposed to treat. Lorazepam treats a whole host of problems. I took it as an anti-nausea, anti-emetic, anti-anxiety drug because all the other drugs would make me violently sick to my stomach along with terrible nausea, and then I’d fall into a major panic attack - because I knew once I started feeling nauseous, I’d start throwing up soon, and I HATE to vomit, and that’s when the panic would set in. And round and round I’d go. I knew weaning Ami could cause seizures and worse, so I really concentrated on what drug(s) were/was helping or hurting my situation.
So, as I was sitting down with my bag of drugs and having this discussion with myself, for no reason that I can actually pinpoint, I decided to take a larger dose of Lorazepam. I normally take 2mg at bed time or as needed when nausea or panic set in. I decided to take 6mg. In 20 minutes FLAT, all the muscle twitching, rapid blinking, and jaw popping just ... stopped. Honest to god, it just stopped as if a switch had been flipped off. I figured this was a fluke and any minute it would start up again. That was over 3 weeks ago. I’ve not had ANY withdrawal symptoms (except a little bit more thirsty than usual, but very mild). My bladder - so far, knock on wood, has been fine, I’ve had no seizures, I’m sleeping fine. It is the closest thing to a miracle that I’ve ever experienced.
I think most doctors would be horrified to hear this because 6mg of Lorazepam is a BIG dose. But since I’d been on 2mg for nearly half my life and it never caused me any problems, I figured what the hell, you know? Plus, it was a one time deal. I took the 6mg, the craziness stopped, and I went right back to my usual dose of 2mg. And actually, I’m even taking less than that because I’m not sick and vomiting or having panic attacks because my bladder is doing pretty damn good. Still, at only 3 weeks, who knows if it will come back. If it does, and I have to start taking Ami again, at least now I know - for me - how to get off it if it starts causing problems.
So, for those of you who have never had Lorazepam, I’d ask your doctor for a mild dose, like maybe 2mg. If you have taken it or are on a small dose, I’d bump it up just a bit. Just make sure you’re with somebody in case you get into trouble. My husband was with me and he said he could visibly see the muscles in my face relax and when I did speak, there were no lost words, no forgetting what I was saying mid-sentence, etc.
If you are on other meds, make sure Lorazepam is not contraindicated with any of them.
The funny thing is that Ami and Lorazepam are like 8th generation cousins. Ami originally was a mood enhancer/panic attack drug. But people discovered all kinds of off label problems that it helped. So, I don’t honestly know why this formula worked for me, and I don’t know if it will help other people having problems with Ami, but at the very worst, Lorazepam will probably put you to sleep for 2 days if you’re not somewhat used to it.
Also, Lorazepam, Valium, and Xanax are all sister drugs, but they tend to have different effects. For example, Valium does nothing for me at all. Xanax puts me to sleep, but it doesn’t help with panic attacks or nausea and vomiting. Lorazepam does everything it’s supposed to for me with zero side effects. But I can give my husband .5mg, and he’s out like a light for 3 days and wakes up with a hangover for another 2 days. He hates Lorazepam. Point is, drugs work totally different with different people. The Lorazepam performed a miracle for me. I have no idea how it will work for anyone else out there. But I felt obligated to share this info just in case it helps someone else, and I hope it does. GOOD LUCK and many blessings to you all.
P.S. If any of you try this, I’d be very interested in seeing how things go. I’ll keep checking in every now and then to see. If anyone has questions, I’m happy to answer to the best of my ability.
sammy85762 edie90930
Posted
Hi Edie
i am glad that this seems to have worked for you, I would be interested in hearing from you in about 3 months to see if all is still going well, you have been on these drugs for a long time according to your post so it would be interesting to see how long it takes for all residual effects to go if they they come at all. It may indeed be a miracle for you. My concern is that anyone reading your post would actually try it. I have been on Lorazepam and was on 3mg a day which even though it has a shorter half life than Valium is equal to approximately 30 mg so your 6mg one time dose would have an equivalence to about 60mg Valium which is so big a dose. It took me 4 years of horrendous side effects to get from 30mg to 5mg.
i am not criticising what you have done and obviously it has worked for you but I would be remiss if I didn't disagree with your method, others that read this may think this is a great quick solution to their problem but personally IMO I consider this type of dosage with no medical guidance dangerous for the majority of people who will read these posts.
I wish you the best and please keep us posted as to how it goes. I know for me when I made cuts it would sometimes take weeks before I felt any effects. I hope this doesn't happen to you.xxxx
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
I completely agree with you. I guess I didn’t stress enough to talk to your doctor first. I did say that a doctor would probably be horrified to hear how big the dose was at 6mg, and would likely recommend a much smaller dose. And I also stressed to make sure that if you tried this, you were with someone in case you got into trouble with the drug. I also stressed to start with a low dosage if you’ve never used Lorazepam before.
I tried to cover all the bases, but at some point, I may have glossed over something too quickly. That’s why I said I was open to questions, such as yours.
It’s almost a month for me now, and everything is holding up. No bladder pain. No side effects from the whopping dose of Lorazepam. No effects from going off the Ami TOO quickly.
As far as Lorazepam versus Valium and the doses you quoted, here’s a story I think really nails down how different people react to drugs in different ways. In your post you state that a 60mg dose (which is the equivalent to the 6mg of Lorazepam) is a very big dose, and it is - for most people. In my earlier post, I mentioned how Valium, Lorazepam, and Xanax are sister drugs. I also stated that Valium did absolutely nothing for me; Xanax only put me to sleep; and Lorazepam did everything I needed it to do. Right? Well, the dose of Valium I was on was 100mg!!! I was taking 10 pills that were 10mg each. And nothing happened. I didn’t get sick, it didn’t calm me down, it didn’t help with nausea or vomiting, it didn’t help with panic attacks, it didn’t help me sleep. Both my doctor and I were very frustrated - it was like taking a sugar pill. Then my doctor put me on Xanax bars. Xanax helped me to sleep, and that is all it did. Then my doctor tried the Lorazepam, and *ding *ding* *ding* - that was the money shot - for ME. It’s entirely likely that if you dosed 100 people with the same drug and dosage, you’ll end up with 100 different outcomes. Pharmaceuticals are very, very divergent.
As I’ve read the many posts here, I’ve noticed a lot of people trying to wean themselves without their doctor’s knowledge. I would say that this a fairly dangerous thing, too. Any changes people are making with their meds should be with the advice of and under the care of their doctor. What works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for someone else.
Also, it seems that a lot of people are suffering from migraines and other illnesses. I don’t think using Lorazepam to wean off the Ami in those situations will be of any help. Also, I’ve even read that some people are GETTING bladder pain as a result of taking Ami. The Ami took my bladder pain AWAY, so that’s something to consider as well. I am definitely worried that my bladder pain will come back after being off Ami for however long. I’m using my phone to keep track of every day, and that’s very helpful because no way could I remember it all.
I hope I covered things a little better this time. If not, please do reply with any questions, comments, or suggestions.
edie90930 amanda59745
Posted
Today is officially one month that I’ve been off the Ami. I still haven’t had any withdrawal symptoms, except for being a little thirsty, but that’s gone now. I’m kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop because I’ve read that some of you didn’t have withdrawal symptoms until several weeks out. I’m really hoping and praying and keeping my fingers crossed that doesn’t happen to me. I will be so bummed if it does because this last month has given me a freedom I forgot I ever had. It’s been like, “Oh, yeah! I remember what a ‘normal’ life is like now!” I saw my doctor and we also cut my Lorazepam by half, so that will be 1mg a day at bedtime or prn (as needed). It’s only been 2 or 3 days since we did that, so I’m also praying I don’t have any withdrawals from that either.
I read some of your posts where a girl says her doc said she could go up to 600mg and that’s just nuts. I looked it up and 150mg is supposedly the highest dose recommended. 150mg turned me into a walking, popping, demented marionette, and I can only imagine
what 600mg would do to someone.
Well, continued good luck to all of you fighting this battle. I’ll be praying for you all! XO
Sheena737 amanda59745
Posted
Hi Amanda, Edie, Sammy and whoever else is out there,
I finished my juice cleanse 6 days ago and have been slowly adding solid food again. I'm also just going down to taking 2.5mg every 2nd night after 2 weeks of skipping every 3rd night. My sleep has been pretty bad for the last 2 weeks. It's very hard to get to sleep then I'm awake at 5am every morning. I don't mind that occasionally but it gets a bit much when it's every night. I'm feeling very tired and stupid from lack of sleep but that seems to be the only withdrawal symptom I'm having. I've got enough tablets to take me through to the 12th of Feb taking 2.5mg every 2nd night then that will be it. No matter how I feel I will not be taking any more. It is very exciting to be so close to the end but a bit more sleep would be nice :-)
I hope you are all coping well at your various stages xox
Sheena737 amanda59745
Posted
Hi Amanda, Edie, Sammy and whoever else is out there,
I finished my juice cleanse 6 days ago and have been slowly adding solid food again. I'm also just going down to taking 2.5mg every 2nd night after 2 weeks of skipping every 3rd night. My sleep has been pretty bad for the last 2 weeks. It's very hard to get to sleep then I'm awake at 5am every morning. I don't mind that occasionally but it gets a bit much when it's every night. I'm feeling very tired and stupid from lack of sleep but that seems to be the only withdrawal symptom I'm having. I've got enough tablets to take me through to the 12th of Feb taking 2.5mg every 2nd night then that will be it. No matter how I feel I will not be taking any more. It is very exciting to be so close to the end but a bit more sleep would be nice :-)
I hope you are all coping well at your various stages xox
sammy85762 Sheena737
Posted
HEY Sheena, Amanda,Edie and everyone.
That is great Sheena glad to hear you are doing well apart from the sleep, I hear you girl with the sleep, I am up at 4.30ish every day after a very broken night sleep but I do feel ok most of the time. I have a few aches coming out but found that keeping up with the exercise and cycling helps enormously.
Edie I hope you are continuing to be symptom free, I know some of my cuts didn't rear their ugly head for a couple of months, hopefully this won't happen to you, which would give others reading these posts a view of how different we all are and how these drugs affect some and not others.
Amanda how are you going? I hope most of your issues are resolving and you are coping. As time goes on hopefully it gets easier, my anxiety waxes and wanes quite abit so I do lots of meditation to help calm the mind which definitely helps.
Look forward to hearing from you all xxx
TessaTruck sammy85762
Posted
Hi everyone..just checking in to say that my sleep is still all over the place..seems I only sleep for an hour or a couple of hours then wake up and this goes on all night still hoping it is going to get better its been a good few months like this so was really wanting to see some improvement by now..the anxiety isn't too bad anymore but may have something to do with vaping cbd which seems to have helped it
sammy85762 TessaTruck
Posted
Hi Tessa I know how you feel another week and I am at 3 months off and my sleep is still the same I have had the odd night where I slept for a 3 hour block but that doesn't happen very often. I am also in menopause and the Ami stopped all symptoms but as soon as I got down in the dose to about 10/15mg the hot/cold started. Fingers crossed these all rectify themselves soon.xxx
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Hi, Sammy, et. al,
Just shy of five weeks now that I went off Ami. No symptoms at all YET. I’m patiently waiting for the next couple of months to go by to see if this was too good to be true. Thanks you guys for asking. Will try to check in weekly.
Best of luck to everyone else out there having a hard time getting off this drug.
xxX💜Ooo
amanda59745 sammy85762
Posted
amanda59745 Sheena737
Posted
Sheena737 amanda59745
Posted
Hi Amanda, I'm sorry that you are having to deal with so much anxiety. It is a horrible thing. I only have very mild anxiety feelings and only occasionally. I think that is more due to lack of sleep than anything else at the moment. The phlegm at the back of my throat had been driving me nuts since mid November and my throat is sore from unsuccessfully trying to clear it all the time. I'm hoping that will fade away soon too. I'm 4 days in to taking 2.5mg every 2nd night it's quite amazing to be down this low. Two more weeks then it will be off completely.
I hope you get some relief from the anxiety soon
dee88278 Sheena737
Posted
Might want to get your throat checked by an ENT if it continues. I have exactly the same problem and they diagnosed me with "silent acid reflux - medically called LPR) which has sent my anxiety up quite high - now having to watch my diet vey closely, take more meds which are not agreeing with me, etc. Scary b/c it can in a very few cases cause throat cancer (not trying to scare you - just want you to be aware). Have read that amit can play a part in it. Nothing I have done is helping mine at all - in fact I think meds are making it worse. And they are another med that is very very difficult to get off of - not what I want at all! The ENT I went to put a scope through nose down throat, said it was irritated - handed me a piece of paper that told what it was and a prescription and walked out of the room - had to get my info on my own when I got home which isn't always the best idea. Making a appt. tomorrow with another ENT that I hope will take a few minutes to talk with me. My main problem is being hoarse and my nose is constantly stopped up.
Sheena737 dee88278
Posted
Hi Dee
Thanks Dee. I've got an appointment with my GP tomorrow so will get it looked at then. I did go to an ENT specialist about 10 months ago as I felt like I had something like a tablet stuck in my throat all the time (gone now). He had a good check and said everything looked great. I'm hoping it's just part of the detoxing process and will eventually go away. I have been doing some SERIOUS detoxing and juice fasting on and off since September so that, and the Ami w/d could all be contributing to it.
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Hi, Sammy, Amanda, Sheena, Tessa, and Everyone,
5 weeks and 1 day with no Ami, and am still symptom free. Ami used to help me sleep really well, and very deeply for about 8-9 hours straight. I’m still sleeping the same and hoping it stays that way. Not being able to sleep is a major pain in the butt, as so many of you have said. I’ve been there, done that, and I have serious empathy for those of you who are tossing and turning all night. Sheena and Tessa, I really hope you find a solution to your sleep issues. I have to say that out of all the potential withdrawal symptoms, not being able to sleep - for me - is probably the worst, and the one I fear the most.
Amanda, how is your anxiety doing? From your description a day ago, it looks as if that is causing you a great deal of discomfort. Did you have anxiety before taking Ami? If so, were you put on Ami to help the anxiety? If so, again, did the Ami make you feel less anxious?
Tessa, I have a kind of funny story about vaping. My doctor suggested I try vaping with CBD for anxiety. So, I did. I’ve never smoked cigarettes or pot in my life, so when I tried vaping, I nearly choked up a lung! I absolutely can NOT do that. 😬 So then I tried some CBD edibles, and they did nothing. Then I tried edibles with THC, and oh, man, was I miserable for about 12 straight hours!!! It was an awful, awful experience. Apparently, I’m just not suited for pot - of any kind. Go figure. 🤪
Can each of you remind me why you wanted to get off Ami in the first place? I can’t remember reading why you guys wanted off it. My reason was because of all the facial ticks, jumping muscles, popping jaw, forgetting words, and how it affected my speech. I’m just really curious to see if we had similar problems with the Ami, or if we all had completely different problems.
I think at month four, if I’m still symptom free, I will consider that to be a successful cessation of the Ami. Now that I’ve set that time in my head, the days seem to be reeeaaaally dragging by.
Well, girls (and guys), I continue to keep all of you in mind and hope your nightmare symptoms will be 100% gone for everyone as quickly as possible. xxXOoo
sammy85762 edie90930
Posted
Hey Edie
i truly Hope that you are the lucky one who doesn't have any withdrawal effects, that would be great and we would all be so envious. My cuts would not be felt for about 11 weeks then they would come creeping in, although in the scheme of things mine are quite mediocre i.e.: depression for a couple of days then that would leave, then along came anger same deal, anxiety on and off, headaches, most have abated the anger and emotions slip and slide quite a bit, but it is all still doable, the sleep or lack there of is what really mucks me around. So now I go to bed at a set time no screen time in the bedroom at all as I think blue light from devices messes with our sleep cycle.
i was put on Ami to help come off Valium but with a lot of research had found that it plays havoc with your teeth and I was spending a lot of time at the dentist, plus it can cause dementia and I recently found out that my father who died of a very rare type of dementia at quite an early age had been taking ami for migraines for years (that in itself was a great motivator)plus I had put on so much weight that wouldn't shift. My Dr knew I wanted off this med and said that I could cut 5mg every week till,off with no side effects. Mmmm Yeah right Not. So that is my reason for not doing it under medical supervision. When you are told that all your withdrawals are not withdrawals it is very disheartening, you go through hell only to be told that it can't be the ami.
Depending on the person this type of invalidation from Drs can be downright dangerous IMO.
I think that is why I am glad to have found this site where we can all support each other, I don't agree with necessarily not telling your Dr but sometimes that is the only way.
take care hope the no side effects continues 😀
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Hi, Sammy,
Thanks so much for replying. The dementia thing with your dad completely jolted me. I knew Ami caused all kinds of brain issues, but I didn’t know about the dementia. Now that you said that, it all makes perfect sense. It definitely screws with your brain, and if you’re on it for years, it makes perfect sense that it could lead to dementia. I am so glad I found this site because I’m surely learning a whole damn lot more than my doctor ever told me.
Why did you want to get off the Valium? Was it causing side effects also? I guess it’s almost impossible to find any drug that doesn’t cause some kind of side effect. I often think to myself: Did cavemen and women have anxiety? Migraines? ICS (like me)? Or any of the other problems we seem to have now? And if they did, how did they cope? Of course, as Time went on, we know that people used plants and other natural things to ease - whatever problems they had. I guess that was the pre-cursor to the drugs we have now. But hell, it sure does seem like most drugs give you awful side effects that are worse than the original ailment. I truly believe that the only reason I’m not having withdrawal issues is because of the Lorazepam. Since I got my dose cut to 1mg a day, I’ve decided to try and wean myself off of that, too, just to see what happens. There are days that I actually forget to take it, so I’m kind of accidentally weaning more than I meant to. No withdrawals from that yet either. But I do believe that whopping dose I took had some kind of massive effect in my body/brain chemistry that allowed me to go cold turkey go off the Ami. But, as you’ve cautioned me, I’m going to wait a lot longer being off the Ami before I consider myself “cured” of it. Same with the Lorazepam. If I’m off both of them at 4-5 months, then I think I’ll feel confident saying I’m “off” of them. When that happens, I’ll be drug free. Right now it’s a big, fat waiting game. Speaking of fat (haha), I noticed I put on A LOT of weight while on the Ami. Did you start losing weight when you started cutting back on the Ami? Because, I’ll tell ya, I haven’t lost one freakin’ ounce, and that’s really damn disappointing. Well, whaddya gonna do? I guess I’d rather be fat than a crazed, forgetful, tweaking nut case. Right? 😬
sammy85762 edie90930
Posted
Hey Edie and everyone else
I was misdiagnosed in the first place and even with Ativan you should only be on it for a short time, however when I tried cutting in half etc horrid withdrawals when I mentioned to the dr they wanted to pass me off to a mental health department so even though I was in a bad way withdrawal wise alarm bells started ringing so I found a new dr in another town who couldn't believe I was on Ativan little alone the time I had been on it, Dr was horrified. So started my horrific journey off as I hadn't done any research back then, it was like the blind leading the blind the Dr only had what pharmaceutical companies told them on withdrawal so I was like a guinea pig. So I dropped down to 5 mg of v and went through daily withdrawals I am talking on the floor cold turkey cos of the short acting Valium for 4 years it was hell to say the least. Before this I had never had any medication ever I was always healthy so I am pretty sensitive to most meds.
As for the weight well I went from 50kg to 80kg on ami have been off 12 weeks today and have lost about 4kg slow going but then I am menopausal so everything seems to be going a bit slow.
Caveman certainly had anxiety but only in short bursts which is how our bodies are designed to work sporadic anxiety to make the body move quickly so you didn't get eaten by an animal,but it wasn't prolonged like it is in this day and age where everything is a stressor. And they didn't have greedy pharma wanting to get people hooked on their drugs for money life was probably a lot less stress than now 😂 lol.
I am just so grateful for the inet as we would all be screwed without all this knowledge that is at our fingertips.
If you manage to get away with no withdrawal I think we will all be jealous that you are the exception to the rule.
Talk soon xxxx
sammy85762 Sheena737
Posted
Hey Sheena hope all went well with the Ent I had the feeling of a tablet stuck in my throat years ago when all this horrid s**t happened it was terrible, like you all test were fine. These drugs certainly give us all sorts of trying problems in their wake, who knows what they are capable of.
Amanda sorry to hear you are having a hard time I certainly sympathize and hope it doesn't last too long I am at 12 weeks I have my moments but it is getting better as time go on.
Xxxx
amanda59745 Sheena737
Posted
I am feeling a little better re anxiety but, only a little. I have started swimming which was nice and good for me. Today im nauseous but, this had settled until today and my cramps have really settled. So slowly i am starting to feel better. xx
Sheena737 amanda59745
Posted
Hi Amanda,
Yes, I definitely think it is part of the Ami withdrawal. It came on a few days after dropping to 5mg and also 3-4 days into a juice fast. So, a combination of both. It's been 3 months now so I hope it goes away eventually as it can be quite distracting.
Apart from that I'm on 2.5mg every second night and by some miracle I've had 3 good sleeps in a row after a bad couple of weeks. How are you feeling?
Sheena737 amanda59745
Posted
Sheena737 sammy85762
Posted
Hi Sammy
The GP agrees with me that it could very well be caused by a combination of detoxing and Ami w/d. I've got a referral for an ENT if needed.
silvia63355 sammy85762
Posted
Hi Sammy, I definitely agree with you. I had similar feelings. Few days of depression, a few days of anxiety, one day off horrible gas pain, still dealing with a little stiffness on my neck and shoulders. I only took 10 mg for six months. This medication may my condition worse. I’ m using CBD’s and THC. CBD to call my anxiety during the day, and THC with CBN to sleep at night. Peace and love 🦋
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Hi, Sammy,
Haha! Great explanation on the cavemen/women issue. Who’d ever think that hiding, hunting, inventing the wheel and fire, just trying to survive from one minute to the next, or (GASP!), not having indoor plumbing would be less stressful than what we have to cope with now. 😂
Well, it’s now 6 weeks and 1 day that I’ve been off the Ami, and still no withdrawal symptoms. I’m also off the Ativan for a couple of days, no symptoms, but I know it’s WAY too early to count on not having any withdrawal symptoms yet. I think I’m not sleeping quite as deeply as I was with both drugs, and I am definitely scared crapless that I will be thrust right into insomnia. I still have a long way to go before I’m confident that I can survive without some help to fall asleep. If I do end up not being able to sleep, I know I won’t be able to deal with that and will go back on Ativan, although I’ll try to start with a lesser dose, like .5mg. I also have not lost an ounce of weight. You’d think that after 6 weeks, at least a little weight would have dropped off, but nope, not even close. I think I would be happier with a withdrawal symptom or two if I could shed 40 pounds. Then again, the grass is always greener on the other side.
Well, I’m actually getting a little sleepy right now, so I’m going to unplug from everything and hope I can deep breathe myself into a good night’s sleep. Oh, and I just bought one of those sleep mask thingies that keep all the light out. Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep well past the sun rising.
Wishing the best for everyone out there. 😊
sammy85762 Sheena737
Posted
Amazing the side effects of this medication, hopefully it will rectify itself sooner rather than later. For me I am dealing with watery eyes and headaches so annoying, I am so over this crap just would like to feel normal again. Plus still getting the space cadet feeling which is off putting to say the least.
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Hi, Sammy, Amanda, Sheena, Tessa, Karlie, etc.
Well, I officially had a totally s****y night last night. I felt sleepy as I was posting last night and thought I might be able to sleep on my own without the Ami or Ativan. I did fall asleep, but only for about two restless hours. I feel like a big, fat lead weight today.
It’s interesting that so many of you felt sluggish and foggy after taking Ami the night before, whereas when I took it, I fell into a nice deep, dreamless sleep and would *bink* awake the next day all bright eyed and bushy tailed. I haven’t had any sleep issues while being off the Ami for a little over six weeks, but I think quitting the 1mg of Ativan cold turkey about three days (or maybe 4 days - I haven’t kept track) is what’s keeping me from falling asleep. Or, maybe it’s because I’m off both drugs now. The sleep issue has only started the last couple of nights, which is only a couple of days since I quit the Ativan. As I’m typing this, my hand is shaking a bit, too. I absolutely can’t function without sleep. I have way too much to do, and I can’t be a Zombie trying to do everything on my plate. I’ll give this 4 more days, and if I continue not being able to sleep, I’m going back on Ativan and will try to taper it instead of just quitting it cold.
God, I feel like I could totally crash right now, but when I actually try to take a little nap ... it’s weird ... it just doesn’t happen. I mean, I’m dead tired, exhausted really, but sleep is just right outside my grasp. When your whole body, mind, and soul are telling you to sleep, why can’t it actually happen???? 😑 Ugh. I think I’m going to try a little meditation and breathing exercises like a couple of you have suggested and see if that makes any difference.
Sammy and Amanda, how are you guys doing?
Well, I hope everyone else is progressing well, and the sleep issues, headaches, intermittent nausea and anxiety, etc., are letting up.
sammy85762 edie90930
Posted
Hi Edie
Sorry to hear that you are being affected by the dreaded 'I'm so tired I can't sleep bug' terrible isn't it? nothing worse than being so tired. My sleep is still not the best but I try to stick to a routine hoping that the body will be retrained lol
it maybe that quitting both ami and Ativan are now going to give you a few side effects, at least with the Ativan it works instantly so you have options of reinstating and tapering to give the body time to adjust.
My latest issue is fatigue really weird like just not a lot of energy everything is an effort except staying awake 😂 I am at 13 weeks off hopefully won't be to long and things will iron themselves out.
Keep on on keeping on xx
Sheena737 sammy85762
Posted
Hi Sammy
My w/d symptoms are down to the annoying post nasal drip/excess mucous thing and the reddish stinging eyes. No anxiety and sleeping really well. It is definitely the 4 months of detoxing that I've been doing as It's VERY different to last time.
Sheena737 edie90930
Posted
Sorry to hear you are having such a rotten time. Maybe going back on the Ativan will help in the meantime then you can tackle that one later.
I hope you are feeling better today.
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
I pretty much have not had two minutes of sleep since I quit the Ativan cold turkey. I still am not having any withdrawal symotims from quitting the Ami, but I’m definitely having issues from quitting the Ativan. My stress and anxiety level were so bad today, I almost went to the ER. I also had a massive, pounding headache. I was really trying not to go to the ER because of this flu bug that’s killing people all over the place. I called my husband in sheer panic, and he came home after only being at work for a couple hours. We spent an hour debating the ER issue, then he suggested running a hot bath for me, no lights - just candles, and no kitties perched on the ledge of the tub playing in and drinking out of the tub (I think I have the only cats on the planet who actually like to play in water. Very strange). Anyway, he massaged my back and scalp, and especially my temples which, for some reason, felt exceptionally good. The hot water also felt very good. The headache was all in the front and behind my eyes, but the temple massage started to ease that. He spent about two hours with me in the tub doing this, and I started to come down off the ledge. But I don’t want to risk going through this nightmare tomorrow after another potentially sleepless night, so I’m giving up and taking .5mg of Ativan tonight, down from 1mg I had been taking when I quit, and just see what happens.
Hope you all are conquering the Ami withdrawals more and more each day. I know how devastatingly hard this has been for so many of you, which I’m getting a taste of now, but from quitting a different drug. Peace to everyone.
xxXOoo
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Hi, Sammy,
I always get a laugh out of your posts, like the: “I’m so tired, I can’t sleep bug”!!! And: “Everything’s an effort except falling asleep”! That last one I can totally relate to. 😫
Well, I took the .5mg of Ativan last night. I slept 5 straight hours. Didn’t even have to get up to pee. It’s still a long way from 8 or 9 hours like I was sleeping with the Ami, but it’s a helluva lot better than ZERO sleep. I am still a little sluggish today, but not nearly as bad as it was. I’m going to stick with the .5mg for a couple of weeks, then try to get it down to .25mg. Although, when I try to cut it down that small from my 1mg dose, it falls completely apart and I end up with powder. Guess I’ll have to find out if they make that small of a dose.
I was getting a little homicidal without sleep for that long. At least I don’t want to kill anybody today. 😊
Well, prayers for us and all the other people not getting enough sleep. And the fight goes on ...
xxX💜Ooo
sammy85762 edie90930
Posted
Hey Edie
Glad you like the humor lol it just part of the landscape from where I come from. Wow the Ativan crap that you are going through I can totally relate to, this happened to me about a decade ago, the Ativan is short acting so it metabolizes quickly, why don't you either go for a longer acting Valium so you get the same benefit but can cut it to smaller doses when you want to start weening off it. Glad that your hubby was so understanding I have one of those as well so I feel extremely lucky.
Another idea is if you want to stick with the Ativan at smaller doses crush it and titrate it in milk I think on page one of this discussion I posted how I did this with Ami, it is a much gentler option and you can really slow it down. Just have to remember that with Ativan you have to use the milk so the Ativan can bind to the fat in the full cream milk as you are really making a suspension, Ativan is not soluble in water.
i am still suffering from Nocturia probably thanks to the menopause and the fact that Ami suppresses the symptoms of menopause so even though it was a couple of years ago, thinking I got through that with no hassles bam lady here's the s**t you thought you had escaped lol. Women definitely get the raw end of the deal in life at times and men ought to be grateful they don't have to go through this s**t.
Anyway hope things are looking up in the sleep department, nothing worse than not enough sleep, I am the worst person on the planet with no sleep.
Talk soon xxxx
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Wow. You are a fountain of information!!! It’s really late 3:00am, so I’m getting to bed extremely off schedule, but I had a ton of crap to do today. For some REALLY strange and inexplicable reason, I’m not tired. Yesterday, I was dragging ass all day. I am going to try your titration tonight and see how that works. Thanks for spelling it out in such great detail.
I tried Valium, but it had Zero effect on me. I took 10 pills that we’re 10mg each over the corse of ... oh, maybe two hours. I felt absolutely nothing. I called my doctor (different one that I have now), and when he heard what I had done, he nearly had a heart attack. He said, “Jesus! STOP! Don’t take any more!!! If you’re still alive tomorrow, we’ll try a different drug.” He put me on Xanax bars, and they helped a little, but not enough. So then he tried the Ativan, and it did everything I needed it to. I’ve been on Ativan longer than the Ami, and I don’t know why I thought going off of it cold turkey was a good idea. I guess because I went off the Ami cold turkey and didn’t have any problems. But that was stupid, so now I’m going to take it your way and keep my fingers crossed.
Today, I did get a slightly runny nose in my right nostril and also a watery right eye. Don’t know why it’s only on the right side, but whatever, that’s better than both sides. I also had a mild, but nagging headache all day and night today. I’m guessing these symptoms are w/d effects from the Ami. It wasn’t terrible, but I hope it doesn’t get worse or linger.
Thinking of all the rest of you guys and really hoping things are going in a positive direction!
Ok, better get cracking!
Talk to you later, hopefully with good news!!!
edie90930 sammy85762
Posted
Sammy, one more thing ... I haven’t started menopause yet - that’s going to be interesting when I do. I really want to be off all drugs so I know whatever symptoms I have to deal with are from actual menopause and not from a crazy back and forth with drugs. I’m somewhat terrified of going into it because I’ve seen what it’s doing to my friends. My mom started menopause late and had like one hot flash and boom! It was over. I’m praying I inherit that from her. Hell, I’ve inherited every BAD thing she had, like having allergic reactions to 90% of the drugs in existence, which I suppose is a blessing in disguise, but when you really, really, really, desperately need a drug, like for PAIN, it’s nice to be able to take it without your throat closing up, you know? And, DAMN, you are so right - women have definitely gotten the dirty end of the stick for ... just about EVERY frickin’ thing I can think of. 😩😩😩 Why??? Just WHY???
mary75226 edie90930
Posted
how are you sleeping at this time? im panicking thinking ill never sleep again 😦 2.5 months off and no improvement s
armandolev05033 mary75226
Posted
Hi Mary, please don't panic your sleep will come back with time. there is no quick fix. I am glad that you are already having some few hrs sleep/night. Myself I stopped Ami 2 years ago, after taking it for just 2.5 months (10mg). just to mention before taking Ami I was a good sleeper, I took Ami for headaches. Till today, my sleep is still a mess sometimes. But it has improved, I went from 1 h per night to 8 h per night today. but sometimes I will just have 4h, so my brain is still healing from Ami after 2 years.
Relax you will be fine, just try to not add more stress.
mary75226 armandolev05033
Posted
armandolev, thank you so might for your response. it helps so much to hear stories such as yours in which you've recovered. a bit scary it took so long but im trying hard to accept what it is. im so bummed as ive just started a family and thank GOD my baby sleeps great at night (knock on wood) but i know i cant have another soon until i get my sleep back and i sure hope it doesnt take years. when did you start getting 8 hours more regularly? like you i was a great sleeper before and always felt i needed 9-10 to feel fully refreshed. i hope you contine to heal. thank you!