Hi there.
I’m posting on behalf of my daughter because she will never do it. She has been using lyrica for about 2/3 years and has been using without a script for pain over the years but for about 8 months she began abusing it along with opioids but after nearly losing her family over it she has now started working towards a slow taper with my support. The doctor is now prescribing a combination of 75 mg and 25 mg capsules for her to taper from 300 mg after initially telling her to drop 300 to 150 mg over 2 weeks but of course that was a disaster. We asked for compounding script but he suggested starting with capsules in lower mgs. This is going to be tricky because we can’t actually taper 10% exactly with capsules so will be having to open some and try to do it that way somehow. She’s started the taper down to 275 mg atm so bad it’s not a 10% reduction but she’s already started showing withdrawal symptoms which includes fatigue, headaches , irritability and cold and flu symptoms. Does anyone have any advice on wether she should stay on the 275 mg for 4 weeks and then the reduction should technically go down to 243 mg but due to capsule being 25mg , could she take 250 - stay on that for 4 weeks and then reduce again 10% which would be 225? We’ve considered opening the capsule to measure but not sure if that’s wise. Is this perhaps unwise to do it this way? The doctor is great but we don’t think he really gets how this tapering thing works.
Yes, if I had to do it myself, I would recommend staying for 5 or 6 weeks at those doses because of unfavorable kind of med and unfavorable length of use.
Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician "If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."
The taper doesn't really have to be at 10% drops that perfectly precisely. She can start faster and continue slower and slower.
Did her disastrous withdrawals continue or disappear completely? You watch how the current symptoms resolve and decide how to proceed.
Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician "If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."
Maybe something to focus all her energy on and redirect it into something positive from negative
Like creating something, jewellery, art, colouring for example
Also getting out exercising, like walking, football or the like
Whatever grabs her interest
Hand in hand with tapering
Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀
Brilliant 😊 I hope she feels better from channelling her energy into something that grabs her imagination and passion.
I find walking a great way to clear my mind and feel better in myself and more motivated
Or even something to calm her thoughts like breath work for instance
Best of luck 🍀
Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀
I have found swimming and sauna exceptionally calming to my nerves. Sauna is an easy and low-effort alternative to exercise. Certainly she is young and would have no reason not going to sauna.
Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician "If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."
I heard somewhere sweating is good. I'm not sure where I found that info. Sauna is good and easy so hopefully there's one nearby
Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀
And drinking water, this helps look after your body and protects it from the drugs and keeps you hydrated
Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀
Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg Trazodone - 50 mg Synthroid - 25 mcg “Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.” Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.
@Horizon How do you do sauna? As for myself, I go to a swimming pool that is a few blocks from over here and they have a nice one, dry sauna I think it's called which is the most popular kind that is finnish. You don't forget to leave your shoes outside of the door (like I sometimes did lol) and bring ideally two or even three medium or even big towels so that you have something to sit on, something to cover your butt and something to place your feet on top of. It's not necessarily recommended or really necessary to go in a swimming suit. There are suits made specifically for sauna. So you start on a lower level where the heat is not that great and as you go more often and stay for longer you eventually may find the higher levels okay. As you sit and sweat you may take your towel and get off some sweat off your skin. After 10 or 15 minutes you leave to take a shower, I really hate to take a cold shower after this kind of heat so I usually go for a lukewarm shower after every sauna. Start with the chest and area near your heart. I think there was some advice about starting your post-sauna shower in some direction. It's very good to take your time to relax and rest for the next 20 or 30 minutes after the shower.
Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician "If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."
What all this does is release heat-shock chemicals in your body which protect from mood drops and even act as prevention against schizophrenia and all kinds of illnesses.
Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician "If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."
There is a sauna at the gym I go to by the swimming pool and a steam room
But very occasionally I like to go to a thermal spa which has a finnish sauna with a salt wall so you get the saltiness like at the seaside. It's the best sauna I've ever been in. And all the hot and cold therapies there are great. It's very relaxing. It's about heat, then cool, then rest and water to drink to keep hydrated.
Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀
The problem for me, previous to this year when I started cutting my pills because I was really struggling physically., was that I wasn't sweating and I was overheating and getting migraines because of a bad reaction to serequel. So I couldn't stay in a sauna very long at all. Now I'm happily living on a quarter of the dose I can enjoy sauna's and exercise and sunshine again 😊😊😊 I was suffering with body temperature dysregulation amongst a lot of other stuff that I didn't realise was connected to serequel
Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀
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