TaperCommunityTaperCommunity
J

supporting

1 posts

Northern California

Hi, I'm Jules

May 1, 2026··
Hello, What brought me here? Honesty. A physician speaking honestly about a topic that no other does. So I will be. From a very young age I felt very different. I used to say I was born depressed. I may have been given the circumstances of my parents when I was conceived. But I first began with self help books at age 12, at 16 I knew I couldn’t drink right. At 18 the self help books began contradicting eachother. I felt insane. After my 2nd child i had postpartum depression and I was prescribed Prozac and for the first time in my life I understood why people might enjoy life. Although I still self medicated using stimulants. I feeling so great thought I’d stop taking the Prozac. This of course threw me into a depression 10X darker than I’d ever had prior. I Immediately began taking it again. Years later I stopped stimulants and began drinking and as my marriage crumbled with 4 children between us and emotional abuse and physical abuse on my son we split. It was as if my brain wanted me dead. I was convinced there was more wrong with me and needed more medication and diagnosis And I committed myself to a dual diagnosis hospital. I was diagnosed as a rapid cycling bipolar w suicidal ideation. But checked myself out and attended out patient drug treatment. My psychiatrist prescribed me many medications taking me off Prozac but on 4 or 5 other psychiatric medications. The ideation stopped when I quit drinking. We filed for divorce a year later and I lost all medical coverage.. i asked my doctor what I was to do and she just stared at me. I then paid a private practice psychiatrist who put me on samples she had to get me off the medications I recall Kaiser received $1500 a month from my insurance for the medication I was prescribed. I began self medicating.and drinking and the demon was back wanting me dead. I then went to a university psychiatrist and he undiagnosed me bipolar and put me on a higher dose of Prozac I improved quit drinking and later tapered sporadically off I was dealing with issues from failed root canals but recall for a year a deep bone aching but with infection who knows. I still self medicate today. I dream of a medical assisted treatment to get me off the stimulants but a stronger healthier population doesn’t fit into my countries plans.

1 Reply

Catina
Catina4mo ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hi Jules, and welcome! Thanks for sharing your history. You've been through a lot in your life - both personally and in regards to cycling through the mental health system. What brings you to Taper Community, and how can we best help you? Glad to have you here! Catina 💜

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 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.

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