more than two months medication-free :)

when i started this here blog, i intended to use it as an online repository of my thoughts and as a record of my steps in recovery from severe mental illness. i haven't, in retrospect, really accomplished that particular goal. Or at least i haven't really formally recorded too many steps i've taken, tangible things i've done, etc. This whole thing is, in large part, for myself, though by making it a public blog my intent was to lend a small modicum of support (of the you're not alone variety) to other folks struggling to make sense of their selves.

And so, a post about recovering from anti-depressants/anti-anxielytics. specifically, Effexor) If you've ever taken Effexor, and tried to stop or missed a dose, you'll know first-hand that the withdrawal symptoms can be more horrific than any symptoms it's prescribed for: neurological symptoms that comprise everything from dizziness to uncoordinated movements and tremors to the sensation you're being electrocuted over & over for weeks on end. Depression, anxiety and paranoia that not uncommonly escalate into delusions and even full-on psychosis. sleep disturbances. violent intrusive thoughts. nausea with or without vomiting. i could go on, but instead i'll just add these links in case you're interested in more.

So under a doctor's supervision, i began scaling back my Effexor dose at the end of last summer. We discussed my goals & motivations. i want to become pregnant & Effexor can cause complications during pregnancy. It's also risky in terms of life long disabilities to children born of women who consumed Effexor during pregnancy. I'd rather be through all the withdrawal before even attempting to go there. I've completed a round of cognitive behavioural therapy relating to my OCD/hoarding, and have great social supports in place. I'm not formally employed, but want to start my own business, and didn't want to go through withdrawal after starting that process. He agreed it was a good idea to see if i was able to go drug-free. There's clinical evidence that folks with a true clinical depression prescribed Effexor have a 50% decreased chance of relapse as compared to consumers of other antidepressants.

The withdrawal was horrible. We stepped down my dose by 37.5 mg every few weeks, and each time the first two weeks at the new dose was a struggle. I was blessed to have my Muse with me throughout the process, as well as the support of my parents and a few close friends. The final step down from 37.5 mg to nothing was the start of one of the most difficult months of my life. It was uncomfortable to do anything other than lay down for hours each day (and even laying down i didn't feel well). You know that sensation when you spin a bunch of times in a circle & stop? when the pressure on your head feels like an explosion is imminent? When you move your head & it takes your eeys a few seconds to catch up & refocus & all the while you still feel like you're in motion? Yeah, that. That for about three weeks solid. No reprieve, just slightly better and worse moments. That & migraines, irritability, violent intrusive thoughts, sensitivity to noise & light. Honestly the first night i was without vertigo i danced for hours in my living room because it felt so good to move without puking.

I didn't tell most of my friends what i was doing, because i didn't want to deal with well-intentioned, yet misinformed questions like, "how will you control your depression without drugs?" How misinformed, you may ask? Depression is generally episodic, with some people experiencing relapses. Being on the same dose of meds long-term treats depression as a chronic condition. There's little evidence to suggest that someone who is depressed will always continue to be so. The first psychiatrist who told me this was a Ghanaian-Canadian woman who hadn't bought into North American pharmaceutical marketing rhetoric, and she urged me to go off my meds so we could assess if i actually still needed them. I was 18 at the time, and lived drug-free for the next 3 years with nowhere near the skills and supports i now have. I intend to keep thriving, drug-free, this time.

And i do mean thrive. My life is better in most ways than i ever remember it being. I'm in close contact with both my family & my birthfamily. I've started teaching Reiki professionally. I'm in better physical health than i've been in recent memory. I auditioned for and was asked to join a performance art troupe. I'm writing poetry again - profusely! Mentally i feel much clearer, much more lucid.

It's certainly not all sunshine and roses, but mostly it is. I have some days when anxiety & intrusive thoughts make an appearance. If yoga, meditation, journally and/or Reiki fail to calm the monkey mind, i take a little herbal remedy. I'm cautious about my use, because cannabis can exacerbate depression & anxiety if over-used. So far it's brought increased calm & additional clarity. It was absolutely indispensable in getting me through all the nausea of withdrawal, but since that's resolved i'm using it less and less. It's been ten weeks since i stopped Effexor entirely, and i haven't felt any signs of relapse. huzzah! :)