For anyone on SSRI, I can highly recommend having a look at "Idiot's guide to cognitive behavioral therapy".
I was on 20 mg Citalopram, now no longer, and feel a lot better for it. It's your head, and I think it is best to keep it as clear and undrugged as possible.
Luke
M58, xW54 S22, D18 M 1984, D 2016 Living a new life.
Firstly - I am not a doctor, so take my comments with a grain of salt if you wish. I have been thru the SSRI bout with a number of drugs:
Celexa for a short period in 2002; Welbutrin from 2006 - 2009; Effexor for a very short period in 2009; Pristiq from 2009 - 2011 Cymbalta from July 2011 - January 2012;
Been clean since February 2012.
Like I said, I'm not a doctor, but, I've done massive amounts of research on these drugs.
What most people don't realize is these drugs are NOT supposed to be used for extremely long periods of time. There are exceptions to this, but, for people with no history of mental illness in their family and who otherwise have normal chemical screens, these drugs are supposed to be prescribed to help a patient get over/thru a depressive period WITH counseling/therapy. Then they should be weaned off of the drug slowly, due to it's half life (ex: Lexapro has a half life of 27-32 hours), to minimize side effects.
An important thing to note here to to not split time release tablets when weaning yourself off of a SSRI!!
Here's a good explanation of how to wean from an SSRI: [edited by dbmod link removed]
I did not follow this when I weaned myself off of Cymbalta - and I wish I had. Hardest three months of my life - Think I had more personalities from January to April 2012 than Sybil...
My W was on 10mg of Lexapro for over two years. Then her doc got the bright idea to double her dosage to 20mg (December of 2011). Within two weeks her attitude on everything was off the charts. Drinking, flirting, ignoring our children and her anger and hatred for me - all magnified beyond belief. She decided it was time to live for herself and herself alone.
She realized several months later that she was actually not feeling ANY emotion at all except anger - she simply doesn't care about anything. She knows she should get off of Lexpro - we have discussed it several times, but, I think she's afraid.
I can only speak for myself, but, I had to come to the conclusion that I needed to get off of these drugs on my own. No one else could have told me, or shown me data to convince me, and I'm seeing that with my W as well. She knows she should get off of the drug - she admits to not feeling any emotion accept anger, and she questions whether she actually feels it or not. However, for whatever reason, she is not ready.
Last edited by dbmod; 03/11/1302:34 AM. Reason: Outside links not allowed
My W was on 10mg of Lexapro for over two years. Then her doc got the bright idea to double her dosage to 20mg (December of 2011). Within two weeks her attitude on everything was off the charts. Drinking, flirting, ignoring our children and her anger and hatred for me - all magnified beyond belief. She decided it was time to live for herself and herself alone.
Woah! That's a pretty severe response. The complicated thing about SSRI's is that they effect each person differently. I don't think you'll ever find 2 people that get the exact same reaction to taking them. They help some people immensely while making others engage in out-of-character and even wreckless behavior. I just think they're being prescribed far too often, they're looked at as a first line of defense rather than a last resort. And there is ZERO followup by physicians to see how they're impacting people's lives. There should be mandatory followups (WITH the spouse) to discuss what kind of lifestyle changes the patient is making so the doctor can determine if it's causing more harm in their life than good.
Quote:
I can only speak for myself, but, I had to come to the conclusion that I needed to get off of these drugs on my own.
A/D's really helped me through the worst part of my sitch, maybe even saved my life. But my goal all along was to get off of them as soon as I could. I hate taking any kind of medication, but especially long-term med's. I started tapering off months ago (gradually reduced the dosage every 3 to 4 weeks) and finally quit taking them completely last week. So far the only symptoms I'm getting are headaches. Thankfully I haven't had any emotional issues during weaning.
A coworker decided to stop A/D's cold turkey after having taken them for years. He spun into the worst depression of his life. He tried to get back on the same ones only to discover they had become ineffective. He ended up on the verge of suicide and was admitted to a mental hospital for 2 months. He's never been the same since, and it's been a couple of years. He's now on several medications and battling side effects (including significant weight gain). So, anyone who is reading this, be VERY careful about weaning off of them on your own. Most resources recommend reducing the dose by 10% every 4 weeks or so to minimize "SSRI discontinuation syndrome", but definitely discuss it with your PCP before starting to wean.
Once my wife started taking anti depression meds 3 years ago, that was when I noticed a change in her behavior. She became apathetic and lost her zest for life it seemed.
In August she told me her feeling were numb towards me and that it was a side effect of the meds she was on and she was lowering the dosage. 3 months later she told me she wanted a separation and in a year a divorce. I talked to our doctor about it and the was nothing she could do unless she came in herself.
Not totally blaming the meds for our issues but it seems to be a hindrance for her not to give our marriage another try.
H 37 WAW 32 S 4 (Autistic) S 2 Together 11 years Married 6 Bombshell Dec 1 2012 House sold, flying solo June 1 2013.
The problem with meds is that they give you no understanding of what causes your problem and how to fix it. They are a crutch and not a real solution.
Top this off with (in my case) my doctor requiring me to come back every month for a prescription, which costs 70$ per appointment, and meds are a lousy deal.
CBT though, gives you understanding and tools to fix your situation, and I can highly recommend it.
Luke
M58, xW54 S22, D18 M 1984, D 2016 Living a new life.
SM34 - not up to date on your situation but this thread was interesting to me.
Any specific books or links that you found helpful in researching SSRIs and their impacts. W has been taking fluoxetine for a few years (small dosage - 20 mG). I am pretty sure that it is a "generic" for Prozac.
Not looking at the AD as the only M problem but would like to have a little more info on the topic. Thanks.
Me-48,W-51 M-22,T-24 S- 18,16,9 Feb-Jul '11 Away from Home, after initial B date Aug-Dec '11 Back at Home on couch Dec '11-now Same bedroom, room mates only Dec '14 W files initial D paperwork
Like everyone else, I wouldn't say they were the cause of my M problems at all. I do believe they contributed. For a while she lost all objectivity.
From December 2011 thru May 2012 my W was a completely different person. Her mother and sister both said if they didn't know her from her physical appearance, they would have no idea who she was.
Something happened in May that caused a crash of sorts. Not sure what it was since she doesn't want to discuss what all happened. That was when she realized the Lexapro might have been having a negative impact. She's brought it up several times since, but, thus far has not acted on weaning herself off. I recommended she talk to her doctor first before she does, though...
We are not here because of one single root cause. More likely there is a symphony of contributive causes. Work upon what is in your control, you and your responses.
Use caution if you decide to broach this subject. I did not and broaching this subject in the manner I did placed another nail in the coffin our R was eventually buried in.
BITS Me 55, ACK, when did that happen? Doesn't feel like 55 D 30 S 27
You create your own universe as you go along - Winston Churchill
I am on moderation now and I believe it is due to this thread and the links I posted. I apologize to the mods for tbose links.
All I can suggest for people who missed the links I posted before they were removed is google the followoling phrases and read the results
Ssri falling out of love
Ssri divorce pill
There is a great website that you should lookout for inthe results. It is topix dot com but going there and searching is futile. You have to find it in the results from the above searches to be able to locate the relevant page.
If you read my latest posts on my sitch you will see there is pkstivie progress. I found out that me and mother in law suggesting it was the meds has caused my wife to statt weaning off her zoloft against her therapists advice. She now takes a tablet every two or three days and I can see the old wife slowly returning.
Is it a coincidence that she cares more about how I feel now, and seems to care more about or daughter and seems to be getting her conscience back? I would argue its not.
Me, H-34 now 38 W-32 now 35 T-13 now 18 years M-6 now 9 Daughter 3 years now 7 Bomb 11/27/12 - OM 1 year in house separation Reconciliation 12/2013. Healed now 2017
