WORSE THEN THE FLU

Withdrawal is a horrible side effect of being taken off antidepressants suddenly. I learned that you should never play with your medication or be taken off your medication without being weaned off. When your antidepressants are suddenly taken away, the body goes through something that is like the flu, but in my opinion worse. You get heat flashes, chills, shakes, nausea, muscle aches, insomnia, anxiety, dizziness, depression and irritability.

One of my psychiatrists, a while back, decided to change my antidepressants and took me completely off the ones I was on. I became very ill. I felt too sick to eat and my body shook uncontrollably. I thought I had come down with a rare flu. I began to cry without warning and I couldn't sit still. I couldn't think straight. One minute I was cold and the next I was sweating. When I called my psychiatrist, he said it was withdrawal and once I continued to take my new medication it would go away. I thought it was a normal process and suffered until the new antidepressants kicked in. Unfortunately, the symptoms got worse before they got better.

Many years later, while married to Lou, I noticed I was

having side effects from being on my medication too long. I started seeing a new psychiatrist and he had me see a neurologist to rule out any other causes. When the neurologist found nothing wrong, my psychiatrist took me completely off all the three antidepressants I was on. I got the shakes. I made mistakes at work and got suspended. I started getting hot, and no matter what I did, I couldn't cool off. I couldn't sleep. I sat up at night crying. I felt sick to my stomach, and I couldn't eat. Depression settled in.

I felt like my life was ending. Lou became very worried as I got sicker. I went to the emergency room and they treated me for dehydration, but told me I was going through withdrawal and there was nothing more they could do. The ER doctor told us I should have been slowly taken off my medication. A friend told me about a psychiatrist her husband was seeing and I decided to give him a try.

The new psychiatrist worked hard to help me get better. He tried several medications until he found one that worked for me. Each time he changed my antidepressants, he lowered the dose of my medication until I was completely weaned off without withdrawal. While he carefully took me off one antidepressant, he slowly started me on a new one.

I have been seeing this new psychiatrist for three years and he helps me avoid withdrawal. He also continues to help me soak within the light.