I've recently discovered your videos and they have been a massive comfort to me. I came off Citalopram 3 months ago but still getting withdrawal symptoms even after tapering from 10 mg over 3 years. You have been to hell and back and I pray that you will make a full recovery. Sending Best wishes from UK.🙏👍
I'm not even going to act like this didn't bring tears to my eyes. Going through a benzo withdrawal at the moment. I felt every bit of emotion every hesitation every feeling that you had in that moment. I've got another month to go, looking forward to this day for myself. Stay strong brother, after watching your update video, the same thing keeps me going. Once we beat this and we will, nothing life tries to throw will matter. Fighting for your life for extended periods of time and daily shows us how much we want to live, most people won't ever know what we went through but most people won't appreciate every moment like we will. I was 3 years sporadic use and low dose of benzodiazepines with about 2 months of more steady use. Stopped before with one week feeling off, I though I could have been safe by never using more then needed, once the rug gets pulled it's all the same.
Absolute monumental moment Cole. I’m just watching all your videos in succession. Thank you so much for making them and sharing your journey off with us during the most vulnerable time you’re likely to ever experience. I’m currently at 5.74mg and in my 7th year tapering after almost 3 decades on an ad of some sort (Efexor xr since 2006). Your video diary is excellent. No fluff, just real. ♥️
@@loubeauchamp9680 thanks mate, just wanted to show people how real and incredibly hard this process can be for a lot of people. You’re doing incredibly well, all the best for your remaining tapering journey. ❤️
Bro I’m so fucking proud of you!!! I definitely cried watching this lol. Every deep breath you take is the same deep breath I take. You made some great videos offering advice for the rest of us, so thank you for being an inspiration. Your courage is helping me. Thank you. Sending love from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 👏👏👏👏👏
LOVE THIS. i am seriously impressed how real you are in your videos. i am currently on venlafaxine (the same as effexor) and i have found out that the latest medical/scientifical researches discovered bad stuff about antidepressants. im not gonna go too far to this. you can find some recent youtube videos. but honestly, youre doing so good. i understand your fear. a year ago i was tapering off sertraline and that was.. horrific. i did it carefully. but it was still fucking crazy. but the sertraline itself made me feel extremely fucking like.. anxious. keep going bro. you are my inspiration now.
Took them for 12 years trying to quit taking them I’m 3 days into it now. cant believe how hard it is to quit taking a simple pill they claim wasn’t “addictive”.
Yes they are big liars! its bad hate for anyone that has to go through this with these medications. Been alittle over a week now still got side effects but not as strong. the 4th day was the worst! Quit cold turkey tried to taper off several times but didn’t work for me just prolonged the withdrawals and I always gave up lol. I got it this time tho I think 🤔
Please keep us posted on your recovery. I tapered off 150mg Venlafaxine, after taking it 20 years, but the withdrawals were so horrific, nearly died and wanted to die. I’m back on them now and life is better. I’m not completely recovered. Still have some symptoms left over…but healing day by day.
Congratulations I'm so pleased for you! Know the battle all too well - 17 years on various SSRIs myself. Been tapering for last few years but still a long road ahead. This gives me hope :)
so definetly please dont give up. you are doing so damn good. i am currently okay with my medication, but i would like to quit it one day. im not gonna risk tapering it off by myself. but hopefully i could do it soon. i wish you so much good luck. and strenght. wait - you already have so much strenght. 💗💗💗
I dodged a bullet then, wow. I got super sick from one dose. It laid me out on the bathroom floor and up hugging the toilet, back down again. I had PVC'S for 7 months after that toxic disaster. How on earth you even tolerated it that long, IDK. Now, after 29 years on a benzo, I have been cold turkey'd. I'm taking agmatine, it's a natural neurotransmitter and it's amazing. You need to check into it. One guy said he felt like he cheated the horrible withdrawal and recovery when taking this supplement. It seems to really calm me and gives me a boost. I'm hoping once completely off the benzo, I can say the same as that guy. It's worth looking into to help heal your body and mind. Hoping the best for everyone going through this process.
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 I am from Croatia, that drug is called Velafax here and we only have it in a form of tablets. You are lucky to be from America, the stigma is strong here and the doctors have absolutely no clue. I can't imagine what would happen if people I work with found out what I'm going through.
Hey there I get your reply via email but I can never see here on TH-cam, not sure what’s happening. Luckily I’m in NZ, so even better. I’m sorry to hear the stigma is so strong where you are. All the best, reach out whenever 😊
Early days of recovery ❤️🩹 brother, along way to go. Taking every day as it comes. Will be making plenty of videos on my recovery journey. How you going ? Hope you’re seeing improvements 😊
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 I’m doing good man, about to start my taper down from 100mg, been 7ish years and I’ve had enough of it. Praying for ya man.
Thanks very much. I’m ok, just taking things day by day now, healing now from the drug damage. I would like to do updates on my recovery every 3-6 months 🙏😊
I agree antidepressant are horrible. I’m taking them. 1.25mg lexapro EOD, a very small amount but it’s a powerful drug. I’ve never gone higher than 5mg. I’ve tried to come off a few times and I felt shit and worse but I felt shit before and that’s why I went on them. Of course I’d feel worse for a while coming off as there would be a comedown. The thing I don’t agree with is that usually people taking antidepressants are already a bit mentally unstable. I think they forget they took the drug because of this. You can’t just expect to come off of a drug and feel “normal” or baseline. A lot of these lingering effects are nocebo effect. You feel worse coming off and that makes sense but your anxiety is telling you the drug has destroyed you brain and you start to believe it.
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 not really, no. First time in 2016 for about 1.5 years and came off cold Turkey fine. Didn’t use them again till 2020 and I’ve been kind of dependent on them since. Although I did go off them for a few months at the beginning of this year. For about a month a felt extra depressed but then it leveled out a bit. I went back on because I kept arguing with my girlfriend, which was a mistake, we should have just broken up. SSRI’s definitely help with my tempter tho. It seems, for me, SSRI’s help me do the things my body is desperately telling me I shouldn’t be doing. SSRI’s eliminate anxiety in situations where I should be feeling anxious. Pretty wild. I could continue my toxic behavior, which contributed to my anxiety and depression, but I didn’t feel anxious or depressed because of Lexapro. What a trap. But for me I had to sit and think long and hard about WHY I started them and what my withdrawals actually were. When I realized everything, the withdrawals eased because so did my anxiety. However my addictions remained and I wanted to enjoy them guilt free so I went back on lexapro.
I look forward to your updates, and wish you well. I had a couple of questions if you don't mind. Are you taking anything at all now? Supplements even? Ignore this info about me if you're not interested, but I take 2 types of magnesium, a flush free niacin, a high dose B complex, and fish oil pills. The key is taking the right type and dose of the supplement. The best way to absorb is a capsule or gel cap. (Google scholar is best for research I found, after hearing it from one of my Psyche professors.) I like reading stuff on the Brain and Research Foundation too. Just some ideas. 🙂 I felt a difference, energetically and neurologically. Also, what are the symptoms, along the way, to watch out for? Do you have any ideas how long, after this point, that you'll be dealing with after effects? I wanted to tell you some info on my medicinal background. (I'm sorry this is so long.) I started on Xanax 15 yrs ago after a major trauma left me suicidal, not from panic attacks, but from CONSTANT mid level anxiety. After 6mths or less, I was moved to the 24 hr extended release to avoid the ups and downs of regular Xanax. Plus the anxiety of worrying about having access to the meds at all times. 6mths later, I was handed back to my PCP, who seamlessly stepped me down to klonopin (1mg, 3x daily). Then 5 yrs ago, I felt fine, so I stopped one pill. The equivalent of 1/3 my daily dose with no problem! Of course, I don't know if I did any damage to my poor brain. I've since found out how dangerous benzos are and that I'm addicted by now. I am scared to death, but I know I have to find a way to taper off of these. They may be why I'm SOOO depressed and treatment resistant. I've also been on a mood stabilizer, Lamictal, for 4 yrs. I'm not sure if it's damaging or not but I have to do one thing at a time. I'm telling you all of this because you may have some advice, naturally, or maybe one of your readers might. Thanks, and check in soon.
Thanks for your message 😊 I currently take Coq10, high strength magnesium glycinate, B vitamins, high strength EPA/DHA oil, and zinc all in capsule form. These are supposedly all the vitamins, minerals these psychotropic drugs deplete from our systems, so just trying to give my body a fighting chance at recovery ❤️🩹 I’ve got so many symptoms I couldn’t write them all. I struggle with TBI, traumatic brain impairment, CNS system injury, head, nerve pain, severe fatigue, hallucinations, anhedonia, akathisia, memory issues, to name a few. I know in time if I do the correct things, eat well, neural retraining,my brain and body will heal accordingly. From studies and hearing of other peoples Iatrogenic injuries from these drugs, it looking like about 5 years of healing, recovery until I’m feeling somewhat normal again. It’s taken me over 5.5 years to taper off, so I’m in this journey for the long haul. I wish you the best for your journey 💪🙏
I've recently discovered your videos and they have been a massive comfort to me. I came off Citalopram 3 months ago but still getting withdrawal symptoms even after tapering from 10 mg over 3 years. You have been to hell and back and I pray that you will make a full recovery. Sending Best wishes from UK.🙏👍
Thanks 🙏 all the best.
I'm not even going to act like this didn't bring tears to my eyes. Going through a benzo withdrawal at the moment. I felt every bit of emotion every hesitation every feeling that you had in that moment. I've got another month to go, looking forward to this day for myself. Stay strong brother, after watching your update video, the same thing keeps me going. Once we beat this and we will, nothing life tries to throw will matter. Fighting for your life for extended periods of time and daily shows us how much we want to live, most people won't ever know what we went through but most people won't appreciate every moment like we will.
I was 3 years sporadic use and low dose of benzodiazepines with about 2 months of more steady use. Stopped before with one week feeling off, I though I could have been safe by never using more then needed, once the rug gets pulled it's all the same.
Good work, hard fought but well deserved. Now it’s all healing brother. hope you doing okay.
Thanks 😊 bro
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 how are u now brother? R u ok ? Please update
Healing everyday, a long journey ahead 😊😎
Absolute monumental moment Cole. I’m just watching all your videos in succession. Thank you so much for making them and sharing your journey off with us during the most vulnerable time you’re likely to ever experience.
I’m currently at 5.74mg and in my 7th year tapering after almost 3 decades on an ad of some sort (Efexor xr since 2006).
Your video diary is excellent. No fluff, just real. ♥️
@@loubeauchamp9680 thanks mate, just wanted to show people how real and incredibly hard this process can be for a lot of people.
You’re doing incredibly well, all the best for your remaining tapering journey. ❤️
Congratulations 👏
Bro I’m so fucking proud of you!!! I definitely cried watching this lol. Every deep breath you take is the same deep breath I take. You made some great videos offering advice for the rest of us, so thank you for being an inspiration. Your courage is helping me. Thank you. Sending love from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 👏👏👏👏👏
You’re welcome bro 😎 🙏
I took my last dose Effexor 12/16/21. Still symptomatic at night. Never going back.
LOVE THIS. i am seriously impressed how real you are in your videos. i am currently on venlafaxine (the same as effexor) and i have found out that the latest medical/scientifical researches discovered bad stuff about antidepressants. im not gonna go too far to this. you can find some recent youtube videos. but honestly, youre doing so good. i understand your fear. a year ago i was tapering off sertraline and that was.. horrific. i did it carefully. but it was still fucking crazy. but the sertraline itself made me feel extremely fucking like.. anxious. keep going bro. you are my inspiration now.
Thanks 🙏 💪
Wish you all the best for your recovery. Greatings from Germany
Thank you very much!
Took them for 12 years trying to quit taking them I’m 3 days into it now. cant believe how hard it is to quit taking a simple pill they claim wasn’t “addictive”.
Big pharma lying through their teeth. Criminals. Good luck on your journey 😊
Yes they are big liars! its bad hate for anyone that has to go through this with these medications. Been alittle over a week now still got side effects but not as strong. the 4th day was the worst! Quit cold turkey tried to taper off several times but didn’t work for me just prolonged the withdrawals and I always gave up lol. I got it this time tho I think 🤔
They literally think that the human brain cares whether or not the drugs are socially acceptable. The withdrawals are the same regardless
Please keep us posted on your recovery.
I tapered off 150mg Venlafaxine, after taking it 20 years, but the withdrawals were so horrific, nearly died and wanted to die.
I’m back on them now and life is better. I’m not completely recovered. Still have some symptoms left over…but healing day by day.
Will do updates every 6 months to im healed and life is going well 🙏💪
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 r u ok now ?
How r u now mam?
@@iam_iconrecovering. Along way to go to heal but remaining positive. One day at a time 😊
What dose did you reinstate?
Congratulations I'm so pleased for you!
Know the battle all too well - 17 years on various SSRIs myself. Been tapering for last few years but still a long road ahead.
This gives me hope :)
I know, I feel you! We are not alone in this.
How u doing?
@@jasenkavukelic5047 how u doing?
@@mitch5222 I am doing good! Small steps! How about you?
@@jasenkavukelic5047 not good at all. Neuropathy, anxiety and fatigue is killing me.
so definetly please dont give up. you are doing so damn good. i am currently okay with my medication, but i would like to quit it one day. im not gonna risk tapering it off by myself. but hopefully i could do it soon. i wish you so much good luck. and strenght. wait - you already have so much strenght. 💗💗💗
Congrats! You got this!
Atta boy!!!! Praying for you brother
that was amazing. I have been on anti depressants for 33 yrs, been tapering venlafaxine for 4 1/2 yrs, from 150mg to 42.30mg still got yrs to go
All the best on your healing and tapering journey.
thank you so much, r u based in the UK?@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849
@@angeladavis-qi6kb no worries 😌
I’m based in NZ.
How are you tapering?
@@Mike_Iz_ at present I am doing 1 bead every month
I dodged a bullet then, wow.
I got super sick from one dose. It laid me out on the bathroom floor and up hugging the toilet, back down again.
I had PVC'S for 7 months after that toxic disaster.
How on earth you even tolerated it that long, IDK.
Now, after 29 years on a benzo, I have been cold turkey'd.
I'm taking agmatine, it's a natural neurotransmitter and it's amazing. You need to check into it.
One guy said he felt like he cheated the horrible withdrawal and recovery when taking this supplement.
It seems to really calm me and gives me a boost. I'm hoping once completely off the benzo, I can say the same as that guy.
It's worth looking into to help heal your body and mind.
Hoping the best for everyone going through this process.
Agmatine?
I’m on .75 Klonopin and having a rough time tapering
@@williamhuard3860 it didn't work out for me. Be careful in whatever you try.
@@michellemarini5128
The agmatine helped you with benzo taper and withdrawal?
What dose, brand please?
Congratulations wish you healing and a good live after Venlafaxine 🍀🙏
Been on it for 12 years now. Trying to quit. Tried 5 years ago, I almost died, at least it felt that way. I will take my time.
You have to taper off slowly, no more than 5 % reductions from current dose every 4-6 weeks. Listen to your body, it’s not a race. All the best.
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 I am from Croatia, that drug is called Velafax here and we only have it in a form of tablets. You are lucky to be from America, the stigma is strong here and the doctors have absolutely no clue. I can't imagine what would happen if people I work with found out what I'm going through.
Hey there I get your reply via email but I can never see here on TH-cam, not sure what’s happening. Luckily I’m in NZ, so even better. I’m sorry to hear the stigma is so strong where you are. All the best, reach out whenever 😊
Well done !! ❤
Well done mate
Praise God Congrats bro
Absolute beast, congrats man hoping to be free like you some day soon
Just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing brother, how have you been
Early days of recovery ❤️🩹 brother, along way to go. Taking every day as it comes. Will be making plenty of videos on my recovery journey. How you going ? Hope you’re seeing improvements 😊
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 I’m doing good man, about to start my taper down from 100mg, been 7ish years and I’ve had enough of it. Praying for ya man.
I want to know how you are today a month after you stopped? Love and light to you and very well done...
Im feeling very ill and unwell but it’s still very early days. I’ll base my recovery on 6 month time periods 💪🙏
Thanks for your lovely message.
Proud of you.
How are U doing ?
Can U do an Updated?
Thanks very much. I’m ok, just taking things day by day now, healing now from the drug damage.
I would like to do updates on my recovery every 3-6 months 🙏😊
Congratulations! How are you doing?
Thanks. Still very early days for me on my recovery. Taking it day by day 👌
look at you now... :)
You can do it
Oh no don’t pour it down the drain!
I agree antidepressant are horrible. I’m taking them. 1.25mg lexapro EOD, a very small amount but it’s a powerful drug. I’ve never gone higher than 5mg. I’ve tried to come off a few times and I felt shit and worse but I felt shit before and that’s why I went on them. Of course I’d feel worse for a while coming off as there would be a comedown.
The thing I don’t agree with is that usually people taking antidepressants are already a bit mentally unstable. I think they forget they took the drug because of this. You can’t just expect to come off of a drug and feel “normal” or baseline. A lot of these lingering effects are nocebo effect. You feel worse coming off and that makes sense but your anxiety is telling you the drug has destroyed you brain and you start to believe it.
I’m presuming you’ve taken these drugs short term ?
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 not really, no. First time in 2016 for about 1.5 years and came off cold Turkey fine. Didn’t use them again till 2020 and I’ve been kind of dependent on them since. Although I did go off them for a few months at the beginning of this year. For about a month a felt extra depressed but then it leveled out a bit. I went back on because I kept arguing with my girlfriend, which was a mistake, we should have just broken up. SSRI’s definitely help with my tempter tho. It seems, for me, SSRI’s help me do the things my body is desperately telling me I shouldn’t be doing. SSRI’s eliminate anxiety in situations where I should be feeling anxious. Pretty wild. I could continue my toxic behavior, which contributed to my anxiety and depression, but I didn’t feel anxious or depressed because of Lexapro. What a trap.
But for me I had to sit and think long and hard about WHY I started them and what my withdrawals actually were. When I realized everything, the withdrawals eased because so did my anxiety. However my addictions remained and I wanted to enjoy them guilt free so I went back on lexapro.
I look forward to your updates, and wish you well. I had a couple of questions if you don't mind. Are you taking anything at all now? Supplements even? Ignore this info about me if you're not interested, but I take 2 types of magnesium, a flush free niacin, a high dose B complex, and fish oil pills. The key is taking the right type and dose of the supplement. The best way to absorb is a capsule or gel cap. (Google scholar is best for research I found, after hearing it from one of my Psyche professors.) I like reading stuff on the Brain and Research Foundation too. Just some ideas. 🙂 I felt a difference, energetically and neurologically.
Also, what are the symptoms, along the way, to watch out for? Do you have any ideas how long, after this point, that you'll be dealing with after effects? I wanted to tell you some info on my medicinal background. (I'm sorry this is so long.) I started on Xanax 15 yrs ago after a major trauma left me suicidal, not from panic attacks, but from CONSTANT mid level anxiety. After 6mths or less, I was moved to the 24 hr extended release to avoid the ups and downs of regular Xanax. Plus the anxiety of worrying about having access to the meds at all times. 6mths later, I was handed back to my PCP, who seamlessly stepped me down to klonopin (1mg, 3x daily).
Then 5 yrs ago, I felt fine, so I stopped one pill. The equivalent of 1/3 my daily dose with no problem! Of course, I don't know if I did any damage to my poor brain. I've since found out how dangerous benzos are and that I'm addicted by now. I am scared to death, but I know I have to find a way to taper off of these. They may be why I'm SOOO depressed and treatment resistant.
I've also been on a mood stabilizer, Lamictal, for 4 yrs. I'm not sure if it's damaging or not but I have to do one thing at a time.
I'm telling you all of this because you may have some advice, naturally, or maybe one of your readers might. Thanks, and check in soon.
Thanks for your message 😊
I currently take Coq10, high strength magnesium glycinate, B vitamins, high strength EPA/DHA oil, and zinc all in capsule form. These are supposedly all the vitamins, minerals these psychotropic drugs deplete from our systems, so just trying to give my body a fighting chance at recovery ❤️🩹
I’ve got so many symptoms I couldn’t write them all. I struggle with TBI, traumatic brain impairment, CNS system injury, head, nerve pain, severe fatigue, hallucinations, anhedonia, akathisia, memory issues, to name a few. I know in time if I do the correct things, eat well, neural retraining,my brain and body will heal accordingly.
From studies and hearing of other peoples Iatrogenic injuries from these drugs, it looking like about 5 years of healing, recovery until I’m feeling somewhat normal again. It’s taken me over 5.5 years to taper off, so I’m in this journey for the long haul.
I wish you the best for your journey 💪🙏
How’s it been so far?
Extremely hard my friend. Along way to go to heal, day by day 😊
@@livingunderachemicalinflue5849 you got this man, you earned every victory