Never stop taking pills without doctor's consent...
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
September 25, 2012 9:08pm CST
Today I felt worse than I had for the past few days.
For those that missed my last discussion, I've been dealing with some health issues since Friday and even the doctors didn't know what was wrong with me. I was basically have stroke symptoms, but my CAT scan was clean. I felt dizzy, weak, tired, had tingling and numbness, but no pain or fever or anything to explain the cause of my symptoms.
As I said, today I felt worse. I went into work anyway because I was okay this morning, but as the day went on it got worse and worse.
But when I got home I wanted some answers, so started doing some of my own research. First I typed in my symptoms and it just kept coming back with stroke. I know it's not a stroke because I did have a CAT scan, and as I said, it was clean.
Well, one other option I'd been given from the ER doc is withdrawal symptoms because I recently stopped taking my antidepressents because of weight gain. I've gained 30 pounds since starting these pills although my diet and exercise haven't changed. Actually I have tried losing weight while on the pills with no success.
I meant to speak with my doctor first, but my schedule did not allow me to squeeze in a doctor's appointment.. so I decided to just stop taking them since for the past few weeks I've been super stressed anyways, I didn't think they were doing much.
Well, when I looked up the withdrawal symptoms for my medications, it explained all of the symptoms I'm having, and then some. It listed some symptoms I didn't even realize I was having.. I thought they were due to just being sick or something, but turns out they are a part of withdrawals.
So needless to say I took my pill tonight and plan on calling my doctor to discuss coming off my medication more slowly. I honestly didn't think I'd have any sort of reaction if I didn't take the pills. Guess I was wrong!
Have you ever stopped taking a medication only to suffer withdrawals? Did you think a particular type of medication would cause withdrawals?
3 people like this
11 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
26 Sep 12
I hardly ever take a full course of antibiotics. I tend to forget once I'm not in pain or having the problem anymore.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
26 Sep 12
I'm so sorry you had to go through that; been there, done that, so I know how awful withdrawal from anti-depressants can be. In my case I was put on them to begin with because I was having symptoms I was convinced were signs of either a stroke or a brain tumor. Turned out to be anxiety attacks. I've had the same problem with losing weight so I've been thinking about gradually weaning myself off the medication but I learned a few years ago not to just stop all at once. I ran out of my pills and didn't realize I was also out of refills and, as luck would have it, it was over a long weekend when my doctor was out of town. I didn't think much of it, I mean what difference would two or three days make, right?
WRONG!!!
I had some of the same symptoms as you did but I also became uncontrollably "weepy". I was a total basket-case and it happened to be on the day my grandson played in his very last Midget Football game and I basically cried through the whole thing...the ceremonies they had for the "senior" players as well as the game. You'd better believe I won't let that happen again!
I sure hope you're feeling better.
Annie
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@GardenGerty (169452)
• United States
27 Sep 12
I had problems like this with my pain pills after my surgery. The foot doctor wanted me to take it and take it a lot, but as it would wear off I would have hot flashes and headaches, etc. Side effects while taking it were sleepiness and constipation. I have enough medical background and have been around people on anti depressants to know that you NEVER stop it abruptly because it among other things that tends to lower the seizure thresh hold and may cause you to go into convulsions. I am glad you figured this out, they tend to taper people off of meds like that. Cut out like the third day, under medical supervision. We need to be proactive regarding our medications and read about the side effects and how to manage them. If this pill has caused you to gain weight, you need to have your doctor try something else.
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@GardenGerty (169452)
• United States
27 Sep 12
This is a time when you really need to be able to see the specialist as they are better trained on this type of medication.
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@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
27 Sep 12
My doctor gave up the last time I went in and said I didn't like these pills, but that was before I realized the weight gain was from the pills. I think that realization started at that office because I'd gained 15 pounds at that point even though I was trying to lose weight.
Well I'd already tried different things, both in the past and recently. Nothing else has worked for me besides this stuff, so my doctor referred me to a specialist. The specialist was on vacation at the time. When I called a week later they told me I had to call someone else for my first appointment... what a run around. Between my hours at work and the heck I was getting trying to set up the appointment, I guess I gave up. I didn't mean to.. I just put it off and it never happened. That was a few months ago.
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@GemmaR (8517)
•
26 Sep 12
I have a friend who had depression for a long time, and she was on pills. One day, she decided that she was feeling better about everything so she just stopped taking her tablets. When she did so, she started feeling incredibly bad again, and her thinking was so distorted that she could no longer realise that she should see a doctor and it took several months before one of her family members noticed just how bad she was and made her see a doctor about it. Coming off pills like that might give you symptoms that are even worse than the ones you had before you started to take the pills at all.
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@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
26 Sep 12
I am so glad that you were proactive on this and took charge of your health and this should be discussed with your Doctor . I see from your postthat you plan to do this today. I am so happy that it appewars to be solved now as it was worrying. Have I ever stopped a medication snd suffered withdrawals? YES! When I was stopped been given morphine in hospital I remember thinking that perhaps theyn could have given it to me for a few more days
I quite missed it
I quite missed it1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
26 Sep 12
I've never been on regular pills before. I don't really like taking pills much. Even when I'm in pain I tend to avoid pills and just deal with the pain. Only occasionally when I need to function while sick or in pain.. then I'll take something.
1 person likes this
@deazil (4730)
• United States
26 Sep 12
I did that years ago with one of the many depression meds that I was on. After about 2 days I started getting nauseous off and on. The 3rd day I felt a little worse. I realized what it was, though, so I took one pill and then gradually weaned myself off it. I should have known because my meds had been changed so many times over the years and my doctor would tell me to take less every 3-4 days until I was down to none a day and then start the new ones. I quit taking anything 9-10 years ago. I'd just rather deal with the insanity.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (120655)
• United States
7 Oct 12
Oh no. Yeah, that will do it. It's especially bad if you go cold turkey on anti-depressants. That, and if you are on heavy duty pain medication and you suddenly stop. I have tried going cold turkey on a medication where I shouldn't have. Such a bad idea. By the end of the day I figured out that was the issue and decided to wean myself off.
@AmbiePam (120655)
• United States
9 Oct 12
They had put me on heavy duty pain medication after a surgery and when I was out of it, I was out. I didn't think anything of it. But then the side effects came on and I was a mess for a week. I mean, I made it, but it was an awful week. After hearing my aunt say the same thing about the pain medication I came to the conclusion it WAS the pain medicine. I guess the doctors get so used to prescribing, they didn't think to tell me. So the next time I had to be on that pain medication, a week before I was supposed to be out, I cut down half a pill a day until I ran out. Then I was okay. It would have been nice if they had told me.
But anti-depressants, I've always been super aware of the consequences of going straight off of them from the doctor. I wish yours would have thought to tell you that too. It could have saved you some trouble had they told you how to slowly go off of them. Oh, and it's your life, and my dad is just like you (no pills ever), but sometimes you need anti-depressants. And there is no shame in taking them, even just for a short time. I just get this picture of you in my head, fed up and on your last leg, and it would worry me to think you wouldn't consider them if you really needed help. So I admire you for the no pill attitude, but if things get super bad, rememeber, it doesn't have to be forever.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Oct 12
I've never been much of a pill taker, so I've never gotten on something I couldn't get myself off. So I guess I didn't understand that I could even have withdrawals. Live and learn.
I'm still going through it.. and it sucks! I only need a pill every 3 or 4 days.. but I feel like I may never get off them. I try to wait the symptoms out to see if they'll go away, but they just get worse so then I have to take a pill to function. Then I'm fine for 3 days and the symptoms start coming back.
I think I've decided I'm never going on another pill again in my life! This is way too much to have to put my body through.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
16 Oct 12
I have never had a medication that I had to take on a regular basis. I have stopped taking an antibiotic before I was totally done with them because I was feeling better and I know I should not have done that.
I hope you are doing better now that you are taking them again or are weaning yourself off slowly.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
28 Sep 12
hi katsmeow I was concerned with getting hooked on the sleeping pills I had been told to take b y my urologist and so just stopped and never felt so bad in my life so went to my primary care doctor he showed me how to come off them gradually so i did not have any more side effects that made me ill.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Sep 12
There are a lot of medications that will cause withdrawal symptoms. My husband has been on percocet for a long time now and we know that narcotic pain medication is a substance that causes withdrawal symptoms. In the past when he was on them, the doctor would just completely cut them at once and this did lead to the withdrawal symptoms. This time, the doctor has been doing a slow weening and it seems that doing it that way is working much better than doing it the other way.
I hope you get to start feeling better really soon.
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