Lamotrigine, Abilify, Paxil & Scary Sensations

Posted by dartboard @dartboard, 2 days ago

I was taking paroxetine + lamotragine + Abilify for MDD. I tapered off of Abilify 2 years ago under guidance of a psychiatrist. Can tapering off of long term 5 mg dose of Abilify cause 1. long term insomnia (2 yrs), or 2., random, brief "neurological spells" that are hard to describe but don't seem like classic seizures, or 3., muscle soreness after doing very little physically? I have never had a seizure disorder. I felt awful while tapering, and the psychiatrist said that it shouldn't have been caused by weaning off abilify. I strongly disagree! I was still taking 150 mg lamotrigine and had swapped the paroxetine for a low dose of sertraline under guidance many months prior. The depression did not come back and I realized I had been a bit numbed by the abilify.....for 10 years. But insomnia and muscle soreness began, which turned my life completely upside down. I did not have these symptoms ever before in my life. There's more to this story, but I stop here for now!

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frouke | @frouke | 2 days ago

It’s always a tricky situation when you’re dealing with these types of medications, some people do extremely well with little to no problems and others go through hell. I have used antidepressants on and off but the difficulty started later in life, my last attempt was earlier this year with Peroxitine and Lexapro, both opened up a doorway to extreme suffering from pain and anxiety. I weaned off them a little too quickly with the help from my doctor and it caused a prolonged Serotonin withdrawal syndrome, I’m slowly (6) months later recovering but now I’m terrified to take anything else. I sincerely hope that you find your way to start feeling better and safely find what works best for you.

depressedbutnotdead | @depressedbutnotdead | 1 day ago

According to Medical News Today, which gets good marks for accuracy, the answer regarding those symptoms for Abilify withdrawal is yes.

I was unable to find information on how interaction with the other two drugs could impact these symptoms.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/drugs-abilify-withdrawal-symptoms

dartboard | @dartboard | 1 day ago

In reply to @frouke "It’s always a tricky situation when you’re dealing with these types of medications, some people do..." + (show)

@frouke
I just looked up "prolonged serotonin syndrome " and found ADS, Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome. Before tapering off of Abilify, I stopped taking Paxil (under guidance of my psychiatrist). Paxil is an SSRI! I took a pretty low dose, but for a very long time. ADS sounds a lot like how I feel, but I stopped Paxil almost 3 years ago....?

dartboard | @dartboard | 1 day ago

* Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome " ....

frouke | @frouke | 1 day ago

In reply to @dartboard "* Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome " ...." + (show)

@dartboard I probably had and still have ADS, my research referred to it as Serotonin Withdrawal Syndrome, they’re probably the same thing give or take some symptoms. I still don’t feel like myself since using them, Paxil has a reputation for being one of the most difficult antidepressant to get off of, do you have brain zaps?

dartboard | @dartboard | 1 day ago

I had pretty strong brain zaps when first tapering off of Paxil that continued for about 2 years. They gradually became less frequent and not so strong. I hadn't had any in so long that I was very surprised that I had a mild zap about a month ago. I mentioned all of this to my psychiatrist who said he didn't know why any of it was happening. I just did genetic testing (my psychiatrist said it isn't very useful so I went elsewhere), and I have a genetic profile that does not do well with Paxil! So, sleep studies, rheumatology, and an out-of-state long covid clinic are all things I have tried to figure out what's going on. Perhaps it's been ADS all along???