Chapter 11 Immediate Release Antidepressant Pre- Taper Please Note: This pre-taper is for individuals taking an Immediate Release antidepressant. Starting Your Pre-Taper If you have not read the entirety Chapter Six “General Pre-Taper and Taper Instructions,” please do so before continuing with this chapter. Reading and understanding the Chapter “General Pre- Taper and Taper Instructions” is vital before starting the pre-taper. You may already be in withdrawal before you found The Road Back Program. Please hang in there; relief can come very quickly for you. Most people are never able to get off an antidepressant due to the head symptoms that are common with reducing this type of medication.Your pre-taper is a little different than for a time release antidepressant. The American Medical Association now acknowledges at least 10% of the people that try to get off an antidepressant will not be successful due to the withdrawal side effects. The 10% is probably higher with a time-release antidepressant. We want you to know this so you know it is not just you. Sorry to say, most physicians have never read the AMA report on antidepressant withdrawal and they have not realized that 1 out of every 10 of their patients they have prescribed an antidepressant to will have this withdrawal problem unless they begin doing something differently. Head side effects are the ones that stop most people from being able to get off an antidepressant. An electrical brain zap, dizziness and other head symptoms are the problem. For The Road Back, these debilitating head side effects are easy to stop and stop quickly. If you have not started to taper the antidepressant yet, using this Antidepressant Pre-taper should stop the head symptoms from even starting. If you have already started to taper the antidepressant and have these head symptoms, the right type of omega 3 fish oil will get you back on your feet quickly. The supplements that are required for the immediate release antidepressant withdrawal program are the Neuro Day, JNK Formula, Omega 3 Supreme, and Neuro Night.It would be good if you also take 200i.u. to 400i.u. of vitamin E each day. Omega 3 supplements need a little extra vitamin E each day to help with absorption. Make sure to keep your Daily Journal up- to-date and use graphs so you can visually see the changes taking place with you. What to do: ྷ Get with your prescribing physician and/or pharmacist and layout your drug taper schedule. ྷ Plan out the second and third reduction of the medication as well at this point to ensure you are ready with the correct dosages of the drug. Once you have read all of the pre-taper section proceed to Chapter 15, “How to Taper Antidepressants” and fully read it as well. The Pre-Taper For the next 7-days you will be doing your pre-taper. You do not reduce your antidepressant during the pre-taper but, to state again, this is the time to also plan out the reduction phase of the drug which starts after the seven days of the pre-taper are completed. Goal of Antidepressant Pre-taper If anxiety is present, have it eliminated If fatigue is present, have it eliminated If flu like symptom are present, have them eliminated If depression is present, have it eliminated Eliminate all other antidepressant side effects Set up the body correctly to eliminate potential withdrawal symptoms. The goal of the pre-taper may seem unobtainable to you at this moment, but after you experience a day to two of taking the supplements used with this program, you should begin to experience the changes we suggest will happen. It is not out of character for people to feel as though they are no longer even on an antidepressant as all side effects vanish quickly. Supplements You Will Take: Neuro Day JNK Formula Omega 3 Supreme Neuro Night Anxiety or Insomnia The Neuro Day, JNK Formula and the Omega 3 Supreme should handle these symptoms with ease. Fatigue If you have fatigue, the JNK Formula and the Omega 3 Supreme should help but 3 nights of a sound sleep will likely do wonders. DAY ONE Action: Rate your daytime anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia and other side effects. Use the Daily Journal and rate anxiety, sleep and any additional symptoms you may be experiencing from 1 to 10. Rate with number 10 being the worst and number 1 being no side effect or symptom remaining.Rate the previous night’s sleep first thing the next morning. Rate the daytime anxiety just before bedtime of that day. If you take the antidepressant first thing in the morning, take the medication as normal and 1 hour later take the morning supplements. How to do the Pre-Taper: Supplements: JNK – Take 1 capsule of the JNK Formula first thing in the morning but at least 1 hour apart from medication. Take a second JNK Formula capsule 4 to 5 hours later in the day. Omega 3 Supreme TG – Take 1 Omega 3 Supreme in the morning and 1 more at noon. Neuro Day – Take 1 capsule 1 hour after taking the JNK Formula. Take a second capsule of the Neuro Day 4 or 5 hours after the first capsule. Anxiety or Insomnia Anxiety: Between the JNK Formula, Neuro Day and the Omega 3 Supreme, your daytime anxiety should fade away quickly. The sequence of taking the JNK Formula first and the Neuro Day an hour later can be changed as needed. If you respond real well to the Neuro Day and really do not feel much change after taking the JNK Formula in the morning, try taking the Neuro Day first, wait one hour and then take the JNK Formula. Insomnia – The Neuro Night should help with a sound sleep quickly. Fatigue Once again, the JNK Formula and the Omega 3 Supreme should help with the fatigue but most likely the fatigue should lift after 3 solid nights of sleep. How to Adjust the Supplements if Needed: JNK – As stated earlier, the JNK Formula and the Neuro Day can be switched around. Start with the JNK Formula first in the morning but if more relief comes from the Neuro Day, take it first. Neuro Day– The Neuro Day formula addresses quite a broad scope of side effects caused by antidepressants. From stress feelings, anxiety, agitation, and more, you should begin to have a calm feeling within a day or two of starting this supplement. Just remember; no more than 1 capsule at a time, no more than 2 capsules in a day and have at least 3 hours apart with this supplement. If anxiety tends to return or start at a certain time of the day, take the Neuro Day about 1 hour before that normal time the anxiety starts. Don’t leave the JNK Formula out of the daily routine though, even if you do not feel a massive change after taking it. It is working and working in concert with the Neuro Day. Omega 3 Supreme – All head symptoms, except headaches, when coming off an antidepressant are handled by the Omega 3 Supreme. If you are feeling any symptoms in the head, increase the Omega 3 Supreme to 2 softgels in the morning and 2 additional softgels at noon. If symptoms persist after this increase, raise the amount of Omega 3 Supreme to 5 softgels in the morning and 5 at noon. A few people have needed to increase to 6 softgels in the morning and at noon to get the head symptoms under control. Once the head symptoms are back under control reduce the Omega 3 Supreme back down to the 3 softgels in the morning and the 3 softgels at noon. Check with your doctor before increasing the Omega 3 fish oil if you are taking heart medication or blood pressure medication. Neuro Night – Adjust around the time you take this supplement as needed. Start with 15 minutes before bedtime but move to an earlier time if you are not feeling sleepy at bedtime. Finishing the Pre-Taper Do the pre-taper for 7-full days. Do not cut the pre-taper short no matter how well you may feel after a few days. Give your body a chance to balance, give yourself the chance to fully experience relief before you tackle the reduction of the antidepressant. If you wish to stay on the pre-taper for an extended time, that is fine to do, many have. You may have experienced extreme trauma the last time you tried to get off the antidepressant and the apprehension you may feel now is normal, not a mental disorder. This is your time; do not let yourself get rushed by your physician or by the information in this book. The drug manufacturer, the F.D.A., and even the American Medical Association state a gradual reduction of the medication is required. We cannot stress enough, take your time. This is when the tortoise beats the hare to the finish line.