What To Do If You Are Already In Withdrawal Or Quit Cold Turkey
In Withdrawal Already
You can send an email at Jim@theroadback.org and he is happy to guide you through this process.
The key to handling withdrawal side effects when you begin to reduce the medication is:
Put Control Back in the Process Again. Roughly 80% of the people who begin The Road Back Program have already started to taper off their medication or have gone off their medication abruptly and are experiencing withdrawal side effects.
First, it is not YOU. That may be difficult to grasp at first, but in time, you will come to understand it was not you; it was the withdrawal side effect.
Immediately do the following if you have abruptly stopped your medication or are reducing the medication and you are having withdrawal side effects:
Inform the prescribing physician.
You need to go back up to the last dosage of the medication you felt stable on. Hopefully, it was the last dosage you were at and not 2 or 3 reductions before your current dosage.
Once enough time passes, remain at this old stable dosage for an additional 2 full weeks.
You have 2 options at this point.
Option 1. Resume reducing the medication once again but this time at a slower reduction speed and ideally less of a reduction of the medication. Instead of reducing the drug every week or two weeks, extend out the time by at least 2 weeks. If you were reducing every 2 weeks before, try every 4 weeks now.
Option 2. Use the supplements The Road Back Program suggests. How you take the supplements and when you take the supplements is also a key to your success. You will find this information in one of the several books Jim Harper has authored. Click here to locate one of the free books.
Antidepressants – If you are tapering from an antidepressant, one of the most common withdrawal side effects will be head symptoms. These can run from having brain zaps to being dizzy. There is actually a quick easy fix for all head symptoms when tapering from an antidepressant. Using the right omega 3 fish oil. Jim Harper discovered this in 2003, and it is the only thing that works. The best fish oil to take can be found with this link.
Benzodiazepines and Antipsychotics – Your only option is to go back up to the last dosage you were stable at and then use option 1 or option 2 above.
If you are just too out of it to read even a short book at this point, send an e-mail to Jim Harper at jim@theroadback.org Let Jim know to medication you are tapering or went cold turkey off, and he will guide you through the correct steps.