How to quit or taper off
antidepressants. How to quit or taper off Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil,
Wellbutrin, Effexor, Celexa, Zoloft, Cymbalta other antidepressants and
psychotropic medications.
If you have ever tried to taper off
psychotropic medication and had difficulty, if you are ready to attempt
this for the first time, the decision you make at this moment in time is critical for your well-being. You definitely understand this is you
have tried to quit psychotropic medication before.
I do recommend The Road Back taper program. This
program has been successful for over 10,000 people over the past 6 years. You do
not have to suffer through withdrawal side effects.
A normal success story:
"Thank you! Thank
you! Thank you!
I feel 100% better!!!! Oh My Gosh. I cannot
believe how great I feel. Im actually getting "ME" back. I can see my
personality, my spunk, my spark increase gradually each and every day more
and more."
What makes this taper program so unique is, you
do not even start to taper until you are feeling very well and if you currently
have side effects from the medication, you wait until they are gone or so slight
you can barely notice them. This usually takes from 1 to 2 weeks.
If
you are needing more energy, nausea, feeling not quite there, feeling
detached, depressed, want to feel brighter - Try the Power Barley Formula.
December 23, 2005 the FDA announcement allows TRB Health to make this
health claim:
"Soluble fiber from foods such as Power Barley Formula, as part of a diet low
in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
A
serving of Power Barley Formula supplies 2 grams of the soluble fiber necessary
per day to have this effect."
"CHD is the cause of almost 500,000 deaths annually. Risk factors for CHD
include high total cholesterol levels and high levels of low density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol. Scientific evidence shows that adding barley to one's diet
can contribute to lowering serum cholesterol."
"Promoting health by helping people get better nutrition information about
the foods they eat is among FDA's top priorities, because the choices that
Americans make about their diet have a great impact on their well-being," said
FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs Scott Gottlieb, MD.
"The FDA review process for making health claims, when combined with our strong
enforcement work, rewards companies that make healthier products while we
enforce the law against companies that appeal to consumers through false and
misleading health claims."
If
you suffer from anxiety, stress or having a difficult time sleeping - Try
the Vital Sleep Extract
If
you are depressed, aches, Try the Omega 3.
Just
see if the individual product makes the change you are hoping for while you
are still taking all of your medication.
Once
you see there can be a change, return to
www.theroadback.org and get the
rest of the items to taper off the medication.
The reduction of medication is done gradually
with a structured reduction schedule.
Once off the medication you continue to rebuild
your body for another 45 days.
This is done through the use of a specific
"Superfood" called Power Barley Formula. Power Barley Formula helps clean the
blood, lower cholesterol, increase intracellular glutathione and usually gives
people the needed energy depleted by the medication.
Omega 3 is used for moods, depression, anxiety,
inflammation, and with Paxil, the "brain zaps."
Body Calm is used to help with sleep or
better described to give you a normal nights sleep, increase liver glutathione
and for anxiety.
Vitamin E is used for it's antioxidant value and
works hand in hand with the Power Barley Formula and Omega 3 to achieve maximum
benefit.
Benzodiazepines have been the most difficult to
taper off of until now. The Body Calm is the exact fit for
benzodiazepine tapers. It is not uncommon for people to state within 1 week that
they do not even feel like they are on a drug any longer.
The most difficult part of this taper is when you
are about half way off the medication and you are feeling so good that you want
to start doing things you have been putting off for a long time. You do need to
just wait until off the medication for 45 days!
*Read
success stories from people that have completed their taper or are
reporting their progress.
Click
here (Link opens new browser window.)
Why this program seems to work for about 98% of the
population:
The text below is meant to be
without technical terms. At least as much as possible.
Why The Road Back program
works:
98% of the population has at least 1 variation in the 4 genes
needed to metabolize vitamin B 6, B 12, and folate. 50% of the population
has variation in at least 2 of the 4 genes.
It does not work to take a capsule form of B 6, B 12 and
folate. They must come from a food source to bypass the DNA variations.
Most people die in the United States from Cardio Vascular
Disease (CVD). CVD is mainly caused when the amino acid homocysteine can't
convert into other amino acids (Cysteine) and becomes toxic. This is known
as hyperhomocysteine.
Homocysteine needs B 6, B 12, and folate in abundance so it
can quickly convert to the other amino acids.
The Power Barley Formula used during the taper was designed
to handle this problem.
Roughly 50% of the population will have a variation in at
least 2 of the 4 genes that regulate the phase II detoxification process in
the liver. So, 50% of us might get along ok until we run into an overload of
toxins then we have a difficult time of it for a while.
The master antioxidant glutathione is found in the
liver, each living cell, the brain and blood plasma.
You can't force glutathione into a cell. The cells must see
the 3 amino acids needed to make glutathione and let them inside of the
cell. Once inside, the cell will convert the 3 amino acids into glutathione.
Here is the catch. If you do not have ample B 6, B 12, and
folate, homocysteine will not convert properly and homocysteine is on the
direct path of glutathione production.
Without ample glutathione within the cells, you can't remove
toxins or the free radicals.
Once a toxin is in the liver, glutathione once again must
grab the toxin and move it out of the body. This is a different type of
glutathione however. Not only must the liver glutathione be present but it
must also be activated.
Click here to read clinical trial that describes the role of glutathione
in removing brain toxins from the neurons. (Opens new window)
The story above is what is happening with
the Power Barley usage. Glutathione is being made as it should in the cells
and the brain and toxins are able to be removed naturally. Psychotropic
medications / drugs kill glutathione.
Transmitters and receiving points within our central nervous
system are much like electrical wires. We can have shorts in the wire or a
short on either end of where the wire connects. Fatty acids are found on the
ends. Omega 3 fish oil's fatty acid help make these endings.
This is why Omega 3 works so well for people tapering off
Paxil that get the "brain zaps." It is like an electrical short.
This is a short version of why the taper program works.
If this seems too simple to the physician reading this, it is simple. It was
intended to be.
The Power Barley Formula, Ultimate Omega 3, Vital Sleep Extract all work
together to accomplish the above and much more. Professional athletes are
now using the Power Barley Formula to help with recovery, Omega 3 for
inflammation and Vital Sleep on the road trips to get a good night sleep.
Surgeons are now using the Power Barley Formula to assist patients recovery
time in the hospital.
Psychiatric institutions are using The Road back program and all of the
supplements to taper their in-patients of anti-psychotic medications with
great success.
Drug rehabilitation clinics are using the supplements from The Road Back
Program to augment their existing program.
If you do not
want to taper off your medication yet, try the Power Barley, Ultimate Omega
3, and Body Calm and see if you do not feel better than you have
in a very long time. Then decide!
I had been taking Effexor XR for close to 9
years before tapering off. I used the plan from The Road to Recovery
to withdraw from 225 mg per day over a 10 week period. The withdrawal went
quite well with few side effects. I have been off Effexor completely for 3
weeks now and the withdrawal symptoms are awful: brain zaps, irritability,
headaches, body aches, and I am so emotional I begin to weep at the drop of
a hat. I am continuing to take the supplements as directed in the plan, but
things seem to be getting worse instead of better. Suggestions? I need
help.
Answer:
How much Omega 3 are you taking each day?
Give me a breakdown of what you are doing.
Somewhere at the time you were doing good and
you began to not feel well we will find the item to address.
Response:
Thank you for your prompt reply. I have
been taking 6 omega 3 caps/day; two in the morning, two around 11:00 am,
and two around 4:00 pm. I am also taking the barley grass powder-1tbs-
at the same times.
I am taking 4 tsp of cherry extract
around 8:00 pm. I am sleeping quite well. In fact since I have been off
Effexor and taking the cherry extract I have stopped having the bizarre
dreams that have been a part of my life for so long.
I usually feel best early in the day.
Depending on my activity, level the side effects tend to get worse as
the day goes on. The more active I am, the more intense the brain
zaps. I usually have a headache by late afternoon-early evening. Once
I take the cherry extract and go to bed, the headache is gone.
I certainly will appreciate any feedback you
can give me.
Answer:
You might try taking 1 teaspoon of cherry
starting around noon, 4 pm, 8 pm and at bedtime as normal.
If the cherry at night gets rid of the
headache, odds are it will during the day as well.
Cherry should not make you tired during the
day. If it does, cut the amount back a little.
Response:
I have been taking the cherry concentrate 3x
/ day as you suggested for five days now. I have definitely seen a
reduction in side effects. I am feeling much better, thank you!
I have been completely off Effexor for four
weeks. I would like you to know how much I appreciate your book and the help
you have given me. It is so wonderful to feel alive again. I have so much
more energy and interest in the activities going on around me. I have
accomplished more in the past few months than I have in the past few years.
Thanks again for the work you are doing.
You are truly making a difference in people's lives.
Peace, W.D.
End
The above are the e-mails sent back and
forth from W.D. and James Harper. Not only does the taper program work,
the support you receive during and after the taper does not end. The
Road Back
Below are common withdrawal side effects associated with most psychotropic
medications. It is vital you never let them start. The withdrawal program
you implement must address the withdrawal side effects before they can
begin.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Anorexia No longer having a
desire to eat.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Apothous Stomatitis Painful red
and swollen open sores on a mucus membrane of the mouth commonly called
a canker sore.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Ataxia Loss of the ability to
move the body with coordination.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Arterial Fibrillation A
condition of abnormal twitching of the muscles in the blood vessels that
moves the oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The
unusual twitching is rapid and irregular and replaces the normal rhythm
of contraction of the muscle, which sometimes causes a lack of
circulation and pulse.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Blood Cholesterol Increased An
abnormal condition where there is a greater amount in the blood of the
oily/fatty substances known as cholesterol. Cholesterol is a necessary
part of living cells (along with proteins and carbohydrates). Because
cholesterol only slightly dissolves in water, it can build up on the
walls of the blood vessels, therefore blocking/decreasing the amount of
blood flow, which causes blood pressure to go up. If not corrected,
this condition is associated with coronary artery disease.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Blood Creatinine Increased A
greater than normal number of creatinine or muscular chemical waste
molecules in the blood. Creatinine plays a major role in energy
production in muscles. Since creatinine levels are normally maintained
by the kidneys, Blood Creatinine Increased is an indicator of kidney
malfunction or failure.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Blood in Stool The blood that is
in your bowel movement usually comes from any place along your digestive
tract (from your mouth to your anus). The stool can appear black and
foul-smelling (usually from the upper part of your digestive tract) or
red or maroon-colored (usually from the large intestine area).
Hemorrhoids are the usual cause for blood in the bowels.
8. Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Bundle Branch Block Right
These are specialized cells in the upper right heart chamber and are the
hearts pacemaker. They send electrical signals to the heart that keeps it
beating or contracting regularly. Normally the signal goes to the lower
heart chambers at the same time through the bundle of His (hiss) on both the
left and right sides of the heart, so the lower chambers contract at the
same time. When the bundle is damaged on the right side, the signal does
not fire at the same time as the left, which changes the pace of blood
flow. This can lead to a person fainting.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Cardiac Failure A heart disorder
where the heart does not function as usual and may completely stop
working.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Cardiac Failure Congestive The
body is asking for the heart to supply more blood than it is capable of
producing and maintaining. Normally, a body can tolerate an increased
amount of work for quite some time. The condition is characterized by
weakness, shortness of breath, and a fluid build-up in the body tissues
causing swelling.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Cold Sweat The skin is clammy
and moist and you feel chilled. This is a reaction to a shock or pain
as well as to fear and nervousness.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Colitis A condition where the
large intestine becomes irritated from the use of the drug.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Coronary Artery Disease A
condition where the blood vessels that mainly carry the blood away from
the heart become clogged up or narrowed usually by fatty deposits. The
first symptom is pain spreading from the upper left body caused by not
enough oxygen reaching the heart.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Dehydration An extreme loss of
water from the body or the organs of the body as in sickness or not
drinking enough fluids.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Diplopia The condition where a
person is looking a one object and instead of normally seeing just the
one object he sees two. This is also call double vision.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Diverticulitis There are pouches
or sacs on the inside of the intestines that look like fingers. This
increases the area for the body to absorb nutrients as they pass through
the intestines. These sacs become irritated and swollen and end up
trapping waste that would normally be eliminated, causing pain and
constipation.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Dysarthria The inability to
control the mouth muscles when forming words so the words are not
clearly spoken and heard.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Dyslipidemia The normal fat
metabolism in the blood is interfered with.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Dysphagia Trouble swallowing or
the inability to swallow.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Ecchymosis When a blood vessel
breaks and creates a purple discoloration of the skin.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Edema An abnormal build up of
excess fluids in the cells, tissues, and the spaces between the tissues
creating swelling.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Edema Peripheral The abnormal
build up of fluids in the tissues of the ankles and legs causing
painless swelling in the legs, ankles, and feet. If you squeeze the
swollen area it leaves an indentation on the skin for a few minutes.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Ejaculation Delayed The man is
not able to release sperm either during sexual intercourse or with
manual stimulation in the presence of his sexual partner in spite of his
wish to do so.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Ejaculation Dysfunction A
condition where the man has one or more of the following symptoms: He
is not able to have an erection, not able to have an orgasm, has a
decreased interest in sex, is sexually inhibited, or it is painful to
ejaculate sperm.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Erectile Dysfunction Incapable
of having sexual intercourse. Even though a man desires sex he is
inhibited in his sexual activity and is unable to have or maintain an
erection of the penis.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Erythema a skin redness caused
by the swelling with blood of the tiny blood vessels of the skin as in
burns.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Erythematous Rash Redness of the
skin from the swelling of the tiny blood vessels with skin irritation
(itching, burning, tingling, pain) and breakouts (eruptions).
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Esophageal Stenosis Acquired The
tube that moves food from the mouth to the stomach narrows.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Exfoliative Dermatitis The
unusual and not normal condition of scaling and shedding of the skin
cells. The skin is usually red colored.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Face Edema The tissues of the
face become swollen.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Feeling Jittery A physical
sensation of nervous unease.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Gastric Irritation An inflamed
and sore stomach.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Gastric Ulcer An open,
irritated, and infected sore in the wall of the stomach.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Gingivitis Sore, swollen and red
gums in the mouth that bleed easily.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Glaucoma The delicate nerve to
the eye, the optic nerve, becomes easily damaged with the build-up of
excess fluid pressure within the eyeball. The first sign of glaucoma is
loss of peripheral (side) vision. It can progress to total blindness.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Hepatic Steatosis Excessive
amounts of fat in the liver.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Hyperhidrosis The triggering of
an excess of sweat being produced on the soles of the feet, the palms,
or the underarms which can cause embarrassment or losing grip on a pen
or other items.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Hyperkeratosis An abnormal
enlargement of the skin tissues causing the skin cells to increase in
size.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Hyperlipidemia An abnormally
high number of fat cells in the blood.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Hypertriglyceridemia Too many
triglycerides in the blood.
Triglycerides are three
fatty acids bound together in one molecule stored by the body and available
to create high levels of energy when used.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Hypoesthesia A partial loss of
sensation or general loss of awareness.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Impaired Gastric Emptying The
contents of the stomach are not passed into the intestines as normal due
to the stomach losing the muscular strength to do so.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Increased White Blood cell Count
This is an increase in the number of cells in the blood that are
responsible for the removal of bacteria and other unwanted particles.
They fight disease and infection by enclosing foreign particles and
removing them. An example of a disease that would increase white blood
cell count would be Leukemia.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Insomnia Not able to fall asleep
or sleeping for a shorter time than desired, thus not being able to
properly rest and feeling un-refreshed. As a result, a person can
become irritable, have difficulty concentrating and feel a lack of
energy. This can be caused by stimulants such as by caffeine or drugs
or by mental anxiety and stress. Mental stress can be communicated and
relieved.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Irritable Bowel Syndrome A
painful condition where the either the muscles or the nerves of the
lower intestines, are not responding normally. This results in an
alternating condition of diarrhea followed by constipation, back and
forth.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca A
condition where the outer coating of the eyeball is dry because of a
decrease in the normal amount of tears in the eye. As a result, the
eyeball and inside of the eyelid thickens and hardens sometimes causing
the vision to be less sharp.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Leukopenia An unnaturally low
number of white blood cells circulating in the blood.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Loose Stools The bowel movement
is runny instead of formed.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Lower Abdominal Pain A hurtful
irritation of the nerve endings in the area of the hipbones housing the
lower digestive tract. Pain usually means tissue damage.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Lymphadenopathy The lymph nodes,
where the immune cells are located, become larger than is normal because
of a high concentration of white blood cells.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Macular Degeneration The gradual
loss of central vision, which is the sharpest vision while peripheral
eyesight, is unaffected.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Maculopathy An abnormal
condition of the yellow spot of the eye, which is located in the center
of the inner lining of the eyeball and connected to the main nerve to
the eye and is responsible for sharp vision.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Mania Unusually irrational,
excessive and/or exaggerated behavior or moods ranging from enthusiasm,
sexuality, gaiety, impulsiveness and irritability to violence.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Melena Abnormally darkly colored
stools as a result of hemorrhaging in the digestive tract where the
blood has interacted with the digestive juices creating the dark color
in the bowel movement.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Micturition Urgency A sudden
desire to urinate usually followed by leakage.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Mood Swings An emotional
shifting as from a state of happiness to a state of depression for a
period of time.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Myocardial Infarction The blood
going to the heart is delayed or stopped causing middle muscle tissue in
the heart wall to die.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Nasopharyngitis Irritation,
redness and swelling tissues in the nose and the tube leading from the
mouth to the voice box as well as the tubes leading to the ears.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Nephropathy An abnormally
functioning or diseased kidney.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Nervousness Jumpy, jittery,
anxious, and troubled with an irritable temperament.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Night Sweats The water-salt,
waste product the skin releases is called sweat or perspiration. With
night sweats you become wide awake in the middle of the night shivering
and cold and wet with your sheets/pajamas soaked in perspiration making
it difficult to go back to sleep.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Nightmare Dreams that make you
afraid or leave feelings of fear, terror, and upset long after waking
up.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Orgasm Abnormal Unable to have
an orgasm with normal sexual stimulation.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Oropharyngeal Swelling A
swelling in the area from the soft part of the roof of the mouth to the
back of the mouth.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Pain in Extremity A painful
feeling in the legs, arms, hands, and feet.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Pharyngolaryngeal Pain Pain in
the area of the respiratory tract (organs of breathing) from the throat
to the voice box and above the windpipe.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Photopsia A condition where a
person see lights, sparks or colors in front of your eyes.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Photosensitivity Reaction An
exaggerated sunburn reaction that is not normal in proportion to the
amount of exposure to the light.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Pollakiuria Urinating much more
frequently than normal as often as once every five to fifteen minutes.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Pressure of Speech A condition
where the individual cannot voice his ideas fast enough with the
pressure of there being not enough time to say it.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Pruritic Rash Extremely itchy,
red, swollen bumps on the skin.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Pyrexia Fever or the increase in
body temperature that is usually a sign of infection.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Retinal Detachment The thin
layer lining the back of the eyeball (the retina) detaches from the back
of the eyeball. This thin layer is like the film of a camera because it
sends the images a person views to the brain. When it detaches it
causes a reduced ability to see.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Rigors Shivering or shaking of
the body as if chilled, preventing normal responses.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Skin Ulcer An open sore or
infected skin eruption with swelling, redness, pus, and irritation.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Sleep Disorder These are a list
of sleep disorders such as teeth grinding, insomnia, jet lag, sleep
walking, abnormally falling asleep during the middle of a conversation
after a full nights rest, uncontrolled body motions keeping one awake,
etc.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Suicide, Completed An attempted
attack on oneself that is life threatening results in death.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
Where the organs of breathing near the mouth such as the nose and
sinuses, become infected and are usually treated by antibiotics.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Urinary Hesitation Hard to start
or hard to continue emptying ones bladder.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Urinary Incontinence Urinating
without intending to do so because of a weakening of the muscles in the
hip area from the drug affecting the nerves or the drug blocking a
persons thinking process.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Urinary Retention The inability
to completely empty the bladder despite having the urge to do so. This
can lead to infections or damage to the urinary organs.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Urine Flow Decreased Dehydration
of the body causing a lesser flow of urine than normal with the body
reabsorbing the waste.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Urine Output Decreased A
condition where the output of urine produced in a 24-hour period is less
than 500 ml.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal - Weight Decreased Unintentional
weight loss.
Psychotropic drug withdrawal Weight Increased An unusual,
usually rapid weight increase.
