Medication Advice needed

Medications
1

I need to know if I am cutting too close to the bone?

My pdoc and case worker are both away for three weeks.

Story to date (Team aware and wish me luck)

Basically I have nearly weaned myself off Diazepam after being on it continuously every day for the last 3+ years

Stopped taking Levomepromazine for sleep, and that’s not going too bad. I am getting 5-6 hours a night without it as PRN

With the Procyclidine, because I am not using the Levomepromazine, I no longer seem to have movement issues and I am not taking much at all - just the occasional 5mg as a token if I feel weirded out and that I might be withdrawing.

Sertraline should be out of my system now, and I refused to replace it with Mitrapazine even though my pdoc said this would be ‘wise’ to take a hundred times…

Amisulpride I rate highly as I have had my positive symptoms very well controlled, and literally the only drug left to try is Clozapine, so for the win!

Next chapter (Team not aware)

So this is where it comes down to the question…

I blackmailed the duty doctor into giving me 75mg capsules of Pregabalin, as I threatened to go cold turkey on 150mg twice daily if they did not comply.

The script is ready and I pick it up tomorrow.

Basically, so far so good with my DIY med changes. However, I am not sure if my assumption is correct that the Pregabalin is doing nothing for me. Just another pill.

Not sure what to do. I don’t want to take that step too far, yet I am not willing to sit on the fence with this one.

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What is pregabalin and what is it supposed to do for you, according to your pdoc, may I ask?

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It is a nerve pain med approved for use with GAD.

I was told it would be a longer term treatment that would replace the benzo, but this never happened

4

If it’s not helping you, I didn’t see a problem going off it. If you go off it and notice an increase in anxiety, just ask to be put back on it.

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@anon94176359 can tell you his experiences with pregablin withdrawal. I came off gabapentin which is a similar drug, and the withdrawal wasn’t terrible, but I did get very anxious afterwards. The second time I quit it (both times were with doctor support) I replaced it with CBD and that helped.

I highly recommend telling your whole treatment team about all the steps you are taking. I also think you are trying to cut too much too quickly, but we have already had that conversation and I know you are committed to trying anyways.

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I am sorry if I keep going round in circles on this.

Just I do not like the amount of meds.

Miss my old pdoc. I was on 2 meds with him. Then I got to 8!

Something is up here.

Difference now is I concede I need the AP, as the risk I am in agreement is too high to come off.

As horrible as anxiety and depression is, I believe mine to be driven by circumstances to do with work - which I am confident are now resolved!

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What was going on at work that caused you to be anxious and depressed, may I ask? And how were these resolved?

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I worked for a family friend in a highly supportive environment, and he sold the company to an American corporate and it changed a lot under the new ownership. I was no longer allowed to report into my aunt who was most supportive of me, and my new manager was a cold hearted ■■■■■■■.

It’s a long story, but basically I took an overdose last march and ended up in the general hospital and just about got away with just having the crisis team look after me at home, as my case worker knows how much I hate the Psych ward and how unhelpful that would have been

It was resolved by me quitting my job after being told off for being off work a day after I tried to kill myself, so I quit without serving my 3 month notice period, under health grounds

Then gradually I started doing landscaping again, and I have my own successful small business doing that.

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Discuss this with your pdoc.

If you listen to people like me and others on this forum you are going to make more incorrect assumptions. I have been there and it was horrible mistake to make conclusions based on what people say on various forums, they are just users not profesional psychiatrists.

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