Chapter Fourteen

What to Do if You Have Already Started to
Taper Off Your Medication or Just Quit Cold Turkey

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. The recommendations or suggestions offered in this chapter come from years of experience assisting these individuals.

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

• Go to the pre-taper chapter in this book that covers your medication.

• Benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety and sleep medications, chapter 9.

• Antidepressants, anti-psychotics and ADHD medications, chapter 10.

• Start the supplements in the pre-taper immediately (Go to www.trbhealth.com or call TRB Health at 1-866-810-3809 for the needed supplements)

• If you are or were taking an antidepressant and you have head symptoms or an electrical jolt type of sensation, go to any store that sells vitamins and purchase a bottle of omega 3 fish oil. Look at the back label of the bottle with the highest amount of EPA content. This should get you some relief quickly, but make sure you get the Omega 3 Supreme from TRB Health for a complete handling.

Relief should come shortly after you start the pre-taper supplements. I understand you may have already quit the medication and you are not actually doing a pre-taper now. Just start taking the supplements as described in the pre-taper and follow the directions as outlined in that chapter.

Medication Decisions

You need to make a decision rather quickly about the medication. I understand some of you absolutely refuse to go back on the medication or to go back up in dosage, but I still need to give you my viewpoint. This is only my viewpoint and should not be taken as medical advice.

• If you have gone off the drug cold turkey and it has been more than one week since you stopped the drug, going back on the drug is not going to help. It will probably compound the situation. Start the pre-taper supplements and continue taking them for 45-days after you feel well again. Use the supplements based on the drug you were taking.

• If it has been less than one week since you stopped the drug cold turkey, go back on the drug to the last dosage you were doing your best at, and do the pre-taper for that type of medication and gradually reduce the drug from that point. You may feel this approach moves you backwards but it should get you off the drug and feeling well once again.

• If you are reducing the medication and you are experiencing withdrawal side effects, you need to determine the severity of the side effects. If the side effects are too strong, go back up to the last dosage when you were doing better. Start the pre-taper, get stable again and then gradually reduce the medication.

• If the side effects are on the mild side, quit reducing for now, start the pre-taper for the drug you are taking, after using the supplements for 7-days of the pre-taper,
  continue with the taper and supplements.

There is really no need to expand on this further. You may feel like death warmed over, but the options are few and they are basic. Keep in mind, how you feel is the drug and that it is not you. Make sure to inform your physician of any choice you make.

Do not give up hope.