Let's Talk About Antidepressants, Part 2

My first post on antidepressants was written on July 3. Twenty days later I am happy to report that I have been off antidepressants (completely) for over 2 weeks.

Has it been difficult?
Absolutely!

However, the withdrawal symptoms would have been FAR worse without the help of Plexus. As mentioned in my previous post, weaning off of antidepressants has been virtually IMPOSSIBLE. I have been trying to wean off of them for years!
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Back story: When a doctor initially put me on an antidepressant (for menopause - after a full hysterectomy) I was put on Lexapro. Even though my dosage was very small, I could never wean off of it. (Again you can read my previous post for information on what I experienced trying to wean off antidepressants.) Then, three years ago during my Lymphoma scare, my PCP put me on Cymbalta (to help with nerve pain) in place of Lexapro. Did I research it? No. Again, I trusted my doctor and blindly put my body on yet another medication. (Frankly, during this time I was scared and in a lot of pain. However, that should never excuse me from playing an active role in my own health!) A year later, I was on even more medication and my health was as bad as it has ever been. Then, Plexus happened.

God did a tremendous amount of healing in the past 2 years on Plexus. But I still needed to take that final step . . . Could Plexus help me get off of antidepressants?

My husband and I prayed long and hard.
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And here I am . . .
14 days of taking ZERO antidepressants!



The first week was fairly easy. I had minimal withdrawal symptoms. I remained consistent with my Plexus products: TriPlex combo (Slim, ProBio, BioCleanse), XFactor Plus, and VitalBiome. (The recommended dosage for VitalBiome is 1, but I began taking 2 once I stopped taking the antidepressants.) But I could definitely tell that these 2 new products (VitalBiome and XFactor Plus) were helping in significant ways.

Then, week 2 happened. Wow! Withdrawal symptoms hit pretty hard. I often felt like a drug addict coming off of crack! Vomiting, sweats & shivers, itching, ringing in the ears, dizziness, extremely emotional - to name a few! But the withdrawal symptoms were still manageable. (No hospital/ ER visits! That is HUGE!) During week 2 I also added Plexus' Edge to my daily routine and noticed it provided significant relief.

At the end of week 2, I am doing much better. Praise the Lord!! I definitely see a HUGE ray of LIGHT and HOPE at the end of this long, dark tunnel. Hallelujah!

If I could sit myself down, 10 years ago (when antidepressants became a part of my vocabulary as I was beginning to deal with sudden onset menopause), I would encourage myself to think through the following:
  • Are there NATURAL ways to get past this hump?
    Menopause will not last forever. Adverse reactions and addiction to medication can, however, last a really long time. What natural remedies are out there? (supplements, exercise, diet, etc.) Have I exhausted all of those means?
  • Doctors are humans too.
    My body is unique and who knows it better than ME? I shouldn't blindly swallow another pill just because a doctor prescribed it. Doctors are human beings. They help and prescribe medications on limited knowledge. I am my best advocate.
  • Research!I did not research antidepressants. Even when I was switched to Cymbalta (after years of frustration in getting off of antidepressants), I still did not research. I can't speak to every medication out there, but the stuff I have read on Cymbalta, well, it is scary stuff. Scary! And yet I willingly swallowed that pill.
  • Pray! Pray! Pray!
    I believe my husband and I spent time in prayer over my health . . . but in the heat of pain or perhaps a hot flash . . . we blindly accepted whatever the doctor prescribed. Frankly, this began a spiral of medications and adverse reactions. 
Antidepressants are prescribed often and in abundance. Can antidepressants help? Absolutely. Does everyone need to be on one? No. Not at all. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 

Please, please, please . . . exhaust all other means (natural supplements, diet, exercise, prayer, the Church, etc.) before taking an antidepressant. I have met and heard from so many individuals who loathe the day they began taking them.

God has been so very kind in using natural supplements to restore my health.
THANK YOU, Lord!
I no longer feel like a passenger on the never-ending train of medication and side effects.

Plexus does not intend to treat, diagnose or cure any disease and individual results will vary. Plexus products are health supplements made of plant-based ingredients that target health on core levels of the body. They are supplements, not drugs.