I saw one of the most renowned psychiatrists in the US, Dr. Donald Klein. Even he had not heard of what I have been going through...let me explain.
I have been on Nardil for 17 years. In the last 18 months, I have had bizarre side effects: inability to walk and slurred speech from gabitrol (added to my Nardil). This also happened when I stopped taking Ativan after being on it 4 days! It got so bad, I was hospitalized.
Also, my sleep has gotten so bad. I am lucky if I now sleep 5 hours. I used to be able to sleep 8-9 hours.
To help me sleep, I was given Halcion. It worked day one but by day 2 it had no effect whatsoever, even at very high doses. I then got Seconal to help me sleep...I eventually took 400 mg. the first night with no effect...I was up all night.
There are more...to many to write here. I am going in to the hospital (Columbia Presbyterian - Psychiatric floor) to get off Nardil. I don't know if anything else will work for me, other anti-depressants didn't when this whole thing started 17 years ago. The one hope I have is subutex, an opiod that very experienced doctors are starting to use for depression. The only thing that makes me ok now and with energy are real opiates: oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc. Maybe this will work.
So, doctors may have opinions...but they DO NOT KNOW. I would say that the medical understanding of the brain and how it works is at stage 1 ONLY, with 99 stages to go. So, don't give up hope...they may not know for sure...but stage 1 is better than no stage at all.
It could also be the idea of going off your medication is causing all these symptoms because you don't have the safety net any more. I am trying to say it could be a reverse placebo effect taking hold here.
These have the ring of withdrawal symptoms, especially the vice around your head, but wouldn't expect them this late. The every now and then frequency may just mean a natural rhythym...nothing to do with depression, just existence. The libido is another problem....could be that you have become so used to it being gone that you are not now doing anything novel or interesting to stimulate the libido...it needs some help.
Hi,
I sympathize with your loss of libido. I was on Zoloft for less than a year, and my libido has been permanently squashed. It's been almost five years since I've taken Zoloft (or any other anti-depressant) and I still have no sex drive. It's my belief that Zoloft causes permanent damage to the libido. My drive was fine until the Zoloft.
Jeff