Withdrawal From Stelazine (Page 4) (Top voted first)

I have been on stelaine for 25 years with short breaks but I am trying to stop it and getting nasty withdrawal effects. I have reduced from 7mg to 3mg daily but have headaches anxiety and sense of unreality. I fell perfectly rational and know it is not the ill ness returning. I am seeking advice from someone who has managed to get of this drug or for any tips. I am planning to cut down 1mg per month but am already apprehensive about this.

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Hi,
My mother in law has been on this medication for 45 years... in the last month her pharmacy have not been able to get tablets and have put her on liquid.... Does anyone know what the problem is??? The last time we went through this she ended up as an in patient. Is anyone else experiencing problems? Can anyone suggest a pharmacy company l can speak to to get them to supply my MIL's pharmacy? Many thanks

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Hi - My mum was put on liquid Stelazine a few years ago - are you in the UK - if so the tablets are no longer available through the NHS. Not the call for it any more as more modern drugs have replaced Stelazine. Mum did have a problem as the pharmacy didnt have the correct syringe to use to draw up the correct dose. She under dosed herself which led to anxiety attacks, nightmares and a regression back to earlier problems. Once the problem was sorted though she has been fine on liquid. Make sure she is given the correct syringe as the amount taken is crucial.

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Evelyn, I take the generic form of stelazine called trifluoperazine.

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Hi Buster. Are you out there? Did you have problems with insomnia after getting off the stelazine?

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Hi

I've recently been put on the liquid as the tablets are no longer being manufactured but I'm experiencing some problems. Is the liquid weaker than the tablet and, if so, how much liquid must I take to compensate?

Thanks so much for any help.

Jimmy

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I"m a shrink and have prescribe Stelazine. It was named for girlfriend or wife ("Stella") of the head of the team that developed it for Smith, Kline & French. Now that we are seeing the "next best excellent thing — the Atypical Antipsychotics — can be just a toxic in long-term severe side effects as any of the originals. This drug needs to be tapered, It comes in 1mg, 2mg and 5mg tabs and, I believe, also in a liquid form (in case you REALLY need to super-titrate a W/D dose.) I wish I could say I"m sure a Board-Certified shrink didn't just tell you to stop, but as Executive Chief of Psychiatry for two huge hospitals in the NYC area, I've seen worse.

Editor's note: We do not verify the credentials of our users and nothing stated in our forums is intended to be taken as medical advice.

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You're tapering schedule is obviously not what a shrink would do. 1mg a month is unrealistic. We often use the 10% rule 10% taper once or twice weekly.SEE A SHRINK WHO HAS EXPERTISE IN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY (we don;'t have a sub-specialty cert for itv yet, but I have a PhD join Pharmacology.) Offhand, I'd raise your Stelazine to 12015g daily, but I don't know all your medical details and it's illegal to give specific medical adsice via the Internet unless one of my parents' em-ails me and say, "Doc — that Klonopin 2mg three times day makes me too dropsy. Should I stick it out or would you think cutting it to 1mg/TID might be a good idea, too > "

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Wow! You did a great job! The math works out, too. I've never had to w/d a patient from quite so much Stelazine, but this definitely is viable. Full marks, dude!

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Uh, the prescriber, assuming he's a REAL psychiatrist, can tell you exactly what to do. So can an OB-GYN. You're correct, for safety''s sake, regardless of the official labeling, I don't recommend any of my pts take meds during the first rimester. Sometimes, it can't be helped. (Not always in psychiatry, but in IM, too. My Mom had pneumonia while carrying my id sister; Amoxicillin was new then and motherland baby were fine, but years later, our old pediatrician told me he was "nervous as Hell."

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I think the liquid form of Stelazine is still available. As long as you have the right "dropper," you'd be good to go...unfortunately, Stelazine never was manufacturer in XR from because it's usually a q12h drug.

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Thank you Vermon for your answer.
Before withdrawing from the medicament I went to a psychiatrist he advised me to reduce the medicament by 0.5 MG every month. But, as a precaution I decided to reduce it at the same rate of 0.5 mg every 45 days. I am now at the rate of 1 MG daily and I intend to reduce it to 0.5 MG starting from next 1 Otober 2016.
Initially I took this medicament only for excessive anxiety and for sleeping only for few hours (from 2 to 3 hours) .
Should I reduce the daily rate to 0.33 MG every every 45 days or continue at the same rate of 0.5 MG every 45 days.
I am now in perfect and only complaining from the loss of weight.
It is worth noting that since last from the first week of June 2016 I started stop eating rice and white wheat and reduced the daily quantity of potatoes and took 1 tea spoon of sugar in only one cup of tea instead og 5 tea spoon daily in three cups.
I also greatly increased the quantity of vegetables and fruits and take only one banana instead of 2 daily in addition I take grapes peaches orange and lemon and citron.
I feel perfect well and in excellent health now

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You will find that if you take vitamins and look after your health in other ways the withdrawal symptoms will not be so strong. Also yoga and meditation will help.

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Hi I am going off stelazine too as you said about the name its Triluoperazine...it should tell you on your old Pkt of stelazine hope you get this. Cheers Jeannette.P.

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I was on 5 mg of olazapine for two and a half years.But the doctor stopped the medication because of some swollen parts of my body. He changed my drug to 10 mg of Tfp which only lasted for five month due to muscle stiffness and the doctor changed my medication to stelazine.I have been on 10 mg of stelazine for the past 2years now. How do I get off it and how do I combat the withdrawal symptoms. Pls

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I was on just 1mg of Stelazine for 25 years for panic attacks. A doctor told me just to stop taking them. Ever since (3 months) I have had severe anxiety attacks, feeling quite ill all of the time, with crying episodes for no apparent reason. Pretty much any time anyone asks me how I am. No-one ever mentioned withdrawal and I am even considering starting taking them again to find relief.

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That's what you think. I was on just 1mg a day for 25 years and every time I tried to discontinue it I would get panic attacks on the third day. Have been off Stelazine now for 4 months but am still suffering withdrawal as far as I am concerned.

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I am in Canada and have been told by a doctor that Stelazine will be no longer available because it is on old drug. He gave me escitalopram to replace it. I felt so ill for the first couple of weeks I stopped taking the new drug. Does anyone have any idea how long the panic attacks and severe anxiety will last after discontinuing the Stelazine? I am barely functioning these days.

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one other thing was a dry mouth for amonth or so from stelazine withdrawal

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I have been off for 5.6 months now. I feel good and alive, but I have a restless tongue and chattering teeth still. I also continue to have a dryish mouth and tardive dykensia. I'm not sure. The only thing that really freaks me is the clouds seem somewhat different; unreal. I lost a lot of weight (16kgs). The next project is to get off dothiepin. All is good.

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My mom took Stelazine for over 50 years when a dr took her off. She had horrible withdrawal for over two years and they can not find anything to help her. She took Stalizine for anxiety. She has bad insomnia and calls me every morning feeling like she is going to die. She feels better during daytime hours but starts worrying about the night. Anyone else have these issues? Anyone have suggestions? Her anxiety is all consuming.

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