Drug Withdrawal
A surprising variety of medications can cause withdrawal symptoms if stopped too abruptly. Even certain over-the-counter drugs can cause such problems.
Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome Was Terrifying
Whenever a doctor writes a prescription, a savvy patient will ask about stopping it: when should you stop taking it? What is the best approach for discontinuing? The physician should warn that Cymb…
How to Use Herbs and Diet to Get Off Prevacid De…
Q. I came off lansoprazole (Prevacid) over a year ago after taking it for four years for stomachaches. (I'd never had heartburn.) I stopped because I was suffering with muscle pains and couldn't sleep…
Difficulties Getting Off Cymbalta Have Her Looki…
Q. Over the last 10 years I have been on various antidepressants, including Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Effexor (venlafaxine), Lexapro (escitalopram) and Cymbalta (duloxetine). I have ex…
Stopping Nexium (Esomeprazole) Suddenly Can Caus…
When the acid-suppressing medications known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were first introduced, doctors were extremely enthusiastic. The drugs were extremely effective at treating ulcers and sever…
Tenacious Nasal Spray Addiction Can Be Overcome …
Q. I was addicted to nasal sprays for five years. The ear, nose and throat specialist told me that there was nothing he could do. He said I had to go "cold turkey." A year later, my family doctor pres…
Omeprazole Side Effects Motivate Difficult Disco…
Q. I have been on omeprazole for heartburn but it has led to high blood pressure and headaches. I have also developed osteoporosis. I am desperate to get off this drug, but every time I stop the heart…
Prelief Helps in Quitting PPIs
Q. I spent years swallowing PPIs like omeprazole for reflux and Barrett's esophagus. My gastroenterologist says the abnormal cells in my esophagus have now healed, so I decided to wean myself off the …
Lyrica Side Effects & Withdrawal are Worris…
Have you seen the ad blitz for Lyrica (pregabalin)? A LOT of money is being spent trying to convince the American public that Lyrica is the answer to diabetic nerve pain. One of the most compelling co…
Abilify Side Effects Can Be Scary!
Abilify (aripiprazole) has been one of the most successful drugs in the pharmacy. At one time, this medication had sales of over $5,000,000,000 annually. That turned it into one of the best selling dr…
Unbearable Itch after Stopping Antihistamine
Q. I took cetirizine (Zyrtec) for about four months, and when I stopped I started to itch horribly. First my feet, and then my hands and scalp acted up. I didn't know what was wrong until I read on yo…
Generic Switch Triggers Diazepam Side Effects &#…
Q. I had horrific side effects from 5mg diazepam when I was switched to a different generic diazepam. The first time I took the new pills, I woke up feeling like I was being shocked or as if I were ha…
Low Blood Sugar Batters Brain
Q. My mother-in-law was hospitalized twice this winter for a weak heart. The hospital was very aggressive in treating her diabetes, although we repeatedly told them that she is better off with blood s…
Cetirizine (Zyrtec) Withdrawal & Unbearable…
Cetirizine (Zyrtec) and its close chemical cousin levocetirizine (Xyzal) are popular antihistamines for allergies. They both used to be available only by prescription. Zyrtec became available over the…
Antidepressant Withdrawal Feels Like Circles of …
Doctors have been prescribing tranquilizers and anti-anxiety agents for centuries. Antidepressants are more recent. They weren't discovered until the 1950s. When a doctor prescribes anxiolytics or ant…
Overcoming Nose Spray Addiction
Q. I have a suggestion for the person who wrote about being addicted to nasal spray. I was hooked on Neo-Synephrine for more than 30 years. Then I read that a prescription for Flonase could help. I wa…
Doctors Overlooked Scary Drug Interaction
Q. I have been diagnosed with serotonin syndrome brought on by a drug interaction between Cymbalta, gabapentin, tramadol and a low dose of Prozac. It caused me a lot of problems, including agitation, …
Getting Off Pristiq
In the 21st century, more people than ever are taking antidepressants. Depression is a serious, even debilitating, disorder, but not everyone who is taking an antidepressant medication actually has …
Clonazepam (Klonopin) Side Effects & Compli…
Benzodiazepines like clonazepam have an important role in treating severe anxiety in the short term. Too often, however, people may end up taking these medications for lengthy periods of time. After m…
Pristiq (Desvenlafaxine) Side Effects & Wit…
An antidepressant could be a lifesaver when a person is desperate and hopeless. In less dire circumstances, however, we urge patients to ask questions about the prescription before they accept it. How…
Reader Pooh-Poohs PPI Problems
The acid-suppressing drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have become immensely popular. Medicines like dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), (esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole…
Stopping Paroxetine or Cymbalta (Duloxetine) Is …
Q. I have attempted to stop taking Paxil. The sickness and body reactions experienced after 3 days were horrible, however. I cannot afford to take that much time off work and I had no idea how long th…
Special Gummies Can Help Ease Withdrawal
Q. I know many people have had a terrible time coming off sertraline. I wish you would tell people about my experience quitting another medicine, Xanax. It is addictive and very hard to stop. My docto…
Quitting Zoloft (Sertraline) Is a Challenge
Q. I quit Zoloft after nine years and suffered horrendous withdrawal symptoms: nausea, brain zaps, vertigo, headaches, digestive problems and numbness and tingling in my hands, feet and face. I'm writ…
Stopping Omeprazole Provoked Unbearable Pain
Q. For years my doctor prescribed Prilosec and then Nexium for my reflux. He never mentioned anything about side effects and made it sound like a super-safe drug that I could take indefinitely. I lost…
Unbearable Itching from Cetirizine Withdrawal
Q. I took the antihistamine cetirizine for allergies for three years. I stopped abruptly last summer and promptly began itching all over. I have been going to a dermatologist ever since. I was treated…
Tramadol Side Effects and Withdrawal are Dauntin…
Doctors love tramadol (Ultram, Ultracet) because it is perceived as safer than narcotics like hydrocodone (Lortab, Norco, Vicodin, etc.) or oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet, etc). In case you had not no…
Generic Alprazolam Causes Withdrawal Side Effect…
Q. I made it clear to my doctor a few years back that the generic brand for Xanax does not work effectively. It is at best 50% effective. I first realized how poorly it worked about 3 years ago when I…
Anxiety & Stopping Alprazolam & Atenol…
Q. I have a long history of anxiety and panic attacks. I am also a performing musician, which can often cause performance anxiety. I have been prescribed Xanax (alprazolam) off and on over the years a…
Withdrawal Makes Stopping Medicine Hard
When a physician hands you a prescription, you should be told how to take your pills: with meals or on an empty stomach, morning or evening, how many times a day and the proper dose. You may be warned…
Heartburn Drugs Are Hard to Stop
Q. Your advice on getting off acid-suppressing drugs (PPIs) makes it clear you've never experienced rebound reflux. I am a nurse, and I take omeprazole, lansoprazole or whatever other PPI I can get. I…
Stopping Acid-Suppressing Drug Can Be a Challeng…
Q. As a nurse, I'm concerned about the widespread use of acid-suppressing drugs like omeprazole. I've heard many patients talk about how bad their reflux is when they stop these drugs. Until recently …
Nose Spray Addiction Hard Habit to Kick
When you start taking a new prescription, you should always ask the prescriber for detailed information on when and how you should stop taking it. This consideration can be just as important for OTC m…
Kicking Cymbalta Is Painful
Q. My doctor prescribed Cymbalta for the pain of fibromyalgia, but it did not alleviate the pain at all. Instead, it made me feel like a zombie. I had no energy or motivation, but I did have insomnia.…
Getting Off Zoloft Is Challenging
Antidepressants can be lifesavers, but ultimately many people find that they would like to stop taking the medication. This can be more difficult than it seems. Is Zoloft Addictive? Q. I was told that…
Stopping Cetirizine Linked to Itch?
Q. I took the antihistamine cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) for two years for allergies. When I ran out a week ago, I broke out into an itchy rash on my arms and chest. At first I thought it was a food al…
Getting Off PPIs
Q. Do you have a diet for helping me survive omeprazole detox? Your book alerted me to the dangers of the drug and I want to end my dependence on this heartburn medicine. When I forgot to take omepraz…
Itching from Cetirizine Withdrawal
Q. I have had terrible trouble trying to stop taking Zyrtec (the generic is cetirizine). After using this antihistamine for about three years while having allergy shots, I first attempted to stop taki…
Getting Off Drugs for GERD Requires Strategy
Q. I have GERD and I have been on Nexium for several years. Before Nexium I took Tagamet, Zantac, and Prilosec, in that order. I have tried to get off of this medicine several times, and I have been u…
Rebound Symptoms Keep Many on Drugs
When people take certain drugs for anxiety, insomnia, heartburn or headache, they are trying to ease their discomfort. They surely don't intend to make things worse, yet sometimes that is what happens…
Joe on NPR • Heartburn Drugs That Cause Heartb…
Richard Knox did a splendid job on NPR discussing rebound hyperacidity brought on by the sudden discontinuation of acid-suppressing heartburn drugs like Nexium (esomeprazole), Prilosec (omeprazole) an…