An AD Free Jo!
As of tomorrow, I will be antidepressant free for the first time in just over 2 years. I just couldn’t tollerate the tiredness and insomnia that Paroxetine was causing me, and my consultant made the call that they wouldn’t improve if I persevered. So, I’m coming off them, and with going back to Uni looming next week, we’ve decided to try a med free period.
It’s a strange feeling, and quite daunting. It does have some benefits though. It’ll give my body a chance to recover a bit from the cocktail it’s had to put up with, and maybe allow things to settle down a bit. It also lets us see what my current “ground state” is. 2 years ago, if I’d stopped taking the antidepressants, I’d have plunged back into a severe depression. This will let us see how I am without medication, and whether living without side effects is enough of a reason not to try a new drug. (There’s precious few new ones left anyway…)
Of course, it’s possible I haven’t actually got any better, and in a few weeks time I’ll be back in the middle of a raging depression again. But I guess that’s the story of my life! I’ll let you know how it goes.