Coming off of antidepressants

[Nymph]

Currently I'm taking Venlafaxine and Quetiapine. I really wanted to ignore the side effects of Venlafaxine because it was helping me lose weight and I felt pretty alright on it but when I take it I get extremely sweaty even when I do minor tasks. It's unbearable, I go out, walk for 10 minutes and all of my clothes are soaked, my whole face/palms are sweating. If I'm wearing lose pants I can feel drops of sweat going down my legs, even when it's 10 Celsius outside. It's crazy and it's making me want to die even more, so I decided to get off of Venlafaxine but I'm worried I won't find any other good antidepressant like this because I already tried a few out of every group (of antidepressants) I'm really desperate. Right now I'm already on a lower dose of Venlafaxine and it's the lowest dose you can buy here (75 mg), so it's also the dose I started out with in the beginning. Since I won't be able to get a lower dose I tried to stop taking it completely but I felt totally miserable-the same way as when I quit with the higher dose. I have absolutely no idea how I'm gonna get off of it. I was totally non functional and I seriously don't know what I'm gonna do. I feel like I'm trapped and can't stop taking them. I feel so sick and like I'm gonna throw up, I was only able to bear it for 2 days and then I took the pills again.... I will talk about it with my psychiatrist next week but I'm just so lost.

plus I feel like she's not cooperating with me enough, I know that there's medication that helps decrease the sweating issues when it comes to antidepressants but she didn't offer me those. She didn't even mention the fact that Venlafaxine and Quetiapine together can cause problems (I read about that myself)- it said it's a rare side affect but I feel like it might be casing some heart arrhythmia and that way it causes sweating issues or something. I just don't know-I hate this so much, I've been more suicidal again

 

[Deleted member 1465]

It's really tough. No one wants to be on these medications but sometimes you can't do without them. That doesn't mean you won't get unpleasant 'side effects' though. Sometimes it comes down to choice between what is worse, the 'side effect' of going without.
It's your body and your mind, not hers. If you want to come off, then she has a responsibility to help you do it even if she disagrees. However, I doubt she'd see it that way.
When I came off the medications, I got my GP to prescribe twice as many tablets but at half the dose, that way I could take the full dose, taper to half, then cut the tablets in half so I'd be on a quarter dose. But I had to figure out the tapering regime myself, the doc was no help.
I realise it's not that easy to just get another psych, but maybe that would be the ideal option.

 

[Nymph]

It's really tough. No one wants to be on these medications but sometimes you can't do without them. That doesn't mean you won't get unpleasant 'side effects' though. Sometimes it comes down to choice between what is worse, the 'side effect' of going without.
It's your body and your mind, not hers. If you want to come off, then she has a responsibility to help you do it even if she disagrees. However, I doubt she'd see it that way.
When I came off the medications, I got my GP to prescribe twice as many tablets but at half the dose, that way I could take the full dose, taper to half, then cut the tablets in half so I'd be on a quarter dose. But I had to figure out the tapering regime myself, the doc was no help.
I realise it's not that easy to just get another psych, but maybe that would be the ideal option.

I wish I could break the pill in half but it's in the capsule and if I'd open it and only take the half id overdose myself because the capsule is supposed to dissolve over time. So the lowest dose I can try and come off of is 75mg, which I tried and still felt miserable. I'm scared I won't be able to bare the withdrawals and just have to take it forever.

my psychiatrist doesn't disagree with me but I just wish she would help me more to make my correct meds work better so that I wouldn't have to try new meds.

I tried to get a new psychiatrist but she's the only one available thats "free" because of health insurance. I don't know how to explain it properly because English is not my first language but basically I can't choose which doctor I get because my priority is that it's payed by my health insurance therefore "free" ya know? So I can't get a different one unless it's private and my parents don't want to pay for a private one.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I wish I could break the pill in half but it's in the capsule

I was afraid you were going to say that!

I tried to get a new psychiatrist but she's the only one available thats "free" because of health insurance.

That doesn't surprise me either. I know how tough it can be. It's as if the system is designed to make it as hard for the patient as possible. They should listen and empower, but all they often do is medicate and bully.

The only thing i can suggest if you have to stay with her is to attempt to passively guide her to get what you want. Invest in your 'weakness' and pander to her failings. Is she arrogant? Flatter her credibility? Ask her how she is etc. Show her some respect, even if you don't feel it then plead plaintively for her assistance. Allow her to feel in control whilst guiding her to what you want as subtly as possible.
Doctors very often hate to be questioned and need to assert control. Try and let her feel in control whilst you steer things.
I realise this is hard to do and TBH it shouldn't be necessary, you shouldn't have to resort to this sort of thing. But if she is making things worse, then you really need to get her on side. Psychs are human too, they are not all powerful. Some are good at their job and some are bad at it. If you are not in a position to pick and choose then you'll have to work with what you have got. And cheat, change the rules without her realising.
She'll not do anything unethical (I hope) and you should both hopefully come out of it happier.

But again, I realise this can be very hard to accomplish. I hope you can get what you need from her.