Serzone Withdrawal: 10 Tips for Coping

Serzone otherwise known as nefazadone is an anti-depressant made by Bristol-Meyers Squibb. Some time back there was an announcement that some people were prone to liver damage and or failure. This caused a wide spread panic that led to many people quitting their medication abruptly. In some users, there were intense side effects when they quit taking their serzone. First, let us be clear you should never stop any medication you are on without the advice and care of your physician. Drugs such as serzone are made to correct imbalances in the certain chemicals of the brain. This means that quitting a drug such as this without proper care can lead to highs and lows of these chemicals that can be dangerous. With that being said even with the care of your physician, you may experience serzone withdrawal. Here we will look at some of the possible withdrawal symptoms and a few ways to deal with them.

1) Minimize the risk in the first place. Work with your doctor on a weaning program that slowly removes the drug from your system. You can eliminate or greatly reduce withdrawal from day one with this type of planning. There may even be alternative therapies your doctor can recommend.

2) Have an accountability partner, this is someone you trust that you can talk to if or when depression returns. They should be available to you day or night and willing to help you seek medical attention should the depression be severe enough.

3) Insomnia is a common side affect when withdrawing from serzone. To limit its affects use some common insomnia tools. Make your bedroom a sanctuary; take out the television, radio or computer. Then keep the lights off or very low while you are sleeping. The brain responds to light as a que to get up, so keeping it dark will trick your brain into sleeping. It is inadvisable to use a sleep aid unless your doctor prescribes it. Many drugs do not play well together and you will not want to compound your problem.

4) Panic attacks are also common and are probably one of the most frightening withdrawal symptoms. To combat panic attacks you can utilize breathing techniques. These breathing exercises will have you concentrate on breathing slowly in and out through your nose until the attack passes. It can also be helpful to use an internal dialogue like repeating to your self this is only temporary it will pass.

5) Nightmares are also terrifying and if they progress to the point of night terrors, you will want to see your physician immediately. To help with nightmares keep your thoughts and mood light before bed. In other words, try to rid your self of worry and tension before sleeping. Take a warm relaxing bath or read a light novel. You should not watch things like Nightmare on Elm Street or any other such horror film. If you do, experience a nightmare and awake get up, have a warm cup of chamomile tea, and try to rid your mind of the images before going back to bed.

6) Some users have reported hallucinations as a withdrawal symptom. This may occur if the weaning process is going too quickly. The best solution here is bed rest and someone to look over you and call the doctor if they worsen. For some sufferers an immediate trip to the hospital will be in order. This will all be dependant on the individuals tolerance,

7) If you find your self, hyperventilating you can use some common treatments. When you hyperventilate you are over breathing, the quickest way to treat it is just like they do in the movies, the old paper bag trick. This helps the person to self regulate their breathing by watching the rise and fall of the bag.

8) Many people report flu like symptoms when withdrawing from serzone. The best way to deal with this symptom is the same way you would the real thing, get plenty of rest and fluids. Do not however treat the symptoms with another drug.

9) If you have abdominal cramps or other gastrointestinal disturbances, you may need medical attention. These symptoms can be quite painful and the loss of weight will be counter-productive to a healthy withdrawal from serzone. Try to avoid foods that will cause undo stress on your system. If for instance hot sauce normally upsets your digestion, you will want to avoid it as you come off serzone.

10) Be aware that you may experience dizziness and disorientation. The best way to cope is in taking care not to be in a dangerous situation should you experience this. Stay away from high places and possibly even driving for a short time.

These are only a few tips for dealing with some of the withdrawal symptoms you may have. Always keep your doctor up to date on what you are experiencing, as well as any family member who may be impacted. The good news is serzone withdrawal will not last forever, eventually you will return to your old self.