So, I don't have a lot of experience with antidepressants or anxiolytics, but one of the side effects from prozac and valium is dry mouth and valium also causes constipation as well as a host of other side effects. The combination of all the medications you are taking may also be something you want to consider as potential causes of your symptoms.

Brain fog I have quite a lot of experience with, however. Getting rid of it though, is quite the challenge.

Narrowing the causes of your brain fog may be easier if you can say when you have it.

For instance, is it constant? Are you foggy in the morning? Does only occur after meals or worsened after meals? Does it occur after a carbohydrate meal? etc.

From what I have found, brain fog is an autoimmune condition of the hypothalamus caused by oxidative stress/inflammation.

Here is a great article that explains it: http://selfhacked.com/2014/02/21/cause-brain-fog/

I think you are right about the psyllium screwing up the absorption of your medications. Some of those meds may be extended release and the psyllium may be negating their absorption. Also, the psyllium may be irritating to your gut and may be partially at fault for some of your food sensitivities .

Hope this helps some.

A lot of your symptoms are similar to one's I've struggled with. In my case it turned out to be candida. I'm still working on curing it fully, but most of my symptoms were dramatically lessened by grapefruit seed extract (GSE). Caprylic acid also helped but created a die-off effect so I don't use it very often. But if you try these two, especially the caprylic acid, it's a good way to determine if you have the same thing as me. If you feel an immediate strong reaction (trust me, you'll know) after taking it, you probably do; if not, you don't. There's no guarantees but it's a pretty easy thing to try with the potential for serious relief. Please let me know when u try those. Good luck!

Pharma medications and AF is something I have vast experience with. I did read some of your posts on Unyquitys forum, and a lot of the advice she gave you was good.

As I see it, you are on an extremely stimulating anti-depressant (prozac) and a moderate dose, the likes of SSRIs like Lexapro and Prozac have been shown to almost double the adrenals output of cortisol. As you have AF, you are flogging already tired and dead horses.

Then you are adding in more cortisol as you adrenals cant handle the stimulation and cannot maintain cortisol levels themselves with the HC. Then you are dropping in some dissected thyroid, which also stresses the adrenal system further.

Then to top it off , to reduce all the stimulation and anxiety causes by the prozac, hc and armour, you are on a high dose benzo (valium) to calm it all down, and help you get some rest at the end of the day because you are so wired with chemicals.

There is no easy way to say this, but yes you do have severe AF, and it is the meds that are making it worse.

CB is actually right, doing any form of detox will make you worse, extremely worse. Your liver depends on the constant stream of these drugs now you have become dependant, they are all metabolized in there, so by doing 'detox's' you are removing the drug faster than you should do, so in essence, everyday you are entering withdrawals. Only to then trick it and go back up with doses. High dose Vitamin C is also counter production, and I know uniquity mentioned this as well- to quick the detox is brutal. Curezone is very bad for this and sometimes extremely dangerous. Everyone is detox detox detox, but those that have been on these meds and come through know how bad this can be. Detox comes AFTER your body has got used to functioning with drugs.

I am sure you have already joined Benzo Buddies and Surviving Anti Depressants, to know the real effects of these drugs and the mayhem they cause.

HC weaning, is almost brutal, and this should be the last drug withdrawal you do. You need to start with the benzo, then the prozac, then move over to the others. It will take probably two to three full years and a lot of suffering, but you have to get through it. There is no other way. I am 15 months through a cold turkey benzo withdrawal and only just coming out of the other side, it has been true hell, but i grinned and beared it. Going back on doses, having more , having less just to cope with the hell is very counter productive.

Questioning your symptoms right now will only cause you further anxiety, you can only tackle symptoms once you know what is doing what, and you have absolutely no way of knowing what your body is doing on all those meds! Also changing your doses on a daily basis is also causijng your system more complication.(been there as well)

Your diet is going to do shit for you right now, as a wise doctor once told me, no amount of prayer, meditation, diet, supplements is going to help, only time and strength of character and he was right.so yes lots of good vegetables for the nutrients, organic lean meats for the aminos, stay off the fruit and the sugar, as CB said, monitor any reactions to foods and avoid them as allergies can cause hectiness.

Maybe some adrenal support if you can tolerate them, small amount Vit C, maybe A.C.E drops etc, but only you can build up the support list based on your own reactions. No reaction is GOOD and means you can tolerate it. But your body will constantly change during this trip, so what dosent have a reaction today, might react next week, so watch out for it and adjust supplements on this. I know its confusing when your body is already going mayhem!

The only thing that worked for me was coming off all supplements and meds. Everything and taking the pain. But you can do a slow withdrawal instead of my doctor advised cold turkey!

Benzos - check out the Ashton manual, Id say that would take about a year I believe
Prozac - at 40mg, that will probably take a year
HC - I dont know about HC, but others on here have withdrawn from it, so hopefully they will help (this is when the adrenal support is needed the most)

Good luck, and be brave, you can do it! once you are off them, you can start to rebuild from the ground up.

Nutritrional yeast is probably bad for you, as it is a highly allergenic substance. I have seen it many times, people who up immune sensitivty to yeast in tests.

In your food list you never have mentioned taking natural antifungal such as garlic cloves (smashed or chopped), onion (with each green salad), cayenne pepper, ginger root.. Those are essential Candida beaters, should be taken every day with meal and in between. Also, Juicing, juicing, juicing

Dpier,

I am so so so so sorry that you are experiencing this. Why am I so sorry for you? Because I have experience EXACTLY what you have - every single symptom down to a T. I never knew it was possible to suffer so unbelievably. What caused my symptoms? I was on effexor XR for 3-4 years and was tapering down rather quickly (4 months). When I hit my zero dose, my whole life fell apart and I experienced your laundry list of symptoms (thanks withdrawal). After 3-4 months of acute mind numbing symptoms I eventually started to taper back onto my effexor and slowly over the course of a year I improved. (More on this recovery later)

This is what I think is occurring. Fast dosage changes in psychiatric meditation is incredibly shocking to the mind and nervous system (especially when you aren't at a healthy baseline to begin with). Your system has experienced a severe nervous shock. Your predisposition to anxiety (which I had too) makes the situation more difficult because the symptoms are so debilitating and frightening that it sends you into a tailspin.

While people are suggesting that you might have Candida, which you might, your acute symptoms are caused by a shock to your mind and nervous system from the meds (again my belief given me own experience). My recommendation is don't tinker with your meds anymore (again from my own experience). If you tapered up or down too quickly try to bring them back to the level your body was used to, slowly, and don't touch the levels until you gain significant ground over how you feel. Then only after you feel much much much much better, start an epicly slow taper (im talking several years). I know, I hate to be on AD's too, but you cannot rush your body's recovery.

In regards to my recovery, it was and is painfully slow, but real. I am about 80% recovered after 3 years. After 1 year after this event, I went back to school and finished with nearly a 4.0, so the mind can and does heal. Was I perfect - no. Will I be? Your damn right I will fight every day until I am 100% recovered. My recovery was built on support, distraction, healthy eating, and detox & continues to be.

Please read the following two stories of similar sufferer's but more importantly people who have been through what we have and are 100% healed. You and I will join them in this painful, but worthwhile journey back to wholeness and health.

please send me a personal msg and I will send you two links you should read about other recovery stories.

Research the side effects on the prozac drug. If you think you might be having side effects contact your doctor right away.