Paxil Withdrawal: Coping Advice/Suggestions Wanted

[packrat]

Is there something else you can take instead? What does your doctor say? Maybe something you could take when you absolutely need it that doesn''t have the withdrawl?

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 10/7/2009 11:46:16 PM
Author: packrat
Is there something else you can take instead? What does your doctor say? Maybe something you could take when you absolutely need it that doesn''t have the withdrawl?

That''s what I was thinking... I would hate for you to suffer... I am hoping you are fast asleep by now.. Night night..

 

[ksluice]

Missjae, I just wanted to add my support and hugs and hopes that you''re sleeping soundly right now. I''ve been plagued with panic attacks/anxiety in the past and have many friends who are in the same boat.

We each have our own coping strategies, and it sounds like you''ve developed a good set of your own so I won''t repeat mine and besides I probably couldn''t really explain them without becoming very long winded.

I did just want to add though...beyond this moment you''re working through if youre thinking about therapy, I want to share with you (and anyone else who might find it useful) that for me dealing with the panic was all about stumbling onto a psychodynamic therapist. (They do a combination of therapy methods, but the work is largely Freudian). And when I say key, I mean a couple of sessions and the panic stopped feeling completely overwhelming--a month or so and attacks were gone. Seriously, it was like magic. And these weren''t sessions where I was freaking out or sobbing or anything. Completely unremarkable sessions with remarkable effects. Honestly, if I could sing the praises of my therapist from a mountain top I would. To some extent I should acknowledge that it might be just that particular relationship--her and me--but I truly believe it''s also the technique. If therapy is something you might explore after your through this moment, I would encourage you to ask about psychodynamic therapists.

I hope that suggestion helps, or maybe even offers some hopes..
Hang in there, babe--you''re breaking through.

 

[missjaxon]

My poor Jae Jae! I love you so very much, and I know that you can do this. You are a very strong girl and just remember there are many more better days ahead, now only if we can get you some decent sleep perhaps coping with these symptoms might be more manageable. Sorry about waking you up this afternoon

. Love you forever and ever! xoxoxo

 

[missjae]

Just stopping in for a quick update. The night before last I took Nytol and went to sleep at 8:00pm, I slept until 12:30am then was awake until 2:30 where I was able to fall asleep until 3:00am then was awake until after 8:00am then I finally slept until 1pm then was awake until I went to bed at 9:30. During the hours I''ve been awake I have been feeling very terrible. I ended up taking a Gravol around 7pm last night and was drowsy enough to sleep at 9:30. I slept until 2:30am when my sweet twin sister, missjaxon came home and the excitement expressed from our puppies about her arrival stimulated me enough to keep me awake until after 8:00am again, I then slept until 3:30 this afternoon. I would have popped in sooner but I''ve been avoiding technology and things that may stimulate me and keep me from sleeping.

I''ve been drinking as much water as I can. I carry a water bottle with ice water with me everywhere (okay from my bed to the living room and then back again, as I''ve been in no shape to go anywhere or do anything)

I''m getting nervous now about how long this is taking to get through. Going into this, I couldn''t have imagined how long it was going to take or how bad it was going to get. I''m absolutely miserable and overwhelmed and frustrated. I feel like I will never be back to normal again. I am starting to think I imagined the few good days I had. I thought I was in the clear and now I''m back to square two (I won''t say square one, because I''m better than the first 3 weeks, but not where I wish I was at this point.)


My family leaves for Vegas/California in about two weeks and I''m scared I will be in this same position. It panics me. I''m feeling pretty useless right about now. It''s such an effort and struggle getting to the lil'' Jae''s room let alone anything else. It takes quite a bit of psyching myself up to do the little things, like shower and brush my teeth.

I just cannot explain how overwhelmed and useless I feel. I just want to be my old self again. I want to be healthy. I just want to be normal.

 

[Kaleigh]

Please tell your Doc, your therapist. I am worried about you.

 

[packrat]

Date: 10/9/2009 11:02:05 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Please tell your Doc, your therapist. I am worried about you.

Me too! I didn''t think the w/drawl symptoms would last so long..I don''t have any experience w/it tho, so I have no clue. It just seems like it should be getting easier by now.

What about room temperature water? Since having Trapper, I can only drink cold water if I''m "craving" it. It''s too jarring to my system otherwise. My husband thinks I''m batty, but we have a Culligan drinking water system and I fill my water bottle up and drink it like that. It''s not warm by any means, but it''s not super cold either. My best friend can''t drink cold water anymore either..I dunno, maybe we''re just dorks or weird or something. I find I don''t drink as much as I think I do if it''s cold-I can only drink so much at a time b/c the cold goes up in my ears, but if it''s more room temperature, I can easily chug it. Hmph..this makes me sound even stranger. I thought it might be more like, if you''re having a panic attack or feeling one coming on, something not so cold might be more soothing to your system.

I agree w/Kaleigh about calling your Dr or therapist to see what they say. Maybe there is something else they could put you on to get you over the hump.

 

[lulu]

Maybe you should try some natural sleep supplements, like melatonin and valerian. I''m also thinking it''s time to see the doc again.

 

[missjae]

I think it's time to see the Doctor again too. I have tried taking Melatonin tablets, no such luck. Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada and Tuesday is my (and missjaxon's) Birthday. Wednesday I will be going back to my Doctor. Going into the winter months, it isn't uncommon to be feeling more stress/panic/anxiety here in Canada, it starts to get darker, seasons change, less sunshine! I'm starting to wonder if maybe some of this isn't just underlying anxiety/panic that I am confusing for withdrawal. I'm not sure what to think, but I will be bringing it all up with my Doctor next week and get myself back in working order.

I didn't sleep all too well last night, but I am feeling somewhat calm at the moment. I am going to rest for a couple of hours and then get up and get myself moving, do some chores around the house, bath, maybe take the puppies around the block and get some fresh air (crisp air as it's been snowing for a couple of days here!). I am feeling hopeful at this moment. I'm determined to get a grip on this and take control back. Thank you so very much for all of your support and advice. I cannot tell you what a great outlet this community is for releasing stress! You all are so wonderful! Thank you! xoxo

 

[packrat]

Thinking of you Jae, and hoping the next few days until you see the Dr on Wednesday are good ones for you!

 

[ksluice]

Date: 10/10/2009 1:52:39 PM
Author: missjae

I''m starting to wonder if maybe some of this isn''t just underlying anxiety/panic that I am confusing for withdrawal. I''m not sure what to think, but I will be bringing it all up with my Doctor next week and get myself back in working order.

Hey missjae,
You know, I wonder if you might be on to something there. It sounds like a really good insight, and it''s one that resonates with my own panic battle. One of the things that helped me was understanding that certain emotions had a disorganizing effect on me-that they would put me into that fugue-like state. For some reason, being able to trace my anxiety back to those emotions really helped me get a handle on it. I don''t know if its the same for you, but I wonder if you''re not experiencing something like that, so that the heightened emotional state of being off Paxil (or just the normal Canadian winter) might be making your thinking feel disorganized which is compounding the withdrawal?

In any case, I''ve got my fingers crossed that the meeting with your doctor goes really well, and I love hearing that your in a hopeful state. That is awesome. Sending you tons of support.

Topo

 

[packrat]

What did you find out at the Dr''s today?

Hope you and your sister had a good birthday!

 

[missjae]

Thank You Topo

packrat The last couple of days I have been enduring severe suffering

I am sure the withdrawal is done and the old anxiety is back and full blown. missjaxon and I had a terrible birthday because I was so terribly sick and she has developed what looks like a butterfly rash over nose and cheeks and is finding it very painful. Yesterday we spent our birthday in bed so today we had a do-over and ended up at the Doctor together - the day ended okay, but, we decided to make a big deal about our next birthday since we will be away for her Wedding we can have a huge party then and just appreciate the good moments we were able to get out of today. I won''t lie we''re both pretty disappointed that it wasn''t as fun as we had hoped it would be...

Anyway, my Doctor wrote an Rx for Citalopram (20mg) A.K.A Celexa and Trazodone, HCL (50mg) for one month. I filled them and have them sitting here but haven''t started them, and am not sure if I will. I want to know more about them. They both came up in Google as SSRIs and I don''t want to go back on SSRIs let alone TWO at the same time, though the second, Trazodone was given to help me sleep because I am having the worst time and when beginning Celexa it is found to cause insomnia so if I were to take the medicine, I think the Trazodone would be just for the first month to get through the hurdle of not sleeping.

I finally was able to realize that the withdrawal is over, what I am suffering from is pure anxiety and panic and I haven''t felt such severe panic in about ten years (before I started Paxil). I can''t handle it, it''s too much, I can''t eat, I can''t sleep. I sit hunched together, in pain from holding myself together so tightly, my muscles are exhausted, I''m exhausted and I constantly feel like I am seconds from throwing up, my tummy feels like a hole is being burned into it, my adrenaline pumps like crazy, hands and feet are cold, clammy and soaking wet. My throat gets tight, I can''t focus...so I have been miserable.

I have a lot of researching to do and thinking to do. For now, the prescriptions will sit safetly until I read and learn all I can and make decisions, with the help, opinions and support of my sister, missjaxon and my Momma.

I''m curious to see if anything becomes of the Celexa and Trazodone Thread also before I make decisions. Until then I need to fight with all I have and learn more.

I''m over exhausted as I''ve been sleeping in 30 min increments every 4 hours at night so bare with me if I dont make sense with this one. I am going to go try and sleep and stay sleeping tonight. I''ll be back with a more clear minded, focused update.

Thanks for checking in packrat - such a sweetheart!


THank you to everyone else for your support, suggestions, advice and shared experience.

 

[lulu]

Why did you withdraw from the paxil to begin with? I can''t recall if you said. I''ve used Celexa. I think I''ve tried all the ssris. Currently use cymbalta.

 

[missjae]

Date: 10/15/2009 10:22:52 AM
Author: lulu
Why did you withdraw from the paxil to begin with? I can''t recall if you said. I''ve used Celexa. I think I''ve tried all the ssris. Currently use cymbalta.

Paxil was taking the quality of life away from me. I wasn''t happy with it. It gave me exhaustion to no end (sleep through entire days and nights consecutively and then some type of exhaustion), and it made me very apathetic and took all my ambition away. I was like an empty nothing and I still suffered from anxiety.

I tried Cymbalta before but it gave me the WORST stomach cramping that would leave me keeled over for sometimes over an hour. It felt like someone was driving a a hot knife right into the center of my tummy.

After being on SSRIs for the better part of ten years I had forgotten how severe my underlying anxiety is when not being controlled. I finally got a letter in the mail (today in fact) to see a psychiatrist (after being on a looooonnnggg waiting list.)

I do want to deal with the issues at hand and not cover them up, but if it means using an SSRI to control them as well, I will, but I''d rather not take anything if I don''t have to. I am keeping an open mind. Hopefully it will all come together and I can find some sort of balance that makes life easier.

 

[lulu]

Some people need an antidepressant their whole life-I''m sure I will. A chemical imbalance is not your fault.

 

[Rhapsody]

Date: 10/12/2009 11:34:30 AM

Author: missjae


I''m starting to wonder if maybe some of this isn''t just underlying anxiety/panic that I am confusing for withdrawal. I''m not sure what to think, but I will be bringing it all up with my Doctor next week and get myself back in working order.

Generally when people stop using SSRIs they dont have your stereotypical withdrawal symptoms, it''s more like an exacerbation of the symptoms that caused them to seek treatment in the first place. This happens because as the SSRIs block serotonin reuptake, some people''s bodies respond to this by making less of the serotonin receptors. When you stop taking the drugs you now have less serotonin and less of the receptors, which can make the original depression/anxiety worse. The lost receptors will regenerate, but how long that takes varies from person to person.

Hang in there, it will get better.

 

[missjae]

Update: I''ve been prescribed Citalopram (Celexa) and Trazadone. I started the Trazadone the night before last at bedtime - about fifteen minutes later I felt like my body was tired, but my mind wasn''t, I hated the feeling, like I wasn''t in control, not the same feeling I get when taking sleeping pills. So I didn''t take it again last night, decided to not use that one if I don''t have to. I started the Celexa yesterday morning and am taking it again this morning. I''m curious to see if this will work well for me. I have a phychiatrist appointment booked for beginning of November, so I think I am on my way to Anxiety and Panic management. I''m sure the withdrawal is over (thankfully) but now I am working through the struggles of severe anxiety and panic...luckily with this new prescription to try and an appointment made things are headed in the right direction.

Thank you again everyone for all of your support, advice and shared experiences. I love PriceScope!