Momiki: tapering off paroxetine. Muscle stiffness is no fun.

[jtarchin]

My experience with Paxil hit a wall at 5mg, weeks of bad withdrawal that didn't change. Out of desperation I found the doc that originally prescribed it over 10 yrs ago, who'd moved away. I had not been able to keep weight on. 10 lbs lost in one month (30total), due to G.I. problems from the drug. I did a bridge to 5mg prozac for 5 days then stopped. Prozac half life is weeks/ Paxil is 24 hrs. The withdrawals are from the body trying to function w/o the drug and are not from the drug itself. Because I was on it for so long my CNS was not used to functioning w/o it. Now I'm around 80 days w/o any drug. Still having WD and at around 60 days muscle tension was over the top. I see a physical therapist who does dry needling with electricity in the most affected areas in my neck. The mastoid process and occipital areas are the worst. I just started Magnesium and fish oil which calmed the G.I. upset and lessened the muscle tightness. It's been about 3 weeks of muscle problems and ever so slowly they release tho my last PT appt gave me a migraine while he worked on me. Weight loss is still happening tho slowed. It's clear this will take months to overcome. Any stressors (emotional one's especially) instigate WD. It's frustrating to be so sensitive. I find setting gentle goals and not expecting myself to be as I used to be helps decrease the pressure. If I look back 3-6 mths there is improvement but its a zig-zag path. Along the way I alienated my offspring, had to quit my job, simplify everything. Now I try to practice radical self-kindness and it helps. This is not our fault, its the drug and the system that supports the use of the drug. Try to think of this  as not being a straight shot to improvement, but take the average over 3 weeks and evaluate it that way. Set achievable goals that can build your self-confidence and not dissapoint you. Can't tell you all the energy I wasted thinking this should be different than it is.

[Momiki]

On 2/22/2024 at 5:13 PM, Chlo said:

@Momiki hello, would you mind telling me the anesthesia they used during your procedure. I will be having a procedure done in the near future and am concerned the anesthesia will amp up my wd. Trying to find an article or info on the site, also waiting for an admin to help with this information. Any help would be appreciated ❤️ Thank you, God bless!

 

Hi Chlo, I looked up my medical file online, but unfortunately it seems the specifics on which medication etc they used during the surgery is no longer listed. There is a topic on this forum on anesthesia, though: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/3441-surgery-and-anesthesia/ For most people it didn't seem to ramp up withdrawal. Good luck with your surgery, I hope all goes well!

 

[Momiki]

On 2/22/2024 at 7:37 PM, Wilsonnn said:

@Momiki and I guess anyone else in this thread that has used a micropipette. What brand did you pick and why? Did you go through their manufacturers specs and look at the tolerances that they provide (how accurate/precise they are and their allowable deviations from that)?

 

I also wanted to know if anyone has used empty capsules to put the liquid in, as a delivery method (instead of taking it with a drink).

 

If I missed this info in the thread, I apologize!

 

Wilson

 

Hi Wilson,

 

I have three micropipettes. The 10 - 100 microliter one is from the brand Joan Lab. The 0.5 - 10 ul and 0.1 - 2.5 ul ones are from Four E's scientific. They all have a quality control certificate. The certificate lists their deviations, but I never looked into that. It's +- 2.4 Inacc% and <=1.0 Impr% for the biggest one, +- 6.0 Inacc% and <= 3.0 Impro% for the middle one and +- 3.0 Inacc% and <= 1.0 Impr% for the smallest one. I didn't go through specs beforehand and didn't compare brands, because there was only one type available when I bought them. I ordered them from the German Amazon, I couldn't find any for sale in the Netherlands itself.

 

Nowadays I put my liquid in a full glass of water. At higher dosages I also added lemonade (the type where you use a little bit of syrup and then add water) to mask the taste of the medicine. I never used capsules.

 

Hope that helps!

[Wilsonnn]

@Momiki This absolutely did help! Thank you for responding quickly!

[Momiki]

20 jan 2024: 29.70 microliter (1.188 mg) => updose

30 jan 2024: 29.80 microliter

13 mar 2024: 29.75 microliter

26 mar 2024: 30 microliter

 

After reducing from 30 ul (1.2 mg) to 29.35 ul (1.174 mg) and going back up to 29.8 (1.192 mg) due to stronger than anticipated withdrawal symptoms, I reached WD-normal around Feb 13th. I stayed there for a bit, and lowered my dose one teeny tiny bit to 29.75 ul (1.172 mg) on March 13th. Starting March 8 I had an increase in migraine and headache, though. I had to take sumatriptan several times, and had about 8 consecutive days of mild headache. The mild headache went away once I started massaging the muscles between my shoulder blades, but I did notice that rigorous exercise now triggers migraines. I didn't have that before. This for me was a deal breaker. I have a limited social life, not many friends, so training and going on trips with my kayak club is important to me. I've refrained from multi-day trips since October last year, because I'm likely to get migraine on the second day. Now even day trips get me in trouble.

 

Because of this I decided to once again take a very long break from tapering. Since my previous one-year break apparently wasn't enough this might mean I'll have to go more towards a 5 year break. Perhaps longer. That sounds horribly long, and is not what I want, but right now I value being happy, being able to live life and increase my social circle more than being drug-free. I don't want to hassle with 2 micropipettes for such a long time (I have one for the 29 ul and one for the 0.75 ul), so I decided to grudgingly updose back to 30 ul. I hope I haven't kindled my nervous system with all these drug changes. Today is day 2 on the higher dose and so far I'm only noticing irritability. Hopefully it will stay at that.

 

Also noting in case I reread this in the future: On March 6 I had a short and small panic attack, after noticing the need to go to the bathroom but there not being one nearby (I was outside, in a city). It subsided, and I was fine after that. However, I've had several instances since then where I wasn't anxious, but feeling somewhat uneasy. Perhaps it's stress, perhaps withdrawal, perhaps I really do need this medication to function properly. I'm bummed, but at least I decreased my drug burden from 20 mg to 1.2 mg. That's an accomplishment as well. Now hopefully all will heal and I will have a withdrawal- and migraine-free future.

[Momiki]

Hm, irritability feels a bit like an understatement. Perhaps neuro-anger is better. Also leads to more trouble concentrating.

[Mamgu]

Hi Momiki - I was really sad to read this, I hoped the year long hold was enough and you'd be able to chip away at the dose levels 😞. I'm so sorry this is your experience, it's just not fair.

 

What is good though, is your attitude - of course you're going to feel bummed, but you are looking at the positives of holding for a longer time.  I think it's crucial to have a life amidst the dramas of this process and you being able to focus on your mental and physical wellbeing is important.  So I wanted to say, although it's a rubbish situation, well done for being as positive as you are and for looking after yourself

 

Also, you're right 20mg to 1.2mg isn't to be sniffed at - well done.  Who knows what the future will hold for you, maybe when it's time to start recommencing the dose drops, you'll find it much easier 🤞

 

Stay strong and be happy ❤️

x