Rizzy33: CT Paroxetine 4 months ago.

[Rizzy33]

I wish I found this page before I quit. I thought I was tapering correctly but after reading this website, I clearly did not. I began 10mg of paroxetine in the fall of 2019 after having vision issues that I blamed on the medicine I decided to go off of the meds in September of 2022. I did not have any withdrawal symptoms until early January 2023. Then it all hit me. Insomnia, abdominal pain and discomfort, constipation, dizziness. I told myself I could deal with that. Then came the heart pounding. Not necessarily racing. Pounding so hard I feel it in my head and neck. At times I see pulsating in my vision. I wasn't ready for this. Many ER visits and cardiologists visits all say my heart is fine. Last week my Dr. put me on a beta blocker. That has helped the pounding and I can sleep at night for now. I just do not want to go on another med. I am thinking about reinstating and tapering down the road. Any advice is welcomed? 

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Rizzy33.

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.  A list format is best.  Be sure to include the date you CT'd Paxil in Sept. 2022 and the dose you were on when you CT'd.  Also include the beta blocker name, dosage and date started.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

The symptoms you describe are typical withdrawal symptoms.  Three months out is a common time for withdrawal symptoms to appear after a CT or too-fast taper.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome

 

Brain Remodelling

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

You mentioned reinstating.  Certainly a possibility but it must be done very carefully.  Reinstating a very small dose of your old drug is the only known method to minimize withdrawal symptoms.  It is not guaranteed but it's the best tactic. The only other choice is to wait withdrawal out, but there's no way to predict how long it will take to stabilize from the cold turkey. We do not recommend starting a different drug to deal with withdrawal.   Reinstatement works most predictably within three months of your last dose.  You're at 4 months, a bit outside, but it could still work.  

 

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms. -- at least the first page of the topic

 

Once you've completed your drug signature with the dosage you were taking, we can suggest a reinstatement dose of Paxil. It will be very small.  Do not reinstate without letting us suggest a dosage.  Your system has become sensitized and has made adjustment to being off the drug in the 4 months since your CT. If you take too much, it could overwhelm your brain and cause you to become more unstable.  Down the road, once you've stabilized on the reinstated dosage, which can take several months, you can begin a 10% per month taper down to zero.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  Right now, do your signature and we can go from there.
 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium (glycinate is a good form) and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.  I hope you’ll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation.  I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but I am glad that you found us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carmie]

Hi Rizzy, 

 

Welcome to SA. Most of us on here haven’t tapered properly before we stumbled across this forum. I was put on and off so many meds, I don’t even remember all the names. It all started due to chronic pain. Sadly we can’t change the past. 
 

Please put in your signature through the link that Gridley gave you above and have a read of the other links. You are not alone in this journey, we are a peer support group. Feel free to go to other people’s threads too so you can enjoy an interchange of encouragement with others who know exactly what you’re going through. 
 

Sending hugs🤗

[Rizzy33]

Thank you for the quick responses. I will definitely read the information and figure out my signature.

[Rizzy33]

I don't think I'm going to reinstate. Reading some of the stories on here it seems that a reinstatement can go either way(bad or good). I know what I'm experiencing now and it's the unknown that worries me. I have been sleeping better and my heart is pounding less. Could that be the metoprolol? I really don't want to be on that for long but the heart pounding was really severe at times. When my heart starts to pound the left side of my chest and left arm starts to burn. Could this be withdrawal symptoms? Seems to mimic a heart attack. 

 

I have added magnesium and omega 3s to my daily intake as well as some Epsom salt baths twice a week. 

[possum]

If you should choose to reinstate, please be cautious. Metoprolol and Paroxetine do NOT mix. My cardiologist put me on Metoprolol and my heart rate plummeted to the high 30s. It was no fun! Suffice to say, I have a new cardiologist!

[Rizzy33]

@possum

Did you experience heart issues during withdrawal or was that something pre-taper? 

[Hanna72]

Hi @Rizzy33

I don’t know if it could be from Paxil withdrawals, but wanted to let you know I had those symptoms as well when I was in my early stages of Paxil withdrawals. Sorry you have to experience it, it’s really uncomfortable and scary feeling. 
As Gridley mentioned you could always reinstate a small amount, to help you out with the hardest symptoms, then you could taper later off very slowly. 
What ever you decide, we are here to support you.

All my best to you.

[possum]

10 hours ago, Rizzy33 said:

@possum

Did you experience heart issues during withdrawal or was that something pre-taper? 

Yes, I did. But the ectopic beats seem to have gotten worse, I suspect due to the extra anxiety about the taper. 

[Rizzy33]

6 hours ago, Hanna72 said:

Hi @Rizzy33

I don’t know if it could be from Paxil withdrawals, but wanted to let you know I had those symptoms as well when I was in my early stages of Paxil withdrawals. Sorry you have to experience it, it’s really uncomfortable and scary feeling. 
As Gridley mentioned you could always reinstate a small amount, to help you out with the hardest symptoms, then you could taper later off very slowly. 
What ever you decide, we are here to support you.

All my best to you.

Thank you! It helps knowing that there are people out there going through the same things even though It's unfortunate that we have to go through it at all. Thank you for the support, I will be sure to read your story! 

[Rizzy33]

@Gridley

 

Is it too late to reinstate? I'm back and forth with this. I know it's probably frustrating. What are the risks to reinstating this late and then tapering down the road? 

[Gridley]

5 minutes ago, Rizzy33 said:

Is it too late to reinstate? I'm back and forth with this.

It's a tough call.  You're 5 to 6 months out from your last dose, and reinstatement works most predictably if done within 3 months.  That's not to say it can't work; it could.  But there is the risk that reinstatement will make matters worse, with increased or new withdrawal symptoms.  

 

If you decide to reinstate, I wouldn't try more than 0.25mg.  That low dose will lessen the risk of an adverse result.  If after reinstatement your symptoms worsen, stop the reinstatement immediately.

[Rizzy33]

Can anyone recommend anything for the heart pounding? It is not racing, My resting is in the low 60s. Heart pounds so hard I feel it in my head and neck and my vision pulsate with the  beat of my heart. I had to stop taking the metoprolol because it made my legs incredibly weak, I could barely walk at work. 

[Carmie]

How are you doing @Rizzy33. Are you still getting a pounding heart? 💛

[Rizzy33]

@Carmie It's seems to be getting better. I'm still getting the heartbeat in my head and vision pulsating. I haven't seen a lot of people get that on here. Unless I'm not looking in the right place. It really worries me. Thanks for checking in. How are you doing? 

[Carmie]

Hey there @Rizzy33 I’m glad to hear that you’re doing a little better. Have you checked the thread entitled: “ Irregular heartbeats, palpitations, tachycardia, bradycardia,” in the Symptoms and Self-Care section? Seeing your doctors say there’s nothing wrong with your heart, it sounds like you may be getting the severe tachycardia because of the withdrawals. That must be a scary feeling. 
 

Are you on magnesium or fish oil? They are two of the supplements recommended on this site to help during withdrawal. You just start at a low dose on one of them and then try the other. We need to start slow and low with anything we take, as  we can be extremely hypersensitive to pretty much anything. This includes physical, mental and emotional stress as well. All these things can ramp up our nervous system. We need to do things to help calm our nervous systems, I like going outside in nature, doing hobbies etc. 

 

Thanks for asking how I am, I’m in a window at the moment, but I’m extremely sick with other health issues unrelated to withdrawals. I’ve got chronic fatigue syndrome, and my immune system seems to attack my lungs, thus I have breathing problems. I just take an hour at a time. My motto has always been: Distract! Distract! Distract! We need to find distractions when going through withdrawals or other health issues. Some days I’m just in survival mode, trying to make it to the end of the day. That’s where distractions come in so handy. 

Sending hugs🤗

[Rizzy33]

@Carmie I do take magnesium. I need to add fish oil though. I started omega 3s before but I don't think I purchased a good brand. 

 

I'm sorry you are feeling unwell. I hope you start feeling better soon. I agree with you about distractions. If I let myself sit and think about this all day I get into a deep hole that I don't want to climb out of. 

[Carmie]

That’s good you’re taking magnesium @Rizzy33, I just saw it in your signature, I didn’t look there before. Yes, might be a good idea to get back on the omega 3’s too. I can’t tolerate them very well, I can’t take more than one capsule a day. I eat seafood high in omega 3’s each day though. I eat heaps of sardines, I only like the Portuguese ones though. I also eat salmon and other seafood, and the only meat I eat is 100% grass fed because that is high in omega 3’s, other meat can cause inflammation.

Yes, good ol’ distractions. I’m never bored, there are so many creative things we can do. 
 

I hope you have a happy day☀️

[Carmie]

How is your heart pounding problem now @Rizzy33 ? 💛

[Rizzy33]

@CarmieThe pounding is less severe but I'm still dealing with heart palpitations.  Feels like it will never end sometimes. How about you? Are you still in a window? Hope all is well. 

[Carmie]

Yes, it does feel like a never ending story @Rizzy33, I’m kind of in a window, but my nerves are totally shot. I haven’t tapered for more than two months. I’ve had to updose some other medication to help modulate my immune system, so I can’t do too many things at once. I’m just taking an hour at a time as my health issues ( unrelated to withdrawals) are severe, and then with withdrawals on top of them it’s all overwhelming. 
 

Nevertheless, I’m continuing to focus on things that are important in my life, accept what I can’t change at the moment and just take each moment at a time. I let myself feel whatever negative feelings I’m feeling and then do things I can do that matter to me. Some days everything is so bad health wise, that I just use lots of different distractions to get through the day. An hour at a time does it. 

 

Sending hugs🤗

[Rizzy33]

@Carmie I have trouble with acceptance. I get so angry with myself that I took this poison, Angry with my Dr. who casually prescribed it, angry with Pharma. I need to take a page out of your book and work on acceptance. It's hard to do though. Hope all is well Carmie and I'll continue to keep you and all others on this site in my prayers. I try not to get on here every day like I used to because it's easy to get angry and sad reading what this stuff is doing to people. 

[Carmie]

@Rizzy33 Yes, it’s definitely justifiable to feel angry. We have gone through so much trauma because of these meds. It’s definitely a good idea to take a break from this site here and there, as seeing everyone suffer can get a bit much. 
 

Hope you find a little joy in your day💛

[Rizzy33]

My vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels are low. I am worried about trying to take the prescriptions my Dr called in. Any advice on what to do or possible substitutes?