Protracted Withdrawal or PAWS (post-acute withdrawal syndrome)

[TardiveTongueNmore]

Hi. I'm new here. I've been suffering from severe & serious WD symptoms for almost 4 years now. My body is in chaos still. I don't know all the abbreviations yet do excuse me for that. I was on highest of Zyprexa for 6 years and also 40mg of Prozac. Told to taper off Zyprexa in 2 weeks!  Tapered off Prozac in 6 months. I feel lost as my body continues to be banged around from odd symptom to the next, zaps, twists, spasms, ears ringing at 3 different levels, tics, balance issues, jackhammer esophagus, Dystonia, TD...immuno suppressed. I catch the craziest illnesses and am lucky to be alive! I'm a fighter and came here to find help and even terminology for my overall set of issues, too. I'm very confused from what has happened, but also what to do about it to get better! My Dr abandoned me after he hurt me and I've been trying to fight thru the discrimination to find my own specialists but it's been a tough journey! I'm here and will continue to read on. Hope you don't feel alone anymore and maybe I helped in some way? IDK. I was on Prozac for 26 years and had no idea until about 15 min ago that may have been a contributing factor also? Not sure.  

[heylel]

Whats the difference between post acute withdrawl and normal withdrawl? I know we take a lot of time to completly heal, but i was wondering if the worst parts are in the first months?

[Altostrata]

READ THE TOPIC FROM THE BEGINNING

[Spruce30]

Hi Altostrata:

 

You mention in your most recent post in the Post SSRI sexual dysfunction thread , that it took 11 years for your PAWS from Paxil to completely end. I just wanted to ask, if your PAWS went on for 11 years, and at about 11 years post Paxil, they have now completely resolved? Have your PAWS now completely resolved, and it took 11 years for them to completely end? Is this correct?

[Spruce30]

On 9/19/2020 at 10:50 PM, Spruce30 said:

Hi Altostrata:

 

You mention in your most recent post in the Post SSRI sexual dysfunction thread , that it took 11 years for your PAWS from Paxil to completely end. I just wanted to ask, if your PAWS went on for 11 years, and at about 11 years post Paxil, they have now completely resolved? Have your PAWS now completely resolved, and it took 11 years for them to completely end? Is this correct?

 

Bump

[Guest]

Length of withdrawal

 

If theres a topic for this please merge it since i cant find it myself

 

why is that im 10 years out and people have kicked it in 2 years or 4 or 5 ? Does anyone have theories regarding how long it takes some brains? 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Guest
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

Have you read this topic?

 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

experiences-after-tapering-to-zero-and-symptom-management

 

cold-turkey-and-fast-taper-cold-turkey-community

 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by ChessieCat

[ccfb]

I'm not experiencing any withdrawal symptoms at this point (11 months post-cessation).  And my pre-existing headache disorder is in remission thanks to a more proactive approach with my medical team.  I did not appreciate being prescribed Lexapro.

 

As for why the withdrawal seems to have abated, I credit an aggressive post-withdrawal supplement regimen: I saw the biggest effects with magnesium citrate, omega 3s, lion's mane, and judicious use of 5htp (with meals) (DO NOT take this with an antidepressant).  I don't know if these have physically helped as much as I think, or if it's just placebo effect.  Be very careful with supplements, though - especially while withdrawing.  It took me a while to come up with these, and some trial supplements caused reactions.  What worked for me might not work for you, and I'm not a doctor.  Definitely run everything you are interested in taking by a qualified provider beforehand.

 

As for what else might help, I would suggest:

• Soft music in the background;
• Daily meditation (I like Jeff Warren's guided sessions on calm);
• Daily light exercise (4,400-10,000 steps per day);
• Sleep tracking with a wearable (I use Oura);
• VR - I use Oculus Go and am particularly fond of the Alcove and Guided Meditation apps;
• Calendaring (Google Calendar), to-do lists (Trello), tracking your time (Forest app);
• Learning something every day (TEDx talks are amazing);
• Chamomile tea

Hope this helps.  You will heal!

 

[DaBro]

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2045125320980573

 

A new study on PAWS. Thanks to Alto for posting this in fb

[Scotteves]

Benzo Q&A with Dr. Jenn and theory on why we get protracted withdrawal

 

YouTube video title:  Benzo Withdrawal with Dr. Jennifer Leigh - Everything You Wanted to Know About Benzo Withdrawal

 

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by ChessieCat
added topic title before merging with existing topic

[FeralCatman]

I made the following chart for myself and my therapist to help understand what it is that people going through withdrawal and recovery are up against. I thought some may find it helpful.

 

The Human Body in Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) What Generates Symptoms
The Body   (3 Central Control Systems)
The Nervous System   (2 main components – Central and Peripheral)				The Immune System   (Fight Infections, Viruses, Inflammatory Response)	The Endocrine System   (Hormone Production and Balance)
Central Nervous System (Brain and Spinal Cord)	Peripheral Nervous System   (2 Components – Somatic and Autonomic)
	Somatic Nervous System (Muscles, Pain)	Autonomic Nervous System (Breathing, Heartbeat, Organ Functions, Digestion, Fight/Flight, etc.)
		Sympathetic (Activating – Fight Flight)	Parasympathetic (Calming – Rest and Digest)
These 3 Control Systems are Inter-dependent. They operate in synchronization with each other. To alter or disrupt one system is to alter or disrupt all 3 systems.
Psychiatric Drugs, Street Drugs, Alcohol, And Other Neuroactive Substances Directly Bind With And Alter Neurotransmitter Receptors In The Nervous System. Not Just In The Brain But Throughout The Body. Steroids, Immune Modulators, Antibiotics Etc. Also Alter All 3 Systems.
Neurotransmitters (Serotonin, Dopamine, Nor-epinephrine, GABA, etc) Are Used By The Nervous System Not Just For Mood But For Organ Function, Muscle Function, Immune Function, And Endocrine Function. Immune And Endocrine Chemistry Also Bind With And Alter Receptors in the Nervous System.
All 3 Systems Use The Same Shared Chemistry To Communicate Both Internally And Between Systems
What This Means Is That Neuroactive Drugs Alter Every System And Component In The Body. Nothing Is Left Untouched. Over Time The Body Makes Structural Changes To Every System To Compensate For The Presence Of The Neuroactive Drug. The Longer You Take It The More The Entire Body Changes.
Most psychiatric drugs primarily suppress the sympathetic Nervous System. Over time the parasympathetic nervous system becomes weak / damaged. When the drugs are taken away the sympathetic nervous system comes roaring back to life and patient becomes sympathetic dominant (Fight / Flight dominant). Initially the parasympathetic nervous system cannot compensate. This autonomic imbalance is where symptoms come from in PAWS throughout every system in the body.
The real healers are time, good diet, relaxation activities, and low stress. (Average PAWS recovery time is 2-3 years - Outro Health)

 

[margaretLO]

Hello! 

Does a herb like panax ginseng act like normal ssri and stop all the healing process for ever and ever? Did this happento anyone? 

[Ariel]

@margaretLO

 

15 hours ago, margaretLO said:

Does a herb like panax ginseng act like normal ssri and stop all the healing process for ever and ever?

 

 

[Ariel]

@margaretLO

 

 

[BaccatePlayer]

On 12/9/2023 at 8:36 PM, FeralCatman said:

Average PAWS recovery time is 2-3 years

Nothing like being just a month and a week in, unless this isn't the same as "time needed for symptoms to stop appearing".

[ShantyO7]

Just wondering if there is ANYONE on this site who DIDN'T experience protracted withdrawals? Is there any hope at all that this won't last much longer after 4 months of withdrawals?

[DaBro]

17 minutes ago, ShantyO7 said:

Just wondering if there is ANYONE on this site who DIDN'T experience protracted withdrawals? Is there any hope at all that this won't last much longer after 4 months of withdrawals?

I saw a study once that showed that around 1/3 of people experienced no WD effects when coming off SSRI’s, 1/3 experienced WD for 3 months or less and 1/3 experienced WD over 3 months ranging from 3 months to 6 years+
 

I think you’ll find that most if not all people on this site are in the over 3 months group. If you experienced no or only short WD you’d not be looking to join any support groups. 
 

so I would say to stay hopeful in the knowledge that just because you don’t see any short WD information on this site, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen. If it does then there’s people here to support. 

[LukeUK]

On 5/30/2024 at 7:59 AM, ShantyO7 said:

Just wondering if there is ANYONE on this site who DIDN'T experience protracted withdrawals? Is there any hope at all that this won't last much longer after 4 months of withdrawals?

 

If you look around, you see absolutely loads of accounts that post about their symptoms, a few weeks or months later they seem to have good windows among the bad times, and then they stop posting.

 

I have known a number of other people in support groups who have just gotten better in a relatively short time.

 

The majority of users who post on this site and remain active for a long time are the ones in protracted withdrawal.

[DaBro]

Further to my comment above, I think that if you don’t have withdrawal symptoms you would have no need to look for or to use this site, so I think symptom free people are out there but are not going to be on this site. 

[LukeUK]

26 minutes ago, DaBro said:

Further to my comment above, I think that if you don’t have withdrawal symptoms you would have no need to look for or to use this site, so I think symptom free people are out there but are not going to be on this site. 

Oh yes, absolutely.

 

I merely wanted to add that a large number of people do have them, but recover far more quickly than the "protracted", multi-year withdrawals you see here.