☼ squirrel's story

[squirrel]

I went on paxil in 1997 for panic attacks.Came off in March 2005 over 3 months ( as per doctors instructions)had a horrendous time.Still suffering 6 years later from;

Anxiety/akathesia

balance problems

crushing fatigue

Tinnitus

just generally unwell most of the time.

[Altostrata]

A very difficult road. Hang in there, squirrel.

 

Good to see you here.

[buxy2222]

Hi Ruth, i am right there with you , this is one long road that we have had to suffer xx

[squirrel]

Its been 6 long years since I stopped Paxil (seroxat) and yes mentally I am in a much better place now. However physically I am not and I am getting really scared.My doc does not have a clue although she is sending me to various specialists for help i have lost a lot of weight I was 112lbs ( 8 stone) before drugs went to 133lbs ( 9st 6 ) on drug and I am now 102 lbs ( 7st 4 ) i also have all this going on Head Pressure

Lightheadedness

Very bad headaches

tinnitus

 

Dizziness

Feel unbalanced ( like floor is moving quickly under my feet)

Back of chair seems to be moving as i sit against it

bed moving from side to side

 

 

someone flicking a light switch downstairs causes electric like shock through my body

electric zaps up back of neck

very bad neck and shoulder tension

feeling spaced out

Like I am wearing someone else's glasses

bouts of severe agitation feel adrenaline rushes, anxiety

feeling cold most of the time

Weak & shaky legs

extreme bouts of fatigue.

 

feel so lousy and scared don't feel as if I will ever get back on track.

[Hopeful]

Hi Squirrel,

 

I can relate to some of the symptoms durning my w/d...are these new symptoms to you or still the same stuff? Were you feeling better at any point and now consider this a new wave/setback?

[Healing]

Aww, squirrel, it's just mind-boggling to be having this much going on after this long. Anybody would have moments of feeling scared. But -- this ridiculous, blasted syndrome can really take a long time and still does end.

 

I'm convinced this is still w/d dysautonomia. I am at about the same point in time as you, and I am now steadily healing, but, my goodness, who would have believed it would take this long, and I still have a ways to go. Hopeful is doing better than we are, but, as she has said, she still has residual symptoms to keep healing on.

 

I have the same question Hopeful did -- I think you've had all these symptoms the whole time, but they have gotten much more intense again in the last six months. Is that right? If so, did anything change in your life about six months ago -- life circumstances? diet? other medications? deaths in the family? new obligations? new supplements?

 

Did you have the low blood pressure all the way through w/d? Or is that new?

 

I'm very sorry you're going through this. It's a total bunch of crap. Too much. Too long.

[Healing]

squirrel -- I was just wondering two things -- do you do any relaxation practice or meditation? And, are you doing exercises for the vertigo?

[alexjuice]

Its been 6 long years since I stopped Paxil (seroxat) and yes mentally I am in a much better place now. However physically I am not and I am getting really scared.

 

Hi squirrel,

 

I really empathize with what you just wrote. I've experienced many of those symptoms and had many of the same thoughts in the 12 months I've been off. I empathize because I know that it IS scary. It is scary because I don't know the future.

 

This gets in my mind because it's been a long time, though not near as long as you've been going through it. I wonder, 'will it ever it?' And I wonder why.

 

And even when things start to improve, something else comes up to knock me down. Right now I am sleeping in a chair because of acid reflux brought on by w/d. I may always have to sleep in a chair. But I probably will not. I will probably get better, at least for a time. But I DON'T KNOW and not knowing is scary for me.

 

So I try my best not to worry about the future because the worry only makes my emotional life worse. Even if I am worried about something that is certain to occur -- that I will die someday, let's say -- i don't want to be afraid of it. Because the worry makes my life harder and doesn't affect the thing I am afraid of at all - my mortality. I am going to pass regardless of whether passing scares me, so when it gets inside my head I suffer twice. I try to avoid thinking about negative things... Easier said than done, I know. It is actually very hard for me because I am alone a lot with my own thoughts and symptoms so it is easy for me to feel hopeless and scared.

 

Lately, I've had some really bad periods that were overwhelming for me. I felt cheated and beaten. And I tend to go to a dark place emotionally. Recently, after a doctor recommended I read a book, 7 Habits o Highly Effective People, I've been trying my best to change my thinking. The author talks about Viktor Frankl who was a held in a Nazi concentration camp during the second World War. He developed a manner of thinking to try to maintain his emotional sanity and personal dignity in the face of a horrible situation that he did not cause. I am trying to copy some of his techniques for myself. I haven't gotten into any of his books, but the main gist is to reframe thinking and not dwell on the negative things that you can not control.

 

My routine is that when I feel negative emotions, I try to refocus my thinking away from the things that I can't impact in any way and keep myself in the present. Sometimes I repeat a couple of guidelines over and over in my head. They are:

 

1. Don't think about anything negative from the past.

2. Don't worry about the future.

 

These two things ALWAYS lead me in the wrong direction.

 

I just say to myself that right now I am still alive and I have reason to think I have gotten better. I try to think about how nice it will be WHEN I am really better.

 

This may not work for you, and it's not perfect. But it has helped me to try to focus my energy on positive feelings like gratitude and peace. I try to never let uncertainty get a foothold in my mind because I am very susceptible to its ability to make feel hopeless.

 

There are many of us now, people like me, who know what it's like. You're not alone. You didn't do anything to deserve this. It sucks that you've lost time to it. Nothing will change that. I know my life has unfolded in ways that weren't on the schedule when I turned in the Plan of My Life at age 18. Almost nothing I predicted about the future has been right. But everytime I worry about the future, I feel afraid, depressed, defeated. But since I have basically always been wrong about the future, why should I let my predictions bring me down. Actually, I am so consistently incorrect in my forecasts that if I start to feel that something bad is going to affect me in the future, I should practically celebrate. If my past is any indication, the fact that my sensitive brain is worrying about a thing, means the thing has almost zero chance of actually happening!

 

This is just one small way I try to cope with my situation. This does little about the fact that it still sucks.

 

Tonight I will think all good thoughts about your recovery and beam them to you telepathically. I hope you wake tomorrow with a lifted spirit.

 

Alex.I

[Claudius]

I get your message Alex! And I experience the same. It is too easy to spirla down in the negative and destructive thinking and as I described in another thread, let your emotions take you back to awful things that happened in the past and ruminate about all things that went wrong in your life.

Already 2 years ago, shortly after finding out about WD, I thought I had come over it and could cope with it. But last year I feel back again in the pit of despair and reacted in a bad way on it.

I cannot promise this will never happena gain, but I made the promise to myself not to act anymore on these negative thoughts and anger and save whatever can be saved or at least not make things worse.

For me A New Earth of Eckhart Tolle is my spiritual guidance from now on. He describes how disappointing and humiliating experience from the past have accumulated into a "pain body", and this pain body feeds itself on more negativity and lets its owner greed for more reasons to feel yourself a victim and increase your feeling of unhappiness and self-pity. Though nobody really wants to be unhappy, you CAN maintain a false sense of identity from it ans, against your onw will, stay in its destructive grip. Not feeding it anymore will loose its grip on you.

[Maybe]

You are 6 years out and still have all those symptoms? This really scares me to death. I also have some of the symptoms you describe, which did not get better yet, 19 months off.

 

Have you taken any other medication since you have been off? Did you try light exercises to get your system back on track?

 

This really scares me like hell. I cannot imagine to live on like this. It will destroy my career and everything else....

[squirrel]

hi all and thank you for your support. These symptoms have been more or less with me the whole time.However they can change by the hour now where as before they would last a lot longer.I have not taken any medication, supplements or anything in the last 6 years only paracetamol if I needed or antibiotics if I needed to.No change in family circumstances that would warrant being stressful.I have had a very bad wave for the last 6 months.My blood pressure is fine according to my doc. So hey I dunno whats going on!

[squirrel]

i also wish to add my sincere apologies for worrying anyone .I must say that I did not taper this drug I was off it in 3 months after taking it for 8 years and I stopped at 5mg. My doc had not got a clue!

[Maybe]

Maybe there is some truth to the theory that the medicine bounds itself to proteins and then is released back into the body. So when you "jumped" off the medication, your cns was in hazard as for most of us. Due to your long time on the med, there could still be some "components" in the body. And when they are released your cns is in turmoil again.

 

I wished there was more valid research to all of this.

 

I hope dearly that you feel much better soon, squirrel!!

[squirrel]

Thanks maybe.I hope so too this is no way to live.

[Healing]

Alex -- what a loving post that was!

 

 

squirrel -- please, you have nothing to apologize for!

 

I'm a little confused. You say you are worse in the last six months, but you say that the symptoms are changing back and forth faster. In some ways, that seems better than having long waves. I have noticed that my setbacks got shorter, but now I go in and out of setbacks more frequently. So, maybe this is a kind of turbulence that you get when the season is changing from winter to spring.

 

I'm sorry if I'm getting this wrong. Just really trying to grasp what your experience has been and how it's changing.

[squirrel]

I understand, what I mean is that it changes so fast from on thing to another that I do not seem to get any better bits. If you understand me.

[Neuroplastic]

Squirrel, WD is suuuch a bizzare thing... The windows, the waves, the better, the worse, these symptoms, those symptoms. It all is as if taken from a sci-fi book. Yet, one remains the same - we have to through all those waves, all those symptoms, and what not, to eventually heal. For we all heal.

 

What symptoms have either gone away, or at least abated for you so far?

[squirrel]

severe depression, suicidal thoughts, tingling in my limbs, inability to sleep,cramp in my feet, inability to eat,constant feeling of terror, crying spells, no motivation. These have all gone ( hopefully)

[Altostrata]

squirrel, we're all with you. Please don't feel alone.

 

Have you tried a bit of melatonin at night to help you sleep? Sleep helps the body restore itself.

 

Maybe there is some truth to the theory that the medicine bounds itself to proteins and then is released back into the body. So when you "jumped" off the medication, your cns was in hazard as for most of us. Due to your long time on the med, there could still be some "components" in the body. And when they are released your cns is in turmoil again.

 

I wished there was more valid research to all of this.

 

I hope dearly that you feel much better soon, squirrel!!

 

Maybe, I think rather than the presence of the drug in the body, the symptoms are due to a precipitant drop off of the medication. It's the difference between falling off a cliff and rolling down a ramp. Our nervous systems can't adjust to a rapid decrease in powerful neurochemicals.

 

So, rather than a reaction to the minute presence of the drug in tissues, withdrawal is a reaction to the absence of the drug. Our nervous systems become dependent on the drug the same way a heroin addict's becomes dependent on heroin.

[Healing]

I understand, what I mean is that it changes so fast from on thing to another that I do not seem to get any better bits. If you understand me.

 

OK. I think I see. Well, I still wonder if the rapid cycling of symptoms might be a sign of your nervous system reaching a new level of self-regulation. Like, the Rubik's cube is closer to done and is refining itself more frequently, more subtly now.

 

I know -- we just don't know. And, it's just grueling. I'll keep thinking about it. And, as Sur says, stay with us, and we'll keep going through it together.

 

It's very helpful to notice what you told NP -- all the severe symptoms which seem to be gone.

 

We very much want people in protracted w/d to feel comfortable here and share their ongoing experiences, both for the purposes of support and to continue to try to understand it all better.

[squirrel]

thank you all so much for your understanding.I do wonder sometimes if this could all be coming to an end but it too much to hope for.

[Maybe]

Maybe, I think rather than the presence of the drug in the body, the symptoms are due to a precipitant drop off of the medication. It's the difference between falling off a cliff and rolling down a ramp. Our nervous systems can't adjust to a rapid decrease in powerful neurochemicals.

 

So, rather than a reaction to the minute presence of the drug in tissues, withdrawal is a reaction to the absence of the drug. Our nervous systems become dependent on the drug the same way a heroin addict's becomes dependent on heroin.

 

 

Well, I don't know. I just heard from the doc of a friend of mine that ssris can bind themselves to proteins and stay in the body for a longer time.

Still it is weird that I got such a long w/d from just 4 pills. But it doesn't help to rumminate about it all the time. I just hope that this will end some day and please before I am 90...

[Punarbhava]

Hi Squirrel.......

 

I'm so very sorry for what you are experiencing. No doubt this is very frightening for you since, the symptoms you mention indeed disturb one's world in a very huge way.

 

Others have offered some good advice and caring support and I hope it has made you feel less alone.

 

If you don't mind I'd like to share some information with you. The list of symptoms you have posted are a classic manifestation of vestibular imbalances.

 

I've done a lot of research over the past few years and there is no doubt that psyche drugs affect the vestibular system due to their potential ototoxic effects. Please read below this message to review the information I have copied and pasted.

 

Psyche drugs and/or the WD from such drugs can create mild, moderate to severe vestibular disturbances. Some people incur damage to the middle ear from such drug exposure. Most times this damage is temporary (reversible) and the person goes on to fully recover. For example: . although I still exhibit many of these symptoms they are not as extreme as they used to be.

 

I noticed, in your post, that you have been exposed to anti-inflammatories as well as antibiotics. These two classes of medications (along with many other meds) are known to affect the vestibular system as well.

 

Were you prescribed the antibiotic for some type of ear infection? Ear infections alone can cause vestibular problems and inner ear damage but, when coupled with the effects of protracted WD, you could have been hit with a double whammy. Then adding ototoxic drugs into the mix (NSAIDS and antibiotic) could have increased the intensity of your symptoms and/or created new vestibular problems.

 

Here's my take on what could possibly be occurring. Your vestibular system, along with your central nervous system, have compromised functioning due to psyche drug exposure however, because the vestibular system has not fully recovered, due to protracted WD, you may have temporarily caused a significant set-back within this system due to your exposure to antibiotics as well as the anti-inflammatories.

 

If you can put some time-frames together regarding the introduction and the cessation of these two other drugs you may find a correlation or a pattern of increased vestibular symptoms either during the time taking these drugs and/or for a significant time after stopping these two drugs.

 

Were you exposed to these two drugs just prior to this 6 month set-back?

 

In addition, are you exposing yourself to caffeine, certain herbs, alcohol or cigarettes? All these substances can also have ototoxic effects.

 

BTW, many Neurologists will treat vestibular disturbances with psyche drugs, which can dampen down the symptoms of such disorders, only to create a stronger rebound effect when the drugs are removed, not to mention, cause more damage to the vestibular system in the long run. In fact, most of the treatments prescribed involve one or a combo of the following drugs: benzos, antihistamines, antiemetics (which are antipsychotics). All of these drugs have ototoxic capabilities, not to mention have the same WD profile as ADs.

 

I mention this to you so you will limit exposure to such things during this time, not to mention the future (if possible).

 

Your vestibular system will likely recover on its own, over time, providing the integrity of the healing process is not compromised nor interrupted by exposure to substances that may have the potential to agitate the fragile state of affairs within the CNS and vestibular systems. The CNS, immune system as well as endocrine system communicate with each other. Thus, a medication that targets one of these systems will produce a domino effect on the other systems.

 

If it makes you feel any better, many people in WD, including myself, have had severe vestibular disturbances but go on to fully recovery.

 

As well, I've seen SO MANY people incur major set-backs in psyche drug recovery from being exposed to antibiotics and even NSAIDS. These are drug induced set-backs rather than a wave per se.

 

The list of ototoxic drugs, copied below, describe the drug dosages needed to produce ototoxic effects but IMHO are likely unrepresentative of the truth since, people's reactions can vary considerably and thus, its reasonable to assume that one can incur vestibular effects on very low doses. Conversely, many people can tolerate very high doses without incurring any such negative effect.

 

However, with that said, when in WD states we usually cannot tolerate regular doses of anything and thus, can experience a more profound response.

 

You may wish to engage in multiple searches on this subject so you can protect yourself from being exposed to substances which can hinder your recovery from previous psyche drug exposure.

 

BTW have you exposed yourself to any antihistamine drugs (even over the counter brands) during this time? Antihistamines affect, not only the vestibular system but also the CNS which in turn can really create a strong resurgence in WD symptoms.

 

One final point. Please make sure to thoroughly research any and all drugs that a doctor/specialist may prescribe in an attempt to medicate your current symptoms. When researching, obtain information from multiple sources, since a single source rarely provides the scope of knowledge required to make an informed decision. Many times I will research for days since each new source will provides a tidbit of critical information that other sources neglected to mention.

 

BTW, I'm only presenting possible contributing factors to your current situation and, in no way, claiming to be a neurologist.

 

One final suggestion: You may wish to try Powdered Ginger Root Capsules. Ginger is used for sea-sickness and similar conditions. It also has a calming effect on the CNS (can bring anxiety down a notch or two) as well as the stomach. You can do some research on this as well. Like anything else, I would use this judiciously rather than religiously, since the body has an innate ability to habituate to just about anything when chronically exposed and consequently, could experience a WD effect when the substance is stopped too abruptly.

 

For example: last year, via research, I found out that taking mega doses of Vit. C can create adaptations so much so that when the vitamin is stopped C/T, the body can develop a rebound effect aka rebound scurvy effect. Many weeks later as I was shopping at Costco, I overheard the pharmacist informing a customer the very same thing that I had just discovered a few weeks earlier.

 

Please do not solely rely on the information I have provided. It's always wise to confirm via research any info that is passed along to you. You owe it to yourself to make the most informed choice possible to protect yourself and to ensure that your recovery from psyche drugs is not compromised in any way.

 

My heart goes out to you in a very big way. I believe your current state is a temporary set-back that will self-correct in time, as you abstain from any and all offending substances.

 

Don't ever hesitate to post to the group when you feel alone and/or frightened. Just know that so many of us understand the fear, confusion and aloneness that can be generated from this horrific journey. You will never be judged for expressing your emotions.

 

 

Take Very Good Care and Beautiful, Peaceful Healing to You Squirrel!

 

Punarbahava

 

 

Please don't forget to read the important information below:

 

Ototoxicity

 

Ototoxicity ("ear poisoning") is due to drugs or chemicals that damage the inner ear or the vestibulo-cochlear nerve, which sends balance and hearing information from the inner ear to the brain.

______________

“What you should know about ototoxic medications,” published in Tinnitus Today, September 1996, Stephen Epstein, MD, lists the six categories of medications that can be ototoxic and the signs of ototoxicity:

 

"1 – Salicylates – Aspirin and aspirin containing products

Toxic effects usually appear after consuming an average of 6-8 pills per day. Toxic effects are almost always reversible once medications are discontinued.

 

2 – Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) – Advil, Aleve, Anaprox, Clinoril, Feldene, Indocin, Lodine, Motrin, Nalfon, Naprosyn, Nuprin, Poradol, Voltarin. Toxic effects usually appear after consuming an average of 6-8 pills per day. Toxic effects are usually reversible once medications are discontinued.

 

3 – Antibiotics – Aminoglycosides, Erythromycin, Vancomycin

a. Aminoglycosides – Streptomycin, Kanamycin, Neomycin, Gantamycin, Tobramysin, Amikacin, Netilmicin. These medications are ototoxic when used intravenously in serious life-threatening situations. The blood levels of these medications are usually monitored to prevent ototoxicity. Topical preparations and eardrops containing Neomycin and Gentamycin have not been demonstrated to be ototoxic in humans.

b. Erythromycin – EES, Eryc, E-mycin, Ilosone, Pediazole and new derivatives of Erythromycin, Biaxin, Zithromax. Erythromycin is usually ototoxic when given intravenously in dosages of 2-4 grams per 24 hours, especially if there is underlying kidney insufficiency. The usual oral dosage of Erythromycin averaging one gram per 24 hours is not ototoxic. There are no significant reports of ototoxicity with the new Erythromycin derivatives since they are given orally and in lower dosages.

c. Vancomycin – Vincocin. This antibiotic is used in a similar manner as the aminoglycosides; when given intravenously in serious life-threatening infections, it is potentially ototoxic. It is usually used in conjunction with the aminoglycosides, which enhances the possibility of ototoxicity.

 

4 – Loop Diuretics – Lasix, Endecrin, Bumex

These medications are usually ototoxic when given intravenously for acute kidney failure or acute hypertension. Rare cases of ototoxicity have been reported when these medications are taken orally in high doses in people with chronic kidney disease.

 

5 – Chemotherapy Agents – Cisplatin, Nitrogen Mustard, Vincristine

These medications are ototoxic when given for treatment of cancer. Maintaining blood levels of the medications and performing serial audiograms can minimize their toxic effects. The ototoxic effects of these medications are enhanced in patients who are already taking other ototoxic medications such as the aminoglycoside antibiotics or loop diuretics.

 

6 – Quinine – Aralen, Atabrine (for treatment of malaria), Legatrin, Q-Vel Muscle Relaxant (for treatment of night cramps)

The ototoxic effects of quinine are very similar to aspirin and the toxic effects are usually reversible once medication is discontinued.

 

The signs of ototoxicity, in order of frequency, are:

 

 

1 – Development of tinnitus in one or both ears.

2 – Intensification of existing tinnitus or the appearance of a new sound.

3 – Fullness or pressure in the ears other than being caused by infection.

4 – Awareness of hearing loss in an unaffected ear or the progression of an existing loss.

5 – Development of vertigo or a spinning sensation usually aggravated by motion which may or may not be accompanied by nausea."4

 

 

Possible Symptoms of Vestibular Disorders

The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that help control balance and eye movements. If the system is damaged by disease, aging, or injury, vestibular disorders can result. Symptoms may include vertigo, dizziness, and imbalance, among others listed here. Not all symptoms will be experienced by every person with an inner ear disorder, and other symptoms are possible. An inner ear disorder may be present even in the absence of obvious or severe symptoms. It is important to note that most of these individual symptoms can also be caused by other conditions unrelated to the ear.

 

The type and severity of symptoms can vary considerably, and be frightening and difficult to describe. People affected by certain symptoms of vestibular disorders may be perceived as inattentive, lazy, overly anxious, or seeking attention. They may have trouble reading or doing simple arithmetic. Functioning in the workplace, going to school, performing routine daily tasks, or just getting out of bed in the morning may be difficult for some people.

 

 

Vertigo and dizziness

 

Spinning or whirling sensation; an illusion of movement of self or the world (vertigo)

Lightheaded, floating, or rocking sensation (dizziness)

Sensation of being heavily weighted or pulled in one direction

Balance and spatial orientation

 

Imbalance, stumbling, difficulty walking straight or turning a corner

Clumsiness or difficulty with coordination

Difficulty maintaining straight posture; tendency to look downward to confirm the location of the ground

Head may be held in a tilted position

Tendency to touch or hold onto something when standing, or to touch or hold the head while seated

Sensitivity to changes in walking surfaces or footwear

Muscle and joint pain (due to difficulty balancing)

Vision

 

Trouble focusing or tracking objects with the eyes; objects or words on a page seem to jump, bounce, float, or blur or may appear doubled

 

Discomfort from busy visual environments such as traffic, crowds, stores, and patterns.

Sensitivity to light, glare, and moving or flickering lights; fluorescent lights may be especially troublesome

Tendency to focus on nearby objects; increased discomfort when focusing at a distance

Increased night blindness; difficulty walking in the dark

Poor depth perception

Hearing

 

Hearing loss; distorted or fluctuating hearing

Tinnitus

Sensitivity to loud noises or environments

Sudden loud sounds may increase symptoms of vertigo, dizziness, or imbalance

Cognitive and psychological

 

Difficulty concentrating and paying attention; easily distracted

Forgetfulness and short-term memory lapses

Confusion, disorientation, difficulty comprehending directions or instructions

Difficulty following speakers in conversations, meetings, etc., especially when there is background noise or movement

Mental and/or physical fatigue out of proportion to activity

Loss of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-esteem

Anxiety, panic

Depression

Other

 

Nausea or vomiting

"Hangover" or "seasick" feeling in the head

Motion sickness

Ear pain

Sensation of fullness in the ears

Headaches

Slurred speech

Sensitivity to pressure or temperature changes and wind currents

___________

 

BTW, Squirrel, the medications, listed below, are ones you need to avoid, despite the fact that they are regularly prescribed for such disorders. These are all drugs having the potential to cause ototoxic effects, not to mention WD syndromes upon cessation. Punar

__________________________

 

 

Medication for Vestibular Disorders

 

http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/treatment/medication.php

 

The use of medication in treating vestibular disorders depends on whether the vestibular system dysfunction is in an initial or acute phase (lasting up to 5 days) or chronic phase (ongoing). During the acute phase, and when other illnesses have been ruled out, medications that may be prescribed include vestibular suppressants to reduce motion sickness or anti-emetics to reduce nausea.

 

Vestibular suppressants include three general drug classes: anticholinergics, antihistamines, and benzodiazepines. Examples of vestibular suppressants are meclizine and dimenhydinate (antihistamine-anticholinergics) and lorazepam and diazepam (benzodiazepines).

 

Other medications that may be prescribed are steroids (e.g., prednisone), antiviral drugs (e.g., acyclovir), or antibiotics (e.g., amoxicillin) if a middle ear infection is present. If nausea has been severe enough to cause excessive dehydration, intravenous fluids may be given.

 

Symptoms must be actively experienced without interference in order for the brain to adjust, a process called vestibular compensation. Any medication that makes the brain sleepy, including all vestibular suppressants, can slow down or stop the process of compensation. Therefore, they are often not appropriate for long-term use. Physicians generally find that most patients who fail to compensate are either strictly avoiding certain movements, using vestibular suppressants daily, or both.

 

VEDA medical advisor Timothy C. Hain, MD, has detailed information about the most commonly prescribed medications that can be a helpful starting point for talking to a physician about the available options.

[stan]

I cannot fight with Punar, all is so well explained !

[Punarbhava]

I cannot fight with Punar, all is so well explained !

 

Hi Stan........

 

 

just so you know, everytime I read a post of yours (in this forum and other forum) I always nod my head in agreement. Line for line, you are always right on the money!

 

 

 

A wise man, who knows he's talking about!

 

Punar

[Neuroplastic]

I cannot fight with Punar, all is so well explained !

 

[squirrel]

Thanks Punar for a very informative post. My use of Paracetamol is very limited as I do not take any medication if I can hepl it and I may have had antibiotics twice in the last six years so cannot really say it would be to blame for this wave.

[Gem]

Hey Squirrel,

 

Sorry to hear you are suffering still, but good to see you here. We will get there in the end.

Wishing you more & more healing xx

[squirrel]

having lived with protracted withdrawl symptoms for 6 years I feel I have lost my zest for living and have lost my way in life. Its like everyone has moved on and i am stuck.I have moments when I feel like I am 'feeling real life' but other times its just Blah! nothing hits the spot anymore. I hope I am making sense here its hard to explain.

[Altostrata]

This is hard, squirrel, I know. Try to relax and just be. Do the best you can.

 

We're glad you're here.

[stan]

hi Squirrel,

 

near 26 months off, i feel often the same, hopefully not 24/7, what a life after these meds ?

[squirrel]

As much as I do not want to appear negative.I really need some advice.I have been off Paxil now for 6 years and 3 months. for the last 5 weeks all my symptoms have been ramped up and I do not seem to be getting any respite from this.Over the years I have had bad days and better days but now its not like that anymore.I have come to a time now where I am thinking , how much more of my life am I gonna waste living in this state.

 

So the question I have for you all is this.

How long do I carry on like this?

Much as i am very anti meds would I feel better if I went back on something ie Prozac?

Or could this be a final wave?

I just do not know what to do but I do know I cannot live this way anymore.

[Claudius]

Squirrel I get your point but of course do not have the answer. I am not as far out as you, now 3 years 8 months for me. And though still improving, the waves are still too severe in terms of tinglings and currents that I am still not able to resume work.

Due to financial backup I still have the choice to hang on and ride it out even further (I know not everybody has that choice). But just as you I know that real recovery must really come some day but that there is the very nasty probability that our nervous systems are so damaged that we just will never feel good again without medicines. And at the same time I trust no single doctor in prescribing someting. As you state, Prozac is certainly not free of risks but indeed appears to be better in terms of excruciatong withdrawal.

I think this choice is the hardset anyone can make. Also because it is virtually irreversible, if you choose to go back at this point, the motivation of trying to withdrawagain is probably zero.

I have commiteed myself to ride it out to at least the 5 years point and then make an evaluation of the progress in the last 2 years. But I would really not know what to do at 6 years out...

[angie007]

Hey Ruth,

 

I know how you feel hun i really do and sympthise, but.......

just read the benzo wd book by Baylissa Johns, as wd from benzos and ads is so similar, she talks of her last wave

of wd being the longest and hardest wave yet- and she recovered once she got through it, you may get some inspiration from her to keep going.

I really hope that this is the case for you too, as i know what a hard slog its been, and i for one will be clapping

my hands to see you well and happy again, free of the psychological and physical trauma of seroxat wd.

 

All the best and really hope that this is the turning point for you x

After 6yrs and 3 months you sure deserve it.

[Altostrata]

squirrel, Prozac is not a good idea, it's activating -- as are all SSRIs in our state.

 

As you know, there is no easy answer. Medicine doesn't know enough about this to know how to treat it.

 

Hang in there, squirrel. Put one foot in front of the other, one day at a time.

[buxy2222]

Hi Ruth, as you know i am where u are too , will be 7 years drug free this September and i havnt had a good day for months either.

 

My cns is ramped up to hell, i am getting all the old crap back in way of more anxiety, more tingling/burning and akathesia also my brain has been very very confused lately almost like being in 24/7 zombie state or intoxicated, my vision and brain are woking out of sync again and like you also i really feel at the end of my tether.

 

I agree this is no life and HOPE is wearing a bit thin but i agree going back is not the answer, not that there are any easy answers, but going on anything is going to undo all this hard work of recovery that you have done.

 

Alos if the prozac or such like pooped out could u really handle another withdrawal? i know i couldnt.

 

Hang in there hun Paul and I are in the same boat at the mo and its really hard going but who knows whether this is just a last bi kick in the butt, wish i could tell you it was but noone knows, so lets agree to take step by step,we have each other to pass hard time with