Toulouse Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 Just got word from my doc who was testing for Lyme due to my symptoms and he says my c4a test is sky high, which he says indicates Mycotoxin, a mold poisoning. And the Lyme test was in a gray area. Anyway, the c4a indicates I'm fighting inflammation, which I am. I have had issues with hives, food intolerance. Etc. Is it possible either my Paxil WD or stress can cause the elevated test? I have read that high or sustained stress or a traumatic experience can be the springboard for this. I don't see my doc til tomorrow, but most likely he'll order a few more labs before putting me on a detox regimen, which is similar to Lyme treatment. I am trying to look at the bright side w this, as we'd have found an answer to a lot of my recent issues,(anxiety,panic, nuerological issues, memory, numbness, achy joints, night sweats, insomnia). Which all also can be SSRI WD. But the elevated c4a definitely means I'm fighting off a mold). In the house we lived in the year prior to my Paxil WD we learned we had a major mold issue in the attic, so there's that too. Anyone here can relate? Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those. 20mg in 2014 10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August. As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net. Paxil free! WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015: Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows. Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head. Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5) then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn. Dizzy spells. Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out. 4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal. (October 9 2019) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus SquirrellyGirl Posted July 14, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 14, 2016 I havne't had any such experience, but we do know in general that chronic stress weakens the immune system and creates the conditions for disease. Kind of nice to know that perhaps some of your issues could be resolved with treatment for the mold infection. Antifungals are serious drugs, so you will want to eliminate all outside stress from your life as much as possible while being treated and take really good care of yourself, diet and lifestyle-wise. SG Started ADs back around 1995 after bad break-up, starting with Prozac. Switched to Wellbutrin, and then to Effexor in 2002 Effexor XR 2002-2014 up to 225 mg at one point, down to 37.5 mg towards end but back up to 75 mg in 2014; now realize I had W/D as I dropped down, memory very poor about history. Extreme emotions, poor concentration as I stepped back down, didn't connect the dots! Summer 2014 reduced to 0 very quickly, was sick of anhedonia/sexual dysfunction due to meds, depression never controlled if not worse. Didn't recognize WD since symptoms built slowly (thought I had ADD! and menopausal on top of it), starting with severe sweats, very bad cog-fog and memory issues, culminating in weight loss, severe anxiety and depression, panic, severe apathy and insomnia by eight months off. Saw p-doc who put me on Remeron, increased from 7.5 mg/day to 37.5 mg by May 22, 2015; still doing very badly though able to sleep. June 1. 2015 Reinstated Effexor XR 37.5 mg, Remeron dropped to 30 mg PM. Immediate relief of symptoms, like nothing had ever happened! Joined SA and began on advice of friend who recognized it was WD all along! Began tapering in July 2015. Been tapering both meds ever since, focusing on one more than the other or doing no more than 5% of each per month. 12 mg Effexor and 5.8 mg Remeron (mirtazapine SolTabs to make a solution with OraPlus) as of 5/4/2017 Update 3/14/18: 2.9 mg Remeron and 6 mg Effexor; 6/10/18: 2.6 mg Remeron and 4.9 mg Effexor My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9313-squirrellygirl-effexor-withdrawal-etc/page-2#entry196679 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toulouse Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Thank you SG. Yes, actually my stress levels have gone down quite a bit since this spring. I think the mindfulness therapy has really helped calm my nerves and anxiety too. I am luckily going away for 3 weeks for some relaxing, so if I start the treatment then, at least I won't have the day-to-day stresses of normal life, work, etc. to deal with too. I know I will have some challenges with the treatment, but to be honest, after going through months of Paxil WD and whatever these mold symptoms are, I can pretty much deal with almost anything. Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those. 20mg in 2014 10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August. As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net. Paxil free! WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015: Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows. Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head. Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5) then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn. Dizzy spells. Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out. 4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal. (October 9 2019) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toulouse Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 UPDATE: Just an update here. My Pdoc was all wrong. I never had mold poisoning. Further testing ruled that out. It was a frustrating summer for me, to think I had this other disease and take medications for it, only to learn the prognosis was inaccurate, I will say this, however, that the Meds I was on to reduce toxicity in my brain, did alleviate my very bad anxiety symptoms. I just couldn't tolerate the protocols for very long. So I'm back to square one in the belief that my symptoms over the last year and a half were indeed solely Paxil WD. I have improved overall and my nasty anxiety has finally lifted. Right now it's back to physical symptoms, like twitching, aches, and night sweats. Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those. 20mg in 2014 10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August. As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net. Paxil free! WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015: Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows. Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head. Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5) then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn. Dizzy spells. Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out. 4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal. (October 9 2019) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meimeiquest Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 There is an “internet summit” wrapping up this weekend entitled Toxic Mold Project. This has been a piece of my journey (not everything unfortunately). There is a pdoc who speaks in one interview “Brain On Fire.” She is in AZ, the lower elevations there have big mold problems. She says since she learned of mold issues she hasn’t had a patient yet with severe problems who didn’t have mold (biotoxin illness or CIRS) as a part of their disease process. It’s just something for us all to be aware of. 1st round Prozac 1989/90, clear depression symptoms. 2nd round Prozac started 1999 when admitted to dr. I was tired. Prozac pooped out, switch to Cymbalta 3/2006. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder due to mania 6/2006--then I was taken abruptly off Cymbalta and didn't know I had SSRI withdrawal. Lots of meds for my intractable "bipolar" symptoms. Zyprexa started about 9/06, mostly 5mg. Tapered 4/12 through12/29/12 Wellbutrin. XL 300 mg started 1/07, tapered 1/18/13 through 7/8/13 Oxazepam mostly continuously since 6/06, 30mg since 12/12, tapered 1.17.14 through 8.26.15 11/06 Lithium 600mg twice daily, 2.2.14 400mg TID DIY liquid, 2.12.14 1150mg, 3.2.14 1100mg, 3.18.14 1075mg, 4/14 updose to 1100mg, 6.1.14 900 mg capsules 7.8.14 810mg, 8.17.14 725mg, 8.24.24 700mg...10.22.14 487.5mg, 3.9.15 475mg, 4.1.15 462.5mg 4.21.15 450mg 8.11.15 375mg, 11.28.15 362.5mg, back to 375mg four days later, 3.4.16 updose to 475 (too much going on to risk trouble) 9/4/13 Toprol-XL 25mg daily for sudden hypertension, tapered 11.12.13 through 5.3.14, last 10 days or so switched to atenolol 7.4.14 Started Walsh Protocol 56 years old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toulouse Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 1 hour ago, Meimeiquest said: There is an “internet summit” wrapping up this weekend entitled Toxic Mold Project. This has been a piece of my journey (not everything unfortunately). There is a pdoc who speaks in one interview “Brain On Fire.” She is in AZ, the lower elevations there have big mold problems. She says since she learned of mold issues she hasn’t had a patient yet with severe problems who didn’t have mold (biotoxin illness or CIRS) as a part of their disease process. It’s just something for us all to be aware of. Starting off by saying my posts here are about 3 years old. I never had mold illness. I was misdiagnosed as having it by an incompetent P-Doc. This whole mold diagnosis was as big a nightmare as coming off Paxil and it probably derailed my healing by a year. Elevated C4a alone isn't enough to diagnose someone. There's a whole laundry list of diagnostics that need to be done to rule it in or out. My quack, nut job P-doc, which is what he was, diagnosed me with CIRS and put me on the Shoemaker Protocol. Weeks of misery on a battery of drugs that made me MUCH WORSE. I saw another doctor who thought the quack was full of crap and I swiftly got off the drugs he put me on. I went on to do a slew of blood tests that ruled out the CIRS diagnosis. The quack said 'oops,' basically. I sought legal guidance to sue this turkey for putting me through added hell. I DO have a case, unfortunately, it's not a slam dunk case in terms of how much in damages I can get, and the lawyers fees will make it not worth my while. Anyways, beware any doctor who tells you that a c4a that is elevated is a sign of mold toxin. There are many other tests that would help indicate that, and I will add that it is indeed quite rare to have CIRS. It's my opinion that some of these integrative doctors pray on people who want answers for what ordinary doctors can't give them. The truth is, and I am friends with several doctors, one of which is an esteemed infectious disease doctor, who have told me that modern medical science just doesn't have all the answers. They wish it did, and many people expect them to have the answers, so they seek out Integrative doctors. We all want so badly for someone to tell us what is wrong for us. I know first hand. Sadly, this is just the reality. Sometimes we just don't know the reason why we suffer. Sometimes there is no name for it. Just my 2 cents 3 years after this terrible nightmare with the 'mold' doctor. Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those. 20mg in 2014 10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August. As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net. Paxil free! WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015: Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows. Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head. Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5) then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn. Dizzy spells. Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out. 4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal. (October 9 2019) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toulouse Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 I want to add, that I am doing much better. I am 3.5 years off of Paxil and feeling BACK TO NORMAL. Or 95% back to normal. No anxiety, no physical symptoms. For at least the last year, I have returned to my old PRE-PAXIL self! Good luck to anyone reading this message and looking for HOPE! Been on Paxil 14 years. 40mg for the bulk of those. 20mg in 2014 10mg March of 2015 - then tapered to 5mg Then to 2.5 to 1.5 - to 1mg, from Mar-August. As of August 23 2015, I am flying without a net. Paxil free! WD symptoms since tapering mid- 2015: Short temper, hostile. Brain zaps. Bruxism. Wild vivid dreams Hives Food intolerance Lump in throat, . Joint pain. Knees, elbows. Pain in feet. Numbness in hands. Shaking, like I'm cold. Trembling. Tremors, muscle twitches all over. Facial tics. Eye, lips. Head. Floaters in my eyes. Severe Insomnia (between months 4-5) then returned from March-October 2016. I'm sleeping better now. Dreams have returned to normal (month 7) High levels of anxiety when around large crowds or in large rooms. Intestinal spasms, heartburn. Dizzy spells. Panic/Anxiety Attacks suddenly developed months 8 out. 4 years out, 98% feeling back to normal. (October 9 2019) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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