Squiggles; Possible Paxil withdrawal ... reinstatement?

[squiggles]

Hi all, 

I discovered this forum last night when I was desperately searching the web for answers. I decided, after reading a bunch, to reinstate my Paxil, but I wanted to do an actual intro and make sure this was the best choice. 

 

All of my history is in the signature, but I'll explain more of what is going on. About a week into the process of weaning off of Paxil (which was when I had finished weaning) I started feeling terrible. Occasionally I could smell cigarette smoke that nobody else could smell. I had nausea and bowel changes. I had a slight headache in the evenings, but nothing serious. I've had acid reflux before but it worsened. I ended up seeing my doctor for another reason and told her that I had been feeling that way for a week. She diagnosed me with an atypical migraine with an aura (the smell) and gave me Imitrex. I took it on two separate occasions and felt much worse each time and gave up on it.

 

I am at two weeks today of dealing with these symptoms and they have only worsened. I have nausea all the time, and riding in the car is much worse. Stomach/bowel issues are still there. Headaches are much worse and primarily on my forehead and the base of my skull. I have become sensitive to light. I see spots occasionally. I am on edge. I forget what I'm saying mid-sentence. I have this "whoosh" feeling in my brain when I move my head or even my eyes. After reading a lot, I think this might be the brain "buzz" or "zap" sensation, but I'm not positive. 

 

Last night in desperation I took 10 mg of Paxil and did it again today. So far I feel the same except for the whoosh sensation. If going back on the Paxil helps, then that's great, because I feel physically horrible. But then how do I get back off Paxil? What if my psychiatrist doesn't believe I need to wean any slower? At what point can I go ahead and try weaning off of the Wellbutrin? I actually suspected I was struggling with coming off the Paxil and mentioned it at my primary care doctor's appt but she brushed it off almost immediately. 

 

Any thoughts/tips/advice would be greatly appreciated. I have a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old and I'm a stay at home mom. I can hardly function feeling this way but I have trouble finding someone to come help me during the day. 

[scallywag]

Squiggles -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA). Thank you for posting an introduction and your medication + withdrawal history in your signature.
 
Sorry to hear that you got hit with symptoms of withdrawal/discontinuation.  Hard as it may be to believe, it was probably a good thing the symptoms hit hard so quickly. It meant that you reinstated early on.
 
It may take some time for your symptoms to settle down after 2 weeks when you didn't take Paxil. A discussion topic at this link may be helpful:
How long to stabilize after reinstating or updosing

Give yourself lots of time to stabilize on the 10 mg Paxil. After your symptoms have been stable for 2 weeks -- either completely gone or tolerable with no wild swings within a day or day-to-day -- consider tapering. To minimize the risk of triggering withdrawal symptoms, we suggest that people reduce the dose by no more than 10% no more often than once every 4 weeks. You can read more about that in the topics at these links:
Before you begin tapering -- what you need to know
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?
Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)
 

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 am glad that you found us.

 

Please read the topics I've linked. If you have questions, please come back here to your introduction to ask questions so that all your information stays in one place.

[nz11]

squiggles are you able to update us on your current situation.