Justin332: Paxil withdrawal - scared and need advice

[Justin332]

19 minutes ago, Gridley said:

The fact that your mood is better is a very good sign.  Reinstatement can take quite a while to work, and you reinstated only 16 days ago.  Please hold steady and give it time.

 

In the meantime, these techniques have helped many members here:

 

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms 

 

 

Thank you so much. It’s just so scary when you wake up anxious and are only sleeping four hours a night with trazodone. It’s like something in me is blocked. 

 

This is really normal to experience?

 

mood was amazing from Sunday to Thursday. Friday-Saturday light anxiety. Today very anxious. 

 

Its just very very difficult to imagine something i took so long isn’t providing immediate relief. 

 

Tha k you for your encouragement. Means a ton to me. 

[Gridley]

Insomnia and waking with anxiety is a common WD symptom.  

 

Unfortunately, reinstatement of an AD can take time.  The fact that you had several good days is very encouraging.

[Justin332]

4 minutes ago, Gridley said:

Insomnia and waking with anxiety is a common WD symptom.  

 

Unfortunately, reinstatement of an AD can take time.  The fact that you had several good days is very encouraging.

Does reinstatement usually work? Just seems so different from the anxiety I’ve experienced my whole

life. 

[Gridley]

It often works. It did for me after a too-fast taper of Imipramine, but it took four months  I wish I could give you a guaranty but very little is certain in this area.

 

Please read the first few posts of this topic:

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

 

Yes, WD anxiety and WD "depression" are different from the original.  That's one way to know it's withdrawal and not, as psychiatrists like to tell you, "the return of the underlying condition."

 

[nz11]

Tips for tapering off trazodone (Desyrel)

 

Tips for tapering off Neurontin (gabapentin)

 

Justin I see that your doctor has added/experimenting with another new drug. Trazodone.  Looks like a new guess by the doctor to help with sleep?

You might like to put dates into your drug signature so that the mods can see when they were started.

date; drug; dose would be a great format

eg 12 Jan 18, gabapentin, 900mg

26-28 dec 17 , valium , 10mg

1 -15 dec 17, Zyprexa , 2.5mg 

etc

What happened to the tegretol?

 

You might like to run all the drugs you are taking through the drugs interaction checker and copy and paste the results here in your intro. It may help you join some dots as to how you are feeling.

50mg is about 4 mg in equivalence to paxil.

imo it is better to updose the drug you are on than add more new ones that are also going to have to be tapered.

 

2 hours ago, Justin332 said:

mood was amazing from Sunday to Thursday. Friday-Saturday light anxiety. Today very anxious. 

Is Friday when you started taking the trazodone?

Trazodone can have a lot of interactions with other drugs so this could be making you unwell...on top of wdl symptoms.

[Justin332]

21 minutes ago, nz11 said:

Tips for tapering off trazodone (Desyrel)

 

Tips for tapering off Neurontin (gabapentin)

 

Justin I see that your doctor has added/experimenting with another new drug. Trazodone.  Looks like a new guess by the doctor to help with sleep?

You might like to put dates into your drug signature so that the mods can see when they were started.

date; drug; dose would be a great format

eg 12 Jan 18, gabapentin, 900mg

26-28 dec 17 , valium , 10mg

1 -15 dec 17, Zyprexa , 2.5mg 

etc

What happened to the tegretol?

 

You might like to run all the drugs you are taking through the drugs interaction checker and copy and paste the results here in your intro. It may help you join some dots as to how you are feeling.

50mg is about 4 mg in equivalence to paxil.

imo it is better to updose the drug you are on than add more new ones that are also going to have to be tapered.

 

Is Friday when you started taking the trazodone?

Trazodone can have a lot of interactions with other drugs so this could be making you unwell...on top of wdl symptoms.

Hey! I just can’t sleep sonhe put me on trazodone. Zyprexa and Tegretol are done, as the doc thought they could be giving worse sides. 

 

The doc did acknowledge the interaction between trazodone and Paxil but thought risk was minimal. 

 

Sleep is consistently bad. Three hours last night, but i had four days of zero anxiety or akithesia and then it came back yesterday. 

 

I will work on the format. 

[Justin332]

1 hour ago, Gridley said:

It often works. It did for me after a too-fast taper of Imipramine, but it took four months  I wish I could give you a guaranty but very little is certain in this area.

 

Please read the first few posts of this topic:

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

 

Yes, WD anxiety and WD "depression" are different from the original.  That's one way to know it's withdrawal and not, as psychiatrists like to tell you, "the return of the underlying condition."

 

My doctor is totally unprepared for all of this, and it definitely adds anxiety. I had great days from Sunday - Thursday (although i still didn’t sleep) so I’m hoping this wave is shorter. 

 

Considering i was hospitalized a week ago i think i need to be more patient. 

 

Its just so odd to have periods of zero hope and then moments of complete hope. 

[Justin332]

Signature updates with dates 

[Gridley]

Thanks for adding dates to your signature.

 

These links should be helpful for when you talk with your doctor:

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?
 
What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

[nz11]

13 minutes ago, Justin332 said:

risk was minimal. 

I can sure relate to a doctor playing down risks.

in fact when I made a face to face complaint to my doctor this is what the doctor said "But pharmac (the national gatekeeper for allowing drugs into the country) would not have approved this drug if it wasn't safe". That is how stupidly ignorant they are.  

When I invited several doctors to try some of their own medicine ...no sorry they wouldn't. Its funny how the risks for everyone else is low but those risks are considered not acceptable for them. Pity they don't apply their own standards for their patients.

 

later...oh well done on the drug sig.

[Justin332]

So i was reading this on reinstatement. 

 

 

If i took ten milligrams of Paxil for years and came off on it in August, was it a bad idea to go to paxil CR at 12.5 to reinstate?

 

shiuld i have reinstated on a low dose of trintellix instead? I took trintellix from August to December first. 

 

When i i took the Paxil, my sleep completely went to hell, which is why i ended up in the hospital. Maybe my system is too sensitive for the 12.5 Cr? 

 

What would you all do in ky shoes?

[Justin332]

3 hours ago, Justin332 said:

So i was reading this on reinstatement. 

 

 

If i took ten milligrams of Paxil for years and came off on it in August, was it a bad idea to go to paxil CR at 12.5 to reinstate?

 

shiuld i have reinstated on a low dose of trintellix instead? I took trintellix from August to December first. 

 

When i i took the Paxil, my sleep completely went to hell, which is why i ended up in the hospital. Maybe my system is too sensitive for the 12.5 Cr? 

 

What would you all do in ky shoes?

Could one of the mods answer this if you have a second? I’d really like an opinion before i take Paxil tomorrow 

[Rosetta]

9 hours ago, Gridley said:

Yes, WD anxiety and WD "depression" are different from the original.  That's one way to know it's withdrawal and not, as psychiatrists like to tell you, "the return of the underlying condition."

 

I quoted Gridley in the hopes it would draw him to your thread.  He may see a notification that I quoted him, but you should quote him, too.  He might come to my thread instead of yours.  You should quote Altostrata and AliG, too.  Any one of the might see the notification and answer you.

 

Justin, While I'm here, I have to say this: you should spend some time looking into the drugs your doctor gave you on Jan 8 before you get addicted to them.

 

 Gabapentin is a very scary drug.  You will have to taper it if you get hooked.  The wives of 2 doctors claim it caused their husbands to commit suicide.  They were doctors!!! They didn't realize that they needed to get off that drug.  Their brains were so impaired that they didn't even recognize the side effects were caused by the drug or try to get off.  Please google all the controversy about this drug and how it was made/approved by the FDA.  It acts more like a benzo, I read.  Ask on the benzo thread about it and find people who were hooked on it by using Google to search " survivingantidepressants gabapentin."

 

Ambien - you are probably all ready addicted if you have been taking it every night since Dec 23rd, but maybe not.  Please ask about how to taper this when you decide to stop.

 

Trazodone is not a sleeping pill.  Did you know that?  It's tricyclic antidepressant.  My psych prescribed that for me when I started WD.  It makes you pass out not sleep.  It was not good sleep that I got from this med.  I still went insane from sleep deprivation.  I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing for you.  I know you are suffering and you need to work, but please make yourself as informed as possible before you get hooked on Trazodone or Gabapentin.

 

You might be compounding your problems by trusting your doc.  Please look into it.  In any event whatever decision you make SA will help you through if you have problems.  You are never alone.  I hope you can take that to heart.

 

Rosetta

 

 

[Justin332]

16 minutes ago, Rosetta said:

 

I quoted Gridley in the hopes it would draw him to your thread.  He may see a notification that I quoted him, but you should quote him, too.  He might come to my thread instead of yours.  You should quote Altostrata and AliG, too.  Any one of the might see the notification and answer you.

 

Justin, While I'm here, I have to say this: you should spend some time looking into the drugs your doctor gave you on Jan 8 before you get addicted to them.

 

 Gabapentin is a very scary drug.  You will have to taper it if you get hooked.  The wives of 2 doctors claim it caused their husbands to commit suicide.  They were doctors!!! They didn't realize that they needed to get off that drug.  Their brains were so impaired that they didn't even recognize the side effects were caused by the drug or try to get off.  Please google all the controversy about this drug and how it was made/approved by the FDA.  It acts more like a benzo, I read.  Ask on the benzo thread about it and find people who were hooked on it by using Google to search " survivingantidepressants gabapentin."

 

Ambien - you are probably all ready addicted if you have been taking it every night since Dec 23rd, but maybe not.  Please ask about how to taper this when you decide to stop.

 

Trazodone is not a sleeping pill.  Did you know that?  It's tricyclic antidepressant.  My psych prescribed that for me when I started WD.  It makes you pass out not sleep.  It was not good sleep that I got from this med.  I still went insane from sleep deprivation.  I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing for you.  I know you are suffering and you need to work, but please make yourself as informed as possible before you get hooked on Trazodone or Gabapentin.

 

You might be compounding your problems by trusting your doc.  Please look into it.  In any event whatever decision you make SA will help you through if you have problems.  You are never alone.  I hope you can take that to heart.

 

Rosetta

 

 

I’m scared of all that happening, i just cannot get to sleep at all. I feel like I’m trapped with no options. 

[Justin332]

On 12/27/2017 at 5:00 PM, Altostrata said:

Welcome, Justin.

 

How did you switch from Paxil to Trintellix? Did you have any unusual symptoms when you did that?

Hey there. I’d really

appreciate your feedback on the above questions i posted about possibly cutting down on the Paxil. I reinstated at my regular dose of 10 (12.5 Cr) and every day I’m on edge worse than i wasn’t before i reinstated. Is it too high a dose?

[Rosetta]

I know how scared you are.  I really do.  I was terrified.  It's awful to be told by a doctor to take a drug and then find out bad news about it.  

 

You have been recognizing this problem for such a short time.  It's very hard to "earn a degree in pharmacology" just to deal with your own drug dependence while feeling ridiculous levels of anxiety at the same time.  We should be able to trust our doctors.  

 

It's hard to believe that what you are feeling is normal for ADWD.  I couldn't believe it myself, but I had no chance to reinstate.  You do!! You started feeling better after you reinstated.  Give it a chance before you add more drugs.  It's pretty clear that the consensus on this site is that adding more drugs can ruin a chance to reinstate.  You can do whatever you feel is best for you, but I hope you will give reinstatement a chance first.

 

i credit the fact that I am more or less ok to the fact that I dropped the Xanax and Trazodone.  I did it before I was addicted to them, too.  I am so very glad.

[ChessieCat]

Hi Justin,

 

I've asked the other mods for their thoughts on your Paxil dose.

 

Are you keeping a daily diary of your symptoms?  Is there any pattern that you can see with when you get symptoms and times you take your drugs?

[Rosetta]

Oh, I don't what the Mods think about Unisom otc,.  I have never seen a Mod recommend it, but it worked for me.  I was careful not to use every night, and my symptoms did eventually get much worse.  Maybe that was just WD and its course or maybe Unisom was not good in the long term.  I'll never know, but It did help me sleep.

[Altostrata]

On 1/3/2018 at 9:33 AM, Justin332 said:

Thank you for the feedback. The only thing is since starting Paxil i feel very anxious In my entire body. It feels like a totally foreign substance to me right now then when i took it for seventeen years. Will this feeling go away?  Is my nervous system just too sensitive right now 

2

 

Justin, when did this symptom start after reinstating 10mg Paxil?

 

On 1/11/2018 at 6:51 AM, Justin332 said:

To put you at ease, i haven’t taken zyprexa since Monday. Also haven’t taken Valium in a while either. 

 

Reinstatement completely worked for me. I reinstated Paxil at 10mg which made the akithisia worse. On Sunday we switched to Paxil CR and now all anxiety and akithisia is completely gone. 

 

I feel like i have a new lease on life. 

 

I was having triuble sleeping as ping as soon as i stopped taking antidepressants. It’s gotten worse since i reinstated Paxil but i am very thankful to feel more like myself every day. I am unfortunately married to Paxil. 17 years and going lol. 

 

Ill uodate my drug signatire. Any advice on sleeping would be greatly appreciated, or even why i can’t sleep.  It feels like I’m so tired, but it just won’t engage! 

 

For how many days did the 12.5mg Paxil CR "work"?

 

15 hours ago, Justin332 said:

Thank you so much. It’s just so scary when you wake up anxious and are only sleeping four hours a night with trazodone. It’s like something in me is blocked. 

 

This is really normal to experience?

 

mood was amazing from Sunday to Thursday. Friday-Saturday light anxiety. Today very anxious. 

 

Its just very very difficult to imagine something i took so long isn’t providing immediate relief. 

 

Tha k you for your encouragement. Means a ton to me. 

 

Did you make any drug changes Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday?

 

What time of day are you taking each of your drugs, and at what dosages?

 

How did you feel when you were taking Prozac? How many days did you take it? When you switched to Paxil, how did you switch?

 

My guess is 10mg Paxil was too much for you, and 12.5mg Paxil CR, while initially more comfortable because it is extended-release, is also too much for you. Paxil comes in a liquid. If I were you, I would reduce by 1mg per day until you get to 7.5mg, then give that a week to see if it's more comfortable.

 

I'd take 11.5mg as the initial dose of the liquid. Switching from tablet to liquid can be bumpy because the liquid is absorbed more quickly. But if you take a little less than your customary dosage of 12.5mg, it might be more tolerable.

 

Switching to Prozac, as it seemed you were doing on December 28, might have been a better choice as it is somewhat easier to taper than Paxil. At this juncture, that could be an option, but it's likely you'll experience a week or two of bad symptoms before the Prozac kicks in. My guess is 5mg Prozac might be appropriate.

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. This is very important.

 

What is the gabapentin doing for you?

Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results in this topic.

 

[ChessieCat]

This is the suggested format for keeping notes:  Keep Notes on Paper
 

This may also be helpful:  Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

Edited January 15, 2018 by ChessieCat

[Justin332]

7 hours ago, Altostrata said:

 

Justin, when did this symptom start after reinstating 10mg Paxil?

 

 

For how many days did the 12.5mg Paxil CR "work"?

 

 

Did you make any drug changes Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday?

 

What time of day are you taking each of your drugs, and at what dosages?

 

How did you feel when you were taking Prozac? How many days did you take it? When you switched to Paxil, how did you switch?

 

My guess is 10mg Paxil was too much for you, and 12.5mg Paxil CR, while initially more comfortable because it is extended-release, is also too much for you. Paxil comes in a liquid. If I were you, I would reduce by 1mg per day until you get to 7.5mg, then give that a week to see if it's more comfortable.

 

I'd take 11.5mg as the initial dose of the liquid. Switching from tablet to liquid can be bumpy because the liquid is absorbed more quickly. But if you take a little less than your customary dosage of 12.5mg, it might be more tolerable.

 

Switching to Prozac, as it seemed you were doing on December 28, might have been a better choice as it is somewhat easier to taper than Paxil. At this juncture, that could be an option, but it's likely you'll experience a week or two of bad symptoms before the Prozac kicks in. My guess is 5mg Prozac might be appropriate.

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. This is very important.

 

What is the gabapentin doing for you?

Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results in this topic.

 

Hey there. Thank you so much for your prompt response and everyone else that has responded. Not feeling alone is so helpful. I will answer your questions one at a time here. 

 

Justin, when did this symptom start after reinstating 10mg Paxil?

 

I was having major anxiety and just a constant feeling in my chest before i reinststed paxil. I was having trouble sleeping as well and when i restarted the Paxil my sleeping became even harder.  That is why i got hospitalized. I had horribly dark thoughts and sensitivity to everything. I was out of options so i went there to get some sleep. With that said i slept 7 and a half hours last night.  Three the night before. I met a guy who has been very calming for me when we are together. 

 

 

For how many days did the 12.5mg Paxil CR "work"?

 

i had a window of four days last week after i got out of the behavioral health hospital where everything felt back to normal, except for the sleep. Thursday i felt the tightness in my chest and it progressed into a pretty rough day yesterday with a lot of anxiety in my chest and obsessive, negative thoughts 

 

 

Did you make any drug changes Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday?

 

i stopped the zyprexa and the tegredol on Tuesday. 

 

What time of day are you taking each of your drugs, and at what dosages?

 

im taking Paxil Cr 12.5 mg in morning

gabapentin 300mg x 3

trazodone 150mg and zolpidem before bed. 

I take Valium as needed, but have only taken two pills in a week. 

 

How did you feel when you were taking Prozac?

 

Prozac immediately gave me headaches. I have a gene test that matched my body with what drugs are good to take and which ones are not with my body. Prozac was the ONLY SSRI in the red bc of “increased risk of side effects” so i told the psych that and we decided to get back on Paxil. 

 

How many days did you take it?

 

I took Prozac one day

 

When you switched to Paxil, how did you switch? 

 

I immediately just went back to 10mg of Paxil the next day, and immediately felt more anxiety and the sleep got way worse. It was odd to me considering i took it for 17 years but it had been five months since i took it last. I was almost wondering if trintellix withdrawal was happening instead?

 

i don’t believe the gabapentin is doing much of anything honestly. The nervousness and feeling in my chest is not helped by taking it. It either is there or it isn’t. Feels totally random. 

 

My psychiatrist called me today, and said that although he believes i was experiencing withdrawal, that now I’m just having anxiety in general and that he wants to UP my Paxil to 25mg CR. I told him i was nervous about that bc of the initial shock reinstatement of 12.5 did. 

 

[Justin332]

10 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

Hi Justin,

 

I've asked the other mods for their thoughts on your Paxil dose.

 

Are you keeping a daily diary of your symptoms?  Is there any pattern that you can see with when you get symptoms and times you take your drugs?

I don’t really see a pattern at all. It’s just days of things being ok, and then days of not being ok. 

 

I will say my symptoms are not as bad as they were in late December. I had the same feeling in my chest before i reinstated Paxil. 

[Justin332]

11 hours ago, Rosetta said:

I know how scared you are.  I really do.  I was terrified.  It's awful to be told by a doctor to take a drug and then find out bad news about it.  

 

You have been recognizing this problem for such a short time.  It's very hard to "earn a degree in pharmacology" just to deal with your own drug dependence while feeling ridiculous levels of anxiety at the same time.  We should be able to trust our doctors.  

 

It's hard to believe that what you are feeling is normal for ADWD.  I couldn't believe it myself, but I had no chance to reinstate.  You do!! You started feeling better after you reinstated.  Give it a chance before you add more drugs.  It's pretty clear that the consensus on this site is that adding more drugs can ruin a chance to reinstate.  You can do whatever you feel is best for you, but I hope you will give reinstatement a chance first.

 

i credit the fact that I am more or less ok to the fact that I dropped the Xanax and Trazodone.  I did it before I was addicted to them, too.  I am so very glad.

I’m a very type A person. I actually won rep of the year at my medical device company for the second year in a row. I have to give a big speech next week in front of like 2,000 people and cannot continue feeling like this. 

 

Being so type A, I’m used to finding ANSWERS to any obstacle and methodically implementing a plan to get better. 

 

Its very scary that this doesnt seem seem to be going away, and now the psych wants to up my Paxil instead of lowering like altostrata says. 

 

I just want to feel better, and the information out there is so conflicting and some of it very dire. I honestly wish i never switched away from Paxil 10mg. I was fine then. 

[Gridley]

I sympathize with your need to find an answer.  Unfortunately, with ADWD, answers are not always clearcut.  I don't believe the answer lies in the direction of more drugs.  It's your decision, but, as I said earlier, I would hold where you are and give the reinstatement a chance.

[Rosetta]

 

1 hour ago, Justin332 said:

 

My psychiatrist called me today, and said that although he believes i was experiencing withdrawal, that now I’m just having anxiety in general and that he wants to UP my Paxil to 25mg CR. I told him i was nervous about that bc of the initial shock reinstatement of 12.5 did. 

 

 

Think about your docs' advice carefully.  Imo, you are right to be nervous.  More may not be better.  A lot more -- double-- may be very dangerous, imo.  I personally would not follow that advice until after the speech and even then . . . I suspect you know what I would do.  I would decrease instead of raising by double.  

 

Why do the docs always want to double?!  It drives me mad.  Well, you will do what you feel is right for you, but I think you all ready know in your gut that doubling would be a bad move.  Keep it steady, keep it slow.  Doubling is not slow.  The theory on this site is that once destabilized you are very, very sensitive to changes.  You have to decide if that theory is what you believe or whether you trust your doctor.  You can always go up later.  If you double, you can't take that back if it all goes wrong for you.  The damage will be done and all the wishing in the world won't make it go away, but could change your mind later if decreasing or holding doesn't let you stabilize, right?

 

You know what?  Your speech is going to be fine.  When I was very, very anxious (back in Sept Oct Nov) I had to go out and talk to people; I had no choice.  It was always fine.  I worried and got upset, and I cancelled everything I could, but when I went out, it was always fine except once.  That one time I yelled at someone.  I lost my temper.  If you don't lose your temper everything will be just fine.  Even that wasn't so bad in the end, but I regret it.  The anxiety is worse than the event you have to face, and when the speech is over you'll be surprised at how easily it went.

 

Oh, yes, I know all about being Type A.  Guess what?  It does nothing but get you in the door, but you are all ready in the door!  Rep of the year twice!  You can do no wrong, Justin.  You are lucky that WD is happening now after you proved your worth instead of before.  You can coast for awhile, get through this WD and be fine.  No one expects you to keep going at this rate.  No wonder you are on psych drugs.  Another secret -- everyone -- and I mean everyone around you -- is, too.  If you can avoid this: becoming angry and yelling at someone, you are home free.

[Justin332]

Rosetta and Gridley, i really appreciate both your feedback. Everyone on here is really amazing to take time out of their day to help. 

 

I agree completely going up is a bad idea.  I will meet with the psychiatrist on Thursday, and would like to have a clear plan presented to him. I will wait for altostratas feedback on this. 

 

I dont believe the speech will be difficult or particularly stressful, if anything it will be a nice distraction. I feel the anxiety more when bored. I do have irritable moments when the anxiety in my chest is strong, but i will be able to suppress it that night. 

 

Have any of you felt that constant feeling in your chest? Just like a sense of dread? It started before the Paxil reinstatement and comes and goes. Is that anxiety? Akithesia? Will it go away?  It went away when i got out of the hospital last week f S four days but has been persistent since. I’m almost wondering if a Med is exacerbating it. 

 

 

[Justin332]

Well, i definitely know the Paxil hasn’t kicked in yet. Just spent the past ten minutes crying over the death of Dolores O’riodan of the cranberries. 

 

They were my favorite band of my teenage angst years. 

[Altostrata]

Justin, it looks very much like 10mg or 12.5mg Paxil is too much for you.

 

Everything you reported in http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/16599-justin332-paxil-withdrawal-scared-and-need-advice/?do=findComment&comment=326336 indicates that. After you switched to 12.5mg Paxil, it was okay for a few days, then it got worse. It takes about 4 days for a drug to get to steady-state in your system. That was when your body recognized the dosage had been increased to 12.5mg from 10mg and ramped up symptoms.

 

Most psychiatrists do not know anything about tapering or withdrawal syndrome or what to do about it. Some don't even recognize adverse effects of drug-drug combinations. Your psychiatrist may be one of these lesser lights.

 

Going on and off drugs and having adverse effects of drugs often makes the nervous system hypersensitive to all neuroactive drugs, supplements, and even foods. You will have reactions you never had before. 10mg or 12.5mg Paxil is probably too much for you now and 25mg would be much worse.

 

Any doctor can prescribe these drugs, you don't need a psychiatrist to do so. Do you have a good relationship with your GP? He or she could prescribe liquid Paxil.

 

Or -- do you have any 10mg Paxil tablets left? You could back down to 10mg right away by taking those instead. This topic explains how to make a liquid from tablets Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. We need this information to track adverse reactions.

 

Also, please put ALL your current drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php 
and copy and paste the results in this topic.

 

 

 

[Justin332]

47 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Justin, it looks very much like 10mg or 12.5mg Paxil is too much for you.

 

Everything you reported in http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/16599-justin332-paxil-withdrawal-scared-and-need-advice/?do=findComment&comment=326336 indicates that. After you switched to 12.5mg Paxil, it was okay for a few days, then it got worse. It takes about 4 days for a drug to get to steady-state in your system. That was when your body recognized the dosage had been increased to 12.5mg from 10mg and ramped up symptoms.

 

Most psychiatrists do not know anything about tapering or withdrawal syndrome or what to do about it. Some don't even recognize adverse effects of drug-drug combinations. Your psychiatrist may be one of these lesser lights.

 

Going on and off drugs and having adverse effects of drugs often makes the nervous system hypersensitive to all neuroactive drugs, supplements, and even foods. You will have reactions you never had before. 10mg or 12.5mg Paxil is probably too much for you now and 25mg would be much worse.

 

Any doctor can prescribe these drugs, you don't need a psychiatrist to do so. Do you have a good relationship with your GP? He or she could prescribe liquid Paxil.

 

Or -- do you have any 10mg Paxil tablets left? You could back down to 10mg right away by taking those instead. This topic explains how to make a liquid from tablets Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)

 

Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. We need this information to track adverse reactions.

 

Also, please put ALL your current drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php 
and copy and paste the results in this topic.

 

 

 

I do have ten milligrams of regular Paxil. I can easily go back to that. We switched to the 12.5mg CR because the psych thought it would give less of a spike and therefore not as shocking to my system. I felt like that did help but if you think that 2.5mg drop will help I’ll gladly try it. 

 

I absolutely agree a jump in Paxil could be disastrous right now.  It is concerning to me how they think that would be good. 

 

Has the Paxil even had enough time to work again?  It has only been 18 days back on. 

 

This feeling in on my chest just won’t seem to go away. Is it generalized anxiety? Nerves? I’m also very shaky. 

 

Thank you altostrsta for everything you do. 

[Justin332]

Interactions between your selected drugs

Major

trazodone  paroxetine

Applies to: trazodone, Paxil (paroxetine)

Using traZODone together with PARoxetine can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience these symptoms while taking the medications. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

trazodone  zolpidem

Applies to: trazodone, Ambien (zolpidem)

Using traZODone together with zolpidem may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

zolpidem  paroxetine

Applies to: Ambien (zolpidem), Paxil (paroxetine)

Using zolpidem together with PARoxetine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

paroxetine  gabapentin

Applies to: Paxil (paroxetine), gabapentin

Using PARoxetine together with gabapentin may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

trazodone  gabapentin

Applies to: trazodone, gabapentin

Using traZODone together with gabapentin may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

zolpidem  gabapentin

Applies to: Ambien (zolpidem), gabapentin

Using zolpidem together with gabapentin may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

[Altostrata]

2 minutes ago, Justin332 said:

Has the Paxil even had enough time to work again?  It has only been 18 days back on. 

 

This feeling in on my chest just won’t seem to go away. Is it generalized anxiety? Nerves? I’m also very shaky.

 

 

A psychiatrist might say that an antidepressant takes some weeks to "work," meaning take away your depression (actually, what it does is numb you emotionally so you're not complaining about depression).

 

Other than this myth, any drug has an effect right away, noticeable or not, therapeutic or not.

 

After 18 days, you definitely have an idea whether the dosage is causing adverse reactions. You might also feel some withdrawal from the 2.5mg reduction.

 

The feeling in your chest and shakiness are adverse reactions, possibly from the drug combination, particularly trazodone, which will produce its adverse effects the next day.

 

To imitate the extended release of Paxil CR, you might cut the 10mg Paxil tablet in half and take one-half at your regular time and the other half 6 hours later.

[Altostrata]

Do you feel any of those symptoms indicated in the drug interaction report?

[Justin332]

5 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Do you feel any of those symptoms indicated in the drug interaction report?

Your idea with five and five is a great idea that i will gladly implement tomorrow. 

 

I am very shaky and have anxiety, negative thoughts, and that feeling in my chest which has been persistent. I had that feeling in my chest before i even reinststed Paxil, but Paxil did make it worse. 

 

Other than that, drowsiness which is why i was taking them. Sleep has been very difficult and when i reinstated i slept 5 hours in three days. That cannot happen again. 

[Altostrata]

When do you feel drowsy? Does the chest pressure and shakiness get worse at any particular time of day?

 

We really need those daily notes of your symptom pattern.

[Justin332]

1 minute ago, Altostrata said:

When do you feel drowsy? Does the chest pressure and shakiness get worse at any particular time of day?

 

We really need those daily notes of your symptom pattern.

The chest feeling actually went away a few hours after waking up today. I got really sleepy and tried to nap but ended up just resting, not sleeping. 

 

I generally get drowsy around 11:30 pm after i take the trazodone and ambien. Wether i go to sleep or not is a different story. 

 

From last sunday to wednesday i felt totally back to normal. Chest feeling came back Thursday-today and doesn’t really get better or worse. Just kinda there. 

 

I will I’ll start a journal if it will help us get to the bottom of it. Thank you. 

[Altostrata]

7 hours ago, Justin332 said:

i stopped the zyprexa and the tegredol on Tuesday. 

 

This relieved some of the drug-drug interaction for a few days, but it rebalanced and came back. Some of your symptoms are due to one drug or the other, a daily record will help us figure out which drug to drop first.

 

How often do you take trazodone with Ambien? Is that more effective than trazodone alone?