Sottana: Paxil withdrawal - questions and concerns

[Cocopuffz17]

14 minutes ago, Adili13 said:

Ty coco for the positive reply :). Are you able to work? How do you work with severe anhedonia and lack of energy. I feel like it’s going to be so hard for me and idk how much longer I can wait, I’m running out of money quickly 

 

I was fortunate when I did my fast taper and got smashed with the brunt of the withdrawals right after going to 0 that I was in school. So I barely was functional going there and just came home and slept(14+ hrs daily for almost 2 months).  I know doing a proper slow taper now would of avoided the huge spike in symptoms, but like many I followed my psychiatrists instructions 

 

I’ve been employed for 7 months straight since going to zero. The key is I took a WAY less stressful job that pays almost half of what I am qualified to make. But I am willing to make the sacrifice to get through this. I have adjusted my life accordingly for financials. Although at sometimes I felt like I needed to quit my job and sell my house. This community got me through it with knowing there is a light on the other side of the tunnel!!! 

 

I had 1-2 weeks of massive fatigue at 6 months completely off the drug and used sick days/vacation time to cover those days. I’ve actually been combating fatigue with black coffee daily, 4-5 cups. I know they discourage against stimulants as people see spikes in symptoms. But the nutrition I follow states coffee is loaded with polyphenols which benefits the gut microbiome. I haven’t had any out of the normal WD symptoms while consuming it. 

 

Running out of money is tough. I know I have depleted through a lot of savings. I was fortunate enough to have a nice nest egg saved up. My advice is see what the bare minimum wage you can live on with the least amount of stress position you would be able to take. 

[Sottana]

That’s good advice, coco. I have a low-stress job that would be enough money that i want to go back to. The crushing fatigue and anhedonia is what’s holding me back. If I don’t see much improvement in the next couple weeks, I might have to bite the bullet and just go back in spite of feeling this way. 

[Cocopuffz17]

8 minutes ago, Adili13 said:

That’s good advice, coco. I have a low-stress job that would be enough money that i want to go back to. The crushing fatigue and anhedonia is what’s holding me back. If I don’t see much improvement in the next couple weeks, I might have to bite the bullet and just go back in spite of feeling this way. 

 

I know how disabling the fatigue is. I used to do 100-200 sit-ups and pushups per day, for over a year. When the fatigue was at its worst ..... I could not do 1! I’m back to around 100 every other day now. It will get better! Keep at it! 

[Sottana]

Thanks coco! I really appreciate your encouragement and response. I hope to get back to doing some push-ups one day too!

[Cocopuffz17]

1 hour ago, Adili13 said:

Thanks coco! I really appreciate your encouragement and response. I hope to get back to doing some push-ups one day too!

You are welcome! You will, I can feel it coming!!!!

[Sottana]

Hello SA! 

 

I need a little advice. I’ve started applying to part time positions. I was wondering what I should say when asked in interviews why I’ve been out of work for 7 months. Also, why I’m applying to positions I’m over-qualified for and only looking for part time? Should I say I’m dealing with a health issue? I want to seem like a good candidate and don’t want to come off as sick, but at the same time, I don’t want to totally lie.

 

anthony

[Cocopuffz17]

7 minutes ago, Adili13 said:

Hello SA! 

 

I need a little advice. I’ve started applying to part time positions. I was wondering what I should say when asked in interviews why I’ve been out of work for 7 months. Also, why I’m applying to positions I’m over-qualified for and only looking for part time? Should I say I’m dealing with a health issue? I want to seem like a good candidate and don’t want to come off as sick, but at the same time, I don’t want to totally lie.

 

anthony

 

Hey, I would tell them what you are going through. You never know maybe someone there has had a similar experience and knows exactly what is going on. It would make it much more comfortable. It was a huge relief for me when I talked to some coworkers about mine and now I don’t have it in the back of my mind

[Sottana]

Even in the interview coco?? 

[Cocopuffz17]

Just now, Adili13 said:

Even in the interview coco?? 

It all depends to me. I’ve had interviews before in my life where they asked what the biggest challenge I’ve had in my life and how I overcame it. It that came up, I’d definitely give my experience.

 

at my current position it wasn’t asked so I didn’t make it known in the interview process. But as I became friends with my coworkers I informed them and they shared their challenges as well. In turn we are helping each other. 

[Sottana]

That’s interesting, I guess I’ll just play it by ear. Maybe they won’t even ask. If they do, I’ll have some kind of answer 

[Sottana]

Anyone else feel like getting sick, like actually getting sick, has completely destabilized them. I have a bad cold and am experiencing windows and waves again for the first time in a couple weeks. So discouraging.

[Sottana]

Been close to 2 months since my last drop and still feeling pretty bad. Not knowing if what I’m experiencing is WD or tolerance is truly maddening. Makes making decisions so hard. On the other hand, I need to get back to at least part time work and feel tapering will prolong that. So many questions and not many answers. 😞

[Markolo1980]

On 10/8/2018 at 6:40 PM, Adili13 said:

But it seems to pretty random other then the fact that stress seems to trigger it and I’ll go a few days feeling “ok” then go a few days with head pressure/headaches etc. the extreme anxiety days seem to last no more than a day. Sometimes a day and a half. Mornings are also more difficult for me, though I’ve heard that’s common 

hi , i know its late response but im new here. I too have symptoms even after 4months of lowering dose. Im at 20 mg paxil at the moment..hope this helps

[Altostrata]

On 10/18/2019 at 6:00 PM, Adili13 said:

Been close to 2 months since my last drop and still feeling pretty bad. Not knowing if what I’m experiencing is WD or tolerance is truly maddening. Makes making decisions so hard. On the other hand, I need to get back to at least part time work and feel tapering will prolong that. So many questions and not many answers. 😞

 

Your signature says you reduced October 20. What is your current symptom pattern?

[Sottana]

@Altostrata I reduced one percent since that day and my symptoms actually seem slightly better. I’ve been applying to part time work. Here’s my symptom pattern for today and yesterday, as they are the same.

 

11:15 am - wake up to some fatigue and irritability 

11:15 - 3:30 main symptom is agitation and a kind of tightness in me (this has been present for quite some time) it dropped off for a couple days after I dropped the one percent and then came back again. It almost feels like pre-akathisia. It’s the main symptom that i experience.

4:30 pm to present - more of the same, don’t feel terrible but also don’t feel good. Agitated/annoyed etc.

 

@Altostrata I think I slightly kindled myself after my updose and this is all still the remnants of that. I think the only real thing to do is to slowly continue my taper, dropping one or two percent when I can, and observing improvements in my overall symptom pattern. I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised that the one percent drop didn’t totally throw me off, fingers crossed. Let me know if you think my appraisal of my situation is basically on the right track. 
 

thanks for dropping in. 

 

[Sottana]

@Markolo1980 the head pressure has completely dropped off for me now that I drastically lowered my tapering speed. Thank goodness, that symptom felt like brain damage more than any other. I’m sorry you’re still experiencing symptoms after hitting 20 mg. It took me about 7 months to stabilize at 20 mg after my big drops and rapid reduction of lamictal. I’ll check out your page now. 

[Markolo1980]

@Sottana im really happy to hear your head pressure is gone! At least now i know , tappering should be slower. Thanks to all you guys out there I now Im not going crazy and im not alone . Thx for the support....

[Sottana]

@Markolo1980 absolutely man! 
 

it seems you’ve been dropping pretty steeply up until June. Don’t worry, I did the same thing. It’s not our fault because it’s what our doctors told us to do. Anyway, you might find in the next couple months you feel much better. Just be patient, my friend 

[bheb]

On 10/23/2019 at 9:21 PM, Adili13 said:

11:15 - 3:30 main symptom is agitation and a kind of tightness in me (this has been present for quite some time) it dropped off for a couple days after I dropped the one percent and then came back again. It almost feels like pre-akathisia. It’s the main symptom that i experience.

4:30 pm to present - more of the same, don’t feel terrible but also don’t feel good. Agitated/annoyed etc.

 

I quite relate to this. "Pre-akathisia" is a good term -- this is how I feel most of the time. Terrible tension, deep itchiness, need to move, filled up almost the brim, but the water is not quite running over. When it gets severe that's when I find myself in classic pacing akathisia. I think a lot of people misunderstand akathisia, so this kind of spectrum idea helps makes sense of it. You can have a lower degree of the agitating sensation without it becoming full blown "outer restlessness."

 

I'm glad to hear that you're up for doing part time work. That's very important to keep morale from dropping too low, to keep distracted if able. But at the same time I hope you are getting a chance to relax. Well, relaxing is almost impossible with agitation. But you know what I mean.

[Sottana]

Bheb, I appreciate the message! Yes, they akathisia-type feelings are absolutely on a spectrum. I’ve had both extreme akathisia (violent and suicidal) and mike akathisia, where I’m just tense and irritable all day, with teeth clenching. Luckily, this last reduction seemed to reduce it somewhat. If I go too long without reducing it comes back into full-effect eventually. For me, it’s a balance of not getting too deep into WD from dropping, but also not getting akathisia from holding too long. 

[Sottana]

Just got smacked with head pressure and windows and waves after most recent 1 percent drop. It’s so demoralizing and upsetting. I guess I’ll need to hold again. I have an interview tomorrow as I’ve been applying for part time work because I was doing better. Now I feel back to square one. Any suggestions are very welcome. 

[Rhiannon]

You mention a decrease in Lamictal but that's not in your sig, can you put that in? Also dates and dosages of any other psych related drugs you have been taking in the past 3 or 4 years. 

 

Lamictal is a tough one and if you made a big drop within the past year or two, you may still be recovering from that.

 

I haven't had time to read all the pages of your thread but skimmed the first and the last two. One suggestion about what to say about applying for jobs-- I am not sure how much you want to say about your own health problems, unless you can make it clear that they are over and not going to be a problem going forward. If you feel okay about lying, you may invent a family member who has been having problems who you are supporting or taking care of. If you sort of twist your eyeballs and think of yourself as that "family member" it's not entirely untrue, right? It's a tricky one. You also may want to consult with someone who advises people specifically on job hunting. At one point I did that to get help putting together a resume, and she was very helpful.

 

As far as your symptoms, since I'm not sure of all what meds you have taken and dropped and when, it's hard to say anything, except that obviously you do react strongly to drops so you probably should try long holds and only small cuts for a while.

[Sottana]

Thank you so much for the reply! For some reason, my signature will only allow me a certain amount of text, and the rest gets cut off. I see you have much more information in your sig than mine though, so I would like to add more information about the last 4 years of my drug history. 
 

Once I figure out how to add more, I certainly will. I think you might be right about  my brain still recovering from the lamictal. I made a lot of changes over the past 4 years, searching for the “magic bullet” with psychiatrists. It’s entirely plausible that I’m still very rattled from it all, neurologically. 
 

Great advice about interviewing. I went to one today and  I told the interviewer I left my previous job for medical reasons. He didn’t seem to care, but I can see it being an issue/a reason to not hire me with more competitive jobs in the future. All great points, thanks again for dropping in. 

[Sottana]

I just realized I never changed the time I take my dose after daylight savings. So I’ve been off by an hour for a couple weeks now. Does anyone think this makes a difference? Is there an existing topic on this? 

[rola]

On 11/16/2019 at 4:48 PM, Sottana said:

Je viens de me rendre compte que je ne changeais jamais l'heure à laquelle je prenais ma dose après l'heure avancée. Donc, je suis absent d'une heure depuis quelques semaines maintenant. Est-ce que quelqu'un pense que cela fait une différence? Existe-t-il un sujet sur ce sujet? 

@Sottana

 

Hi

apparently it must be taken at a fixed time I think it's important

I can not do it 🙄

good luck for your weaning

[Sottana]

Feeling severely anhedonic and fatigued. I’m starting to think that my mini cuts have just been worsening my WD, and that I haven’t really given myself a real chance to heal. Hoping a longer hold will help this time. Any words of advice/encouragement are extremely welcome 

[Longroadhome]

Hello there and sorry to hear you have been feeling so bad. 

I have messaged you a few times over the months as you are tapering from Paxil like me . 

Like you I feel an overwhelming urge to be off it. However we need our systems to stabilise first and this takes a very long time . Having spoken with people on this site it’s certainly not unheard of to wait 2 years before continuing to taper . 

I don’t feel you’re  giving yourself time to do this . 

As everyone that has been through the process  keeps saying 

Be patient. 

Stay where you are.

stabilise. 

Good luck 

LRH 

[Sottana]

You’re right, my friend. I appreciate you and your words of wisdom. I definitely need to stay put. You are right. Thank you again. Please stay in touch!!!! 

 

 

[Longroadhome]

You’re welcome and yes I will stay in touch  😊

[Sottana]

Feeling very discouraged and hopeless today. Weird head symptoms and crushing fatigue. It’s making me very depressed. Making me feel like there’s no point as i still can’t work or do much of anything. I don’t have health insurance and i have to find a way to scrounge some money together to have my script refilled. I feel totally useless and have been in bed all day. Could really use a friend and some words to keep me going. 

[Markolo1980]

Hi @Sottana here I am. I’ve been there, it is ok u feel this way. I needed almost 6months after last tapper to feel better. Lately I’ve been almost perfect but there were days, weeks when I was in a wave really really bad. What Im trying to say is , you will feel better. Just give yourself more time. Please wait on this dose few months, or even half a year. There is no need to hurry, especially on meds like paxil. Belive me, I learned that the hard way....

[Sottana]

You’re right. Thank you so much for this message. I desperately needed it today. I appreciate you and your words, my friend. 

[Cocopuffz17]

2 hours ago, Adili13 said:

You’re right. Thank you so much for this message. I desperately needed it today. I appreciate you and your words, my friend. 

You will get through this! It will get better. Fatigue by far was the worst for me as well coming off of Paxil. It does get better! 

[Sottana]

Thank you coco! I appreciate your pep talks and how you always drop in on my page. I’m thankful for you! Happy to hear you’re doing ok with the fatigue!! 

[Cocopuffz17]

7 minutes ago, Adili13 said:

Thank you coco! I appreciate your pep talks and how you always drop in on my page. I’m thankful for you! Happy to hear you’re doing ok with the fatigue!! 

You are welcome! I know I would of not got through some of my worst days without the support of this community.  It is what powered me through when I thought there would be no better days! Everyone told me there would be better days and they were right! 

[Sottana]

Yes, I’m very grateful to have the support I do on here from people like you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!! Please stay in touch :).