kathy1988: Paxil and Pristiq withdrawal - please help

[Colonial]

Just so you are aware, unless you wish to highlight a certain portion of a post ( by highlighting and then hitting quote),  it isn't necessary to "quote" an entire post in order to reply. You can simply type in the "reply to this thread" area and then hit submit.  That prevents our threads from becoming unnecessarily long and helps others focus on smaller portions that may be important without having to take too much time scroll and look through large amounts of repeat data.

 

You may wish to share the following recommendations from actual psychiatrists on how to properly wean a patient off of Paxil

 

stopping-antidepressant-printable.pdf (rcpsych.ac.uk)

 

Page 5 discusses:

 

"Don’t try missing medication on some days, this will lead to the amount of the drug in your body fluctuating and make withdrawal symptoms more likely.
Which was His advice on taking 10 mgs of Prozac on every other day.

 

Page 7 shows a potential Paxil taper, much more reasonable with 40 drops over 20-40 months than dropping 30mgs in 15 weeks.

As you can see, compared to the potential Citalprolam taper, Paxil is known to be problematic

 

When your able to get access to the signature portion again, add in the dates you started missing dosages and the date of the last dose.

 

The fact that He is still advising the "every 2nd or 3rd day" method debunked decades ago is why I think you need a different doctor if you choose to reinstate, since you tend to go with His advice (as is your right if you wish) rather than going with information your receiving here.

 

While we are not doctors and you should discuss our suggestions with Him we aren't able to be much help if you continue to choose options we warn are likely problematic, only because once the damage is done we don't have an easy fix for you.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Colonial

[kathy1988]

Thank you Colonial. I am just afraid to try anything at this point... My apologies I was quoting and not just replying... I thought that is what you did on this forum...

 

I am living in a dream state the last couple of days. Replaying everything in my mind and thinking things have happened that haven't, and things that are going to happen that aren't. I have scary thoughts that I am not alive, or that I am locked in an institution somewhere or that this is all a dream. Its so weird... and really terrifying.  I had a terrifying thought that I would wake up mid air, or standing on top of a building about to jump off without knowing how I got there. Am I going crazy slowly? I had a call with my psychiatrist today who told me to start with 10mg.. I still haven't started anything because I am so afraid of what is happening in my mind. 

 

Anyways. Day by day... I hope I am still here tomorrow and have not done something out of my right mind. - Kathy. 

[Colonial]

On 11/7/2020 at 12:50 AM, kathy1988 said:

Can someone help me? I have just started Prozac about 3 weeks ago. The last couple of days have been really strange... I feel like things have happened that haven’t. Like I left my house today and was afraid that I had killed my dog. Even though I knew I had left him with treats and a kiss.... I was lying in bed last night and was convinced that I had gone crazy and killed my boyfriend.., and I was lying there living in another world...even though he was lying right beside me. What is happening? 

 

 

12/2/20: do you think I should stay off all medications for now?

 

12/3/20: I am living in a dream state the last couple of days. Replaying everything in my mind and thinking things have happened that haven't, and things that are going to happen that aren't. I have scary thoughts that I am not alive, or that I am locked in an institution somewhere or that this is all a dream. Its so weird... and really terrifying.  I had a terrifying thought that I would wake up mid air, or standing on top of a building about to jump off without knowing how I got there. Am I going crazy slowly?

 

I think you should never be on another psych med again EVER.

 

The question is will a slight Paxil  re instatement help you temporarily.

 

It seems to me, that you are still dealing more with the adverse reaction issues, even though WD and AR symptoms can overlap at times.  I think considering your past history your lucky to still not be any worse than before you started the Prozac after that first post discussing the Pristiq reaction.

 

 From looking over your first post and Shep's reply about the Pristiq, it seems the original Paxil WD symptoms are really not as much of an issue, or at least do not scare you as much, you wrote:

 

Posted October 6

 

I have just come off Paxil after about 5.5 years due to anxiety and panic attacks...  Brain zaps, anxiety, my brain feeling like it was bleeding, terrible headaches, vision issues, sleep problems exc. It was so terrible that my doctor put me on Pristiq to manage my Panic attacks (50 mg). I was on it for about two weeks and I had my first suicidal thought in my life!! I was terrified, instantly panicked and my doctor took me off the medication right away and quite quickly (about 2.5 weeks ago with the tapering only for a week). Since then, I have had nothing but terrible thoughts. Violent thoughts, thoughts about hurting people, or people hurting other people... I am literally looking at people and thinking if the worst thing that could happen.

 

October 7TH SHEP:

If you scroll down to page 32 of this FDA document, you'll see that suicidal and violent thoughts are listed.

FDA - Pristiq

These symptoms can be quite frightening, but it is the drug and the symptoms will fade in time. Try to do as much self-care as you can. "

 

I do not think reinstating Paxil is the answer, I think these are adverse reaction symptoms that need time to dissipate. However to help you, we REALLY NEED you to start keeping the daily symptoms notes and times of any clonazepam use.  We have asked more than a few times, and it's very important to help differentiate what is truly going on with your symptoms.  You can start by doing today's note as best you can by memory, and starting tomorrow keep a small notebook nearby to jot down what is happening when and any drug or supplement use.  Chessie did ask for the ingredients in the smoothie but I think you forgot that too.

 

Without these notes, we really can't know if your still having classic Paxil WD Symptoms too, or if this is mostly Adverse reactions.

[kathy1988]

Thank you so much! I have been keeping a daily diary at home of my symptoms, and daily use of Clonazepam. Would you like me to provide you with these? Sorry I totally forgot to provide smoothie ingredients which I will provide when I get home this evening. Do I write my daily symptoms and thoughts on the site? or do I keep to my diary at home? I am happy to re-type everything I have had when Chessie told me to get a diary going which I did. 

 

My doctors just keep prescribing new drugs or old drugs... I don't want to be on any medication to be honest... so will follow your advise and will ride this out. Is that what you would do if you were me? Again, appreciate all of your help in this matter. 

[Colonial]

3 minutes ago, kathy1988 said:

I don't want to be on any medication to be honest... so will follow your advise and will ride this out. Is that what you would do if you were me?

 

59 minutes ago, kathy1988 said:

Anyways. Day by day... I hope I am still here tomorrow and have not done something out of my right mind. - Kathy. 

 

What I think is that after the Pristiq reaction you are very lucky that with the Prozac reaction on top of it you are still, to some extent, able to tell the difference between reality and the fantasy world the thoughts are trying to push on you.  You have to consider that may NOT continue to be the case if you continue to tamper with your brain chemistry and reinstate to 10mgs of Paxil.

 

Alto did warn you that because of Prozac's long half life it stays in your system for quite some time.  Your last pill was only 5 days ago, you need to give it time to get out of your system so you can start thinking clearly again as to how to move forward.  If you continue to tamper with your brain chemistry without a well laid out plan, you may unfortunately find you do end up doing something that has long term consequences not only to yourself but others. 

 

I want you to reflect on what you just said:  "I hope I am still here tomorrow and have not done something out of my right mind."  Because this doctor is not going to be the one in a lock down facility for the next 10 years of your life if you continue to follow His advice and you do have a psychotic break and someone else is severely injured.

 

  I am not trying to frighten you, but I'm not sure how much of what we consistently are trying to warn you about you are truly comprehending, since your ability to function was already compromised well before you arrived here and it doesn't seem your able to provide us with a rational medical plan as to why the decisions He is making for you would override the legitimate information and concerns we are addressing and why you are following His plan without answers to those concerns.

 

That is why my concern for you is that I think you need another doctor and wait until the Prozac is out of your system and you feel in control of your thoughts and actions before moving forward with another treatment plan. Because I do not feel like you are "Involved", in a meaningful way, in the decisions that have been made to resemble ANYTHING considered "Informed Consent". But I certainly would not reinstate at 10mgs. Paxil is not going to fix 2 adverse reactions.

 

Here is what an example looks like below,  if you were doing them while you were on the prozac see if you can upload the notes to a URL link so a moderator can see if their is anything they can spot relating to your med dosing and when you are having difficulties through out the day.

 

Example:

DATE:

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomach is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep

[Altostrata]

Hello, @kathy1988

 

I am confused. Why did you go off Prozac? For what symptoms would you want to take Paxil?

 

Having gone off Prozac by skipping doses -- which we would never recommend -- how do you feel now?

 

How often do you take clonazepam, and why?

 

[kathy1988]

Colonial I understand what you are saying, and I joined this site right when I started having reactions looking for the support I need. I understand that this site is used to help people through exc... but I do not appreciate you saying those awful things about being on lockdown for 10 years or that I will hurt myself or someone else. Many people with anxiety and or depression have those thoughts and are afraid of acting on them... which is what I was saying I was afraid of. You are indeed highlighting my worst fears and implying that they could happen.  

 

Yes, I understand I have not followed all of the information discussed or recommended by the moderators here and it has not worked in my favor. I have chosen to work with my family doctor and psychiatrist who is the head of psychiatry here in B.C at Vancouver General Hospital and have come to this site in need of support or when I have questions. This is clearly not the place for me. 

[kathy1988]

Hi Altostrata, 

 

Thanks for your reply! - I went off Prozac because of my intense feelings of dissociation were really bad. These thoughts have continued in to the week that I have been off. I take .25 mg of Clonazepam twice daily to help with my feelings of panic if I cant work through it myself. This is all so frustrating, and very scary.  

 

[Colonial]

I'm sorry if you felt my addressing something was inappropriate, it certainly wasn't my intention to upset you.

But you must understand you have been posting some very disturbing messages time to time.

We are only trying to help you get through this by helping address the things you yourself are saying and the very fears you yourself are expressing, so you have to take into consideration the burden you yourself place on the staff when you come and ask for help, post the very upsetting things you do, we attempt to provide support and then you assign negative blame to us for attempting to help you work through the seriousness of what you are saying.

 

We certainly aren't blaming you for saying them, but we can not be of assistance if we pretend you aren't saying them either. We have to deal with the reality of the total situation.  There has to be an understanding on your end as well as to the responsibility we have in attempting to provide support in circumstances and the reality of the situation you put us in when you make certain posts.

 

As said before, you have every right to follow the advice of whichever doctor you choose, and while this is a place that attempts to provide support, we can not effectively do that by ignoring serious parts of the conversation.  This is not a place where members can just "dump" serious comments and not expect staff to take it seriously or then not expect members to take responsibility for their own words in attempting to heal.

 

 If you are unhappy with the countless hours of peer support I have attempted to provide out of my own personal time, you do not need to leave, I would be more than willing to not communicate further on your thread and you are free to stay and work with others.  It's been a long day, so perhaps it's best we call it a night. 

 

If you do wish to return, perhaps a more in depth discussion with some of the moderators as to members  responsibilities as to what will be expected of them on this site would be beneficial to both sides, as we do expect members to take responsibility for the seriousness of their posts and, just as importantly for you to understand our responsibility as staff in response towards them.

 

Have a good night, and rest well.

[kathy1988]

I understand Colonial. And yes, of course I understand that you are trying to help and that you yourself take the time to assist on your free time. I did not realize my posts were so disturbing and that I was burdening or upsetting anyone with my thoughts... That was certainly not my intention. I am just trying to be honest, and understand what is happening to me and trying to relate to anyone out there who is feeling the same things. That is what I thought it was for. 

 

I just do not feel that you saying that these awful thoughts I am having are actually going to happen is helpful at all to anyone who is in a sensitive mindset. I have read many threads on this site, and my thoughts and fears are comparable to many users who are experiencing what I am so I thought it was safe to express my real feelings. I did not at any point blame you or anyone else for trying to help me? I have been nothing but thankful for the help I have received here... So I am confused with you saying I am not taking responsibility for my posts. I am not ignoring your recommendations at all.. 

 

Anyways, thank you for your time on my case. 

[Colonial]

2 minutes ago, kathy1988 said:

I just do not feel that you saying that these awful thoughts I am having are actually going to happen is helpful at all to anyone who is in a sensitive mindset.

I never said the thoughts you were having Are actually going TO happen to you. Never.

If that is what you thought I said, than please reread.

 

But at times, those things DO happen to people who's doctors take them "One drug too far", so to speak.

And those people aren't here on this site, because of it

 

And since every time you try a new drug you get worse, you have to realize you, or the next person, or whomever it may further on down the line, may only be one more brain chemistry change way from something happening.

 

That is not me being unsensitive, (especially after what you've expressed), that is attempting to help you realize the danger of the situation you are in at a time I know you have having trouble functioning cognitively, and sense many of us have been exactly where you are, we know just how close WE came to doing things while destabilized. 

 

(In that sense, we DO know better than some doctors what very well could be just around the corner for a person.)

 

 I understand you outburst was based on the fear of it happening, but that does not negate the reality of the seriousness of the situation, nor would I be much of a supporter if I didn't try to help you connect the dots when I can see the seriousness of your situation at a time I know it's difficult for you to process information. 

 

Perhaps you had a different definition of what "Support" meant or what you thought this site was for,

but do think of the seriousness of what your saying, and the predicament it places on the rest of us.

 

That being said, I'm sure everything will work out.

Have a good night and rest well. 

 

[kathy1988]

Colonial I understand what you are saying. I am not having an outburst... just expressing my concerns. I apologize if I misread or misunderstood what you were trying to say. I think what you do here is great for many people. Maybe just not for me if I am burdening or posting things that are too inappropriate. 

 

Wishing you all the best. 

 

Kathy

[Colonial]

Take a week or so to chill if you want and then come back and let us know how your doing once the rest of the Prozac starts to leave your system.  Hopefully you'll be feeling better sooner than later. 😎

[manymoretodays]

Hi kathy1988,

And it does sound pretty tough still.

Would you do some Notes/daily drug and symptom logs and then post those here?

Here's the main link with how to do those, and Colonial, posted a sample note above too.  You'll see what we'd like to see, when you go to the link: 

Click the arrow at the top right, and then pull down the quote in the first post. 

Basically, just note times on the left, and then on the right your medication(s) by name and dose, also note on right any supplements.  Keep going with times on the left, off and on, through a 24 hour period, and then on the right, also note symptoms as they occur, you can rate them on a 1-10 scale, if you'd like.  Note sleep patterns on right as well.

 

We do have a topic on:  Derealization or Depersonalization(DR or DP)

And I wonder if that's what your "dissociation" is like.

 

It is often a symptom of WD.  And I'm thinking it could also be related to your current clonazepam intake too.  Benzo's can have side effects or adverse effects like that.  That's why I'd like you to try and do, and then post here, some Notes.

This should also help Alto to get a better picture of what is going on now.

 

And then, you've been off the Prozac now, completely, since November 28th?

 

All from me, for now.  And best. 

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

rooting for you, cheering you on,

mmt

[Shep]

7 hours ago, kathy1988 said:

I take .25 mg of Clonazepam twice daily to help with my feelings of panic if I cant work through it myself.

 

Kathy, please go ahead and write out daily notes as Colonial and MMT have written about. This will be very helpful.

 

I'm a bit confused if you're taking .25 mg of clonazepam twice a day always or if it's only, as you wrote, "if I can't work through it myself." So having daily notes will definitely help. 

 

4 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

It is often a symptom of WD.  And I'm thinking it could also be related to your current clonazepam intake too.  Benzo's can have side effects or adverse effects like that. 

 

What MMT wrote here is very true. 

 

SSRIs can also have this as a side effect or adverse reaction, as well as withdrawal effect,  and it can take a really long time for Prozac to leave your system. 

 

From the FDA: 

 

Quote

Accumulation and slow elimination — The relatively slow elimination of fluoxetine (elimination half-life of 1 to 3 days after acute administration and 4 to 6 days after chronic administration) and its active metabolite, norfluoxetine (elimination half-life of 4 to 16 days after acute and chronic administration), leads to significant accumulation of these active species in chronic use and delayed attainment of steady state, even when a fixed dose is used. Source - FDA - Prozac

 

 

Going by the longest length of time offered in this quote - 6 days (or 144 hours) after chronic administration - you would still have 13% of the drug in your system 18 days later.

 

Your last Prozac pill was November 28, which is only 6 days ago. so you could have as much as 50% still in your system. 

 

When your mind shifts into dissociative and nonsense thoughts, you can remind yourself that you're still likely dealing with an adverse reaction. 

 

You can play around with the numbers using this interactive half-life calculator:

 

Drug Half-Life

 

As you post your daily notes, we can better guide you in what to do next. 

[kathy1988]

Thank you Manymoretodays and Shep, I have looked at the Derealization and Depersonanilazion explanation you posted and I do have some of those symptoms and thoughts but recently I don't feel like I am outside my body. More fearful that things are not real, or that I have done something I haven't. I think its my intrusive thoughts and my mind just scaring me if that makes sense? I go about my days as normal. Walking my dog, going to work, getting my nails done today was nice.. talking to my friends exc. Then my brain will say to me "are you really here? is this happening?, did you just shout at someone?" its really strange when you think you have done something when you haven't? The clonazepam helps with the thoughts and panic when the thought episodes get really bad. I am going to stay off all medication for now as I am too afraid to add Paxil back in to the mix. I remind myself all the time it is the medication and not me. Thank you for posting that! 

 

Diary: December 4th, 2020

 

9:30 a.m. Woke up with minimal anxiety, slept through the night (took .25mg of Clonazepam as I did not fall asleep until 1:30am due to severe anxiety)
10 a.m. Weird thoughts started happening, like me questioning if everything was real
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:00 a.m Went for a walk with my dog and my friend (random thoughts happening, but able to get through the morning telling myself its nonsense)
12:35 p.m. Getting ready for work/appointment
1:30 p.m. Feel a bit better, went to my nail appointment
2:40 p.m Arrived at work, working 3-11pm tonight. Bizarre thoughts still happening, but I am trying to ignore them.
4:15 p.m. Ate an afternoon snack

4:55 p.m. My head is really foggy and I have a pressure headache. 
5:00 p.m. Bizarre thoughts still there... updating my diary now and will continue throughout the evening. 

 

Looking back at my paper diary (which I will now post online) It looks like my symptoms don't usually get bad until the evening. The times I usually take .25mg of Clonazepam are between 6-9pm (or not at all) and then again before I go to sleep at between 10 and 12:30am (I usually work the late shifts so it depends which days I am off). My anxiety hits me pretty badly as soon as I lay down. If I cant get through it with meditation or breathing exercises, I take clonazepam because then I am up for hours.  I don't wake up through the night with anxiety.. I sleep right though only waking up early to use the bathroom, then I am able to get right back to sleep. This is only recent as I only started the clonazepam daily 3 months ago as previously it was taken only up to two times a month for my panic attacks when I was stable on Paxil (before this terrible withdrawal, and the other medications). 

 

I feel like my mind is absorbing things I am reading online, and then I start to feel them. The same thing happened with my intrusive thoughts, then I was feeling numb when I was on Prozac and read about "feeling that you are not present" and depersonalization came out on google.  Then I started having those thoughts and feelings.

 

Its all very strange... I appreciate everyone's thoughts and help!

 

[Daisygirlsk]

To me your symptoms sound more like ocd and anxiety. I am the same. Just my two cents lol

[kathy1988]

Daisygirlsk I think so too! I am just trying to get through a panic episode now. agh... 

[kathy1988]

Diary: December 4th, 2020

 

6 p.m. Anxiety spike
7:30 p.m Ate dinner
8:00 p.m. dizziness set in, anxiety spike and the start of a panic attack this evening. pressure in head, vision changes, weak hands (hard to type), racing heart, difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, feeling tired, hard to speak. 

8:10 p.m Took .25 mg of clonazepam

9:30 p.m started to feel a little bit better

11:10 p.m arrived home, took a bath 

11:30 p.m anxiety came back in full force. Tried to lie down and relax... racing thoughts, feelings of uncertainty.

 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by ChessieCat
added the rest of the day from member's next post

[kathy1988]

Struck through text has been added to previous post.

 

Diary: December 4th, 2020

 

8:10 p.m Took .25 mg of clonazepam

9:30 p.m started to feel a little bit better

11:10 p.m arrived home, took a bath 

11:30 p.m anxiety came back in full force. Tried to lie down and relax... racing thoughts, feelings of uncertainty.

 

Apologies for the break in my diary, I didn’t realize you couldn’t edit a post as they day moved on. I will wait and post my whole day tomorrow.

 

Will my brain recover from this?

 

Edited December 5, 2020 by ChessieCat
struck thru text added to previous post

[Shep]

On 12/4/2020 at 8:32 PM, kathy1988 said:

9:30 a.m. Woke up with minimal anxiety, slept through the night (took .25mg of Clonazepam as I did not fall asleep until 1:30am due to severe anxiety)

 

Kathy, what time did you take the .25 mg of Clonazepam? 

 

Please continue posting your daily notes. Just from what you wrote for December 4, it looks like you may be getting some interdose withdrawal from the benzo, but it would help to have a few more days in a row of symptom notes. 

 

Also, please post 24 hours of notes at a time. That makes it easier for the moderators to read. 

[kathy1988]

Hi Shep! I took the Clonazepam around 12:30am that day. Sorry for the diary, I thought I could go back and edit! Here is my one from yesterday:

 

Diary: December 5th, 2020

 

9:00am Woke up with Anxiety, able to get through my morning without a panic attack
11:00am went out for brunch
12:00pm was out downtown Christmas shopping... had a small anxiety attack and strange thoughts. I think caused by the stress of protests downtown, and being around so many people.

3:00pm start of a panic attack.. pressure in head, vision changes, racing heart, difficulty concentrating, racing strange thoughts of how this all isn’t real, hard to speak. Could not think, everything around me sounded loud and made me uncomfortable

4:00pm able to get through with no medication

7:30pm: ate Dinner

9:15p.m full panic attack. Whole body was numb, awful scary thoughts 

9:45p.m took .25 mg of clonazepam

11:30 p.m anxiety came back in full force. Tried to lie down and relax... racing thoughts, feelings of uncertainty. So took an additional .25mg of clonazepam to fall asleep.

 

Today has been ok. I will post my full diary tomorrow... I haven’t had a panic attack all day, just the random scary thoughts like everyday for the last week or so... they come and go. Sometimes I feel totally ok. Then others are just so intense.

thanks again for all of your help and support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shep]

Some thoughts:

 

• I still think some of your symptoms may be from interdose benzo withdrawal (withdrawal in between doses). This is made worse by taking it erratically. 
• You're still very much in withdrawal from Paxil and possibly still dealing with adverse reactions to Pristiq and Prozac. 

 

Some suggestions:

 

• take the benzo at the same times of day everyday. I would take it twice a day to prevent interdose withdrawal and rebound symptoms. 
• consider a small reinstatement of Paxil. Brassmonkey mentioned that when you first joined the forum and that made the most sense. The only caveat is you went the Prozac route instead and now more time has passed since your last Paxil pill and your nervous system has been destabilized from the trials of other antidepressants. 

First, though, please get on a regular benzo dosing schedule and then we  can discuss an AD reinstatement if you feel it might help. Working solely with the benzo may be all you need to do. 

 

Please keep writing out your daily notes. 

[kathy1988]

Thanks so much Shep, I will start taking the benzo at a regular time each day and see if I have any improvement. Here is my diary from yesterday... sorry for the delay in posting.

 

Diary: December 6th 2020

 

 

9:30 Woke up feeling ok!
10:30am went for a walk, was not hungry so just did chores

11:00 am reoccurring intrusive thoughts returned. Questioning reality exc.
12:30 ate a late lunch 

2:00pm had a two hour nap! (Too long) 

4:00pm thoughts have returned.. managed to get through the anxiety just keeping busy around the house

5:30pm Went for a 1.5 hour walk. Experienced anxiety during the walk (numb legs, weird thoughts)

7:30pm: ate Dinner

9:30pm Anxiety returned 

9:45p.m took .25 mg of clonazepam

10:45pm took two Tylenol because of a horrible headache

12:00am unable to sleep still because of my headache, and most likely my nap that was way to long in the afternoon. Fell asleep around 12:45
2:00 woke up panicked, racing heart beat, thumping headache, numb body and racing confused thoughts. 

2:30am took .25mg of clonazepam.. able to get back to sleep. 
 

Do you think I should wait a full month to be off Prozac before I reintroduce anything? I am afraid to go back on any medications at this point. Colonial mentioned the 1 drug too far and I am afraid of ending up in a place where I can’t get past. Does that happen to people? Permanent damage?

 

thank you again for your support!

 

 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

2 hours ago, kathy1988 said:

Do you think I should wait a full month to be off Prozac before I reintroduce anything? I am afraid to go back on any medications at this point.

 

What are you thinking of reintroducing?

[kathy1988]

Hi Chessiecat,

 

Antidepressant reinstatement with Paxil.. I have had suggestions to maybe go back on, and then suggestions that it could be one pill to far. I am just following Shep’s directions at the moment stabling my benzo intake to the same time every day. Seeing if that helps... I’m just afraid. 
 

thanks for your help.

[Shep]

7 hours ago, kathy1988 said:

Do you think I should wait a full month to be off Prozac before I reintroduce anything? I am afraid to go back on any medications at this point. Colonial mentioned the 1 drug too far and I am afraid of ending up in a place where I can’t get past. Does that happen to people? Permanent damage?

 

I wouldn't worry about permanent damage. There are far too many success stories, even for people who were polydrugged for long periods of time. 

 

We really need to see how you do with consistent benzo dosing. Here are some strategies to help you with the insomnia:

 

Tips to help sleep: so many of us have that awful withdrawal insomnia

 

You may want to use a tiny bit of melatonin:

 

Melatonin for sleep

 

Guided meditations are also helpful. This is one I used to use for relaxing in the evenings: 

 

Guided Meditation Deep sleep | anxiety and insomnia relief | relaxation before bedtime video (21 minutes)

 

There are thousands of these on YouTube, so please spend some time exploring. 

 

If you're able to tolerate magnesium, a warm epsom bath can also be helpful to set the stage for sleep. Working a jigsaw puzzle while listening to nature sounds or soothing music can also help. 

 

It's vital to learn some non-drug methods of dealing with insomnia instead of just reaching for a benzo. 

[Colonial]

@Shep  @ChessieCat My concern, read in the totality of it's proper context, was relating to the danger of reinstating Paxil at either the 10 or 20mgs when Prozac was still in the system and after having 2 adverse reactions to the Pristiq and the Prozac and still making posts of a concerning nature as to being in control of our actions.  My suggestion had been if reinstating to try between 0.5mg to no more than 2mg.

 

I quoted Alto's post that:  "because of Prozac's long half life it stays in your system for quite some time.  Your last pill was only 5 days ago, you need to give it time to get out of your system so you can start thinking clearly again as to how to move forward." And my concern of:  "That is why my concern for you is that I think you need another doctor and wait until the Prozac is out of your system and you feel in control of your thoughts and actions before moving forward with another treatment plan" considering the doctor's only advice was t reinstate Paxil at least 10mg.

 

I posted nothing about a fear of the possibility of any "permanent damage" I think that was a misunderstanding on the nature of my concern of why I cautioned against Paxil 10mg reinstatement but I agree addressing the possible Benzo issue is a very good first step based on the symptom note charts that are now being posted. 

 

Thanks

[kathy1988]

Thanks Colonial. I didn’t say that you said there would be permanent damage... you mentioned the “one pill too far”. That’s all I said.... I also apologized if I misread your cautions as I was afraid.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

kathy

[kathy1988]

Thank you Shep and Chessiecat for the suggestions! I will go ahead and follow and see how my days go. Already having a better day today. Will post yesterday’s diary when I am home.

 

thanks!

 

Kathy.

[Colonial]

Glad to see you got out for a little Christmas shopping! 🎅

Hopefully once you get all of the Prozac out of your system and address any benzo issues things will begin to settle down.

 

[kathy1988]

Thank you Colonial!! Thanks again for your advice, and for helping me! It is much appreciated ❤️

[Iamfine]

Hi Kathy. I read much of your post here. I am very sorry for your suffering. We have much in common and I share your pain. I will check in here from time to time just to check on you but for now please find comfort knowing that you are not alone. And you will be on my mind. And this will pass.

[kathy1988]

6 hours ago, Iamfine said:

Hi Kathy. I read much of your post here. I am very sorry for your suffering. We have much in common and I share your pain. I will check in here from time to time just to check on you but for now please find comfort knowing that you are not alone. And you will be on my mind. And this will pass.

Thank you so much for your kind words Iamfine. Thinking of you! It will indeed pass for both of us. Thank you again for the message ❤️

[kathy1988]

Diary: December 7th 2020

 

 

9:00 Woke up feeling a little anxious 
10:30am had a smoothie with spinach, celery, blueberries, banana, Greek yogurt and water

11:30 am reoccurring intrusive thoughts returned. Questioning reality exc.
12:30 went for a long walk

1:30pm thoughts have returned.. managed to get through the anxiety just keeping busy around the house

3:30pm took .25mg of clonazepam

4:30 Went to Costco! What a zoo... very anxious but got through

7:30pm: cooked and ate dinner

9:30pm Anxiety returned. Pretty bad this evening.. had a hot bath and read my book

10:30pm took .25 mg of clonazepam

11:15pm fell asleep.

today (December 8th) was ok for the most part. I went for a long walk and to the hair dressers... still having bizarre thoughts all day but able to get through! Will submit my diary tomorrow.

[Shep]

5 hours ago, kathy1988 said:

iary: December 7th 2020

 

3:30pm took .25mg of clonazepam

10:30pm took .25 mg of clonazepam

 

 

 

Kathy, are these the times when you will consistently take the clonazepam going forward? If you wish to target any interdose withdrawal, you may want to take the first clonazepam a few hours earlier.  The half-life for this drug is 18 - 50 hours, so you may be fine or you may want to take it a bit earlier just to rule out any interdose symptoms. 

 

Please post your thoughts on this.

 

 

5 hours ago, kathy1988 said:

today (December 8th) was ok for the most part. I went for a long walk and to the hair dressers... still having bizarre thoughts all day but able to get through! 

 

Very glad to read you're managing your symptoms so well.