Lassic: Help lol

[Lassic]

Hello ill try and keep this short last year I came off Paxil from 20mg  was on it two years I took 2 months going down to 10 mg then missing a day then in oct was off then 4 weeks I was fine then anxiety and ocd got worse and worse so went back on 20 mg and was very depressed and anxiety bad but started after 5 weeks to get slowly back to normal then ocd took a huge turn for the worse walking passed a load of people and anxiety went threw the roof and thoughts got worse and went up 30 mg for 2 months no better and then started hyperwearness of my body ,words picture you name it  esp children now would trigger my anxiety it's  like ocd had gone to my worse fears And now also in my breathing anxiety yes my breathing I have come off Paxil from last week no idea what to do should I go on another antidepressant am totally lost thanks for reading rob

 

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a peer owned and run forum of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm sorry to hear you are having these troubles.  I cat relate to what you are going through, because I've been through it too.  Many here have been through this and have recovered.  What you describe sounds to me like withdrawal from psychiatric drugs. 

 

On 4/25/2021 at 4:31 PM, Lassic said:

no idea what to do should I go on another antidepressant am totally lost

For now, I would suggest not going on another antidepressant or making any drug changes until we know more about your situation.  Can you please give us specific information about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise list (no symptoms), only specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some information about how these drugs actually work.  

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

Also, as we are recovering, we suggest keeping things slow, simple, and stable. 

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

When we recover, there are times of feeling OK mixed in with times of feeling bad.  This is called windows and waves.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)
 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and take heart.  We in this forum have been through this, and we understand first hand the pain and discomfort you are going through.  Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities.  It takes time, but healing can and will happen. 

[Lassic]

Hello just spoken to my gp and she has given me escitalpram I haven't started it yet, anyway I was on Paxil from may2018 aug 2020 then tapered from 20 mg I would then take half a pill every day 10 mg then Sept i would take 10 every other day then leave 1 day then oct came off Dec i went back on paxil 20mg I upped my dose in Jan this year 30 mg for 8 weeks reduced 20 then back up 30 within two week I think, then I tapered from 20 15 10 then 5 within 6 weeks I know it's a lot but my anxiety and thoughts were killing me I have been off it 1 week from tomorrow have taken 5htp and magnesium since coming off I'm still the same since coming off very weird thoughts the thoughts are trying to remind me of kids eg if I buy ice cream the thought come in  that's kids like it or the colour pink that what girl would wear it's like my brain been rewired to look for danger the hyperwearness of my breathing esp in bed is worse sounds can effect it so going on another antidepressant isn't recommend then for now even though gp has recommended it? thanks 

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Lassic

 

Did you see getofflex's response above?

 

It sounds like you have withdrawal symptoms from Paxil, which can be a very difficult drug to go off. You might want to get liquid fluoxetine and reinstate 1mg instead, rather than escitalopram, which is a very strong SSRI. A little fluoxetine may reduce the withdrawal symptoms. You'd taper off 1mg fluoxetine by tiny amounts later.

 

Show this to your GP

Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2020). Stopping antidepressants. Royal Colllege of Psychiatrists. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/treatments-and-wellbeing/stopping-antidepressants

 

Horowitz, M. A., & Taylor, D. (2019). Tapering of SSRI treatment to mitigate withdrawal symptoms. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(6), 538–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30032-X

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

[Lassic]

Hello thanks for the reply so many people have different views on what I should do ,ok my gp has given me also mirtazapine 15 mg I haven't taken this  or escitalpram yet and my friend who is also a gp has said take 5htp low dose and the mirtazapine but leave escitalpram for now u agree ? I'm still a bag a nerves weird thoughts and have u ever heard of thoughts that can effecting my breathing I'm hyperwearness of my body so bizarre what is going on thanks I really appreciate it rob

[Lassic]

On 4/25/2021 at 10:31 PM, Lassic said:

Hello ill try and keep this short last year I came off Paxil from 20mg  was on it two years I took 2 months going down to 10 mg then missing a day then in oct was off then 4 weeks I was fine then anxiety and ocd got worse and worse so went back on 20 mg and was very depressed and anxiety bad but started after 5 weeks to get slowly back to normal then ocd took a huge turn for the worse walking passed a load of people and anxiety went threw the roof and thoughts got worse and went up 30 mg for 2 months no better and then started hyperwearness of my body ,words picture you name it  esp children now would trigger my anxiety it's  like ocd had gone to my worse fears And now also in my breathing anxiety yes my breathing I have come off Paxil from last week no idea what to do should I go on another antidepressant am totally lost thanks for reading rob

 

Paxil 20mg May 2018-Aug 2020

Paxil Aug Sep 10 mg.                

Paxil Sep-oct 10 mg every day and 1 day nothing. Came off end oct

Restarted Paxil Nov 20mg 

Jan 2021 Paxil 8weeks 30 mg  

March 2 - 3weeks 20 Paxil 

March 30 mg Paxil tapered down off Paxil april

[getofflex]

15 hours ago, Lassic said:

so many people have different views on what I should do ,ok my gp has given me also mirtazapine 15 mg I haven't taken this  or escitalpram yet and my friend who is also a gp has said take 5htp low dose and the mirtazapine but leave escitalpram for now u agree

Here is the thing @Lassic:  huge drug companies (big pharma) spend literally billions of dollars per year to advertise their drugs, and they have strong ties with the established medical journals, the media, and the FDA and DEA, which are the governmental drug regulatory agencies in the USA.  Doctors tend to be very liberal in their use of psych meds, and this causes a lot of harm to many people.  In my opinion, our modern health care system is driven by profit motives, not what is best for the patient.  That is primarily why this site exists.  Many people have been put on these drugs, and then receive no help or guidance for getting off, then they end up in withdrawal because of it. 

 

So no, I do not suggest that you go on mirtazapine, or escitalopram, or 5hpt.  If it were me, I would follow Altostrata's suggestion above to go on a liquid Fluoxetine (Prozac) 1 mg.  Also, please give us your drug signature, so that all of us can have a concise picture of your drug history that will be automatically included in each post.  

 

The more times we go on and off drugs, change doses, and the more different drugs we go on, the more likely it is that our nervous system becomes even more destabilized, and the worse our situation may become. 

 

Factors Affecting WD  

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by getofflex

[Lassic]

Hello ok will do what u said I'll get prozac liquid so how long do I stay on 1mg my history is here I have posted it before

Paxil 20mg May 2018-Aug 2020

Paxil Aug Sep 10 mg.                

Paxil Sep-oct 10 mg every day and 1 day no Paxil . Came off end oct

Restarted Paxil Nov 20mg 

Jan 2021 Paxil 8weeks 30 mg  

March 2 - 3weeks 20 Paxil 

March 30 mg Paxil tapered down 25 20 15 10 off april 22nd

[getofflex]

OK, what would really help is if you could copy and paste this into your signature box, so that it appears in all your posts, and other mods on here can come in and get your history and glance and help you.  Please click on your name in the upper right of the screen, click on "account settings", then click on "signature".  Paste it in that box and click save.   

 

We suggest you stay on the 1 mg at least 4 weeks.  Let us know how it is affecting you after you have been on this for a week.  

[Lassic]

Hello admin I can't put my list of meds  on here it keep saying ,Signature spans too many lines

[getofflex]

It looks like it's in there now.  I'm assuming you reduced about every 5 or 6 days between March 30 and April 22? 

 

Let us know how you feel after you reinstate the 1 mg of liquid Prozac.  Give it at least a week, that is how long it takes to feel the effect of a reinstatement.  

[Lassic]

Hello thanks for the reply I tapered end of March, 20 mg down to 15 down 10 for 3 weeks then I didn't take a pill for 1 day then 10 mg, i did that from 18th april till 22nd, I did go back up from 20 to 30mg for week or so I can't remember in March but my thoughts just got more crazy,so I had to come off it my gp has said leave off escitalpram but try mizatraptam 15mg for a while get my sleep back on track then maybe switched to prozac, so  can I switch to escitalpram instead of prozac and go on lower dose thanks 

[getofflex]

 

13 minutes ago, Lassic said:

my gp has said leave off escitalpram but try mizatraptam 15mg for a while get my sleep back on track then maybe switched to prozac, so  can I switch to escitalpram instead of prozac and go on lower dose thanks

This statement doesn't make logical sense to me. 

 

It's not suggested to keep switching around on the psych drugs.  I suggest you stick with Altostrata's suggestion to reinstate prozac 1 mg.  

 

[Lassic]

Hello I think her logic is you get more sleep with mirtazapine which will help recovery and my sleep has been so so, she said  then if no better in a week or 2 I can take prozac , u realize how bad I am so u want me to take 1mg of prozac for 1 month then maybe 2mg for a month when my mind and body are falling apart no disrepect , you say I'm in withdrawal I'm sure I am but when from Nov when I restarted  I went worse in Jan after being back on paxil 6 weeks then it got worse 8 weeks on 30 mg  and since then it's been shite Its so frustrating I work with gp and they all want me on different meds , so 1mg will definitely help me better  than taking mirtazapine or escitalpram  why? Please can u explain thanks 😊

[getofflex]

Is your intention to get off of the psych meds? Or are you wanting to stay on the drugs, and find a drug that will work for you?  This is a site for people who want to get off of psych meds. 

[Lassic]

Hello I think I'm on the wrong website I just want to hopefully get back to normality or at least something like I was 6 months ago before coming off Paxil thanks for trying to help