Nalagirl Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Hello everyone! I used to be a member on paxil progress and was very disheartened to see that it was gone. I'm hear looking for reassurance and/or advice. I quit taking Paxil in July 2013 after a short 10 month usage. Afterwards, I went through about a year of withdrawal lessening all the time. Then it cleared up and for about the last 5 - 6months I've been feeling back to myself. So out of the blue Thursday night I had a panic attack, not full blown because I know how to diffuse them for the most part. It was still really bad though and now I'm having some symptoms that remind me of withdrawal. Dizzy/lightheaded, tightness in jaw, slight anxiety (not near the level during actual withdrawal). So is this withdrawal kicking back up? Or me just having a wave of well....stress? Any ideas? How long should it last? Thanks in advance! Oh, I was brknlgrl on paxilprogress. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Addax Posted March 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 2, 2015 I would be freaked out too! I'm no expert by any means but from reading other people's threads, research articles, my own experience, etc., My vote is that it's a wave that will pass. The panic attack may have just set your still healing nervous system off. It seems like an excellent sign that you were able to mediate the intensity of the panic attack. That's not easily done in general, and even more difficult if you're in withdrawal. Even though you feel recovered your nervous system and stress response may still be sensitive. Be good to yourself. Get sleep, Do what you can to minimize any stress and I bet it passes relatively quickly. Just my two cents. Please keep us updated! 1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts) Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast) April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop) Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but… Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding. My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/ Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted March 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 2, 2015 Hi Nalagirl , I'm wondering if you ingested anything last Thursday that was new or unusual for you - alcohol , caffeine , supplements , any medications? Welcome to SA , Fresh 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
Nalagirl Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Fresh, No, and I keep replaying it in my head. Nothing seems new to me. Honestly, for the past few months I've been eating whatever I want and have even started taking vitamins (like 2 months ago). I also have gotten over my fear of medications. About two months ago I took a whole course of antibiotics and cough medicine with no ill effect. Several months ago I wouldn't have been able to do that. I had very bad reactions to medications....especially anitbiotics. So I'm not really sure what happened. Addax may be correct, maybe the panic attack set off my nervous system again....who knows? I just don't know where the panic attack came from. I was driving home and only had like 5 miles to go. I was eating some fries and drinking some tea. I will admit I still avoid caffeine for the most part, but will drink tea occasionally. I even drank tea again yesterday to double check and didn't have any ill effects. So hopefully this will be short lived. I'm still a little freaked out because I thought I was so passed all of this!!! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted March 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 2, 2015 Nalagirl, my guess is that this is just another wave, just part of the process. I have seen this happen to other people too. Sometimes they can track back and figure out what combination of events and factors may have set it off; sometimes they never figure it out. Your nervous system went through the wringer, and it's still a little vulnerable, that's all. I had to take antibiotics recently and I looked into some recent studies and they say it takes months for your normal gut flora to recover from a bout of antibiotics, sometimes longer, so there's that. You'll get through this and be back on track soon, I think. Glad you were able to come here and get some support! Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
Nalagirl Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Thanks everyone! Hopefully this will pass in a week or so! Good luck to all of you! I know what you're going through and you can do it!!! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted March 6, 2015 Administrator Share Posted March 6, 2015 Welcome, nalagirl. Are you taking fish oil and magnesium supplements? This can help your system stabilize. Seehttp://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/ This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
moodyblues78 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Hi Nalagirl The important thing to remember is that this does not mean that you have lost the progress you`ve made so far. These out of the blue setbacks can happen when a person is sensitized. Healing takes time and is not linear. This too will pass. 08 Cipralex 10mg for about 6 months. 11-12 Cipralex 20mg. Unsuccesful WD. 12-13 Zoloft 100mg with Diazepam 10-20mg as needed for anxiety.Fall 13 Tapering Zoloft 100->50->25->12,5->0 in 2,5 months and CT Diazepam. 12/24/13 RI Zoloft 12,5mg. 1/21/14 11mg 3/18/14 9,9mg 2/18/14 8mg 4/22/14 7,6mg 5/5/14 7,2mg 5/12/14 -> cutting 0,5mg per week, holding when necessary. 8/18/14 -> cutting 0,25mg per week holding when necessary. 10/20/2014 -> cutting 0,1mg per week, holding when necessary.12/28/2014 Jump! Link to comment
Nalagirl Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Altostrata, I'm not taking fish oil or magnesium. I take a prenatal vitamin and that's it. My husband and I are currently trying to get pregnant. The symptoms have already lessened a great deal as of yesterday. I'm still experiencing a little lightheadedness about once a day for a few minutes which was one of my previous symptoms. To be honest, its more like being uncoordinated, but its hard to describe. The anxiety has practically disappeared, so I'm feeling pretty good. Hopefully it will be a while or never before I have another panic attack. I feel so much more prepared for them now though. I just need to keep practicing my relaxation techniques so they stay fresh in practice. Thanks so much for all the words of confidence and help! Link to comment
Nalagirl Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 So three months later I'm still experiencing some anxiety, but it lessens with time. Tried to start taking my vitamins again a week ago, I believe I'm senistive to them for some reason right now. The three days I took them I had heightened anxiety....almost a panic attack. Then I was trying to figure out the trigger and I guessed the vitamins and stopped taking them and the anxiety dropped off again. So I'll give myself a couple of more months before I try taking them again. That's about all I have for an update. Just hope this anxiety completely dissipates soon. Hope everyone else is well as can be expected. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted June 2, 2015 Moderator Share Posted June 2, 2015 Hi Nala-- I just figured out who you were so have to say welcome to the group, glad you could find us. Reading through your thread it looks to me like the vitamins. All the Bs and especially B12 have a bad habit of setting off panic and anxiety in people during and post WD. Your last post really confirms that. I would stay away from them and just concentrate on a healthy diet. Sounds like you're doing all the right things with the relaxation techniques. Best of luck on the baby front. ((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))) 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
Farout Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 I'm in a simar situation. I was doing so well and now have had the worst wave, with symptoms that I haven't experienced in months - so much so, is largely forgotten them. It is so disheartening. The last thing we need is reminding of the trauma we went through. I hope you feel better soon. March 2003 took two sartroline tablets after a traumatic incident and had a reaction so stopped. I am not sure now whether what I had for the next 18 months was WD after the reaction or the emotional fallout from the traumatic event. Some of it was very similar to WD in hindsight. February 2014 - Took five pristiq (50mg) tablets and three Ativan and had a severe reaction.Extreme withdrawal symptoms for three weeks compounded by visit to naturopath -One week later took 900mg St John's Wort x 3 daily for six weeks - more negative effects and suspected serotonin syndrome - before tapering over three weeks. Last tablet late May 2014.Waves and windows cycle of recovery with longer windows and manageable waves.May 2015 - already in a mild wave, following a usual pattern, I took clarithromicin and amoxicillin for two weeks for a sinus infection which I also seem to have had quite a reaction to. February 2016 - Feeling much better. I still have waves and windows but they are manageable. I'm largely enjoying life again. Link to comment
Nalagirl Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Thanks brassmonkey and Farout! We'll make it. It is a little disheartening to have symptoms come back that you haven't had in forever. I thought I was completely out of the woods, but it seems I'll have to fight it a little while longer. Before this though I had a good 6 months symptom free...not a shred of anxiety. It was wonderful to be back to myself. I know it will happen again, just a little patience and keeping practicing those techniques and I'll get there. Link to comment
Nalagirl Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Farout be careful of those antibiotics! I can't take some them right now either. I took Bactrim and that sent me for a loop. For sinus infections I generally take Azithromycin. I don't seem to have problems with that. The last time I took Bactrim it was only 2 pills and within 12 hours I could feel the anxiety come on and it was awful for about 2 weeks. Link to comment
Farout Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 How are you doing now Nalagirl? I'm hoping no news is good news. March 2003 took two sartroline tablets after a traumatic incident and had a reaction so stopped. I am not sure now whether what I had for the next 18 months was WD after the reaction or the emotional fallout from the traumatic event. Some of it was very similar to WD in hindsight. February 2014 - Took five pristiq (50mg) tablets and three Ativan and had a severe reaction.Extreme withdrawal symptoms for three weeks compounded by visit to naturopath -One week later took 900mg St John's Wort x 3 daily for six weeks - more negative effects and suspected serotonin syndrome - before tapering over three weeks. Last tablet late May 2014.Waves and windows cycle of recovery with longer windows and manageable waves.May 2015 - already in a mild wave, following a usual pattern, I took clarithromicin and amoxicillin for two weeks for a sinus infection which I also seem to have had quite a reaction to. February 2016 - Feeling much better. I still have waves and windows but they are manageable. I'm largely enjoying life again. Link to comment
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