ladybug99 need help...i switched from 25mg paxil cr to liquid prozac 20mg. Not doing good.

[ladybug99]

My history:

 

Before April 20: Paxil 20mg tablet form

 

April 21: switch to liquid Prozac 20mg

 

Did not work

 

May 21: switch to liquid Paxil 5 mg

 

Tapering off liquid prozac down 1mg per day

 

Had anxiety and heart palps yesterday (May 23rd).

 

Question: should i slowly increase the paxil, and if so, to what mg?

 

Or should i just hold on the 5mg and ride this out to stabilize?

 

Thanks,

Tulip

[ladybug99]

I forgot to mention that I've been splitting the liquid paxil into AM and PM doses. Any thoughts on this, too?

[Altostrata]

ladybug, please put all your questions about your particular situation in this, your Intro topic.

 

It takes at least 4 days for Paxil to reach steady-state in your bloodstream. You added Paxil May 21 and have been changing the Prozac every day since. This creates instability.

 

I would hold the Paxil and Prozac dosages steady for 4 days to see what's what.

[ladybug99]

Alto, I'm so sorry i started a new thread... I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate. My sincere apologies. I will stay with my Intro thread from now on.

 

Thanks for your advice. I will stay at same dosages for next 4 days and i will let you know how I'm faring.

 

You're the best!

 

Oh, btw, what opinion do you have on me splitting my daily dose of paxil in AM and PM?

[Altostrata]

If you feel better splitting the dose, that's the deciding factor. Please be very regular in your times of dosing.

[johnjohn82]

Hi Ladybug, How are you doing?

Did you find your symptoms decreased after you reinstated?

Hope you're feeling well.

[ladybug99]

Hi Alto. I did what you told me...to stay on dosages paxil 5 mg and prozac 7mg for 4 days. I believe tomorrow will be the 4th day. I'm just touching base because my anxiety is very uncomfortable and I'm scared. I'm so afraid i will never stabilize. I'm so upset i caused all this upheaval by switching ADs.I'm 21 mos off of Klonopin and was just starting to feel better when i went and did this stupid thing! Will i get through this?

[ladybug99]

Alto, i forgot to mention that usually i get a 'window' where i feel a bit better starting around evening. Early morning around 8am i can feel the anxiety and heart palpitations starting and doesn't let up until evening.

[Dan998]

It might take longer than 4 days. Maybe a week or two. Even a small improvement of symptoms is a sign that things will get better.

[ladybug99]

Oh, Dan. Thank you so much for chiming in. I've been crying for days now, absolutely frightened out of my mind. Each minute feels like 5 hours. I'm so exhausted from this. I went through this for a year straight 2 years ago from going off klonopin way too fast, and to go through this all over again...i just can't bare it. You think it'll be a couple more weeks, opposed to months to stabilize? Dear Lord, i hope so...

 

Again, Dan, thank you so much. It means the world to me that someone out there understands what I'm going through.

 

By the way, i noticed you live in England. I love it there. I was a flight attendant for many,many years and spent lots of lovers in London and Manchester. Such a beautiful country.

[ladybug99]

Oh my! I just noticed my typo!!! LOL!...i use swiping when i type and sometimes other words pop in! I spent lots of LAYOVERS...not lovers! Lol! My husband would laugh at this, for sure!

[Dan998]

This is a terrifying ordeal we are all going through. Unfortunately, stabilising may still take months, I'm 5 weeks into reinstatement and suffering from insomnia and brain fog, but the anxiety is greatly reduced. Hopefully things will improve for you soon.

[ladybug99]

Is there any moderator that can help me on what i should do with my dosages? Please see above.

[Altostrata]

ladybug, have your symptoms changed over the last few days?

 

Did you stop changing the Prozac dosage and if so, what are you taking now? How long have you been taking that amount of Prozac?

 

What is your symptom pattern relative to when you take your drugs?

 

I cannot tell you what to do. You need to listen to your body and make decisions accordingly.

[ladybug99]

I wasn't doing well, so didn't write here for the last 4 weeks. It was too hard. My anxiety was over the top. This past week my

anxiety would lessen some days. It's up, it's down. It's all over the place. I get intense heart palps, too. When i wake i get burning and tingling in my chest and down my arms. This doesn't last long, thank God. Only about a minute or so. Unfortunately, the anxiety stays with me all day, and starts to calm down in the evening. I guess this has to do with the cortisol levels being high in the morning.

 

I reinstated the paxil 5 mg for one week (a month ago). Then upped it to 7.5 the following week. Went off prozac. I'm trying to stabilize at the 7.5. Sometimes i wonder if i should increase the paxil. I worry i may never stabilize. I'm praying this doesn't take too long. I just had several days this past week where my anxiety was tolerable, so I'm hoping this is a good sign. Today was a bad day...high anxiety and heart palps. Hoping tomorrow will be better.

[Iamfine]

Oh my! I just noticed my typo!!! LOL!...i use swiping when i type and sometimes other words pop in! I spent lots of LAYOVERS...not lovers! Lol! My husband would laugh at this, for sure!

LOL I was wondering about that. My spell checker does the same thing to me sometimes. So funny...

[ladybug99]

Lol! ...so embarrassing!!!

[Dan998]

Hey, Bug. Good to have you back. I totally understand not being able to write whilst in the grip of anxiety.

 

The fact that you are having ups and downs is a sign that you're on the verge of stabilising. It's tempting to updose some more in the hope that things will improve quicker. Your CNS requires stability right now, I would stick with it for a few more weeks and see if things improve, and you'll have less to taper off of later on. 

 

The heart palpitations can be very scary, many times I thought I was having a heart attack, but i wasn't and once I realised this, the vicious circle was broken and I learnt to cope with them better. The palpitations and anxiety will slowly decrease in frequency and severity, until you hardly notice them any more. 

 

Have you tried some breathing exercises? These really helped calm me down and lower my pulse rate during a panic attack.

[ladybug99]

Thank you, Dan, for stopping by. It was so nice to hear from you! Thanks for giving me positive feedback about "being on the verge of stabilizing". That was uplifting for me. Of course, when I'm in the thick of it, i start questioning if i will ever stabilize, then start to worry, which leads to more anxiety. So your comment definitely had a soothing effect on me!

 

I will visit your thread to see if you have any updates on how you're doing...which i pray will be really good news!

[johnjohn82]

Hey Ladybug,

I know what it feels like to be in a position where you overthink everything and this constant worry is exhausting. All the doubts, are we making the best choice, should we updose, start tapering, etc.. When we are overstressed making any single decision is running a marathon. I'm using two apps that ai found really helpful to control these thoughts. isleep easy and relax melodies. I listen to some rain noises in my headphones, some relaxing voices guiding me into resting my mind. We will be alright lady.

[ladybug99]

Hi John John. Thanks for stopping by. What you wrote was so sweet...makes me feel better. Thank you! I'm going to stop by your topic to see what's new...????

[ladybug99]

It's there someone that can give me advice? I'm almost 5 weeks out from reinstating the paxil, 3 and half weeks out from stopping prozac. I'm still having symptoms; anxiety (gets better by evening), heart palpitations, and burning tingling in my arms and chest at night whenever

I wake up. I get a day here and there where my symptoms lessen and are tolerable.

 

My questions are:

1) How do i know if this is withdrawal or adverse reaction?

2) If by chance this is an adverse reaction, will my body never recover and acclimate? How long do i wait to see if i stabilize, and if i don't should i just start slowly tapering?

 

Thank you for reading this, and any comments would be very appreciated.

 

Ladybug99 ????

[brassmonkey]

Hi Ladybug99-- for being five weeks into a reinstatement and Prozac ct it sounds like your are doing pretty good.  If you were having an adverse reaction instead of saying "I'm still having symptoms" you'd be saying "I'm in complete h***".  A bit of an over statement but it gets the point across.  The next several weeks should show even more improvement.  Best of luck.

 

((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))

[ladybug99]

Thank you so much, Brassmonkey! That makes me feel better.

 

Btw, i often visit your thread. I love the way you write, and enjoy your thoughts. I'm going to follow the "Brassmonkey Slide Rule" when i get lower in my dose. It makes complete sense. I'm so glad you're doing well. You must be soooo excited to be close to the finish line. How awesome!

Thanks for stopping by and giving me feedback. So appreciated!

[Altostrata]

If you had an adverse reaction, your symptom pattern would be worse than before you started the reinstatement.

 

It's only been 5 weeks, sounds like it's started to help.

[ladybug99]

Thank you so much, Altostrato! I really Appreciate the feedback. I was baffled about the 'adverse reaction' vs 'withdrawal'. I guess i need to muster up more patience and ride the ugly wave.

Thanks again!

[Flowers]

Hello Ladybug

 

Saw your post on Dan's thread and thought I'd stop by!  It looks like you are going in the right direction to stabilise. Unfortunately it takes a lot of patience as you know there is no quick fix.

 

I know only too well how awful it is to wake up to raging anxiety each morning. I am much more stable now but used to pray for the evenings when I would get a couple of hours of respite!

 

Get yourself well and next June you would be so  welcome to join me on the beach here to celebrate San Juan! 

 

Keep going Lady you are doing so well.

 

xxxx

[ladybug99]

Hi Flowers! So nice of you to stop by! Thank you! Have you stabilized at the 30 mgs? Or do you think you're getting close? I hope so! I guess i can count on waiting 6 months or more to stabilize... Takes so darn long!!! At this point, though, I'd just be happy to feel somewhat normal. The morning anxiety crap is beating me into a pulp!

 

I noticed you had taken a benzodiazapine! So happy to read you don't take it anymore. That stuff if so highly addicting and brutal to get off of. The withdrawal is a nightmare. I spent two friggin years in hell! Thanks to my ill-informed, crazy, stupid Dr who put me on this junk for my situational anxiety and never, not once, told me it was addicting! I don't think he even knew, since he bounced me around on dosages because i was complaining to him that i just didn't feel right. Unbeknownst to me (and my moron Dr) I was going through interdose withdrawal. He lead me down a path of shear distruction, both physically and mentally...till i finally looked up the med on the internet! Anyway, so glad you dodged a bullet!

 

Thanks for inviting me to your beach party next year! Now i have an incentive to really work hard at getting well! It would be a blast if all of us really did do this!!!

 

Again, thanks for stopping by!!! Hope i hear good news back from you about you feeling better!

 

Ladybug99

[Dan998]

Hey Bug, how you doing today? Has Mr Anxiety stayed away?  

[ladybug99]

Hey Dan! I just read your thread. So you're feeling "fugged". Father Fugg will definitely disappear, just like Mr Anxiety and Mr Breathlessness. Just a little bit more time. The two of us will eventually stabilize and be good to go in regards to tapering. Can't wait!!!

 

No, Mr Anxiety didn't come back, so far! Although, i do hear him lightly tapping on my front door and see him lurking around my windows. Every now and then i get really frightened and run for my guns and sit in my chair just waiting for that front door to burst open. Unfortunately, if Mr. Anxiety does break in I'm doomed 'cause my guns are empty; no ammunition. He will win. So instead, i think, (tap on cheek) think, think, think. I know! I'll go out my back door and go for a walk! Hopefully Mr Anxiety will get lost!

 

Hang in the buddy. We're getting closer and closer to our day of tapering. Just think, when we feel better, the fun we will all have at Flowers' beach!!!

[Dan998]

Haha, your storytelling really makes me smile. It shows that you're starting to feel better, because doing anything creative is so hard whilst going through withdrawals. 

 

Can't wait to start tapering, and finally be free of the meds forever. 

[Flowers]

Hi!

 

So glad you are seeing some improvement. I am pleased to say I am  stabilising at last on 30 mgs but will have a long journey tapering off that I think! I plan to start after the summer when things are quieter and cooler here so not so many pressures on me.

 

Your Dr sadly sounds just like the rest -  my previous Dr put me on Benzo's to help get off the AD!!! My new Dr is of the same opinion but I fought against him to  take them and when I go to see him now for other health matters he can see how much better I am without having resorted to using them longer term! The Psych I saw in Feb was against me taking them thank God! I think coming off the Benzo even after taking them for just a couple of months added to my WD symptoms. I wasn't sure which was causing the WD symptoms - the AD or the Benzo! Now I think it was both as I had such diverse symptoms.

 

So now it's onwards and upwards and downwards with the dose and I never thought I would say it! It seemed so long to have to wait to feel better!

 

That beach party is waiting for us!

 

xxx

[ladybug99]

Does anyone else have or had this symptom?...burning and tingling up and down my arms and inside and outside of my torso. It's so uncomfortable!

 

I had a pretty good day 2 days ago. Yesterday not as good. Had some anxiety, heart palpitations, and the weird burning tingling . At least the anxiety wasn't through the roof. So far I'd say the same for today. I have a funny feeling it's going to take 6, 7 or 8 months to stabilize. First, i was thinking maybe a few weeks. Then i got more realistic and thought a few months. Now I'm even more realistic and looking at a lot more months! Urggg. So frustrating. Hoping this time will pass quickly!

 

Thanks Flowers and Dan for stopping by! Check your threads. I wrote to you. I keep dreaming about that beach party!

[Flowers]

Hi Ladybug

 

How are you doing? Hope the burning/ tingling has eased. I had this a few weeks ago around my torso and it was like shingles pain. I got some Magnesium oil and rubbed it into the painful areas. It helped a lot and with muscle cramps I was having too. Maybe this could help you?

 

xxxxxxx

 

Flowers

[ladybug99]

Hi Flowers! Thank you so much for stopping by! I was on vacation, do want around SA much. My husband made sure i stayed real busy to keep my mind off of my symptoms...and it worked!

 

Thanks for telling me about the magnesium oil. I will definitely try this. I noticed this past week my symptoms seemed to lessen. I hope it stays this way, but one never knows. The burning and tingling, and anxiety have come down a few notches. Still there, but better. I'm praying I'm getting close to start tapering.

 

I will stop by your thread to see how you're doing.

 

Hugs,

Ladybug99 ????

[ladybug99]

Meant to say...was on vacation, so wasn't around SA much...