16 replies to this topic

[ittybittysmitty]

I'm not new here and some of you have heard my story but this is so this is confusing to me...

It's day 20 and I've been on Celexa about 10 days while down 30 from 60 on the evil pill...Thursday I was in the Psychdoc's office in living hell..while I was driving I felt like I was flying above the traffic...so he prescribed Paxil for my anxiety...But the next day i felt GREAT!! And I continue to feel great...no more zapsmuch less anxiety...so I see him on Wednesday and don't know whether to start the Paxil.

Perhaps I will call his office tomorrow see what he says...I'm worried that this is a phase and I could return to the horrible anxiety, rage, feeling crazy, dizzy, etc.

Maybe this is a test...this drug has a mind of it's own. From what I've read about here, withdrawal is eerilyunpredictable!

Thanks for listening. I can't thank you enough for your support knowledge and encouragement. We are all a family of sorts,

xoxoxoxo

[FiveNotions]

IBS, I think it's a cymbalta phase...as I understand what you wrote, you dropped from 60 to 30 mg...I'm not sure about how long you were on the 60, or now the 30... ? Do you have a benzo for the anxiety, rather than go on Paxil?

I can assure you that this kind of swing is typical of withdrawal...more so since you've dropped a huge step rather than bead counting....that makes the process harder, and more dramatic, I think.....I went cold turkey off 60 mg after 7-8 years on it...it was a wild ride....and still has it's "moments," even though I'm starting my 7th month off....

That said, you're way ahead of where I was in the first 2 months....I did t have any good days...just an hour or so...it took me three months to begin having whole days...and they weren't great, but mediocre...which at the time seemed great to me after the first two months!

In fact, I just had a bad spell...huge ongoing anxiety that started Wednesday evening....I had a doc appointment Friday, so I stuck it out until then....since it's a welfare clinic I now have to use, appointments are just 15 min....he barely heard what was going on, and he rather glibly prescribed Zoloft, and gave me Valium...he refuses, still after several appointments, to believe how awful withdrawal is...just wants to push pills...

Like you, I'm not sure I need to be on the Zoloft...I sure don't want to be...I've taken it three days in a row now, and just asked Fishinghat for advice on whether to continue on another thread,,,,the Valium helps, I think...so I'll keep taking that until I stabilize....and then have it hand for as-needed....

My own suggestion is to just ride this out...and see if you can live without an ssri....cymbalta withdrawal has these phases...at a certain point the good days begin to outweigh the hard ones....and then the physical effects fade and the mind begins to clear up as well....it is well worth the effort!

[thismoment]

IBS

During withdrawal, one of the most common things to happen is for the physician to prescribe a new SSRI (like Paxil) for a standard withdrawal side-effect that- if left alone- will disappear on its own. It's perhaps the most important reason to 'tie yourself to the mast' for 6 months.

While the doctor is doing what he/she can to ease your pain, he is also trapping you in the endless cycle of antidepressants: SSRI-withdrawal-symptom-new SSRI-withdrawal-symptom-new SSRI-withdrawal-symptom-new SSRI.

I don't know how else to say it, but you have to be patient and push through withdrawal. The side-effects can be so overwhelming, so painfully frightening, and so powerfully demoralizing that we are grateful to accept additional medication regardless of the consequences. So it is up to us to resist this temptation; remember the physician seeks to treat the symptom.

It's why withdrawal needs to be planned: support-system in place; time off work secured; anxiety addressed with standby medication on the shelf; follow a tapered withdrawal laid out over a period of 12 weeks regardless of the time on the drug or the dosage; and then give it 6 months for the phantom diseases and symptoms to leave you in peace.

I would leave the Paxil on the shelf for a while, but you have to decide for yourself. Please take care.

[Wagtail]

IBS, I think it's a cymbalta phase...as I understand what you wrote, you dropped from 60 to 30 mg...I'm not sure about how long you were on the 60, or now the 30... ? Do you have a benzo for the anxiety, rather than go on Paxil?
I can assure you that this kind of swing is typical of withdrawal...more so since you've dropped a huge step rather than bead counting....that makes the process harder, and more dramatic, I think.....I went cold turkey off 60 mg after 7-8 years on it...it was a wild ride....and still has it's "moments," even though I'm starting my 7th month off....
That said, you're way ahead of where I was in the first 2 months....I did t have any good days...just an hour or so...it took me three months to begin having whole days...and they weren't great, but mediocre...which at the time seemed great to me after the first two months!
In fact, I just had a bad spell...huge ongoing anxiety that started Wednesday evening....I had a doc appointment Friday, so I stuck it out until then....since it's a welfare clinic I now have to use, appointments are just 15 min....he barely heard what was going on, and he rather glibly prescribed Zoloft, and gave me Valium...he refuses, still after several appointments, to believe how awful withdrawal is...just wants to push pills...
Like you, I'm not sure I need to be on the Zoloft...I sure don't want to be...I've taken it three days in a row now, and just asked Fishinghat for advice on whether to continue on another thread,,,,the Valium helps, I think...so I'll keep taking that until I stabilize....and then have it hand for as-needed....
My own suggestion is to just ride this out...and see if you can live without an ssri....cymbalta withdrawal has these phases...at a certain point the good days begin to outweigh the hard ones....and then the physical effects fade and the mind begins to clear up as well....it is well worth the effort!

FN... You & I have a parallel recovery ... I'm just feeling a tad BLAH @ the moment too ... 7 months off on the 16 th June for me & wondering what s/e's are going to be permanent or will hopefully leave me soon.
Anxiety, lack of motivation, lack of energy , hot flashes , fear .. & lack of interest in my daily chores ...
The sad thing for me is, that while taking the Cymbalta I had energy & was interested in doing lots of things... I didn't suffer from fear of socializing either.
I'm sure that I am recovering & that I will get better soon & my life will take a turn for the better ....this is my recovery stage ..:-)

[FiveNotions]

Well, I think I got "cocky" because I'd had a good month last month....that'll teach me!

How long are your good spells? How long are the bad spells?

[Wagtail]

FN , cocky is a good feeling ha ha ....
At the moment I feel like I've plateaued a little , nothing extreme but I can feel the anxiety hovering .I don't think I'm actually living a normal life ATM ... Sort of just existing I guess.
The fear of relapsing is a constant 24/7 ..
The feeling of putting one foot in front of the other to get through the day .. Does living in limbo sound like a good definition ?.

I lack purpose because I don't have the energy to do normal things like I use to do ... I feel like I'm wandering through day by day ...

[ittybittysmitty]

It's why withdrawal needs to be planned: support-system in place; time off work secured; anxiety addressed with standby medication on the shelf; follow a tapered withdrawal laid out over a period of 12 weeks regardless of the time on the drug or the dosage; and then give it 6 months for the phantom diseases and symptoms to leave you in peace.

TM,

Wow,i imagine you've learned how to taper on this forum or by trial and error? Either way, THANK YOU for the advice...Are there doctors on this site who are handing out recommendations?

Currently I am trying to continue being a caregiver for my mom and I realized today that I can't think straight enough to do it...people talk to me and my brain can't take in what they're saying...Anyone else deal with this brain goo?

Wagtail...sounds like your withdrawal symptoms are similar to the side effects while you took it...?

This is like a prison we can't get out of until we've done our time and we all have different sentences. Hahaha..i know it's not funny but that's the creative part of my brain that still works.

[fishinghat]

IBS

 

TM got it exactly right. The withdrawal from paxil is just as bad as Cymbalta. You don't need that. Try to hang in there. You have already come a long way.

[ittybittysmitty]

Thanks FH,

I'm at my wits end today...I saw the doc last thursday and he put me on Paxil to replace Celexa because I had a complete meltdown
the day before...

BUT...the next day i felt the best in years, no anxiety, awesome mood, got a lot done, so I stayed on..Yesterday I started up Paxil because that was our plan...NOW I"M BACK IN HELL...crazy dizzy, a stoned feeling, I look in the mirror with my eyes half open and look like I'm either drunk or on heroin. I can't start tasks well, the meclazine isnt helping...

It's the generic Paxil...should I go back on Celexa tomorrow or wait until I see him and then ask him to put me back on it?
He thinks the Paxil will help my anxiety as he starts weaning me off the 30...

As we've all discussed, it does get better and I'm thankful to those of you who are so knowledgeable about this.

God bless us everyone!

[FiveNotions]

IBS, there's a web forum like this, but devoted to just Paxil withdrawal.....

Www.paxilprogress.org

And a discussion from there of paroxetine withdrawal

http://www.paxilprog...ead.php?t=41461

Here's some info...on the brand and the generic...

http://www.drugwatch.com/paxil/

http://www.bmj.com/c...1?tab=responses

It's the very first AD I was put on....in about 1994 or 1995....I remember that it hit me that very same day....I felt well again...an amazing experience.....But, I put on over 20 pounds in a brief time...so I was switched to celexa.....because I did the cross over of the two, I had no withdrawal symptoms....however, the celexa didn't really work....that's when I was finally put on Wellbutrin...which has worked for me for years....(I was t having huge anxiety issues then)....when the anxiety appeared, the doc added cymbalta...what I really needed was a brief benzo and cognitive therapy...

[fishinghat]

IBS

 

If it was me I would stay on the Celexa and off the paxil. If you had that strong a reaction your first day on it that is a bad sign. Just tell the dr what happened when you get to see him again. Yes, the dr is right the paxil will help with the anxiety from the withdrawal but your just go on another strong ssri/snri with a hell of a withdrawal. You are beginning to do better lately. I think that if you stay on the celexa and be patient you will see a lot of improvement over the next 4 weeks. Anyway, that is just my opinion.

[FiveNotions]

I agree with Fishinghat, IBS...I just came close to making that mistake myself....was having anxiety attack while in the doc 's office....he just wrote me an rx for it and Valium and sent me in my way....I started the Zoloft but do not need to be on it...the Valium will be sufficient....I have no desire to go through another ssri withdrawal....

[thismoment]

IBS

 

If pregnancy could be an issue, here's something to research regarding Paxil: "Paroxetine is the only SSRI proven to be associated with an increased risk of birth defects." 

 

wiki

Obstetrics & Gynecology 

Dec 2006- Vol 108 Issue 6 ppg 1601-1604

ACOG Publications

[ittybittysmitty]

Fishinghat, Thank you for the advice...

I was on Paxil before going on Cymbalta and didn't have any withdrawal...so not worried this time. My gut tells me to go back on Celexa...overall my anxiety and dizziness were much less severe..emphasis on much.

Five Notions, i'm happy to hear you don't need the Zoloft...How long is Valium effective I wonder? Benzos last about 3 hours.

Wagtail...yes, it feels like being in limbo..and yes i know how you feel about being 'on watch' 24/7...having no purpose, yup..just do what you CAN do and leave the rest for a day you feel better...I have fibromyalgia so I can't remember how long you have been in withdrawal?

[ittybittysmitty]

he refuses, still after several appointments, to believe how awful withdrawal is...just wants to push pills.

I don't know what kind of doctor you saw but my psychiatrist manages psych meds for a living..that's all he does...and he knows thatabout 1 percent react like we do...I'm grateful he acknowledges it...I told him about this website and he is also aware of the FDA report called "Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome"

Glad to hear you are managing well on Valium...

Keep your chin up...

[FiveNotions]

Yep, my doc is like your doc, IBS....hopeless...

We are the "one percenters" ....;-)

[thismoment]

IBS and FN

 

The psychiatrists have become Armani-clothed, BMW-driving pushers for the pharmaceutical companies that cook this stuff. Big Pharma also generates the sunshine that it shines up our asses. Psychologists do all the talking, and the frazzled physicians simply direct traffic.

 

Not for 1 second do I believe the 1% number, or any other numbers generated by Big Pharma-sponsored research; it's just more sunshine!