Posted by Princess Artemis V on March 11, 2002, at 0:59:31
I just remembered this site...I'd posted here quite a long time ago about the possibility of Paxil having caused my movement disorder.
I wanted to let people know the "end" of this story goes.
After having almost every neurological test and blood test and exam known to man performed and only finding a slight oddity in a brain SPECT, two neurologists and one psychiatrist were pretty well convinced my movement problems (chorea athetosis, problems walking, dystonia, random noises, you name it) was psychosomatic.
But the last neuro refered me to a movement disorder specialist, very good of her...she was done with me but at least she helped me move up one step on the ladder.
After seeing two MD specialists that work in the same office (saw one and he consulted with the other), they decided that yes, I have Tardive Dyskinesia (they also say Generalized Dystonia), NOT psychosomatic, but caused probably by a predisposition (grandfather had torticullis, birth was complicated, forceps used to turn my stuborn little baby body right side up) that was aggrivated by a year of Haldol almost ten years ago and very likely finally dredged up by Paxil withdrawal.
So yes, Paxil had a hand in my TD...after a year of getting the run around, I have that in writing from one of the top MD specialists in the country.
Anyway, the MD specialist also told me that the average neurologist will see a case of Tardive Dyskinesia once or twice in their entire CAREERS. So if there is anyone out there with a movement disorder and suspects Paxil or another SSRI, keep suspecting, and keep looking for someone who might have a clue and can help you with the MD instead of settling for neuros out of their depth or worse, psychs trying to convince you it's "all in your head".
It is "in your head", as my MD specialist quipped, but not the way the some psychs think and tell you...
Anyway, I hope someone can get some use out of this...I know I can't be the only one who has been harmed in this way by Paxil, and I can't be the only one who desperately sought answers anywhere she could find them for why her body wouldn't stop moving of its own accord...
Princess Artemis (added a V since it's been so long and I forgot my password to update the registration :)
poster:Princess Artemis V
thread:97428
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020307/msgs/97428.html