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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by avr on August 17, 2001, at 6:54:23
Hi, I have been off paxil now for almost 2 weeks and sometimes I get these weird feelings in my head or my heart beats weird and it makes me really scared and I think that I'm going to die. I stop and stay completely still and then measure my pulse and realize I am not going to die. I get really weird feelings in my head like headaces at the very back on my head and odd brain sensations. I usualy get these feelings several times a day and they last from a period of 1 to 5 minutes usually. I also have this paranoid feeling that Paxil gave me brain damage and that these symptoms will never subside. It's been 3 weeks. How long does this withdrawl last??
Yesterday I took celexa (20 mg). I was going to try celexa for a month and see how things went but instantly after taking it I started panicing. I picked up my guitar and couldn't remeber any songs that I played and I was extremely weak and my heart was pounding. Every side effect that I experienced with Paxil came back instantly when I took celexa. I looked at my self in the mirror and my pupils were dialated and then noticed all these weird acne type spots on my arms. I was thinking this could have been allergic reaction. I guess ssri's aren't for me. I hope my Wellbutrin sr along with a benzo works out fine.
Posted by grapebubblegum on August 17, 2001, at 8:34:45
In reply to Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by avr on August 17, 2001, at 6:54:23
AVR, I'm sorry you're having such a terrible time. I'm sure if you just started taking the Celexa it hasn't had time to work yet. Unfortunutely, SSRIs can cause worsening of panic upon starting them, for a few days, anyway. I am not familiar with Celexa but I understand what makes people stop taking SSRIs very quickly.
I took zoloft for a long time with no problems whatsoever, and recently started again; within three days I stopped because even at 25-50 mg the side effects that I barely noticed before were intolerable, such as restless legs at night, noisy conversation/music in my head all day and at night while trying to sleep, and a feeling of being wide awake at the first tiny noise in the morning.
I think the head sensations you are noticing are from withdrawal from an SSRI; it's called "electric head" but I think it is not serious, only annoying, and it subsides in a few weeks.
My doctor has decided to try me on geodon instead of the usual rotation of SSRIs and I think it seems helpful. It is pretty calming, and based on some of the things you described before, it sounds like you might benefit from it. Maybe you could ask about it since you're having a hard time with the SSRIs.
Posted by AVR on August 17, 2001, at 17:17:20
In reply to Re: Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by grapebubblegum on August 17, 2001, at 8:34:45
THank you grapebubblegum your reply certainly has had a very positvie effect on me. I now have new goals in trying to get myself back to normal. I have a lot of the symptoms of schizophrenia and I am thinking about asking my doctor for a diagnois and brain scan. From what I have read on schizophrenia, it appears that this illness brings on depression and it also appears that anxiety brings on schizophrenia symptoms from personal experience. Is this correct?
Posted by Janelle on August 17, 2001, at 23:34:05
In reply to Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by avr on August 17, 2001, at 6:54:23
Having "been there, done that", I can share with you that YES, and unfortunately, what you are describing is "typical" of Paxil withdrawal.
I didn't have heart stuff, but I did indeed have what you are describing about your head (I finally found out that it is called "electric head") -- I also had chills and sweats alternating and was extremely nauseous, the worst I think I've ever had, but I didn't barf. The nausea was just soooooo strong.
I tapered off waaaaay too fast (bad advice from an otherwise good pdoc) and had the withdrawal symptoms for a few weeks.
I had the SAME paranoid feeling that Paxil gave me brain damage and that those symptoms would never subside. Well, I'm here to tell you that they DOOOOOO go away, completely. Hang in there, it should only last another week or so from what I recall.
I also started taking Celexa after Paxil and while it didn't cause panic, the side effects I got from it (foggy, headachy, fatigue) did not go away, so I went off it. I was disappointed because I'd heard that Celexa is like the "purest" SSRI in terms of targeting Serotonin and having the least side effects. I had heard such great things about it, but it did not work for me.
Good luck and please do hang in there, the Paxil withdrawal is notoriously bad, but it DOES come to an end.
-Janelle
Posted by grapebubblegum on August 18, 2001, at 13:16:12
In reply to Re: Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by Janelle on August 17, 2001, at 23:34:05
AVR, all I know is that geodon (ziprasidone) is an atypical anti-psychotic that has been theorized to reduce anxiety and depression in people who are not psychotic (see my thread farther down called "can anyone analyze this?"; SalArmy4Me provided some information.)
It just sounds like your anxiety symptoms are similar to mine. I'm not a professional so I can't comment on whether an anti-psychotic is useful for people with panic attacks, but I will say that in my sample size of one (myself) panic attacks seem connected to too much thought, even if the thoughts are not outright delusional. i.e., I don't think that food I ate is poisoned but I will get the vague feeling that maybe a panic attack is being caused by something I ate; an idea that does not make a lot of sense and is more of an anxious thought than a psychotic one, but I am guessing that anti-psychotics might reduce excessive thought (maybe there's a word for it? Rumination or something? I don't know) so that anxiety is in turn reduced. Just my wild guess, though. I don't know if geodon is the magic bullet but it would certainly be worth looking into.
Posted by FreudianGarterBelt on August 18, 2001, at 21:26:43
In reply to Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by avr on August 17, 2001, at 6:54:23
The symptons of paxil withdrawal are bizarre but benign. Remeber what it felt lke when you hit your "funny bone" that was it feel like in your head. You will not die , relax and continue your journey .........
Posted by Megara on August 19, 2001, at 9:30:02
In reply to Re: Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by grapebubblegum on August 18, 2001, at 13:16:12
I'm currently on day 16 of no Paxil intake. It's a living hell. I am experiencing the motion feeling in my head which brings on the nausea, (I do take Bonine to help with what feels like motion sickness), headaches, (Ibuprophin), confusion, loss of memory, hot/cold flashes, night sweats, vividly disturbing dreams. Anyway, after 15 days I really need some insight on how much longer I will have to endure this horrible detox. I am a single mother of two, I've been off work for one week. I did try to work the first week but ended up leaving early a lot. Janelle, you seem to have a handle on how long it might be for me, can you give me the inspiration I'm looking for? Anyone else with insight or suggestions please respond.
Posted by mila on August 19, 2001, at 10:16:30
In reply to Re: Is this normal Paxil withdrawl??, posted by Megara on August 19, 2001, at 9:30:02
> I'm currently on day 16 of no Paxil intake. It's a living hell. I am experiencing the motion feeling in my head which brings on the nausea, (I do take Bonine to help with what feels like motion sickness), headaches, (Ibuprophin), confusion, loss of memory, hot/cold flashes, night sweats, vividly disturbing dreams. Anyway, after 15 days I really need some insight on how much longer I will have to endure this horrible detox. I am a single mother of two, I've been off work for one week. I did try to work the first week but ended up leaving early a lot. Janelle, you seem to have a handle on how long it might be for me, can you give me the inspiration I'm looking for? Anyone else with insight or suggestions please respond.
hi Megara,
it took full two months in my case for the withdrawal symptoms to fully clear out. the passage from week 2 to week 3 made a big difference. after week 2 the symptoms became less frequent and started to lose their intensity. I still can occasionally forget a name in a conversation, but it is not as bad as before and usually is more related to lack of sleep, or too much smoking, not to paxil aftereffect per se. I also had emotional ups and downs while withdrawing (depressive and anxious episodes). these too slowly lost their frequency and intensity with time.
best wishes,
mila
Posted by Megara on August 19, 2001, at 18:28:59
In reply to Re: Is this normal Paxil withdrawl?? Megara, posted by mila on August 19, 2001, at 10:16:30
>Thank you, mila, for the hope. Just in today I have felt a slight improvement, (SLIGHT). I left the house and did some shopping and enjoyed it a bit more than I have lately. I'm happy to hear there will, hopefully, be a change over the next week. Thanks again for the inspiration. Megara
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