Posted by Rick E. on June 25, 2000, at 4:35:29
Hello all. It's been awhile since I have posted, nice to see the registration/password setup.
I started on ADs back in January of 2000, and I must say, in no uncertain terms, that I was very much in need of them, and they helped my brain get through a very difficult struggle that it was not able to do by itself. Being diagnosed as having "situational depression/anxiety" always meant to me that there was the hope of one day getting off of these drugs, which had always been a comforting thought.
Well, the largest part of my anxiety-causing situation has passed, and I felt that it was time to get off of the meds. In fact, I actually started feeling that WITHOUT anxiety in my life, that the meds were doing more harm than good. It was a strange "flip" that took place, I suppose in my brain chemistry.
I had been taking Remeron 30mg, and Paxil 20mg daily, and it had been working fine for me. I weaned off the Remeron successfully, and found that sleeping was next to impossible being on Paxil alone. I then decided that Paxil was the culprit, and started cutting it in half, per doc's orders, for 2 weeks, and then quit it completely. Day one and two were ok, but by day three with no Paxil, WHAM...depression, anxiety, nausea, fuzzy weird ass head feeling, all the doom and gloom feelings that a person could ask for...and I thought that there was no withdrawal symptoms from Paxil.
Just for fun, (actually out of severe desperation to know what was going on with me)...I went to altavista and typed in "Paxil Withdrawal", and much to my surprise, there were thousands of boards, like this one, with as many stories of the effects of quitting Paxil, and what I found was that, most people, no matter how they decide to "wean" themselves off of Paxil, always have these side effects, or withdrawal symptoms, or whatever you choose to call it...when they finally quit taking it at any dosage. I read that many people found IMMEDIATE relief from these symptoms by just taking one Paxil pill...which, as much as I tried to resist, I took...after having suicidal as well as other thoughts that have NEVER entered my brain. It worked, and the next day, I had the ativan and st. Johns Wart, which I am still taking both of, and they are getting me through the rough times. I certainly would take any suggestions anyone might have on this. I don't think I have ever felt as mean as I did that night. I certainly will NEVER again pester my girlfriend about the emotions that she goes through on her period. It must be hell to deal with a form of hormonal imbalance once a month!
I mean to say this to any doctor who may read this...PLEASE warn your patients, at some point, that getting off of Paxil is no easy task...it has taken me two weeks, refilling my Ativan, and taking St Johns Wart (Pretty cool stuff)...to deal with these side effects. I, personally, would take a panic attack (and I've had some bad ones) ANY DAY over the sickness that I have felt coming off of this drug.
Now that I have vented, *WHEW*, I would like to once again thank all of you who have encouraged me and helped me to deal with these meds and situations...I truly have a special place in my heart for this board. If all goes well, I probably won't be visiting much in the future, but know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Rick E.
poster:Rick E.
thread:38313
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000619/msgs/38313.html