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I’m beginning to think Paxil withdrawal is a permanent thing for me. 2 to 6 weeks is the ‘average’ with the worse parts being over in 2 weeks. Like every thing else in my life, I say ‘bah’ to convention. So it’s getting to be a little over 3 weeks since my last fix. The head zaps are few and far between and don’t come at enough frequency to disrupt like they used to. The racing thoughts seem to have taken a pit stop and I can generally concentrate.

Then there are the panic attacks. Nothing severe that I usually can’t deal with by just closing my eyes and focusing on the funniest lines from Charles Nelson Reilly during the 1972 season of The Match Game, but they’re there, always at the back of my mind. On Paxil, there were there too, just not as often as they are now. I’m going to chalk this up to withdrawal. If, after the physical issues disappear, the PA’s don’t decrease, I will unfortunately have to reevaluate my situation.

Now, about those physical issues. I wish I could accurately describe the achy sensation that runs through my body throughout the day. It’s kind of like how you would feel after the hardest workout in your life, without soreness. It usually exists in my legs (and is damn near impossible to sleep through when it is) but has a tendency to squeeze my chest and arms. Usually a brisk walk up and down the aisle will help, but it jumps right back within minutes of me sitting down again. And it’s starting to get to the point where it’s causing me to shake uncontrollably.

Even that, I could deal with if it weren’t for the nausea. Being nauseated for hours at a time is probably what is pushing me over the edge. I stopped drinking heavily because of nausea. If I could rid myself of the queasiness in my tummy, everything else would be a piece of cake.

Of course, this bout of the shakes is making typing hard…

rolled out on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 11:39 AM
Comments
# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - michele

Rolled Out On: 8/17/2005 2:31 PM

It took almost three months for my withdrawal symptoms to fully diminish.

I know it's hard, but once the withdrawal is done, you get a feeling like welcoming yourself back to reality.

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Robb Allen

Rolled Out On: 8/17/2005 2:54 PM

Yeah, I'm 'Iraq'ing it right now. I knew it would be rough, went ahead and did it anyway, and am now realizing it's going to take longer than expected but have to stay the course.

That and the hallucinations of Walter Mondale french kissing Nel Carter are really starting to bother me....

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Keith

Rolled Out On: 8/18/2005 11:24 AM

"Dear Abby, I am a 68 year old woman and my husband is a sex addict. Please excuse the shaky handwriting."

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Lizzie

Rolled Out On: 8/18/2005 7:44 PM

I'm on a combination of paroxetine (the generic name for Paxil) and a mood stabiliser, and I have no plans to come off either. Every time I try, I become unbearable to be around! I take it more for my family's sake than mine.

Best of luck with this, and take care.

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Robb Allen

Rolled Out On: 8/18/2005 8:21 PM

Liz, luckily for my family I'm not like that. I'm far from telling people to jump off of any medication or that you don't need it. In my personal situation, I found that the Paroxetine wasn't making things any better. I had plateaued and increasing / decreasing the dose didn't make any difference.

What happened to me is that every time I tried to wean myself off, my doctor andI thought I was relapsing so the diagnosis was to go back on. After reading a lot of information, I realized I wasn't relapsing, that it was just withdrawal and once I got through it, I'd be ok.

If it is working for you, then there is no need to stop taking it. For me, it stopped being useful and only left me groggy.

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Sherri

Rolled Out On: 8/18/2005 8:58 PM

Maybe you could ask your doctor about another temporary medication to ease the withdrawal symptoms. Is it possible that symptoms like you've described might actually contribute to PAs?

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Robb Allen

Rolled Out On: 8/18/2005 9:32 PM

The symptoms I've described are panic attacks, just in mild form.

And no, I don't feel comfortable asking the shrink to wean. He didn't catch that my symptoms were due to withdrawal rather than relapse. Kind of shook my faith in him.

You have to understand, my doc has even commented on how simple of a patient I am. I know my problems are chemical imbalances and nothing I can help. I don't need therapy, I don't feel the need to discuss all my problems with him, etc. So I walk in, he asks me how I am, I say the same as usual, he writes a prescription and I'm outta there in 5 minutes, tops.

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - tee bee

Rolled Out On: 8/20/2005 9:24 AM

Dude, don't you have a general physician? You definitely need a better doctor... one who can work with you, since what you want to do is pretty reasonable. Your doctor should respect how you feel about your body, not stand and deliver from on high. Yeah, that may be hard to find.

Now is the part where I jump off the woo-woo diving board into the deep end: If you haven't, I would really encourage you to find someone who understands alternative options - supplements, vitamin and other types, massage, acupuncture, voo doo dolls, etc. Okay, not the dolls. But check around your neighborhood, someone might have a Robb doll.

Seriously, acupuncture - which I thought was really stupid when I tried it, and was prescribed by my Kaiser Permanente doctor and performed at Kaiser - afforded relaxation that blew my mind, including relaxing a muscle that no amount of stretching, therapy or muscle relaxants could get to calm down.

Supplements have helped me feel a bit more balanced, instead of riding a bit of a late-in-life PMS rollercoaster. There are a lot of good books on them that can help you, if you can't find a doctor with homeopathic understanding or a good homeopathist in your area.

And don't forget diet and exercise. Lots of different veggies! Maybe frequent small meals to keep sugars and proteins in your bod. If you hate other forms of personal health torture, swim. My mom swam while she was visiting, and she couldn't believe how it made her swelling go away (she was on water pills and has a kidney problem - yikes), increased her balance, and she could feel it in muscles that her regular walking didn't use. We find that when we swim late in the day, we sleep better at night, too.

This was in the TMI file, wasn't it? And you will keep all my personal medical info private, won't you? Thanks. I really hope you feel better soon. But laughter and three cute chicks running your house will be the best medicine, even if they're not the only medicine.

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Paladin

Rolled Out On: 8/17/2005 8:33 PM

Typing is over-rated. You should start using that new VoiceBlog v3.1. It won't be long before they release PsychicReader 1.0!

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Monika

Rolled Out On: 8/17/2005 9:34 PM

I can't believe this stuff is legal. As a user of it, do you really think you needed it? Three of my nieces are on it and I just shake my head in wonder. You have my sympathies. I hope things get better for you.

# RE: And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you "The Shakes" - Robb Allen

Rolled Out On: 8/17/2005 9:47 PM

Monika, absolutely, positively, and without a doubt it was needed. Panic attacks often leave you suicidal. Paxil helps manage the problem quickly.

The problem is that doctor's either aren't informed of the dangers of long term use or just don't care. Sometimes I think my doc kept me on it because it kept me coming back. Hard to tell.

But Paxil worked wonders for me and allowed my body the ability to fight anxiety while my brain learned how to do it on it's own. It's just a shame he never understood how bad or difficult it is to get off of it or how it would have been good if he had prescribed a tapering schedule and extra Xanax to help.

I bet had I gotten off the drug after a year rather than 5+, this wouldn't have been as bad. Plus you have to realize I did it cold turkey which is considered somewhat dangerous. But I wanted it all at one time, over as quick as possible rather than dragging it out for months. Plus tapering still has the side effect of keeping you mentally dependant on the drug.

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