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Paxil Discontinuation


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This is more of a rant but any advice is needed.

 

Under advice of my doctor, we've decided after four years to discontinue Paxil. Although losing my longtime cat companion was extremely difficult, this is a brutally unforgiving experience. The reasons we are discontinuing are as follows: Restless leg at night and sexual side effects were just about equal at the top of the list. The rest were your standard side effects: stomach issues, sleep disturbance, dry mouth, etc etc etc...

 

We have decided to replace Paxil with amitriptoline (spelling?)

 

Benefits so far are, I can sleep at night, my sexual side effects were just about eliminated within a few days of leaving Paxil. I don't feel as numb to life.

 

The downsides:

Severe dizziness

Brain Zaps (or shivers) a feeling like you get an electrical zap or your eyes don't catch up to where you're looking

Nausea

A general "doomed" feeling.

Past mistakes and instances of my life rushing back to haunt me at random times. Rethinking things I thought I had long gotten over.

 

 

It's been about three weeks of no paxil and starting the other drug. I have dealt with a lifetime of depression so this isn't anything new (not that I just dont' want to deal with it at all).

 

Any responses Thank you in advance.

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i hated paxil. coming off i had pretty annyoing brain zaps too. i felt suddenly destabilized in a way, not the "things from the past haunting me" but a sudden lucidity. i was numb on paxil, felt sort of "stupid" i guess. then quitting it i had sudden "revelations" regarding pretty serious stuff that i still remember today and it was like 10 years ago. all of a sudden gathered the courage to make some much needed changes. i also had very helpful dreams, i mean that they clearly pointed to things that needed to be dealt with so like at night i got my therapy to-do list and daytime i would do it lol. mind you this all happened when i was almost done tapering off-- while i was on the drug i was pretty much a bingeing dull cow in a perpetual stupor. even became coldly, unemotionally suicidal at some point (hence i was taken off).

 

 

i don't know how long it took to taper off after you've been on it for four years, but it's not a nightmare to discontinue.

 

is the feeling of "doom" present on amitriptiline or was it just a reaction to discontinuing paxil? amitriptiline may worsen anxiety, maybe that was it?

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Yes, I made the mistake of just stopping to take it and went into a very deep place for about six weeks. I was just taking it to help with menopausal symptoms but the side affects were too much and made me feel worse then the hot sweats and mood swings caused by menopause. When I went to the doctor he went off on me for stopping them without weaning.

 

Hopefully you will adjust to your new meds as soon as your system forgives you for going off of paxil rather quickly.

 

Good luck.

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