Withdrawing from Seroxat/Paxil

Rumpy - don't worry, you can only be better off without Seroxat in your life. Good luck and take care.

(Just kidding, I wouldn't try this... before 6 p.m.)

Something to keep in mind if the withdrawal becomes too much, anyway. Good luck.

Actually, I think this is just what the pharmeceutical companys would like you to believe. I have been instructed to cut pills in half before by doctors (I think).

This is good advice. Ask your doctor for the half doses pills (I believe they are smaller, blue versions of the pink) and if having an extended weening period might lessen the withdrawal effects. More info.

paxil was the first AD I was on and it had horrible withdrawal effects, but they did go away.

So, this is day 6. I've been getting horrible numb flashes in my head, think they're called 'headshocks' to those in the know.

brain shivers, they're often called. I'm having them now as I'm playing with my meds.

I'm supposed to be taking 200mg of Lamictal (mood-stablizer), 150mg of Effexor (non SSRI-AD) and 300 of wellbutrin. I'm taking half of the Lamictal and have been alternating a half of each AD dose every other day.

why am i doing this? i'm trying to figure out which combo has the least side effects. Also I'll be w/out insurance in about 6 weeks and won't be able to get any meds so I figure I'd better start ramping down and getting used to it.

it sucks. it's making me feel like shit. the effexor mostly. i wish I could keep taking them.

i've never been instructed to half ADs but have been told to do so often with mood stablizers or benzos. think it depends on the pill.

effexor's excellent at knocking out depression and has helped me enormously but, unfortunately, it is the worst in terms of dependance. Some people will become permanently, physically, dependant on it. Hopefully you won't be one of those people.

I've cut SSRIs in pieces too (my docs were always cool about it). It's true that the effects of such drugs are not so simple as being determined by amount. But with avoiding withdrawal symptoms (or titrating up to a tolerable/helpful dose), pill cutting seems fine, if inexact. There are some that have coatings to help prevent gastrointestinal side effects, or extended release coatings, and cutting would obviously ruin the benefits of the coating. That (the coating) seems to be the common reason for docs to warn patients against pill cutting.

So I would be extremely cautious indeed. Also, for what it's worth, my last Dr (whom I trusted) said to take a normal pill every 2nd day then every third, not cut them up.

i'm in brain shiver heaven tonight. i went ahead and took a wellbutrin. i think it must be the effexor fucking me up mostly.

(not wanting to denigrate the seriousness of this thread)

http://www.askforjanice.com

but yes the depression is part of it as well. when you come off a drug, or miss a dose, the dip down into depression can be like a free-fall. Unless you're a super rapid-cycling BP such a sudden and severe mood change is not normal.

yes this is what's killing me now.

Zoloft is an SSRI and Effexor is not. Effexor works on your dopamine levels more than your serotonin. This makes them very fundamentally different drugs. However, taking away anything that affects these chemicals is major fucked-upness. Adding the Zoloft in helped to even out your brain's tidal wave I imagine.

Zoloft was also wonderfully for my depression. Unfortunately for it to be this effective we had to keep upping it till we reached the therapuetically-recommended highest dosage. And at that level it made my mania out of control.

My pysch didn't want to take me off it b/c it helped the depression so much. She wanted to add some more mood stablizers. I refused to take it though and told her if she didn't give me a different AD then she would just be responsible for the consequences. She gave me Wellbutrin. Milder in both good and bad ways.

I was put on a blind trial so I could get meds for free - I had prozac or effexor, wasn't told which. I believe it was prozac, as I had a horrible reaction to it (something like a combo of uncontrollably manic ecstacy rush coupled with menopause symptoms). Effexor OTOH helped a lot, but all meds had effects that, once I was off the lot, made me realise there were other ways to try and deal with my shit.

In my case though I think my neuroses/issues are not (as) chemical, and could be dealt with thru therapy, which at the moment I dole out to myself (I imagine-talk to a shrink. Dont laugh, it works very well and its an idea I just came to myself).

otherwise I always have gone to psychitraists/neurologists who have a better understanding of things.

and trayce, therapy is a wonderful thing.

Pat on the back for me?

Is this the official SSRI-withdrawal commiseration thread? Because I'm going through some weird shit trying to get off Zoloft (after having been medicated fairly consistently for 13 years). The latest adventure includes surreal, graphic nightmares where I wake up just in time to elevate my legs/to keep from losing conciousness from the gore. I'm glad I read about that side effect before-hand or I would've seriously lost my shit.

I found this interesting and helpful blog too...
http://www.edifyingspectacle.org/weblog/archives/gallimaufry/zoloft_withdrawal.php

It makes me so angry it's come to this and you have to just stop listening to doctors and go through it blind on your own. Most pretty much refuse to take you off it and play the degree-owning/mentally-stable high ground. It seems psychiatrists have become the new chiropractors. There might be a few good/honest/effective ones, but most of em just want a piece of the easy money. grrr.

i was prescribed an SSRI called citalopram in 2000 and it has worked for me. i'm on a small dosage and may not ever be as brave as you rumpy - i'm kind of reconciled to being on this drug for the rest of my life, although it doesn't bother me when i remember how i got into the position of being prescribed in the first place. life doesn't hurt me so much any more, and with that space i've been less confused for some years.

citalopram is prescribed for both depression and anxiety and during the first 2 weeks my anxiety levels went through the roof - to the point that my GP was very very close to having me sectioned (uk).

some friends of my folks, hubby complains of being stressed at work, sees doctor, gets signed off work and prescribed seroxat, tops himself in garden shed on day 10 of treatment. what can i say?

it doesn't work for everyone but it works for me.

i wish you the best of luck rumpy, you sound like you're beyond it now...

if you're uk you're always good to call The Samaritans if it's getting on top of you.

i've used them on many occasions and i have nothing but absolute admiration for that organisation... written into my will, everything.

It seems that attitude towards medication is very different in the two systems. In the US (perhaps fuelled by monetary/insurance influences as much as the "I've got a degree and you haven't" school of thought) I was told that I would be on medication (Trycyclide antidepressants and Lithium) for the rest of my life, and that BAD THINGS would happen to me if I ever went off them.

I moved away from my doctor's practise and came off them fairly naturally, with no noticable side effects. I just gradually forgot to take them, went longer between the doses, and one day realised I hadn't taken any in months.

So it was with great trepidation that I went to a UK doctor and asked for some kind of temporary measure in order to help me through a prolonged difficult time. The difference was astonishing! I was told over and over in very clear terms that *I* was in control of the medication, and when I felt like coming off it, or what kind of dose I would be on. I was given a mild (10g) prescription for Citalopram - and told that the reccomended course of treatment was a year, but I could come off it if I'd been depression free for six months.

And I have to say that the difference it has made has been phenomenal! It was like someone flicked a switch and turned off the panic attacks, the Thoughtworms, the self loathing, the suicidal ideation. I still have moods, and good and bad days, but the overwhelming sense of incapability is gone.

I know that I still have a long way to go. It's not a magic pill by any means, and I have a lot of work to accomplish myself. Before, I felt like I was trying to climb up a cliff of grief, and ocean waves kept buffeting me and sweeping me back down under. Citalopram has stopped the waves, I no longer feel buffeted. But it is up to me to climb back up that cliff.

Anyway, we shall see how I feel in six months when I choose to come off it again. But it has been very interesting indeed reading this thread.

www.quitpaxil.org

to be a great deal of use. Don't worry about ALL of the scare stories - but they're worth looking at, because things can happen a few months down the line (I started getting panic attacks) that you don't equate with the withdrawal at the time, but which there's good evidence to show are part of the delayed action withdrawal.

For a medicine that was marketed as non-addictive, this is a horribly addictive drug, as anyone who has missed one day's dose finds out.

What helped me: Vitamin B tablets - good for the nerves (really useful if you're a veggie, but good anyway for this) and generally seemed to work, in fact they still work. Apparently, the tincture is better but I haven't tried that so can't comment.

I also took calcium and magnesium - I can't remember why but someone suggested they had an effect too. I'm still taking them but am not noticing any huge difference when I take them. I'm telling you incase they're of some use to you.

Also - you might find you want something to calm you down when you're coming off. It depends why you were on them in the first place. My problem was anxiety, so I found some herbal calm tablets took the edge off the edge of it (not much more than that, sadly, but everything helps). The ones that worked best for me were the ones with hops and valerian rather than just the valerian. I suppose I should point out that I'm not in the least qualified to say that this will work for you. Its your decision, but I HAVE known other people come off this, and they've found that these have worked - particularly the Vitamin B.

You CAN get seroxat in liquid form that allows you to measure out really, really small doses. Most of the people I've spoken to weren't informed of this, and ended up doing the tablet in half, tablet in half every other day, tablet in half every three days thing - which doesn't really work that well.

Finally, coming off Seroxat is pretty horrible. I can't comment on whether your symptoms are due to depression or withdrawal, but I can tell you that lots of people experience similar symptoms that you're describing as a result of withdrawal. There are a few herbal anti-depressants out there that might work. I'm using St John's Wort at the moment - again, I'm not qualified to tell you what to use.

This might be quite a weird time for you - it goes away in the end. I hope this does work for you. Good luck.

CHOCOLATE!!!

Really, chocolate is meant to help. Again, I can't explain the science but I did read this somewhere, and I don't know how much of it is psychosematic but it did seem to have some effect (I think its something to do with the chemicals activated in the brain). The purer the better, from what I remember, none of that Cabury's crap. If you like chocolate, its as good an excuse as any..

Also, alcohol works, but isn't a great long-term strategy.

I've been on Seroxat on and off since 2000. Started taking it again in November after maybe a 5-month break. Have always had good therapists/psychiatrist (i.e. I'm very lucky my family have good medical insurance). In November I was severely depressed/stressed/having panic attacks/feeling suicidal etc etc. I still can't work out if this was just the withdrawal from the drug or simply me. The two previous times I've stopped I have both become depressed again/not depressed again. There really seems to be no clear cut *scientific* explanation as to what actually goes on with any of this. I think it's dangerous to suggest that this might be the case.

I have always come off Seroxat gradually, and have always experienced 'brain shivers'. I would still maintain that gradual withdrawal is the best method, though (a friend of mine went quite berserk having gone cold turkey). Back in May/June, I think I may have experienced extra withdrawal symptoms that allowed me to have incredible arguments with friends that were unthinkable weeks.
before. But there is no way of linking them for sure with the drug.

Oddly enough, now I'm quite happy, and haven't dropped out of my degree with a term to go (as I threatened to do, and from the slightly bizarre position of having a first *almost* guaranteed).

I'm entirely confused about the drug. Perhaps I'm simply addicted. I certainly have no ambition to come off it for a long time - I don't think I'd cope. However, I'd beg people to remember that seroxat (combined with a good therapist) does have it's good side. Kneejerk prescription by GPs is, I rather suspect, not a good idea. Again, this is something I've never experienced - the choice has always been mine, and made with much prodding to go to therapy.

Am I being naive here?

(Haha I've only just realised that my username and my gmail address give away my full name)

Plant problems in Puerto Rico could lead to drug shortage

By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Diabetics who use Avandamet and patients with depression and panic disorders who use Paxil may experience shortages of the two medications until the company that makes the drugs fixes problems at its Puerto Rico plant.
U.S. marshals Friday seized millions of tablets of both drugs at a GlaxoSmithKline plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico, and distribution facilities in Puerto Rico and in Knoxville, Tenn., according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Drugs affected

Glaxo drugs affected by Friday's federal seizure in Puerto Rico and Knoxville, Tenn.:

Avandamet 1 mg/500 mg
Avandamet 2 mg/500 mg
Avandamet 2 mg/1,000 mg
Avandamet 4 mg/500 mg
Avandamet 4 mg/1,000 mg
Paxil CR 12.5 mg
Paxil CR 25 mg
Paxil CR 37.5 mg

The immediate release form of Paxil was not part of the seizure.

Source: FDA





In Tennessee, they seized 311,348 30-tablet bottles of Paxil CR worth about $23 million and 235,000 bottles of Avandamet. In Puerto Rico, they seized about half of the company's inventory, including much of the medicine, which was still in granular form, says Dave Sacks, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service. The FDA obtained court orders to seize the drugs after the company failed to recall all the drugs deemed defective by the agency.

Paxil CR is a controlled-release anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drug. Avandamet is used to control Type II diabetes. In the short term, the FDA action could "result in a shortage of patient supplies for both these medicines," GlaxoSmithKline said in a statement. The company said it is working with the FDA to resolve problems at the plant quickly. It did not say when it would restart drug distribution.

Shares closed at $48.91 on Friday, down $1.59, or 3.1%.

The FDA said it seized the drugs because the company failed to meet federal standards for product safety, strength, quality and purity. FDA inspections found "significant violations" at the manufacturing plant, the statement said.

The FDA in its latest inspection found that the Paxil tablets could split apart, making it possible for patients to get a portion of tablet without any medicine in it or get all the medicine at once without the time-release element. The FDA also found that some Avandamet tablets did not have accurate doses of its active ingredient, rosiglitazone.

The FDA sent the company a warning letter about the Puerto Rico plant on July 1, 2002. The letter was based on inspections in 2001 and 2002. The FDA conducted follow-up inspections in November and December 2003 and between September and November 2004 and continued to find violations.

The company recalled 78,000 30-count bottles of Paxil tablets in December 2004 because the tablets were found to be subpotent.

The FDA said it is not aware of anyone who has been harmed by the drugs and does not believe the drugs pose a significant health risk. The FDA said patients should keep taking the drugs and talk to their doctors about alternatives until the manufacturing problems are fixed.