Mental health stuff, not flocked

[wesleysgirl]

I hope everyone understands why I post most of my personal stuff locked to my friends list. But in this case I wanted to thank everyone who responded to my post about anti-depressants -- because I'm really very grateful for everyone's thoughts even though I was never able to respond -- ...

I've been on Paxil for six days (10 mg/day until I've been on it a week, then 20 mg/day.) I'm really, really drowsy most of the time, occasionally sort of dizzy, and pretty fuzzy-headed too. Is this the kind of thing other people have experienced? I'm still having anxiety attacks, and they seem to be a bit less severe although it's hard to tell because the intensity/frequency is always a rollercoaster sort of thing, sometimes more, sometimes less. But I'm so fuzzy that I can't write. I open files and look at stories and just sort of stare at them, unable to summon up any kind of feeling for them at all. Reassure me that this won't last forever? It's scary.

Also, is it twisted that I've had 100 icons slots for quite a while and I still only have 54 icons?

Comments

[cheesygirl.livejournal.com]

I took Paxil for just a couple of days and it made me feel so wierd and foggy-headed that I had to stop it.

I take Effexor for anxiety and depression and the only trouble I've had is that I can't stay asleep all night (I take Lunesta to help with that). I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Effexor has helped me tremendously. I don't know how well it does for other types of anxiety.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

Info on Paxil side effects:
http://www.paxilcr.com/print.jsp?curContent=I21

http://www.paxil-side-effects-lawsuits.com/pages/facts.html

[orchid-slayer.livejournal.com]

My daughter turned into a zombie with paxil. Zoloft was much better for her with less side effects.

[viverra-libro.livejournal.com]

It's not unusal to feel sleepy or fuzzy when on Paxil, but it should go away. It really, really helped me to take the long-release tablets and to take them before bedtime. That way I slept through the drowsiest part. Also, if you get dizzy, you can take non-drowsy dramamine, and that helps a lot.

I'm sure others will say this, but you don't feel the full effect of the drug until you've been on it a couple of weeks at least. Once you do, you might be surprised to feel kind of "blah" about things in general. That can be because you don't have fear as a motivator any more. It's kind of weird when you're not used to it.

Hang on, Sweetie!

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Should I start taking it in the evenings then? It says in the info that came with the medication that it should be taken in the morning, so I've been doing that...

I'm sure others will say this, but you don't feel the full effect of the drug until you've been on it a couple of weeks at least. Once you do, you might be surprised to feel kind of "blah" about things in general. That can be because you don't have fear as a motivator any more. It's kind of weird when you're not used to it.

You know, that's a really helpful thing to say. I was on Paxil for 6 months about 6 years ago and while I don't remember many details about the experience, I do remember feeling kind of "flat" and thinking that was a sign of a side effect, that the drug was working too well. But maybe it was just that that's how most people feel most of the time and I'm so used to the highs and lows that I don't know what normal feels like?

[neverneverfic.livejournal.com]

you shouldn't feel completely flat, there should still be emotion there, but yeah some sense of flat is really normal.

anxiety makes your entire system spazz out so everything is more acute. without the anxiety things are a little slower and a little smoother. i've come to relish it, to relish discovering a normal range of emotion, but it was definitely disconcerting at first.

[viverra-libro.livejournal.com]

Ask your doctor if you can take it at night. You'd need to schedule it as a slow shift - like 3 hours later a day for a few days. Nothing with Paxil can be done quickly! ;)

Yeah, it can really be an adjustment when your motivation for doing things isn't fear anymore! It's like we flog ourselves with fear to make ourselves do things we don't really want to do. Then when the fear is gone, we don't have any other feelings or motivators to rely on. For instance, once I was no longer irrationally afraid of being fired, I couldn't find any motivation to work for a long time. My doctor said that's pretty common, actually, with work.

I am not someone that can point you towards normal, though! ;) The more people I get to know, the more common anxiety and depression seem to be. Maybe there is no normal? Certainly there's probably an average . . .

I cope by accepting that most things in my life really aren't that big of a deal. They're just not that exciting or horrible or stressful, and so it's ok that I don't *make* them more than they are.

Continued good luck with the paxil. And please don't be shy about posting for help! I would never have been able to get off Paxil if it hadn't been for luvsbitch telling me to take dramamine to help the nausea. There are a lot of things that your doctor wouldn't necessarily think to tell you that can make this a less tedious experience.

Hugs!

[neverneverfic.livejournal.com]

paxil made me sort of wonky in the beginning, but it eased off. unfortunately with antideps you can get the side effects pretty much immediately, but it takes awhile for them to do their job.

i am absolutely intolerant of long term fuzzy-headedness and i was on paxil for years with no problems. the beginning stuff went away.

as for the sleepy. i was sleepy for a few months, though it's hard to separate out what was the paxil and what was this other medication that caused sleepiness so intense that i had to go off of it (after a summer of falling asleep at every stoplight on the way to work and falling asleep mid conversation sometimes)

give the paxil enough time to start working (if i remember it takes a month or two to get going). if you are still feeling fuzzy and sleepy after a few months it's probably time for a different med. the bitch of it is that you really do have to give it the time to start working.

*hugs* i hope things start to get better my dear.

ps, re the anxiety attacks - are you doing other things besides meds to work on your anxiety? cutting out stimulants, doing visualizations etc? such techniques might make it more tolerable in the interim while you wait for the paxil to amp up.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I cut out all caffeine weeks ago and I do try to meditate, although I find that when my body is having a fight or flight kind of adrenaline/anxiety reaction it's pretty hard to get anywhere with it.

I have a three month prescription so unless anything drastic happens I'm pretty committed to giving it that much time to set things right for me. If I'm unimpressed at the end of that time I suppose it will be on to the next possibility.

[neverneverfic.livejournal.com]

*nods* that sounds sensible.

as for the meditation, when i'm uber-anxious i find meditation to be absolutely unbearable. there is just too much going on when my system is spazzing like that for me to be able to get to a meditative space.

when i'm having a panic attack, or just a day of much anxiety there are two visualizations i like to do. (and i realize you didn't ask for me to blabber about this, so feel free to skip)

one is breathing in calming colors. i picture a color that seems to represent calm and peace for me and i see myself as surrounded by a mist of that color. then i see myself inhaling the color, see it spreading throughout my body bringing calm and peace to all parts of me. it's not a perfect exercise and it doesn't always work, but it tends to make things bearable for me.

the other thing i do is a sort of basic grounding exercise. when i have a panic attack, as opposed to my baseline high anxiety, i often start to feel disconnected from the world. all that exists is me and my anxiety and i feel like i'm spiralling in on myself until i'll never exist as anything but a ball of crazy. so i try to ground myself. ideally i go outside to do this and put my feet directly onto the earth, but that isn't always an option. basically i put my feet on the ground and try to really feel that connection. and i touch whatever else i can that is solid and try to feel those connections. i picture myself growing roots into the ground so that i am fully connected to something and not in danger of disappearing. sometimes i also picture all my anxiety flowing down through the roots into the earth where it will be rendered harmless.

again, not perfect, not a complete fix-it dealie, but it often takes me out of crisis enough that i can manage.

now ends the unsolicited advice portion of the evening.

oh wait, one other bit, remember that things will get better, if it's not paxil you'll find something else, you are strong and you will get through this. and remember to keep breathing. *hugs you tight* *wishes you much peace*

[karenbear.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened to me on Paxil. I tried it for a couple of weeks, but the effects were too much - I felt like a zombie, so the doctor switched me to Effexor, and that was a lot better.

If you're really concerned you should go back to your doctor and discuss all this. There are a lot of options as far as anti-depressants go and sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right one for you.

[herself_nyc]

It takes weeks for SSRIs to really work, first of all, and the side effects that you experience at the beginning usually substantially go away in a few weeks' time. I'm surprised the doc didn't explain this. I'd encourage you to be patient. You need to give it 8–10 weeks I'd think before assessing whether it's really helping you. Which sucks, but it's just how these meds work.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

I was on Paxil once before (about 6 years ago) so maybe she just thought I'd remember this part, which I don't. (I was telling Magpie the other night that the one benefit to having a horrible memory is that you can be unspoiled for movies you've already seen!) I've got a 12 week supply and an appointment to see the doc again in three weeks, so unless it gets unbearable I'll just try to tough it out for a while.

[kelly-yoyo.livejournal.com]

I think it's a good idea not to expect yourself to be normal when you're switching/starting new meds. Though it is possible that Paxil may not be for you, it's probably too early to tell.

I'd say give yourself more time, and be gentle with yourself. If it's really not working for you then go back to the doctor.

When I started Paxil I felt as though I was hyped up on caffiene for about a month. It felt kind of like a body buzz. And it did interfere with my ability to get up in the morning, but that changed when I stopped taking it in the morning. I take it at suppertime now and feel pretty normal in the AM.

[forlornhope1865.livejournal.com]

I found that taking doses at night to be helpful in the first few weeks. After that, I seemed to get used to the medication (this was Prozac and Effexor, at different times) after that and didn't feel as drowsy. Now I'm taking Elavil for chronic pain, so I take it at night and the low dose of Effexor in the daytime and I'm not having problems with drowiness. I also drink tea constantly throughout the day, so maybe that offsets some drowsiness?

Better living through chemicals, as one of my doctors used to say.

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

Be clear with your doctor about side effects you're experiencing, especially if you don't feel a reduction in anxiety at the same time. Docs have gotten more willing to change SSRIs early in the dosage if side effects are unmanageable.

If you've started at full dose of Paxil, the initial side effects may be worse, but at least they won't sneak up on you the way mine did when I started on a quarter dose.

Also? Don't let the drowsiness/dizziness make you avoid physical activity, because that will mask more severe side effects.

Julia, hope the side effects fade and everything become copacetic

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

I'm only on a half dose now, will start taking the full dose on Wednesday. I've just called the office and left a message asking if I can take it in the evenings instead of in the mornings to see if that helps.

[djinanna.livejournal.com]

I was on Paxil (for depression and social anxiety) for a couple years. At first I was fine, but then the doctor raised the dose and I was totally fuzzy and falling asleep constantly. He cut back the dose and things settled in.

Fast forward a few years. I feel my depression and anxiety creeping back (specific behavioral symptoms reappearing) and consult with doctor who switches me to Effexor. Depression is much better, but anxiety increases, plus I'm always awake.

Now I'm on a combination of Paxil (at night) and Effexor (in the morning) and that seems better.

Except ... I'm having serious trouble even writing LJ posts, let alone tackling my long neglected fiction. And have begun wondering if the meds are causing it.

So ... no joy here. But doctor appointment coming up where I can discuss it.

I don't know who's prescribing your meds but for me it's my primary physician. Last time we were adjusting these meds, we discussed the idea of my seeing a psychiatrist *just* for medication advise (as I already have a psychotherapist I'm very pleased with) since psychiatrists are more familiar with these kinds of meds, and I think it's time to re-open that discussion.

[freixenet.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for the continuing med troubles. :( For what it's worth, the individual reaction to Paxil is, well, highly individual. The hard part seems to be finding the right med or combination of meds, at the proper dosages, for each person, and I can't imagine how much strength it takes to go through the experimentation required. I hope your fuzziness goes away.

Also, no, not twisted, just a lovely opportunity! :)

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

*snuggles you*

Only 54? I've got, um, 92. *blushes* But then your icons are all individual, and I snag mine from other people.

[ex-willsheni31.livejournal.com]

That's almost word-for-word what happened to me when I tried Paxil. I stuck with it for a while, but eventually switched it out because, like what you're experiencing, I had a very difficult time focusing enough to write. That got me down more than the original reasons for the prescription. :-p

From what I hear, and just in my personal experience, Effexor seems to work better with fewer side effects. Everyone's body chemistry is different, though, so your mileage may vary.

I'll be thinking about you! *hug*

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Pretty much repeating what everyone else said: it's very individual.

I did Zoloft for a while, and had the same reaction taking it in the morning. Switching to taking it with supper helped a great deal, especially helping me get to sleep at night. Switching the time also helped the "hamsterbraining" where my brain kept going like a hamster on a wheel all night.

Definitely keep in touch with your doctor about these symptoms! *hugs* and good luck!

[luvs-phoenix.livejournal.com]

When I first started on Paxil it took about a month for everything to start working properly. I agree with Zort that once the meds start to work your body takes the time to relax and catch up on sleep.

Give it another couple of weeks luv.

JMHO of course.

[alizarin-nyc.livejournal.com]

Hang in! More time needs to pass before you pass judgment, but your doc should be willing to switch you to another med if you are experiencing too many side effects. I've benefited from the "try 'em all" approach, because, as people have pointed out - it is highly individual. (I'm in the Effexor club myself, fyi).

And bravo you for giving this a chance, and for reaching out for feedback here. I'm sure you know there are lots of people here for you and we know how scary/weird it can be!

Writing will always be there for you - that sort of thing doesn't go away. Get yourself sorted and there will be plenty of time to write with lots of positive motivating factors to influence you in the future. That's my experience; hope it helps a little.

[windsparrow.livejournal.com]

Paxil was brilliant for me, I did not experience those kind of cognitive effects with it. I had increased appetite, and bloating. While many side effects do ease up over the course of a week or two, I'd say it is definitely time for you to contact your doctor about it.

[rainkatt.livejournal.com]

No advice, just hoping things get better for you. I've taken trazodone and Zoloft in the past, neither for very long. The trazodone did exactly what it was supposed to, but I took a teeny dose, and only for a couple of months. At that point, I was no longer in the deep pit I'd been in, and my doctor tapered me off of it. I had a sort of generalized fuzziness with it, which seemed to increase with time, and I had to take it right before I went to sleep, or I'd wake up a few hours later on the floor... Zoloft made me anorexic and slightly insane. So I don't have anything much to say about these things, but I do know that other people swear by them, and most of them take getting used to. I'd say keep talking to your doctor, and I wish you luck.