Anyone have experience with Paxil (generic) withdrawals? I stopped taking it about a week ago - yes, cold turkey and yes, I know that's not recommended. I know there are risks associated with stopping suddenly but they made me worse instead of better and when I got to the point that I almost melted down at work and had the urge to stab myself (and I was not suicidal before), I figured the risks of staying on them were worse than the risks of stopping them. And I couldn't get in to see my doctor right away.
Anyhoo, for the last week I have run the whole range of nausea, sweats, headaches, "brain zaps" which are the worst, face numbness, paranoia, anxiety, crying fits, irritability, sleep disturbances...I could go on...
It's getting a little better each day, but how long will this go on for?
My psychologist explained to me that there are different types of depression - medical and psychological. Medical depression responds well to medication, psychological doesn't. Meaning that if the source of the depression is the misfunction of neurotransmitters, the medication works. If the source is trauma, self-esteem, poor coping strategies, etc then psychotherapy tends to work better than meds. She also explained that if the meds increase your energy before they elevate your mood, you end up more anxious. I think that's where I was.
The source of my depression is psychological so I refuse to take any more meds but I will continue this group and will see my counsellor every week and see my doctor regularily.
I wanted to clarify that because I believe that sometimes meds are necessary, and some people's lives haved been saved by them. So I'm not advocating that everyone should stop their meds and there is certainly nothing wrong with taking them, and if anyone tells you otherwise, tell them to stick it. We do what we have to in order to make ourselves healthy again. In my case, I need to face my past in order to enjoy the present. And to do that I need to know what I'm feeling, not what the meds are making me feel.
If anyone can tell me when the withdrawals will subside that would be great. I'm looking forward to feeling like my "normal" depressed self again.
