# How long does it last? - withdrawal



## Guest (Nov 7, 2004)

Hi,

It's been 4 days w/o Paxil, and I suffer form terrible dizziness and electrick shoks-like. I HATE that. I wonder how long it last??? Yesterday I had kind of a fever-like, I was too hot, then I was cold, and I felt very sick. I had trouble to make my day, even with klonpin.

Thanks

Cyn xxx

p.s. I am on Klonopin that's all.


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## *Alex (Sep 27, 2004)

Hi Cynthia, did you taper off the Paxil or just stopped it abruptly?


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2004)

My doc tapered it from 20 mg to 0 in about a week. well, 15 mg for 5 days, 10 mg for 4 days, 5 mg 3 days, and O. I liscened to him and I am n trouble. Buit I don't want to go back again to Paxil. Wuck. Maybe I should really begin Prozac 10 mg, it would help me with withdrawal.

Cyn xxx


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

My paxil withdrawal was very mild. I had all the symptoms you listed. It lasted a couple of weeks but it was so mild I barely noticed. I wish Klonopoison would have been the same way.

Joe


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2004)

Okay, I am going to try to interject a little reality here (despite the fact that you are hellbent on doing this your own way, grin grin)

Your doctor is out of control. Are you on another antidepressant now? Yes, the zaps, etc. are withdrawal from paxil, no doubt about that. But the larger issue here is that you are suddenly without any antidepressant.

There is withdrawal and then there is LACK.

You were getting something useful from the paxil. If you choose to stop taking it, that's fine, but you might need ANOTHER antidepressant to combat what is clearly your major depressive state right now.

You can't just stop a med like paxil and tell yourself "oh, well, I'll try something else in a week or so..." and expect your BRAIN and its chemicals to wait patiently. All your BRAIN knows is that it is suddenly bereft of some stuff that was helping it feel less depressed.

So what you've got right now today at this moment is major depression creeping back in quickly on TOP of the zappies.

Decide what anti-depressant you want to take and start it now. Or hide in bed and realize that you are going to feel terrible for quite awhile. THat's just the reality.

Peace,
Janine


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2004)

Hi

I discovered Gravol help a bit for dizziness. Pfew. (it's for nausea)

Today wasn't that awful for dp/dr, but I am gonna take another ad for sure. I just don't know if Prozac is the right choice for me right now. I hesitate between this or another one.

Thanks Janine, I know my doc is out of control and I am stubborn (lol)

Cyn xxx


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2004)

It's my day 6 off Paxil and I still have those dizziness, it's terrible, my vision shakes when I move. I am scare that it will stay.

Please tell me it will go away! It's accompanied my kind of temporary numbness that goes along through my body.

I am very scared please help me!

Cynthia


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## shadowness (Sep 12, 2004)

i know this is extremely hard to do...but trying to accept these feelings will help...

getting painced about them and analysing them makes them 10 times worse...

i honestly know that this is much easier said than done...

but if you can try and calm yourself and try not to keep thinking about the feelings...

i have been doing this more and more in relation to the dp and dr and somehow i am getting through the days better....not brilliantly but MUCH better!

try not to think of each day as 'day 6 off paxil, day 7 off paxil, day 8....'etc...

getting worked up about it all does make it all worse so try and calm yourself...you are not going to feel like this forever...but thinking you will feel like this forever will make things far more difficult...

again i do not mean to sound harsh or sound like i am saying 'just get over it'....

hang in there  you will be fine


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## Inflammed (Aug 10, 2004)

Hi Cynthia

Withdrawal can last from 6 days to 6 years for some.
Depending on your dosage and the lenght of time you were taking them
Have a look here it's a site dedicated to withdrawal : http://www.benzo.org.uk
Go on the forum

I've been on Xanax for 2 months...
And I'm 6 months off now and still suffering from withdrawal...and I'm spearing the withdrawal symptoms here...

Feel free to PM.


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Hi Inflammed,

Do you have chronic dp/dr? Did you have it before the drugs or did it first appear when you came off of benzos? Mine first started when I messed around with benzos. Ive been off of benzos for over 2 years and tho Im much, much better, I still have symptoms(low level dp/dr). Ive read on other benzo sites that the symptoms that cause us the most distress are usually the last ones to go away.

Joe


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2004)

Joe wrote



> Mine first started when I messed around with benzos


Did it start during withdrawal or just while being on benzos?
If not during withdrawal, did you experience an increase in dp after you quit the benzos?

Thanks for the answer.


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Hi,

My severe dp started when I reached tolerance to Klonopin. I also became severely depressed and was in a state of panic all the time. When I withdrew completely the anxiety/panic became so severe I couldnt even function. I had extremely high blood pressure, skin burning, seizures...basically I was a mental and physical mess. I could no longer work and I stayed on the couch for the first 3 months. Now at 2 years off all of the symptoms are gone except very low level anxiety and dp/dr that goes away at night. My nights are wonderful, but after 8 hours of sleep, I awake to more of the low level anxiety. Compared to what Ive been thru tho its nothing. I now have a normal life.

Joe


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2004)

That's interesting indeed.

I still sometimes wonder if my dr is benzo induced.
Although I suffered from severe stress, that is why I took them, and while I was taking them, the derealisation began to be a problem.
After I quit the derealisation got worse, but not 24/7.
Only after I had been like two months off of the benzo, the dr was there 24/7.

As always when there is a debate about benzos, I find some correlations to my benzo experiences and I wonder if maybe the benzo is to blame.

But that is impossible to find out I guess.(?)


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

Yep, its hard to say wether your problems are benzo related. Regardless, In my opinion, you did the right thing by getting yourself off this type of drug. If your problems are benzo related then at least your healing.

My situation was pretty obvious that I screwed myself up from drugs. I went from a blood pressure of 120/80 to 200/120 over night and also experienced seizures and auditory/visual hallucinations when I withdrew. I also spent a few nights in the emergency room getting shot up with narcotic pain killers to try to numb the burning. All of these symptoms were gone withing the first few months off the drugs.

My doctors even admit that I probably have brain damage due the ongoing physical symptoms(brain shakes, buzzing in my teeth) but they try to blame it on my alcohol use. I know better tho because there was a few months between my alcohol and benzo use during this time I had no symptoms.other than mild anxiety. Im sure I didnt help my brain any with the alcohol tho.

Joe


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## Inflammed (Aug 10, 2004)

I had DP/DR way before benzo...I think it was reacreational drug induced. (pot, acid and all the junk)

But Benzo's made it much worst...it amplified all my anxiety and DP/Dr problem...
I'm 6 months off Benzo and my DP/Dr is getting back like it was before...episodic...Normally in the mid-afternoon for a few hours.

The intersting fact is that before benzo's I did not have DR, now I'm stuck with both...

And by the way...DP/DR is much more fun than Benzo withdrawal...=)


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2004)

Joe,

Did recovery feel impossible when you were going through the worst of benzo withdrawal? I think I talked to you on the phone back in June and I remember that I was pretty severe then and fast forward to right now and I am still feeling really crappy. Why is it so impossible to function during this mess? I can do absolutely nothing on most days except lay in my bed and listen to the radio or play PS2. This is getting fucking annoying. How long did it take for you to recover and be somewhat functional?

Neal


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2004)

Hey Neal,

The first year was the worst for me. It seemed after the first year things very slowly got better. It was so subtle that I didnt notice it at first. I thankfully am self-employed so I didnt have to be around too many people when things were at their worst. Just hang on, things get better. Not that it will this long, but remember Ashton doesnt even consider benzo withdrawal protracted unless it goes well beyond 2 years. 18-24months of recovery time is the norm for severe addiction. Arent drugs wonderful?

Joe


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2004)

> The first year was the worst for me.


Seems to really take that long. I have been off for like six months and if my symptoms are benzo related I really do expect it to take some more months to get better to the point I can actually do things on a regular basis.
As PureN pointed out, I have days when I basically just stay in my bed too.

Joe, if I am not mistaken you once said that you had severe pains as well, am I right about that.

Thing is I have a lot of pain too and it comes in cycles. It burns like fire and when it is strong it takes in my whole upper body and the face as well.
It was so bad yesterday that I am seriously considering opiates.
Sleep is also very disturbed.

I always thought that addiction is the only problem associated with benzos but if my symptoms are related to the benzo then there are things that are much worse than "just" addiction and I wasn't even addicted.

Was your pain benzo related, joe?
Did you find other meds to be helpful against the pain?
How long did it last?



> I didnt have to be around too many people when things were at their worst


.

I find that hard too. Because when I am in a pain episode I don't want to be around anybody. But it's hard because that means isolation. No matter what I do, it is not ok. 
Do you know if opiates are appropriate against non-physical pain (like benzo induced or psychosomatic) as well?


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2004)

Hi,

I'm not suppose to come here but since it was MY post, I just want to say that DONT STOP PAXIL like I did. Take more than 12 days.

I feel very crappy, zaps, numbness in my legs, depersonalization, anxiety, anger, I really feel like I will go crazy. So if you take it don't do like me. Now I TRY Prozac just to ease the withdrawal process, but I don't know if I will tought I 've never felt this bad in my entire life.

I feel so crappy I just don't wanna go back to this med. But anyway, I say it to other, PLEASE take your time.

Cynthia


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## bat (Aug 18, 2004)

hi cynthia

i'm no expert on this but from what i've read 2 weeks seems to be the worse bit for stopping anti-deps, so hopefully you'll start feeling better soon. if not, there are some good, not scary, websites which explain the process and give good advice. i don't know any addresses but if you look up ssris and pick an official/medical site (syphon through the medical jargon ones) it might help.

best of luck


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## Guest (Nov 13, 2004)

Yes, Cynth, paxil is one hell of a med to quit.

Paxil was so bad for me that I don't even consider taking a ssri whatsoever.

However, I was not referring to Paxil above, I am referring to a benzodiazepine.

Blaming the benzo for all inconveniences is something that takes some pressure off of me, because if the benzo is responsible for DR and the pain, it means that

1. I am not a "bad" person for not being able to handle it (I am not guilty)
2. The circumstances are not to blame either ( others aren't guilty)
3. If it was the benzo that induced it all, it would just be bad luck (nobody can do anything anyway)4. It will go away (just accept it)

If I knew it was the benzo, I would not feel guilty for not being able to live or alleviate the symptoms, and that would take stress away from the totally stressing situation I find myself in anyway.


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