Hi Dan, my heart goes out to you and your wife as you tackle this. I
know you want to be realistic so I hope you don't mind me saying that
things may not get better just yet. I remember rubbing my head and
staring blankly at my husband when he was trying to talk to me. He
didn't know what to do except to look puzzled. The thing is that he was
as confused by my actions as I was. I felt like something was
controlling me and I could not control it. It was scary and
unpredictable but the bright side is that even if it happens more than
once, it eventually passes.
I've had a rough time this past week and I no longer feel strong.
There's been a death in the family and my strenth has been taken from
me. I can't talk about it and I'm having trouble dealing with it. I got
through the funeral and I'm home once again but I am feeling very low.
It's just so hard putting on a happy face for the sake of those around
me. I find myself thinking about the nice, easy feelings I had while on
paxil but I'm kept from resorting to the pills by my fear of having to
go through withdrawal once again. It's so hard to deal with these rough
spots. I keep telling myself that I will regain my strength in time and
that I will not go back to paxil.
On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 18:16:44 -0000, "carsondan"
< dgoggiano%40sbcglobal.net">dgoggiano
sbcglobal.net> said:
>; Hello all,
>
> Thought is would be good to provide an update for everyone (a week
> later). If you check out the first post, you'll see that I left off
> on Day 2 of tapering down from 6.7mg to 5mg.
>
> I had no idea what was in store for us that day. I am not going to
> sugar coat anything because I think it is important for everyone to
> know what has transpired in the last week.
>;
> So the second half of day two went south...VERY SOUTH. Once we got
> home, in the evening, exhaustion and nausea had overcome her. She
> went and took a nap while I tended to the kids and the dinner and
> all that stuff. That was nothing. The next five hours were
> horrendous...from approximately 8pm until 2am, it was a living
> hell. She became uncontrollably emotional. Totally inconsolable.
> She was pulling her own hair, digging her nails into herself.
> Crying, screaming. She had numbers running incessantly through her
> mind. She couldn't concentrate on anything. She journaled, and I
> will post it (with her permission of course), but not today. I
> tried for hours to figure out some way to help...there was nothing.
> She couldn't sleep...she insisted that she had gone crazy and that
> it was permanent despite me insisting that it was only temporary and
> that it was the paxil. I kept my composure, but I will tell you
> that this was SCARY as hell. I journaled as well and I will post
> that. It was the first time I felt compelled to let it out. And
> while I completely understand that this journey isn't about me, I
> will add below some tips for people who care, who are around this
> situation. Finally, we found something that worked around midnight,
> and I read to her, quietly, one of her favorite books. After a
> couple hours, she tried to sleep and was able too. She got some
> rest amid the teeth grinding, jumpiness and over-exhaustion.
>;
> Day 3 : 5.0mg
>; This was a pretty bad day as well. I think it was compounded by the
> lack of rest. Her body was terribly sore. Heachache, dizzy,
> everything bad that could be...Anxious, and worried that the anxiety
> that she had when she started Paxil was returning in full strength.
> This was another pretty rotten day, but nothing like the day before.
>
> Days 4-7 : 5.0mg
>; We decided to wait longer to drop dosage again because of the
> Thanksgiving holiday and some other events we had planned. These
> days got a LOT better, especially in contrast with day 2 and 3. She
> is starting to understand the pattern. I was glad for the
> break...we all needed it. One of these days she had a really vivid
> bad dream...
>
> Day 1 : 5.0mg -> 4.0mg
>; Pretty uneventful! In the evening, a little nausea, she mentioned
> that she felt like her soul was shifting to the left or right of her
> body, and that it was uncomfortable...and she was tired, but
> couldn't sleep. She had a restless night.
>
> Day 2 : 4.0mg
>; Morning has been ok. Waiting for the worst tonight. Hopefully it
> won't be as bad with a smaller step, and with any luck, her body
> getting more used to the dropping.
>
> Tips for Loved One's/Caretakers
>; 1) You *NEVER* should presume to know what the symptoms are going
> to be like. Day 2 of drop 2 was absolutely HELL, and nothing like
> the first round.
> 2) You better get in your mind early on that this process is going
> to be very exhausting for you as well.
>; 3) You will likely feel very inadequate (VERY).
> 4) Don't panic. The symptoms are temporary.
> 5) Be prepared to take on all of the responsibilities in your
> household for days 2 and 3...(or whatever cycle you fall into).
> 6) Be supportive. Recognize the accomplishment.
> 7) I'd suggest not fighting the feelings, and being supportive of
> the feelings, no matter how irrational they may be. If the person
> who is dropping is afraid, let them be afraid. Remember, this is
> chemically related, you are not going to be able to talk your way
> out of it.
> 8) Stay strong...Even when you think you can't do it, you can.
> 9) Always leave the door open (options)...You can stay at a dose
> longer, add a little if you have to, quit cold turkey or taper at
> your own discretion...Don't pressure to quit.
> 10) Suck it up...not matter how difficult your caregiver position
> appears to be, imagine the fright and angst created by being
> completely out of your mind due to medication.
>
> Interesting revlation by my wife last night/this morning. Glaxo-
> Smith-Kline as a corporation and as human beings are worse than drug
> dealers on the street...the drug dealers on the street don't pretend
> to be helping. They don't HIDE the outcome of medical studies that
> they did. The only thing that is the same is their
> motivation...they are both in it for the money.
>
> Hope some of this helps someone...More to follow.
>
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