My Introduction (with response)

[Guest guest]

<<Hello all:

I'd like to take a min. to introduce myself, I just joined your

board today looking for help and encouragment in getting off this

Paxil!!

I'm 31 yo, have 2 kids, my youngest turns 1 in just 2 days!

I'll try to keep this brief and to the point, but I can be long

winded at times!

I am a Type 1 insulin dependant diabetic. Dx'd at age 16 in 1991, am

now 31 yo. I've always been pretty well controlled and always

handled this frustrating and so often, misunderstood disease very

well. Til last year that is.

About 1 month postpartum, I began waking w/numbness & tingling in my

right hand/wrist. I blew it off to sleeping on it wrnog for a while,

til I googled it and a TON of diabetic neuropathy (diabetic nerve

dmg) came up (I didn't type in anything about diabetes inmy search).

Wellllll, I became convinced that that was what I had and was

certain my life, as I knew it, was all but over, that I was on the

beginning of the end, would never see my 2 beautiful kids grow up,

etc.etc...panic attacks, you name it. I completely lost my mind.

ALong w/a very colicky, anti-sleep baby, now working from home vs

going to the office every day, postpartum hormones, shew, I was

doomed, oh and a family history of depression & anxiety.

My condition was dx'd, w/nerve conduction test, as " just " carpal

tunnel syndrome, I have been a bookkeeper my entire life, +

constantly on the computer in my spare time - and as you can see,

I'm not brief in typing, lol.

I still didn't believe that was " all " I had, and began OCDing over

my feet, constantly pricking my toes w/my insulin syringes to be

sure I still had feeling in my feet, etc..I could go on, but I've

already bored you no doubt!!

Began 40mg Paxil in July 06, along w/Xanax for panic attacks. Got

to= the pt where I looked forward to Xanax at night, so I stopped

taking those, fortunately w/o probs......had Carpal Tunnel release

surgery of my right wrist in Sept 06, knock on wood, that seems to

have cured my numbness/tingling/pain tehrefore, also alleviated a

ton of my diabetic neuropathy fears.

So after feeling robotic and too zombie-ish, I decided to quit this

paxil. Oh and don't get me started on the weight gain...grrrr. I am

blessed w/a fast metabolism and rarely gain weight. I packed on 15

lbs in just 2-3 mos on Paxil, cnanot lose it no matter what I do.

Also no sex drive while on the drug, didn't have much of one in the

1st place..so it's bad.

Cut back to 30mgs for 1 wk, 20mg the next, 10mg the next, no

probs...well up til recently goign from 10-0mg, it's really kicked

my butt....I'm veryyyy teary, and just plain MEAN MEAN MEAN, I'm not

a mean person. I don't even like myself right now.

Pls tell me these problems will pass..please. I don't regreat

taking the Paxil since it got me thru an unimaginably difficult time

in my life, but man, quitting it stinks!

Thx so much for listening, I apologize for the rant...happy new yr.

Debbie>>

** Hi Debbie. Welcome to the list. I wish I could tell you that what

you're experiencing is going to pass, but it won't because you've reduced the

drug too rapidly and by too much each time. Doing this causes damage that will

remain with you for many years.

The guideline is 5-10% reductions waiting in between each reduction to feel

as well or better than you felt prior to the reduction. At this point, if I

were you, I would go back up to a dose that eliminated all symptoms (you can try

it gradually beginig at 10 mg. but I think you'll probably need at least 20

mg.), wait until you feel better, then do a 10% reduction. This is VERY

important. You can end up completely disabled if you jut let it go on this

way.

Regards,