Posted by Louisa on October 5, 2000, at 13:46:57
Just going for the alliteration there...
I had been on paxil (40 mg) for about a year for dissertation-related depression. Now that the dissertation is done (yea!), and I'm trying to get pregnant, it was time to come off. (I was also on Wellbutrin SR 150 mg for a while, but getting off that was easy).
Following the suggestions on Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips (my pdoc didn't know too much about this), I decided to try the minimal doses of prozac route, taking first one dose of 20 mg, and then, a couple days later, another. It worked, a bit. That is to say, the splitting headache I had first felt when I lowered the paxil dose to 30 wasn't there, at least not all the time, and the prozac seemed to help a bit with the weirdo shocks.
But not entirely. In fact, this past weekend (a bit under 10 days after I'd taken my last paxil), I was so miserable I was reduced to floods of tears by the shocks, the headache, the vertigo, the nausea and the diarrhea. I took another dose of prozac, and then another on Tuesday. Right now, I feel better, though hardly fine.
I've been wondering about the diarrhea, especially (hence the "poop" in the title). Is this normal? Could it possibly be related to something else? It's now been almost two weeks since I've had any paxil, and I just can't seem to stay out of the john. Am I dehydrated? I drink as much water as I can, but it's probably not enough. I haven't wanted to take anything for it, since I figured it would go away soon ,but now I'm beginning to wonder. I've been doing my best to follow the BRAT diet recommended for diarrhea, but I'm tired of bananas, sick of plain rice, hate applesauce, and think toast is disgusting.
Since I am trying to get pregnant, too, this limits certain of my options. I can't take much in the way of headache stuff (though since I'm currently in the first half of my cycle, I actually can), for instance. And Benedryl, which I've seen recommended for certain of these withdrawal effects, puts me to sleep IMMEDIATELY, which makes it difficult to prepare lectures and grade papers....
Does anyone have any suggestions? Or words of wisdom? Will this misery end soon? It's really wreaking havoc with my general productivity -- and since I'm now a college prof, and on the academic job market, I don't have the time to slow down and take it easy!
Thanks much,
Louisa
poster:Louisa
thread:45824
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000926/msgs/45824.html