![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 19:50:25
Is this a weird reaction to an srri??? This doesn't happen anymore because I am off Paxil but when I was on Paxil I would get these weird paranoid feelings that people were looking at me. Everytime I was driving my car with people in the back seat I couldn't stop thinking that they were starring at me in the rear veiw and/or side mirrors and I would keep on thinking that they were starring at me and this affected my driving because I couldn't get it off my mind. Whenever I walked out of my house I got paranoid feelings that my neigbours were starring at me. I didn't get this paranoia on low doses , only on high doses. But the low doses didn't do much for my problems. Paxil helped me a lot with my depression, ocd, anxiety and panic attacks and made me a social person. I have been off paxil now for over a month. All the terrible withdrawal symptoms are gone. I am about to try prozac. What should I take with prozac if these paranoid feelings return?
Posted by JahL on August 30, 2001, at 20:12:06
In reply to I Need to know what kind of paranoia this is.., posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 19:50:25
> Is this a weird reaction to an srri??? This doesn't happen anymore because I am off Paxil but when I was on Paxil I would get these weird paranoid feelings that people were looking at me. Everytime I was driving my car with people in the back seat I couldn't stop thinking that they were starring at me in the rear veiw and/or side mirrors and I would keep on thinking that they were starring at me and this affected my driving because I couldn't get it off my mind. Whenever I walked out of my house I got paranoid feelings that my neigbours were starring at me. I didn't get this paranoia on low doses , only on high doses. But the low doses didn't do much for my problems. Paxil helped me a lot with my depression, ocd, anxiety and panic attacks and made me a social person. I have been off paxil now for over a month. All the terrible withdrawal symptoms are gone. I am about to try prozac. What should I take with prozac if these paranoid feelings return?
Thinking aloud...
Could just be straight paranoia-I've had it off 3 or 4 meds (Lithium, Promazine...). But...
Feeling especially conspicuous, like you are being watched can be a symptom of social phobia.Did the thought of being stared at (one I am familiar with) bother you & if so why?
Did you feel comfortable around people? Did you avoid people?
J.
Posted by Kathleen6674 on August 30, 2001, at 20:59:21
In reply to I Need to know what kind of paranoia this is.., posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 19:50:25
> Is this a weird reaction to an srri??? This doesn't happen anymore because I am off Paxil but when I was on Paxil I would get these weird paranoid feelings that people were looking at me. Everytime I was driving my car with people in the back seat I couldn't stop thinking that they were starring at me in the rear veiw and/or side mirrors and I would keep on thinking that they were starring at me and this affected my driving because I couldn't get it off my mind. Whenever I walked out of my house I got paranoid feelings that my neigbours were starring at me. I didn't get this paranoia on low doses , only on high doses. But the low doses didn't do much for my problems. Paxil helped me a lot with my depression, ocd, anxiety and panic attacks and made me a social person. I have been off paxil now for over a month. All the terrible withdrawal symptoms are gone. I am about to try prozac. What should I take with prozac if these paranoid feelings return?
I think Paxil et.al can cause paranoia in very rare cases -
"very rare" means nothing if you happen to be that
case. My dad got EXTREMELY paranoid on Paxil - he
had underlying undiagnosed schizophrenia/delusional
disorder (we're still not sure which), and we're not
entirely sure the Paxil set it off, but the doc did
take him off it.It was probably a good idea to switch meds. I think
you may not have any underlying disorder bc a)you
recognized the paranoia as a drug side effect, rather
than believing it was a feeling grounded in reality
(the key difference between being psychotic and not)
and b)that symptom skipped town along with the paxil.I hope you don't get a return of the symptoms with
Prozac, but if you do you could either switch to yet
another anti-d (trying, I know, I've been on four different
ones in succession with seemingly no end in sight!) or
add an antipsychotic such as Risperdal or Zyprexa,
depending on what your doctor thinks and whether or
not the Prozac actually works for your depression
(it's hard to fathom feeling cheery and upbeat while
convinced others are scrutinizing you, after all!).Anyway, at the very least you know what side effect
to monitor yourself for and can tell your docs you
had it on paxil, that way they can take it into consideration
when determining dosages and/or adding or switching meds.
Posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 23:07:39
In reply to Re: I Need to know what kind of paranoia this is.. » AVR, posted by JahL on August 30, 2001, at 20:12:06
The thought of being stared at didn't really bother me because the Paxil made me not really care about it. I felt comfortable around some people and others I felt really weird to be around or talk to but I think. When I am not taking any medication I only feel comfortable around my family and a friend or two that understands me.
Posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 23:17:04
In reply to Re: I Need to know what kind of paranoia this is.., posted by Kathleen6674 on August 30, 2001, at 20:59:21
If I get these paranoid feelings on Prozac like I did on Paxil I am going to ask my doctor about Zyperexa. After reading a bit on what anti-psychotics do I think I would benefit from it anyways. Thanks kathleen
Posted by sar on August 31, 2001, at 1:11:57
In reply to Re: I Need to know what kind of paranoia this is.., posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 23:17:04
i wish i were more educated/experienced as many of the other posters here, but i can tell you that prozac + klonopin have helped with my paranoia/ social anxiety immensely.
good luck to you,
sar
Posted by JohnL on August 31, 2001, at 5:57:07
In reply to I Need to know what kind of paranoia this is.., posted by AVR on August 30, 2001, at 19:50:25
> I am about to try prozac. What should I take with prozac if these paranoid feelings return?
I cannot venture a guess as to the source of the paranoia. It could be a side effect, an undesirable effect of the drug, or a hint of schizophrenia in your condition which is then aggravated by the drug. There are no clear boundery lines between one psychiatric condition and another, so a bit of psychosis laying in the background cannot be ruled out.
I have had the kind of psychosis you describe. It was not drug induced though, but was instead part of my depression. My first diagnosis years ago was major depression with psychotic features.
You asked what would go good with Prozac? I wish all questions were that easy. Zyprexa 2.5mg to 5mg at dinnertime. Zyprexa has been a wonderful drug for me as well as many other people at this board. Most people who have liked it do not have schizophrenia or psychosis. It works well for a whole bunch of psychiatric conditions, including the symptoms you described.
John
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.