I need advice

[krs]

I am at 210mg of bac. I have stopped drinking since I started in February.

Also, after over a decade, about 7 or 8 weeks ago, I came off of Klonopin with a slow taper. Hardest thing ever. I am also considering coming off of Paxil ...

BUT, my OCD/obsessive thinking and crippling anxiety has returned. I have not slept in 2 days, and I don't know if I will be able to sleep. I am a mess.

I do not know if this is from the bac of the klonopin withdrawal. Not drinking is great, but I do not know what to do. I cannot get out of my head. I have tried walking for 4 miles yesterday. Running today ... but I am still dying right now. I want to believe this will pass, but I cannot see out of this.

Is this the bac? The Klonopin w/d? My OCD? Will this pass? How do I get to sleep/lessen my anxiety? Dr. Levin seems nice, but cannot remember anything about me, and I am afraid a psychiatrist or Doctor here will try to put me on more meds or have me come off of bac.

Thanks in advance for your help

[Ne/Neva Eva]

I need advice

Hiya, K.

A couple of days ago you were talking about getting off of the paxil. Have you changed your dose?

How long since the last klonopin?

No sleep contributes to the carousel of thoughts...Time to get off that merry-go-round!

If you feel like you need a doctor, you should get one. Explain, and get some help.

Hang in there, and keep posting!
:l

[Ne/Neva Eva]

I need advice

Okay. I've reread your post, and read your other posts as well.

All things remain the same..So what's different?

When was your last klonopin? And why did you stop taking it? (other than the obvious?)

[krs]

I need advice

I did one day off of Paxil. And then haven't touched it, so I'm not sure if that's involved. My last Klonopin was 7 weeks ago. Looking at the Benzo Buddies forum, they say w/d can last over a year, especially if I drink coffee. I drank a cup yesterday. And a cup the day before, etc. When I contact Dr. L, he never remembers me, which is disheartening and a bit scary. I stopped taking Klonopin because Dr. L said I could not go up on Bac until I came off of it. So, I did. And then when I expressed interest in coming off of Paxil, he said the same thing -- do not go up on bac until I'm off of Paxil. So, although I'd love to get my sex drive back, I am obviously at a loss.

[hoping4better]

I need advice

krs, my 14-yr-old daughter has OCD and is taking a low does of Zoloft. She never takes her meds when she goes to her Dad's for the weekend and she comes home a raving b-i-t. You CANNOT just stop taking these drugs! You could get convulsions, horrible anxiety, increased OCD symtoms and serious physical withdrawal. I've been on a few antidepressants myself for post partum depression, and some of them -- Paxil and Effexor -- are very difficult to get off of. Please do not go cold turkey and just stop taking Paxil! See your doctor if you want to wean yourself off.
Regarding your OCD, my daughter is taking insolitol powder and it seems to help. It's a natural, vitamin B derivative...do a google search.
But please don't just stop taking the Paxil!

[Running4life]

I need advice

I have experienced Paxil withdrawal and it is not nice. You should be very careful and decrease the dosage very slowly. I did manage to get off it by switching to another drug under a Doctor's care. If it was me I would consult with a Doctor asap and explain all the circumstances and symptoms. This must be very uncomfortable for you, I hope you get relief quickly.
R4L

[BillF]

I need advice

You really should see a psychiatrist ASAP.

Klonopin: You have successfully physically wean yourself off. But you were on it for a reason (? anxiety disorder). Perhaps you need to be on it long term.

Paxil: I doubt that one day off has anything to do with your situation, but it is not something you should discontinue abruptly.

baclofen 210 /day: Big problem is that almost any legitimate doctor you see will insist on tapering you off (yeah, yeah, they are all ignorant and controlled by BigPharm). Not to denigrate Dr L (who is the supplier of choice for many here), but it is irresponsible to take you off klonopin just to start you on bac. Most state medical boards frown heavily on an out-of-state physician prescribing without a good-faith, in-person visit. Psychiatrists may be different, but they are still M.D.'s.

Again, you should see a doctor - in person - soon. I've been thru severe anxiety spells myself, and to those of you who have not, they are are worse than any physical pain I have ever encountered.

Good luck, and, please, get your immediate problem treated.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

I need advice

Morning, k.
How are you today?

[GingerDust]

I need advice

k, maybe it would be good just to slow down on everything. Your brain must be in a chemical frenzy right now. Keeping changing things, where you have already changed so much in a relatively short period of time, is probably not a good idea.

I love Dr L, but if I were you, I would ignore him right now. Stay on the Paxil for now, and if you still want to reduce the dose, do it very slowly. Come down on the baclofen a bit and see if your sleep does not improve. I know that withdrawing from the other med could be causing insomnia too, but HDB is notorious for causing sleep disruption, so maybe just back off on it a bit and see how you feel. Insomnia does all kinds of bad things to the brain and to the body. A person who has gone 48 hours without sleep is very vulnerable to all kinds of mental and emotional upsets. If you were well-rested, you'd probably have a better grip on what's happening to you now, be better able to choose the next step and be more comfortable and confident in your own thinking processes and choices in that regard. Just slow down for now, and make any med changes very slowly.

I second R4L and BillF, seeing a doctor face-to-face would probably be a really good idea right now. If you don't like what the doc says, you don't have to follow that advice. You are not a slave to doctors orders. I think (and it's just my opinion) it is important right now to just go slow, feel your way through, be gentle with yourself and with your brain, and try to find a way to get some sleep.

Please let us know how you are doing.

[krs]

I need advice

I am still here. My Internet is down so I am using my phone. Will keep it short. I slept last night, and I am
Just trying to stay calm. When the web comes back up, or i go to another spot to work, I'll write a proper post. Thanks for everyone's concern. It means a lot to me.

[windycitylady]

I need advice

Hey krs!

I know you've gotten a lot of feedback here already, just wanted to add my thoughts.
I think Dr. L is already a spacey guy and the large number of his..."patients" worsens it. He will not remember you. He will tell you to go down on everything except for bac and (in my brief experience with him) will not listen to what you have to say about it. Did he tell you that once you're on a high enough dose of bac that you won't need other meds because "there will be so much GABA floating around in your brain"? When I spoke to him he told me to stop taking gabapentin. He looked it up on Epocrates while I was on the phone with him, and said, See, it says right here, contradicted with baclofen. Then he also looked up xanax, which he freely prescribes, and mumbled, Hmmm, also contradicted, didn't know that. Why look something up that you already prescribe? Don't you know how it works? And why, for God's sake, allow me to hear over the phone your obvious confusion? I was calling him for help because my anxiety and depression were overwhelming on HDB, and I was very afraid. I'm glad I didn't follow his advice. If I had stopped taking gabapentin then, I may have had a suicide attempt. I ended up in urgent care as it was.
ANYWAY the point I was trying to make is that Dr. L has helped a lot of people around here, and for that I am grateful. But he's not the best option if you're dual diagnosed and need more than just a script for bac.
So, what are all the reasons you want to get off of your meds? Aside from the sexual side effects, have they worked these last years you've been taking them? I KNOW how devastating the loss of sex drive can be. I was on SSRIs from the age of 16 to 26, some pretty important sexually formative years, in my opinion. Couple that with a few negative experiences in childhoood and I'm still pretty sexually confused today. So I'm not discounting that as a reason to stop. I also wouldn't want to feel dependent on something like klonopin. Were you abusing it? Or taking it as prescribed? But you sound like you're really in pain right now, and maybe this needs to wait until you're otherwise stable.
OCD and serious anxiety are nothing to mess around with, as I'm sure you know. And to be able to live with them without the meds is a great goal. But maybe now's just not the time. Maybe you want to research meds that have a different side effect profile. I love, love, love my combination of gabapentin and bupsar. I feel sane and balanced and have absolutely no side effects. Effexor and wellbutrin are non-SSRI ADs that may help as well.
In the meantime, if you have to stay on paxil for a little while, there are a few things you can do for your sex drive. I can't remember the exact dosages, but ginkgo biloba can help as well as L arginine. I also remember taking DHEA, but I think that's a little sketchier. Do some googling.
Anyhow, best of luck to you. And some good old fashioned abdominal breathing and progressive relaxation exercises never hurt anyone.
Keep us updated!

[RobinJ]

I need advice

"I did one day of Paxil. And then haven't touched it, so I'm not sure if that's involved."

My heart goes out to you. I encourage you to see a doctor and please continue taking the Paxil until he or she advises you otherwise. Insomnia is a well known side effect of Paxil withdrawal.

I believe Paxil is causing your symptoms since you abruptly stopped taking it. It appears that nothing else has changed based on your post. I read that withdrawal symptoms can start within hours of discontinuing Paxil. There is a great deal of information on the web about the dangers of quitting the medicine abruptly and most advise that you taper down slowly. Below is a link to a the forum - Paxil Withdrawal FAQ and a list of Paxil withdrawal symptoms. Good Luck.

Paxil and Withdrawal FAQ-Updated 4/2008 - paxilprogress

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For some people, the symptoms of Paxil withdrawal are among the most horrifying experiences imaginable. The threat of Paxil withdrawal goes far beyond losing your life. (You won't die from Paxil withdrawal!). The symptoms can take your life and rip it to shreds, mocking your dignity and stealing your freedom. They ravage your soul. They deaden your spirit. But they won't kill you. Ironically, death often seems like a blessing, so great is the pain of attempting to end Paxil. If I could impress upon you only one thing, it would be this: The symptoms of Paxil withdrawal will end. They can't go on forever. They can't. You will survive!

Withdrawal symptoms include (but are not limited to):

Dizziness, which can be quite extreme at times.
Shocks, called the 'zaps'; usually starting in the mouth or head, and extending out through the body.
Sensory sensitivity, especially sounds. Any noise can become a painful experience. Also, being under fluorescent lights can create discomfort. Touch, motion and even smell can be painful.
Nausea, very common with Paxil withdrawal.
Confusion, memory problems, and difficulty with concentration.
Severe insomnia and/or nightmares, (now there's a winning combination).
Extreme mood swings, such as intense grief and intense anger. Plan for this in advance!
Suicidal thoughts. If the urge to kill yourself becomes too strong and the argument becomes too logical, think of those who love you. Think of the thousands of others who have or who will go through a similar agony. Just don't give up!
Headaches, sometimes quite severe.
Reduced motor skills, such as difficulty walking or talking.
Reduced or no appetite.
Intense fear of losing your sanity.
Depersonalization, where nothing seems real; it's like you are outside your body.
Panic attacks, even if you've never had them before.
Sweating, sometimes profusely.
Blurred vision.
Muscle cramps and stomach cramps.
Diarrhea.
Chills/hot flashes, part of the 'Paxil-flu'.
Fatigue.
Painful, swollen eyes or mouth.
Fainting.
Hard to swallow.
Grinding teeth.
Numbness.
Itching.
Trembling.
Hallucinations.

[RobinJ]

I need advice

windycitylady;1298035 wrote: I feel sane and balanced and have absolutely no side effects. Effexor and wellbutrin are non-SSRI ADs that may help as well.

I take Wellbutrin and I must say, my sex drive increased tremendously...too bad I'm single :H

[BillF]

I need advice

I know everyone means well, but listing all possible side effects of a medication is useless. No doctor or nurse give a crap; they know the likely/significant effects.

Use common sense. If you feel like dying, go to the ER. They have immediate access to tests and treatments.

[krs]

I need advice

One of these meds, baclofen or Klonopin withdrawal after 7 or 8 weeks is starting to effect my work. That I ALWAYS were I draw the line. That is why I started bac in the first place. Do I go up slowly on bac, or down? Please advise. If I go up, will this happen at every level? If I go down, the same question?