I am 7.5 years clean. A lot of things have improved but unfortunately I have some unusual symptoms that are hanging on. How about you?
I am 7.5 years clean. A lot of things have improved but unfortunately I have some unusual symptoms that are hanging on. How about you?
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anaïs Nin
That's an awful long time, do you still experience some improvements last 1 or 2 years? I thought that 7 years was about the maximum recovery period for the worst cases... I am now exactly 5 years in WD and absolutely doing better but still have some nasty neurological issues which were surely not part of the original condition. And also some enhanced anxiety but this was in fact the original issue.Originally Posted by Mike
I still count on further recovery in the upcoming year or few years...
Recovering from the ravages of withdrawal after 5 years on Paxil/Seroxat, originally prescribed for stress and, looking backward, PTSS.
Though it is hardly possible to get something positive from the utter hell of repeated c/t's and protracted w/d, all of this unnecessary, I still believe in the possiblity to emerge from this as a healed, wiser human being.
All we need is just a little patience - Guns N' Roses
The one thing that has improved steadily in the past few years is my ability to tolerate stress. Each year it gets better and I have faith that this will continue. The anxiety is much less severe overall but certain situations can still really bring it out. My functioning is a little better. I started driving again about two years ago, shopping, etc but there is still a ways to go. My fatigue has lessened too over the last few years although I didn't notice the improvement as much this last year. I think it's reasonable to expect more improvement even this far out. I remember the antidepressant facts guy took 6-7 years to recover.
I was on meds for 17 years including a huge cocktail for the last five years to that may have something to do with the length of my recovery.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anaïs Nin
NH -- You definitely did *not* do irreperable damage to yourself.
You can’t trust your analysis of the situation right now – your thoughts and feelings are very distorted by the neurological healing going on. You really can't trust your own assessment of your condition. We have seen hundreds of people go through what you're going through and everyone heals.
I really think you will start to feel some improvement very soon. Part of what's making the current situation so bad is that you're shocked and stunned that this is happening to you. It's a lot to get used to. But, you are very lucky -- you have a syndrome that automatically gets better. You will heal. There is no limit to neuroplasticity.
You also have youth on your side. This will help you heal faster. And you have your whole life ahead of you. You just need to tough it out right now. Also, are you doing anything try to soothe and comfort yourself? Please tell us what you're doing along these lines -- breathing, mild exercise, supplements, reading light novels, watching cheerful movies, games, resting as much as possible. Let us know, and we will help you pick some additional things to do. They won't fix the whole problem, but they will help you to manage it better as you automatically heal.
Many people go through what you're going through now, and heal very, very quickly. That's the case for most people.
Do you have any support in your real life?
Meds free since June 2005.
"An initiation into shamanic healing means a devaluation of all values, an overturning of the profane world, a peeling away of inveterate handed-down notions of the world, liberation from everything preconceived. For that reason, shamanism is closely connected with suffering. One must suffer the disintegration of one's own system of thought in order to perceive a new world in the higher space."
-- Holger Kalweit
actually i think as Mike, but can change if other testimonies
here is what i wrote in David Healy in Rxisk:
stan says September 10, 2012 at 1:50 pm
stan, french, 61 years old, 12 years paxil, 1 year celexa
Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome or SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome
after numerous testimonies i have read, a slow taper is better than a fast, but is absolutely not a guarantee to not have a Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome or SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome;
when someone stops, it is the amount of changes in body which decides the severity of withdrawal, and more years we were on the drug, more we have changes;
stan
and i would add : it depends also of places which have been destroyed/poisoned
Last edited by stan; 10-17-2012 at 01:44 AM.
12 years paxil(9 years only 10 mg) - cold turkey(1,5 month) and switch celexa tapered 1 year 20 mg
62 years old - for GAD - 4 years 3 months meds free [since april 2009]
vegetables soup - orange (vit C) - curcuma - some meat or fish
Wow thanks everyone. You guys are so nice here :) Im also on PP, but dont get the same 'treatment'
I did taper off way too fast. I went from 20mg to 10mg for 3 weeks, then I skipped one day in a week, then 2, then 3. Then I just stopped.
So its basically cold turkey... Then I tried other meds after that :( tried to reinstate paxil, it feels like i totally messed up really badly....
Thanks for all the insight and reassurance! I am doing light exercises every second day, Im trying to cut out sugar from my diet. Im still working
because I have to. Im not sure how to meditate the proper way. Looking into that. Should I go for psychotherapy??
The thing that scares me the most, is that i think i might have had an adverse reaction to the cymbalta I tried. I was only on it for 2 days though but on the second day all hell broke loose
Hi Claudius, if I may ask, what symptoms are you left with at the moment?
I think my biggest fear is that I go mental or psychotic or something. I know Sheila told me It only happens when you just get off, but still Im really scared my DP/DR gets so bad I go psychotic. Thats impossible right :(
It's a very individual thing, Needinghelp. The problem is there are not too many psychotherapists who realize anything like WD exists, and, since many of WD symptoms are basically physiological in nature, the traditional ways of dealing with anxieties, phobias, OCD won't even touch them when it's early WD. What is more, very often they may even worsen the situation as you start blaming yourself for them not working. It needs to be remembered though, that, at some point of WD, some techniques could start working if the psychoterapist knows what WD really is.
Last edited by Luc; 10-17-2012 at 10:06 AM.
Keep walking. Just keep walking.
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