BENZODIAZAPINES WITHDRAWALOR ANXIETY?

Question

I have been taking clonazepam 3mg for 4 months because of panic attacks and ugly butterflies in stomach , butterflies never alleviated hence i decided to taper off from medicine within 15days,then started the headnumbneess,pressure in head , presently entire left side of head frozen,extreme numbness in backhead or this sudden gripness on both sides of head , happening for 40days now with diarhhea for 30days, my psychiatrist denied it as benzo withdrawal n said its anxiety and put me on parexotine 12.5mg and clonazepam 0.25 mg that i have been taking for month now but barely any change in conidtion of head , over that i have on n off diarrhea for thirty days now ,it never seems geeting allright ,feel like walking in a dream for last fourty days now , gripping n numbness is consistent , should i start the lonazepam again or shud i keep taking other anxiety medicine ,what should i do and what it is precisely?

Paxiled · Accepted Answer

Sounds like withdrawal to me.  15 days is a short taper -- my tapers have always been 6 weeks when I've seen a psychiatrist who wasn't clueless.  Clonazepam does pack a wallop for many when they try to stop taking it -- and the Paxil is pretty fierce, too, so taking that as a treatment for what you're going through troubles me.  You'll find that most docs of all stripes deny the drugs they gave you are the cause of your problems, unfortunately.  But I'm with you, I think it's withdrawal -- it's the most recent thing you did differently so common sense would say at least try and go back on it at the last dose at which you felt fine and see if it all goes away and then taper off more slowly, or try to tough it out.  But I wouldn't do Paxil unless it was the last drug I hadn't tried and all the others had failed just because it and Effexor are the most difficult to take and stop taking.  Best left for last, not used first.  Paxil really affected me, but even way back when they tried three other antidepressants before coming to Paxil.  That's my take, anyway, and I'd also consider getting a different psychiatrist since this one will probably be a problem any time you decide to stop taking a med -- doesn't really seem to understand the meds or withdrawal.  Just my take, though.

pixi101 · Answer

went back to docter. Said he will increase the dose to 100mg after a month.

Paxiled · Answer

I'm not familiar with that drug, but antidepressants are much more likely to cause stomach problems than benzos, in my opinion.

sidhumandy · Answer

I have changed the psychiatirst, this one is much experienced then the last one , he speculated all my problems either as benzo withdrawal or anxiety hence he prescribed me with fluexotine 20mg and etizolam 0.25 mg{benzo analog} , sfluexotine doesn't help with head gripness however etizolam alleviates everything when i take it twice a day but the worst part is diarrhea that is going on since 30 days , if i take the benzo drug ,head numbness is gone n diarrhea comes back and if i skip the dose diarrhea is gone and headnumbness comes back , i am in big dilemma here , shall i go for 1mg benzo instead of 0.5mg? , is diarrhea caused by meds that is how i see it ?

achillea · Answer

The general rule is that two full weeks is necessary to see even the beginning of an effect with SSRI meds like SerDep, and that after *one full month* you can probably tell the real effect.

Stay in touch with your doctor.  It would be OK to call his office once a week to report how you are feeling as you try to stick it out for a month.

After that, if you still aren't feeling calmer, then, as Paxiled said, it's time to try something else.

One size does not fit all, and you may have to try several meds to get things under control.  Over quite a few years, I've tried four or five for panic attacks, and the one you're taking has proved to be the best for me.  But everyone is different.

pixi101 · Answer

Started with 25mg for a week.Then 50mg for week and a half now.

Paxiled · Answer

If it doesn't work you need to try something else, assuming you've been on it long enough to see if it works.  Headaches are a common side effect of all meds for emotional problems.

pixi101 · Answer

I am suffering from severe panic attacks. Docter prescribe Serdep 50mg. Since start using it i am suffering from headaches. My anxiety not better. Went for heart tests. Everything normal. But i am still worried there something wrong with my heart. I am freaking out when i am having a attack and my heart is racing like hell.Feels like popping out of my chest.Sometimes it feels like my heart skip a beat.

Paxiled · Answer

First, you need to do this in concert with your psychiatrist.  But the basic rule in my research is, as slowly as you need to.  Choose a schedule that suits you, not some general schedule chosen for everyone.  If it goes really well, no problem.  If it doesn't, slow down.  And never quit abruptly.  Some people do this really easily, and for some it's the hardest thing they ever do.  So be safe.

tinytina99 · Answer

I would like to wean off my medication Ativan i went down to 1/2 mg in the morning 1/2 at dinner and a whole one at bedtime i was taking 1 mg 3 times a day which is way to much I am cutting back to 2 mg. I have been on Ativan since 1999 for a long time what is the safest way to wean myself off with out having a bad reaction

Paxiled · Answer

No.  The last thing you want is an online psychiatrist, I'd think.  Finding a good psychiatrist is hard, and one thing I learned, if they take insurance, they probably aren't any good -- too rushed.  You want to see one in person to interview them as much as they interview you and see if they sound like they respect the drug and you as an individual and know the difference between drugs.  About the best you can do.