Delayed withdrawal?

[anastasio]

I know I've posted about this before but I'm trying to wrap my head around it. I last took Paxil on June 15 of this year. I was on 20mg for 3 years. When I wanted to discontinue use my doctor had me take 10mg for 2 weeks and then nothing. At the time I thought this was appropriate but it seems this was essentially going cold turkey. Anyway, the first week was pretty rough with standard w/d symptoms but other than a little anxiety I was fine for the next 2 and half months. Since then I've just had a ton of different issues from pain all over my body, headaches, yellow diarrhea, muscle spasms, etc. (Sorry if I gross anyone out.) So really what I want to know is why wouldn't I experience any of these right away and is it really possible that all of my problems have stemmed from discontinuing the drug and didn't start surfacing until 2.5 months later? Just seems so strange. Thanks for any replies.

[LCrawford67]

Withdrawal effect can rear its head up to a year out, especially for those who taper too fast, or CT.

These drugs completely alter your brain chemistry, they do it slowly. Therefore, when you stop abruptly, it's like blunt force trauma to your brain. Now, it has to readjust itself and this doesn't happen overnight either.

This is why tapering slowly, allowing for the brain to readjust, is so important.

[LinLou]

I read somewhere that there is up to twenty times as much SSRI in your brain than is in your blood. It may take longer for the effects of it leaving your brain to show up. This happened to my friend who cold turkey'd Effexor. She had delayed withdrawal 3 months later.

[mapleleafgirl25]

I am 10 months off and still have things..they are cycles..and it just takes time for things to adjust like LC said..especially for those of us who did a faster taper and those who did CT...most people start to see better days around 18 months off..it takes time..BUT everyone is different..and you just have to try to take each day as it comes..that is all you can do..there is no quick fix ect..

[anastasio]

I understand the cycle thing but just not sure how long they last for most people. I've been having these symptoms for 3 months...is that a longer than normal time or do these cycles last for months in general?

[TryingtoGetWell]

My taper wasn't as fast as yours, but I was on paxil for thirteen years and I tapered fast enough that I later found out that people here consider it similar to c/t'g. I felt great the first couple of weeks after going off after my last dose, then got terror and zaps/whooshes/etc. But some of my worst symptoms came at about 2-3 months off.

[mapleleafgirl25]

it depends..i had nausea from the day i went off paxil for 6 months straight..and fatigue..then for a couple of months i had a hung over feeling..then i felt ok for a couple of weeks..then i got a blurry eye..then back pains..then anxiety..then more anxiety...ect...some last longer..some quick..i had a twitch in my eye that only lasted 2 days...