How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid

beltwayjoe · 03-04-2013, 08:39 PM

It's 24/7 where i think the cops are going to get me over stuff i never previously worried about at all. Plus i had sex with these two ladies just over three months ago and i keep worrying they are pregnant even though they both tell me they aren't (one was on the pill, one i used a condom). It's like i think they aren't telling me the truth, even though i've done stuff with one for years and the other for a couple of months beforehand. It's just insane.

The first month that i went off of celexa (my last day was Oct 26 2012) i started feeling dizzy at school randomly and when driving. The dizziness passed, then suddenly dec 12th the paranoia/guilt/regret started. The guilt/regret was because i had cheated on my girlfriend and i ended up telling her because the guilt was absolutely killing me and i regretted it. I've been paranoid before, but nothing like this. It's been nearly 4 months now since i got off the pills cold turkey. I took 20mg celexa for just 6 months.

Is this ssri withdrawal? Am I just losing it? I look at these stories online of people with withdrawal and it seems like they have brain zaps for 2 weeks, then slowly get better and 1-2 months later they are almost fine again. I never had brain zaps at all.It's insane and has me worried that maybe it's not withdrawal. I could really use some feedback here.

EDIT: I should also add that i'm taking fish oil, working out (lifting weights), I'm tryin to balance this job i got with the last 2 months of school before i get my bachelors and all i can think of is (will i be going to jail) and (they must be lying, they must be pregnant, i'm gonna have to pay for child support, i'm going to have to step up, raise this kid...). It's damned insane and I'm losing it here. I can't afford a doctor to talk to so i'm hoping you guys can help me out and at least somewhat be here for me to listen to me.

caperjackie · 03-05-2013, 02:58 AM

Hi there. This is called obsessing and IMO is a product of high anxiety. It can be brutal and the subject doesn't matter - if you were not obsessing about the police or the non pregnancies, you would be obsessing about something else which would 'feel' equally as valid. It sounds exactly like WD to me and although it is hard to believe right now, it WILL pass. For me the period of insane obsessing lasted about 3 months and it got much easier to control after that. Have you read David Burns book 'Feeling Good'? If you have time, take a look at it or even google 'Cognitive Distortions' - may help you deal with some of these thoughts. Hang in there - with time things will get better.

kingCobra · 03-05-2013, 07:32 AM

Hi beltwayjoe,
Paxilprogress recommends doing a 10 % taper method every 4-6 weeks to avoid the terrible withdrawals. Going CT off the SSRI's is not reccommended by this site b/c it can cause severe withdrawals and withdrawal waves. There are many success stories off getting off the SSRI's with this taper method. More experienced people will be here to help. Hope this helps.

mapleleafgirl25 · 03-05-2013, 03:22 PM

The only way to get off this drug with MINIMAL withdrawal is the SLOW TAPER...i am coming up to 3 years of tapering really slow and trust me its the way to go, i have done a fast taper and it was a nightmare...If you CT off the drug you will have terrible withdrawal and it will last for years...The slow taper is the only way to get off this stuff safe and with a quality of life!

beltwayjoe · 03-05-2013, 08:58 PM

If i could go back and change time, i would do the slow taper. But it is what it is at this point.

beltwayjoe · 03-05-2013, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caperjackie

Hi there. This is called obsessing and IMO is a product of high anxiety. It can be brutal and the subject doesn't matter - if you were not obsessing about the police or the non pregnancies, you would be obsessing about something else which would 'feel' equally as valid. It sounds exactly like WD to me and although it is hard to believe right now, it WILL pass. For me the period of insane obsessing lasted about 3 months and it got much easier to control after that. Have you read David Burns book 'Feeling Good'? If you have time, take a look at it or even google 'Cognitive Distortions' - may help you deal with some of these thoughts. Hang in there - with time things will get better.

Thank you, it feels a little better to know that someone else went through obsessing. Yeah it feels like my mind goes from one thing to the other as you mentioned. Mine started december 12th and i'm approaching 3 months here soon so i really hope it isn't much longer. I graduate from college in May and would love to enjoy it to the fullest.

beltwayjoe · 03-17-2013, 08:01 PM

Just an update here, I'm still very stressed out and paranoid over stuff. I went out to lunch with those two women i was stressing out over being pregnant just to see if they exhibited signs of being pregnant. That's how insane this is. Plus there's one or two other obsessions, but man I'm starting to wonder if this will ever end.

kingCobra · 03-17-2013, 08:05 PM

Things will get better beltwayjoe. The lower I taper the better I feel with less anxiety and depression. Hope you feel better.

Junior · 03-17-2013, 08:50 PM

Beltway, what dose of Celexa were on you and how long did you take it?

joprozac · 03-18-2013, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beltwayjoe

If i could go back and change time, i would do the slow taper. But it is what it is at this point.

Hi, i came off in 3 weeks not knowing any better after 19 yrs on prozac.!!! Its been 10 and half months and this is this is the !st time ive had a break from the hell. YES the obsessing is normal. you will have many many strange symptoms physical and mental and if you cover this site you will find they are normal (even tho very unpleasant).
I had no idea what i was doing was wrong by coming off quick. Im told it makes the symptoms harder to bear. but now im kinda glad i didnt cos i survived and im over the wose.
Your point it is what it is , i think is valid. YOU CAN COPE whatever it throws at you. Know its normal. Dont fear it , Because that will make it worse. know that these thoughts , feelings, totally irrational fears are,nt your own. so dont act on any of them. Dont make decisions based on how you are feeling now. its your mind playing tricks. Good luck. Jo xxx

beltwayjoe · 03-18-2013, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingCobra

Things will get better beltwayjoe. The lower I taper the better I feel with less anxiety and depression. Hope you feel better.

Thanks man I appreciate the kind words, i'm tryin to battle each day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junior

Beltway, what dose of Celexa were on you and how long did you take it?

I was on 20mg for 6 months and then i stopped cold turkey in late october. (stupid i know)

Quote:

Originally Posted by joprozac

Hi, i came off in 3 weeks not knowing any better after 19 yrs on prozac.!!! Its been 10 and half months and this is this is the !st time ive had a break from the hell. YES the obsessing is normal. you will have many many strange symptoms physical and mental and if you cover this site you will find they are normal (even tho very unpleasant).
I had no idea what i was doing was wrong by coming off quick. Im told it makes the symptoms harder to bear. but now im kinda glad i didnt cos i survived and im over the wose.
Your point it is what it is , i think is valid. YOU CAN COPE whatever it throws at you. Know its normal. Dont fear it , Because that will make it worse. know that these thoughts , feelings, totally irrational fears are,nt your own. so dont act on any of them. Dont make decisions based on how you are feeling now. its your mind playing tricks. Good luck. Jo xxx

Good to hear this honestly. Sucks that you had to suffer through it for a long time.. sounds like i'm going through that right now. I gotta keep convincing myself that it's just the withdrawal and not who i really am. That's a tough thing to do sometimes as well. It helps to get on here sometimes and read this site and posts like yours. I've found alot of people on google don't talk about the obsessing/paranoia. I'm doing my best to distract myself each day and keep busy.

I've noticed i've been having a harder time of getting up early in the morning to go to work. I used to be able to get up for the 6am or 8am shifts, but now it's like a war with the snooze button. My body and heart just are not in it. Perhaps that's another side effect, who knows.

Either way i'll keep updating this topic or make a new one, either way i'll keep in touch and hope you guys do too.

Junior · 03-18-2013, 11:39 PM

Hi there. 20mg of Celexa for 6 months isn't too long. You said you stopped taking it in October so that is around 6 months. I'm no expert but since you weren't on it for long, I would think it will only get better from here on in. Cold turkey, as you now know, is not the best way to get off these drugs but you've come this far. You can ride this out. Hang in there!

There are plenty of w/d effects. It's hard for our bodies to undo the chemical changes that taking an SSRI makes and w/d is, unfortunately, not linear. Many people report waves (bad) and windows (good). Over time it seems that the waves become shorter, the windows longer and eventually the waves stop altogether.

A group of us post regularly in the journals section and provide ongoing support by posting in each other's journals. Feel free to join us

beltwayjoe · 03-29-2013, 05:09 PM

I strung together some decent days and then two days ago hit me really hard.

The trigger was me messaging one of the girls i was/am worried i had a pregnancy scare with and asking her if she wanted to hang out/cuddle again. My true purpose was to try and quell my fear by seeing if she actually was (reminder... she told me back in january that she wasn't) and she said "sorry, that's not in the cards for us again, i learned once".

she was mad that i tried to get with another girl from my old job even though we were just only friends with benefits (not to mention i told her i had a gf at the time and she was fine with it).

Now the response itself didn't matter much, but i cannot get it out of my head. I'm worried that I won't be able to talk to her now and that i'll never "know". The paranoia is insane and i'm pretty sure it's from this withdrawal.

The past 2 weeks i've felt like a truck hit me when i try to wake up to go to work in the mornings. It's SOOOOO difficult to get out of bed. This morning i managed and felt off the whole day. Now i'm so angry thinking about the situation with that girl that i feel i put myself in that it's the only thought on my mind.

So to summarize the update: felt somewhat alright in the head for a few days... have massive issues waking up in the morning for the past 2 weeks, dwelling on a thought forever.

beltwayjoe · 04-03-2013, 12:15 AM

Another update. I'm starting to slow fall back into the habits (some bad) that i had before the withdrawal and have days where i worry less and less about the pregnancy thing and the other phobias. But now when i do some bad habits from the past i get that feeling of fear that i never got before the withdrawal.

I don't know if i'm getting better, i think i am slowly but who knows. I'm trying really hard to walk away from those bad habits but it's hard to change who you are. I feel like i know my fears are irrational and so far fetched but i still cannot fully shake them.

03-04-2013, 08:39 PM	#1
beltwayjoe Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 13	How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid It's 24/7 where i think the cops are going to get me over stuff i never previously worried about at all. Plus i had sex with these two ladies just over three months ago and i keep worrying they are pregnant even though they both tell me they aren't (one was on the pill, one i used a condom). It's like i think they aren't telling me the truth, even though i've done stuff with one for years and the other for a couple of months beforehand. It's just insane. The first month that i went off of celexa (my last day was Oct 26 2012) i started feeling dizzy at school randomly and when driving. The dizziness passed, then suddenly dec 12th the paranoia/guilt/regret started. The guilt/regret was because i had cheated on my girlfriend and i ended up telling her because the guilt was absolutely killing me and i regretted it. I've been paranoid before, but nothing like this. It's been nearly 4 months now since i got off the pills cold turkey. I took 20mg celexa for just 6 months. Is this ssri withdrawal? Am I just losing it? I look at these stories online of people with withdrawal and it seems like they have brain zaps for 2 weeks, then slowly get better and 1-2 months later they are almost fine again. I never had brain zaps at all.It's insane and has me worried that maybe it's not withdrawal. I could really use some feedback here. EDIT: I should also add that i'm taking fish oil, working out (lifting weights), I'm tryin to balance this job i got with the last 2 months of school before i get my bachelors and all i can think of is (will i be going to jail) and (they must be lying, they must be pregnant, i'm gonna have to pay for child support, i'm going to have to step up, raise this kid...). It's damned insane and I'm losing it here. I can't afford a doctor to talk to so i'm hoping you guys can help me out and at least somewhat be here for me to listen to me.

03-05-2013, 02:58 AM	#2
caperjackie Join Date: May 2011 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 818	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Hi there. This is called obsessing and IMO is a product of high anxiety. It can be brutal and the subject doesn't matter - if you were not obsessing about the police or the non pregnancies, you would be obsessing about something else which would 'feel' equally as valid. It sounds exactly like WD to me and although it is hard to believe right now, it WILL pass. For me the period of insane obsessing lasted about 3 months and it got much easier to control after that. Have you read David Burns book 'Feeling Good'? If you have time, take a look at it or even google 'Cognitive Distortions' - may help you deal with some of these thoughts. Hang in there - with time things will get better. __________________ Was on Paxil 20mg for a few years Switched to Paxil 12.5 CR over 10 years ago Total time on Paxil around 14 years 2 failed attempts at cold turkey Tapered for over a year by skipping one dose per week each month Paxil free since April 14th 2011 Still having withdrawal symptoms but getting better LIFE IS GOOD TOTALLY DRUG FREE Supplements - Fish oils, Cal/mag, GABA September 2012 - Supplement free and feeling great

03-05-2013, 07:32 AM	#3
kingCobra Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 616	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Hi beltwayjoe, Paxilprogress recommends doing a 10 % taper method every 4-6 weeks to avoid the terrible withdrawals. Going CT off the SSRI's is not reccommended by this site b/c it can cause severe withdrawals and withdrawal waves. There are many success stories off getting off the SSRI's with this taper method. More experienced people will be here to help. Hope this helps. __________________ 20 mg of Paxil 12 years. Paxil taper start: 6-25-12 (18 mg of Paxil) 7-20-12 (16 mg of Paxil) 8-24-12 (still on 16 mg) 8-25-12 (15 mg) 9-10-12 (14 mg) 9-25-12 (13 mg) 10-28-12 (11.7 mg 10% tapers) 12-9-12 (10.4 mg) 12-25-12 (10 mg) HALFWAY! 1-20-13 (9 mg) 2-5-13 (8 mg) 3-19-13 (7 mg) 4-17-13 (6mg) "Never give up" "Stay strong" "I will find that light in this dark shadow" I will never trust a Psychiatrist again!

03-05-2013, 03:22 PM	#4
mapleleafgirl25 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 2,638	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid The only way to get off this drug with MINIMAL withdrawal is the SLOW TAPER...i am coming up to 3 years of tapering really slow and trust me its the way to go, i have done a fast taper and it was a nightmare...If you CT off the drug you will have terrible withdrawal and it will last for years...The slow taper is the only way to get off this stuff safe and with a quality of life! __________________ 3rd attempt at withdrawal going slow..compounded pills Taper: 05/27/2010 - 03/12/12: Tapered From 20mgs - 6.2 (2years) 04/11/2012 - 6.0 05/10/2012 - 5.8 06/09/2012 - 5.6 07/09/2012 - 5.4 80/08/2012 - 5.2 09/07/2012 - 5.0 10/07/2012 - 4.8 11/06/2012 - 4.6 12/06/2012 - 4.4 01/04/2013 - 4.2 02/03/2013 - 4.0 03/05/2013 - 3.8 04/04/2013 - 3.6 05/05/2013 - 3.4

03-05-2013, 08:58 PM	#5
beltwayjoe Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 13	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid If i could go back and change time, i would do the slow taper. But it is what it is at this point.

03-17-2013, 08:01 PM	#7
beltwayjoe Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 13	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Just an update here, I'm still very stressed out and paranoid over stuff. I went out to lunch with those two women i was stressing out over being pregnant just to see if they exhibited signs of being pregnant. That's how insane this is. Plus there's one or two other obsessions, but man I'm starting to wonder if this will ever end.

03-17-2013, 08:05 PM	#8
kingCobra Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 616	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Things will get better beltwayjoe. The lower I taper the better I feel with less anxiety and depression. Hope you feel better. __________________ 20 mg of Paxil 12 years. Paxil taper start: 6-25-12 (18 mg of Paxil) 7-20-12 (16 mg of Paxil) 8-24-12 (still on 16 mg) 8-25-12 (15 mg) 9-10-12 (14 mg) 9-25-12 (13 mg) 10-28-12 (11.7 mg 10% tapers) 12-9-12 (10.4 mg) 12-25-12 (10 mg) HALFWAY! 1-20-13 (9 mg) 2-5-13 (8 mg) 3-19-13 (7 mg) 4-17-13 (6mg) "Never give up" "Stay strong" "I will find that light in this dark shadow" I will never trust a Psychiatrist again!

03-17-2013, 08:50 PM	#9
Junior Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 6,387	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Beltway, what dose of Celexa were on you and how long did you take it? __________________ 2009 23 Sept - 40mg; 12 Dec -30mg; 2010 16 Jan-25mg; 12 Feb-20mg; 3 May-25mg 28 June-30mg; 10 Sept-25mg; 24 Sept-27.5mg 17 Dec-26mg - stopped stuffing around and got sensible 201116 Jan-25mg; 22 Feb-24mg; 25 Mar-23mg ;24 April-22mg; 26 May-21mg; 5 July-22mg; 5 Sept-21mg; 4 Oct-20mg; 8 Nov-19mg; 4 Dec-18mg; 20124 Jan-17mg; 13 Feb-16mg; 21 June-15mg; 5 Aug-14mg; 17 Sept-13mg, 18 Dec-12.5mg 201327 Jan-12mg, 11 Mar-11.5mg, 2 May-11mg

03-18-2013, 11:39 PM	#12
Junior Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 6,387	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Hi there. 20mg of Celexa for 6 months isn't too long. You said you stopped taking it in October so that is around 6 months. I'm no expert but since you weren't on it for long, I would think it will only get better from here on in. Cold turkey, as you now know, is not the best way to get off these drugs but you've come this far. You can ride this out. Hang in there! There are plenty of w/d effects. It's hard for our bodies to undo the chemical changes that taking an SSRI makes and w/d is, unfortunately, not linear. Many people report waves (bad) and windows (good). Over time it seems that the waves become shorter, the windows longer and eventually the waves stop altogether. A group of us post regularly in the journals section and provide ongoing support by posting in each other's journals. Feel free to join us __________________ 2009 23 Sept - 40mg; 12 Dec -30mg; 2010 16 Jan-25mg; 12 Feb-20mg; 3 May-25mg 28 June-30mg; 10 Sept-25mg; 24 Sept-27.5mg 17 Dec-26mg - stopped stuffing around and got sensible 201116 Jan-25mg; 22 Feb-24mg; 25 Mar-23mg ;24 April-22mg; 26 May-21mg; 5 July-22mg; 5 Sept-21mg; 4 Oct-20mg; 8 Nov-19mg; 4 Dec-18mg; 20124 Jan-17mg; 13 Feb-16mg; 21 June-15mg; 5 Aug-14mg; 17 Sept-13mg, 18 Dec-12.5mg 201327 Jan-12mg, 11 Mar-11.5mg, 2 May-11mg

03-29-2013, 05:09 PM	#13
beltwayjoe Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 13	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid I strung together some decent days and then two days ago hit me really hard. The trigger was me messaging one of the girls i was/am worried i had a pregnancy scare with and asking her if she wanted to hang out/cuddle again. My true purpose was to try and quell my fear by seeing if she actually was (reminder... she told me back in january that she wasn't) and she said "sorry, that's not in the cards for us again, i learned once". she was mad that i tried to get with another girl from my old job even though we were just only friends with benefits (not to mention i told her i had a gf at the time and she was fine with it). Now the response itself didn't matter much, but i cannot get it out of my head. I'm worried that I won't be able to talk to her now and that i'll never "know". The paranoia is insane and i'm pretty sure it's from this withdrawal. The past 2 weeks i've felt like a truck hit me when i try to wake up to go to work in the mornings. It's SOOOOO difficult to get out of bed. This morning i managed and felt off the whole day. Now i'm so angry thinking about the situation with that girl that i feel i put myself in that it's the only thought on my mind. So to summarize the update: felt somewhat alright in the head for a few days... have massive issues waking up in the morning for the past 2 weeks, dwelling on a thought forever.

04-03-2013, 12:15 AM	#14
beltwayjoe Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 13	Re: How long does withdrawal last? I'm so paranoid Another update. I'm starting to slow fall back into the habits (some bad) that i had before the withdrawal and have days where i worry less and less about the pregnancy thing and the other phobias. But now when i do some bad habits from the past i get that feeling of fear that i never got before the withdrawal. I don't know if i'm getting better, i think i am slowly but who knows. I'm trying really hard to walk away from those bad habits but it's hard to change who you are. I feel like i know my fears are irrational and so far fetched but i still cannot fully shake them.

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