LOL! Thanks, I almost forgot what it was like not having to deal with anxiety.
Cheers,
Gene
- Thread starter Gene53
- Start date
Cheers,
Gene
I guess I celebrated too fast.
As i mentioned in some of my previous posts, except for the tremors and slight dizziness, I thought that the worse of side effects were gone but, wow, was I wrong.
When I got up yesterday, I felt dizzier than usual, had trouble breathing (shallow), the tremors were so bad that I had to use my two hands to hold my coffee mug and felt slightly nauseous. Nevertheless, I did my usual morning thing, had my coffee, took my clonazepam (which usually puts a damper on the side effects) and 15 minutes later, had breakfast.
About 45 minutes after taking the clonazepam, all hell broke loose.
I got progressively hyper agitated that I couldn't sit still or stay in one place so I started pacing the living/dining area (the same as I usually do when having either an anxiety or panic attack), with major trembling inside and out.
Less than an hour later, I really felt dizzy and experienced 6 hot flashes, the first 2 were terrible, I felt like I was going to lose consciousness and had to grab on to something in case I might have fallen and the other 4 decreased in intensity.
After those episodes, intense nausea and abdominal cramping crept in and I felt like vomiting (which I didn't) along with tachycardia, shivering, blurred vision, muscle cramps, increased sweating, slurred speech, dry mouth, trouble swallowing and quite a few other discomforts.
Being that my PDoc is semi-retired and only works morning, from Monday to Thursday and couldn't get a hold of him, I called up my pharmacist, told him what was going on and he suggested I drop the Trazodone and see if the side-effects could be caused by the Celexa/Clonazepam combo and if I still felt as bad after a couple of days, stop the Celexa also until I can talk with my PDoc. He added that he had seen this a few times before with other clients who were on the same meds as I am and needed to be switched to other meds.
LOL! I paced the floor for close to 12 hours, meaning I must have walked more than 15 Kms (good thing I have hardwood flooring). At around midnight, I finally settled down enough to eat a bowl of soup, regardless of the nausea which had subdued a little by then. I finally hit the sack at around 4 A.M. totally exhausted and not wishing to take any chances, only took half of a Celexa tablet and no Trazodone, I sure as heck didn't want to have another day like yesterday.
In conclusion, I got up late today feeling slightly dizzy, the tremors were still present but not as bad as yesterday, had my clonazepam then breakfast and now feeling very tired, a bit lightheaded, with the occasional shivers, cold sweats and slightly nauseous.
So, tonight I'll have the full dosage of Celexa (no Trazodone) and see what tomorrow brings.
Cheers,
Gene
As i mentioned in some of my previous posts, except for the tremors and slight dizziness, I thought that the worse of side effects were gone but, wow, was I wrong.
When I got up yesterday, I felt dizzier than usual, had trouble breathing (shallow), the tremors were so bad that I had to use my two hands to hold my coffee mug and felt slightly nauseous. Nevertheless, I did my usual morning thing, had my coffee, took my clonazepam (which usually puts a damper on the side effects) and 15 minutes later, had breakfast.
About 45 minutes after taking the clonazepam, all hell broke loose.
I got progressively hyper agitated that I couldn't sit still or stay in one place so I started pacing the living/dining area (the same as I usually do when having either an anxiety or panic attack), with major trembling inside and out.
Less than an hour later, I really felt dizzy and experienced 6 hot flashes, the first 2 were terrible, I felt like I was going to lose consciousness and had to grab on to something in case I might have fallen and the other 4 decreased in intensity.
After those episodes, intense nausea and abdominal cramping crept in and I felt like vomiting (which I didn't) along with tachycardia, shivering, blurred vision, muscle cramps, increased sweating, slurred speech, dry mouth, trouble swallowing and quite a few other discomforts.
Being that my PDoc is semi-retired and only works morning, from Monday to Thursday and couldn't get a hold of him, I called up my pharmacist, told him what was going on and he suggested I drop the Trazodone and see if the side-effects could be caused by the Celexa/Clonazepam combo and if I still felt as bad after a couple of days, stop the Celexa also until I can talk with my PDoc. He added that he had seen this a few times before with other clients who were on the same meds as I am and needed to be switched to other meds.
LOL! I paced the floor for close to 12 hours, meaning I must have walked more than 15 Kms (good thing I have hardwood flooring). At around midnight, I finally settled down enough to eat a bowl of soup, regardless of the nausea which had subdued a little by then. I finally hit the sack at around 4 A.M. totally exhausted and not wishing to take any chances, only took half of a Celexa tablet and no Trazodone, I sure as heck didn't want to have another day like yesterday.
In conclusion, I got up late today feeling slightly dizzy, the tremors were still present but not as bad as yesterday, had my clonazepam then breakfast and now feeling very tired, a bit lightheaded, with the occasional shivers, cold sweats and slightly nauseous.
So, tonight I'll have the full dosage of Celexa (no Trazodone) and see what tomorrow brings.
Cheers,
Gene
I'm on decaf...Maybe consider switching to de-caf..
I had thought about it (also wondered what they could have done for me except for telling me the same thing the pharmacist did) but right now, ER waiting time is 18 hours, it would have blown over by then. The only advantage would have been to wear out their floor instead of mine.
Cheers,
Gene
ladylore
Account Closed
So how are you feeling now?
Much better, thank you but my legs hurt like heck from all this pacing around and something tells me I'll be going to bed early tonight.
Thanks for caring,
Gene
ladylore
Account Closed
No problem.
At least you got about 2 weeks worth of exercise in last night.
On a serious note - don't hesitate to call 911 if it happens again.
At least you got about 2 weeks worth of exercise in last night.
On a serious note - don't hesitate to call 911 if it happens again.
Well, since ?Terrible Thursday?, I?ve stopped taking the Trazodone and have been doing the Celexa and Clonazepam thing and this too provoked very uncomfortable side effects and much to my surprise, Clonazepam withdrawal symptoms.
Even though Friday wasn?t that bad, Saturday and Sunday were terrible, I had bouts with anxiety, abdominal cramps, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, dry mouth, the occasional heartburn, complete loss of appetite, excessive sweating, trembling, blurred vision, agitation, shivers, hot flashes and light headaches.
Being that my PDoc is on vacation until the 25th , I decided to call my pharmacist once again (next best thing to a doctor) and she told me that what I was feeling was a combination of the Celexa side effects along with the withdrawal symptoms from the Clonazepam, being that the latter?s dosage had been modified from 1mg twice/daily to .5 four times/day. She explained that even though I was still getting my usual 2mg/day, it was now peaking at half of the usual dosage and also affected the half-life of this med in my system.
Now, a few days later, some of those symptoms have somewhat diminished while some seem to have disappeared but I still feel slightly light-headed, occasionally anxious, nauseous and agitated, my appetite hasn?t returned, I feel tired most of the time, get hot flashes, don?t feel like doing much of anything and still have above average tremors at certain times of the day.
In conclusion, my frame of mind isn?t good, I don?t feel like doing much of anything and I?m terribly bored.
BTW, did a bit of research on what the pharmacist told me about the infamous Clonazepam withdrawal symptoms:
Symptoms include seizures, irritability, nervousness, sleep problems, agitation, tremors, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, memory impairment, headache, muscle pain, extreme anxiety, tension, restlessness, and confusion.
Cheers,
Gene
Even though Friday wasn?t that bad, Saturday and Sunday were terrible, I had bouts with anxiety, abdominal cramps, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, dry mouth, the occasional heartburn, complete loss of appetite, excessive sweating, trembling, blurred vision, agitation, shivers, hot flashes and light headaches.
Being that my PDoc is on vacation until the 25th , I decided to call my pharmacist once again (next best thing to a doctor) and she told me that what I was feeling was a combination of the Celexa side effects along with the withdrawal symptoms from the Clonazepam, being that the latter?s dosage had been modified from 1mg twice/daily to .5 four times/day. She explained that even though I was still getting my usual 2mg/day, it was now peaking at half of the usual dosage and also affected the half-life of this med in my system.
Now, a few days later, some of those symptoms have somewhat diminished while some seem to have disappeared but I still feel slightly light-headed, occasionally anxious, nauseous and agitated, my appetite hasn?t returned, I feel tired most of the time, get hot flashes, don?t feel like doing much of anything and still have above average tremors at certain times of the day.
In conclusion, my frame of mind isn?t good, I don?t feel like doing much of anything and I?m terribly bored.
BTW, did a bit of research on what the pharmacist told me about the infamous Clonazepam withdrawal symptoms:
Symptoms include seizures, irritability, nervousness, sleep problems, agitation, tremors, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, memory impairment, headache, muscle pain, extreme anxiety, tension, restlessness, and confusion.
Cheers,
Gene
Hi Halo,
As far as the withdrawal symptoms go, she suggested I should stick "with the program" being that I already had about 10 days "under my belt" and the worst of it should be over soon. She mentioned that if I were to go back to my old dosage (1mg twice/day) and wanted to ween off the clonazepam (which is what I want to do), I'd be right back to square one so I might as well tough it out.
The Celexa side effects are slowly tapering off and this med should be working at it's full potential in another week or two.
Thanks,
Gene
David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Please note that clonazapam is used to treat epilepsy and that at common doses used for anxiety or insomnbia the more extreme side-effects you cite above are very unlikely. The most common symptoms of sudden clonazepam withdrawal would be increased anxiety and imsomnia, which can be avoided by gradually tapering off over a period of time.
I have now been on Celexa for 26 days and wish to stop taking it because it seems that I'm intolerant to this drug and the gravity of the side effects outweigh it's benefits.
Here's a partial list of the side effects that affect me on a daily basis:
- blurred vision
- excessive trembling
- complete loss of appetite, frequent nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps
- excessive sweating
- frequent urination
- anxiety, nervousness and agitation
- dizziness
- lack of energy and libido
- tingling and burning sensations on certain parts of my body
- trouble concentrating and sluggishness
- pounding heart
- mood changes
I'm aware that these side effects should be reported to my PDoc but 2 days after I saw him, he went on vacation and won't be back until the 25th so I have to take matters in my own hands till he gets back and get off this med and there's no way that I want to feel like this for another 9 days.
So, my big question is can I just quit them "cold turkey" after only 26 days or do I need to gradually ween myself off it over a few days to avoid withdrawal symptoms, if any after such a short period?
I think I should call my pharmacist tomorrow, maybe she could answer the above.
Thanks,
Gene
Here's a partial list of the side effects that affect me on a daily basis:
- blurred vision
- excessive trembling
- complete loss of appetite, frequent nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps
- excessive sweating
- frequent urination
- anxiety, nervousness and agitation
- dizziness
- lack of energy and libido
- tingling and burning sensations on certain parts of my body
- trouble concentrating and sluggishness
- pounding heart
- mood changes
I'm aware that these side effects should be reported to my PDoc but 2 days after I saw him, he went on vacation and won't be back until the 25th so I have to take matters in my own hands till he gets back and get off this med and there's no way that I want to feel like this for another 9 days.
So, my big question is can I just quit them "cold turkey" after only 26 days or do I need to gradually ween myself off it over a few days to avoid withdrawal symptoms, if any after such a short period?
I think I should call my pharmacist tomorrow, maybe she could answer the above.
Thanks,
Gene
I have no advice except to talk to your pharmacist as you have suggested and have been doing.
BTW, Celexa has a longer half-life (35 hours) compared to some other antidepressants like Effexor (3 to 13 hours) and Paxil (21 hours). Therefore, Celexa seems to be less likely to cause withdrawal symptoms compared to some other SSRIs, though Prozac (between 84 and 144 hours) is by far the safest:
BTW, Celexa has a longer half-life (35 hours) compared to some other antidepressants like Effexor (3 to 13 hours) and Paxil (21 hours). Therefore, Celexa seems to be less likely to cause withdrawal symptoms compared to some other SSRIs, though Prozac (between 84 and 144 hours) is by far the safest:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20060801/449.html
Thanks Daniel, great info and I will talk to my pharmacist tomorrow.
For the past 2 nights, I've been cutting the dosage by half (10mg instead of 20) and tonight, I'll cut it down to 5mg and see what tomorrow brings.
I found the following quite comforting on aafp.org:
I've been taking this med for 3 1/2 weeks so I assume I'm doing the right thing being that I'm under the aforementioned 6 weeks.
Thanks again,
Gene
I understand that there are side effects that are bothering you however my question is if you have only been on the medication for 26 days how can you or did you determine that you are intolerant to it? In my experience as well as what I have read, it usually takes 4-6 weeks for the medication to reach maximum effect.
Either way, I would definitely speak to your pharmacist before discontinuing the medication, although from the sounds of it you have already begun to reduce the dose.
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