research fail or deliberate misinformation?

[bowdlerizer]

I am not by any stretch of the imagination a conspiracy theorist. It's just not my thing. But the fact that my pharmacist had never heard of brain zaps - the most common and most disturbing withdrawal symptom when discontinuing paroxetine - just freaked me out. And then I realise that they are in pretty much none of the official literature (that I

Comments

[clashfan]

Wow, that sucks. A lot of the new pharmaceuticals are fantastic, but they don't know all of the side effects yet. It's worse here in the States, I think, because doctors will prescribe for conditions outside of what the drug has been tested for.

But yeah, that's gotta be annoying as all hell.

[bowdlerizer]

I maintain that this particular drug was incredibly effective in helping me change some really scary thought patterns. And I kinda know me well enough to know that at the time if they had said "and the withdrawal does this this and this" I would probably have said "I don't care gimme gimme gimme!"

But like I say to Rhi - the whole most of 'em have never heard of it is what gives me the willies. It's a brain convulsion people, not something to take lightly!

And you should move here! Then you would have access to largely conservative healthcare that don't just precribe with gay abandon! Mooooove here...moooooooove here.

[clashfan]

I've had good luck with work pharmaceuticals (as opposed to 'play'), myself.

And much as I love gay abandon, I am unlikely to move to New Zealand. I won't even move to a suburb of Portland.

I will simply have to flirt with you from afar. ;-)

[bowdlerizer]

naw

k

[bowdlerizer]

Oh I did. Basically the thing that makes me a bit twitchy (ha ha) about it is that pretty much most health professionals just don't know about these symptoms. At all.

Creepy.

Although if you know anyone with an ECG machine that would be kinda cool! Is that the machine I mean?

[tieke]

You probably already saw this, but

[bowdlerizer]

Oh of course I weaned myself off it, with consultation with my doctor. But that said if the information about the 'discontinuation syndrome' were clearer - and health professionals were better informed about them - then maybe my doc and I would have done it differently.

Bad Glaxo. Naughty.

Some people some symptoms. Sheesh.

thank you for the sheet - I didn't look at it :)

[tieke]

Yeah - the info reads like a masterwork of understatement to me. Also I like the bit where they suggest it's probably all in your head because 2/10 people get "some symptoms" after stopping taking sugar pills (note how they don't say which symptoms or describe how severe they were).

Anyways, hope things get better soon - sounds nasty.
((hugs))

[bowdlerizer]

One scary thing that seems to have come out of the anecdotal stuff - not that that is good science but hey, pretty much all there is to go on as well - is that the longer you are on AND the longer you wean for the longer the post wean zaps can last

THAT is suckballs.

[thirstygirl]

Ergh, that sounds truly truly hideous. Are they calming down at all?

[bowdlerizer]

they are MUCH better now - only two weeks of doom in the end ;D

but I am missing the medication itself. it was really really working for me and now, having had this, I very much doubt I would reuse it :/