Strange Medical Things

[whipped]

Ok, for the past two weeks I've had something very strange start happening.

If I physically move my eyes to the left or right, so I'm looking out of my periphial (sp?) vision my heart seems to pound quite hard for a second and I get that kind of blood rushing sound in my head.

This is very strange and happens whether I am sat still or walking. I've got no loss of balance and no pain, it's just really weird. I also seem to get shocks of pins and needles in my hands and feet when I move my eyes while walking.

I'm thinking it could be a side affect of coming off my proxitine anti-depressents. What do you think? Doctor's visit?

 

[leggy]

Whipped, my god you are a bigger hypo than me

Although it does sound quite likely. Go to the doctor's before everyone posts their ailments and I end up getting them all.

thx

 

[John Travolta]

Phenomenon.

 

[xane]

Originally posted by whipped
I'm thinking it could be a side affect of coming off my proxitine anti-depressents. What do you think? Doctor's visit?

Most anti-depressents require you to come off them gradually, over three to six months.

From netdoctor report on paroxetine (which is what I assume you meant)

You should avoid suddenly stopping this medicine, as this can cause withdrawal symptoms such as dizziness, pins and needles, anxiety, sleep disturbances (including intense dreams), agitation, tremor, nausea, sweating and confusion. When it is time to stop taking this medicine these symptoms can be avoided if the dose is reduced gradually, following the instructions given by your doctor or pharmacist.

 

[kameleon]

And you shouldn't just come off them anyway as there are risks of self harm

 

[Old_Bean]

Side effects registered for Paroxetine

Somnolence
Sexual side-effects: delayed or non-existent ejaculation, hyposexuality
Nausea
Yawning
Headache/migraine on withdrawal

Apart from the hyposexuality, sounds terrible and that's when taking them....coming off them is another matter....

Possible Withdrawal Symptoms

Dizziness - Extreme Nausea - Crying Spells - Light Headedness
Vertigo - Coordination Problems - Gait Disturbances - Sweating - Vomiting - sounds like your funny eyes
High Fever - Abdominal Discomfort - flu Symptoms - Agitation - Tremulousness
Irritability - Aggression, Sleep Disturbance - Nightmares - Tremor
Confusion - Lethargy - Malaise - Weakness - General Fatigue
Memory & Concentration Difficulties - Intense Insomnia - Extremely Vivid Dreams
Extreme Confusion During Waking Hours - Fear of Losing Your Sanity
Depersonalization - Feeling of Existing Outside of Reality - Panic Attacks
Memory and Concentration Problems - Suicidal Thoughts - Dizziness/Vertigo
Severe Mood Swings - Extreme Irritability and Anger - Unsteady Gait
Electric Feeling Shocks Throughout Your Body - Slurred Speech - Headaches - Sounds like one of your symptoms
Profuse Sweating - Muscle Cramping - Blurred Vision - Decreased Appetite
Outbursts of Tears For No Apparent Reason - Nausea - Abdominal Cramping Hypersensitivity To Motion, Sounds, Smells -Loss of Appetite - Chills/Hot Flashes

All withdrawal info from here - http://www.depression-stress-relief.com/paxil.html

 

[Xtro]

It sounds very much like a case of whingitis to me.

 

[Old_Bean]

Originally posted by Xtro
It sounds very much like a case of whingitis to me.

That was un called for XTRO. The guys in a lot of distress.

 

[Xtro]

I'm cruel because I care

If I had strange heart rushes and odd noises like that I would GO TO THE FKING DOCTORS RIGHT NOW RATHER THAN WAIT TWO WEEKS THEN ASK THE FONT OF ALL MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE THAT IS BW.

Go, go, just go man fgs.

 

[Old_Bean]

What gets me is why didn't his doctor advise him about possible withdrawal symptoms beforehand.

 

[Xtro]

My doctor was more bothered that I had tonsilitis rather than a mild heart attack. Go figure, god bless the NHS.

 

[whipped]

Ok, first of all I hate doctors. Especially doctor's surgeries. All those sick people, and you're made to wait for ages breathing in their germs.

Second, I have come of the pills gradually over the last six months.

Third, just book an appointment with the doctor.

Forth, BW is the best place to ask for medical advice. Everyone is an expert in Google

 

[leggy]

/edit

I really should stop and think....

 

[xane]

There is a lot of controversy over SSRI medicines, which include the infamous Prozac. I took Seroxat, which I think is Paroxetine under a different name, and the side effects are scary. Whatever the case the drug has to be treated carefully and that means sticking to the dose and not starting or stopping it without consultation.

You'll find a lot of websites dedicated to accusing the makers of Paroxetine (and its related products), remember these are done by people with depressive illnesses so take it as it comes. Nevertheless, I know that a lot of people take these kind of drugs (especially in the industry I work in) and if there was something terribly wrong with them then it would be well known by now.

Before any of you complain about side-effects, just remember these drugs are trying to solve a very serious illness, anxiety and depression are not nice things to experience and in some cases are even life-threatening (via suicide), so consider the side-effects with that in mind.

 

[leggy]

I know this has been mentioned in previous posts but it seems to me that there is a serious amount of people being prescribed anti-depressants willy nilly.

I know countless amounts of people (in real life) that are currently prescribed similar medication. Maybe this is a side effect of being friends with me but I'm pretty sure the GPs need to think first before handing them out.

I know a forensic psychiatrist and she has told me that drugs are only 10% of the cure. The other 90% comes from counselling.

 

[kameleon]

The SSRI i was using has helped me greatly. The side effects were pretty hairy , but as my GP is very competent all the side effects were discussed with me before i started taking them. I am off them them now , but i'm still getting tinitus which is driving me mad.

 

[Old_Bean]

Originally posted by Xtro
My doctor was more bothered that I had tonsilitis rather than a mild heart attack. Go figure, god bless the NHS.

I know what you mean, it took them 5 months to diagnose my fathers cancer. The prognosis wouldn't have been any better either way except he wouldn't have been in agony for that long.
The really fucking annoying thing is he was actually admitted in severe pain, and then discharged the same day (still in pain) because they couldn't find the cause. All they did was some blood tests! I mean what the fuck is that supposed to do? It took two GP's to actually request more diagnostics until they found it, and then he was rushed in and given the awful news.

And to cap it all, I work for these incompetant fucks.

 

[FatBusinessman]

Originally posted by whipped
If I physically move my eyes to the left or right, so I'm looking out of my periphial (sp?) vision my heart seems to pound quite hard for a second and I get that kind of blood rushing sound in my head.

This sounds like something called "brain shivers". They're apparently a fairly common side-effect of coming off certain antidepressants (venlafaxine seems to be the most common culprit, but I think other SSRIs can do it too).

So no, it's not something completely unexpected, but if it carries on for more than a few days, or if it really starts to get in the way of your daily life, then go and see your doctor.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Originally posted by mung


Apart from the hyposexuality, sounds terrible http://www.depression-stress-relief.com/paxil.html

Actually sounds terrible including this.

Hypo is decreased, hyper is increased.

As in hypotension - low blood pressure

Hypertension - high blood pressure

So hyposexuality is deacreased sexual drive.

RB

 

[xane]

Originally posted by leggy
I know this has been mentioned in previous posts but it seems to me that there is a serious amount of people being prescribed anti-depressants willy nilly.

I know countless amounts of people (in real life) that are currently prescribed similar medication. Maybe this is a side effect of being friends with me but I'm pretty sure the GPs need to think first before handing them out.

I know a forensic psychiatrist and she has told me that drugs are only 10% of the cure. The other 90% comes from counselling.

Having experienced anxiety attacks I can tell you that they are not very nice, the question you should be asking is not why anti-depressent drugs are been given out like candy, but why so many people need them in the first place.

"Drugs are only 10% of the cure" is a bit misleading, you still need that 10% to reach 100% and a cure, the steering wheel may only be 10% of the car but you wont get far without it. In most cases counselling cannot start until the patient "calms down" a bit and often that requires quite powerful drugs initially.

Seroxat brought on a wonderful feeling of mellowness in me, I'd never been sober and chilled out before, very nice, and certainly very helpful for counselling afterwards (although I actually did not actually continue with the drug).

 

[John Travolta]

The problem comes though when doctors put people on long courses of drugs to mask the symptoms instead of finding the cure.