Question for julymorning...or anyone else that was on Paxil

July...you mentioned in another thread that you had permanent neurological damage from Paxil. Can you explain more?? I was on Paxil for a very long time but weaned off of it. I sometimes wonder if it could be the root of my current symptoms, or at least contributing to them.

I was on Paxil prior to diagnosis, during the 2+ years I was experiencing Lyme symptoms. When I started Lyme treatment, I started tapering off Paxil, as most of my "anxiety/depression" disappeared with antibiotic therapy.

I'm actually not sure if I ever needed it to begin with, as I really think the anxiety/depression was due to my initial Lyme infection. (I went camping in the Ozarks for about a week or so and remember getting very sick while I was out there: fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, etc and had laryngitis by the time I got back home. about a year later, I was having extreme panic attacks and debilitating depression, along with a host of other symptoms.)

I only recently began thinking that there may be a connection when I started having to write timelines for my doctors. And now I wonder if it has done permanent damage.

Thanks girlie I seem to be getting more muscle twitches/spasms, brain fog, and memory loss now and just wondered if there was some sort of connection. I was on 20 mg (the lowest dose) for years and only increased to 30mg during the year prior to diagnosis (when my MD diagnosed my chest pain as anxiety due to job stress).

It's just one of those things I think about. Sometimes I try to convince myself that if I go back on the Paxil, I'd probably be fine and it isn't Lyme etc at all lol (I know, it's sounds ridiculous.)

And I do still get anxiety and some depression....but I remember when I was first diagnosed with "clinical depression" years ago....it matched the same way I felt when things got bad prior to Lyme diagnosis.

Thank you , july. I would love to see that link if you can find it. And I'm sorry you are going through that. xo

julymorning said...
I forgot I had it bookmarked.
You have to read through quite a bit, as it starts off as a case study.

www.nytimes.com/books/first/g/glenmullen-prozac.html

If I were you I would stay on your Lyme treatment, and try to avoid at least some of these anti-depressants.

Yes, helping with the depression can help you get the Lyme infection under control easier, but I would try other avenues of soothing your mind while you try to heal first.

Whether it's music, or some kind of art or crafting you can do with your hands, things that are creative.
Enjoying a pet, if you have one, anything to take your mind off what's stressing and troubling you will help.

Incidently, the muscle rigidity flares still happen with me, but not like they used to. Maybe a very short spell every 5 or 6 months. Sometimes being cold will bring it on.

I've been off Paxil for almost 12 years, but I had taken it for 5, and prior to that another kind for about 5 years.

I've been off of it for six months now. I don't feel depressed...I have some moments of situational depression but I think that's normal with this disease. I really think I was misdiagnosed years ago with clinical depression/anxiety and it was an initial lyme infection.

I will take a look at the article. I wonder if what is happening to my neck/head when I get seizure-like episodes is from paxil or if it is lyme.

Thank you for sharing!