Date: Tue Mar 27, 2001 4:03am Date: Thu Mar 29, 2001 7:27am Hello, My name is Angelica, I am 26 years old and I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder 1 1/2 ago. I have been on and off of 10 mgs of Prozac for the past year. I was first given Prozac to ease the symptoms of Panic Disorder. At first I was taking 2.5 mg per day every other day because I was very reluctant to take it but my psychiatrist thought it was the best thing for me. I had heard horror stories so I really was hesitant about taking it. After 2 weeks on 2.5 mgs(liquid) I moved up to 5 mgs a day. After a few months I was still having symptoms and I was moved up to 10 mgs which is where I have stayed. I began to skip my period and gained 15 lb. I felt as if I could not feel very happy or very sad. All my emotions were kind of just...there. I continued on 10 mgs for the next year or so. Every now and then I would skip days and try to taper off but soon after my anxious feelings would be back, so I would get back on Prozac. Last month I took my last pill and was doing okay fore the first week or so. About two weeks after I took my last pill I began to feel extreme dizziness and nausea. I had weird feelings that suddenly came over my body that were completely unexplainable. All of a sudden I would feel my hand tremble for 5 seconds or I would shake my head for no reason at all. I had a panic attack a few days back that was shorter and more intense and more violent than any I have ever had. My last attack..today..felt as if all the air was sucked out of me and my left arm and shoulder hurt profusely. I felt as if a bolt of lightning had hit me. I could not breathe, see clearly, and I fell to my knees. At that point I decided to get back on the Prozac. I don't know what to do. I am very scared of driving and I am very sensitive to light. I hate living this way and desperately want to stop. I am engaged to be married next spring and will be relocating this summer with my fiance. I feel that with all the changes in my life I chose the wrong time to get off the medication. I took a 10 mg pill of Prozac about an hour ago and feel awful. I fell that it will never be the right time. I eventually want to have kids, but I cannot see myself doing this if I am this way. P.S. I have noticed that some of you talk about having seizures. How do you know you are having seizure. I'm sorry if it sounds like a silly question but I just heard on the news a few weeks ago that sometimes seizures are mistaken for panic attacks...I just wonder if sometimes what I'm having is a seizure. Angelica Date: Tue Mar 27, 2001 2:11am Response1: Angelica you picked the right group of people to help you. This group will offer you support. You will have to slowly, very slowly wean yourself off of the drug. Do know that your symptoms can last for a while even after you have stopped. Sorry another on has to go through this. Patrick Date: Thu Mar 29, 2001 2:20pm Response2: Hi Angelica. I can totally relate to your story. I started taking Paxil about 9 years ago for very severe panic attacks. Last summer I got very sick from the meds, so my doctor switched me to Prozac which even made me sicker. I weaned myself off of the junk and I'm almost 23 weeks drug free. I am seeing a chiropractor and he has me on a combo of herbal supplements customized for my withdrawal symptoms. When I stopped the drugs, and since I was on Prozac which has a longer half life, the withdrawal took a couple of weeks to kick in. Head zaps, dizziness, lightheadedness, anxiety, tremors, extreme sensitivity to any kind of stimulus, you name it. I still from time to time get the panic attacks. I've been struggling the past couple of days with them, I guess I'm having a little flashback/setback. I've noticed that my panic attacks have changed as well. They're different. I don't seem to get the hyper breathing, but I have the feeling that I'm going to have a seizure and I have extreme pressure in my head. I get these attacks while driving and it really freaks me out. I had been doing very well, but these setbacks do happen. NO time is a good time to be on these drugs. Check out our files section about how to wean off the junk. Please, just try to get off the meds. You'll be doing yourself and your fiancee a big favor. SSRI's can actually CAUSE anxiety/panic. Take care. Robin Date: Thu Mar 29, 2001 2:48pm Response3: Hi Angelica, I belive that these drugs CAUSE panic attacks. I never had them until I took Prozac, Angelica, it will never be a good time, and you DO NOT want to ever get pregnant until you have been off these drugs for a couple years. Do your self a favor and keep trying to get off the drugs. Just take it really really slow, do it over a period of 6-9 months. Take care, Cynthia Date: Thu Mar 29, 2001 3:11pm Response4: In a message Angelica writes: << P.S. I have noticed that some of you talk about having seizures. How do you know you are having seizure. I'm sorry if it sounds like a silly question but I just heard on the news a few weeks ago that sometimes seizures are mistaken for panic attacks...I just wonder if sometimes what I'm having is a seizure. >> WOW! That's interesting. Where did you hear this???? I wonder if it's more drug company propaganda about the panic attacks when they are actually seizures coming off this drug. Wouldn't put it past the drug czars to make anything up to sell or keep us on drugs longer. Trisha Date: Thu Mar 29, 2001 4:15pm Response5: Hi Angelica! It does sound like you are having more of a seizure type experience than an anxiety attack. I went through a similar experience the first time I tried to go off Paxil. But the episodes were not like any anxiety attack I had ever been through. My doctor theought I was either relapsing or had a definate chemical imbalance, so he put me back on the Paxil at a higher dose. Wish I had known about the withdrawal from the drug cause I definitely would NOT have gone back on the Paxil had I known. I'm sure what you are experiencing is a result of the horrible drug trying to get totally out of your system. Since we don't know how long that actually takes, we just have to hang tough and be patient. Please be strong and don't give into the addictive temptation of this drug by increasing your dose - go off slowly! Make sure you talk to your fiancee so he knows what is going on and he should be your guardian angel to help you get through this hell! Heidi B.