I kicked off my latest today with a 5 mg dose of Aropax also known as Paxil in the US. I’m not going to take anymore Effexor and decided I will see if I can go without titrating down from 12 beads. It seems like such a ridiculously small dose that I can’t see the point but then given the way I react to small doses of it I will probably get raked over the coals anyway. Just hoping Paxil will keep my head above water in the pool while I adjust to the lack of Effexor. Sure hope this is a success story. If this gets me to some sort of stability that I’m happy with, the next step will be to throw in Verapamil in the same way Howie did.
I need to ask Hain in August whether he thinks I need to throw in an SSRI to kill this thing. I was on a Pizotifen/SSRI mix last time I killed it, so maybe it’s the way forward.
In the middle of a really crappy period - but still pushing on with Verapamil.
Let us know how you get on - good to hear that Effexor still ‘kept your head above water’ - that’s positive.
Good to know Newman uses Paxil Howie. That’s two neurologists who give it the thumbs up.
Day 1 has been uneventful, but I do feel pretty crummy overall anyway. Really anti social. I think the next 2 days could be rough without Effexor on the scene. Hope I’m wrong.
For what it’s worth, I think my neurologist suggested that I go on Paxil too, but since I had used it many years ago before my MAV (for depression) and didn’t like the side effects (totally zoned out, sexual and cognitive issues), I told him I didn’t want to try it. He said too bad, for they’ve seen good results with it. So he put me on a tricyclic antidepressant instead. I will say however, that it did wonders for my depression. At the time, I needed it for THAT alone and it made me feel good/helped me get through the difficult time and raise my serotoin level, albeit, not really caring about anything either! :lol:
I’ll have to check, Scott. I tried three antidepressants at that time: zoloft, paxil and something else. I know the doses for all were very low and I only switched because of the side effects. I’ll see if I can find my medical info to find out; it was 10 years ago!
Scott - lots of luck getting off Effexor. I am doing ok getting off. I will stop it today. Just wondering who recommended Paxil. I am so confused, as Dr. Hain told me that he does not recommend SSRIs. However, I know that other doctors do recommend SSRIs.
I asked Newman the usual average dosage and he said:
Zoloft 12.5 to 75mg
Paxil 10-20 mg
I am actually on 100 mg of Zoloft; must be my big brain…LOL. Actually the first time I was on 50 mg, and after coming off, for some reason I need 100 mg this time.
I don’t know much about Newman… Is he a migraine specialist like Hain? Howie, does he recommend Zoloft by itself to treat migraines or does he see the success when it’s combined with verapamil or a beta-blocker?
I don’t think that Lex is going to be it for me. So I have two choice… well three actually. Try Zoloft, go back on Prozac with which I has NO side effects and then add verapamil of propranolol - the problem is that Prozac doesn’t do wonders with my anxiety/OCD stuff. Or get back on Paxil which made me feel great and see a GI doc and get so major make-you-poop drugs, or live on a liquid diet so that perhaps maybe, just maybe, there would be a chance I could go to the bathroom.
Thanks so much. God do I hate the Lexapro right now.
You’re a legend! Thanks a million for asking Newman. Good to know that I could possibly revisit Zoloft if I had to down the track should this one be a bummer. I wonder if Newman has trialled the other SSRIs and, if so, has he found them to be less effective?
Molly – Newman is a very good neurologist in the NY area. He’s been right on the mark with Howie and he runs support groups for people with MAV. If I can get out of here for 2 weeks in July, I might shoot over via NY, say hello to Howie and drop in on a group!
You’ve certainly been a trooper with this med hunt. You’re going to get there sooner or later. I’m just sorry you haven’t hit the jackpot just yet. Are you totally jacked up on 20 mg Lex now? I wonder what it is about that stuff!
Dr Newman is the top neurologist in the NY METRO Area. He runs the Headache Institute at St Lukes Hospital in NYC. I have had a lot of success with him. He runs a MAV support group once a month and is very generous as fas as asking any questions I have via email. He is a clinical professor at Albert Einstein where he teaches neurologists about MAV. With that being said I have had succcess so I find him great…I am sure if I did not I would be dissapointed. But as far as his manners and care I would reccomend him and his staff. Everyone on his staff suffer from some type of migraines so maybe that is why they are so caring.
Scott no problems… I would be happy to take you out in NYC and go to a baseball game… After my twins come in October I will be very busy.
TWINS!!! Wow! Congrats to you Howie. Do you know the sex yet or is it too early?
Thanks so much for the information about Dr. Newman. He sounds like a wonderful person. I am also always so happy to hear about people around the world who are working to help find answers for MAV sufferers. So is Zoloft something that he has seen work well on its own with MAV? Or is it usually successful when coupled with something else?
Thanks again for your help and best wishes with the pregnancy!
Well, so far so good. By now I was off my head when I trialled Prozac but I really don’t feel much on Paxil apart from some light-headedness and feeling a little bit strange. It might also be because of the lack of effexor. Once I get through this week, I’ll see how I’m going next Friday and will bump it up to 7.5 mg and then to 10. I definitely feel a lot better without effexor.
Today I had an email from some friends who want me to meet them in Malaysia to go scuba diving. Right now, it would be a disaster if I went anywhere … I really want to be able to make a trip like this again. So hope this med gets me to a point where I can imagine a holiday of running around again in a foreign country. Miss that sense of freedom.
Scott
edit: looks like his stuff is starting to give me a charge. Last night I woke at 4.30 wide awake. Howie: zoloft did this to you at first right? I’m only on 5 mg.
A few words - Balls to MAV and go to Malaysia with your friends - hell I’m travelling around the world!
Funny you should mention Malaysia - I’m in Langkawi at the moment and have been ragging it around on dirtbikes. Bizzarly, being on a motorbike is when I feel my best and its the only form of motion I can tolerate (well that and driving cars).
I felt crap this morning, but now I’m feeling pretty good in comparison. I have also been to the toilet after getting off Verapamil! All in all a better day - although I have just eaten a chocolate ice cream and think I feel a bit funky ( or it could be in my head!).
Hope Paxil works out for you - and make sure you go on holiday. You can push MAV more than you think - just remember you won’t die.
I’ve been on Paxil for a week now and this feeling of emotional disconnect is awful right now. I don’t remember feeling like this on Cipramil. It’s like I can’t be bothered to ring up friends or even see my girlfriend! The disconnect has been continuous since last Sunday afternoon but hits me in waves too.
Have any of you guys had this going on with other SSRIs when you started them? My gut has been bad for two days now too. Pain. There are times when I feel somewhat better but then it’s gone. It’s like it’s not quite hitting the mark or something. Headache is hanging around way too much.
No idea what to do. I feel like chucking this med right now but know I have to keep at it. This med trialling really blows.
My neuro put in his guidance letter to me that Paxil can often cause a worsening of mood for the first 2-3 weeks of taking it but then this passes. So maybe it’s worth trying for a while longer?
I know I have to hang in there. I do get glimpses of feeling my old self so maybe that’s a good sign. But it does sound like I’ll have to hang in there for at least 3 weeks.
