Long term risks of seroxat ?

[seascape]

Hi,
I'm new to the site today !
I was just wondering why doctors seem so determined to get me off this drug? Ok, none of us really want to be on medication, but if it really helps, is it a problem? Are there long term risks that aren't well publicised?

I have to say, I had been on seroxat for 18 years and for me it had been a life saver. I gradually reduced the dose to 10 which was fine.My doctor started making noises so I'd cut them in half to 5. I was pleased to be on such a low dose, I had the odd day of anxiety and panic, but nothing I couldn't handle.
Doctor started making noises again that I was on such a low dose that it could be of no use whatsoever to me. I changed to liquid and ended last week on 1m.Since then I have suffered enormously, really awful shallow or over breathing, panic, tingling etc etc. Is it my original symptoms? Is it withdrawal ? Is it my mind ?
Was it too wrong to want to leave well alone and be the happy and confident person it had been allowing me to be ? I don't really have depression or anything close, but the onset of all my original symptoms again has made me feel really low and it's very debilitating. I'm not sure what to do, should I brazen it out and see if the symptoms lessen ? My doctors are very dismissive and seem to think there isn't any chance of withdrawal or even my original symptoms returning, but that it's probably just the comforting placebo effect of taking a drug that helped me, but that in itself is a medical problem isn't it ?
I'm confused and fed up !
Sorry to be a moaner !
Thanks for reading.

[ddraig]

How do they think your original symptoms won't return? If there is a chemical / neurotransmitter problem in our heads there just is. My gp convinced me to taper down from 20mg to 10mg recently - big mistake.

How are you getting on?

[WiseMonkey]

I've been on doxepin 10mg (very low dose) for my CFS for 25 years. Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant and at a low level is good for irritable bowel as well as sleep. My Dr asked me to stop taking it.

Doxepin comes in a capsule of 10mg/lowest dose so I asked for some amitriptyline (which comes in tablet form), so I could cut them in half but they don't work as well for me as doxepin. I had all sorts of CFS symptoms coming up and have largely returned to the doxepin.

Apparently there was a large study done which suggested that older patients who took this for 3 years were more susceptible to dementia even at the lowest dose of 10mg.

As well as tricyclic's, antihistamines, antispasmodics, anti anxiety meds and some cough medicines are also in contention as well as SSRI's.

This is quiet controversial and 2 specialists I've spoken to hadn't even seen the article. These low dose antidepressants are often the frontline treatment for CFS/fibromyalgia symptoms.

[Xtrastrongbint]

Hi Seascape! I've been on Seroxat for 18 years too. I would say you may well still be in withdrawal so I would try and brazen it out for another couple of weeks - if you are still suffering go back to your gp and ask to be put back on. I honestly think these GPs are dimwits when it comes to any anxiety/meds type situation...good luck

[MyNameIsTerry]

Anxiety disorders are not classed as "life long" but can be classed as chronic. All meds cost the NHS. The NHS want belts tightened. So, unlike the days when GP's used to knock out meds like they were sweeties, they are now under greater pressure to be more efficient. This means they will do what they should have always done with antidepressants, and that is remove them when the right rime comes as they are not meant to be for life. (some may need that though)

This med is recorded as one of the two worst to come off. It looks like you have been doing well though.

When I tapered off my 20mg Citalopram I went 20-10mg and then dropped to 0% about 10 days later. It wasn't bad but the worst of the 2 drops was going to 0% and maybe that is what you are having right now?

My GP was always hassling me to come off. It didn't feel right, I followed his advice and 6 months later had a full relapse. I had been on Citalopram a few years then but I had improved a lot and got back to work. My old work confidence was back. But there were still areas for improvement and I knew nothing about anxiety as I trusted my GP and never did any research and all he did was the 10 minute chats, no information, no therapy, etc.

Educate yourself though, look at expert resources like Rpscyh and MIND who have guides to withdrawing.

For any GP to say they don't think there is a potential for a patient to experience withdrawal, they either don't understand these meds, are in denial or are trying not to worry you (and not doing what they are told to - keep the patient informed. It's old style doctor practices "trust your doctor")

---------- Post added at 05:58 ---------- Previous post was at 05:56 ----------

How do they think your original symptoms won't return? If there is a chemical / neurotransmitter problem in our heads there just is.

They won't know and then there is no proven link between the two anyway. Science hasn't proved whether the decrease as a side effect of anxiety.

It is certainly a worry about the underlying anxiety they could be plastering over. That is a hard one to know and needs to come from all the things you have done to recover. It's always a risk though.

---------- Post added at 06:04 ---------- Previous post was at 05:58 ----------

I've been on doxepin 10mg (very low dose) for my CFS for 25 years. Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant and at a low level is good for irritable bowel as well as sleep. My Dr asked me to stop taking it.

Doxepin comes in a capsule of 10mg/lowest dose so I asked for some amitriptyline (which comes in tablet form), so I could cut them in half but they don't work as well for me as doxepin. I had all sorts of CFS symptoms coming up and have largely returned to the doxepin.

Apparently there was a large study done which suggested that older patients who took this for 3 years were more susceptible to dementia even at the lowest dose of 10mg.

As well as tricyclic's, antihistamines, antispasmodics, anti anxiety meds and some cough medicines are also in contention as well as SSRI's.

This is quiet controversial and 2 specialists I've spoken to hadn't even seen the article. These low dose antidepressants are often the frontline treatment for CFS/fibromyalgia symptoms.

Did they prove a link?

There was a study recently about Benzo's causing Dementia in the over 60's but if you read it you can see the researchers even noted they had proven no causal relationship, only that it was a higher %. But then, Dementia is anyway in the over 60's! There were question marks over whether they had been prescribed Benzo's to control early signs of undiagnosed Dementia.

There was a study of Pregabalin and how it was linked to higher mortality rates. You would laugh if your saw the paper the university produced. The sample was all substance misusers! Yet they made no reference to this and proclaimed it as a general study of Pregabalin.

So, studies can be misleading.

SSRI's did come under the spotlight for Long QT Syndrome but only Citalopram & Escitalopram were the issue. However, if you look into the Pro section on Drugs.com for SSRI's you will see it mentioned as an issue on some of the others and how doctors should stay clear of it if they know the patient has a Long QT. I remember another member on here saying her psychiatrist was aware of a number of SSRI/SNRI's with a link. So, something isn't being made clear to the public.