Help - Seroxat Cold Turkey

[Saffi]

Hi,

My boyfriend is determined to come off Seroxat after being on it for less than a month, and can't bear the idea of taking any more of the tablets. He stopped on Friday night, and is now having withdrawal symptoms - feels like he's having electric shocks, is confused, hot/cold etc...

I've given him an Olanzapine (5mg) that we had left from when the anxiety started just over a month ago and he was having panic attacks.

Can anyone suggest anything I can do to help him get through this?

Thanks for your help,

Saffi

[jo61]

If I were him I'd get back to the docs tomorrow and do it under medical supervision.

[Jimbo]

Slowly slowly is the best option if he is having problems. I did the 'cold tukey' thing too, it was a really bad idea for me. It effects everyone differently when coming off it. But remember he will feel better, the symptoms will go away.

I agree with Jo, get him back to his GP and get some advice.

Jim

[Saffi]

Thanks for the advice. I'll show him your replies and see if that helps to convince him that there might be an easier way to do this.

[Nel]

I came off sertraline without taper after 4 weeks; it was a doctor (well psychiatrist) who told me to - the side effects I was having were awful. Withdrawal lasted about 2 weeks at its worst, I had diazepam to help me through that 2 weeks (and they helped no end). My GP was useless it has to be said, all she said the whole 4 weeks I took sertraline was 'keep taking it' (I would imagine your boyfriend has been told this too by the GP). I actually went to the hospital A&E as it was the only way I could see a psychiatrist and it was there they told me to stop the med, immediately. The psychiatrist I saw was brilliant, she said that quite clearly the med wasn’t for me if after 4 weeks the sides weren't dissipating and I was feeling no benefit.


If your boyfriend is really suffering then go to the on call GP and ask for some diazepam, a short term course. He can safely use them for 2 or 3 weeks to help him through this. Good luck and tell him the effects WILL pass.

[Jimbo]

Seroxat (Paroxetine) is different to Sertraline, although they are both SSRI type anti-depressants. So they withdrawal would be similar.

On the good side, your boyfriend has only been taking it for less than a month, so I guess he's on a fairly low dose? Both should make things a little easier. Take care,

Jim

[nomorepanic]

Hi Saffi

He definitely needs to do it slowly to be honest and reduce the dose under the doctor's instruction.

[Saffi]

Thanks for your help. It's reassuring to know that advice is on hand if we need it.

The GP he saw last week didn't see a problem with the cold turkey approach. I'll suggest that we see a different one when we make the appointment tomorrow!

[jo61]

Hi Saffi, it may well be that since he's only been on it a few weeks cold turkey might work - the effects may wear off in a couple of days. Best to check with the doctor though. Eevn if you get to see the same doctor tell him of his experiences with this method of withdrawal. Let us know how you get on.

[Saffi]

The Doctor came round this afternoon, and said he doesn't think it's the seroxat. Instead he thinks it's the anxiety reappearing.

I'm not convinced - my boyfriend is remarkably calm, and I've never seen anxiety give him that kind of reaction.

However, the symptoms seem to be easing off, and I'm happy just with that at the moment. We can argue about the causes some other time!

Saffi