Generalised Anxiety Disorder!!!!!

[Hello22]

Well here is my story.... 3 years ago my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer while I was ending my bachelor of psychological science, because I had to be with her at chemotherapy and treatment I had to get extensions all the time for important exams and essays. During one of my exams I felt my heart beating out of my chest and ended up feeling like I was having a heart attack and its then I was shortly diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder. My doctor put me on a drug called Paxtine for my anxiety 20mg. I have been on this drug for about a year and a half and its always made me feel very tired. Now here I am trying to come off this drug by splitting the tablet in half and I am experiencing extreme dizziness, nausea and confusion. If anyone has experienced side effects weaning off this drug what were they and does it ever get better?

[Hope_for_the_best]

Is your anxiety under control? If not, you should not stop your medication without consulting your doctor. Your doctor can always put you on different medication if the side effect of your current one is unbearable. I suggest that you go to your doctor asap if you have not done so. It is common to experience withdrawal effects in the process of weaning off medication, but you should always do so under medical supervision.

[Nad]

Hello Hello22,

i'm really sorry to hear about your mother :(. as what hope.for.the.best said, probably not a good idea to try to reduce medication without strict guidance from the dr. Even saying that though, My psychiatrist gave me instructions to reduce my medication to get off it however all hell broke loose for me. unfortunately i'm very sensitive to medication so half a tablet reduction made me suicidal. I hated the feeling and it brings me nightmares of how i felt. He was quite surprised of the side effects in which i've been recommended to go onto two different kinds of medications to try and stabilise myself before revisiting the exercise of getting off my medication. He did say to me though that if i was to go off my medication, it'll be like 6 months at 1/2 dose and then 1/4 for 3 months and then off totally. pretty long process but that might just be for me because i'm sensitive :'(