ironbadger3 said:Did they at least refer you to a specialist or send you somewhere for a follow-up exam?
Well, they actually examined me at the dental school.
You should really just visit your own dentist first; they can give you a referral. Otherwise, specialists dealing with this kind of thing usually work out of the New York University College of Dentistry (which is where I went).
They'll check out that joint, and if necessary, they might give you one of those rubber splints—the kind I assume Thomas Jackson9 received. You might even get some exercises to try... Honestly, just go see a dentist. 😁
ironbadger3 said:So, did you end up making it in to see the doctor?
I actually saw the surgeons who performed my wisdom tooth extraction, since this issue popped up right after the procedure. Their take is that it was caused by jaw trauma 😬 basically, while they were pulling the tooth, the lower jaw shifted a bit too far to one side, which threw the joint out of alignment.
I honestly can't say how serious this is without knowing what caused it in the first place. It happened to me about a year ago right after getting my wisdom teeth pulled, and it hasn't let up. If anything, it's actually gotten a bit worse because my jaw occasionally locks up completely—usually after I wake up—leaving me unable to open my mouth at all. My family finds it hilarious, though, since it's the one time they finally get some peace and quiet from my talking! 😍
It doesn't cost you anything to go see a dentist or an oral surgeon, so why not? Wouldn't they be the best ones to figure out exactly what's going on?
Hey fadedbear92, thanks so much for sharing that link! 🙏 🙏
Helen says: "If I knew five years ago what I know now about the drug I never would have taken it and that's what it boils down to. I didn't know what it would do to me. And I would have never made the choice to take it had I known."
So, it really makes you wonder: is the initial benefit actually worth all the trouble once you try to get off it?
fadedbear92 said:Definitely talk to your doctor, but yeah, I think an anxiolytic might be the way to go. Ugh, I seriously admire you—I would be terrified!😲
I don't really have anything to fear... It’s an uncomfortable sensation, certainly, but nothing I can't handle. I've made it through before, haven't I? 😬
My doctor actually suggested I take some Xanax if the feeling returns, and honestly, wouldn't it be smarter to just sleep through the worst of it? 🙂
I can barely move my head without the vision blurring; I'm getting these intense jolts in my head, almost like electric shocks 🤣
Today marks day 10 of tapering off, and honestly, when is this madness going to end? 🙂
I was thinking, if things don't settle down by the weekend, maybe I could try taking half a pill (10mg) one day, then splitting that half again to just take 5mg 🤷 Just like that for a few days or even weeks...
I have a feeling my doctor will be absolutely thrilled when I pitch this idea to her 🤣
edit: does anyone know if an anxiolytic might help ease these sensations? I'm not even feeling anxious—mentally, I feel great—it's just these weird physical symptoms in my head. I have some Xanax 0.25, but it leaves me totally out of it for two days after I take it 🤷
Kenneth Scott41 said:I’m just observing that doctors seem to be prescribing more and more of these newer generation medications, things like Effexor... and so on.
True, but even those don't work for everyone, right? We wouldn't call them garbage just because they aren't a perfect fit for every single person, would we? 😉
Kenneth Scott41 said:I honestly don't understand how doctors are still prescribing Paxil; I mean, in my opinion, it’s just absolute garbage.
It feels like we're just spinning our wheels on this thread, so I'm not sure if there's any point in rehashing this. But hey, maybe someone who was just prescribed Paxil will stumble upon this and feel a bit more reassured. At the end of the day, I don't think we can call Paxil "garbage" when it actually works for some people—it certainly worked for me! Of course, dealing with side effects is just part of the reality of medication, right?
urbanskipper4 said:Look, the whole "not having trouble getting off meds" thing really comes down to how you're wired mentally. I was on small doses of Xanax for like five years because it helped kill the anxiety and fear. When my treatment plan changed, I just stopped taking it abruptly and tossed it aside. Didn't feel a single withdrawal symptom.
But you weren't just taking Xanax; you were on other medications too, weren't you? If you tried to quit Xanax entirely on its own, wouldn't you likely run into withdrawal symptoms? Withdrawal isn't about your mindset or "getting your head straight," is it?
swiftcanyon64 said:I’m currently on day 10 of weaning myself off, and while the first 5 or 6 days were actually fine, everything is just spiraling downhill from here. Last night, the anxiety woke me right up.😢 Plus, I’ve got these awful stomach cramps and diarrhea. Does anyone know roughly how long these symptoms hang around? It caught me off guard that they’re only hitting me this late in the game. My dose is actually pretty small to begin with, so I can't even imagine what it would be like if I were on a higher one.🙄
Coming off Paxil? How exactly are you tapering your dose?
Usually, side effects hit early on and then start to fade by the 10th day, though everyone is different, so they might linger a bit longer for you.
Even at my tiny dose—just half a pill—I still feel lousy. And let's not forget how much our mental state can mess with us right when we need stability most.🙂
There’s also the chance you might be dropping the dose too quickly. That happened to me during my first attempt when I went from 20mg down to 10mg; after two weeks, I had to go back up to 20mg just to function again.
Just hang in there for a few more days, and if new symptoms start popping up, definitely check in with your doctor.
Edit: You mentioned Xanax in your quote, so I assume that's what you're referring to? I didn't see it before.😁
fadedbear92 said:Good luck! You're a powerhouse, Roger Rodriguez, definitely not some pushover!😂🤣😍
Thanks 🙂
No way—there's no chance Roger Rodriguez is going to let a measly dose of Paxil get the better of her. I've certainly faced much tougher battles than this, haven't I? 🙂
Hey everyone! How's it going? Well, here I go again—tapering off my Paxil. Is it always going to be this much of a cycle? 🙄 The last attempt didn't exactly go as planned. I managed to taper down from 20mg to 10mg over several months, but it was such an uphill battle—honestly, just thinking about it now makes me feel uneasy. Was it worth the struggle? So, I’m finally starting to taper down from 10mg to nothing. Isn't that just the way it goes? 👋 My psychiatrist used to insist that I’d need to stay on this medication for the rest of my life because of the panic disorder I've been managing since 2006. Even though the panic attacks had completely stopped, he just wouldn't budge. I had put in all the work—therapy, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, visualization—all with the goal of finally being able to step away from the pills and handle things on my own. He simply couldn't grasp why I wanted to stop taking antidepressants. Eventually, I decided to switch doctors, and thank goodness I did, because I finally found an absolutely wonderful woman to take over my care.
The current plan is to take half a tablet every other day—so 10 mg. I’m on day five now, and honestly, I feel like I'm in a complete fog. My doctor keeps insisting that this dose is far too low to cause any kind of physical dependency, but how am I supposed to explain that feeling to my own brain? Someone above was asking about how to taper off. Is anyone else currently taking Helexa? I'm curious to hear how everyone is finding it.I'm not sure if it’s even possible to compare tapering off two different medications, but I’ve been running a fever for three days now. Is anyone else dealing with something similar? 🤷 My vision is blurring, my head is pounding, and I’m dealing with sweats and intense nausea. It’s the same thing I went through last time, only this feels much more intense. Now, I’m just sitting here waiting to see how things unfold. My mom tells me to just stop overthinking it because my brain is doing its own thing, but how can I not? I’m absolutely buzzing at the thought of finally tapering off these meds, yet at the exact same time, I am terrified.
So, does anyone have any advice if you’ve ever gone through something similar? I’ve been sleeping terribly lately—maybe three or four hours at most. Could that be why I’m feeling so worn out?
Fingers crossed that I can finally be done with these tablets once and for all. Wouldn't that be something? 🙂
gentlegull7 said:I’m 17 years old, turning 18 in just a few months. Is it possible this is being caused by my posture? I spend a lot of time lying in bed using my laptop, usually in some pretty awkward, twisted position. When I feel it, the anxiety starts to kick in, and then the ringing begins... it just keeps getting louder and more intense until the panic sets in. It honestly feels like I'm losing my mind...
The more you panic, the worse everything feels, doesn't it?🙂 It's such a vicious cycle... You could certainly speculate that it's your spine, but wouldn't it be best to get your back and neck checked out by a doctor just to be sure? Regardless, next time that ringing starts, try to take a deep breath and see if calming the panic helps ease the sensation.
How old are you? Look, doctors aren't idiots; smoking is bad for you, and you don't need to be a smoker for thirty years to start feeling the effects. What’s your blood pressure like? Low pressure can definitely cause symptoms like these. If it were just ringing in your ears and dizziness, we might look at neck issues, but since you mentioned sweating and anxiety, that points toward psychological factors. Then again, it could easily be both—maybe a neck ache triggers some worry, which leads to panic, and suddenly everything feels five times worse. You don't have to be under extreme stress for your mental health to take a toll. If you're a bit more sensitive, you might experience reactions in situations that seem perfectly normal to everyone else. If you're feeling truly terrible and just can't calm down, please insist on getting at least some basic tests done.
Bradley Booth47 said:I honestly don't even know... I mean, it’s not covering the whole tattoo, just a little bit near the top. If it were some kind of widespread rash, wouldn't it be all over the place? Right?? My tattoo is about 12 inches long, but there's only this tiny 2-inch patch where I've got these... how do I put this... little bumps.
Are you still keeping the plastic wrap on it? If the skin can't breathe and you apply a layer of Aquaphor that's even slightly too thick, you could end up with a rash. That can get itchy and look pretty bad, not to mention it might actually mess with the tattoo itself.
vividsailor7 said:That right there is your culprit. Your arteries weren't delivering enough blood and oxygen to your brain, and well, you know what happens next. And yeah, the diet could definitely be playing a role too. What you're describing sounds like carotid and vertebral artery disease.
So, I guess I was totally mistaken. 😁 I'll be starting physical therapy soon, so hopefully, that will give my brain a bit of a break... Thank you so much for the insight!
vividsailor7 said:The fainting itself isn't quite as worrying as the vomiting that followed. If you haven't already, you really ought to go see a neurologist. It could be anything from vasovagal syncope to orthostatic hypotension or even hyperventilation...
I’ve had an EEG, a CT scan, and a carotid artery imaging test (I can't recall the exact name 😬), and the results show I have cervical compression syndrome. However, it seems everyone here just attributed my symptoms to my diet, so they didn't take the neck issue very seriously. Honestly, I'm not even sure if "that" could actually be what's causing me to lose consciousness 🤷
vividsailor7 said:It could be anything. Simple syncope, an arrhythmia... You really ought to see a doctor and get a basic blood panel and an EKG done.
But what if the blood work, the EKG, and even the blood pressure all come back normal? I mean, what else could cause someone to faint?
Well, I was on this hospital diet that’s usually supposed to last 15 days, but I ended up stretching it out to 40. On that 40th day, I blacked out, and afterward, I felt incredibly nauseous and ended up throwing up several times. My blood work looked fine—glucose and iron levels were both good—and my blood pressure was steady at 110/60, so I'm just lost.
It happened right after breakfast; granted, it was just some toast, but still.🙂
Grace Davis77 said:For TMJ issues, you should see a maxillofacial surgeon (though the head specialist over at Oakland isn't much help—they tend to just brush those kinds of problems off entirely 🙂)
Thanks for the info! 🙂
In the meantime, I actually had to hit the ER because my jaw locked up. They recommended checking out the Mayo Clinic Dental department, so at least now I have some actual options to choose from 🙂
Who should I actually see for jaw pain and clicking after getting my wisdom teeth pulled? Should I be looking for an oral surgeon? I’ve seen mentions of maxillofacial surgeons online, but does that even fall under their expertise? 😕 So, about a year ago, right after they extracted one of my lower wisdom teeth, I started feeling this clicking sensation in my jaw—right near the ear. I suspect it happened because things got a bit rough during the extraction, but now I can feel physical changes when I touch the area, and the pain is definitely ramping up. My dentist suggested I go back to the specialist who performed the surgery, but I honestly don't see how they can help if the issue isn't the tooth itself, but the jaw 🙄 If anyone has dealt with something similar, I'd love to hear your thoughts...
Andrew Doyle said:Alright, look, my hair is falling out at an absolutely insane rate. This doesn't feel like that typical seasonal shedding everyone talks about; I’m pulling out entire clumps just by running a comb through it. Honestly, the only reason I haven't gone bald yet is because I started out with a thick head of hair, but even then, I feel like I'd be practically bald by now if it kept up like this.
I am seriously concerned that my antidepressants are the culprit here. I’ve been on them for four months now. Has anyone else dealt with this, or does anyone have any experience with this kind of side effect?
Which antidepressant are you taking? I haven't personally experienced this, but I know that various medications—including antidepressants—can cause increased hair thinning. Still, is heavy shedding really the same thing as losing entire chunks while brushing? We shouldn't jump to blaming the meds just yet. How are your hormone levels? Your iron? Are you taking anything else?