Paxil

[Holly_Hobby]

Hi, my Mom is 73 and bipolar. She also has high blood pressure and is hypothyroid.

She's on Depakote and Risperdal for bipolar, and she's developed Parkinson's-type side effects - trembling, shuffling walk, etc. She's just plain SLOW.

Now she's having trouble sleeping, so her MD gave her Paxil. She won't see her Psychiatrist for another 2 weeks.

Has anyone here had any experience with this drug for sleeping?

She's on so many meds that I'm beginning to worry about interactions. Thanks so much.

[mopinko]

1. is the bipolar something that she has known about all along?

or is this something that was dx'ed recently? i think sometimes they pile on the drugs in the beginning, rather than giving them time to work, which might take weeks, or even months.
can you call the psychiatrist? sometimes that is tricky. but he can accept information from you without giving out any. he should hear about these symptoms.

[Holly_Hobby]

2. She's been bipolar most of her life,

but only started meds in October of last year.

She took a dose of Paxil on Monday night and she was confused and stumbling Tuesday. She didn't take any Paxil on Tues. night. Her appt. is with a new psychiatrist, her previous psychiatrist no longer takes Medicaid spend down. The appt. with the new psychiatrist is May 14th. She said she's going to cut the Paxil in half until she talks to the new psychiatrist. I have a durable medical POA, so I can talk to him too.

Thanks for the reply, sometimes I just don't know where to turn. She's on way too many drugs, in my opinion. If that's what it takes to treat the bipolar, I'm not sure I would take them if I were in her shoes. I sort of understand now why she fought taking drugs for so long. But that's not the answer either. Thanks again.

[mopinko]

3. you are in a really tight spot.

does she live with you?
these drugs are so hard to manage, and to add in her age, when things get so slowed down- too many variables.
i would say talk to the pharmacist. they are usually better at this than docs, anyway. then call the psych that she has been seeing. i don't like it that her md is throwing in new drugs. i have never heard of using paxil for sleep. which does not mean anything. but why aren't they giving her ambien? or one of those drugs? those are given frequently with those other drugs, and tolerated well.
i think you are right to be concerned. is it possible to find a geriatric psych?

[Holly_Hobby]

4. No, she lives in a HUD senior/disabled complex

Her new psychiatrist is for geriatric patients, so hopefully, it will get better for her.

She's generally afraid of sleeping pills, so he gave her Paxil. She has a great relationship with her pharmacist, so I'll take her to talk to him.

She's too up in years for all the mind-bending drugs. But without them, she's extremely mean, manic and paranoid.

Her MD treats her for hypertension and hypothyroid. Thanks again.

[qb]

5. Paxil is an SSRI antidepressant in the same class as Prozac.

I was on it for a while and experienced mild drowsiness, but it does seem odd to prescribe this for insomnia. I hope her new doctor finds a good solution for her.

[emilyg]

6. After my Dad died I had trouble sleeping

My doc put me on Paxil.

[Odin2005]

7. I take 30mg of Paxil/day for my depression and anxiety.

It's also helped to me sleep better, IMO, I fall asleep faster and am less groggy when I get up. It's also seems to help a little with the sensory issues stemming from my Asperger's Syndrome as well. The big thing with Paxil is that one should avoid consuming a lot of alcohol and don't use St. John's wort or other supplements that affect seratonin levels unless the Doc OKs it. Also, one should not just quit taking it because your brain becomes used to it, come off it slowly.

Sounds like your mom has developed the motor issues, called Tarditive Dyskinesia, sometimes caused by anti-psychotics. I'm no doctor, but I would say to find some other meds for her instead of the Depakote and Risperdal, such as a mood stabilizer.