6 DAYS OFF PAXIL AFTER 14 YEARS

I have been on Paxil continuously since 1991. I am 36 years old. (When I started it was a brand new drug , the Dr. called it a designer depression drug that was better than Prozac, that just hit FDA approval). I varied between 20 mg - 40 mg on an as needed basis between the dosages.
For the past two years I have been trying get off. Because I have absolutely no sex drive and have not for a very long time. I have not suffered a depressive episode in years and as a newlywed have been thinking of getting clean in preparation of having a baby(maybe). That's a whole other crazy subject.
My sis-in law had a baby while using Paxil and I swear the baby had withdrawel issues, although no Dr has confirmed or even touched on the issue. Not to mention the sis-in law still breast fed the baby and still took Paxil.. Who knows. Sorry I digress....
I started really really slow tapering for the past 6-8 months. I have tried at least 6 other times to get off Paxil in the past years and have always had to jump back on to avoid the debilitating sickness that accompanies....
I am under a Medical Dr.'s care (Psychopharmacologists ?spelling?) for the weaning.
He has not been of much help and I have probably educated him more than he has educated me, but for piece of mind I guess it is good. His only true contribution is to advise and prescribe for me Ativan and tell me to take it as often as needed to get off the Paxil. I take between .5 and 1.0 per day on difficult days not everyday.
I moved to liquid Paxil 4 months ago. I have been going milligram by milligram. I have lost days and hours from work every time I go down... The way I go down is spend about two to three weeks at the amount and once I reach stability push it again... Once and only once I donot have side effects for 1 week then I push it lower a small amount.
Last week I stopped the 1 milligram of liquid (which is less than an eighth of a teaspoon, or how I like to characterize as 4 drops on my tounge of the powerful orange crap).
AS always after 3-5 days i get irritable, angry, crying, headaches, dizzy, telling off my boss, almost quitting my job... and that is where I am now... Nothing a good .5 of ativan wont calm me out of... Then after a few days no ativan is needed and I am free... I am now waitng for the freedom from the head issues. Thats what I call when your brain/head/equalibrium is not quite "tight". It also includes irritability and crying... My husband and I merely reference this all as the Paxil side effects.. I am hoping that this all will go away soon.
I can not even think about or remember what it is like without Paxil thus, I await any additional changes that will occur after I get past these withdrawel type pangs.... I read with awe about those of you that state it takes many months to return to normal... What would that be....?
I really want to thank this board because from it I learned everything I needed to get off. More than any Dr.'s, more than any other web sites, more than anything. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Again, just felt I had to write as I am for the first time in 14 years Paxil free!
Never heard of fish oil before this board and I take it every day for the past 8 weeks and it really does help. Just read on the board about Magnesium and I will try it too...
THANK YOU!!!

Not to misrepresent... I either started the Paxil in 91 or 93... Sorry to lead you all on...

[silence4now]

More power to you! I don't think I've heard of anyone being on the drug this long. How long did it take you to wean down to 1 mg?

Sounds like you are doing pretty darn good considering the years you were on the drug. I applaud you for getting clean before having a baby. There is definitely a withdrawal phenomena that is hardly ever recognized by traditional medical practioners - it's almost as if the topic is taboo!

I am now about 4 months clean and finally beginning to feel like my old self. There are still things that crop up that I swear are related to the Paxil. This is such a dangerous and scarey drug. Great to have you joining the ranks of us who want a better way!

[elisa]

What an accomplishment!! Congratulations.

Having been on this drug for so many years and reading your post gives us all the more courage and determination that it can be done, even for long-term users.

I take my hat off for you, so to speak

[scotty]

Congratulations!! You put so eloquently what others are experiencing and show that it can be done. Stick around!, your experience is invaluable to those who come here for help.

[dar7726]

Congrats.....

I'm so happy that you are finally off this poison... I've not been on Paxil myself, but have been on one or another AD's for 18 years I fully understand your pain....

I've been off the AD's for a bit over 5 months and I can tell you I'm still not ok...But will get there with Gods help and the help of the good people on this board..

Bravo again,
Darlene

[Scott]

yeah the longer you've been on ssri's the longer it takes to get off. I started tapering paxil last mid august.. I was off it in 3 months but it was too fast and i'm still not completely off ssri's yet.

[Tara71]

Hello Candice,

I've been taking Paxil since 1995 and thought *I* was one of the old-timers!! I tried to taper one mg at a time for almost a year once, even trying the switch method, back in 2002. I ultimately failed and should have given up earlier because by then I had lost my newsroom job (one airheaded moment at 5mg) and my relationship (he wouldn't let me give up and go back up to 20mg).

I had tried in 1996, 1998, and I don't know how many other times. I can't handle the sensory disturbances, ongoing digestion problems (gas all the time?!), night sweats, hot flashes, horrible nightmares, depersonalization, headaches, muscle tension, and that feeling like I want to crawl out of my skin.

And just last month I started getting those withdrawals WHILE I WAS AT 20 MG! Is it your experience that the longer you go, the more you need? I have raised to 30 mg and am still feeling ZAPPY and zoned out.

I'm scared to death I'll have the zaps for the rest of my life. I'm 33 and about to get married, so it sounds like you're ahead of me. And you took it longer. You are the only person I've seen in here who took it as long as me and couldn't succeed at quitting. And the only person I've noticed who knows someone who took it while pregnant. Of course the baby goes through withdrawals! I'm so scared about pregnancy!

Anyway I just wanted to say it's really nice to see someone LIKE ME who took it longer and still got off somehow. Please keep me updated on your brain fuzziness. Mine feels like my head is shrinking all the time. I hate it. I want to think that SOME DAY I'll be over this whole thing so I can get on with my life.

Tara

[Maddy]

I also started taking Paxil in 1991, and was on Prozac for about a year before that. I was at 20 mg. almost the whole time, except for a couple weeks at 37.5. I am now six weeks Paxil free. I realize now that Paxil had stopped working for me a long time ago. I had many side effects while still on it...zaps, heavy sweating, teeth grinding, etc. I remember many times when I waited too long to get a refill, standing at the pharmacy crying, begging for just a couple of pills until the doctor's office opened again. I started in May slicing my paxil in half, then waited until I felt "normal" before dropping my dose again. I kept it up until I was taking just a tiny sliver, then one week I forgot to take it twice, and decided that was it, I was done. I have occasional zaps, mostly late in the evening, or during the night, and I laugh at myself because I still regularly think, "ooops, forgot to take my paxil", not because I feel bad, but because I was so used to taking it every day. You can be on paxil long term, and beat it!

[jay72]

Candice

Let me just offer what worked and didnt work for me having successfully come off paxil: dont ram supplements indiscriminately down your throat - omegas worsened my anxiety, as did Vit B...if you take supplements dont take very large amounts and take it slow - it is very difficult to tell during withdrawl if it is the supplements that are having an adverse effect or whether its just the withdrawl. Having said that, Calcium and Magnesiium seem pretty harmless. The best and most effective way that i found to deal with withdrawl was intense exercise. And eating well helps too. Finally, keep off alcohol and dont smoke.

Best of luck to you.

[Jewel]

I'm an old-timer too. I think I started in 1992 after being on imipramine before that. 92 or 93 I don't remember exactly. It is difficult to remember life before Paxil! Anyway, so encouraging to read of someone on it even longer than me who is off successfully!

Candace,

At what dose did you start going by 1 mg increments? I am wondering as I am at 10 mg now and don't know if I should go to 7.5 next or start going down by 1. They say those last 10 mg are the worst!