Found this site!

[dragunflyz]

Hello. I've just spent the last 3 hours reading this site. I am amazed! I didn't realize there was an entire forum on Paxil and it's effects. I've tried to wean myself twice but got scared and went back on. I don't want to take this pill any longer. I am definately a different and stronger person now and I just don't need it but I am afraid. After reading this forum I have more fear, but I also see the outcome is well worth it. So, I currently take 20mg.paroxetine. I've been taking this for 6 years. It was prescribed after my fathers suicide. I've gained a lot of weight, which my Dr. said wasn't the paxil. But, I never gained weight before. I seem to not remember anything anymore, I'm beginning to get moody, and irritable. I don't sleep at night. I am thinking the 20 is waring off and need to go up, but I am going to go the opposite way on this, and QUIT> Anyway, I would LOVE to get off of this and get on with my life. I think I've found my saving grace on this site. I just never realized how many people are being affected by this medication.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Good luck to all of you going through this and WAY to go to all those who have prevailed! I hope to be in both of these places one day, soon.
Should I go to 10 like every other day? Is that an option? Take care. dragunflyz

[Charlie]

Welcome and whatever you do please don't skip days. The only purpose that will serve is to throw you in and out of withdrawal. Tapering slowly is very important to your chances of success. Can you get 10mg pills where you are? If you can they are a bit better than the 20's because they are easier to cut.

[kathy2731]

Hi there dragonfly. Wean nice and slowly. I know you are anxious to get off the paxil, but taking it slowly will definitely help you feel better. Check in here every day for lots of good ideas and encouragement. There is nothing like being told what you are feeling is normal. Having your feelings validated is a godsend. Good luck to you. Hope we see you around here a lot. Kathy

[dragunflyz]

Thank you for the advice. Going slowly seems to be the best bet. I've read a lot of the postings and I don't look forward
to the withdrawls. Very scary. I can probably get 10mg. Actually I have 40's and cut them in half for my 20mg. They are
quite big. So, you are saying to go to 10mg on a steady bases, rather than 20,10,20,10. If I do 10mg, and things get "freaky", do I take
a 20? Boy, I wish I was told this when they gave it to me!! Thank you. df

[LCrawford67]

Welcome, Dragunflyz! First, the weight gain is most certainly Paxil related. If your doctor is telling you otherwise, find a new doctor. Seriously, even the most skeptical doctors, regarding Paxil and withdrawal, admit it causes weight gain.

Second, I urge you to read the Withdrawal Guide on this forum for tips to a more comfortable taper. NEVER skip doses! The best way to taper is to cut 10% of your current dose, every 3-4 weeks. You can do this by getting a prescription of liquid Paxil, which is much easier than cutting the pills.

So, if you're on 20 mgs now, you'd cut to 18 mgs, then approx. 16, etc. There's no hurry in this and patience truly is the key here. You're trying to do this with minimal discomfort. So, throw any timeline you may have, out the window. As long as you're feeling stable, continue to taper dosage every 3-4 weeks. If you hit a mark where it's a little rough, stay there until you're comfortable before dropping again.

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like! Again, WELCOME and best of luck to you!

[rdjanis]

Welcome!! Read the faq page here. Skipping doses, or raising and lowing is not the way to go. A daily dose, cut lower every few weeks is the way to go.

[dragunflyz]

Wow! You are so helpful. I just posted and I am already feeling less anxiety about it. First, I do have a different Dr. I will call tomorrow for an appointment and get this started. So I should try for liquid, and if I can't get liguid, I should get 10's?
I was definately told the weight gain wasn't paxil. He also said that I could taper off and there wouldn't be any effects. Hmmm..well.
I will go read the withdrawl forum now. Thank you for all your help. df

[rdjanis]

The paxil withdrawal guide can be downloaded for free... very good read!

[LCrawford67]

Now that's a doctor who needs to educate himself!! Lord, even GSK speaks about "discontinuation syndrome" and weight gain being a side effect. You definietly need a new doctor. Heck, my doctor won't even prescribe the stuff anymore because of the weight his patients gained and the difficulty quitting (that's why I'm going to this doctor!) I quit my old doctor because he just wasn't getting it with the whole withdrawal thing.

I would try for the liquid, first and foremost. If not, get 10s and a good pill cutter. Or, find a compounding pharmacy. Find a doctor, first, who will help you with your options.

I even went as far as creating a spreadsheet for my doctor and pharmacist, which shows reduction and how long it'll take me to fully taper.

[nicemom]

Welcome Dragon~Your doc is clueless and I am glad you have another one. Don't expect miracles but hopefully the new one will know more. I'm glad you found this site and I'm glad one more person will be helped by it and one more person will be off this horrible drug! Hang in there and have patience and you will do great!

[Katesmom]

Welcome to our site!

First, let me calm your nerves a bit. Although some of the things that you have read here may be anxiety-producing, let me assure you that when it comes to quitting paxil, knowledge is power. Many of us quit without knowing how to do it properly. Doctor's don't seem to understand how paxil works in the most basic way and so the advice that they give makes it very difficult to get off of this drug. Most of us found this site because we tried it our doctor's way and failed. Others simply are having a particularly hard time of it. Trust me when I say that more people come, use the info here to taper safely, and go on with their lives. Most of us who have more than two thousand posts are either the rarities for whom withdrawal is exceptionally difficult or those who have stuck around to pass on our knowledge and hope for total healing.

That said, on to the practical advice! You've already gotten some really good advice about tapering above. Using 40mg pills would be very, very difficult if not impossible. 10mg pills are the way to start. I would recommend using 2.5mg reductions. Your first reduction is going to be to 17.5mg. You would reduce to that dose for a minimum of two weeks. It can take up to two weeks for withdrawal effects to show up. See how you feel at that point, both physically and emotionally. Only when you fully stabilize on that dose should you taper again to 15mg. It's not a race. Going slowly allows your brain to figure out how to function properly in this new environment with less and less paxil.

Know that tapering is just the beginning. This is particularly where the 'knowledge is power' is key. Paxil has changed the way your brain functions. As a result, your brain needs to regenerage cells to function without paxil. As you might imagine, that takes longer than just a few weeks. A slow taper unquestionably gives you a head start, but the healing that occurs happens over the course of the next year or even more.

Paxil withdrawal seems to come in waves. Notice on here when people talk about these 'relapses.' They pass and healing continues. Just be aware that that is what they are and not some sign that you can't live without an AD or that the 'real you' has returned and it's not pretty. You will be your withdrawal self for quite a while.

Or, then again, maybe not. Not everyone has terrible withdrawal. Some people really do only feel crummy for a few weeks, then manage to get it together just fine. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Best of luck to you!

[dragunflyz]

I thank you all very much for helping me out here. I will see if I can get the liquid and/or 10mg. I will let you all know from there. You are all very brave and sincere. I can feel that. Thank you and I look forward to this journey..sort of..Thanks again. good night. df

[dragunflyz]

Hello. I thank you for all the information. I apologize for taking some time to get back on here. I won't be able to get the liquid paxil. I called my pharmacist. I will probably only be able to get 20's at this point. I can cut the 20's down. I have to make a dr.s appointment but we're really busy at work. I just want to get this started. df

[LCrawford67]

Hmmm.....is there another pharmacy you can go to? I don't know where you live, but I'm sure there's a pharmacy, fairly close to you, that has the liquid. I've heard not every pharmacy carries it.

But, I'd get a script for it from you doc and take it to the pharmacy that carries the liquid.

You can certainly cut your pills, it's just so much easier to have the liquid or have your pills compounded.

[scotty]

If you can't get liquid, then try to get 10mg tablets. At least that gives you dosing increments of 2.5mg to wean with.

[Iksfreundin]

Be aware - if they tell you liquid paxil isn't available, or 10s aren't available, it's a lie (if you're in the states). You should be able to get 10s from any pharmacy, and I'm certain Walgreens carries liquid paxil, although you may have to "warn" them - mine only carries it for two people, myself and another person, and they know when my refill is coming up so they have to order enough to keep up with us.

[Katesmom]

I'm going to guess that you can only get the 20s because that is what your current Rx is for. See if you can call the doc and request a Rx for 10s. My guess is that without an appt. you won't have much luck, but it's worth a shot. It costs nothing but a little time. Otherwise, I would just wait til I could get an appt and get the 10s. Good luck!

[dragunflyz]

Hello again. Here's what I am going to do. I am going to call my Dr. on Monday and see when I can get in. I'll take it from there. My insurance is Kaiser. Kaiser doesn't have the liquid. That is what my pharmacist told me. I will get 10's. My Dr. now will listen to me. I know she will give me the 10's. If she writes me a script for liquid, Kaiser may approve it, or they won't. Not sure. Anyhow, I will let you know. Thank you. df

[Katesmom]

Docs in HMOs are usually pretty good about knowing what they can and can't do via the insurance or how they need to word things to get them 'through.' You can totally go the 10mg route and find success, so don't fret.

[Kristin]

Welcome to the site! It is all a bit overwhelming at first but the cool thing is you can control a lot of the sideaffects to some degree by going slow. Good luck!

[Homerbcool]

Hi dragonlfly...are you serious saying that your insurance company does not cover liquid paxhell...that is a travesty..did you explain to them the situaioon yourself or take the doctors word for it, no offence meant,just curious...I too need to get into liquid, and want off these dam pills, currently at 5mg and how do you cut a 5mg piece in half, it is rounded and impossible to guarantee the exact amount of med in the cuts...so your insurance comapny is being cruel and in-humane..I would raise holy hell with them

[Katesmom]

Homer-

Many insurances do not cover the liquid. It is very expensive and brand-available only. Because the slow taper is not widely acknowledged as necessary, then insurance companies will not pick up the bill for it. Of course, that, to me, is very short-sighted. It seems like it would be far more cost-effective to pick up 3-6 months worth of liquid paxil costs than years of 20mg pills plus the costs of possible health effects of using those pills.

[Amaya's Nana]

Originally Posted by Katesmom

Homer-

Many insurances do not cover the liquid. It is very expensive and brand-available only. Because the slow taper is not widely acknowledged as necessary, then insurance companies will not pick up the bill for it. Of course, that, to me, is very short-sighted. It seems like it would be far more cost-effective to pick up 3-6 months worth of liquid paxil costs than years of 20mg pills plus the costs of possible health effects of using those pills.

This is exactly the argument I had with my HMO. They finally agreed to cover it but it was at the highest co-pay plus 20% retail out of my pocket. It was still expensive. I'll never forget that poor girl on the other end of the phone when I was raging at her about getting off this crap. To think about it now, its quite embarrassing that I went off on another human being like that and it wasn't even her fault. I was shooting the messenger. I'm so glad that horrible rage is but a distant memory now.

[Kristin]

Zoloft recently came out in a generic liquid so maybe Paxil will follow soon. Meanwhile, maybe it would help if your doctor gave the order as 'reduce by 1-2 mg per month.' Then the insurance company would see that that is impossible for the average customer with pills. Just a thought. One good thing is that even though I pay $45 for each bottle of Zoloft, they each last longer and longer as you get down to low doses. I have also had Drs offer to write me scripts for double my dose so the monthly co-pay would cover two months. Ah...the games we play. Real life monopoly with drugs. They should make a reality show on how creative people have to be to live within the grips of financial challenges (with a special season adding in withdrawal!!!)

[Katesmom]

Originally Posted by Amaya's Nana

I'll never forget that poor girl on the other end of the phone when I was raging at her about getting off this crap. To think about it now, its quite embarrassing that I went off on another human being like that and it wasn't even her fault. I was shooting the messenger. I'm so glad that horrible rage is but a distant memory now.

Lisa-

I think you were just using paxil-rage to your benefit! I remember when I totaled my car a year ago having to go off on the insurance company (the other driver's insurance company!) to do their jobs! I was a total b-yatch and ruined multiple people's days for about 2-3 days, but I had sat on my hands like a polite little girl for 4 weeks and I had had enough! After those couple of days of paxil-rage-fueled phone calls, there was a check in the mail! Unfortunately, sometimes vinegar does accomplish much more than honey! So, don't feel badly at all! You got what you needed, even with a little !