Down to 9mg?

markgerard · 01-20-2007, 01:24 PM

Well, I am getting the liquid Paxil today - actually, the pharmacy is making capsules for me so I am considering going down to 9mg of Paxil tomorrow.

I went from 10mg down to 7.5mg for 29 days which was just too hard of a drop for me so I went back up to 10mg for 4 days and then up to 12.5mg for 2 days and then back down to 10mg for 5 days.

I can't say I've stabilized any but I am wondering what you think - should I stay at 10mg for a while longer yet or should I just start at 9mg tomorrow?

Thanks for your help,
God Bless, Mark

Casey1231 · 01-20-2007, 03:12 PM

Hey,

I've been on 10mg for many years. When I tried to drop to 7.5 mg in June of 2005, I felt good for 3 days and then bottomed out horrendously. I guess when you think about it, it's a 25% drop, which is a lot. Anyway, I dropped to 9mg on Tuesday, and while I definitely feel symptomatic, so far it has been tolerable. I plan on waiting at least several weeks, and then trying to go down another 10%, to 8.1, or maybe even to 8.3. I am in no rush, and absolutely can not be incapacitated like that again - two little kids here depend on me. Good luck and don't rush it.

rdjanis · 01-20-2007, 03:58 PM

You have gone up and down quite a bit, I would stabilize at the 10 mg. at least a few weeks. From then on, drop only 1 mg, stabilizing for long periods in between. You have been on paxil a long time, don't rush coming off. The slower you go the less it will effect the BFS as well.

pokie · 01-20-2007, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casey1231

Hey,

I've been on 10mg for many years. When I tried to drop to 7.5 mg in June of 2005, I felt good for 3 days and then bottomed out horrendously. I guess when you think about it, it's a 25% drop, which is a lot. Anyway, I dropped to 9mg on Tuesday, and while I definitely feel symptomatic, so far it has been tolerable. I plan on waiting at least several weeks, and then trying to go down another 10%, to 8.1, or maybe even to 8.3. I am in no rush, and absolutely can not be incapacitated like that again - two little kids here depend on me. Good luck and don't rush it.

So is a drop to 9 a 1% drop from 10.

pokie · 01-20-2007, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdjanis

You have gone up and down quite a bit, I would stabilize at the 10 mg. at least a few weeks. From then on, drop only 1 mg, stabilizing for long periods in between. You have been on paxil a long time, don't rush coming off. The slower you go the less it will effect the BFS as well.

Rita
I am having anxiety and bad palpatations
especially at night making it hard to sleep. I am on ten -please you see my journal- since1/15/07 feel good mentally but physiologically I am having these symptoms they happened before they are horrible disapated in 15 days I can think of another ten days. Does anyone have experience or know if that will stop at 9 mgs???

ducktail · 01-20-2007, 04:26 PM

Mark, stay where you are until you feel better. Same thing happened to me, you will gradually feel better, it's just a matter of time. Just be patient, you have done really well to get this far, and I'm so glad to hear that you haven't given up!!!

KJ

markgerard · 01-20-2007, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducktail

Mark, stay where you are until you feel better. Same thing happened to me, you will gradually feel better, it's just a matter of time. Just be patient, you have done really well to get this far, and I'm so glad to hear that you haven't given up!!!

KJ

So you're saying to stay at 10mg for a while yet before dropping to 9? Another week maybe? My jaws just feel so sore right now and my neck and shoulder seem to have started to act up again. I felt like the jaws and neck problem got a little better towards the last week of being on 7.5mg.

Thanks and God Bless, Mark

Scott · 01-20-2007, 05:10 PM

really you have to make the decision here based on how you feel.. we can give you our personal experience but we only see it according to how we went through it. You have to listen to your body and know when to go further.

markgerard · 01-20-2007, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott

really you have to make the decision here based on how you feel.. we can give you our personal experience but we only see it according to how we went through it. You have to listen to your body and know when to go further.

I appreciate hearing the personal experiences because they do help a lot and I understand everyone is different. The way I feel right now isn't anywhere near how I thought I would feel after going back up to 10mg - in fact, I almost wish I would have stayed at 7.5mg in some ways so I have just been wondering if now isn't the time to drop to 9mg considering the fact that there hasn't been a lot of improvement in close to 2 weeks at 10mg (I have always reacted quickly to the changes in dosage - both up and down). I really didn't feel all that great towards the end of the 14 week period after stopping the Cipralex anyway.

A lot of people told me to go to 9mg from 7.5mg when I went up to 10mg after the 29 days I was at 7.5mg and I think that would have been a better choice but I didn't have the liquid or tabs at the time. Rather than waiting to see if I feel any better in a week or two - it almost makes more sense to go to 9mg rather than going through this all over again.

It's a hard decision for me to make right now.

Thanks and God Bless, Mark

scotty · 01-20-2007, 06:37 PM

I think sometimes you have to just commit to going lower, slowly, and go with it. While the slight increasing in doses "can" help if the withdrawal symptoms are just to bad to tolerate...if you can live with the situation it will level out. There is no such thing as a symptom free withdrawal for most.

Iksfreundin · 01-20-2007, 08:51 PM

It's only been one week since you went back to 12.5. Going up and down can make things worse. Make the decision based on the kind of time you have to feel bad: no time? wait at least two more weeks to stabilize on 10 or it could really hit you hard. All the time in the world? Go down to 9, but stay on it extra-long, at least a month, to give your body a chance to adjust to all the changing in doses.

Light · 01-20-2007, 10:01 PM

I agree with Terrap and the others.

scotty · 01-20-2007, 10:13 PM

I think it's much easier on the body to adjust the time factor instead of the dosing factor.

markgerard · 01-20-2007, 10:36 PM

Thanks so much for your help - I will stay at 10mg for a little while yet - this seems to be what most of you are recommending so I will see how I'm feeling on Feb. 1st and re-evaluate then. That's 11 days away, close to 2 weeks and I won't jump into anything before posting again (and seeing how I'm feeling, of course).

I just wanted to say what a great bunch of people you all are and how truly caring so many of you are - I thank you again for all your help.

God Bless, Mark

01-20-2007, 01:24 PM	#1
markgerard Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 473	Down to 9mg? Well, I am getting the liquid Paxil today - actually, the pharmacy is making capsules for me so I am considering going down to 9mg of Paxil tomorrow. I went from 10mg down to 7.5mg for 29 days which was just too hard of a drop for me so I went back up to 10mg for 4 days and then up to 12.5mg for 2 days and then back down to 10mg for 5 days. I can't say I've stabilized any but I am wondering what you think - should I stay at 10mg for a while longer yet or should I just start at 9mg tomorrow? Thanks for your help, God Bless, Mark __________________ - Started 20mg Paxil 1996, cut to 10mg in Apr/06 - Diagnosed with Benign Fasciculation Syndrome in Feb/06 (causes my body to twitch) - Switch to Cipralex (Lexapro) July/06 for 53 days - didn't agree with me (insomnia, nausea, etc.) - Back to 10mg of Paxil for 14 weeks, 7.5mg Dec. 11/06 - 10mg Jan. 10/07, 12.5mg Jan. 14/07 - Back at 10mg Jan 16/07 - 9mg Feb 8/07, 15mg Feb 26/07 - 9mg Mar 4/07 - 8.1mg Apr 29/07 - 7.3mg Jun 10/07 - 6.5mg Jul 8/07 - Off Paxil Aug/07

01-20-2007, 03:12 PM	#2
Casey1231 Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 717	Re: Down to 9mg? Hey, I've been on 10mg for many years. When I tried to drop to 7.5 mg in June of 2005, I felt good for 3 days and then bottomed out horrendously. I guess when you think about it, it's a 25% drop, which is a lot. Anyway, I dropped to 9mg on Tuesday, and while I definitely feel symptomatic, so far it has been tolerable. I plan on waiting at least several weeks, and then trying to go down another 10%, to 8.1, or maybe even to 8.3. I am in no rush, and absolutely can not be incapacitated like that again - two little kids here depend on me. Good luck and don't rush it. __________________ Paxil 10 or 20mg for 14 years for panic and depression - 10mg for past 7 years. Unable to continue slow wean with liquid. Attempt to switch to lexapro initially successful, then worsened anxiety, so now back on 10 of paxil.

01-20-2007, 03:58 PM	#3
rdjanis "has a lavender scented keyboard" Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ontario Posts: 22,238	Re: Down to 9mg? You have gone up and down quite a bit, I would stabilize at the 10 mg. at least a few weeks. From then on, drop only 1 mg, stabilizing for long periods in between. You have been on paxil a long time, don't rush coming off. The slower you go the less it will effect the BFS as well. __________________ Rita

01-20-2007, 04:26 PM	#6
ducktail Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 334	Re: Down to 9mg? Mark, stay where you are until you feel better. Same thing happened to me, you will gradually feel better, it's just a matter of time. Just be patient, you have done really well to get this far, and I'm so glad to hear that you haven't given up!!! KJ __________________ Started Aropax 40mg June 1997 Aropax causes me extreme lethargy, brain fog, weight gain, emotional numbness Tapered to 35mg Jan 2006 Tapering by 2.5mg every 2-3 weeks Down to 18mg April 2006 Starting to wake up and feel again!! Tapering by .5 to 1mg at a time Down to 8mg Sept 2006 Down to 5mg late Nov 2006 Back up to 5.5mg late Dec 2006 Down to 3mg June 2007 Down to ZERO 16 September 2007 Stopped taking Murelax Jan 2006 Weight loss: 15kg since Sept 2006

01-20-2007, 05:10 PM	#8
Scott Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: somewhere in between Posts: 11,616	Re: Down to 9mg? really you have to make the decision here based on how you feel.. we can give you our personal experience but we only see it according to how we went through it. You have to listen to your body and know when to go further. __________________ Scott aka Scott What has happened to it all? Crazy, some are saying Where is the life that I recognize? Gone away But I won't cry for yesterday There's an ordinary world Somehow I have to find And as I try to make my way To the ordinary world I will learn to survive surviving an ssri reaction alternative anxiety treatments

01-20-2007, 06:37 PM	#10
scotty Administrator & Advocate Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: new jersey Posts: 38,590	Re: Down to 9mg? I think sometimes you have to just commit to going lower, slowly, and go with it. While the slight increasing in doses "can" help if the withdrawal symptoms are just to bad to tolerate...if you can live with the situation it will level out. There is no such thing as a symptom free withdrawal for most. __________________ AKA Laurie "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." ~Frank A. Clark

01-20-2007, 08:51 PM	#11
Iksfreundin "Dancing Queen" Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA Posts: 3,572	Re: Down to 9mg? It's only been one week since you went back to 12.5. Going up and down can make things worse. Make the decision based on the kind of time you have to feel bad: no time? wait at least two more weeks to stabilize on 10 or it could really hit you hard. All the time in the world? Go down to 9, but stay on it extra-long, at least a month, to give your body a chance to adjust to all the changing in doses. __________________ 95' - started paxil, 20 mgs; up to 30. two ct's, then 60 mgs for years. 40 mgs in '02, poop-out in '05 start taper= 5/8/06 at 20 = 6/17/06 at 15 = 8/8/06 at 10 = 10/15/06 at 5 = 12/14/06 Paxil free as of 3/8/08 (drops were done gradually - not from 20 to 15 and so on) Smoke-free as of 2/27/08 Still doing well, no smoking yet and I haven't been hospitalized - 10/2/09 "You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless physicians, all of you!" Job 13:4, KJV Bible

01-20-2007, 10:01 PM	#12
Light Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,271	Re: Down to 9mg? I agree with Terrap and the others. __________________ Drug-free since 4/9/05 If you ever teach a yodeling class, probably the hardest thing is to keep the students from just trying to yodel right off the bat. You see, "we build to that. " — Jack Handey

01-20-2007, 10:13 PM	#13
scotty Administrator & Advocate Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: new jersey Posts: 38,590	Re: Down to 9mg? I think it's much easier on the body to adjust the time factor instead of the dosing factor. __________________ AKA Laurie "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." ~Frank A. Clark

01-20-2007, 10:36 PM	#14
markgerard Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 473	Re: Down to 9mg? Thanks so much for your help - I will stay at 10mg for a little while yet - this seems to be what most of you are recommending so I will see how I'm feeling on Feb. 1st and re-evaluate then. That's 11 days away, close to 2 weeks and I won't jump into anything before posting again (and seeing how I'm feeling, of course). I just wanted to say what a great bunch of people you all are and how truly caring so many of you are - I thank you again for all your help. God Bless, Mark __________________ - Started 20mg Paxil 1996, cut to 10mg in Apr/06 - Diagnosed with Benign Fasciculation Syndrome in Feb/06 (causes my body to twitch) - Switch to Cipralex (Lexapro) July/06 for 53 days - didn't agree with me (insomnia, nausea, etc.) - Back to 10mg of Paxil for 14 weeks, 7.5mg Dec. 11/06 - 10mg Jan. 10/07, 12.5mg Jan. 14/07 - Back at 10mg Jan 16/07 - 9mg Feb 8/07, 15mg Feb 26/07 - 9mg Mar 4/07 - 8.1mg Apr 29/07 - 7.3mg Jun 10/07 - 6.5mg Jul 8/07 - Off Paxil Aug/07

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