Please help with withdrawal

[hopeless]

Can anyone give me advice? I have been on Paxil for almost two years and I recently have been trying to quit. It is mainly for financial reasons - I graduated from college and no longer have health insurance so I can't afford to see a psychiatrist and pay for my prescriptions. I managed to get three months' supply before my insurance ended. I am on my last bottle now. I have been trying to cut back. My prescription is for 40 mg, but I have been cutting the pills in half and taking 20 mg dosages. I am trying to tape off, by waiting longer and longer in between each pill, but I can never last longer than about two or three days before the headahces, dizziness, nausea and vertigo become too much. I have to go to work everyday so I need to concentrate. I feel like I am making no progress. Do you think I should just force myself to wait a day longer every time? And is it at all possible to just quit cold turkey? If I just stop taking the pills when will the withdrawal stop?

[rdjanis]

Welcome hopeless. A slow withdrawal, taking a daily dose and weaning every few weeks is the way to go. Cold turkey usually just ends people back on the meds, the withdrawal can last longer, and be dangerous.

Weaning slowly allows the brain to heal and does not cause such a shock.

Read the faq page, the threads and inform yourself so you get off successfully.

Take care.

[Charlie]

Hopeless
Welcome to PP and I hope your screen name isn't an indication of your mindset. Skipping days is bad news because it throws you in and out of withdrawal. The best way is a consistant daily dose then reducing by about 10% and staying there until you become stable again for a week or two.

I would stay at 20 every day until you're stable. I would try to get generic Paxil in 10 mg pills because it's easier to do a smaller taper unless you can get the liquid. Even GSK says not to CT off Paxil because it's dangerous.

Might consider changing the name, you're among friends that will be here to help.

[Katesmom]

Paxil's half-life is only 23 hours, so waiting longer between doses is not a useful way to taper. Reducing the dosage slowly while taking a daily dose is the only way to go. This is a process that, if done safely, ought to take several months.

See if you can get your doc to call in a six month prescription to a local walmart for the generic. Many walmarts sell this drug for $4 for a month's worth of pills. If your p-doc won't do it, it would be worth going to a GP who will. Try to get 10mg pills, but for a 20mg dose, so you can taper more slowly by quartering the pills.

I realize that this might require a doctor's visit that might cost some money. Go to a free clinic if you have to. It is worth every penny that you can give it. I went cold turkey and I could not have held even a part time job for the first year. My story is not unique. If you want to function while in withdrawal, you MUST taper slowly and cautiously.

[Katesmom]

Might consider changing the name, you're among friends that will be here to help.

Amen to that! This is a place of hope and we give it out freely and often! If you decide to change your name, let Scotty know and she'll take care of it. You wouldn't be the first.

[hopeless]

Thank you for all of the replies!

Since I am doing ok with the 20 mg do you think it is ok for me to take 20 mg everyday this week and then 10 mg the next week?

Also, does Paxil generally make people gain weight? I used to be very thin - I'm 5'9 and I weighed about 135 lbs before I began taking Paxil, I now weigh about 195 lbs. I have never been this heavy in my entire life. I have tried to diet and lose weight, but nothing really helped. I kept gaining weight, and kept eating because I was depressed about losing weight (and in general, which is why I was taking Paxil!)... and here I am.

[Delynbetter]

It can be done! You may be 'Hopeless' now, but you will not be. I began here as NotDelynWell (not dealin' well), but now you can see I'm DeLynBetter, all thanks to this site. Welcome to the board!

[Katesmom]

Originally Posted by hopeless

Since I am doing ok with the 20 mg do you think it is ok for me to take 20 mg everyday this week and then 10 mg the next week?

Honestly, no. That is essentially cold turkey. That's about how I quit. You should take twenty every day until you feel stable. Then taper by about 1/4 of a 10mg pill--to 17.5mg. You might be able to get away with a reduction to 15mg, but that is a 25% reduction. It would be a tough one. The bigger the reduction, the longer that it will take to feel fully stable to reduce again and the worse you will feel until you do stabilize. That means that the bigger reduction really won't gain you much of anything. It would be easier to live your life to stick with the 2.5mg/3-5 week reduction schedule.

I would strongly recommend against going to quickly. The fallout continues for months and months. If you just quit, it throws your brain into complete, unfettered chaos. This chaos will only resolve itself when the cells have regenerated themselves--that often takes more than a year!

I was on paxil for 20 months at 20mg. I quit after a three week 'taper' that involved skipping days. At nearly 21 months off of the drug, I still have some pretty notable withdrawal issues. I was put on this drug for pregnancy-induced hypertension. The things that I am enduring are like nothing I have ever experiences. Please, consider a safe taper. I'm here daily to help save people from what I went through. I thought I could tough it out; I wish I didn't have to.

Also, does Paxil generally make people gain weight?

Oh yes, notorious for it. It will come off only when your hormones get righted. This happens when it happens. Try to go with the flow, live healthfully all the way around, and it will come off on its own. Forcing it really doesn't help.

[Kristin]

I can't tell you how many of us wanted to quit so badly we did a fast taper and then ended up crashing and having to go back on and start over. For many they can't go back on and the body rejects the med. it's a bad place to be.

The good news for you is doctors seem to pass this stuff out like candy so it may not be that hard to find someone to prescribe. I had a nurse practitioner give it to me.

If you search weight gain on this site you will find many threads where people are struggling with the weight gained on meds. Again, the good news is that several months off meds lots of folks start dropping the weight.

Go slow- it's safer, easier, and generally more successful. Welcome to the site!

[Chrysalis]

Isn't there some resource that's been mentioned around here that can help pay for the drug for those who have no insurance coverage or financial hardship?

Anybody have the details for Hopeless?

Margaret

[Katesmom]

I think Parnership for Prescription Assistance helps some people. It is funded by BigPharma. Some call GSK directly. But, with $4 prescriptions available at Walmart, it should save on the red tape.

[Chrysalis]

Paxil for $4 for people without insurance? Is Walmart subsidizing Paxil? OMG, 90% of the population is going to be on this crap eventually.

Margaret

[nicemom]

I think it is $4 all the time now at WM. Generic paxil in now included in those they sell for the low price. I wish it had been that price when I was buying it!!!

Hopeless, can your regular doc call in the script without you seeing the pschy or can the pschy? My script used to be good for 12 mos so I didn't have to do an office visit just to get it. When you get to lower doses don't forget to ask for the lower dosage pills because they are easier to have an accurate dose when you cut the pills.

[imaquitter]

I'm in the middle of basically a cold turkey withdrawal (tapered in 2 weeks from 20 mg). Im on my 3rd month. I don't have any plans to go back on. But I don't recommend doing cold turkey. The physical withdrawals last for about 3 weeks and are absolutely horrible. After that the mental withdrawals set in and have been there ever since. If I could go back I would have tapered. I recommend that you take it slow even if it cost you a little more.

[Homerbcool]

absolutely agree with iamaquitter..and not only becuase of the homer simpson avator..although that goes to show how truly intelligent he/she is...

Put a price on your mental health..i would rather go with out eating fast food for a month to pay for the dam pills...whatever it takes to do a good slow taper..

[slappyintheface]

Do the slow taper and take good care of yourself during the process. Start eating better - exercise - get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air - take relaxing walks and my cure for everything ------- a bubble bath !!! Tapering off of this crap has taught me sooooooooo much about myself and how to appreciate the small stuff.

[eileen]

GSK will give it to you, if you can't afford it. Try looking on their website and get their toll free number. It's worth a try. Yes Paxil has caused terrible weight gain for me and it's horrible. It Poison.
eileen

[pax80]

Originally Posted by eileen

GSK will give it to you, if you can't afford it. Try looking on their website and get their toll free number. It's worth a try. Yes Paxil has caused terrible weight gain for me and it's horrible. It Poison.
eileen

Is that true eileen???

[eileen]

Yes, I don't know what you have to fill out to get it, but they will.
eileen