How to taper to a new antidepressant?

adtruckey · 12-30-2007, 05:18 AM

I previously posted about returning to Paxil. I just went back on 2 days ago to 20mg. I hope it will kick in soon. My reason for trying to get off after 8 years was wanting to get pregnant. I have decided I need an antidepressant to stay alive. After only a week of anxiety, I am ready to do anything to get back to normal.

Once I am stable, I would like to taper to another drug which I can more safely take during pregnancy. I would love to hear how others did this and if they still had withdrawl symptoms?

Thanks in advance

LCrawford67 · 12-30-2007, 08:11 AM

Most people don't have much success in doing this. It takes a very slow taper to safely get off of Paxil and most doctors don't recongnize that. So, what you end up with is withdrawal symptoms from Paxil and side effects from the new drug. That's a recipe for disaster! Others, who have actually done this, will chime in, I'm sure.

Also, up until a year or two ago, Paxil was considered safe during pregnancy. That's just something to think about, as I don't trust what "they" say about any of these drugs being safe during pregnancy.

May I ask, is your goal to be drug free? Or, is there a reason you want to stay on meds?

adtruckey · 12-30-2007, 11:19 AM

I now no longer care about being drug free, just feeling good. I know I sound like a junkie, but the past few says have been hell. I want to have another child, but at this state it would be IMPOSSIBLE. I cant even care for my daughter. It has only been a few days that I have felt incapacitated, so I have had no problem with my husband watching her. In a few more days, I don't know what I will do. That is why I'm am praying that my increase in dosage will kick in so I can go back to be the mommy I need to be. I am ready to hospitalize myself!

texgirl · 12-30-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adtruckey

I now no longer care about being drug free, just feeling good.

These two things do not have to be mutually exclusive. You feel like you do now because you weaned too fast, but that doesn't mean that you have to resign yourself to staying on Paxil. Once you're stable again, a slow, controlled taper can give you quality of life and keep w/d symptoms to a minimum.

Johnnny off Paxil · 12-30-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texgirl

These two things do not have to be mutually exclusive. You feel like you do now because you weaned too fast, but that doesn't mean that you have to resign yourself to staying on Paxil. Once you're stable again, a slow, controlled taper can give you quality of life and keep w/d symptoms to a minimum.

I agree.. prior to the invention of these horrible drugs what did people do..... we don't need these drugs to survive..though I must say BIG PHARMA would love you for saying that

Coming off of anti depressants is no picnic..its hell.... its a choice...many people choose comfort..only to find out later that these drugs don't even do that either.......

So it kinda like the guy at the Chevron pump...you can pay me now.....or you can pay me later

Regards, Johnny

blankets · 12-30-2007, 02:01 PM

adtruckey, none of these drugs are safe during pregnancy. they all have the potential to damage the child and some are born in withdrawal themselves.

safarigal · 12-30-2007, 04:26 PM

Have you thought about seeing a therapist to develop anxiety coping skills and perhaps find out what is creating the anxiety? No pill will cure it, only hold back the symptoms.

asylumsuz · 12-30-2007, 04:52 PM

adtrucky..........I TOTALLY understand that you feel you'll always be on medication. I have decreased my Paxil, gone through horrid withdrawal & finally now pretty much stable. I'm now on 20 mgs of Paxil. ( PLUS lithium, lamictal, topomax and xanax.) I would rather feel ok than go through the hell of withdrawal and being incapacitated. I am very accepting that I will stay on meds for the rest of my life........and that's ok. I just need to function semi-normally. Sometimes you just have to do whatever you need to do to to survive.
Susanna

asylumsuz · 12-30-2007, 04:55 PM

Adtruckey............an after thought..........do you really HAVE to have another child?? Can you just be happy with the one you have? Sometimes there's a reason for things. I just feel like sometimes you need to be thankful for what you have & take care of what you have.
I do know know that meds are not deemed safe during pregnancy........maybe another baby is just not safe for you.
Susanna

scotia21 · 12-30-2007, 05:24 PM

Please take the time to properly taper off of Paxil before you even consider having another child. It took me over 8 months to get off of Paxil and I still have some physical, emotional, and mental side effects. I am expecting to have problems for a while but I am looking on the bright side of things as well. Until you stabilize or are off of Paxil completely then adding the stress of having a newborn will only make things worse. I cannot even imagine how tough it would have been on me if my children had been younger while I was tapering.

Dawn B. · 12-30-2007, 06:36 PM

Adtruckey, if I recall I think you did wean off fast. Just how fast did you go?
Be careful about the fact you started back on 20 mg. I did that once, and it was HORROR that wound up with me in the ER. I had to stop again, after only two days back on , then go back slowly. The other thing is, as for the feeling that you will just stay on drugs for life to feel good, I probably would do that too, if I could. But after 7 yr. of Paxil, I hit poop out. And sooner or later, it WILL happen. These drugs don't work forever. I have no option to go back on. And that's probably a good thing.

babs · 12-30-2007, 07:02 PM

There is a HUGE difference in how you feel, depending on how fast you taper. The first time I quit Paxil, my doctor told me I could just stop it, and within 24 hours I was suicidal. Of course I got the standard "then you NEED to be on it" from him, I took another pill and felt fine the next day. That scared the crap out of me, and if that's what you're experiencing, I don't blame you for thinking you need an antidepressant. I didn't realize that what I was experiencing was extreme withdrawal from the Paxil. I tried to quit again a few years later but again went too fast, felt miserable and went back on. It was only after I found PaxilProgress that I was able to successfully quit Paxil. It is definitely doable when you go slow and listen to your body.

Dawn B. · 12-30-2007, 07:28 PM

I second what Babs said. I weaned myself off three times, not knowing anything about it. I took about 4-5 months each time. I was always totally fine until a month after I was completely off, then big time anxiety would hit and I'd go back on.

scotty · 12-30-2007, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adtruckey

I I have decided I need an antidepressant to stay alive.

So not true!! You "need" to wean properly to get off this drug successfully. Doing this will give YOU the control over the weaning and the symptoms. Delaying getting pregnant and weaning slowly will put your body in the best possible shape to handle a pregnancy and a new baby. Switching will put you at risk for uncontrolled withdrawal, start up side effects from a new drug, and put your infant at risk for withdrawal after birth.
This IS in your control. You don't have to be slave to this drug. The freedom is in YOU to get off it safely!!

adtruckey · 12-31-2007, 12:18 PM

Thank you for the posts. I still want to have a baby. I am 31, so still have a lot of time. I really didn't want to space my children to far apart. They would be 4 years if we got pregnant now. If it hadn't been for this, I would have never tried to get off Paxil. I was on it with baby #1 and had no issues!

My biggest fear now is that if I wean VERY slowly, maybe over the course of a year. What would I expect to feel once completely off the drug? So many people, including me, have very little side effects until totally off for some time. 2 weeks later, I was in the midst of a major breakdown. I wish I would have had a breakdown sooner, then re-starting med's wouldn't take so long.

Is it safer to have a baby at a tiny 5mg dose than a higher 20mg dose? Seems obvious, but you never know. I need to do more research since I don't for see ever getting completely off this drug!

lola76 · 12-31-2007, 01:21 PM

I too am a 31 year old female. I was put on Paxil 6 years ago to deal with panic disorder and depression brought on by the panic attacks. I would like to have another child, but I know that right now is not the best time for me. I am down to 1 mg. of Paxil from 30mg.It has taken me about a year and a half to get here to the 1mg. So it is a long process. I know that if i was to get preganant right now ,even at such a low dose of Paxil, I would be very scared for the my unborn child, due to the risks involved while on Paxil. I do not believe that any dose of Paxil is safe for a fetus. There are so many risks involved in being pregant while on Paxil and I am sure many other drugs as well. Plus you do not know what other damages the paxil will have on your system. For me it has probably cause my Hypothyroid, Elevated blood preassure, and pre-diabetic. I've read that being hypothyroid decreases your chances of conceiving. So my advice to you would be to seek a good therapist to help you get to the root of your anxiety. Try to wean off the Pxil slowly, very slowly. Then when you are completely off the drug you'll be ready to conceive, drug free!!!

12-30-2007, 08:11 AM	#2
LCrawford67 Moderator "Everybody poops" Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 26,493	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? Most people don't have much success in doing this. It takes a very slow taper to safely get off of Paxil and most doctors don't recongnize that. So, what you end up with is withdrawal symptoms from Paxil and side effects from the new drug. That's a recipe for disaster! Others, who have actually done this, will chime in, I'm sure. Also, up until a year or two ago, Paxil was considered safe during pregnancy. That's just something to think about, as I don't trust what "they" say about any of these drugs being safe during pregnancy. May I ask, is your goal to be drug free? Or, is there a reason you want to stay on meds? __________________ aka LC aka Laurie C. Paxil, 20 mg since 1997, for IBS Two unsuccessful attempts to quit. Started tapering 11/27/06 PAXIL FREE 12/29/07 If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. ~Kevin James

12-30-2007, 11:19 AM	#3
adtruckey Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 6	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? I now no longer care about being drug free, just feeling good. I know I sound like a junkie, but the past few says have been hell. I want to have another child, but at this state it would be IMPOSSIBLE. I cant even care for my daughter. It has only been a few days that I have felt incapacitated, so I have had no problem with my husband watching her. In a few more days, I don't know what I will do. That is why I'm am praying that my increase in dosage will kick in so I can go back to be the mommy I need to be. I am ready to hospitalize myself!

12-30-2007, 02:01 PM	#6
blankets Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ontario Posts: 1,205	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? adtruckey, none of these drugs are safe during pregnancy. they all have the potential to damage the child and some are born in withdrawal themselves. __________________ 1998-2006 Stops and starts because of intense w/d. Final try - Spaced each tablet out over a period of days before stopping, ended up in a protracted withdrawal for around 14 months. Paxil free April 8, 2006. I'm pretty much normal again, minus some social problems I need to work on.

12-30-2007, 04:26 PM	#7
safarigal Moderator Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 4,891	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? Have you thought about seeing a therapist to develop anxiety coping skills and perhaps find out what is creating the anxiety? No pill will cure it, only hold back the symptoms. __________________ Julie Paxil free since Nov 2002! Forum Rules Withdrawal FAQ

12-30-2007, 04:52 PM	#8
asylumsuz Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: central NJ Posts: 79	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? adtrucky..........I TOTALLY understand that you feel you'll always be on medication. I have decreased my Paxil, gone through horrid withdrawal & finally now pretty much stable. I'm now on 20 mgs of Paxil. ( PLUS lithium, lamictal, topomax and xanax.) I would rather feel ok than go through the hell of withdrawal and being incapacitated. I am very accepting that I will stay on meds for the rest of my life........and that's ok. I just need to function semi-normally. Sometimes you just have to do whatever you need to do to to survive. Susanna

12-30-2007, 05:18 AM	#1
adtruckey Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 6	How to taper to a new antidepressant? I previously posted about returning to Paxil. I just went back on 2 days ago to 20mg. I hope it will kick in soon. My reason for trying to get off after 8 years was wanting to get pregnant. I have decided I need an antidepressant to stay alive. After only a week of anxiety, I am ready to do anything to get back to normal. Once I am stable, I would like to taper to another drug which I can more safely take during pregnancy. I would love to hear how others did this and if they still had withdrawl symptoms? Thanks in advance

12-30-2007, 04:55 PM	#9
asylumsuz Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: central NJ Posts: 79	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? Adtruckey............an after thought..........do you really HAVE to have another child?? Can you just be happy with the one you have? Sometimes there's a reason for things. I just feel like sometimes you need to be thankful for what you have & take care of what you have. I do know know that meds are not deemed safe during pregnancy........maybe another baby is just not safe for you. Susanna

12-30-2007, 05:24 PM	#10
scotia21 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 5,419	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? Please take the time to properly taper off of Paxil before you even consider having another child. It took me over 8 months to get off of Paxil and I still have some physical, emotional, and mental side effects. I am expecting to have problems for a while but I am looking on the bright side of things as well. Until you stabilize or are off of Paxil completely then adding the stress of having a newborn will only make things worse. I cannot even imagine how tough it would have been on me if my children had been younger while I was tapering. __________________ 1/05/07 20mg-17.5 1/20 17.5-15 2/24 15-12.5 3/08 12.5-10 3/29 10-7.5 4/12 7.5-5 6/15 5-3.75 6/30 3.75-2.5 7/28 2.5-1.5ish 8/11 1.5-1 8/25 1- zero "Keep lighting candles, eventually nobody will be in the dark" me "Why is it so hard for everybody to believe that a pill can change brain chemistry for the better but not for the worse?" me "Time does not come in pill form" me

12-30-2007, 06:36 PM	#11
Dawn B. Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ramona, CA. Posts: 1,322	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? Adtruckey, if I recall I think you did wean off fast. Just how fast did you go? Be careful about the fact you started back on 20 mg. I did that once, and it was HORROR that wound up with me in the ER. I had to stop again, after only two days back on , then go back slowly. The other thing is, as for the feeling that you will just stay on drugs for life to feel good, I probably would do that too, if I could. But after 7 yr. of Paxil, I hit poop out. And sooner or later, it WILL happen. These drugs don't work forever. I have no option to go back on. And that's probably a good thing. __________________ Mt 19:26 'With God, all things are possible' Started Paxil 2000 for post partem anxiety Happily on it until it pooped out 2/07 Started cutting down way too fast 7/07 from 20 mg. to 10 mg. and got very sick. Found PP, went back to 13 mg. Waited and waited and never stablized. Began slow wean, down to 7 mg. over a year. Never felt well. Trashed the paxil at 7 mg. in Aug. '08.

12-30-2007, 07:02 PM	#12
babs Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 4,942	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? There is a HUGE difference in how you feel, depending on how fast you taper. The first time I quit Paxil, my doctor told me I could just stop it, and within 24 hours I was suicidal. Of course I got the standard "then you NEED to be on it" from him, I took another pill and felt fine the next day. That scared the crap out of me, and if that's what you're experiencing, I don't blame you for thinking you need an antidepressant. I didn't realize that what I was experiencing was extreme withdrawal from the Paxil. I tried to quit again a few years later but again went too fast, felt miserable and went back on. It was only after I found PaxilProgress that I was able to successfully quit Paxil. It is definitely doable when you go slow and listen to your body. __________________ Babs Paxil 20mg 1994-2005 2 failed attempts to quit Tapered Jan-April 2005 Paxil-free since May 1, 2005 "Glinda the Good Witch informed her that she had the power to go home all along; all she had to do was click her heels together. Why hadn't she told Dorothy that in the first place? Because, explains Glinda, she wouldn't have believed it, she had to learn it for herself."

12-30-2007, 07:28 PM	#13
Dawn B. Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ramona, CA. Posts: 1,322	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? I second what Babs said. I weaned myself off three times, not knowing anything about it. I took about 4-5 months each time. I was always totally fine until a month after I was completely off, then big time anxiety would hit and I'd go back on. __________________ Mt 19:26 'With God, all things are possible' Started Paxil 2000 for post partem anxiety Happily on it until it pooped out 2/07 Started cutting down way too fast 7/07 from 20 mg. to 10 mg. and got very sick. Found PP, went back to 13 mg. Waited and waited and never stablized. Began slow wean, down to 7 mg. over a year. Never felt well. Trashed the paxil at 7 mg. in Aug. '08.

12-31-2007, 12:18 PM	#15
adtruckey Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 6	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? Thank you for the posts. I still want to have a baby. I am 31, so still have a lot of time. I really didn't want to space my children to far apart. They would be 4 years if we got pregnant now. If it hadn't been for this, I would have never tried to get off Paxil. I was on it with baby #1 and had no issues! My biggest fear now is that if I wean VERY slowly, maybe over the course of a year. What would I expect to feel once completely off the drug? So many people, including me, have very little side effects until totally off for some time. 2 weeks later, I was in the midst of a major breakdown. I wish I would have had a breakdown sooner, then re-starting med's wouldn't take so long. Is it safer to have a baby at a tiny 5mg dose than a higher 20mg dose? Seems obvious, but you never know. I need to do more research since I don't for see ever getting completely off this drug!

12-31-2007, 01:21 PM	#16
lola76 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California Posts: 386	Re: How to taper to a new antidepressant? I too am a 31 year old female. I was put on Paxil 6 years ago to deal with panic disorder and depression brought on by the panic attacks. I would like to have another child, but I know that right now is not the best time for me. I am down to 1 mg. of Paxil from 30mg.It has taken me about a year and a half to get here to the 1mg. So it is a long process. I know that if i was to get preganant right now ,even at such a low dose of Paxil, I would be very scared for the my unborn child, due to the risks involved while on Paxil. I do not believe that any dose of Paxil is safe for a fetus. There are so many risks involved in being pregant while on Paxil and I am sure many other drugs as well. Plus you do not know what other damages the paxil will have on your system. For me it has probably cause my Hypothyroid, Elevated blood preassure, and pre-diabetic. I've read that being hypothyroid decreases your chances of conceiving. So my advice to you would be to seek a good therapist to help you get to the root of your anxiety. Try to wean off the Pxil slowly, very slowly. Then when you are completely off the drug you'll be ready to conceive, drug free!!!

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