New to Forums, I just want off Paxil NOW!

[thtr4me]

Hello! Thought I would jump in and say hi. I was diagnosed with PPD after the birth of my son 2+ years ago, and have been on Paxil for about 18 months. I am weaning off the Paxil in anticipation of getting pregnant with #2.

So glad I found this forum, although I can't say it has been very encouraging reading. I had no idea that getting off Paxil was going to be so hard. I stopped cold turkey for a while when we though t I was pregnant, and it was horrible - dizziness , shocks, and irritablity . I am now down to half my original dose of 12.5mg, but just want to stop taking it now!

I have been pleasantly surprised that I feel so much more passionate about EVERYTHING! I have been taking some of my hobbies back up, getting my sewing done, and yes, I have been more irritable as well (although that could also be due to my menstrual cycle starting back up after a 3 year break due to pregnancy and breastfeeding).

Would love to hear any positive stories of tapering off Paxil faster than what I see recommended on this site. I am taking it much slower than my doctor would have me do it though. He recommended going down to a half dose for a week, and then stopping altogether. I have been at 1/2 dose now for about 2 weeks, and so far so good. I just don't want to go through the dizziness and shocks that I experienced before.

Thanks in advance, and thank you so much for this site!

[texgirl]

Welcome to PaxilProgress. You are not going to find many success stories here of people who tapered faster than recommended by this site. Most members wound up here because we tapered quickly or CT'd, either on our own or on the advice of ignorant, if usually well-meaning, doctors.

You need to realize that Paxil has altered your brain in a major way. Removing the drug quickly will send it into chaos. The only way to avoid that is to make small drops (10% of your dose or less) every few weeks. If you try to go too fast, you'll end up piling drop upon drop and your brain just can't keep up with the changes. That's where the trouble starts. The fact that you've already experienced one hard CT withdrawal should be a warning sign that you need to take it slow. One way to look at it is that you can either taper quickly and suffer a long, drawn-out, difficult withdrawal, or you can slow down your taper and still have a good quality of life, enjoy your family and hobbies, etc. The amount of time it takes will probably be about the same, but with the second method you'll feel much better and be in control; the first way, Paxil is in control and you're in for, at best, an unpredictable ride. Throwing changing hormones into the mix will only add to the difficulty.

Good for you for wanting to get off the drug. Please consider taking it slow and being safe.

[scotia21]

Well first of all - welcome to the site. The people here are wonderful and very helpful. However - you will not find very many of us that will recommend a fast taper. It really does not save you any time or heartache in the end. You might feel fine now but it could take weeks for the withdrawal symptoms to hit. I went way too fast on some of my drops and it really hit me when I got down to 5 mg. The important thing is to take care of yourself and realize that this is a healing process and not a race. We are here when you need us. Congratulations on your decision to get this junk out of your body.

[BJo]

Most here were told by their doctor to "cut the pill in 1/2 for a week or two, then stop taking. You should be fine."

It's the standard, pattented answer, but it's totally bad advice.

Please taper wisely, or you could be setting yourself up for failure.

Read and learn, and listen to the advice you get from those who have "been there, done that".

It has helped me in my journey to get off this stuff. 6 months into it, and I'm not quite at 1/2 my original dose, but I've been on it for 10 years.

[Alsacienne]

Welcome! And congratulations for deciding to manage your antidepressant medication rather than let it manage you! I have been using the tapering schedule on here since September, and it has generally helped me, and I am now well on the way, and much less frightened of side effects because I know that that's what they are, and nothing new!!

I had bad PPD, but in 'those days' I was prescribed a 'tricyclic' and that did the trick but as no one had heard of withdrawal symptoms 25 years ago, I did have some problems when I came off it.

You are in good hands here, and I wish you and your family all the very best.

[thtr4me]

Thanks so much for all the replies already!!! It feels wonderful to get so much support. I am just going to hang at this dose for a while. I am thinking at least 4-6 weeks before I taper my dose down any further.

I am sooo not a patient person, so trying to be patient is really hard. I am going to just keep telling myself that it will be so much better to do this slowly, than at the fast pace my doctor was recommending.

And I am feeling a bit dizzy today, but I also forgot my lunch and my toddler did not let me sleep last night. Hopefully a good dinner tonight will fix the dizziness. I would really hate to have to up my dose again.

For those of you who have been doing this a while, if you start having side affects at a lower dose, have you had any problems taking a bit more for a day or to for relief and then going back down to the lower dose? Do you just wait it out? Or do you fo back to the higher dose and try tapering off again later?

I just don't want to go through those side affects again. I can handle the little shocks, but the vertigo, not so much.

[nicemom]

Welcome. Please take the advice and do not go any faster than is recommended. Even if you taper fast you can get some really bad w/d symptoms hit you later on when it is too late to go back on.

I am impatient also and went c/t and I have suffered terribly. If I could have a do-over, I would have tapered. No if's and's or but's. If you do it right you will have no regrets later on and it will be tolerable and you will be able to continue living your life.

It is not a good idea to have to go back up and down in dose, but you can go up if you need to throughout the taper, get stable, and continue to taper. In my opinion it will only prolong things. Take it slow and steady. The lower doses are the hardest. Some people think that its such a small amount, and they have done fine previous and they try to speed things up and end up with worst symptoms and it can be difficult to stabelize.

Good luck!

[BJo]

Originally Posted by thtr4me

For those of you who have been doing this a while, if you start having side affects at a lower dose, have you had any problems taking a bit more for a day or to for relief and then going back down to the lower dose? Do you just wait it out? Or do you fo back to the higher dose and try tapering off again later?

No, don't take more for a day. It won't do any good. See, the side effects are because of the way this medicine screws up your neurotransmitters in your brain. It happens over time. Your brain has to re-learn (slowly) how to handle the seratonin/melatonin/dopamine levels again as they readjust during your taper. That's the reason you go very slowly - - so that your brain and body can heal and re-learn without completely yanking the rug out from underneath them.