Which is easier....cold turkey or dragging it out?

As soon as my husband gets back from a business trip, I'm going to get off this &*$% paxil. In everyone's opinion, is is easier to just go cold turkey or wean myself off of it. I have a very, very busy life and I can see taking a week off to cold turkey it as opposed to taking several months to lower the dosage. I just want this stuff out of my system ASAP!! What experiences do other people have.
BTW, I gained 40 lbs in 5 yrs after being on this stuff and I want to get to work to get that weight off too!
Thanks for any words of wisdom!

Hi-
Definitely do not go cold turkey -- it makes you go haywire and can lead to irrational and/or embarrassing behavior...like it did to me...
TAPERING is the name of the game in my humble opinion!

[Joelle]

I went cold-turkey though I would never reccommend it to anyone... BUT if I had to do it all over again I'd still go cold-turkey. It was absolutely horrible and very intense but 6 weeks later I am 99.9% physicaly and mentally healthy again. It might have been easier for me to go through had I been fully informed at the outset about Paxil w/d, and been prepared with suppliments, etc. It was really scarey because I didn't know what was happening to me (until I found this wonderful place!) I would definitely recommend taking leave from work and having someone else around to help, I am lucky enough to be unemployed and have no children right now, I would have never been able to deal with a job & kids throught he w/d. I consider myself very lucky and blessed to have made it through the most horrible experience fo my life, and to be recovering so quickly. Everyone's different though so there's no way knowing if it would be the same for you if you went cold turkey. I honestly don't know which is better, tapering or CT, seems like the same misery only in different degrees. Going CT is probably more of a shock to your body though. Damn near killed me

[JulieG]

I really envy people who can go cold turkey. Personally it was too much for me. I was going to check into a hospital. You could follow the label instructions and then if that is too quick... well you'll definitely know it. You could start up again. The first time I quit Paxil it was cold turkey. The second time I followed the label. It was still too much for me. I had to go back on it. The only problem with doing it this way is that it took me several weeks to feel average again. This time I am going really slow. 2.5mgs at a time. Of course I'm at 7.5mgs now, where I've been since the beginning of July. I was too sick to drop at the beginning of August like I wanted. If you do decide to CT it, make sure you always have a Paxil with you just in case. Make sure you know all the warning signs. Don't let your emotions get too haywire - you don't want any disasters. What does your doctor suggest?

I will join the chorus of those folks encouraging a slower, taper approach. I have tried to come off Paxil twice before. The first time was cold turkey from 20 mgs. This was my own personal "Vietnam" - horrific and it probably does not given enough credit to Vietnam. My second time was coming off just as fast, except with Zoloft added in - wrong idea, again. This last time has been MUCH easier and perhaps still too fast (20 mgs. 1 mo., 10 mgs. 1 month, 5 mgs. 1 month) - I am plugging along and willing to give the month(s) more to overcome the addiction. I applaud those who could do it cold turkey, but I am clearly not one of those people.

There are few shortcuts on the road of life . . . Bill

[Joelle]

Originally Posted by gettingonwithit

I will join the chorus of those folks encouraging a slower, taper approach. I have tried to come off Paxil twice before. The first time was cold turkey from 20 mgs. This was my own personal "Vietnam" - horrific and it probably does not given enough credit to Vietnam.

Bill what an excellent descripion. It was absolute hell on earth.

[safarigal]

Add me to the list of don't go cold turkey! I tried doing that last year and thought I was going insane. Terrible dreams, terrible zaps, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

Taper down slowly is my advice.

[Paxil Junkie]

same here, im too out of it to remember clearly and im lucky i can't it was horrible and would never want to go through it again or have neone go through it

[Phillip]

I haven't read any of the other replies yet, but cold turkey after 5 years? You think you can do it in a week?

Good luck to you.

Taking a WEEK to get off Paxil after 5 years. I don't mean to be unsympathetic, but that's completely unrealistic.

If you manage to pull it off, though, I'd like to hear about it, because it'd be one for the records books.

Best of luck to you,

Sorry to sound so harsh, but I've been through hell coming off this drug. I personally could not have survived or tolerated cold turkey, but everyone is different and each person's experience is worse or not as bad as the other person's.

I used to be frustrated also thinking that I had to experience withdrawal problems with each dose reduction, and although it was really really tough, it was nothing like when I tried cold turkey twice before. I simply couldn't tolerate cold turkey. My withdrawal symptoms were just too too much. I have been off the drug for 10 days now completely, but this is after a very gradual taper over several months (since April) and only beginning down from 10 mgs. which is all that I had been on for a long time anyway. One of the reasons though that I think I had such difficulty with withdrawal is because I was on paxil for many years.

By the way, I also gained 45 lbs. within 5 months of being put on paxil. I am now wondering and waiting to see if some of this weight begins to come off. I hope it hasn't had a permanent effect on my metabolism.

You'll get plenty of good advice here. Good luck and prepare yourself for a difficult, painful and uncomfortable experience. We're not going to put the cherries on the cake for you here because we are real and we are straight, especially when it comes to Paxil withdrawal.'

Good luck
Sandra

I appreciate everyone's honesty. I've had too much smoke blown up my *&^ when it comes to Paxil and it's nice to have people tell you the truth in regards to this drug. I think I'll take the weaning method after reading everyone's input. I start on Saturday!!!

[JulieG]

OH Good Luck! I hope its as easy as pie. Keep us posted. We'll be cheering for you!

I think that is a good decision. I have quit three times cold turkey. Made it like 3 months once before going back on. Less the other times. This stuff, regardless of its halflife, takes a long time to release from the receptors in your brain and it has been handling things for your brain for a long time. After 5 years, you need to give your body time to adjust to doing it for itself again. I have tapered very slowly, 2.5 mg per time for at least a month each dose reduction and am now on only some drops made of Paxil. I think it is the only way to stay off for good although that won't be proven until 3 or 4 months from now. More than the withdrawal and such, I think the taper is critical in allowing your body the time it needs to adjust. You can't just jerk that support away all at once. The body becomes confused and doesn't know how to deal with it. Allow your body time to relearn the function that it has not been doing for five years.

Geez Robert,

I can't believe you were off paxil for 3 months and still got back on because of withdrawal symptoms. That's not reassuring at all. That makes me feel like the withdrawal could go on for 3 months even after you take your last pill. Is this what you're saying? That you went three months paxil free but the withdrawal was so bad you had to get back on? I would think it would have been hell within the first three months that might have driven you to get back on, but not after three months of stopping. Could you please clarify this a bit before I decide to not be so excited about finally being off this crap? Thanks Robert

Sandra

[JulieG]

Sandra: When I went cold turkey, I was off of it for 3 months too - maybe 4, before I went back on it. It was horrible and didn't seem to be getting any better at all. I agree with Robert - I think it was such a sudden adjustment for my body when I stopped taking it that my body couldn't recoup. Since we are tapering now, our bodies and brains are slowly being retrained and now we'll be successful. (I hope.) I didn't realize I wasn't alone in going off for so long and then going back on. I very rarely had any good days in my cold turkey withdrawal and since you're now completely off and doing pretty good - well I bet you're gonna be a withdrawal success story.

Thanks for the reassurance. I sure hope you're right. The thing is I'm still pretty shakey and a bit unstable in my emotions and moods. In fact, it's been suggested to me that I be given a little dose of a mood stabilizer such as depakote to help with the mood stuff. It almost seems to me that Paxil has created a type of "mood disorder problem" which I never had before. Either that or the withdrawal symptoms are similar to that of a mood disorder.

Sandra

Sandra -

Last year at this time, I quit cold turkey (or relatively after 2 weeks from 20mgs). I made it two months before I had to go back on. It was just too intense for me to handle the waves of emotions and crying fits and rage/anger. I have never before suffered this in my life. I think Paxil withdrawal causes this, but that it is not a result of being on Paxil, in and of itself. As I have tapered of more slowly this time, I find much less anger and weepiness (although it took 3 weeks to subside after the 10mg to 5 mg drop). Each day I feel a bit stronger, but it is slow and incremental. I don't think that I have a resulting problem with my mood from being on Paxil, only from trying to come off of it!

Blessings,
Bill

The first two weeks pretty much took care of the headaches, dizzyness and such and then the emotions just built over time. I was angry and had intense emotions. I finally started waking up at night with anxiety attacks like I was having for which I was prescribed the stuff originally. I thought that it was just that old anxiety coming back so I started up again with success. I quit for like 2 months once also with the same result. Maybe I indeed was not ready, but I think it is discontinuation and if you don't go off very slowly, you are likely to have to start again. That's just my opinion and my experience. Regardless, I think you need to quit much more slowly than most doctors think and you have to replace it with something to deal with the issues that caused it in the first place. That takes adjustments in self thinking, lifestyle changes, exercise, task oriented days, or whatever works for you.

We've decided that I'm going to begin a "very low dose" of a mood stabilizer called Depakote. The doctor can see that I'm having a mood disorder going on whether it's from paxil withdrawal or not. She says that this should help me with the anger/mood swings. I have to go have some liver tests first though (going to the lab later) because they have to have a base for your liver enzymes before you start this drug as it has the potential to elevate the liver enzymes so they will watch me. I've decided to take it and see if it helps. I'd rather do that and then come off this at a later time when the paxil withdrawal stuff is over, rather than even think of going back on paxil. Wish me luck & I'll keep you posted as to how it works.

Sandra

Sandra,

Of course, we will be thinking and praying for you as you move through this next step. The emotional swings can be quite intense, for sure. I will be very interested to hear how you adjust to this new meds and how you find the continued paxil withdrawal process.

Have you ever experienced intense emotional swings like this, prior to taking paxil? Does your doctor "believe" in this discontinuation syndrome?

I'll be thinking of you!
Bill

[JulieG]

Sandra, Good Luck! I hope this works wonders for you.

No Bill, I never have. This is what's scaring the heck out of me. I almost feel as if the paxil withdrawal has induced a mood disorder. I know it's part of the symptoms of withdrawal, but I can't go on like this. Today I've either been angry angry angry or crying crying crying. Nobody can talk to me and I can't stand anything or anyone around me. I was researching some other places about the paxil withdrawal problems and found "mania induction" to be one of them. Today when I went to the doctor and described what is going on with me, she said it is definitely is a description of a milder form of hypomania, rather than a full blown manic depression. Anotherwords, I'm not doing crazy or impulsive things; I'm just so angry and my mood swings are horrendous. She said a mood stabilizer at a low dose should really help to stabilize me. I just need some relief at this point. I really cannot go on feeling and functioning this way much longer. I do not want to go back to Paxil after all that I have learned. After all, isn't this what the lawsuits are all about?

I sure hope this works for me because if anything, I have to get back to work. I can't be out of work forever because I'm too angry and crying all the time to function in a work environment. This has all happened since paxil withdrawal. I began coming down from 10 mgs. in April. I cannot believe this nightmare. The only thing that's better is that I no longer feel RAGE, just anger and crying all the time.

Sandra

Sandra - man that really stinks! That's kind of what happened to me the other times I quit basically cold turkey, only not quite so intense. The emotions just got more and more intense until I just went back on the stuff. It is a great idea you have to try a low dose of a different med while this passes. If my memory is correct, didn't you wean for quite a while down to 2.5 and then stop? It seems crazy, and you would think the 2.5 was so small you could just stop, but I have found it to be just as difficult as the other decreases (going from the 2.5 to the drops of remedy). Hang in there and remember all you have learned. It will pull you through this!

Sandra,

I have certainly been there! Last year, when I stopped cold turkey - the anger and weepy episode were so intense that I had to go back on after 2 months. I had truly turned into a person I hadn't known!

This is a side-effect - NOT Sandra, I am sure! Keep telling yourself this!

Did you discuss with your doc. about going back on 2.5 mgs. of paxil for a week or two?? Why or why not? Why try a new drug??? How about trying 5-HTP for moods (check with doct. first)...

Blessings, Bill

Today I am so tempted to just take some paxil and see if I can get some relief. At least if I do that, I'll know for sure that it's the paxil withdrawal turning me into what feels like a madwoman. I keep stopping myself though because I feel like it will set me back. I've gone 12 days now without any paxil, after stopping at 2.5 mgs. I don't know though if being so brave and daring is worth it at this point. Maybe I should just take some paxil and at least see if it makes a difference. What do you guys think? I am in a really bad way. I cannot stand this much longer.

Sandra