Paxil Withdrawal Day 4

barry23m · 09-13-2009, 09:49 AM

These last few days have been absolute hell. I am 26 year old female who recently switched from Paxil to Wellbutrin. I spent 9 years on Paxil 20 mg a day for clinical depression from the age of 15. Last week I went from 20 mg of Paxil to 300mg Wellbutrin.My doctor told me take your regular 20 mg each day as well as 150 mg of Wellbutrin for one week and then stop the Paxil and add another 150 mg of Wellbutrin. My physician is a general practitioner and is not at all in my opinion too familiar with mental illness. I will be seeing him next week and at that time will ask for a referral to a Phsyciatrist. Since about 2000 I have not had one. Although at that time I thought the Paxil was working for me. I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE SAYING WHY DIDN'T YOU GET A NEW DOCTOR ALL THESE YEARS? Where I live it is very hard to find a new GP let alone a mental health professional. I work in the medical field and see many sick people ( way worse off than I ) that cannot get helo. The system is broken. But what can one do beside research and be an advocate for themself if there is no one else. I have been researching Paxil for years but until I got off it hadn't known too much about the withdrawal part of it. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING PURE HELL FOR THE LAST FOUR DAYS.I have most of the loooooooonnnnngggg list of symptons and wasn't made aware that they were possible until I researched it when they began happening. Symptoms include:drunk-like full body dizziness,being miserable in my own skin. I am not not comfortable being awake but I am unable to get to sleep. Once I feel asleep, I am able to maybe sleep 4 hours but am thankful for being out of the misery.While on Paxil I could not ever get enough sleep, exhausted despite sleeping 12 hours a night.The zaps are almost untolerable, sitting, standing or walking feels like you are constantly being shocked. Very disconcerning and hard to handle. I feel like I have the flu, my body aches. No vomiting but plently of nausea. Constantly nauseous and am uniterested in eating. I am very angry. One minute I am mad and raging and the next I am crying uncontrollably to the point where no one can even understand me.I feel more depressed than ever and feel like I cannot do this and want to give up. But at the same time I am already four days out and do not want to do this all over again. I have tons of support but it is weird how completely alone in this I feel. I feel like friends are judging me or tired of listening (delusions as I know it but I still feel that way) I feel like I am living half a life with no real interest in anything.I have this whoosh that will not go away. Despite sitting still I feel so dizzy, the only way I can describe is I feel like my head is a balloon on a string, or I am being blown around in hurricane force winds. I have to hold onto things when going down stairs etc. And have to constantly watch where my feet are going when I am walking somewhere, very unsteady gait,I almost feel drunk and stoned. I have been experiencing very intense, vivid dreams of the most riduculous and sometime horrible things you can imagine. I have slurred speech and forgetfulness. I feel like when explaing how I feel that I am exaggerating or if I am just plain crazy.If I turn my head too fast, there's the zooms in my ears, and I get dizzy, possibly even loosing my balance. I'm crying all the time one minute I am ok and the next tears just streaming down and unsure why. Perhaps because I am tired of feeling this way and am frustrated and just want to feel better. Or because I feel like no one understands and I am so very alone. This is not the case at all. My mother went through these very feelings and understands what this is all about. I am trying to have patience and courage and hopeful that perhaps a month's time this will all be in the past. I am not giving up!!!!! I don't have suicidal thoughts or anything like that but do want the pain and symptoms to end. It's gotten so bad, and not getting better, that I was even contemplating getting back on the Paxil- but I know then I'll be back at square one. AND I AM NOT GOING BACK! My eyes are always cloudy resulting in poor vision and fatigue. My vision is traily,out of focus. Driving is terrifying. I am so hypersensitive to all the sounds around me and am paranoid when driving.I have become overly sensitive to everything it plays on my brain all of the time. My head feels completely screwed up. I never smiled while on Paxil always had more of a blank absent look on my face, and forget about smiling now.My vocabulary and language useage are also disabled, which affected my ability make sense at times, which is especially embarrasing and frustrating. It makes me feel stupid and inhibits me from fully explaining how I feel.I also have this sloshing in my brain that does not subside. I shake constantly. I can';t eat because of the nausea and I feel really disconnected right now from everything. But I am going to make it. I am for the time being at least avoiding social situations as I am not an asset in the situation right now, more of a party pooper.This sure was one evil little pink pill! I have to concentrate to just walk in a straight line,bow my head completely down and watch my feet reach the next step. I am emotionally drained from the sudden bursts of tears for no apparent reason. But in the end.....I AM STRONG AND I WILL DO THIS!

Rachelina · 09-13-2009, 05:15 PM

Hi and welcome! Everything you are feeling is typical Paxil withdrawal and unfortunately, it's impossible to know how long it will last - for many people it lasts for years. Cold turkey is very dangerous and I would advise you to quit the Wellbutrin and go back to Paxil right away. Why did your doctor want you to switch? Clearly it's not doing you any good. If you want to get off Paxil, the only way is to taper it slowly while finding alternate means of dealing with the issues that brought you to Paxil. It's not a matter of being strong.....it's a matter of, do you really want to feel this way for the next couple of years? Look around this site a bit and you will see people suffering terribly from stopping cold turkey. There's no reason to do that to yourself. Your quality of life is the important thing. Best wishes to you!

PatriceKM · 09-13-2009, 05:42 PM

Hi Barry and welcome.
I am also a 26 year old female.
A few years ago I did a very fast taper, which was pretty much just like a cold turkey. It didnt work. I felt all the symptoms that you have just described. I went back on paxil and now here I am tapering in a much slower fashion. I wont say its symptom free because honestly, it is far from it but its is better than what I went through a few years ago.

If you need to chat, feel free to PM me.

We are here to help.

alivehope · 09-13-2009, 05:47 PM

Hey there

I tried Prozac in one my of previous coldturkey attempts and it never helped at all. I felt worse and had to go on paxil to get relief from the severe withdrawal which I thought to be mental illness at that time. I think you should consider going back on paxil to avoid prolonging your suffering and to be easier on your brain.

JessG · 09-13-2009, 09:00 PM

I know you don't want to go back on Paxil, but you would probably feel a lot better if you switched back to Paxil and ditched the Wellbutrin. You can taper off the Paxil slowly and you won't feel nearly this bad. The people here at Paxil Progress often know better how to get off Paxil than doctors or psychiatrists do. The switch over is not recommended. Don't put yourself through this unneeded misery. Just my two cents. Keep us updated on how you are doing.

Songbird · 09-13-2009, 09:27 PM

Please read around the site and you will find that cold turkey can cause severe problems that can persist for years. Your brain has got used to having paxil in it, if you suddenly take it all away, it throws your brain into complete chaos and it cannot cope.

The best way to get off Paxil is by tapering the dose down very slowly. This allows the brain to adjust to the gradually changing dose. Please consider reinstating and tapering slowly, you'll have a much better quality of life and faster recovery. Why did your doc want you to switch?

Cosette123 · 09-14-2009, 02:51 AM

Welcome Barry 23 m!
Me too I felt all the symptoms that you have just described after after stopping Paxil cold turkey and I really had severe problems...Now after 17 months off I begin to feel better but it is not all done.
You write :I AM STRONG AND I WILL DO THIS!
I often said it too but if I had known this site sooner I should have got off Paxil by tapering very slowly.
However I think you will do it but it will be long .

09-13-2009, 09:49 AM	#1
barry23m Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2	Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 These last few days have been absolute hell. I am 26 year old female who recently switched from Paxil to Wellbutrin. I spent 9 years on Paxil 20 mg a day for clinical depression from the age of 15. Last week I went from 20 mg of Paxil to 300mg Wellbutrin.My doctor told me take your regular 20 mg each day as well as 150 mg of Wellbutrin for one week and then stop the Paxil and add another 150 mg of Wellbutrin. My physician is a general practitioner and is not at all in my opinion too familiar with mental illness. I will be seeing him next week and at that time will ask for a referral to a Phsyciatrist. Since about 2000 I have not had one. Although at that time I thought the Paxil was working for me. I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE SAYING WHY DIDN'T YOU GET A NEW DOCTOR ALL THESE YEARS? Where I live it is very hard to find a new GP let alone a mental health professional. I work in the medical field and see many sick people ( way worse off than I ) that cannot get helo. The system is broken. But what can one do beside research and be an advocate for themself if there is no one else. I have been researching Paxil for years but until I got off it hadn't known too much about the withdrawal part of it. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING PURE HELL FOR THE LAST FOUR DAYS.I have most of the loooooooonnnnngggg list of symptons and wasn't made aware that they were possible until I researched it when they began happening. Symptoms include:drunk-like full body dizziness,being miserable in my own skin. I am not not comfortable being awake but I am unable to get to sleep. Once I feel asleep, I am able to maybe sleep 4 hours but am thankful for being out of the misery.While on Paxil I could not ever get enough sleep, exhausted despite sleeping 12 hours a night.The zaps are almost untolerable, sitting, standing or walking feels like you are constantly being shocked. Very disconcerning and hard to handle. I feel like I have the flu, my body aches. No vomiting but plently of nausea. Constantly nauseous and am uniterested in eating. I am very angry. One minute I am mad and raging and the next I am crying uncontrollably to the point where no one can even understand me.I feel more depressed than ever and feel like I cannot do this and want to give up. But at the same time I am already four days out and do not want to do this all over again. I have tons of support but it is weird how completely alone in this I feel. I feel like friends are judging me or tired of listening (delusions as I know it but I still feel that way) I feel like I am living half a life with no real interest in anything.I have this whoosh that will not go away. Despite sitting still I feel so dizzy, the only way I can describe is I feel like my head is a balloon on a string, or I am being blown around in hurricane force winds. I have to hold onto things when going down stairs etc. And have to constantly watch where my feet are going when I am walking somewhere, very unsteady gait,I almost feel drunk and stoned. I have been experiencing very intense, vivid dreams of the most riduculous and sometime horrible things you can imagine. I have slurred speech and forgetfulness. I feel like when explaing how I feel that I am exaggerating or if I am just plain crazy.If I turn my head too fast, there's the zooms in my ears, and I get dizzy, possibly even loosing my balance. I'm crying all the time one minute I am ok and the next tears just streaming down and unsure why. Perhaps because I am tired of feeling this way and am frustrated and just want to feel better. Or because I feel like no one understands and I am so very alone. This is not the case at all. My mother went through these very feelings and understands what this is all about. I am trying to have patience and courage and hopeful that perhaps a month's time this will all be in the past. I am not giving up!!!!! I don't have suicidal thoughts or anything like that but do want the pain and symptoms to end. It's gotten so bad, and not getting better, that I was even contemplating getting back on the Paxil- but I know then I'll be back at square one. AND I AM NOT GOING BACK! My eyes are always cloudy resulting in poor vision and fatigue. My vision is traily,out of focus. Driving is terrifying. I am so hypersensitive to all the sounds around me and am paranoid when driving.I have become overly sensitive to everything it plays on my brain all of the time. My head feels completely screwed up. I never smiled while on Paxil always had more of a blank absent look on my face, and forget about smiling now.My vocabulary and language useage are also disabled, which affected my ability make sense at times, which is especially embarrasing and frustrating. It makes me feel stupid and inhibits me from fully explaining how I feel.I also have this sloshing in my brain that does not subside. I shake constantly. I can';t eat because of the nausea and I feel really disconnected right now from everything. But I am going to make it. I am for the time being at least avoiding social situations as I am not an asset in the situation right now, more of a party pooper.This sure was one evil little pink pill! I have to concentrate to just walk in a straight line,bow my head completely down and watch my feet reach the next step. I am emotionally drained from the sudden bursts of tears for no apparent reason. But in the end.....I AM STRONG AND I WILL DO THIS!

09-13-2009, 05:15 PM	#2
Rachelina Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 1,190	Re: Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 Hi and welcome! Everything you are feeling is typical Paxil withdrawal and unfortunately, it's impossible to know how long it will last - for many people it lasts for years. Cold turkey is very dangerous and I would advise you to quit the Wellbutrin and go back to Paxil right away. Why did your doctor want you to switch? Clearly it's not doing you any good. If you want to get off Paxil, the only way is to taper it slowly while finding alternate means of dealing with the issues that brought you to Paxil. It's not a matter of being strong.....it's a matter of, do you really want to feel this way for the next couple of years? Look around this site a bit and you will see people suffering terribly from stopping cold turkey. There's no reason to do that to yourself. Your quality of life is the important thing. Best wishes to you! __________________ Paxil 2000 - 2003. Started again 3/07 Failed 3-month taper from 30 mg ended 1/1/08. Back to 10 mg 3/5/08. Did 10% taper from 10 mg to 4 mg, Oct 08 - May 09. CRASHED. Up to 5 mg 5/31, 7.5 mg 6/7, 10 mg 6/11. Trying again! Paxil 9.5 mg 7/19/09 * 9 mg 8/23/09 * 8.5 mg 9/27/09 * 8 mg 11/1/09 7.5 mg 11/29/09 * 7 mg 1/3/10 * 6.5 mg 2/14/10 * 6 mg 3/21/10 * 5.75 mg 5/2/10 5.5 mg 5/30/10 * 5.25 mg 7/4/10 *** 5 mg 8/8/10

09-13-2009, 05:42 PM	#3
PatriceKM Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 505	Re: Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 Hi Barry and welcome. I am also a 26 year old female. A few years ago I did a very fast taper, which was pretty much just like a cold turkey. It didnt work. I felt all the symptoms that you have just described. I went back on paxil and now here I am tapering in a much slower fashion. I wont say its symptom free because honestly, it is far from it but its is better than what I went through a few years ago. If you need to chat, feel free to PM me. We are here to help. __________________ Started paxil in 2002 9/29/08- 40mg-30mg 10/19/08 20 mg 12/16/08 10mg dizzy, hot flashes 12/30/08 Back to 20mg 1/4/09 18 1/19/09 16 2/5/09 15 3/8/09 13 5/17/09 - 12 6/12/09 11 6/17/09 10 7/8/09 9 8/10/09 8 8/31/09 6 10/13/09 5.4 11/9/09 5 1/3/10 4.4 2/13/10 4 4/16/10 3.6 5/18/10 3.2 6/21/10 3.0 7/16/10 2.8 8/12/10 2.6 "Healing comes from the healed; not the physician." DG

09-13-2009, 05:47 PM	#4
alivehope Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 469	Re: Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 Hey there I tried Prozac in one my of previous coldturkey attempts and it never helped at all. I felt worse and had to go on paxil to get relief from the severe withdrawal which I thought to be mental illness at that time. I think you should consider going back on paxil to avoid prolonging your suffering and to be easier on your brain. __________________ Paxil-free since 11/7/08 on and off Paxil since ( 2004-2008 )

09-13-2009, 09:00 PM	#5
JessG Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 411	Re: Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 I know you don't want to go back on Paxil, but you would probably feel a lot better if you switched back to Paxil and ditched the Wellbutrin. You can taper off the Paxil slowly and you won't feel nearly this bad. The people here at Paxil Progress often know better how to get off Paxil than doctors or psychiatrists do. The switch over is not recommended. Don't put yourself through this unneeded misery. Just my two cents. Keep us updated on how you are doing. __________________ Prescribed Paxil in Mar. 1998 for social anxiety 1st attempt to taper in 2002 by 2.5mg drops. Crashed somewhere between 10-15mg "Doc" upped Paxil back to 30mg. 2003-2005: Up and down from 27-35mg(?) Tapering since Dec 2005, from 35mg Stayed at 20mg for ALL of 2008 2/23/09:19.5mg 4/10/09:18.7mg 5/23/09:17.5mg 6/18/09:16.5mg 7/20/09:15.5mg 8/22/09:14.8mg 10/28/09:14.5mg 12/02/09:14.0mg 02/09/10:13.5mg 03/09/10:13.0mg 04/06/10:12.6mg 06/30/10:12.2mg 08/27/10:11.8mg

09-13-2009, 09:27 PM	#6
Songbird Queen of the appendage vocabulary Join Date: May 2007 Location: New Zealand Posts: 9,191	Re: Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 Please read around the site and you will find that cold turkey can cause severe problems that can persist for years. Your brain has got used to having paxil in it, if you suddenly take it all away, it throws your brain into complete chaos and it cannot cope. The best way to get off Paxil is by tapering the dose down very slowly. This allows the brain to adjust to the gradually changing dose. Please consider reinstating and tapering slowly, you'll have a much better quality of life and faster recovery. Why did your doc want you to switch? __________________ Jul 01-Feb 02 Aropax Feb - Dec 03 Citalopram Jul 04 Aropax ... several failed tapers ... Jan 07 - Feb 08 20mg - 5mg Apr 4.5mg 5mg Jun 10mg zopiclone > seroquel, Jul 20mg Oct aropax > loxamine, Dec off seroquel 7 Dec 17.5mg, 30 Dec 15mg 2009 24 Jan 12.5mg 16 Feb 10mg 10 May 9mg 30 May 8mg 5 July 7.5mg 2 Aug 7.25mg 1 Sep 7mg 9 Oct 6.75mg 8 Nov 6.5mg 18 Dec 6.3mg 2010 30 Aug 6.15mg Appreciation is the antidote to stress - Trust is the antidote to fear

09-14-2009, 02:51 AM	#7
Cosette123 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: France Posts: 560	Re: Paxil Withdrawal Day 4 Welcome Barry 23 m! Me too I felt all the symptoms that you have just described after after stopping Paxil cold turkey and I really had severe problems...Now after 17 months off I begin to feel better but it is not all done. You write :I AM STRONG AND I WILL DO THIS! I often said it too but if I had known this site sooner I should have got off Paxil by tapering very slowly. However I think you will do it but it will be long . __________________ Mild borderline. Severe anxiety since childhood + Major traumatism in my life. Deroxat (=Paxil) during 10 years. Three unsuccessful atempts to quit. Deroxat free since may 2008 Cold turkey A few improvements after 2 years.But my worst problem now is agoraphobia. Ce qui ne nous tue pas nous rend plus fort. What does not kill us makes us stronger. (Nietzsche)

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