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Shelley: Withdrawing from Paxil and abilify


Shelley

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Posted

Cut down paxil from 20mg to 10 mg. 1 week ago. Been tapering off Abilify to 2.5 and now taking 0. Suggestions?

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Posted

Hello, Shelley - welcome to SA!

 

Your intro was very brief and so we need more information.

 

First of all, how are you feeling now?  How long had you been on 20 mg Paxil?  How did you come off, over what period of time?  Did you go straight from 20 to 10 or where there steps in between?

 

As for the Ability, how long had you been using it and how did you come off?  Did you taper or do a cold turkey?  How is your sleep now?

 

It will help everyone if you could fill out your signature block with these details, with dates to the best of your recollection.  Instructions are here:

 

Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

I gather you did a much faster taper than we recommend here on SA.  I'm going to give you a pile of reading material to read through and then you can come back and answer my questions and ask some of your own :-)

 

Introduction to AD Withdrawal Syndrome

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?
Drug Interactions Checker


Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Symptoms Checklist

 

Thanks!

SG

Started ADs back around 1995 after bad break-up, starting with Prozac.  Switched to Wellbutrin, and then to Effexor in 2002
Effexor XR 2002-2014 up to 225 mg at one point, down to 37.5 mg towards end but back up to 75 mg in 2014; now realize I had W/D as I dropped down, memory very poor about history.  Extreme emotions, poor concentration as I stepped back down, didn't connect the dots!
Summer 2014 reduced to 0 very quickly, was sick of anhedonia/sexual dysfunction due to meds, depression never controlled if not worse. Didn't recognize WD since symptoms built slowly (thought I had ADD! and menopausal on top of it), starting with severe sweats, very bad cog-fog and memory issues, culminating in weight loss, severe anxiety and depression, panic, severe apathy and insomnia by eight months off.  Saw p-doc who put me on Remeron, increased from 7.5 mg/day to 37.5 mg by May 22, 2015; still doing very badly though able to sleep.

June 1. 2015 Reinstated Effexor XR 37.5 mg, Remeron dropped to 30 mg PM. Immediate relief of symptoms, like nothing had ever happened!  Joined SA and began on advice of friend who recognized it was WD all along! Began tapering in July 2015.

Been tapering both meds ever since, focusing on one more than the other or doing no more than 5% of each per month.

12 mg Effexor and 5.8 mg Remeron (mirtazapine SolTabs to make a solution with OraPlus) as of 5/4/2017 

Update 3/14/18: 2.9 mg Remeron and 6 mg Effexor; 6/10/18:  2.6 mg Remeron and 4.9 mg Effexor

 

My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9313-squirrellygirl-effexor-withdrawal-etc/page-2#entry196679

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

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