Painter: paroxetine

[Painter]

I started paroxetine Feb. 2018. Started on 20mg and increased to 40mg in November 2019. It significantly helped me through a difficult period of mental health. After missing a few days at the beginning of 2020, I decided to just stop taking it (even tho I knew better). Started experiencing significant withdrawal symptoms (sweats, anxiety increase, foggy-headed, light-headed was and dizziness, and brain zaps). I started taking it again after 5 days (symptoms popped up around day 3 and were too much to handle). Within the last few months, my fiancé and I decided we wanted to start a family soon, so I’ve started weaning. 20 mg went well for two weeks, then I went down to 10mg this past week. It feels like I haven’t taken anything at all. Today has been the worst day since dropping the dosage to 10mg. I seen on another post that I should be dropping at 10% every 4 weeks, which is something I could not find anywhere else, so I’m glad I found this group. I’m not having any depressive symptoms, but I am having some hellacious physical ones today. The nausea is currently killing me and the brain zaps are back. I  think I’ll go up 5mg and work my way down from there. 
 

Edit: I’ve been reading some info on this site and it makes me want to cry with joy. It is making me feel so much more hopeful. I ha e been looking for this type of information since January and couldn’t find anything. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Painter
Feeling emotional and hopeful. Wanted to share.

[ChessieCat]

Hi and welcome to SA,

 

Yes, you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from reducing your drug too quickly.

 

Q:  Is paroxetine the only drug you are currently taking?

 

Q:  Have you been on any other psychiatric drugs in the past?

 

Please create your drug signature.  Keep it simple please so we can see your drug history at a glance:

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

 

 

44 minutes ago, Painter said:

I started taking it again after 5 days

 

Q:  Did you return to 40mg?

Just to clarify, you reduced from 40mg to 20mg about 3 weeks ago and then 1 week ago you reduced to 10mg.

45 minutes ago, Painter said:

I  think I’ll go up 5mg

Yes, updosing to 15mg seems okay.  It is better to start with a small updose and increase if needed than to risk taking too much.  It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full level in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.

 

The idea of updosing isn't to get rid of withdrawal symptoms altogether, but to bring them to a bearable level. 

 

Please be patient whilst the updose takes effect.  Keep notes on paper of your symptoms so you will be able to be more objective.  When we feel awful we just feel totally awful and sometimes we don't realise that something has improved.

 

Please read Post #1 of this topic much of which is relevant to updosing: 

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

This topic explains how to get the dose you need:

Tips for tapering off paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat)

 

It may take several months or possibly longer, depending on how quickly your brain adapts, before you will be in a stable enough place to start tapering again.  It is better to hold for longer than to start tapering again too soon.

 

Please continue to let us know how you are.

 

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

 

 

[Painter]

Thank you! I have updated my signature so more info can be given! The withdrawals have been coming and going throughout today. I feel better now and hopefully increasing to 15mg will be helpful. I really should have started tapering much sooner, but life has been kind of crazy at the moment with COVID and being isolated. We’re wanting to start a family soon (after we get married in October) but I’m not sure if that’ll be doable, which is kind of devastating. Emotionally, I’m fine: No increased depression, I have an amazing support at home, no increased anxiety, and I do a lot of mindfulness. But these physical withdrawals are insane. If I knew the symptoms would go away after a couple of weeks, I could take time off work and sleep through it or something, but I know that the withdrawals can last months, even years, and that is scary. 

[ChessieCat]

Q:  Why did you only take sertraline for 2 days?

 

Q:  Why were you started on Wellbutrin in April this year?

[Painter]

I tried Zoloft in 2017 and after two doses, I experienced severe side effects. I was manic for a few hours and then had severe depression for a few hours, all in one day. I stopped taking it and did not try anything else until the following year because it freaked me out. 
 

in April, my doctor started me on Wellbutrin instead of increasing the paroxetine dosage because I was struggling with over sleeping, and we thought it could be due to depression. I was sleeping 15 to 16 hours a day.

[ChessieCat]

22 minutes ago, Painter said:

instead of increasing the paroxetine dosage because I was struggling with over sleeping, and we thought it could be due to depression. I was sleeping 15 to 16 hours a day.

 

The oversleeping may have been from a too high a dose of paroxetine.  This happened to me when I was taking 100mg Pristiq.  I would have a 2 hour sleep during the day about 4 times a week and still sleep through the night.  My diastolic blood pressure also went up.  I was sweating a lot in winter, felt agitated, had trouble concentrating and my leg muscles would get cramped just from a very short walk.  After doing my own research I made the connection that it was mild serotonin syndrome.  Once I lowered my dose I didn't need to sleep as much.

[Painter]

That sounds like an awful experience! I’m sorry you had to go through that. The only symptoms I had was fatigue and low motivation. I think it had something to do with being isolated during this quarantine stuff cause I was working from home and not really seeing anybody. After I started the Wellbutrin, I felt better. Not like super energy or anything, I still take naps throughout the day, but I’m more motivated to do things around the house. 
 

the oversleeping started at the beginning of April. I was working from 8 to 5, would take an hour nap at 12 during my lunch break, and then nap from like 6 to 10pm, then wake up, take a shower, and go to bed around 11pm. I did this for about a week and then I talked to my doctor.