PeerCBH: second try discontinuing Paxil

[PeerCBH]

I was referred here by a psychiatrist I've been corresponding with. He told me you all were spot on in your knowledge about withdrawal and tapering but warned that you typically deny the existence of mental illness. Anyway, I've spent a few days learning it up, reading through stuff.

My story: diagnosed bipolar in 2005 and don't really dispute said diagnosis. Doc put me on Paxil in 2016 for anxiety. Shortly after I became unstable in mood. Caught on that it was the Paxil in 2019 so I cold turkeyed. It was an ascent into madness, to say the least. I tried again late last year with the usual fast taper schedule offered by the wonderful field of psychiatry. I can't get from 20mg to 10mg. I'd say probably the worst symptom is the mania/mixed states/panic/terror combination I get plunged into. I was musing about this with the psych who referred me: I'm trying to get off Paxil to improve my moods, yet the Paxil withdrawal messes my moods up worse than being on Paxil.

Reading through people's experiences and it doesn't even seem like it's possible to taper paroxetine. 

I'd very much like to have words with the doc who put me on it.

Anyway, that's me. Thanks for reading.

[Onmyway]

Hi @PeerCBH,

welcome to SA. Sorry it has been so hard for you to get off of Paxil, it is notorious for causing withdrawal symptoms. It is, however, possible to get off of paxil if you do it very slowly (over years). We recommend lowering your dose by no more than 10% of your previous dose every 4 weeks - that means that your cuts will be smaller and smaller the lower you get on your dosage. Please have a look at the tapering threads below. Some people do an even slower/gentler microtaper (pls see Brassmonkey slide for an example). 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants

Why taper by 10% of my dosage? - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants

Why taper? SERT transporter occupancy studies show importance of gradual change in plasma concentration - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants

The Brassmonkey Slide Method of Micro-tapering - Tapering - Surviving Antidepressants

 

We find that the more times you have started and stopped psychiatric drugs, the longer you have been on them and the more variety of drugs you have been on, the harder it is to taper as your nervous system becomes more sensitive to changes. You can still get off of the drug but you will have to be more cautious and gentler with your body. 

This is what you can expect while tapering/withdrawal. Tapering should be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic in general though some people have a hard time even with proper tapering. In those cases we advise to go slow and when symptoms emerge to hold (i.e. not change dosages).

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

What is happening in your brain? - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

How psychiatric drugs remodel your brain - Symptoms and self-care - Surviving Antidepressants

 

To be able to better help you, can you please create a drug signature following these instructions? It will help us advise you better. 

How to List Drug History in Signature - Introductions and updates - Surviving Antidepressants

 

If you have made drug changes recently, we would advise you to not make any changes for a few months and start your tapering schedule from a place of stability. We can provide better advice after you fill in your drug signature. 

 

This is also a very helpful video to help get you started. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSjYH044-2Q

 

You are in good hands here and can help you taper off of Paxil.

OMW

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Onmyway

[PeerCBH]

It appears my last failed taper really did a number on me. I'm a "push through" kinda person, so I let it go on way longer than I should have (2 months). I couldn't take it anymore and reinstated 3 weeks ago.

 

The worst of the withdrawal improved quickly, but my cognition is completely gone. Brain fog, loss of memory, concentration. I've taken a bunch of time off work because I simply can't function on the job. I am tasked with a bunch of charting for mental health services and I just can't do it. I'm also finding myself more anxious and irritable than usual. It seems to all be improving but slow as a snail. 

 

I understand Paxil is the worst offender. Monster drug. Eek.

 

 

[Onmyway]

Hi @PeerCBH

What do you mean by reinstated? What is your current dosage?

 

omw

[PeerCBH]

8 hours ago, Onmyway said:

Hi @PeerCBH

What do you mean by reinstated? What is your current dosage?

 

omw

 

Sorry, brain not working. I didn't include my most recent taper in my OP. Beginning of April, before I found this site, attempted 20mg to 10mg Paxil. Went back up to 20mg late May. Couldn't take the withdrawal.

[PeerCBH]

I am absolutely worried sick that I've kindled myself to the point where tapering is impossible.

 

Humor me. My anxiety is off the chain.

[PeerCBH]

Hi everyone,

 

I had a question. So my doctor offered up a solution and after careful consideration, I went with it. I'm doing the prozac switch. Given the research I'd done I didn't see any reason not to do it. I haven't tried microtapering Paxil and don't know if I want to given the testimonies I've read.

So we're a few days in. I think I kind of messed it up. I was paranoid (a common state for me lately) about interactions, so we started 10mg Prozac and I was instructed to taper 20mg Paxil over 2 weeks. I went way too fast. I decided to do the hyperbolic thing this site suggests and taper by 20% per day. Now, I have doubts that a 2 week taper would even do a whole lot, but here I am day 4 at 8.2mg Paxil and I'm not feeling well. It comes and goes in waves. 

The question is: Do I abort mission, drop the Prozac, reinstate and try a different method? Or do I increase the Paxil a bit and press on? Or do I just stay on course?

[manymoretodays]

Have you started Prozac yet?  Oh, okay I see you are on 10 mg Prozac now and 8.2 mg of Paxil.

Can you fill us in on some of the dates you made dose changes and added Prozac.

Here's our topic on:

The Prozac switch or "bridging " with fluoxetine

 

And you do need to have a doctor well versed in this I think that you can frequently confer with.

 

Meanwhile, we'll confer here as well, as to how to best advise.

[PeerCBH]

On 9/29/2022 at 8:38 AM, manymoretodays said:

Have you started Prozac yet?  Oh, okay I see you are on 10 mg Prozac now and 8.2 mg of Paxil.

Can you fill us in on some of the dates you made dose changes and added Prozac.

Here's our topic on:

The Prozac switch or "bridging " with fluoxetine

 

And you do need to have a doctor well versed in this I think that you can frequently confer with.

 

Meanwhile, we'll confer here as well, as to how to best advise.

Monday September 26th is when I started. Added 10mg prozac and started tapering Paxil 20% per day.

[Onmyway]

@PeerCBH,

please have a look at our thread on the Prozac bridge that manymoretodays has posted above. It has the collective experience of our community and our learning in it. You can make decisions on what to do based on that. We can advise but you know how much you are suffering best and what you can bear in either situation. I prefer to give the information and we can answer questions if need be. 

I am just mentioning this because of your experience w/ alcohol but drinking and using any other psychoactive substances makes withdrawal much worse (incl. pot, other drugs, some antibiotics, some vitamins - D and some Bs, steroids, hormones etc.)

 

A few things to consider - just because you tried a taper from 20mg to 10mg paxil and it went badly does not mean that a smaller taper will go badly - you could do 5%-10% every four weeks or 2.5% every week and then a 2 week hold after 4 cuts. Paxil is more difficult but what the bridge is doing is basically taking it all away hoping that the prozac will cover the same receptors exactly. But these drugs have different signatures on the brain so while they may overlap in certain areas they will not in others and so you may get withdrawal as if from CT but possibly worse because you're introducing a new drug to a sensitized system. Those are the risks. For some people who have tried properly slow tapering paxil and failed badly this is an option. But I personally think of it as a last resort kind of thing. On the other hand some people do this bridge successfully. And while prozac is on average easier to taper than paxil you will still have to do the proper slow taper for it as well. Some people have a hard time coming off of prozac. Is your goal to do 20mg prozac eventually? 

OMW

 

OMW

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by Onmyway

[PeerCBH]

14 hours ago, Onmyway said:

@PeerCBH,

please have a look at our thread on the Prozac bridge that manymoretodays has posted above. It has the collective experience of our community and our learning in it. You can make decisions on what to do based on that. We can advise but you know how much you are suffering best and what you can bear in either situation. I prefer to give the information and we can answer questions if need be. 

I am just mentioning this because of your experience w/ alcohol but drinking and using any other psychoactive substances makes withdrawal much worse (incl. pot, other drugs, some antibiotics, some vitamins - D and some Bs, steroids, hormones etc.)

 

A few things to consider - just because you tried a taper from 20mg to 10mg paxil and it went badly does not mean that a smaller taper will go badly - you could do 5%-10% every four weeks or 2.5% every week and then a 2 week hold after 4 cuts. Paxil is more difficult but what the bridge is doing is basically taking it all away hoping that the prozac will cover the same receptors exactly. But these drugs have different signatures on the brain so while they may overlap in certain areas they will not in others and so you may get withdrawal as if from CT but possibly worse because you're introducing a new drug to a sensitized system. Those are the risks. For some people who have tried properly slow tapering paxil and failed badly this is an option. But I personally think of it as a last resort kind of thing. On the other hand some people do this bridge successfully. And while prozac is on average easier to taper than paxil you will still have to do the proper slow taper for it as well. Some people have a hard time coming off of prozac. Is your goal to do 20mg prozac eventually? 

OMW

 

OMW

 

Okay, I'll just do this on my own. Thanks for the help.

[manymoretodays]

PeerCBH,

Hey.  I think OMW was just wanting to make clear to you that you do have options.  No one is asking you to go it alone now.

 

And congratulations on being in recovery now from alcohol for ? 2 years.

 

Would you please add in your recent changes in Paxil, and the addition of Prozac to your signature.

Edits can be made here:  AccountSettings/signature/updates/edits

Be sure and hit the SAVE at the bottom when you get your recent drug changes in.

 

And thank you for doing that.  It is so helpful to see recent changes right in the signature.  Get this year in there, and then the date, and dose change in Paxil in there......you could get it on the Paxil line perhaps.  Then add in another date, year, day(as that is recent) Prozac by name, and dates for any dose changes in that.  Let us know if difficulty with that.

 

How are you doing today?

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

[PeerCBH]

On 10/1/2022 at 8:55 AM, manymoretodays said:

PeerCBH,

Hey.  I think OMW was just wanting to make clear to you that you do have options.  No one is asking you to go it alone now.

 

And congratulations on being in recovery now from alcohol for ? 2 years.

 

Would you please add in your recent changes in Paxil, and the addition of Prozac to your signature.

Edits can be made here:  AccountSettings/signature/updates/edits

Be sure and hit the SAVE at the bottom when you get your recent drug changes in.

 

And thank you for doing that.  It is so helpful to see recent changes right in the signature.  Get this year in there, and then the date, and dose change in Paxil in there......you could get it on the Paxil line perhaps.  Then add in another date, year, day(as that is recent) Prozac by name, and dates for any dose changes in that.  Let us know if difficulty with that.

 

How are you doing today?

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Yes, I can do that. I'm not sure why I responded like that. Kind of a hazy point in time.

Anyway, so to explain my recent actions on my meds, just so we're all on the same page. I started with a new pdoc in August. She won't prescribe Paxil (unless someone is already on it) nor will she even attempt tapering it if she has any other option. She's run into endless problems, more so than Effexor. She'll try tapering just about anything else first, and prefers Prozac, as she has had much more success with it. She told me the difference is night and day, and given the severity of my withdrawals, believed it to be the best option. My research into the severity and incidence of withdrawal among individual antidepressants confirms this, so I went with it. As of now on 15mg of Prozac. Doc wants to keep me below approx equivalent dose and see how I do. I'm doing okay. Withdrawal is fading. For a second there it damn near killed me. Holy crap. 

I'm tapering due to adverse effects of ADs on another condition.

[manymoretodays]

On 10/5/2022 at 9:10 PM, PeerCBH said:

I'm doing okay. Withdrawal is fading. For a second there it damn near killed me. Holy crap. 

 

Phew, okay, that sounds better then......"Withdrawal is fading".  I am happy to hear that.

 

I'm still a bit confused though, as I'm not seeing the Prozac in your signature. 

Are you still on the Paxil at 10 mg now?

And then also on the Prozac at 15 mg?

 

I can understand if your feeling somewhat cognitively challenged at the moment.  Seems to be fairly common WD symptom.

 

Do make it clearer in your signature too.  You don't have anything in there for 2022 yet.

 

Thank you.  And I see an unanswered question too here:

On 9/30/2022 at 6:14 PM, Onmyway said:

On the other hand some people do this bridge successfully. And while prozac is on average easier to taper than paxil you will still have to do the proper slow taper for it as well. Some people have a hard time coming off of prozac. Is your goal to do 20mg prozac eventually? 

 

Okay PeerCBH.  And thank you for the update.  So glad you feel even a bit better.  Oh my gosh, WD can be so darn fierce!  Ugh.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Edited October 7, 2022 by manymoretodays

[PeerCBH]

6 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

 

Phew, okay, that sounds better then......"Withdrawal is fading".  I am happy to hear that.

 

I'm still a bit confused though, as I'm not seeing the Prozac in your signature. 

Are you still on the Paxil at 10 mg now?

And then also on the Prozac at 15 mg?

 

I can understand if your feeling somewhat cognitively challenged at the moment.  Seems to be fairly common WD symptom.

 

Do make it clearer in your signature too.  You don't have anything in there for 2022 yet.

 

Thank you.  And I see an unanswered question too here:

 

Okay PeerCBH.  And thank you for the update.  So glad you feel even a bit better.  Oh my gosh, WD can be so darn fierce!  Ugh.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

Yes! Especially with getting off Paxil. It was only 2 or 3 days where it was reaaalllyyy bad, but the prozac seems to be hitting the right spots in my brain. It's been fading fairly quickly.  I've been hibernating these last few days. Off work with disability so have been resting and watching Hulu. I read on this site that reinstatement of an SSRI works best when done immediately.

 

I'm on 15mg Prozac and holding. My doctor wants me at lowest possible dose due to SSRIs aggravating another condition (hence why I'm tapering). It's working surprisingly well. The withdrawal may get worse again as the last of the Paxil leaves my system, in which case we'll carefully titrate up a bit.

 

I'll take care of my signature now.

[PeerCBH]

Doctor wants to fast taper fluoxetine, taking off huge chunks at a time. At one point she suggested halving it.

 

I'm not about to do that. I'm done with fast tapers. I want to try the 10% method, or less. I'm just so freaking beaten up by withdrawal. I'm not playing with it anymore.

[manymoretodays]

Sounds good PeerCBH,

Stay in a Holding phase for right now, if that feels right to you.

 

Best.

 

[PeerCBH]

17 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

Sounds good PeerCBH,

Stay in a Holding phase for right now, if that feels right to you.

 

Best.

 

Yes. Not touching anything for a little while. 

[PeerCBH]

I had a question

 

When I taper slowly, what is the ideal severity of symptoms? Obviously zero, but what I mean is, what symptom severity levels should I deem as tolerable vs too much/reinstate?

[ChessieCat]

3 hours ago, PeerCBH said:

what symptom severity levels should I deem as tolerable

 

That is something that only you can decide.  Are you able to do most things that you need to do?  Are you sleeping okay?

[PeerCBH]

12 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

That is something that only you can decide.  Are you able to do most things that you need to do?  Are you sleeping okay?

 I recently titrated up a smidge to 17mg due to experiencing vertigo, mood changes, cognitive difficulties, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, on and off anxiety. Overall severity was mild, especially compared to previous withdrawals. I could withstand it, but i wanted to begin my slow taper from a place of stability, if that makes sense.

 

[ChessieCat]

The fewer dose changes that you can make the better.  But we also need to be "operational".

 

And this is a very good idea:

 

On 10/16/2022 at 5:43 AM, PeerCBH said:

Not touching anything for a little while. 

 

[PeerCBH]

3 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

The fewer dose changes that you can make the better.  But we also need to be "operational".

 

And this is a very good idea:

 

 

You mean, titrating up? I'm trying to find a stable dose without going too high. I think I'm just about there. Should I just hold at whatever dose I'm at now regardless of withdrawal symptoms?

[ChessieCat]

Yes, titrating up would be another term for updosing or increasing.

 

2 hours ago, PeerCBH said:

I'm trying to find a stable dose without going too high.

 

I have seen members try to find the "perfect dose" and ended up making things worse and have stated that they regret doing it and that they wish they hadn't kept changing their dose and could return to how they had been before, even though they had symptoms.

[PeerCBH]

20 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

Yes, titrating up would be another term for updosing or increasing.

 

 

I have seen members try to find the "perfect dose" and ended up making things worse and have stated that they regret doing it and that they wish they hadn't kept changing their dose and could return to how they had been before, even though they had symptoms.

Okay. Good to know. I went from 15mg to 17mg two days ago. Should I go back to 15mg or hold here at 17mg, since I've already made the change?

[ChessieCat]

If you are talking about Prozac, it can take 2 weeks for a dose to get to a steady level in the blood and longer for it to register in the brain.

 

I cannot easily see what dose changes you have made and the dates when you made them.

 

If it had been less than 3 weeks on the previous dose of 15mg Prozac, then you might have increased to 17mg Prozac too soon, because you had not allowed for it to build up to it's maximum.

[PeerCBH]

16 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

If you are talking about Prozac, it can take 2 weeks for a dose to get to a steady level in the blood and longer for it to register in the brain.

 

I cannot easily see what dose changes you have made and the dates when you made them.

 

If it had been less than 3 weeks on the previous dose of 15mg Prozac, then you might have increased to 17mg Prozac too soon, because you had not allowed for it to build up to it's maximum.

 I had been on 15mg a little over 3 weeks. The 4th or the 5th of October, somewhere around there, was when I bumped up to 15mg

I'm going to go back down. 

[PeerCBH]

So I'm in a position where I really don't know what to do. 

As part of my prozac bridge I was titrated up to 15mg Prozac, ultimately from 20mg Paxil. I've been on 15mg Prozac for about 3 weeks, I think. 

I was experiencing w/d symptoms so I bumped up to 17mg where I have been for 3 days. The withdrawal was fairly tolerable but I wanted to begin my taper from a stable dose. That was my rationale. 

Do you all think I should go back down to 15mg or hold where I'm at?

[manymoretodays]

Hi PeerCBH,

When you update your signature, instead of saying present, put a date there.  I think otherwise, when others step in to help, it can be very confusing.

This is what you have:

 

Paxil 2019-2022, taper, 40mg to 20mg no issue, 20mg to 10mg failed 3 times

Prozac 2022-present, 17mg, cross tapered from Paxil at suggestion of doctor. Holding for now.

 

Something like this is what needs to stand out clearly(I put it in purple, but just go ahead with basic black when you have checked it, and do your edit/update).  And I do need you to check and add to for correctness......my suggests.  If you don't remember, check your Introduction pages, and/or approximate:

 

Prozac 2022-present: started Prozac bridge ? when, what dose, then 5th October -15 mg, 17 October- 17 mg

 

And then the date(s) you made changes to went Paxil, and the doses, and when you went off of it.... needs to go in there as well.

 

For example(same here, suggestions in purple, when you go in to edit/update use black):

 

Paxil 2019-2022, taper, 40 mg to 20 mg no issue, 20 mg to 10 mg failed 3 times,  date bridge started, date, Paxil dose decrease(s), date, when off Paxil at what dose?

 

This link should go right to your signature, where you can edit.  Be sure when satisfied to hit the SAVE button at the end.  You can bold current drug and dose in editing too, if you'd like.

 

AccountSettings/signature

 

That will really help us all.  And I'm happy to help, if you have problems with this.  It may well take a day or two though, for me to get back to you, at this time though is all.

 

On 10/19/2022 at 10:35 PM, ChessieCat said:

If you are talking about Prozac, it can take 2 weeks for a dose to get to a steady level in the blood and longer for it to register in the brain.

 

If it's been 3 weeks since you've been on the 15 mg, then perhaps just going up to 16 mg would be best.  And I agree completely with ChessieCat as far as do not expect any immediate change to be felt, as it can and does often take 2 weeks to get to steady state with Prozac.

 

I thought you were doing okay with WD stable on 15 mg.  What happened if anything?  Do try to be patient as your system begins to stabilize.  Unfortunately it is not often as fast as we'd like it to be.

 

Thank you,

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2022 by manymoretodays

[PeerCBH]

3 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

Hi PeerCBH,

When you update your signature, instead of saying present, put a date there.  I think otherwise, when others step in to help, it can be very confusing.

This is what you have:

 

Paxil 2019-2022, taper, 40mg to 20mg no issue, 20mg to 10mg failed 3 times

Prozac 2022-present, 17mg, cross tapered from Paxil at suggestion of doctor. Holding for now.

 

Something like this is what needs to stand out clearly(I put it in purple, but just go ahead with basic black when you have checked it, and do your edit/update).  And I do need you to check and add to for correctness......my suggests.  If you don't remember, check your Introduction pages, and/or approximate:

 

Prozac 2022-present: started Prozac bridge ? when, what dose, then 5th October -15 mg, 17 October- 17 mg

 

And then the date(s) you made changes to went Paxil, and the doses, and when you went off of it.... needs to go in there as well.

 

For example(same here, suggestions in purple, when you go in to edit/update use black):

 

Paxil 2019-2022, taper, 40 mg to 20 mg no issue, 20 mg to 10 mg failed 3 times,  date bridge started, date, Paxil dose decrease(s), date, when off Paxil at what dose?

 

This link should go right to your signature, where you can edit.  Be sure when satisfied to hit the SAVE button at the end.  You can bold current drug and dose in editing too, if you'd like.

 

AccountSettings/signature

 

That will really help us all.  And I'm happy to help, if you have problems with this.  It may well take a day or two though, for me to get back to you, at this time though is all.

 

 

If it's been 3 weeks since you've been on the 15 mg, then perhaps just going up to 16 mg would be best.  And I agree completely with ChessieCat as far as do not expect any immediate change to be felt, as it can and does often take 2 weeks to get to steady state with Prozac.

 

I thought you were doing okay with WD stable on 15 mg.  What happened if anything?  Do try to be patient as your system begins to stabilize.  Unfortunately it is not often as fast as we'd like it to be.

 

Thank you,

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

 

Honestly, this is more trouble than it's worth. I'm going to just try to figure this out on my own. If I make a mistake, so be it.

 

I DO NOT REMEMBER ANY OF THOSE DATES. I don't keep track of things like that. I didn't know I was supposed to. In this case, they're gone. I have no idea. I know mid-late september I started cross taper. Paxil tapered to zero maybe 5 days into October? Some time around there wd got really bad so i bumped from 10 to 20 prozac in a panic, after like 6 days on 20 i saw doc and she suggested 15, as for me the lower the better. Went to 15 and mild w/d just kinda settled in. Was on 15 for maybe 2 weeks to present, when I went to 17 and here we are. What do you want me to do? Approximate dates?

 

[PeerCBH]

5 hours ago, manymoretodays said:

Hi PeerCBH,

When you update your signature, instead of saying present, put a date there.  I think otherwise, when others step in to help, it can be very confusing.

This is what you have:

 

Paxil 2019-2022, taper, 40mg to 20mg no issue, 20mg to 10mg failed 3 times

Prozac 2022-present, 17mg, cross tapered from Paxil at suggestion of doctor. Holding for now.

 

Something like this is what needs to stand out clearly(I put it in purple, but just go ahead with basic black when you have checked it, and do your edit/update).  And I do need you to check and add to for correctness......my suggests.  If you don't remember, check your Introduction pages, and/or approximate:

 

Prozac 2022-present: started Prozac bridge ? when, what dose, then 5th October -15 mg, 17 October- 17 mg

 

And then the date(s) you made changes to went Paxil, and the doses, and when you went off of it.... needs to go in there as well.

 

For example(same here, suggestions in purple, when you go in to edit/update use black):

 

Paxil 2019-2022, taper, 40 mg to 20 mg no issue, 20 mg to 10 mg failed 3 times,  date bridge started, date, Paxil dose decrease(s), date, when off Paxil at what dose?

 

This link should go right to your signature, where you can edit.  Be sure when satisfied to hit the SAVE button at the end.  You can bold current drug and dose in editing too, if you'd like.

 

AccountSettings/signature

 

That will really help us all.  And I'm happy to help, if you have problems with this.  It may well take a day or two though, for me to get back to you, at this time though is all.

 

 

If it's been 3 weeks since you've been on the 15 mg, then perhaps just going up to 16 mg would be best.  And I agree completely with ChessieCat as far as do not expect any immediate change to be felt, as it can and does often take 2 weeks to get to steady state with Prozac.

 

I thought you were doing okay with WD stable on 15 mg.  What happened if anything?  Do try to be patient as your system begins to stabilize.  Unfortunately it is not often as fast as we'd like it to be.

 

Thank you,

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

 

 Okay, I hope that's good enough. It's approximated. 

[manymoretodays]

Looks good PeerCBH!

I just went in and added the year and bolded it. 

After the New Year, you can just add the new year in front of any drug changes made then.

 

Non-drug coping skills are going to come into play now.  Sometimes WD is not completely alleviated, but gets better, or more tolerable after a updose or bridge.

 

So.......what are your current symptoms like, if you don't mind?  What skills or practices do you have now that help to cope?

 

And okay, looks like you'll sit on the 17 mg dose of Prozac now?  Is that what you decided.  Do keep observations on paper, for us, and for your own use too.  Either on paper or if you have a internet type log where that you prefer.

 

When do you take your meds now?  Times?  How long on the Lithium?  I wasn't aware you were on Lithium too, so thank you for the nice edit/update on your signature.

 

Hope today is a good one, or good enough, well enough, and some progress too.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

[PeerCBH]

1 hour ago, manymoretodays said:

Looks good PeerCBH!

I just went in and added the year and bolded it. 

After the New Year, you can just add the new year in front of any drug changes made then.

 

Non-drug coping skills are going to come into play now.  Sometimes WD is not completely alleviated, but gets better, or more tolerable after a updose or bridge.

 

So.......what are your current symptoms like, if you don't mind?  What skills or practices do you have now that help to cope?

 

And okay, looks like you'll sit on the 17 mg dose of Prozac now?  Is that what you decided.  Do keep observations on paper, for us, and for your own use too.  Either on paper or if you have a internet type log where that you prefer.

 

When do you take your meds now?  Times?  How long on the Lithium?  I wasn't aware you were on Lithium too, so thank you for the nice edit/update on your signature.

 

Hope today is a good one, or good enough, well enough, and some progress too.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

Thank you for being patient with me. First symptom, irritability. As you can tell. Lol. Fatigue/sleepiness that comes and goes. Vertigo/dizziness that comes and goes. Panic/anxiety that comes and goes. Cognitive difficulties (processing information, memory, etc). Problems coordinating speech, comes and goes. Persistent low mood. No appetite. I have to force myself to eat, even with my favorite dishes. Poor sleep/night terrors. I typically get 9-10 hours of sleep per day, have for years. Now I'm lucky if i get 6. Strange/disturbing thoughts (I won't go into those). Nausea, comes and goes. These symptoms have slowly ramped up since dropping from 20mg. I was in severe withdrawal (same symptoms but worse) when i was at 10mg prozac before going up to 20mg, and I felt the difference of 20mg Prozac right away. Now the withdrawal has crept back in. Less severe, but still sucks. I'd like to eat and sleep at some point. 

I'm really freaking aggravated. According to the dose equivalence on this page, the Prozac dose equivalent to 20mg Paxil is 23.5mg. Why on earth would my doc suggest 15???? Of course I'm in withdrawal! That's WAY too low. I get she wanted me on the lower end of equivalent but that's too low. Dumped me off right into withdrawal. At this point I'm looking just to stabilize, because I want to be in a stable place for when I start tapering Prozac. 

 

[mstimc]

Hi Peer

 

As you can see from my signature, I was able to taper off Paxil.  It can be done and you can get your life back.  I tried a couple of times on my own before I found a site similar to this one, and got the knowledge and support I needed.  I also found a great therapist who knows about WD and helped me through it with some great coping skills, mostly based in CBT.  Like any chronic condition, bipolar or anxiety or OCD can be managed, but it does take time and practice.  The fact you came here is a great first step--keep coming back!  This is a great community and I've found there's nothing like advice from people who've been through it to help others.

[PeerCBH]

2 hours ago, mstimc said:

Hi Peer

 

As you can see from my signature, I was able to taper off Paxil.  It can be done and you can get your life back.  I tried a couple of times on my own before I found a site similar to this one, and got the knowledge and support I needed.  I also found a great therapist who knows about WD and helped me through it with some great coping skills, mostly based in CBT.  Like any chronic condition, bipolar or anxiety or OCD can be managed, but it does take time and practice.  The fact you came here is a great first step--keep coming back!  This is a great community and I've found there's nothing like advice from people who've been through it to help others.

Thank you  

[PeerCBH]

On 10/22/2022 at 8:24 AM, manymoretodays said:

Looks good PeerCBH!

I just went in and added the year and bolded it. 

After the New Year, you can just add the new year in front of any drug changes made then.

 

Non-drug coping skills are going to come into play now.  Sometimes WD is not completely alleviated, but gets better, or more tolerable after a updose or bridge.

 

So.......what are your current symptoms like, if you don't mind?  What skills or practices do you have now that help to cope?

 

And okay, looks like you'll sit on the 17 mg dose of Prozac now?  Is that what you decided.  Do keep observations on paper, for us, and for your own use too.  Either on paper or if you have a internet type log where that you prefer.

 

When do you take your meds now?  Times?  How long on the Lithium?  I wasn't aware you were on Lithium too, so thank you for the nice edit/update on your signature.

 

Hope today is a good one, or good enough, well enough, and some progress too.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

 

 

My thinking was, I didn't want to wait around for w/d symptoms to get better, because I've read on this site from someone named like, Altrostrata(?) that if neurologic dysregulation from withdrawal goes on too long it can be hard to reverse, and that symptoms similar to mine are indicative of such dysregulation. Such was my previous experience. I found reinstatement always worked, but how long it took to work depended on severity of withdrawal and how long I let it go. My thinking was, I didn't want to play around with that. I wanted to be STABLE on a dose for a good while (months) before I attempted the prozac taper. I didn't want to fight through withdrawal right off the bat.

So far 17mg seems to be working okay. W/d is better. My experience with prozac thus far, I feel it pretty quick. That's probably because I've been on an SSRI for years. Maybe the prozac simply picks up where paxil left off? I don't know. 

And to answer your question about non drug coping: I do a lot of DBT/Mindfulness stuff. I have yet to find any therapeutic approach that works better for me. I tend to get into frenzies, and DBT helps calm that down. When I use it. Lol. Sometimes I just let my mind go off. 

From this point forward I'll track dates and symptom patterns.