Foxrage94: Paroxetine Help

[Foxrage94]

Was taken off of paroxetine/paxil 40mg-5mg within a month OCD,anxiety,depression skyrocketed the put back up too 20mg within a few weeks ended up in hospital 3 times I really need advice because 20mg isn't helping and now doctors want too try small doses of antipsychotics or mirtazapine bad harm ocd,anhedonia,disassociation,don't feel right,etc any help would be great thankyou

[LotusRising]

Hi @Foxrage94

 

Welcome to SA,

 

We are a peer-run volunteer site dedicated to a harm reduction tapering approach in an effort to minimize withdrawal symptoms. As you may have already read, we suggest tapering by no more than 10% of your most recent dose each month. See  Why taper by 10%.

 

Could you help us out by adding a signature, which will ensure your drug history appears at the bottom of every post, making it more efficient for those trying to assist. We also need to know when you reinstated 20mg.

 

How to Create a Signature 

 

Please also read this link on reinstatement Reinstating and Stabilizing

 

Please post any updates or questions related to your specific situation right here in your thread. It's helpful to keep everything related to your tapering journey in one spot.

 

Once again, welcome. As soon as we have more information from you, we will do our best to assist.

 

LotusRising

[LotusRising]

@Foxrage94

 

What month was your last dose of paxil, when you did the fast taper?

 

What day in October did you reinstate 20mg? 

[Foxrage94]

I went from 40mg to 5mg within a month then they put me back up to 10mg within 3 days because I went to hospital and they said they wanted to try stabilise then after a few days my doctor said go back to 20mg I don't know the exact dates because between October and now I've been all over the place in my head I'm sorry it confuses me aswell but I don't know exact dates I just know that after 3-5 days of being on 5mg I felt like I was losing my mind haven't felt right since and the 20mg paxil I take now isn't working so I'm stuck because if i try taper again l will get worse and apparently if I go back up it could be worse and I Can't do worse than this I have diazepam 2mg but I don't like using it because it barely helps and I don't want too become addicted lorazepam helped me while I was in hospital they gave me 2mg and 50mg promethazine and that's the most normal I've felt in months tbh sadly enough 

[LostInCanada]

@Foxrage94 welcome to SA. Sounds like you have been thrust into the thick of withdrawal. You tapered way to fast and your CNS is majorly compromised. What you are feeling is unfortunately very common when taken off an AD too fast. You definitely don't need more drugs added. So in September you got down to 5 mg and then up to 20 mg in October. Going from 40 mg to 20 mg is a big drop. You will eventually stabilize  but you could updose in small amounts to help your body balance out and hopefully settle some of the withdrawal symptoms. Did your doctor suggest 30 mg? Were you hoping to eventually taper off paxil completely? First you need to stabilize which can take months due to that rapid taper.

[Foxrage94]

Yeah so I never actually stopped taking paxil a psychiatrist told me to drop from 40mg too 5mg over 3 weeks because I was having insomnia and she thought it might be the cause even though I had been at 40mg for 7 years prior with no insomnia :s and then when I got too 5mg I freaked out ended up in hospital harm ocd suicidal etc so they said go back up to 10mg too stabilize I did but then after a few days maybe a week the doctor said do u feel any better I said no and he said go up to 20mg wich I did now its been like 10 weeks or something back on 20mg and I'm really suffering and now they're saying go to 30mg and I'm like what the heck because I've read it can make it worse and one doctor is suggesting anti psychotics to stop the intrusive thoughts I don't know what to do tbh I can't go up might make it worse or not work cant go down might make it worse I feel stuck in a limbo u know and they won't put me on a ward to help me through and feel safe because I'm uk based and they're so bad here it's unreal 

[LotusRising]

As mentioned, it can take some time to stabilize, but it's also possible that if you've been holding this dose since October, you may need to updose further. Going up to 30mg is a big though. @LostInCanada, are you able to advise?

 

 

[LostInCanada]

26 minutes ago, LotusRising said:

Going up to 30mg is a big though. @LostInCanada, are you able to advise

The most I would updose to is 25mg. Can you get liquid or use a scale to cut a 10 mg in half plus a 20 mg? Accuracy is important -not just eyeballing it. Each pill has filler so the pill weight is greater than the mg of drug. An updose hopefully will relieve some symptoms but it will still take time to heal the trauma your body has experienced. Please keep a daily journal with symptoms and rate them 1-10 to see progress and patterns.

 

15 hours ago, Foxrage94 said:

they won't put me on a ward to help me through

Trust me, this is a blessing in disguise. They will just polydrug you because they have no clue how to deal with these drugs once they backfire. But never hesitate to call a help line or go to the ER if you are in danger.

15 hours ago, Foxrage94 said:

7 years prior with no insomnia

These drugs can poop out or stop working. When this happens you can develop issues that weren't there before. ADs were never meant to stay on long term but the doctors just keep writing the prescriptions.

[Foxrage94]

Thankyou for you're replies I'm really struggling with what choice to make wether to go down or back up I feel so ill and feel like I'm losing my mind I can't distract myself because I have no interest in anything depersonalization,numb ocd is really bad ruminating 24/7 suicidal it's destroying my life and my partners :,(

[LostInCanada]

14 minutes ago, Foxrage94 said:

struggling with what choice to make wether to go down or back up

Definitely don't go down any further till you stabilize because it can get worse though that may seem hard to believe. You will eventually stabilize if you don't go up but we have no idea when. Updosing needs to be done slowly and carefully if you choose to.

 

20 minutes ago, Foxrage94 said:

I have no interest in anything depersonalization,numb ocd is really bad ruminating 24/7 suicidal

It will get better. I was at that point after I went cold turkey. You will get there too. Don't lose hope. Acceptance, kindness, patience and hope are essential.

 

22 minutes ago, Foxrage94 said:

feel like I'm losing my mind

Remember this isn't you but the drug.

[Foxrage94]

Thankyou friend I appreciate it but I wasn't ever on 20mg to begin with I started at 40mg so can u still stabilize even though the dose is lower than you're original dosing ? Thankyou

[LostInCanada]

@Foxrage94 yes. The affect of the drug is not linear but hyperbolic. For a doctor to start someone at 40 mg is contrary to even how the manufacturer advises. You are now dealing with withdrawal so the dosage is irrelevant. It is now about mitigating the damage and stabilizing.

[mstimc]

Hi @Foxrage94  I tapered off Paxil years ago and it can be a real rollercoaster.  I reinstated twice because I tapered too fast. I'm not an expert on reinstatement, but its is a gamble regardless.  I know you said you can't practice distraction right now, but I urge you to try simple coping tools, even if they give you just a few seconds of relief.  Working on coping strategies now will help you in your tapering journey and make withdrawal a lot more tolerable. 

[Foxrage94]

Thanks for the people who have gave advice I really appreciate it I'm just stuck in a situation because I think I need to be on some sort of medication but now I'm stuck at 20mg paxil and can't use anything else because like u guys said it could do more bad then good but I can't handle the crippling anxiety and derealization,intrusive thoughts,suicidal stuff etc not mentioning the poor sleep and stomache issues I've been using a 2mg diazepam a day but that doesn't help much at all 

[LostInCanada]

56 minutes ago, Foxrage94 said:

I can't handle the crippling anxiety and derealization,intrusive thoughts,suicidal stuff etc

This is all withdrawal from the drug. It will get better and learning non drug coping techniques goes a long way. 

When did you start diazepam? How often and what dose do you take? Please add this to your drug signature. Thanks 

[Foxrage94]

Sorry I haven't added a few things in signature because I didn't want it being massive and confusing and I'm not great with timelines I will update it later on I have used diazepam 2mg on and off for years but didn't use them for a long time I only use 1 a day ATM because I'm scared of addiction but they don't really help anyway lorazepam helps but they don't prescribe it and I've only ever used like a few of them weeks ago too help with how I felt 

[Foxrage94]

Does magnesium actually help wpuld 375mg a day help ? Or fish oil tablets ? I'm willing to try anything that could help ATM thanks guys

[Bailey]

On 2/13/2024 at 2:01 PM, Foxrage94 said:

Does magnesium actually help wpuld 375mg a day help ? Or fish oil tablets ? I'm willing to try anything that could help ATM thanks guys

I read some advice from Alto Strata (founder of this site). She recommends starting small on magnesium to avoid adverse reactions.  I want to say she advised starting with 25mg. I just ordered some 100mg magnesium glycinate tablets so that I can cut them up with a pill cutter. I'm sensitive to supplements under the best of circumstances so I need to be extra cautious. @LotusRising suggested I start with one or the other, fish oil or magnesium, and work up slowly if things are going well. That's good advice for me. 

[LostInCanada]

@Foxrage94 some prefer magnesium threonate, others prefer magnesium bisglycinate. I use magnesium bisglycinate, have from the start, it hasn't hurt. It is a necessary mineral that many lack. You can get a blood test for it as well as Vit D, Vit B12 and ferritin.