aberdeen Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Hey Mattage, Im so sorry for what you've been through, it sounds awful. I hope the rest has helped you. No matter what you are still off Paxil and thats a good thing! Im sure you will eventually stabilize and this will all be behind you. These drugs are scary and we need to be even more cautious than we ever realize. Hang in there and keep posting! 2 Timothy 1-7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Effexor 75mg to 262.5mg 2005-2010 for post partum depression Started having poop out mid 2010, also switched generic brands, then crashed in Dec 2010 (anxiety/ "terror", intense DR, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, chills, insomnia, horrible intrusive thoughts, disorientation, ect)Rapid "tapered" from 262.5mg Effexor in 3 months Tried Celexa,Cipralex, then Paxil to deal with wd(this switching made things worse and added akathesia) Found online support and started tapering Paxil 7 months after quitting Effexor (at this point was having small windows). Paxil taper: dropped 10% every 4-8 weeks Year 1 October 2011 to Nov 2012 20mg to 10mg Year 2 March 2013 to Feb 2014 10mg to 4mg Year 3 April 2014 to May 2015 4mg to 1.1mg Year 4 June 2015 1.1mg , dropping by 10% until .5mg, after then dropped by 0.1mg every 5 weeks until 0.1mg. Finished! Official last dose of 0.1mg on June 15/16 Link to comment
mattage Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Thank you for the reply Brass! Yeah those vibrations were probably the worse thing that happened to me. I was very scared about going to hospital but it turned out to be fine and allowed me to relax.I can definitely feel the withdrawal still affecting my body. When it has passed I would like to try coming of Clormipramine. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, but I'd like to at least give it a try. That is a way off in the distance yet though. CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
caperjackie Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Great to hear from you Matt so thanks for the update. Sorry you had such a horrible time of things but so glad to hear that the tricyclic has helped to get you stabalized. You did the right thing ........ far better to be on one of these older drugs and functioning than the alternative. Paxil is a foul drug to come off so congratulations on getting this far! Hang in there and give the brain plenty of time to heal .......... Link to comment
mattage Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Hey Aberdeen, thanks. Yeh, it was rough. I think I was not far off what you experienced when you were at your worst - death thoughts all the time. Well the death thoughts have pretty much gone for now. I am in a bit of a wave though - I'm completely exhausted all the time, even walking to the local shop knackers me out at the moment. Caperjackie, thanks for your support. | will keep on hanging on. I really do think I can do it now. M CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
aberdeen Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Mattage, that sucks, that frame of mind is terrifying. No body should ever experience that or any of the things these medications can do to a person. Its disgusting. Im so glad you feel stable now. 2 Timothy 1-7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Effexor 75mg to 262.5mg 2005-2010 for post partum depression Started having poop out mid 2010, also switched generic brands, then crashed in Dec 2010 (anxiety/ "terror", intense DR, anhedonia, suicidal ideation, chills, insomnia, horrible intrusive thoughts, disorientation, ect)Rapid "tapered" from 262.5mg Effexor in 3 months Tried Celexa,Cipralex, then Paxil to deal with wd(this switching made things worse and added akathesia) Found online support and started tapering Paxil 7 months after quitting Effexor (at this point was having small windows). Paxil taper: dropped 10% every 4-8 weeks Year 1 October 2011 to Nov 2012 20mg to 10mg Year 2 March 2013 to Feb 2014 10mg to 4mg Year 3 April 2014 to May 2015 4mg to 1.1mg Year 4 June 2015 1.1mg , dropping by 10% until .5mg, after then dropped by 0.1mg every 5 weeks until 0.1mg. Finished! Official last dose of 0.1mg on June 15/16 Link to comment
mattage Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 I'm in the middle of a horrid wave at 10 months off Paxil. I have ridiculous fatigue that means I have been pretty much housebound. I may just be beginning to come out of the wave now (fingers crossed), as I am just starting to feel the inklings of a bit of positivity. CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted May 18, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 18, 2016 I've got my fingers crossed for you too mattage. Waves are no fun, I've been surfing them on and off for the last few years. I'm glad you found something which helped take the edge of the paxil withdrawal. From what I've learned, paxil is a truly evil drug to try and come off. I used to have those inner vibrations and completely understand your wanting relief from them. Thankfully, I only get them occasionally now and they are mild compared with what they used to be. I'm happy to hear you no longer have them now. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
mattage Posted May 18, 2016 Author Share Posted May 18, 2016 Hi Petunia. Thanks for your kind wishes! I just read your thread and am sorry about your suffering. Yes, I was quite surprised that when I told the psychiatrist of the problems I was having coming of Paxil, he didn't tell me that WD does not exist. He did say that when people have difficulty coming off Paxil, in trying to quit, he does not put them back on it. By the way he was speaking, it makes me wonder whether WD is beginning to be accepted by some psychiatrists? Or is this just wishful thinking? CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
ladybug Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Matt, I am so sorry to hear of your recent struggles but so thankful that they were able to find something you could stabilize on. I hope that it's easier to come off than Paxil (but of course that is far in the future, your priority now is to feel better). Paxil is a beast! Yes, I was quite surprised that when I told the psychiatrist of the problems I was having coming of Paxil, he didn't tell me that WD does not exist. He did say that when people have difficulty coming off Paxil, in trying to quit, he does not put them back on it. By the way he was speaking, it makes me wonder whether WD is beginning to be accepted by some psychiatrists? Or is this just wishful thinking? The last time I saw a psychiatrist was a few years ago while going through a particularly bad wave. He wasn't surprised to hear my issues either. He even said that Paxil and Effexor were the hardest to withdraw from, and he said Paxil was harder than Effexor even though I always believed (and still do) that Effexor is harder, mostly because the half life is so insanely short. So the word is definitely getting out, although the vast majority of docs still don't have a clue to what a sensible taper is. a.k.a JMarie Paxil since Mar.1998 2006-2007:40-20mg 2009: 20mg to 14mg 2010: 14mg to 10.5mg 2011: 10.5 to 7.6mg 2012: 7.5 to 6.8mg 2013: 6.7-6.3mg 2014: 6.2mg-5.8mg 2015: 5.7 to 5.15mg 2016: 5.1-4.6mg 1/19/17: 4.5mg 3/17/17: 4.4mg 6/15/17: 4.35mg 8/10/17: 4.3mg 1/29/18: 4.1mg 5/07/18: 4.0mg 7/31/18: 3.9mg Link to comment
mattage Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 Hey Ladybug (Marie?). It sounds like we both had a similar experience. Surely they get lots of people on SSRIs who present with withdrawal symptoms? I'm not sure about the tapering thing. I tapered at about 10% and still hit crazy withdrawal. CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
Rachelina Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 Hi Matt. I'm so sorry to hear about all you've been through. The bright side is that you are off Paxil! I don't know anything about the drug you're on but it's got to be a hell of a lot easier to taper than Paxil. I really relate to what happened to you. I had the worst imaginable crash at .5 mg. That last damn 1 mg turns out to be the hardest to taper, for some of us anyway. This is just the worst drug ever. At least you're off it, and it sounds like you are on your way to some real healing. Trying to get off Paxil since 2007. Was tapering by 0.1 mg every 4-5 weeks. Had awful crash in November 2015 at .5 mg; updosed gradually to 2 mg. Doing better and tapering again, much slower this time. 2016: Dropped from 2 mg to 1.62 mg. 2017: 1.62 mg to 1.2 mg. 2018: 1.2 mg to .76 mg. 2019: .76 mg to .56 mg. 2020: .56 mg to .33 mg. 2021: .33 mg to .13 mg. 2022: .13 mg to .03 mg. 6/12/23 .002 mg. OFF PAXIL 9/4/23 Started Klonopin in November 2015 to deal with crash. 1/10/16 started milk titration taper from .5 mg. Finished taper 12/6/17. Still take Klonopin for agoraphobia 2 - 3 times a week. Link to comment
mattage Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 Hey Rachelina. It's good to hear from you! Sorry you had a crash at 0.5mg. I hope your symptoms are bearable. Are you feeling stable now? If yes, how did you manage it? Did it just go away? Yeh, I had a bad time from 1 mg downwards but it got much worse after stopping. I hope you can stabilise between each drop - I wish I had done that now (having said that I don't even know whether it's possible?). Yes, I think I am healing again now. It was very frightening though. CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
Rachelina Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Hey Rachelina. It's good to hear from you! Sorry you had a crash at 0.5mg. I hope your symptoms are bearable. Are you feeling stable now? If yes, how did you manage it? Did it just go away? Yeh, I had a bad time from 1 mg downwards but it got much worse after stopping. I hope you can stabilise between each drop - I wish I had done that now (having said that I don't even know whether it's possible?). Yes, I think I am healing again now. It was very frightening though. Thanks Matt. Stability is relative I guess....I'm going through a pretty bad wave right now, but it's nothing like the crash, which was three straight months of acute torture, just the worst possible state a human being can be in. How I managed it.....I don't know! Just survived each day. It's hard to even think about it now. I updosed to 1 mg and then 2 mg, and I also took Klonopin (a mistake - it stopped working in about a month and left me with yet another drug dependency). Gradually things got better. I've started tapering again, but am going to go much slower, and wait until fully stable before dropping, as you said. That was my mistake too. I just kept tapering even when I wasn't feeling good. But even with a better taper I'm feeling a little pessimistic about my chances of getting off this drug without another catastrophic crash. So maybe what happened to you is for the best, even though it was a nightmare. You've escaped from Paxil and I envy you for that! And I'm very happy to hear that you feel you're healing. Take good care of yourself and please keep us updated on how you are doing! Trying to get off Paxil since 2007. Was tapering by 0.1 mg every 4-5 weeks. Had awful crash in November 2015 at .5 mg; updosed gradually to 2 mg. Doing better and tapering again, much slower this time. 2016: Dropped from 2 mg to 1.62 mg. 2017: 1.62 mg to 1.2 mg. 2018: 1.2 mg to .76 mg. 2019: .76 mg to .56 mg. 2020: .56 mg to .33 mg. 2021: .33 mg to .13 mg. 2022: .13 mg to .03 mg. 6/12/23 .002 mg. OFF PAXIL 9/4/23 Started Klonopin in November 2015 to deal with crash. 1/10/16 started milk titration taper from .5 mg. Finished taper 12/6/17. Still take Klonopin for agoraphobia 2 - 3 times a week. Link to comment
mattage Posted May 20, 2016 Author Share Posted May 20, 2016 Hey Rachelina. I am sorry that you had such a rough 3 months. I don't know how any of us manage to survive it - It's almost beyond belief (to the extent that people who haven't been through it just can't believe it is as bad as it is). I'm glad that you managed to updose and feel some relief. The only good thing is that now you have experienced withdrawal you can identify it, and updose, when it rears up. You know I made a pact with myself that if I need a small amount of medication to keep off WD, then so be it. If I can come of this Clomipramine, when withdrawal abates, that will be brilliant. If not though, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. You re doing everything that you can to get off this safely, so you have nothing to reproach yourself about . The people close to you need you. Staying safe is the important thing! CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
mattage Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 I am 11 months off now and still getting some withdrawal problems - the worst is feeling exhausted very quickly. I am exhausted all the time - even a walk to the local shop really tires me out. I am still getting some intrusive thoughts - but nowhere near what is was when I went into hospital. I am hoping I get some more improvements when I get to 12 months. I also have a none existent libido. However, the problems seem manageable at the moment and I am confident I will recover. I was surprised that I ended up getting withdrawal after a fairly slow taper. I have since found that this is not unusual, as Dr Shipko says: 'My clinical observation is that long lasting symptoms occur even in patients who taper very slowly, not just those who stop quickly' I wish I had had this advice before I tapered: In my experience stopping SSRIs after 5 years of cumulative exposure can be risky, and I am not advising anyone who has taken the drugs for 10 years or more to try to stop unless they are willing to risk disabling symptoms. Oh, well - I think I am through the worst of things now (touch wood) CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted June 23, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 23, 2016 Dr. Shipko's opinion, although informed about withdrawal while being medically educated, is only one opinion. There are several people on this site who are doing well after years of being polydrugged. Your situation is possibly a much simpler than theirs in that you've only ever been on Paxil. This video from Baylissa Frederick offers another perspective. Knocking wood too, that your waves are brief and infrequent and your windows are glorious! This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted June 23, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 23, 2016 'My clinical observation is that long lasting symptoms occur even in patients who taper very slowly, not just those who stop quickly' Meanwhile, Mattage, Shipko reported having better success with patients that he helps through what he referred to as an "ultra-slow" taper which was 2.5 years for someone who was on the drug for 14 years (at least in one example). We would not consider that especially slow here on S/A. My guess is that part of the issue is that Shipko was tapering people off more quickly and they were becoming symptomatic. In my experience stopping SSRIs after 5 years of cumulative exposure can be risky, and I am not advising anyone who has taken the drugs for 10 years or more to try to stop unless they are willing to risk disabling symptoms. "Can be risky" -- so is staying on the meds. What he has phrased here is simply a statement of "advanced waiver" and "informed consent" (one of the things he is very big on). He is not advising people to taper after 10 years but he is also not telling them they shouldn't. He is telling them what we all know -- that the road to being off them is likely to be rocky. From all I've heard from others that have succeeded in the journey, it is worthwhile. Bottom line, Mattage, is that you are feeling better and headed toward healing. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
mattage Posted June 23, 2016 Author Share Posted June 23, 2016 'My clinical observation is that long lasting symptoms occur even in patients who taper very slowly, not just those who stop quickly' Meanwhile, Mattage, Shipko reported having better success with patients that he helps through what he referred to as an "ultra-slow" taper which was 2.5 years for someone who was on the drug for 14 years (at least in one example). We would not consider that especially slow here on S/A. My guess is that part of the issue is that Shipko was tapering people off more quickly and they were becoming symptomatic. In my experience stopping SSRIs after 5 years of cumulative exposure can be risky, and I am not advising anyone who has taken the drugs for 10 years or more to try to stop unless they are willing to risk disabling symptoms. "Can be risky" -- so is staying on the meds. What he has phrased here is simply a statement of "advanced waiver" and "informed consent" (one of the things he is very big on). He is not advising people to taper after 10 years but he is also not telling them they shouldn't. He is telling them what we all know -- that the road to being off them is likely to be rocky. From all I've heard from others that have succeeded in the journey, it is worthwhile. Bottom line, Mattage, is that you are feeling better and headed toward healing. Best, Andy Yes, Shipko talks of one person. But I'm sure you know of some people who have tapered very, very, very gradually and still suffered horrible withdrawal. CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
megb Posted September 26, 2016 Share Posted September 26, 2016 Mattage, I just read through your entire thread. What a journey you've had... grateful you are still trucking along. I too am coming off paxil from 7 years on (3 years at 10mg and 4 at 20mg). How are you doing now?? Praying and hoping you are in a giant window! meg Sep '18 - became pregnant in late August, then on 9/5 insomnia/anxiety went THROUGH the roof. I tried a lot of things but here is what is current: Paroxetine: 6.2mg (began 9/5/18, and there was a new manufacturer of which I just found out 2 days ago) during the day Olanzapine : 7.5mg at night Ambien: 5-10mg at night Xanex: 5-10mg at night Fish Oil: for prenatal things Aug '18: Paroxetine 6.6mg, (30mg thyroid hormone, fish oil, vit D3, SBI protect, probiotic. Following AIP diet) Mar '16: began taper from 20mg. Decreasing .75mg or less each month or more. Sporadically used Ambien &/or Trazodone for insomnia. Sep'15: tried to come off slower. Used fish oil, vit D3, and regular exercise/healthy diet to assist. (Taper sched= 18mg for 60days, 15mg for 60d, 10mg for 30d, 8mg for 30d) At my 3rd week of 8mg in Nov '15, insomnia and panic attacks began. Back up to 20mg after a month of horrible withdrawal. Oct'12-Sep'15: 20mg Paxil Sep'12: 1st attempt to get off, naively tried cold turkey per Dr. suggestion. Couldn't work for 2 months. Another Doc upped dose to 20mg. Jun '09-Aug '12: 10mg Paxil for severe insomnia due to anxiety. Also took Ambien/Trazodone for sleep. Other meds taken sporadically: Ativan, Abilify, Xyrem My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Link to comment
mattage Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 Thanks for your kind words meganb. Just thought I would post on my condition. I am now just over 14 months Paroxetine free. I'm still taking anafranil at 150mg. Things have steadily improved since the 12 month off mark. The last time I posted, going outside, even just to the local shop was really difficult for me. I am now able to go out every day and I am able to exercise again at the gym. I go 5/6 times a week as exercise really helps me to feel better. I am still having some problems with intrusive thoughts/ocd and having periods of not feeling and periods of feeling depressed. But I am so much better than around January when I admitted myself to hospital. The big thing is that I am now getting some sleep (though not as much as I would like) - hopefully the chronic insomnia has gone. I am no longer feeling in any way suicida,l as the akathesia has gone. I can go to the supermarket and I have even been to a couple of football (soccer)matches. I no longer feel exhausted. I I am going to try to start some voluntary work soon so that I can be out and about people again. The remaining issues I have are: some DP and DR but not as strong as before; I still feel very 'stupid'; OCD intrusive thoughts are still troublesome (though reduced); still not back to 'me' yet - some days I make 60 - 70% which is good. I am now thinking that it will be around the two year off mark that I will be recovered. CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 10, 2016 Moderator Share Posted October 10, 2016 Way to go Mattage!!!! It sounds like things are really looking up. I'm totally excited for you. Brass 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
mattage Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 Cheers Brass! CT at 10mg. After 3 months RI at 5mg. Taper at 10% per month down to 1mg. Taper the last milligram a little too quickly. After ceasing meds, hit WD. Currently 2 months 3 weeks drug free. Hit protracted withdrawal 3.5 months after coming off Paxil (after 17 years use). I tried to reinstate just 0.5mg of Paxil but my body would no longer accept it. Tried a number of different drugs during a hospital spell. I eventually found one that eased my symptoms a bit. Currently, 10 months (15/05/16) off Paxil in the middle of a bad wave. I'm taking 150mg Clomipramine. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted October 11, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 11, 2016 Fantastic! Hey - you could change your location to Stoked-on-Trent . Sorry for sad humour... 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
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