star Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 I've followed the crowd over here from PP. I was a newbie there, and just learning some of the names and stories before it all disappeared. After being diagnosed with major depression, I went through several antidepressants as you can see in my signature, and after the third med (Paxil) didn't seem to be helping anymore, I quit. I tapered rather quickly, but I'd been on it for less than a year, and I've managed all right. I still get some brain zaps, but not as frequently as in the beginning. Not a lot else, so there's not much to say on that. I hadn't dealt with depression before about five years ago (that I was ever aware of, anyway) but after a series of traumas/life-changing events, I began a long slide down, down, down, and was diagnosed in the Fall of 2013. I've gone to therapy with mixed results, tried three different antidepressants with mixed/unsatisfactory results, and have decided to battle the depression medication-free. And for now, at least, I've also ended the therapy. Some days are pretty hard, some aren't bad, but every day I'm still aware that I'm not the person I was. That's not necessarily a bad thing (hopefully), because I think I've gained a better understanding of myself, maybe grown in some ways, but still. I'm hoping to find some conversations about dealing with depression without meds, and finding and giving encouragement. Sept. 2013-Jan. 2014 Wellbutrin 300mgJan. 2014 Effexor 37.5mg (only took it 2 days)Feb. 2014 Paxil 10mgApril - Sept. 2014 Paxil 30mgSept. 29 2014 Paxil reduced from 30 mg. to 20mg.Nov. 3 2014 Paxil reduced from 20 mg. to 10 mg.Nov. 18, 2014 Paxil free
Frustrated Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Wow! 30mg to 0 in 2 months. That is super fast. I went off Paxil from 20 to 0 in 2 months. It has been 6 months now and I am still suffering withdrawals. I reinstated a tiny amount in November in the hopes of feeling better. Has worked some but not nearly as well as I would have hoped. Glad to hear you are not suffering too badly. Would like to welcome you here and hope you find the site informative and helpful. 2002-put on amitryptiline for fibromyalgia. 10mg.2004-stopped abruptly. Didn't think it helped.2006 approx.-put on Paxil for mild anxiety 20 mg.2007 upped to 40 mg. not sure why.2011- tapered from 40 to 10. went nuts and went back to 20mg2014- tapered from 20mg to 0 from April to The end of June.current meds- Metformin(type 2 diabetic) and low dose aspirin.Take multi vitamin and vit b12, vit. D and magnesium. 5 months off Paxil. Still suffering.recently added 1.2mg of Paxil to alleviate withdrawals.(Nov 30)Dropped to .9mg because having symptoms from reinstatement.(dec 23)<p>taper to .76mg-.8mg (Feb 3) approx. weight .010 to about .008-.009 on scale..6mg (march 19th.) .5mg(April 19th).4mg(April 27th).2 (June 27th) 0mg. done taper at beginning of August.
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted January 3, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Posted January 3, 2015 Welcome star, I'm glad you made it over here, thank you for sharing your story and for filling in your signature. You tapered very fast and a year on an antidepressant is plenty long enough to cause withdrawal from stopping too fast, it seems you have been lucky. Are you experiencing any other symptoms besides brain zaps? Reinstatement of a small amount of the drug can often work well to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of withdrawal symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work. But its your decision and it depends on how bad you are feeling. Here is some information about it: http://survivinganti...rawal-symptoms/ You might find some ideas for dealing with depression in our topic here: Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Petu. 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
Moderator brassmonkey Posted January 3, 2015 Moderator Posted January 3, 2015 Hi Star-- glad you could make it over. (((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))) 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
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