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Well, first I want to thank Alto for creating this site which helped immensely during those hard times (and there were many ) and also to all the members whom helped along the way. 

I finished my taper 4 years ago this month after I believe was 3 other month long tapers had failed. 

        This last time I started a 10% taper in December 2013 after being on mostly 10 mg . Paxil and a few runs of 20 mg. I finished my taper I believe April 15th 2015. The last 6 months of the taper which was basically dust particles of Paxil was brutal. 

The next year was pretty rough with anhedonia and being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that I am certain ether Paxil or the antibiotic Levaquin caused (if you read my story you will find that Levaquin started this whole cascading process of decreasing health and medicines. Year two I was feeling better but still not myself. Not really interested in my prior hobbies. Year 3 is when I was really starting to change back to ME again and was interested in lots of things again. The only thin that has held me back is the physical pain from my autoimmune issues.

          I have considered myself healed for about a year now but it seems like there was even more to come, which is where I'm at now. Doing just great ,although I do have lower libido than I thought I would. Without TMI , was the equivalent of an 18 year old until about the time Paxil pooped out on me. I was 45 then and now 50 so I guess this might be considered normal aging but I will never know🙄. Anyway, all parts work but not as good as before and not as often, so for the PSSD people, it does get better, but at my age now I'm not sure how I'm supposed to be🤔.

         So there it is in a nutshell, things are really good, I'm in a shitload of pain from AI issues but life is still great. It's been a really long time since I have been on here and I don't visit too often at all anymore because I'm too busy at life. I'm going to post a link to my story so anyone interested can see how I was able to do it. If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer when I can because I'm so damn busy at life again.

 

 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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Thank you for posting. It helps us out a lot 🙏🏻

Originally at 100 mg Zoloft and 150 mg xl Wellbutrin for ten years. 

Abruptly dropped 50 mg of Zoloft April 2018.

Cut Wellbutrin in half (75 mg) for a month in December 2018.

Cold turkeyed Wellbutrin January 2019.

Reinstated Wellbutrin half of 150 xl (75 mg) in January 2019 and added Xanax.

ER visit iv of 5 mg Haloperidol.

Finished Xanax taper, cold turkeyed Wellbutrin February 2019 and added 10 mg buspar twice daily.

Tapering buspar

 

50 mg Zoloft at 10:00 am

 

2.5 mg buspar at 9:00 pm 

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Winner winner chicken dinner! 

🎉

Celexa 10mg: 2007 to June 2018, stopped CT

No meds: June 2018 to December 2018

PROTRACTED WD-- major depressive episode for 2+ weeks

Lexapro 10mg: December 12, 2018 to January 19, 2019, severe adverse reaction

Celexa 10mg: January 20, 2019

June 24, 2019: 9mg

July 22, 2019: 8.5mg

Jan 8, 2020: 8mg

Aug 25, 2020: 7.2mg

 

Supplements: Magnesium, Fish Oil

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Thank you so much DLB for coming back to post your success story.

 

In percentage terms, how back to normal would you say you are in respect of PSSD?  And you might improve further - I know of one person who recovered from PSSD but then continued to improve further over the next two or three years. 

 

Wish you all the best for the future. 

 

1Day

Escitalopram for anxiety (dates below are approximate).

 

Oct 09 - Apr 10, 20mg (tapered off over about 6 weeks). 

Jun 10 - Feb 11, 20mg (tapered off over about 6 weeks). 

Jun 11 - Aug 12, 20mg (started to taper off but failed). 

Oct 12 - Dec 13, 20mg.  Dec 13 - Apr 14, 10mg.  Apr 14 - Nov 14, 5mg. 

Nov 14 - Jan 16, 20mg.  Jan 16 - Aug 16, 10mg.  Aug 16 - Dec 16, 10mg every other day.  Dec 16 - Jan 17 5mg every third day.  Jan 17 - took last tablet.

 

 

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I am so happy for you!  Thanks so much for posting.  It's really nice to hear that you are busy at life again!  We all need more success stories.  

 

I read in your timeline that you felt 85% better at .25mgs.  Did that not last as you said the last six months were brutal and the next year was rough as well?  I'm wondering because I am starting a 10% taper from 20 mgs of Lexapro tomorrow and am hoping so much that I will feel improvement on my way to 0 and not just increased symptoms.  

 

Best wishes to you and congratulations!!! 🎂

 

1994-2009 benzos from age 20 to 36.  Added Cymbalta 60mg in 2007.

2008-2009 tapered benzos to zero and quit Cymbalta Cold turkey.  WD HELL for two years

2011 started on Lexapro to combat the withdrawal and it worked.  

2015 switched to Prozac as Lexapro was not working as well

2017 quit Prozac cold turkey November and crashed into WD.  Reinstated Prozac In December with no benefit. 

2018 Switched back to Lexapro in January and it took most of the issues away in around 2-3 weeks

2019 In February Lexapro has pooped out and WD feelings back.  Tolerance WD I'm sure.

           March 12th Upped my dose to 30 mgs per doctor's advice to see if Tolerance WD goes away but have had worsening sleep issues with limbs jerking and less sleep.

           March 17th dropped back down to 20 mgs and had less limb jerking last night but sleep no better.  

           April 20th cut to 18mg.            

 

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On April 15, 2019 at 4:27 PM, 1Day said:

Thank you so much DLB for coming back to post your success story.

 

In percentage terms, how back to normal would you say you are in respect of PSSD?  And you might improve further - I know of one person who recovered from PSSD but then continued to improve further over the next two or three years. 

 

Wish you all the best for the future. 

 

1Day

Well, like I said in post, I'm not really sure where I should be at 50 being that this happened to me. It sure don't work like it did when 18 lol, or even ten years ago. I'm defiantly not what I was, but who is at 50. I actually have no problem with the workings( although it's harder to maintain) but the desire is a little off. One week I can't get enough and the next I don't really care...

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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On April 18, 2019 at 7:17 PM, RandyJames said:

I am so happy for you!  Thanks so much for posting.  It's really nice to hear that you are busy at life again!  We all need more success stories.  

 

I read in your timeline that you felt 85% better at .25mgs.  Did that not last as you said the last six months were brutal and the next year was rough as well?  I'm wondering because I am starting a 10% taper from 20 mgs of Lexapro tomorrow and am hoping so much that I will feel improvement on my way to 0 and not just increased symptoms.  

 

Best wishes to you and congratulations!!! 🎂

I had no real problems until I hit 2.85 mg and it just sucked REALLY bad from there and then after my final dose it was a crappy year or so with some good days thrown in. 

Keep it slow and steady and just get through it by planning on letting yourself feel like crap for a year or so possibly.

Good luck.

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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Thanks for posting DLB

September 2014 to July 2015 - 20 mg Lexapro, 30mg Mirtazipine

 

August 2015 to November 2016- 10mg Lexapro, 30 mg Mirtazipine

 

Nov. 2016 to Nov. 2017 - 10mg Lexapro, 3.75 mg Mirtazipine

 

Nov. 2017 to Mach 2018 - 5mg/2.5mg Lexapro, 0mg Mirtazipne

 

Mach 2018 to Dec. 2018 - 0mg Lexapro, 0mg Mirtazipne

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  • Altostrata changed the title to DLB I guess it's my turn!!
  • 2 weeks later...

congratulations! You are a true inspiration to us all- Thanks

2 years Drug History Prior to Tapering:

Between 2011 & 2018 I had approximately 58 dose changes between the 4 main medications I took as well as 14 new medications add & taken away.

Prozac (Fluoxetine):(Aug 2016-Dec 2016: 60MG),(June 2017-Nov 2017: 60MG),(Dec 2017: 80MG),(June 2017-Sept 2 2018: 60MG),(Sept 3 2018-Sept 5 2018: 40MG),(Sept 6 2018-Sept 8 2018: 20MG),(Sept 9 2018: 0MG).

Cymbalta:(Jan 2017-May 2017: 60MG).

Cyclobenzaprine: (Aug 2016: 30MG,(Feb 2017: 30MG).

Diazepam (Valium):(Aug 2016-Sept 15 2016: 30MG),(Sept 16 2016-Oct 2017: 15MG),(Nov 2017-Aug 19 2018: 6MG),(Aug 20 2018: 0MG).

Gabapentin:(Aug 2016-Aug 3 2018: 2400MG),(Aug 4 2018-March 26 2019: 2000MG),(March 27 2019-March 30 2019: 1600MG),(May 1 2019: 2000MG)

Hydrocodone:(Aug 2016-Oct 2016: 10-325/4daily),(Nov 2016-Feb 2017: 10-325/3daily),(March 2017-April 2017: 5-325/4daily),(May 2017-April 2018: 10-325/3daily),(June 2018-Aug 25 2018: 10-325/5daily),(Aug 26 2018-Sept 2 2018: 4.5daily),(Sept 3 2018-Sept 10 2018: 10-325/4daily),(Sept 11 2018-Sept 18 2018: 10-325/3daily),(Sept 19 2018-May 1 2019: 10-325/3.5 daily).

Oxycodone: May 2018: 10-325MG/4daily). 

Please see my Intro for full drug history.

         **Forgive Yourself For Not Knowing What You Didn't Know Before You Knew It!  -Maya Angelou/

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  • 11 months later...

5 years out now and doing great. Just some painful autoimmune issues that is mostly under control. Good luck everyone, it really does get better....

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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Congratulations on your success!  I just read through your story and have a question.  You mentioned you had bad noise sensitivity.  Well, I feel like I can hear things 10 miles away.  Things that I never noticed before are now so loud in my house.  And now I'm obsessing over them.  How long did your noise issues last?  I know part of my problem is that I was on a benzo too, and those increase sensitivity. 

 

So glad you are enjoying your life!!

 

2003-2018: Various amounts of Paxil from 20 mg to 5 mg. Occasional Xanax .25 mg for sleep (8-10 times annually)

April 2018: .5 mg Xanax 3 times daily, 10 mg Paxil due to insomnia after horrible experience building a new house with delays.
June 2018: Increase to 20 mg Paxil and continued Xanax.  Horrible side effects and interdose w/d from Xanax(didn't know at the time).
September 2018: .5 Klonopin daily, 30 mg Mirtz, 60 mg Prozac. 
October 2018:  Developed UTI. Floxed with Cipro. Sent me into acute w/d.
November 2018: Switched to 5 mg Valium to try and control interdose w/d. January 2019: Switched to liquid Valium to start taper following Ashton Manual.

Mid February 2019: Ashton schedule too fast, switched to daily liquid micro taper for duration

Mid April 2019: Finished taper Mid May 2019: Started taper Prozac and Mirtz. 10% every 2 weeks.  Too fast. Holding until I feel better. Currently at 40 mg Prozac and 27 mg Mirtz. May 2019: Continue taper. Complete Prozac taper November 2019  January 2020: Complete Remeron taper

March 31, 2020: SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG! Woke up in a panic and everything went downhill fast. Insomnia, audio hallucinations, extreme anxiety and akathesia. Attempted suicide and was put in hospital. Put on cocktail of drugs. 80 mg Prozac, 15 mg Remeron, trazedone 75mg, Lithium 300mg. Took meds because I was terrified. June 3, 2020: Still having terrible withdrawal symptoms.

 

 

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  • Mentor

Hey, great to hear! Congrats this drug is a PITA. Glad you are doing well :) What is your autoimmune condition, if you don't mind me asking? I also developed a few while on paxil and they are reversing now that I am off it and have changed my nutrition :)

I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 

2008 to 2019  - 20 mg Paroxetine

Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 

2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful.

2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 
2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 

2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount. 

 

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On 4/16/2020 at 10:32 PM, ResilienceandHope said:

Congratulations on your success!  I just read through your story and have a question.  You mentioned you had bad noise sensitivity.  Well, I feel like I can hear things 10 miles away.  Things that I never noticed before are now so loud in my house.  And now I'm obsessing over them.  How long did your noise issues last?  I know part of my problem is that I was on a benzo too, and those increase sensitivity. 

 

So glad you are enjoying your life!!


Hi Hop, the noise thing was awful. What hurt most was putting forks and spoons away, I had to do it sooo carefully. That disappeared after about 8 months or a year, pretty hard to remember.

Keep going...

 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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Hi Coco, I have a form of psoriatic arthritis/ spondylarthritis. It mainly affects my tendons and muscles and no joints. This could have also started from Levaquin poisoning because that is what started this whole mess almost 17 years ago. It’s very possible the Paxil was just masking it because it always appeared when I tapered and disappeared when I reinstated. For the record NO ONE on any side of my family had this or psoriasis and I was fine until I took these meds. There is definitely a correlation. I’m now managing it with Humira because basically I can’t walk without it. It makes me about 90% better.

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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  • Mentor
33 minutes ago, DLB said:

Hi Coco, I have a form of psoriatic arthritis/ spondylarthritis. It mainly affects my tendons and muscles and no joints. This could have also started from Levaquin poisoning because that is what started this whole mess almost 17 years ago. It’s very possible the Paxil was just masking it because it always appeared when I tapered and disappeared when I reinstated. For the record NO ONE on any side of my family had this or psoriasis and I was fine until I took these meds. There is definitely a correlation. I’m now managing it with Humira because basically I can’t walk without it. It makes me about 90% better.

 

Yes, I would say it definitely is caused by these medications. I to developed an autoimmune disease while on paroxetine. I have almost fully reversed my alopecia with changing my nutrition. It has been a long challenging journey, but every moment is worth it as I know it will get me to my goal!  It has reduced the inflammation in my body and allowed my body to continue to heal. I am glad you have found relief with humira. 

 

Actually one of the youtubers I found out about this lifestyle from is the reason I changed my nutrition lifestyle. I would of not been able to get off of this medication without it.  She actually had life crippling arthritis.  Here is the video if you are interested in taking a look 

 

I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 

2008 to 2019  - 20 mg Paroxetine

Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 

2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful.

2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 
2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 

2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount. 

 

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On 4/19/2020 at 9:05 PM, Cocopuffz17 said:

 

Yes, I would say it definitely is caused by these medications. I to developed an autoimmune disease while on paroxetine. I have almost fully reversed my alopecia with changing my nutrition. It has been a long challenging journey, but every moment is worth it as I know it will get me to my goal!  It has reduced the inflammation in my body and allowed my body to continue to heal. I am glad you have found relief with humira. 

 

Actually one of the youtubers I found out about this lifestyle from is the reason I changed my nutrition lifestyle. I would of not been able to get off of this medication without it.  She actually had life crippling arthritis.  Here is the video if you are interested in taking a look 

 

Thank you, I will look into it. I tried every possible diet and herbal remedy possible in 5 years. I’ll try anything...

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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  • Mentor
14 minutes ago, DLB said:

Thank you, I will look into it. I tried every possible diet and herbal remedy possible in 5 years. I’ll try anything...

You are welcome! I to tried numerous different nutritional plans to try and help out my condition and not a single one has even come close to the results I have got from following The Plant Paradox. 

I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 

2008 to 2019  - 20 mg Paroxetine

Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 

2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful.

2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 
2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 

2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/20/2020 at 10:31 PM, Cocopuffz17 said:

You are welcome! I to tried numerous different nutritional plans to try and help out my condition and not a single one has even come close to the results I have got from following The Plant Paradox. 

I actually take Gundry’s  “Vital Reds” and it lowered my cholesterol pretty well. Been thinking about some of his other blends too.

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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  • Mentor
5 minutes ago, DLB said:

I actually take Gundry’s  “Vital Reds” and it lowered my cholesterol pretty well. Been thinking about some of his other blends too.

Nice! I have been taking that supplement for around 8 months now. I take that and total restore! 

I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 

2008 to 2019  - 20 mg Paroxetine

Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 

2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful.

2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 
2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 

2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount. 

 

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  • 11 months later...

6 years this week and doing great. Like it never happened. 
Still dealing with painful autoimmune disorder but manageable with Humira.

0 issues with sleep or anything else.

Good luck to all and just hang in there and be stubborn as hell to get through it. 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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  • Mentor
17 minutes ago, DLB said:

6 years this week and doing great. Like it never happened. 
Still dealing with painful autoimmune disorder but manageable with Humira.

0 issues with sleep or anything else.

Good luck to all and just hang in there and be stubborn as hell to get through it. 

That’s great to hear you are feeling well! I really hope your AI disease gets better! 

I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 

2008 to 2019  - 20 mg Paroxetine

Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 

2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful.

2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 
2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 

2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount. 

 

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  • 11 months later...

7 Years and doing great. It was real Hell from what I remember.

I used to monitor this site several times per day. It is all a distant memory and I don’t come on here at all anymore. 
Just keep going and accept feeling crappy for possibly a few years and just flow with it. 
It sucks, but it can be done...

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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hey @DLB, i was reading your story earlier and since you just posted, thought i’d ask you this. you mention dealing with PSSD… did you have problems with premature ejaculation at all?

-lexapro 10mg daily from 2012 to 2021 (halfed dose in 4/2021, went all the way off 6/21)

-various benzos 2014-2019... valium 2019-10/2021~20mg, inconsistent but daily dosing
10/9-17.5mg 10/23-15m 11/29 - 12.5 12/24 - 12 12/31 - 11.5 
2/27/22 - 11 3/31 - 10.5 4/14 - 10 5/3 - 9.5 5/15 - 9 6/6 - 8.5

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Hello @DLB I wanted to ask you is your sleep restorative and do you feel good when you wake up?  Like before the treatment and not in a brain fog?  Do you still feel disconnected from people elsewhere or is it fixed permanently?  Last question have you had problems with premature ejaculation?  Has your look changed for the better?  Thanks in advance and take care

Hello everyone, I was on seroplex 10mg in October 2019 for over a year and then on brintellix from March to September for maybe 8 months. I made several attempts to stop abruptly then I resumed the treatment of brintellix recently for a few weeks because it was too difficult to stop.

Symptom when stopped: premature ejaculation, ejaculation with less orgasm. Severe insomnia, transient headaches, sensitivity to noise and light.

Last intake of brintellix 5mg: Saturday, September 11, 2021

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/6/2022 at 9:00 PM, canaanstongue01 said:

hey @DLB, i was reading your story earlier and since you just posted, thought i’d ask you this. you mention dealing with PSSD… did you have problems with premature ejaculation at all?

Yeah, that really sucks. It’s really weird how that happens. I did have it really bad in the beginning and now It is at an acceptable level but definitely still there.

Ten years ago when I first tried unsuccessfully to get off this crap I was walking down my stairs and WTF it just happened out of nowhere. 
 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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On 4/11/2022 at 6:36 AM, Parisien said:

Hello @DLB I wanted to ask you is your sleep restorative and do you feel good when you wake up?  Like before the treatment and not in a brain fog?  Do you still feel disconnected from people elsewhere or is it fixed permanently?  Last question have you had problems with premature ejaculation?  Has your look changed for the better?  Thanks in advance and take care

My sleep is awesome. I sleep like a rock for 5 to 6 hours and that is normal for meI never feel disconnected and all anhedonia is gone. Yes there were real bad premature ejaculation and now just bad often, but not life altering.

I’m sorry, I don’t understand the question about my “look” changing for the better.

My OUTLOOK on everything is great. My physical “look” is an older 53 year old man that began this ordeal as a young 34 year old.

Hope this has helped you.

 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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3 hours ago, DLB said:

I did have it really bad in the beginning and now It is at an acceptable level but definitely still there.

well that’s a bummer, thanks for answering honestly though. how far along were you in the healing process before you saw improvement with pssd symptoms?

-lexapro 10mg daily from 2012 to 2021 (halfed dose in 4/2021, went all the way off 6/21)

-various benzos 2014-2019... valium 2019-10/2021~20mg, inconsistent but daily dosing
10/9-17.5mg 10/23-15m 11/29 - 12.5 12/24 - 12 12/31 - 11.5 
2/27/22 - 11 3/31 - 10.5 4/14 - 10 5/3 - 9.5 5/15 - 9 6/6 - 8.5

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@DLB you also mention you tried to get off the drug before and had similar issues. did they resolve once you got back on? not just PE but other pssd stuff/anhedonia etc? at this point i am approaching this as a quality of life thing, don’t know that i have years to spend waiting around to get better 

-lexapro 10mg daily from 2012 to 2021 (halfed dose in 4/2021, went all the way off 6/21)

-various benzos 2014-2019... valium 2019-10/2021~20mg, inconsistent but daily dosing
10/9-17.5mg 10/23-15m 11/29 - 12.5 12/24 - 12 12/31 - 11.5 
2/27/22 - 11 3/31 - 10.5 4/14 - 10 5/3 - 9.5 5/15 - 9 6/6 - 8.5

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Hello, do you still have premature ejaculation today?  Did you have it from your 34 to 54 years after stopping drugs??

Hello everyone, I was on seroplex 10mg in October 2019 for over a year and then on brintellix from March to September for maybe 8 months. I made several attempts to stop abruptly then I resumed the treatment of brintellix recently for a few weeks because it was too difficult to stop.

Symptom when stopped: premature ejaculation, ejaculation with less orgasm. Severe insomnia, transient headaches, sensitivity to noise and light.

Last intake of brintellix 5mg: Saturday, September 11, 2021

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Sorry to insist and go into details but I have the same thing and I'm worried about having his life so I'm asking myself the question of reinstatement if one day it doesn't improve.  When you say before there were very bad premature ejaculations and now they are often bad ie?  How long can you last during sex?  What age did it start and how long did you see improvement.  If there has been improvement, thank you in advance

Hello everyone, I was on seroplex 10mg in October 2019 for over a year and then on brintellix from March to September for maybe 8 months. I made several attempts to stop abruptly then I resumed the treatment of brintellix recently for a few weeks because it was too difficult to stop.

Symptom when stopped: premature ejaculation, ejaculation with less orgasm. Severe insomnia, transient headaches, sensitivity to noise and light.

Last intake of brintellix 5mg: Saturday, September 11, 2021

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On 4/23/2022 at 12:06 AM, canaanstongue01 said:

@DLB you also mention you tried to get off the drug before and had similar issues. did they resolve once you got back on? not just PE but other pssd stuff/anhedonia etc? at this point i am approaching this as a quality of life thing, don’t know that i have years to spend waiting around to get better 

Yes, whenever I went back on, the symptoms all went away. It was when I finally got off permanently that things were sh*tty for about 2 years. The only PSSD I had was premature ejaculation. And when I say premature, I mean seconds. Within 2 years the PE got somewhat better, but it’s still minutes. No big deal because most girls I knew would rather orgasm from lots of foreplay.
As for quality of life, I don’t know how old you are but if you are young you need to remember that these drugs “poop out” all of a sudden and you are left in withdrawal even if you take it at higher doses. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be off that crap. You need to remember that in these uncertain times you can’t rely on the meds always being there and you may find yourself in severe withdrawal and not able to get a supply of meds. But I also don’t know why you were put on them and maybe you need them. In my case, I never needed these drugs and was put on them due to a doctors error in failure to diagnose fluoroquinolone poisoning that destroyed me without any doctors knowing these antibiotics can do that to some people.

So if I were younger than say 60-65 you bet I would go through Hell for a few years to be without the ball and chain of these drugs. 

 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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On 4/23/2022 at 9:21 AM, Parisien said:

Hello, do you still have premature ejaculation today?  Did you have it from your 34 to 54 years after stopping drugs??

I am better today but still not the same. I did not have it until I stopped the drug completely when I was 46 years old and it was real bad for about 2 years. It was seconds and now 10 min maybe. No big deal when you get creative and lots of foreplay. 

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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On 4/28/2022 at 8:47 PM, DLB said:

whenever I went back on, the symptoms all went away. It was when I finally got off permanently that things were sh*tty for about 2 years.

thanks for your responses @DLB  i know that these drugs quit working but my case right now is just like… i am absolutely miserable all the time, in addition to the sexual stuff. i feel like maybe it is just the wrong time for me, especially since i’m also trying to get off of valium.i’m 30 and my life is passing me by and i’m just sitting here numb, anhedonic, soulless…

when you got off before, how long was it until you reinstated? i’ve been off for 9 months now. 

-lexapro 10mg daily from 2012 to 2021 (halfed dose in 4/2021, went all the way off 6/21)

-various benzos 2014-2019... valium 2019-10/2021~20mg, inconsistent but daily dosing
10/9-17.5mg 10/23-15m 11/29 - 12.5 12/24 - 12 12/31 - 11.5 
2/27/22 - 11 3/31 - 10.5 4/14 - 10 5/3 - 9.5 5/15 - 9 6/6 - 8.5

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  • 1 month later...
On 5/1/2022 at 6:57 PM, canaanstongue01 said:

thanks for your responses @DLB  i know that these drugs quit working but my case right now is just like… i am absolutely miserable all the time, in addition to the sexual stuff. i feel like maybe it is just the wrong time for me, especially since i’m also trying to get off of valium.i’m 30 and my life is passing me by and i’m just sitting here numb, anhedonic, soulless…

when you got off before, how long was it until you reinstated? i’ve been off for 9 months now. 

Sorry for the long wait for an answer. The 2 previous times I tried to come off I could not make it past 3 months. That seems to be the norm.

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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  • 6 months later...

Hey how are you doing? @DLB Has your bladder issues gone away now? The frequent urge to urinate 

April 2022- Only 1 celxa pill 10mg

had an adverse reaction & never took anymore again 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/23/2022 at 11:57 AM, peaceandlove said:

Hey how are you doing? @DLB Has your bladder issues gone away now? The frequent urge to urinate 

Hi, every single issue has now resolved.

I believe the frequent urination was only in the very beginning of withdrawal.

Being that you took one pill at a low dosage I'm sure you will be fine.

Just don't panic and you must realize that mosly everyone on here that has a tough time with quitting these drugs were on them for years. I was on for a total of 13 years including tapering. Some over 20 years.

 Good luck and try to just flow with whatever comes your way.

Paxil start September 2003 due to Fluoroquinolone adverse reaction that I wish doc. knew what it was. 10mg. most of the time with a few short runs of 20mg. FAST tapered 3 times and finally hit poop out or a reaction to nsaid's in Nov.2013. Started a 10% taper Jan. 2014 and have been ok until Sept 14 and went through a short hell. Now plodding through and looking for the light with unrelenting insomnia and pain, fog, loss of interests....<p>12/20/14 - .8mg.

1/01/15 - .75 mg.

1/15/15 - .42 mg. better sleep now, hope it continues...

2/11-15 - .25 mg. doing really good!! 2 weeks feel 85% of old me!

3/17/15 .14 mg. Knee pain bad!

4/07/15 .05 mg. this is so small now that I am estimating and just licking it off palm small as a "." 

4/13/15 NOTHING !!!! Took my last little micro dose on 4/12/15. 

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