Winbar: 5 days into stopping Paxil cold turkey

[Winbar]

Hello everyone, and thanks for allowing me to be part of this group. I recently stopped taking Paxil about 5 days ago. I am experiencing many of the withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping, including dizziness, headaches, nausea and strange/vivid dreams. So far, I’m managing and possibly feeling a little better. My question is if I should continue cold turkey, or perhaps try a gradual ween? Thanks in advance for advice.

[ChessieCat]

Hi Winbar and welcome to SA,

 

I'm really pleased that you have found SA when you did.  Yes, you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from stopping your Paxil too quickly.

 

The only known way to reduce the withdrawal symptoms is to take the drug that your brain has become dependent on.  Please read Post #1 of this topic:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

My suggestion is to take some Paxil immediately.  If you cold turkeyed and were taking a high dose, you might try 1/2 or 3/4 of the dose you were last taking.  It is better to start with a lower dose (and increase if needed) than to risk taking too much.

 

It takes about 4 days for a dose to get to full level in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms (improve/worsening) so that you can see how reinstatement is affecting you.  This will also help us to assess if you need to increase your dose by a tiny amount.

 

My own experience of reducing my drug too quickly:

 

I was taking 100mg Pristiq and because it is only available in 50mg and 100mg doses I started taking 50mg.  Over a 2 week period my brain fog got worse and worse and even walking took my full concentration.  It was like my brain was full of mud and I was walking through molasses.  It was at this time that I researched and found SA.  They suggested that I increase my dose but I wanted to find out more about what they were suggesting and of course the brain fog made it difficult to take in the information I was reading.  However, a couple of days after joining SA I was unable to type.  I have been a professional typist for 40+ years so I knew something was wrong.  I decided to take extra Pristiq and after only about 4 hours I was able to type again and the brain fog was lifting.  I had a benchmark so I had proof that it was the lack of drug that caused the brain fog and inability to type.  The difference was like night and day.  I also knew that there was no way that this was wishful thinking etc.

 

After a few months I started tapering following SA's tapering recommendations and I'm now down to 3mg.  During my taper I have still experienced some withdrawal symptoms but they have been mild, except during times of stress and/or sickness when I have found that they do increase.

 

So that you don't get overwhelmed I will provide some more information in the next post.

 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Here's some information which might help you to understand what is happening:

 

Recovery isn't linear it happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern

 

Withdrawal Normal Description

When we take a psychiatric drug, we are adding chemical/s to the brain.  The brain then has to change to adapt to getting the chemical/s.  It might have to change something to do with A and then once that change has been made it affects B so another change has to be made and so on down the line.  It is a chain reaction, a domino effect.

 

The same thing happens when we take the drug away.  That's why it's possible to experience such a vast array of withdrawal symptoms, and they can change, and be of different intensity.

 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

On 8/31/2011 at 5:28 AM, Rhiannon said:

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 

AND

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made.  

 

[ChessieCat]

When you get a chance please create your drug signature using the following format.   Keep it simple.  NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you.

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

This is your own introductions topic where your can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.