Deblette: looking for help tapering off Paxil

[Deblette]

Currently back on 5 mg daily of paxil, after a few botched attempts to reduce as directed: 11) halve, then halve again over about a month;  and 2) try alternating days on and off the drug.  

Pretty severe brain zaps, rashes, fatigue, dizziness, cognitive lapses and memory loss, etc, led me to this site.  I've also been doing the workbook on withdrawal.theinnercompass.org, preparing for more of the zany, wild, suicidal rage that I expect to experience again.  Would love some help with the physical challenge of knocking 5-10% off of half a 10mg pill!

Thanks for being here.

[ChessieCat]

Hi Deblette and welcome to SA,

 

Thank you for creating your drug signature.  Please condense the paroxetine information to be like this:

 

drug name:  date, dose; date, dose; date, dose; .........

 

I am really glad that you have found SA before trying to taper again.  It is important to be stable before you start tapering again.

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Stability

 

WDnormal

 

And Brassmonkey talks more about it here:

 

tao-of-the-brassmonkey

SA's taper rate is no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  But it is also important to listen to your body/symptoms and taper according to those, and holding for longer/reducing by less if/when needed.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Brassmonkey has successfully got of Paxil and he created his own version of a taper which has been nicknamed after him.  You reduce every week for 4 weeks (if 10% reduction you divide it by 4) and then hold for and additional 2 weeks, so stay on the last dose of the reduction cycle for 3 weeks before commencing the new reduction cycle.  The advantage of doing this taper method is that you can hold at any stage for longer if needed so you have more control over your taper.  You can reduce by less than 10% if you need to:

 

Brass Monkey Slide

 

Post #1 of this topic explains how to get non standard doses.  Paxil can be made into a liquid.

 

Tips for tapering off paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat)

 

This topic has links to helpful information:

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

This is your own Introduction topic.  Please ask questions about your own situation here and you can also journal your progress.  This will keep your history in one place and mean that you don't have to repeat your story.

[Deblette]

I'm so happy to report total recovery from long-term paxil use after following the BrassMonkey Slide method. I spent about six (?) months going from 5 mg to 0 mg and had no remaining withdrawal symptoms by the time I was down to 0. Sometimes when I would feel the tiniest symptoms (trigeminal nerve tingling, body electricity, light sensitivity), I would go back up in dosage the tiniest fraction, hold at that dosage an extra week or two, then titrate down again and hold an extra week or so there. 

 

When I was down to a tiny dose, my successful method for dividing the tablets was to use a fingernail file. I would quarter my 10 mg tablet, then just file and file until the right size nub was left and then swallow it nightly. I was unable to work with suspending in water, because it was too hard to get the powder from settling out and not be able to swallow it. My method was tedious, but worked. I've been off a year now with no discernable side effects. I'm so grateful for the information and support that got me off this drug (and previously trazadone). Now I'm drug free. 

 

On a side note, my reactive dog was prescribed Prozac. When I decided she might actually be acting more reactively, I decided to take her off. Though the vet said I could just stop giving it to her, I ended up slowly tapering her dose in the same way I had mine and she's drug free now, too.  I'm pretty sure she's more relaxed, confident, and attentive, and less reactive.

 

Good luck and take heart!

Deb  

 

 

Edited January 2 by Emonda
Name to title

[KenA]

@Deblette How wonderful to hear that you have healed and come back to give us a status update. Congratulations on being drug free!! That is amazing. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing with us that you are doing well!