dreamspirit Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Hi Tom, Glad to see you on here. I was on Paxilprogress too. You taught me how to shave my pills down :-)... I been tapering since Jan 2014 at 1 mg drop every 4-6 weeks. Got down to 30mg but crashed 3 weeks ago and had to reinstate back to 40mg :-( .. The funny thing is that I never had any withdraw symptoms until 3 weeks ago. I want to try again but apparently I'm going to have to go even slower than what I was already doing.. Maybe 1mg drops every 12-16 weeks instead of every 4-6 weeks. Thought I was doing it slow enough but apparently not. Not even sure when to start tapering again? Glad to hear your still going strong! Been on Paxil since 96”-97”, 40mg tried 3 times to get off and didn’t work, started a very slow taper Jan 2016, have only dropped down by 3 mg.. on 37mg currently.. have very delayed withdrawals. Last drop was in July 2017.. still have waves and windows. Magnesium 200mg, foilc acid 1 mg, vitamin d3 5000iu, Blood pressure meds-Verapamil & Irbesartan... Smoke cbd flower once in awhile. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 23, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 23, 2015 Just posted this over on Aberdeen thread and thought I would put it here too to give a little background to my taper: The whole thing has been totally lucky engineered from the very beginning. I was in hard core poopout on the paxil and looking to switch drugs when I happened on Prior Place. After reading through some of the threads what they were saying about the 10% taper made sense and the lightbulb came on. So I ended up with a "clean start" to a one drug habit, the rest is just "monkey business". Things went really smoothly the first couple of drops and by then I had been reading a lot and knew it was the right path because I could see what was happening to the fast taperers and CTs and the success that the micro taperers like Songbird and MLG were having. Once I made the move to SA I picked up on the reasons for going even slower at the end and going as low a possible before jumping off. That information has really helped, because I had a rougher than planned time between 6mg and 3mg, but the nerve loading charts made it clear why it was happening so it was easier to it ride out. 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
Moderator Emeritus Songbird Posted July 24, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 24, 2015 because I had a rougher than planned time between 6mg and 3mg That's interesting, I've found this range difficult too. When I updated my signature recently I noticed that it has taken me five years to get down from 6.15mg to 3.1mg. I've also found it interesting here at SA that there are many micro-taperers, some going even slower than me (I think I may have been the slowest at PP). 2001–2002 paroxetine 2003 citalopram 2004-2008 paroxetine (various failed tapers) 2008 paroxetine slow taper down to 2016 Aug off paroxetine2016 citalopram May 20mg Oct 15mg … slow taper down2018 citalopram 13 Feb 4.6mg 15 Mar 4.4mg 29 Apr 4.2mg 6 Jul 4.1mg 17 Aug 4.0mg 18 Nov 3.8mg 2019 15 Mar 3.6mg 21 May 3.4mg 26 Dec 3.2mg 2020 19 Feb 3.0mg 19 Jul 2.9mg 16 Sep 2.8mg 25 Oct 2.7mg 23 Oct 2.6mg 24 Dec 2.5mg 2021 29 Aug 2.4mg 15 Nov 2.3mg Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 24, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 24, 2015 Hi Songbird-- thanks for dropping in. I've run into a lot of people who have had trouble in that range, and it seemed that no matter how small or slow they went it still caused trouble. I think, all told, yours is the slowest taper I have seen anywhere. I'm so glad it's working for you. One of the basic tenants here is to go small and slow, I just wish more people would listen. Hi Dreamspirit-- yea I remember working with you back at Prior Place. I so sorry that you ran into trouble after being so diligent, that is so disheartening. How is the reinstatement to 40mg going? The 1mg every 12-16 weeks sounds like a good plan. That will need some adjustment when you get down to 10mg , but let's get there first and then worry about it. Another alternative would be to stick with the 6-8 weeks between drops but only drop by .5mg, just an idea. 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
dreamspirit Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I reinstated on July 7.. So it's only been 3 weeks and it can't get into my system fast enough. I'm depressed and still have some start up symptoms. When I first started it back up I felt sedated and had terrible anxiety. The sedation went away but still have crying spells and wake up feeling really anxious (Which makes me have crying spells) and depression. Some days I do feel better than others.. Like last night I was talking with my mom on the phone and laughing but this morning woke up feeling terrible.. I hope all these feelings go away soon.. I'm really not too functional right now. Been on the couch.. Sleeping when I can... I've had to take 1/4 of the smallest dose of Klonopin today and a couple days ago. I try not to take it unless I have to... Thank god I have a understanding husband that cooks for me and etc.. And my 12 year old son just plays video games...I end up getting agoraphobia when I'm like this and don't want to go anywhere till I feel better. Sucks! I was almost thinking I might need a mood stabilizer to help me but I don't know.. It's funny I didn't get any withdrawl symptoms from tapering since Jan 2014 until 3 weeks ago.. I wonder why that is? It started with feeling lightheaded and I would get adrenaline surges and then one day I was out and about with my husband at best buy and started getting dizzy and the panic attack adrenaline surges put me over the edge and I had to go right home and had problems since. I know I eventually will stabilize and when I do I will start to taper again but even slower this time.But when I have these panic attacks it puts me into this cycle for awhile of agoraphobia.. Paxil isn't working well for me anymore after 19 years on it. Could the Paxil actually be causing my panic attacks cause it's not working well anymore? I need something that will help with my panic attacks and that's why I thought a mood stabilizer could help me while I get off of Paxil??? Been on Paxil since 96”-97”, 40mg tried 3 times to get off and didn’t work, started a very slow taper Jan 2016, have only dropped down by 3 mg.. on 37mg currently.. have very delayed withdrawals. Last drop was in July 2017.. still have waves and windows. Magnesium 200mg, foilc acid 1 mg, vitamin d3 5000iu, Blood pressure meds-Verapamil & Irbesartan... Smoke cbd flower once in awhile. Link to comment
dreamspirit Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Oh this was my schedule of tapering... Did I calculate it right??? I remember you said that a 40mg tablet weighs 500 and then you subtract 12.5 from the 500 to get 1mg drop weight?? Is that right? It's going to take me a long time to get off this and that's ok. I just can't handle the withdrawl.. Jan 18 2014-1mg reduction at 39mg..... 487 Feb 23 2014-1mg reduction at 38mg.....475 March 30 2014-1mg reduction at 37mg....462 May 4 2014-1mg reduction at 36mg.... 450 June 7 2014-1mg reduction at 35mg.... 437 Aug 17 2014-1mg reduction at 34mg.... 424 oct 6 2014-1mg reduction at 33mg.... 411 Nov 11 2014-1mg reduction at 32mg....398 Dec 23 2014-1mg reduction at 31mg....387 Jan 24 2015-1mg reduction at 30mg....374 March 12 2015-1mg reduction at 29mg....361 June 5 2015-went back up 1mg at 30mg...374 July 6 2015-Was going to try the prozac bridge .. took 1 10mg pill and was too stimulating.. had chest pressure. stop taking it.. July 7 2015-Started 40mg of paxil again :-( Been on Paxil since 96”-97”, 40mg tried 3 times to get off and didn’t work, started a very slow taper Jan 2016, have only dropped down by 3 mg.. on 37mg currently.. have very delayed withdrawals. Last drop was in July 2017.. still have waves and windows. Magnesium 200mg, foilc acid 1 mg, vitamin d3 5000iu, Blood pressure meds-Verapamil & Irbesartan... Smoke cbd flower once in awhile. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 27, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 27, 2015 Hi dreamspirit-- Only thing I can see with your schedule is that it may have been a little fast in places, but not all that much. Something to think about would be throwing in an extra 6-8 week hold every 5 mg, just to let things settle out a bit before pressing on. Little things like laughing with your mom are really good signs. Try to remember that the panic is just a neuroemotion, it's really unpleasant, but it's not going to harm you. Try to not let it upset you that will only make it worse. It's like a bad house guest, you just have to put up with them until they go away. ((((((((((((((((((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 Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 30, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 30, 2015 This is to try and sort out the trouble I am having copying and pasting links; http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/] 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
Member cymbaltawithdrawal5600 Posted July 30, 2015 Member Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hmmm, it worked even with the extra character tacked on to the end ( a ']' ). But it should have looked like this: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ and is really this before the site truncates it, colors it blue and adds an underline: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ I get my links for posts by opening up a new tab to the SA main page, surf to what page I want and then click the address of the page in the address bar which highlights it and then I do a right click 'copy' to snag it on the clipboard and go back to my composing window and right click (or CTRL V) paste it in and then by that time I am out of breath and go take a nap. As a mod you can hide this post to remove it from your thread...... since it adds nothing helpful to your story. What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878 July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site. Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 30, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks CW-- I'll have to give that a try. This switching between browsers makes for a fun time. Just for the fun of it I have been thinking about dusting off my antique Powerbook 3400 and giving it a try. lol 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
Member cymbaltawithdrawal5600 Posted July 30, 2015 Member Share Posted July 30, 2015 "When it was announced in February 1997, The PowerBook 3400 was the fastest portable computer in the world. After several years of PowerBook trouble, Apple hoped to revitalize its portable market share with this new PCI-based model. Its drive bay was compatible with the older 5300 model, and it was the first PowerBook to utilize the 1 MB IrDA Infra-red standard. The 3400 ranged from $4,500 for 180 MHz and no CD-ROM to $6,500 for 240 MHz, fully loaded (The 240 MHz model was announced at the same time as the slower models, but shipped several months later.). Hey, sailor..... you married or have a gf? Maybe we could get together sometime (lol!) Most expensive computer ever had was nowhere near even a grand! What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878 July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site. Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 31, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2015 I got the 240MHz with an accelerator card, maxed out ram, cd drive and ZIP drive. How ya like them apples baby. I scored the entire thing on ebay for $150. Used it for years. Finally gave up on it because I never could get the wifi card to work. I really love the keyboard and want to dust it off so I can start writing again. 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
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted July 31, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 31, 2015 Tom, CWD was digging you wildly when you looked like a high roller. Then you go and ruin it all with an eBay story? Sheesh.Dude, we gotta up your game! LOL, 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
Member cymbaltawithdrawal5600 Posted July 31, 2015 Member Share Posted July 31, 2015 I am laughing so hard right now! (But Andy, he is so PROUD of himself! Let's not ruin his fun and yes, I know he's married....) :D :D What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878 July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site. Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted July 31, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2015 Did I mention all the shares of Qualcom I owned during the dotcom bubble? 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
Member cymbaltawithdrawal5600 Posted July 31, 2015 Member Share Posted July 31, 2015 Qualcomm?????? Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!! What happened and how I arrived here: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4243-cymbaltawithdrawal5600-introduction/#entry50878 July 2016 I have decided to leave my story here at SA unfinished. I have left my contact information in my profile for anyone who wishes to talk to me. I have a posting history spanning nearly 4 years and 3000+ posts all over the site. Thank you to all who participated in my recovery. I'll miss talking to you but know that I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, suffering and rejoicing with you in spirit, as you go on in your journey. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 3, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted August 3, 2015 Started the second half of this slide last Monday, and have really been noticing it. Mainly the agitation levels are up, along with some ruminating and self talk. Nothing major, but I have had to pay attention to it. There has been a bit more brain fog and the body aches are up a bit too. Things are going to be much more hectic for a few months now too. We start the installation of the Halloween Haunt in a couple of week, and that will keep things going nonstop until November, then we have to take it all down again. They are talking about an El Nino this year, so if we get all the promised rain it will make things a lot more "interesting". 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
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 5, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted August 5, 2015 Feeling quit blah today, definitely below neutral. Wd has a bit to do with it, but I'll write it off as situational stuff from work and the heat. 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
aberdeen Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hang in there Brass. This parts tricky so they say. I had a low day too. Ive been busy, quite sick with a fever and camping...this crap catches up. 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
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 7, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hi Aberdeen-- I'll say, I've really been feeling this last drop. I think it is compounded because the last several have been so easy that any symptoms are amplified. I've been totally exhausted all week, falling asleep while watching tv and the like. My whole body aches and no strength what so ever. If it follows form next week should be better. Hope you had a good time camping despite the fever, or was it camping fever? 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
AmyK Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 I hope you feel better soon! Hugs! Current dose: 0! Free! Quit June 2017. 2017: Last dose zoloft: 17 June 0,00065 mg 18 May 0, 001 mg 14 May 0,002 mg 9 May 0,003 mg 28 April 0,006 mg 19 April 0,009 mg 8 April 0,013 mg 25 March 0,019 mg 22 March 0,039 mg 18 March 0,052 mg 16 March 0,079 mg 4 March 0,086 1 March 0,099 mg 22 February 0,11 mg 15 February 0,13 mg 6 February 0,145 mg 24 January 0,15 mg 19 January 0,19 mg 10 January 0,20 mg 3 January 2016: 0,98 to 0,22 mg; 2015: 2,35 to 1,01 mg; 2014: 4,9 to 2,5 mg; 2013: 9,1 to 5,1 mg; 2012: 15,7 to 9,7 mg; 2011: Started on 25 mg - then 50 mg- dropped to 25- to 12.5 mg - back to 25 mg - after 18.75 mg started tiny tapering to 16.6 mg Started on 25 mg Zoloft in March 2011 due to stressrelated tinnitus that gave me panicattacks. Had a terrible reaction to Zoloft from start, but was told to "hold on". After four months I was stuck. Therefore the long taper. Crazy, I know... Super sensitive to drops and have dropped by 4-6 % from the previous dose. Link to comment
AliG Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hi B. M Hang in there. Many SSRI's and SSNRI's over 20 years. Zoloft for 7 years followed by Effexor, Lexapro, Prozac, Cymbalta, Celexa, Pristiq, Valdoxan, Mianserin and more - on and off. No tapering. Cold turkey off Valdoxan - end of May 2014 Psych Drug - free since May 2014 . Link to comment
aberdeen Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 It was camping, AND a fever 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
aberdeen Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 which is probably hard on the system,lol. Its funny you mentioned the drops. I too had a few good ones and now seem to be paying the price a little. Nothing horrible, but I dont feel very good. Mainly the depressed side. I've been naive to think that these doses dont matter, that tapering below 5mg ...one should be all done with symptoms etc, but perhaps not. Slow slow slow. I think my shortest time frame between drops will now be 6 weeks. Thats what I did last time. 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
Moderator Emeritus Songbird Posted August 10, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 10, 2015 I've been totally exhausted all week, falling asleep while watching tv and the like. My whole body aches and no strength what so ever. I've had some patches like that as well, body aches, severe fatigue. It's like at some points, the body just needs major rest. 2001–2002 paroxetine 2003 citalopram 2004-2008 paroxetine (various failed tapers) 2008 paroxetine slow taper down to 2016 Aug off paroxetine2016 citalopram May 20mg Oct 15mg … slow taper down2018 citalopram 13 Feb 4.6mg 15 Mar 4.4mg 29 Apr 4.2mg 6 Jul 4.1mg 17 Aug 4.0mg 18 Nov 3.8mg 2019 15 Mar 3.6mg 21 May 3.4mg 26 Dec 3.2mg 2020 19 Feb 3.0mg 19 Jul 2.9mg 16 Sep 2.8mg 25 Oct 2.7mg 23 Oct 2.6mg 24 Dec 2.5mg 2021 29 Aug 2.4mg 15 Nov 2.3mg Link to comment
pug Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi Aberdeen-- I'll say, I've really been feeling this last drop. I think it is compounded because the last several have been so easy that any symptoms are amplified. I've been totally exhausted all week, falling asleep while watching tv and the like. My whole body aches and no strength what so ever. If it follows form next week should be better. Hope you had a good time camping despite the fever, or was it camping fever? I hope your exhaustion is improving and you are feeling better. I have it too and it is hard to do much of anything, even basic living things. All the best. 20+ years of Zoloft 50-100 mg CT 03/2014 for 5 months Back on Prozac 20 mg for 4 months CT since 11/2014 Found this forum the last day of 2014 The secret is to keep going! Time will heal. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 10, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted August 10, 2015 I was able to get some pretty good rest over the weekend. Things were pretty busy though, spent most of Saturday at a Haunters Convention getting ready for the Halloween Haunt Season. It started to get tiring after six or seven hours but it was pretty well over by that time. Then Sunday just did projects around the house. Now at work things are shaping up to be a nonstop type of week, plus have to pull together a workshop I'm teaching this coming weekend and Monica has plans of her own to work in. Complain, complain, complain. Well I've been through it all before so one more time won't make much difference. 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
aberdeen Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Brass, when you put the calibration weight in your scale now, for added accuracy at such low doses, do you just sprinkle the powder and bits around it in the tray? I'm having scale problems. Im worried it may be contributing to my higher than average anxiety lately (though being sick may have done that also). I find it will weigh .013g, and upon re weighing, maybe only .005mg...I'm going to replace the batteries also, it could be that. But i should still be able to expect accuracy at this weight, no? I have it set to g, so when I weigh my pill parts, they are weighing .013g for this dose (dose is .9mg). 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
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 11, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted August 11, 2015 Yea Aberdeen, that's the way I do it. I place the weight, press "tare" and then shake a bit or powder into the pan until I get to 19mg of powder which gives me 1.52mg or paxil. It sometimes takes a few tries because the numbers keep bouncing. The scale is very sensitive to any little draft or movement of the table. I generally don't reweigh things as they are almost always different and if I don't hit the weight on the first try I just start over because adding or subtracting powder doesn't work either. Might be a good idea to change the batteries. Your calculations look right. I think the higher anxiety is more than likely from "life", being sick and it's just one of those drops. I'd try not to read a lot into it. (((((((((((((((((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 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Skyler Posted August 11, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 11, 2015 I'm so glad one of us mods is using a scale... it is sooooo NOT my thing. I would be traumatized by every nuance.. imaginary or real. Give me a liquid suspension any day! As always, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! A proud supporter of the 10% (or slower) rule. Requip - 3/16 ZERO Total time on 25 years. Lyrica: 8/15 ZERO Total time on 7 or 8 yrs.BENZO FREE 10/13 (started tapering 7/10) Total time on 25 years. Read my intro thread here, and check the about me section. "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin Link to comment
aberdeen Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Thanks Brass, that sounds about what i was imagining. i tried it one night, with the weight, but still had weird flickerings that left me wondering what dose Im actually taking. I guess its what you get used to. If i switched to liquid now, the newness and perceived variables would have me up all night,lol. 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
Moderator brassmonkey Posted August 11, 2015 Author Moderator Share Posted August 11, 2015 That's about my feelings too Aberdeen. I think the liquid would be more accurate for the little tiny stuff, but right now why mess with success. To me the liquid just seems too fiddly, I guess I'm just use to working with scales. One thing I just remembered, you mentioned flickering between numbers. If you scale can't make up it's mind between say 13 and 14 and keeps switching back and forth, it means that you have about 13.5 on the pan and the scale can't make up its mind which it is. Sometimes I try to flick a little bit off and reweigh it, until I get fed up and start all over from 0. Skyler-- I'm the exact opposite, to me the syringes and stuff would be too busy and my hand just aren't as nimble as they once were. 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
Moderator Emeritus Skyler Posted August 11, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 11, 2015 Skyler-- I'm the exact opposite, to me the syringes and stuff would be too busy and my hand just aren't as nimble as they once were. I'm just glad I have someone to send my scale folks to! As for liquid.. I can take a liquid dose faster now than swallow a pill, arthritic hands not withstanding. As always, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! A proud supporter of the 10% (or slower) rule. Requip - 3/16 ZERO Total time on 25 years. Lyrica: 8/15 ZERO Total time on 7 or 8 yrs.BENZO FREE 10/13 (started tapering 7/10) Total time on 25 years. Read my intro thread here, and check the about me section. "No matter how cynical you get, it's almost impossible to keep up." Lily Tomlin Link to comment
Ssriwarrior Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Just wanted to pop in and say kudos on your taper! Sounds like you are super aware of your self and your symptoms and that it is progressing nicely. Keep up the good work HISTORY: Lexapro 10mg (current and for approximately 7 years; Prozac 20mg for 5 years and Zoloft 50mg for 5 years) Lexapro (too fast taper) 9mg 09/13; 8mg 10/13; 7mg 12/13; 6mg 02/14; 5mg 04/14; 4mg 06/14 2.5mg 08/29/14 2.25 mg 12/04/14; Re-instatement - 2.5mg 12/17/14; 03/01/15 3.0 mg; 04/01/15 - 5mg; 05/01/15 6mg; 5/15/15 6.5mg 6/01/15 7.5mg 2nd attempt at micro taper: starting dose is 7.5mg using liquid compounded rx: 12/16/17 - 7mg; 02/05/18 - 6.75mg 04/06/18 - 6.5ml 05/31/18 re-instate back to 6.75mg Link to comment
KittyQ Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Hang in there, Brass. ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) KittyQ CT off paxil-April 2009 Link to comment
aberdeen Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 "Sometimes I try to flick a little bit off and reweigh it, until I get fed up and start all over from 0." Same,lol. 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
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