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JustJess1C13: New here. Paroxetine Problem. ?


JustJess1C13

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Hello,

I just found this site today. I guess I will tell a little bit about myself, though I promise you I'm not that interesting. (: I grew up in a pharmacy. In all seriousness my grandfather owned a pharmacy. So of course my grandfather always suggested medicine, and because of that I now HATE taking medicine. Any at all, I don't even care if its for allergies....Anyways, to the problem at hand....About four-five years ago I was put on paroxetine 20mg. There was a lot of real tough stuff going on in my life and I wasn't sleeping. So they told me they were putting me on it to help me sleep and not think so much before bed. (also I was having nightmares) Well, later I found out what it really was. It was antidepressants. Around two years ago I tried to get off of them cold turkey but that only lasted two-three weeks. Now I started and have slowly been getting off. I started off every other day taking it and would do that for a few weeks, then went to three days, then five, now I am at once a week. After researching I find a lot of people say to talk to your doctor about getting off, well the thing is my doctor says there is no side effects or addiction to paroxetine. That if I wanted I could just stop taking it. Thats why two years ago I completely stopped thinking nothing would happen. Well, now I have no idea what to do. Should I continue to do as I am doing or should I try to find another doctor who can help me get off? Because I am a college student and my mother (when I visit home) pays for me to go to the doctor to make sure everything is fine. But its the same doctor. I have no idea what to do. I don't want to cause any damage by getting off on my own, but at the same time I cant afford to find another doctor on my own, because my mom also thinks that there isn't any side effects. I don't know what to do. I hope you all can give insight and help me out.

Thanks,

Jess.

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello, JustJess,

 

I'm afraid you're tapering off of paroxetine the hard way--skipping doses is very rough on your nervous system.  Please tell us more about your taper, such as how long you've been on the drug, the dose when you started and the dose now, and how you're feeling.  It would be very helpful if you could also add your drug history to your signature like this:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Without more information, I don't know what to tell you at this point, but I'm glad you found us. Paroxetine is an especially nasty drug to taper from, so it's important to get off of it the most comfortable and safest way possible.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's Razor


Introduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/

 

Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/

Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers.

 

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What do you suggest I do then to get off of it? I have been on the drug for almost five years. I am not sure of an exact date I got on it. I have always been on 20mg. And to be completely honest I feel like I am losing myself. 

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Are you currently taking 20 mg.once a week? Are you having any discomfort or symptoms?

 

I have to ask our head administrator's opinion since this is such an unusual situation. I'm thinking it would be best for you to lower your dose and take the paroxetine every day, but I'm not at all sure what would be a comfortable dosage to start. 

 

Hang on.  Help is on the way.

Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's Razor


Introduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/

 

Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/

Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers.

 

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Sorry. I just messaged you with a ton of questions. I really have no idea what I am doing. I know that sounds horrible, and now i know it is....but I just want so badly to be able to live without the medicine. I am currently taking the 20mg once a week. I am having many symptoms and discomfort but I figured that was normal until it got out of my system. I am having nightmares, i easily cry, headaches...and I have also developed hypoglycemia. (I think its because I just stopped having an appetite... and I was so stressed I just didn't eat.)

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Jess at this stage it's the absence of the drug in your system that is causing the problems, not its presence. Your system has adapted to having the drug when you go off it has to readjust to not having it. That can take time, so if you withdraw it too quick you will have withdrawal symptoms.

 

Try not to stress we will come back to you soon

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist.

Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014.

Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September.

Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015.

Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15).

Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past.

 

DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017

 

>My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan

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  • Administrator

Welcome, Jess.

 

Your nervous system needs stability. Taking the drug once a week is causing a lot of problems. Your nervous system is sending out danger signals, that's what withdrawal symptoms are.

 

If I were you, I would start taking 5mg every day at the same time each day. Be very regular in this. Hopefully, this will make withdrawal symptoms go away. After you stabilize on this dose for a month or two, you can start to go off very, very carefully. We recommend a 10% per month, based on the last dosage. The dosage reductions keep getting smaller.

 

Liquid paroxetine can make this titration easier. The drug comes in a liquid, you can get a prescription from any doctor, even your college health clinic. See this topic for more information about tapering paroxetine http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/405-tips-for-tapering-off-paxil-paroxetine/

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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So do I ask my doctor to prescribe me 5mg now instead of 20mg. And in liquid? What should I do until then? My appointment isn't until Thursday.

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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And how long exactly before I am completely off?

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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  • Administrator

Please read the link I provided above. You can cut a tablet into quarters or make your own liquid, too.

 

How long it takes to go off depends on how your nervous system feels. Please don't take any chances with it. It's already unhappy.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Trust me I don't want to take any chances. So do I need to go to my doctor then? Or just do it myself? Because again my doctor doesn't think there should be a problem but I can get another doctor. Sorry I'm asking so many questions. It's just a little scary and I want to make sure I am doing things right.

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Jess. Hope it's okay if chime in here.

 

Sorry. I really have no idea what I am doing. I know that sounds horrible, and now i know it is....but I just want so badly to be able to live without the medicine.

I didn't know what I was doing even when I thought I did. You'll know what you're doing soon enough with all the support available here. AND you will find that you are capable of living without the meds. There may be times when you doubt this because withdrawal can be tough, but if you use this site for support, to ask questions, and heed the advice given by Alto, Rhi, Jamima, Dalsaan, and the others, your discomfort can be mediated.

 

having many symptoms and discomfort but I figured that was normal until it got out of my system. I am having nightmares, i easily cry, headaches...and I have also developed hypoglycemia. (I think its because I just stopped having an appetite... and I was so stressed I just didn't eat.)

What you describe seems to be very typical of the symptoms associated with withdrawal. I had 'em, and if you read the threads of others you'll see others have too.

 

I'm curious about your hypoglycemia. Is this self diagnosed? What are your symptoms related to hypoglycemia? I'm asking because I too had symptoms of hypoglycemia, but now I'm not sure that that's what it was.

 

Well, welcome to SA! This community will help you get through this... And you WILL get through it :)

1988-2012: Prozac @ 60mg (with a few stops and starts)

Fall 2012: Returned to 40mg after discontinuing and horrid withdrawal 

Fall 2013: 40mg Fluoxetine, added 150mg Wellbutrin to treat fatigue 

Winter 2014: Attempting to taper both (too fast)

April 2014: 9mg Fluoxetine + 37.5 Wellbutrin 

Summer 2014: 8 mg Fluoxetine + 0 Wellbutrin (way too fast a drop)

Late summer/Early Fall 2014: Debilitating Withdrawal symptoms 

Fall 2014 - Wellbutrin successfully kicked to the curb but…

Oct- Dec 2014: Panicked reinstatement of Fluoxetine ->30mg - held for 5yrs

Jan 2021: taper to 20mg Fluoxetine  then tapering by 1mg every 2-3 months

Fall 2022 - held at 10mg->December 2022: 9mg->Feb 2023: 8mg ->March 2023: brassmonkey slide begins: 7.8mg -> 7.6 -> 7.4->2 week hold (April)->7.2->7mg->6.8->2 week hold->6.6-> 1-month hold ->(June)-6.5->4-week hold-> (July)-6.4 (discontinued brassmonkey slide and slowed taper)-> (Aug)-6.2->(Sept)-6.0->(Oct)-5.9->(Nov)-5.8->(Dec)-5.7->wave!->(Jan)-5.8->(Feb)-6mg and holding.

 

My 2014 withdrawal experience: https://rxisk.org/antidepressant-withdrawal-a-prozac-story/

 

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I would cut the tablets in 4 between now and when you see your dr. Take a quarter every day at the same time. It is easier with a liquid already made up so at the appointment ask your dr for liquid in 5ml. Tell your dr you want to taper gradually. If your Dr doesn't provide a script for the liquid you could go to another Dr or just make your own. Directions on how to do that are in the link provided above.

Please note - I am not a medical practitioner and I do not give medical advice. I offer an opinion based on my own experiences, reading and discussion with others.On Effexor for 2 months at the start of 2005. Had extreme insomnia as an adverse reaction. Changed to mirtazapine. Have been trying to get off since mid 2008 with numerous failures including CTs and slow (but not slow enough tapers)Have slow tapered at 10 per cent or less for years. I have liquid mirtazapine made at a compounding chemist.

Was on 1.6 ml as at 19 March 2014.

Dropped to 1.5 ml 7 June 2014. Dropped to 1.4 in about September.

Dropped to 1.3 on 20 December 2014. Dropped to 1.2 in mid Jan 2015.

Dropped to 1 ml in late Feb 2015. I think my old medication had run out of puff so I tried 1ml when I got the new stuff and it seems to be going ok. Sleep has been good over the last week (as of 13/3/15).

Dropped to 1/2 ml 14/11/15 Fatigue still there as are memory and cognition problems. Sleep is patchy but liveable compared to what it has been in the past.

 

DRUG FREE - as at 1st May 2017

 

>My intro post is here - http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2250-dalsaan

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I actually went to the doctor and they said I had hypoglycemia. It came a shock for me because I haven't had any issues before. But they took my blood and gave me something to test my blood sugar and everytime i have tested I document and its been in the 70s and 90s. And I just got done cutting some. Is it okay if one side is a little bit bigger than the other? I cut them in four and they all are around the same size but some are a bit bigger. I don't have a pill cutter but I plan on getting one within the next few days. So I take the tablets for two months and then I start going down 10% each time. So wouldn't it be easier for me to do the liquid at that point? And thank you all for your help. I'm sorry if I ask so many questions and I have looked through some of the links and other forums but I still feel I need to ask more. 

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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I have seen people say the liquid is a bit expensive. So should I wait until I am done with these two months of cutting my pills into fours to do liquid? I saw you said I could make my own but I don't really trust myself with being able to do something like that. I'm afraid I would mess up something. 

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

I would use the pill cutting, as precisely as you can (I think you can get pill cutters at most drugstores) for right now, so that you can start immediately, because even with some dosage variations, taking a quarter of a pill once a day is going to be MUCH better for your CNS than taking 20 mg every five days (which is like putting your brain through the blender--on that ice-chopping setting, on/off, on/off, on/off.)

 

Then, take some time to read over the instructions for making your own liquid, and at the same time, find out how much the pre-made liquid would cost you with whatever kind of insurance you have.  

 

You will also need to factor in how hard or easy it's going to be to get your doctor's cooperation with getting enough prescription liquid for long enough to, first, stabilize (which is going to take at least a couple of months and maybe longer) and, second, taper safely (which will take many months).

 

It's often easier to get doctors to prescribe the meds at regular doses in the regular tablet form, if you tell them that you've realized you "need" them. (This is not so true with benzos, but usually with ADs they will give them to you.) Then you have a supply for as long as you need it to take care of yourself and taper down safely. That, I would say, is a big advantage to the do-it-yourself liquid.

 

Anyway, I know this is a lot to take in given how you're probably feeling right now. So back to the beginning: Start right now with cutting the tablets in fourths, as carefully as you can. Improve that process as much as possible as soon as possible. Take the same amount the same time every day.

 

Then as things begin to settle for you, continue exploring your options and improving your approach.

 

Good luck to you--glad you found us!

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Oh I forgot to add, another option is to use a milligram scale and dry cut your tablets but weigh the pieces to make sure you're getting consistent, even doses. I think there's information about that under the Tapering section. Read all the "pinned" topics at the top and check out the links in those topics.

 

There are a lot of options, and you're going to be able to do this. It sounds more complicated than it is. Start with getting onto the even, consistent daily doses right away to start stabilizing your CNS.

Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. 

Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010.  Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea.

 

Feb 15 2010:  300 mg Neurontin  200 Lamictal   10 Celexa      0.65 Xanax   and 5 mg Ambien 

Feb 10 2014:   62 Lamictal    1.1 Celexa         0.135 Xanax    1.8 Valium

Feb 10 2015:   50 Lamictal      0.875 Celexa    0.11 Xanax      1.5 Valium

Feb 15 2016:   47.5 Lamictal   0.75 Celexa      0.0875 Xanax    1.42 Valium    

2/12/20             12                       0.045               0.007                   1 

May 2021            7                       0.01                  0.0037                1

Feb 2022            6                      0!!!                     0.00167               0.98                2.5 mg Ambien

Oct 2022       4.5 mg Lamictal    (off Celexa, off Xanax)   0.95 Valium    Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet 

 

I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion.

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  • Administrator

Please read that topic about tapering paroxetine, Jess. It answers all your questions.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Thank you all.

Paroxetine 20mg for 5 years. Tried getting off after 2, lasted 3 weeks. Now still taking but in 5mg for two months. Then will start going down 10% every three weeks. 

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