Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted June 4, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 4, 2015 As I understand it liquid can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days, heat and light affect it so it needs to be in a dark bottle in a cool place. We do have members who make their own liquid, I know of one who keeps hers for a week but she doesn't post much these days as she is much better after suffering withdrawal and reinstating. The only way to find out whats right for you is to try it, but personally I wouldn't make up more than a few days to start with. Let us know how you get on. 1 **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 I have been doing my switch from the old medication to new. I was cutting my pills to weigh .014 grams. I started by doing .013 of the old and .001 of the new. I had immediate symptoms that gradually got better and felt pretty good after 3 weeks. I did not her change and did .012 of the old and .002 of the new. Again felt symptoms immediately and they gradually got better to where after 3 weeks I felt pretty good. My last change I did .011 of the old and .003 of the new. Again felt symptoms immediately and they seemed to be getting better, but have stalled. I haven't gotten to my baseline of what I know about feeling okay enough through this withdrawal. Most of the time my head feels either like I am existing in a dream state, or frozen and numb like a zombie. My original hope was that this would be tough and I could complete the switch and take extra time to even out was my goal was completed, but this is proving hard. I am not sure what to do. I do have some moments of windows. I do wonder if some of my side effects are caused by not having the dosage exact...even though I am weighing them, there is still some error. I wonder if it is worth embracing a switch to liquid and see if that helps. I have also thought about maybe dropping my old medication dose (.011 to .010) and hold the new medication constant at (.003). Or I could continue trying to replace 1 for 1 and move from .011/.003 to .010/.004. Any thoughts or ideas? I would really appreciate it. At this point I feel like I have been through this withdrawal process for so long and so painfully that I am at the end of my tether. I need something to go right and give me some peace. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Feeling bad again today. Been wondering it seems that my reactions when the medication was "increased" (even though i am just replacing the newer medication is stronger) my reactions seems to be worse than the typical withdrawal I was having from drops. Been thinking of doing a true drop and going to .010 mg of the old medicine and staying put at .003 of the new. Currently at .011 mg of the old and .003 of the new. I haven't stabilized yet...and things arent getting any better. Thought this might relieve some of the stress from the "inherit" updose I am doing. Thoughts? 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Jlynn Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I am not sure if this is an option for you but actually getting the Paxil liquid from the pharmacy may help. At least with consistent dosing and the actual suspension. I have never had a problem with switching from pills to the liquid suspension from the pharmacy. I am to scared to make my own, afraid I would screw up the dose. Might not be an option for you but just wanted to put it out there. I am so sorry you are still feeling bad. It is so scary when the symptoms will not subside no matter what you do! Thoughts with you! 40 years old and have been on 20 mg of Paxil for the last 19 years. Multiple unsuccessful attempts to quit over the years.01/2015 Was tapering using liquid Paxil. MD has prescribed 1 ml = 2mg taper every two weeks or once withdrawal symptoms at that dose subside. Reduced from 20 to 10 mg using this method and at 10 mg severe withdrawal set in. 1.5 months of pure hell. Found SA, learned what was happening, and reinstated to 20 mg. After a month of severe symptoms recovered with the reinstatement. Fish oil - Multi Vitamin - Pro-biotic, amino-acid/B Vitamin supplement every day. Magnesium as needed.08/09/15 - 18 mg - 09/08/15 - 16.4 mg - 10/10/15 - 15 mg - 01/02/16 - 13.6 mg 02/15/16 - 12.0 mg - Bad symptom flare up 40 days into drop - Dizziness, panic/anxiety, overheating (esp at night), low appetite, headache, insomnia with bizarre dreams, internal shaking. 04/16/16 - 11mg - 7/17/16 - 10 mg holding..... Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted August 30, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 30, 2015 Hi Rusty, Why are you changing medications and what are you changing from and to? I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Hi Rusty, Why are you changing medications and what are you changing from and to? Not changing medications per se, it is all Paxil from the same manufacturer and using the same pharmacy. What happened is I had a 90 pill bottle, 3 month supply, and because I was cutting pills to a much smaller dose and was saving the pieces it lasted much longer than 3 months. I wasn't refilling my prescription because I had plenty left and the prescription bottle had a 1 year expiration. When that expiration was coming up I ordered my refill. Cut those to the exact same dose and realized that my past pills must have degraded and the new ones were stronger. Switching directly from the old pills to the new ones proved not to be feasible as the side effects were too bad. So I have been slowly trying to move from the old to new...the reason this needs to be done is I only have so many of my old pills left and to fully realize my taper will need the benefit of being on new pills and refilling prescriptions. An odd situation for sure, not one I have come across here before. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 It's always more helpful to speak here of the dosage you're taking (approximately 1.1mg?) rather than the weight you're dealing with. How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules explains in detail how to mix a liquid to a certain proportion. For example, you could put a 10mg tablet in 10mL water for a 1:1 dilution. There would be 1mg in 1mL and 0.1mg in 0.1mL. The 1:1 dilution would require a small 1mL oral syringe. To reduce 10% from 1.1mg, you would take 1mL. Another 10% reduction would be 0.9mL. The 1:1 dilution might be a little thick. For convenience, you may wish to make a higher dilution of 10mg tablet in 20mg water for a 1:2 ratio. There would be 1mg in 2mL and 0.1mg in 0.2mL. If you made this liquid, your dose would be 2.2mL (1.1mg). To reduce by 10%, you would take 2mL (1mg). So I made a liquid dosage for the first time and am wanting to double check what I should be taking. From the start of my taper I have made it complicated in that I cut my pills to the same weight, not a % of each individual pill weight. Also since I had the older (less potent) pills I am transitioning from to the new pills (more potent due to freshness) I have a split dosage. I currently am taking by weight on the scale: 0.010 g of the old medication and 0.003 g of the new medication. The new medication (0.003 g) is the one I am switching to liquid first. I put 1 tablet (10 mg) and mixed with 10 ml of suspension. Looks like I will have to do the math and convert to mg to make it matchup. The pill I weighed for the liquid was 0.129 g. If I have been taking 0.003 g, then the math is 0.003/0.129=2.33% of original dose. 2.33% of 10 ml is 0.233 ml. So I should take 0.233 ml of the liquid medication. Checking for total dose: If my total pill weight is 0.129 and my total combined dosage (between old and new) is 0.013, that equals (0.013/0.129=10.1% of my original dose). That means my total dose is 1.01 mg (whole pill is 10 mg). So I am taking 0.010/0.129=7.75% of my original dose. 7.75% (old) + 2.33% (new) = 10.1% (total) Does that seem correct? Please let me know if my math checks out or if anyone has questions. I may be overthinking it and confusing myself at this point. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted October 11, 2015 Administrator Share Posted October 11, 2015 It's going to be a lot clearer to you (and me) if you would convert the weight (grams) to the amount of dosage in milligrams. A 10mg tablet contains 10mg in dosage. If you are taking a 1.1mg dosage fragment, you can translate that to the liquid: 10mg Paxil in 10 mL water = 1mg/milliter. To take 1.1mg, take 1.1mL of the liquid. (If the tablet is not dissolving well in 10mL water, you might want to try 20mL water. Then you'd have 0.5mg/milliliter.) 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. Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted October 13, 2015 Author Share Posted October 13, 2015 It's going to be a lot clearer to you (and me) if you would convert the weight (grams) to the amount of dosage in milligrams. A 10mg tablet contains 10mg in dosage. If you are taking a 1.1mg dosage fragment, you can translate that to the liquid: 10mg Paxil in 10 mL water = 1mg/milliter. To take 1.1mg, take 1.1mL of the liquid. (If the tablet is not dissolving well in 10mL water, you might want to try 20mL water. Then you'd have 0.5mg/milliliter.) That is what I was doing above, converting to mg and seeing if my math was correct. Basically if a pill weighs 0.129 g and I am taking a total dose of 0.013 g, then that is 0.0101 %. So if my pills are 10mg, 10.1% of 10 mg is 1.01 mg. So my current dose is 1.01 mg. I wanted to double check that is correct. And I used a pill crusher and crushed my pill and added to 10mL of suspension liquid. That seemed fine. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Over Thanksgiving weekend noticed that when I breathe through my nose my nose, face, forehead, and upper jaw hurts. Sounds like symptoms of sinitus, not officially diagnosed via doctor. I am afraid to take medications. Have not tried a Neti pot; I have been thinking about that. Anyone out there with suggestions of what to do and try? Thanks. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted December 10, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 10, 2015 Hi Rusty, I've found that garlic and ginger are a good alternative to drugs for sinus problems while in withdrawal. Have a look through this thread for more ideas: sinus congestion, sneezing and runny nose - Symptoms and ... I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Still working on transitioning. Move from .008 of the old and .004g of the new to .006g of the old and .005g of the new. It has felt different than other drops. At first head felt frozen and distant. Now dizziness and nausea have kicked in and I notice a more depressed mood, along with some SI. Before I still wasn't feeling myself (I had held for 2 months) and I still don't feel like myself. The feeling has changed. I don't like the not feeling g like myself aspect. Reality seems more like a dream world. Any suggestions or words of encouragement. At this point I am trying to do what is right, but don't always know what is. Thank you. 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted January 6, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 6, 2016 Hi Rusty, I'm sorry you are not feeling well. I had to read back through your thread a bit to understand what you are doing regarding old and new pills, that sounds complicated to me. I've never come across anyone doing that before. Are you reducing your dose at the same time as doing a slow cross over? How old are your old pills? Even though you may have been holding on your total dose, and only adjusting between old and new, you may in fact have been updosing due to increasing the the more potent batch. Now it looks like you have also made a cut in dose. I'm thinking perhaps it would be better to concentrate on getting switched over to the new pills, then a nice long hold will give your NS a chance to stabilize again. I know how difficult it is when we don't feel like ourselves. What you describe as reality seeming like a dream world is familiar to me. It sounds like derealization, quite a common withdrawal symptom, we have a topic about it here: Derealization or Depersonalization - Symptoms and self ... I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 Wanted to update my taper since last posting for my records and update symptoms/changes: 6/21/15: 1.1 mg 8/29/15: 1.0 mg 10/31/15: .95 mg 12/31/15: .87 mg 4/9/16: .79 mg 7/1/16: .71 mg 9/16/16: .64 mg Fall 2015 went to the doctor and weighed a personal high of 228 lbs. Make a focused effort to eat healthy. Exercise still difficult, increases symptoms. Current weight 161 lbs. Always blamed Paxil on my weight gain. It definitely was a part of the cause, I was gaining weight while still exercising regularly, but the depression over it made me not as concerned over eating unhealthy as I was gaining weight anyways. The withdrawal symptoms also caused me to take easy and unhealthy food options. Have completely redone my diet and being more cautious to what I eat, as well as taking time to learn more about nutrition. The MyFitnessPal app has been a great influence for me and tracking what I eat - understanding what is in different foods.. Still experiencing de-realization. Still get depressed over that symptom and wanting it to go away. The de-realization caused vivid images of death and what that would be like. Experiencing a lot of anxiety over that. It was very traumatic. The hyper anxiety hasn't been as bad, but has rather been replaced by normal feelings of less emotion. In stressful situations, hyper anxiety comes back and is fairly debilitating. Continuing work with my ACT & CBT therapist (actually he stopped carrying my insurance, so am going to transition to a new therapist). It has helped me learn techniques to live with the symptoms and not overreact mentally as much. My previous postings were mainly focused on my transition from an old prescription due to me not refilling, moving to a current stream of monthly refilled prescriptions. My last taper took me completely off the old prescription and onto the new prescription. I do have a new potential conflict as I noticed the pharmacy had pulled my last several refills from the same batch of their stock. My latest refill was from a new batch of stock they received. Took one dose and felt like the potency was different. Will attempt to work through those issues on my next taper. After that, my goal is to transition to liquid doses for a more accurate and fine tune taper at the small doses. 1 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus arbor Posted May 20, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 20, 2021 Hi @Rusty1 I'm just catching up on your post and realizing that you are now at zero! How is that going? Also a lot of your symptoms have reduced significantly. I am so happy to hear this for you. 🎈Arbor 1 Zoloft: 1995 - 2015 Prozac: 2015 - 2018 (tapered from 40mg x day on July 31 to 30mg on August 31 to 20mg on September 31 to 10mg October 31 to 0mg on December 15, 2018 Gabapentin: 2016 to 2019 (tapered from 300mg x day to 150mg on August 31, 2019 to 75mg on September 15 to 50mg on September 31 to 25ishmg on October 15 to 0mg on December 1, 2019 Enalapril: 2010 - 2019 Lipitor: 2017 -2017 Metformin: 2000 - 2020 Liothyronine: 2007 - 2019 Levothyroxine: 2000 - 2022 Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 6 hours ago, arbor said: Hi @Rusty1 I'm just catching up on your post and realizing that you are now at zero! How is that going? Also a lot of your symptoms have reduced significantly. I am so happy to hear this for you. 🎈Arbor Thank you for asking! Finally enjoying where I am right now. Which after everything I have been through am CAUTIOUSLY excited. About 4.5 years ago was really sensitive to any changes even between prescription refills. I had an issue adjusting to a monthly refill despite it being the same manufacturer. My body interpreted it as an updose and threw me into 2 years of severe derealization where I felt like my entire existence wasnt reality - no windows. Most difficult time of my life. About 2.5 years ago it all started dissipating. I credit a very slow liquid taper on the final stretch for really making things easier for me. It got to the point where I was taking such a minuscule amount that even with having fear of jumping off it seemed ridiculous to still take it every morning. Now just over a month off I continue to feel the momentum of feeling progressively better. I still have some minor symptoms but overall very happy with where I am at and have hope that my body can continue working towards 100% recovered. I hope to one day write a lengthy recap of my experience and share even further recovery success, but I want to make sure I give myself more time adjusting to being medication free. 8 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Erell Posted May 21, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 21, 2021 (edited) Because you're feeling better, I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering. Congratulations @Rusty1, you really are an inspiration 🙏 Please continue to let us know how you're doing. I hope you will add your story to our Recovery Success Stories eventually! Edited May 21, 2021 by Erell 2 2006 : 20mg Paxil+Bromazepam. 2008 : cold turkey of both. 2010 : Reinstatement 20mg Paxil + Bromazepam. 2014-June2017 : Switch from Bromazepam to Prazepam, slow taper to 0mg. 2018 to August 2019 : Paxil 20mg taper (3% every 15 days). 22 Aug 2019 updose to 10mg (was at 8.4mg). 25th Sept 2019 To April 2020 : found SA, holding at 10mg Paxil. April 2020 : Paxil 10mg to Prozac 7mg bridge. Details : topic/21457 Current Supplements : magnesium citrate + fish oil Current medication : * 7pm Diazepam : 0.85mg (15 Aug 2022) / 0.95 mg (24 April 2022) / 1mg Diazepam (since 29 Aug 2020) * 8am Prozac : 6.16mg (25 oct 2022, feel awful, slight updose) / 6.08 mg (9 oct 2022) / 6.24mg (11 July 22) / 6.44mg (22 May 22) / 6.64mg (4 Nov 21) / 6.72mg (8 oct 21) / 6.8 mg (15 Sept 21)/ 6.88mg (14 Aug 21)/ 6.92mg (23 Jun 21) I am not a professional, I don't give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment
wantrelief Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Congratulations - what an achievement! I hope from here you just feel better and better. 3 -1/06 - 3/07 Cymbalta. Fast taper (essentially CT); withdrawal symptoms after 4 mos (didn't realize was WD) -10/07: 100 mg Zoloft; 1 mg Klonopin - tapered off Klonopin after 4 mos. Several unsuccessful slow tapers of Zoloft; went up and down in dose a lot -Spring 2013 back on 1 mg Klonopin to counter WD symptoms; switched over 5-6 mos from Zoloft to 35 mg citalopram -Two attempts at slow tapering citalopram, always increased dose due to WD; also increased Klonopin to 1.25 mg in 2014, then to 1.5 mg in 2015 -8/17-9/17: After holding one year at 20 mg, feeling withdrawal symptoms due to stress - slowly increased to 25 mg. No change in symptoms after 6 months (? tolerance ?) - decided to start citalopram taper February 2018 (still on Klonopin 1.5 mg). Supplements: fish oil; magnesium; vitamin D3; curcumin Citalopram taper: 2/2018 - 12/2019: 25 mg - 11.03 mg I 2020: 10.89 mg - 7.9 mg I 2021: 7.8 mg - 5.26 mg I 2022: 5.2 mg - 3.36 mg I 2023: 3.3 mg - 1.47 mg 2024: 1/5/24: 1.44 mg; 1/19/24: 1.40 mg; 1/26/24: 1.37 mg; 2/2/24: 1.34 mg; 2/9/24: 1.31 mg; 2/23/24: 1.28 mg; 3/1/24: 1.25 mg; 3/8/24: 1.22 mg; 3/15/24: 1.19 mg; 3/29/24: 1.17 mg; 4/5/24: 1.14 mg; 4/13/24: 1.11 mg; 4/20/24: 1.09 mg Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 2 hours ago, Erell said: Because you're feeling better, I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol ☼ to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering. Congratulations @Rusty1, you really are an inspiration 🙏 Please continue to let us know how you're doing. I hope you will add your story to our Recovery Success Stories eventually! Thank you. Yes 4-5 years ago when I was at my worst my goal was to get through this and feel like my old self again so I could post in the Recovering Stories to show others it was possible. I completely understand how discouraging withdrawal can be. The lack of control a stupid piece of medication provides (even when the pill is shrinking in size!) was the most frustrating and discouraging experience I have ever encountered. I am not a person who likes to operate in the unknown. This process was very difficult mentally and I can tell a symptom I may have for a long time is PTSD surrounding the trauma of withdrawal. On the bright side it is nice to be in a space currently where I feel the best I have since starting my tapering. I don't want to jinx it, lol, but it has been truly exciting. 4 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Erell Posted May 22, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 22, 2021 15 hours ago, Rusty1 said: I can tell a symptom I may have for a long time is PTSD surrounding the trauma of withdrawal. I'm still in the midst of it so I don't have expertise in the post-taper area, and I understand you as I feel like WD is probably the most traumatic experience of my life. However, I've discussed with several people who are now drug free, and they all say the exact same thing : with time, even the trauma of WD fade and even disappear. The more time passes, the more they find it difficult to remember how difficult it was, and they just move on with their lives. They also say they are not triggered anymore when reading others' stories. Looks like our bodies and mind have an amazing ability to heal ☺ Take care ☀️ 5 2006 : 20mg Paxil+Bromazepam. 2008 : cold turkey of both. 2010 : Reinstatement 20mg Paxil + Bromazepam. 2014-June2017 : Switch from Bromazepam to Prazepam, slow taper to 0mg. 2018 to August 2019 : Paxil 20mg taper (3% every 15 days). 22 Aug 2019 updose to 10mg (was at 8.4mg). 25th Sept 2019 To April 2020 : found SA, holding at 10mg Paxil. April 2020 : Paxil 10mg to Prozac 7mg bridge. Details : topic/21457 Current Supplements : magnesium citrate + fish oil Current medication : * 7pm Diazepam : 0.85mg (15 Aug 2022) / 0.95 mg (24 April 2022) / 1mg Diazepam (since 29 Aug 2020) * 8am Prozac : 6.16mg (25 oct 2022, feel awful, slight updose) / 6.08 mg (9 oct 2022) / 6.24mg (11 July 22) / 6.44mg (22 May 22) / 6.64mg (4 Nov 21) / 6.72mg (8 oct 21) / 6.8 mg (15 Sept 21)/ 6.88mg (14 Aug 21)/ 6.92mg (23 Jun 21) I am not a professional, I don't give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment
Rusty1 Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 Just wanted to stop buy and say I was looking forward to hit 6 months since jumping to 0 and I almost forgot it was today! 3 40 yo Male. Started Paxil about 15 years ago. 10 mg (pill weight .125 - .129 g). 5 yrs wanted less side effects, doctor took me off Paxil over couple week period and put me on Wellbutrin. Not good. Went back on Paxil. Relieved my symptoms, but didn't work as well and more side effects. Severe reaction between Paxil and Zomig Summer of 2012. Head was affected during warmer days (cloudiness, confusion, pressure). Began 10% withdrawal 10/24/12. Withdrawel helped many symptoms, but also added side effects: nausea, dizziness, tiredness. Hyper-anxiety started January 2014. Went through a 2 year period of de-realization (2016-2018). Rarely any windows. Current dose: 0.00 as of 4/10/21. Made a lot of progress in my withdrawal symptoms the last 2 years of my taper. I think doing a liquid taper helped stabilize things on the lower doses. A lot of my symptoms have reduced significantly. Hoping for even more improvement now that I am off. My thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/8909-rusty1-paxil-withdrawal-help-and-advice-welcome/#entry150222 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted October 11, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 11, 2021 That's great to hear. And the fact that you almost missed it seems to indicate that you are getting on with your life and ADWD is in the past. Please remember to continue treating yourself gently: It Doesn’t end at “0” * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
Cheeky Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 Wow that’s amazing, congratulations @Rusty1 you have only great things to look forward to. I hope I get there one day. Enjoy being free 💐 1995 started Paxil 20mg slowly increasing to 50mg 2014 I decided to tapper myself not knowing how too and crashed , DR added 50mg of Seroquel Through the years made many mistakes tapering Started Tapering Both drugs at the same time 7.5% per month Paxil 9% Seroquel doing daily micro-taper Guided by Mark Horowitz 31/3/24 Paxil 10.31mg 31/3/24 Seroquel 9.9mg Link to comment
Mentor Hanna72 Posted October 11, 2021 Mentor Share Posted October 11, 2021 @Rusty1 Thats fantastic news, I am so happy for you. Thank you for sharing and giving me hope, you just made my day, thank you🙏 1999-2020 20 mg Paxil Bridged with Fluoxetine to help me get off Paxil. 2022 Fluoxetine 15 mg 12/12 14mg 27/12 13mg jan 12mg feb 11mg mars 10mg, 9 mg 8,5 mg 7.6mg 7.0 mg 6,3 mg 5,6 mg 5,0 mg 4,5 mg 4,0 mg 3.6mg 3,2 mg 2,9 mg 2,6 mg 2,3 mg 2,0 mg 1.8 mg I am not a medical professional nor is this a medical advice. I only talk from my own experience. Link to comment
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