tapering off of Paxil

[sweetusa29]

Hi I was wondering if anyone can help, My mom has been taking Paxil for almost ten years now and she wants to stop taking them So the Dr. told her to take half of a 40mg a day for a week and then quit taking them but she decided to do that for two weeks and then she went totally off of them, Well Day two of being off of them she felt very lightheaded and couldn't concentrate very good. So the pharmacy told her that she will be feeling that way for along time, And to take a quarter of the 40mg for a week. Well she still feels really bad and I hate to see my mom go though this. Is this withdrawals that she is going threw and is there anything else she can do that will help. Thanks for all your help and support. Im 22 days clean from Hydros today. And feel much better. Thanks for all of your support everyone. Have a blessed day, sweetusa29

[Thomas03]

What's the rush? Have your mom taper more slowly. She's obviously trying to go to fast. That's typical of most doctors. They think their patients can turn on a dime and detox in a week. I've never taken paxil, but I've read plenty about the need to taper from it. Remember, Paxil manipulates brain chemistry. Give your mom's brain a break! Slow down.

Thomas

[theGolden1]

My friend's daughter had major surgery and was on a morphine pump and percacet afterward, etc. and when the whole thing was over, she went into extreme fatigue. Some quack (military doc) put her on Paxil immediately. After a few months, she wanted to get off paxil, so she just stopped. BIG MISTAKE .... she was out of town. Had to go to the ER. She said she will never try that again. Check out the website "quitpaxil.org" ... or how to be a robot in 3 easy steps.(just kidding)
Thomas ... thanks for the information on ambien and sonata. I used to take sonata. It was good for a while. I want to go back on it, but I'm afrad to change before detoxing from this ****(ultram) I am at 2 1/2 tabs a day (one dose in the morning) I have to slow down the taper from 7 days to 10 days. I could cut again tommorrow, but I am feeling tired and sore ... it's getting harder. I appreciate you and everyone here ... thanks, ***@****

[Thomas03]

Congrats on the taper. Remember, though, the lower your dose, the slower your taper should be. Try to stay at the low dosages for as long as your supply holds out. Also try to leave a few in reserve just in case.

Thomas

[theGolden1]

Hey Thomas ... My doctor really believes in tramadol(ultram) for fibromyalgia, so he will give me another 150 tabs. He wants me to take 5 a day. I really want to be honest with him, but it's too soon. I want a good supply. Then when I am "free" I'll tell him. He's not a bad person, just from a different camp. (the drug and cut camp) ha ha  It's a good med for chronic pain, but I want more out of life. I know I can do this. Soon it will be spring and summer and I will feel great. You sound wonderful these days ...take care Goldie

[suzieneedshelp]

So it sounds as if u people r saying that paxil is addictive and prozac is not??I have been taking prozac now for about 3 weeks and may switch to paxil in a couple of weeks if i see no effect.  I sure do not want  another addiciton.  
Thx for your info,
Suzie

[The Golden Slipper]

I have been on Paxil (40 milligrams) for about 5 years now.  I found it very effective with my depression but I am now very apprehensive about trying to go off it.

Occasionally I have forgotten to get my refill and have gone 3-4 days without taking a paxil.  I have never felt so strange and out of it in my life. I feel as though concentration on anything is not an option for me, I have trouble doing simple tasks and feel extremely angry. All of a sudden it dawns on me "Oh yeah you have to refill your paxil".  I can understand what your mother is going through.

She probably needs to go much slower with her taper or switch over to prozac and go off it that way. She should have a talk with her doctor or seek another opinion.

Best of luck, keep in touch
Golden Slipper

[The Golden Slipper]

I don't believe that Paxil is addictive in the sense that it makes you high and you take more of it than is prescribed.  I have taken 1 pill every morning for 5 years and I am an addict.

Believe me if it were addictive in that sense I would not be forgetting to refill it.

It does however, build up in your body so that when you discontinue it you need to do so very very slowly.  I think the same may be true for prozac.  I wouldn't be concerned about it being addictive and making you high and wanting more and more.

Paxil has been very effective for me in treating a depression I had 5 years ago when I went CT from fiorinal a barbituate I had been abusing.

I believe these drugs serve a good purpose in treating depression but you can have WD symptoms if you stop suddenly.

I hope I have helped you to understand the difference.

Please don't be afraid of the prozac you may find your depression lifting soon and as long as a doctor is monitoring you you should be ok

Take Care
Golden Slipper

[Thomas03]

If you have fibro, doesn't that mean you may need pain meds in the future? I'd think twice before I told my doctor I was addicted to ANYTHING - especially if I was handling a taper as well as you are. Once your doctor sees you as an addict, he/she will tend to err on the side of caution and under-treat your pain. Why not just say you don't feel right on it and want to try life without it for a while? Once you say addict, you can't take it back -- and it could find its way into your med records and follow you around. Your doc may be your friend, but that won't stop him from cutting you off.

Thomas

[Chezz2]

I have to agree with Thomas on this one. NEVER be honest. I don't care if your doc is your "best" bud who you can tell anything to. It will almost definetely come back to haunt you.
Also, review your records every once in a while if you can. I personally did that before I moved and hand carried my records. Low-n-behold, some doc I had only spoke to on the phone entered some non-helpful words to my records. Needless to say they made it right through my shredder pretty good. I was so pisssssed.
Bottom line, I took care of the problem. One persons (Drs') view means nothing, especially when you have only spoke to them on the phone.
Just a word to the wise...
Chezz

[theGolden1]

Ha haaaa ..... that was so funny! I would NEVER say I was having a problem with drugs. The problem is that they lied to me. They told me ultram was a little stronger than an asprin and was not habit forming. This drug is an antidepressant. It can cause seizures and is very dangerous. Everytime I asked to get off it, the doctor told me to take more! Good thing that God brought me here to this forum or I would be "struggling" to get off vicodin right now, because it is the only thing that gets me off ultram.
I hope that makes sense. After reading everything I read .... I am afraid to go back to vikes. As far as doctors .... you are absolutely right. When I was in really bad pain with fibro (3 years ago) I was begging for help ... they gave me anti-inflamitory pills and ignored me. They thought I needed mental help. I almost attacked one guy .... I was furious. Then I got smart .. no matter what, I will always have "pain-relief" available. Maybe that means having a phony relationship with a doctor. I don't care. Someday I will be free and I won't have to go through this anymore. Thanks for reminding me ... doctors are all jerks...

[lisabet]

Hi Suzie - speaking from experience, I was on Prozac for many years after a nasty post-partum experience after the birth of my son.  About a year ago, my doctor decided to switch me to Paxil (probably better kick-backs...) smile.  After a few months I could tell I felt considerably worse "emotionally" and decided to say "to hell with it" and go off the Paxil (I had changed jobs and my insurance didn't recognize my doctor as a "participant" so I thought I could just taper off of it....WRONG...I'm just realizing the downward spiral I experienced was withdrawals from the Paxil.  I actually had suicidal thoughts, crazy dreams - you name it.  My OB doctor put me back on Prozac about a month ago and I'm starting to feel "normal" again.  My former internist told me they were basically the same thing (which leads me to wonder if they are the same why did he switch me in the first place???) Suz - why are you considering switching to Paxil?  Doctor's suggestions?  I know everyone's body chemistry is different, but in my experience, going off Prozac didn't give me any problems - Paxil is another story all-to-gether.  Would really like to get others opinions here....anybody have any stories to share?  Love/Peace - Lisabet

[hippy]

yes they are with drawls,
from what i undrestand
only prosaz is not bad with
the withdrawls from anti.depeessents
she may want to retalk to her doctor
about a better tapering plan
or swich to prozas and then quit after 6 months.
since prozac is so much easier to get off of.

also your mother may want to get a check up asap
heart and lungs and blood pressure

[sharonver]

Agree with hippee, I took prozac for quite a few months maybe more than a year, and when I decided that I didn't need it anymore, I just stopped taking them!  Nothing at all happened. No withdrawals or side effects.


Sharon

[RobynBanks]

My experience is with Effexor XR . I came off of it a few weeks ago and found the second week very difficult=vertigo(that lasted the longest),mood instability etc.. Tapering VERY slowly is so imortant.
Hope your mom feels better soon.

[lovepills]

Go to www.dispace.com. There are several message boards there including a Paxil one. I was put on Celexa about about 2 years ago. I found the Celexa board right after I got on it. I don't know how the Paxil board is, but if you don't get a good response there you can go to the Celexa board. There is a guy that post under the name as Silkenrune/Silk. He is very knowledgable and helpful. He studies alot on SSRI's and he can give you some good input. Hope this helps.

[Thomas03]

Boy, I wish I had a doctor who actually URGED me to take drugs. "Sorry, Tom, I can't in good conscience take you off the powdered Dilaudid. In fact, you're blood test came back, and you're just not snorting enough powdered D." Yeah, now THAT'S a doctor!

Thomas

[sweetusa29]

Thank everone on your help about the paxil, I will talk to my mom and I will have her read this forum with all of your helpful suggestions. I hope you all have a blessed day. sweetusa29

[Chezz2]

Hi Sweets Mom, WELCOME

Just thought I would welcome here since you said you were going to have read this forum. ;)

Chezz

[WifeofAddict]

Hey,
I too am on Celexa...for about 2 months now.  I tried to go to www.dispace.com, and it said i wasn't authorized?  Is there something else i need to do?  I would really like to talk with others who are on it.  First, i didn't think i would have to be on it for long....but you said you have been on it for 2 years!  Is that the norm?  I thought it was dangerous to be on anti's longer than 6 months.  I definately need more info. on this.  Please help me get to this site.
My doctor is just saying...we will see.

Hi to Everyone...who may remember me.  I hope you are all doing well, and i see that you are all continuing the great help, and support here.  That is so nice to see.  I come back every once in a while to read....but not wanting to post as i do not want to fill up the threads, with nothing important to say.  

My husband is still off pills (codiene and percs), he is still strong, and determined.  Life has been much better with him actually here (mentally).  Sad thing is ... he has to get his wisdom teeth out soon...oh which actually gives me a question!  Yaaay!  
Is there any kind of pain reliever, that is not a narcotic, and does not give a high.  I suppose this is a stupid question, because if there was you would all be on it....for your pain.  But i thought i would ask...otherwise he is going to be in a lot of pain.  He doesn't want to take a pill for this.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
:)
Thanks,
Catherine

[lovepills]

To: Wife of Addict
I'm about to go to bed, but I will find out what's up with the dispace board tomorrow and let you know. I don't know if there is a max time to be on an SSRI. I'll get some info on that also. I haven't heard of anything like a max, so I haven't worried about it. I'll be on Celexa for the rest of my life if it takes care of my anxiety. Which it has helped me so much. You probably are just now getting it nice and good into your system. Can you now say, "Wow, I'm different and I like it?" Anyway - When your chemicals in you brain are messed up you get on an SSRI to make them right. I think of it this way - It was hurting me for them not to be normal. How can a drug be bad for you when it is making unnormal chemicals in you body act normal? Just like someone with high blood pressure, a diabetic, someone with high cholestrol and etc... The sometimes they have to be on meds for the rest of their lives to make their body function normal, so therefor it's not hurting them. You know? I'll look into it for you though. If you have any? Feel free to ask.

[barule]

I just recently started taking paxil 5 days ago and am having side effects, making me wonder if i should stop taking it now or continue.  I was wondering if the side effects i am experiencing,drowsiness-difficulty concentrating-unable to sit still for some, will subside over time.  I started out taking 20mg but reduced it to 10mg, and am thinking of even going to 5 per day.  i was wondering how much paxil helped people out, and if it is worth the initial side effects.

[jenny222]

I have also been trying to stop taking Paxil.  This is hell to say the least.  I have tried stopping cold turkey and by the third day i just felt so completely out of it.  I had to take my dose of paxil to finally feel normal again. Then i tried tapering the dosage...im on 20mg and i tried dropping it by 5 mg a day and by the time i reached the third day, i felt so messed up again where i couldnt even function.  Please, what can i do??