Wean from prozac to paxil

[bill22]

I have been on 20 mg paxil for panic attacks for 7 years,  I've tried to wean from paxil(felt like had no energy on paxil) many times, unsuccessfully.  I've recently switched to 20 mg prozac, without a taper.   After about 5 weeks, I started to feel lousey-nausea, diarrhea, no appetite, depressed.  Still feeling lousey.  Would it likely be better to increase prozac, or switch back to paxil.  If switching back to paxil, what are the best ways to do this.

[Paxiled]

Paxil should be done on at least a six week taper.  It's a tough one to withdraw from.  The problem with shifting directly from one to another is you can't tell whether what you're suffering is withdrawal from the last drug or side effects from the new one, so it's impossible for your psychiatrist to help you adapt.  Now, because Paxil is so hard to withdraw from for some people, what some psychiatrists do is put you on a little liquid prozac to ease the withdrawal.  Also consider that Prozac isn't usually as effective with anxiety as Paxil, and has a much longer half-life in the body, so it takes longer to get Prozac in your system and out of your system than it does Paxil.  You're obviously suffering from withdrawal now, though it doesn't sound like the worst withdrawal, but Prozac might never work for you -- you never know which meds will work and which won't.  That's why it's better to completely quit the Paxil and get over it before you try a new med.  Try taking some fish oil and adaptogenic herbs like ashwandha to help with the Paxil withdrawal, exercise, keep active.  Good luck.

[Hensley258]

I have made many med changes in my life and most Psychiatrist have always told me it was ok to simply stop one and start taking the new drug the next day. I was always afrade to do that so I would spend a week tapering of one SSRI before inroducing the replacement SSRI.

Maybe I'm just too parinoid, but I don't want the two drugs to collide with eachother.