DebL Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I take 5 mg. of Paxil, daily. I cut my pills. Brain zaps start after missing one day. I don't see how I can half my dose. Any suggestions? I have been taking 5 mg of Paxil, once a day at bedtime for the last 12 months. The year prior to that I took 10 mg every other day at bedtime. The highest dose I ever took was 20 mg, but quickly tapered off that amount due to the side affects. I started on Paxil in 1998 to help with Fibromyalgia. I noticed a difference in the way I felt, emotionally, with the second dose. It has been such a long time I really can't remember dates, etc. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted June 21, 2017 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 21, 2017 DebL -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA) It's good that you did some research to find out how to taper Paxil. Most doctors are clueless about the problems that arise from decreasing dose too quickly. Brain zaps are very common among people attempting to discontinue SSRIs such as Paxil. For more information, please read: What is withdrawal syndrome. Brain Zaps. Please tell us more about your time on Paxil. A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly? Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. Once we have a better picture of your situation, we'll be able to suggest a next step to settle down those disorienting and often painful brain zaps. We suggest that people taper by decreasing dose by no more than 10% once per month. Some people find they need to go slower. You might be asking, "how do I cut 10% off a tablet?" The answer is you don't, it's too difficult. Most people EITHER break up their tablets and weigh the pieces on a jeweler's scale OR use liquids (commercial Paxil liquid from the pharmacy or an easy do-it-yourself version) Here's some relevant information: Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine) Using a digital scale to measure doses. Making a liquid from a tablet or capsules . I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
LostInTheWoods Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Breaking pills further from a quarter is indeed hard so the liquid Paxil or the scale are neat ideas. By all measures find a way to keep your tapering plan running at small doses and stay at 5 mg until you find out how. no matter how little it seems to stop from 5 mg to zero, WD symptoms still have the potential to hit you hard (ask me how I now). Name LostInTheWoods evokes both the feeling of getting stranded, forsaken and alone in an alien, hostile environment and the chance to experience awareness, tranquility and self-discovery during the experience. Just call me Lost in the posts. February 2012. After a crisis, a crippling anxiety that culminated in a panic attack. Started 20 mg Paxil and Clonazepam. Clonazepam left quickly in the 2nd attempt. About about a year on 20 mg, begin tapering. June 2014, after several weeks on 5 mg and trying to dose down, went CT. May 2015.Anxiety came back again, went to psychiatrist back. Fluoxetine was tried and left because of bad reaction, returned to paroxetine. Start tapering in mid 2016. December 2016. After like 2 months of going 2,5 mg, stopped paroxetine. Truth to be told, descended into a downward spiral of caffeine, alcohol and masturbation. January 26, 2017. Wave with some tinnitus that was fixed by a visit to the ENT. April 21, 2017. Acid reflux at night was a stressor that triggered another wave.Vices have been put into check and only a drink or two a week remain. By May 7 stabilized with a little anxiety left and some pains. Link to comment
DebL Posted June 22, 2017 Author Share Posted June 22, 2017 Mornin LostInTheWoods, Did you have WD tapering off low dose Paxil? I've been taking it for a long time, and really want to try and get off it. I have been taking 5 mg of Paxil, once a day at bedtime for the last 12 months. The year prior to that I took 10 mg every other day at bedtime. The highest dose I ever took was 20 mg, but quickly tapered off that amount due to the side affects. I started on Paxil in 1998 to help with Fibromyalgia. I noticed a difference in the way I felt, emotionally, with the second dose. It has been such a long time I really can't remember dates, etc. Link to comment
LostInTheWoods Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 I went from 5 mg to zero due to lack of patience to develop a scale method and not finding liquid paxil in my town. Although the early symptoms were not that bad, late WD ones have been rough, enough to question one's sanity and induce despair. Don't recommend it to anyone, further taper has its place. Name LostInTheWoods evokes both the feeling of getting stranded, forsaken and alone in an alien, hostile environment and the chance to experience awareness, tranquility and self-discovery during the experience. Just call me Lost in the posts. February 2012. After a crisis, a crippling anxiety that culminated in a panic attack. Started 20 mg Paxil and Clonazepam. Clonazepam left quickly in the 2nd attempt. About about a year on 20 mg, begin tapering. June 2014, after several weeks on 5 mg and trying to dose down, went CT. May 2015.Anxiety came back again, went to psychiatrist back. Fluoxetine was tried and left because of bad reaction, returned to paroxetine. Start tapering in mid 2016. December 2016. After like 2 months of going 2,5 mg, stopped paroxetine. Truth to be told, descended into a downward spiral of caffeine, alcohol and masturbation. January 26, 2017. Wave with some tinnitus that was fixed by a visit to the ENT. April 21, 2017. Acid reflux at night was a stressor that triggered another wave.Vices have been put into check and only a drink or two a week remain. By May 7 stabilized with a little anxiety left and some pains. Link to comment
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