harrolds Can I switch from Paxil to Buproprion ( getting off Paxil / all meds)

[harrolds]

Hi,

 

I have been on Paxil for 18 ( ) years, with one year about 10 years ago off of all ssri meds. I started trying to get off of paxil about 4 years ago, per paxilprogress - tapering every 8 weeks and reducing my dosage by 7.5% each time, just to be completely safe. (I've lowered it in the past 5 mg per my uninformed dr. and it didn't go very well).

 

Long story short - I've got a bunch of endocrine issues now (thyroid, adrenal, hormones) and I'm on t3 medication and I'm having sleep problems that I have had for years. I've gained about 10 lbs, and I just want off this paxil so bad.

 

I got down to 6 mg a year ago, but then my father passed away unexpectedly, my dog became paralyzed and I got into a legal battle with my siblings over my father's will........

 

I am better now, but I had to raise my paxil to 12.5 mg for the past year. This Jan, 2015, I started tapering again. I am now at about 11 mg, and will be lowering my dosage to about 10.25 mg Feb. 1. 

 

I have a dr. that is helping me with my adrenal / thyroid / endocrine issues, and apparently she believes buproprion helps people lose weight.  I would rather not be on any ssri meds, but if I can switch from paxil to buproprion safely, and then just wean off of the buproprion, I'd like that. Just to be off of this paxil finally.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

 

Thank you so much!
 

on paxil / various ssri meds since 1994 at about 20 mg

started tapering off paxil in 2010

got to 6 mg in 2014, had to go back up to 12.5 mg due to fathers death in 2014

jan. 1, 2015 started taper again - now at 11 mg paxil / day

tapering 7.5% per month

[Altostrata]

Welcome, harrolds.

 

I moved your topic to the Introductions forum, as your Intro topic.

 

We can't recommend any new drugs for people. That's in the realm of medical doctors. You may wish to search for "buproprion" or "Wellbutrin" on this site to see the experience of others here.

 

If you are having trouble reducing Paxil, it's unlikely you can simply switch to buproprion without problems. From what we see, buproprion does not assist withdrawal and can make withdrawal symptoms worse.

[JanCarol]

Hey Harrolds, 

 

I think that if you go on buproprion, then you will have TWO withdrawals to suffer through.  If you were to use a "bridging" drug to help you come down off of paxil (not unheard of, but not recommended, either) buproprion is NOT one of them.   It would complicate your chemical soup, and is responsible for some messy withdrawals and evil side effects of its own.

 

Please, put your drug info - that you've kindly provided - in your signature so that we can all see who you are and what you've been through.  It makes it so much easier to support you:

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

And please, tell us more about yourself.

 

How did you come to be put on Paxil to begin with?

 

What shone the light on your desire to get off of it?  

 

Are you seeing an endocrinologist for your endocrine issues?  (I am having adrenal and hormone issues, as well)

 

Do you have a pet? (a personal favorite of mine)

 

Keep talking, and you'll get listeners.  The more you open up and share, the more potential for growth.

[Altostrata]

Here is our topic Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)

[Ginger]

Harrolds, how are you doing?

[harrolds]

Hi,

 

I have been trying to get off Paxil for about 6 years. I've successfully gotten down to 6 mg twice, and had to go back up to 10 mg (last summer) and 12.5 mg (2 years ago) due to life events (fathers death / severe depression after surgery.

 

I was very successful at tapering according to 7.5% or sometimes 10% per drop, every month - 2 months.  I had no side effects.

 

I was going to start trying again - I'm still at 10mg of Paxil. My doctor will prescribe me specific mg doses that I can get at a compounding pharmacy so I can drop 1 mg per drop , until I get to about 5 mg then I can start really sticking to the 10% drops again.....    

 

My question is - rather than start lowering the paxil now, and wait until 5 mg to switch to Prozac - should I switch to Prozac now while I'm at 10 mg, and THEN start tapering, since Prozac has such a longer half life ?

 

And what would the recommended switch protocol be? How many mg and over how much time? My doctor would probably suggest I take 5 mg of prozac for a week and drop the paxil to 5 mg and then after a week or 2 just switch completely to 10 mg of prozac and drop the paxil - but since  I am very sensitive to large reductions in Paxil, I'm scared of any withdrawal symptoms and I'd like to start tapering again.  I did ok at the 10% reductions....  

 

Thank you all so much!

 

* the other thing to mention is that i am having surgery again some time before this summer - and I'm scared of getting that intense depression again. If it happens - I'd love to get down to 6 mg again in case I have to go back up on ssri AGAIN (which really helped last time I had to do it) - and I really don't want to go above 10 mg. Since I'm already on 10mg, I'd have to go up to 15 and I definitely don't want to ruin all of the progress I've made getting down this low on these drugs. 

 

Thank you!

 

oh - ps, I've been on paxil / some kind of ssri (I've tried lexapro and celexa and effexor years ago - and had an awful 6 months 10 years ago on risperdal) since 1994.   I just want off this stuff. I don't need it - I am ok psych. wise. 

[Altostrata]

Harrolds, here is your Intro topic.

 

Have you been taking 10mg Paxil for the last year?

 

Since you've been on an antidepressant for so long, please consider going very slowly off at a 10% reduction per month from the start. This means 10% of the last dosage, not the first dosage. You can start with a 1mg decrease, but the next decrease would be 0.90mg, and so forth.

 

See Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)

 

The Prozac switch or "bridging" with Prozac

[harrolds]

Harrolds, here is your Intro topic.

 

Have you been taking 10mg Paxil for the last year?

 

Since you've been on an antidepressant for so long, please consider going very slowly off at a 10% reduction per month from the start. This means 10% of the last dosage, not the first dosage. You can start with a 1mg decrease, but the next decrease would be 0.90mg, and so forth.

 

See Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Tips for tapering off Paxil (paroxetine)

 

The Prozac switch or "bridging" with Prozac

 

Hi,

 

I don't know how to quote or multi-quote here, I'm sorry.

 

Altostrata, thank you.  I was going to try to rush it and go down 1mg a month - but you are right. I have never moved faster than a 10% of last dose reduction. My first attempt a few years ago I was actually only lowering 7.5% every 8 weeks, until I got to 6 mg (down from 20) and then had to go back up to 12.5 mg.   That was Jan. 2014.  I got down to 6 mg again by August, 2015 - but that was when I had surgery and had to go back up to 10 mg.  

 

I've been back at 10 mg since August of 2015. 

 

I am guessing my main question at this time would be how to bridge from Paxil to Prozac - and if I should do it now or wait until later.

 

 

I read the thread about bridging that you posted - but now I am just getting scared   . Since I've been totally fine at both attempts of tapering at 10% (or less) of whatever dose I was at off Paxil - would you recommend trying to get over to prozac now, while i'm at 10 mg? Or rather waiting until I'm at 5 mg of Paxil?  This drug is so nasty I am just scared. Sometimes I just think "oh I'll just stay on it forever since I'm so scared of withdrawals once I get off of it."  

 

Thank you again so much for everything. I remember you from paxilprogress 

[Altostrata]

Thank you.

 

Personally, I would do a direct taper as long as possible before risking a switch to Prozac. It could be that you will need a long hold at about 7mg or 6mg.

[romina95]

For me bupropion worked. But it's not usual. I tried with SSRIs first but they didnt work anymore just made me feel worse .. Ive read prozac is the best(least worst..) med to switch to to minimize WD.... Try to listen to your body to see if you need to lower the pace of the tapering

[harrolds]

Thank you.

 

Personally, I would do a direct taper as long as possible before risking a switch to Prozac. It could be that you will need a long hold at about 7mg or 6mg.

 

 

Thanks Altostrata. I spoke with my Doctor today and I decided that I will just start to taper off Paxil in case I need to go back up when i get surgery again this summer - in that event I will just add in Prozac in the mg of whatever I had tapered off of paxil (so if i get down to 7 mg of Paxil and need to go up to 10mg again - I'll just add in 3 mg of Prozac instead, wait to stabilize, and then start tapering off the 7 mg of paxil) ? 

 

My doctor says that his way of tapering people off prozac has been to have them take 10 mg of Prozac (for example) every day, and then every other day, and then every 3 days, etc. etc. until they just stop taking it.   He also said he's never treated anyone as sensitive as me before - so I think I will be following whatever specific guidelines you all suggest here instead. He is ok with that. 

 

So my next question would be - when you say I might need a long hold at 6 or 7 mg, do you mean of Paxil?  And how will I know if I do? And finally - at what mg of Paxil would you recommend I switch to Prozac?  I can re-post when I am ready to switch so that then I can figure out how to safely do the switch. I read everything posted here - but it was still a bit confusing, and since my doctors method I stated above terrifies me, I'm going to have to follow what you all suggest here  

 

Thank you!

[Petunia]

Hi harrolds,

You might not need to switch to Prozac if you taper slowly enough off Paxil. As the dose gets lower, if symptoms start to increase and take longer to subside, after each cut, then that would be the time to consider a long hold. Then when you resume tapering, you could reduce the percentage of cuts down to 5% or even lower.

 

Its better to try to taper off the drug you are already on because switching to another drug doesn't always work and then you end up with a more complicated problem and worse symptoms. Bridging to Prozac or another drug really should be a last resort.

 

Having patience and being guided by your own body and symptom patterns is the best way we have found to safely come off antidepressants while remaining functional in life. Depending on how your progress develops, it may take months to years to become drug free, but this is what we have found works, there really are no short cuts.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

[nz11]

Harrolds i agree with Petu

 

It is far better to slow the taper than do a switch.

 

After observing on these forums for over 5 years now i am convinced that it is better to go slower on the drug you are on.

Switching to prozac simply delays the withdrawal and then people turn up 6 months later in a complete mess.

 

Reading your docs plan on how he will  subsequently taper off prozac (approx 1 month) i think it may not have a good outcome. Alternating doses for a start is asking for trouble. In fact his plan terrifies me as well.

 

Thinking 'i can always updose if things get hairy' is the wrong way to look at it. What if the updose doesnt produce stability.

Why not think like this ... 'im gonna taper so slow that i have a life and minimal symptoms and be drug free in a couple of years.' 

 

Another idea to consider is to start the taper at less than 10 % why not start at say 5% and see how it goes.

[harrolds]

Hi harrolds,

You might not need to switch to Prozac if you taper slowly enough off Paxil. As the dose gets lower, if symptoms start to increase and take longer to subside, after each cut, then that would be the time to consider a long hold. Then when you resume tapering, you could reduce the percentage of cuts down to 5% or even lower.

 

Its better to try to taper off the drug you are already on because switching to another drug doesn't always work and then you end up with a more complicated problem and worse symptoms. Bridging to Prozac or another drug really should be a last resort.

 

Having patience and being guided by your own body and symptom patterns is the best way we have found to safely come off antidepressants while remaining functional in life. Depending on how your progress develops, it may take months to years to become drug free, but this is what we have found works, there really are no short cuts.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

 

Thanks Petunia.  I decided to start a taper again today. I've got my scale and all that - I've just done a 10% drop from 10 mg down to 9 mg starting today. I'm going to drop 10% once a month from the last dose, and stay on paxil per everyone's suggestions here. Since I seem to be fine getting down to 6 mg (i've done it twice - i've put it in my signature), I'll try that and hopefully no more life events make me go back up on the meds. 

 

I guess I will stop worrying about what happens 'later' once I get really low dose on Paxil and just do my best to stay the course and deal with things as they come up......    At least I have this board to remind me that other people have gotten off this drug without terrible withdrawal at the end - that is my biggest fear, the withdrawal at the very end......  

 

Thanks for all the support here. 

Also - is there anywhere on the forum that talks about supplements that can help withdrawal symptoms? I started taking mucuna / l dopa and 5 htp and p5p and all kinds of other vitamins a few years ago. I wonder if that helped me taper without any w/d symptoms. At this point there have to be some kind of vitamins or natural stuff that have helped people replace whatever the drug is depleting causing the withdrawal symptoms, right? I just haven't really read up on anything in a couple of years about it....

 

Thank you !

 

and nz11 - I won't be following my doctors plan at all. I have only every followed the suggested tapering methods of these boards.  

[Petunia]

Also - is there anywhere on the forum that talks about supplements that can help withdrawal symptoms?

 

 

Most people do quite well with Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker  and  Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)  Those are the only two supplements we recommend everyone try. If you decide to try them, start with one at a time and with a small amount to see how it will effect you.

 

For more information about other supplements:  Important topics about tests, supplements, treatments, diet

[harrolds]

Thanks everyone for this thread.  I take so many supplements (all by good companies like jarrow formulas or sometimes I use swanson, metagenics, thorne research etc).    I am wondering if there are any I am taking to be careful on?  I have been ok on all of them for the past year - 

 

mucuna pruriens (98% l dopa) I take maybe 150 mg in am and pm

p5p - 50 mg 2x a day

5 htp 100 mg at night (maybe it's 50mg?)

omega 3

jarrow b complex b right

milk thistle

turmeric

bromelain

l-tyrosine (I'm doing ok on it)

betaine hcl with pepsin 

mag 07 (oxygenated magnesium)

ahcc 3 g (shitake mushroom exctract for immune system)

d3 10,000 iu (and my d3 is still not high on blood tests, it's actually low)

 

and I just started taking nootropics -  oxiracetam and aniracetam, along with 300-900 mg of choline a day.  

 

i also take allegra every day during the day and benadryl at night (otherwise i itch like crazy). 

 

I think that's it - if I can remember other ones I take I will re-post them.    I don't eat processed food and am staying away from refined sugar. For the last year I've eaten paleo but I am not incorporating dairy into my diet (kefir) and black beans. No grains still at this point. 

 

Thank you all!