Withdrawal Symptoms from coming off Paroxetine!!

[SHYGIRLAJB]

Hi Everyone

How are you doing ?? ... Me not great , feeling absolutely horrendous... I used to be on Paroxetine until Monday 30th , which was the last day ...

Well , I just don't know what to think, I didn't think it would be this bad ... I'm wondering if I have come of it to quickly , judging from what I read , you are meant to tapering off by 10% .

Is anyone else have come off or coming off their meds ? How did you feel , how long did the symptoms last for ?? ... What kind of side effects did you have..


TIA ...

[panic_down_under]

I'm wondering if I have come of it to quickly

Possibly. Paroxetine is one of the two antidepressants many find most difficult to quit. The problem is it has a very short half-life and no active metabolite so withdrawal symptoms can set in very quickly.

How much were you taking and how did you taper off, or did you just stop taking it? Was this done with your doctor's approval, or was it your idea?

[SHYGIRLAJB]

Possibly. Paroxetine is one of the two antidepressants many find most difficult to quit. The problem is it has a very short half-life and no active metabolite so withdrawal symptoms can set in very quickly.

How much were you taking and how did you taper off, or did you just stop taking it? Was this done with your doctor's approval, or was it your idea?

The mental health team and my Drs suggested decreasing my meds in 10mg intervals ... Here is a list ... The side effects whilst I was reducing the meds wasn't too bad ... Just feeling sick and some headaches ..

17/08/2016 - changed paroxetine to 50mg
04/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 40mg
11/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 30mg
18/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 20mg
25/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 10mg
30/01/2017 Last paroxetine 10mg


Trouble is , I thought I was tapering off , but I don't know ... hmm

[panic_down_under]

The side effects whilst I was reducing the meds wasn't too bad ... Just feeling sick and some headaches ..

What symptoms are you having now?

17/08/2016 - changed paroxetine to 50mg
04/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 40mg
11/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 30mg
18/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 20mg
25/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 10mg
30/01/2017 Last paroxetine 10mg

For most SSRIs this would be a reasonable taper, but for paroxetine I think dose reductions of only 5mg per week would have been better, especially for the final 20mg.

[SHYGIRLAJB]

What symptoms are you having now?



For most SSRIs this would be a reasonable taper, but for paroxetine I think dose reductions of only 5mg per week would have been better, especially for the final 20mg.

The symptoms now , well they are just awful , worst I've ever had ... Feeling , dizzy , sick , more emotional, sweating etc , tummy totally upset , agitated, can't sleep, keep seeing things running across the table , sofa at the corner of my eye ... The aches and pains , they are so painful and can't get comfortable...

[panic_down_under]

The symptoms now , well they are just awful , worst I've ever had ... Feeling , dizzy , sick , more emotional, sweating etc , tummy totally upset , agitated, can't sleep, keep seeing things running across the table , sofa at the corner of my eye ... The aches and pains , they are so painful and can't get comfortable...

You could try going back onto a small dose - 5-10mg - of fluoxetine (Prozac) for a week followed by half for another week, then stopping. This should ease most of the side-effects, and because fluoxetine has a very long half-life, about 6 days for the drug itself and 16 for its active metabolite it is effectively self-tapering taking a couple of months to be completely metabolized and excreted. Your doctor may have samples s/he can give you. This is a common tactic for those finding quitting venlafaxine (Effexor) difficult. It can be even harder to quit than paroxetine.

Other that that all you can do is treat the symptoms, painkillers for the aches and pain, common remedies for the stomach issues, etc. The worst of these symptoms should begin diminishing soon.

[BikerMatt]

The mental health team and my Drs suggested decreasing my meds in 10mg intervals ... Here is a list ... The side effects whilst I was reducing the meds wasn't too bad ... Just feeling sick and some headaches ..

17/08/2016 - changed paroxetine to 50mg
04/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 40mg
11/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 30mg
18/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 20mg
25/01/2017 Changed dose Paroxetine 10mg
30/01/2017 Last paroxetine 10mg


Trouble is , I thought I was tapering off , but I don't know ... hmm

Wow in my opinion that's way to fast a taper. These so called professionals should know better and should be shot! They haven't a clue and it makes me so f*cking angry! 40mg to 0mg in four weeks jeez!

I tapered off paroxetine over eleven months and that was hard enough. No wonder you feel crap.

Good luck! You really need a much slower taper.

[Mr DJ]

Hi SHYGIRL

I feel your pain.

I am currently weaning myself off Paroxetine. Its hellish !!!

I recently made a concerted effort to get off the meds.

Over a couple of months went from 30mg down to 10mg. I then made a too big a jump down to 5mg.

It was too fast of a drop and I suffered horrible withdrawl symptoms. I unsuccessfully tried to tough it out but ended up going back up a dose to 20mg.

I stabilised on 20mg for a couple of months and am now on week 5 on 17.5mg.

Every piece of advice I have seen from sufferers has been to take it very very slowly.
Tapering at 10% of your current dose at each dosage drop. Stabilise on the current dose for at least a month before dropping again.
It is a long and sometimes hard process but it seems the best way.

I am a member of a support group on Facebook for people withdrawing from Paroxetine/Seroxat/Paxil
I have found it very useful. You may too
I cant post the link because I have not made enough comments yet !! LOL
I will get back to you soon with the link.


Stay strong. Dont be afraid to go back on a higher dose for a while to feel better.
best wishes and good luck !!!

[panic_down_under]

Over a couple of months went from 30mg down to 10mg. I then made a too big a jump down to 5mg.
best wishes and good luck !!!

Tapering off paroxetine is difficult, especially once at low doses, because of its short half-life and lack of an active metabolite which can produce a yo-yo effect as the med cuts in and out. Switching to the very long half-life fluoxetine (Prozac) and weaning off it can be much easier.

[SHYGIRLAJB]

Hi SHYGIRL

I feel your pain.

I am currently weaning myself off Paroxetine. Its hellish !!!

I recently made a concerted effort to get off the meds.

Over a couple of months went from 30mg down to 10mg. I then made a too big a jump down to 5mg.

It was too fast of a drop and I suffered horrible withdrawl symptoms. I unsuccessfully tried to tough it out but ended up going back up a dose to 20mg.

I stabilised on 20mg for a couple of months and am now on week 5 on 17.5mg.

Every piece of advice I have seen from sufferers has been to take it very very slowly.
Tapering at 10% of your current dose at each dosage drop. Stabilise on the current dose for at least a month before dropping again.
It is a long and sometimes hard process but it seems the best way.

I am a member of a support group on Facebook for people withdrawing from Paroxetine/Seroxat/Paxil
I have found it very useful. You may too
I cant post the link because I have not made enough comments yet !! LOL
I will get back to you soon with the link.


Stay strong. Dont be afraid to go back on a higher dose for a while to feel better.
best wishes and good luck !!!

My last Paroxetine was on the 30 January , and still gave bad symptoms, the worst is the dizziness, feeling sick etc .... Just feel extremely drunk and my eyes find a hard time to focus , it's worse when I'm am standing , but bending well so much worse ... Just sick of these symptoms... I was hoping they would have gone by now ... I am on another antidepressant now , duloxetine... My dr doesn't really know what to do next .... Have to wait for an appointment with the mental health team who will decide ....