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Visitors' Advice:
What can I say about Paxil?
I think your site covers off just about everything
regarding withdrawal symptoms. And that's exactly
what it is, serotonin withdrawal. People have
to remember that there are good doctors and
bad doctors. Bad doctors don't do their research
on drugs and good doctors do, unfortunately
my doctor fits into the former, at least in
the case of prescribing me Paxil.
I will say this though, Paxil
has the astonishingly non-unique effect of destroying
your life while making you believe that your
life is fine. Sounds like what you read about
alcohol or marijuana? That's because it is.
I came off Paxil cold turkey two weeks ago,
and it's a good thing I did before I took another
withdrawal on my credit line, or fully convinced
myself that my friends and family aren't really
that important to me. Now I'm piecing my life
back together, trying to figure out what I've
irrepairably damaged, and what can be salvaged.
When quitting, I would highly
recommend a cold turkey or fast-taper approach
(despite what my MD brother and sister-in-law
say) as opposed to the tapered approach. For
people like me it works great anyway. I'm the
kind that if I'm 3 hours behind on my daily
dosage of Paxil, I start feeling withdrawal.
If the onset of withdrawal is this fast for
you, then think of it like a band-aid. Pull
it off fast or you'll just be putting yourself
through hell for months. It'll hurt like hell
and you're going to hate yourself and everyone
around you, but get it over with and quit.
These are my tips though:
CHOOSE A GOOD TIME. If you live
in Canada, January is not a good time. Wait
until May when the sun's out.
GET IN SHAPE FIRST. You don't
have to be running triathalons, but make sure
you have the stamina to go for walks and light
bike rides every day. You'll need to do this
if you want to stay sane.
STAY AWAY FROM STRESSFUL SITUATIONS.
This can not be emphasized enough. I'm extremely
passive-submissive by nature, and even I nearly
destroyed my life because of the anger that
comes with withdrawal The first time I tried
to come off paxil, I made the mistake of thinking
that I could continue like normal. I thought
it would be like Celexa, so no problem. Bit
of a headache, some dizziness, but on the whole,
no big deal.
Then, after about 4 days off
the stuff and at the height of withdrawal, I
put myself in the worst possible position. I
reffed a high school basketball game between
two of the best teams in the city. I was partnered
with the worst ref in the league, and the game
went into double-OT. Packed gym, people screaming,
coaches yelling. Big mistake. The things that
people say that normally roll off you, hit you
like daggers when you're in withdrawal. The
losing coach (who I'm surprised is allowed to
work with kids) wouldn't let it go and kept
at us long after the final buzzer. I'm a big
enough guy to have ripped this coach in two.
It took every ounce of determination I had to
turn and walk away from that guy. I'm not a
tough guy, but had I turned on him, I'm sure
I would have killed him. I was that frayed.
I went home and trashed my bedroom. I laugh
at it now because it was my only opportunity
to act like a 70s rock star with a valid excuse.
I had to go back on the drugs before I hurt
someone.
STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL AND DRUGS.
This is surprisingly easy to do, especially
once you're deep into withdrawal and a) you
don't want to feel any worse, and b) you discover
that it's the paxil that allowed you to abuse
yourself the way you did while you were on it.
The stuff makes you feel good no matter what.
There's that one woman's story of how she dipped
pretty hard into the cocaine while she was on
paxil. Well, that's a bit extreme, but I bet
it never would've happened if it weren't for
the paxil. Booze took my money while I was on
this stuff. It's hard to explain, but when you're
on Paxil, you can drink four nights a week and
somehow consider that to be normal.
REMEMBER ONE THING SOMEONE SAID
AND HOW SPECIAL IT WAS TO YOU. Of course, for
someone on Paxil this is a pipedream because
nothing means anything to you except your next
fun experience, but try to think of something
anyway. Write it down, so you can pull it out
and read it to yourself.. I laughed when I first
heard this suggestion too. My experience on
paxil withdrawal went from heavy physical symptoms
(and agitation) to mild physical symptoms to
depression. Remember, it's normal to feel depression
when you're coming off a drug and you realize
how you've screwed up your life while you were
on it. You're in rehab, and there's a lot more
to it than just the chemical dependency. Look
forward and consider how you're going to make
your life great again. Learn to hope again,
call your mom, do whatever you have to do. By
this point, you'll be able to FEEL again. Grasp
that and remember how beautiful it is, even
if you only feel pain. And cry your eyes out
and then take a nap. You'll feel better when
you wake up.
EXERCISE. Sorry, but the only
thing that will kill that headache is cardiovascular
exercise. It doesn't have to be intense, in
face, less intense is better. After a day of
hell, you can sit on a stationary bike at the
gym for two hours lightly pedalling and you
won't want to stop, just because it feels so
damn good to not feel like shit. Also, you'll
want to get those endorphins running in your
bloodstream. Nothing like a bit of natural drugs
to counteract the removal of the artifical ones.
Also, the exercise will help you feel better
about the binge-eating.
DON'T WRITE OFF ALL SSRIs. You
might need them. None of us are perfect.
Finally, HOLD ON, you're in
for the ride of your life. You know that scene
in Trainspotting when the baby is crawling along
the ceiling? Yeah. Don't be surprised if you
hallucinate. Just grab something real and focus
on it.
So after two weeks off, I still
get the occasional zap, my concentration still
sucks, but I'm back being myself again. My bank
balance sucks, and I somehow blew off the greatest
girl I've ever met, but hey, I was an addict.
Maybe I can straigten things out with the girl
. . . if not, there'll be another.
I've been going through withdrawl
from Paxil and have some good advice that has
really helped me with the dizziness associated
with withdrawl. The way to get rid of the dizziness
is to go running. It's amazing how well this
works... if I have a headache and feel dizzy
due to Paxil withdrawl, I run 3 miles, and the
rest of the day, the withdrawl effects are completel
gone!
Here's where I would like to
add some advice, if I may. I have found exercise
to be extremely beneficial. I wake up every
morning feeling sick and cranky, so I force
myself to the gym, and I feel 1000% better afterwards.
The body aches and nausea disappear. I still
have moments of dizziness and sensitivity to
to too much sensory stimulation, but it is much
easier to handle if I feel physically better.
So, my tip is exercise! The endorphins help
lessen the withdrawl symptoms.
I am a 31 year old teacher who
has been on paxil for 2 years to treat my panic
attacks. I tried to get off paxil 4 times and
always experienced horrible side-effects that
caused me to go back on my 30 mg daily dose
of paxil. After gaining 60 pounds and getting
rid of several doctors, I lucked out. I found
a great doctor who, working with her psychiatrist
friend, helped me get off paxil in just 9 days.
Here's the plan:
Days 1-3: 30 mg paxil/
10mg prozac
Day 4: 20mg paxil/ 20mg prozac
Day 5: 10mg paxil/ 20mg prozac
Days 6-9: 0mg paxil/ 20mg prozac
I then stopped taking prozac.
I never thought this would
work. I thought my doctor was being naive and
I'd be back in ther in 2 days telling her to
find another plan. I'd tried slow weaning before
and was too sick to get out of bed at 25mg a
day.
I'm not saying this was easy, but it was nothing
like I'd gone through any other time I tried
quitting. I had no panic and almost no head
zaps. I did spend a lot of time asleep and I
didn't drive for a couple of weeks (my choice
not to due to lack of need and attention span.)
I have been off paxil for 22 days and am now
experiencing some panic and insomnia, but I
also went off 2 allergy medications and birth
control at the same time I did this so my body
is a little unhappy right now for may reasons.
If you have tried other ways to get off paxil
and have been unsuccessful, go to your doctor
and try this! Good Luck!
How I quit:
Organic diet for the first week. Vegetarian
only. Week two organic meat introduced. Only
fluid was water or cammomile tea. Cammomile
tea bothered my stomach so relied solely on
water. After week one nicotine craves decreased
80% (I quit smoking when I quit paxil - both
cold turkey).
I also take 1 tablet Stress
Formula B supplement with 100mg vitamin C and
1 capsule Vitamin A to help with energy and
toxin cleanse.
Use organic diet for as long
as you can to help remove the toxin build up
in the body. It is amazing how good the body
feels when there is a reduction of processed
crap when you are trying to recover from this
drug.
Water, water, water. Keep
hydrated. Stay in airconditioning during summer.
Avoid direct sunlight to prevent dizziness,
palpitations, and skin rash. Talk to anyone
and everyone about what you are experiencing.
It helps. Believe in yourself. This is not you.
It is the drug. Acupuncture works very well
to balance the body. Breathe slowly and enjoy
everybreath. You will make it. My husband wonders
why I was ever on the drug in the first place.
He says I am better now than I have been in
two years. I believe he is right. Hang in there
and don't give up. You will make it.
I'm a primary care doc. i've
had a few of my patients who are discontinuing
SSRI's tell me that they've felt remarkably
better immediately after eating some chocolate.
tho' i usually give folks who are stopping a
short-acting SSRI like paxil some prozac for
a couple of days (the prozac's long half-life
minimizes symptoms) chocolate might be worth
considering, since there's some evidence that
chocolate may affect neurotransmitter levels.
"I am a 25 year old medical
student, and I have been on paxil 20 mg for approximately
9 months for anxiety. I wanted to get off the
paxil because of the sexual side effects (no libido,
anorgasmic) that were wreaking havoc on my marriage
of 6 months. I knew paxil could cause withdrawal,
so with my psychiatrist's consent, I tappered
my dose over 2 weeks: I week at 10 mg, an 1 at
5 mg. This was supposed to prevent withdrawal,
but it didn't. When I went down to the 5 mg, the
withdrawal began. I had incredible migraines almost
every day, incapacitating nausea, dizziness, lethargy,
hot flashes and chills, blurred vision, a strange
noise in my ears when I turned my head, nightmares,
etc. I eventually ended up in the ER due to the
migraines and althought the doctors didn't know
my symptoms where due to paxil withdrawal, even
though I told them I had just stopped taking it.
But the ER doc gave my PHENERGYN, which is basically
an antihistamine that works on motion sickness.
It is the ONLY thing that has helped me get through
these last 2 weeks. It eliminated the nausea,
decreased the blurred vision and sounds in my
ears, and stabilizes the dizziness. I am not a
doctor, so I am not advocating that this is for
everyone, but it really helped me with my symptoms.
I think anyone with similar sx to me should discuss
taking phenergyn or another antiemetic (anti nausea/vomiting
med) with their doctor. I'm at two weeks post-Paxil,
and it gets better every day. KF"
Another way to at least feel better
and feel like you are doing something to help
yourself is to try sublingual Vitamin B12 (sublingual
means administered under the tongue.) It's NOT
regular B12; the package will actually say "sublingual."
I couldn't find it at the regular drug store-type
chains, so I found it at my local GNC store. I'm
suggesting sublingual instead of vitamin tablets
because sublingual administration is supposed
to be as effective as getting the B12 shot but
cheaper and more pleasant. FYI - B12 is used for
nervous system regeneration, for added stamina,
for aiding in proper blood formation, and often
used to help handle stress. I also have been drinking
at least 64 oz. of water each day to help me feel
like I am flushing the toxins from my body. Good
luck to you all!
I now have been off of the paxil
for only 2 weeks total the St. John Wart Hypericin
I only took for two days and I have no withdrawal
symptoms at all!!!! I think I am through it and
very happy!!! So I definitely recommend the Hypericin
to help other withdrawers to find their strength
to get off the paxil!!"
again - [drinking] lots and lots
of water does help.
The more gently, the better.
2. Pill cutters are fab-u-lous! Less than $3.00
@ the pharmacy, they allow for the accurate halving
o' those pesky pills.
3. Paxil exists in liquid form! Tell the neighbors!
Wake the kids! If a 5 mg-dosage drop is too harsh
on your system, the oral suspension liquid goo
(orange-flavored, no less!) allows you to taper
as little as one mg. at a time.
4. You're not going crazy."
Please advise your readers to
try acupuncture and Chinese herbs to help them
deal with their withdrawal symptoms. I have done
so and it is very helpful. Any reputable acupuncturist
will know how to treat you and what herbs to give
you for this problem
I started my own formula for the
withdrawal process: Tylenol for the head aches,
Dramamine for the motion sickness and dizziness.
i eliminated all alcohol, pop, and caffeine. To
get to sleep i would meditate and do breathing
exercises. I also took Tylenol pm to cause drowsiness.
i began taking in large amounts of water. And
prayed. Hope this helps someone!!
I wrote you a while ago about
my withdrawing off of Paxil using Valerian and
Skullcap. Just to update you. As of today, I am
taking 1/4 a pill and will be completely off the
Paxil by Saturday. I am doing GREAT! Aside from
some very short lived symptoms of light headedness
and headaches, I did super! For the symptoms,
I popped an extra Valerian root. This would take
the dizziness away and allow me to calm down.
To boot, I was on my period during the bulk of
the withdrawal. I am impressed with the success
of the natural herbal way to get off the drug.
As for the night terrors that brought me to the
Paxil in the first place... I have tried to get
a couple of them, but with meditation I was able
to quickly pass through them and go back to sleep.
There is a way out of the drug and I am here at
the other end and hey.. It's pretty neat!
Life is cool ...I'm off paxil
and all other SSRIs! How? Yoga, Tai Chi, Acupuncture
during the withdrawal. also a twice a day cocktail
of 5HTP, Saint John's Wort, SAME, Vitamins, Flax
oil, and pet therapy( my dogs)....good luck to
all. Try the natural route It works!
...If anyone else that is writing
to you is having trouble with massive night sweats
I have a suggestion of trying to drink plenty
of water during the day. It seems to have been
helping me.
I was able to get off 10-15mg
of paxil/day with little withdrawal by fasting.
The third day I was extremely tired, (could have
been caffeine withdrawal). Fasting is great to
ward-off depression. I realize fasting is not
for everyone but in my case it was the best way
I ever got off paxil, (it was a 10 day fast)
I am a "lay" counselor
at the church I attend and have just helped someone
come out of "paxil hell" and have found
Dr. Ann Blake Tracy's book a tremendous help .
I had the honor of speaking to her by phone for
over an hour because I was doing research on "bi-polar"
diagnosis. Plus, I had ordered her book and tape
on coming off of SSRIs' back in January to help
my friend. She specifically recommended a special-ordered
Noni juice. When I talked to her by phone 2 weeks
ago, she again reiterated the effectiveness of
Noni juice, not just for SSRI withdrawal, but
also for people who are in their "manic"
phase in depression. (We're talking serious delusions!!!)
She has seen incredible results with this Noni
juice. She believes that it has a particular digestive
enzyme that dissolves excess seratonin in the
body. But, don't buy the kind in health food stores-it's
not processed properly.
Good luck to all of you that are
trying really hard to get off this drug. You can
do it. Here are a few suggestions: . 1) Believe
in yourself. Control your mind and thoughts. Throw
away negative thoughts and replace them with positive
affirmations. 2) Drink lots of water all throughout
the day. I don't mean the minimum amount of water
(64oz) I mean at least 100 oz each day. It keeps
your body flushed. It will also give you lots
of energy. 3) Take a high potency multi-vitamin
with herbs 4) Walk at least 30 minutes a day,
7 days a week to your favorite music. 5) Journal
each day about how you are feeling and goals that
you are setting for that particular day. 6) Eat
healthy- It will make you feel better overall
plus it will get off all the extra weight you
gained on Paxil! (smile) 7) Get professional counseling
and read lots of self help books. Try to stay
with one author that you can relate to because
they all have different methods and philosophies.8)
Enjoy your wonderful life after Paxil !"
..I did find that taking a Vitamin
B supplement or a Multivitamin with B has dramatically
increased these symptoms. Vitamin B is also useful
in abating some of the side effects of the medication.
am finally Paxil free after
3 tries:)) You asked me to send you the schedule
I used so here it is:
Original Dose: 40mg
Week 1: 30mg
Week 2: 20mg
Week 3: 10mg
Week 4: Day 1: 5mg
Day 2: 10mg
Day 3: 5mg
Day 4: 10mg
Day 5: 5 mg
Day 6: 10mg
Day 7: 5 mg
Week 5: Day 1: 5 mg Started: Prozac 10mg
Day 2: 10mg Paxil + Prozac 10mg
Day 3: 5 mg Paxil + Prozac 10mg
Day 4: 5 mg Paxil + Prozac 10mg
Day 5: 10mg Paxil + Prozac 10 mg
Day 6: 5 mg Paxil + Prozac 10 mg
Day 7: 5 mg Paxil + Prozac 10 mg
Week 6: Prozac 10 mg
All through the above schedule, I had some withdrawal
symptoms like headache, nausea and mild panic
attacks. I was told that I could take Advil
for the headache, Gravol for the nausea and
I did deep breathing (deep breath in through
the nose and blow it slowly out of the mouth)
about 3 to 4 times and it took care of the attack.
Please note, that I have
received a letter from a Paxil withdrawal specialist
stating that this method of withdrawal should
not be attempted.
read 2 accounts of people who
took 5-HTP while withdrawing from paxil, both
of them reported tremendous success. I tried this
as well, and theresults are astounding.
I wake up with the zaps, dizziness, everything.
Two hours after taking 150mg of HTP, it's as if
there was no withdrawal to begin with.
Well, I am amazed, but this worked.
I reduced my dosage to 5mg per day after being
on 10mg for weeks. I was on the 5mg's for a
week or so before quitting. I don't think that
there is a true tapering off of this medication.
Anyway, I have been having all of the dizziness
and the "electrical shock" sensations
as well. I tried the dramamine and sudafed and
IT WORKED! This is the first time in 5 days that
I have not been almost incapacitated by the sensations.
I took bonine which is meclazine. It is the non-drowsy
formula of dramamine. I also simply took sudafed
since I am a little more sensative to large doses
of pseudoephedrine. I took 60 mgs of sudafed rather
than the 120 mg's that are in the aleve pills.
Thanks so much for offering a solution to this
miserable problem.
Iquit paxil by only taking the
dosage that I was prescribed when I would begin
to feel the symptoms which made it unbearable.
In other words I would go as long as I could w/o
it until I would feel symptoms. This began at
36 hours, increased to 48, then 3 days etc....
until I was off it
I found taking benadryl helped
me to sleep. It also helped to mellow me out.
Be aware though that when you stop taking benadryl
that the symptoms come back but it is a good asprine.
Best of luck to all the victims of this drug...The
withdrawls do go away eventualy.
...Also, I found that popping
a Dramamine helped loads with the dizziness and
vertigo, and figured I should mention it.
I suffered severe withdrawl from
Paxil that hit me like a ton of bricks, I got
dizzy, felt detatched from reality, had the bad
"electric shocks" and felt suicidal.
I smoked some cannabis (marijuana),
to try and ease the pain, and found that all side
effects immediately and totally disappeared, but
returned once the pot wore off. Smoked pot for
three days, and was never bothered by side effects
again.
I recently quit taking Paxil
cold-turkey a week ago. The first two days were
the worst, but it is slowly getting better.
Here are some tips that I have found helpful:
* Take 2 Amino Acid vitamins with each meal
* Kava Kava herbal supplements also work really
well for any anxiety you may be feeling at this
time
* Drink LOTS of water---it'll help ward off
a lot of your dizziness(or in my case, feelings
of fainting), and it'll also help flush the
Paxil out of your system
* Chew on a piece of ice if you are feeling
jittery or anxious (Hey, it works for me!)
* EXERCISE!!!!!!!
* Taking a Niacin vitamin every other day will
also help get the Paxil out of your system,
therefore decreasing your withdrawl period
My story is a long one. But
I will keep it short. About 4 years ago I suffered
a serious snowmobile accident. Chronic pain,
PTSD, and major depression have been with me
ever since. The standard course of action for
meds are pain meds narcs.(oxycontin), Paxil
40mg, and Neurontin. After taking all of the
above for about 2 yrs., My continued complaints
of chronic fatigue led my dr. to take me off
of something. He started with the Neurontin.
Bad Move. Within the week all of the described
paxil side effects kicked in. The side effects
peaked with 3 of the worst and DARKEST days
of my life. Feeling near death again (the first
was the accident) I finally got ahold of a Psychiatrist
who would see me immediately. He went right
to his Rx pad and wrote one for Neurontin 300mg.
We then decided to start the paxil tapper. He
also is having me use benedryl to help curb
the INTENSE retsless leg (and everything else)
syndrome. I take about a half to 1 teaspoon
of children's liquid benedryl. The combination
seems to really help. I am also tappering off
of the narcs at the same time. I'm a little
shaky, but doing O.K. I'm hoping to completely
free of both in the next 2 - 3 weeks, God willing!
My advice for paxil suffers = ask your Dr. about
the Neurontin. And definitely use the Benedryl.
0.5 tsp every few hours throughout the day,
with a little extra to help sleep at night.
Good Luck!!!!!!
... Anyway, one thing I've also
been doing is supplementing with Glutathione;
I read about this supplement and how Paxil depletes
it from your system. I tried to quit Paxil a
few months ago, and experienced all the horrible
withdrawal symptoms, but this time, I don't
know whether or not it's because of the Prozac
or the supplement, but I feel fantastic. Could
also be that I've added running back into my
life.
Hi. I just wanted to let everyone
know that caffiene seems to make the withdrawal
effects from the paxil weaning worse. So go
without the caffeine if you can. I felt terrible
the past two days and today I left off the caffeine
and I can honestly say I feel 100 percent better
than I did yesterday. I have been on 1/2 dose
of my usual 30mg dose for 13 days. No dizziness,
just mild aches and pains and changes in my
appetite and taste. So,no caffiene for me until
this is past. thanks for a great site. S.M.W
...Self treatment: Water, Water,
Water - and quit the coffee, which is a
stomach irritant. No wine or beer either. Quit
all stomach irritants -
munched on pretzels and rice. I ate small meals
but it would upset my
stomach. I take multi-vitamins every morning.
Take Aleve for headache -
seems to reduce the zaps too - Aspirin is OK
too. So, I'd recommend a
pain/fever reducer taken every 4-6 hours. Also,
keep cool - wade in a pool
if you can. I used an antiacid tablet for stomach
upset and oh yes,
Dramamine is wonderful!!! My allergy decided
to kick in. Sudafed helps
with that and the regular version (not the non-drowsy)
seemed to help me
sleep more restfully. For the psychological
side: lots of chocolate (I
craved it), HUGGED the kids (my 2 and 4-year
old boys), received support
from my best friend and husband....
...I found that the intense
dizziness that I get may not have anything to
do with my panic attacks, but possibly the withdrawals
from the Paxil. I took the last one on Sunday,
10-20-02. The dizziness started last night,
Wednesday, 10-23-02. I thought that I was gonna
have to take it again today. I work for a chiropractic
doctor/acupuncturist/herbologist and today I
came to work and told him what was happening.
He took my pulse and said it was extremlely
weak and he looked up some stuff on the different
herbs and supplements he had. He gave me one
called Sheng Mai San which is a ginseng & ophiopogon
formula. I took three of them about 11:00, another
three at 4:00, and am supposed to take another
three tonight. It is 4:37 now and my dizziness
is almost gone. I know this is a long story,
but thought this might help someone else. The
herb is made by Treasure of the East and again,
it is called Sheng Mai San. I still have not
had a Paxil since Sunday and am going to continue
to take this to see if it works.
I use a nail file to file off
a bit each day. I use a piece of graph paper
and use that as my guide--slowlyslowly shrinking
the dosage. So far only a
hint of a headache. Some flatulence well ok
more than a little.
I'm taking ginseng, ginger and vitamins. I exercise.
So far I'm ok.
My suggestion is to see a chiropractor.
He helped me through all of the headaches, brain
zaps, and body aches. (Klonapin also helped
with the anxiety & terrible insomnia.)Also
exercise- I feel that working out helped a lot!
My suggestion :
For singles : surround yourself with one or
two loved ones and enlist them as help mates.
To watch over you. Talk to you in the middle
of the night when your nightmare is preventing
you from going back to sleep. To encourage you
to eat, even when your nausea and/or acid stomach
gives you the reflex not to. To FORCE you to
go to the gym (perhaps it is good for them also?).
Different sweat - better sleep after.
I've gotten some relief from
some of the nervous system withdrawals by
taking CHOLINE. I found out low levels of acetylcholine
are directly
linked to SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome on this
site:
http://bipolar.about.com/library/weekly/aa-ssridiscon02b.htm
I'd like to share something
important for those paxil withdrawers, who,
like myself, are experiencing nausea. Try taking
one tablet each day of
meclizine: the active ingredient in dramamine
(less drowsy formula) or
bonine. It took away my nausea and dizziness
associated (or caused) by
the strange wooshy sounds in my head when moving
my head or eyes. The
noises are still there, but I'm not dizzy and
feeling ill anymore, and
am actually able to get some work done.
I am a 38 year old male and
have been on paxil for 2 years.
I tried to get off the JUNK more times than
I can recall and I didn't want to go from one
chemical to another so this is what I have done.
original dose 40mg
1st stage- reduce to 30mg for 2 weeks
supplement w/ 5 hydroxytryptophan ( over the
counter and natural ) when stressed and st.
john's wort during the day.
Also, melatonin and valerian root ( over the
counter and natural ) at bedtime to calm and
help sleep.
2nd stage- reduce to 25mg for 2 week (cut 20mg
in 1/2 and 1/2 again for the 5mg dose)
Maintain over the counter supplements throughout
all stages and after for the initial reason
you got on paxil in the 1st place.
3rd stage- reduce to 20mg for 2 week
4th stage- reduce to 15mg for 2 weeks ( cut
left over 30mgs in 1/2 )
5th stage- reduce to 12.5mg for 2 weeks ( lowest
prescription form according to my physician
)
6th stage- reduce to 10mg for 2 weeks
7th stage- reduce to 7.5mg for 2 weeks ( cut
a 5mg peice in 1/2 for the other 2.5mg piece
)
Get the pill splitter that holds the pill in
place and has a razor for the cutting devise.
This tool is worth it's weight in diamonds and
is very accurate.
8th stage- reduce to 5mg for 2 weeks
9th stage- reduce to 2.5mg for 2 weeks
10th stage- reduce to 1.25mg for 2 weeks ( time
for the pill splitter again )
11th stage- reduce to .625mg for 2 weeks ( split
pill again )
12th stage- FREEDOM
Hey there I am a 19 yr. old
college student who has just begun my journey
to be paxil free,yay! Anyways the point is I
think this site http://www.arab2.com/games/pacman/
is a great way to keep ur mind off withdrawls
it's a free site with a version of the original
pacman with no downloads u just click and play!
It's been keepin me amused for hours on end
since I'm so far from home with no on really
to talk to about these withdrawls I'm undergoeing.
Well hope I could be of some help.
I'm not sure whether this is
unconventional advice or not but eating protein
is very good for naturally keeping your seratonin
levels up. The best
protein you can eat are nuts and the best nut
is the brazil. Keep a bag of
brazil nuts with you at all times. They are
an instant good energy hit.
What's more their fabulous for helping to prevent
bowel cancer!!!
am a 42 year old female and
was on Paxil (40 mg daily) for 6 years and Rivotril
(clonazepam, 2mg daily) for the past 7 years....Whoa!!
That's a lot of pills.....;-)
Since I am studying full time,
I can't afford side effects and so here's the
plan I have been following .....I am at step
six and doing great so far....
First, thanks to this site,
I cut my caffeine back to the first cup in the
morning
Second, I drink a lot of water
Third, a complex B vitamin every
day
Fourth, Chocolate when i feel
like it....sound odd but it works for me!!!
And Fifth, this schedule of
decrease as per my Doc's and my pharmacist's
recommendation...
This schedule is in stages that
change every two weeks
40mg daily
40 mg alternating with 30 mg every other day
so 40 mg - 30 mg
30 mg daily
30 mg alternating with 20 mg every other day
so 30 mg - 20 mg
20 mg daily
20 mg alternating with 15 mg every other day
so 20 mg - 15 mg
15 mg daily
15 mg alternating with 10 mg every other day
so 15 mg - 10 mg
10 mg daily
10 mg alternating with 5 mg every other day
so 10 mg - 5 mg
5 mg daily
5 mg alternating with none every other day so
5 mg - nothing
DONE!!!!!!
I do the following: lots of
water...drink half your body weight in ounces.B12
sublingual (which i see is mentioned many times).this
was suggested by my physician. he also said
tryto eat a lot of protein, milk, peanut butter,
etc.
which will work well with the B12. use Sea Bands.
these are accupressure arm bands that help with
the dizziness/nausea without medicating. i
used these also when i was pregnant with my
last child and they really do take the edge
off of the dizziness, zapping and nause w/o
more drugs in your system. you can buy these
in any drugstore and they are usually with the
dramamine. when things get really bad i take
prescription Duradrin 250mg. which is for migraine
sufferers and these withdrawal symptoms to me
are most like migraines i used to have. it helps
a lot but does make
you groggy. warm compress on brow area and on
back of neck
especially good for zapping. acupuncture and
acupressure completely stopped my migraines
years ago and have helped greatly in easing
the side effects of withdrawal symptoms. have
support from family, friends and a good doctor.
you will be glad you stuck to your guns and
not the paxil
I am not pretty picture, but
I have found that tanning is helping. Yes, folks,
a positive side effect of tanning - it does
relax you and I actually feel almost human after
leaving the tanning salon.
Everyday I tell myself that
all these feelings of displacement, shocks,
vertigo, etc. are totally physical and “Will”
subside over time. My friend was amazed that
I was able to take a totally upfront approach
as most people get very emotional with the withdrawal
process. A great analogy to use is: This is
like have a baby. It will happen and nothing
you can do will change the fact. I have accepted
the fact that I will be felling pretty awful
for (not sure how long) awhile but all the posters
on this board have one thing in common: THIS
WILL STOP. Accepting that, I am pushing on and
anxious for the day I am free from the grip
of this chemical. In case you were wondering,
I am staying on my regular schedule (home, work,
leisure, etc.). For me keeping busy is more
important now than ever. Try your hardest to
not dwell on all these physical reactions your
body is having. Even this letter has been difficult
to write but I have done it !!!!
It was here that I first heard
about liquid Paxil and I can't tell you what
a miracle it has been for me. I have spent,
literally, years trying to get off this drug,
only to resume taking it when the side-effects
of withdrawal have become too great. I began
taking Paxil for panic attacks. I know now that
I should have gone the counseling route first,
but I was scared of the attacks and wanted a
quick fix.
Let me tell you how I've gotten off without
getting sick:
- I began weekly counseling sessions. Don't
underestimate how much they can help.
-I lowerd the Paxil amount by one-half mg. every
fourth day. If you'd like, you can do it more
slowly. This is not a race. The idea is to feel
good.
-I kept a journal. It gave me somewhere to vent
at the company, and reminded me of when it was
time to lower the dosage.
- I worked out for at least 30 minutes every
day, regardless of how busy I thought I was.
I found that after so many failed attempts to
get off Paxil, I was a little anxious about
getting sick again. The exercise kept my mind
off my worry, and flooded me with endorphins.
- I drank plenty of water. Many thanks to whomever
recommended water on this site. It really has
kept me feeling good.
I combined everyones advice
into my own natural healing solution. I got
myself some vitamin c, a, e, and stress b-complex
along with some St. John's Wort and Bonine for
the dizziness. I also took the advice to drink
lots of water and eat chocolate which also both
helped tremendously. I have only been taking
the vitamins for 2 days and I already feel 90%
better. I think the worst is over now and I
feel great. Keep your heads up and don't give
in to going back on paxil because you think
it is a quick fix to making all the side effects
go away.. Stay Strong and you will find your
own natural healing remedies. I would also recommend
starting the vitamins as soon as you quit or
even before. I really think that it would have
made a huge difference for me on that third
day. I might not have went through all of that.
I found your site when I was doing some research
into Paxil, as I too went
through the hell of quitting Paxil. To make
a long story short after two
months I decided that I was going to have to
become an expert on what was
happening to me and started to do heavy research
into neurotransmitters and
the likes. Anyway, after doing some research
and formulating some theories I
stumbled upon the precursor to serotonin which
is 5htp and can be purchased
as a dietary supplement. Anyway I theorized
(through the help of good info
on the net) that the MAO's in my brain where
kicking my serotonins ass, as a
persons body, starts to produce more MAO's to
mitigate the increase it
detects in serotonin, in the synaptic regions
that the SSRI's cause. So when
you quite you have more MAO's killing off a
now depleted supply of serotonin
hence the zaps where signals are not getting
sent correctly to the receptor
as well as the muscle spasms. Anyway, I heading
off on a tangent, let me
get back to the point. You would be doing your
readers a great service if
you turned them on to 5htp as it is the direct
precursor to serotonin and
200mg to 300mg a day will all but annihilate
the withdraws from Paxil or any
other SSRI no joke no bull, I woke the next
morning after taking my first
dose of 5htp to no zaps, no muscles spasm, no
chills. I spent two months in
hell because I did not know this little gem
of knowledge and I am now trying
to share it with as many SSRI withdraw sites
as possible. I do not know if
it will kill the withdraw symptoms from day
one but I do know that my
withdraw symptoms, though already subsiding
due to being off the stuff for a
while, went away overnight.
I decided to try to force Paxil
out of my system ASAP so I took a bunch of vitamins,
drank a lot of water, bought dramamine, got
angry at Paxil, and warned my friends and family
that if I acted like an asshole to them they
shouldn't take it personally. And then the other
thing I did was force myself to take long walks
around my neighborhood. At first it sucked.
I was dizzy and nauseous and everything looked
like I was in the twilight zone and that i'd
keel over at any moment. But I didn't keel over.
I didn't faint. I
made it all around my neighborhood for hours.
And it helped a lot. My boyfriend suggested
that maybe my brain needed stimulation to force
it to get back into pre-Paxil gear and I think
that my super-walks helped to do that. The other
thing that I did was eat all sorts of ethnic
foods, like middle eastern and Indian. I figured
a lot of spices might help and that besides,
self indulgence would be a very good thing while
quitting Paxil, which it was. Furthermore, since
your senses are heightened when you withdraw
from Paxil, I burned candles that I really liked
and this helped. So maybe instead of avoiding
sensual overload, get the kind that you really
like.
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