Tips on how to wean off of Paxil (paroxetine): Bad withdrawal.

It is just horrendous. The saying is the only way out is through. So true. You are a warrior. Keep going. Every day is one step closer to your goal.

Benzo withdrawal. Anxiety through the roof. Constant. Body aches. Tremendous joint pain. Pins and needles all over. It lessens over time. Just keep going. Healthy food. No chemicals, no alcohol. Darth Vader breathing. Epsom baths. Do same routine of things every day whether you want to or not. Rest but keep moving forward. Took me 4 years... after taking the last dose! Almost healed.... You can do this!

Have been 20 years on Paxil. Currently weaning off of it. I am down to 20 mg. Still continue to have side effects, ANXIETY, loss of appetite, foggy brain, wake from sleep very anxious as well. Please help with tips and ways to get through this until I am off of this medication.

Same here. Tried to go too fast and crashed. I was only taking 20mg and cut it to 10mg for 3 weeks, then 7 mg.and crashed. Went back to 40mg and still no sleep, depression and raging anxiety for 2 months. Saw Phyciatrist (nurse pracioner) who gave me Gabipenten (seizure med) because I was waking up.soaked with sweat. Also had a burning sensation on my back and shoulder and bottom of my feet like sunburn. Gabipentin is also used to treat nerve ending issues. It worked. Started sleeping again. Got a lot better. Now down to 30mg. Some anxiety still. Based on what I have read and am experiencing, paxil could take more than a year to get off. I am only reducing by 10 percent every 3 months. I expect anxiety to continue and be worse at every reduction. I use a drug scale and convert if the dose I am looking for is not available. Go to a compounding pharmacy if you need help. I shave it with a razor blade to get the weight I need to match the MG dose I am after. Don't rush it.

22 years on paxil

Be careful with the gabapentin. If you take it too long you’ll have to taper off this med too. Your NP will most likely say it’s no big deal. Do your own research before taking these meds.

I agree. I am only taking 100mg now at night. I quit it completely until some "sunburn" symp reoccured.

Agreed. I had to taper off several years ago. Managed ok, didn’t rush it. I will say, though, that Gabapentin helped me a lot recently when I had Shingles. It was a bad case. And only took it for a month, had no difficulty stopping.

Thank you for your response. Can I ask what "Gabapentin" is for?

It’s an antiseizure and neuropathic medication. It’s prescribed for seizures, neuropathy, i.e. nerve pain, for Restless Legs Syndrome, and other conditions. Maybe others on this forum can tell you more about its uses. If you have access, you can find information online.

I took it during a Shingles outbreak to reduce the nerve pain I was experiencing, and I believe my doctor hoped it would help prevent Postherpetic Neuralgia - long-term nerve pain which can linger after recovery from Shingles. One thing I can tell you is Shingles gives you a whole new experience when it comes to pain. I was fortunate not to have any lasting effects from it when I recovered. However, I know people who weren’t so lucky, and are taking Gabapentin for Postherpetic Neuralgia.

Prior to that, it had been prescribed for a ‘condition’ that I didn’t have. The Rheumatoid Factor from my blood work was high and my primary doctor sent me to a Rheumatologist, who spent five minutes with me, didn’t even touch me, and backed toward the door as she was talking to me. My primary doctor suggested I keep taking it, and we eventually agreed I didn’t need it. I plotted out my taper on a calendar, reducing the dosage by small amounts over several weeks. No difficulties.