Has anyone had issues restarting antidepressants after stopping?

@climbingmountains81
I’ve been working up the dose from 1 week of Jan. I’m at 100mg which was my dose I was on before. At 62 now the dose feels to high. I notice my ocd is better but side effects are not nice.

I just have not had any luck at all going off or on antidepressants without the guidance of a doctor, and sometimes with a prescribing pharmacist's input, too.

Even so, I've had to let my doctor know through an immediate phone call or a portal message, depending on urgency, that I needed help with dosage, as I was experiencing x,y,z (e.g. still too down, but seemed to be working, could we perhaps try a slightly higher dose?).

One time when my doctor was supervising me tapering off citalopram (Celexa) and then going onto buproprion (Wellbutrin), I had basically an anxiety attack in my kitchen. I had to sit down on the floor where the cabinets came together, and call to my husband, who was home at the time, thankfully, as it as a weekend day. I asked him to take me right away to urgent care. Urgent care had to give me some short-term pills to get me through the weekend.

So, I've found it bumpy even with a professional involved, as they don't know how your exact chemistry will respond at each dosage, as there is so much variation among patients. But I've found my own doctor and all urgent care professionals very responsive and willing to help.

I have also found pharmacists to be helpful in expectation-setting for me with antidepressants. If the pharmacist did not tell me I would have to just endure about 3-5 months of a bumpy ride with getting accustomed to buproprion (Wellbutrin), and then things should level out for me, I would have certainly quit far earlier. I had no idea I had to grunt it out for that long and that then it would very likely work well for me. It sure did, and I've been on it for years now.

I did do a reduction a few months back, and my doctor helped me with that, too.

@mitch4444 - would your doctor be open to consulting with you on the not sleeping and the stomach pain? Sounds awful to have to deal with those effects. What are you thinking of doing next?

@maryjjeandennis I am so sad to hear about all the negative side effects you are all suffering from by taking Paxil whether it be starting or stopping.
I am surprised no one has mentioned Zoloft/Sertraline. It is one of the first SSRI’s to come out around the same time Prozac came out. I tried Prozac and found my system did not respond well to it. My psychiatrist switched me to Zoloft and added Wellbutrin. The combination was so popular they called it “ Welloft” at the time. I have been on it for over 35 years and actually cut my dosage of Zoloft from 100mg to 50mg while keeping my Wellbutrin and Buspar dosage the same.
My message is very simple. If you suffer from depression it just doesn’t magically disappear. You just have to find the right medication or medications and realize you will have to take them the rest of your life.
It is no different than someone suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Some things are hereditary and unfortunately there is nothing you can do to change that.
Good luck to everyone.

@daveshaw My negative reaction was to Lexapro.. It was a horrible experience. I was on Paxil for years and was on too much for my age, 78. That’s when I tried Lexapro and Prozac. They did not work so I decided to return to Paxil which worked for many years and hopefully will work again. I’m in the rough adjustment period but have been told it cans take 6-8 weeks. I’m hanging in for the long haul. The side effects I feel were from being on too much for my age which is documented. I’m glad you found the right combination and that it works well for you.
Mjdennis

@maryjjeandennis Why don’t you try my combination. I am going to be 75 soon and you might have good luck with it. 50mg could be good for you.
Good luck.