How to get off fluoxetine (paxil)

@seapen
It would be good to work with your prescribing doctor to wean off the medication. Is it fluoxetine (Prozac) or paroxetine (Paxil)? They are different medications.

Do you have side effects from the medication? Do you no longer benefit from being on the medication and that is why you want to stop it? Why stop now after 25 years? Do you think you need a different medication?

When I tried fluoxetine (Prozac), I got brain zaps and had to stop after being on 20 mg for a month or two and then they increased it to 40 mg (stopped after being on the increased dose for a 2-3 weeks).

You MUST work under the experyise and instruction of a Mental Health Physician or your Primary Care Physician anytime you are going off or changing any medication for Mental Health.

Hello, I am in TOTAL agreement with the two people above, who have commented. I detoxed off of Paxil, after being on 10mg for over 25 years this past Fall. NOT something I suggest doing on your own, NOR would I venture to advise anyone to do it on their own. It was far from easy, and yes, I did it with a reduction of 2-3 mg per 10 days until I was at 0mg.
I also questions why you choose to come off this medication? I did it because, long run, I found that it was interfering with other meds which I was taking, costing me money in my senior retirement years, that I could not afford , and frankly, questioned exactly what it was doing for me. HOWEVER, that is ME. PLEASE discuss your various options with a certified doctor. And should you decide you still wish to detox off Paxil, PLEASE do NOT do it on your own. 20 mg a day is a high dosage. YES, you can detox down off it should you choose; HOWEVER, I strongly suggest you get medical guidance to show you how and to stay with you through the process.
Someone who did NOT do the above. Someone who believed she was stronger at 75. Someone who blamed the medical field for misdiagnosing her. Someone who had several TIA/s thru the detox process. Someone who was downright DUMB.

I did it, back in the 90's, but only to slowly replace with another similar one. All these decades I have tried to get off anti-depressants, only to reexperience intolerable anxiety and little sleep. Attempts at using the latest natural remedies were unsuccessful. I was diagnosed with PTSD, back in the late 80's. Depression was not my issue. Anxiety was. But everyone is different.