Mental Health Weaning off Paxil (Paroxetine), advise needed

[Lucy20]

I have a friend who was put on paxil a year ago for anxiety. She wants off but doesn't have any helpful doctor in her village.

She was on 10mg but side effects were too severe, nausea, more panic and anxiety, disturbed sleep.
She is now taking 5mg but shes feeling quite anxious and just not well.

I know i cannot ask medical questions but has anyone had any experience quitting paxil?
Could she stop at 5mg or try 2.5 for a few days?

And yes it is a friend, im on mirtazipine ?

 

[d1nach]

I am not a doctor just have been a patient basically all my life. I take a different antidepressant (effexor) but

" In clinical trials the effectiveness of PAXIL was demonstrated in patients dosed in a range of 20 to 50 mg/day." Drugs.com

They claim to be on 5 mg. Nausea, panic, anxiety, poor sleep are all symptoms im pretty sure of an anxiety disorder.

Is it possible maybe these side effects are not from the drug at fractions of a theraputic dose and instead the result of a untreated anxiety disorder?

Just a idea.

 

[Lucy20]

I am not a doctor just have been a patient basically all my life. I take a different antidepressant (effexor) but

" In clinical trials the effectiveness of PAXIL was demonstrated in patients dosed in a range of 20 to 50 mg/day." Drugs.com

They claim to be on 5 mg. Nausea, panic, anxiety, poor sleep are all symptoms im pretty sure of an anxiety disorder.

Is it possible maybe these side effects are not from the drug at fractions of a theraputic dose and instead the result of a untreated anxiety disorder?

Just a idea.

She wants to get off them and evaluate how her anxiety really is without paxil and if she stays needs something, trazodone or mirtazipine would be better imo.
I am really sensitive to antidepressants side effects but had no issues with mirtazipine.
I really don't know what to do.
She has been staying with me and not sleeping and mood swings.
I hope the withdrawal is over fast

 

[Lucy20]

Her symptoms got far worse with the medication

 

[mtu mwendawazimu]

How long has she been on 5mg?

I'm not familiar with the drug, but a sharp 50% cut may have been too big since she was on for a year. That's a big decrease.

 

[Lucy20]

Shes been on 5mg about a week now and every day seems a bit less sketchy. She's breaking the 5mg ones in more tiny pieces.
She has been on them a year and 1/2

 

[Lucy20]

I stopped mirtazipine for a bit a few years ago so i figured 10mg to 5mg would be ok. I am no doctor but i am the only one helping her.
I gave her a few clonazepam to take at night if absolutely needed. I only gave her 2 and would never let her have enough to get addicted, just some relief.
Knowing her life she will need something, but not paxil.
By next week she will be on nothing and she is curious if something like mirtazipine would work better, sedation quality and all.
She can't see a doctor for 6 more weeks.
Could she safely start mirtazipine after the paxil has been out of her system a week?
I know i shouldn't be giving her meds not prescribed to her but i can't watch her suffer.
Paxil has a 1/2 life of 21 hours and if i remember correctly its usually 5 × 1/2 life for complete out of your system

 

[mtu mwendawazimu]

I've read horror stories about coming off antidepressants too fast. 10mg isn't a big dose, but to be on it for a full year is a big deal.

If she feels bad on 10mg, and feels bad on 5mg, i don't think the solution would be to get her down to 0mg.

Withdrawal symptoms can persist for up to three weeks, IIRC.

Do what you must, but no need to rush if she's been on it for a year.

 

[Lucy20]

I tried to slow her but she's pretty stubborn on the subject . She stopped them completely and hasn't been too bad other then she can't sleep and she says she still gets anxiety.
Im soon bringing her to a hospital, ive tried offering benzos for sleep but she doesn't like how they make her feel.
A doctor can help her more then i can.
She is stubborn though, she wants to wait 1 more week.
She is in hell, no matter what she says i can see it

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Yeah the hospital does a good way of resetting people. They will find meds that work. Isolation is rally damaging, so maybe uses that as a metric of taking her to be reviewed at the hospital. Hygiene and fulfilling life are good estimates, too.

 

[ChemicallyEnhanced]

No, definitely don't stop on 5mg. If she can, get her to start taking three-quarters of a pill for a couple weeks, and then half a pill for a couple weeks, quarter of a pill for a couple weeks and then an 8th of a pill for a couple weeks.
She may even need to have 1/16th for a bit.
You have to be extremely slow coming off SSRI's. And Paroxetine is the worst one for bad withdrawals because it has the shortest half-life.
I feel sorry for your friend and wish her the best!

Once I was in hospital they made a mistake with my meds and the doctor stupidly stopped my Sertraline (Zoloft). I was on 150mg. One day I was so anxious and couldn't stop crying and asked if there were any changes in my meds. The nurse told me "no". Two days later I was swinging between near-catatonic depression and panic attacks that lasted like 45 minutes. The nurse suddenly burst in and told me: "the doctor took you off your Sertraline 8 days ago. I'm very sorry, this shouldn't have happened".
They're lucky I didn't sue after the distress I went through. Fortunately I was on a VERY friendly hospital word where we (me and the 5 other patients) talked a lot and became friends. This was 5 years ago and I'm still in touch with them. So they were really supportive and would hold my hand when I was anxious or make me laugh when I was very down.

 

[Lucy20]

Thanks everyone, i had a talk with her last evening and suggested going back on 5mg and dropping a tiny crumb a week, she wasn't that receptive. She is stubborn but i finally talked her into going to the hospital. Im very excited about this because as much as i want to help ,i can't really, other then support. She needs a doctor not me.