Unusual Medication Withdrawal Question
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hey everyone,
Recently, I was taking Paxil at 30mg dosage. I was unfortunately not instructed about withdrawals or what to do if I miss a dose, so I would accidentally forget to take my medication often. When this would happen, I would get horrible withdrawal symptoms.
Not knowing any better, I discovered that taking a double dose (60mg) after missing a day would keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay.
However; my body became used to the 60mg dosage of Paxil taken every other day rather than 30mg every day because I messed up my routine so badly and this was the only way my body would stop feeling the horrible withdrawal symptoms. So for months, I was taking 60mg of Paxil every other day, with 0mg on the off day. If that makes sense.
Recently, my doctor decided to take me off of Paxil and put me on Prozac instead. I had made him aware of how I was taking the current medication (Paxil) and was completely honest. Since Prozac is still an SSRI, he replaced the dosage of 30mg with Prozac instead of Paxil, promising me that I would see no withdrawal symptoms if I went back to taking 30mg every day instead of 60mg every other day.
I listened and have set an alarm on my phone to remind myself to take my new medication, stopping the Paxil and taking Prozac every day as prescribed at the exact same time.
It has been about a week and I am on day three of experiencing horrible withdrawals because of this. Nausea, vomiting, vertigo, dizziness, and my feet and hands will randomly go numb. It is difficult to live this way.
What I am asking is, how long will it take my body to go back to accepting the 30mg dosage every day? I am not cutting out the SSRI completely, as described above. I just want to know there is an end to this, or maybe a way to help deal with the symptoms.
Disclaimer: I know I am stupid for screwing up my medication, but I was not properly instructed on the consequences or even aware that SSRI withdrawal existed until it started happening.
Please help.
2 likes, 4 replies
sam18386 WrathfulSanity
Edited
go back to your doctor, it's clear this medication doesn't suit you.
Lauren_Sophia WrathfulSanity
Posted
I'm sorry to say doctors are not helpful when helping people withdraw from a medication. Once your body is used to the medication and is used to it you have to gradually wean yourself off it. I am not a medical professional.
So, if it's 60mg I don't know if you can cut your 30mg pill in half but I would do 1 pill and a half which would be 45mg and do that for the first week. Week 2 then 30mg just 1 pill. Then Week 3 cut pill in half 15mg. Week 4 you could cut the(half pill) 15mg in half again to only do 7.5 mg to ease your body off of it. But I it like this with any pill. Very gradual decrease. To do it cold turkey even taking another medication is still brutal. Also, find a good compound pharmacy and always do a consultation with them and when you need to stop a medication they are very helpful at instructing you how to stop taking a medication better then a doctor.
Also, most insurance does telehealth visits so you can talk to someone immediately you can also try that option too. Also always go online to check the side effects of the medication you are taking sometimes we don't realize the side effect is not normal so it's not always just withdrawl but multiple things at once.
JD254 WrathfulSanity
Posted
What my GP did not know when I was having horrible, similar side effects from Paxil is that each SSRI is different. It took multiple tries to find the right med combination for me. I've never had to set a timer, just would leave my medicine bottle on my night stand, but if that works for you, then keep with it.
if you have had these effects for more than a week, it's not the right med for you. In general, one must taper if reducing a dose, but switching if similar dosages (30mg of 1 is not necessarily 30mg of another)
generally it is ok, perhaps a few days to adjust at most.
I was lucky. My therapist stepped in, got me in to a psychiatrist, and the side effects stopped. Good luck!
joshuapryce1987 WrathfulSanity
Posted
You should never do that, take double the dosage because you missed a day, taking medication is not like paying bills. Paying bills you can do that, but mental and physical health is based on consistency. If you miss a day, just be consistent in the amount you take daily and do not play with the size of the dosage. This is why your body is more dependant on the drug.