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[reener06]

Actually, marigolds, I have been doing that. I now cut the 20 mg in quarters and take a quarter every 3 days or so. This may not be the best solution, but it's the only one I have, as I wasn't prescribed a 5 mg per se.

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

Heh. Tell your spouse that there are pregnant women who take freaking chemo while pregnant whose babies turn out just fine. I'm one of them. The drug warnings for pregnant women are extremely conservative.

[reener06]

Thanks, touched. But, see, he's a counselor who talked waaay too much to some psychiatrists at his work who gave him dire predictions/warnings. I finally told him I had to listen to my doctor, and these guys at his office don't know me and are not my doctors. He's coming around.

[oldfullprof]

I have an previous AS in psych nursing, and am personally on Effexor.  Anything like this needs a slow, slow titration down to zero.  (I love Effexor because I've had zero weight or libido changes.  I did have some some "sticky sphincter" problems, but hell...)  I suspect that Desyrel (Trazodone) (a post tricyclic) could substitute for an SSRI, and that might be easier to come off of.  (I think it could substitute because I substituted Effexor for Desyrel a few years ago for a few days.  Ask the doctor.)  I did come off Desyrel too precipitously once, and started getting instant vivid nightmares, so slow would be the ticket.

[entwife]

Good luck with everything! Slow and steady does seem like the best way to go!
\
I hate side effects of all SSRIs and I've gone on and off a few times in my life. Getting off is actually easy for me, but I do get depressed in a month or two after getting off.

On the other hand, I took some Effexor today for some bravery (it works same day on me) and said some stuff I really should not have said... like, really, really should not have said...

[systeme_d_]

Hey there, Reener.  I hope you're feeling a bit better.  I have just started on Chantix myself, and I'd be interested in hearing how you're doing on the Wellbutrin (same thing as Chantix, from what I understand).

[reener06]

Hey all, thanks for the support. I feel like I maybe (holding breath here) turned a corner. I took the last 5 mg Tuesday am and so far have had almost no withdrawal symptoms. I think the Welbutrin is building up, b/c I also lost a pound or two w/o trying, and the Paxil had me gaining a lot (almost 30 pounds) of weight. Also, I technically shouldn't be losing much as I'm pregnant and I've been eating with, shall we say, a healthy appetite. I haven't heard back from my Doc yet, but my mood is better and the dizziness is gone. It makes a big difference. I hope this is it. At least, if not, it's a reprieve.

Systeme_d, I like the Welbutrin. I was on it for a few years, and had better results than Paxil, w/o the weight gain. I was so sad when I was told to get off it last year, and quite happy to be back on it. It just works better for me.

[tauren]

Hey all, thanks for the support. I feel like I maybe (holding breath here) turned a corner. I took the last 5 mg Tuesday am and so far have had almost no withdrawal symptoms. I think the Welbutrin is building up, b/c I also lost a pound or two w/o trying, and the Paxil had me gaining a lot (almost 30 pounds) of weight. Also, I technically shouldn't be losing much as I'm pregnant and I've been eating with, shall we say, a healthy appetite. I haven't heard back from my Doc yet, but my mood is better and the dizziness is gone. It makes a big difference. I hope this is it. At least, if not, it's a reprieve.

Systeme_d, I like the Welbutrin. I was on it for a few years, and had better results than Paxil, w/o the weight gain. I was so sad when I was told to get off it last year, and quite happy to be back on it. It just works better for me.

I'm glad you're doing well on the Welbutrin. This thread has inspired me to make an appointment with my psychiatrist to see if I can switch to Welbutrin. Celexa resulted in a 15 pound weight gain along with the side effects, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I had kind of a defeatist attitue with regards to my meds. I'm glad for this thread.

[hulkhogan]

I had horrible withdrawal symptoms going off Paxil. Headaches, blurry vision, tremors, auditory hallucinations, sleep problems, concentration problems--you name it. Things calmed down after about three weeks or so.

[reener06]

Well, I thought I was free but it got BAD yesterday. Dizziness, constant 'zaps', nausea, and eventually, a migraine. I broke down and took about 3 mg. Doing better. Coffee and food and a nap eventually helped. I'll get there, it's just slow. I'm still having symptoms, but I can deal with them with the 3 mg in my body than not.

The high risk specialist my OB talked to just wants me off Paxil immediately. WTH is with these docs? It doesn't work that way. Come up with a plan to taper off more easily. Pissed me off.

[littlefred]

I dunno reener, but it certainly isn't a good idea to stop taking any drug like Paxil quickly. So saying 'just get off of them' isn't an option for most, and a terrible idea for many reasons.

[mountainguy]

I transitioned from Lexapro to Zoloft last spring after the Lexapro started causing some goofy side effects. Like OAP says, tapering dosages is key to dropping any SSRI. In my case, the switch wasn't too bad, although I did have tension headaches for a week or so.

[dellaroux]

I wanted to provide an amendment and an apology for information in the post above that was incorrect.

I checked with my friend, who said that it was Zoloft they were originally tapering off of.

I should have checked with this friend first, both because I misremembered the details, and because I usually think when writing or speaking about others it is only right to let them know/ask if it's OK, and I didn't do that.

I have discussed this as a problem with seminary students, reminding them that it's not fair to a family member to hear about their tantrum--and how noble, praying parent put it down--in a sermon first, or without having right of first refusal on personal details being shared in public in general.

I didn't adhere to my own standards, and I've already apologized to my friend, but wanted to apologize here as well.

[littlefred]

della, I would say you didn't cross any lines with your post. You were trying to offer helpful information, and it doesn't have any identifying information.

If I was your friend, I wouldn't mind a bit, other than to give the correct info.

And I have revealed info that isn't exactly dinner conversation, but I'm not ashamed of it now (I certainly was at the time) and if it helps anyone, then I'll be glad I told.  Its too bad I wasn't vocal at the time... Maybe I could have gotten attention to the issue long before it had the deserved attention

[debwilkes]

I've taken the generic of Paxil, paroxetine, for about eight years or so. I take it for social anxiety and mild depression but mainly for the anxiety. About three years ago, I tried switching to another SSRI because I felt like it wasn't working as well. I tried a couple others and didn't like the side-effects. The thing with SSRIs is that it usually takes a 2-3 weeks for them to be effective which makes  trying new ones difficult and long. I ended up going back to paroxetine. I do find that if I run out of it and go a day or two without it, I tend to get a little more angry and moody. The best thing to do is talk with your doctor or psychiatrist and be open with them as they can usually help you.