Two Week Off Paxil. When Does The Sadness Go Away?

[quote]I'm cumming like a champ. The anxiety is decreasing daily but the sadness is annoying.

There is a logical disconnect here.

4 years of Sertraline, never!

Sorry!

I went off Paxil after taking it for about 5 years. The come down is... rough. It was awhile ago so I don't remember that much about the process or how long it lasted. I do remember laying in bed for days on end though. All I can say is.. it gets better. Hang in there OP.

Better living through chemistry. I suggest you replace it with ADHD drugs - speed. I'm not joking. Is your therapist a psychiatrist? Many are more willing to experiment with chemically supported mood and energy work. Also get on track for microdosing reset drugs such as K and LSD. I feel anti-depressants are oversubscribed and many people would be better off with some time-released speed and some drugs that spark contentment and even joy.

How so, R1? Yes I have free-floating sadness but I can still try out my parts and see if they're working better now. It's night and day. I can cum fairly quickly now whereas there were times when I had to work really hard make it happen alone/. Forget about it during sex. That wasn't happening. That was the worst aspect of it.

So yeah, I'm feeling sexual pleasure but that doesn't negate that I'm dealing with sadness.

As an aside I suggest you read a simple book on nutrition science and stop typing pop culture nonsense such as "eat clean" - it's not helpful.

OP this is probably a better place to ask this

Thank you, R3. Phew, that gives me hope. I'm sorry you went through that. It's like here's me, ready and motivated to accomplish all of my goals and chores and tasks --- and then this weird part of my brain is hijacking my thoughts, fucking up the plan for the day and begging me to just lie down and go to sleep, that nothing matters anyway and everything is sad.

Oooh thank you R7. I'll check that out. Not going to lie though, you guys are my people and I wanted to get insight here as well, for better or worse, because y'all mean the most to me.

You might need a different drug. Don’t assume that the pandemic was the root of all your problems.

I say that as a friend

I was also on Paxil and experienced a really hard landing even while weaning off it. Like, really hard. I remember pulling off to the side of the road on a highway next to speeding traffic and having a meltdown on the phone to ... someone. I can't recall who I was speaking to. Cops came and I was placed in observation for 24 hours. It was akin to a psychotic break. Not as severe but pretty close.

I've tried many others since and felt the same numbness and detachment on all of them, including some other physiological symptoms like the ones you describe. Now I'm unmedicated and pretty consistently depressed / in a down state, but it's still better than being on that shit.

My barometer is being able to get out of bed every day, and maintain my routine. It's a daily struggle, but I l've proven to myself that I can do it without help.

[quote]My barometer is being able to get out of bed every day, and maintain my routine. It's a daily struggle, but I l've proven to myself that I can do it without help.

So basically white-knuckling through the week. Gosh it feels like there should be a solution for this, beyond some failed SSRIs. I hate this for you. And for me, if this is my future now.

But I do understand that "functionality" is its own reward, when the alternative is being bedridden.

Have you tried ketamine? Other kinds of meds? Therapy? Hormone tests? Thyroid?

Sorry you're going through this OP. Paxil is unfortunately, Notorious for it's agonizing and lengthy withdrawal syndrome. I went through it myself, even though I tapered at a ridiculously slow pace. It's to the point that if I hear anyone in my circle considering taking it, I literally plead with them to consider another option with their provider, just on the off chance they would need to discontinue it one day.

As another poster has mentioned, a good option might be, to substitute ( even if for a short time) with an "kinder, gentler" SSRI ( or is Paxil a SNRI? whichever it is) that has a better track record for this kind of thing- just to help you with the entire discontinuation syndrome. Believe it or not, there are other Anti-depressants out there that once started, are not half as gnarly to get off of.

Of course, I do hear from quite a few friends and family these days who have gone the 'Alternative route' that the Ketamine/ micro-dosing hallucinogenics are very worth exploring if you can find a good clinic to get in with.

[Quote] and I'm cumming like a champ.

Oh God.

R13 I have a 30 mg lozenge of ketamine dissolving under my lip as I type, R13. Got a prescription right around the time I was weaning down to the speck-level of Paxil.

I also was prescribed a month of 10mg Prozac as a "bridge" if the Paxil discontinuation was proving to be incapacitating. Thinking I might want to give that a go. I know that Prozac has a longer half-life.

No, R14 I usually just come. I do know people who say "Oh God" when they're coming, though.

OP, get out more. Walk, do yard work, ride a bike if you have one, any exercise will make you feel better.

Try meditation.

OP, my simplest offering is to make sure you get sunshine every day and if possible, work in a garden. Both are very therapeutic.

I wish you well and hope that you will keep us posted.

Paxil? They still make that shit?

[quote] and hope that you will keep us posted.

Please don’t.

The thing is, I'm getting sunshine and exercise. Forcing myself to go outside. But this isn't exactly depression. It's discontinuation. It feels different. Like, I'll do the good things but my brain feels stuck on "sad" the whole time, and I'm still sad after. If I were just normal natural depressed, the walk or the gardening or the sunshine...those things would give me a lift.

I think it's because the Paxil reduced the number of serotonin receptors in my brain. And it just takes some time for those receptors to repopulate. And in the meantime, I have less serotonin swishing around in my head. I'm not a scientist but that's my layman's understanding.

[quote]Please don’t. —DL

This is hilarious, thank you

I went off anti-depressants once because I moved and had not set up a new doctor. It was a huge mistake (for me) but I would say the depression part ended after 6 months.

R24 here again, have you considered Wellbutrin? It's what I am on now and I am a big fan, it is also prescribed for ADHD, gives energy, has weight loss as a side effect.

This seems to be the only way you know your AD are working…if you think 2 wks off is bad, I’ll tell you that in 6 you might want to die.

I have gone off them thinking they don’t work….By six months I’m back on them feeling 100% better.

Good luck,

R20 I take Celexa….old school stuff have less side effects then that new crap they always come out with…cheap or free too

You beat me to it, R25. I was going to tell OP to try a low dose of buproprion (brand name Wellbutrin). It's the "speed" of anti-depressants and it actually enhances your sex drive.

R25 I've tried Wellbutrin. It sounds so great. But it the couple times I tried it before, it gave me loud ringing in my ears. The first time also it made me feel euphoric the very first day, and by day three I was having suicidal ideation. The second time, just crazy loud ringing in my ears.

Waah waaaah.

I think these days the would have my titrate up from a low dose. Back then they weren't doing that so much. Maybe I should try it again! It was offered to me recently as an alternative. I have some executive function issues that I was treating with Adderall for many years but I decided I wanted off because Adderall gave me insomnia. And then they were throwing a low dose benzo at me for sleep. I was starting to feel like Judy Garland on the set of The Wizard of Oz, with David O Selznick feeding me uppers and downers to get me through the day.

So low dose Wellbutrin? Extended or IR?

R27 Celexa is considered one of the very hardest psych meds to get off. So I'm glad you love it.

Every time I hear someone with a "decent" life whine about sadness or depression, all I want to say is, "Bitch, live my life for a little while. Then you'll learn what sadness REALLY is."

You weaned yourself off because you felt you weren't the kind of person who needs antidepressants. But you do.

Somewhere, a mic just dropped, R32.

I've taken Paxil on and off for years and have mixed feelings about it. It is rough when you've given it up. OP, have you ever taken Buspirone, an anti-anxiety drug often paired with anti-depressants? It's less harsh and is good for soothing repetitious negative thinking. And yes to getting outside and doing stuff, moving the body when the mind is stuck...

Is that Bu-Spar, R34? I've heard so many mixed things about it. Have you tried it? Was it good? I always wanted to try it.

I think you're right R32. I think it's never been easy for me to accept that I may need these meds for the rest of my life. I don't relate. I still remember being a child and being happy naturally. And yet my mental health has been my number one constant battle my entire adult life. It sucks.

Are you exercising? Try lifting weights like the Dickens. You may not want to but it helped me. Putting myself outside in light also helped.

Prozac + Wellbutrin = extreme paranoia.

When it was just Welbutrin, I sweat like I had never sweat before. Shirts drenched in summer if I went out in the daytime.

Exercise grows brain cells! Grow them ones you lost to the Paxil right back.

Treat yourself like a plant. Get in the sun, drink water, and work out hard to stimulate that growth in your brain. Get some plants too and eat an edible. You'll make a friend in the plant!

R30 I’m not worried as I’m not getting Celexa and if I do I’ll just go back to Wellbutrin or Prozac. I’ve been on AD since the 1990s and I can’t stop taking them as I become profoundly depressed, nasty and eventually suicidal

R34….I took Buspar back in the 1980s.I had terrible anxiety with panic attacks and it really helped me

R39 Your brain chemistry's been permanently warped. Have you looked into micro amounts in liquid form of an SSRI or SNRI for a potential weaning solution? I've been on Zoloft since I was a teenager and can only stop brain zaps and withdrawal symptoms if I decrease by literal microscopic shavings on the pills each week or month. It's fucking horrible.

R36 You know, I haven't lifted in about a year. I should get back into that. I felt really good when I was lifting, didn't really put 2 + 2 together there.

R38 I do love the plant references. It's so true. We're biological beings. I always think "Oh, I'll do the gardening when I'm feeling better" but tomorrow never comes. I have been walking a lot lately. And just trying to spend less time horizontal. I need to push myself I guess.

I love being creative - painting, making music, making incense and candles. But when my brain feels like this I just cannot.

Depression, mental illness run in my family r41. My brain was warped in the womb, not from my AD. They saved my miserable life.

I’m 67, no reason to stop something that really works for me. I need them and can’t function without them. I don’t mind having to take Celexa or whatever I might go on next.

I’m happy, work my plants and gardens, hunt for antiques, enjoy movies. Without ADs, I don’t want to get out of bed

R1, you clearly know nothing about depression so please pipe down.

Yes, OP. Try Psilocybin micro dosing. It'll help more than you can imagine.

OP, I feel you will find you way forward and recover. Best wishes!

I've been on ADs for over 40 years and don't ever expect to stop taking them. Depression and addiction run in my family. All my siblings are on ADs and have PTSD (the gift that keeps on giving). I also needed electroconvulsive therapy (I don't recommend that. I have huge holes in my memory because of it.) and had brief stints in clinics. BUT I'm still here and grateful to be alive. After much struggle, my life makes sense to me, and I have known great happiness in my marriage over the last few years.

He's not supposed to do mushrooms or LSD or anything serotonin related until it's completely out of his system.

How about a good sweat in the sauna, op? Or some laps in the pool? Maybe you can make a painting of what it feels like in the current void. When you get out of it, should be interesting to reflect back and compare your happier art with.

How about some good nights of working out, and then a sensory deprivation float tank? You will return to normalcy, we're just trying to sped up the recovery time.

I don't think your brain is permanently damaged. I think like a technology detox, your brain has to readapt and start making the right chemicals again. It's like it's been eating junk food and someone told it to go vegan and pulled the junk food plug and it's very grumpy about it. We're trying to be Richard Simmons and cheer you on! You can do it!

R46 Whoa!! That is a real success story and I'm so happy for you!!

You too, R43!!

I love to hear these happy stories.

R47 LOL LOL omg THANK YOU!!!

Awwwww. Seriously. You're awfully adorable.

Yes I hear you! I'll try not to overthink this limbo phase I'm in and just roll with it a little more and stay active.

I feel condoled!

[quote]Try Psilocybin micro dosing

i know but, like, where do people get it? I had a wonderful dear friend that used to grow mushrooms and he would bring me some every now and again. I did enjoy it in small amounts.

He died during Covid :-/. One of the reasons I got on the SSRI. His death kind of fucked me up. He was such a good person. My one singular bod buddy. He died one day after leaving my house. I went into hardcore isolation mode. The Paxil honestly didn't even cut through the grief, but maybe it took the edge off, I don't know. I'm not even sure.

*pod buddy

OP, I'm doing the same thing right now. I'm going off Paxil after being on it for 25 years: it stopped working after a death in the family this spring, and the doctors at Kaiser decided it's time for me to switch to a different SSRI. So I've been on a cross-tapering with Prozac, ad am now down to 5 mg.

The subbing doctor who originally prescribed me the tapered withdrawal thought I could wean myself off of it and onto Prozac in just four weeks, which I am laughing at now--it wound up taking me seven weeks to get to this point (I had to keep going back to the doctors when I was too anxiety-ridden to cope). And I just finally talked to my regular GP this morning, and she wants to keep me on 2.5 mg. for at least another full month.

You might want to check with your own doctor--they can give you some short term medication to help you get through anxiety attacks. my first subbing doctor prescribed Lorazepam, which of course you can't keep using as a crutch because it's dangerously adictive; now they have me on Atarax.

Also: I recommend not using cannabis to help you get through this. I was using too much at first (it's legal in my state), and after having to go off of it for a recent trip (to a state where it's not legal), I actually think my GP this morning was right, that too much was actually causing even more anxiety.

I hope the Prozac I've been taking has been helping too. After six weeks it finally seemed to kick in, and that's helped quite a bit this last week.

R11 here, Op. Responding to your r12 post.

I'm on thyroid medication, .125mcg of Synthroid...that helped somewhat. I've also been on Wellbutrin, Celexa - to no benefit as they're all the same to me. Currently taking Clonazepam sparingly, if im experiencing insomnia. I wish I had an answer, I don't. My experience with drugs is they haven't helped. Routine and lifestyle does. I am also an eldergay turning 50 soon so I'm not acquainted with the newer options out there.

I'm 50, R53. Maybe you could look into Lamictal? I've heard a lot of really good things about it.

R52 Thank you for sharing/commiserating. Yeah I was hoping that if I hopped on the Prozac bus, with this little "bridge" prescription my doc gave me, it might immediately take away the sadness. I realize that is a fantasy but I took one today and I will see if it works better than Paxil did. I hope it works great for you.

He also gave me low-dose Clonipin for anxiety. It's not a benzo, I'm really not sure what it is. It's soothing and fast-acting, but it knocks me right out. For daytime use it is not an option unless I have the entire day to snooze.

Luckily I don't smoke weed so that's not a factor. But some days if I try to have coffee it sends me into an anxiety spiral. Black tea doesn't seem to have the same effect, so I have switched to that for now.

You are misinformed, R55. Klonopin is indeed a benzo.

Not Klonopin, R56. Clonodine. Sorry if I misspoke.

I was taking 20 mg of Celexa for 15 years to help me cope with anxiety/panic issues. I hated the side effects (weight gain, difficulty with erections) so I weaned myself off it slowly . At the beginning of the pandemic, my anxiety issues were starting up again and I decided (with my doctor) to go back on the Celexa. I'm micro-dosing it now. I take 5 mg daily. 10 mg is the lowest dosage available but I cut my pills in half and I found the light dosage to do the trick for me as far as anxiety control is concerned. I also now meditate twice daily and exercise outdoors on a daily basis (weather permitting). Even with the small dosage of the medication, my weight has increased and it's more difficult to get and maintain an erection. It's sometimes a tough call, OP. Our bodies all react to medication differently. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for others. Hopefully, you have a good doctor to help you through this, OP. There are no easy answers but take solace knowing that many struggle with similar problems. Exercise and good nutrition are never a bad idea and I would strongly recommend a meditation practice. Took me years to commit to it but the benefits are worth the time commitment.

Hey OP here. So the sadness is dissipating. Today is the best my brain has felt so far. But there's still this scratchy-feeling low-level anxiety thing and it has no external cause.

I'm wondering if I really need to get back on a stimulant. I'm thinking that part of the discomfort my brain is experiencing may have to do with a glitch in executive function. I can't kick into gear. I have all of these impulses to do stuff. Work stuff. Creative stuff. Start new projects. Be social. Pay my bills. And I cannot prioritize any of it, or make any decisions, and it's causing me to feel very anxious and helpless and trapped. Like I'm running in place.

When I was on Adderall my brain didn't feel so stuck. I had other issues, but I was able to make decisions.

I was on Adderall for years before I started Paxil. I got off Adderall several months before I weaned off the Paxil. I thought the Adderall might have been contributing to my insomnia and my weird nighttime eating. But now I think it was all the Paxil. Because I continued to have insomnia until I got rid of the Paxil. I continued to have a weird eating schedule until I got off Paxil. Now, I no longer eat at night. I no longer have daytime somnolence. I'm sleeping great. But even with all of this new good sleep and extra energy, I'm still not accomplishing my goals. I feel like a deer in the headlights.

Depression / dysthymia sufferer here.

OP, I think you just need to ride this out. It may takes months or even longer to feel normal again.

Sadness is part of life.

If you do feel that the sadness is overwhelming, then maybe you do just need to go back on anti-depressants.

I take Pristiq!! Take Pristiq!

I hope you manage well OP. Sending you good luck.

It took me a full year to withdraw from Effexor XR. Brain zaps, migraine-level nausea, jelly arms and a disgusting smelling chemical sweat. I was showering at least twice a day. The last 30mmg were the worst and I had to pair it with Prozac

R62 Yes I was prescribed Prozac as a "bridge to freedom"

Babe I am sorry. That's a huge chunk of life to spend in purgatory.

I don't know. I just don't know.

It would have been easier to remain on the meds, Einstein.

Tell me more, R61!! I'm interested!! That's an SNRI yes?

[quote] It took me a full year to withdraw from Effexor XR.

R62, my friend ended up in a mental hospital for going cold turkey on Effexor (not sure if it was XR). He has a good sense of humor about the whole thing.

Anyway, glad you could get it out of your system successfully.

Op are there any relationships that went south, especially early childhood trauma or beliefs you have about as a result of what someone said to you?

R67. yeah. I mean, yeah totally. My dad split when I was 3. My mom was a borderline. She was married and divorced four more times. When I was a toddler she went off the rails and moved us to a commune in rural Missouri. She would leave me alone sometimes. Sometimes she would leave me with weird friends, one of whom tried to sodomize me. I was four.

My family on both sides are narcissistic. And I am an only child so I don't have siblings to bounce my observations off of. And my grandmother was verbally abusive to me and my mom. and when she found out about my sexuality in my 3os, she disowned me. Even though I was a success by all external markers.

I've been in therapy since I was in my 20s. I'm 50.

Thank you for asking. I hate that this stuff could still me holding me back because I have done forgiveness work. I've also done neurofeedback, EMDR, cranio sacral massage, ketamine, SSRIs, the magnetic shit, homeopathy, sound therapy....all of it.

I just keep plugging along.

R68 I'm really sorry. If it's any comfort at all, I like to think when we die, we're shown the big picture. So I'm assuming when they go to the great beyond all those people that wronged you are very regretful for what they did and if they could talk to you and have another chance to tell you that they're sorry they would. That they were in a dark place and that they made some choices they regret. Where they were at in their life is no reflection on you. They should have loved you better.

Of course, I know it's preferable to hear it from them...

Wow. R69 / R70. You just blew my mind.

You are seriously an incredible, wonderful person!! I'm crying right now. Gosh.

R65 yes, Pristiq is a premiere SNRI. I have been on the maximum daily dose for 13 years and I love living.

OP, I’m sorry you’re going through this.

I went off Wellbutrin (not the same, but still…) a few years ago because it did nothing at all for me, even at the highest dose. I was just filled with sadness. Nothing helped. I was functioning/faking a happy existence but inside, everything was just blah and bleak. I started taking Perika St. John’s wort. 3 a day. At night before bed, actually, all at once, because I can’t ever remember to take them during the day, spread out. Within 2 weeks, the sadness faded away. Am I jumping for joy? Fuck no. But I’m also not dying inside.

The only side effect is that I’m sensitive to a lot of sun exposure now, so I cover up, wear a hat and extra sunscreen. Oh, and some vivid dreams. Not nightmares. Just vivid, interesting dreams. It works for me. Maybe it will help you.

Was on Lexapro for 3 years. Very similar to OP. Went off, and started exactly as he says, cumming like a champ... made it six months but now back on. Had a high stress job, left, and now working again. I can’t handle working life without it. Hate it but have to live. Shrug.

You need Pristiq r74

Op, I think I've been through somewhat of what you're going through and can relate. I had lots of family dysfunction. Had brain zaps. Healed. You can too. I really believe that. Please hang in there. Go to what comforts you.

R76 You are so cool. Thank you. I cannot figure out what is the truth just yet but I feel like I might be more complete than I give myself credit for. But also -- I don't want to judge what my brain is doing. You seriously are lovely.

I'm on Pristiq. 400mg daily. I take 200mg at 6 am and 200mg at noon. Pristiq is notoriously difficult to come off of. Since I've been on the maximum for over a decade, I'll probably take it until I die.