One Method of Weaning
Friday, July 7th, 2000 (continued). This is a repost of someone else’s posting, but I think it’s a good one:
For all of you new people who are just stopping cold turkey, please listen up. Paxil needs to be withdrawn from very slowly. You can not just stop, or stop at 10mg. You need to wean off of it. (Most doctors do not know this). If you go too fast, you will experience severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, electrical zaps, etc., in your brain. I’m telling you this because I’ve been seeing a lot of newcomers trying to get off Paxil quickly and experiencing bad side effects. This is your brain you’re dealing with. Please take it slow. For anyone interested, this is how I did it. 20mg one day, 15mg the next, alternating for three weeks. Then 15mg one day, and 10mg the next, alternating for another three weeks. Then 10mg one day and 5mg the next day, alternating for another three weeks. Then you can go down to 5mg for three weeks. I realize that everyone is different. But this is a sensible way to withdraw. It might take you longer, but it shouldn’t take less time. Give yourself a good three months at least. If you experience any dizziness, you can take Xanax, Dramamine or bonine (or consult your doctor). I just hate to hear about someone stopping cold turkey. Please take good care of yourselves and wean, wean, wean.