Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

The Antidepressant Harm and Recovery Forum

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Fullhealing: Paxil withdrawal

Featured Replies

3 hours ago, Fullhealing said:

Update 01.09.26 12:30pm

Things continue to be turbulent following the excessive reduction and dosage increase, yesterday was a particularly grueling day, marked by a power outage that lasted from early morning until the early evening which delayed my daily dose by six hours triggering a massive headache and piercing deafening tinnitus all against the backdrop of a scorching 32 degree and humidity that felt like 200%, cruel combo..

Nights remain sweaty and haunted with abrupt awakenings straight into a terrifying and utterly exhausting twilight zone of chemical-like dread yet looking on the bright side I'm sleeping enough, perhaps even too much, something others surely yearn for so I must be grateful for that!

Recent symptoms, fluctuating in intensity, include:

* Intense burning sensations starting in the head and spreading to the arms, chest, and pelvic region.

* Rapid heart palpitations accompanied by air hunger.

* Gastrointestinal distress: severe heartburn, bloating, poor digestion, and stomach pain.

* Dizziness accompanied by the sensation of an electrical current whirring inside the head.

* Neurological tics and lateral eye squinting which initially appeared occasionally upon starting the medications years ago but have now become an almost daily occurrence.

* Catastrophic intrusive thoughts: terror,

anxiety, and paranoia.

* Intolerance to noise and light.

* Massive hair loss, desert-dry skin.

* Extreme fatigue.

* Profound apathy and a complete lack of motivation or desire, essentially depression.

Undoubtedly some of this is exacerbated by low ferritin, vitamin D, and B12 levels, compounded by perimenopause which began over the last eight months (or perhaps earlier, though I only recently had clear indications) which need a checking however, given my current state I simply lack the energy to go get it done, the discomfort, to put it very mildly, that doctors tend to cause doesn't help motivate me either but this must be addressed and I will somehow have to force myself..

So, we shall see what's next, for now I'm still housebound having officially been out of work for about 3.5 weeks, had to stop my short evening walks due to my intolerances for people, tho it is important to gently push, one must equally know when to ease off the gas pedal during certain times, something I trying to accept with grace as challenging as that may be.

So the big war for absolute freedom of these dreadful toxins continues with most likely many exhausting battles but at our own individual paces we will all get there.

Sorry to hear all those symptoms. I still get many of them, but not intense at this point. Holding long for now will help you get better. Your system is trying to adjust at your current dose. You have been a great warrior during this journey and despite all the things going around in your country and your situation, you have been strong enough to continue your healing process. Keep going and keep moving forward....you are closer to freedom.....

08/01/2009- Klonopin 1mg, but took only .25mg when needed, and end up taking every day for 3 years. 08/01/2012 - Paraxotine 20 mg

12/2024- reinstated 5mg (.0740g)after cold turkey. First tapering 07/01/2025 = 1.2% , 09/01/2025 - another 1.4%. 10/01/2025- 4.79mg (.0716g) holding until further notice........04/17/26 resumed taper 0714g (4.78mg). 05/20/2026- .0712g (4.76mg, .28% cut). 06/09/2026- .0708g (4.73mg .56% cut). 06/30/2026 - .0706g (4.72mg .33%). 07/28/2026 - .0700g (4.68mg, .85%).

  • Replies 1.4k
  • Views 22k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Most Popular Posts

  • Fullhealing
    Fullhealing

    What Your Brain Is Doing in a Wave. Some hope for all of us! By Joanna • 25 May 2026 When you're in a wave, you might be having some of the worst symptoms you've ever felt in your life. And they mig

  • Fullhealing
    Fullhealing

    Update 9:50pm Night, one interruption in the middle with a few more short awakenings in between but went back to sleep pretty quickly, total of 7-8 hours. Course of the day, good, woke up re

  • Fullhealing
    Fullhealing

    Thank you very much @Chippy @Beehive @gardengirl2 @Raymond @Catbird @Traceyappreciate your encouragement a lot. I'm Just in a huge emotional flood, his death, my absences and guilt and from there

Posted Images

I'm sorry things are still so hard for you @Fullhealing. I wish I could hug you (and everyone else on here)! You're absolutely right as always, sometimes we need to slow down and give ourselves some breathing room, no matter how painful that may be to admit. We need all the strength we can get for the battles to come.

All my love to you and your beautiful fur babies 💜

I’m not a medical professional and cannot offer medical advice. I am new to this journey and my thoughts are based only on my personal experience with psychiatric drugs. This is a peer site where we support each other on our taper/recovery journeys. 

Current regimen:

Cymbalta - 90 mg/day

Seroquel - 12.5 mg/day

*holding to stabilize as of Apr 2026

 

History:

Seroquel - up to 50 mg as needed for sleep (generally 6.25-12.5 mg a few times a week, though sometimes more) - 2009 (ish) to present

Cymbalta - 60 mg/day, periodically down to 30 mg/day - May 2014 to May 2025

Clonazepam - up to 1 mg/day as needed - March to May 2025, quick taper off

Zoloft - 150 mg/day - May 2025 to Aug 2025 (quick cross-taper from Cymbalta)

Pristiq - 50 mg/day from Aug 2025 to mid-Oct 2025 (quick cross-taper from Zoloft); 100 mg/day from Oct 2025 to Dec 2025; back down to 50 mg/day from Dec 2025 to Jan 2026

Lyrica - 200 mg/day - Nov 2025 to Jan 2026 (quick taper off from mid-Jan to early Feb 2026 due to severe depressive symptoms)

Cymbalta - 60 mg/day - Jan - March 2026; up to 90 mg/day from March to present

 

Create an account or sign in to comment

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.