52 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

can't even get out of the bed. AWFUL.

I couldn’t walk, the pain was unbelievable, even trying to sit on the toilet was brutal.

You will have to weigh out the risk/benefit. I just hate how we are in this position.

I am currently tapering 1% every 30 days. I am going to hold for an additional 2 weeks. I have a symptom that I have not had for a long-time creep back up. It is a tightness in my neck and up under my chin. Like a stiffness with a mild burning that is irritating. Feel like this is going to take forever !!!

46 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

I am currently tapering 1% every 30 days. I am going to hold for an additional 2 weeks. I have a symptom that I have not had for a long-time creep back up. It is a tightness in my neck and up under my chin. Like a stiffness with a mild burning that is irritating. Feel like this is going to take forever !!!

Hey @Jackpot19 sorry to hear about the recurring symptoms, I also experience tightness/stiffness in all sorts of areas along with other symptoms when I'm waving.

Very wise of you to wait, always better to give the system some time and continue from a tolerable place.

Really hope it clears for you soon.

Much luck moving forward.

@Jackpot19 can you update your signature please? What dose are you at and are you still taking it twice a day?

I am so slow as well but functional is everything. ❤️🙏

3 hours ago, Jackpot19 said:

I have a symptom that I have not had for a long-time creep back up. It is a tightness in my neck and up under my chin. Like a stiffness with a mild burning that is irritating. Feel like this is going to take forever !!!

Hi @Jackpot19 I had the same problem in WD. I think its muscle tightness due to anxiety. And I felt the same way. I went through a period of several months when I felt I was making zero progress. But I was recovering in small steps. You'll get there!

BTW, my father was a Missourian. He was from the Joplin area, near Republic. He moved to California in 1941 courtesy of the US Navy and the Empire of Japan. He was one of 11 kids on a farm and I still have tons of family back there.

On 6/1/2026 at 9:40 AM, mstimc60 said:

Hi @Jackpot19 I had the same problem in WD. I think its muscle tightness due to anxiety. And I felt the same way. I went through a period of several months when I felt I was making zero progress. But I was recovering in small steps. You'll get there!

BTW, my father was a Missourian. He was from the Joplin area, near Republic. He moved to California in 1941 courtesy of the US Navy and the Empire of Japan. He was one of 11 kids on a farm and I still have tons of family back there.

Thank you for the reply. It did settle back down some. I have had some moments where I think I am going to stabilize a little bit and then it hits me again. I think I am going to hold for maybe another 3-4 weeks to give myself a chance to settle in. I travel between Republic and Joplin twice a week for work.

10 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

Thank you for the reply. It did settle back down some. I have had some moments where I think I am going to stabilize a little bit and then it hits me again. I think I am going to hold for maybe another 3-4 weeks to give myself a chance to settle in.

That sounds like a good plan. Recovery isn't a nice continuous upward journey--its a rollercoaster and the dips can seem worse than the climbs, but you will get through this!

On 6/1/2026 at 7:31 AM, Fullhealing said:

Hey @Jackpot19 sorry to hear about the recurring symptoms, I also experience tightness/stiffness in all sorts of areas along with other symptoms when I'm waving.

Very wise of you to wait, always better to give the system some time and continue from a tolerable place.

Really hope it clears for you soon.

Much luck moving forward.

Thank you so much for the reply. Hope you are doing well.

On 6/1/2026 at 9:32 AM, LostinCanada said:

@Jackpot19 can you update your signature please? What dose are you at and are you still taking it twice a day?

I am so slow as well but functional is everything. ❤️🙏

Are you able to keep yourself 90% + functional ? Are you also cutting and shaving the tablets, or are you using the prescription liquid ?

So been reading / researching via AI. Possibly not the best but some interesting information. I had a pretty awful, failed bridge attempt to Cymbalta. Kind of what started everything off in the wrong direction for me. Took me two - three years to recover. According to AI, a bridge over to Zoloft from Paroxetine is much easier and more manageable. Wondering if anyone has experience. Also noted via AI that the way the tapering is done is very important with Paroxetine as well. It was in favor of dosing twice per day vs once per day but not so much with cutting and shaving the tablet. I have the Solco Health scored tablet and it was my understanding that since it was scored, the medication is consistent withing the pill. However, AI recommending either compounding the medication using a motor and pastel or liquid suspension as it claims that considering the manufacturing process, the medication in some tablets can be inconsistent through the tablet and it can keep your CNS in this form of mild disruption during the entire taper vs letting you fully stabilize and get stronger. I also seen some stuff in there around making a liquid out of the pill but there is also some inconsistencies there. I currently have a really good commercial quality scale and I am just a hair under 7.5mg twice daily. Has anyone else found any of these other ways of tapering to be more successful? Wondering if I should be considering a different way of tapering.

Good idea to check real life experiences against AI-based research. If you ask ChatGPT, it'll tell you the Japanese attacked Fort Sumter in 1861! 😆

1 minute ago, Jackpot19 said:

According to AI, a bridge over to Zoloft from Paroxetine is much easier and more manageable. Wondering if anyone has experience.

I have experience with this...my doctor wrote the wrong prescription and gave me sertraline instead of paroxetine...he was increasing my dose from 20 to 30 mg so I never paid attention to actually reading the bottle. I just knew 30 mg was blue...well so is sertraline and it's the same shape. This happened to me in 2016....I went through hell and my ability to sleep almost became non existent. I had no idea why except that I thought my dose had increased....after a month or so I went back to 20 mg paroxetine. My sleep to this day has never normalized....along with many other things. Don't be fooled by AI...it only repeats information it finds not necessarily truth...you have to wade through it.

7 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

AI recommending either compounding the medication using a motor and pastel or liquid suspension as it claims that considering the manufacturing process, the medication in some tablets can be inconsistent through the tablet

Again this just isn't true. I have went the compounding route to be thrown into massive withdrawal like a cold turkey. A compounding pharmacy cannot afford the precision equipment of a manufacturer nor do they have any one regulating them as strictly as a factory does. All they do is grind a pill(uneven particles) and mix it with a filler and put it in a capsule. As far as a pharmacy making liquid, again they grind a pill and put it in a suspension liquid....

24 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

Are you also cutting and shaving the tablets,

Yes I am. Are you still dosing twice daily?

25 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

Are you able to keep yourself 90% + functional ?

I cold turkey off paroxetine almost 4 years ago....I reinstated too high. I also am kindled...was in poop out before...so am I functional?

My CNS is highly sensitive...i can't handle overstimulation, noise, sounds, fluorescent lights, live conversation.

I drive, grocery shop, cook, clean, read, , visit my kids and mom, can converse with neighbors....I just have to do it in small doses.

I definitely still have waves and windows.

Edited June 15Jun 15 by LostinCanada

On 2/9/2026 at 8:55 PM, Jackpot19 said:

The symptoms started to really become noticeable between week 5-6 and I would say they peaked around week 8.  Not seems like they are starting to settle and I am starting to balance back out.  Hopefully !!!  I feel thankful that I have made it down to one drug

Hello @Jackpot19 . It seems that you are doing great with your taper. The rule is to taper every 30 days, but it depends few factors such as the person, the years you have been taking medication, the mg amount, how many other medications, etc. All puts fire into our nervous system. I'm also in paxil 4.72mg from 20mg, 12 years

What I am finding is that sometimes you can taper every 30 days, but sometimes the body will tell you to hold longer. I have done two 7vto 6 months holds and dropped a tiny amount of .56%

It seems that you are listening to your body and doing that right thing to hold based on your reactions...

Things will continue improving...

6 minutes ago, LostinCanada said:

I have experience with this...my doctor wrote the wrong prescription and gave me sertraline instead of paroxetine...he was increasing my dose from 20 to 30 mg so I never paid attention to actually reading the bottle. I just knew 30 mg was blue...well so is sertraline and it's the same shape. This happened to me in 2016....I went through hell and my ability to sleep almost became non existent. I had no idea why except that I thought my dose had increased....after a month or so I went back to 20 mg paroxetine. My sleep to this day has never normalized....along with many other things. Don't be fooled by AI...it only repeats information it finds not necessarily truth...you have to wade through it.

Again this just isn't true. I have went the compounding route to be thrown into massive withdrawal like a cold turkey. A compounding pharmacy cannot afford the precision equipment of a manufacturer nor do they have any one regulating them as strictly as a factory does. All they do is grind a pill(uneven particles) and mix it with a filler and put it in a capsule. As far as a pharmacy making liquid, again they grind a pill and put it in a suspension liquid....

Yes I am. Arr you still dosing twice daily?

I cold turkey off paroxetine almost 4 years ago....I reinstated too high. I also am kindled...was in poop out before...so am I functional.

My CNS is highly sensitive...i can't handle overstimulation, noise, sounds, fluorescent lights, live conversation.

I drive, grocery shop, cook, clean, read, , visit my kids and mom, can converse with neighbors....I just have to do it in small doses.

I definitely still have waves and windows.

Has your sleep improved over the years ? That is something I still struggle with as well. Yes, I am still cutting my pill and it seems to be working OK. I have been doing about 1% every 30 days but sometimes I have to hold 6 weeks. My plan is to get down to 10 mg. Switch to a 10mg pill and hold there for about 6 months or so and try to get stronger. Sounds like you recommend the cutting and measuring unless you could get ahold of the factory liquid? What are you down to now. You mentioned you were re-instated at 20mg.

1 minute ago, Jackpot19 said:

Has your sleep improved over the years ?

After my cold turkey, I took .25 mg of melatonin for 2.5 years...it helped my body learn to fall asleep again. I still wake up numerous times during the night ...for 3.5 years , I go to bed at 9:30 pm and was rise at 7 am. During the night I will wake between 3 to 8 times. I haven't gotten REM sleep for 10 years.

The longest I have stayed asleep is 4 hours maybe every 6-8 months.

4 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

Sounds like you recommend the cutting and measuring unless you could get ahold of the factory liquid?

I honestly would never use factory liquid...it is so full of chemicals to preserve it. Some never adjust to it. I will eventually make my own liquid...just not there yet. I have an amazing scale that measures to 0.0002 g.

6 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

re-instated at 20mg.

That was in 2016. I reinstated 3.5 years ago from a 3 months CT to 5 mg. I am now at 3 85 mg.

This is is my signature....you can check a box in your settings to see signatures....it is very helpful to see what others are doing.

34 minutes ago, Raymond said:

Hello @Jackpot19 . It seems that you are doing great with your taper. The rule is to taper every 30 days, but it depends few factors such as the person, the years you have been taking medication, the mg amount, how many other medications, etc. All puts fire into our nervous system. I'm also in paxil 4.72mg from 20mg, 12 years

What I am finding is that sometimes you can taper every 30 days, but sometimes the body will tell you to hold longer. I have done two 7vto 6 months holds and dropped a tiny amount of .56%

It seems that you are listening to your body and doing that right thing to hold based on your reactions...

Things will continue improving...

Thanks for the reply, Raymond. This is very encouraging. I will just continue with the cut / shave method. Any tips you can share? Are you able to manage your taper where you can stay pretty functional. That is one of the tricky parts of my taper. Until I retire (8 years ) I have to try to stay as functional as possible. Do you take your medication once per day, or twice?

Could you please update your signature and add in there if you are taking paroxetine twice a day. Thanks @Jackpot19

16 minutes ago, LostinCanada said:

Could you please update your signature and add in there if you are taking paroxetine twice a day. Thanks @Jackpot19

Yes, I just added that. I also updated that I am officially down to 15mg daily. 7.5 twice per day.

1 hour ago, LostinCanada said:

After my cold turkey, I took .25 mg of melatonin for 2.5 years...it helped my body learn to fall asleep again. I still wake up numerous times during the night ...for 3.5 years , I go to bed at 9:30 pm and was rise at 7 am. During the night I will wake between 3 to 8 times. I haven't gotten REM sleep for 10 years.

The longest I have stayed asleep is 4 hours maybe every 6-8 months.

I honestly would never use factory liquid...it is so full of chemicals to preserve it. Some never adjust to it. I will eventually make my own liquid...just not there yet. I have an amazing scale that measures to 0.0002 g.

That was in 2016. I reinstated 3.5 years ago from a 3 months CT to 5 mg. I am now at 3 85 mg.

This is is my signature....you can check a box in your settings to see signatures....it is very helpful to see what others are doing.

So your major sleep disturbances started 3.5 years ago from that CT event.

18 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

So your major sleep disturbances started 3.5 years ago from that CT event.

No...they started in 2026 when the doctor ripped me off paroxetine and gave me sertraline by mistake...I only realised what happened when I wrote my drug history for DA and searched the records.

Paroxetine-2002 onward-20mg/ Citalopram-2007-20 mg-straight switch from paroxetine-back to paroxetine after a month/ Sertraline -25 mg-Dec 2016- given for a month instead of paroxetine (doctor mistake) Oxazepam -10 mg-2016-twice weekly for a couple months for sleep/ Zopiclone -3.75-7.5mg-2020-2022-once a week for sleep/Paroxetine -20 yr+/ Dec2018-May 2022 20 mg/ May 2022 30mg/2022.07.28-2022.08.24 30mg to 0mg/ Prozac-10mg August 24-29 2022/Paroxetine -5mg-2022.11.28-2022.12.04/10mg-Dec 5&6/22/ Prozac-10mg-Dec 8&9/22/Paroxetine -5mg-2022.12.07 to 2023.07.01

TAPER-Paroxetine-2023-Jul 2-4.9mg/ Jul 21-4.8mg/Jul 28-4.73mg/Aug 4-4.65mg /Sep 21-4.58 mg/Oct 27-4.56 mg/Dec 5-4.54 mg/2024-Jan 2-4.52 mg/Jan 9-4.51 mg/Jan 17-4.49 mg/Jan 26-4.47mg/Feb 6-4.46mg/Feb 19-4.44mg /Apr 4-4.43mg/Apr 28-4.4 mg/May 5-4.39 mg/May 19-4.36 mg/Jul 2-4.34 mg/Jul 9-4.32mg/Jul 31-4.3 mg/Oct 1-4.29mg/Nov 27-4.25 mg/Dec 5-4.22mg/2025-Jan 5-4.17mg/Feb 2-4.1mg/Mar 7-4.07mg/Apr 23-4.04mg/May 23-4mg/Jun 22-3.99mg/Jun 30-3.95mg/Jul 18-3.92mg/Sep 25-3.9mg/2026-Mar 25-3.85mg

1 hour ago, Jackpot19 said:

Thanks for the reply, Raymond. This is very encouraging. I will just continue with the cut / shave method. Any tips you can share? Are you able to manage your taper where you can stay pretty functional. That is one of the tricky parts of my taper. Until I retire (8 years ) I have to try to stay as functional as possible. Do you take your medication once per day, or twice?

I think we are in the same boat. I have to function well so I can work until I retire probably in the next 8 to ten years as well.

I did cold turkey from 20mg, but reinstated 5mg two weeks after my cold turkey because I developed insomnia pretty bad. Then, i hold 7 months before I did my first 1.5% cut. Then. I did two more 1.5% cut and after month 10 I got hit with old symptoms. I hold again until last three months were I did a .25 to 53% cut. Currently, I feel Little anxious and burning sensation which are my most common symptoms during this 19 months journey. My last 9 weeks, my sleep got a lot better and despite the bad symptoms, I have noticed a lot more positive symptoms too. I can concentrate at work.m, I feel more connected to everything around me. And although my sleep is not perfect yet. I'm able to sleep 6 to 7 hours and sometimes little more ..

I think you are doing great and holding whenever you need too. Listening to the body is what makes this journey better. Do not go by the 30 days monthly tapering schedule. Instead. Just taper and hold when the body tells you.

Also. You can try smaller cuts for now and increase later. Paraxotine is hard to come off because of the halftime life it has. It usually leaves your body within 21 hours while other medications stays in body for 4 to 7 days.

Continue doing what you are doing and hold longer if you need to.

I don't want to be on this journey for ever, but it I can come off before my retirement 10 years from now, I will be fine.

Take care.....you will get off. You will see that your brain will eventually feel normal...I'm still 4.72mg away from zero, but feeling a lot better despite my bad symptoms...

Just now, Raymond said:

I think we are in the same boat. I have to function well so I can work until I retire probably in the next 8 to ten years as well.

I did cold turkey from 20mg, but reinstated 5mg two weeks after my cold turkey because I developed insomnia pretty bad. Then, i hold 7 months before I did my first 1.5% cut. Then. I did two more 1.5% cut and after month 10 I got hit with old symptoms. I hold again until last three months were I did a .25 to 53% cut. Currently, I feel Little anxious and burning sensation which are my most common symptoms during this 19 months journey. My last 9 weeks, my sleep got a lot better and despite the bad symptoms, I have noticed a lot more positive symptoms too. I can concentrate at work.m, I feel more connected to everything around me. And although my sleep is not perfect yet. I'm able to sleep 6 to 7 hours and sometimes little more ..

I think you are doing great and holding whenever you need too. Listening to the body is what makes this journey better. Do not go by the 30 days monthly tapering schedule. Instead. Just taper and hold when the body tells you.

Also. You can try smaller cuts for now and increase later. Paraxotine is hard to come off because of the halftime life it has. It usually leaves your body within 21 hours while other medications stays in body for 4 to 7 days.

Continue doing what you are doing and hold longer if you need to.

I don't want to be on this journey for ever, but it I can come off before my retirement 10 years from now, I will be fine.

Take care.....you will get off. You will see that your brain will eventually feel normal...I'm still 4.72mg away from zero, but feeling a lot better despite my bad symptoms...

Oh and I also went through hell during my first 7 months, then. It got little better until recently that I have experienced great days in 9 consecutive weeks...

Thanks for the encouragement, Raymond, I think being on this medication for so long also plays a factor. I have had about every symptom in the withdrawal symptom book during my journey. I get the burning sensation in the cervix of my right arm and down my legs sometimes. Some of my other more frequent symptoms are wrestles legs, prickling, anxiety and sometimes doom. Of course, I also have trouble sleeping sometimes. I can usually pick up the pace in the fall / winter as I can usually get into a routine. for the next two months I have both of my boy's home and life's kind of hectic. Trying to fit in all kinds of last-minute summer stuff before both my boys leave the nest for good. Well, they will be back to visit but heading out into the world.

3 hours ago, LostinCanada said:

No...they started in 2026 when the doctor ripped me off paroxetine and gave me sertraline by mistake...I only realised what happened when I wrote my drug history for DA and searched the records.

Paroxetine-2002 onward-20mg/ Citalopram-2007-20 mg-straight switch from paroxetine-back to paroxetine after a month/ Sertraline -25 mg-Dec 2016- given for a month instead of paroxetine (doctor mistake) Oxazepam -10 mg-2016-twice weekly for a couple months for sleep/ Zopiclone -3.75-7.5mg-2020-2022-once a week for sleep/Paroxetine -20 yr+/ Dec2018-May 2022 20 mg/ May 2022 30mg/2022.07.28-2022.08.24 30mg to 0mg/ Prozac-10mg August 24-29 2022/Paroxetine -5mg-2022.11.28-2022.12.04/10mg-Dec 5&6/22/ Prozac-10mg-Dec 8&9/22/Paroxetine -5mg-2022.12.07 to 2023.07.01

TAPER-Paroxetine-2023-Jul 2-4.9mg/ Jul 21-4.8mg/Jul 28-4.73mg/Aug 4-4.65mg /Sep 21-4.58 mg/Oct 27-4.56 mg/Dec 5-4.54 mg/2024-Jan 2-4.52 mg/Jan 9-4.51 mg/Jan 17-4.49 mg/Jan 26-4.47mg/Feb 6-4.46mg/Feb 19-4.44mg /Apr 4-4.43mg/Apr 28-4.4 mg/May 5-4.39 mg/May 19-4.36 mg/Jul 2-4.34 mg/Jul 9-4.32mg/Jul 31-4.3 mg/Oct 1-4.29mg/Nov 27-4.25 mg/Dec 5-4.22mg/2025-Jan 5-4.17mg/Feb 2-4.1mg/Mar 7-4.07mg/Apr 23-4.04mg/May 23-4mg/Jun 22-3.99mg/Jun 30-3.95mg/Jul 18-3.92mg/Sep 25-3.9mg/2026-Mar 25-3.85mg

I think you mean it started in 2016 vs 2026. I know what you mean though. Some relaxing sleep during the daytime is 100% out of the question and a good night of REM sleep is a pipe dream. So it looks like you also tried the Prozac bridge?

46 minutes ago, Jackpot19 said:

I think you mean it started in 2016 vs 2026. I know what you mean though. Some relaxing sleep during the daytime is 100% out of the question and a good night of REM sleep is a pipe dream. So it looks like you also tried the Prozac bridge?

Yes 2016....yep did celexa, sertraline and prozac....one disaster to the next trusting doctors.....now I am kindled and hyper sensitive to everything.