Hi,

A little background about myself- I am a 21 yr old male from India and was prescribed paroxetine 25 cr + clonazepam 5 (brand name- pxr forte) 6 years ago by my psychiatrist when my parents complained I had isolated myself and had difficulty studying and passing my exams. I think I was 16 yr old at that time and in my 12th grade. Took the medications continuously across all these years until recently like 8-9 months ago, I cold turkeyed all of them at once (Reason for cold turkey- Brain fog, inability to focus, lack of cognition overall and cultural reasons). I was feeling okay until i crossed like 1 or 2 weeks and the symptoms hit me and they became severe each passing day but I still managed to hold on somehow because I didn't want to come back to the same old dull life I had while on ADs. For reference I am sharing my posts from reddit here: (Kindly refer to the first and the last post only).

https://www.reddit.com/r/SSRIs/s/oy5qGhDGYQ

https://www.reddit.com/r/SSRI/s/1EbEB1dAmd

https://www.reddit.com/r/ADprotractedwithdrawl/s/iqx6U4tc7K

https://www.reddit.com/r/paroxetine/s/656CdWkTLd

https://www.reddit.com/r/antidepressants/s/f5oWozFnDb

https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/s/Jx8JycnNyF

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxietyhelp/s/eZfkHJw3wg

https://www.reddit.com/r/paroxetine/s/P7qKXpxBCY

In the state of this misery, there occasionally came happy times where I almost carried out normal day to day work and almost believed the suffering has ended but little did i know that these windows were only short lived and the cycle of mysery will start again so I continued living life with severse sickness. The never ending anxiety, insomnia, terrible feeling after waking up, loss of appetite, Compulsive sexual behaviour (I had been sexually numb for 6 years), cold like symptoms, Frequent crying spells, bouts of extreme anger, extreme depression, brain zaps and so on. I used to tell myself it was temporary, it will soon end, the relief is near. Now its been like 8 months, I was doing a little better for the past 2 or 3 months but now the extreme depression and impending doom has hit me again coupled with gut issues and I can't seem to recover. I often get passive suicidal thoughts and prefer to isolate myself. I have almost stopped talking. I am feeling very hopeless after holding on for so long. Need your advice/suggestions.

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

Please use the format outline here Preferred signature/drug history format

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

3 hours ago, Pax322 said:

A little background about myself- I am a 21 yr old male from India and was prescribed paroxetine 25 cr + clonazepam 5 (brand name- pxr forte) 6 years ago by my psychiatrist when my parents complained I had isolated myself and had difficulty studying and passing my exams.

I am sorry to read this. Giving these drugs to a young person who is simply having a hard time with the sudden onset of responsibility that comes at that age, is not right imo.

3 hours ago, Pax322 said:

I cold turkeyed all of them at once (Reason for cold turkey- Brain fog, inability to focus, lack of cognition overall and cultural reasons).

I am sure you are aware of this but CTs are not advised and we recommend either a max 10% taper or hyperbolic taper. Tapering Information

3 hours ago, Pax322 said:

In the state of this misery, there occasionally came happy times where I almost carried out normal day to day work and almost believed the suffering has ended but little did i know that these windows were only short lived and the cycle of mysery will start again so I continued living life with severse sickness. The never ending anxiety, insomnia, terrible feeling after waking up, loss of appetite, Compulsive sexual behaviour (I had been sexually numb for 6 years), cold like symptoms, Frequent crying spells, bouts of extreme anger, extreme depression, brain zaps and so on. I used to tell myself it was temporary, it will soon end, the relief is near. Now its been like 8 months, I was doing a little better for the past 2 or 3 months but now the extreme depression and impending doom has hit me again coupled with gut issues and I can't seem to recover. I often get passive suicidal thoughts and prefer to isolate myself. I have almost stopped talking. I am feeling very hopeless after holding on for so long. Need your advice/suggestions.

It sounds like you are very much in the typical windows and waves pattern of stablisation to me. This is a very good sign. For that reason you may wish to continue off the drug and allow your system to heal which it will.

However Paroxetine WD can be very severe so you may wish to consider RI, this is not without it's risks so you have to weigh up how bad you are with the potential benefits of trying against those risks. We suggest a very low dose and can help suggest a dose should you choose this route.

Reinstating an Antidepressant

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

 

It is worth your time looking into coping strategies such as acceptance. These are vital skills to you will need to help you navigate this process.

Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

Sleep in WD

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

3 hours ago, Pax322 said:

Hi,

A little background about myself- I am a 21 yr old male from India and was prescribed paroxetine 25 cr + clonazepam 5 (brand name- pxr forte) 6 years ago by my psychiatrist when my parents complained I had isolated myself and had difficulty studying and passing my exams. I think I was 16 yr old at that time and in my 12th grade. Took the medications continuously across all these years until recently like 8-9 months ago, I cold turkeyed all of them at once (Reason for cold turkey- Brain fog, inability to focus, lack of cognition overall and cultural reasons). I was feeling okay until i crossed like 1 or 2 weeks and the symptoms hit me and they became severe each passing day but I still managed to hold on somehow because I didn't want to come back to the same old dull life I had while on ADs. For reference I am sharing my posts from reddit here: (Kindly refer to the first and the last post only).

https://www.reddit.com/r/SSRIs/s/oy5qGhDGYQ

https://www.reddit.com/r/SSRI/s/1EbEB1dAmd

https://www.reddit.com/r/ADprotractedwithdrawl/s/iqx6U4tc7K

https://www.reddit.com/r/paroxetine/s/656CdWkTLd

https://www.reddit.com/r/antidepressants/s/f5oWozFnDb

https://www.reddit.com/r/AntidepressantSupport/s/Jx8JycnNyF

https://www.reddit.com/r/Anxietyhelp/s/eZfkHJw3wg

https://www.reddit.com/r/paroxetine/s/P7qKXpxBCY

In the state of this misery, there occasionally came happy times where I almost carried out normal day to day work and almost believed the suffering has ended but little did i know that these windows were only short lived and the cycle of mysery will start again so I continued living life with severse sickness. The never ending anxiety, insomnia, terrible feeling after waking up, loss of appetite, Compulsive sexual behaviour (I had been sexually numb for 6 years), cold like symptoms, Frequent crying spells, bouts of extreme anger, extreme depression, brain zaps and so on. I used to tell myself it was temporary, it will soon end, the relief is near. Now its been like 8 months, I was doing a little better for the past 2 or 3 months but now the extreme depression and impending doom has hit me again coupled with gut issues and I can't seem to recover. I often get passive suicidal thoughts and prefer to isolate myself. I have almost stopped talking. I am feeling very hopeless after holding on for so long. Need your advice/suggestions.

Welcome to our family!

Im not one who's knowledgeable enough to give advice, im just here to tell you you're not alone and to stay strong. (I felt very alone before I found this forum).

Im really sorry to hear you're having such a rough time and how things unfolded seems very unfair and in line with the misconceptions these meds tend to carry.

You'll find a lot of support here. ❤️

On 7/21/2026 at 2:02 PM, cherrysquid said:

Welcome to our family!

Im not one who's knowledgeable enough to give advice, im just here to tell you you're not alone and to stay strong. (I felt very alone before I found this forum).

Im really sorry to hear you're having such a rough time and how things unfolded seems very unfair and in line with the misconceptions these meds tend to carry.

You'll find a lot of support here. ❤️

Thank you for your kind comment. I really appreciate your support during these tough times. Seeing your comment really gave me joy. I am sorry I didn't reply during all these days, I was extremely depressed but now I have started to feel better. I hope you're doing better yourself.

On 7/21/2026 at 1:52 PM, Chippy said:

Welcome to the forum!

 

This is a volunteer-run, community forum aimed at helping those who are tapering and/or experiencing difficulties with psychiatric medications and withdrawl syndrome. We are not medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice. We simply offer support and opinions which you could use as talking points with a medical provider knowledgeable in withdrawing off psychiatric medications.

 

Please familiarise yourself with the forum rules and the disclaimer located here: Guidelines

 

Please make sure your signature is kept up to date with your drug history. This will allow members to see some basic information about your drug history and situation so that they may help you best. Information on how to do this is located in the FAQs section above, but here is a direct link: Update Signature

Once this is done, future posts made by you will have this signature turned on by default. For this reason please keep it clear but condensed as possible.

Please use the format outline here Preferred signature/drug history format

I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

I am sorry to read this. Giving these drugs to a young person who is simply having a hard time with the sudden onset of responsibility that comes at that age, is not right imo.

I am sure you are aware of this but CTs are not advised and we recommend either a max 10% taper or hyperbolic taper. Tapering Information

It sounds like you are very much in the typical windows and waves pattern of stablisation to me. This is a very good sign. For that reason you may wish to continue off the drug and allow your system to heal which it will.

However Paroxetine WD can be very severe so you may wish to consider RI, this is not without it's risks so you have to weigh up how bad you are with the potential benefits of trying against those risks. We suggest a very low dose and can help suggest a dose should you choose this route.

Reinstating an Antidepressant

Preparing Doses for Tapering - Weighing & DIY Liquids

 

It is worth your time looking into coping strategies such as acceptance. These are vital skills to you will need to help you navigate this process.

Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

Sleep in WD

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

Thank you very much. I am sorry but I had to take this drastic step because of extreme social stigma that comes with using these medications especially in the place where I live. When the news gets out, the people start to look down upon us, treat us a different inferior class of the society, secretly gossip and poke fun at us while buying medications at a pharmacy, especially in this age, the pressure for marriage is also high and more often than not, the marriage proposals get rejected because of these reasons. Also the mental healthcare is very poor here. So mainly my reasons were cultural/societal.

On a side note, I really appreciate your cheerful comments, these give me hope especially in these tough times. Thanks again.

2 hours ago, Pax322 said:

Thank you for your kind comment. I really appreciate your support during these tough times. Seeing your comment really gave me joy. I am sorry I didn't reply during all these days, I was extremely depressed but now I have started to feel better. I hope you're doing better yourself.

No need to apologise, I know how it gets and I don't extend a hand expecting it to be taken either - it's just there if it's needed :) Pleased you're feeling better today.

@Pax322 ,welcome to the family of healing and strength. This forum is so compassionate , informative and uplifting. You will find many Moderators with such wisdom. So sorry so hear your having a difficult time, but happy to see your having some relief now. Your in good hands with such wonderful support here. Your system is working to stabilize and it will get there, be as kind as you can to yourself and take the needed break. Your body is truly amazing on healing itself. Hugs for now xxx Bernadette

13 hours ago, Pax322 said:

Thank you very much. I am sorry but I had to take this drastic step because of extreme social stigma that comes with using these medications especially in the place where I live. When the news gets out, the people start to look down upon us, treat us a different inferior class of the society, secretly gossip and poke fun at us while buying medications at a pharmacy, especially in this age, the pressure for marriage is also high and more often than not, the marriage proposals get rejected because of these reasons. Also the mental healthcare is very poor here. So mainly my reasons were cultural/societal.

On a side note, I really appreciate your cheerful comments, these give me hope especially in these tough times. Thanks again.

You don't need to apologize here, you must do what you think is best and we support you no matter what. I am sorry you feel these pressures in your life.

I am glad to hear you are feeling a little better. I hope that continues.

Welcome to the forum.

Sadly, 8 months is quite short in the context of recovery from the harms that these drugs can do. The positive aspect to that though is that what is happening to you is "normal", and there is a lot of precedent for going on to improve and then recover in more time.

Small windows in which you are a bit better are a good early sign of this, but recovery is often gradual and as you have experienced, punctuated by setbacks. It also seems to be fairly common to have a period where symptoms worsen at around this kind of timeframe, nobody is sure why- it's just something I've observed in many people's stories. It happened to me as well. Hopefully in more time you will begin to improve again and then keep going.

@Chippy has provided some links to specific topics that might be helpful, you may wish to look at some of the others alongside them in the section on coping strategies in general:

Symptoms & Coping Strategies - The Antidepressant Harm and Recovery Forum

You mentioned your gut. Some people find it is bad no matter what, others find that through a process of elimination they can identify that specific foods or substances are contributing to this and cutting them out helps.