Hello so I was on Paxil for 8 months from 10-40mg then switched to CR 37.5 got stable and felt good so decided to go down. Went down to 25mg for a month then 12.5mg for like 3 weeks then 0 day 5 of 0 felt bad withdrawals so I took 12.5mg. I was only off Paxil for 4 days! For 2 weeks withdrawal got better and felt good then anxiety started hitting me again, insomnia, loss appetite my psych told me that it might be side effects of starting Paxil or my anxiety is coming back and 12.5mg isn’t enough. So I stayed on 12.5mg for 3 weeks then went up to 25mg. I’ve been on 25mg for 7 weeks. I definitely feel improvement with my anxiety and mood but I’m not stable. I still get chest tension everyday it isn’t as intense but it’s still there. My sleep is really bad. I sleep at 12am wake up 2-3 am sometimes I can go back to sleep sometimes I can’t and I wake up at 7am everyday no matter how much I sleep. My doctor is telling me to go up to 37.5mg but I’m scared. People say it’ll get worse or I might go through kindling. Please help me what should I do? I’m desperate.

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.

7 hours ago, May said:

Went down to 25mg for a month then 12.5mg for like 3 weeks then 0 day 5 of 0

This was a very fast taper even for 8 months of use. Tapering Information

 

7 hours ago, May said:

felt bad withdrawals so I took 12.5mg. I was only off Paxil for 4 days! For 2 weeks withdrawal got better and felt good then anxiety started hitting me again, insomnia, loss appetite

I think it was wise to Reinstate, RI is the only way to cushion WD apart from time. We always suggest a very low dose RI as higher doses tend to be more unpredictable. As you were only off 4 days 12.5mg wasn't that risky per sa, but starting lower and working up would have been the better approach I suspect. Reinstating an Antidepressant

7 hours ago, May said:

my psych told me that it might be side effects of starting Paxil or my anxiety is coming back and 12.5mg isn’t enough. So I stayed on 12.5mg for 3 weeks then went up to 25mg. I’ve been on 25mg for 7 weeks.

I suspect the dose was simpy too high for you and increasing the dose has made the reaction to the RI worse. Increasing the dose further would not be a good move imo.

7 hours ago, May said:

I definitely feel improvement with my anxiety and mood but I’m not stable. I still get chest tension everyday it isn’t as intense but it’s still there.

This is a good sign that your body is working hard to stablise.

7 hours ago, May said:

My sleep is really bad. I sleep at 12am wake up 2-3 am sometimes I can go back to sleep sometimes I can’t and I wake up at 7am everyday no matter how much I sleep.

Sleep issues in WD are very common indeed. As you stablise this will settle down too, unfortunately sleep can be one of the last things to sort itself out. Sleep in WD

7 hours ago, May said:

My doctor is telling me to go up to 37.5mg but I’m scared. People say it’ll get worse or I might go through kindling. Please help me what should I do? I’m desperate.

As I said before I would not increase your dose, I think this will just make all this worse for you.

What time do you take your dose? Do you symptoms worsen shortly after taking it?

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.

7 hours ago, 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.

This was a very fast taper even for 8 months of use. Tapering Information

 

I think it was wise to Reinstate, RI is the only way to cushion WD apart from time. We always suggest a very low dose RI as higher doses tend to be more unpredictable. As you were only off 4 days 12.5mg wasn't that risky per sa, but starting lower and working up would have been the better approach I suspect. Reinstating an Antidepressant

I suspect the dose was simpy too high for you and increasing the dose has made the reaction to the RI worse. Increasing the dose further would not be a good move imo.

This is a good sign that your body is working hard to stablise.

Sleep issues in WD are very common indeed. As you stablise this will settle down too, unfortunately sleep can be one of the last things to sort itself out. Sleep in WD

As I said before I would not increase your dose, I think this will just make all this worse for you.

What time do you take your dose? Do you symptoms worsen shortly after taking it?

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 supporti

I take my Paxil cr in the morning cause of my sleep issue. I also take magnesium glycine 300mg, l theanine 200mg, I was taking ashwaganda 300mg but stopped that but my psychiatrist told me to take hydroxyzine 10mg for sleep and I’ve been doing that and it has helped my sleep a little. I also take vitamin D, omega, b12 and Rhodiola Rosa but stopped that too cause I thought it can make things worse. My psychiatrist also mentioned to add 25mg Seroquel but again I don’t know what to do. It’s so sad that they are professionals and don’t know all about this. How long should I hold on 25mg and how long does it take to become stable. I’m just very tired and want to be stable again.

4 minutes ago, May said:

I take my Paxil cr in the morning cause of my sleep issue. I also take magnesium glycine 300mg, l theanine 200mg, I was taking ashwaganda 300mg but stopped that but my psychiatrist told me to take hydroxyzine 10mg for sleep and I’ve been doing that and it has helped my sleep a little. I also take vitamin D, omega, b12 and Rhodiola Rosa but stopped that too cause I thought it can make things worse. My psychiatrist also mentioned to add 25mg Seroquel but again I don’t know what to do. It’s so sad that they are professionals and don’t know all about this. How long should I hold on 25mg and how long does it take to become stable. I’m just very tired and want to be stable again.

I suggest you stop taking vitamin d and b12 if you have no deficiencies, as that could agitate your nervous system and contribute to your sleep issues. It's best to get your vitamins naturally through food and sunlight.

Do not add additional drugs, that Seroquel will just cause more issues that you will have to deal with additionally.

Please be aware you may be needing to tapering the Hydroxyzine as well down the line, as it can also cause a certain degree of dependence and withdrawal.

Also I encourage you to critically think and not blindly follow every advice your psychiatrist gives you, especially if he isn't knowledgeable around withdrawal and drug damage (which is most of them), they have no awareness of what the drugs can cause to the nervous system in the long term, have no idea of drug consequences. Psychiatry is just a very corrupt profession, which involves around making money, and the psychiatrist won't take any responsibility if you get injured from the drugs, which you already have.

Edited July 22Jul 22 by Lighty

I am deficient in both. Thats why I take them. I really don’t know what to do I’ve been almost 2 months into 25mg. How long do you think it’ll take for me to get stable? How long does it take in general? I read post that some returned to there original post and got better and some with low dose and got better so I feel like I’m stuck in the middle. Do you think I need 37.5mg down the line or my body will get stable with 25mg?

2 minutes ago, May said:

How long do you think it’ll take for me to get stable? How long does it take in general?

unfortunately we are all different, i don't have an answer to the timeframe it would take.

3 minutes ago, May said:

Do you think I need 37.5mg down the line or my body will get stable with 25mg?

no, stay on your 25mg dose, up dosing will cause more instability, i think raising up to 25mg may have already been too much (compared to 12.5mg), but you already have raised to that dose, just keep it the same, don't play around with it.

6 minutes ago, May said:

I am deficient in both. Thats why I take them.

okay, make sure to take them in the morning, that way they are less likely to cause sleep issues into the night, if you haven't noticed any negative symptoms around them, you can keep taking them.

12 minutes ago, Lighty said:

unfortunately we are all different, i don't have an answer to the timeframe it would take.

no, stay on your 25mg dose, up dosing will cause more instability, i think raising up to 25mg may have already been too much (compared to 12.5mg), but you already have raised to that dose, just keep it the same, don't play around with it.

When I was at 12.5mg for the first 2 weeks all the withdrawals were gone. I felt stable and everything was fine but when I entered the 3rd week my anxiety and depression got worse so that’s why I went up to 25mg. I was confused on why I was stable for 2 weeks then went back to bad.

3 minutes ago, May said:

When I was at 12.5mg for the first 2 weeks all the withdrawals were gone. I felt stable and everything was fine but when I entered the 3rd week my anxiety and depression got worse so that’s why I went up to 25mg. I was confused on why I was stable for 2 weeks then went back to bad.

I completely understand you, but the nervous system isn't as simple, and especially after being destabilized from psych drugs changes, can go in a waves and windows pattern, which means some days are gonna be better and some worse.

you shouldn't just up dose further just because you got depression and anxiety as symptoms.

When you take away a pillar of a building, the building is gonna get damaged, even if you return the same pillar back to the building in the same place, the building is still going to be damaged, same with these drugs, there are consequences of the rapid reduction you have made, that your nervous system is going to be needing to heal out, please be gentle on yourself and make sure to support yourself and your body in any way that's needed ❤️

Edited July 22Jul 22 by Lighty

8 minutes ago, Lighty said:

I completely understand you, but the nervous system isn't as simple, and especially after being destabilized from psych drugs changes, can go in a waves and windows pattern, which means some days are gonna be better and some worse.

you shouldn't just up dose further just because you got depression and anxiety as symptoms.

When you take away a pillar of a building, the building is gonna get damaged, even if you return the same pillar back to the building in the same place, the building is still going to be damaged, same with these drugs, there are consequences of the rapid reduction you have made, that your nervous system is going to be needing to heal out, please be gentle on yourself and make sure to support yourself and your body in any way that's needed ❤️

I get that. I wish there’s like a timeline so I know what to expect. Btw have heard of tms? I read that it can help with withdrawal I’m thinking to do it?

2 minutes ago, May said:

Btw have heard of tms? I read that it can help with withdrawal I’m thinking to do it?

It can cause damages much like psych drugs, i do not recommend it.

5 minutes ago, Lighty said:

It can cause damages much like psych drugs, i do not recommend it.

How? You don’t have to take anything

11 minutes ago, May said:

How? You don’t have to take anything

It still messes up with your brain, even if you don't take any pills, there are people who get injured from tms and get gaslit.

there is a facebook group i found for tms injuries, which have made their own website to advocate for their injuries https://www.facebook.com/groups/tmssideeffects/

there is also a mad in america article and dr josef also made an interview with someone who got injured by TMS.

all these unnatural treatments that mess up with your brain and nervous system can be damaging.

Edited July 22Jul 22 by Lighty

1 hour ago, May said:

I get that. I wish there’s like a timeline so I know what to expect. Btw have heard of tms? I read that it can help with withdrawal I’m thinking to do it?

Hi, I'm a psychiatrist and am trained in administering rTMS. There is no evidence it can help with withdrawal symptoms. Please don't waste your time or money.

11 minutes ago, Sminismoni said:

Hi, I'm a psychiatrist and am trained in administering rTMS. There is no evidence it can help with withdrawal symptoms. Please don't waste your time or money.

Okay what do you think I should do looking at my situation please help me?

I would tale the advice of everyone on this forum and not add further psychiatric medication or supplements. Things can get worse if you try to "fix" this. Time is the only option. All of us here have learnt this difficult truth. There is only one way through this journey and that is time.

35 minutes ago, Sminismoni said:

I would tale the advice of everyone on this forum and not add further psychiatric medication or supplements. Things can get worse if you try to "fix" this. Time is the only option. All of us here have learnt this difficult truth. There is only one way through this journey and that is time.

How long do you think it’s going to take? Like what’s usually the estimate of WD? Cause I do feel improvement not with my sleep though just my depression and anxiety but anxiety is still there but it isn’t intense

9 hours ago, May said:

How long do you think it’s going to take? Like what’s usually the estimate of WD? Cause I do feel improvement not with my sleep though just my depression and anxiety but anxiety is still there but it isn’t intense

It is impossible to know how long it will take you to stablise. It is a great sign you are seeing improvements with your emotional symptoms. Sleep unfortunately can be the hardest thing to resolve. Try to not give it too much space in your mind so as to not add additional fear into the mix. Learn to focus on each day without worrying too much about the future. Our bodies are programmed to heal. Looking for quick solutions only makes it's job much harder and often causes further harm. Acceptance is key in this.

Like Lighty said symptoms can fluctuate in waves and windows, so having a period of things worsening isn't a sign things are going backwards it is just part of the process. The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

15 hours ago, May said:

When I was at 12.5mg for the first 2 weeks all the withdrawals were gone. I felt stable and everything was fine but when I entered the 3rd week my anxiety and depression got worse so that’s why I went up to 25mg. I was confused on why I was stable for 2 weeks then went back to bad.

That's what happened to me. I reinstated at 25mg and that was far too high but i started to stablise but I still had chest tightness / anxiety so thought I needed to go up. Went up to 50mg and it made me more unstable lol

I’m coming from a desperate place I’m not questioning anybody I’m just lost. If I was going through paws or PD when I went up to 25mg it helped me I made improvements shouldn’t it be the opposite if I’m going through paws. Shouldn’t I gotten worse not better? I’m thinking my body needs the dose I was stable on which was 37.5 please help

25 minutes ago, May said:

Shouldn’t I gotten worse not better? I’m thinking my body needs the dose I was stable on which was 37.5 please help

the higher dose won't help you, as said before, 25mg was probably too high of a reinstatement.

When you stop the drug, and go through withdrawal, your receptors start to shift as needed to stabilize you, obviously it can take years, and there is also the nervous system shock injury, so when you reinstate, you need a lower dose since your receptors already shifted, but obviously they didn't shift enough to stabilize you without the drug.

there are more elements with wd from these drugs, as the wd itself can cause a nervous system injury your body needs to heal out, that's why reinstatement doesn't necessarily fix all the symptoms, it does solve all symptoms for some people but not all.

33 minutes ago, May said:

I’m coming from a desperate place I’m not questioning anybody I’m just lost.

I would recommend you to start learning how to cope and live with your symptoms. Learning how to live with your symptoms will make it easier and help your body heal out as you are not panicking over every single symptom you have.

Here are some topics regarding coping methods:

Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

Being a human, and dealing with emotions in WD

Lighty's Mindset Strategy

Breath And Meditation

30 minutes ago, May said:

I’m coming from a desperate place I’m not questioning anybody I’m just lost. If I was going through paws or PD when I went up to 25mg it helped me I made improvements shouldn’t it be the opposite if I’m going through paws. Shouldn’t I gotten worse not better? I’m thinking my body needs the dose I was stable on which was 37.5 please help

On top of this when I returned to Paxil after being off of it for 4 days to 12.5mg I was stable for 2 weeks. I was fine all WD was gone. Then the 3rd week came and I started experiencing symptoms again?

4 minutes ago, Lighty said:

the higher dose won't help you, as said before, 25mg was probably too high of a reinstatement.

When you stop the drug, and go through withdrawal, your receptors start to shift as needed to stabilize you, obviously it can take years, and there is also the nervous system shock injury, so when you reinstate, you need a lower dose since your receptors already shifted, but obviously they didn't shift enough to stabilize you without the drug.

there are more elements with wd from these drugs, as the wd itself can cause a nervous system injury your body needs to heal out, that's why reinstatement doesn't necessarily fix all the symptoms, it does solve all symptoms for some people but not all.

Okay if needed a lower dose why did 25mg help me since it’s a higher dose? I’m just trying to understand

On 7/21/2026 at 6:50 PM, May said:

Hello so I was on Paxil for 8 months from 10-40mg then switched to CR 37.5 got stable and felt good so decided to go down. Went down to 25mg for a month then 12.5mg for like 3 weeks then 0 day 5 of 0 felt bad withdrawals so I took 12.5mg. I was only off Paxil for 4 days! For 2 weeks withdrawal got better and felt good then anxiety started hitting me again, insomnia, loss appetite my psych told me that it might be side effects of starting Paxil or my anxiety is coming back and 12.5mg isn’t enough. So I stayed on 12.5mg for 3 weeks then went up to 25mg. I’ve been on 25mg for 7 weeks. I definitely feel improvement with my anxiety and mood but I’m not stable. I still get chest tension everyday it isn’t as intense but it’s still there. My sleep is really bad. I sleep at 12am wake up 2-3 am sometimes I can go back to sleep sometimes I can’t and I wake up at 7am everyday no matter how much I sleep. My doctor is telling me to go up to 37.5mg but I’m scared. People say it’ll get worse or I might go through kindling. Please help me what should I do? I’m desperate.

@May ....hello and sorry for your situation. When someone does cold turkey as you did, it will throw the nervous system. First good thing you did was to reinstate right away. You will need to stay at your reinstated dose until your body stabilize. Unfortunately, it can take months. If you continue trying to updose again, you might go into Kindle. This journey is hard but the body knows how to heal. I will suggest to stay on the dose you are currently at and wait until you get better. Paxil is one of the hardest to come off, but many have come off. Do not make changes, do not add any other medications, etc. Let your body heal.

On the sleeping issues, it's something we all have to learn how to cope with this. I'm also on paxil. My first first 4 months, I was only sleeping like 3 hours and always woke up at 5am and couldn't sleep anymore. After month 6, I got to sleep 5 to 6 hours but still waking up between 530am to 6am. Then after month 13 or so, I have few times where I have slept 7 plus hours but still waking up between 530 to 630am. Now at month 20 on this journey, and I'm still have the ups and down, but no cortisol issues. I'm still not there yet.

This journey is definitely hard, but it gets better in time. Looking back, I'm on a better position now and I'm at 4.72mg paxil from 20mg for 12 years. I did a cold turkey and two weeks later, I reinstated 5mg and hold for 7 months until I felt just better, but not completely heal...

13 minutes ago, Raymond said:

@May ....hello and sorry for your situation. When someone does cold turkey as you did, it will throw the nervous system. First good thing you did was to reinstate right away. You will need to stay at your reinstated dose until your body stabilize. Unfortunately, it can take months. If you continue trying to updose again, you might go into Kindle. This journey is hard but the body knows how to heal. I will suggest to stay on the dose you are currently at and wait until you get better. Paxil is one of the hardest to come off, but many have come off. Do not make changes, do not add any other medications, etc. Let your body heal.

On the sleeping issues, it's something we all have to learn how to cope with this. I'm also on paxil. My first first 4 months, I was only sleeping like 3 hours and always woke up at 5am and couldn't sleep anymore. After month 6, I got to sleep 5 to 6 hours but still waking up between 530am to 6am. Then after month 13 or so, I have few times where I have slept 7 plus hours but still waking up between 530 to 630am. Now at month 20 on this journey, and I'm still have the ups and down, but no cortisol issues. I'm still not there yet.

This journey is definitely hard, but it gets better in time. Looking back, I'm on a better position now and I'm at 4.72mg paxil from 20mg for 12 years. I did a cold turkey and two weeks later, I reinstated 5mg and hold for 7 months until I felt just better, but not completely heal...

Thank you so much for your reply. But I didn’t go cold turkey I tapered down but I tapered too fast. And I was on Paxil for only 8 months only and I went back to 12.5mg in 4 days. And when I went up to 25mg I got better not worse so I’m confused