I started tapering off of Paxil on 7/13/26. Dr said to go from 20 to 10 and stay in for a month. Did that no issues. On 8/13/26 went to 5 mg. 1 week later I thought I had gone to dinner woke up the next day and thought I had food poisoning. Was sick as a dog nausea headache diarrhea stomach pains. Waited it out didn’t get better went to walk in clinic and said it was stomach virus. Called my doc and asked if this could be because of Paxil and she said no that I should go to gastroenterologist. I said this all started about a week after I started the 5mg of Paxil. Well it got worse after that. Pain in by back, severe headache and sinus pain in my eyes was hungry all the time but was nauseous so I could not eat. Constantly popping Advils for headache and backache. The nauseous has basically subsided (occasional bouts) still have backache but not as severe but now I cannot sleep. I get so anxious about gong to bed that when I do I can feel my heart thumping and I get anxious so I really don’t sleep and I get this internal shaking in my legs and body. I feel like I should just go back to the higher dose and stay on this.

Edited Sunday at 04:42 PM5 days by SarahMc

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 withdrawal 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.

The value of this forum is in the community it fosters. We hope that all of our members will be able to learn from each others' experiences, both the good and the bad. To this end, we strongly encourage members to not only document their personal journey on their own thread, but to read and post on other members' threads and otherwise make full use of the resources available throughout the forum.

 

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

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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.

4 hours ago, Tracy said:

I started tapering off of Paxil on 7/13/26. Dr said to go from 20 to 10 and stay in for a month. Did that no issues. On 8/13/26 went to 5 mg.

Unfortunately doctors most often advise us to taper these drugs way, way too fast. We advise folks to taper at a rate of no more than 10% of your previous dose per month: Tapering Information

4 hours ago, Tracy said:

1 week later I thought I had gone to dinner woke up the next day and thought I had food poisoning. Was sick as a dog nausea headache diarrhea stomach pains. Waited it out didn’t get better went to walk in clinic and said it was stomach virus. Called my doc and asked if this could be because of Paxil and she said no that I should go to gastroenterologist. I said this all started about a week after I started the 5mg of Paxil. Well it got worse after that. Pain in by back, severe headache and sinus pain in my eyes was hungry all the time but was nauseous so I could not eat. Constantly popping Advils for headache and backache. The nauseous has basically subsided (occasional bouts) still have backache but not as severe but now I cannot sleep. I get so anxious about gong to bed that when I do I can feel my heart thumping and I get anxious so I really don’t sleep and I get this internal shaking in my legs and body.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. These are all absolutely common psych drug withdrawal symptoms. Doctors very often don't recognize this and so we get sent around to various specialists who aren't able to diagnose anything. You are in withdrawal from paxil because of an incredibly fast taper after long term use.

5 hours ago, Tracy said:

I feel like I should just go back to the higher dose and stay on this.

Unfortunately it's likely not that easy. Your nervous system will now be quite sensitive because of the shock it's been through, and you've been on the 5 mg dose for a couple months now. I think it would be risky to jump right back up to 10 or 20 mg -- often we see people updosing too much and actually making themselves worse. You could consider a small updose, maybe up to 6 mg and hold there for a week to see if it helps at all. You'll want to take this slow and steady and avoid unnecessary shocks to your system. Tagging @LostinCanada here, who is also going through paxil withdrawal, for her thoughts.

I know how horrible this is right now, but please know you can get through this and we're here for you 💜

 

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.

Hi @Tracy welcome to the forum.

Could you please change your signature to read like this:(just copy and paste)

Paroxetine -25 years -20 mg

Taper-2026-July 13-10 mg/Aug 13-5mg

https://antidepressantrecovery.org/settings/signature/

Thanks. Paroxetine is an SSRI that affects so many neurotransmitters, receptors and enzymes in our body. Being on it for so long adds to the multiple changes that would have affected your body.

It would not hesitate to increase your dose. Your body has been struggling with less drug in your system. Do you have access to a weigh scale? I would suggest increasing your dose to 6-8 mg. It is possible 10 mg would be fine but it is better to err on the side of caution because we don't want you to kindle.

Please carefully read these 2 links...the very first posts.

Ask any questions here please. Be careful with the ibuprofen as it is a blood thinner and so is paroxetine. Also it is highly recommended to stay with the same manufacturer of your drug. Different manufacturers use different fillers and are allowed a percentage of variable with regard to active ingredient.

Edited Sunday at 05:38 PM5 days by LostinCanada

5 hours ago, Tracy said:

I started tapering off of Paxil on 7/13/26. Dr said to go from 20 to 10 and stay in for a month. Did that no issues. On 8/13/26 went to 5 mg. 1 week later I thought I had gone to dinner woke up the next day and thought I had food poisoning. Was sick as a dog nausea headache diarrhea stomach pains. Waited it out didn’t get better went to walk in clinic and said it was stomach virus. Called my doc and asked if this could be because of Paxil and she said no that I should go to gastroenterologist. I said this all started about a week after I started the 5mg of Paxil. Well it got worse after that. Pain in by back, severe headache and sinus pain in my eyes was hungry all the time but was nauseous so I could not eat. Constantly popping Advils for headache and backache. The nauseous has basically subsided (occasional bouts) still have backache but not as severe but now I cannot sleep. I get so anxious about gong to bed that when I do I can feel my heart thumping and I get anxious so I really don’t sleep and I get this internal shaking in my legs and body. I feel like I should just go back to the higher dose and stay on this.

Welcome, although I am sorry you've had to find us.

I too was also diagnosed with a stomach virus when I was first in withdrawal then it changed to a kidney infection and then back to stomach virus - they just could not admit it was withdrawal. I was the same as you at the start, vomiting and pain etc.

You'll find everyone here has hador is having a rough time so know you are not alone and we are all here to support one another. ❤️

Welcome @Tracy to the forum, I am very glad you found us but sorry you have had to. What you are experiencing is 100% WD from reducing your dose of Paroxetine too quickly.

I agree with @LostinCanada increasing your dose is sensible idea.

As it has been 2 months since your cut I also agree increasing the dose more gradually makes sense. Jumping straight back to 10mg may make things worse IMO, so the more careful thing to do would be to increase a little and see how you react. Hold that for 7-10 days and then increase again potentially.

How much is up to you. If it were me I would go 6mg to test the waters.

How are you making up 5mg? If you are cutting a pill this isn't accurate enough and wont be helping. Please get yourself a set of scales as Lic has suggested. Gem20 units are easy to get hold of and cost effective.

We are all here for you, we understand what this is like, any question please ask here.

Chippy