![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by hwkncat on September 27, 2003, at 11:57:45
After taking Paxil for over 4 years and suffering debilitating withdrawal side effects whenever I try to cut back I am ready to switch to a newer SSRI in the hopes the new one does not have the horrible unmentioned withdrawal effects the official websites don't let you know exist.
I have been taking paxil 20mg for years now, and recently having acquired several months' supply of lexapro samples I am starting the switchover.
2 days ago I cut the paxil to 10mg and started the lexapro 10mg simultaneously, planning to do both together for at least a week or two, then cutting the paxil to 5mg and the lexapro to 15mg for another 2 weeks or so, then cutting out the paxil altoghether and continuing on with the lexapro at 20 mg after that.
Is there anyone here who has succesfully accomplished this? Dr Bob, is this a safe way to do this? I am a nurse so I do have some knowledge of how to do this. Unfortunately, if I had known about the withdrawal profile of paxil I never would have started it.
Input please from anyone in the same boat.
Posted by Robert Fairburn on September 28, 2003, at 5:05:54
In reply to transitioning from Paxil to Lexapro, posted by hwkncat on September 27, 2003, at 11:57:45
I took paxil for years and when It stopped working my docter swapped me to lexapro and she did a straight swap without any cut down. I was very surprised when she suggested this but I went alon with here advise, and I had no side effects what so ever. Im not saything that this will happen to you just remeber that everyone has a different story and not all of them are bad. I also whent off paxil in a earlier period by cutting down and then going cold turkey. I had a few side effects I think I had two brain zaps which freaked me out but there not really that bad.
Posted by johnny b good on September 29, 2003, at 20:17:35
In reply to transitioning from Paxil to Lexapro, posted by hwkncat on September 27, 2003, at 11:57:45
I guess you could say that I am in the same boat.
I was taking Paxil 30 mg for over 4 years. I gained too much weight and had problems in the sexual intimacy dept. as well. I went off cold turkey after leaving my medication behind at the ranch where I had spent the week-end. It was 300 miles away. Of course I didn't realize it until it was time to take it again. I could have gotten my doc to call in a script for me but I thought it over for a day or two and decided to see how I would do without meds altogether. Declared myself drug free. I took no meds for six weeks and worked out at the health club on a regular basis in hopes that this would lessen the withdrawal effects. I didn't really suffer that much from the withdrawal but did notice that my sleep became irregular and toward the end of my abstinance some sadness began to creep in. I was beginning to lose interest in things that I have always enjoyed in the past. In other words it was time to act. My doc recommended Lexapro because of the few side effects and started me at 10 mg's which I took for 30 days with little therapeutic gain so it was upped to 20 mg's last week. It has been about 34 days on Lexapro and so far I am feeling ok but still not where I need to be. I am trying to get my sleep cycle re-regulated and bought one of those old fashioned type alarm clocks with the 2 bells on top because my alarm radio just wasn't loud enough to wake me up. It works. I am still in high hopes that Lexapro will work for me and I intend to give it a thorough try. Good luck to you.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.