Paxil withdrawls...how long do they last?!

Paxil withdrawls...how long do they last?

I have been weaning myself off the paxil 40mg for 2 weeks now, I started taking 30mg for a few days and then I went to 20mg, I had a couple bad feeling days at first where I felt dizzy and wobbly but it seemed to have abated and I thought I was through the roughest part. I am now taking 20mg every second day and getting the dizzy wobbly feeling again on second day. I do not want to draw out this process so I am not going to go back to a higher dose and start cutting down again. I am determined to get off it and some side effects are ok, I am just wondering how long on average do they last? I have gone off it before in the past 40mg and had two days of wobblies and then I was fine. Anyone with past experience on this would be great.

I had a rough time getting off Paxil, too-- dizziness, "brain zaps," and just generally feeling terrible for several weeks. Here are my suggestions:

1.) Don't go off Paxil (or any antidepressant) without your doctor's permission. Your doctor is best qualified to decide whether or not you are ready to stop taking it; if he/she thinks you still need antidepressant medication, there's probably a good reason for it. Why do you want to stop taking the drug? Discuss the issue with your doctor-- whatever your reason, you can probably work out a different option (medication or otherwise).

2.) If your doctor agrees that you should stop taking Paxil, ask for specific directions regarding how you should go about doing it. I know it's a frustrating process and you want to get it over with as quickly as possible, but you need to understand that giving up a long-term prescription drug is a very complicated (and chaotic) process for your body, and only your doctor is qualified to tell you how to do this successfully.

3.) Follow your doctor's directions regarding dosages, and keep him/her informed of side effects that seem worse than normal.

Good luck to you. Hope this helps! :)