Anxiety flare up on dose adjustments

[Footloose83]

I’m currently taking 40mg of Prozac for the past year. It’s been ok but not great. Was on Paxil for 20 years prior to that. Was emotionally numbed on it. The doctor is doing a cross taper slowly on moving away from Prozac to a new ssri. Even just with a tiny dose adjustment my GAD flares up and it’s hell. I’ll be good for the first week and then just fall apart on week 2. Anyone else experience this?

[Dell12345]

Hi footloose83, I'm sorry you are going through this. Dose adjustments can be really hard or they can be really easy, it just depends on how your brain reacts to the drug. Cross tapering is often not a fun experience at all, as your body is getting used to a new drug while trying to cope without one it has had for years.

All you can do is see how it is after a couple of weeks without any changes. Perhaps your doctor could prescribe you some benzo's (diazapam, clonazapan, xanex) temporarily for you to use during this time?

[Kinlay]

Paxil is known to be horrifically difficult to get off of. How much are the dose adjustments are you talking about? You might want to ask to go even lower and slower. I use a pill splitter with the smallest possible pill dose when weaning off any med so that I am cutting back the lowest possible amount, and I never go to a new dose until at least 4-6 weeks have gone by and my symptoms have leveled out. If you are already going that slow, consider making it two to three months at one dose before dropping again. Hang in there - you are not alone!

[Footloose83 in reply to Kinlay]

I’ve been off Paxil since May 2023. It was a 9 month taper off process. Since May 2023 I was put on Prozac. Went from 20mg to 40mg over the past 9 months. 2 months ago I was getting panic attacks and my anxiety was coming back. Now the dr wants to try something different and trying to cross taper me on trintellix. I was doing fine on the 5mg of trintellix (while still on my Prozac 40mg) until he upped me to 7.5 and I started feeling like crap. I was only on the 5mg for 10days until he upped it.

[mindys253]

Hello, Yes, Paxil is Hell.. I am currently tapering off 5 mg at a time for at least two months or more.. I am having terrible anxiety ,dread fear doom all the time, It is a living HELL!!! I see my Dr this week,, I just cannot stand this.. Let me know if you want to talk more.. oxo