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Community AnchorEffexor

Very interesting....thanks for sharing! My best friend is tapering Paxil and struggles with cortisol surges during the night. I'm going to recommend this to her. 👍

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

HorizonAug 31

NavigatorSeroquel · holding

I really hope this helps her get back to sleep aswell 😴🪷

Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀

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Maria A.Aug 31

LighthouseZoloft · active

I’ve been dealing with a bout of horrific insomnia and I’ve found that cold compressions on my head, behind my neck and on my chest have really helped my body calm down.

Zoloft —50 mg to 15 mg — 8 years with a cold turkey and reinstatement in between— was liquid micro tapering, crashed at 14.275 mg and now holding at 15 mg.

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CatinaAug 31

Community AnchorEffexor

Thanks for your input @Maria A. Yes, ice seems to help with these things so much! I think it's called the Diving Reflex.

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

HannaPotOct 2

LighthouseMirtazapine · active

Horizon, thanks for sharing. Shall rhry the cold water and head massage

Mirtazapine — 30mg — 12weeks — actively tapering

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Nic TattsOct 2

WelcomerProzac · active

Thank you! Good to know. This is sometimes my experience too. I might get one.

Prozac — 45mg — 18 years — actively tapering

HorizonOct 2

NavigatorSeroquel · holding

Be careful if you feel dizzy though, it's good for destressing but not like when you've got headaches or feeling ill. The head massager decreases cortisol which is why it helped me massively and the cold water helped me with negative emotions, like anger and sadness. It brings you back to presence 😌

Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀

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CatinaOct 2

Community AnchorEffexor

"Be careful if you feel dizzy though" — @Horizon

Yes, good advice. I happened to use it when I was in a wave and it made the dizziness worse unfortunately. I'm so glad you find it helpful!

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

anne noni mossOct 2

LighthousePaxil · holding

I love my wire head massager! I like to pretend I'm doing a mind meld like on star trek!!

atypical in presentation of side effects, super sensitive to small doses and general delayed responder. never took a psych med that didn't' make me sick immediately with infections and restless legs. have never been able to tolerate being on them, but have never had support to get off so I've been bouncing back and forth. i don't like capital letters. sorry.

Paxil — 1 mg — 2 yrs — holding until Oct. 7 doc appt.
Seroquel — 50 — planning taper |
trileptal -75 planning taper
prasozin 1 mg planning taper

started my psych med saga in 2001 and wish I never had. I had some difficulties with sleep and anxiety, but NOTHING like what was in store for me after trying every med out there. My last treatment center promised to "get me totally off" in 2022 but it was a lie. They just switched drugs and added more and more in a desperate attempt to help me "stabilize," so they could call me a "success story" once insurance stopped paying. I agree with those who state that this industry needs to change. AND I'm working on not being resentful about my suffering because it doesn't help anyone.

been on an off cocktails since 2001. Most recent mixture, prescribed in 2024: 20 mg Paxil, 150 Trileptal, 50 Seroquel, 2 mg prasozin, (for PTSD/nightmares.)

immediately went to 1 mg prasozin, and after 3 months cut to 10 mg paxil. No felt effects. Then went to 5 about 3 months later, (though I didnt' keep track so I'm rusty.) No felt effects. So, I've roughly been on 5 mg for a year and a half.

Side effects always force to to start tapering RIGHT AWAY.

I didn't start keeping track of my Paxil taper until this year. I went from 3mg to 1 in 10 months, using a liquid Maudsley-ish slow taper. Again, no felt effects until now.

October 2026...sleeping less and feeling more sedated during the day. Having trouble managing my social life without getting over-stimulated. Must set boundaries according to my body and not my heart.

Holding 1 mg paxil until blood work done and evaluated, and to see if build a social life that doesn't make me lose sleep. Sounds silly as I type it, but actually, nothing is "silly" on this ride! Everything is WILD!!!! LOL

Keeping all other meds the same. Sorry so long.

anne noni mossOct 2

LighthousePaxil · holding

And today I tried the cold water on hands as soon as I woke up. It did help. I'm on seroquel too. Put can't taper 2 at once on this platform. Interestingly, my physiologist said there is another "school" of deprescribing that recommends supplements and poly-tapering. Apparently it doesn't have the hard research of the Horowitz protocol, but I think competition is a good thing. Different strokes for different folks. (And so on and so on an dooby dooby dooby!!!)

atypical in presentation of side effects, super sensitive to small doses and general delayed responder. never took a psych med that didn't' make me sick immediately with infections and restless legs. have never been able to tolerate being on them, but have never had support to get off so I've been bouncing back and forth. i don't like capital letters. sorry.

Paxil — 1 mg — 2 yrs — holding until Oct. 7 doc appt.
Seroquel — 50 — planning taper |
trileptal -75 planning taper
prasozin 1 mg planning taper

started my psych med saga in 2001 and wish I never had. I had some difficulties with sleep and anxiety, but NOTHING like what was in store for me after trying every med out there. My last treatment center promised to "get me totally off" in 2022 but it was a lie. They just switched drugs and added more and more in a desperate attempt to help me "stabilize," so they could call me a "success story" once insurance stopped paying. I agree with those who state that this industry needs to change. AND I'm working on not being resentful about my suffering because it doesn't help anyone.

been on an off cocktails since 2001. Most recent mixture, prescribed in 2024: 20 mg Paxil, 150 Trileptal, 50 Seroquel, 2 mg prasozin, (for PTSD/nightmares.)

immediately went to 1 mg prasozin, and after 3 months cut to 10 mg paxil. No felt effects. Then went to 5 about 3 months later, (though I didnt' keep track so I'm rusty.) No felt effects. So, I've roughly been on 5 mg for a year and a half.

Side effects always force to to start tapering RIGHT AWAY.

I didn't start keeping track of my Paxil taper until this year. I went from 3mg to 1 in 10 months, using a liquid Maudsley-ish slow taper. Again, no felt effects until now.

October 2026...sleeping less and feeling more sedated during the day. Having trouble managing my social life without getting over-stimulated. Must set boundaries according to my body and not my heart.

Holding 1 mg paxil until blood work done and evaluated, and to see if build a social life that doesn't make me lose sleep. Sounds silly as I type it, but actually, nothing is "silly" on this ride! Everything is WILD!!!! LOL

Keeping all other meds the same. Sorry so long.

HorizonOct 2

NavigatorSeroquel · holding

I can't believe how many people are on multiple meds, I feel so lucky, because they could have given me other ones as well when I wasn't getting on with quetiapine. But they just increased it I think the Idea is one at a time because then any symptoms can be related to the one you're tapering If you taper two it gets confusing as to what is going on and which one to hold or decrease or increase, you don't know 🤔 But I do feel for you and everyone else who's on a confusing amount of meds

Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀

HorizonOct 2

NavigatorSeroquel · holding

I'm so glad the cold water helped. I imagine it's washing all that bad feeling away from me and then I feel nice and refreshed afterwards 🩵

Seroquel — 400+ — 22 years —down to 100 in 6 months, 100 is taking a lot of time to get used to so resting on 100 for as long as it takes. holding without clinician. A journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step 👣🌀

Head massager and cold water therapy for feeling relaxed and decreasing stress

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