Tapering: Paxil

active

88 posts

Florida

What would you do?

August 7, 2026··

I have a dilemma, I am down to 2.5mg of Paxil from my starting point of 10mg. I was on Paxil 10mg for 5 months before I started to taper. My taper schedule was/is down to 7.5mg for 4 weeks, then 5mg for 5 weeks, I am currently 2.5mg for 3 weeks so far. I have been using a pill cutter to cut my 10mg pill to get those doses. My question is I am one week away from either lowering my dose further or just stopping. I asked my doctor and his assistant said I could just stop taking it. I didn't tell her I was already tapering so she thought I was taking 10mg for the past 7 months. I went to my pharmacist and told her I was tapering and what dose I was on and she said I could just stop, that it was a low enough dose to do that. Has anyone stopped at 2.5mg? Or has taken Paxil for a few months? I think i definitely will hold at 2.5mg until after my birthday which is the end of August and pray about it and decide after that. Any advice would be appreciated.

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

14 Replies

WolfAug 7

Community AnchorProzac · researching

Entirely depends on your withdrawal history. You had a big symptom spike last month. If you were perfectly healthy, I would hold for a few more weeks then stop.

Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician
"If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."

⭐

CatinaAug 7

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi PoppyAbby, I think it would be wise to hold for the time being. Even at 2.5 mg, your serotonin receptors are still being blocked by 48% from the drug. Here is a SERT Occupancy chart for Paxil:

Most of the changes in serotonin receptors happen at very "low" doses, so it's best to try and taper down as low as you can before jumping to zero. However, it all depends on what your nervous system can handle. Everyone is different.

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 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.

PoppyAbbyAug 7

Community AnchorPaxil · active

@wolf yes, I did have a spike, that's what I am afraid of ....

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

PoppyAbbyAug 7

Community AnchorPaxil · active

@Catina, that's a great chart that shows exactly what I am up against if I stop now. I think I'll check into the liquid Paxil and work on this a few more months.

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

⭐

CatinaAug 7

Community AnchorEffexor

"I think I'll check into the liquid Paxil and work on this a few more months." — @PoppyAbby

I'm really glad it helped. If you do switch to liquid, you'll want to do a gradual crossover. https://taper.community/thread/3516b46d-50b6-4048-9abc-533356b74afe Hope all goes well!

WolfAug 8

Community AnchorProzac · researching

@PoppyAbby The pharmacist is not aware of how your nervous system is doing and your symptom spikes. Further, it's a matter of you taking a bit of a risk and perhaps enduring some symptoms versus having 100% hassle-free withdrawal. I think you should drop to 1 mg or 1.2 mg without any kind of liquid, just cutting pills, then hold and drop it all. That is because you are doing okay. The half-life of Paxil is a bit unfavorable.

MashaSep 3

LighthousePaxil · holding

How do practitioners taper you so fast when it feels obvious that is a bad idea?!

Paxil — 20 mg — 20 years. Went off now back on — holding
Trazadone 25 mg
Buspar 5 mg two times a day
Ativan .25 at night

PoppyAbbySep 3

Community AnchorPaxil · active

@Masha, unfortunately I am finding out along with others that doctors don't know about slowly tapering off these drugs or any drugs for that matter. I have had weird panic attack symptoms when I was taking Carvedilol for blood pressure and my doctor said he never heard of that and just doubled my dose. I had to research it myself and found out I needed to taper off Carvedilol because it controls your heart rhythm! I am thankful I didn't double it like he told me to. I was put on Paxil by the same doctor because he thought I had anxiety and panic attacks not side effects from Carvedilol. I was desperate and took it at the time. Paxil got me through tapering off Carvedilol and then I had to taper off Paxil myself too. It unfortunately isn't just my doctor that does this.

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

MashaSep 3

LighthousePaxil · holding

How did your Paxil taper go

Paxil — 20 mg — 20 years. Went off now back on — holding
Trazadone 25 mg
Buspar 5 mg two times a day
Ativan .25 at night

PoppyAbbySep 3

Community AnchorPaxil · active

@Masha It went fairly well. I did and still do have some withdrawal symptoms. I was on 10mg of Paxil for 5 months before I started tapering. I've been doing ok so far but I am cautious to say I'm done because I have just been taking it a day at a time. I probably won't say I am officially done with Paxil until I am off about 6 months to make sure I don't have or get protracted withdrawal.

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

MashaSep 3

LighthousePaxil · holding

I hear these slow tapers and I just can’t believe what I was guided to do

Paxil — 20 mg — 20 years. Went off now back on — holding
Trazadone 25 mg
Buspar 5 mg two times a day
Ativan .25 at night

PoppyAbbySep 4

Community AnchorPaxil · active

@Masha, if anything you have the tools and this forum of support to get you through when you are ready to start tapering again. It is a smart move to stay on Paxil until you are very stable.

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

MashaSep 4

LighthousePaxil · holding

@PoppyAbby. I’m very grateful for this site. I was so misguided it’s hard to trust anything these days!

Paxil — 20 mg — 20 years. Went off now back on — holding
Trazadone 25 mg
Buspar 5 mg two times a day
Ativan .25 at night

PoppyAbbySep 4

Community AnchorPaxil · active

@Masha me too! 💗

Paxil — 2.5mg — 7 months — actively tapering
Paxil- 0.00mg-08/14/26

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