I talked with my psy and he told me to go slower if i need to. To give myself 3-4 more days between one dose adjustment and the other. I started on weekly based adjustments - 2.5 mg. But was too fast for me. Now in something like 10 days I should be completely off.
News: I'm off paroxetine for two days. A little dizzy but really I not doing too badly. I have some problems sleeping but that's all. At least fot now. I should see the next days how I'm koping.
For this reason I was a little absent theese days. I'm not staying at home. I manage better if I go out and if I'm not thinking too much.
The side effects are slowly disappearing. The only problem is the sleep. Maybe is for the hot weather but I tend to go to sleep really late. Even if I'm staying in bed and relaxing and feel like I will fall asleep.
The dizziness is almost gone or I'm getting used to. :)
For now I don't really now how I'm doing without the meds. I feel over the edge and a little out of control. Like an emotional storm or something like that. The doc told me that i normal to feel like that. In a week or two maybe I can answer to this question.
For now I'm just glad to be off.
The scariest part of stopping them is the fear to be unable to cope without. Is a sort of psychological addiction.
I'm sorry Diva for your hairy friend. I know too well how you feel. I lost my older dog one month and a half ago... The only thing you can do is offer to your friend all your love. And they know it. In the period when she was sick I had lots of bad dreams too. But I believe that were only the emotions that I couldn't express during the day. It was worst to see her ill than when she passed away. She was old (17) but it was a tumor....
In Italy there is a legend that's called "Il ponte dell'Arcobaleno" - The Rainbow Bridge. It is told that every pet when he had enough of this world will cross that bridge and go to meet all his freinds. And that he always will live in our hearts. Don't be afraid to cry it is your friend.
Today I was going to do some shopping with this lady (i cannot call her friend anymore).
We met today but... here goes the but. She was meeting other two persons and was going to have a coffee. The funny thing was that one of the guyes asked me if I wanted to join them and her told me to do what I wanted to.
I told her that I was going home and that she should at least told me. Then I send her a sms. I told her that if she wants to be my friend she shoud first of all respect me as a person and that no one is at her service.
I don't know if it was to tough but it wasn't the first time she acted like this.... NO COMMENT!
First of all you have to draw a balance. The help you get from the meds and the side effects of taking them.
You have to think seriously if you can manage without and if your problem in stopping them is the fear to go without or that you really need them to help you get some balance.
You have to put fears aside and concentrate on the effects, and side effects.
Put all this on paper or in your mind if you are an organized person. Than have a good talk with your psy and see what hr thinks of. If he tells you that you are ready to manage without the meds it is time to make this decision. Only after you make your mind try to understand what is the best strategy to quit and if you have to challenge a possible psicological addiction.
But first of all you have to be sure that it is time to stop.
And another thing after stopping give yourself time to assess how you are feeling. In the first period you will feel edgy and so on. Only after you get "clean up" from the meds you can assess how are you doing.
