Tolerance after 7 years?

[DenverWagner]

Hello,

I have been taking 10mg of paroxetine for 7 years now. As far I as know, this is a low dose. I never changed it. I am wondering whether after all these years the medication still has any chemical effect on me. My GP suggested that after all this time it is possible that it is now just a placebo, since my brain may have become completely used to it. Is this likely? I do have withdrawal symptoms when I forget to take a dose, and the three or so times I tried to stop it, I only managed to be off it for about a month and had to come back.

I am wondering whether my dose needs increasing after 7 years on the same amount. Recently I've been going through a rough emotional patch that reminds me of the symptoms that first led me to paroxetine. I can't help but feel that I might not be feeling it if my dose had been increased over the years.

Thank you for your help!

Edited November 16, 2017 by DenverWagner

[Winston12]

Hi I’m new here and just came across your post.  I was on 20mg for 13 years and for most of that time it worked pretty well.  In the last while I needed to increase to 30mg (under doctors instructions) and unfortunately it didn’t help as we had hoped.  I’ve now stopped and gone straight onto another one (only day 2) so not sure how it’s working yet. So to answer your question I’m thinking it is possible that your system is used to it after 7 years and you may need to adjust the amount or type of AD.  But please don’t do without medical advice. 

[WackoSirJacko]

On 11/26/2017 at 8:46 AM, Winston12 said:

Hi I’m new here and just came across your post.  I was on 20mg for 13 years and for most of that time it worked pretty well.  In the last while I needed to increase to 30mg (under doctors instructions) and unfortunately it didn’t help as we had hoped.  I’ve now stopped and gone straight onto another one (only day 2) so not sure how it’s working yet. So to answer your question I’m thinking it is possible that your system is used to it after 7 years and you may need to adjust the amount or type of AD.  But please don’t do without medical advice. 

What did you go onto and has it worked?

[Winston12]

I’ve gone onto venflaxine (effexor), I’ve only been on it a week but I am starting to feel improvements, ups and downs but it is early days 

[jeffreyd]

I was on Paxil for about 13 years. I gradually increased the dosage until I was at 40 or 50mg, I can't remember, but I know it was the max the psychiatrist allowed. I was told your body does start to get used to it (it loses its efficacy) after time, hence the increases in dosage. The doc did add Wellbutrin (Bupropion) towards the end, as it can help boost the effect of some SSRIs. I felt it was not working that well so I switched to Effexor, then Vibryd, then Lexapro, and now I am back on Paxil again (25mg) for two weeks...  I was always cautious before increasing my dosage, as I wanted to take the least possible. So I would see how long the current feelings lasted. If they went on for a few months, I knew I probably needed to increase the dosage. There are some normal ups and downs in life, so I wanted to make absolutely sure I thought the drug was becoming less effective.  7 years is a decent amount of time, so your body may be used to it. But as the other person said, make sure you talk to your doc before making any changes. 

[Hamish19]

Since you already show signs of withdrawal syndrome on Paxil, when you decide to discontinue the medication, taper slowly and do not stop taking it abruptly.  Cold-turkey, or abrupt withdrawal is pretty severe on your system and can cause many horrible effects, from rage to brain zaps to dementia symptoms.  I experienced these and more when I discontinued Paxil.  It is recommended to start with a 10% taper rate and then use your body as a guide whether you can go faster or slower.  When I first started to taper slowly, I could do tapers of 1 MG (My original dose was 20MG), but as I got lower in doses I had to go slower.