I just started 5mg of Paxil last night and have no side effects. I was wondering what is the recommended plan for dosage increases? My GP is letting me run the show because he trusts my reasoning. I really appreciate him!
If I continue to have no side effects on 5mg, I will increase to 10mg after a few days. I will then increase by 5mg incraments every 2 weeks, till I get to the target dose of 20mg.
Hey Darren,
I would increase to 10mg’s after a week. And going up every 2 weeks sounds like a good plan. If you are tolerating it well you could increase every 7 days. I’m so glad you are on Paxil. I know in my heart this is the one for you.
Keep me posted my friend!
Elisha
Thanks for the advice Elisha. Im not sensitive to medication so Im not shy about titrating fairly quickly. Does 20mg sound like a good target dose to aim for?
And thanks for the charisma, you are such an awesome friend. 
I waited at least 7 days to increase my SSRIs, mainly to give myself a chance to let the side effects pass, and I did have side effects when I started my very first SSRI.
I agree with Elisha, if you are not having side effects, you could increase by 5mg every 7 days rather than waiting two weeks so you could get to your target dose more quickly.
I seem to remember that 20mg is the minimum therapeutic dose with Paxil for depression so that does seem like a good target dose. Or you could stop at 15mg for a couple weeks and see how you feel there and if no improvement, go up to 20mg. Sometimes for migraine, we don’t need what is considered the minimum therapeutic dose to treat depression and sometimes we do.
Good luck, hope this one is the magic drug for you 
Hi Darren,
20 mg is the full dose for most people. If you are tolerating it well you might as well head up to 20 within a few weeks.
Guess how much I am on? 2.5 mg. You read that right. At this micro-dose it keeps me from falling into a MAV hell hole. Amazing but probably something to do with the high affinity this stuff has for serotonin receptors in the brain.
Scott
— Begin quote from “scott”
Guess how much I am on? 2.5 mg. You read that right. At this micro-dose it keeps me from falling into a MAV hell hole. Amazing but probably something to do with the high affinity this stuff has for serotonin receptors in the brain.
Scott
— End quote
Or it’s proof that homeopathy really does work… 
— Begin quote from “Victoria”
Or it’s proof that homeopathy really does work…
— End quote
In order for that to be true I’d have to first lob and dissolve a 2.5 mg piece into the Pacific Ocean off the headland at South Bondi, wait for 3 months while the waves “succussed” it all up, draw some sea water into a cup, desalinate it, and then put 3-4 drops under my tongue (note: not 5 drops else there is a real possibility of an overdose). If I continued to feel well, then there you go – a single, unblinded, non-randomised controlled trial with a sample size of one: Homeopathy works.
— Begin quote from “scott”
Hi Darren,
20 mg is the full dose for most people. If you are tolerating it well you might as well head up to 20 within a few weeks.
Guess how much I am on? 2.5 mg. You read that right. At this micro-dose it keeps me from falling into a MAV hell hole. Amazing but probably something to do with the high affinity this stuff has for serotonin receptors in the brain.
Scott
— End quote
Thanks for the advice everyone!
Scott, I chose Paxil because of its high affinity for serotonin in the hope that I wont need a high dose to get the benefits I need.
— Begin quote from “ichbindarren”
I just started 5mg of Paxil last night and have no side effects. I was wondering what is the recommended plan for dosage increases? My GP is letting me run the show because he trusts my reasoning. I really appreciate him!
If I continue to have no side effects on 5mg, I will increase to 10mg after a few days. I will then increase by 5mg incraments every 2 weeks, till I get to the target dose of 20mg.
— End quote
20mg Paxil is the full dose for depression but it’s possible you may need less for migraine prophylaxis.
Paxil has a short half life but your body will need additional time to adjust to it, so I would take 5mg for longer than a few days to see its effect before increasing to 10mg.
Thanks for the advice Wexan!
If Paxil works, how soon can I expect to see results?
Darren,
Really hope the Paxil works for you! After 5 weeks of 15 mg of nori, I am starting to have more dizzy days than good ones. 
having some new weird feelings, too. It’s a shame because I had some great days. Might be looking for something new if things don’t turn around in the next few weeks. Please keep us posted on the progress! Wishing you many good days ahead!
Peace,
Jen
Jen, sorry to hear about the Nori not working so well! That seems to have happened to a lot of us recently, even though Nori is generally excellent for most people. I hope it ends up working for you though!
Jen,
I read your post and have to tell you this…
I know its crazy and its only been a 1 DAY!. But I tried to move up to 15 and it made me dizzier, not alot but a little bit, and I couldn’t sleep.
After about 1 week or so, I decided to try again, but this time with only 12.5mg. And to my suprise, no increased dizziness, and actually felt the best I have felt. Yesterday was a good day! I never have days like that, so Im convinced it was not a coincidence. I thought could 2.5mg make a difference over night.
My mom said yes, because I have already been on 10mg for over a month. Shouldn’t count my luck just yet, but wanted to share with you.
Darren, Im interested to see how paxil works for you. I was thinking of trying it or celexa again, if nort didn’t help. Still hoping I wont need to.
K
Kristine,
Glad that the nori might be working for you now! I am a little frustrated because I had two great weeks on 15 mg, but the past 5 days haven’t been good. Downward head/eye motion is giving me trouble, and each day I have a general feeling of disconnectedness(if that’s a word)I thought it may be the weather-we’ve gone from 70 degrees to 30 degrees and snow,back to 70 and sunny in 5 days. Weighing my options: hold out for another week to see how things go, go up to 20 mgs, call my doc about trying something else. Trying to stay positive because at this point I am still able to work, etc., but I’ve kind of cut my social life short.
Darren, have you seen any changes with the dizziness on Paxil?
Peace,
Jen
I got a little impatient so I decided to jump to 10mg last night. Today I woke up feeling better than I have in a long time. I dont think its a coincidence either because I have felt pretty bad the past few weeks. I still have no negative side effects. My brain sure seems to be agreeing with the Paxil, I cannot believe I made improvements so quickly.
Wow, Darren, that’s great news! Have you seen a difference in the imbalance/dizziness from downward head motion? I know it bothered you when you were taking nori, and it is definitely a huge problem for me. Do you think Paxil has made a difference?
Wishing you many more good days!
Peace,
Jen
Jen, thanks for the well wishes!! I do feel a little better when looking downward. I’d say that all my symptoms were reduced by 40% today. I couldnt be happier about making this much progress on my first day of such a low dose. I cant wait to see what happens with more time and higher doses!
Day 2 on 10mg and I still feel a lot better. The head heaviness and lightheadedness is much better. But I still get dizzy when I move my head around fast. But I cant expect to feel perfect during my first week of medication at a sub-therapeutic dose haha.
Hi,
I just want to say that I’m so happy you are seeing such quick results. I’ve said it before…my doctor says on the right med things just continue to improve. With that being said, I dont want to take away from people who are seeing good results after suffering through the hard yards. Maybe the brain eventually will adjust, but if it’s a real good fit…it’s a lock and key and no need to wait months to see if there is an improvement?
I look forward to you getting better and better!
Kelley
Thanks kelley! Your doctors advice makes sense. If a medication is a good fit, then the results should be quick and I’d hope the response would be complete or near complete remission.
It sure sounds like the Paxil is a good fit with such fast positive results and no side effects. I wonder if I will continue to improve on 10mg or if I need a higher dose to hit remission. I would immagine that the medication cant do much after just 2 days, so I bet things will improve with a little more time on 10mg. Thoughts?