I was crying, then I found your
Web site and now I am laughing or was I laughing
and now I am crying, I don't remember but anyway
I took your test and then I took it again because
I was so sure I would score high. I want to
laugh again so badly.
I am on day four of "no Paxil" and
have endured two weeks of slow weaning torture.
I had to think a lot about with your question
of what would be worse, an evening with Jack
the Ripper or Paxil because I think I did spend
one night with him recently. That was about
as much fun as trying to talk to a car repair
guy today when I felt like Linda Blair doing
the head trick. He asked if I was ok and I replied
that I was fine, and I was, compared to yesterday.
My drug came as a result of a Cancer scare which
was caused by Estrogen my GYN
shoved in a bag during the discovery that I
was Menopausal. She then gave me Paxil to take
care of any anxiety I had over her almost killing
me with the Estrogen. God, I feel better now,
I really do. I can not look down at my breast
scar as it makes me dizzy. My husband can't
look at my breast because the thought of sex
repulses me. I am not worried about dying anymore
because I wish I would. See she knew what she
was doing. And so this is what it is like, taking
good care of yourself.
I have been blessed with all
of the side affects of this drugs withdrawal
symptoms. My first was actually the funniest,
no make that the only funny one. The rest have
nearly killed me to be honest. I got up one
morning and on the way to the bathroom I saw
my face in a mirror. I stood there wondering
who it was. I tried to push and pull my face
back into shape. It looked like my face was
made of rubber and somehow during the night
had gotten pulled out of place. It reminded
me of 1971 and my first and last experience
with Mr. Doobie. I have always been a been fan
of reality so I never had much interest in drugs.
Aging and having a five year old to care for
has pushed me into taking better care of my
health and that's when my problems began I guess.
My first sign was Ms. Putty face in the mirror
but my second was the return of night sweats.
Then they came fast and furious. I was talking
to a co-worker when I felt a "zing"
in my head. I ran to my office and closed the
door, sure I was having a stroke. I felt it
over and over, jolts of electrical currents
running through my head. I stayed there all
day slumped over my desk till I crawled out
after everyone had left and drove home. I crawled
into bed at home and endured many more during
the night. I called in sick the next day and
during the morning I realized I had not taken
my vitamins or Paxil in several days. I took
two Paxil and in what seemed like an hour, the
jolts stopped. I got on the Internet and ran
up Paxil withdrawal. I never cry, never. I cried
all day. I knew I was in for a ride
having been given a small sample. I was scared
and I was pissed which makes me laugh now because
that was before I met RAGE. Oh how I now know
what rage feels like. It is powerful, dark and
it lingers just below the surface sometimes
emerging just enough to give you a glimpse before
it goes back under. It entices you to let it
come out and show its power. I have a respect
and fear of its power but also a new respect
for my determination and willpower as it will
not emerge, not on my watch, but I digress.
I got information on withdrawal from sites like
this. I made a list and I went shopping. I bought
Dramamine, Advil Migraine, Vitamin B12 and water.
I cut my 20mg into half for three days, then
quarters. I had the luxury of going to an office,
locking the door and letting the demons loose.
I did not "CALL MY DR BEFORE GOING OFF
THIS MEDICATION" and that was a good thing,
trust me. When I had to go home at nights, I
begged my husband to keep our daughter away
from me. One of our dogs crossed my path on
a bad night. I had a fork in my hand and rage
came to visit. I shook, fought and I won but
no one should ever have to be put through this.
I cry every time I think of my sweet dog who
loves me so much and how badly I wanted to hurt
him. What are they thinking to give this to
us and make us suffer the fires of HELL on Earth.
We were hurting and we were given something
to make us feel better. We were vulnerable and
we were trusting. You look at the Web pages
and you see words on every page that describe
this as HELL and you know that two weeks into
it you are still maybe months away from being
out of its grasp. Prior to this I never knew
a moment in my life of rage. I have it in me
now. For how long I do not know but just knowing
that it is there scares me. Anger always came
slowly and quietly to me, now rises up in my
throat with no warning.
My sister just called and told me in a quite
voice that I had been a little "sharp"
with her this past Saturday. I have been a full
out hating, snarling beast inside and letting
out as little as possible. She said I had never
used the tone of voice I used with her that
day and I know she was hurt. I thought the day
was excellent and felt other than my eyes rolling
around in my head and the world spinning around
me at light speed I had done pretty well. The
Dramamine works wonders on the nausea and the
headaches are held at bay by the Advil. My leg
cramps were less severe last night and for the
first time in weeks I woke up without the pain
in my jaws from clenching them all night. I
read a newspaper today and I talked to my husband.
My ears are ringing and the swishing never stops
but maybe it will someday soon.
I do not know the why or the how of this drug,
how it came to be that no one realized what
it would do to us. I read your Web page because
I want to laugh at this but I can not. I am
a very strong woman who has endured very much
adversity in my life. From a childhood of abuse
to 16 years in a very unhappy marriage. I pulled
myself through all of this and then walked into
a DR's office and had my world shattered into
rubble by a little pink pill. I want to go to
her office tomorrow. I want to rip open that
closet full of freebies and I want to throw
them away or slip them into her drink every
day and then stop. I don't know what I want
to do. I want her to know what her little pink
pill did to me, to others. If I am strong, if
all of us made it to the Web page because we
are smart and strong, what happens to the rest
? Who helps the ones who can't help themselves.
Are those the ones we read about who "passed
suddenly"? Then it is our responsibility
to speak out about this atrocity. I will, when
the world stops spinning.
I just wanted to tell you "thank
you" for your web site, it has given me
the courage to quit paxil. I started to quit
paxil when the infamous "sniper" attacks
started happening here in the DC area. (I live
in Fredericksurg, VA where two of the shootings
happened.) Luckily, in conjunction with your
web site, I didn't give up even though it was
tough going outside.....I was afraid not only
for myself but my son because this idiot had
no regards for children either. But I am currently
down to 10 mgs....waiting for some small side
effects I am having to eventually work its way
out, I will keep you informed on how it is going.
Thank you also for the mention of the liquid
paxil, my NP didn't even know it existed until
I took upon myself to do some research.
I was just checking out your site because I
just started taking paxil a
short while ago. I admit that at first it seemed
like my prayers had been
answered. It wasn't long however before I started
to experience the side
affects. The worst part was I was quite misinformed
and thought there was
nothing wrong with what I was going through
or what I was doing to myself. I
even thought the doctor should perscribe me
a stronger dosage.
I've dealt with alot of horrible things in my
life. Managed to wheather
some of lifes hardest battles. Being a former
U.S. marine, I was built to
deal with stress. Recently life through another
curve at me and I was having
so much trouble with it I sank into a deep depression
and my nerves got so
bad that I just had to seek medical help. Enter
paxil.
As I said I began to experience quite a few
side affects of the drug.
But by far the worst was when I would sit there
at night and start playing
with knives. Then one night I just started cutting
myself in the arm. A few
nights later I stood in front of a mirror and
cut my face. This didn't even
seem strange to me. I didn't even question my
sanity over this.
Over time I got past my problem and was ready
to move on with life.
Hence the decision to quit taking paxil. The
next night I began crying
uncontrollably which progressed into a nervous
breakdown. It got so bad that
I drank until I passed out in my chair and fell
onto the floor. My kids
found me the next morning asking me if I was
OK.
My wife decided to look up information about
paxil on the net and came
to me with a load of information I was entirely
unaware of about the drug.
So I started checking around myself about withdrawl
and found this
site. Thank you so much giving me such useful
knowledge about this. I'm
still in withdrawl but now that I know about
it. It should make it much
easier for me.
As I'm writing my story, tears
are running down my cheeks. You see, my doctor
changed my prescription from Zoloft to Paxil
about 9 months ago. I started a treatment with
Zoloft and Xanax back in 1997 when a series
of panic attacks almost destroy my life. My
doctor said that after so many years it was
time to change to a non-habit forming medication
(Paxil). I was also tired of taking medications
every day especially now that my panic attacks
were gone.
About a month ago, I decided I was going to
stop the Paxil and the Xanax all together, cold
turkey (never thought about the consequences).
The first week and a half I was fine. I thought
to myself "piece of cake". Boy, was
I for a big surprise. Two weeks ago, out of
the blue, I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded
all the time. I was feeling like someone rang
the Liberty Bell and the vibration went straight
into my head and stayed there. I was having
trouble sleeping, I felt disoriented, sad, would
cry for everything, etc. I had sore throat;
body aches and migraine-like headache. But the
funniest thing, if there is something funny
about this withdrawal, is that it was only three
days ago when it ocurred to me that this could
be the withdrawal symptoms from Paxil. That's
when I decided to look for more info in the
internet. Thank God I found your site. I feel
so alleviated. I was beginning to have horrible
thoughts about what I was going feeling. Now
I know that they will eventually go away. It
is just a matter of time. And if I have come
this far, I will not going to look back. Thanks
again for letting me know that I am not alone
in this.
Sandra
Greetings! I am a 31 year old
female radio anchor and have been
taking Paxil since 1995. It was originally prescribed
for generalized
anxiety and I was familiar with SSRI medications
after taking Prozac
for five years and quitting without incident.
I am convinced there is
something seriously wrong with the chemical
makeup of Paxil, as each time
I try to quit it I am faced with what feels
like severe electrical shocks
to the back of my head, hot flashes, night sweats
and lucid nightmares,
hypersensitivity to sound, and fits of crying.
I recently tried to switch
from 30mg of Paxil per day to the new Controlled
Release
form of Paxil, called "Paxil CR".
If anyone out there has heard of this drug
and wondered if it is a solution, let me dissuade
you from trying it. I suffered from
almost every side affect on this website, and
by day seven I was unable to work
due to hypersensitivity to wearing headphones
and slurred speech. My vocabulary
and language useage was also disabled, which
affected my ability
to write news and even make sense at times.
Naturally, I am back on
the drug and free of withdrawal symptoms (except
for sore spots on either side of the back of
my neck), but each time
I have an experience like this I have to face
the fact that I'm addicted to
something the FDA calls "non habit forming."
I urge any and
all of you to visit fda.gov and report your
experience with Paxil
withdrawals. The release of this drug without
the proper warnings was
a mistake, and mistakes like this cannot be
rectified unless they
are reported. NONE OF
YOU ARE ALONE in your suffering.
Express myself freely? OK...
I'm angry. First I get struck down with depression,
which is hell enough in & of itself. My
life was just ticking along & POW! I had
the rug jerked out from under me. I'm a psychology
major in college (make that "was"
since I'm on medical leave now because of all
this BS) so I "knew" there were psychotrophics
that I could turn to. Paxil... oh, I've read
good stuff about Paxil. It addresses a large
spectrum of disorders. Sure, let's give it a
try. Not only did it NOT alleviate my depression,
it made me sicker than a dog. So my MD took
me off it (from 20 mg down to 10 & then
off altogether). I was bummed about my continuing
depression but I was glad to be off the meds
since they were making me feel so physically
crummy. Little did I know that there would come
a day I would beg to merely feel "crummy".
As it stands now, I'm more depressed than I
was, I'm on medical leave from school &
I have 99% of the Paxil withdrawal symptoms
listed on this site. Today I had seizures. I'm
beginning to wonder what's next, but maybe I'm
afraid of that answer. This site is THE only
hope I've come across & for that, I thank
you from the bottom of my heart. When my friends
are bummed out, I always tell them "Live
in hope" & I guess it's time I follow
my own advice. While it pains me to no end to
know others suffer with this, too, it does at
least make me feel better to know I'm not crazy.
THANKS for your work in this area!!!
Bro, You have no idea
how much your sitehas eased my mind. I thought
I was dying last night. I was having whacky
strong ass dreams. On top of that it almost
felt like i had a panic attack in my dream.
And everytime I would start to fall back to
sleep I would get the zaps, and start losing
my marlbles. It is so true about " thinking
your losing your sanity". Its was very
nerve racking. I am 1 week and 4 days into cold
turkey. Hopefully all goes well
After many years on Nortryptoline,
I was recommended to take Paxil. That was over
four years ago. After taking 20mg
for four years, I saw a new doctor who just
one month ago increased my dosage to 30mg. I
also took a 1/2-mg or 1/4-mg of Xanax on
a need-be basis. Last week as my supply ran
out, I decided that I was not satisfied with
the medication, and terminated the drug that
same day (last Sunday) with no intermediary
process.
Let me tell you about my week:
1. I feel as though my brain views the world
at shudder speed of an old 1930's movie camera.
2. A new definition to the term Vertigo is definitely
required - Hitchcock would have enjoyed my perspective.
3. Dissatisfaction was at an all-time high.
So much so that I unsolicited told my wife I
wanted to move from Hong Kong immediately. In
fact, I told her that I was planning to take
a two-month trip just to clear my head. Keep
in mind I have a three-year-old boy and a seven-week-old.
She wasn't sure if her auditory system wasr
if I had simply lost it.
4. Dreams, let's pass on this one, you can't
even imagine what my brain has concocted over
the past seven nights.
5. Oddly there was an increase in calmness
not irritability. Perhaps because I have felt
so detached that it is hard for me to lose my
temper.
6. Hysterical crying - I could watch a Selfridges
commercial and wet my hankie.
7. Appetite - I can't stop eating.
8. Inability to exercise - as a result of the
vertigo, up until this afternoon, I could barely
walk ten yards with any sort of comfort.
The good news, I hope, is that I have made it
through the most difficult phase. For the first
time since last Sunday, I actually am starting
to feel that I am on the up and up. No
fear of Panic or anxiety. Just praying that
I didn't abuse my brain beyond repair. In
short, it was cold turkey at its finest. I felt
like Gene Hackman in the French Connection,
really. I will gladly keep you updated
on this unique case study of mine, me. I am
the guinea pig who was so tired of four years
of TMJ as a result of the Paxil (yes brutal
TMJ can result from the drug for which I have
had botox injections, taken clonozopam to
reduce the pain...). Thanks for hosting
this site, I only wish it was available when
I first confronted this ailment when I was 29
in 1992.
But it's a blessing that its here for
both newcomers and veterans like ourselves.
Kind regards, Steve
Hi. I am a 39-yr old graduate
student working on a PhD in Sociology. For most
of my adult life, I have been depressed (and
untreated), and yet have been pretty high functioning.
I have been on Paxil twice in the past six years.
I was on 30 mg and weaned myself off very slowly,
and I do remember having symptoms like the ones
described on your webpage. But before I found
the page, I did go and have a CAT scan because
all I could describe to my doctor was that I
was having these weird dizzy spells. I also
had an inner ear exam, but the doctor said my
ears were fine, and it was just stress (I was
the coordinator for a national public health
project). Now I have been on Paxil again for
two years (30 mg), and my doctor and I had discussed
a "med vacation." I think paxil has
been interfering with my studies because I have
developed a very nonchalant attitude towards
my work. It is very unlike me, and I fear has
affected my reputation at school. I am studying
for one of my major exams, and felt that I needed
to get my old energy and some helpful anxiety
back in my life. So, I did a much more rapid
cutback this time (without talking to my doctor,
I admit). I went from 30 mg, to six days of
15 mg, and then off. I am on the fourth day
of no paxil, and it is pretty rough. I have
the dizziness, the "shocks", and the
shoop-shoop noise in my head. I call it the
"hula hoop in my head." I am crying
at the least provocation, and last night I had
my first funky dreams. I can't remember what
they were. All I know is that I felt I needed
to sleep with the light on. My doctor is on
vacation, but we have an appointment in two
weeks. I really want to be off Paxil, so I am
going to try and tough it out. I am taking comfort
in the knowledge that I can put a name to what
is happening to me, and I will keep in mind
the suggestions others have posted. I am looking
forward to posting a success story SOON! Now,
off to get another glass of water. Thanks for
the forum. Cindy
I'm a university professor who
was prescribed paxil for clinical depression
two years ago. I stayed on 20mg most of the
time and then dropped to 10mg for a few months.
To try and get off I cut to 5mg which was initially
tough but after a month I got the hang of it.
Now I'm in my 7th day post-paxil wondering when
the sloshing in my brain will quit. Your site
has been a tremendous help to me. My doctor
wanted me to stop cold turkey at 10mg which
I might have been foolish enough to try had
I not visited the site. I now know that would
have been disaster.
You're helping many people, so thank you so
much
I am a 23 year old mother of
two small children. I was prescribed Paxil after
going through post traumatic distress disorder
due to the September 11th attacks in NYC. I
wish that my doctor would have educated me on
the withdrawal symptoms and side affects associated
with taking this poorly dispensed drug. I was
so depressed after Sept. 11, and have been on
short term disability due to the depression,
anxiety and panic disorders I have developed
.Now, some four months following the attack,
I am starting to come out of the fog and trying
to return to normalcy. I was taking Paxil 20
mg, and then my MD amped the medication dosage
to 30mg. After two weeks on Paxil 30mg, I started
to have brain seizures.
I then marched to the MD with my two horrified
babies, and demanded to be taken off this awful
drug. I was weaned off for four days, and now
January 24, 2002 is my forth day without the
paxil. I have experienced severe migraines,
convulsions, seizures, impulses traveling throughout
my body as if I am being electrocuted from head
to toe. I have been sleepless, had nightmares
if I am able to catch an hour of sleep. I have
also had severe hot flashes and cold chills,
and I am so irritable!!!! I am so
upset because my mood is generally well, but
my physical well being suffers, as well as my
children. I feel like a very incompetent mother
in this stage. I am very optimistic, and I know
that I will come out of this a survivor.
I thank you so much for your wonderful website,
to allow me to understand the symptoms better,
as well as provide myself with support and encouragement,
at a time when nobody understands unless you've
gone through it!
Hi, I am a school psychologist
and have been taking Paxil for about 5 years...I
began when depression became so severe I entered
the psych ward...another hospitalization when
the 30mg seemed to be inadequate...another 10
added, and last year another 10 bringing me
to a total of 50mg daily for depression. Two
weeks ago, an argument during which I realize
I was not rational and I was faced with another
increase. My therapist (a genius) suggested
I try Wellbutrim, but with the holidays coming
and the lack of available mental health workers,
my doctor was hesitant for me to face (medication-free)
the holidays with my dysfunctional Addams Family-like
relatives. He cautioned me not to decrease,
but I stubbornly have persisted. All I can say
is...wow. What a horrible experience. First
I thought I had the flu, then a brian tumor,
then MS, and then about every disorder described
in the DSM. I have never been one to have attorneys
right wrongs, but this really is a difficult
drug to!
withdraw from...I hope the drug industry
takes these accoutns seriously...I am determined
to quit...tomorrow I will have decreased to
10 mg...
Like others, here,
who have experienced the nasty side of paroxetine,
I, too, am taking high-end academic qualifications.
I say this this only because these activities
require a mind that's functioning well. This
drug did not help in that respect (confusion.)
And I suffered complete loss of libido (erections
- non-existent.) These side-effects did eventually
lessen.I took the drug for two years (a bad
divorce)reducing it to an effective maintenance
dose of 5mg/day. The real problems began when
I decided one day to abruptly stop it. I felt
good but was tired of the lingering sexual dysfunction
and other side-effects. I'm aware of the 'weaning
off' process but figured the dose was low enough
not to matter. Within two days I became extremely
irritable. This quickly turned to overt aggression.
By the end of the week I was confronting and
threatening ordinary folks in my local town
(not to mention my family.) Finally,I stole
a bottle of wine from asupermarket, in full
view of customers.
This was an act of sheer provocation, not theft
(I couldn't have cared less about the goods.)
As expected, I was confronted by the Store Manager.
I expected to be violent but, stangely, that
didn't happen. I'd not have believed then that
I was capable of stopping myself. Yet, prior
to this, I've never stolen, nor felt the inclination
to steal, in my life. I've never experienced,
previously, anything like the feelings of aggression.
Odd, isn't it, that this should correspond to
dropping paroxetine (and vanish in due course.)
There's no question that the behaviour was not
caused by the drug..or its sudden absence.
Now, thanks to GlaxoSmithKline, an incompetent
lawyer, and a ridiculously unaware/unsympathetic
judge, I have an embarrassing conviction for
minor theft. If I had been violent it would
be worse. I believe the effects of these drugs
must be urgently re-examined.
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