This site has been really helpful, not only to me but to my patients. I am a clinical psychologist and many of my patients have reported withdrawal symptoms from Paxil, as well as from other SSRI's. I have to admit, I was like many of therapists and physicians mentioned on your page, in minimizing the withdrawal process, since it was not well-documented in the clinical trial literature. Let me just say now- "I'm a believer". After being on Paxil myself for about 1 year, I am now weaning myself off. Talk about withdrawal! I have the dizziness and irritability spoken about by other individuals. Today, I knew things were really bad, when at my son's play, a child, "the cow" failed to jump over "the moon" and was upset. I wanted to burst out crying, and could hardly keep from tears welling up in my eyes. At first, as much as I tend to "intellectualize" things regularly, I immediately thought I was going crazy or that the depression was back full force. It was so refreshing to read accounts from others that they have had similar experiences. I've been taking 1 20mg pill every 2 days, then every 3 days, now I'm on every 4 days, but it seems to be getting worse!!

Your information has helped me beyond description. After being on Paxil for 5 years, I asked my physician to prescribe an alternative. So, about a month ago he began decreasing and then eliminating the Paxil completely. The weaning off process lasted about 5 days. Then I started on Serzone. Of course I have the "flu like symptoms", but then about two weeks ago I began this phase that has been like a living hell. I am afraid to fall asleep because I have these overly vivid, bizarre dreams. I've gone from being a very "on top of things" employee to having the most horrendous difficulty with my short term memory. I have been terrified that I would die, or lose my mind in the process. I stumble at times when I walk and I have never had these kind of problems. I am apologizing daily to my co-workers and supervisor for my "dinginess". I do a lot of crying, which is a change, because on Paxil, crying was almost impossible. This is all so embarrassing and frightening. I pray that this!
 will end soon. Every day lately is a fight just to "hold on". Thanks for listening. Kathie

I was on paxil for almost two years. About three weeks ago, I decided to wean myself off of paxil after talking to my Dr. about it. Boy I didn't know what I was in for. As I got to a pill every other day I begin to have the most vivid and horrific nightmares. My husband would have to wake me because I would be screaming and crying. I too had electric type shock sensation in my head. I also experienced Irritability, confusion, a feeling of a swishing sound in my head when I moved my head, imbalance, Insomnia, and violent thoughts. I thought it was just me, until someone told me to look up this sight. The awful thing about this was that my 16 year old son was taking paxil occasionally for his anger (7 months). He was always so depressed. In July my son took his own life. I'd hate to think it was because of the symptoms of occasionally being off of paxil.
I believe this medication should be taken off the market. I write this in memory of my son hoping that others might realize their not alone. Thank you for your web sight S. Crow

Hi, I can't believe that there are other people dealing with what I am dealing with. I stopped the Paxil 7 days ago, and I am so moody and depressed. My doctor did not warn me...had I known I would be feeling like this, I would have waited to get off of it. It is December, I am finishing grad school and I have finals, but I don't care about it. I was dating someone wonderful with great potential, and he broke up with me because "one minute I was OK, and the next I wasn't" and "I would get mad at him for no reason." I messed that up and blame myself. I yell at everyone, and I just want to start caring about things again. I can't sleep at night, so that's a lot of fun because I dwell about the things that I have messed up. Lastly, I obsessively worry about everything. I want my sanity back for Christmas.

I just wanted to add that before this experience with Paxil withdrawal, I had no claims or ill feelings toward pharmaceutical companies. In fact, I always wanted to be a pharmaceutical sales representative. After this, I have changed my outlook on the pharmaceutical industry, I am determined to be a social activist against this type of abuse to patients and consumers.
 I see clearly now as a nurse that a lot of my hospice patients were on a SSRI like Paxil and including Paxil. I am concerned that because I was not educated on this subject that some of my terminally ill patients suffered due to SmithKline Beecham and other pharmaceutical companies negligence as well as my ignorance. Ninety-nine percent of my patients declined over a period of time prior to death and were unable to swallow their medicines, so they were abruptly taken off of their medicines, as well as Paxil and others like Paxil.
I am very concerned that due to being abruptly taken off of these types of medicines, they suffered these withdrawals and couldn't even verbalize it due to being comatose and near death. I could not imagine having these types of withdrawal symptoms while going through the dying process. I am more appalled by this than my own experience.
In one day this has become a very heart felt subject with me, especially now that I have experienced it for myself. I am and will be passionate regarding this subject. I will do what is legally, morally, and ethically necessary to see that this type of abuse to our consumers is ceased. This is my chance to do what every nurse and medical professional should do, and that is to be an advocate for the people we take care of and love, as well as ourselves.

I would like to thank you for your page. I thought I was the only one who is suffering from Paxil withdrawal. I am a Disabled Vietnam Veteran who suffers from severe PTSD. I thought that the dreams and nightmares were bad from that. Not on your life. When I try to back off the Paxil it is horrible. I get Agoraphobia, electric type shocking in my head, twitching feeling, cold sweats, sleep disorder, no sex drive, the list just goes on. I feel as if I am stuck with the Paxil for the rest of my life

I weaned myself 2 years ago, it was horrible for about 2 months, I could not even drive. But, finally the symptoms went away. The reason for taking Paxil was for panic attacks associated with mitral valve prolapse. I was off paxil for one year and had a baby, then relapsed and had to get on paxil again. Now I am trying to get off of paxil again, I have been on it for 19months. I am once again experiencing the dizziness , nausea, vertigo, etc. But, I am determined to get off of it for good this time. My father also experienced withdrawals from paxil. The first time doctors did not have a reason for the withdrawal symptoms, I am so thankful this is finally being brought to everyone's attention. This is horrible to go through. Something needs to be done for all of the people going through this.

After I stopped drinking (I'll have 2 years of sobriety in July), I thought I would try medication again. I was on 20mg of Paxil a day for 2 months before I started experiencing diminishing returns. The doctor (without interviewing me for more than five minutes, this would be the second time I spoke to the psychiatrist, the first interview lasted about ten minutes) upped my dosage to 30mg a day. I took this dosage for a month; the anxiety and depression were almost completely eliminated; however, I was sleeping between 12-16 hours a day. I really don't have that kind of time. I called my doctor again to let him know how badly the side-effects were whipping me, he decreased my dosage. After a couple of days at the lower dosage, I began to feel out of sorts again so, this time, I quit using Paxil altogether. My shrink told me that the side effects would only last a few days and, in a month, he would get me on a different medication. At this time, he made no mention of withdrawal symptoms and, truth be told, neither did the copy of the PDR I consulted.
Two days later, the dizzy spells started. Three days later, the dizziness was constant. That night, it was like all of the anxieties, all of inner demons that had been pent up over the four months I was on Paxil (and indeed over the years before) were screaming through my dreams. I did feel as if I were in the grips of an uncontrollable madness. I dreamed the world around me had melted away and that I had been shifted into an alternate reality, were the laws that governed the universe changed moment by moment and each change was worse than the last. While I am awake, my fingers constantly tingle, my heart feels like it wants to claw its way through my chest, I can not focus (this e-mail has been extremely difficult to concentrate on) for more than a few moments at a time, its like being trapped in a bell-tower where manic monks constantly yank unseen bell-cords.
I think I understand now where Poe was coming from when he wrote The Bells. Withdrawal from Paxil has colored my world with Lovecraftian paints. Its like those monsters that Lovecraft once imagined wandered in the "spaces between" have found a gateway in my cortex and they all want a chance to come through to experience this world. It has been a week and things just keep getting worse.

I cannot believe that there are others out there with the same symptoms as I have been feeling. I have experienced a feeling like my eyes couldn't keep up to the turning of my head, and extreme sweating and nausea. The worst is probably the rage I feel at absolutely nothing, triggered by anything. I have never had this problem before, and when I began lashing out at my two-year old, I knew there was really a problem. Now I just have to find a solution, as I have tried to get off Paxil four times!

The first time I went off Paxil, not knowing then what I know now, I lasted one month before starting again. It seemed to me that I had returned back to my usual anxiety/stress symptoms, for which I was prescribed Paxil. All of my symptoms disappeared within the first day of restarting the Paxil. I stayed on Paxil for some time and slowly weaned myself off Paxil the second time around. Nausea, diarrhea, imbalance, electric-type shocks in head and sometimes elsewhere, and vivid dreams reappeared. It was then I realized it wasn't me, but Paxil causing my symptoms. So I went back on Paxil and decided that I'd wean myself more slowly this third time around. I've yet to get the courage to begin the weaning. But, with the information in this website, I'm encouraged that "this too shall pass". I certainly do wish I'd been told about all of this prior to commencing the drug, for I most certainly would have requested something else. I told my doctor that I had taken Xanax years ago and did not want any part of that again. I had no trouble going off that as I was denied a prescription refill one day and got mad and started exercising every day and that helped. That was 10 years ago and I still exercise everyday. I do have to admit that Paxil has relieved me of my anxiety/stress symptoms, but makes me slightly sluggish at times and sleepy. I want my old energy back. Thank you for letting me vent and for this website.

hank you so much for this site. I thought I was going crazy, feeling like I was a hypochondriac. I am an RN and couldn't figure out what was going on with me. I even went to the doctor and was diagnosed with idiopathic vertigo, prescribed Antivert and given a brochure on exercises that can be done to eliminate any debris that may be in the inner ear. I never did the exercises but the medication did help with the spells did occur. The spells lasted about three weeks and quickly left just as fast as they had started. Those three weeks were very scary thinking terrible thoughts, eliminating any other causes, I was left thinking I must have a brain tumor. I remember telling my doctor that in a joking manner but it was still in the back of my mind. Something really weird was going on, something unexplained and that was very scary. Thank you so much.

Hey man I thank god I found your site. I am 18 year old male I thought I had a serious undiagnosed medical problems which caused me to have extreme anxiety. I have been glancing over it several times especially the withdrawal symptoms. I have all of the symptoms you have listed and it's been 4 months now since I quit paxil . I tapered too fast off of the damn drug but I wasn't notified by my doctor to taper off. I was on it for a year and quit within 3 weeks! I wanted to notify you of a few more withdrawal symptoms that I have experienced not listed on your site: Music abnormally stuck in my head playing over and over again, viral infection (herpes simplex), weird head twitches, feels like my brain is grinding back and forth (worse when exercising), derealization (don't feel here), jaw grinding. I also have had a rash on my face and really dry skin. After I quit paxil I was super scared that I had a medical problem because I read somewhere that a rash is a sign of a severe medical problem. Please advise people if you already did not to not believe anything they may think is wrong with them during the months after paxil. It is the withdrawal!!! Peace

This certainly is an evil little pink pill i've been taking for 2 years. I've been taking 20mg for 2 years and quit cold turkey 5 days ago. I experience almost all symptoms mentioned. The "shocks" are frequent, and concentration is almost non-existent. I find myself stumbling on simple words on occasion. I find that I have the most VIVID thoughts/dreams during the short(although feels like an eternity) time between awake and asleep. I take that back. Vivid is an understatment. The dream-like state is comparable to psychadelic drugs. Withdrawl from this drug is insane! I hate it! I took work off today because of it. And were i describe these withdrawal symptoms to my boss, he'd NEVER believe me. I'm so glad others have experienced these horrific symtoms. I thought I was begining to lose my mind. In closing I would like to say; This is an evil drug! Do not take it! Find an alternative. I wouldn't wish paxil withdrawal on my worst enemy!

I have taken many antidepressants over the years. They all have side effects. I finally ended up on Paxil and it really seemed to help my OCD and depression. I didn't like the sexual side effects, but otherwise it helped. I have been on Paxil for at least 8 years.

I tried a few years ago to stop, but the withdrawal was so severe that I simply could not do it. Since it does help with my OCD symptoms, I decided to keep taking it. In fact, I even recommended it to my sister, who also has OCD.

I recently had an allergic reaction and I wasn't sure what it was from so I decided to wean myself from the Paxil. I dropped from 10 mg to 5 mg a week ago and for the past 3 days have had insomnia, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea.

At first I blamed stress since I'm transferring to new department on Monday (I work in a hospital). Then I thought perhaps I was coming down with the flu or something. I really felt crappy.

Today was the worst. I got called in to do a stat EEG and I could barely drive to work, I was so nauseated and dizzy. I felt weak and actually had the shakes like a freaking junkie.
I had a hunch it was withdrawal so I took an extra 5 mg before I went in. It wasn't until I started doing an EEG on a patient that I realized it was definitely the Paxil withdrawal. I dry heaved just from the smell of his hair (hypersensitivity to smell) and I am getting those annoying "zaps" that I felt last time I tried to quit. It's been 7 hours and the added dose is just starting to kick in.

I am in total fear of stopping this drug, especially with this new job coming up. I know what I went through last time I tried.

I really appreciate your factual and informative web site. Most doctors are not even aware this problem exists with Paxil. My family doctor doesn't.

Even my psychiatrist will not acknowledge that Paxil is addicting, although he knows it causes withdrawal symptoms in some patients. Well, I may be crazy, but I'm not *that* crazy to be imagining this stuff. This is a real phenomenon. The fact that so many people on this web site have described *exactly* how I am feeling proves to me that this is a problem with the medication.

Thanks to your advice, I am going to try the tapering method and hopefully will not suffer as badly as I did the first time.

I'm not against anti-depressants. Just Paxil. If I end up having problems again, I will try another brand. I never suffered from the other ones.

I am a 29 year old woman with a Master's Degree in Counseling. I took Paxil for only 2 months. When I mentioned to my Dr. that I wanted to stop taking the medication, he told me that it was important to ween off the medication. He told me what to do. He said that I might experience some mild side effects similar to those I experienced when starting the drug. These inital side effects were sleepiness and mild trembling. Well, I did experience those symptoms while weening off of the drug. However, 2 days after stopping the drug completely I began to experience a plethora of other effects: hot/cold flashes, extreme night sweats, nausea, upset stomach, and what I refer to as the "eight-ball effect." It is a sort of dizziness in which it feels as if my brain is constantly moving inside my head. I don't really think I will pass out, but at times it feels like I will. I called my DR. about the effects and he said that it was odd that I would experience these effects at t!
his point. He told me that withdrawl effects don't last after the drug is no longer being ingested. I'm so glad I found this website. I know my symptoms are a result of the Paxil and not some other illness. The thing that makes me angry is that if I hadn't found this website I would be going crazy with concern that I had a brain tumor or something. After all, people aren't dizzy for weeks at a time when they are perfectly healthy. I don't want to go back on the Paxil, so I will tough it out, but if I had realized that withdrawl is so common I would probably have opted against the medication in the first place. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAh- it's so frustrating!

I'm glad I stumbled across this site (well,not stumbled -- it's the first one that came up on a Google search of "paxil withdrawal). I'm a 46-year-old writer/editor with mild depression that's probably seasonally affected (I live in Alaska; the days get dark in the winter, you know?). I've been on Paxil twice since 1999, the last time for about 18 months. The first time I went off I went cold turkey (I didn't ask my doctor) and found the withdrawal to be a few days of headaches. This time, kaboom! the withdrawal has hit me full force. I had told my doctor I wanted to go off, having felt like life was under control and my depression manageable. She suggested a schedule of seven days at 10mg, half my usual 20mg/daily dose, then every other day for 10 days at 20mg. This worked out fine until I quit, and the past three days have been one strange experience. Of the checklist of symptoms, I'd say I have more than half, including the hula-hoop in the head (great phrase, that), slurred speech, dysphasia, and dizziness. Mind, I'm a writer and editor and stumbling over words and not being able to concentrate is not a good thing. Anyway, thanks for this site. I at least understand what's going on in my head and have some direction to getting off this weird drug. I do wish I'd known before going on how tricky going off would be. Mind you, Paxil works great and has helped me out, but in the long run, the cure just might not be worth going off the cure. We'll see.

My name is Jeff Kraus (31 years old) and I live in Toronto, Canada. I just found out about this site from watching a report on the canadian French language channel Radio-Canada. I almost burst into tears watching the report....feeling that there are people out there who have gone through this terrible experience and that they understand.
I began taking paxil in 1993 as I was very depressed. I took the drug for 6 years and decided to discontinue it the spring of 1999. I had terrible withdrawl symptoms....severe dizziness, terrible headaches but worst of all "electric zaps" (terminology borrowed from the TV report.) My "electric zaps" were what I would call "gaps" ....literally my limbs would move...but I couldn't control the movements....I can't even explain in words what I was experiencing....but I definitely knew it was something amiss with my neurological system.
I slowly came off the drug...it was an arduous experience. I eventually felt normal again... I thought everything was okay....
Things are not okay. Exactly two and a half years after having stopped taking paxil.... something has happened to me.
It happened exactly one year ago, November 2001. I was visiting a friend in Ottawa..and I was walking down a flight of stairs... I became so dizzy that I had to reach out for the wall. Not only that, but the "gaps" returned...my eyes felt like they were moving around when they shouldn't...etc.... I suddenly felt like I had when I was coming off paxil. I couldn't believe it...two and a half years later! I thought "this can't be.."...but the first thing that came to mind was...."Oh no....paxil"
When this terrible thing occurred last November, the first thing I said to my sister and mother was "I feel exactly like I did when I was having terrible withdrawl symptoms coming off paxil."
I have felt like this almost every single day for the past 12 months but I have not taken paxil since April 1999...
I swear that it has damaged me.
Over the past year I've been to my doctor, a neurologist, the dentist, optomitrist, and I'm going to a balance specialist next week. Neither my doctor or the neurologist listened to me when I told them about my theory that this maybe damage from paxil...they hadn't even heard of such complaints and dismissed this idea completely. None of the tests have shown anything...at one point I was hoping they'd find a tumour on my brain just so I could have an anwer and some hope. I really thought that I was going crazy.
I don't know if you have any other people who have experienced such symptoms years after having stopped....but I am not a liar...and my life has been a living hell for the past 12 months.
At this point I'm not sure what to do. I can still function, I work, I exercise...I even ran a half marathon...but I have consant dizziness and neurological "gaps" (and that's not even a good explanation of what I'm feeling.) I don't know who to go see or what to do. (I probably will after looking at the site in detail..but because I just found out about it... I really needed to write this to you...)