[betsy_still_tokes]

Actually, this isn't Betsea, this is her boyfriend. I have been taking Paxil for two years and now I want to stop. The reason is simple - I don't have a perscription drug plan, so it's getting pricey. Also, it seems to decrease my sexual desire and performance.
The problem is the withdrawl symptoms, Every time I miss a dose or two I get these awful "brain zaps". I can't think of what else to call them. Every few moments, my nerves clench all over my body and it feels like my head is going to explode, but for just an instant. As time slowly presses on they get increasingly worse.
So what do I do?
I keep taking Paxil. Thats what I do. It's either that or just go back to sleep. I can't go through this and maintain a normal life. So perhaps if anybody has any ideas or suggestions, please let me or Betsy know. Any help would be appreciated.

-Mr. Kilgore (William) Trout

[BulldogSpook]

Wow do I know the feeling your having! I also take Paxil and when I miss a dose I to get the "zip zaps", its awful. I wish I could tell you how to get off the meds but I have no idea,I want to do the same myself. Like you I just take my pills to avoid the icky zaps. If you or anyone else have advice on getting off Paxil please let me know. I have heard if you try to ween off that works, but how can you do that. I take 1- 40 mg a day. Best of luck [:I]

quote:Originally posted by betsy_still_tokes

Actually, this isn't Betsea, this is her boyfriend. I have been taking Paxil for two years and now I want to stop. The reason is simple - I don't have a perscription drug plan, so it's getting pricey. Also, it seems to decrease my sexual desire and performance.
The problem is the withdrawl symptoms, Every time I miss a dose or two I get these awful "brain zaps". I can't think of what else to call them. Every few moments, my nerves clench all over my body and it feels like my head is going to explode, but for just an instant. As time slowly presses on they get increasingly worse.
So what do I do?
I keep taking Paxil. Thats what I do. It's either that or just go back to sleep. I can't go through this and maintain a normal life. So perhaps if anybody has any ideas or suggestions, please let me or Betsy know. Any help would be appreciated.

-Mr. Kilgore (William) Trout

[MyTeethAreEvil]

I was on paxil when I was a teenager.. I was also on it for 2 years.. It did nothing for me, I quit cold turkey, and it wasnt easy..I remember being sick for 2 weeks..

I quit cold turkey w/o knowing that your not s'pose to quit cold turkey..and I swore I'd never go back on a antidepressant, and guess what? I am on lexapro, and from what Ive read lately- much worse to get off of.. I only been on lexapro like a month...I did try to quit it last week cold turkey and on the 4th day I had what I call psychosis

[EasyMeds]

To get off Paxil you have to go on a long and measured taper period. I don't know what dosage you are on, but ususally with this type of medication you would take your normal dose for 1 day, then the next day take 3/4 of your dose, then the next day take the full dose, etc for a week or 2 depending on how much and how long you have been on it. Then the next drop down is to take 3/4 for a full week. Then the following week (or 2) 3/4 every other day and 1/2 ever other day. Then a week of 1/2. The a week (or 2) of 1/2 every other day and 1/4 every other day. Then a week or 2 of 1/4 a day. then the last week 1/4 ever other day.

It takes a long time to get off of these medications safely and most GPs don't put you on a long enough taper schedule, but a neurologist would put you on an apppropriate taper schedule so you aren't creating a shock to your body and brain.

[Casey55]

DO NOT stop Paxil cold turkey. It has the shortest half life of all the SSRI's which means it is out of your system very quickly after the last dose and you will be subjecting yourself to some serious withdrawal. As others stated, withdrawal from Paxil is a slow process, tapering the dose slowly over time. It will take at least a few months.

I had to stop cold turkey because I got serotonin syndrome, toxic levels of seratonin, and my life depeneded on it, and I can tell you it was like having 4 cases of the flu on top of each other. I thought I was going to die, which won't happen, but it can be a living hell while you are going through it. I was so sick for two months before it was over. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Make sure you contact your psychiatrist first and they will instruct you the proper way to go about getting off it and monitor you during that process. Done properly, should minimize or eliminate problems with withdrawal. If you can't afford a few more months of Paxil, perhaps your doctor can give you samples.

Good Luck.

[pharmvictem]

I am in the same boat of pain as many of you are. I have been taking this poison for 7 years now. My new psychiatrist said he does not think Paxil is any good for me and that I need to get off of it. He said it is highly addictive and it will be a long hard process.

He sure was right it has been long and I am still going through it. It will be 6 months before I am completely off of it. He said I will probably still have some withdrawal effects for a few weeks to months after that.

I sure wish that GP I saw when I was 18 would have told me some of these things. 7 years later I have worse anxiety and depression than I had then. The Paxil is worthless and has caused me much suffering. The sexual side effects alone are not worth it.

I seem to have experienced much of the same symptoms as you all have. I could actually hear my eyes moving, cold sweats, constant nightmares, crying spells, irrational worries, nausea and vomiting, upsetting things from the past in dreams that feel so very real, feeling like my body is stuck to the bed and I cannot move or talk, feeling like my heart is beating faster than the speed of light, feeling like I have an electrical charge moving around me.

All throughout school they teach kids how dangerous illegal drugs are yet the legal drugs are some of the most dangerous and addictive. I would much rather get depressed when life is tough and have anxiety attacks than be a slave to Paxil. I have learned the hard way that the cure is worse than the ailment.

[Shuff]

I am getting off for the second time. You just have to go through the brain zaps-it will end. Paxil has really helped me, but I am much better emotionally now and I hate the weight gain. The last time I quit, I ran and lost 30 pounds in about 2 months. I went from 40-30 for a week and now I am at 20, will probably do this two weeks, then drop again. You have to listen to your body. If you feel like ****, either stay on the dosage you are on longer or up it a bit.
I promise all of you, the symptoms do end. Good Luck.

[depyxis7]

It's probably been 2 weeks since I quit my 10 mgs of paxil and still I suffer from blurred vision. Does anyone out there know how long until the side effects go away? I got off the medicine because it seems like the meds were giving me to many side effects.

[Paxilslave]

Hi all. I;ve been on this ******************** for about 10 years. Gained alot of weight. I was on 20mg p/day. What ya want to do to get off this stuff without losing your mind is ween down by 1 mg every 4 days. The best way to do that is to get paxil in liquid form-that way it is very easy to measure . What I did was get a pill cutter from the drug store and estimated what looked like 1/20th of the pill every 4 days. Now I am not going to stand here and say it was easy-no I was irritable, didn't feel real real good but I was able to function without too much trouble. You need to tell loved ones what you're doing so they know why your irritable. Try to watch comedy like AFV(Americas Funniest Videos)
or whatever you like. Stay positive-Know you're going to get better and you're doing the right thing. Good luck to all of you. You can do it!