... withdrawal!?
Anxiety - Has anyone been on Paxil for 20+ years? I've been taking it for 26 years & am unable to?
Question posted by Seve72 on 11 Dec 2014
Last updated on 6 January 2023
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
34 Answers Page 3
darylj1968
28 Oct 2016
I have been on paxil for 22 years and have just recently decided to get off.Gonna be hard but i am getting my life back..I just really want to feel life again.
Dave Evans
31 Dec 2014
Hi Seve72
I have been on Seroxat - UK name for Paxil - for 15 years and hit what is called 'poop-out'. I was more ill taking it than before I started taking it, with lots of symptoms I could never have imagined, they are so horrible. I am now on liquid Paxil, reducing by a tiny amount every 4 - 6 weeks then suffering withdrawal for a few weeks until I stabilise. I am down from 20mg to 5mg after 19 months, and will slowly continue until I'm free of this evil poison. You cannot rush this or you will simply give up, return to your high dose and feel demoralised. Get liquid Paxil from your doctor and drop by 1mg every4 - 6 weeks. If you are on Facebook get help from one of the Seroxat or Paxil sites, because nobody, not your doctor or psychiatrist will admit this drug is as awful as it is. Research it on Google but remember, your hormone receptors are badly damaged and will take two years minimum to heal, and you cannot rush it. Softly softly is the ONLY way for folk like you and I who are badly affected.
Seve72
31 Dec 2014
Thanks Dave for taking the time to reply! I've tried the liquid version To no avail! Hopeless situation I don't even function! Unable to work-benefits etc... no life
Manipulate
13 Jan 2015
I Feel your pain, I was on Paxil for 19years up until 3 months ago . I tried Cymbalta , that didn't work and now on 100mg Zoloft any in still getting withdrawals from the Paxil . Paxil stopped working for me so my doctor thought it would be better to try something else. I feel terrible and the worst thing is doctors you its a return of aniexty snd depression symptoms , when I didn't feel like this ever in my life.
You must tapper slowly, they say by 10% every month, I say 5%. There's a good website called survivingantidepressants.com have a look at there forums . I wish the best for you.
gero67
13 Jan 2015
Hi Sev72,
I have been on seroxat for 20yrs now and have reduced from 20mg to 5mg in 7yrs approximately, am also taking Losec for GERD/acid reflux for 20yrs as well @ 20mg a day. Maybe this helps to avoid poop out, ie not staying on my 20mg dose and taking the lowest dose possible. May I ask what dose are you on now?
Dave Evans
13 Jan 2015
Hi again Seve.
I just wanted to mention that reducing with the liquid can be done at the rate of 1% a month if you want to, and though at first it can be a horrible experience, what is the option? Staying on the drug is murder and withdrawing is too, but withdrawing has an end where as staying on the evil poison doesn't.
What increments of reduction did you try? Dave.
gero67
13 Jan 2015
Hi Sev72,
I have been on seroxat for 20yrs now and have reduced from 20mg to 5mg in 7yrs approximately, am also taking Losec for GERD/acid reflux for 20yrs as well @ 20mg a day. Maybe this helps to avoid poop out, ie not staying on my 20mg dose and taking the lowest dose possible. May I ask what dose are you on now?
gero67
16 July 2015
Ive been on Seroxat for about 21yrs now and started tapering from 20mg to 10mg which took a year, now have gone down to 5mg this year, been on 5mg liquid but the last week been having anxiety attacks out of the blue, the butterflies that start in the chest and go up to your throat, kind of like palpitations. First I thought I may have had too much protein in one meal as this has given me palpitations before, now I am thinking that Ive been drinking milk teas for the past week or so and that may be affecting me and giving me palpitations? Not sure but it feels that once youve been on this stuff for so long that you really have to tipy toe your way out and \i havent even come off yet, some say for years afterwards you still get panic attacks and anger etc, some say that taking Magnesium helps with the anxiety of withdrawal, any ideas?
Dave Evans
12 May 2019
Can't believe it's 4.5 years since I wrote that reply. It ended up taking 36 months to extricate myself from Paxil/Seroxat, and I continue to get sporadic side-effects from it.
That drug stole years of my life and caused untold misery. I lost my relationship, my family, my career, now suffer bouts of terrifying suicidality, became an alcoholic, and went from being a person people liked to a rather solitary individual who is now largely a hermit. All this because of a prescribed drug which was exposed as having been released to market despite the manufacturers knowing that it was not safe. They used misleading and deliberately massaged results of scientific safety studies and trials to remove any potential hurdles in bringing it to market. Despite being fined several billion (with a 'B', not an 'M'!) dollars by countries such as China and the United States, GSK had profited enough from it to write a cheque and continue unabated.
You will find a wealth of reports online about this drug, and Youtube videos of things like the BBC Panorama current affairs documentaries exposing Glaxo's shenanigans.
I only mention all this to highlight what a seriously damaging drug this can be, and therefore how one has to wean off it EXTREMELY slowly. I was lucky to be off it in only three years of tapering, though I'll never regained what it cost me, physically, emotionally and financially.
Please ensure you get the liquid suspension so you can measure dosage using a syringe with great accuracy; don't bother cutting tablets in half or quarters, even if you weigh them very accurately, as pills do not contain uniform strengths of the active ingredients - one half may be stronger than the other. Also read the reports of Dr. David Healy about the drug - very helpful, though only those who've tried for years to free themselves truly understand it.
The drug has a half-life of less than 24 hours so bear that in mind when tapering. Read 'Seroxat: The Evidence However Is Clear' by Bob Fiddaman, as he describes in detail his fight and eventual success.
Finally, I'm told it is much harder to kick this drug than heroin or cocaine, so take your time to extricate yourself from it and realise this is a battle you can win, but it is not simple.
Hopefully I haven't transgressed the site's guidelines here. Everything I've said is in the public domain already, and Googling anything about this drug will take you straight to huge amounts of information on the murky marketing and corruption scandals that allowed this gigantic company to do this to so many already vulnerable people.
balbanese
11 Dec 2014
If you're saying you want to stop you will need the help of the prescribing Dr and with that help over the next 8 to 12 months (months) begin the process, may also be necessary for behavioral/emotional counseling/support as well. The longer the wean down period, the less ugliness.
Seve72
11 Dec 2014
I've already tried withdrawal and been advised by my doctor that it will be impossible due to the length of time I've been on the medication:-)) Councelling hasn't worked neither has CBT!
balbanese
11 Dec 2014
Time for a new Dr because that's a crock, a total crock.
balbanese
11 Dec 2014
..and counseling alone will not help as this is a medical issue that the counseling would support.
Seve72
11 Dec 2014
I've had several Doctors! Their opinions seem to be that after 26 years the pros outweigh the cons! Unless you have taken the medication for a similar length of time, I don't think your in a position to overrule what 4-5 professionals have agreed!
balbanese
11 Dec 2014
It's an opinion, and you hadn't yet mentioned multiple Doctors. If you're being told your situation is beyond what the medical community can help you with there's not much strangers online can do. You're welcome, best to you.
Seve72
11 Dec 2014
Just seeing if anyone else is experiencing the problems that I'm having! My apologies I didn't realise you were a qualified GP!!!
8491sb
12 March 2019
I agree; a crock.
chuck1957
11 Dec 2014
Morning Steve yes I was on paxil for at least that long the main reason was it was one of the newest and best at the time but it was a struggle but my doctor had me taking xanax 0.5 mg 3 or 4 times a day it got me by but it never did seem to help depression I also suffer from a handful of things agoriphobia,ptsd and on and on but i have fought this most my life i feel we have also a chemical imbalance which you well read and it seems like every 10 to 20 years if we are lucky we need like a tune up looks like it just might be your time right now im on clonipin,and Effexor xr seems to be holding for some time... good luck and remember for some the holidays has a impact on our condition also... best of luck my friend
Seve72
11 Dec 2014
Thanks Chuck appreciate your reply life's a living hell at the moment :-((
Ian L14
1 March 2021
Took Paxil for over 20 years and got off 100 percent 5 years ago. I will never poison myself with that garbage again. I take 0 meds and I do not even drink alcohol or caffeine. I exercise and eat healthy with hopes of getting some of the years back that were taken away from me from using Paxil. The withdraw from getting off that garbage lasted over 6 months. I had everything from brain zaps to nightmares that were so bad I flew out of bed and got hurt. In the end I decided that Paxil was so bad that I would rather just have a panic attack and I can say 5 years later I do not regret my decision. Doctors want to keep you on the meds so they can get paid. My doctor did not want to take me off the meds so I did it myself and it was the best decision I have ever made. I got my life back and am no longer a slave to a drug. That stuff controls your thoughts and you don't even know it. Pure evil.
Related topics
paxil, depression, anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, withdrawal, anxiety and stress
Further information
- Paxil uses and safety info
- Paxil prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Paxil (detailed)
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