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Paxel withdrawl
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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MedHelp Member's Question

Paxel withdrawl

by Billy, Feb 24, 2001 12:00AM
I have been on Paxel for approximately a year. I was prescribed the RX after my MD could not find a physical reason as to why I was vomiting and feeling unable to breathe almost daily. The Paxel stopped the symptoms, but I was never given any DX to my knowledge.  Just a 12 month renewal for Paxel.  I was on a business trip last week and ran out of my Paxel. Unaware of the withdrawl symptoms, I just called my local pharmacy and told them I would pick them up when I got back into town yesterday. Within 2 or 3 days of not taking my Paxel, I began to have nightmares and felt light headed. I got back into town yesterday and went straight to the Pharmacy to pick up my Paxel. When I got there, the RX told me that my MD had not renewed the prescription.  I tried calling my MD, but got no return call. Last night, I went to dinner with a friend and on the ride home, vomited all over the car and myself. I got little to no sleep and had horrible nightmares. When I move my eyes around, I get an electrical sensation (buzzing noise in 3 quick successions) and my head feels like its about a foot removed from the rest of my body....as well as very dizzy.  Is this what I can expect from not taking Paxel? Had I known this, I would never have taken it in the first place! I finally got through today to the "nurses station" @ my MD's office.  She tells me that Paxel has horrible withdrawl symptoms, similar to heroin. I asked her if that is the case, then how could my MD, just take me off this drug cold turkey? She said I would have to talk to the doctor about it on Monday, since he wasn't there and there was nothing she could do to help me with my symptoms.  Any suggestions on what I need to do? I am extremely upset with my MD and I can imagine by Monday, my mood will not be better than what it is now, so I expect to give him an ear full. What can I do in the meantime to get me through this period???? Help!
Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D., Feb 24, 2001 12:00AM
Yes Paxil has side effects and should be withdrawn gradually. The best thing to do is get right back on Paxil by going to an emergency room or contacting some other physician or contacting your physician with an emergency call for him or whomever is substituting for him this weekend.
Member Comments (1)

by Billy, Feb 26, 2001 12:00AM
Went to see my MD today.  Symptoms have not gotten better. This is a miserable state to be in for anyone. MD put me back on full dose of Paxel.  Told him I want off it ASAP if this is what it does to people. I asked him if I try to deal with symptoms for a few more days, could he tell me my withdrawl would be over? MD said he could make no such promise and had no idea how long withdrawl would take....suggested I do a slow withdrawl over a period of months. I can't afford to feel like this for any period of time. I never took this drug for depression (I'm not)it was prescribed apparently to address my unexplained vomiting episodes.



This is a mean little pill folks....think long and hard about taking it.

by KerryK, Mar 01, 2001 12:00AM
I have been off Paxil for a month now( from 30mg daily to gradual wean) and then I came off BusPar and Trazadone. I feel a bit irritable (who wouldn't??? They made me feel so good :-) )

But the weight gain was too much so I am now on WellbutrinSR 150 mg in AM. I feel pretty good.



The Paxil withdrawal is a personal thing I think. I felt none of the adverse effects people talk about when not taking the med. The only anti depressant I found that made me sick if I stopped taking even one dose was Serezone, yikes! that was a killer drug if you stopped taking it.

by lola, Mar 14, 2001 12:00AM
To: billy
i know how you feel, i moved to a different area and i ran out of medication which i normally picked up from my local surgery, so in my new place, i had to go without paxil for three days, srimping and saving on one tablet here and there , when my daily dose for a year has been about 60mg, so suddenly withdrawing was a nightmare, heavy sleep, nightmares and i couldn't get out of bed without feeling dizzy and falling over, i would like to come off paxil soon, but i'm worried about the effects.

by Dangel47, Mar 22, 2001 12:00AM
This is my comment about paxil. Please listen to me. I have been on paxil a few times in my life for ocd. That was always the first thing the doctor would put me on when I went to see her. I have always had stress related situations in my life that I could simply not shake off. I would wait till my life would get completely out of control then I would go see a doctor.(Not very wise on my part!) But I guess I was ashamed about being nervous and not being able to handle it on my on. Anyhow paxil was the first medication I ever took for nerves. I was not told about the side affects or withdrawels that were very commonly associated with this pill. I started feeling better after about 4 or 5 months so I thought I would come off them. My doctor said ok but taper off of them gradually. That was all she said. WOW! I have never went thru so much HELL in my life. I thought I was dying.........Come to find out I started calling around and asking an emergency room attendant; Am I dying or what? He said I was having withdrawels from Paxil and should go to my doctor first thing in the morning. I did and I gradually came off of them and swore I would never go back on them. After a couple of years went by, I went back to a doctor with worse symtoms than before (with my nerves) and a different doctor recommended Paxil. She said that it would be ok to take and she said she hadn't heard of any withdrawel symtoms like that so I thought maybe it was all in my mind. To make a long story short.....I eventually had to come off of them because of my blood pressure being elevated......I went thru the same thing again. But this time I knew what it was and I went to bed for a week because I could not stand up..........I got over that, thank God and now I am on celexa and buspar with no ill effects so far..............Watch what meds you take, check with another doctor if you are unsure or feel uncomfortable with what they give you. Stick to your guns and don't do anything on your own. Go to a licensed physican and do some checking on your own. The Web is full of excellant information on all kinds of medications. I just do not want anyone to go thru what I went thru..............God Bless....

by cleo420, May 09, 2001 12:00AM
i have just recently in my life been introduced to people who are on paxil.  my girlfriend is one example.  when she is on the drug she experiences involuntary muscle spasms,  some so bad that she can't even sleep at night, and frankly, it makes it a little hard for me as well.  i don't think that she has any withdrawl issues if she skips a dose or two, it just seems like she has more of a problem while she's on it.

does anyone know if there are any long term reprocutions of paxil?

by hopesdance, Jun 10, 2001 12:00AM
I was prescribed Paxil for acute anxiety, and it helped, but I found I couldnt function the way I used to; so after awhile I stopped taking it. Well, folks, after reading the postings about this drug on this site, I guess I cna join the crowd. Im in hell. My doctor did not tell me about  withdrawal at all.  Would I have taken it if she had? Probably. I was only taking 20 mgs. Ive tried to stop for the last 2 months and I dont see an end in sight! Valium helps with the vertigo-like feeling but theres another big can of addicted worms. People should be TOLD.

by ZShah, Jul 17, 2001 12:00AM
I just started taking Paxel. So far I feel very tired, Sleepy all the time. I have no feelings for sex either. Now that I am reading everyone's views on this pill. I am sorry that I started taking it. I was diagnosed for Anxiety disorder. Is there anything else I can take instead of this pill or is there anything else I should do in stead of taking this pill.



by anuta, Oct 29, 2001 12:00AM
I have been taking paxel for almost two weeks for depression.  I am already feeling better, but after reading the comments from all of you I am thinking to stop this treatment.  I have been taking Prozac for about 10 days, and I was really sick from it.

Paxel helped, but I have some side effects.  I sweat a lot, any movement, even loading the washing machine makes me sweat like I have been in the shower.  Another thing is that I can not sleep at night.  I decided yesterday to stop it and din not take my pill before bedtime, and had nightmares all night.  Is anybody experiencing these syptoms while on Paxel?  I am especially concerned of this horrible sweating.  I am afraid to call my Dr., this will be the second time to switch the medication.

Thank you! Gabi

by CCO, Oct 31, 2001 12:00AM
I just found your website today and am very thankful for finding it.  I was put on Paxil almost seven years ago.  My life for the past almost seven years has been filled with behavior I would never have been a part of prior to taking this drug.  I have been trying to get off of Paxil for the past year, initially trying to wean myself off of it without the help of a doctor as no one had told me anything about the addictiveness of Paxil OR its withdrawal side effects.  Needless to say, the majority of the past year has been straight from hell.  Last November (2000) I cut down from 30 mg. to 15 mg. of Paxil  a day and experienced horrible headaches, dizziness, nausea, etc. but didn't make the connection.  In December of 2000 my opthamologist was very concerned about my blood pressure readings and the pressure he saw behind my eyes and instructed me to see my regular doctor as soon as possible, which I did.  The Opthamologist was concerned about possible blindness as a result of too much pressure on nerves behind my eyes.



I scheduled an appointment with a new doctor who was also an osteopath thinking that maybe I could kill two birds with one stone as my health insurance from work only covers 10 chiropractic adjustments per year.  That was a big disappointment as in all of the months I have been going to him he has never been willing to do manipulations on me once.  In those months, however, he switched me from one blood pressure medication to another a number of times, added Wellbutrin to my Paxil while decreasing the dosage of my Paxil to try to make a complete switchover to Wellbutrin because I was newly married and did not want to continue experiencing the sexual dysfunction problems that had come into my life since taking Paxil.  

I had to stop taking Wellbutrin and re-increase my Paxil to its higher dosage because I was getting very sick again - extreme headaches, dizziness, dry heaves, nausea, you  name it, I felt it.  Finally I received an e-mail message saying the makers of Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline?  were being sued because they had not told doctors or the general public about the extreme addictiveness of Paxil or of its debilitating side effects when people try to withdraw from taking it.  Bingo - I knew from what I read that the MRIs that were prescribed by my DO and an orthopedic surgeon on my head and my neck that had shown NO problems had not been necessary because I did not have the brain