Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Mental Health  (Expert Forum)
 | 
Paxel Withdrawals and Thoughts of Suicide
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.
Post a Question Back to Forum
MedHelp Member's Question

Paxel Withdrawals and Thoughts of Suicide

by FlyingCook, Feb 02, 2002 12:00AM
My husband has just been diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression.  He's also experience constant diarrhea (last 6 months), nausea, vomiting, chest pains that move up into his jaw, tingling fingers, a lots of fun other things.  Nothing has been found to be wrong with his heart and he has an appointment with a gastoendonologist in two weeks to have a flexsig done.  Last week his GP put him on Paxel.  Since starting it, we have heard from two friends about the awful things this drug can do to you when you go off from it.  One of the friends has been on Paxel before and she said that each time you go off the depression is worse than the time before and that she gets thoughts of suicide.  The other friend said that he has two friends who have both been on it and both tried to committ suicide after being taken off the drug.  This has gotten my husband even more anxious and he wants to quit taking the drug without even consulting his doc.  What has anyone else experienced with this?  We're more concerned with how he's dealing with the stress in his life (or should I say NOT dealing with it) than we are the depression.  We don't need this to become a downward cyclone.  Also, the one friend said that Paxel is a lifelong thing not a 6-9 month stint as the doctor has said.  Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc. will be GREATLY appreciated!!  THANKS!!!
Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D., Feb 04, 2002 12:00AM
Paxil is a very potent drug, and effective for many people. It is true that rebound depression can occur if the medication is not tapered off very slowly when it is time to stop it.  It does not have to be lifelong...that is a decision that is made between the doctor and the patient.  It can be for only a few months.



On the other hand there are many medications designed specifically for anxiety that can be used instead, such as buspar, and many others.
Member Comments (29)

by christof, Feb 03, 2002 12:00AM
hey I'm very new to this stuff and I don't know if anyone will write back but I have been struggling with depression and thoughts that i'm not good enough I have no girl friend, my car is on it's last step and I just dont know how to make a good decision on what to doo with my life. oh well i will just have to get input kinda like i'm giving you i know that i'm just telling you about me. but sometimes thats all it takes feeling that your not alone it makes it easier to overcome your bad feelings please write back because I'm interested on taking to people who have these types of disorders. thanks chris

by nonickname, Feb 03, 2002 12:00AM
im on wellbutrin and im 16 its hard being on medication it makes me feel like im crazy and i dont know if i am but i was diagnosed with a few things like SAD(social anxiety disorder), depression and agoraphobia its really hard for me to go outside and out with friends i get bad panic attacks is  there anyone who has theese disorders and have some suggestions i would deeply appreciate them thanx

by nonickname, Feb 03, 2002 12:00AM
its me again id also like to say i was on paxil and went off it and had trouble like zaps and trouble concentrating and dizziness really bad although i didnt have thoughts of suicide going off the drug however i did overdose on tylonal while taking the drug and also have a friend who overdosed on paxil i dont know if its from the drug or just our disorders but in my opinion paxil has brought some trouble but everyones different

w/b pls thanx

bye

by money1, Feb 04, 2002 12:00AM
Paxil has worked very well for me, for my anxiety symptoms.  Its different for everyone.  When I weaned off a few months ago, there is dizziness, nausea and rebound anxiety for a couple of weeks.  Go slow, slower than what your doctor says, like 2.5 mg a week.  You should be fine.



by pinballguy, Feb 04, 2002 12:00AM
I was on Paxil for about 4 Months, after constant problems with Insomnia I was slowly tapered off of it with no problems at all. I will say that Paxil worked very very well with me as far as Social Anxiety and helping me get rid of some of my fears, like Using a public restroom, fear of elevators etc...



Wellbutrin was what i was given next and that was a horrible experience, I got headaches, stomach aches and I sweated like crazy, if it was cold outside I would sweat.



Randy - Pinballguy

by maty, Feb 05, 2002 12:00AM
I was on Paxil for 2yrs for severe panic attacks, and it did work really well for me. I just recently got off of it by tapering, and did so without many bad side effects. I also take Xanax, and have been on that for about 2yrs., very low dose. I have not had any recurrence of any actual attacks for over a year now, and none since quitting paxil. I have started an excercise program and have started eating healthier as well, along with vitamins. I'm hoping that they don't come back again, I still have some anxiety from time to time, but nothing like the attacks before.

by babb13, Feb 20, 2002 12:00AM
To: Maty
Well how do you know you didn't have withdrawal after paxil? you are on Xanax!! Wait till you stop taking that too and you will see what a withdrawal feels like. I was weaned off paxil about a month ago and I feel like total ****! It is the worst feeling I have ever had and the bad thing is I can't stop them. I get such a bad feeling at times even my clothes make me mad just to feel anything against my skin is enough to want to hurt somebody. I was never told of the withdrawals when my doctor put me on them. And i only had a mild stress condition from my work, after I was told this was used for depression I wanted to quit, but after a failed attempt I went back on them just to try and wein off them slowly, but here it is 3 weeks later and I cry all the time and snap at people I love for no reason, I don't like the person it has made me. I would advise anyone who is being told by their doctor that they need paxil, to run the other direction.

by NANNA03, Feb 24, 2002 12:00AM
I for one, second that emotion!

by sherilmt, Feb 27, 2002 12:00AM
What a horrible thing, Paxil....I am currently going through my second stage of "cutting down" my dose to get off.  I got on Paxil for PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks...it worked okay, but getting off has been pure hell.  The withdrawal effects are too many to list, but trust me, DO NOT GO THERE!!!!!!!  Any alternative has to be better than this.  I am actually on the net now researching whether or not to be hospitalized, I am doing extremely poorly right now.

by MoodyBlue, Mar 02, 2002 12:00AM
I have been on paxil and if you come off of paxil..YOU MUST do it slowly.  I found that I had to do it more slowly than others and even slower than the doctor told me..it depends on your body.  The withdrawals were making me lightheaded.  As for suicide I think its your disposition. I never had thoughts of that.  So I kept having lightheadedness so this is what I did.  I went to a professional and she gave me something on the lines of paxil less potent and I weaned my self off of that.  it took me 6 months to come off all of them.

by Boodah Boo, Mar 02, 2002 12:00AM
I have been on 20 mg paxil for almost two years and hate it.  I get palpitation and chest pain so I went to the doctor and he is switching me to prozac, which I took for 8 yrs before.  He wants me to cut back to 10 mg paxil for a week then alternate 10 mg paxil one day and 20 mg prozac the next for a week then switch right over to the prozac the next week.  Has anyone else done this?  Did you get the paxil withdrawal?  I tried quitting paxil last fall and felt like Robert Downey Jr. after a bad weekend, so went back on it.  I really want to make the switch so any info is appreciated.