Lightheadedness from Paxil or other underlying problem

[Dan]

About two months ago I was placed on Paxil for what was thought to be panic attacks/Anxiety.  Later it was found that the anxiety was brought about from heart palpitations not the other way around like originally thought.  The heart palpitations were diagnosed as benign.  The doctor recommended me wean myself off because it was expensive and unneeded (the anxiety went away, the palpitations didnt).  I have been weaning myself off of 20mg for about 1.5weeks. I started with 20mg/10mg alternating for about a week, then 10mg/10mg for a couple days then 10/0 for a couple days.  Now I am not taking anything.  This was much quicker then recommended.  Today I started experiencing lightheadedness and dizziness through out the day.  I would be fine then all of a sudden I would get a flash of lightheadedness.  I worry that this is another complication in conjuction with my heart palpitations, that a more serious problem is causing the palpitations and the dizziness.  Should I worry or does this sound more like withdraw from the paxil?

Thanks Dan

[lorraine]

I had the same experience with Paxil. When I stopped taking it I experienced severe dizziness and lightheadedness. I would also recommend seeing your doctor about getting a holter monitor test to monitor your palpitations ... I had this done and they found out, although they are many and very uncomfortable/frightening, they are benign and weren't something to worry about. The only SSRI I have found that I don't experience side effects from is Effexor ... I have had great success with it. To view a message board where others are experiencing the same side effects from Paxil withdrawl to to http://db.prairielaw.com/retiredboards/mmboard/messages/2771.shtml

Good luck!

[Jane]

I stopped taking Paxil on my own 4 days ago and have been feeling lightheaded and weird....I kind of guessed it was withdrawal, but now I'm sure.  I better get back on it until I see my doctor again.  Oh, the reason I stopped was I thought maybe it was making me feel nauseous throughout the day. I am really glad I found that others have experienced the lightheadedness and shared it.  I did not have any side effects when I quit taking Prozac on my own, so I wasn't sure what was going on.

J.

[jennifer]

I too have been withdrawing from Paxil.  I was origianally on 40mg of paxil then 30mg.  That is when I decided to stop.  I then took 20mg for 7 days and I was fine.  Now I am on 10mg for 7 days and am sick.  I have dizziness, nausea and feel like I am going to die.  Next week I take 10mg every other day.  I hope I can make it.  Good Luck to you!

[Michelle]

Well, I've been weaning off of 20 mg./day of Paxil which was prescribed for postpartem depression. I've done it very gradually over the last month and a half and it has been miserable the entire way. I'm currently on 5 mg./day (yes, I'm cutting them into 4ths now) because I'm dizzy all day long, nausious frequently and get the cold sweats when both seem to get worse. I've had both the presribing doctor and my medical doctor tell me that it can't be from going off Paxil, but from what I'm finding on the internet, it most certainly is. The other strange side effect that may or may not be from weaning off is numbing in my hands and feet. For periods of 15 minutes to an hour I lose feeling in my hands and toes. But, I definitely think the dizziness is the worst of all. When I turn my head in certain ways, the dizziness is almost unbearable. And...a headache to go along with it each and every day, all day, is just one more side effect to drive a person back to taking it again. I just want to know how long this is all going to last?

[Mary]

I am with you.  I too am being weaned of of Paxil.  I tried once before, and had such a terrible time that my Dr. put me back on it.  It quit working for me, so it was time to stop taking it.  I was on 40 mg. for years, so this has been hard.  I am doing better with supplements.  The supplements are working well.  I take GH3 from Gero-Vita, it helps your body to produce its own Seratonin naturally.  I take one in the morning and one before bed, even though I am taking less Paxil, it has eased the symptoms well.  In the afternoon I will sometimes take a GH3 if I become dizzy, etc.  Since I am going through menopause, I was having hot flashes terribly.  I fixed this by taking one table of Black Cohosh Extract a day.  I havn't had a single hot flash since taking this.  Also, I found that taking a Gingko Biloba once a day seems to help with memory and the "confused" feeling I was getting without as much Paxil.  I am taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, extra Vitamin C, and am now adding a new supplement called 5 HTP.  The 5 HTP helps your body to produce Seratonin naturally.  I have just begun the 5 HTP and am hoping that it will help.  The GH3 contains St. Johns Wort which is wonderful for chemical imbalances of the brain.  I hope that this will help someone else, as much as it has helped me.

[Mary]

I have been taking paxil for about 8 years now, and was up to 40 mg.  It worked wonders for me, in the beginning.  It kept weakening and my dosage had to be raised.  It stopped working and I wanted to be off of it.  I tried to wean off of it about 3 years ago and had such a hard time that my Dr. put me back on it.  Of course, my Dr. did not called my symptoms "withdrawel".  I have learned recently that your body stops producing Seratonin altogether when you are on Paxil.  When you stop the drug, your body has none!  I am learning about natural supplements and this has really helped!  I want to share it with you!  I was on Paxil for bad PMS and hormonal imbalance, chemical brain imbalance and depression.  I started taking GH3 made by a company called Gero-Vita.  Try a natural medical clinic to try and find this stuff, it's worth it!  I take one at night and one in the am.... sometimes one in the afternoon if my withdrawl symptoms flare up while I am weaning off of the Paxil.  I also take Gingko Biloba, standardized, one a day; a multi-vitamin & mineral supplement, one a day; Black Cohosh Extract, one a day (this allows my body to produce just enough hormones to keep me in check... no more than what I need.  I was suffering from terrible hot flashes and havn't had a single one since I have been taking this); Gingko Biloba, one a day, this increases brain function, blood flow to the brain, gives you energy and a better feeling of well being.  I hope that this information helps someone else.  Tonight is the first night without any Paxil, so I bought a bottle of 5 HTP which is supposed to help your body MAKE IT'S OWN SERATONIN.  I am only taking 50 mg and will increase to 100 if needed.  I'll come back and let you know how I make out.  I do feel better on these supplements folks.  I have more energy, I AM NOT DEPRESSED, I want to get out of bed in the morning, don't want to sleep all the time, etc.  As for the withdrawl symptoms, I still have them, but not as severe as the last time I tried to wean off of paxil with nothing at all.  If I get a bad headache, I found that Migraine Exedrin does the job.  If I am having problems concentrating I take a Gingko Biloba.  I don't know what makes these supplements work, but they are working for me.  I feel like a human again, and I feel that I am in control.  Good luck to you all.

[Michelle]

What is it with doctors? Neither my gynocologist that put me on Paxil for postpartem depression, nor my primary physician will admit that my symptoms have anything to do with going off Paxil. I'm going back in tomorrow and taking info I've collected via the internet with me, because as of right now, my doctor plans to have me undergo an MRI to see why I'm experiencing these things. Your suggestions are very helpful. I think I will try some of them because I'm miserable.

[Margot]

I stopped Paxil cold turkey after taking it for 1 1/2 years. I also feel awful. How long can I expect the dizziness and headaches to persist? I do not want to go back on, but am tempted to simply because I feel so awful. Any non-pharmacologic suggestions? Please offer insight. THank you

[Loo406]

I was on paxil (40 mg) for about 6 months and it was working for my anxiety, but it was making me so tired. No matter how much sleep i got at night, i was still extremely tired the next day. All I wanted to do was sleep, so i decided to take myself off of it. I haven't taken it in 4 days, and now i am constantly dizzy and lightheaded. I really don't want to go back on paxil, or anything else for that matter, so i hope this dizziness and lightheadedness stops soon- does any body know how long lasts?

[big_ezz]

i have been liveing with anxity/panic/depres for 15 years is it time to take med
i just cant take it one more day i have dizzyspells/lightheaded flash black out all the time and i dont take meds then when i get on the net all i here is bad stuff abouth meds every thing you here from on web sites are talking bad abouth meds did they help you or not i have not left
town in 15 years meds or not ???

[katiejo225]

Yeah, Paxil should not be given so liberally by doctors as it is. I had a nervous breakdown ten years ago when I was 16, and experienced severe panic attacks after this episode. The doctors put me on Paxil immediately...they didn't even think to figure out why i was a normal kid one day and then suddenly a nervous wreck the next. I spent the next 5 years thinking i would be on this stuff my whole life b/c thats what my doctor said. It was a chemical imbalance that would never fix itself. The day I told my doctor I was starting to taper myself off Paxil and told him about the horrible effects I was feeling (super irritable, angry, suicidal, depressed, zero libido, dizzy, brain zaps, memory loss, could not concentrate), he told me that that is why I need to stay on the medications, that it was not withdrawal effects, that what I was experiencing was my original symptoms!! When I argued that there were many people out there experiencing the same withdrawal symptoms and that there was even a law suit against Paxil, he looked at me like I was crazy and told me that I needed to go see a psychiatrist!! I felt completely helpless, started to cry, and have not been back to a doctor in five years. I know they are not all horrible and that most have good intentions, but I just lost all my faith and trust that day. In 2007, after a year of tapering off of Paxil, I was Paxil free. Even now, I have dizzy spells intermittently and the sex drive of a bitter old woman. I have to take all kinds of supplement cocktails to help with my memory and focus. I found as I was coming off of Paxil that I was starting to isolate myself from people and had a hard time interacting and talking, even with my friends. Pre-Paxil I was a sensitive, caring, talkative, social, and straight-A student with an amazing photographic memory. Though I have not seen many Paxil victims with the social struggles I have, I am positive that my memory and concentration problems are directly related to Paxil. Being such a powerful drug, why are so many doctors ignorant of the horrible side effects and long lasting withdrawals from it?? Maybe they forget when the GlaxoSmithKline representatives buy them a 7-day cruise to the Bahamas.....