paxil withdrawal

[Debra Thrasher]

why is withdrawal from paxil so intense.i'm on 20mg. a day, i,ve tried cutting back to 10mg  was on that for a month, then i tried to take 10mg every other day,the second day istarted having withdrawals,tremers,heart racing,weak,ihave never felt so bad in my life.so i always goback to taking the 20mg aday.

[Angela_Stahlman]

I have been on paxil for 10 years. Every time I try to stop taking it, by the 5th or 6th day I am having incredible withdrawls. The worst is the feeling of my head being all fuzzy like snow on a bad tv channel. Then its like a zap.Nausea, loose bowels, anger, tension, body aches, halucinations, wild dreams, uncontrollable/unpredictable moods, odd ball appetite (one day you gorge, next day might be no food at all), double vision, odd ball sleep patterns (some times insomnia, other times can't seem to function at all for days).I was never much of a drinker or party girl, but noticed when I got more comfortable with it that the paxil worked like a sort of hangover drug. Have also experienced the heart palpatations, but never thought of it being due to the paxil. I lost one pregnancy while trying to stop the drug. My body went into a state of shock by the 10th day. Had to start back on it. I have also in the last few months started to experience numbness in my legs at random times. At one point I was told it was a pinched nerve in my right leg that would work itself out. But now it is in different areas in both my legs. Yes, right and left leg. I recently have been weening myself from 40mg a day to 20mg a day. Once I am comfortable with the 20mg I plan to cut that in half as well and continue this until I'm off of it. The more I read, the more terrified of what this drug is doing to my body and my life. I just don't know if there are some sort of home remedies that may be of good help for the dizziness and zaps. That is the most noticable and irritating withdrawl to deal with for me. Please help!
***@****

[sbman1]

also, when you get down to 10 mg that is when it gets hard.  i went to the doctor and got a perscription of 10 mg pills so it would be easier to cut the pills down.  i also would suggest liquid paxil for an even more exact dosage.  once i get off of paxil this time i will never go back on it.  i gained 30 lbs on it and the doctor never told me crap about weight gain or the withdrawal symptoms.  that makes me mad!

[sbman1]

listen everybody.  there is only one way to ween off of paxil.  slow, slow, and then slower.  i have done it twice now and each time it took me 3 to 4 months to quit from 20 mg.  You will have to have a lot of patience and many days of dizzyness to contend with.  you just have to deal with it.  i do not like the head zaps so i had to go slowly so that wouldl not happen.

[t.norton]

wish michael schwartz chicago att. left his email address i would like to know more about his attempt to sue smith cline for not informing us about the HORRENDOUS withdrawel side effects from the drug paxil.

[becca]

I too am trying to get off paxil.  I have read a lot about the withdraw that seems so common.  I just want you all to know that today I went to my doctor and she informed me that it is imparative that I get off this horrible medication asap.  She said the longer you are on it the worse your withdraw will be.  Also there are more and more people that have gone through the withdraw and had even worse symptoms such as homicidal tendencies.  There is one guy that was on paxil for less than a year and he is in jail for killing someone (this guy was a Christian who has never been abusive in any way).  He also has a lawsuit going against Smith Kline and Beechem for their aweful medication and lack of info provided that informs people and doctors of the heroin like withdraw and homicidal tendencies.  Keep your guard up.  If you choose to get off this medicine then make sure you have support and love from your family and friends.  Warn them of what you may go through so they can keep an eye on you.  I don't know about you guys but I have found that paxil has always made me forgetful and preventing me from having a sense of time.  I feel like I just woke up from a coma when I hear that we are near the end of the year 2000.  I was on 20mg paxil.  Now I am on 10mg.  I have already started feeling the crappy symptoms (hot and cold all at once, dizzy, wierd zapping sensation in my head, nausia, sweating profusily, tired, major insomnia).  This is no fun, but I am going to ride this storm out.  I know that it WILL eventually end.  I wish I had never taken paxil!  Good luck to you all!

[jj]

I had been taking 10 mg's of Paxil every other day (my own decision) for approximately 4 months. I then quite cold turkey thinking that since the dosage was so low, I would not have withdrawal symptomes.  Well here it is almost 6 1/2 weeks later
and I'm still encountering a feeling of chills. It's worrisome and very disturbing. I hope it subsides soon, since I will not go back on.