A Couple of questions about Paxil

Hello,

I'm 41, and I've been on Paxil ( 20 mg ) for about 3 years now to combat GAD, and it works very well. Other than some weight gain and feeling tired most of the time, the symptoms are completely gone. My wife has noticed that last couple of months that while sleeping, my hands/arms are free to roam around while dreaming...my wife says I read paper and all sorts of crazy stuff (snapping fingers ect)...is this due to long term exposure to Paxil?  I'm thinking of a sleep study as my wife has indicated I stop breathing during sleep, which sounds like apnea to me. I'm sure the weight gain isn't helping this...

On top of all this, about 6 months into taking Paxil, my doctor indicated that my thyroid was off the charts, and that I had a hypothyroid. So now I take the standard Synthroid ( 175 mg ) to keep things in check. I really have to wonder if this was the cause of my extreme anxiety? I haven't found much on the net, any pointers? I remember when I went to the urgent care for the onset of anxiety, the doctor mumbled something about a thyroid test...but then dropped it..

To test this theory, I went cold turkey for about 5 days....wow, no thanks. I went back on as I was way too dizzy to be productive at work. I will say during the 5 days, my hands/arms didn't sleep 'walk'...

I see my doc in a couple of weeks, so I'll talk to him about all this, but extra input is always good.

Thanks for any of your thoughts!

[mammo]

You definitely have sleep apnea if you stop breathing during the night.  This is  why you are so tired all the time. It's very dangerous and you need to be sleeping with a C-Pap. Address this right away.  Hypothyroidism doesn't cause anxiety, usually depression, tiredness and weight gain. Hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety and that's why the doctor mentioned your thyroid.  I can't explain the rest so it's good that you're seeing your doctor and have him schedule a sleep study. If it was the Paxil you stopped cold turkey.....big mistake at any time.  You need to be weaned off these types of medications, never stop them abruptly.  I hope this helps and wish you all the best!