Dont want to be on meds anymore!!!

[Alisonj29]

I try and live a healthy lifestyle. But for some reason I keep thinking its pointless as I am taking so many different medication and some for a long time and I worry that I am doing damage to my liver etc anyway. I mean 14 years on Paxil cant really be good for someone, add in Trazadone, Inderal, and Klonopin and it worries me that I am doing my body harm :( I am also suppose to take long acting morphine as well as statex when needed but I refuse to unless I cant handle the pain.
Biggest problem is, I am at a good point in my life with my anxiety after many many years. Whether its that we finally got a medication mix that works or what I am scared to mess with my meds. My doctor is no help. She is new, mine retired and she didnt even want my file so she has no idea what I have been on or diagnosed with etc. She just tells me to keep taking the meds and increase if I need too. How much damage do the meds actually do? I know that it made me gain a good 10 lbs that I cannot get off no matter how hard I try. I just wonder if I would be better off with them or without.

[Jess3080]

I know how you feel. I have been on Paxil for 13 years because it is hell to come off of. Therefore I am doing it VERY slowly and am now down to 10mg from 40mg. It CAN be done, but it takes time. Paxil is NOT a life thing because it will eventually poop out on you. None of these AD's can be taken forever, they all stop working sooner or later. It is better to get into therapy and learn to control your anxiety without medication. I would recommend Paxilprogress.org. I wouldn't have been able to get this far without them.

P.S.- I would say gaining only ten pounds from Paxil is pretty good. I gained 25 pounds and I'm only 5'2"! No matter how much I exercised I couldn't lose weight. Then I started tapering which gave me stomach problems and I lost all that weight in a couple of months. I am now eating normally again and haven't gained any of the weight back.

[hava]

I would suggest you start doing the kapabhati and anulom vilom pranayam, twice a day. After 28 days, review how you feel, and you will be in a better position to plan forward, as you will have noticed some benefit from the the pranayam.

[Alisonj29]

Thanks so much for your response. I have even checked myself into an Anxiety and Mental Health hospital to get help weaning off the meds (I was on Ativan and a few others on top of what I take now) and after seeing all there specialists they told me the Paxil will be a life thing and they wouldnt mess with it. It really ***** having to be so dependant on something but I know how completely horrible I feel if I take my pill later than normal.
Thanks again

[Paxiled]

And I should add, a healthy lifestyle can help the body adapt to the stresses of medication and cushion you from problems you might develop otherwise.  It's never pointless to keep the body as strong as possible.

[Paxiled]

If you've only gained ten pounds on that mix, that's like gaining nothing at all.  Feel fortunate.  As to liver damage, all medication is to an extent liver toxic, but some are far more liver toxic than others.  You'd have to research them to discover which are the worst, but as to the Paxil, it's not terribly liver toxic.  Neither is klonopin.  But they are hell to quit, so if they're working, and you've been on them as long as you have, you have to consider the difficulty of quitting.  Unfortunately, the only way you'll find out if you're better without them is to go without them, and the tapering would take several months.  I would say you need to put a lot of thought and research into this decision, and measure your motivation and how you react to things.  I would add that psychiatrists specialize in these meds  while regular docs don't, so you might want to consult a psychopharmacologist and see what he or she says, and realize that even then, most don't well understand these meds and how they affect a particular individual.  After you've thought it out thoroughly and done your homework, you'll be well prepared for whatever it takes to get you to where you want to go.  Good luck.