paxil - stop taking and withdrawl

[de46]

Hi  -  I am a 60 year old lady that has taken paxil for 7 years -  I have gained a lot of weight and have been trying to stop takinging my paxil -  i got down to 10 mg a day from 20 but when I tried to stop I struggled terribly.  I had trouble sleeping and I felt like I could not breathe  -  by the third day I thought I would panic and the fear of not being able to breathe was terrible.  Has anyone else experienced this type of sympton and did you get off the paxil.
I went back on the paxil on the 4th day because I could not bear to continue feeling so terrible.
I also expierenced a number of headaches while trying to reduce the amount of paxil I was taking.
Thanks  

[mjbrown]

Paxil is one of the most difficult antidepressants to stop taking. Withdrawal effects are more likely to occur with Paxil than with most other medications. Are you weaning off the Paxil by yourself? If so, this is best done under the supervision of your doctor. You will need to reduce your dosage much slower than you have been. I've never taken Paxil before, but your doctor should be able to give you a weaning schedule that will minimize the likelihood and/or intensity of the withdrawal effects.

All the best..

[teko]

I took paxil. I had no energy at all while on them, but they did wonders for the anxiety. Due to the extreme fatigue, and my having to hold a physical job, I too decided to wean off.  I was on 20 mg. I started by missing one or two a wk, then went down to taking them every other day for a couple of weeks, then every 2 days for a couple of weeks and so on.  It has to be very slow giving your body time to adjust. Otherwise, bam! Yes, I did get a few headaches at first, so I stayed with that dosage for a couple of weeks then continued. I am much more energetic now, have been off for about 3 months now.