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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
what is this?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
what is this?
by tennents, Sep 28, 2001 12:00AM
Hi, I have been on paxil for 1 year and a half. For mostly panic attacks and anxiety - although i think that the anxiety was in fact phobia. Anwyay, I have been taking 20mgs for most of that time, and it has really, really helped. Recently, I have had twitching in my body, such as my feet, arms, hands etc. and really bad mood swings. (Which I never got before I took paxil or since now). One minute I am okay, and the next I am quite hyper and then I am very depressed. These symptoms started when I took the combined contraception pill that I took because of a gynaecological problem. I only took it for 12 days before I stopped taking it. But the problem now is that it has been over 2 weeks since I stopped taking it, and I am still getting these problems. So I am thinking is it still the effects of the pill in the system, or have I built up a tolerance to paxil. I am worried i may have bipolar, or that I am building a tolerance to paxil that no anti-depressant will work.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Oct 01, 2001 12:00AM
, Oct 01, 2001 12:00AM
It is unlikely that this is caused by the pAXIL alone. It is likely that the birth control pill interacted badly with the Paxil since both are metabolized in the liver and share at least one known enzyme system. It could take longer than two weeks to get this reaction stopped. Check with your psychiatrist about the wash out period.And make sure you are not pregnant.
Member Comments (3)
by Janie-doodle, Sep 28, 2001 12:00AM
If you have a hormonal imbalance that will affect your mood. If you are using contraceptive pills for a hormone imbalance THAT will affect your mood. Several pdocs I have talked to believe that hormones are "psychiatric poison." The hormones might still be present in your body, and you might have to wait and see if you go back to how you were before the contraceptives.
by CCB, Nov 11, 2001 12:00AM
The washout period for paroxetine (Paxil) is between 2 and 5 weeks...you may or may not experience symptoms for that long.
