Paxil Withdrawal

[Robin Mick]

I am writing on behalf of my husband, who has been taking 20 mg of Paxil daily for a little over a year.  He has been reducing his daily dosage in an effort to discontinue taking the medication.  For the first week, he took 10 mg, then halfed those pills, then moved on to every other day, and so on.  He is now in his 4th day with no Paxil whatsoever, and he is really suffering.  He is very sensitive to light and sound, and both worsen the debilitating headhache he is suffering.  He has contacted his doctor, who prescribed a migraine medication to lessen the pain.  He is unable to function in his daily routine with this pain.  

I've read a lot via the internet about this medication and such withdrawal symptoms.  I've also read that some people have only mild reactions.  Please, any suggestions that can be offered to alleviate his discomfort would be welcome.  And how long can we expect this to go on?  

Thank you in advance for your response.

[Kevin Murphy]

My 13 yr old daughter was on 5mg/day of Paxil for 1 year.  She tapered very slowly (you can only cut those pills so small.)  Doc told us Paxil is linked to breast cancer!  Bottom line is she has been out of school for 6 weeks.  She has very strong nausea and is suffering teribbly.  Nothing helps her feel better.  We are all so frustrated and angry.

[tracy]

I am taking 20mg Paxil a day.  Last weekend I forgot to bring them with me on a trip.  I missed Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  By the time I got home on Monday evening I was getting that periodic "buzz" or "electric shock".  The first time that happened to me was a few months ago.  I had stopped taking the Paxil because I started taking Tylenol Sinus due to allergies.  I thought there might be a problem taking both.  That's when I first got thoses "buzzes" and I thought it was the psudophedrin or whatever it is in sinus meds.  Now I know it's Paxil withdrawals.  It's an interesting sensation, but it's annoying since it makes it hard to focus and I'm sure it's dangerous to drive a car.  The "buzzes" occur randomly at 2-10 minute intervals and last for just a split second.  The shock feels like it's centered in my head but my whole body feels tingly like when your leg falls asleep.

[Wendy]

I am so glad to hear the above stories considering the fact that I am experiencing the same side effects that many others do.  I have been on 20 mg./day of Paxil for 9 months and have recently cut back to 10 mg./day for 7 days under the supervision of the prescribing doctor.  I have now been completely off Paxil for a total of 9 days with the following side effects:
-In a constant (24 hours a day) state of euphoria
-Ears pulsating
-Dizziness
-Nausea every 1-2 hours which sometimes results in vomiting
-Eyes feel like they are spinning/out of control
-Severe headaches
-Tired constantly
-Strange dreams
-Will cry at the drop of a hat
-Very sensitive to light and sound
-Short term memory loss
-Lack of concentration
I called my doctor on the 7th day of being off Paxil and described these symptoms only to be told that they had never heard of any of these side effects.  After reading all of the above stories I find it unsettling that a doctor would not know of these side effects when so many people suffer from them.  The doctor apparently found it amusing and said "if you like the feeling of euphoria...go with it".  To be honest, I don't like it.  I feel like I'm not in control of myself and it doesn't feel good at all to me.  Sometimes I feel I should not be behind the wheel of a car.  I intend to make my doctor aware of this website for reference.    

[John Adams]

I suffer from occassional panic attacks. I have always been a fairly anxious person. I began taking 10 mg.'s of Paxil and it was helping me but not that well. When I started taking 20 mg. it worked much better. I felt much more stable emotionally and capable of handling those situations that used to cause me anxiety. Well, I went in to get a refill a few days ago and they said that I didn't have any refills available. So, I have been without paxil for about 3 days now, while waiting for approval to continue taking the medication.

While I have been okay for the most part, I have been having a couple of withdrawal symptoms. The two symptoms I have been experiencing the most are electric shocks and tiredness. The electric shocks were kind of scared me, but I read that in these posts that other people experience them while withdrawing from the medication. So, knowing that others suffer the same symptom was comforting. My energy level has gone down considerably. I have had to take at least one nap each day for the past three days.

These "electric shocks" occur on my head. It kind of makes sense, because the medication affects the neural synapses. So, it is easy to understand that withdrawls would upset my bodies neural functioning, which is most noticeable in my mind. Since the brain is a huge organism of neurons.

I am quite upset that they discontinued my refills. Must have been an oversite. It is a little discomforting to know that if I ever decide to quit paxil for good that I will experience the withdrawl symptoms again.

For me paxil is a very good alternative to anxiousness, so I will continue use after the weekend.

There read a couple of posts that are helpful but a bit more pessimistic about the use of paxil. It is acceptable to me that the discontinued use of a drug would cause some withdrawls. You have to expect these things.

I hope my experience helps others whom experience similar symptoms.

[Mark Murphy]

After having taken 20mg daily of Paxil for 2 years, I have halved my daily dose to 10mg. While it has been an excellent drug to eliminate my depression, I must concur with the general internet claims regarding coming off this drug. The effect in my case is absolutely characteristic of the flu-like dizziness one can experience everytime you move or roll your eyes when you are sick with the flu.

After a week @ 10mg, I have observed that this dizziness intensity seems to cycle during the day. Eating seems to mitigate the effect somewhat. The symptom is inconveniant to say the least, especially if you are like most of us and must perform at whatever profession we may happen to be in.

Unless there has been a permenant physiological change to my seratonin re-uptake mechanism, I trust my body will equalize in time. I have heard that the half life of paxil is extremely short and that the drug washes out of the system within 72 hrs. I will attempt to cut down to 5mg and then 0 during the next 30 - 60 days. Mark M.

It is based on this that the drug company representatives suggest that it is merely "the return of the depression" that we are confusing with these symptoms. We all know this is ********. I would suggest that our brain has been "trained" by paxil to "act" a certian way much like a tree limb or grass reed bends out of shape by a wind over time. Even after the wind ceases, it takes awhile for the limb,(e.,g, this part of the brain), to incline back into its natural state or "shape".

In any event, this is my theory. I hope it is plausable and will give some hope to those who need it. Until then, we will just have to white knuckel it until we get back to our old self.If after a month or two, I feel the same way I do now, I will probablly find a good attorney to file a class action lawsuit.

[alaina]

Boy - this information has been very comforting - at least as I sit and read it.  I have been taking Paxil for about 18 months for depression and after discussions with my family physician, decided it was a good time to try to stop.  It has been 4 days now and I feel rotten.  I feel sick to my stomach constantly - I am shakey and I burst into tears at for absolutely no reason.  And sound bothers me emensly.  My doctor did tell me to expect not feeling "normal" but this is really bad.  Tell me it will end??