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paxil withdrawal

Hi, I've read with heartache and yet delight??? that I have finally found a site that actually deals with paxil and the ill effects of withdrawal.  I have been on paxil on and off for 30 years after being diagnosed with a chemical imbalance at 17.  I am or at least was feeling well and I wanted to try discontinuing paxil to detoxify my body.  I did do it gradually which I would advise everyone however even after being off of the pills completely for 3 weeks I still suffer from a sense of hightened response to noise or movement.  As with most of you I am suffering from vertigo, too realistic dreams, nausea and severe headaches.  I am usually an even-keeled person but I have felt such rage this last week that it is almost unbearable.  I feel as though someone has given me something as I am living in a foggy state of mind.  My body trembles and it is hard to hold my head up.  The "zap" that you speak of can only be described by me as if someone has hit me in the face with a basketball-my eyes flinch, and my whole body jolts.  I counted 7 episodes of this in less the one half hour before being able to fall asleep.  My doctor says that hopefully in a couple of weeks, these side effects should disappear.  I will not, nor will I ever go back on this pill.  I cannot take any other anti-depressants as all of them gave me terrible side effects.  If anyone else has been on, or off and on paxil for this many years and can give me any kind of idea when these side effects will go away, I would be more than grateful.  For all of you who choose to go back on this medicine due to illness from coming off, I totally understand.  I personally feel that if I can get through this with the grace of God, I will never touch this stuff again.  I was never told, remember that I started this years ago, that I would have problems with withdrawal.  If this is what withdrawal from this med. does to you when you are not taking it, then what is it doing to our bodies when we are taking it!.. Good luck and God bless to all of you.  Always remember when times get tough, that you are never truly alone.
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Avatar universal
Sorry, Clarification. I meant don't expect to be updated during the investigation. I was notified of the results of my complaint and what the state did. The hospital took other actions. They fired people.
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Avatar universal
You can make a formal complaint to the State Medical Board of Examiners concerning your psychiatrist. With any one who is licensed to practice in the state such as doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc. and even hospitals, you can make a formal complaint. Look up your state department of health . If you are seeing your psychiatrist  through a hospital program, you can also complain to the patient advocates or administration of that hospital.

Sometimes, it takes a while for an investigation to finish, depending on whether it is a single case or the investigation uncovers a wider involvement of patients and a policy or lack of policy bad outcome. I made a complaint a while back regarding patient safety issues, and it pretty much uncovered much more than what I was complaining about, so it took a few years, but the outcome against the hospital, medical staff and hospital staff was significantly dealt with, with fines, accreditation and policy changes. I did not sue. That was enough for me. I just wanted a change for the better so others do not suffer.

You need really good documentation and /or need to report very factually, and show clearly that it points to a negligence or error. I can understand your anger, and if you want to be effectively angry and have a sense to correct things, you can go down that route. Most people who sue, usually do that anyway.  It seems to me it is an issue about patient education.

Don't expect to be updated after you give recorded testimony or written testimony. The procedure is very specific with the steps, but it isn't monumentally ladened with redtape or roadblocks. As I recall, I simply picked up the phone and talked to a state investigator, but I had notes as to date, time, names, and what was done and what was said. I kept it very factual and had a good timeline. I also told them who in the hospital I spoke to, and that included everyone up the ladder to address the issue.

Since you are the daughter of an attorney, you  know that people usually take the 5th  or clam up when they smell a law suit and become vigilant. I usually don't announce a lawsuit. I let the delivery of the papers do the talking. I concentrate on preparation to win the case. If I don't feel the case is strong enough, I don't pursue it. Also, if I win and it is going to cost me into an empty verdict to my favor. For yourself, because you are dealing with so much physical and mental issues, please consider this.

I  don't see any reason why consulting an attorney for an hour or two and if it isn't too costly for you. I personally like to consult with people who have good heads on their shoulders and know what is possible and what is likely to happen, or if it isn't worth the trouble to go through the legal system.  When I have to go through it for a long time, I like to make sure I will win or come out ahead. I don't like costly wins or fighting a battle where I am not so sure I will win.  A lawsuit is a very big and long  commitment. Even settlements can take awhile to happen.  Just make sure that it isn't anger that is going to fizzle out because lawsuits take a long, long time.  When you drop it, and you put a lot of time and money into it, the only person who loses will be you.  

I agree with nursegirl that you should talk a few sessions with your therapist about it.. I believe you really find her helpful and she sounds reasonable. If there is a trust issue now and hard feelings with you and your doctor, and you are going to sue him or report him to the Board, it would serve you and him  better to leave his practice. Think about all the things that can be affected when you do something like this. It can also consume you in a very bad way and eat at you with a lot of bitterness, so definitely, concentrate on getting better and , at the very least, minimize the damage to yourself, and keep hoping for the better for yourself. The focus should be on your health and well being,  your life and livelihood. Make sure it isn't only the anger that is burning in your heart and keeping you going. I've observed that most people I know who live like that end up bitter alone  and empty.  

Just to let you know, I have gone through pretty awful side effects or adverse affects myself, and it took years to get over one of them,  and luckily, for me, the others  dissipated and didn't last very long. I was given pretty bad odds of recovery. It does give me satisfaction to beat the odds. I do have some deficits but they aren't really noticeable and sometimes, I forget that I have them, unless I do something like iceskating. Whatever you decide, at the very least, do not lose sight of yourself, the good possibilities that can happen, and hope.  
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480448 tn?1426948538
I agree with Paxiled above.

I also am sorry for what you went through, but unfortunately, the person who has the MOST accountability and responsibility in these kinds of situations is US, the patient.  Now, years ago, when the info was not complete, not readily available, and not forthcoming...that's a different story.  In the present day, as you found, there is no shortage of info and warnings about Paxil.  Does that excuse your doctor from not educating you?  No, but it also doesn't excuse you from not doing your homework, and I absolutely positively don't say that in a mean or negative way.

It's very very early on...hopefully you will fully recover, and like Paxiled said, you may want to consider resuming the Paxil and doing a very slow and deliberate taper.  That may help you.

I just wouldn't recommend chasing your tail about lawsuits...it's just not realistic at this point.  Two factors have to be present for a lawsuit to be even worth trying....liability and damages.  The liability thing is covered very well at this point, and it's way too soon to know if you will suffer any long term effects, and if so, the severity of them.  I would much rather see you put your energy into trying to get better.  Find a new psychiatrist, one who KNOWS his/her way around medications and medication w/ds.  They ARE out there.  It may take a bit of looking, but you may get lucky and find one without much of a search.

I wish you the very best....hopefully if you've come out of this with ANY revelation, it's that we always must do our due diligence and research any medication/procedure/treatment BEFORE starting it.  We cannot count on others (even our own doctors) to make sure we understand the risks and benefits.  I wish that health care workers did more to educate patients (and actually, patient education is worlds better than it used to be), but in the end...the onus is on us.  

Take care, keep us posted on how you're doing!
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Avatar universal
Sorry, but the lawsuits against Glaxo already happened years ago and were settled.  I don't think you're going to find an attorney who is going to sue them again because by the time you started taking Paxil the company had already been required by the FDA to put a black box warning in the info that comes with it and on their web site, as have all the other makers of antidepressants and benzos.  If you had looked at that info you would have seen the warning about quitting.  It isn't clearly scary enough, but given that most people do get off it successfully there probably aren't enough people out there to make up a class that would make it worthwhile monetarily for an attorney to take it up.  You missed the boat by many years.  Suing the psychiatrist would be the only way to go for you, but it's very hard to win against one.  I speak as someone who will never get over Paxil -- I got Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome from it a decade ago because of an incompetent psychiatrist who never told me about withdrawal and another one that started me on it who never warned me either, and even back then the lawsuits were pretty much over except perhaps regarding birth defects.  Go ahead and play with it if you find it therapeutic, but don't expect at this late date to succeed or even find an attorney -- if they can't make money they won't take your case and, as I said, this has already been litigated and settled, sealing the discovery process.  I'm sorry for your trouble, my life is completely ruined, but sometimes suing just isn't feasible.  Hopefully you will recover fully, but my only advice is that if it goes on for a long time I'd go back on the drug and taper off even more slowly.  I didn't because I didn't know what was happening and didn't know that was the only treatment.  Good luck to you.
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Avatar universal
It almost makes me cry reading what u have experienced. I had been on paxil 5-6 years, 30mg. started to get off in november, 2014. even with the gradual titrating down it was awful. insomnia, muscle tightness and spasms all over, trembling, dizziness, extreemmmme irritability, lost 17 lbs. i got completely off 8 days ago after taking only about 5 mg. or less for a few wks. symtoms still carry on. i go to p.t. ea. week to try to get my muscles to calm down. i exercise daily to no avail. i did take magnesium oxide wh seems to help the muscle thing. I am taking nothing now but vitamin d 3, - two thousand mg. daily . I went to the emergency room today. checked heart,brain, blood. forgot to mention my broken blood vessel at back of eye, bleeding. go monday to eye doc again. my vision changed . dont know if either eye thing related. heart fine, brain except for ischiemic activity. not sure about that either. not stroke but little stuff.

I have called 4 attorneys who deal with Paxil lawsuits against glaxo smith-kline, manufacturer. waiting to hear back. I am furious times 10 with my psychiatrist who left all of this out and wh/ i went to see him 2 weeks ago played kinda dumb about the whole thing. he is bright and informed. i think he was probably scared I'd sue him. even the emergency room reluctant to acknowledge. the docs get some kinds of kickbacks in the way of vacations, and perhaps actual money for prescribing. I spoke with my close friend, a lawyer who said her doc admitted this to her.

I am going to an alternative chiropractor who is going to try some stuff to help me with getting thru this. i see a psychologist twice a week and have needed to do a phone call or two when I felt crazy. the anger, irritability and generally feeling so sick.

today at the hosp. i found out i have mastoiditis, a middle ear infection wh/ may add to the confusion re; balance ,gait, dizziness. i still think the stupid Paxil is responsible for most of it.  

all my joints hurt, muscles for no reason hurt and legs so tight rite now and i even went to pt. today to help stretch muscles. didnt last.....and that is after I lay in the bed in the hosp for hours. no muscles used.

apparently( read) the World Health Org. has had more complaints on Paxil than any other drug in history. there are many settlements for heinous birth defects in babies born to women on Paxil.

if you google class action lawsuits re: paxil withdrawl you will find many sites . amazing.

we will live thru it. I will never take another depression drug. i got off because my therapist said she thought I was ready. i have been in therapy for many years. we thought most of what caused my dep and anxiety has been worked thru.

I will pursue entering a class action suit.
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Avatar universal
i too just came off paxil after being on this med for 5 1/2 years  i was on effexor and got pregnant and was forced to come off in 3 days  only to just about die with sickness and loose the baby at 8 weeks pregnant.. after i got pregnant with my son i was not on meds but suffered terribly probally due to hormones.. now the fun stuff my psych.. retired  and the lady i was seeing when he was out on medical leave.. i missed a appt in nov.. gave myself a bad name now.. even though i rescheduled.. needless to say when i was running out of meds i called to set up another appt only to be turned away... i came off 30 mg.s  cut into half then 15  and stopped.. been off for 3 weeks..  majors withdrawal symptoms have gone except the zap like feelings,, and now i am getting headaches , and of course irratibility.. anyone been off of the meds longer does this stop.. my plan is to start walking to build up good serotinin instead of using the poison i was on.. I guess i am scared to continue to be off and try ... any suggestions would be helpfull.
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Avatar universal
hi, this is remar and i'm new to this forum. i feel for anyone who is going through the withdrawal of antidepressants. i've been on paxil for about three years, my second time, now i've decided to quit because of side effects and it's no fun at all. i was on effexor for five years and the withdrawl from that was horrible! the withdrawal symtoms will go away, just try to hang in there.
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Avatar universal
Yeah, amazing, paxil was indeed available when I was 17.  Seriously, I don't think that at least for now that I have depression.  I feel more anxious about general things than depressed.  Unfortunately I have tried prozac, effexor, zoloft---you name it with terrible side effects that cause hysteria, hallucinations etc.  Paxil has turned out to be the only antidepressant that I can tolerate.  At this point, I refuse to go back on it, two months of withdrawal, but getting somewhat better keeps me determined never to go back on this med. again.  If it can cause this kind of side effect coming off, what is it doing to my body while I am on it.  I just want to enjoy life without a curtain of meds blurring my vision.  Thanks for your reply
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Avatar universal
I didn't even know Paxil was avalible 30 years ago.

Either way, If you are able to tolerate Paxil, then there has to be another SSRI that you can also tolerate. Maybe you would be better to swap rather than just stop.
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Avatar universal
I ws on paxil about 20 years and went off.  Decreased from 40 to 30 to 20 to 10 and then off.  Didn't experience one withdrwal effect.  I actually got depressed again real bad several months later and went back on it, but only for 3 months and was able to discontinue it after 2 or 3 weeks.
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Avatar universal
I was just wondering if since you went off the paxil, have you had to go back on it and/or do you still suffer from depression from time to time.  Thanks.
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Avatar universal
I too went off Paxil and had been on it about 15 years. I had to cut it from 60 to 40 to 30 to 15 to 10 to 5 and do this about 7-8 days a piece. It took me longer but I had less withdrawal. I still had some but not as bad.
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