Posted by starlajay on May 30, 2005, at 8:18:18
In reply to depression and relapse, posted by carlo on May 29, 2005, at 0:38:32
All the addiction issues aside (not to give more weight one issue over another) here, I strongly, strongly, highly, emphatically recommend that you discontinue the use of Paxil based solely on the likelihood that you will become physiologically dependent on the drug. And with first hand knowledge of what the withdrawl from Paxil entails. I began taking it several years ago for panic disorder (started at 20mgs), now at 40mgs and about 5 panic-free years later, can not, no matter how hard I try and no matter what I do, can't kick the drug. I wanted to go off of it to figure out if my panic attacks were incidental, and found myself unable to drop below 20mgs without the severe and physical side-effects kicking into action. Even when I have tried tapering off extremely slowly (I took over a month to go from 25-20mgs) in the dosage, or replacing the Paxil for Zoloft, I can not avoid getting the side-effects. These side-effects are physical, for the most part. Although there are some emotional ones as well, but they are a pleasure in comparison to the physical pain I feel. It's really hard to try to explain just what it is that I feel when withdrawling from Paxil, but I'll try my best to explain. By the way, these symptoms begin within a couple hours after missing my daily dose as well, and do not subside for about four hours after taking the pill. First I feel dizzy. Like my brain engulfed water and although I've stopped moving, my brain is spinning freely inside my head which acts like the bowl of water. My vision then begins to "feel" like my eyes are serving as a film projector like from elementary or jr. high. But the film isn't working and is flapping around in my head. It begins to hurt to use my peripheral vision, and then I am feeling nauseated. Also, although I have never experienced vertigo, it am then feeling how I imagine that must feel. My movement, although to others it appears normal, then feels sporradic and disconnected and I get an unpleasant tingle sensation all over. I have a friend who has refered to that same tingle as a bunch of little shocks that are going on throughout his body. Emotionally, everything is intense, and all I can do is wait for the pill to kick in. When I tried to go from 25-20mgs, in addition to these feelings, I couldn't stop crying and I was tired from morning to night. Either I slept all day or was so tired but slept only a couple of hours at night. Well, my panic subsided but now there is a whole new problem for me to tackle. Also, in regards to any experience with Paxil and addiction, I have found it to be inneffective at helping me with my obsession/compulsion to use drugs. And have managed to find myself using illegal drugs as another source for medicating myself during this time on Paxil. I want to stress that during the few months when I really tried to ween myself under a physician's care, off of Paxil, I was not using or taking any other substances. Also, I want to note that I have never experienced anything such as this when discontinuing Prozac or Wellbutrine and don't consider myself to have an especially low threshold to pain either. Aside from Effexor (as I've heard similiar stories) consider anything else. A drug with a longer half-life than Paxil as well.
poster:starlajay
thread:504540
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20050506/msgs/505151.html