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Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 8:01:48 AM

TheFireWithinMe

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For about 15 years I took Paxil for work-related anxiety and depression. About two weeks ago my thinking became very cloudy; when talking with people I couldn't understand what they were saying to me. I tried to hide but they had to know because I couldn't get the right words out tO respond.

I was admItted to hospital for testing and imaging all of which was negative so I was discharged with a suggestion to further investigate the possibility that Paxil was the culprite. I went to stay with my Mom. Soon afterwards I noticed that I was relatively clearheaded until about the time the Paxil started to take effect. Hmmmm.

When my parents and I saw the shrink I'd been referred to in order to investigate my using Paxil, I told him of my suspicions and told him I wanted to stop Paxil - which I don't need anyway. He agreed and told me to not take it at all the next day (Saturday) half a pill the next day, none the day after that. The effects were instantaneous - not only did my head remain clear it cleared further. Yay! I saw him On the Monday and he told me to stay off it.

I've had wicked side effects from the withdrawal but there is no doubt in my mind I did the right thing. Looking back to when I was on Paxil I see (and feel!) the damage it did; how rather than smoothing me out emotionally it muted my emotions. How I had withdrawn. Now I'm the way I was supposed to be on Paxil: open, friendly and capable of feeling ALL emotions.

Why am I writing this here instead of my journal? I'm convinced that Paxil is not a good drug. While looking for help with the side effects from the withdrawal I came across an incredible website called quitpaxil.org started by aan who found no resources when he stopped Paxil after finding no resources to help him with it and hid side effects. On it he chronicals his experience and offers advice on dealing with withdrawal to those who have stopped or want to. My suspicions have been confirmed, not only because of all the people who have written about the bad things Paxil did to them but because the site owner has apparently been overwhelmed by ails saying the same thing.

If you see yourself here, PLEASE do NOT simply stop Paxil. For one thing it may be helping you and be the right drug for you. For another the withdrawal is WICKED and should be done under a doctors supervision. I Just want to get the word out.

Fire

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 9:44:31 AM

kalikshama

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With either Paxil or Zoloft I lost the ability to orgasm. This was in the 90s, hence my inability to remember.

I take Wellbutrin when I need it. Last fall/early winter I started taking it again as I think I was experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'll consider stopping it again soon.

While you are absolutely correct that generally withdrawal should be done under a doctors supervision, I have successfully tapered off and stopped Wellbutrin several times in the past with no ill effects.

Lots of pharmaceuticals can have side effects worse than the symptoms they are supposed to treat. Be informed.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 1:06:14 PM

DesFIP

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I took zoloft for two and a half years. Yes, my sex drive and ability to orgasm was lessened. On the other hand, I wasn't planning to off myself.

I tapered off over about a two month period under the supervision of the psychiatrist.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 1:08:03 PM

LadyHibiscus

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I wish every day that I could give up my meds. Oh well.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 1:33:34 PM

GloriousMorning

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I've been on Paxil a few times during some of the most difficult parts of my life, and found had they had the same effect on me. "Flatlined" or "Zombie" would be the ways I have described it. People would be speaking to me and I wouldn't have much comprehension as to what they were saying, I would just go through the physical motions of listening. I could not tell you one way or another how I felt about anything really. Yes I also was unable to orgasm, not that sex was high on my activity list anyways due to the constant lethargy, also a side effect. My left eye twitched daily for the period of about 4 months, and stopped when I stopped taking Paxil.

Ive tried others with adverse effects as well, including Champix (Chantix in the US) to quit smoking and it was just terrible. So terrible I don't even want to write it here.

I have chosen to live free of those types medications, and while there are some incredibly tough moments and consequences of that choice, I still feel I have made the right one for me. Until such a time that I feel I am unable to cope on a day to day basis, I will not be taking those kinds of medications.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 2:03:11 PM

chelita30

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I have been on escitalopram for three years and recently began reducing my dosage very slowly. When I reached half my original dosage I felt as if someone had switched a light on in my brain - suddenly the foggy exhaustion that has accompanied me every day was gone! I stopped taking afternoon naps and started being active throughout the day again. It is scary how these drugs make you think it's normal to live like that. I'm looking forward to coming off them completely, but it#s a tough road. Good luck to those of you engaged in this journey.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 2:16:13 PM

TheFireWithinMe

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See my problem kalik is that I really couldn't taper the Paxil because the confusion I was experiencing was so severe. Besides the side effects started the first day with a wham! so to me tapering would have been the equivalent of taking a bandaid off slowly over a month or so. Still I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

I can relate, GloriousMorning. Looking back, I can see that most of the time of was doing a great imitation of happy when in fact I didn't feel that way at all.

The part that really pisses me off though is not having been monitored when I was first put on the Paxil. No followup, just kind of a "here ya go this should fix you up" and that was that. Also no referral to therapy to deal with my issues. Incredible to me that the doctor would just leave things as they were.

Fire

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 3:54:34 PM

kalikshama

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quote:

See my problem kalik is that I really couldn't taper the Paxil because the confusion I was experiencing was so severe. Besides the side effects started the first day with a wham! so to me tapering would have been the equivalent of taking a bandaid off slowly over a month or so. Still I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Oh, you clearly had a very different experience with Paxil than I did with Wellbutrin; I wasn't comparing your apples to my oranges.

quote:

The part that really pisses me off though is not having been monitored when I was first put on the Paxil. No followup, just kind of a "here ya go this should fix you up" and that was that. Also no referral to therapy to deal with my issues. Incredible to me that the doctor would just leave things as they were.

Prozac was my very first psychotropic, and it caused anxiety attacks. When I went back to the shrink he said, "Hmm, the Trazadone should have prevented that." Well, he'd forgotten to prescribe Trazadone >_< which ending up making me feel hungover and I didn't stay on either of them very long.

What really really really worked for me was Fen-Phen. Sigh.

Actually, regular yoga and cardio work pretty well too, but Fen-Phen truly was a magic bullet (until the side effects were discovered.)

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 4:12:38 PM

MistressDarkArt

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MDs/psychiatrists tend to over-medicate people with anti-depressants. Just because the PDR says xx mgs is the 'standard dose' doesn't mean that a particular individual needs (or wants) that much. Often a half, quarter or even eighth standard dose is enough to alleviate symptoms while minimizing or eliminating unwanted side effects.

How well they work is highly subjective, too. It's not like there's a concrete lab test that confirms because you have xx level of medication in your bloodstream your doctor considers you 'fixed'. You're only 'fixed' if YOU feel it's working for you.

< Message edited by MistressDarkArt -- 4/15/2012 4:13:25 PM >

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 4:45:30 PM

littlewonder

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Imo it doesn't sound like you had a problem with paxil persay but more a problem with your doctor/s.

I've been on antidepressents for years. Most have done zero/nada for me. Others made me feel horrible in many different ways, and then I'm now on two together that seem to be working semi-well. BUT the entire time I've had doctors that monitored me, forced me to see a therapist in conjunction with the meds and also made sure I was living a healthy lifestyle outside the doctor's office...exercise, eating healthy, healthy relationships, etc....

When you decide to go on drugs you have to take control of your own life as well and make sure you talk to your doctors about EVERYTHING and if you're not sure or feel bad on something you have to make them fully aware of absolutely everything in your life. You'd be surprised what can affect your meds...even something as simple as something you drink or eat interacting with the meds.

Unfortunately most people just take the drugs the doctors give them with very little information and communication with their docs and when they feel it's not working they just stop cold turkey not realizing the side affects that can happen even if you only took the meds for only a week or a day.

I took Paxil for a little while but it did nothing at all for me. I told my doc who adjusted me to another med after med after med until we found something that worked.

That's not to say the meds have completely cured me. They haven't. But they do make my life a helluvalot easier to manage. Without them I'd never get out of bed.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 4:57:05 PM

kitkat105

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I've been on zoloft, paxil, lexapro and now avanza. I was on paxil approximately 6 years ago. It worked very well for about a year (like all SSRIs) and then pooped out (stopped working) for me. Weaning myself off it, how it's said to be done online at websites like quitpaxil.org was nightmarish. Paxil is fairly evil. Zoloft had slightly less evil side effects, Lexapro caused loss of libido/orgasms.

Avanza, however, has been my hero. It's a TCA instead of SSRI. After years of convincing doctors I did indeed have major depressive disorder, I finally found one that believed me. I am the most 'stable' I've felt mood wise, but granted my situation caused me a lot of grief and so does my general anxiety.

For a few years I honestly felt that psychiatry in general was no good. I hate that these companies take advantage of people at their most vulnerable, get them on medications that make life tolerable while on them and intolerable when off them.

< Message edited by kitkat105 -- 4/15/2012 4:58:36 PM >

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 5:41:35 PM

TheFireWithinMe

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Here's the thing, I thought I was fine, that Paxil was working; after all the panic went away. I didn't even realize how bad I was doing, how screwed up I had become until last Saturday when I really started to feel again.

Before: put up with a lot of unhealthy stuff from the people in my life especially the men.
Now: oh don't even try it!

Before: I was Queen Slob.
Now: can't stop cleaning. God bless my sainted parents for their help.

I could go on but this post would end up book length. In a way I'm glad I had that crisis, otherwise I would still be on Paxil, a drug I didn't even NEED because my panic/depression were connected to a specific job I no longer have.

Fire

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 7:01:27 PM

DesFIP

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quote:

ORIGINAL: chelita30

I have been on escitalopram for three years and recently began reducing my dosage very slowly. When I reached half my original dosage I felt as if someone had switched a light on in my brain - suddenly the foggy exhaustion that has accompanied me every day was gone! I stopped taking afternoon naps and started being active throughout the day again.

On the Zoloft I never felt that the dosage was high enough. It wasn't until he bumped it up to 200mg that I had any energy. Below that, I was lackadaisical but once I finally got there I was full of beans and tackled stuff I hadn't been able to handle in years. And yet, a nurse friend was shocked that I wasn't a zombie at that high dosage.

Truthfully, everyone is different and can easily have a different reaction. I took penicillin years ago and came out with the worst rash. Yet it's the miracle drug, the one that stopped people dying of simple infections like pneumonia. The fact that I can't take it doesn't mean it isn't still a good medication for others to use, just not me.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 7:47:12 PM

Diana50

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Sadly, Paxil has ruined my son's life. From the time he was 18, until now ... he is 30 years old, he's been a mess, and is unable to withdraw from it. Even under several doctor's care, he's unable to go below a certain dose, because his brain reacts violently, and he's been close to suicide several times.

He's been in and out of hospitals .... they've tried everything they can, but his brain is hooked on Paxil, it wants nothing else, and it's even stopped working and has no REVERSED it's affects on him. He's horribly worse, than he ever was!

As a mother, my heart is broken for him, and at this time, he's alone far from me, unable to fly home, he's too weak and having brain zaps constantly. Paxil is an EVIL drug!

Paxilprogress is another very good website. There are many lawsuits against this drug, because there are thousands who can't get off of it, and many who have committed suicide.

My heart goes out for all those who have experienced the horrible hell of this med.

Diana

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/15/2012 10:28:14 PM

LafayetteLady

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quote:

ORIGINAL: TheFireWithinMe

Here's the thing, I thought I was fine, that Paxil was working; after all the panic went away. I didn't even realize how bad I was doing, how screwed up I had become until last Saturday when I really started to feel again.

Before: put up with a lot of unhealthy stuff from the people in my life especially the men.
Now: oh don't even try it!

Before: I was Queen Slob.
Now: can't stop cleaning. God bless my sainted parents for their help.

I could go on but this post would end up book length. In a way I'm glad I had that crisis, otherwise I would still be on Paxil, a drug I didn't even NEED because my panic/depression were connected to a specific job I no longer have.

Fire

I'm not going to say that Paxil doesn't cause damage to anyone, however, in your case, all the problems seem to have been of your own making. You went on it for a job related issue, you blame your doctor for not referring you to therapy, but apparently didn't bother to ask for it. When the job issue no longer existed, you failed to tell your doctor the problem was resolved.

If you are not going to be an active participant in your own health, you can't blame the medication or the doctors when things go wrong.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/16/2012 12:20:40 AM

SoulAlloy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady
I'm not going to say that Paxil doesn't cause damage to anyone, however, in your case, all the problems seem to have been of your own making. You went on it for a job related issue, you blame your doctor for not referring you to therapy, but apparently didn't bother to ask for it. When the job issue no longer existed, you failed to tell your doctor the problem was resolved.

If you are not going to be an active participant in your own health, you can't blame the medication or the doctors when things go wrong.

I'm not disagreeing entirely with what you've said, but... Having depression and recognising it's root cause do not always go together. Combine that with the fact one of the reasons you will see a doctor over such an issue is that you don't know what else to do. Handing that information over is part of the doctors responsibility

My doctors here have always discouraged me from seeing a therapist due to the long waiting lists involved. It took years of pointng out I wasn't getting better to get referred.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/16/2012 1:33:45 AM

dollparts85

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I took Paxil as a teenager and it made me extremely manic. Barely slept, barely ate...which wasn't so much an issue until my jaw started hurting so bad b/c I was clenching it from lack of sleep. I only took it for maybe 6 months around age 16-17. I've found that SNRIs are much harder to get off of than SSRIs. I can't get off from Cymbalta...the electric shock sensations, dizziness, and inability to think clearly are just too much. I'll probably take it for the rest of my life.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/16/2012 5:28:56 AM

TheFireWithinMe

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Diane, my heart goes out to you. Apparently the company that makes Paxil have changed the labelling; they used to claim Paxil was easy to stop, they now admit that withdrawal from Paxil can be extremely difficult. The stories posted on quitpaxil.com comfirm it. I'm here for you sweetie.

LL I'm reeeally not going to get into it with you. Yes I do bear responsibility and should have asked about therapy I was naive and trusted the doctor I saw at the time when it came to my health and I didn't actively participate in my own healthcare. Oh hell I didn't take care of myself PERIOD. I stayed in bad, unhealthy relationships and jobs. Guess what , I was depressed probably longer than before I was diagnosed and I didn't CARE enough about myself to change.

Now let me tell you more about my state of mind after being discharged from hospital but before going off Paxil. One day my mom gave me some towels to fold; I couldn't figure out how to do it even after she showed me how. I was in too much of a brain fog. As I stated in my OP this is the reason I decided to start this thread; LL I am FAR from the only one whose health had been messed up by this drug. Add to that the fact (and the company now admits it) that it's highly addictive and extraordinarily hard to get off of, which is not supposed to be the case with SSRIs.

Fire

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/16/2012 5:33:48 AM

Exidor

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If you're on antihistamines, be aware it's possible for them to cause depression. I discovered this by accident some years ago. Last I looked the Official Word was that there's no connection, but you can find plenty of other people with similar stories if you look.

Also, after spending half a lifetime on antihistamines of various sorts before getting away from them entirely, most of them have withdrawal symptoms that mimic severe allergy attacks, a nice feedback loop that tends to keep the user going for the next pill like a rat to the food dispenser. Life was hell for about a month, and after the withdrawal effects went away, so did almost all of the symptoms that I was taking the pills for in the first place. Yeah, my eyes will still swell up in pollen season, but so do the eyes of everyone else, too.

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RE: Paxil and the Harm It Did Me - 4/16/2012 5:54:18 AM

Iamsemisweet

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Well ,this thread has convinced me to never, ever take Zoloft. I will say that I have taken Prozac from time to time when I have had to deal with prolonged emotional situations, like the breakup of my marriage and my former business partnership. It has worked exactly as advertised in calming my emotions and I was able to quit immediately and with no issues.
I belong to an HMO, and they would rather medicate than deal with the underlying problem. The only way to get referred to a therapist or even a chiropractor is to argue and fight for it. Not exactly something one feels the strength to do when one is depressed or in pain. So yes, we need to be proactive in our health care, but doctors bear some responsibility for following up also. That is their job, to care for people who are vulnerable. Instead, they get sold a bill of goods by the pharmaceutical companies or are encouraged by their employers to handle things in the cheapest way possible. Fire's doctor could have also followed up with her on what is going on in her life, and should have been more concerned about finding opportunities to wean her off. The drug, instead of just considering her "cured".

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