Ever experienced Paxil withdrawal?

[SsupernovaE]

So I've been taking Paxil for a couple of years for generalized anxiety disorder and have never gone more than two days without a dose. Last Friday I ran out and didn't bother to pick up my refill thinking that I'd be fine for a few days.

Man, was I wrong. Yesterday, I ended up bedridden with cold sweats, shakes, severe anxiety attacks, feelings of electricity running through my fingertips, racing thoughts, vivid dreams, diarrhea, among other things. I've read that people have had similar experiences and that they were similar to heroine withdrawal.

Anybody else experienced anything like this?

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE
So I've been taking Paxil for a couple of years for generalized anxiety disorder and have never gone more than two days without a dose. Last Friday I ran out and didn't bother to pick up my refill thinking that I'd be fine for a few days.

Man, was I wrong. Yesterday, I ended up bedridden with cold sweats, shakes, severe anxiety attacks, feelings of electricity running through my fingertips, racing thoughts, vivid dreams, diarrhea, among other things. I've read that people have had similar experiences and that they were similar to heroine withdrawal.

Anybody else experienced anything like this?

I think somebody sued because their son/daughter killed themselves after they stopped taking it? I mean they probably had depression after withdrawl but...?

Or maybe I'm making things up?

 

[UpgradeFailure]

Its like trying to get off crack or something. Awful stuff.

 

[Shawn]

I only took it for about 2 months before I went on vacation and forgot my pills. I decided I would just stop cold turkey (I didn't like the side effects anyway so I wanted to stop taking it). Worst experience of my life, no exaggeration. I have heard people compare it to heroin withdraw. Needless to say it ruined my vacation. I'm happy I didn't take it any longer or the withdraw might have been even worse. I vowed to never take antidepressants ever again.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It's not paranoia, if everyone really is out to get you.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Now that you have detoxed, its probaly best you never go back on it.

I'm with Scientology on this one, unless of course you are completely imbalanced to the point you re non-functional.

Gotta learn to cope with the anxiety by other methods than prescription drugs.

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Now that you have detoxed, its probaly best you never go back on it.

I'm with Scientology on this one, unless of course you are completely imbalanced to the point you re non-functional.

Gotta learn to cope with the anxiety by other methods than prescription drugs.

I wouldn't say 1 drug is representative.

 

[UpgradeFailure]

Originally posted by: Shawn
I only took it for about 2 months before I went on vacation and forgot my pills. I decided I would just stop cold turkey (I didn't like the side effects anyway so I wanted to stop taking it). Worst experience of my life, no exaggeration. I have heard people compare it to heroin withdraw. Needless to say it ruined my vacation. I'm happy I didn't take it any longer or the withdraw might have been even worse. I vowed to never take antidepressants ever again.

Yep. I was on it for over a year and I just didnt want to be on it anymore, so I took myself off. Looking back I should have let a doc slowly cut my dose down but I wanted out. I'm so glad I did but it was beyond awful. I threw up 10-20 times a day, was hot, cold, tired, awake all night, just awful.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
Now that you have detoxed, its probaly best you never go back on it.

I'm with Scientology on this one, unless of course you are completely imbalanced to the point you re non-functional.

Gotta learn to cope with the anxiety by other methods than prescription drugs.

I agree with you. However, the reason I began taking it is because I was having panic attacks which would cause me to almost pass out from the lack of oxygen. Normally, people hyperventilate, but I have compromised breathing due to muscular dystrophy and anything that disturbs my normal breathing patterns is potentially deadly.

 

[clamum]

Your withdrawal symptoms sound like opiate withdrawal symptoms. I've had them, not fun, but they don't sound as bad as yours were.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: Shawn
I only took it for about 2 months before I went on vacation and forgot my pills. I decided I would just stop cold turkey (I didn't like the side effects anyway so I wanted to stop taking it). Worst experience of my life, no exaggeration. I have heard people compare it to heroin withdraw. Needless to say it ruined my vacation. I'm happy I didn't take it any longer or the withdraw might have been even worse. I vowed to never take antidepressants ever again.

Yep. I was on it for over a year and I just didnt want to be on it anymore, so I took myself off. Looking back I should have let a doc slowly cut my dose down but I wanted out. I'm so glad I did but it was beyond awful. I threw up 10-20 times a day, was hot, cold, tired, awake all night, just awful.

How long did it take to get off completely?

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: Shawn
I only took it for about 2 months before I went on vacation and forgot my pills. I decided I would just stop cold turkey (I didn't like the side effects anyway so I wanted to stop taking it). Worst experience of my life, no exaggeration. I have heard people compare it to heroin withdraw. Needless to say it ruined my vacation. I'm happy I didn't take it any longer or the withdraw might have been even worse. I vowed to never take antidepressants ever again.

Yep. I was on it for over a year and I just didnt want to be on it anymore, so I took myself off. Looking back I should have let a doc slowly cut my dose down but I wanted out. I'm so glad I did but it was beyond awful. I threw up 10-20 times a day, was hot, cold, tired, awake all night, just awful.

How long did it take to get off completely?

It took me about 3 days before I was able to function again. About a week before I felt ok.

 

[TehMac]

Just get off the drugs man. Seriously, I hope you'll be ok, and I hope you'll be fine without them. Talk to your doctor. I think the best way to deal with anxiety, personally, is to realize:
1) You're alive
2) You're living enough

 

[UpgradeFailure]

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: Shawn
I only took it for about 2 months before I went on vacation and forgot my pills. I decided I would just stop cold turkey (I didn't like the side effects anyway so I wanted to stop taking it). Worst experience of my life, no exaggeration. I have heard people compare it to heroin withdraw. Needless to say it ruined my vacation. I'm happy I didn't take it any longer or the withdraw might have been even worse. I vowed to never take antidepressants ever again.

Yep. I was on it for over a year and I just didnt want to be on it anymore, so I took myself off. Looking back I should have let a doc slowly cut my dose down but I wanted out. I'm so glad I did but it was beyond awful. I threw up 10-20 times a day, was hot, cold, tired, awake all night, just awful.

How long did it take to get off completely?

I was throwing up every few hours for about 5-6 days. At about 10 days I was pretty well off. Best choice i've made in a long time though.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Originally posted by: TehMac
Just get off the drugs man. Seriously, I hope you'll be ok, and I hope you'll be fine without them. Talk to your doctor. I think the best way to deal with anxiety, personally, is to realize:
1) You're alive
2) You're living enough

Yeah, I feel like zanejo... err, a junkie. Something I really have to talk to my doctor about.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE

Originally posted by: TehMac
Just get off the drugs man. Seriously, I hope you'll be ok, and I hope you'll be fine without them. Talk to your doctor. I think the best way to deal with anxiety, personally, is to realize:
1) You're alive
2) You're living enough

Yeah, I feel like zanejo... err, a junkie. Something I really have to talk to my doctor about.

Most of the antidepressant/antianxiety drugs alter your brain chemistry. You can't just stop taking them without severe and potentially deadly side affects. Have your doctor call it in and get back on and ween yourself off of them with his guidance.

 

[Leros]

I got put on Paxil when I was 8 to help my speech impediment. When I was 16, I decided to quit and since neither my parents or my psychologist agreed I just went cold turkey.

I experienced all the symptoms you have plus little zaps in my brain every three seconds. It lasted for about three weeks.

When I got off, nothing changed about me. My speech and anxiety levels were the same, if not improved.

 

[cdmccool]

Wow, I'm surprised to read about this. I was on Paxil for almost a year, and I quit cold turkey because I decided I did't want to be on medication anymore. I didn't experience any type of withdrawal whatsoever.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Originally posted by: cdmccool
Wow, I'm surprised to read about this. I was on Paxil for almost a year, and I quit cold turkey because I decided I did't want to be on medication anymore. I didn't experience any type of withdrawal whatsoever.

It surprised me too because I've known people to quit cold turkey and do just fine. But upon searching the web, it seems like this is a huge problem for a large percentage of people.

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: cdmccool
Wow, I'm surprised to read about this. I was on Paxil for almost a year, and I quit cold turkey because I decided I did't want to be on medication anymore. I didn't experience any type of withdrawal whatsoever.

You probably should never have been on it than.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Originally posted by: Leros
I got put on Paxil when I was 8 to help my speech impediment. When I was 16, I decided to quit and since neither my parents or my psychologist agreed I just went cold turkey.

I experienced all the symptoms you have plus little zaps in my brain every three seconds. It lasted for about three weeks.

When I got off, nothing changed about me. My speech and anxiety levels were the same, if not improved.

I got those zaps, too. Did they come with a disembodied feeling, like you were floating outside of your head?

 

[crab]

I've missed a weeks worth before and only experienced the brain zaps.

 

[frostedflakes]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE

Originally posted by: TehMac
Just get off the drugs man. Seriously, I hope you'll be ok, and I hope you'll be fine without them. Talk to your doctor. I think the best way to deal with anxiety, personally, is to realize:
1) You're alive
2) You're living enough

Yeah, I feel like zanejo... err, a junkie. Something I really have to talk to my doctor about.

Most of the antidepressant/antianxiety drugs alter your brain chemistry. You can't just stop taking them without severe and potentially deadly side affects. Have your doctor call it in and get back on and ween yourself off of them with his guidance.

No kidding, just in case people don't realize this, YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T QUIT TAKING SSRIs "COLD TURKEY." You need to be weened off them. It's not just discomfort, some of the withdrawal systems can include severe depression, it's not unheard of for people to commit suicide when they stop taking these drugs.

I was on very low doses of an SSRI for a while (I think one of the lowest doses possible) and eventually decided to ween myself off. I just started going with 1/2 and 1/4 pills and increasing the interval between taking the medicine (probably should have talked to my doctor, but because of the extremely low dose I figured it'd be OK). I weened myself off them about as slowly as I thought was possible, and I still had side effects (for a few weeks it seemed like I felt lightheaded all the time).

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE

Originally posted by: TehMac
Just get off the drugs man. Seriously, I hope you'll be ok, and I hope you'll be fine without them. Talk to your doctor. I think the best way to deal with anxiety, personally, is to realize:
1) You're alive
2) You're living enough

Yeah, I feel like zanejo... err, a junkie. Something I really have to talk to my doctor about.

Most of the antidepressant/antianxiety drugs alter your brain chemistry. You can't just stop taking them without severe and potentially deadly side affects. Have your doctor call it in and get back on and ween yourself off of them with his guidance.

Excellent advice, better than mine.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: SsupernovaE

Originally posted by: Leros
I got put on Paxil when I was 8 to help my speech impediment. When I was 16, I decided to quit and since neither my parents or my psychologist agreed I just went cold turkey.

I experienced all the symptoms you have plus little zaps in my brain every three seconds. It lasted for about three weeks.

When I got off, nothing changed about me. My speech and anxiety levels were the same, if not improved.

I got those zaps, too. Did they come with a disembodied feeling, like you were floating outside of your head?

No, just painful little jabs.