Does anyone know the withdrawal symptoms of going of the drug PAXIL ?

Question

I have been off PAXIL for about a week now and I just don't feel right. In the morning i have been sweating like a pig, loss of appetite,crying at the drop of a hat,feeling depressed and hopeless. This makes me angry, because I didn't feel this bad before I went on it ! The only reason I was prescribed this was because my Dr. said I was having heart palpations and this would help. I wanted to go off of it because I felt I didn't need it anymore but know I feel like I have to be on it now because of the horrible withdrawal symptoms !

This is to MZ NurZ ....................If you are really a nurse then you should know that paxil is habit forming and there are lots of withdrawal symptoms from being on it.Ask the Dr. that you work for about them !

Answer 1

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_57201.htm

Answer 2

This site is an absolutely independent , noncommercial , and nondenominational entity, dedicated to gathering all possible information on the subject of severe Paxil withdrawal. Started in April, 2000 it was created when the problem was virtually unknown amongst medical professional. At that time, no information was present on the Internet.

By now, the severe withdrawal process, that can last anywhere from two to eight weeks, has been well documented in the media and explored in the medical community. It afflicts an unknown percentage of Paxil (also known as Seroxat, Aeropax, Apo-paroxetine, Apotex, Pexeva, Paroxetine) users who are either reducing their dosage , have missed taking a few pills, or have stopped taking the drug altogether.

Please note, that it is not the intent of the site to encourage visitors to stop taking the drug. Instead, it exists only to assist users who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms

Answer 3

Just to clarify a few things. Paxil is not "habit forming" because that suggests a behavioral response (such as drugs like Valium, xanax, or hydrocodone). There definitely are known discontinuation symptoms associated with these medications which are usually decreased if the medication is decreased slowly instead of stopped suddenly.

A quote from BMJ 1998;316:1105-1106 states:
Discontinuation symptoms do not in themselves indicate drug dependence. Dependence is a syndrome, and diagnosis requires several other features, such as tolerance, inability to control drug use, primacy of drug taking behavior, and continued use despite harmful consequences. Antidepressants are not associated with these other features and are not drugs of dependence. The common lay belief that antidepressants are addictive probably contributes to the significant undertreatment of depressive illness. It is important not to foster this belief inadvertently one reason that "discontinuation reaction" is a better term than "withdrawal reaction."

Answer 4

I have really terrible mood swings and ended up having really bad anxiety attacks just being wheened off Paxil. It took almost 5 months for my body to get used to not having Paxil after I had taken it for 2 and a half years. Please if your thinking about wheening yourself off Paxil I would suggest not doing that at all. I was young and thought I didnt need it anymore and ended up right back in the ER with the worse case of anxiety I'd ever had.

Answer 5

Well, my guess is you will just get angry, that is what the drug is for anger issues. There are not really any withdra symptoms for paxil. It isn't a habit forming drug in which your body will be chemically dependent on to cause withdrawls. Just make you a bit anxious or have trouble with dealing with anger

Answer 6

famlydtr, glad your not mine! You need to brush up on medical literature-geesh.

My experience with Paxil, it does need to be tapered, it you are on a high dosage, or long period of time, you can have rebound from the withdrawal itself.

It is not to be prescribed for heart palpitations, a low dose beta blocker is more the norm for that.

Paxil suppress emotions, I found it hard to cry over things, you are now experiencing the emotions since you have discontinued it.

Answer 7

Go on the internet, type in "symptoms of with-drawal from Paxil. Read several answers and choose the ones that describe you most. If you are trying to get off Paxil, do it gradually.

Answer 8

Good morning,
I recently started tapering my paxil dose, and for several days felt a tingling electrical shock sensation. One should never cold turkey get off this drug, best to taper the dose down over several weeks to avoid uncomfortable feelings.
allen

Answer 9

ur symptoms will come back, sleeping alot, not eating.

i take paxil as well and i was running out and the symptoms came back for depression. i believe that ur doctor should be the person who takes u off paxil, not u.

Answer 10

be careful, my sister got a heart condition due to the use of this drug.
If you are getting worse, the doctor is giving you the wrong meds. If you have no depression, tell your doctor that you do not want to mess with the chemistry of your mind, because that is what he is doing.

Answer 11

Yes. Do not go off it cold turkey, it's not pleasant. If you follow a doctors advice and taper off slowly you will be just fine and it is not hard. Good luck and listen to your doctor.