I have been taking this drug for 6 months. I now have been trying to stop taking it for over a month. I have tried reducing the amount and only taking it every other day. If I try to go three days without it I am so dizzy and nauseaus. I get hot flashes and feel really sick. Its like the flu. I have heard that the symptoms of Paxil withdrawl is alot like heroin. I am so upset why would anyone prescribe this drug? I am not feeling any depression or suicide thoughts. I just wanted to know if anyone else has been through this. How did you survive withdrawl?
2007-02-06 13:36:25 · 3 answers · asked by Lorien 2 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Some people have a really hard time getting off of some anti-depressants. There's even a name for it now-Discontinuation Syndrome.
Talk to your doctor about what options you might have. Some people have been helped by switching to a low dose of Prozac for a few weeks, then slowly tapering off of the Prozac since it has a longer half-life than other antidepressants (like Paxil).
Good luck.
2007-02-06 13:44:51 · answer #1 · answered by ambr123 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was on Paxil for over a year. If I forgot to take it, I always knew because I was either crying about something or screaming about something. I felt great when I took my medicine though. When it was finally time to truly let go of it, I had to suffer it out. I made sure I had a couple days off work & a supportive friend & just dealt with it until it was finally over. It only feels like forever, it really isn't . If you are sure that you really no longer need the medicine, I suggest you ask someone who loves you to help you & bully your way through. An addiction is an addiction, but sometimes it,s the chance you take when you are in a desperate situation. That is why the doctors prescribe it in the first place,
you must have needed the help, at least fopr awhile.
2007-02-06 13:49:33 · answer #2 · answered by imblessedoftendaily 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your doctor needs to wean you off--more gradually than you have been doing. You can't skip it for two or three days - just a little bit less per day. The doctor needs to monitor your progress, so that you don't go into withdrawal. Please give him/her a call.
Paxil has done wonders for many people with depression - therefore, it is prescribed often. But even if you were switched to another antidepressant, you could not just stop taking it suddenly--unless a doctor was replacing it with something else. It is dangerous to stop taking antidepressants without your doctor's assistance.
2007-02-06 13:43:15 · answer #3 · answered by Holiday Magic 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Paxil is rated as 6th in the most prescribed medications in the USA out of 10.That really isn't something you need to try to stop on your own and without medical supervision.Please see your MD,that's one drug you can't afford to mess with.Take care. SW RNP
2007-02-06 13:48:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋