day four with no paxil. things aren't looking so good from here. there really should be laws about this stuff - that and warnings about what trying to get off this devil's drug does to people before prescribing it. this is my second attempt - the first time i only lasted about two days before hopping back on the paxil train. anyone interested in the hell i am currently living in can visit www.quitpaxil.org.

i am presently self medicating with soy delicious chocolate obsession. had to leave work today. would like to leave life and hide under the covers for eternity. tried that but couldn't sleep. bawling my eyes out.

began this nightmare because i was under an extreme amount of stress after beautiful baby was born. couldn't handle it and started getting angry. loved baby too much to not do anything and so agreed to the paxil. breastfed while on it. "horrible mother" comments can ensue - i deserve it.

don't know where i'm going to go from here... st. john's wort? valarian? those comfy white rooms where the walls are all padded and the required dress code includes jackets that do up in the back?

Relax, my dear. I promise it will be alright and that this will end. I feel for you so deeply right now. I've been where you are- went off Effexor, one of the more addictive- and it is very hard. You truly feel that you are going to lose it. Remember that you are still all there, its just a reaction to going off those meds. Hang in there!!!!! I heard SAM E is good stuff....I'd go up to the health food store in your town and ask them for a combination of herbs meant to deal with anxiety/depression. I used to take something like that and it really helped.
lovenlight,
linz

I tried to never take more than a very small dose, and even then if I forgot a dose, I got nauseated and headaches. Good luck. They should warn people. It happens to many people.

I don't think shrinks quite have things figured out yet...
and I think they are way too eager to prescribe drugs.

Sorry, you are having a rough time, Raine.

I'm sorry for you, too, Raine. I went through the same h*ll that you are facing when I went off Prozac. To be honest, it's been over a year now, and I still feel at times like falling off the deep end. I won't kid you, not everyone is able to deal with being off these meds...I am one of those people. The natural stuff hasn't help me, so I have now resorted to regular reflexology treatments. I have very bad days, but I also have good ones, too. I feel for you and truly understand your situation. My reflexologist mentioned to me something about taking Vit. B, Vit. C and Panothetic Acid in a certain combination. According to her, this has helped several of her clients to deal with their depression. I will ask her next week when I go for my next treatment and give it a try with you, should you choose to do so. Hang in there...FYI: the soy delicious chocolate almond is even better than the reg. chocolate. HUGS to you.

You may not respond well to natural remedies...but I can vouch for St.John's Wort....definitely...as well as kava kava. Keep us posted on your progress.

worse than yesterday

thanks for kindness sent my way...means a lot.

Wow. I just waded through that website. What a horrible thing. WHY is this drug legal?!??!?!?

How are things going for you? I just wanted to check in and see how things were going.
lovenlight,
linz

Don't forget-- you need to wean yourself from many drugs -- slowly. You might want to start by reducing your past largest daily dose to 3/4 of what that is (or an even largr fraction) and stick with that for a week or so; then go to 3/4 of that dose for week 2, etcetera. Yes, you will never get completely off by following this procedure. Eventually you will have to just reduce your dose a little bit each week until your dose per week is zero.

Raine-
Hang in there. Dont forget that you were wise enough to know that you needed it and smart enough to get the help you needed for yourself and baby.
- the doctor that prescribed is he/she helping you off it?

They just had a big article in the news stating that a baby is better off with a mom taking the meds than not. Some how the baby picks up on it . If I can find the link I will post it.

Dont hesitate to go back on someting if necessary - if you are really hurting well then thats what meds are there for

Does anyone know any background on this drug..and why it is on the market?

I used to take Paxil. They say it's horrible for your heart. And yes, when I came off it (I lowered my doses gradually) I felt like I was going nuts. It was such a surreal experience.

Recently, I was on Xanax. Coming off that wasn't as bad as the Paxil, but I still had a bit of, erm...insanity. I am actually supposed to still be on it, but I started flushing the pills down the toilet when my mom tried to force me to take it (I have bad anxiety...well, I did). The long and short of it is, medicine is just handed out like candy, and things that mess with the chemicals in your brain should not be taken as lightly as they are. They are not cure-alls.

Paxil is horrible and should be illegal. I hate it. :mad:

i will never take drugs like that. i have only heard bad **** about them. they should make a lot of these legal drugs illegal like some of you said. they do more bad then good from what i interpret.

They tried to put me on Paxil in 5th grade, but it had horrible effects when combined with the rest of my meds, so they took me off. But I've been through the same thing you're going through when they took me off Xanax. Just remember that it does get better. Fortunatly, many doctors are starting to be more careful about prescribing the more addictive psychoactive drugs. Any doctor that prescribes a medication like that without trying something else first probably isn't the right doctor for you.

Both my parents were on Paxil while I was a teen. I think I understand them a lot better now.

i'm baaaaack!

Holy Hannah that was a nightmare i don't wish on anyone else (except my boss, but she's the devil so i'm pretty sure she could handle it).

it took a good two and a half weeks to stop feeling nauseous. the scratching noise inside of my head turned into a electrical zapping noise that sounded "outside" of my head at the end of the nausea phase. i literally spent two days hiding in bed trying to figure out how i could use the can opener to open up my skull and wring the noises out of my brain - and live.

but, all in all i am noise, nauseous and paxil free!! happy dance for me. :vebo:

i'm still bitter anytime i see any sort of drug ads on tv - including asprins. :whack:

thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing notes **smootch**

I'm really happy that things worked out for you. That is one TERRIBLE experience- going off the meds. I'm glad you pulled through it, and I know I will never, ever, take another psychiatric med again!!! :)
lovenlight,
linz

Raine, glad you are better. I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that.

mush

Raine:

I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. but i have a question:

aside from the drugs, are you in councelling?

i strongly believe that these drugs should only be prescribed if the individual is in councelling--because the drugs don't solve the problem, they only treat the symptoms. And in treating the symptoms without treating the problem, create a whole set of problems on their own (as you well know!).

If you're not in councelling--i highly recommend that you get there ASAP. You need help dealing with your feelings, anxieties, decisions, patterns, etc.

I wish you great peace in this matter. It is a difficult struggle.

May you be well and happy!