Welcome SarahClaire

[SarahClaire]

Hi, this is my first post! I have been on 20mg Paxil for a little over 4 years now...I also do AND don't want to stop taking it. I am happy I found this site so I can see firsthand the ups and downs of the drug...Thanks!

[Homerbcool]

Sarah we welcome you at PP..we can help make some decisions easier for you..but you do need to do a favor..there are a lot, and I mean a lot of CAT Lovers on this site..me included, and far be it from me to try and censor anyone about anythign.but you may want to reconsider the cat photo....

I will start a thread to introduce you, so that we are not hjijcaking this one...

[Homerbcool]

Sarah:

I dont think you will fnd a member here who at one point or another found the love of paxhell appealing..myself included..

But one thing the mfgs dont tell you..nor your doctors that this drug was to be used for no more then a 6 month time frame..something to get you the time yuo needed to heal...

I entered into what we call POOP OUT..about 3 or 4 years ago..did not know at the time but the drug effectively stopped working..it was jsut there to ward off any side affects..so it was either contiue to give my hard earned money to these criminals, sorry pharamcutical mfgs...or get off the poisonous highway..can you tell which one I took..yupper..at 5mg and by june of this year i will be Paxhell free....

Look around, post about anything and everything.....there are many different people from all over thw world that post on a regular basis..i for one am from Canada..

Welomce again...

[Samalabear]

Hi SarahClaire,

Whatever your decision, keep in mind that generally the shorter the time you're on these drugs the less problems you have and, sadly, down the road the drug will make the decision for you when to get off. Like Homer, Paxil also pooped out on me about three years ago.

I just hate my own pain and I wish I could take the pain away from everyone on this site.

[SarahClaire]

I have never heard of the term "poop out"...coincidentally, I have had very mild instances of anxiety where i haven't had them in a long time, sometimes for no apparent reason. They are waves that come and go, and I wondered if there was something wrong with me...

[Katesmom]

Paxil is a drug that reaches a kind of tolerance that we refer to as 'poop out.' Paxil works by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin in the brain. This causes a flood of serotonin for a while and then other neurochemicals begin to adjust to compensate for this flood. The endocrine system is a delicate, but powerful thing. This enforced imbalance of brain chemistry caused by paxil is something that the brain will continually try to right. Eventually, the brain will win this battle. This is when the drug stops being effective, or poop out. This takes place, generally, anytime between 3-12 years on the drug.

The result is that you will either feel that the drug is not working for you anymore or you will begin to feel withdrawal symptoms (zaps, wooshes, dizziness, etc) or both even while you are taking your full daily dose. Unfortunately, your brain is still dependant on this dose, so you cannot just quit taking it. You must make some kind of decision about the drug. You could up the dose. This is not a great choice because once your brain figures out how to 'overcome' the paxil, it will do so quickly with higher doses. Second, you could add an antipsychotic. These are heavy duty drugs that would just be covering the withdrawal symptoms. This is a terrible choice and will enter you onto a merry go round of psychiatric drugs that will lead you nowhere good. Third, you could slowly get off the drug. It is very tough to get off during poop out because the withdrawal symptoms never stabilize.

All of the above is the reason to not plan on taking paxil for life. It's just not an option. So, it's best to figure out what your plan of attack is before you get to poop out. If you have not addressed the issues that brought you to paxil, that time has come. Paxil has cured nothing, only numbed you to the problems temporarily. So, therapy, self-help books, exercise, healthy food, no alcohol, and supplements are all things to look at that might get you on the right track.

No matter what, now you have the chance to make informed decisions about your choices. Welcome to PP and good luck!

[ducktail]

Welcome Sarah Claire,

I know that PP will be as beneficial to you as it has been for me. The decision to start weaning off paxil is a difficult one, but has turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life, even though at times it has meant enduring some awful symptoms.

Just curious as to how you feel paxil may have affected you, both positive and negative?

And I thought your cat picture was cute, regardless of what others (whose names I won't mention) thought!!!

Kelli

[scotty]

Originally Posted by ducktail

And I thought your cat picture was cute, regardless of what others (whose names I won't mention) thought!!!

I think it's adorable!!

[pax80]

Paxil worked great for me in the first year (I was addicted to it at the 3rd month), the second year came and things were getting darker, then came the third year and poop out came...no-one told me this could happen.. thanks to this site and these saviours I still live, or exist...

[eileen]

Welcome SarahClaire, you can see by my signature how long I've been on Paxil. I firmly believe the longer one is on this drug, the harder it is to get off. I'm having a really rough time in Withdrawal. It takes a longer time for me to stabilize, then most people.
Katesmom you have described poop out perfectly and what happens to the brain as it tries to right itself.
eileen

[mstimc]

Welcome Sarah!
I've been on Paxil about 7 years as well and, thankfully, have been spared most of the awful side effects. But its time to get off and handle my issues drug-free. This is such a great site--people here have had all sorts of experiences, from good to bad--the advice and support are invaluable.

[Homerbcool]

Originally Posted by ducktail

And I thought your cat picture was cute, regardless of what others (whose names I won't mention) thought!!!

Kelli

Hey what can I say...it looked like road kill to me...

[jeanie]

i thought so too homie!! Maybe we were mistaken. I am such an animal lover

[jeanie]

welcome to PP Sarah You will find a wealth of information here.

[Kitsyl]

Originally Posted by SarahClaire

Hi, this is my first post! I have been on 20mg Paxil for a little over 4 years now...I also do AND don't want to stop taking it. I am happy I found this site so I can see firsthand the ups and downs of the drug...Thanks!

Welcome!

Just thinking about the pros and cons is a good sign. There was a time when I'd have been happy to stay on this stuff for life, but thankfully I decided to quit before I was forced to by poop out.

[Kitsyl]

Homer, you're a bad lad! lol

[Kitsyl]

Thanks for the info, KatesMom. I didn't really understand the intricacies of poop out and now I do :-)

[SarahClaire]

Originally Posted by ducktail

Welcome Sarah Claire,

Just curious as to how you feel paxil may have affected you, both positive and negative?

And I thought your cat picture was cute, regardless of what others (whose names I won't mention) thought!!!

Kelli

To be specific, I take it for Social Anxiety Disorder, something I think I've dealt with since childhood. So here's now...

POSITIVES: I am a different person (in a good way) since starting Paxil in 2002. I can look people in the eye (and hold it), firmly shake a stranger's hand, answer the phone at work, do some spur-of-the moment things without having an anxiety attack, more outspoken, take criticism better, date
...these are just some of the positives i enjoy. Now, i do have a Xanax script for "emergencies"-times i KNOW I'm gonna need help (ie concerts)-but overall, I am glad i started taking it. i have a close friend also suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder and she knows I have had good things to say about my own SSRI experiences.

NEGATIVES: Very low sex drive and weight gain! The first is hard in a long-term relationship...the second I can deal with. I also feel less excited about things in my life that should excite me - I call it "emotional numbness". I just accepted it, but lately have been wanting to change...

NEED FEEDBACK ON THIS ONE! I often get a thought in my head and it stays in the front of my mind, almost compulsively. I can't really explain...I'll have to think of a good example...

[SarahClaire]

Oh, and the picture? While extremely cute, I have worked at a veterinary clinic for almost 10 years! It seemed very approproate...

[Katesmom]

Sarah-

Please read my post again, slowly. Sooner or later you are going to have to deal with getting off of this drug. Other things, esp. cognitive behavioral therapy, can work miracles with your anxiety issues. Look into those things in a very serious way. Meds are not a lifelong solution. Look for alternatives while you have the choice to do it slowly.

As for the emotional numbness, that and fatigue were the real killers for me. I was put on this drug for pregnancy induced hypertension. When I had the child I risked my life to have, I felt sort of happy, but not delighted, overwhelmed, or emotional in any way. I felt flat. I cannot remember her taking her first steps at all. Just have no memory of that event. I was at the beginning stages of my tapering from paxil. We have a member named Doulos who doesn't remember the birth of his second child because of paxil fog. It's more than just a bit of a bummer. You can't get these memories back.

[LCrawford67]

Welcome, Sarah! I've been on Paxil for 10 years, I'm currently tapering. I can tell you, I LOVED my Paxil too, until I tried to get off of it. I can assure you, you won't love it anymore. And, in my case, after an unsuccessful taper in the spring, that resulted in my going back to my original dose, it all of a sudden didn't work the same.

I had anxiety, sometimes debilitating, sporadic stomach problems, etc. Point is, although you think this is helping you now, it's just masking your problem.

If your SAD is that bad, you'll need therapy to get to the root of the problem. Also, being anxious in social situations is perfectly normal, it's nothing anyone needs to take an anti depressant for. There are many, many ways of dealing with social anxiety that don't require drugs.

I wish you the best of luck, but just remember, there will come a time when you don't want a pill ruling your life. When you're tired of the numbness, the weight gain (and subsequent problems from that) the memory loss...etc, etc. When that time comes, we'll be here to help you every step of the way.

[Katesmom]

Not to mention that one day that long term relationship might turn into a marriage and the hope of a baby.

http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/...ad.php?t=15964

[eileen]

Originally Posted by SarahClaire

NEED FEEDBACK ON THIS ONE! I often get a thought in my head and it stays in the front of my mind, almost compulsively. I can't really explain...I'll have to think of a good example...

Paxil causes this Sarah!
eileen

[Homerbcool]

Sarah...what other mesasures have you taken over the years to help with the social anxiety...the pill will stop working on you, no question abuot that it is prure mechanics and principles...and then you will be holding the bag of pills wondering what happened to the magic..

[Samalabear]

I'm learning to embrace my problems with being shy. It's part of who I am. Yes, the psychs like to call this Social Anxiety Disorder. And to be honest, in my last three years on Paxil and now in my 8th most post-Paxil I am more social phobic than I ever was in my entire life. And you've probably read about the anxiety problems with Paxil and Paxil withdrawal. In a word -- unbelieveable. And when the drug does poop out it will be very insidious at first and you will think you're just falling to pieces.

And the other thing you'll love about this drug and the others -- if you're living on the edge, or even if you have a nice income, you'll eventually be too fatigued to work and you'll start to have the problems that result from lack of income.

The physical problems you've heard here, they are bad -- stomach, urinary incontinence, restless leg syndrome. Now, how did I all of a sudden go from being relatively healthy to a basket case in three short years. Thank goodness I never really mentioned these to my doc, otherwise I might be on at least two popular drugs right now.

I'm going to go back to what worked before I was convinced to go on Paxil. That was therapy. It works, it's non-addictive, there's no withdrawal.

I guess I'm being strong-worded here because I just went through two of the worst weeks of my withdrawal, outside of the physical withdrawal symptoms. And, believe me, I took my last pill on April 21, 2006 and sometimes have a hard time believing it's the Paxil. But yeah, these drugs are that bad. I wasn't like this before Paxil.