On Paxil for 1 week

[jlujan]

After a lifestyle of anxiety and depression, i finally decided that Paxil was worth a try. I have been reading all the negative aspects about the drug, and that was the main reason it took me many months to decide to do it. I am a very smart and creative person, and my depression and axiety has always prevented me from reaching my potential, and it has been the main reason for losing good jobs, and relationships. Finally i had enough, at 35 i was looking at a life full of anxiety and depression, and i made the choice that perhaps horrible withdrawal symptoms, was worth the price for improving my life.

I been on paxil for 1 week, very little sideffects, and i am finding i am sleeping like i used to when i was a kid. I missed that, i had forgotten what it was like to have a good night sleep.

I will keep you posted on my experience.

[Petrucci]

hi i hope you will feel better. but be careful with antidepressants they have alot of side effects.

[scotty]

The choice to take this drug is your's to make. If you've read here you have more information on the downside than most here. I wish you well.

[Johnnny off Paxil]

Well what can I say, you made your choice to use something that in my view is a dangerous and debilitating drug. Yes you will go through this "honeymoon" period..until one day you'll wake up knowing that you are completely emotionally numb, that you've gained an undue amount of weight..then and only then you'll start asking questions..by then it will be too late..the damage will have been done and that road, the road to REAL health and recovery is a road through Hell
If your a creative person , then I can assure you all this drug will do is "shut that down"..it will give you the"illusion" of well being..thats all Paxil heals nothing.

Wouldn't it be a better idea to look into healthy , non-invasive, drug free methods to get to the bottom of whats causing this depression in the first place?

I am so sorry that you felt that you need to take this powerful and dangerous drug
Regards, Johnny

[rdjanis]

Originally Posted by jlujan

I been on paxil for 1 week, very little sideffects, and i am finding i am sleeping like i used to when i was a kid. I missed that, i had forgotten what it was like to have a good night sleep.

Yeah, I remember when my daughter first started taking it. It was a relief to see her without anxiety, able to sleep etc. What she went through after the fact was not worth the few months of peace.

If you are suffering from anxiety/depression, imagine these symptoms at least three times as bad as what caused you to go on paxil. If paxil poops out on you, or you experience side effects, your symptoms pre paxil are nothing compared to what you will feel.

The sad part in all this is people feel such relief when they start the med. If you were able to feel for a brief moment what it may possibly be down the road, I guarantee you, you wouldn't continue with it.

Good luck on your journey...

[LCrawford67]

I thought Paxil was the greatest thing since sliced bread. About a year after I started taking it, I divorced my husband, gained 50 pounds, slept all the time, and didn't give a crap about anything.

You've educated yourself, which is good, but just know; the longer you're on the drug, the harder it is to come off of. Believe, me.

[Scott]

that's the funny thing about making a deal with the devil.. he won't pull the rug out from under you until you're firmly on it.

[Homerbcool]

...like trying to stop a trainwreck after the train has wrecked...

[babs]

Withdrawal isn't the only bad thing about Paxil. You are going to get FAT, probably lethargic and apathetic, and you won't care about being creative any more, or about anything else. Your sex drive and function are going to be impaired. And after a few years, it will stop working for you and you will have to go through withdrawal anyway. Is it really worth it? I hope you don't believe any chemical imbalance crap your doctor told you. You need to get to the root of your issues via therapy, rather than numbing yourself with a drug that has such bad consequences.

[mapleleafgirl25]

i have suffered with anxiety since i was very young...then about 5 years ago..i had a couple of panic attacks..and the doc put me on paxil....if i had known what i know now about it..i would never have taken it in a million years...there must have been a reason why i was hesitant to take it in the first place ..but i did..I can honestly say.i would rather deal with my anxiety(you have to find the root of your problem anyway..the meds just cover them up) than ever go back on a medication...i am 8 months off paxil and still in withdrawal..and that is still a little early on..as people start to see some improvements 12 + months off...do you really want to go through that?? oh and if you want to get fat and eat carbs like they are going out of style..that is another one of paxil's many fun gifts!!!

michele

[Katesmom]

You've made your choice. People up thread have taken time to give you their cautionary advice based on experience. You took the time to join (and I can only assume read) this forum. So, that leaves me wondering. . .why post?

[pax80]

It didn't happen to any of us, but paxil has helped many many people too... There are people who can't live without this or other drug.
On the other hand here we are and paxil for many of us can be forever...
take care---

[AntonySandler]

If you felt creativity has been held off by the anxiety and depression, lost jobs, relationships, you are in for a huge treat by going on paxil. YOu need to wean off this drugs. Paxil helps nobody. It has ruined my life.............

[NYTeach]

When I saw that your post was entitled "On Paxil For One Week" I thought, "Oh, finally somebody else who like me, took it for just one week and stopped." I wanted to hear your withdrawal/adverse reaction story and compare it to mine. (I've had good days after stopping 8 weeks ago, but I still have bad days when I wonder if I'll ever be myself again - after only taking Paxil for a week.)

Well, I see you're still taking it. Like everyone else here I wish you well - but I never would have believed that such a small amount of Paxil could have affected me the way it has. I'm still scared when I think about all this.

Good luck.

[angels]

Originally Posted by Katesmom

You've made your choice. People up thread have taken time to give you their cautionary advice based on experience. You took the time to join (and I can only assume read) this forum. So, that leaves me wondering. . .why post?

rhetorical question of the week!

[Iksfreundin]

I was once a very creative person with high hopes for my life. I wrote constantly and was often told how talented I was, winning contests and awards. Within 6 months on paxil, for me, it all disappeared. How I wish now that I had done intensive therapy - my whole life would be completely different if I had just tried supplements and therapy first. I would be a different person in a different place, and I would not be going through such a painful and scary withdrawal experience.

I will urge you to reconsider - but if your mind is made up, then I will pray you escape this hell we are in when it's time for you to go off. I am glad you are informed - please, don't forget that the time comes that the drug just quits working. That is what has happened to me, and it's very difficult - the only good thing to emerge from it is a closer relationship with God.

Good luck to you! Prayers said.

[jlujan]

I understand and apreciate the warnings, but so far i havent had any of those nasty side effects. I have been able to rest, and for the first time in my life, i can focus and keep calm about my daily business. Something that was very hard for me to do before. You have to understand where i am coming from, i have never been able to focus on anything, i have always been in trouble because of my hyperactive emotions, and it has always been very difficult for me to be in control of my life because of my problems. I know its too early to tell, but so far i am experiencing for the first time, the ability to focus and stay calm in situations i could have never done it before.

[Ezin]

If I may, could I suggest the following... which may help you monitor your progress over the coming months/years?

Get a couple of pieces of paper. On the first, write down the full extent of your problems pre-drug. This is your pre-drug baseline. Be brutally honest and note the extent of, for example:

1. Sleep problems
2. Anxiety nature & expression
3. Depression nature & expression
4. Sexual function
5. Current weight (plus note your pre-drug weight stability e.g. stable, varies between x and y, wobbles wildly)
6. Dietary intake (e.g. bad=lots of junk food, poor, moderate, good, excellent)
7. Alcohol consumption
8. Amount & type of weekly exercise
9. Short term memory state (poor, mid, good, excellent)
10. Tiredness level during day (or night, if you are a night-time worker)
11. Any 'nervous' hand tremors, twitches or tics.
12. Any vision or hearing problems.
13. Level of conscienciousness (very important - thoughtfulness, politeness, industry, application, concentration, truthfulness, personal integrity)
14. Personal hygiene levels
15. Any suicidality or self-mutilation; aggression levels.


You are now aware of the potential adverse effects of SSRIs (of which so many of us were ignorant); for those affected, they can occur from the outset, or they can slowly & imperceptively creep up on you after the drug's honeymoon period comes to an end. This can happen so insidiously that the person taking the drug is unaware of the changes, and will in fact refute all outside attempts to point them out - usually by family & friends. So, take your second sheet of paper, consult your medication info & guide (if you didn't get them, they are available online or from your pharmacist), and write down the general adverse effects of SSRIs, e.g.:

1. Sleep problems
2. Anxiety & Agitation, Akathisia
3. Depression
4. Sexual dysfunction
5. Weight gain, weight loss
6. Appetite changes, cravings for certain foods, change of portion size, gut problems
7. Increased alcohol intake
8. Mania/hypomania, acting on impulse, 'loss of inhibition'
9. Memory & cognitive deficits
10. Hearing and Vision changes
11. Body pain (muscles/joints)
12. Tics and twitches
13. Lethargy, apathy
14. Loss of co-ordination, confusion
15. Self-mutilation, suicidality, aggression, homicidality
.... and so on. What you are after is a clear and simple presentation, to which you can refer.

Every so often get out the two lists, and reassess your current position on the medication.

If you find, say, 3-6-8 months down the line, that all is fine, then the total cost was an hour or so of your time; however, if you begin to see indications of changes, in accord with the above, and most particularly if you also feel strongly disinclined to take these alterations seriously... that's the time to speak to your doctor at the earliest opportunity.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by jlujan

I understand and apreciate the warnings, but so far i havent had any of those nasty side effects. I have been able to rest, and for the first time in my life, i can focus and keep calm about my daily business. Something that was very hard for me to do before. You have to understand where i am coming from, i have never been able to focus on anything, i have always been in trouble because of my hyperactive emotions, and it has always been very difficult for me to be in control of my life because of my problems. I know its too early to tell, but so far i am experiencing for the first time, the ability to focus and stay calm in situations i could have never done it before.

Jlujan, this statement is one that pretty much every here made when they started Paxil. Follow Kristins advice if you are going to continue with Paxil. The onset of side effects are insidious. Ryan was great for the first three months of Paxil use. I thought it was a miracle drug...not so much now.

[mouse]

Paxil is very seductive, and that is partly why it is so dangerous...
Think of it like this, if you have had a long time suffering with depression or anxiety, you would give your right arm for any relief... Of course you would, anything just to feel normal, no panic, no depression...

So along comes Paxil, and within the first few weeks and months of daily dosing, paxil starts to block the re uptake of your serotonin.. Its is also a strong sedative so it will whack you out too..

So of course you get this feeling of relief, just like with MDMA and Extacy, which work similar to Paxil, by flooding your brain with serotonin..
Serotonin is naturally pruduced in the body and you can get it from Food , fresh air and exercise, But drug companies haven't patented those FREE solutions so they don't want you to know that...

Also, Paxil is not as selective as it says on the box...
You may feel good now in this "honeymoon" period ...
But like the Alcoholic on their first binge, all you are aware of is the present.. But..
Within a short time, you could lose everything..
Be careful on the Paxi...
Oh ..and whoever prescribed it to you is playing russian roullette with your life.. ( I would let them know that if i were you!)

I genuinely wish you the best..

[Katesmom]

Originally Posted by jlujan

I understand and apreciate the warnings, but so far i havent had any of those nasty side effects. I have been able to rest, and for the first time in my life, i can focus and keep calm about my daily business. Something that was very hard for me to do before. You have to understand where i am coming from, i have never been able to focus on anything, i have always been in trouble because of my hyperactive emotions, and it has always been very difficult for me to be in control of my life because of my problems. I know its too early to tell, but so far i am experiencing for the first time, the ability to focus and stay calm in situations i could have never done it before.

So, not gonna answer my question. Okay. You don't have to.

First, one week is really too soon to see any real effect from a drug that works like paxil, so this is the placebo effect. No one likes to hear that, but it's true. Second, we all admit here that paxil has a wonderful honeymoon period. After the first four to six weeks as the drug starts taking effect, the next three months to, at most, a year are pretty good. This is when the brain is bathed in all of that excess serotonin, but before the other neurochemicals start overproducing to make up for this forced imbalance. It is at that point, which is slightly different for us all, that all of the side effects start coming on. Others here have mentioned what they are, so I don't need to reiterate. Just know that if you aren't having adverse effects in weeks one or two doesn't mean they won't come.

[Iksfreundin]

Originally Posted by Katesmom

First, one week is really too soon to see any real effect from a drug that works like paxil, so this is the placebo effect. No one likes to hear that, but it's true.

I totally forgot to make mention of that before, Katesmom. There IS no effect of the drug in the system yet; it hasn't made the necessary chemical changes to make a difference. That is a testimony to the power of the mind - that by taking a drug for a week, we expect change and therefore get it. However, the drug has not made any changes to the body yet, and therefore the drug is not the catalyst for the miraculous change.

[jlujan]

Its been 25 days since i started, and so far for me, Paxil has been good. I have experienced very few if any side effects, and for the 1st time in my life i now feel and understand what normal feels like. I had a very poor memory all my life, and now i remember everything. My life seemed like a fuzzy memory, and now i can recall details about situations that i didnt even remember. My anxiety levels are way down, my focus has improved to the point where people are surprised about my effectiveness at work, and my social skills have improved as well. I am sleeping good, my goals now seem clear, and i guess considering all the bad things i have heard about Paxil, that i am one of the lucky ones.

I understand that this drug may someday not work, or that the side effects of tampering down can be brutal, but you know what? for me, it was worth it, if this lasts for even a few months, i can now at least have the comfort of knowing what my potential could have been if i didnt have my anxiety and depression.

[pax80]

I truly believe in you, and believe it or not paxil works for some people even after the last dose...
(it didnt happen to us all unfortunately)
take care and enjoy this "happy period"...

[scotty]

I think most here said the same thing way back when they started.

take care and enjoy this "happy period"...

Pretty much says it all.