Feeling extreme guilt...

hockeyxshawn · 01-18-2011, 09:20 PM

3 or 4 years ago when I first started taking Paxil, I recommended it to my best friend because he said he was having really bad social anxiety. Not only am I at an all time low, he is struggling with the withdrawal process even worse than me. I feel really guilty about recommending this devil drug to him in the first place, and put a lot of the blame on myself which isn't good because I have really been struggling myself. Just wanted to vent a little bit. Thanks for listening.

slappyintheface · 01-19-2011, 10:16 AM

You didn't know that it was going to turn out this way and there was really no way that you could have known. We all found this site because we took it upon ourselves to get the information .... no doctor or drug rep is going to admit the damage that these meds can do. Support each other during your withdrawal and from now on you can tell others about your experience and hopefully educate them as to how dangerous SSRIs are. You can't change the past .... but you can choose what you do with the lessons that you learned from it.

scotslass · 01-19-2011, 11:50 AM

I agree with Scotia,you had no idea what was ahead when you started this drug.None of us did.I used to tell people all the time how much better Paxil made me feel.Of course now I tell people that there are much safer and more effective ways to deal with anxiety and depression than turning to a pill.
Let the guilt go,at the time you thought you were helping a friend.The long term effect of these pills is not your fault.

hockeyxshawn · 01-19-2011, 09:31 PM

Thank you both for the kind words and support. It really does mean a lot to me.

Cici · 01-19-2011, 09:50 PM

Don't feel guilty - you thought you were being helpful. I have to say I disagree with Scotia21 - some doctors are realising the damage these meds can do. My GP avoids prescribing paroxetine any more, and is involved in a long term study looking at withdrawal issues from SSRIs. I think many doctors thought they were doing the best for their patients, and now have to rethink.

Celaine · 01-19-2011, 09:50 PM

I understand your feelings, hockey. I sometimes feel badly about my mother because I was the one to get her on the Paxil. But, we do the best we know how at the time. She's having a tremendously worse time than I did coming off the drug, and as of now she's on 15 mg, probably for the long haul. She's tried twice to wean off from there, but can't seem to do it. It's tough not to feel guilt, but like scotia said, we can't change the past. We just do the best we can. Our hearts were in the right place :-)

01-18-2011, 09:20 PM	#1
hockeyxshawn Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 90	Feeling extreme guilt... 3 or 4 years ago when I first started taking Paxil, I recommended it to my best friend because he said he was having really bad social anxiety. Not only am I at an all time low, he is struggling with the withdrawal process even worse than me. I feel really guilty about recommending this devil drug to him in the first place, and put a lot of the blame on myself which isn't good because I have really been struggling myself. Just wanted to vent a little bit. Thanks for listening. __________________ August 2006-August 2009 20mg Paxil August 2009 - Tapered 5 MG a week for 4 weeks Paxil free for one year. Had many withdrawal symptoms, but overall manageable. October 6, 2010 - Symptoms were so bad I went to urgent care. Doc put me back on 10mg November 2010 - Side effects were outweighing benefits, started tapering again. November 29, 2010 - Started 7.5mg December 21, 2010 - 5mg January 18, 2011 - 2.5mg February 15, 2011 - 0mg February 2011 - 20mg Celexa

01-19-2011, 10:16 AM	#2
slappyintheface "doesn't use the big stamp" Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 6,601	Re: Feeling extreme guilt... You didn't know that it was going to turn out this way and there was really no way that you could have known. We all found this site because we took it upon ourselves to get the information .... no doctor or drug rep is going to admit the damage that these meds can do. Support each other during your withdrawal and from now on you can tell others about your experience and hopefully educate them as to how dangerous SSRIs are. You can't change the past .... but you can choose what you do with the lessons that you learned from it. __________________ 1/05/07 20mg-17.5 1/20 17.5-15 2/24 15-12.5 3/08 12.5-10 3/29 10-7.5 4/12 7.5-5 6/15 5-3.75 6/30 3.75-2.5 7/28 2.5-1.5ish 8/11 1.5-1 8/25 1- zero "Keep lighting candles, eventually nobody will be in the dark" me "Time does not come in pill form" me http://www.slappyintheface.com

01-19-2011, 11:50 AM	#3
scotslass Monkey Shooter! Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,125	Re: Feeling extreme guilt... I agree with Scotia,you had no idea what was ahead when you started this drug.None of us did.I used to tell people all the time how much better Paxil made me feel.Of course now I tell people that there are much safer and more effective ways to deal with anxiety and depression than turning to a pill. Let the guilt go,at the time you thought you were helping a friend.The long term effect of these pills is not your fault. __________________ 12yrs of 40mgs paxil July 2008-October 2009 down from 40-6mgs,Crashed big time back up to 8mgs,little relief from anxiety and depression Nov23,up to 10mgs,hoping to stabilise here for a while March 18/10 dropped to 91/2 mgs April 17/10 dropped to 9mgs May 16/10 81/2 june 17/10 8mgs July 8/10 7.5mgs Aug 12/10 7mgs Sep 25/10 6.5mgs Dec 27/10 6 mgs April 3/11 5.5 mgs

01-19-2011, 09:31 PM	#4
hockeyxshawn Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 90	Re: Feeling extreme guilt... Thank you both for the kind words and support. It really does mean a lot to me. __________________ August 2006-August 2009 20mg Paxil August 2009 - Tapered 5 MG a week for 4 weeks Paxil free for one year. Had many withdrawal symptoms, but overall manageable. October 6, 2010 - Symptoms were so bad I went to urgent care. Doc put me back on 10mg November 2010 - Side effects were outweighing benefits, started tapering again. November 29, 2010 - Started 7.5mg December 21, 2010 - 5mg January 18, 2011 - 2.5mg February 15, 2011 - 0mg February 2011 - 20mg Celexa

01-19-2011, 09:50 PM	#5
Cici Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New Zealand Posts: 543	Re: Feeling extreme guilt... Don't feel guilty - you thought you were being helpful. I have to say I disagree with Scotia21 - some doctors are realising the damage these meds can do. My GP avoids prescribing paroxetine any more, and is involved in a long term study looking at withdrawal issues from SSRIs. I think many doctors thought they were doing the best for their patients, and now have to rethink. __________________ 02-Chronic fatigue syndrome after anti-biotic resistant pneumonia. Aropax for anxiety.2 attempts to quit. 08 - slow taper. Oct.08 - zero and feeling great!

01-19-2011, 09:50 PM	#6
Celaine Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 119	Re: Feeling extreme guilt... I understand your feelings, hockey. I sometimes feel badly about my mother because I was the one to get her on the Paxil. But, we do the best we know how at the time. She's having a tremendously worse time than I did coming off the drug, and as of now she's on 15 mg, probably for the long haul. She's tried twice to wean off from there, but can't seem to do it. It's tough not to feel guilt, but like scotia said, we can't change the past. We just do the best we can. Our hearts were in the right place :-) __________________ Began tapering from Paxil and Trazodone September 2009. Last dosage late May 2010.

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