"I started taking Paxil about 5 years ago for depression"

Believe it or not but this is my third time to wean myself off of Paxil. I started taking Paxil about 5 years ago for depression. I took 20 mg a day for 2 years. I decided to get off and went cold turkey. It was not a pleasant experience to put it mildly. I had severe nausea, dizziness and was extremely distressed emotionally. I felt like I would never feel right again. After a couple of grueling weeks I felt better. I got back on it again about a year later because I had started getting depressed again and the Dr. encouraged me to. I took it for about a year and got off again. Same lousy symptoms getting off. Oh how we forget! I got on it again because I was having panic attacks. The Dr. told me that this was the best medicine for the panic attacks and that studies show that there are no long term effects from staying on the medicine indefinitely. I thought I possibly had mitral valve prolapse, but in fact it was panic attacks because the Paxil immediately took the symptoms away. Which at the time was a good thing. I just wonder how good it is for your body if it causes such a toxic reaction when you quit taking this drug. I've been on it a year and have just had it with this medication. I have put on 30 lbs. and feel horrible. The Dr. said that for some reason people who have been on it for a while sometimes experience weight gain. In my case I feel like it makes me hungry. I also feel like it gives me a feeling of complacency about my eating and weight gain, even though at times I feel disgusted with myself. Anyways, I've been off for 5 days and feeling lousy. I've been extremely nauseated, hot and cold (my hands have been like ice cubes), dizzy, and I feel like an emotional wreck. I ended up taking 10 mg today because I have a party scheduled at my house in 2 days and have too many things to do. My plan is to get through the next 2 days as best I can on the least amount of medicine possible. After that I will continue to refrain from the medicine and get off of this for good!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to hire someone to clean my house and I told my husband that he and the kids are on their on for the next week. I had him read all the testimonies so he would understand better. I don't think he really understood how bad I felt until he read what others were experiencing trying to get off this medication. The last 2 times I got off I tried to maintain my same pace with the kids and school and the house and tryed to put on a 'good face' when all I wanted to do was tell people, "Hey I feel like you know what so just get out of my blanketey blank face!" It was brutal. The last couple times I got off I remember after a couple weeks I felt better and after about a month I was back to normal. The first week is really rough. It's hard to get off this medicine but I have done it and I will do it again!

-- submitted by Dr. Marso