Are you a doctor?
No, I have no medical training whatsoever.
From where do your get your
information?
From personal experience, the thousands of letters
that have come in over the years and the occasional
article or two.
How long does severe Paxil
withdrawal last after I stop taking the drug ?
Severe withdrawal can last anywhere between two
to six weeks. By all accounts , the worst is over
after two weeks . It will take a three to six
more weeks before you are back to your pre-Paxil
self. Note, that this is the "usual' withdrawal
time. A sizeable minority of visitors have reported
that it took them 8+ weeks to discontinue the
drug.
Does everyone suffer from
Paxil withdrawal as described on this site?
No. Although no hard numbers are out there, it
appears that anywhere between 4 to 8 percent of
users have problems coming off the drug. Other
studies claim that it is around 25 percent : the
verdict is still out. Most Paxil users will go
through a couple of days of "flu-like"
symptoms or experience no symptoms at all.
What do you know about other
medications?
Nothing. The only other drugs I ever used for
PD were Ativan and Chlonazapam.
How long were you on Paxil
and on what dosage?
About five months at 20mg/day .
Can I get withdrawal effects
after only being on Paxil for a short time?
From the letters I have been getting it does appear
that Paxil withdrawal can occur after only a few
days on the drug. Like everything else on the
site, this is anecdotal evidence only.
I am coming off Paxil right
now. What advice do you have for me?
All advice that I receive is posted in the "advice"
section. I do not withhold any information. In
the end, it appears that there is, as of yet,
no universal way in which the drug can be discontinued
without any side effects. For some, patience and
courage as well as a sense of humor and perspective
will be their only weapons.
How can I join the class
action suit?
I don't know. This site has no links to any law
firms nor am I part of any litigation against
GSK . As far as I know, class action suits are
still being launched. Please use your favourite
search engine to find out more. .
What are the long-term side
effects of Paxil?
I do not know. If there exists a study on the
issue, I have not encountered it. Some people
have claimed, that they experienced effects long
after stopping the drug. I have no personal experience
of this, but the claim might well be valid. Only
research will give a definite answer.
What are the side effects
of Paxil?
For this, please visit the official Paxil web
site and look for the medical literature.
Will my sex drive return,
once I am off Paxil?
From my experience and your letters the answer
is yes: it even appears to double for a while
(for both men and women). It will likely take
a few weeks though. Be patient.
My weight has increased while
on Paxil. How do I get rid of it?
Many readers have observed that they gained 20
to 40 pounds while on the drug and could not get
rid of the weight while on the drug. Since not
many people write after they have gone through
withdrawal, I am not sure what happened to the
extra pounds, although the few letters that I
have received seem to indicate that the weight
slowly melt away.
Is Paxil withdrawal dangerous?
The only danger that I have observed is the potential
for suicidal behavior as well as added aggressive
tendencies in some readers. If you have any suicidal
thoughts, I strongly encourage that you contact
the nearest hospital right away. If you get homicidal
urges, do the same. Also remove any firearms from
the house and try to seek immediate counseling.
Can Paxil increase alcohol,
drug consumption?
Possibly. Anecdotal evidence points to some cases
where for some reason substance abuse increased.
I have received about 100 or so letters claiming
this to be true. Other anecdotal and some scientific
evidence also points to the distinct possibility
that this connection exists.
What about seizures?
Possibly: a dozen or so letters have arrived in
which the author claims that seizures were a result
of withdrawal.
How can I post my story on
your site?
Send it to me. I use about every hundredth letter
and post it as an example. The process is somewhat
random. If you want to freely post your experience,
go to one of the chat boards.
Do you answer every letter
that you get?
Unless it is silly or unless the person has made
no attempt at reading the rest of the site, the
answer is "yes". It can sometimes take
quite a while to get a response out of me, since
this is only a one-person, after hour operation
and the usual volume of letters is 5-10 per day.
Are you against drug treatment
in general?
No. Although I do believe that as a society we
tend to overmedicate, I believe that drug treatment,
including SSRIs, have valid uses. However, it
is my firm belief that manufacturer of any product
should warn people of any non-obvious potential
side and after effects. In my view, hot coffee
labeling is silly, since it states the obvious.
A microscopic defect in a tire, however, needs
to be reported.
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