Paxil withdrawal?

Hi all!

Thought I was through the jungle and breezing along until this week, lo and behold, the nausea is back, feeling light-headed and very anxious.

My dr. is monitoring my thyroid because when I felt this way earlier this year, it was a little low, then came back in normal range.

I've been taking Paxil 10mg every night, but was feeling so good I've forgotten to take it, probably for about the last week. Wondered if I was having withdrawal and if this sounded familiar to anyone else. I started it back last night, but am still a little nauseous and anxious this morning.

Any ideas?

Hi jabecca,

The symptoms you describe, especially the light-headedness (or brain flashes) are withdrawal symptoms. Most ssri's have a short half-life of about 24 hours, so if you don't take them daily, you will definitely notice.

You should never stop taking these meds without letting your doc know. If you and your doc agree it's ok to stop, you have to reduce the amount gradually by cutting little pieces off the tablet. Paxil and Effexor are the worst for withdrawal---I have taken both.

Cheers,
Gale

I took Paxil about five years ago for anxiety/depression and I had a very difficult time withdrawing from it. The tapering schedule the physician gave me wasn't even slow enough. Another physician eventually put me on a very slow taper. That's just me, but I vowed I would never take it again. The physician who put me on a slow taper was an ER physician I visited when I had developed "sleep paralysis" as a side effect of tapering too fast. I thought I was going crazy, but then again I was on a higher dose than you and was being tapered too fast.

Although some people can quit Paxil and suffer no withdrawal repercussions, countless numbers of others have quit or tapered and have suffered side effects of nausea, dizziness, electric shock sensations known as “the zaps”, headache, flu-like symptoms, balance problems, anxiety, sleep problems, gastro-intestinal problems, sweats, vivid dreaming, sensitivity to light and/or sound, etc. Probably the most common are nausea, anxiety, vivid dreams/sleep problems, but each individual reacts differently and some suffer no withdrawal symptoms.

Even though you're back on Paxil, I would encourage you to call the doctor who prescribed Paxil and discuss your symptoms to see if they are related. Beware...sometimes doctors think what may be withdrawl symptoms are a sign of a need for an increased dosage. If you're back on Paxil and call your doctor, hopefully your doctor will just monitor you for a while and see if your symptoms go away once you're taking it regularly as before.

Gale...I just noticed your post after I added mine. I, too, have taken both Paxil and Effexor in the past. These were the only two SSRI's I have ever taken that gave me such significant and intolerable side effects when I withdrew, even slowly.

When I stopped paxil I went through hell. I had weird electric shock feelings in my head and very lightheadness. It first happened in a resturant. I got up to refill my drink and couldn't find my table. I felt horrible for about a month. My Dr. NEVER mentioned this could happen.
Good Luck

HI JAbecca

Yes I would agree this could possibly be from withdrawl effects.

You can get all the symptoms of withdrawl from stopping it too fast or very abruptly.

Even though you are feeling good now, you should always discuss not using SSRI's with your doctor. If stopped to soon you may experience worse symptoms than before you started taking them.

I have a handy little pill dispenser that I fill once a week for all my daily supplements and vitamins. Maybe you could purchase one and place your daily paxil in it so you don't forget to take it.