When I was taking paxil over the last few months, I went through a series of emotional states. At first, I was very happy and hyper, then I began feeling extremely tired and unmotivated. I am 20, and a student. I was making all A's until I started feeling exhausted all the time. I would sleep all day and not go to class. Now, I've failed two classes and quit my job. I couldn't sleep at night without having A LOT of muscle spasms and strange dreams. I went to sleep hot, and woke up cold and sweaty. I went from 30 mg to 20 mg for 2 weeks, then 10 mg for to weeks. I have been paxil-free for four days now, and I wish I could go to the hospital and have them cure me of withdrawal.

Right now, I am crying because I read some others' experiences that say they had withdrawal for one to three months. I don't want that to happen to me. I feel like I am going to throw up every five minutes, I have hot and cold flashes, cold sweats, electrical pulses through my brain every 10 seconds, my chest feels like it's caving in, my head is pounding, my pupils are dilated, any light feels like it's pounding me into the ground, I can't sleep without having nightmares, I have muscle spasms, I'm very emotional, and I can't take it any longer.

Today, I went Christmas shopping, and I had to stop and rest because I was sweating and dizzy. Every muscle in my body aches. I have a friend that was describing heroin withdrawal, and I'm pretty sure my symptoms top hers. I want to know how long this is going to last, and what I can do to lesson these symptoms. Someone please help me, I no longer trust my doctor. How dare he do this to me without forewarning. Someone please write back. I will check up daily on this site. Good luck to everyone out there that is going through the same thing, and God bless you.

Well then I saw the 20/20 show and realized that I wasn't crazy, and that I wasn't the only one who had all this. What a relief! But now, I have the hard part of once again coming off. Fortunately, someone has given me a more realistic way of coming off, so I hope it works this time. I have been told that withdrawal can take 2 or 3 months and even more for some people (sorry for the bad news) and it can be pure hell. But just don't forget, you are NOT alone, and there are people who are willing to help and tell you what your doctor and other doctors won't tell you. If you need help, write me at Catnip0001@aol.com. I would be glad to have someone to help me through this, and hopefully I can help you as well.

Take care,
Shawna

I'm shocked and sorry to read of so many terrible experiences. I don't like the thought of taking meds for anything. I don't trust drug companies or doctors. When I was getting better I looked into natural health remedies and found several. I take a natural greens supplement and essential fatty acids, and I feel much, much better. The only withdrawals I get are when I don't take it over a few days, and suddenly start to realize that I'm thinking about suicide again! I recommend talking to someone at a health food store or going to see a naturopath.

I did not choose to be this way, and I don't want to be this way. When I started feeling suicidal during my junior year in high school, I went to a psychiatrist and got on medication. I have tried zoloft, remrom, effexor, trazodone, paxil, prozac, celexa, wellbutrin, and a few others that I cannot remember, all over the last three and a half years. Nothing seems to work, or if it does work, I get terrible side effects that I just can't tolerate for more than a few months. I have given up on medication. Why should I put my life on hold while my doctor experiments with different medications on me? It is very unfortunate that this is happening to me at this point in my life. I took home schooling to finish high school with my class, but now I have failed out of college, and I feel hopeless for the future. Why? because I can't pull myself out of bed and motivate myself to go to school.

A friend of mine recommended St. John's Wort, which is a mood enhancer, ginseng for energy, and 5-HTP, which is a serotonin stabilizer. You can buy these at nutrition stores, and they are all natural herbs, no chemicals that can damage your brain. I started taking these when my paxil withdrawal was making me physically ill, and believe it or not, two days later I saw a dramatic improvement. Everything went away except for a few electrical impulses a day, which I had been having every 5 seconds. But I still have major mood swings and I feel very depressed in the mornings. I am not a doctor, but I am going to continue my self medication and see how it goes.

Going outside and talking a walk while breathing deep breaths of fresh air really helps also. Although it's hard when I feel so down, I keep telling myself that I am only going through withdrawal, and that it will all go away in time. I haven't come across an herb that helps with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but I heard that Kava Kava helps with anxiety. It relaxes you, but I heard it makes people tired as well. I would really recommend trying some natural medication.

Books are also very helpful. A friend of mine gave me a book called Stress Free Living, by Dr. Trevor Powell. It has a lot of suggestions on how to handle everyday life situations. It has sections dedicated to panic attacks, hyperventilation, obsessive behavior, phobias and fears, depression, anger and irritability, eating disorders, drinking, smoking, drugs, sleep disorders, fatigue, low self-esteem, headaches and migraines, high blood pressure. It talks about non-medicinal approaches to dealing with these, and how to change your negative self-talk to positive self-talk. There is also a good book by the Dalai Lama. If this works for me, I want everyone to know my method. If you feel you are full of toxins from all of the man-made chemicals in anti-depressants, try my approach. Thanks for responding, and good luck to you.

Sincerely,
Wendy