My doctor took me off of Paxil - and I feel so woozy.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

I am so disoriented. I am so glad its the weekend because the only thing that I feel like doing is sitting in a corner. SSRIs are no joke - I am calling her tomorrow and asking to be put back on because I don't feel safe feeling this way. I thought that the people online who were talking about their withdrawal symptoms were exagerrating (did I spell that right? oh damn there goes the feeling in my left elbow)My speech is slurred and I am sure that Human Resources will be calling me in for a drug test tomorrow. Tonight at work , everything was so bright. The heat was horrible. I put my head in my hands because everything around me was so bright - and my body needs a break. I have been working overtime for 3 weeks now .I felt like I needed to hold on to something as I walked. Whenever I walked up the stairs,I felt out of whack - going down was hard too. But the good thing is that I don't feel depressed at all nor do I feel over anxious. I just feel like " WTF " and wide awake . Ok good night ...

Don't worry if this post did not make sense , it never would even if I was still on meds.

[driver8]

1. If I forget to take my Effexor for a day, I get a raging headache

and vertigo. My doctor told me to never, ever try to quit this med cold turkey.

Did your doctor slowly take you off Paxil or was it all at once??

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

3. All at once.

Sometimes I feel like a lab rat.

[Skittles]

4. call your doctor and report your symptoms

do not mess around with this

[NMMNG]

2. Ask her to put you back on then taper you off slowly

Paxil is one of the SSRIs that can cause "discontinuance syndrome" and should never be stopped suddenly. It should always be tapered slowly to prevent symptoms like the ones you are experiencing.

Best wishes.

[MadHound]

5. Whoa there, you might want to check back in with your doc

From what I understand of these drugs, you have absolutely got to be tapered off these drugs slowly, not cut cold turkey. Otherwise you could have some serious physical problems. I would call your doc and ask about it, and perhaps even get a second opinion.

[bicentennial_baby]

6. Uh, you're supposed to taper off of Paxil

I got a good reprimand when I quit cold turkey, w/out telling my Doc. How many mgs are you on?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

8. 12 mgs - I just took one pill and I called her and told her ---

that I am not just going to stop cold turkey like she wanted . Its too dangerous.

[bicentennial_baby]

9. Good for you

:hug:

[Cannikin]

7. I know we dont do medical advice here....but

You should never abruptly stop taking paxil

Suddenly Stopping Antidepressant Treatment Can Lead to Some Nasty Side Effects
By Liz Meszaros

May 4, 2000 -- So you've skipped a couple of doses of your antidepressant ... so what? Or maybe you just decided to stop taking it ... what's the big deal? Researchers asking those very questions have found that suddenly stopping treatment with some antidepressants of the type known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, can cause serious withdrawal effects, both physically and psychologically.

SSRI drugs include those like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. Patients taking these drugs must carefully follow their doctor's instructions about when and how long to take their medication. Failure to do so can lead to unpleasant problems, according to a study in the April issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry -- although some of the SSRI drugs seem to cause worse problems than others.

For those taking Paxil, especially, following the prescribed dosing instructions is important if you want to keep feeling well.

"Symptoms related to discontinuation commonly include physical symptoms such as dizziness and gastrointestinal symptoms," he says

http://concernedcounseling.com/Communities/depression/treatment/antidepressants/discontinuation_events_2.asp

[electron_blue]

10. Are you off it cold-turkey? Do not do that, it isn't safe. You need to wea

wean off it. If your doctor told you to quit cold-turkey, then I seriously doubt all her other advice. What an uneducated thing to recommend.

You can suffer even more disorientation, often up to several a minute, lasting for weeks. Plus, electrical zap-like feelings in the brain, panic attacks, inability to speak. Being asked to take a drug test would be the least of your worries.

[crim son]

11. I was going to say the same thing.

You must always wean yourself off these medications, and each reduction dose should be taken for several days to a week. Otherwise, you're going to feel bad and potentially be in danger.