{"article":{"id":18913,"heading":"Paxil And Addiction","author":"Rick Giombetti","created":"2002-09-11 07:54:49","modified":"2007-02-02 22:13:28","last_modified":"Sat, 03 Feb 2007 05:13:28","article":"

http:\/\/rjgiombetti.blogspot.com\/2002_09_08_rjgiombetti_archive.html

It's been a tough spell for British based pharmaceutical giant Glaxo-Smith-Kline, or GSK, for the past year and three months. First, it's top selling anti-anxiety\/depressant drug Paxil was found to be primarily responsible for a 1998 murder-suicide in a federal district civil trial in Wyoming in June 2001. GSK has since quietly settled its appeal of the case, a major courtroom defeat for the company.

Then last month the plaintiffs in a Paxil withdrawal lawsuit convinced a federal judge in Los Angeles to order GSK to stop claiming in its advertising that the drug is not habit forming and causes no withdrawal symptoms in patients. A peculiar, and some would say blatantly political, intervention in the case by Attorney General John Ashcroft's Justice Department then followed the judge's ruling. The matter of whether or not Paxil is addicting is for the Food and Drug Administration, not a court, to decide argues the Justice Department. In a shocking revelation, the Justice Department says the FDA has scientists willing to toe GSK's line and say Paxil is not addicting. The judge in the case withdrew the ruling in order to give GSK time to appeal, so the ads claiming Paxil is not habit forming are back on the air for now.

But the line coming from GSK and the FDA is contradicted by the thousands of stories that have been documented at Canadian Frank Streicher's Quit Paxil website: http:\/\/www.quitpaxil.org. Or you can browse through some of the stories of patients on Paxil trying to go through withdrawal at the Paxil Yahoo Group: http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/paxil\/. Here is a September 8 posting by Kim titled, \"This Is Terrible\": \"Hi, everyone. I am going through a terrible withdrawal. I went from 30mg to 20 to 10 to 5 and now I am completely off Paxil. But it is not completely out of me. I have been off Paxil now for a week now and everyday is a struggle. Mood swings, dizzy spells, severe muscle aches, shocks throughout my head and body when I move my eyes. I feel like I am going crazy. I can't think straight and my animals are being neglected. I would have NEVER taken this if I knew this would happen. I was Prozac years ago and had no problems coming off. I can't wait to get this out of my body and clear my head. Here's a testimonial you won't be seeing in any Paxil ad from Rina in Toronto posted August 5: \"Taking Paxil since 1995 and I am now 330 lbs. I take 40 mg daily. Any advise on how to get this out of my life?\" Weight gain is a commonly reported side effect of these drugs.

With GSK desperately scrambling to save Paxil's remaining marketing life, it's worth asking who we are to believe in a case like this. A jury in a federal district court has already refused to buy GSK's line that Paxil is less likely to cause suicide than sugar pills and older antidepressant drugs in its clinical trials. It's worth noting that the key expect witness in that case, psychiatrist and psychiatric historian Dr. David Healy of the University of Wales, made an interesting discovery while he combed through GSK's archives of its Paxil clinical trial data: \"One of the extraordinarily interesting things about the healthy volunteer data in Harlow (England) was that they have a group of studies there where totally healthy volunteers, people like members of the court here, go on this drug for very brief periods of time, a week or two at the most, and after only two weeks on the drug SKB (SmithKline Beecham, the pre-Glaxo merger company that used to own the patent for Paxil) recognized that they're having physical dependence on this drug, so when the drug is halted there are withdrawal syndromes.\"



That testimony was objected to by GSK's counsel and upheld by the judge in the case because it wasn't relevant to the matter of Paxil and suicide (Healy's testimony in the case can be read at my blog starting on August 27: http:\/\/rjgiombetti.blogspot.com\/2002_08_27_rjgiombetti_archive.html. But it sure is relevant to the question of whether not GSK and its pre-merger predecessor falsely marketed Paxil as a drug that is not habit forming and causes no withdrawal symptoms. The most interesting aspect of Healy's testimony is GSK's lack of any interest in studying topics that might make Paxil look bad, like linking its drug to suicide. If GSK did have any data that might link Paxil to suicide, it was always conveniently buried in the archives and forgotten. Is there any reason not to suspect the same thing was done to any company data that might link Paxil to withdrawal symptoms in patients and trial subjects? Healy's testimony suggests there is good reason to suspect the same thing was done with the clinical trial data demonstrating a link between Paxil and withdrawal symptoms. If the FDA has any studies into Paxil and addiction, then I would like to see them. I doubt the federal agency has much to go on when it comes to convincing a jury in a law court that Paxil is not addicting.

This is why the issue of Paxil and addiction is a matter completely within the jurisdiction of a civilian law court. Would a group of FDA scientists, most with links to the pharmaceutical industry no doubt, do anything else besides rubber stamp the company line coming from GSK on Paxil and addiction? Does the sun rise in the east and set in the west? Is the sky blue on a sunny day?

With the likelihood that there is little or no clinical trial data for GSK to back up its position on Paxil and addiction, who else should we listen to other than the patients who have experienced withdrawal symptoms while quitting Paxil and their doctors, like Healy or Harvard's Joseph Glenmullen, both of whom support the plaintiff's desires to see the Paxil ads pulled from the airwaves? Below is a summary of my e-mail correspondence with one of the 35 plaintiff's in the Paxil withdrawal lawsuit, Trisha Spinelli of Evergreen, Colorado.

Rick Giombetti: First, give a little biography. How old are you and where did you go to school, and what, if any degrees do you have. What kind of work do you do when you are not writing and not engaged in activism on mental health and psychiatric drug issues?

Trisha Spinelli: I was born on March 16, 1946 in Los Angeles. I graduated from East Anchorage High School and attended LA Valley College and UCLA. I was on the dean's list and the honor society. From 1976 to 1995, I worked in various capacities in the entertainment industry, beginning with Warner Special Products where I was the licensing coordinator for Warner\/Electra\/Atlantic Records. I then took a position at IRS Records as the Director of Advertising and Tour Coordination. In 1981, I moved to New York City and continued my career in the record business. I also produced and acted in a television show and had an art gallery in Manhattan. In 1988, I moved back to LA to produce a video series for a celebrity design company for which I was also the Managing Director. In 1990, I produced a music video series titled \"Shindig: and also produced the music video for the blockbuster movie \"Ghost.\" My video work was aired on both MTV and VH-1. In 1991, I moved to Evergreen, Colorado to produce a country music album with the former drummer of the band \"Chicago.\" I also managed and produced many local music groups. My last assignment in the record industry was when I launched a nation media campaign for Flat Canyon Records. In 1993, I started a gourmet bakery specializing in Italian breads and worked with my husband in various restaurants that he owned. In September 1997, I began writing a spy novel about the use of psychotropic drugs as a form of mind control. I recently published the novel with title \"Blind Reason\" (Under the pen name Patricia Griffon and listed for sale at Xlibris.com, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble's website, plus in bookstores). It was written during the time that I was recuperating from taking Paxil.  Most of the plot was borne of my experience with this drug and it was the writing of this book that kept me going during my recovery.

RG: Describe your experience taking and then trying to quit taking Paxil.

TS: I started taking Paxil in July 1997 after it was suggested by my nurse at a mental health clinic in Evergreen. My previous experience with psychiatric drugs did not go well. I took Zoloft for one day back in 1994, didn't like the side-effects and flushed it down the toilet after reading the insert that listed \"suicide\" as the first adverse reaction. I took Elavil for four days in 1996 before quiting because of the side-effects. My nurse assured me that Paxil had no side effects, was not addictive and would help me deal with my anxiety and frustration caused by the intense pain from injuries sustained in a 1993 automobile accident. I started out on 2.5 mg per day of Paxil and worked my way up to 10 mg by the third week of July. >From the beginning, I did not like the way Paxil made me feel. I was assured by my nurse that whatever effects I was experiencing would subside and I would feel a lifting of mood within four to six weeks. With each incremental increase of Paxil, I began to feel more agitated. I was having trouble sleeping and was prescribed Xanax to take before I went to bed. By the fourth week in July, I was unable to leave my house because of the side effects of Paxil. I had a ringing in my ears, and generally felt agitated and very unlike myself. I was experiencing light and sound sensitivity. All the while the inner restlessness increased, and I began to have bizarre thoughts. My anger continued to mount and I would explode in violent rages and verbal outbursts. My husband did not understand what was happening to me. He encouraged me to come to the restaurant and work. But the restaurant was 40 miles away in Denver and I did not feel that I could safely drive that distance. The few times I did drive after taking Paxil, I often had an urge to cross the median of the freeway into oncoming traffic. This was very frightening I had never had such thoughts in my life. On 20 mg of Paxil I began to feel totally disconnected from my body. I had horrible nightmares. I began to have intense sugar and carbohydrate cravings. I was irritable and moody, but at the same time I felt emotionally blunted. I was experiencing what I now know is akathisia, an inner restlessness. I had to keep moving. I cleaned my house obsessively. I cleaned out the closets and gave away most of our clothes. I couldn't seem to sit still for five minutes. My husband suggested that I stop taking the Paxil.

In September 1997, I decided to stop taking Paxil cold turkey. Within three days of going off cold turkey, I began to experience \"brain shivers\" and \"electrical zaps\" in my head. It felt as though someone had placed a wire against my temple and turned on the juice. Then came the paralyzing nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, blurred vision, headaches, mini-blackouts, and extreme muscle pain in my body and legs. I was unable to move. I could not walk across the room without bracing myself against the wall for support. There were several times when I actually crawled on my hands and knees from the bedroom to the living room because I could not stand up. I would sit for hours in one chair and stare into space, afraid and unable to move. My husband described me as a \"zombie.\"


My pharmacist advised me to get back on a 20 mg dose of Paxil again and gradually wean myself off the drug over a period of five months. The withdrawal symptoms went away after I went back on 20 mg. I withdrew faster than my pharmacist recommended since I really wanted to quit this awful drug and end my nightmare. I gradually tapered my daily dose down to 2.5 mg per day and took my last dose by the end of the third week of December 1997. I had severe nausea for approximately six weeks after that, along with headaches, brain zaps, and vertigo. In fact, the withdrawals were so intense that during the entire month of January 1998, I never left my house. Over the next six to eight months, these symptoms gradually subsided, but I was terrified that I would never fully recover from the withdrawal experience. The memory loss, cognitive deficits, light and sound sensitivity, and word retrieval problems persist to this day. Never in my life have I been through such hell. I can honestly say that it wasn't until January 2000 that I began to feel even the slightest bit like myself. During my two-year Paxil nightmare, I did hundreds of hours of research into how drugs such as Paxil affect the brain and how difficult it is to withdraw from this drug.



RG: Explain what the plaintiff's claims are in the case you and the 34 other plaintiffs have brought against Glaxo and why did you decide to become involved in this civil suit and how did the suit come about?



TS: First, I participated as a declarant in the Paxil suit filed by Don Farber back in 2000.  Over a period of months, I continually told him that my Internet activities made it very clear that the problem with Paxil was worthy of a class action lawsuit because in the few years that I had done research on SSRIs, I had come in contact with literally thousands of people whose lives were rent asunder by this drug. In fact, during the worst of my withdrawal, I screamed at the doctor who prescribed it, \"You'll see, within 5 years there will be a class action lawsuit to get this drug off the market!\"  I knew back then that I could not be the only person who had suffered such debilitating side effects from a medication that was being touted as safe and effective, with little or no side effects and NO potential for addiction.  And yet, there was no information available from the manufacturer about this phenomenon, in fact, they continually denied that there was such a thing as withdrawal, and if it did exist, it was mild and temporary.  Some of the plaintiffs become so sick when trying to withdraw from Paxil that they have simply given up ever being able to get off of it safely.  This is NOT a minor problem and we as plaintiffs want the manufacturer to reveal what it knows and to properly label their product with the warnings that are desperately needed, and to compensate us for the suffering we have endured as a result of their failure to adequately warn the medical community and the consumer of potential problems.

RG: Like the many other people who have experienced problems with Paxil and other SSRI drugs (\"Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors\": Celexa, Luvox, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft) I noticed you've taken your concerns about them to the Internet. How would you grade the performance of the mass media in covering this issue of these drugs from the perspective of the patients who take them?



Initially, I got involved in the Internet because the mass media that reported on the crimes in which an SSRI was involved downplayed the fact that any medication might have contributed to the school shootings, murder\/suicides, etc. In fact, the prevailing theme in the media seemed to be that the person had NOT taken his medication as prescribed, pointing the wagging finger of blame at mental illness for these atrocities rather than investigating whether or not the medication itself might have contributed to these incidents. The first couple of years of internet activity for me beginning in 1997 proved to be very frustrating because there were no message boards where other victims could gather. Then about two or three years ago, I discovered the QuitPaxil.org site, and the website started by Kelly Owen who was interviewed on 20\/20 regarding the side effects of Paxil. Then the Prozacawareness site started, and after that the SSRI Crusaders site sprung into action.  I have met so many wonderful people who have lost a loved ones to this drug (or another SSRI), or have suffered years of medical problems themselves from having taken it.  The primary objective of all these sites is to raise awareness about the potential side effects while on the medication, and the side effects while withdrawing. It is disturbing that there are so many medical professionals who simply are uneducated in the mechanism of the drugs, how they affect the body and mind, and what constitutes the cluster of symptoms euphemistically referred to as \"discontinuation syndrome,\" i.e. withdrawal.

<\/p>\n","contact":"rickjgio@speakeasy.net","link":"http:\/\/rjgiombetti.blogspot.com","address":"Seattle","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"An interview with Paxil withdrawl suit plaintiff Trish Spinelli","numcomment":38,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2002\/09\/paxil_and_addiction.txt","filesize":"16.3 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2002\/09\/18913.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":112622,"heading":"Paxil Evils","article":"I took Paxil as prescribed by a physician a year ago. Sure, I felt great,because it made me numb. Like a zombie. My emotions were never extremly high, nor low. I was somewhere in the middle. I became someone I was not. I did not care about anything or anyone. I gained about 40 pounds. Not from overeating,but as I found later, this drug has a way of slowing you down. I decided to wean myself off, and it was sheer hell. I tried so many times, only to doubt my sanity and purchase more. I did not have insurance, so I paid $108.00 per month for 30, 30mg tablets. I felt as if I was going crazy. Doctors would tell me how wonderful the drug was. Whatever this crap was doing to me was not great. The "shocks" that ran through my brain and insomnia was hell. I slowly tapered off. Yet still I felt so ill I, and depressed because I felt as if I would always be a slave to the drug. i felt like loosing it on a daily basis. I will tell all of you what I have told many. Stay away from this drug. I feel as if GSW has been very misleading to doctors as wll as many people about this drug. Maybe more research should have been done before people advised others to cram this drug down our throats. ","author":"Mary Parker","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2004-06-15 16:22:18","modified":"2004-06-15 16:22:18","fileurl":""},{"id":124945,"heading":"Mrs.","article":"I have been on paxil for four years. it makes me feel better, i think! But, I had something interesting happen to me the other day and wondered if others have experiuenced it. I fo9rgot my pill in the morning an was shopping, suddenly i had wavy lines to the outside of my left eye and a slight headache. took 2 asprins,felt better. went to the next store and i could not say the right words (was trying to say daughter but kept saying brother?) i knew i was saying the rong word but could not dop it correctly. Now my doctor wants me to have an mri which i will but after finding this sight seems like it could be because i forgot to take my pill. got home, took my pill and only have slight headache. I have experienced many of the withdrawl simptons mentioned while on this drug, can your body become acclimated to it and experience these symptons? i want to go off this drug but am afraid. comments PLEASE","author":"Renee Mansini","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-04-11 00:40:07","modified":"2005-04-11 00:40:07","fileurl":""},{"id":124947,"heading":"abrupt discontinuance","article":"Is dangerous. Almost as dangerous as the side effects like suicidal thoughts.\r\nSlow withdrawl is critical over say, a time span of 30 days min.","author":"Dr. Payne","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-04-11 00:56:40","modified":"2005-04-11 00:56:40","fileurl":""},{"id":18927,"heading":"Mrs.","article":"Bless all of you so much. Anyone who has ever had anything to do with the drug Paxil needs all the blessings they can get. In 1999 both my dear Mother and my equally dear husband were put on Paxil in different staes, different doctors, different reasons. Within months my mother died. Yes, she was old, but had been VITAL, smiling and twinkle-eyed up unto That point. She soon became fretful, sad, withdrawn, even fearful and talked of impending death. My normally loving husband started exhibeting bizarre behavior, including many thoughts (and some talk) of suicide and increasing depression. He had started drinking too much to combat his sociel anxiety and went to a doctor for help because he is such a decent man he didn't want it to become a problem. Like these other stories, he was ASSURED there were no side affects and that in a few weeks he would feel less anxious, etc. The doctor also told him that during that few weeks if he felt extremely tense that he could HAVE ALCOHOL and there would be no side affects. Ater a few weeks ny loving husband attempted suicide twice and moved out 3hrs away and started seeing his high school girlfriend which was suicide in itself because she is a person of poor moral character. He would call me in moments of lucidity and weep. He knew he was not well, but his doctor kept saying it wasn't the paxil (even though he had made a 180degree turn around from the man i had known for almost 10 years!! Unfortunatly, he finally cracked and was hospitalized for a week. He was taken off the paxil and put on some other horrible drug and was a shattered man. i had moved out of state by this time. His family wouldn't listen to me when i believed that it was his medication. They were makimg plans to "put him away" in the name of helping him. He called me again and asked me for help. i went there immediately and he returned with me, got off the medications, got a Good doctor, and now , after some very terrible mos. of withdrawl and agonies, he is the wonderful man i married all those years ago. i have wanted to tell this story to someone for so long. After having done a little research, i had already realized how extremely dangerous Paxil is. It was too late for my precious mother, but thankkfully, to God and aware and conciencious medical care he has indeed grown stronger and truly become himself again. We are very happy once again, Thank you for letting me sound off.","author":"Suzi CCampbell","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2002-09-11 20:27:34","modified":"2002-09-11 20:27:34","fileurl":""},{"id":192623,"heading":"Need to remove old info","article":"I need to know how to remove info from a post or have a post removed that was made long ago when I was ill and under withdrawls. Unknowingly I put personal info in he post and since then it has had damaging reprecussions. Please assist me in removing the posts.","author":"Stressed","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2007-02-02 22:13:38","modified":"2007-02-02 22:13:38","fileurl":""},{"id":21738,"heading":"Mrs.","article":"I just wanted to add my two cents worth. I am addicted to Paxil, and unfortunely, I am too weak to fight the side effects. I have no support system. I saw a counselor, but of course he would not discuss the present litagation. My story is almost Identical to Trisha Spinelli. I experienced all the symptoms that she did in exactly the same way. I lost my job and cannot seem to keep one anymore. I just pray and wait for something to come along to help me quit.","author":"Clara Eaker","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2002-11-06 03:57:29","modified":"2002-11-06 03:57:29","fileurl":""},{"id":22802,"heading":"PAxil Side Affects","article":"I was put on 40 mg of Paxil a day. Well money was tight and I couldnt afford to get my prescription, so i went with out for about 5 days. The first thing I started noticing was i felt like i had no finger tips, they were numb, the next thing was, i was so dizzy i felt like when I was walking my feet werent touching the floor i felt like i was almost floating. My skin had this weird feeling like bugs were crawling under my skin. I also was so tired I would fall asleep only a couple hours i would get up in the morning , i felt i could sleep all day.I suggest if anyone is on paxil dont ever quit cold turkey, it really makes you feel horrible and I dont wish this on anyone. So in the end I'm still taking Paxil and i am slowly going off under my doctors care.","author":"Courtney","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2002-11-27 05:47:50","modified":"2002-11-27 05:47:50","fileurl":""},{"id":25638,"heading":"ms","article":"I was taking 40 mg of paxil everyday. Due to financial difficulties, I had to stop taking it. Now I am back to square one. Before I started the paxil, I barely made it through each day. The smallest things upset me. Everyone told me, "Grow up." "It's all in your head." They were right. Without the paxil I cannot cope with anything. I am unable to be passive or deal with people. That's what life is like without paxil. \r\n\r\nHowever, I have found therapy to be quite helpful (when I could afford it). Esp. the kind of therapy that provides insight into other ways of dealing with people, situations and life in general. \r\n\r\nMaybe, when you stop taking paxil, you should have some extra\/outside assistance. Paxil stops the symptoms, but it doesn't fix the underlying "problems". \r\nWithout the paxil-and I speak from experience-all the old problems can come back. Without the paxil, it's very easy to slip back into the big, black you just worked your way out of.\r\n\r\nSo, If you just stopped taking the paxil, seek outside help. It is too easy to go back to the way things were...before.","author":"paterson","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-01-12 03:15:47","modified":"2003-01-12 03:15:47","fileurl":""},{"id":49927,"heading":"service manager","article":"I have been on paxil since 1997 for anxiety and felt after hearing and reading about it ,it was time to get off this medication.I have given it up cold turkey and this last week has been hell for me and my family. It has been 7 days since i have taken a pill and from the start I have had the feeling of a white noise in my head and dizziness now i am to the point of crying all the time. i get extremely agitated and no one understands or trys to understand what is going on.i decided to just stop taking it instead of weaning off of it because why post pone the inevitable. I want it gone NOW. I just feel like running away.....If I had known when I started taking this of the side effects and withdrawl It would have NEVER passed my lips this is the worst feeling I have ever had.","author":"Vicki Surface","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-04-15 00:22:56","modified":"2003-04-15 00:22:56","fileurl":""},{"id":49929,"heading":"service manager","article":"I have been on paxil since 1997 for anxiety and felt after hearing and reading about it ,it was time to get off this medication.I have given it up cold turkey and this last week has been hell for me and my family. It has been 7 days since i have taken a pill and from the start I have had the feeling of a white noise in my head and dizziness now i am to the point of crying all the time. i get extremely agitated and no one understands or trys to understand what is going on.i decided to just stop taking it instead of weaning off of it because why post pone the inevitable. I want it gone NOW. I just feel like running away.....If I had known when I started taking this of the side effects and withdrawl It would have NEVER passed my lips this is the worst feeling I have ever had.","author":"Vicki Surface","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-04-15 00:23:41","modified":"2003-04-15 00:23:41","fileurl":""},{"id":49936,"heading":"service manager","article":"I have been on paxil since 1997 for anxiety and felt after hearing and reading about it ,it was time to get off this medication.I have given it up cold turkey and this last week has been hell for me and my family. It has been 7 days since i have taken a pill and from the start I have had the feeling of a white noise in my head and dizziness now i am to the point of crying all the time. i get extremely agitated and no one understands or trys to understand what is going on.i decided to just stop taking it instead of weaning off of it because why post pone the inevitable. I want it gone NOW. I just feel like running away.....If I had known when I started taking this of the side effects and withdrawl It would have NEVER passed my lips this is the worst feeling I have ever had.","author":"Vicki Surface","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-04-15 00:23:47","modified":"2003-04-15 00:23:47","fileurl":""},{"id":49946,"heading":"A couple of suggestions","article":"Take a visit to Breggin.com. Dr. Bregin, an M.D., Psychiatrist, and (former I now think) Professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School has a lot of good information on Psychiatric Drug Withdrawls.\r\n\r\nGet to a good Health Food Store and get some CalMag that mixes into Liquid form. CalMax is one Brand. There is another, the Brand name I forget, comes in a White Bottle with a Blue Label - and I think it just says CalMag. Both mix up into a drink in an acid base (which promotes effective absorbsion). It is a natural relaxant and is also used in drug-free Drug Treatment programs to help people going through withdrawls from street drugs.\r\n\r\nAlso works real good if you have drank too much coffee too late in the day and can't get to sleep. One of my bad habits.","author":"Diogenes","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-04-15 00:40:44","modified":"2003-04-15 00:40:44","fileurl":""},{"id":49982,"heading":"Hmmm","article":"Having gone through some pretty nasty withdrawal more times than I'd like to remember, I can say that Dio has some good suggestions.","author":"fresca","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-04-15 01:21:20","modified":"2003-04-15 01:21:20","fileurl":""},{"id":50034,"heading":"He's right","article":"As someone who's kicked more times than I care to as=dmit I can attest to Dio's suggestions. Who'd a thunk it? We agree.","author":"fresca","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-04-15 23:20:20","modified":"2003-04-15 23:20:20","fileurl":""},{"id":66403,"heading":"Paxil user","article":"I began taking Paxil 2 years years ago because of severe panic attacks. I didn't want to take any medication but the attacks were totally disrupting my life. So I took 10mg for about a year and then had to increase the dosage to 20mg because 10mg were just not cutting it anymore. I should mention that not only did the medication increase but so did my weight. I gained about 45 pounds in the two years that I was taking it. I decided in April of this year that I was going off of it because of the weight gain and I wanted to see if I could manage without it. Also my new insurance plan would not cover the drug. So I slowly tappered off . I have been Paxil-free for about 12 days and feel fine. On the third day I kind of felt out of sorts and thought about taking 2.5mg but decided against it. I have been fine and have even done things that would have given me panic attacks in the past. I also have started to lose the extra pounds already. ","author":"Sharon","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-06-23 09:52:31","modified":"2003-06-23 09:52:31","fileurl":""},{"id":69981,"heading":"Registered Nurse","article":"I was started on Paxil in June 1998, as a result of a situational depresssion after relocating to a new state. In December 1998, I noticed unusual weight gain that directed me to my doctor. He informed me it was the Paxil. At that point I wanted off but could not seem to overcome the SE's of extreme adgitation everytime I tried to stop taking it. In discussing this with my MD, he said Paxil is the worst antidepressant to stop taking.\r\n\r\nI kept taking it as I was told that I would become personally dysfunctional without it.\r\n\r\nIn July 2002, I was stopped and got a DUI after having only 3 glasses of red wine and a BAC of .105, very low.\r\n\r\nI was angered in that I feel I did not deserve the DUI and the Senior officer testified that he did not think that I was drunk; but I still was found guilty on the one charge of "impaired to the slightest degree."\r\n \r\nWhat I learned from this horrible experience is not only the mixture of the two can be potentially dangerous but that Paxil is not as safe as the manufacture wants you to believe.\r\n\r\nTherefore, through this experience, I decided to just stop cold turkey and I feel like shit half the time.\r\n\r\nI was only on 10 to 20 mg daily and my last dose was June 19, 2003.\r\n\r\nI have aches, pains and muscle stiffness that I never had before. I can't focus and my energy level is nill. \r\n\r\nI think that Paxil does not allow you to feel and therefore your feelings go unanswered. While on Paxil, everything is okay and you just go with the flow.. Well going with the flow has kept me in a very bad marrieage because I was able to withstand just about anything put before me. \r\n\r\nSince stopping the Paxil, it appeares as if a portion of my brain had amnesia. Many trhings in my past are now being remembered. And emotional, God, I am so emotional right now.\r\n\r\nNever, do I want to take paxil again or any other drug like it.\r\n \r\nI have to say that I am scared right now as I feel that I will crash and burn.\r\n\r\nBest Regards,\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nKaren Andrews\r\n","author":"Karen Andrews","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-07-06 00:56:18","modified":"2003-07-06 00:56:18","fileurl":""},{"id":88969,"heading":"Been On Paxil Several Years","article":"I been on 40 mg. of paxil for about 5 years, I have clinical depression since my 20s and need to be on an anti-depressant at all times. My dr. put me on it because I have anxiety or panic attacks too and Paxil is supposed to treat panic attacks where other a.d.s don't. I was overweight to begin with, and have gained a little but nothing severe. I did'nt know there was an issue with the effects of this drug till I came accross this, I have'nt tried going off it, I will ask my dr. at the next appt. about this, but am scared to try new drugs, I was on a couple other older antidepressants over the last 19 years and going off one and on another was kinda uncomfortable but not the stuff I'm seeing here- a dr. does Not take you off cold turkey! but I don't know if I will have a bad time if I come off the paxil.. I been on Xanax too since '84 at different doses, so can only assume I'm addicted to that but what else can you take for panic disorder?? I will look up more about all this and hope for the best.","author":"Y.D.","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-10-16 07:03:43","modified":"2003-10-16 07:03:43","fileurl":""},{"id":94967,"heading":"3 people in one mind, not enough room","article":"I am a graduate student, mother, wife and now, one overall wierd person. Paxil has managed to rob me of my identity, personality and has 'trapped' in a world of isolation, lonelyness, confusion and pain. I won't bother listing all of the side effects, just that I have them all in the most extreme forms. \r\n\r\nCurrently, my reality is living outside of myself, hoping that the strongest of personalities that I have developed does well with people and does not @#$% up my life any more than it already is, I just keep hoping for the best. I say 'personalities' because I don't even recognize my original self anymore since I started my transformation on paxil. One part of me is struggling to be smart and 'hang in there' so to speak with my fellow graduate classmates. I have learned to keep my mouth shut in any intellectual discussion, because my word retrival problem is so bad it's embarrassing. My second personality is mean and controling, she surfaces whenever and scares my @#$% out of my husband (who by the way has a scared look in his eyes now adays when he talks to me, because I have become so unpredictable). The last pesonality, suprisingly is euphoric not just o.k. but really happy :laughing, singing, shouting, this last for about an hour then it's right back to quiet and blank stares of confusion and fear. That is the one that scares me the most. It's like what just happend?? I have no identlty and this is just the mental and emotional side of life on paxil, the other half is the physical symptoms and pain.\r\n\r\nLastly, I would like to share that I am a Native American. What does this have to do with anything you may be thinking? Plenty, we are very traditional and spiritual people who cherish our heritage and culture. I once lived my life according to a structure that was embedded in lakota thought and philosophy which include strength in mind, spirit and body. Much of life is grounded on respect, generosity, wisdom and fortitude and courage. Oral communication and memory of traditions, language and ceremony are essential parts of the circle of life. I have lost my ability to socialize and partake in any of these things that I use to cherish. Now, I can't be trusted to turn off the @#$% dishwater or drive my children to school.\r\n\r\nI have lost, and lost big...These things are what the manufacturer of paxil need to hear, and know they are real side effect that ruin people's lives. I am often paranoid that the govenment is intentionally doing this to our society, but then again that is the "Indian" in me that can't forget all the wrong the goverment has done to us, in the name of democracy.\r\n\r\nIf you are a Native American who is faced with this empy life, full of pain and misery because of paxil, I sympathize with you and if you are reading this because you are looking for answers, please know that life comes down to choices, seek help in getting off this very addictive drug, before you don't recognize yourself anymore. \r\n\r\nPila Miya pi (thank you)","author":"Stephanie","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-20 18:10:34","modified":"2003-11-20 18:10:34","fileurl":""},{"id":94970,"heading":"Hi Stephanie (or should I say "Meyer London")","article":"Sounds like that's quite a problem you've got there. ","author":"anon","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-20 18:43:46","modified":"2003-11-20 18:43:46","fileurl":""},{"id":94981,"heading":"really cool","article":"That sure is cool - ridiculing a woman who writes in about serious emotional problems and using the situation to insult another poster. You must be proud of yourself. I bet all the right wing neanderthals think you are really funny. You are just as witty as Schwartzengroper and and Rush "Lock them addicts up for good" Limbaugh.","author":"poster","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-20 20:15:07","modified":"2003-11-20 20:15:07","fileurl":""},{"id":94994,"heading":"^^^^^^ I wonder ^^^^","article":"Which one of Meyer London's personalities wrote that last comment??? Sounds like the mean one....","author":"anon","parent_id":18913,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-20 21:04:43","modified":"2003-11-20 21:04:43","fileurl":""}]}