Long term Paxil use. Advice needed!

[acleme1]

Hello all. Not sure where to start, so I'm gonna just jump right in. I'm going through a really hard time right now, and just stumbled upon your site. I'm a 36 year old male from the US. I've been on 40mg of paxil for 12 years. I've donereally well on it. No side effects really. Last week I started "googling" paxil poop out and withdrawal horror stories. It literally sent me into an obsessive panic. Now, I'm scared to death to be on the paxil any longer, and I'm scared to death to try and come off. I'm in a lose/lose situation right now. I'm in such a panic, I feel like the paxil isn't even helping. I'm also getting a few brain shocks throughout the day now...which makes me think I'm going through withdrawal while still taking it. And without the paxil, I'm afraid I've got no coping skills for the anxiety. I'm an Art Director, a husband, and a father. I feel like everything is beginning to swirl out of control, and I'm gonna lose my job and everything I love. My p-doc wants to raise the paxil or add buspar. I don't want to be addicted to another med. I just have no idea what to do at this point. Don't you think 12 years on such a high dose of paxil has probably done some seriously nasty stuff to my brain chemistry at this point? What would you do in my situation? I'm only 36 years old. What the heck am I gonna do? Sorry for the long post. I just needed to talk to someone intelligent that has possibly been through a situation like this. Look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, SC.

[acleme1]

thanks for the reply. i would love to have a link to that site. sounds very interesting. i'll keep you posted. kind regards, aaron.

[notmyself30]

If I learned anything it's that GOGGLE is a Bad Idea. Before I knew I had anxiety I was convinced (due to the internet) that I had every disease known to man. There are many people in the world who are and have been on meds for a long time. My mom has been on Buspar for over 20 years. Although I don't believe in taking meds I also don't believe in living a miserable life and letting anxiety defeat you!! You have to do what works for you and remember that everyone is different and we all have individual ways of coping. Just stay positive and know that you can take control of your self and actions and to not let Anxiety get the best of you!!

[Mamabear]

You mentioned you've done really well on Paxil for so long so what made you want to google Paxil poop-out? I was on Paxil several years ago too and the only complaint I had was it made me fat LOL When I decided I was ready to wean off of it I had a really difficult time. Now, before you get more anxious, let me tell you that I was able to very, slowly wean down to 10mg successfully (I had been on 25mg of Paxil XR). Trying to get below that was next to impossible for me. I became very sick and overwhelmed by anxiety. I was terrified of being addicted to a medication I didn't want to be on any longer. I was scared, angry and frustrated. The good news is my doc switched me over to 10mg Citalopram (Celexa) instead of trying over and over (and more slowly each time) to wean off of the Paxil. I had VERY minimal side effects, if any, when I made the switch. I have been off Paxil since 2005 and still take 10mg Citalopram daily. I know many would say that amount is not even considered therapeutic, but it is the right amount for me. The goal of treating anxiety disorders with medication is to find the lowest dose that yields a therapeutic effect. For me, it is 10mg. For you, well....you'll have to find that out. So if you are finished with being on Paxil, you should talk to your doc about switching to a different antidepressant before adding other meds to the mix. Whatever you do, don't google stuff unless you enjoy scaring the crap out of yourself. :) Bad news always grabs attention even if its over-exaggerated or altogether false. Please know that you're not doomed to lose all that you love. Stop trying to forecast the future! :) Take it one day at a time and know that you're going to be just fine....I promise!

[Stevegrad]

Oops the bible text was psalms 83:18 sorry