Lifetime on Paxil?

[R8DRN8SHN]

Anyone know what can happen if you decide to be dependant on medication for the rest of your life? Does it really turn you "psycho"? I have seen a video on youtube where some guy was under antidepressant medication and he woke up some day and wasnt feeling "so good" so he decided to wait until 11:30 when his third period started. The next thing he wakes up at a juvenile detention center asking what happened and what he was doing there. He basically had no clue what had happened. Its like he had a dream and his mind just went blank. Then he found out that he was in there because he had tooken a gun to school and held his classmates hostage. That stuff kind of scares me. Also I heard from his father that he believes that the medication that one of the Columbine shooters was on possibly turned them crazy. Do you know of anyone who has been on medication almost all of their life and whether they have done anything "crazy"?

[R8DRN8SHN]

Oh yeah and the only reason why I am asking this is because Im thinking of being dependant on medication because I cant control this sh*t no more.

[imported_admin]

I think such cases are very rare. So much testing goes into those drugs before being FDA approved. I really doubt the FDA would allow a drug available to the public that knowingly causes psychoses.

[Robbed]

Medications like Paxil certainly have their downside. But if you take it, you probably won't have problems like you describe. Problems like psychosis and such are actually pretty rare. I actually know quite a few people taking various SSRI medications for relatively long periods of time (several years). And I have never seen this sort of problem occur.

As for school shootings, it is POSSIBLE that side effects to antidepressants could have caused that kind of violent behvior. But far from certain. And although I have seen SSRIs cause increased aggression, I have never seen them cause anybody I know to become homicidal. So once again, this may be a possibility. But even if it IS, it is certainly an extremeley rare possibility.

If you are worried about side effects of meds, I would consider those side effects which you are most likely to suffer from in real life. And problems that I have seen include drowiness, insomnia, increased appetite/weight gain, decreased coordination/slowed reflexes, loss of sex drive, numbed emotions, apathy, nausea and 'spaciness'. Consider these CAREFULLY.

Now I KNOW you are not feeling good. I KNOW that things are probably hard for you at this time. And I KNOW things can seem VERY hopeless. Hell, life is hard enough at your age WITHOUT these sorts of problems. But have you actually looked into and/or tried other solutions to your problems? And if you HAVE, have you given them a fair shot? Keep in mind that these problems take time to solve. There are no quick fixes. And I would HATE to see you decide to go on Paxil for the rest of your life when another, more benign, and ultimately more effective means of dealing with your problem could set you free. So consider looking into this. You ARE worth it!

[neverbeenright]

I'm in my 40's and have gone on and off medications several times in my life. I'd get into these deep dark depressions with no way out before I'd get on them. Take them for a couple of years, either feel better or decide they're not really doing anything anyway, and I'd get off them. Once off, the anxiety would return, and it would be a long, slow, downward slide to the next bottom. This last time, I was told by the psychaitrist that in some cases like mine, the person is better off just staying on medication. BUT that is because I have demonstrated this pattern. From what I've read, this is far from the rule. Most people only need medication for a short while (if at all), in combination with therapy, to get them through a rough spot. No dr is going to put you on meds for life right off the bat. Medication doesn't just solve all your problems anyway. Man, I wish. Try therapy, too.

Just one other thing about antidepressants - I've found that you have to give them a fair shot, maybe a couple of months at least, because sometimes I ride a roller-coaster of side effects during that time before things settle down. However, medications work differently for everybody. If you take something for a few months and it's just not making you feel any better, definitely talk to your doctor about it.

I know life sucks right now. The important thing is to take that first big step and make an appointment if you haven't. Hang in there.

[R8DRN8SHN]

Yeah I know but I think I need medication because the thing I have is uncontrollable. I think one of the reasons why Im like this is because I got "self-conscious". I started caring about the way that I look around people and I think thats what the problem is. Everytime a girl looks at me I start getting anxiety. This doesnt happen if a guy looks at me. Also everytime I talk when everyone is looking at me I get anxiety. Its also probably due to the fact that I stopped coming out of the house. My life just turned into a piece of sh*t.

[Sam888]

Several [different] doctors told me that once you start on psych meds it's very rare that someone does NOT have to take them for life. One of the big reasons is that the side effects of getting off of these drugs are often worse then the ailment they are trying to treat. It's a vicious circle and in most cases drugs are not the answer. But, we are always looking for that magic pill that we can just swallow to make us feel better when we are only treating the symptom(s) and not the problem.