Before you pop another PAXIL

[Oden_grey]

I think this is just another way for the pharmaceutical industry to protect themselves from lawsuits while contributing to the detriment of society. They put every warning under the sun for their drugs in the hopes of stifling any punitive litigation. I took paxil and I never felt suicidal. What this cop-out is going to do is have people thinking its the medication alone when in actuality the kid him/herself just needed a more aggressive anti-depression treatment program.

I guess now we just sit back, relax and let the psychological establishment rest on their laurels as kids off themselves, because in their view that consequence is not because of ineffective treatment regimens, but because "the medicine made them do it".

 

[Joshua_me]

I took Paxil for about 8 months about 5 years ago.

Dreadful things, really.

When I first started taking them, I felt no different, really.
Then, one afternoon about a week into things, I was sitting
on our lanai, looking out at some flowers in the garden when the
oddest thing happened....

It's hard to describe, but visually it looked like someone had
'turned up the color' on the TV. All the colors of the flowers looked brighter and more vivid. (ala LSD) It was an enjoyable
moment, but so unexpected it was a bit scary as well.

But, that feeling didn't last.

Eventually, all the 'old school' SSRI's (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft) do the
same thing. They erase you. Sure, you don't feel depressed, but you don't feel anything else, either. Even orgasms seem
boring and like you're just passing time.

I can't speak for the newer ones out there today, but I avoid all
of them like the plague.

Josh

 

[bshane]

I was on it for social anxiety. It helped. However I was on it for 4 years and I really got to the point of not caring about anything, including myself. I gained nearly 60 pounds, I drank a lot more and I started getting in trouble at work for saying things to management I wouldn't have said before going on it and now after it. I can see very well how people on it can get suicidal since it removes any emotion and feelings a person has. Then when I finally did come off of it I felt like I was hung over after a night of drinking but it lasted for nearly two months. It was horrible. Don't take this unless you absolutely need to and don't take it longer then you absolutely have to. Don't count on your doctor telling you when to stop it. Mine never did. I finally asked if it was ok to stop it and he said, sure, that would actually be a good idea!!!! I bet if I never asked I would still be on it 2 years later.

 

[khushibagh]

I was reading somewhere that one reason why antidepressants can cause someone to become suicidal is a phenomon callled activation. Depression isn't just about feeling sad. It also saps your energy so you can't be bothered to do anything. Sometimes an antidepressant will cut through the lethargy before it lifts your mood so you get up off your ass and kill yourself. This seems to be a particular problem with younger patients.

 

[BenF]

Do NOT come off your SSRI without first speaking to your doctor
.

Ds_writr, I would suggest to you that if a medicine does not have a side effect, it is probably a placebo...that is why homeopathy and other such preoccupations of the chattering classes are so well tolerated (and utterly useless).

Why don't "natural" remedies have side effects? Because there is no reporting body for them. I would prefer that side effects of drugs are reported to the authorities rather than just let free.

With drugs, ALL side effects are reported and documented - no matter how rare they may be.

Hell, paracetemol has a side effect profile as long as my arm - doesn't mean that EVERY person with a headache goes into full blown liver failure.

 

[winterknight]

Prozac actually made me feel worse.

I quit it cold turkey after six months, and haven't been near a doctor since.

I still get depressed, as anyone who reads my posts will be able to tell you. But I'm one HELL of a lot better than I was five years ago, and I did it all by pulling myself up by my bootstraps. No chemicals needed.

 

[ross_1986]

I WANT TO GO OFF THIS FUCKING MEDICATION NOW!!!!

BUT MY STUPD DOCTORS WON'T LET ME!!!!!

I hate the side-effects.

 

[BenF]

I totally agree with you ds_writr about people needing to be fully informed of their medications and the potential side effects.

Medico-ethically it is essential that consent to treatment is fully informed. I don't dispute that information like this should be shared.

I would say that it should be read with a cautious eye and the caveats of warning people not to stop their SSRIs immediately should be heeded.

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ANY OF YOUR MEDICATIONS - SPEAK TO YOUR OWN DOCTOR. He or she will be able to discuss the alternatives with you.

 

[Joshua_me]

^ Yeah, I definitely should have mentioned that.^

DO NOT do the cold turkey thing, *especially* with Paxil.

It's only recently that some Dr.'s are warning their guinea pigs
(us) about this. Years ago when I was on them, no one mentioned
a word about what could happen. So, one fateful Friday afternoon
I was so fed up with the things that I flushed the rest of them down the toilet. (BIG mistake)

By Monday morning I felt as if I was losing my mind. No sleep, no
appetite, and hallucinations from hell. I 'heard' loud crashes coming
from behind me, only to turn and find nothing there. It seemed like
I could see lightning bolts all over the place, many of which felt like
they were inside my brain.

Serious shit, people.

I ended up in the ER where they pumped me full of some Benzo just
to help take the edge off.

All this from a 'harmless and safe' anti-depressant, dispensed by
the good Dr. and picked up at Walgreens.

Learn from what happened to me, and ween slowly off the things with the help from whomever prescribed them to you.

Josh

 

[ross_1986]

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ANY OF YOUR MEDICATIONS - SPEAK TO YOUR OWN DOCTOR. He or she will be able to discuss the alternatives with you.

you would think.....

I've asked my doctor for any alternative, and he says that I have to be on paxil (which i think is complete bullshit).

 

[cozmik]

This has been something with all anti depressants that has been a concern for a few years now, actually. If you're on an anti-depressant of any kind, though, you can't just stop taking them. That will really cause major imbalances. You need to go to your doctor first so he can advise you as to the best way of bringing yourself off.

 

[BenF]

For people who ARE interested in SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome

 

[winterknight]

you would think.....

I've asked my doctor for any alternative, and he says that I have to be on paxil (which i think is complete bullshit).

And this is the sort of thing that lead to my complete and utter mistrust of the medical profession.

 

[BenF]

you would think.....

I've asked my doctor for any alternative, and he says that I have to be on paxil (which i think is complete bullshit).

Remember, your doctor is not there to hurt you - he obviously believes that in his professional opinion, Paxil is the most effacious drug for you.

Why not ask if you can have a psychiatry referral, or a second opinion?

 

[ross_1986]

And this is the sort of thing that lead to my complete and utter mistrust of the medical profession.

Exactly.

Everytime, I ask him about it, he changes the subject, and just tries to get my appointment overwith. It's a complete joke, and I feel like i'm going around in circles.

 

[ross_1986]

Remember, your doctor is not there to hurt you - he obviously believes that in his professional opinion, Paxil is the most effacious drug for you.

Why not ask if you can have a psychiatry referral, or a second opinion?

I did, and guess what the psychiatricst told me WITHOUT even letting me have a sessions so I can talk about my problems....

"You're probably gonna have to be on paxil for the rest of your life".

 

[BenF]

And this is the sort of thing that lead to my complete and utter mistrust of the medical profession.

Look.

We are not there thinking, how can we make the depressives even worse?

Doctors are there to help you. We WANT to help you.

I'm sorry that your own particular doctor-patient relationship fell on stony ground, but DON'T judge all doctors as a bunch of evil, experimental scientists out to get you.

 

[winterknight]

I'm sorry, Ben. I didn't mean any offence to you personally.

But it's a little bit hard to believe in tenet non nocire when *every* contact you've had with a doctor since you were twelve - at three surgeries and two hospitals - has left you feeling worse than you were when you went in.

The antidepressant fiasco was just the final straw.

 

[BenF]

I didn't take any personal offense whatsoever.

I was just hoping to redress the balance so that you would seek out professional help through the appropriate channels for your own sake.

I can empathise with your conundrum, but all you need to do is find the right doctor for your own needs.

Good luck.

 

[Joshua_me]

I avoid saccharine and most artificial sweeteners as they say they can contribute to feelings of depression (as it screws with one's serotonin levels).

Really ??? You're kidding.

That's the first I've heard of that one. Gads, considering I
drink between 8 and 10 cans of diet soda a day, you have my
complete attention. <nervously eyes can of Diet Mountain Dew by keyboard>

Yikes.

Josh