# Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxat



## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

Hello all, 

I consider starting taking some paroxetine cure (not the gsk's one but a generic) for my social anxiety. It is said that paroxetine is a safe and nearly ideal cure for SA-ers. I've heard that it* changes one's personality* which is something pretty well-looking for me; I dislike my current personality and behavior. Other its curing effects also seem as wonderful for me.

But recently I've found some opinions about paroxetine which are quite alarming; that there are severe problems with withdrawal and other horrible symptoms. It has surprised me a lot! This cure was always thought as safe. I know about a person who withdrew it suddenly after over a year and had *no side effects*!

What is the truth?? Who is right??

I was nearly convinced to take paroxetine until not long ago...

The additional problem for me is, that I've also ulcerative colitis. It causes, saying generally, anemia & general weakness pretty often. It also demands taking pretty many cures (antiinflammatory, immunosupressive ones) and I don't want to additionally "overload" my liver and kidneys! if it would be effectless (I doubt if curing the phobia would be effective during the anemia duration)... 

And it's said that SSRIs can cause the alimentary canal bleeding as well, what would be very undesirable for me...

What I should do? *Could you advice me somehow?* I know that the problem is quite rare, but there are also such people who have more than 1 severe diseases simultaneously... 

See you.


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## Nae (Nov 10, 2003)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

You should discuss all of that with a doctor. Paxil *is* associated with a withdrawal (discontinuation) syndrome however withdrawn correctly it may not cause any symptoms. :stu


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## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

*Re: re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Se*



Nae said:


> You should discuss all of that with a doctor. Paxil *is* associated with a withdrawal (discontinuation) syndrome however withdrawn correctly it may not cause any symptoms. :stu


Aha... Well, my gastroenterologist has no opinion in this case, he simply doesn't know... And the dr who's suggested the paroxetine cure says it would imrove my physical status if the anxiety is cured; but he has, on the other hand, no experience and knowledge about the ulcerative colitis cases... 
_Why me?_ :afr


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## jealibeanz (Oct 1, 2005)

I've gone off Paxil and Effexor, and Wellbutrin without a taper and had no withdrawal symptoms. It doesn't happen to everybody.


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## arthur56 (Jul 31, 2005)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

paxil is notorious for being the most difficult antidepressant to quit, see paxil discontinuation syndrome on the net
generic prozac usually works as well and is cheaper and very similar

sadly most of what docs know re meds comes from the sales reps and is very biased
a pharmacist who will bother to take the time, could tell you whether the meds seem all safe together


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## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

Oh, the described symptoms are pretty unpleasant...


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## Labyssum (May 4, 2007)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

I took Paxil for 4 years. It changed my personality completely...I did lots of rash things..Coming off it was hell, my friends who witnessed it said it was like I was coming off heroine.


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## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

I see.
And how it's now - are the changes in your personality, Labyssum, still there, or maybe they've disappeared/
Cheers!


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## Hopeless05 (Jan 3, 2006)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

I've been on it twice and discontinued both times at my own discretion without tapering to lower dosages. It did give me withdrawal symptoms, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I was slightly dizzy/my balance was off for a day, and the next day I was fine.

Personally the medication did nothing for me at low dosages. I tried a higher dosage and all it did was make me feel like a zombie; I felt "emotionally numb". I guess it helped the anxiety to a degree but I still didn't feel "right" - it got rid of shaking and apprehension but I just didn't like how it made me feel overall

Like its been said in above posts it will differ from person to person and I would recommended talking to a psychiatrist about it.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

Keep in mind that when it comes to Paxil withdrawal you're going to find some obvious bias on the net. Who is going to post about how they went off Paxil without incident (as I did)? Most people don't post about non-events like that. The people most likely to post are those who had bad results and the worse the results the more likely they will post and post a lot.

Personally, Paxil failed me even at 60 mg. To me it's just an anti-orgasm pill. Otherwise I couldn't find any other side effects with it.

Keep in mind that will all meds everyone is different and you can't know how a med will work for you unless you personally try it. Paxil is supposed to be the most sedating of the SSRIs (Prozac is the most stimulating). My brother tried Paxil and even at 20 mg couldn't stand it and had to stop because it made him too tired to function. Yet, I, as close a genetic relative as possible experienced no drowsiness at all even at 60 mg. Totally different experiences, even though we are close genetic relatives.

Finding the right med is largely a game of trial & error, often with a whole lot of errors.

As for withdrawal, Paxil would be expected to have more problems in this area because it has the shortest half-life of any SSRI (Prozac has the longest). Paxil is soon gone from your body after your last dose, which makes withdrawal more likely that with drugs that stick around longer after you stop.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

One more thought: Paxil most certainly isn't "a nearly ideal cure". Even in GlaxoSmithKline's own clinical trials only about 65% responded to paxil. Around 35% responded to placebo. After you subtract the placebo control ground you find that only about 1/3 of patients had a positive response to the actual drug.

I'm not saying that to pick on Paxil specifically. All SSRIs show similarly high failure rates. SSRIs do indeed work for some, but they also fail for many.

Then there is the issue of sexual side effects. Drug labels always understate the true level of this problem because the clinical trials (paid for by drug companies) never ask about this problems as they know it's a major problem and they sure don't want to have to put the real truth on their label. So they don't ask about sexual issues in clincal trials and they pray that patients don't tell them, forcing them to put that number on their label. Depeding on what source you wish to trust, up to 70% of SSRI patients have sexual side effects.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Great, you are just bearers of good news. :afr


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## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*

Thanks for the opinions. I appreciate them.
I have to think about my future treatment.
Cheers!


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## Labyssum (May 4, 2007)

*Re: re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Se*



NihilBoni said:


> I see.
> And how it's now - are the changes in your personality, Labyssum, still there, or maybe they've disappeared/
> Cheers!


I'm a completely different person now than I was on Paxil...I'm a lot more calm and thoughtful.


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## ogopogo2000 (May 6, 2007)

*re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Seroxa*



> But recently I've found some opinions about paroxetine which are quite alarming; that there are severe problems with withdrawal and other horrible symptoms. It has surprised me a lot! This cure was always thought as safe. I know about a person who withdrew it suddenly after over a year and had no side effects!
> 
> What is the truth?? Who is right??


They are both right. I, myself, have experienced it both ways with regard to withdrawal. The first time I got off paxil, I was 18 and had been on it a year. I quit cold turkey with no side-effects. But by the age of 22, I was put back on it. Last year, I tried weaning myself off (my doctor said that quitting cold turkey could be very hard on the heart) and noticed a marked increase in anxiety as my body started getting used to the lower dosage. But the withdrawal does eventually go away.



> I've heard that it changes one's personality


The change in myself that I noticed was that I slowly became disinterested in everything. There was less anxiety but after a while there was also no longer any passion for hobbies that I used to love. However, for a long time it truly was worth the trade-off as my SAD was severe. Plus, once you get to the point where you stop caring about stuff you used to care about, you don't really care that you don't care.



> It is said that paroxetine is a safe and nearly ideal cure for SA-ers.


This is debateable. It really depends on your individual circumstances. Some people respond to therapy. Some people respond to SSRI's. Some people require other things. The decision to put someone on paxil should be made on a case-by-case basis.

For me this drug quite literally saved my life. However, it would be foolish to think that it has the potential to do this for everybody. And please do not believe anyone who tells you that there are no side-effects.


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## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

*Re: re: Paroxetine. The real truth about the famous Paxil/Se*



ogopogo2000 said:


> (...)The change in myself that I noticed was that I slowly became disinterested in everything. There was less anxiety but after a while there was also no longer any passion for hobbies that I used to love.(...)


Really?
Well, in point of fact, I *already* have nearly no real hobbies or interests - maybe it's due to the depressive condition caused by the SA...
It would be pretty indesirable to even lessen the actual level of them... :con
Thanks for the advice!


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

depression takes away your interests, I havent come across a med that does that yet.


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## NihilBoni (May 4, 2007)

Noca said:


> depression takes away your interests, I havent come across a med that does that yet.


I see it.


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