Posted by Conundrum on February 11, 2011, at 12:16:56
In reply to Been on Paxil 12 Years - Can anyone relate?, posted by acleme1 on February 3, 2011, at 11:29:26
> Hello all. I have been on Paxil 40 mg/day for about 12 years now. I can't believe it's been that long, but how time flies. I am a 36 year-old male now, so I was about 24 years old when I took my first pill. At the time, I was diagnosed with pretty severe GAD and Panic Disorder.
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> Sometimes, I wish I had never started the medication - but I know that it has helped me to live a more full and productive life. Lately though, I have been worrying about what the long-term effects of this medication are?
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> Paxil wasn't meant to be taken for more than 6 months to 1 year from the research that I have been able to gather. For me, it's now been 12 years! What, if anything, is this medication doing to me and my brain chemistry?
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> I tried once about 9 years ago to just quit cold turkey. I wanted to see what it was like without the medication. I was fine for about 4 days, then all hell broke loose. At the time, I wasn't aware of the "discontinuation syndrome" that is so common with SSRI's. I eventually got back on the medicine, and have been on it ever since.
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> Is there anyone out there that has taken Paxil or a similar SSRI for 10+ years? What does your P-doc say about using the medication long-term...possibly for life?
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> Is there any benefit to trying to come off of the Paxil, and using CBT therapy + benzos "as needed" to manage the anxiety?
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> I guess I'm just hoping to hear from some of you guys that have been on SSRI's for many years. How are you doing, and do you plan to take this medication the rest of your life?
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> Thanks for any input. AC.I took prozac with success for 4 years and then stopped it. My memory and cognitive functions have suffered tremendously after stopping prozac, I also experienced a blunting of my emotions. I never had problems like this while on prozac though, or before taking it. It seems like the brain adapts and becomes accustomed to that drug molecule and cannot function well without it. Unfortunately going back on the drug has not helped nor has time.
So, if it were me I would stay on the drug for life. Its probably cheap and hasn't done harm yet. If you were to stop it, I would go to a site like www.paxilprogress.org and see what those people are doing to get off it. Paxil withdrawal can be worse than heroin withdrawal for some. I know they often advocate reducing dosage by onlye 10-15% on that forum and often shave pieces of the pill to get really smalls doses of around 1mg. Even if you could get by on just 1 or 2mg for life might be fine and you'd be less likely to worry about staying on it for so long. Trust me you are feeling fine now. There isn't a garauntee that if you stop it, you will be fine or that it will work again, or in my case, that you will ever feel normal again.
Complaints: post-SSRI problems: anhedonia, memory and concentration problems, sexual anhedonia. )
Country:USA
Currently taking 2.5 mg prozac, Multi B vitamin
poster:Conundrum
thread:978604
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110130/msgs/979095.html