Hi there. I'm new to this group (well, to this website and it's the first time i take part in an online discussion!) but i decided to try something new as i'm a little desperate. Concerning the Paxil question, I took it for 4 years and it did wonders for me. I felt NORMAL for the first time in my life! I was able to live, go to work, have fun, plan things, be excited about the future, etc. The meds gave me a well-deserved break from anxiety (I've had it since i was a child and was untreated until age 25) However, i gained about 40 pounds and completely lost my libido... what a trade-off, eh? So last february, i started to slowly wean myself off it with the help of my doctor. I decided this because i want a child and Paxil has been proven to cause problems for the baby if taken in the last trimester. The withdrawal was simply HORRENDOUS! I was ill and felt horrible almost all the time. I went from 20 mg to 0 over many months time (from 20 to 15 to 10 to 7,5 to 5 to 2,5 to 0) dropping the dose every month. Now it's been 2 months since i completely stopped taking it and i have been steadily declining: renewed anxiety, panic attacks, feeling dizzy ALL THE TIME, etc. I can control it better than before because i took a 12-week CBT program, but i feel i'm losing the battle... So for those of you who wish to take Paxil, BEWARE - withdrawal is the worst of any antidepressant. I have a question for those of you who managed to come off Paxil: how are you today? How long did withdrawal take? I heard of someone who said they only felt normal after 6 months! Thanks!
