wisdom has less to do with age than experience. ;)

I don't know that I'm old enough to be a "wise mother voice" but I appreciate the compliment all the same! ;p I'm just glad I can help other people through my own experience. That means the nightmare was worth something. I got the same line about comparing the need for meds with people with diabetes also - from a few people! -Oiy-

thanks you so much, vickers! I can't believe how similar our "Paxil history" seems to be! I'm sure they told you that the chemical imbalance was like a diabetic who needed to take insulin? They say that to everyone! I was lead to believe the same thing and nothing about this theory is proven! I'm going to hang on and try to maybe get some time off work, because i think this whole thing, plus a crazy job, have made me exhaust my organism and i think i may be on the verge of a burn-out. Thanks again Vickers, you're like the wise-mother-voice of this chat forum!

I'm so glad the info was useful to you! I wish the moderators would allow me to give that website because there are a lot of success stories on there that kept me going when I was getting off it. If I had known about the withdrawals, I would have NEVER started taking it!! The reason I started taking it was because I was made to believe this is a chemical imbalance and because of that, felt there was no other solution. I wish I had taken the time to do some research on it before I started taking it but at that time, I was so deep into the nightmare that I don't think I would have been thinking straight enough to look for other options. I don't even take aspirin or Tylenol for a headache for pete's sake so what the heck was I thinking?!?! But, part of me is glad I did because if I hadn't gone through all that, I wouldn't have tried so hard to find a different way to beat the anxiety / panic and I never would have found this site and I never would've worked so hard at getting better and I wouldn't be where I am today. I still have some hard days, but nothing like it was before! I think the reason it took me six months to get to feeling better was because I weaned off it for about four months and then it took about another two months after the last pill to start feeling better. Remember that although anxiety / panic can be beat through changing our thought patterns, what you are going through is a chemical withdrawal and it will take time for it to disappear completely. Take one day at a time! When you are feeling really bad, keep telling yourself - one day at a time, one moment at a time!

Another thing... you really felt like this for 6 months after being completely off Paxil? Like every day? And how do you feel now?

Dear Vickers, Thank you SO MUCH for all your help! And from what you'Ve written, you believe that same things i do! I also learned of that 95% placebo result and have the same non-drug philosophy! I refused to take meds until i was 25, and gave in then because i was so desperate, but would NEVER have accepted had i known everything i know now about these drugs! I wish i had a doctor back then who, instead of sending me to a psychiatrist, had send me to a CBT therapist and told me to up my exercise. I believe that through constant conditioning, the mind can change, the thought patterns change, i'm sure exercising everyday will also help. I'm a firm believer in the natural route. I just need to stick it out a little longer for this Paxil-induced nightmare to end... as you know, it's not easy! The fact that it's affecting my work is what got me to flip out this week. I think i may also be on the verge of a burn-out from fighting this constantly since February on top of a very hectic job! I'm going to see my family doc this week and see if i can get some time off work, and go back to the acupuncturist and try to ride it out. Thanks so much, Vickers, for helping me strengthen my resolve! Out of curiosity, if you were also against meds, why had you originally started taking Paxil?

I know that many people on this website don't want to hear it, but I'm going to take a risk at angering some people by saying it anyway. When I was quitting Paxil, I did a lot of research trying to find something to help me out. I ran into a bucket load of websites regarding Paxil and other SSRI lawsuits from people for various reasons. I found a bunch of websites posting info from medical journals and articles talking about SSRIs, side effects, withdrawals, studies of the meds themselves, etc. I read most of these, which is why I now refuse to take meds for this. Most of what I read angered me to the core! One thing that really sticks with me was in a medical journal regarding anxiety / panic and SSRIs. It stated that an experiment was done that measured people's reactions to an SSRI and to a placebo. (A placebo is a sugar pill that is given to a patient who is told it is the real thing so your mind believes it is helping you with whatever - usually used to see if the real med is really useful or even needed) I was amazed to read that about 95% of the patients using the placebo had the same effect as the people who took the actual SSRI. And, about 95% of the people who took the SSRI felt a difference as well. What this study concluded, is that it didn't matter if it was the actual med or a sugar pill - it was what you believed the pill would do for you that gave you the relief. Not the med itself. This study opened my eyes and made me so angry that I had been lied to for the 12 years I had been fighting this nightmare that I swore I would never get caught in this circle again. I refuse to be lied to. This is why I am posting this. I am sick and tired of people like us getting taking advantage of! I started searching for other options and that's when I found this website. I have used it religiously and for the first time -ever- I have found relief from the panic / anxiety. The point I'm trying to make is that you have it within yourself to beat this. I know that many, many, many people will keep taking meds and keep bouncing around from one to another trying to find that 'miracle cure' but, tragically, never will. This has to come from inside. We all have it within ourselves to do this. I know it with every fiber of my being! If this

Hey Tiluli! I've posted the website that helped me on here a few times but the moderators keep taking it off. So, I'm going to paste and cut a bunch of info from the website instead so you can read it. First, I'm going to put in the symptoms so you know that what you are feeling is normal and you are not alone. Then, I will paste and cut some advice from the website. I sincerely hope it helps you as it did for me! Use the CBT program offered here also. It will help you get through the crazy thoughts while you are going through the withdrawals as well as with your anxiety / panic. It is free if you haven't tried it yet. Also, we are here for you on the support group as well! So, use us to vent, scream, cry, just talk to someone who understands or whatever. You're not alone! This is going to take time but I promise you will be ok! Here's the info. It's going to be a really long one so get a drink of water, sit back, relax....... Frequently Reported Symptoms: - intense insomnia - extraordinarily vivid dreams (I used to hide any knives or scissors that I saw before I went to bed because I didn't know what was a dream and what was real and I was afraid I would wake up in the middle of the night and hurt my family) - extreme confusion during waking hours - intense fear of losing your sanity -steady feeling of existing outside of reality as you know it (referred to as depersonalization at times) - memory and concentration problems - Panic Attacks (even if you never had one before) - severe mood swings, esp. heightened irritability / anger. - suicidal thoughts (in extreme cases) - an unconventional dizziness / vertigo - the feeling of shocks, similar to a mild electric one, running the length of your body (like putting a tongue on a 9volt battery) - an unsteady gait - slurred speech - headaches - profuse sweating, esp. at night - muscle cramps - blurred vision - breaking out in tears (I would start crying in mid conversation even if we were just talking about normal every day things) - hypersensitivity to motion, sounds, smells - decreased appetite - nausea - abdominal cramping, diarrhea - loss of appetite - chills / hot flashes Less Frequest Symptoms (I had most of these) - fainting - "scratching sound"

thanks for the encouragement, Vickers, i know from the few times you've answered me that you know what i'm going through and it helps to know that you don't have these symptoms anymore. I still feel horrible but have decided to accept the fact that i feel horrible and that i need to give myself time to heal. However, I was wondering if you know of anything that might ease these uncomfortable symptoms, just so i can function a little better and not start to freak out because it gets intollerable... herbs? A specific exercise or trick?

You will see that everything you are going through is completely normal. There is hope! It takes time but you will be ok! I took Paxil for 7 years. It took me six months to start feeling better. It takes time - but, honestly, all we have is time. Ride it out. You will be ok - I promise!