August 4th
2005
8:20 AM
I was put on Paxil after a recent miscarriage. I had an emotional breakdown several days after the D & C. Instead of thinking it was just hormones, the Dr;s thought I was having panic attacks, which I have never had before. They put me on Paxil CR &Xanax. I did not take the Xanax after the first does because I hated the way I felt. Almost as soon as I took the Paxil I became sick. Nausea, vomiting, total loss of appitite, insomnia, headaches, dizzy, cramping in my legs, and finally heart palpitations. After only 4 days of this drug, and being told I had a "bug" I went to the ER. They were baffeled by my heart problem, because after many tests my heart appeared to be fine. After the ER Dr made many phone calls she discovered that heart complications is a RARE side effect to Paxil. This was NOT listed on the papers the RX gave me, nor is it on the website for the drug. I was immediately taken off of it. Emotionaly I am fine. Physically I have been having all of the same symptoms, however they are decreasing. I will never take a drug again without doing my homework. This hate been a nightmare, and I have lost nearly 3 weeks of my life.
-- By heather160 | Reply | Send Private Mail
This registry is a place to share positive or negative side effects of using Paxil. If you directly experienced a side effect while using Paxil, then we encourage you to enter it here. Please note that entries here are the experiences of individual users, and in no way means that you or anyone else will experience the same side effect, since the same medication affects people in different ways. Please always contact your physician.
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April 5th
2008
5:00 PM
I was on Paxil for 9yrs, but have been off it now for 8yrs. It was prescribed by my family Dr for extreme PMS. At the time, it was a new drug just on the market, and there were no boards like this to describe any side effects.
-- By sunshine510 | Reply | (5) replies | Send Private MailAfter I was on it for several years, I tried to come off it. But the side effects were so bad, every time I tried, I decided to stay on it. I realized I couldn't stay on it any longer when it was affecting everything in my life. Paxil was making me so exhausted I was sleeping up to 20 hours a day. It almost ruined my life. Because I couldn't get to work, I lost my job and was out of work for 2 years while I was trying to come off Paxil. Of course my Dr refused to believe I was going through withdrawl, because he said Paxil was not addictive. We all know now that is incorrect. I had to slowly wean myself off it 1/4 of a tablet at a time over several month, and I still had horrible, very scarry withdrawl symptoms. I suffered from vertigo, tremors, tingling throughout my body, numbness in my hands, feet and legs, brain shocks, vomiting, dizziness, slurred speach, memory loss, heart palpitations and the hallucinations were the worst. I became easily aggitated by everything, unable to stand up without losing my balance. I was seeing floating black waves across my vision when my eyes were open. I can say it was hell, and I wouldn't want anyone else to suffer through it. I'm writing this to warn others that if you are on it for a long time, and then come of it, some of the withdrawl effects never go away. So be very careful how long you stay on it. To this day, 8yrs later, I still get numbness and tingling in my legs and feet. I still get brain shocks every so often. I still get short-term memory loss. The worst part is Paxil ruined my digestive system. Before I was on it I had no problems, now there are only certain foods I can eat. Paxil effects the serotonin levels in your brain, but it also effects the serotonin levels in your stomach and intestines. I went through several thousand dollars worth of health tests only to discover it was caused by all my years on Paxil. So please be careful and only stay on this drug as long as need be. It may have a negative affect on the rest of your life.