Paxil and medications

I have been on Paroxetine which is the generic for Paxil, I was put on it for panic, anxiety and depression..I have been on since about sometime in March. Now if anyone can avoid running out of their medications it would be a good thing to make you don't.
I have recently ran out of my medication and I have noticed today mostly of the two days I have been without it some differences in my moods, and attitude. Today I have really noticed that I have been very impatient myself with family, husband, and pets, I get angry quicker about anything. I just don't feel right at all..
I am exhausted, I have no concentration, no focus at all. I am having a hard time right now. I go to a clinic to get my prescriptions and lately with what I have going on in my life,my needs get pushed aside.I am a full time student and now my husband goes to school so he can get a better job, and he has to be driven there two days a week by me, so that takes time out of that day to go and see the doctor.

I have been on Paxil off and on now for about 5 years.... the current length of treatment for the past 1 1/2 years. I need to be on it ( or something for that matter ) for my panic disorder. I am a 36 year old nurse/ manager and some days was almost debilitated by panic attacks. Depression was part of it, but not nearly as much as panic. I must say, that I have been experiencing memory loss now for about a year.... I thought maybe it was due to overwork/ stress...which I do understand it COULD be. However, I find it interesting that I am seeing so many more people with memory loss than I imagined. Is it due to stress in this type of people's lives, or is it in fact, the drug Paxil?
Keep in mind this is an SSRI ( Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor ) ~~ even though there is no solid evidence (YET!) this is a side effect of the drug, I would bet my license on the fact that that it is!
I have tried time and time again to wean myself off of Paxil.. ( with and without my Dr's advice )--- I did succeed for a few years to be without the medicine, however being on a slew of other meds in the interim did not help as much for the panic as does the Paxil. Paxil, honestly, scares the hell out of me!
Besides the "numb emotions", memory loss, sexual appetite decrease, yawning, lack of sleep, etc... the side effects of coming off of it are worse! As I read earlier, it IS addictive, indeed! The brain gets used to the drug being there ( as with any addiction ), and the "surges" of dizziness, sweats, and out-of-body-like experiences I experience coming off of the drug are excruciatingly harder to bare than the depression itself. Those above symptoms of withdrawal are just that....withdrawal!
Once your body is "allowed" to reuptake serotonin (as it is supposed to), this is when those symptoms raise their head...sometimes for weeks or months until they subside.
I would welcome anyone with help on this matter---is there another Drug out there that can help with anxiety/depression symptoms, and not cause the plethora of side effects we have all discussed here?
Diane

I am on 10 mg. of paxil and have been on it for about 4-5 years. I would like to come off but am worried about all these crazy withdrawal symptoms everyone talks about. I have gone as many as 3 nights without takiing any and never experienced "jolts", maybe a little jittery and confused. I am thinking about doing 7.5 mg. for about a month, then go down to 5 for a month, then 2.5 for a month.

I hear all these stories and wonder if the people who have all these bad withdrawls were on high does and if they weaned themselves off.

PLEASE HELP.

Thanks.

I was previously put on Lexapro 10mg a day after having my first child with the intention of helping me calm down my new mother nerves. It made me feel aweful and I started having panic attacks. (I have never had them before) My doc then changed me to Paxil 10mg a day for the first week, then 20mg a day thereafter. Well, I am only 2 days into it and I already feel like a shell of myself. I have had crazy dreams and wake up several times in the night. And most frustrating I have been so irratable, biting my husbands head off at minor things. I noticed I am eating like crazy, in fact I have gained 5 pounds since Friday. I know these meds take a while to take effect and the doc said I could experience things like this and even suicide thoughts at first, but now I am terrified that I am toying with my sanity and I was better off before the medications in the first place.

about 9 months after Iraq I began taking 10 mg of Paxil. By july I was taking 40mg in adition of another drug to help. During the first 3 months I would sleep about 12 hours a day and sometimes 40 hours in a 48 hour period. Lets say the Army was not having a good time with me. There were many dizzy days and spells. It was hard to fall asleep and always imposible to get up. I had anxiety atacks about 3-7 per week and sometimes 2-3 per day. Sadly my leaders would not let me go home from the field. Now it has been 5 months sine I began taking the medication and I am getting round. I have been 145 pounds since age 24 until age 29. I began getting round at age 30 and it is not the age but the medications. I notised fatige during workouts and after long runs. I question my future in the military based on the condition I am in now. Of course, there is no sexual apitite but good thing myy wife was going through the end of her pregnancy. I have a few months before my wife gets an apetite. Allthough Paxil has helped me control my disorder which was out of control at one point, I now have other problems which are affecting me in my personal life and slowly clashing with my work

I began taking Paxil CR for postpartum related panic attacks in January of 2004. By mid February I began to really struggle with terrible memory loss. It was impossible for me to leave one room and go to another without forgetting why...My healthy libido was down the tubes, I have gained about 10 pounds and my whole body aches. I honestly wish I would have put more thought and research into taking Paxil CR. However, my panic attacks were so terrible that I would not sleep for days on end. At the time it was so necessary for me to get as much sleep as possible while caring for my newborn. I spoke with my MD in March, during one of my monthly appointments, and she said that the side effects were more related to "being a new mother" than anything. Translation, your nuts! Little did she know I was not a new mom...this was my second child. My first is in his teens. It was at that point I realized I needed to be referred to a specialist. I also attempted to discontinue the medication over a 2 week period of time. That was a big mistake. The dizziness and out of body like experiences were way to horrible. I went back on the meds and made an appointment to see a psychiatrist. After months of this I now believe it is very important to see an MD that specializes in prescribing medications like Paxil. One who understands the side effects and can prepare you for what to expect. I don't believe Paxil CR is a bad medication. It is just like anything else, it works for some but not for others.

My husband is on Paxil cr. Has been for about 8 years. (Was on Paxil and then Paxil cr. He has a plasic heart valve. He had surgery in 1988 first and then in 1996 he had an angorizim (spell?) by it. He has always been hyper and anxious, but this scared him so much. He is on coumadin, metoprolol, digoxin, and colestoral medications. He also started having siezures. He has been on dilantin for about 5 years and still had siezures. The siezures can be from just dizzy, vomiting, to a full grand mal siezure. No one can find out why...Recently he had been put on lamictal, by his nurologist. He has been very anxious, and just angry at the world and depressed. He argues over everything. Could it be that he has been on paxil for a long time and it isn't working anymore or could the lamictal cause this? He deffinelty needs help and I don't know where to turn. He also has had irregular heart beats. went to cardiologists but they say it is electrical, not circulatory and not dangerous. I took him to emergency the other night and they said the same. He is misorable. do you have any advise????