Paxil Intense Panic Attacks, Psychedelic Dreams, Joseph Glenmullen, Hot Yoga, Exact Mix

I've been on Paxil for the last year and every so often I check around on the web to see if anyone has anything GOOD to say about this medication ;-)
For a change I thought I'd throw in my input too to help anyone who may be contemplating using this drug.

I have to say that I think paroxetine hydrochloride (Paxil's generic name) is really a wonder drug in the sense that it completely re-balanced my neurotransmitter chaos and intense panic attacks I experienced last year when I was completing my PhD. Yes, there were changes in my life and my body--easier to gain weight, delayed orgasm/climax (but honestly I would say I have an increase in sex drive, not a decrease), occasional tingling in my fingers or some tension in my jaw, and those absolutely psychedelic dreams. But all in all it's really all positive, not negative. I've experienced a lot more pleasure in my life, calm, mellowness. I have more space around things that used to really bother me intensely. I no longer obsess about this and that. And together with acupuncture, massage, exercise (hot yoga is great), good therapy sessions, and a total restructuring of the way I approach my life, I feel quite confident to come off the drug now.

For those of you worried about withdrawal, you should get the book "The Antidepressant Solution" by Joseph Glenmullen, which is a very clear, methodical guidebook to coming off these powerful medications. His point, as a neurologist and psychiatrist, is that basically our bodies wonderfully adjust to the influx in serotonin by calibrating to the new chemical balance in our blood-- and this takes time--usually a month, for us to biologically come up with the exact "mix" appropriate to our own body. The Paxil starts working the day you take it, but it doesn't produce the desired effect until your body has balanced it out and integrated it.

And the same is true when you withdraw, because your body has to gently adjust again. For reference, I'm down to 5mg from my original 20mg and I feel great. I have had no side effects in withdrawal except for sleepiness and wild dreams, and maybe a touch of dizziness here and there, but I understand these all to be side-effects, and so I'm just gentle with myself and take my time-- I'm tapering off the drug over the course of four-five months, by the way.... The people who complain of all the zaps and the crazy horrifying withdrawal symptoms are people who don't do the tapering gradually enough and don't realize the mechanics going on in their bodies. Stopping cold turkey is never a good idea-- It's like attempting to run a marathon without building up your body first or even stretching.

Your body needs to adjust to the new chemistry bit by bit-- that's all. So long as you observe this and listen to your body every step of the way, I think Paxil is a very trustworthy and friendly tool to integrate into your therapy regarding anxiety, depression and panic. But it's just a tool, and that cannot be stressed enough.