Date:  Fri Apr 6, 2001 10:20am

Yes, I had a bad Paxil experience.  I had only taken it for 1 month 
when I decided to quit since it seemed so incompatible with so many 
other medications that I need like Tagament and Allergy medications.  
It had already lost much of it's effect after the first month anyway 
and I knew that an increase in dosage would be necessary and I wasn't 
going to go there.  I had been prescribed Paxil for Premenstrual 
Syndrome- What  a joke.  It worked that first month but so would have 
exercise, weight loss, more water, fruits and vegetables etc..  I 
started having dizziness, weakness, tremors immediately in reduction 
of dosage trying to wean myself from it.  Nightmares, nightsweats, 
severe ear pain, difficulty swallowing, hallucinations, paranoia, 
bought weird things and then hated them, pain in my joints and other 
parts of my body.  The withdrawal effects were unbelievable, in fact, 
it never occurred to me that it was the drug.  I thought I had a 
brain tumor, or Multiple Sclerosis and started preparing my family 
for the worst without them knowing (making a will, cleaning up files, 
throwing things away to simplify the household).  I have never felt 
more scared in my life.  I really believed it was serious and 
ironically it was, just not fatal.  I have undergone tests for heart, 
hormone, liver, kidney, brain, gastric, you name it problems and the 
only thing that turned up is a hernia in my throat which also 
developed during my paxil use.  I don't know it the 2 are connected 
but it does seem strangely coincidental.  After about 1 week of 10mg, 
I fell completely apart.  I shook so bad, couldn't breathe, felt like 
I was freezing, the dizziness was so bad I couldn't walk, my fingers 
and hands went numb and I couldn't feel anything, I could hear the 
blood pulsing through my head like squeaks on a wheel, I saw large 
objects- even people that weren't there, my memory is so bad now that 
my husband has to leave me notes every where.  In a state of pure 
panic, I called a friend who was going to get an ambulance for me.  
She asked if I had taken any medications.  When I told her paxil, she 
looked it up in her "The Pill Book" and what do you know, every 
symptom, even the hair loss was there.  I really panicked at that 
point and became extremely angry at the medical profession for 
overusing and abusing these drugs.  Well, you can guess how it goes 
from there but I will say that I survived and I will make every 
effort I can to make sure that these drugs are tested, labeled and 
prescribed properly and responsibly.  I am so exhausted.  This has 
worn my body down.  Just to let you know, my NEW doctor said that she 
was sorry I had to go through this BUT it is strange since Paxil is a 
drug that you can quit cold turkey!  It has been a month since my 
extreme withdrawal and the dizziness has gotten much better, but my 
memory is really shot.  My hair is getting better but I have 
developed half a mustache on my lip.  I am feeling like I am falling 
into an abyss of lethargy.  I am not depressed or suicidal thank GOD 
but I don't feel like myself anymore.  My sexual appetite has 
increased in a bizarre way and the other night I attacked my husband 
and don't remember it.  My husband went through a similar experience 
with Adderall.  I think that we need to educate the consumer to take 
a more healthy approach to our physical and mental health and that we 
learn and know that NO PILL can make us feel better than we can make 
ourselves.  I understand Agoraphobia, anxiety that leads to 
dysfunction, and other problems related to a chemical imbalance.  But 
doctors are treating shyness, hormonal imbalances, and headaches with 
these drugs and that is not responsible.  My husband was given 
adderall so he could pass a test for a license and told he must have 
ADD>  What a joke, he has dyslexia.  I urge people to find strength, 
confidence, and security within their own souls and to take 
responsibility to care for our bodies in a responsible way.  Don't 
expect a miracle pill to solve marital problems, hormonal problems, 
shyness, headaches, fear of rejection.  Those are normal and once we 
over come our fears we become stronger, better people.  I will never 
take another pill after this experience.  Not even an aspirin.  I 
will never trust my doctor to know what is best for me.  For those 
who have a chemical imbalance and need these drugs to function, I do 
hope that they are receiving proper psychological, behavioral, and 
medical therapy- not just a pill (s).  

VEW