A few years ago i was injured on the job. I worked with race horses. It's not hard to get hurt. But this was different. It ripped all the tendons in my right arm at once. It smashed my muscle almost in half. I was kicked by the way. Anyway. After dealing with this injury forever and still trying to work with the horses, my Doctor finally told me that if I continued doing this work I would loose the function of my right arm. Who wants that right? So i stopped. Horses were my life. If I can't work hands on with the beasts I don't want to work with them at all. For 6 months I was depressed. I went to a Doctor and they put me on Paxil. Worst mistake of my life. That drug messed me up so bad. It MADE me OCD. I was not obsessive before Paxil nor am I obsessive now. But on it? Holy cow I was a mess! Without it i could not move. On it, I obsessed over everything. I weaned myself off and have never been on anything else in my life. i got over my depression with good old fashion will power. Now I'm happily married with two step children and run my own business. Paxil could have ruined my life if i continued to take it, and that folks was only 10MG.

I have been on paxil (only 20mg now) for 10 years now and it has not helped at all. The problem is, unlike the other SSRIs I have been on, paxil gives me terrible withdrawal symptoms. Have tried to go off of it but cannot.

I did read about a class action law suit brought against Glaxo SmithKline (maker of paxil) on behalf of people like me. I do not know the outcome or where that legal action lies.

I would reccommend that people try the other 4 SSRIs first and paxil last.

After I was off the paxil, it still took almost a year to get over the side effects. I was dizzy all the time! I called them brain swishes. They happened everyday! I do not recommend that Medication.

Curious why you're asking, would you mind telling us? I personally have not had any experiences with it but have found extreme relief from Luvox CR.

Yes, I've heard bad things about Paxil. My sister was on It for 3 yrs or so and had some pretty bad symptoms both while on It and when she got off of It.

Paxil worked wonderfully for my ocd and bdd...the weight gain was pretty apparent though. I have tried many since and none worked as well. I am only relying on CBT/ERP and it is a bit tougher.

I had took paxil for depression and what not, but I don't find it helped with my ocd at all. I like it while I was on it, but weaning off was terrible. I was not myself for almost 2 weeks and dizzy and just felt terrrible. And I was only on 20mgs...

NO!!!! worst medication EVER!!!!!!! take at ur own risk. but remember, everyone is different so it might work for you.

IMO, it's far from the "worst" medication ever. (That right belongs to anything in the Chemo family.)

I have been on Zoloft for about 20 years. (It is very close, chemically to Paxil.) Few side effects, helps the OCD some (not as well as Prozac, but that gave be HORRIBLE side effects) and like all SSRIs, there will be withdrawal symptoms if you don't go off of it slowly. Also, it is one of the drugs which are used in breastfeeding mothers, because of it's lack of side effects and gentleness to many people's systems.

Don''t judge a drug by "law suits" Americans will sue for ANYTHING. Talk to your doctor, (he isn't going to NOT give you the drug because you say "some people on a web site said it's a bad drug) and try it before you give up. It has helped MANY people with OCD. NO drug helps everyone, but many have been helped with this drug and others in it's family.

Paxil is used when there are a lot of anxiety symptoms in the patient. It also helps people sleep in many cases. Give it a try before you dismiss it. One person can have HORRIBLE side effects from a drug and an other person has NO side effects.

Good luck.

x

AAAHHHHHHHHH....just wrote a LLOOOOOOONNGG reply on here and this STUPID website lost it when i hit "ADD"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SH****************************************************************T!!!!!!!!!!!!

F************************************************************************K!

Pgell,

I hate to disagree with you after I agreed with you on the "comp lying" thread and enjoyed posting with you on that but have to put my two cents in here as well.

This is MY SECOND TRY AT THIS!!!! LOST LAST POST!!!!!!!!!!!

You wrote:

IMO, it's far from the "worst" medication ever. (That right belongs to anything in the Chemo family.)

You are probably right. Chemo is very painful but who knows and who cares what med is most painful? Plus, I think that poster was being emotional and exaggerating.

You wrote:

I have been on Zoloft for about 20 years.

So much for the poster who recently wrote ALL meds eventually stop working!!

You wrote:

(It is very close, chemically to Paxil.)

And you know this how? Do you have a list of all the ingredients of all SSRIs? I do not. Plus, I am not a chemist nor do I have a PHD in checistry and have never done research for big pharma.

You wrote:

Few side effects, helps the OCD some (not as well as Prozac, but that gave be HORRIBLE side effects) and like all SSRIs, there will be withdrawal symptoms if you don't go off of it slowly.

I am sure, out of the millions of people that have taken SSRIs. there have been some that just quit their meds and felt zero side effects. Just a guess but common sense dicatates that this is probably true.

Also, paxil, zoloft and celexa gave me zero withdrawal problems. I only remember going off prozac slowly.

You wrote:

Also, it is one of the drugs which are used in breastfeeding mothers, because of it's lack of side effects and gentleness to many people's systems.

Had no clue. Who knows?

You wrote:

Don''t judge a drug by "law suits" Americans will sue for ANYTHING.

Hahahahahaha....well tell us somethjing we do not know. But this was a CLASS ACTION law suit against Glaxo, Smith-Kline, the makers of paxil. I have never heard nor read of any other maker of the other SSRIs getting sued by a CLASS ACTION lawsuit. Never read a professional paper by a shrink on the dangers of taking another SSRI.

You wrote:

Talk to your doctor, (he isn't going to NOT give you the drug because you say "some people on a web site said it's a bad drug)

Maybe but maybe not. I have told my ARNP about the class action suit and my issues with paxil and do not know if she prescribes it anymore. I will have to ask next visit. Plus, many, many shrinks REFUSE to prescribew any benzo because of its potential abuse and its possible witrhdrawal symtpoms (anopther issue i have with klonopin).

You wrote:

and try it before you give up.

I would NEVER recommend paxil to anyone. Would warn against it. Of course, why not try all the other SSRIs first, other anti-depressants and anti-psychotics first? I would tell people to try benzos before paxil.

You wrote:

It has helped MANY people with OCD.

It has? You know this because....? Do you have a study to back this statement up? I doubt it.

You wrote:

NO drug helps everyone, but many have been helped with this drug and others in it's family.

Again, you know this how? Where is the study or professional paper to back up your statement?

You wrote:

Paxil is used when there are a lot of anxiety symptoms in the patient.

hahahahahahaha.....can we call you "queen of the obvious" now? Next you will tell us that 2+2=4!!! hahahahahaha!

You wrote:

It also helps people sleep in many cases. Give it a try before you dismiss it.

I did try it and it SUCKS!!! Did not help me and cannot get off of it. Would never tell anyone to try it.

You wrote:

One person can have HORRIBLE side effects from a drug and an other person has NO side effects.

hahahahaha...again, queen of the MEGA-obvious!!! That line has only been written on here a million times! Plus, I thought we were discussing WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS, NOT side effects!!!!

I meant to write in my previous post that SSRIs are similar because they are in the same family of drugs. But how similiar? Who knows? I do not have a list of the ingredients of each SSRI. Does anyone else?

I also incorrectly wrote "paxil" when i should have written prozac when disussing the lack of withdrawl issues.

Lastly, Pgell, if we used the nine replies on this thread as a very small and unscientific poll, i count 8 against paxil and only 1 for it. My math tells me that 88% are anti-paxil.

I have been on for 10 years. I have had success with Paxil. I started at 10mgs and was at 40mgs for several years. Thru hard times I was taking 50 or 60. last year I lost 2 people very close to me so my therapist bumped me up to 60mg. Over the past week I have been weening down to 50mg. honestly i don't know if I have any side effects because i started taking it so young that it's hard to tell what is me and what is the paxil. I spoke to my doctor about when i have children and he said paxil is the most dangerous to be on during pregnancy and he recommends Prozac. I would like to be taking nothing at that time but the thought of my ocd and anxiety attacks coming back full force scares me too much. has anyone ever heard of growing out of this illness? My dream is for me to be off the meds and my symptoms be gone. I originally was put on meds cause i thought i was losing my mind. it was summer going into my junior year of highschool and i was having anxiety attack after anxiety attack. i couldn't sleep and was scared of every stupid thing. My mind would race out of control and i would try to figure things out and had repeating introsive thoughts. it was a nightmare and DO NOT want to go thru that ever again.

nk,

glad paxil helped you and no side effects. however, on this topic we were discussing withdrawal symptoms. how you feel when you try to go off paxil.

is you 'doctor' a psychiatrist or just a gp? and i have never heard or read of anyone justy growing out of ocd. so many of us have fears as we grwo up thru pre-teen years ands teen years. But a so-called normal person just does grow out of those fears. OCD is a well known clinical disorder that needs professional to deal with. One can definitely improve in time with professional help.

And, hahahaha.. all of us would love to go off our meds and just have our OCD disappear!!!!!! My dream for 35 years is to be mentally healthy. heck, I would settle for 75-80% inprovement.

One caveat, I know of at least two females now, that had great success with an SSRI, went off of it to get pregnant and after giving birth, went back on that med and it no longer helped. One of those females, if i remember correctly, tried other SSRIs with no success. But, i just realized i could scare you with this info. These are just TWO anecdotel experiences that I know of and not a professional study. So, your experience could be different.