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Editor: Robert Binstock
Profession: Paxil Side Effect Attorney

Category: Side Effects

With controversy surrounding the antidepressant Paxil for the past few years many have attempted to stop taking it. Many of them have failed or have taken months to ween themselves from the drug. Most people are never warned of how difficult it is to quit an antidepressant when they are prescribed, but many find out just how hard it is when they try to stop.

Some people can quit Paxil with little or no withdrawals; however, others describe months of terrible symptoms. The preferred method of quitting is referred to as tapering. This is a method that allows a person to gradually decrease their dosage until it is nothing. This seems to drastically reduce withdrawal symptoms in most.

Some have attempted to go "cold turkey" and the accounts that I have read assure me that it is not the way to do it. Even with tapering people say they experience many symptoms including cold sweats, headaches, flu-like symptoms, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and "zaps." The term "zaps" refers to an electric shock type feeling that quitters experience regularly. It is usually felt in the back of the head and one account even claimed having 14 "zaps" every minute at the worst period.

The tapering schedule should be up to the individual as no one person has the exact same symptoms as another. For some symptoms may only last days, for others the entire process may take months or even years. One thing is certain, quiting Paxil is not be taken lightly and if you are considering it you should consult a physician first.