I am sure glad I was taking Paxil over the last 5 months. However, now that IT is over and life has calmed down I want off it.<P>The doctor never mentioned any problems associated with getting off Paxil. Has anyone else experienced problems when they stopped taking Paxil? If so how long does it take to get over the dizziness, etc. <P>Thanks,<P>Rob

My fiance is on Paxil and tried to get off it, not expecting the effects of withdrawl. She ended up going back to a very low dose and is still on it. If I remember correctly she suffered dizziness, and wild mood swings.

My doctor said I needed to be taken off Paxil gradually. I decreased the dosage each week for 3 or 4 weeks and had no real problems.<P>Tom

My fiance is on Paxil and tried to get off it, not expecting the effects of withdrawl. She ended up going back to a very low dose and is still on it. If I remember correctly she suffered dizziness, and wild mood swings.

I thought I could stop taking paxil too. Big mistake!!. I was dizzy, crying all the time, a basket case. Dr says you have to decrease gradually. Contact Dr to find out the best way to wean yourself from it. I'll never do that again. It was an awful experience.

Tom - So are you off Paxil now or are you still cutting back?<P>Hope - You're still taking Paxil?<P>Today I have found that Dramamine and motion sickness wrist bands have moderately relived the withdrawl symptoms. The doc did not mention any of these symptoms when he passed out the pills. However, they made getting through what needed to be gotten through tolerable. <P>It is only my third day off the drug. If I can manage to keep the withdrawl symtoms in check I would rather keep going cold turkey. However, if the symptoms get worse and affect my quality of life too much I'll try the slowly cutting back method.<p>[This message has been edited by Triumph2 (edited May 22, 2000).]

For others going off Paxil it took me two weeks for the side effects to end.<P>First day off is great no problems.<P>Second and third days were the worst - symptoms included dizziness, nausea, flu like symptoms, and irritability.<P>On the third day I left work to find Dramamine, which significantly helped.<P>Fourth to 7th day (while on Dramamine) side effects gradually diminish.<P>8th to 14th day (off of Dramamine!) and better every day!<P>I sure didn't think it would be so hard to get off of Paxil.<P>

It is VERY important to GRADUALLY reduce off. You really need a Doc who understands this, not a family Doc.<P>Also, you should take same time each day, and not add or subtract according to how you are feeling that day.<P>This medicine builds up in your blood, and over time becomes more effective, and on the flip side, you need to reduce gradually rather than quit all together. It is simply the build up in your blood, nothing to do with "will power" etc. Flu like syptoms will occur if you reduce too quickly. Getting off is no problem, just follow a slow schedule over several weeks. Find a good doc who deals with emotional side of things and ALSO has an MD. The best thing you can do is understand if a drug affects your blood level, and if so the reasoning behind building up and reducing down. It really is common sense if they will explain it to you that way. Other things act more quickly, and fade out of your system within a few hours. Medicine that "builds up" in your blood needs to be "reduced down" over time, rather than abruptly stopping.