Has anyone ever weened themselves off of paxil because of all the weight gain?

Just looking for anyone with experience in regards to paxil or any other weight gaining anti-depressant.

I have been taking paxil for 2 years now due to extreme panic attacks and anxiety that just came on out of nowwhere. It has taken the edge off the anxiety and I no longer have panic attacks but what I do have is an extra 40 POUNDS!! and by the way things are going that # will just keep rising.

I want to try and stop taking it, but have read about all the withdrawal symptoms and Im sooo scared, some say its worse than coming off Heroin.

If anyone has any advice on this, please help me.

Thanks a bunch :)

Because of the scary **** that can happen when you suddenly stop or change your dosage of medication, I would seriously urge you not to change your dosage without consulting your physician first (I know... not what you wanted to hear).

If the negative side effects of Paxil are outweighing the positive effects for you, then I think you should discuss switching your medication with your doctor. He or she would be able to more accurately give you advise on medications that have lower side effects for weight gain (some even have side effects for weight loss) and will help you get off Paxil without the withdrawl symptoms.

Please please please though don't do this on your own. It's really serious and it could not only result in physical withdrawal symptoms but you might also see an extreme increase in your panic attacks and anxiety very suddenly that could be very scary.

Hang in there!

Definitely consult with your doctor. I've been through paxil withdrawal a couple of times and it's truly awful. You have to decide if it's worth going through that.. you say you don't have panic attacks and anxiety now but that's because of the paxil. When you go off paxil you face the possibility of them returning. I know because in the past I've been on paxil and every time I've decided to go off them thinking I'll be fine and I'm happy my anxiety and depression returned and I resumed taking paxil again. I asked in another thread how exactly paxil causes weight gain, is it due to increased appetite or slowed metabolism? I didn't get any response but if it were due to just increased appetite you could fight that and still lose weight whilst taking paxil.

thank you both for your advice, I cut my dose in half last night, usually I take 20mg and I thought i would take 10 for a while, BIG MISTAKE! after only 1 day I am feeling dizzy and anxious, so i just took the other half now. My doctor says paxil causes you to eat more, like that of a pregnant woman. So I think Ill just try to watch what I eat and exercise, and continue taking my paxil.  I will definately see if there is an alternative med and one that causes weight LOSS instead of gain would be sooooo great. I am going to talk to the doctor, but before paxil, I think I went through the whole line of meds (zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor etc) and all of them made things worse. Anyone know of another???

A few things...

Yes I did it!  I weaned myself off completely...however if you take these mainly for panic attacks....there is a good chance that your panic attacks will return.

It's very possible to wean off completely but why?

Yes you gained 40 lbs.  You gain weight during the BEGINNING of this medication regiment.  If you switch to another med, you may very well possibly gain MORE weight starting new meds.

Feel free to message me and I can tell you exactly how I did it....with little or NO side effects.  However, again, for panic disorder I would reconsider going off.  If you go off and HAVE to go back on another med, or paxil again, it's VERY likely you will gain more weight.

JMHO

~H~

i was on paxil ( i have been on many anti-depressants) i weaned myself off paxil along with other meds and i would highly NOT recommend it.  i was ok the first few days but then i stared hearing and seeing things not there, which i have never had happen before.  i ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks. 

so don't do it.  

 

i know that it sucks feeling hungry bc of the meds but what i found that helps me is to chew gum or it i have to have food and it not close to a meal or snack i have some carrots or celery and water it has help me.  and just so you know it is possibably to lose weight while on anti-depressants.  i have lost 200lbs and all while i was on meds.  

I wanted to mention something else....

Not sure why everyone here was on these meds....For myself....after watching my 54 year old mother die at home (1998 when I was in my 20s) and I started to become very anxious.  I decided I would probably die at a very young age as well.  I went from being totally carefree to a hypochondriac. 

I started to panic about the least little thing going on in my body.  Started to have actual panic attacks.  That sucked BIG time.  Thought I was dying.

Went on Paxil in 2001.  Yeah I attribute 90% of my weight gain to the SSRI meds, however, it really saved my life.  I felt like I was going crazy.

I weaned off myself in June 2006.  It took me 5 months to get off totally.  I bought a pill cutter and went down in 2.5 mg increments.  I had little to NO side effects.  Ever forget to take a pill for 1 or 2 days???  gotta love those brain zaps and nausea and dizzy spells!  FUN FUN FUN!

Anyways, I don't recommend going off.  YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT WHILE ON THESE MEDS.  I lost 90 lbs in 8 months.  If I can do it, so can everyone else!

~H~

 

 I will definately see if there is an alternative med and one that causes weight LOSS instead of gain would be sooooo great. I am going to talk to the doctor, but before paxil, I think I went through the whole line of meds (zoloft, wellbutrin, effexor etc) and all of them made things worse. Anyone know of another???

 I also found out this information.  If you switch meds (paxil to wellbutrin for instance) since you are starting a NEW med, there are chances you'll gain MORE weight in the beginning just as you did with Paxil.  If it's working for you to control your anxiety and panic, I would seriously reconsider weaning or even switching. 

~H~

Do you no longer have panic attacks because your on the paxil? What mg. are you on? I don't know of a depressant that takes weight off. I know about 5 people one meds and were all on different ones and none have lost weight. I have weaning off lexapo. It takes about a month. or so. I went to half for acouple weeks and how I'm at half dose every other day and when school is out in may I 'll stop taking it. If you start having crying spells -back up with you dosage. Also let your doctor know your stopping they can tell you  the best way to stop but never just stop taking it. Good luck.

Another ex-Paxil fatty chiming in. I gained 40lbs on that crap too when I got put on it for panic disorder. I lost it then thought maybe I would do better on another brand. FYI Zoloft makes you fat, too

I have learned to deal with my panic disorder without maintenance meds over the years. It's not easy but I'm doing it. I still have to take the occasional Xanax for panic attacks but they are very infrequent and not as bad as they used to be.

I wouldn't stop those drugs cold turkey. I did and got very sick. I was so dizzy and disoriented I couldn't walk a straight line for three day

When I was a teenager I had a doctor put me on Paxil to actually treat ADD and one day when I decided I didn't like taking it I just stopped cold turkey. I didn't know that much about it and didn't realize the effects it would have on my body. The thing I remember the most was the hallucinations. It was like I was walking on sunshine. Anyway when I went to my doctor and told him how I had stopped taking the meds he told me that the best way to do it is not to ween yourself off of Paxil but to switch to another perscription like Xanex for about a month and then wheen yourself off of that. It doesn't have nearly the side effects and will still deal with the panic attacks. Just something to ask your doctor about! 

oh ya and a antidepressant where one of the side effects actually IS weight loss is Wellbutrin. Also commonly used to help quit smoking. I had a friend use it to quit smoking and she actually lost 10 pounds!

i was on paxil and only gained more when i got off it! (this was a few yrs ago)  it had no effect on my weight...

Wow- all that stuff sounds scary, i dont want to see or hear things that arent there. Now that would throw me into a full blown panic attack! So Im just going to continue taking the paxil. Im only on 20 mg and it does seem to help, I havent had one panic attack since starting them, I do get anxiety still but not the severe attacks that I was getting. Its nice to know that you can still lose weight while taking them, and with this site I have managed to lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks already- just watching my cals and getting some exercise. I guess Theres just no easy way out of the weight Ive gained exept for doing it the healthy (and Smart) way.

Thanks a bunch for all your replies :)