Anyone taking/took PAXIL?

Phoenyxlove
Phoenyxlove Posts: 150 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there! I was put on Paxil last January due to post-pardum panic attacks and anxiety. However I am currently weening myself off and am only taking 5mg every other day. I have gained so much weight in the last year and have never had do much trouble in my life taking it off. I have always battled with my weight but this past year has been practically a losing battle. I've heard that paxil causes weight gain and was just wondering if anyone else has gone through anything like this and does it get better?

Replies

  • tabitha2770
    tabitha2770 Posts: 60 Member
    I started taking paxil when I was 16 and over the next six years I went from 115 to 185. I finally got off the paxil and stopped gaining. The switched me from paxil to celexa which I found didn't have the same side effects for me that paxil did. Hope that helps you. Good luck!
  • austepants
    austepants Posts: 356 Member
    Yes I took Paxil in high school! I gained 30 pounds and getting off of it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Horrible withdrawal symptoms. I have also been hearing lots of horrible side affects that have come up since I got off of it. When i was on it it worked great for my anxiety and depression. My advice get off of it and find an alternative especially if you are concerned about weight gain!!!!!! I started at 130 pounds and topped out at 185 once I was off Paxil the weight gain stopped and I found something better (Klonapin... spelling?) then lost the weight. This time I am on MFP to lose the baby weight :)
  • brenda_71
    brenda_71 Posts: 151
    My daughter has been on Paxil CR for a couple of years now. It has effected her weight a little but not as bad as when she first got on it when she was young. She went off of it for a few years then panic attacks started taking on a new form and she had to go back on. In the time in between she was on it, it did take a little while to get the weight off but she was able to. I hope the site will help you get the weight back off and I will also keep you in my prayers for your panic attacks, that they will no longer be a problem for you.
  • jenX1174
    jenX1174 Posts: 154
    I was on Lexapro (escitalopram, which is almost the same as Celexa, aka cilatalopram), and just like Paxil, it is an SSRI which can make it difficult to lose weight or gain it. I had been on and off it for 4 years. The very first time I took it, in 6 months I had gained 10 pounds. At other times, when I attempted to lose weight, it was very difficult. I weaned myself off it last August because I notice a big increase in depression symptoms and fatigue. I was on it for 8 months straight at that time, and gained 14 pounds back.

    I've been working out and eating better for the last 8 weeks, and have lost 11 pounds so far. Also, because of the exercise, I no longer need any meds for anxiety. I really don't ever want to take any SSRI type med again.
  • Phoenyxlove
    Phoenyxlove Posts: 150 Member
    I'm really hoping to be off of medication completely! Not a big fan and yes the withdrawals were not fun. I went off slowly so it could gave been a lot worse but I really didn't like what it was doing. Just hope I never experience panic/anxiety again in my life. Scariest things I've ever dealt with!
  • Phoenyxlove
    Phoenyxlove Posts: 150 Member
    Thanks Brenda <3
  • jenX1174
    jenX1174 Posts: 154
    Anxiety really sucks! Mine is mostly stress induced, and it creeps up every now and then, but daily exercise really helps to release a lot of that.
  • Phoenyxlove
    Phoenyxlove Posts: 150 Member
    Min hit me like a ton of bricks. I though I was have a heart attack or something and for 3 weeks doctors kept telling me it was just vertigo! I finally found a great doctor who knew right away what was happening. It got so bad I could get out of bed. Never want that happening ever again. It was the worst feeling in the world!
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