Different Effects
Sunday, July 9th, 2000.
Some people have stronger reactions to Paxil. I know people who are taking Paxil, 20mg a day, and they look sedated. They say when they take the Paxil in the morning, they’re high the rest of the day — so they don’t take the Paxil in the morning; they take it at night just before they go to bed and it works for them better that way. These are people I know who can’t function without Paxil and will probably take it for the rest of their lives.
That’s not the situation I’m in and I plan to wean myself off it eventually. But as someone who has recently experienced the horror of going off it cold turkey like my doctor said I could, my advice (and the advise of everyone on this board) is to wean yourself off it slowly whenever you do decide to stop taking it. Also, it’s possible that the longer you’re on it, the harder it is to get off it. And if after 3 months on Paxil you’re still feeling somewhat sedated or dulled, you may want to try lowering the dosage by 5mg (or take the pill before you go to bed).
I wouldn’t recommend staying on the Paxil for more than a year. Talk to your doctor but listen to the people on this board to. (It seems that most doctors are not very well informed.)