I often wonder this… what’ll happen 10 or 20 years down the line…?
When I look back on my time on Seroxat, with hindsight I can see the terrible harm it did me then. I can see how it slowly changed ME – the person I was, the person I am… it made me someone different. That is scary. It harmed me physically as well while I was taking it, but at the time none of my illnesses were connected to Seroxat by Doctors.
As for withdrawal, that hit me quite badly. My memories are not clear at all, but I kept a diary during that time and it makes for frightening reading. I don’t pour over it but sometimes I’ll have a look and be instantly transported back in time. But that’s not what I want to talk about.
I’m thinking about the future.
In 2007, I hope that we can all agree on a few givens:
Seroxat is a powerful drug…
Even its makers do not fully understand what it does to the brain and body of patients who take it…
Seroxat has many side effects…
Seroxat is addictive – millons of people find it hard to very hard to stop taking it…
Withdrawal can cause physical and mental traumas…
Seroxat can harm babies in the womb…
Seroxat can cause suicidal, homicidal and violent acts…
Seroxat is not a good thing – it’s not Glaxo’s gift to the world…
What long term damage has Seroxat done to the millions of patients who were prescribed it? What’s going to happen to us all in 10 or 20 years?
And what’s Glaxo doing to find out?
March 27, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Well, we know who the de juris regulators are. And the MHRA seems to be doing precisely the same as GSK. Meet the de facto regulators, chaps – because the likes of us are the only ones asking the awkward questions!
Matt
March 27, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Have you considered joining the withdrawal & recovery group
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Withdrawal_and_Recovery/
March 28, 2007 at 3:45 am
I know of one Seroxat user who was permanently damaged from Seroxat, ( Paxil in the US) , she was paid a settlement by GSK and subsequently gagged …
She suffered neurological damage to her brain …
Im sure there are many more similar cases of this happening…
Anyone who has been on Seroxat or other SSRI’s long term has been a human guinea pig…
March 28, 2007 at 9:43 am
This post is very thought provoking.
I still suffer with short term memory loss. A five minute walk to my local shop sees me repeating the shopping list of three items whilst walking… it has become such a joke now that the shopkeeper suggests things I may have needed upon my five minute journey there!
I also have a very low tolerance to sudden loud noises and on occasions feel like John Hurt in the Alien movie (Scene where Alien rips out of his stomach)
Question is…. will I be like this for the rest of my life?
I certainly wasn’t like it before I was given the ‘wonder drug’
Fid
March 28, 2007 at 10:35 am
There are many symptoms I still have 2 years off Seroxat and my biggest fear is that some of them may be permanent, but no one can help and no one can give us any answers.It really angers me there is so much help out there for smokers, drinkers, street drug addicts, but nothing for us!
March 28, 2007 at 10:59 am
I was thinking about more serious problems really – I’m wondering if Seroxat/SSRI users might be more prone to develop diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s or perhaps cancers… because all SSRIs are basically unsound drugs, but have been marketed to such vast numbers of people for so long there’s the possibility of a massive time bomb that could make the problems we today attribute to Seroxat use pale into total insignificance.
March 28, 2007 at 3:20 pm
obviously being a long time sufferer here from seroxat,still worrying lingering symptoms ect,this is something that scares the crap out of me.I wonder if i will ever work again,ever tolerate stress,improve my short term memory,and the big ones what is there to come for the rest of my life,am i now doomed.I am a 37 year old woman who wants a life again ,but i really dont know what damage i will be left with,does anyone?.
After 30 mths off the crap i still feel like i have altziemers already,so will i have it for real in later life?,i suppose we are just the poor victims who will have to be the ones to find out,because lets face it,GSK don`t even know how the god damn drug works ffs,and its only now the drug has been around and fed to millions of unsuspecting poor souls,that they chose to tell us this.
Sorry but its about time now they gave some straight answers.
April 10, 2007 at 8:17 pm
I have to say I ponder the same questions as the rest of you who have posted. What if we never had a low Serotonin level and this was artificially increased to the point where our brains have forever been damaged. The drug certainly had a detrimental effect on me, like most if not all of you I suffered a horrendous withdrawal reaction to the drug, what lies ahead? I’m prescribed more drugs than ever before 30mg Diazepam, 30mg Zispin, and 400mg Pregabalin in the aftermath of Seroxat. I’ve been diagnosed as suffering ‘Severe Panic Disorder’ something I didn’t suffer previous to Seroxat, in my view Seroxat was the cause!
April 14, 2007 at 9:33 am
[...] What will the be the long term effects o [...]
April 25, 2007 at 11:07 am
I used seroxat for about 1.5 years, after 2 months of using it it had strong impact on me, I became very agrissive, I had fights with my boss, my wife, taxi drivers, etc.. I don’t remember having a single fight before seroxat for 15 years at least. I resigned from my job, almost devorsed my wife and put all my life upside down..
Stopping seroxat was not too hard by reducing the dose for about 1 month, not too easy but not very hard..
2 months after stopping it, I was in a stressful situation and I had a panic attack for the first time in my life, it was bad and I thought that this is the end, I’m going mad, the attacks happened like 2-3 times a day.. very bad experience during the attack.. I tried to deal with it but I couldn’t stop it, so I started using Xanax which was said to be good for panic attacks, never had one after that, but I have been using xanax for 1 year now, and don’t know how to stop it, I feel dependant on it..
I strongly believe that there was a relation between stoping the Seroxat and having the panic attacks, although that I was exposed to a situation that trigered the attack..
April 29, 2007 at 9:32 am
[...] What will be the long term effects of ta [...]
April 29, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Oh the Ironies of Seroxat…( they just get better and better)
Prescribed for Panic and anxiety…But it states Anxiety as a side effect?… And if you miss a dose, not only will your head feel like its been squeezed in a vice, but you will have the mother of all panic attacks thrown in for good measure.. (think heart attack and stroke and you will get the picture)
Prescribed for depression, but can make you suicidal, think suicidal thoughts and has a littany of side effects that would not only make you depressed, but just might kill you….( serotonin syndrome)
Prescribed for post traumatic stress…
But the trauma of a common severe withdrawal reaction will give you stress on a level you didnt realize was humanly possible to experience…. Post traumatic stress would be a picnic compared to a severe Seroxat reaction in withdrawal…
( Think.. your worst nightmare, and then some… )
Prescribed for OCD…
But it might make you a homicidal-aggressive-zombie freak… And give you OCD on top of that…( akathisia, depersonalisation, derealization )
Prescribed for social anxiety and generalised anxiety….
And shyness…
But could make you sweat profusely, have muscle spasms, nightmares and literally shit your pants in public places (not good for the social life , you would have to agree… )
Yes Seroxat…. it’s a funny old drug…
June 6, 2007 at 8:24 pm
My thoughts and feelings were pretty frightening before taking Seroxat, so it has definitely helped. Unfortunately I have gained a lot of weight (am not overeating) and realise there is a certain level of detachment I’m kept in by the drug. I have taken it for 3 years.
I am trying to decrease the amount I take (20mg). Done it before but the feelings I get are frightening. Am trying to reduce dose crumb at a time, leaving a month or so before each reduction. I feel I should maybe exercise more and take brain enhancing nutrients e.g. vit B complex and omega 3 oil. Am researching that side of things…
June 6, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Good luck Debbie, just take it slowly and carefully. It’s not a race!
Have you looked in on Paxil Progress? The link is over in blogroll just to the right side of the page – they will be able to help with the vit B complex and omega 3 oil stuff. Just join up and post a message.
June 15, 2007 at 10:09 pm
People thinking about the possible long term effects might like to read the book Prozac Backlash. The book The Anti-Depressant solution supposedly takes people step by step through figuring out how to get off ssri’s with as little misery as spossible.
July 17, 2007 at 12:52 am
I was on seroxat for over a year I went up to 60mg at my peak. The key is reducing and increasing the dose very slowly to find the level. I was reducing for 6months before I came off.
However, my memory and concentration are not like they were in the past. It might be the class A drugs I took that caused me to have a nervous breakdown thats at fault… It’s years ago now. Somehow after mixing loads of drugs I found that everyday I woke up feeling sick with anxiety, not nice. I couldn’t speak and avoided people. I suppose you could say going on to seroxat saved my life, but maybe it also ruined my brain.
If someone was a bit down I wouldn’t suggest ssri’s to them. On a light note being on 60mg is like a mild e-trip every day!
July 30, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Have been taking seroxat for 9 years now, cannot come off dispite two attempts, horrendous long term side effects including memory loss, hallucinations, vivid nightmares ,unable to distinguish from reality, problems with perception, especially under stress. Has been real trouble.
August 6, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I took seroxat for almost 2 years, given to me by my therapist for borderline personality disorder. Very shortly i went from 20mg to 40mg. I gained weight, my eating habits were super unhealthy, i started taking more drugs and alcohol, changed jobs and boyfriends all the time, had a lot of suicidal thoughts etcetera. i stopped taking seroxat unplanned and cold turkey. I could say i went to hell and back during cold turkey but it surerly convinced me that this drug was not doing me ANY good. Stopping with seroxat is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I am learning by myself how to deal with my borderline and how it is just a part of me. seroxat created more symptoms and made the symptoms `i had much worse and I really dont understand why it is still given to so many people who ate made victims of this drug. What does scare me is what the effects of the drug will be in the long run…i only took it for 2 years but how will that effect my brain now or in 20 years from now?
August 9, 2007 at 9:12 am
I find it rather intriguing reading the different affects people have had on this drug.
I have now had four episodes of depression in the last 12 years, and was told after the third to keep taking anti-depressants for the rest of my life to stop the imbalance of low serotonin levels in my brain.
However, things were going so well in my life at the time, that I kept forgetting to take the medication, and after 6 months or so, I had stopped taking the drugs.
I was alright then for a couple of years, didn’t think about it, and then I lost my job. Within a few weeks I was unable to think clearly, didn’t want to know about life, just wanted to die.
However, I have since gone back on to seroxat. Initially, I shook all day and felt sick for a couple of months, but then things started to calm down.
I now take seroxat every morning, and have done for over 2 years now, to me it’s like a vitamin tablet, I need it to function properly!
I’ve now changed my career, and neary completed my studies to be a qualified accountant, so I don’t think I have been affected by memory loss somehow. I feel more positive and able to take life in my stride – it may not always go well, but keep things in perpective.
I guess I’ll have to carry on taking Seroxat now, don’t think I could do without it, but it does concern me a little if there will be affects in 20 years time, but at least I’ll be around to find out.
In terms of weight gain, I have gone up and down throughout my adult life, increasing every time I’ve felt better but on medication. However, this time I have solved this – just set one of your goals to get fit. I did, and I’m now fitter than I’ve ever been, it’s good for your mood as well.
Good luck everyone, let’s hope we are all around to blog about this 20 years from now!
August 9, 2007 at 9:50 am
Good luck Martin – I think that 2 years in I was happy with Seroxat – but I’ll bet my house that one day in the future you won’t be so positive about Seroxat… and I don’t know who told you about the serotonin imbalance rubbish but that is simply NOT true. Go back and ask whoever it was to tell you what is the correct level of serotonin for a man of your age and then ask them to measure what level you currently have.
Let me know what the answers are.
August 29, 2007 at 10:10 am
Hello – I took Citalopram for a year and then venlafaxine for 18 months. I recognise a lot of the experience that people have mentioned with initial positive feelings about the drug, only to realise that it is actually doing harm. I stopped taking venlafaxine over a year ago and still feel much ‘altered’. My memory is damaged (by this I mean short and long- term memory) and my sense of self has been confused by the whole disorientating experience. As I realised what had happened I got very angry but refusing to accept the position I was in only compounded the problems. I have now acccepted it and have found over the past few months that the feelings of utter numbness have thawed slightly. Please can someone who has toughed it out for longer than a year tell me whether they have found that the post-withdrawal problems get significantly better over time or do I have to accept that this is what I am like now?
I regularly get this sensation that my brain has switched off, especially once I am tired – I don’t mean that I am just too tired to think – it feels like a total absence of sensation. I also feel reduced physical and emotional sensation. I am positive that this is due to my brain having become dependent on venlafaxine – and, without any scientific knowledge, wonder whether the please pathways, particularly associated with dopamine, have been altered in my brain because I do not enjoy music anymore and am now hyper-sensitive to alchohol (one or two mouthfuls of wine or beer completely alter the feelings in my brain). Of course, I have not met a doctor who does not think that any of this is anything other than ‘anxiety’ and I have pretty much given up on a solution other than to keep on accepting and not fighting the position I am in. From what I now understand about depression, I never had severe depression in the first place and, as far as I am concerned, should never had been given medication.
Can I recommend Mindfulness Meditation Therapy to anyone who feels that they have suffered a problem that has chronic implications? There is an 8 week secular programme that was developped by Jon Kabat Zinn for chronic pain and then developped for depression in the UK as Mindfulness Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. It is very useful for anyone who has to accept living long-term with the reality of something painful, whether that is physical or psychological.
September 7, 2007 at 1:58 pm
I used paxil/seroxat for four months in 2000,nobody included my doctor believed me when I complained abouth the drug. I also didn’t like listening to music or watching a movie anymore what scares me, it is the first time someone (Iestyn) mentioned this.instead coming off valium with the use of seroxat I now need sleepingpills aswell.I am too sick too sue the gsk factory.
September 17, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I have been taking seroxat for 7 years now, should I have been taking them for this long?
September 18, 2007 at 5:38 am
Everyone is different Nicola – I can’t possibly advise you. If you want more information and to discuss what you’re feeling, then the place is Paxil Progress.
Good luck.
September 23, 2007 at 8:16 am
I have been taking paroxetine/seroxat now for nearly 12 years- like some of you- at first it was great and I got my life back- 2 years ago I started to feel dizzy all the time- i had various tests including hearing and even an mri- nothing could be found. Then I read that dizzyness is a long term side effect of seroxat. The dizzyness became worse (or I just started to panic) and then I became obsessed with it and was convinced that I was going to pass out and die. It was a real problem especially when driving. I started to reduce the drug on my 40th birthday this year- March 12th 2007. I was taking 40mg- today I am on 15mg. I feel crap, dizzy, tired , anxious, nauseous, night sweats, panic , feeling that you are dreaming etc etc- I have reduced the dose by 5mg each time and didnt get these extra side effects until I reduced from 20mg to 15mg. I reduced about 1 month ago now and i feel so desperate. I just want a normal life- I want to enjoy my children, my home etc etc. I have to sleep for 2 hours each afternoon and I still wake up knackered.I cant drive far I cannot exercise- I feel fat and ugly I eat crap because I am so unhappy .Cant someone help me? PLEASE i am so desperate. My GP thinks I should increase the seroxat back up to 20mg but then how can I ever get off it?
September 24, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Hey Sarah
I would advise you to check out paxilprogress.org
http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/
Its a forum for people who have been and are going through paxil/Seroxat withdrawal ect..
They are very helpful and supportive people there..
All the best..
November 12, 2007 at 2:10 am
My wife has been taking Seroxat for almost 12 years. At the moment we often do not see her before 1pm or later each day since she seems to need vast amounts of sleep. Is this a side effect experienced by others?
November 18, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Hey Brian
!2 years is an awful long time to be on Seroxat. About the need for a lot of sleep. Yes, Seroxat has powerful sedative properties, it can make you sleep a lot and is very common. Maybe get her to come here and learn more about Seroxat. Alternatively she might want to contact paxilprogress.org , its a web site that helps people come off Seroxat(called Paxil) in the US. All the best.
http://www.paxilprogress.org/
November 30, 2007 at 7:51 pm
My brother is on and has been Seroxat tablets for the last 17 years!! From reading information and watching programmes on this, I think this the longest someone has been them.
My mum and I would love to get him off the tablets but no professional person will try – I think they are just to scared.
At the moment my brother is in hospital and has been for 9 days. This is due to his anxiety, agrophobia and his drinking problem. My brother never used to drink before went on the Seroxat tablets, now he is an alcoholic!! He says that he drinks to self medicate himself as the Seroxat is not working for his anexity, for which he was prescribed the tablets. His illness is worse now than when it started all those years ago – but what can you do?? He suffers really bad withdrawels from them if he misses them for one day!!
We wish someone could help but the answer we keep getting is that there is nothing anybody can do. Because he drinks heavily now, the professionals say that they can’t take him off the tablets because of the drink but he can’t give the drink long enough because of his panic attacks!
We thought with him being hospital this time something would be done but it seems the same thing is going happen, they will send him to a place to rest and then send him home after a few days. This is no good because it will just start again!
Since starting the Seroxat tablets my brother has become an alcoholic, been sent to prison, beaten up his sister, been violent to his girlfriend, comitted numberous crimes, self harmed himself, tried to commit sucide, been abusive to the family, wreaked my chance to get married, lied to my mum – the list could go on and it’s all because of these tablets!
My brother is a completly different person now from what he was!!
Just felt that I should let you know this as I, my mum and my brother feel let done by the system.
December 2, 2007 at 9:54 pm
17 years on Seroxat, thats the longest I have ever heard of..
Poor guy, It sounds like Seroxat really has its grip, I can only imagine the turmoli your brother feels, I was on it for almost 4 years and i had most of the symptoms/personality changes you described about your brother.
He is very lucky though, to have a sister who cares , and im sure he needs a lot of support, so well to you Lynette..
Here are some contacts for your brother..
Email Michael Corry, he is an Irish psychiatrist who is against the use of Seroxat and he helps people to come off Psychiatric drugs, he is a very good doctor and he is totally against the drugging of mental illnesses. and the deceit of drug companies.
admin@depressiondialogues.ie
Also you could try David Healy, another Irish Psychiatrist , based in Wales, he is also an expert on Seroxat and the problems it can cause…
e-mail: Healy_Hergest@compuserve.com
David Healy
Cardiff University
North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine
Hergest Unit
Bangor, LL57 2PW United Kingdom
Also you could Try Andrew Herxheimer , he is also a medical expert on the dangers of Seroxat…
Andrew Herxheimer
United Kingdom Cochrane Centre
London, N3 2NL United Kingdom
The Seroxat users group is good too..
http://www.seroxatusergroup.org.uk/
I wish you all the best in helping your brother, I am sure he needs all the help he can get, Seroxat should have been banned years ago, I would be pretty sure that the Seroxat has caused these changes in your brother, but if he is on Seroxat that long, he is proably very lost and severly dependent on it, even though it is causing him harm..
If he can try to taper off it very very slowly,( as slow as his system can tolerate) he might not suffer the worst of the withdrawals..
I hope he can find help…
Good luck
December 2, 2007 at 10:28 pm
One quote that stood out was Martin’s : ‘I now take seroxat every morning, and have done for over 2 years now, to me it’s like a vitamin tablet, I need it to function properly!’
…and they say it’s not addictive huh?
Fid
December 3, 2007 at 1:35 pm
….and they say it’s not addictive huh?
Yeah total Con Job Fid…
They prescribe you a drug like seroxat which in turn makes you become dependent, and the withdrawals are so bad that you feel you cant function when you miss a dose… ( in my estimation thats a physical addiction)
Hey Glaxo! When are you going to set up a Seroxat withdrawal and detox center for all the Seroxat addicts in the UK??? …
Or would doing that be too much of an acknowledgement of the truth about your nasty drug and the grave misdeeds of your dispicable company…. ?
January 25, 2008 at 10:27 am
ive been on seroxat for 15years im now 37 yrs when tried to get of it in 97 was really ill
February 11, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I’ve been on seroxat for 8 years now. I went though a pregnancy on them. My now 6 year old child has not shown any kind of symptoms or disorders. Seroxat saved me from a severe depression. I don’t see why I should get off them. I have some side effects, and yes, we do not know the long term effects, but do you realise how invalidating and dangerous a depression can be?
February 25, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Paroxetine 30mg has been a total lifesaver 7 years down the line.
Fairly upsetting thoughts before the drug.
Slight change of personality but not in a bad way.
Insufferable headaches and vivid dreams when not taken.
Prob on it for life but am one of those rare cases of OCD.
March 13, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Rita Says:
February 11, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I’ve been on seroxat for 8 years now. I went though a pregnancy on them. My now 6 year old child has not shown any kind of symptoms or disorders. Seroxat saved me from a severe depression. I don’t see why I should get off them. I have some side effects, and yes, we do not know the long term effects, but do you realise how invalidating and dangerous a depression can be?
Hey Rita
Your child is lucky, seroxat can cause malformations in newborns, GSK warn about this now..
Being on Seroxat for 8 years is a very long time, but of course it is your decision to continue , it is extremely difficult to quit Seroxat though when taking it long term..
I myself do realize how dangerous and debilitating Depression can be , having suffered from it myself, but i can honestly say that depression before seroxat was a walk in the park compared to the how i felt after 4 years of Seroxat….
All the best..
March 13, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Nicola Says:
February 25, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Paroxetine 30mg has been a total lifesaver 7 years down the line.
Fairly upsetting thoughts before the drug.
Slight change of personality but not in a bad way.
Insufferable headaches and vivid dreams when not taken.
Prob on it for life but am one of those rare cases of OCD.
Nicola the insufferable dreams and headaches you describe are withdrawal symptoms.
Its your choice to stay on it..
And I this blog is just highlighting the dangers..
Good luck with your journey..
March 28, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Hi, I have taken seroxat for 11yrs, after losing 2 babys, through no fault of my own.
I was prescribed this junk by my doc, hailed the wonder drug, no side effects Blah the liar! Taking the drug no problem until my body became intolerant at the 10yr mark, and I was forced to decrease. Because my gp tapered me in the wrong way, and I was extremely ill, he then gave me propranelol, diazepam and prozac, when none of these further drugs were having any effect on my terrible withdrwal symptoms he then decided ” just stop the pills I gave you, no wean, no nothing. So here am in the worst throes of w/d you can imagine, severe brain fog and mental problems imaginable, after 4.5months, I end up back on seroxat but only at 20mg, because my doc reckons its a return of my original depression, caused by the loss of 2 babys, My God 2 lose 2 children is the pits, and how I hate to say this, but to go through w/d off this crap is 1000 times worse, than anything I have ever experienced in my lifetime. You would naturally be grieving and depressed if this happened to anyone, and especially, not long after my mum who was diagnosed with stress/anxiety dies of stomach cancer. Well what can I say, yeah I thought I knew what depression was, that is until I Tapered from seroxat, the chemically induced depression you get from this drug is the worst form of depression I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE, along with the debilitating anxiety/panic attacks, I also never suffered from prior to tapering.
Where can we go to for support? NOWHERE, no-one believes what this drug has done to thousands like myself.,
No DOCTOR, can offer any help with side effect problems, WHY? cos they say there aint none – we are up the swanee without a paddle, and after w/d is that going to be the end of the nightmare,
March 30, 2008 at 8:39 am
I have been on Seroxat for 19 years, so maybe this is the longest I don’t know. What concerns me is what damage is being caused to your internal organs, which no one has seemed to mention. I have tried to come off seroxat many times and have been suicidal and the withdraw is extremely dangerous, even after cutting seroxat down you still get the withdrawal problems, shaking, sickness, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts. My memory has been bad for some time now and before I read all these comments I would not have thought it could be the seroxat, I’m thinking differently now!!
April 2, 2008 at 2:47 am
To Belinda And Adjopom ..
Welcome ..
11 years is a long time to be on Seroxat and 19 years is definately the longest I have ever heard of Belinda , my heart goes out to both of you, having gone through Seroxat withdrawal myself, i understand the horror it can bring..
Inform yourself from this site..
Great info here.. and great links to other sites..
Refer your doctors to this blog too and check out paxilprogress.org .. (Seroxat support site ) ..
I hope things get better for the both of you soon..
April 20, 2008 at 6:31 pm
i believe i have been on Seroxat for the past 20 years and thank God I was recommended them. what lots of you are forgetting is that most of the symptoms you now associate with seroxat could have been there before or would naturally have been felt over the years. why did you take seroxat in the first place? obviously because you were not functioning without them. would you rather have stayed with your ocd or risked it getting so bad that you wouldn’t have been able to lead a normal life. I m not saying that I couldn’t be better but had I not taken anything, done nothing about my condition, I’m sure I’d be much worse off. unfortunately, one of the drawbacks is that they’re pretty expensive.
April 24, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Oh My God Mary Louise ..
20 years on Seroxat! Holy shite!
I can only imagne your withdrawal, it could take another 20 to come off them…
You have completely missed the point of this blog..
This is not about wanting to be on medication, being happy to take medication or being naive enough to think we need medication for emotional disorders…
This is about the fact that GSK didn’t warn about the severity of side effects or withdrawal reactions…
Both of which can be horrific .
If you haven’t experienced withdrawal and you are happy to continue taking one of the most notoriously toxic and dangerous drugs on the market then that’s your choice, but don’t have a go at those who are wise enough to know better…
May 22, 2008 at 10:23 am
Seroxat is good for the peop who needs it to have a better life qulty….. yes in the end of the rode it is bad to use it and live pecfully, but some time you have to do something to go on with life other than hearting your self or others.
well i am on it for the past 5 years and guss what? i heat that but i got to leave.
love you all
May 26, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I just got prescribed seroxat by my doctor, but I got Paroxetin, which is supposed to be the same. I started taking 10 mg 3 days ago. last night I couldnt sleep, I was up for like 2 hours just shaking, and I couldnt stop.
My question:
- arent the mediaction supposed to kick in 1 – 3 weeks after you take then, and not two days?
- did any of you have shaking as a side effect?
Today I was different then any other day, I was outgoing, and I was OK with my life. not too good and not too bad, just fine , and it felt good.
May 31, 2008 at 4:37 pm
To Pitbull ..
If you are on Seroxat 5 years, your body has become dependent on it, and if you try to come off suddenly you will hit a withdrawal crash. Best to wean.
To Milli ..
Sounds like you are on a Generic ( cheaper copy) of Seroxat..
If I were you I would stop taking the Seroxat as soon as you can, read the stories here..
Seroxat is poison..
They say that the medication takes a few weeks before you feel the full effect, but it will be in your system as soon as you begin to take it, the shaking sounds like Akathisia to me, Seroxat can cause all sorts of nervous system disorders from brain shivers to spasms, tics and tremors…
If your taking it for anxiety or depression, it would be best to address why you feel the way you do with a good psychotherapist, drugs like Seroxat do not cure emotional problems, they mask them, the when you try to come off after some time, all hell breaks loose and you end up 10 times worse than you were originally..
All the best to both of you..
July 3, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I have been on Seroxat for about 20 years for depression and anxiety. I too have found coming off the tablets impossible! I have terrible short term memory and I feel that this drug has changed my personality. I am far more confident than I used to be. However, I can also be aggressive and confrontational. It would not surprise me if I end up with Alzheimers! On the other hand, I know that if I hadn`t been prescribed the drug, I would either still be very depressed or dead!
July 7, 2008 at 5:59 pm
When I was 19 I was prescribed seroxat for depression by our family gp – with hindsight a good talking to would have been far more effective! I took it for a couple of months and felt spaced out, decided to stop and get stuck into my studies and experienced withdrawal symptoms so literally weaned myself off it. I didn’t think much of this until recently when I read an article and realised it is a common problem with the drug. 11 years later I am troubled by terrible night sweats and occasional terrifying nightmares which leave me thinking my heart is going to explode out of my chest. My doctor has no idea what causes the sweating but I have never connected it to the seroxat before – could it be related after 11 years??
July 9, 2008 at 3:42 pm
My doctor has no idea what causes the sweating but I have never connected it to the seroxat before – could it be related after 11 years??
To be honest Nicky, and not to alarm you but I think that Seroxat is one of the most dangerous drugs ever made , anyone who has ingested Seroxat has actually been a human guinea pig…
It would be difficult to say what is and what isn’t from ingesting Seroxat and that is why the drug companies get away with so much, because the effects are so hard to prove..
One thing I do know is, I have never been the same since Seroxat, and I know of others who are much worse than me , all as a result of taking Seroxat on trust…
That said, I think you will be ok after 11 years off it, that’s just my opinion and I am not a doctor …
Take care
July 11, 2008 at 9:00 am
Hi Everyone,
I stopped taking Seroxat March 2008 having reduced the dose from 20mg to 10mg and alternating days of taking it over the course of 5 or 6 weeks with my G.P.s knowledge. I had taken the drug for around 8 years because each time i had tried to wean myself of it i felt unwell – dizziness,nauseous, and emotional. I remember having a chat with a G.P. 6 years ago regarding long term use of Seroxat and was told that i was ok to take it all of my life as i was probably not producing enough serotonin. But anyway as i said, i have been off it now for several months and feel quite unwell at times -nausea and the feeling of butterflies in my stomach is almost constant. Dizziness comes and goes all day long but is especially bad when i am tired. I am trying very hard to remain positive i keep fit and work full time.One, withdrawal?symptom that has gone now is the whooshing noise i used to get in my ears and the strange sensation when i moved my eyes from left to right. Yes i too have nightmares and i dont sleep anything like the 12 or 13 hours per night that Seroxat induced.I must say its good to know i am not alone as this is a scary experience. Best wishes to all. Anne
July 11, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Hi Ann – welcome to the party… you stopped taking Seroxat quite quickly and you haven’t really been off the stuff for that long, so I would guess you’ll still be feeling pretty rubbish for much of the time.
I hope your GP no longer subscribes to the serotonin imbalance theory as we all know today that’s complete bollocks!
I think you’ve done really well to stop taking it though and things will improve for you… albeit slowly.
August 14, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Hi Everyone, I took seroxat for 2 years, I got hallucinations that were so frightening. I would try and walk out into my garden and I felt about 3 inches tall and the plants were like the rainforest. My most disturbing side effect was a real loud buzzing noise that I could feel going from one side of my head to the other. It was so strong sometimes it would make me lose my balance. I had this 2 years after I stopped taking this drug. Like many others it changed my personality. I was confident, assertive and very driven before I got prescribed it. To this day some 15 years later my concentration is non existent and short term memory is just a joke.
Really glad to have come across all the stories about this toxic drug. Still have awful insomnia, nighmares, night sweats and anxiety.
I don’t think we will ever find out the damage this drug can truly cause.
Drug companies are very powerful, and offer lots of incentives to G.P’s to prescribe it. I remember being told by my G.P it wasn’t addictive!! It was like coming off heroin, total nightmare!
August 24, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Hi all
I am just at the start of my fourth withdrawal – some four weeks in – and I am determined for this withdrawal to be my last. I am planning this withdrawal over two years and reducing using the liquid form of Seroxat, coming down from 30mg to nil. I’ve been on this drug for 11 years, since I was 19, and I have almost killed myself on each of the three previous attempts at withdrawal.
I am writing to wish all those who are attempting to withdraw the best of luck and my support. I encourage everyone to inform themselves as much as possible about withdrawal – there are lots of sources of info out there now.
I’m hoping that this very protracted withdrawal will assist in enabling me to finally be free of this drug, which ultimately, has ‘kept me on hold’ for all of my adult life and prevented me from ever getting to know the real me.
Although I’m scared of what the future might hold being off the drug, because I feel so addicted to it, I want to know myself away from Seroxat and be given the chance to live in whichever way I choose.
I admire all those who are committed to withdrawing from this drug.
August 27, 2008 at 10:02 am
Hi all
I had a breakdown in 2004 and was prescribed seroxat – it has been hell ever since. I never had suicidal thoughts in my life before taking it but am now plagued by them. I have made lots of irrational decisions and have lost my career and my famioly. I am constantly on edge and would advise anyone thinking of going on this poison not to. I am off it now and he been for a month. Still trying to get my life together again. My wife does not believe that this stuff did this to me as I was Mr Happy prior to taking it. This stuff is evil and should be withdrawn now!
Is there any more plans for Panorama to expose GSK further?
August 27, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Dez – I suggest you get your wife to look at this site. She can email me if she wants to and I’ll happily tell her what happens to people when they take Seroxat.
You’ve only been off a month, so take it easy – there’s still a long way to go.
Good luck.
October 28, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Thank you for this great site! i have been on seroxat (called Artemis in Spain) for 10 years now. Gradually been reducing the dose over the last 5 years (yes it has taken me that long!) so I can finally come off them, but scared about the future as still prone to panic attacks and don´t know how i will cope if not taking seroxat atall. Thanks for all the positive comments and wisdom on this. I will keep reducing the dose (now on approx 15mg 5 days out of 7) and see how I go….
Liz
November 14, 2008 at 1:05 am
Hi,
I’ve been on and off the same medication since my late 20’s. Now at 34 I have accepted that these pills help but I can relate to what you are all saying. I have put on loads of weight and its hard to feel emotion. I don’t want to be on these but know it stops my panic attacks and axiety bouts. Its very hard to come off and I’ve come off them a few times, my longest period being 7 months but now it last for three to four weeks and I relapse. When coming off I cut my dose slowly and take my time but there’s no time when I’ve felt healthy enough to kick them for ever and think I could be smitten (addicttied).
December 2, 2008 at 10:27 am
Hi all, it is a bit of a relief reading some of your posts but also really scary. I was on Seroxat (only 30mg) for about 7 years for OCD/depression. I had several attempts at coming off it and finally did at the beginning of this year. I was so pleased with myself. Since then I have plummeted and have this overwhelming feeling as if I have just ‘woken up’. I have done some awful things whilst on the drug and had wondered if it could have been due to it?! Reading these posts has made me think it’s possible. I don’t know what to think. I’ve been put on Prozac 20mg but it’s doing nothing for my anxiety. Do you think 30mg seroxat could have had effects where I ‘didn’t really know what I was doing’? Sorry to babble on so.
February 12, 2009 at 5:31 am
Wow………. I don’t even know how long I’ve been on and off paxil………12,15 yrs? got on bec. cancer, divorce, job loss, move, then off, ….after several months so so depressed; dr advised me to start again. repeat ..repeat..
found your site and education ! hope! the depression is a side effect of w/d !!!!
yep, my personality’s changed. I’m still loving, caring but not outgoing and playful; causious and shy.
phyisical side effects have been horrendous…hearing loss, tintitus, severe itching, alcohol abuse, constantly doing, going; hard to sit still, teeth grinding, anxiety, food alergies up the kazoo, weight gain even tho I eat healthily and exercise.
a meditation practice has been a wonderful addition to my life these last 7 years. I’m down to 10mg and quit as of 2 days ago.
left messages for the 2 docs that have prescribed the paxil; have not gotten a call bk.
wish me success.
thank all of you for your input.
February 16, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Hi everyone
Just wanted to let you know my story. I was put on Seroxat in 1994 when I was 17. I took it on/off for 2 years and already felt it was addictive. I then came off it quite suddenly because i was worried about drinking with it and suffered a breakdown, hospitalisation etc etc. I was only 19. I believe it was the Seroxat that caused my sudden depression/anxiety breakdown. I begged to be put back on Sx cos I knew it would make me feel better. It did, but I am now 32 and still on it! However, good news is I have been reducing it very gradually for 2 years and am now down to half a tablet (10mg) every 7 days. I did it by cutting down to 10mg every 2 days, then every 3, every 4, every 5 etc. I then stay on that pattern for about six weeks before adding another day. I plan to continue until I am taking 10mg every ten days and then that should be it. I tried SOOOO many times to come off it before and felt horrendous but this seem so far to be really working for me and I have barely suffered at all, although I know it is a very long process and not what the doctors recommended (generally they were unhelpful and crap, either “come off it if you want” or “stay on it if you want”, ie, forcing all the decisions on to me but still making out they are privy to “expert” knowledge ie, drug representatives’ spiel). Anyway, just wanted to say, I think you can come off it – you just need to find the right time and the right way. It is an awful drug though.
February 17, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hi Liz here again.
Had to go back up to 25mg sertraline one day 17mg the next as withdrawal so bad. Some people have suggested going on to Prozac to make withdrawal easier, but I am not sure if I should do this or just reduce dose very gradually as on sertraline for 12 years. Any advice appreciated.
June 20, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Hello everyone.
I have been on seroxat for 1 year and had to take other stuff also in the past ( efexor, prozac…)
It really helped me and thanks to the seroxat i could build a strong base for myself to continue my life on a way better level
now i am off for more then one year and i notice my weight is still higher as before, but maybe also because i am more relaxed and less stressed.
imy opinion:
the reason why so much peole write here is because they are still depressed and still full of anxiety and psychotic behaevor ( dont want to offend sorry)
if they have a problem they make it bigger and get trapped in the anxiety trip….( i know what i m talking about).
i am off and have a dow to earth view on the subject, but if you are still depressed you get those crazy panic toughts about everything.
also about seroxat.
good luck to all of you
om mani padme hum
July 7, 2009 at 6:25 pm
my opinion:
the reason why so much peole write here is because they are still depressed and still full of anxiety and psychotic behaevor ( dont want to offend sorry)
What a ridiculous statement to make…
Have you lost touch with reality altogether? ..
So you’re on Seroxat a year?…
Enjoy the “honeymoon period” while it lasts …
July 8, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Hi Everyone
I’m Andy, I’m in the UK and have been on seroxat for 10 years now and was originally prescribed it for severe panic and anxiety attacks.
Over the years I have had good and bad times, I’m currently on another withdrawal attempt which is going well. In September 2008 I was taking 20mg per day, I then started to alternate this to one day 20mg, next day 10mg, the side effects were minimal to none, over time I added a extra day where I only took 10mg until I was at 10mg per day.
January this year I switched to seroxat liquid, using a syringe to measure out my dosage, I have reduced this by 0.5ml (1mg) at a time. I am now down to 1.5ml (3mg) per day. I recently went to Bulgaria for 2 weeks where I attempted a 1ml a day but the side effects were too harsh so I have gone back to 1.5ml, I’m sure I will get steady at 1ml soon by alternating the dosages as I did with the tablets explained before.
I wanted to share this information with you to let you know withdrawal is possible if done steadily and easily, I know what it’s like to search the web about seroxat in search for ANY positive feedback or some hope of a light at the end of the tunnel.
At this point in time my short term memory and ability to do simple math is somewhat appalling, and I think I can safely say looking at other posts this is a side effect of either withdrawal or long term use of seroxat. I still feel depressed alot although looking at my life from outside the box I should be happy.
I would love to hear from anyone who has managed to come off seroxat altogether and managed to get their brain activity back to normal or pre seroxat state, if anyone has done this, please let us know how you did ie and give us some hope !
Also, handshakes and hugs to everyone else out there struggling with this drug, and remember you are not alone, and it is the drug, you’re not going mental and you’re not stupid. If you do laugh during a funny film or moment, smile at a great event, cherish it so you can remind yourself you are not incapable of happiness. Try and think positive and make a list of reasons to smile in your life, family, pets etc etc and let this be a constant reminder.
&
Burn in hell GSK
July 8, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I have read so much about Seroxset this past three weeks trying to find answers and I have to say I feel so sorry for everyone who has taken it. My sister had a full Hysterectomy a few years ago and 5 years ago she was given seroxset to help the lack of seratonin, it was a 10 mg daily. If it sounds like I don’t know what I’m talking about I don’t. Don’t know how to spell it, never mind use it, anyway she seemed to be ok and I didn’t know she was taking anything and we meet up twice a week. About 12 months ago she started to experience confusion, her husband noticed her eyes were empty one day only for a few minutes but then it got more frequent. At times she didn’t know what she was doing, where she was going and who she was. She has a job and loved it, looked forward to going in to work and didn’t want to take time off so stuck with the weird feelings until she wasn’t able to concentrate any longer on the tiniest things. she went to her doctor and he gave her more Seroxset…a 20 mil tablet which she took for 6 weeks until her memory lasted only ten minutes.It has got to the point where when I call her to ask what she’s done, she makes stories up, been to the shops, saw friends etc when in fact she has’nt been anywhere,she sits and stares into the garden.Conversation tires her out and she’s tired all the time, she doesn’t eat and her weight has plummetted to 7 stone, she shuffles instead of walking, her headaches are frightening and cold towels around her head are her only relief she has gone from a vibrant woman to a harrassed one. Her husband brings his work home so she is not alone and I visit but she doesn’t know I’ve been.My heart breaks when I see her and I really don’t know what to do. Her husband is absolutely marvellous and he’s also hurting, neither of us can believe it. He took her to a doctor last week who said reduce the 20 back to 10 which they have done and she has an appoinment to see a mind phsyciatrist next week.I have taken down the names of the doctors you mention which gives me and has given her husband so much hope, a life line just knowing someone out there might be able to help. there is no doubt in my mind at all that Seroxset however it is spelt is bad in more ways than one and a living hell to my sister and all those who love her. i wish everyone who takes it could walk away from it, could use the power of positive thinking and lean on a loved one and not a tablet but thats easy for me to say…there but for the grace of God go I.
Mrs Allen
August 31, 2009 at 2:52 am
I’ve been on Seroxat (20mg) now since 2004 so it’s nearly six years since i popped my first one. In all honesty i’ve never had a problem with the drug. If i miss a dose or two i do start to feel very aggressive and not really in control of myself so i dread to think of what i’d be like coming off them, but then again, i feel a plan coming on to take GSK to court for making me rob a bank whilst going cold turkey, lol. I haven’t had an urge to drink alcohol, infact my drinking days came to an end after being sent to prison in 2004 which is where and why i was prescribed the drug in the first place AND i quit smoking 18 months ago without a problem and i’ve never looked back. I’ve never really been in trouble with Police before and i’d certainly never been to prison so i was shaken up and very anxious by the whole situation which is why the Prison quack forced Seroxat down my neck, i didn’t have a clue what they were but his exact words were, “They’ll take the edge of your anxiety”. I did suffer from anxiety beforehand many years ago for quite some time and never really let it control me so much but that’s a different story. Anyway, i went to jail for beating some muppet up who basically picked a fight and was punching well above his weight. I’m a very big feller.. Next thing is… i wake up every day and go straight to the cupboard for my Seroxat. It’s bliss ! 6 years on Seroxat and i feel like a million quid.. Am i the only one who doesn’t give a monkies if i have to stay on them for the rest of my life ? Some people take cocaine, weed, speed and whatever else every day of their life and still live to cash their pension. Some people smoke like chimnies and drink ale like fish every day yet they’re still on that stool at the end of the bar coughing,slurping a big cold glass of ale and cracking jokes. More recently i feel i’ve been scaremongered by all these websites/blogs over other people’s experiences of Seroxat which sound really bad and it’s making me think, what if ? and, should i try and come off them ? But why should i cease taking them if i feel good ? I don’t get bad side effects. The most i get is a bit of a messed up sleeping pattern and a dry mouth. I don’t get nausea, i got my partner pregnant and my erection/ejacualtion is better than ever so no bother there. My diet and eating are good. Sometimes i feel like a bit of a weakling but i have to carry around 19 stone of musclemania and it gets tiring so live with it. Aparts from that i’m a happy 33 year old male who just rolls with the punches life throws at me..
October 10, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Hi! I was prescribed seroxat because I had some pretty severe panic attacks and I was headed for a severe depression. I only took it for about 2 weeks and in 20 mg doses. At the begining I saw some good effects as before I couldn’t even eat or drink. I then stoped using it and had some side effects. Anyhow I managed my anxiety after having read this book: “Human Givens – How to Master Anxiety”. The authors are Joe Griffin & Ivan Tyrrell, from the UK. In the end it’s only a problem of software in our brains. Suggest you read it also!
P.S. I think that seroxat is bad on the long term but useful in some cases on the short term.
November 12, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Hi, I’ve been on seroxat 12.5 mg for 1 month now, my doctor has suggested that i go on it for another 2 extra months, then quit taking it. Can i quit taking the 12.5 mg dose straight away or do i have to cut it down gradually. I know that those are lowerst mg u can get on seroxat pills. I am also taking xanax 0.5 mg on anxiety attacks, but i can feel that I’m gradually building a tolerance to it. Please any advise is appreciated, as I am very worried now about continuing on the drug after reading all the comments and side effects from it from long term users. Thanks