avoid seroxat [Archive] - No More Panic

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fretty freda

26-01-08, 22:38

i recommend that if you havent started taking seroxat DONT START !

the withdrawal symptons are a nightmare to say the least

GLAXO SMITH KLEIN should be sued for the hell i went through withdrawing and many others i have seen suffer on the documentry SECERETS OF SEROXAT

just thought that if any one was in limbo deciding what medication to go on that they could be forewarned

Richie

26-01-08, 23:27

hi fretty freda x
Ii do agree that the side effects are some of the worse known to mankind or womankind but Seroxat can work tremendously well after about 3 weeks of taking it for some people, yes there are loads of media about it and tons of Americans have sued but at times the advantages can outweigh the disadvantages
All the best Richie xxxx

margaret911

27-01-08, 00:27

Hi Freda
I take seroxat and it keeps me well most of the time and quite frankly I don't care if I have to take them for the rest of my life as long as they help me.
Mags

ladygrom

27-01-08, 07:51

hi ive been on seroxat and they worked realy well i was on them for 18 months cudnt of got threw the day without them and wen i came off them the only real side effect i can remember having wen coming off them was palpatations .its like wen taking or coming off any antidepresent thers always some kind of unwanted side effect no matter which one we take .tc elaine xx

Angel64

27-01-08, 07:57

Hi, I took seroxat for approx 5 1/2 years (1997-2003)

Yes I would say after the initial 'horrendous' side effects, which included being very anxious, and I had my first panic attack soon after taking it. I did then start to feel slightly better for a while, not so depressed but the feeling of being lightly drugged continuously helped me to cope. I continued with it for about 3 1/2 years then decided I wanted to stop taking it, mainly because of the side-effects I still continued to experience, especially the dizziness.

Then the true horror began I started withdrawal, last night I
was actually reading the diary I wrote at that time and was horrified to realise what I went through. It took me 2 years and eventually with the help of the local pharmasist who gave me a syringe and advised taking smaller doses twice a day (I found they did it in liquid form, but had to fight to get my doctor to order it specailly for me).

I have always had 'panic' episodes during my life but lived life to the full. Ran my own company, house, and raised 3 lovely chldren, as well as holidaying frequently in the Uk and abroad.

I am now seroxat free but have a very limited life, due to anxiety, I have agoraphobia, and work and holidays are a thing of the past.

I have dizziness that on bad days keeps me in bed. I did look this up as it was the side effect that when I took seroxat affected me the most. I believe there is a small area of the ear that can be damaged by use of seroxat. I have not had this diagnosed though.

I am also med phobic now and won't even take paracetomol unless absolutely neccessary. I do take thyroxine as this is a must not a choice.

This is just my story, we all have our own, If I could sue Smith Klein I would but it wont actually make any difference. I just have to accept my life how it is now, being angry because of a choice I was advised to make won't help me.

Take care all. Christine. xx :flowers:

Yvonne

27-01-08, 10:39

I also had a horrendous withdrawal from Seroxat - still not over it. It seems to be the worst ssri for discontinuation syndrome. I was very active on another forum Seroxt Mad - where there are scary stories - but that helped me a lot because we all supported each other and I am still in close contact with a few people from there.

However......... Seroxat is a good medication and does work well I cannot deny that.

There are hundreds and hundreds of scary stories in connectionwith Seroxat withdrawal but there are success stories as well (I have studied this believe me) - where people are fine when taken off the med slowly and in tiny increments.

I don't think we should frighten people to death on this forum who are taking the medication - that would be so wrong. For those of you out there on Seroxat do not get scared by what you hear !! You just don't need that.

Take care all

knightbabe

27-01-08, 19:22

I knew all the probs surrounding seroxat before I was prescribed it. But its has helped get my PA's under control. My GP has already said I may be on it forever. He is keeping regular checks on me as well. If I have to come off it then I will do my best to get though it.

joannap

27-01-08, 20:43

hi - i have read some very scary stories about other a'depressants too - i think seroxat has received the most publicity though. the thing is - at the end of the day we are on powerful drugs that tamper with our brain chemistry - i think just because they are prescribed by a doctor we forget that. luckily i have come off a'depressants in the past quite easily. i once stopped lustral overnight and that is next on the list for bad withdrawals as far as i know - i did get racing heart and everything seemed bright and loud for 2 weeks which if i had panicked about - i would have spiralled out of control again but i managed to just accept it and after 2 weeks it just went. prozac and citalopram i have also stopped over a period of a couple of weeks. it obviously depends on your own body's chemistry, a lot of people swear by seroxat and so you have to weigh up the pros and cons.

fretty freda

27-01-08, 23:07

Richie

28-01-08, 00:32

Yep Fretty Freda the shocks that go through your head are unbelievable, like you are losing conciousness for split seconds, sort of seizures.
But that is if you go" cold turkey," Usually coming off very gradually in your own time you should avoid those dreadful withdrawals, they may still happen but only mildly.
Take care Richie xxxxxxxxxxxx

Yvonne

28-01-08, 07:45

Hi

Freda - I know exactly where you're coming from - Seroxat is renowned for its awful withdrawal symptoms. I was told mine was "Discontinuation Syndrome".

Thing is, doctors and shrinks do still prescribe it and some people have had to go back on it when other meds just won't work for them and they have resigned themselves to staying on it for the rest of their lives.

GSK are being sued for millions of Pounds for the suffering people have gone through and maybe this medication will get banned one day.

My withdrawal was very bad because I was taken off it too quickly but maybe if it is withdrawn very very slowly then the withdrawals may not be so bad.

Regarding the head shocks - I got them badly when I came off Duloxetine a couple of months ago. I think the head shocks are common with all ssri's. It's all nasty stuff innit. xx

joannap

28-01-08, 10:29

hi - like i say - i have never had head shocks or anything like that when coming off ssri's - even when coming off very quickly.

i wonder how many people have come off seroxat fine? we only ever hear about the bad cases of withdrawal. all drugs can cause horrendous reactions - even paracetamol in some people so although i totally sympathise if you have had a terrible time on seroxat - it will not be the case for everyone. i came off lustral overnight (not advised i know) and that is second on the list to seroxat and just got palpitations and felt sensitised to light and noise for a few weeks. i also think that if you come off meds and the anxiety/depression is still there - then that is obviously going to get mixed up with the effects of withdrawal.

Richie

28-01-08, 16:00

yeah it's odd isn't it Joannap how people react differently to medications,
Ive learnt on this site eveyone is so individual which is a good thing ,but a difficult thing also cause there is nothing to measure things by
You know life would be far easier if it was black and white.
But not very exciting lol xxxxxxxxxxx
Richie xxx

Richie

28-01-08, 16:06

Sorry i forgot to put this above
I had no withdrawals from lorazepam at all (odd) but many hundreds do,
but if i had a couple glasses of wine for a few days i'd be crawling the walls or clawing ha!!!!!!!!!! life is indeed strange :) :)

fretty freda

29-01-08, 18:32

i even got the shocks if i forgot to take my tablet for a day sometimes that was the only way i knew i had forgot !

dizzie

08-03-08, 19:02

I was on seroxat at a dosage of 50mg a day for five years ,and yes will admit to a point it gave me very slight relief from my feelings of panic however on a visit to a pychiatrist he decided it was no longer helping me and he stopped them abrubtly ,back then i was nieve enough to think he knew what he was doing when a few weeks later i questioned him i was told i was imagening my symptoms as GSK back then had not warned of withdrawl symptoms from this evil drug ,hence the reason now for gsk being taken to court

Years on i am here left with severe agoraphobia ,lightheadedness,tachycardia etc etc my list is endless my symptoms are so severe i barely get out of bed imo Gsk have a lot to answer for :mad:

anxiouschick

09-03-08, 13:25

I too had a horrible experience on Seroxat. Iwas

anxiouschick

09-03-08, 13:36

Sorry will try again! I was on Seroxat for 2 years, and although it helped with anxiety and depression, I feel it altered my personality quite a lot. I did things I would never have normally done pre Seroxat. When I felt ready to withdraw, I sought advice from Doc who advised cutting by droping to 1 every other day till I was off them. I managed to get down to 2 per week after the 3rd attempt and felt awful. Really bad dizziness, migraines, fatigue, anxiety and depression. I went back to Doc who advised me to stop taking them altogether and I went through sheer hell for about 8 weeks until I could cope no longer and asked to be put on something else. I am now taking 20mg citalopram, but still feel fairly anxious and since coming off Seroxat, I have developed the most awful ringing in my ears which I hear all of the time. I understand that Seroxat can be really helpful for some people, but you can't predict who is going to go through bad withdrawals. I feel very angry about what happened to me and I don't know if this ringing is ever going to go. I would personally avoid this drug like the plague! There is bad publicity about it for a reason!

H22

06-04-08, 17:29

This article from the BBC provides a lot of imformation about Seroxat, they don't seem that positive though!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1382551.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1382551.stm)

jo61

06-04-08, 18:05

Funny (peculiar) I had no problems getting of Seroxat 6 years ago. I'm now trying to do the same with Effexor and it's a complete nightmare.

kazzie

06-04-08, 20:37

I have only one word for it

POISON

Kaz x:hugs:

Insomniac

07-04-08, 16:23

Hiya

I think most people do have problems with coming off these type of meds. They help things work properly in your head, so reducing the dose will change how you feel.

When my doc wanted to put me on seroxat/paroxetine I was reluctant, but she said they are very helpful for people with panic/anxiety. I was in such a state at the time I was willing to give it a go. She's a lovely doctor (who has now left sadly), and full of concern, good listening and great advice.

I went up to 30 mg and now am down to 20mg. I tried 10mg and felt terrible. Its knowing which is anxiety and which is withdrawal. But I have to say they have helped me so much, even at the time I started I said if I have to be on them for the rest of my life I don't care. I just want a normal life for myself and more importantly for my family.

I was on venlafaxine/efexor before as antidepressant, and that was also hell to come off. This was before PAs. Once I'd reduced dose enough I took a week to lie on sofa and feel crap with headshocks, dizziness etc. If I have to go through that again I will.

But other who are taking seroxat and feeling worried should remember: What med works for one person does not work for another. (as in all illnesses) And the same stands for coming off meds when its time. Doing it under medical supervision is the best way, it will make some people feel awful, but others wil be fine. Personally I still have my concerns, but seroxat makes my life liveable rather than just surviving. :D

Cheekyone

12-08-08, 13:46

I took seroxat for 9 years and did experience a lot of problems coming off the medication. Even though i came off very slowly and followed all medical advice i did still get severe head shocks throughout taking seroxat. I eventually managed to get off the medication with the help of a very qualified prescribing advisor. She recommended cutting down by 25% of the dose, never more, however small the dose had become. This proved very helpful in the latter stages of getting off the stuff without crippling side effects. And not altering the dose more often than every 3 weeks. It's a very slow process but it was as pain free as it's possible to be with this drug. I had some very bad experiences with seroxat, i put on a lot of weight, slept for way too many hours and largely lost my identity, but I'm still alive and without seroxat I'm not at all sure i would have been. Everyone must make up their own mind depending on their circumstances.

Ellandrhia

14-11-08, 08:22

hi there, just switching from seroxat to citalopram and despite the doc saying that it's another ssri and that there wont be any withdrawl, it never felt so bad last night. Been on the citalopram for three days now and was wondering how long this awful thing is going to last. Anybody help please as I don't want to go through another horrible night like the last one.

joyce1980

14-11-08, 10:04

to all the people out there who are on seroxat and i have worried them i am sorry everyone will react differently
but i will still say DONT START if you havent already i was on it for 6 years and when i withdrawed using the liquid in a syrine and gradually reducing the dose i suffered ELETRIC SHOCK in my head and my legs were uncontrolable they would not stay still !
i felt like a drug addict well it is a drug !

hope everyone will way up the pros and cons and do whats best
i am still on medication CIPRALEX NOW and i dont care if i have to take it for the rest of my life i dont want to suffer withdrawal ever again !

Yep when i came off my seroxat I had electric shocks and tingles, fast heart beat and the runs but I knew what it was so at the time it didn't upset me also I wasn't craving seroxat I just waited till the side effects stoped and they did.
4 months later my anxiety came back in a nasty way so I went back onto my meds, they are a god send and yes they do have some nast side effects but I wouldn't have a life without them.

joyce1980

14-11-08, 10:12

Natural Mystic

14-11-08, 10:25

Personally I think these medications can cause far more problems long term than your original problem.

lissylady67

29-12-08, 23:18

I have been on Seroxat for a long time, these have been a god send for me. I did come off them at one time and the side effects were not nice but I think the side effects are the same for most anti depressant drugs as I have tried a few. I would rather be on seroxat for the rest of my life if it gets me through each day. I know they dont work for everyone.

Yvonne

02-01-09, 18:40

I don't think all ssris are the same - I diarised each med I have had and oooh I've had many.

Lisslady - I wish I'd never come off it - could kill the gp who talked me into coming off it cos I was "so well".

reallyfedup

04-01-09, 12:39

no-fear

17-01-09, 15:04

Seroxat has worked for me and the only side effects that I experienced while starting it was mainly hypermania and not being able to stand still, but this soon wore off.

I haven't really experienced any withdrawal effects whilst tapering off it, yet to see any from actually stopping it though.

I only found out about all the scandle surrounding it about a few years back, when I was already on it for a couple of years, it makes me very angry.

Rennie1989

21-01-09, 14:39

Just a point I wish to make. It does say in the leaflet that withdrawal symptoms can happen for some people. Unfortuntately you cannot sue them because they have warned you.

As for me I think they have worked wonders for me. Ok, I alot more tired then before but at least I'm getting a good night sleep everynight. Like no-fear, I too had hypomania but it has weared off alot.

I wish the best for you.