Needanewme

Hi All, I am trying to get sober again. I confessed to my doctor about my alcohol problem and she referred me to a psychiatrist and therapist who I will be seeing in two weeks.

She said that I need to get off paxil asap b/c of my alcohol issues.

Has anyone gone through getting off Paxil and getting sober at the same time? Were you prescribed something different for anxiety?

entropy1964

Hi Needanewme
I'm assuming your Dr. said you need to get off the Paxil. Did she give you any advice for tapering? I have never experienced this myself but have read that alcohol pretty much renders antidepressants ineffective if one drinks while taking them. But I'm not sure if there will be any withdrawal effects. Are you planning your withdrawal from alcohol with your Dr?

Soberwolf

I have never heard of Paxil but I would 100% listen to your Dr or get a possible 2nd
opinion

PennyLane76

Did your dr give you taper down schedule for paxil or alcohol?

jezza

You need to taper down off Paxil or otherwise known as Seroxat.... as the withdrawal of them can be horrendous... get as much information as you can off your Doctor...

Saskia

Paxil is very similar to Prozac. Tapering is easy for some, not for all. Get advice from your doctor.

labgirl

Please be sure to follow the instructions to taper off the med. I used it at one point and stopped cold turkey; I wouldn't wish that type of horror on anyone! It put me on the edge of suicide (though it may not do that with everyone).

Listen to your doc for your own safety and peace of mind. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

NestWasEmpty

Needanewme You said you confessed to having a problem with drinking . If you don't think you can handle stopping both at once , I would go back to get more help . I would imagine that's why Dr wants you to stop the paxil , so your not doing both .
Wish I could help more , but we can't give health advice on medications .

Anna

Do talk to your dr to get more information.

Needanewme

thanks everyone. I will be tapering down (I assume) under the care of a psychiatrist/therapist. I understand it is inappropriate to ask for and receive medical advice here, but to clarify, I was looking to hear from anyone who has stopped both alcohol consumption and paxil at the same time and if so how was the experience.

I have read here and elsewhere that drinking while on Paxil causes strong cravings for booze.

Anyway, today was another day 1. Cant ask for much else....