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Re: paxil and suicide

Posted by bob on March 7, 2000, at 18:30:21

In reply to paxil and suicide, posted by missy on March 7, 2000, at 15:22:30

Hi missy,

For anyone who is starting just about ANY antidepressant, this can be a concern. It's not so much that taking the med somehow makes you want to kill yourself, but that people who are seriously suicidal who haven't taken any steps toward doing so will get enough of a boost from the medication to finally take some action. I think this is mostly of concern for medications like SSRIs, which can take 6-8 weeks before they settle into a therapeutic effect.

The very first time I went on medication, my GP gave me zoloft. Thirty minutes after taking my first 50mg tablet, I was high as a kite and goofier than, well, Goofy. I was working as a consultant in an elementary school at the time, and it was really a struggle not to say something goofy or racy or otherwise inappropriate just to get a laugh ... I don't know how I made it thru that day without getting kicked out for good! One week later, my mood crashed right thru the floor. It was a roller coaster like that for me for the next five weeks.

Are you getting this medication from a general practitioner or from a psychiatrist? Are you in some sort of talk therapy right now? If you are feeling suicidal, you need to get more help than what a med is going to do for you. This is particularly true if you're going to have to cope with adjusting to a med at the same time as dealing with your own feelings. You need to be honest and open with your doctor/therapist about this ... quite a few of us (guilty as charged) have been where you are, and not so long ago ... some of us know we may head down that road again. Everyone I've seen write about it here talks with their therapists about it, even (or especially) if they can't mention being suicidal to anyone else. That's when they really become your lifeline ... but like I've said, you HAVE to be open and honest with that person for him or her to be of any good for you.

take care,
bob

 

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