Wow, Cedie!

RE: Cedie has always been beautiful to me

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Suggested reply to Amy's colleaque in hindsight...."I always wondered why you are such a jerk!"
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-09-01 AT 05:38PM (Est)[/font][p]Yes! Rhonda is inspiring. What a pretty lady who can lift weights with the best of them!!!
 
RE: Cedie has always been beautiful to me

Too many women are into making excuses about why they can't work out or eat right, especially the working out part. It could be that men are sports oriented to begin with, so it's easier for them to exercise. Just my totally non-professional opinion. Men "just do it."

Also, I think women get into the fad diets that are impossible to stay on for any length of time, and don't train them to eat right after they've lost weight. I always hated it when a band of co-workers would go on diets together, and that's all they'd talk about until they would all give up and gain the weight back.

Yes, do your research and let us know what you come up with!
 
>Hi all,
>
>Hey Amy,
>I know all about Paxil
>myself, so I can empathize.
>Except me!

I have one
>question and I know all
>of you will think I
>am the biggest bonehead on
>earth - mainly because no
>one else needed to ask
>this... but Donna, when you
>said 'I am inspired because
>we share the same body
>"type" (I'm sure you can
>guess which body area that
>would be, LOL)', what area
>were you talking about?
>Do you just mean Cedie's
>overall height, bone structure, etc.
>or did I miss something?
> I'm really curious!
>
>Thanks for listening.
>Joyce


Hi Joyce...well, let's see. Paxil..yes, I have been off of it since February after an 18 month run. It was a real life saver/changer for me. I've become a very loud supporter of not allowing disorders or depression mess with your life. However, as noted, there are certain side effects. I still have 8 of those little side effects I'm trying to shed.

I do fit Cedies bone structure and overall height. I am inspired by her. Although that is not to take away from any of the other participants. They are all just awesome and inspiring.

Donna
 
Hi Donna,

Thanks for your response. Yes, Paxil is nasty in terms of weight gain, but it truly changed my life by virtually eliminating my panic attacks.

One the topic of Cedie and the rest, I just wanted to say one more thing (bear with me)... I was just thinking about how Cathe, Cedie and Rhonda are all such veteran performers of Cathe's videos (well, obviously Cathe is, duh!), and how, as they've gotten older, they just keep getting better and better in terms of fitness and looks! (Please note that I thought all 3 were great looking from the get-go.)

And what strikes me is that while all three women are beautiful and fit, they all have such different looks/body types... I guess what I'm trying to say is they are living proof that staying fit is so incredibly good for you in every way. You truly can achieve your personal if you want to. They are SO motivating to me - as all of you are too!

Ok, enough preaching, right?

take care,
Joyce
 
Paxil

Paxil flatlined my personality, usurped my creativity and took away all that was me (including my sexuality). Oh sure, my depression was cured and I completed my Masters Degree in Public Health and wrote a thesis, but I didn't care about anything, really. Then one day the Paxil stopped working and I became depressed again -- true clinical depression. And I was 30 pounds heavier from 6 years on this stuff. The weight gain was gradual. Every year more and more weight piled on me.....

My psychiatrist told me Paxil is notorious for stopping working after long term use. Then a person is left with horrible withdrawal (the last 10 mg to 0 mg were the worst), weight gain, and just as or more depressed than they were to begin with. That is what happened to me.

I met a lady through Ebay of all places whose precious daughter was on Paxil -- they found her dead during her withdrawal from this poison drug. Heart Attack? Suicide? The lady never shared that with me. She did share her daughter's webpage with me.

Her daughter was 32 years old, a college graduate, very beautiful, was very intelligent,had a wonderful new boyfriend, and everything to live for. But she was found dead in her apartment three days after her boyfriend and mother had last seen her. This girl had it all -- beauty, brains, a tender heart. But like all those who suffer from depression she was always hurting and turned to Paxil for help. She took Paxil for 7 years or so --- then it stopped working at all.

I am sorry to turn this into a psychiatric forum and will not post about this again -- but ladies and gentlemen, please, please be careful if your doctor prescribes Paxil for depression to you, your children, your husband, wife, significant other, parent -- anyone you care about.

I am incensed when I see advertisements for Paxil for social anxiety -- in other words -- shy? Take Paxil! Please be critical with all these ads for pharmaceuticals that are aimed at you, the consumer. And don't think doctors don't get "kickbacks" and "perks" from drug companies for prescribing their meds. They do -- Carribean cruises, computers, etc., etc. Even more than just that. Last Sunday while at the pharmacy I saw an ad for Claritin that featured a major athlete endorsing the product. How many millions did he make for a mere photo of him with his baseball bat in the air while people go without even basic healthcare in this country?

In closing, let me say that Cathe Friedrich's Fall Roadtrip last year and her Workouts helped me heal during a very painful time in my life. It was always such a relief when I could turn to Cathe and her cast (and the Firm too for that matter) for recreation. Fitness is so important to us all here in so many ways and I thank God every day for Cathe Friedrich filming MIS because that is the first workout of hers I purchased. That began my love for her as an instructor and my respect for her as a true fitness professional. And as for her cast -- they are some of the warmest, kindest, and most beautiful ladies whom I've ever met.

Amy
 
RE: Paxil

I took Paxil for a short time for eating disorders and didn't feel any different on it, but had trouble with withdrawal. I was very nauseous and dizzy for two weeks - it would get so bad that I would sit on the floor and cry because I couldn't get any relief. I wish someone would have warned me about withdrawal symptoms - I had no idea I would have any.
Erica
 
RE: Paxil

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-01 AT 07:19PM (Est)[/font][p]Never mind. This is a fitness forum, not a forum for discussing depression and antidepressant medication. I'll just say that I am one of the many whom Paxil has helped, and I pray that it continues to work for me.

I'll also add that regular, vigorous exercise is a wonderful antidepressant in its own right. I believe that I would be taking a much larger dose than my current 30 mg of Paxil if it were not for the antidepressant effect of exercise. Too bad my health insurance won't pay for my Cathe videos!

Laura
 
RE: Paxil

I agree that health insurance should pay for gym memberships and all that other stuff we pay for out of pocket! Weight Watchers fees, too! I NEVER take sick days, unlike all my other co-workers through the years that have bad personal habits (poor eating, not taking vitamins, not exercising, etc.)and I think that's worth SOMETHING!!!! Hey, Medical Mutual, I'm healthy and saving you a pile of money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
RE: Paxil

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[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-14-01 AT 09:24 AM (Est)[/font]

Hi Laura,

I do not know how long you have taken Paxil, but over the period of 5 years I gained 30 lbs. while on the drug.

Then it stopped working.

When I stopped taking Paxil, my weight melted off.

I am glad it works for you -- it did for me for about 5 years. Oh, I was the perfect little zombie -- why I had't a care in the world! Then Paxil stopped working -- while on the med I would too would have touted its efficacy and would have defended it and commented on how great it worked for me.

I hope you are being monitored by a psychiatrist and not a regular M.D. Because if the time comes that you come off the med, it will be hard and the longer you are on it and the higher dosage you take, the harder it will be. This medication is physically addictive and I have been addicted other meds (by a doctor) and withdrawn; however, nothing compared to the nightmare of Paxil.

Go into a search engine and search for Paxil. It is a very controversial drug. Several states have class action lawsuits against Smith, Klein, and Beecham, regarding Paxil. It is alleged it was put through clinical trial too quickly and is more dangerous than what the media would have you believe. Suicides and people who NEVER kick Paxil are rampant.

One time a nurse told me Paxil was great, safe as aspirin. Yeah,right -- while I was vomiting,having dry heaves and sweats and chills, sensations of electrical shocks throughout my body, and racked with abdominal cramps I thought of her comment. And yes, this was from Paxil withdrawal -- I was in a mental hospital to get off of it and I was given a thorough medical exam to rule out other causes. After a multitude of medical tests and scans, it was determined that my illness was from Paxil withdrawal (at the end when I dropped from 10 to 0 mg). Prior to that I was withdrawing well.

There are newer generations of antidepressants that work just as well without all the nasty side effects. I am now taking Serzone and doing quite well. No weight gain, etc. My life and small figure are back!

No matter how hard I worked out, no matter how well I ate, while on Paxil I could not shed the pounds. I just thought I that because I was getting older I was destined to become pudgy and frumpy. WRONG!

Gosh, I am sorry I talking about this again -- but I want to warn people about this drug. Please, please research Paxil. And remember, the doctor is not always right!
 
RE: Paxil

I think your message is very important. Any time a doctor prescribes a medication, you need to be a good consumer and research the medication. Most medications have side effects and need to be seriously evaluated. You must know what you are taking and all the possible side effects.
 
RE: Paxil

Hi Amy! I totally agree with you that it's important to be an informed patient. Interestingly, I've been on Paxil since March of 1994--over 7 years. When my doctor put me on the drug it was new on the market and was touted as being better than Zoloft and Prozac in the sense of having fewer side effects. Certainly my doctor didn't warn me about side effects such as weight gain and an increased need for sleep. But then Paxil was so new that I don't think she herself was aware of those side effects.

Like you, I gained about 30 lbs over the course of 5 years. But at least 15 of those pounds I badly needed. I had a pretty severe eating disorder that kicked in as I was going through puberty, and I went though most of my teens and twenties without menstruating. But thanks to the weight I gained on Paxil, I now have regular periods for the first time in my life.

And it has been possible for me to lose weight while on Paxil. It hasn't been easy, but I've been able to drop about 10 lbs of fat and get back into a size 4. (Okay, sometimes a 6, but that's still not bad :)) Hooray for Cathe and the Firm!

What you say about Paxil losing its effectiveness over time has made me wonder if maybe--just maybe--I don't need it any more to treat my depression. In other words, maybe I haven't noticed the drug losing effectiveness because I'm no longer depressed. That's definitely a possibility I need to raise with my doctor the next time I see her.

BTW, while I completely agree that drug companies are extremely aggressive in their wooing of doctors, I also think that insurance companies, HMOs, etc, are even more aggressive in pressuring doctors *not* to prescribe costly medications.

I've gone on too long already, but I guess what I really want to say is: absolutely, research this medication or any other before taking it. Thank goodness for the Internet, which puts so much information at our fingertips and makes it easier than ever before to be an informed patient! But don't be afraid to take Paxil if you really, really need it--if you're so anxious and/or depressed that your life is a misery and you're at the point where you'll do just about anything to make the pain stop. Paxil ain't perfect by any means, but it may be the best solution available right now.

And Amy, it sounds like you're doing better now. I hope you are, anyway. Sheesh, these mood disorders are hell, aren't they? BTW I totally agree with you about Cedie: she's beautiful and always has been. I love watching her during step tapes because she's always smiling and she moves with so much style!

Laura
 
RE: Paxil

This is an interesting thread! I took Paxil for awhile also. I believe wholeheartedly in anti-depressants for those who need them, but it can be very hard to find one that doesn't have debilitating side effects. For some people though, medication is the only thaing that keeps them alive. I saw a psychologist while I was on the drug and he said that we have probelm with the power of drug companies in this country. We (sometimes) tend to medicate ourselves and not get to the underlying causes of depression. However, depression is sometimes chemical, so it's very tricky! I now use exercise and diet as a means of controlling my occasional depression.

I also think Cedie looks great and I love her hair!

:) Bobbi
 
RE: Paxil

I totally agree with you (and your doctor) about the need for therapy in conjunction with medication to get to the root cause of the depression. Thing about antidepressants like Paxil is, they don't work unless your depression has a biochemical component (insufficient seritonin). They are NOT "happy pills." But no one really knows what causes brain chemistry to go awry. There's almost certainly a genetic component, but traumatic experiences can also play a part in altering brain chemistry, and that's where therapy comes in. In my case, it was actually my therapist who sent me to my psychiatrist for medication because therapy alone wasn't working. But once I got on medication I was able to address the root causes of my depression, which may be why after seven years Paxil is still working for me.

I just wish insurance companies were better about paying for therapy!

Laura
 
RE: Paxil

Laura,

I agree with you completely. Brain chemistry is tricky. What works for one person, won't for another. It's all very individual and it's important to find the right method, whatever it is. I think these medications are very important and necessary but getting it right can be tricky, to say the least, and as the above post indicates, dibilitating if the drug is the wrong one. Mental health care has come a long way but has a long way still to go!

:) Bobbi
 
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