Gosh, I hope you didn't go off Paxil cold-turkey! (don't know about birth control pills, as I've never used them). If you stopped taking the Paxil suddenly, didn't whatever symptoms you're taking it for recur?

I've been taking Paxil on and off (under a doctor's care, phasing in and out each time) for years and it hasn't affected my weight at all. It's not one of the SSRI's that tends to cause weight problems for a lot of people.

You can ask your pharmacist--he or she will probably have much more info about side effects. But just realize that every possible side effect HAS to be listed in the prescribing info by law, so even if "weight gain" is listed, that doesn't mean it's a problem for most people.

And as for your question about how long it takes for the body to get rid of it, it's about a week.

Good luck.