[scleme1]

hello all.
i am needing some help in getting through my latest anxiety episode. i have been on Paxil for about 5 years now. Life has been good and I've really had no side effects from what i can tell. When I began taking the Paxil 5 years ago, i started off at 40 mg/day. After a few years of feeling good, I decided to go down to 30 mg/day. Life was still good...an occasional anxiety breakthrough here and there - but manageable.

Then, 3 months ago, mt doctor put me on Paxil CR 25 mg/day. Everything was fine, then two weeks ago I had a horrible anxiety attack, and have had horrible days since. It feels like the same intensity of anxiety i felt before taking the paxil.

5 days ago my doctor increased the dosage to 40 mg/day of the regular Paxil. I still feel awful - like the Paxil isn't going to work again.

Has anyone out there been through anything like this? Will the Paxil begin to make me feel like myself again? How long will it take before the increased dosage takes effect?

Thanks so much for any insight you guys can give me. This anxiety is a horrible feeling - not sure how much more i can take without some relief. AC.

[stressGirl]

sounds like to me you might be having delayed withdrawl from stoping the regular Paxil.
When you swiched to Paxil CR your brain said "oh,oh" what's this stuff? where's my regular Paxil?
It may take a while for the withdrawl to stop.
Did you ever read "From Panic To power" by Lucinda Bassett? It's a good read.[8D]

Jul.

[abey042000]

I used to take 50mgs Paxil for about 2 yrs. my dr. tried switching me to 40 CR.......it was horrible, I could not even tell I had the CR in me so I did go back to regular Paxil. Also they say it could take up to 2 wks before PaxilCR or regular Paxil gets completely in ur system. Eventually though I had to start something completely diff, because I got too used to the Paxil then I started Effexor.

[canupp46]

Well just go jump off a bridge,since that really helps. It is the only way to go to do things correct the first time. If you jump off a building and don't die then go back up the elevator and try try again.

[kidmonster]

Originally Posted by abey042000

I used to take 50mgs Paxil for about 2 yrs. my dr. tried switching me to 40 CR.......it was horrible, I could not even tell I had the CR in me so I did go back to regular Paxil. Also they say it could take up to 2 wks before PaxilCR or regular Paxil gets completely in ur system. Eventually though I had to start something completely diff, because I got too used to the Paxil then I started Effexor.

If you are stil on the thread, how is Efflexr? Does it make you feel any different then the Pax? Is it better or worse? Thanks for any feedback.

[vanpills]

Controlled release tablets of any kind don't work very well i find (as well as others i have talked to). They have coatings(sometimes polymers) that digest at different times giving you a slow release while throughout your day while it digests. The problem is, that they usually end up in your intestine and stool before they have been completely dissolved and some of the drug has not been absorbed. Doctors would deny this as they just rely on what the Drug Companies tell them. Your body was probably used to the bit hit in the morning or night when you took it, so you should probably go back to using a higher instant release again.
A little off topic, but do you know why the drug companies invent CR for anti-depressants? When the copyright has expired after a certain amount of years, generic companies can then make the same drug and the company that invented paxil no longer makes all the millions from it anymore. They then change it a little bit, by making it "Controlled Release" and it is then a new product and generic companies cannot produce it. They send all sorts of literature, studies, mugs, jackets, pens, paper and other junk with the drug name on it to your doctor telling them that it is far superior and they should prescribe it (the doc usually makes $$ from writing the presciptions and handing out the free samples to patients).
I guess what I am saying is that CR is not really a superior product, the Paxil guys just make a heck of a lot more money off of it. Just a heads up, I took Paxil for a couple years and coming off of it was ten times worse than the aniety before it. You should look up the long term effects. I felt like I was having electric shocks in my head everytime I moved for about 3 months. They made a name for it recently, like "electric shock syndrome" or something funny like that. I wouldn't recommend anyone to take Paxil unless they are suicidal. Your Anxiety can be treated better with cognitive therapy most likely, and that's what you will have to do anyway unless you take drugs for the rest of your life. It will be much more difficult the more you take Paxil, unless you are getting good help (not just drug therapy) at the same time.
Good Luck.